354 Of CoMMUNION with there is alto 44 eirnafikb,, a fprinkling of blood,. without which there is ao aftual purification. This the ápoftle largely defcribes, Heb. ix. When Mofes, faith he, had fpoken_ eaieiy precept to the people according to . the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and fcarlet wood, and hyf%p, andfprinkled both the boo and all the people, faying, This is the blood of the teftament which God bath enjoined unto you; moreover, be fprinkled with blood, both the tabernacle, and all the veffels of the minillry; and al- moll all thingsare by the lampurged with blood; it vas thereforeneceffary that thepatterns of the things in the heavens,fhould he purified with theft, but the heavenly things themfelves, with better facrifices than tbefe, v. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. He had formerly compared the blood of Chrift, to the blood of facrifices, as offered in refpeft of the impetrationand the purchafe it made; now he cloth it unto that blood, as fprinkled, in refped of its appli- ° cation unto purification and holinefs. And he tells us how this fprinkling was performed, it was by dipping hyffop in the blood of the facrifice, and fo dafhing it out upon the things and perlons to be purified. As the infti- tution alfo was with the pafchal lamb, Exod. xii. tn. Hence David in a fenfe of the pollution of fin, prays, that he may be purged with hyffop, Pfal. li. 7. For that this peculiarly refpefted the uncleannefs and defilement of fin; is evident, becaufe there is no mention made in the inftitution of any facrifice, after that of the lamb before mentioned, of fprinkling bloodwith Lytfop, but onlyin thofe which refpeftedpurification of uncleannels. As in the cafeof leprofy, Levit. xiv. 6. andall other defilements, Numb. xix.,IS. which latter indeed, is noiof bloodbut of the water of feparation, this.alfa being eminently typical of the bloodof Chrift, which is the fountain for fepa- ration for uncleannefs, Zech. xiii. r. Now this branch of hyffop, wherein the blood of purification was prepared for thefprinkling of the unclean, is, unto us the free promifes of Chrift. The cleanfingvirtue of the blood of Chrift lies in the proinifes, as the blood of facrifices in the hyffop, ready to pafs out unto them that draw nigh thereunto. Therefore the apoftle argueth from receiving of the promiles unto univerfal holinefs, and purity. Having therefore thefe proinifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe our 'elves from allfilthinefs offlefh and Spirit, perfecting holinefr in the fear of the Lord, 2 Cor. vii. r. This then the Saints do; they eye the blood ofChrift as it is in the promife, ready to'iffue out upon the foul for the purification there- of; and thence is purging and cleanfing virtue to be communicated unto them, and by the blood of Chrift are they to be purged from all their fins, gob. i. 7. Thus far as it were, this purifying blood thus prepared and made ready is at fome difrance tothe foul. Thoughit be flied to this pur- pofe, that it might purge, cleanfe, and fanftify, though it be taken up with the bunch of hyttop in the promifes, yet the foul may not partake of it wherefore, (3.) They look upon him, as in his own Spirit heis the only difpenfer . of the Spirit, and of all grace of fanftification and holinefs. They confi- der that upon his interceflion it . is granted to him, that 'he (hall make ef- feftual all the fruits of his purchafe, to the fanftification, the purifying and making glorious in. holinefs of his whole people. They know that this is aftually to be accomplifitedby the Spirit, according to the innumera- b'le promifes given to that purpufe. He is to fprinkle that blood upon their fouls, he is to create the holinefs in them that they, long after, he is to be lrimfelf in them a well of mater fpringing up to everla/krig life. In this ftate they look to Jefus ; here faith fixes its felf in experation of his giving out the Spirit, for all thefe ends and purpofes ; mixing the proinifes with faith, and fo becoming aftual partaker of all this grace. This is their way,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=