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unclean, until they were washed, ver. 7-10. So, when Christ was made a sin-offering, all the legal uncleannesses, that is, the guilt of the church, were on him, and he took them away.

But it is the use of this ordinance which is principally intended. The ashes of this heifer being burned, were preserved, that being mixed with pure water, they might be sprinkled on persons, who, on any occasion, were legally unclean. Whoever was so, was excluded from all the solemn worship of the church. Wherefore, without this ordinance, the worship of God, and the holy state of the church, could not have been continued. For the means, causes, and ways of legal defilements among them were very many, and some of them unavoidable. In particular, every tent and house, and all persons in them, were defiled, if any one died among them, which could not but continually fall out in their families. Hereon they were excluded from the tabernacle and congregation, and all duties of the solemn worship of God, until they were purified. Had not therefore these ashes, which were to be mingled with living water, been always preserved and in a readiness, the whole worship of God must quickly have ceased amongst them.

It is so in the church of Christ. The spiritual defilements which befal believers are many, and some of them unavoidable unto them whilst they are in this world; yea, their duties, the best of them, have defilements adhering to them. Were it not but that the blood of Christ, in its purifying virtue, is in a continual readiness unto faith, that God therein had opened a fountain for sin and uncleanness, the worship of the church would not be acceptable unto him. In a constant application thereunto doth the exercise of faith much consist.

Thirdly. The nature and use of this ordinance is farther described by its object, the unclean,' KEKOLVOμEVOVS; that is, those that were made common. All those who had a liberty of approach unto God in his solemn worship, were so far sanctified, that is, separated and dedicated. And such as were deprived of this privilege were made common, and so unclean.

The unclean especially intended in the institution were those who were defiled by the dead. Every one that by any means touched a dead body, whether dying naturally or slain, whether in the house or field, or did bear it, or assist in the bearing of it, or were in the tent or house where it was, were all defiled; no such person was to come into the congregation, or near the tabernacle. But it is certain, that many offices about the dead are works of humanity and mercy, which morally defile not. Wherefore, there was a peculiar reason of the constitution of this defilement, and this severe interdiction of them that were so defiled, from divine worship. And this was to represent unto the people the curse of the law, whereof death was the great visible effect. The present Jews have this notion, that defilement by the dead arose from the poison that is dropt into them that die by the angel of death, whereof see our exposition on ch. ii. 14. The meaning of it is, that death came in by sin, from the poisonous temptation of the old serpent, and befel men by the curse which took hold of them thereon. But they have lost the understanding of their own tradition. This belonged unto the bondage under which it was the will of God to keep that people,

that they should dread death as an effect of the curse of the law and the fruit of sin, which is taken away in Christ, Heb. ii. 14; 1 Cor. xv. 56, 57. And these works which were unto them so full of defilement, are now unto us accepted duties of piety and mercy.

These, and many others, were excluded from an interest in the solemn worship of God, upon ceremonial defilements. And some vehemently contend that none were so excluded for moral defilements; and it may be it is true, for the matter is dubious. But that it should thence follow, that none under the gospel should be so excluded, for moral and spiritual evils, is a fond imagination. Yea, the argument is firm, that if God did so severely shut out from a participation in his solemn worship all those who were legally or ceremonially defiled, much more is it his will, that those who live in spiritual or moral defilements, should not approach unto him by the holy ordinances of the gospel.

Fourthly. The manner of the application of this purifying water was by sprinkling. Being sprinkled, or rather transitively, pavrikovaa, 'sprinkling the unclean.' Not only the act, but the efficacy of it, is intended. The manner of it is declared, Num. xix. 17, 18. The ashes was kept by itself. Where use was to be made of it, it was to be mingled with clean living water, water from the spring. The virtue was from the ashes; as it was the ashes of the heifer, slain and burnt as a sin-offering. The water was used as the means of its application. Being so mingled, any clean person might dip a bunch of hyssop (see Ps. li. 7,) into it, and sprinkle any thing or person that was defiled. For it was not confined unto the office of the priest, but was left unto every private person, as is the continual application of the blood of Christ. And this rite of sprinkling was that alone in all sacrifices, whereby their continued efficacy unto sanctification and purification was expressed. Thence is the blood of Christ called the blood of sprinkling, because of its efficacy unto our sanctification, as applied by faith unto our souls and consciences.

