Christ-the entire value and efficacy of hie self-sacrifice, of his life given for us, of all that he was, and did, and suffered-remain ever, ancl abide with us, and a.re avail- able for our cleansing. 2. That the ashes of the heifer were laid up, but Mt by the priest, or by anv one concl!/rll,ed in iu death, wiihiJUt the camp in a clean pla.ce. Even so the ments of Christ and the efficacy of his sacrifice are preserved for ever ; yet not in the Jerusalem below, nor by any agency of them that slew him; but he himself (see 4.) hath laid them up for the use of all nations in the Church which is "clean," a11 governed and sanctified by his Holy Spirit. 3. That the ashes Qf the heifer when mi,xed with '' living water" were made a punficatwn JOT sin unto l srael to deliver them from the bondage of death. Even so the merits of Christ and the virtue of his atonement are available for all, through the operation of the Holy Spirit (John iv. 10; vii. 38), to purify from all sin, and to set free from the power of death. 4. That when any unclean person wru to be purged, it mu,st be done by "a clean person," not by any one having need of cleansing himself. Even so the cleans- ing efficacy of Christ's atonement must be applied to the sinful soul only by one that is clean, and not by any one under like condemnation with himself. And this "clean person" can only be Christ himself, who only is holy, harmless, and un- defiled (Job xiv. 4; xv. 14; Rom. iii. 23; Gal. iii. 22); wherefore the sprinkling of purification from sin and death can only be effected by Christ himself. 6. That the clean person did Mt apply the water JOT puri,ficatwn with his finger, as when the priest sprinkled the blood, but by means of hJJssop, a lowly herb used as an aspergil- lum ( cf. Exod. xii. 22; 1 Kings iv. 33; Ps. Ii. 7 ). Even so it hath pleased the Lord to apply the cleansing virtue of his blood and passion to souls unclean not directly and personally, as he offered his sacrifice of himself to the Father, but through lowly means and ministries of grace, by means of which he himself is pleased to work (cf. John iv. 1, 2; xiii. 20; xx. 21-23; 1 Cor. x. 16; 2 Cor. ii. 10; iv. 7; Gal. iii. 27). 6. That the unclean person was to be spri,nkled on the third day and on the seventh day ere he was wholly cleansed from the savour of death. Even so must the cleansin~ virt11e of the atonement come unto us in the twofold power, (1) of the resurrection, wherein we rise from the death of sin unto the active life of right- eousness ; (2) of the holy sabbath1 wherein we rest from our own works by renounc- ing self and living for God and tor our neighbour. The cleansing which has not this double moral aspect is not perfect-the savour of death is not taken a.way. Nor is the order inverted because the third day ( of resurrection) comes before the seventh (of rest); for as a fact the activities of the new life in Christ do precede in the soul the cessation of the old life, which is the spiritual sabbath. CONSIDER, FURTHER, WITH RESPECT TO THE INFECTION 01!' DEATII -1. That the Jews were taught most emphatically and most minutely to regard death as a foul and horrible thing, the slightest contact with which alienated from God and banished from his worship. Even so are we taught that death is the shadow of sin (Rom. v. 12) and the wages of sin (ibid. vi. 23), and the active enemy of Christ (1 Cor. xv. 26; Rev. vi. 8; xx. 14), and that the death of Christ was an awful mystery connected with his being made "sin" and "a curse'' for us (Matt. xxvii. 46, and the Passion Psalms prusim). Yet in the law the horror is concentrated upon physical death, whereas in the gospel it is removed from this and attached to the second death, of the soul (Matt. x. 28; Mark v. 39, 41 ; 1 These. iv. 14; Rev. ii. 11; xx. 6). 2. That whoso came into contact, even indirectly, with the dead, or even entered a tent wliere any corpse lay, was unclean a whole seven days. Far from being able to give any of his own life to the dece11sed, he himself was infected with his death. Even so nre we powerless of ourselves to do good to the spiritually dead beside us, but rather nre certain to catch from them the contagion of their death. None can live (naturally) among those that are dead in trespasses and sins without to some extent becoming like them. 3. That thi,s rule applied as much to the Levitical priests as to any other; nay, the very high priest who superintended the sacrifice, and the man who applied the holy water, became themselves unclean. Even so there is nono of us, whatever his office may be, or howsoever h~ may be occupied about religious things, that does not contract defilement from the dead world und the dead works which are around him. Our Lord alone could utterly disregard the infection of death, becuuse in his inherent holiness he "'as proof ngninst its infoction. 4. Tliat therd 246 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. (en. xrx:. 1--22.
tMS no clean.si,ng /or t1wse il<filed wul,, death but b11 mean,s of the aprinkling of ths ~ - Even so there is no deliverance from the sentence and so,vour of dentlt wl ich bath passed upon us but through the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. 6. ThaJ, if <my was Mt pu:riJid, in du appointed wa111, ke did Mt simply forego a. greaJ, ben,Ji,t tc himself, Ju ifl,C'IJ,rred the wra.th of God as one tha.t wantcnly dejiled his sanctuary. Even so that Christian who will not seek cleansing for his uncleanness and the hallowing of the precious blood does not only sin against his own soul, remaining in alienation from his God ; he grieves the Spirit of God, and provokes him to anger, as one that despises his goodness, and mars by his state and example the sanctity of God's !!ying temple, wh_i_ch is the Church (Matt. xxii. 11-13 i John xiii. 81 101 11; l Cor. m. 16, 17; Eph. n. 20-22; Heh. x. 29).