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THE PASSOVER.

FIRST READING.

"There was not a house in which there was not one dead."—Exodus 12:30.

THIS is our own gladdest Sunday in all the year, and we read of the Israelites being glad too—glad upon the very Sunday that answered to this, thousands of years ago. On this Sunday, of all those thousands of years, there has been joy and gladness and thanking God. And why? It was because all the troubles in Egypt were over, and God brought the Israelites out safe.

There was one thing they had to do first, though; Moses bade them do it, as God commanded him. Every family was to take a lamb, and it was to be killed and roasted whole in the evening, and some of its blood was to be marked upon the door-post of the house, and then all the family were to stand round the table, all ready dressed for a journey, and eat it as fast as they could, late at night.

And while all the families, fathers and mothers and children, stood up eating the lamb in this strange way, there came a great shout and cry. God had sent His angel to punish the cruel Egyptians; and every house where there was no mark of blood on the door-post had some one dead in it, and that dead person was the eldest or first-born son.

DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN OF EGYPT.—Ex. 12:29.

There was a great cry, for there was death everywhere, from the son of Pharaoh who sat on his throne down to the child of the poorest slave; and even the first-born cattle died too, because the Egyptians used to worship them; but wherever there was the blood on the door-post the angel passed over, and the eldest son was safe. Then cruel King Pharaoh was sorry and afraid at last, and said that the people who brought such trouble on him should go where they liked.

QUESTIONS.

1. Why are we glad to-day? 2. Why were the Israelites glad to-day? 3. Where were the Israelites living? 4. What hard work had they to do? 5. Who said they should come out? 6. Who would not let them go? 7. What did God tell the Israelites to eat? 8. How were they to be dressed while they ate it? 9. What were they to do with the blood? 10. Who was going to pass over the land that night? 11. What did the angel do where he did not see any blood on the door-post? 12. Who were frightened then? 13. What did the Egyptians wish then?

SECOND READING.

"It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover."—Exodus 12:27.

WHEN the King of Egypt said the Israelites might go they were all up and dressed, quite ready and only waiting, and off they set. No more making of bricks, no more slaving for the Egyptians, no more drowning of babies! They were free! and God was going to lead them to the beautiful country that long ago He had said He would give them.

EGYPTIAN JUDGMENT SCENE.

And so, to put them in mind how they were saved from the Egyptians, God bade them on the same day in each year to kill a lamb and roast it, and put the blood on the door-post, and eat the lamb all standing round the table, dressed as if they were going for a journey, that they might never forget how God had made them free. This was called the Passover, because the angel passed over the houses where the blood was marked over the door. And God came in a pillar of cloud to show them the way they should go.

Our blessed Lord was crucified when He had come to the Feast of the Passover many years after. You know He was like a lamb, He was so pure and gentle; and His Blood saves us, as that lamb's blood did the Israelites, and sets us free from the power of the devil. So we still keep the feast of being set free, on this happy Easter Sunday, when we recollect that Christ was slain for our sins, but that He rose again from the dead, and liveth for evermore.

QUESTIONS.

1. What did Pharaoh say that the Israelites might do? 2. What made him let them go at last? 3. Who were set free? 4. What were the Israelites to do every year? 5. What was this eating the lamb called? 6. Why was it called the Passover? 7. Why were the Israelites glad? 8. Who set us free? 9. What did our Lord do as on this day? 10. In what is He like a lamb? 11. So what did we say in the Easter Anthem to-day? 12. How did God lead them?

THIRD READING.

"The children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea."—Exodus 14:16.

ALL the Egyptians were weeping over their dead first-born sons, and the Israelites were set free, and going gladly out and away from their hard masters.

But Pharaoh's hard heart turned again, and he got all his chariots and horsemen together, and went after the children of Israel to drive them back to Egypt. And when he came in sight of them, there they were all upon the shore of the sea called the Red Sea. They could not go on, for the sea was straight before them; they could not go back, for the Egyptians were behind. They were sore afraid. But God spoke to Moses and told him not to fear. They had only to stand still and see how God would save them.

And God Himself showed that He was with them, for the pillar of cloud went behind them, instead of before, and made it dark to the Egyptians, but gave light by night to the Israelites: so the Egyptians could not get near them all night.

PHARAOH'S HOST DESTROYED IN THE RED SEA.—Ex. 14:30, 31.

Then God bade Moses stretch out his rod over the sea. And then there was a great wonder. The waves of the sea parted, and stood up on each side in a heap, and in between there was a wide open space, where the children of Israel might walk safely dry-shod, through the very midst of the sea. Through it they went, men, women, and children, through the depths of the sea, with the waves standing still on each side of them.

Pharaoh saw that they were all gone over. He chose to follow after them. But when his host was in the midst, the sea returned in its strength again and came down on the Egyptians, and every one of them was drowned—"they sank like lead in the mighty waters"—and the Israelites were freed from their enemies, quite away from all their trouble and all their slavery; and they sang hymns of joy to God, who had been so good to them and now had set them free.

And we read about them being set free because this is the great Easter Day when we give thanks to our Blessed Lord for having set us free.

QUESTIONS.

1. What last plague had come on Egypt? 2. Who had set off to leave Egypt? 3. But what did Pharaoh do? 4. What was before the Israelites? 5. What was behind? 6. Where did the pillar of cloud go? 7. How were the Egyptians cut off from them? 8. What wonder did God work? 9. Where did the Israelites go over? 10. Who came after them? 11. What became of the Egyptians? 12. Who were free? 13. Who had made them free?