Mather - Houston-Packer Collection BS478 .M3 1705

The Gofpel of Cleanfing from the Leprofy. 319 like Ceremony is required inother Cleanfings. As at the Confecration of the Levites, Numb. S. 7. they were to caufe a Rafor to pafs over alt their Flefh. And Deut. zt. rz. Of the Captive Woman it is faid, fhe fhail'have her Head, and pare her Nails. Some allegorize this in a plain and a good Way, thus : That it was a Figure of calling away all Remainders of Malice and Fiithinefs, lames r. 21. Thofe Excre- fcencies and Superfluities of finful Corruption, it fhadows out and teacheth the Work of Mortification, or paring away of finful Super- fluities of Lufts and Corruptions, as faft as they grow, which we can- not be quite rid of, but muff be paring and cutting them off conti- nually. This Expreffion is ufed JJa. 7. zo. in a metaphorical Way, to fig- fie ni- the Lord's confuming and weakning their Strength : For much Hair arguethStrength of Nature. Hence in Age, when there is a decay of Strength, the Hair falls off; and Baldnefs comes inftead of Hair. Therefore in a Leprous Perfon, it feems to argue Strength of the Dif- eafe : Therefore the !having it off, is thought to fignify the cutting off and taking away the Strength of the Difeafe, and Plague ofthe Heart. And as to Warhing, this was often required : Therefore the Apo= file fpeaks of divers Wafhings, Heb. 9. io. And-the Holy Ghoft refers them to the Bloodof Chrifl, Rev. a. 5. And they refpea alfo the Spirit ofchriff, often compared to Water, Ifa: 44. 3. This is that,Fountain fet open, Zach. 13. a. for the Houfe of Judah, and the Inhabitants ofJe- rufalem to warn in, for Sin andfor Vncleanne¡s. A Sinner muff wafh and bath himfelf in this Fountain, if ever he will be made clean. We read of the warning of Regeneration, Titus 3. 5. which -is. an allufion to there Ceremonial Wafhings, rather than to Baptifm,. And the Leper was to warh his whole Body, not fome part only, becaufe San- aification is a cleanfsng of the whole Man, i Thef 5.23. And he mutt math his Clothes as well as himfelf. To teach us that we Inuit purge our felves from all manner of Fiithinefs, and everything that defileth, bating the very Garment that is [potted with the Flefh. Any thing of Un- cleannefs, the leaft degree of it, Jude. her': 23. bating even the Gar- ments fpotted by the Flefh : An Amplification, faith the Margin, taken from the forbidden Things in the Old Law, that did defile, that is, all Appearances, occafions, any thing that hath the leaft touch of Sin! It is a worfe fign of a Leprous gracelefs Heart, for a Man to daily with his Luft, and to allow himfelf therein, than one particular fall, into a grof r A&: of Uncleannefs if it be abhorredand repented of. Tbu

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