I.

purified by it; and the reafon of this washing SER M. is expreffed, that they might be holy and acceptable to God; and if they omitted these washings after any breach of the law, or any contracted uncleannefs, 'tis faid, Levit. xvii. 16. they shall bear their iniquity.

And fo likewise the blood of their facrifices was fprinkled on the people, as particularly in that facrifice inftanced in the 19th verfe of this chapter, where 'tis faid, that Mofes took the blood of calves and of goats, and Sprinkled the people. And it follows at the 22d. verse, that the reason of it was, that thereby he might purge them, for that all things are by the law purged with blood. It is to this custom of fprinkling the people with blood and water, that David alludes in his 51ft. Pfalm. Wash me from my Wickedness, and cleanfe me from my Sin; and again, Thou shalt purge me with Hyfop, and I fall be clean; because the manner of fprinkling was with hyfop and wool dipped in the blood of the facrifice mingled with water. Nay this fame opinion prevailed among the heathens, that all contracted guilt was to be purged away; and to this custom among them Job alludes in the 9th chap. 30th verfe, If I wash my felf with Snow water, hands ever fo clean; yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, (i. e.) not hold me innocent. And this opinion was the occafion of water baptifm prevailing fo much among them, especially at their initiating of profelytes; that they might be cleansed from the

and make

my

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guilt

SER M. guilt of their former life, before they were admitted to a purer worship. But 2dly,

The whole cuftom of washing had respect to that mystical cleanfing of fin by the blood of Chrift. 'Tis plain from what hath been faid, that mankind in general was inclined to think that fome purification of the foul from actual guilt was neceffary, befides that atonement they imagined to be made by their facrifices; and therefore as these were types of the body of Chrift offered up upon the cross, fo the washings that attended them were types of his blood, and of that power it in cleanfing us from the guilt of fin.

of

Now, though it appeared that fome cleanfing was abfolutely neceffary, yet when they come to confider the matter, neither Jews nor Heathens could ever be inclined to believe, that washing the dirt off of the skin should really cleanfe the foul. Nothing was better known, or more generally received, than that no outward application of remedy could make any real alteration in the foul. There was nothing in all nature or religion that could occafion fuch a thought, as that the innocence of the mind fhould be an effect or confequence of beautifying the fkin; nay the contrary was evident from the plaineft principles of reafon. 'Tis true the cleannefs of the skin was a very apt and lively emblem of innocence, nay the beft that could be found; but then it evidently fuppofed that there was fomething to be wrought in the foul anfwerable to that out

ward

I.

ward cleanfing; otherwise the whole cuftom SER M. of washing had been abfurd and ridiculous; it would have had neither any effect of its own, nor any fimilitude or application whatsoever; it would have been wholly an ufeless and infignificant ceremony.

And accordingly though the Jews obtained a bodily legal purity by those washings, fo that after any breach of the law they might be admitted to the publick worship of God and conversation with men again; yet they had no opinion of any real immediate effect of those washings, Jeremiah ii. 22. Though thou wafheft thee with nitre (fays the Prophet) and take thee much foap; yet thine iniquity is marked before me, faith the Lord God. And notwithstanding those washings it follows, How canft thou fay I am not polluted?

So that we fee the Apostle's argument in the text is not only a pari, i. e. as the blood of legal facrifices cleanfed the pollutions of the body, fo the blood of Chrift purges away the guilt of the mind; but a minori. For in truth there was no innate real virtue in the legal washings or sprinkling the blood of their facrifices of themfelves to take away any legal impurities. What virtue and efficacy they had was derived from that blood of which they were reprefentatives; that blood which alone had a real proper innate efficacy to purge the confcience from fin. Washing and sprinkling of blood could not work by any natural efficiency; for if fo, nothing would be eafier than

B 4

SER M. than for the greatest finner to be perfectly in I. nocent; none may need fear finning, for upon the committal of any fin it is no great thing to go wash and be clean, as was faid to Naaman the leper. But, fince it cleansed by reprefentation only, it must be washing religioufly, i. e. with fignification and a farther reference, for otherwise all washings would have the fame effect, and the rivers of Damascus would have done as well for the curing of Naaman's leprofy, as the river Jordan.

Having thus prepared the way by these two particulars, and laid a foundation for explaining this great point of christian doctrine of the blood of Chrift's purging the conscience from fin; it will be convenient to see what the sense of those men is, who deny the subftance of this doctrine, though they seem to own it; and whose mistaken opinions about it have occafioned a farther explication of this article of our faith than would otherwife have been neceffary.

One would think they allowed all that we contend for, or that the fcriptures defign. And indeed they do, if they would not fay and unfay all again.

Crellius in his notes on the text fays, Sanguis Chrifli a peccatorum reatu emundandi vim habet, perpetuumque quoddam eft expurgandæ confcientiae remedium. But the reafon he gives for it is, because it confirms the pardon of our fins to us. So that here is a plain contradiction; the blood of Chrift hath a power of clean

1.

fing us from guilt; and yet it doth not cleanse, SE R M. but only affure us that we are all cleanfed. And yet in the fame note he hath this expreffion, Sanguis Jefu Chrifti non tantum peccatorum noftrorum reatum omnem abolet, fed ejus rei certiffimam nobis fidem facit. So that now he owns it both washes away the guilt of our fins; and befides gives us affurance that they are washed away.

Sanguis Jefu Chrifti (Jays Sclichtingius) purificat nos ab omni peccato, nullo excepto, etfi maximum & graviffimum fuerit, i. e. fays he, in the contemplation of the obedience of Chrift, God remits our fin. So that the blood of Chrift purifies us from all fin without exception, and yet it doth not purify us from the leaft fin; for God forgives us without any fuch cleanfing.

And Crellius again in his notes on the text, fpeaking of the blood of Chrift, in oppofition to that of the legal facrifices, fays, that it bath in itself, in the very nature of the thing, a moft extraordinary energy and power ad expurgandas confcientiæ labes ; to wash away the spots of the foul. And just after in an high ftrain of eloquence he attributes every other effect to it but this, that of confirming his doctrine; making his way into heaven; presenting himself without fpot, pure and immaculate; obtaining all power to forgive fins. And then he makes this confequence; who then can doubt but that the blood of Chrift actually purges the confcience from fin? a

ftrange