vine image restored, and by this means the second evil is removed; and this is the key for understanding those words of St. John: 'This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood,' (1 John v. 6.)

Secondly, We are likewise in this mystery to turn our thoughts to the design of the whole Levitical economy, in which these two benefits acquired by Christ are adumbrated by many types. There were particularly two things expressive of the future benefits conferred in the New Covenant.

1. Water, with which those who were under any bodily pollution were to wash and cleanse themselves from their legal impurities.

2. The blood of the animal that was slain as a sacrifice, which was shed in great quantities under the Mosaic dispensation. Both these means were used sometimes separately, sometimes together, (Lev. xiv. 2-8. Heb. ix. 19.) Blood was the means of atonement, and represented the atoning power of Christ's. blood, the true sacrifice for the sins of the world, (Heb. ix. 13, 14. x. 4.) Water was the means of purification, and prefigured the true purifying of the heart by the spirit of Christ, (Heb. x. 22.) The priests by the Levitical law were, at their consecration, cleansed with water and blood, (Lev. viii. 6, 22, 23.) But the real High Priest of the New Covenant, who is holy and without sin, stands in no need of being first purified and cleansed with water and blood of atonement; he having himself acquired those benefits for us. In this he has not like the Levitical priests, made use of blood of victims and water from without; but he is come with blood and water issuing from his own body, and thus by himself has cleansed us from our sins, (Heb. i. 2. ix. 12.)

baptism, in which by water and the Holy Ghost we are cleansed from all our sins and impurities, (Acts xxii. 16.) But the blood which issued from his side alludes to the sacrament of the Lord's supper, which represents the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins, (Matt. xxvi. 28.) Ο the depth of the wisdom and adorable mystery of the counsel of God in this event, which was apparently so inconsiderable! We shall now conclude with the following observations.

1. Jesus Christ, by this insult committed on his breathless body, intended to sanctify all the insults and indignities done to his martyrs and confessors after their death.

Whoever will look back a little to the history of the martyrs, will find that the persecutors of the Christians (so insatiable was their rascour) frequently treated in an approbrious manner the bodies of the saints, after they had been cruelly tortured to death. The most usual indignities were as follows: Their bodies were exposed naked and without burial, and at the same time the persecutors prohibited the Christians to fetch them away, and deposit them in the earth. Sometimes they threw the bodies of deceased martyrs into the water, and sometimes into the fire; others were thrown to be devoured by dogs and birds of prey, to wild beasts, &c. But all these indignities done to the bodies of Christians are sanctified, by Christ's suffering his sacred body to be wounded by a profane hand, after his death.

2. As our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has suffered a fountain for sin and uncleanness to be opened

indeed, but could not in reality perform. Let us then with joy draw water out of this well of salvation, (Isaiah xii. 3.) Let us approach this free and open fountain with an heart convinced, both of the dreadful guilt of sin, and of the infinite loss we sustained thereby; that we may find forgiveness of the guilt of sin in the blood of Jesus Christ, and be washed from the uncleanness of sin in this pure water. Let us attentively consider St. Paul's exhortation to the Hebrews: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled, [with the blood of atonement of the New Covenant] from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water, (Heb. x. 19. 22. Heb. ix. 14. 1 Peter i. 1, 2.)

THE PRAYER.

O FAITHFUL Saviour, we praise thee for all the tokens of thy love, and for all the several kinds of insults and indignities which thou wast pleased to endure for our sake, both before and after thy death.Grant that we may hasten to the streams of blood and water which flowed out of thy side, and obtain remission of sins by a worthy participation of the sacraments, which they represented. Amen.

CONSIDERATION XII.

THE BLOOD OF THE SACRIFICE OF ATONEMENT, A TYPE OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.

'THE life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it unto you upon the altar, to make an atonediscussion. For this end, let us go into the typical school of the Holy Ghost, and endeavour to illustrate the two most remarkable types of this mysterious stream of blood and water; namely, the blood of the sacrifices prescribed in the Old Testament, and the water gushing out of the rock, that was struck by Moses.

In our enquiry into the mystery concealed under the blood of the sacrifice, these two articles offer themselves to our consideration.

First, The blood of the sacrifice itself.

Secondly, The ceremonies observed about it. As to the blood of those clean animals which were appointed for sacrifices, it was the chief article in the whole Levitical worship. When a person by a transgression of the Divine law had deserved death, he brought, in the stead of himself, such a victim as God had nominated; laid his hand on it, and confessed his crime over it. From that instant, the victim was considered as if itself had committed the crime, and thus deserved death; but the atonement for such a sin was not made till all the blood of the animal was drained off, and poured out at the foot of the altar. Hence St. Paul says, (Heb. ix. 22.) ' that without shedding of blood there is no remission.' Now if we consider how many millions of victims were thus sacrificed, from the time of Moses to that of our Saviour, first in the court of the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple of Jerusalem; the immense quantity of blood, shed in all those sacrifices, must fill us with horror and amazement.*

en set my face against that soul that d will cut him off from among this injunction is likewise repeated in an'hou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy er thy soul lusteth after, according to he Lord thy God, which he hath given in and the clean may eat thereof, as of I as of the hart. Only ye shall not eat shall pour it on the earth as water, 16.)

s have produced many reasons, why od was so strictly forbidden under the Some are of opinion that it was prothe eating of blood is pernicious to -. It is the opinion of others, that God forbade it, in order to restrain men and cruel dispositions. Others assign r this prohibition, but equally unsa= God himself, who can best explain as made known to us another cause, from any of those mentioned above. biting the eating of blood, the Law

ast of the Passover. Their blood. according utation, must have amounted to 1,000 hogs

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