Doct. 2. That the blood of Christ applied to the penitent believer's heart is of great value and efiicacy with God.
1. I shall explain it in the notions of the text.
2. Give the reasons why.
1. The value and efficacy of Christ's blood is set forth by a com- parison with Abel's blood. It will be good a little to examine it — (1.) Wherein these two bloods agree ; (2.) Wherein they differ.
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[1.] They agree ia these things —
(1.) That as Abel's blood was shed, so Christ's. Abel's blood, being shed, speaketh; so Christ's. Of Abel's blood it is said, Gen. iv. 10, ' What hast thou done ? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.' Christ's blood hath a voice ; it was not shed in vain ; it pleadeth before the throne of grace on our behalf. Christ's intercession is not vocal, but real. The presenting of his blood before the throne of grace is enough ; for that speaketh to God in our behalf. As the high priest under the law appeared before the mercy-seat with the blood of the sacrifices, we do not read of anything he spake : ' So Jesus with his own blood is not entered into the holy place made with hands, which are the figures of the true ; but into heaven itself, now to appear before God for us,' Heb. ix. 24.
(2.) Both bloods speak ; in the conscience of the sinner, and unto God. Abel's blood did speak in Cain's conscience, so that he was filled with terror and unrest ; so that he went about trembling, saying, * Mine iniquity is greater than can be forgiven/ Gen. iv. 13. Words of despair. And it spake to God ; for he saith, ' Thy brother's blood crieth unto me.' And it is ' bloods ' in the Hebrew, as if every drop of it had a voice to call for vengeance on Cain. So Christ's blood speaketh in the consciences of them to whom it is applied ; it speaketh pardon, peace, comfort. It quieteth the soul as much as the other terrified Cain's conscience : Kom. v. 1, 'Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.' And it speaketh to God, for he is pacified, reconciled by it: Heb. xiii. 20, 'The God of peace brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.' As having done his work, having pacified God for us. He was before an angry, an offended God with us, but now, by the blood of the everlasting covenant, he is propitiated and become the God of peace ; by this blood our surety is enlarged, our bond can- celled, our peace is restored.
(3.) They both speak loud, and cry, so that God heareth. In Abel it is true, God is very tender of his Abels, of righteous persons ; the injuries done to them he deeply resenteth : Ps. cxvi. 15, ' Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints;' Ps. Ixxii. 14, 'He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence ; and precious shall their blood be in his sight;' that is, he so considereth it, and it is rated at so high a price by God, that he will not put it up. The cry of their blood is soon heard in heaven. Now the blood of the Son of God is far more precious ; surely the cry of it will be heard in heaven : 1 Peter i. 19, * With the precious blood of the Son of God, as of a lamb without spot and blemish.' If this blood be offered for the sin of man, it will be heard ; it crieth loud in God's ears ; for it is very precious, and will » be esteemed there, however it is slighted in the world, counted koivov, a common thing, Heb. x. 29. His blood tot Jiabet linguas "pro nobis loquentes, quot 'pro nobis vulnera accepit ; every drop is precious.
(4.) It is a continual cry. Abel's blood did not cry once, but con- tinually ; for it is said, Heb. xi. 4, ' By it, being dead, he yet speaketh.' As he was the protomartyr, and Cain on the other side the jjatriarch of unbelievers : Jude 11, ' These go in the way of Cain ; ' but for Abel,
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see Mat. xxiii. 35, * That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zacharias,' &c. Abel was the first we read of that offered lamb's blood for sacrifice, professing thereby to seek his righteousness in the blood of the Messiah ; and for this sacrifice he was made a martyr, the first of the order that suffered for the righteousness of faith. His blood crieth with the rest of the martyrs, to avenge his innocency. The carnal seed cannot endure such, but in all ages persecute them : Eev. vi. 9, 10, 'And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, say- ing, How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? ' So Christ's blood as yet speaketh, as if it were shed afresh : Heb. xiii. 8, ' Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.' The virtue of it is everlasting. The cry of this blood God daily heareth; it still speaketh to him, to pacify his wrath and to pardon us ; and it speaks in our conscience, to cleanse it, and make it quiet within us ; the efiicacy and virtue of it is everlasting, to all those who are made partakers of it.