science, which has satisfied the infinite justice of God? The Lord deliver thee from unbelief, and help thee to rely upon the blood of the everlasting covenant, until thou find every thing that is said of it in scripture to be infallibly true by thine own experience! The wonderful property then of this fountain comes from hence, that there is in it the most precious blood of Christ, which has a diviné virtue and power to cleanse, as the whole scripture bears testimony. Under the ceremonial dispensation, whenever any person had broken the law, he was pronounced unclean, and was shut out of the camp, until he was cleansed by blood. He was to bring his sacrifice to the priest, who was to slay it, and then to sprinkle the blood of it upon the unclean, that he might be sanctified to the purifying of the flesh. Thus the Mosaic ceremonies, which were figures of good things to come, then taught the sinner, that as his sin shut him out of the congregation of the Lord's people below, so would it shut him out of the congregation above, into which nothing unclean can enter; and then they farther taught him the infinite efficacy of Christ's blood to do away sin: for if the blood of the sacrifices could cleanse outwardly, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Thus the ceremonial law showed that blood could cleanse, and referred the sinner to the blood of the Lamb of God, by faith in which he might be made clean. The new testament refers him to the same fountain, and has given such descriptions of it as ought to silence doubts and fears, and to enable every convinced sinner to rely upon its virtue, and to wash and be clean. All that Jesus has purchased, all that the Holy Spirit has to apply, all the graces of time and all the blessings of eternity, are ascribed to the merit of his most precious blood-shedding. Thus the scripture sets forth its inestimable value. By it the price of our redemption was paid. The debt was so immense, for which justice had seized upon our persons and estates, that we could not be redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. The blood alone of that God-man was sufficient to pay our ransom, and he paid it to the uttermost farthing, as these scriptures testify. "In whom we have redemption through his blood."-Eph. i. 7. Col. i. 14. And as the redeemed of the Lord could thus say by faith, "we have redemption through his blood," so we read in Rev. v. that the redeemed of the Lord, in heaven, sung a new song, when the sealed book was given to the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, who alone prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof, saying, "thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood." Through his blood also we have remission and forgiveness of sins. Without shedding of blood there is no remission, and no blood could merit remission but his; as he says of himself, "this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins."-Matth. xxvi. 28. And the apostle, speaking of himself and of the Colossians, says, by it they had remission, "in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins."Col. i. 14. And the apostle John thus praises Christ for this blessing; "unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen."-Rev. i. 5, 6. And as believers have redemption and remission of sins through the most precious blood of Christ, so have they also through it another inestimable privilege, even free justification; according to what is written, Rom. v. 8, 9, "while we were yet enemies Christ died for us; much more, then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." And we are thus justified and saved through faith in his blood: "for we are justified free ly by grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood."-Rom. iii. 24, 25. And being thus justified by faith in his blood we have another privilege, greater than the world can give, and such as the world cannot take away, even peace with God: "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ; for he is our peace."-Eph. ii. 13, 14. He was constituted and appointed by the covenant the Prince of Peace, who was to reconcile God and man: "for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."-Col. i. 19, 20. And when the sinner is reconciled to the Father, by faith in the blood of his Son, then the sense of this peace will enable him to rejoice in God, through Jesus Christ, his Lord, by whom he hath now received the atonement. And when he is thus redeemed, and his sins are forgiven, and his person justified, and the peace of God rules in his heart, then there is another blessed privilege received by the blood of Christ, even sanctification. "The bodies of those beasts," says the apostle, "whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high-priest for sin are burnt without the camp, wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." Heb. iii. 11, 12. His people are delivered from the dominion as well as from the guilt of sin by the merit of his blood: "for he gave himself for them, that he might redeem them from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."-Titus, ii. 14. He gave himself to death for them, that he might redeem them from the power of iniquity as well as from the guilt and punishment of it, as the apostle witnesses, Col, i. 21, 22. "And you that were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your mind. by wicked works, yet now hath he - reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight." And when believers are thus through obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ renewed, day by day, in the spirit of their minds, then they have another exceeding great and precious privilege, namely, liberty of approaching God, and access with confidence unto him, as their reconciled Father. Their happiness in this respect is greater than can be expressed. They can cast all their care upon him, and thereby ease themselves of the burden, and they can lay all their wants and complaints before him, knowing that their God will supply all their wants out of the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. And this inestimable privilege comes to them through the blood of Christ, as the apostle has proved, Heb. x. 19, 20, &c.; "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated to us through the vail, that is to say, his flesh, and having an high-priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assu rance of faith." These are some of the privileges which believers receive from the most precious blood-shedding of Jesus Christ: and are not these sufficient to demonstrate the infinitely cleansing virtue of the fountain of his blood? For by it they are washed from every pollution and defilement of sin, and are presented without spot or blemish before God. Did sin bring them into captivity? The blood of Christ redeems them from all their enemies who led them captive from sin and Satan, from death and hell. Did sin bring guilt into the conscience? The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus takes it out, and speaks pardon and forgiveness. Did sin make us unrighteous, and condemn us at God's bar? There is now no condemnation to them who are justified by the blood of Christ. Did sin provoke an holy God, and arm his justice to execute the pains and penalties of the broken law upon the mercy transgressors? Christ has made peace by the blood of his cross, and he gives them peace in their consciences when they are justified by faith. Are we by nature sold under sin, and under its power and dominion? The blood of Christ has merit and efficacy in it to purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God. Did sin shut the door of against us, so that God would receive none of our prayers or services? The blood of Christ has opened a new and living way, and believers may with boldness enter into the holiest with their petitions: for whatever they ask of the Father in the Son's name he will give it them. Thus the blood of Christ saves from all iniquity. Whatever pollution or guilt iniquity had brought upon the soul, all is done away in the fountain of his blood. And these scriptures have so particularly described its virtue, that convinced sinners might have strong encouragement to rely upon its power to cleanse from all sin: for the Lord God has appointed it for this purpose, and it cannot fail of answering it; because he is almighty to render his own appointment effectual. The blood of Christ cleanses by a divine virtue, which nothing can resist. God has engaged and promised that his almighty power shall work in the application of this blood, and that not only in the present life, but also in the next. He has given to it an infinite and eternal virtue. It can cleause for ever. O doubt not then of any lesser virtue ascribed to it in scripture, since it has the greatest that possibly can be! Surely it can cleanse in time, since it can cleanse to eternity! "Christ by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us; (Heb. ix. 12;) for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."-Heb. x. 14. And when the beloved apostle saw in a vision the great multitude whom no man could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, one of the elders asked him, "what are these which are arrayed in white |