(2.) By faith on our part ; for till we believe, the blood of Christ produceth not its effect in our souls : Eom. iii. 25, ' Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.' Faith, believ- ing the great love of Jesus Christ in shedding his blood for us, for the expiation of our sins, doth comfort us, and excite us to live in a con- stant course of new obedience to him who died for us: Eom. v. 1, ' Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.' All tliat sincerely embrace the gospel are freely accepted with God in Christ ; have their sins pardoned, live in a sweet amity with God. In short, Christ, as the means of expiation of sin and reconcili- ation with God, is only appliable to a man by faith. We enjoy this reconciliation by faith. God doth not actually admit any to the privi- leges of Christ's death till they do believe.
110 , SERMON UPON HEBREWS XII. 24.
(3.) As a middle between both, it is sprinkled or applied by the ordinances of the gospel ; as the preaching of the word, and the sacra- ments.
(IsL) In the preaching of the word. As it is the great duty of the ministers of the gospel to sprinkle the hearts of the people with the blood of Christ, so to discover God's love and the virtue of his death, as to excite the hearers more earnestly to apply Christ, and take him home to them- selves for tlieir comfort and salvation. As Philip preached Jesus to the eunuch, so that he ravished his heart with him, and he could no longer be held from him : Acts viii. 36, ' As they went on their way, they came unto a certain water : and the eunuch said. See, here is water ; what doth hinder me to be baptized ? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' The apostle telleth the Galatians that in the gospel Christ is evidently set forth and crucified among them, Gal. iii. 1, when he is represented with such perspicuity and plain- ness, and with such power and liveliness, as if painted out before their eyes ; and Col. i. 27, ' Christ in you the hope of glory, warning every man, teaching every man ; ' Gal. iv. 19, ' My little children, of whom I travail in birth, till Christ be formed in you.' To have Christ so applied as that his virtue may be felt.
(2d) By the sacraments. They are a means on God's part, and an help on yours, for the applying of Christ, or sprinkling his blood on your consciences. Baptism is the laver of regeneration, or a means to make way for the renewing of the Holy Ghost, shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord, Titus iii. 5, 6. The blood of Christ is the fountain of all the grace communicated to us by the Spirit, though the water of baptism have an immediate respect to regeneration by the Spirit. In the Lord's supper, ovxi- kolvwvlo., 1 Cor. x. 16, 'The cup of blessing, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? ' There we come to apply it. In short, all the ordinances are helps instituted by God to make way for the participation of Clirist.
(3d) The subject to which it is applied, the hearts and consciences of penitent believers. Under the law, the flesh was cleansed by the sprinklings there, but now the heart and conscience : Heb. x. 22, ' Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed as with pure water.' That is, from that inward impurity and corruption whereof every man's conscience is judge and witness. Con- science is the most quick, lively, and sensible power of a man's soul ; so that when the heart is said to be sprinkled from an evil conscience, it is meant of a conscience unquiet by reason of sin, when a poor sinner, being sensible of sin, maketh hearty application of the blood of Christ for remission and pardon, and in all the disquiets of his soul runneth to the blood of Christ, as the only fountain which God hath opened for uncleanness : 1 John i. 7, ' If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one w'ith another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.' Once more : Heb. ix. 14, ' Purge your consciences from dead works, that you may serve the living God.' The poor soul that is conscious to its own disobedience, and sensible of having displeased God by sin, is grievously afraid of him, shy of coming into his presence, till the blood of Christ be sprinkled and applied to
SERMON UPON HEBREWS XII. 24. Ill
it ; that freetli the soul thus conscious of sin from the guilt, impurity, and other sad consequences of it, whereupon it begins to have peace with God, and fitness for communion with him.
(4.) The certainty of the effect to all that come under the gospel. It must needs be so, for they are partakers of Christ ; Heb. iii. 14, with the 6th verse. How are men affected at the first receiving of Christianity with great hope and confidence in Jesus Christ, that he will do their work for them : to be partakers of Christ is to have his benefits applied to us. More particularly, they are justified and sanctified in his name, and by his Spirit: 1 Cor. vi. 11, 'Such were some of you : but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.' We are assured that, if we are capable, if we have a conscience sensible of sin, and appealing to the throne of grace, and plead this blood, God will make us feel the fruits of it : 1 John i. 9, ' If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' When with brokenness of heart, as feeling the weight and power of sin, we bemoan ourselves to God, he hath left his faithfulness and justice at pledge with us that the stormy conscience shall be quieted, the filthy soul shall be washed and prepared for com- munion with God. But those who, being senseless of sin, are careless of the remedy, these feel no great effects of Christ's death in their own souls.