blood and the death of Christ are concomitant: the one is not the cause of the other. He truly laid down His blood and His life ; but not for natural causes, on account of which ordinarily they die, who perish by a violent death. This arises from the sur passing excellence of the Subject.
§ 2. The state of the shed blood followed the actual shedding of that blood.
The actual shedding of the blood was, while it was being shed ; we call the state of the shed blood the whole period of its con tinuance out of the body of the Lord, whether that be short or long.
§ 3. That bloody even in its state of being shed, was free from all corruption.
We were redeemed NOT WITH CORRUPTIBLE THINGS, such as silver or gold, but with the PRECIOUS blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot ; 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. The preciousness of that blood excludes all corruption. This remains firm and sure ; nor do we in any way approve of the unworthy opinions of some respecting the shed blood of Christ, whom Hoepfner expressly confutes, especially in Tract, de S. C., p. 55.
§ 4. It cannot be affirmed, that the blood, which was shed, was again put into the veins of our Lord's body.
Human reason comprehends nothing but what refers to this life : wherefore we only put our trust in Scripture, which very often refers to the shedding of the blood and to the death of Jesus Christ ; and it too does not less celebrate His resurrection and eternal life. But it gives no direct intimation of the putting of the blood again into the body ; nor is that fact to be deduced from Scripture by fair inference. Certainly this mode of reason ing makes a large leap : The blood of Christ is incorruptible ; therefore it returned into His veins. If the body without the blood, and the blood out of the body, were uncorrupted during the three days of His death, each of them remains also more un corrupted, after death was fully accomplished, without the other. Let us hear what Scripture suggests.
§5. At the time of the ascension the blood separated from the body was carried into heaven.
The entrance of the Priest of the New Testament into the true