108 SERMON UPON HEBREWS XII. 24.
heaven is a sign of God's displeasure. This did not hurt them nor affright them ; and their eating and drinking is a token of our joyful communion with God, being reconciled to him by Christ, When the altar is sprinkled, and the people sprinkled, when the atonement is made, and the atonement is received and owned, that is matter of rejoicing: Eom. v. 11, 'We joy in God through Christ, by whom we have received the atonement.' Then it is a Ijlessed time, a time of holy rejoicing ; then we may eat before him, and he will not lay his hand upon us, neither affright nor hurt us.
3. There was another solemn sprinkling, that is spoken of by the apostle, Heb. ix. 13, 14, ' For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered him.self without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God ? ' To the type of the red heifer spoken of Num. xix. There was a solemn sprinkling there for the purifying of the unclean, to which answereth the purging of our consciences by the blood of Christ ; the one sanctifieth the flesh, the other the conscience ; the one freed from such penalties as were by the law imposed upon souls for legal and ceremonial offences, the other from dead works, which pollute us before God ; and so from spiritual evils and eternal penalties, and consequently that fit us for communion with God.
But from all these sprinklings this "we find, that it noteth approba- tion.
Now in this first point consider — (1.) The persons; those that are entered into the gospel estate. (2.) The manner of application; how it is applied. (3.) The subject to which it is applied; their hearts and consciences. (4.) The certainty of the effect.
[1.] The persons. The apostle speaketh of such as are come to the new Jerusalem, to God the judge of all, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling ; that is, such as are entered into the gospel estate. Now the way of entering into the gospel estate is by faith and repentance : Acts xx. 21, ' Repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.' That was the sum of his preaching to Jew and gentile, to bring them to enter into the gospel estate. Repentance towards God, because we had revolted from our duty to him. And then faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is necessary, that those that have benefit by Christ should own the author of their deliverance, and put their cause into his hands, that he may reconcile them unto God. Repentance that we may acknow- ledge our obligation to his law, bemoaning our former misery, and devoting ourselves anew to God, to do his will and walk in his ways. Well, then, repentance is our consent of returning to God, as faith is our thankful owning of our Redeemer. It is Christ's busi- ness to bring us back again to God, from whom we have fallen and strayed. Our great end in entering into the gospel estate is that we may put ourselves into a posture and capacity of pleasing and enjoying God ; and this is God's end in our pardon and reconciliation, and in offering us the benefits of the gospel. And therefore there must be a relenting towards God and a serious owning of Christ, or an hearty
SERMON UPON HEBREWS XIL 24. 109
consent to his conduct, to be brought home to God by him, and so fully recover our lapsed condition. So Mark i. 14, 15, ' Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel, and saying. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe the gospel.' When the gospel estate, or the kingdom of the Messiah, was to be set up, this is the way of entering into it, ' Eepent and believe.' Which repentance, properly and distinctly taken, looketh towards God the Father, and faith towards Christ as mediator. To God we return, from whom we were gone astray by sin ; and to Christ, the means and way of our returning, without whom we cannot be reconciled to our heavenly Father, nor perform any acceptable service to him. Now surely wher- ever these two are, faith working by love, and repentance mortifying our sinful lusts, that in newness of life we may glorify God, there men unquestionably are entered into the gospel state, and are capable of the privileges thereof.
[2.] How is the blood of Christ sprinkled or applied to us ? Many ways.
(1.) On God's part by the Spirit, as the fruit of Christ's intercession. Therefore it is said : 1 John v. 8, ' There are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, these three agree in one.' The TO KpcvS/xevov, or thing to be proved there, is, that Jesus is the Son of God. Now the Spirit beareth witness to this, applying the blood of Christ to the conscience, and purifying and sanctifying them as with clean water. These are not one, as the three first ; but these agree in one ; partly as they establish the same conclusion ; partly as they do concurrently establish it; not singly and apart; not water apart, nor blood apart, nor the Spirit apart; but they all concur ; the Spirit by water and blood appeasing our guilty consciences, and washing away the filth of sin, either comforting, or sanctifying, or regenerating us. So again : Rom. v. 5, ' The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.' The business is what is meant there by the love of God ? I take it for the great instance of his love in reconciling the world to himself by Christ ; for it immediately follows, ' For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.' Surely it is not taken for our love to God, but his love to us, which was chiefly seen in that great instance ; this is shed abroad in our hearts ; we have the effect, the feeling, and sense of the comfort of it by the Spirit.