truth," pp. 20, 21. I confess, I find this field but little culti vated, and on such a subject few in general are brought to stop and direct their attention to its consideration. But he who will not straightway shrink from that which seems at first a paradox (something contrary to what would be thought), will soon after taste its sweetness with the progress of faith. Notwithstanding, I obtrude nothing on any man ; I merely ask the wise to con descend religiously to examine the whole subject, not according to the rule of human, but Divine judgment. Carnal curiosity has no place here, but the desire of knowing the Redeemer, so far as He has chosen to make known His glory by the rays of the apostolic testimony to them who love Him.
In commentaries and systems, indeed, this subject is not found to be well or fully treated ; it is only slightly touched upon ; and this perhaps arises from the following reasons : 1, In the passages concerning applicator^ grace [applying to us re demption^ it is said : The operating cause terminatively1 is the Holy Spirit, which is true ; but the mention of Christ and His merits is only made in relation to the question respecting the external impulsive cause. It so happens that the efficacious ope ration of Christ and His blood, cannot come into consideration either in the one place or the other. 2. The proper (strict) consideration of Christ's blood is sparingly introduced, and many have straightway recourse to a figure, whereby they un derstand under this word, blood, either the whole merit of Christ or His life, i.e. the living principle or soul. 3. In serious treatises, the writers directly refer rather to the holy and blessed fruits, than to the mode of the operations themselves, from which these fruits take their rise ; comp., for example, the writ ing of an Anonymous author, die reinigende Kraft des Gottes — Blutes Jesu Christi (ed. A. 1745, PrenzL), p. 49. When I was young, I anxiously meditated a solid disquisition on the bearing of the merit of Christ on our salvation ; but after much thinking, I never proceeded so far as to write a special treatise on that subject. May the Lord Jesus, for His own name's sake, now and henceforth bestow upon us the brigh t ray of His own light. Amen.
1. A double benefit becomes ours by the blood of Christ,
1 As opposed to the external impulsive cause.