The effect of the things mentioned is, that they sanctified unto the purifying of the flesh; namely, that those unto whom they were applied might be made Levitically clean, be so freed from the carnal defilements, as to have an admission unto the solemn worship of God and society of the church.

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'Sanctifieth,' 'Ayala, in the New Testament doth signify, for the most part, to purify and sanctify internally and spiritually. Sometimes it is used in the sense of wp, in the Old Testament, to 'separate, dedicate, consecrate.' So is it by our Saviour, John xvii. 19, Kat væεо αυτών εγω ἁγιάζω εμαυτον, and for them I sanctify myself;' that is, separate and dedicate myself to be a sacrifice. So is it here used. Every defiled person was made common, excluded from the privilege of a right to draw nigh to God in his solemn worship: but in his purification he was again separated to him, and restored to his sacred right. The word is of the singular number, and seems only to respect the next antecedent, orodos dapaλews, 'the ashes of a heifer.' But if so, the apostle mentions the blood of bulls and goats, without the ascription of any effect or efficacy thereunto. This, therefore, is not likely, as being the more solemn ordinance. Wherefore the word is distinctly

to be referred by a Zeugma unto the one and the other. The whole effect of all the sacrifices and institutions of the law is comprised in this All the sacrifices of expiation and ordinances of purification

had this effect, and no more.

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They sanctified, προς την της σαρκος καθαρότητα, unto the puritying of the flesh.' That is, those who were legally defiled, and were therefore excluded from an interest in the worship of God, and were made obnoxious unto the curse of the law thereon, were so legally purified, justified, and cleansed by them, as that they had free admission into the society of the church and the solemn worship thereof. This they did, this they were able to effect, by virtue of divine institution.

This was the state of things under the law, when there was a churchpurity, holiness, and sanctification, to be obtained by the due observance of external rites and ordinances, without internal purity or holiness. Wherefore these things were in themselves of no worth nor value. And as God himself doth often in the prophets declare, that merely on their own account he had no regard unto them; so by the apostle they are called worldly, carnal, and beggarly rudiments. Why then, it will be said, did God appoint and ordain them? Why did he oblige the people unto their observance? I answer, it was not at all on the account of their outward use and efficacy, as unto the purifying of the flesh, which, as it was alone, God always despised; but it was because of the representation of good things to come, which the wisdom of God had inlaid them withal. With respect hereunto they were glorious, and of exceeding advantage unto the faith and obedience of the church.

This state of things is changed under the New Testament. For now neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but new creature. The thing signified, namely, internal purity and holiness, is no less necessary to a right to the privileges of the gospel, than the observance of these external rites was unto the privileges of the law. Yet is there no countenance given hereby unto the impious opinion of some, that God by the law required only external obedience, without respect to the inward spiritual part of it. For although the rites and sacrifices of the law, by their own virtue, purified externally, and delivered only from temporary punishments, yet the precepts and the promises of the law, required the same holiness and obedience unto God, as doth the gospel.

VER. 14.-How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot unto God, purify your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God.

This verse contains the inference or argument of the apostle, from the preceding propositions and concessions. The nature of the argument is à minori, and à proportione. From the first, the inference follows as unto its truth, and formally; from the latter, as to its greater evidence, and materially.

There are in the words considerable,

1. The subject treated of, in opposition unto that before spoken unto, and that is the blood of Christ."

2. The means whereby this blood of Christ was effectual unto the end designed, in opposition unto the way and means of the efficacy of legal ordinances. He offered himself (that is, in the shedding of it) unto God without spot, through the eternal Spirit.'

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3. The end assigned unto this blood of Christ in that offering of himself, or the effect wrought thereby, in opposition unto the end and effect of legal ordinances; which is, to 'purge our consciences from dead works.'

4. The benefit and advantage which we receive thereby, in opposition unto the benefit which was obtained by those legal administrations; that we may serve the living God.' All which must be considered, and explained.

