Thirdly, Observe the fruits that accrue to you by this crying blood.
1. A comfortable sense of your pardon and discharge. When it is so, then is the redemption applied : ' In whom we have redemptioa through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,' Eph. i. 7 ; Kom. v 9, ' Being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him ; ' as the sprinkled door-posts were from the destroying angel.
2. The sanctification of his Spirit: 1 Peter i. 2, ' Elect according ta the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.' Th» power of the Spirit goeth along with the application of Christ ; where the one is the other is, and where the one is not the other is not.
3. Nearness and communion with God : Eph. ii. 13, * Ye were afar off, but now are made near by the blood of Christ.' Two things kept us off from God. The rigour of divine justice ; when we go to a God offended, and appeased by no satisfaction ; and the terror of our con- sciences, or our own guilty fear. But God is now propitiated; the grand scruple is satisfied : Micah vi. 6-8, ' Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or ten thousands of rivers of oil ? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ? He hath showed thee, 0 man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to- love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God H '
4. Ready access in prayer, with assurance of welcome and audience. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we may present our persons and sacri- fices and prayers to God: Heb. x. 19, 'Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.' When you come for any blessing, you may come with the more confidence ; you have
SERMON UPON HEBREWS XII. 24. 12t
the blood of Christ to speak for you. Christ pleadeth it in heaven, and you must plead it on earth ; present to him his Son's blood as the ground of your request.
Use 3. Of caution. Let us take heed of the slighting of the blood of Christ, and counting it a common thing, Heb. x. 29, kolvov. So we count it when we think it hath no expiating or purging power, no better than the blood of bulls and goats, or the blood of an ordinary man, yea, of a malefactor. But who are so vile to think so ?
1. It is done most grossly by all wicked apostates, who, for the fear and love of the world, cast off the truth. These seem formally to renounce their interest in Christ, and prefer every base thing before him : Heb. xii. 15, ' Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.'
2. It is done by those who despise the benefits purchased thereby, the favour of God, the image of God. They that slight anything purchased by Christ's blood slight the blood of Christ itself. Our respect to the blood is judged by our respect to the benefits. He that despiseth the favour of God doth not make it his business to get it and keep it, but preferreth every paltry vanity and poor corruptible thing before it ; hath no esteem of Christ's merit and God's design, who sent his Son to procure it for us. So whosoever doth not esteem the image of God, which standeth in righteousness and true holiness, doth not esteem the blood of Christ : ' Knowing that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tra- dition from your fathers ; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,' 1 Peter i. 18, 19. It argueth lessening thoughts of Christ's blood, as if it were shed for trifles.
3. Those who lessen the virtue, merit, and efficacy of this blood by their distrustful thoughts. We cannot think high enough of this sacred and precious blood. It is that blood by which Christ, ' entering into the holy place, obtained eternal redemption for us,' Heb. ix. 12 ; that ' blood which purgeth the conscience from dead works to serve the living God,' ver. 14 ; that blood that washeth away all stains, 1 John i. 7 ; that blood which is the blood of the new testament, the ground of the everlasting covenant, Heb. xii. 24, wherein God promis- eth remission of sin, eternal life, and all needful grace, upon condition, of repentance and faith in Christ. Upon this blood the covenant is grounded, and all the promises of it made firm, unalterable, and effec- tual. Let us, therefore, with strong confidence trust to the efficacy thereof, and be encouraged thereby to wait upon God for grace, mercy, reconciliation, pardon, and finally eternal salvation. It is surely a great fault to think diminishingly of Christ's love and mercy.