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1. The nature of the inference is expressed by, Too μadov, how much more.' This is usual with the apostle, when he draws any inference or conclusion from a comparison between Christ and the high priest, the gospel and the law, to use av note in expression, to manifest their absolute preeminence above them: see Heb. ii. 2, 3, iii. 3, x. 28, 29, xii. 25. Although these things agreed in their general nature, whence a comparison is founded, yet were the one incomparably more glorious than the other. Hence, elsewhere, although he alloweth the administration of the law to be glorious, yet he affirms that it had no glory in comparison of what doth excel, 2 Cor. iii. 10. The person of Christ is the spring of all the glory in the church, and the more nearly any thing relates thereto, the more glorious it is.

There are two things included, in this way of the introduction of the present inference, how much more.'

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1st. An equal certainty of the event, and effect ascribed unto the blood of Christ, with the effect of the legal sacrifices, is included in it. So the argument is à minori. And the inference of such an argument is expressed by 'much more,' though an equal certainty be all that is evinced by it. If these sacrifices and ordinances of the law were effectual unto the ends of legal expiation and purification, then is the blood of Christ assuredly so, unto the spiritual and eternal effects whereunto it is designed. And the force of the argument is not merely as was observed before, à comparatis, and à minori; but from the nature of the things themselves, as the one was appointed to be typical of the other.

2dly. The argument is taken from a proportion between the things themselves that are compared, as to their efficacy. This gives a greater evidence and validity unto the argument, than if it were taken merely à minori. For there is a greater reason in the nature of things, that the blood of Christ, should purge our consciences from dead works, than there is, that the blood of bulls and goats should sanctify unto the purifying of the flesh. For that had all its efficacy unto this end from the sovereign pleasure of God in its institution. In itself it had neither worth nor dignity, whence in any proportion of justice or reason, men should be legally sanctified by it. The sacrifice of Christ also, as unto

its original, depended on the sovereign pleasure, wisdom, and grace of God. But being so appointed, upon the account of the infinite dignity of his person, and the nature of his oblation, it had a real efficacy in the justice and wisdom of God to procure the effect mentioned in the way of purchase and merit. This the apostle refers unto in these words, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unto God.' That the offering was himself, that he offered himself through the eternal Spirit' in his divine person, is that which gives assurance of the accomplishing the effect assigned unto it by his blood, above any grounds we have to believe, that the 'blood of bulls and goats should sanctify unto the purifying of the flesh.' And we may observe from this, how much more;' that,

Obs. I. There is such an evidence of wisdom and righteousness, unto a spiritual eye, in the whole mystery of our redemption, sanctification and salvation by Christ, as gives an immoveable foundation unto faith to rest upon, in its receiving of it.-The faith of the church of old, was resolved into the mere sovereign pleasure of God, as to the efficacy of their ordinances; nothing in the nature of the things themselves, did tend unto their establishment. But in the dispensation of God by Christ, in the work of our redemption by him, there is such an evidence of the wisdom and righteousness of God in the things themselves, as gives the highest security unto faith. It is unbelief alone, made obstinate by prejudices insinuated by the devil, that hides these things from any, as the apostle declares, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. And hence will arise the great aggravation of the sin, and condemnation of them that perish.

2. We must consider the things themselves.

First. The subject spoken of to which the effect mentioned is ascribed is το αίμα του Χριστου, “the blood of Christ. The person unto whom these things relate is Christ. I have given an account before, on sundry occasions, of the great variety used by the apostle in this Epistle in the naming of him. And a peculiar reason of every one of them, is to be taken from the place where it is used. Here he calls him Christ; for on his being Christ, the Messiah, depends the principal force of his present argument. It is the blood of him who was promised of old to be the high priest of the church, and the sacrifice for their sins; in whom was the faith of all the saints of old, that by him their sins should be expiated, that in him they should be justified and glorified; Christ, who is the Son of the living God, in whose person God purchased his church with his own blood. And we may observe, that,

Obs. II. The efficacy of all the offices of Christ towards the church depends on the dignity of his person.-The offering of his blood was prevalent for the expiation of sin, because it was his blood, and for no other reason. But this is a subject which I have handled at large elsewhere.

A late learned commentator on this Epistle, takes occasion in this place, to reflect on Dr. Gouge, for affirming that Christ was a priest in both natures, which, as he says, cannot be true. I have not Dr. Gouge's exposition by me, and so know not in what sense it is affirmed by him. But that Christ is a priest in his entire person, and so in both

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