the dead, but the efficacy of them all depends upon this; and therefore we can never be fufficiently thankful for it, that the ftone which the builders refus'd is thus become the head of the corner, This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Pfal. Cxviii. 22. 23. 24. The Lord is my ftrength, and my fong, and is now become my falvation, ver. 14. My foul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit rejoiceth in God my faviour. And that we may do it the more acceptably to God our faviour, let us now go to his own table, and there offer up the facrifice of praife and thanksgiving to him for all his infinite love and goodneis to mankind, and particularly for raifing up that body from the dead, in which he died for us, and now liveth with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, one God bleffed for ever. Amen. 1 SERMON The NINTH. CHRIST'S Refurrection the Caufe of our IPET. i. 3. Bleffed be the God and father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which according to his abundant mercy bath begotten us again into a lively hope by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead T HIS epiftle being written by the a poftle of the circumcifion, it is directed to all that were converted from the Jewish to the Christian religion, in the leffer Afia; who were elect as it is here faid, according to the foreknowledge of God the father, through fanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and fprinkling of the blood of Fefus. Chrift, ver. 2. that is, that they might obey the gofpel, and be sprinkled with the blood of Chrift reveal'd in it, and fo admitted into the new covenant, and be made partakers of all the privi ledges establish'd in it, here fignified by the Sprinkling fprinkling of the blood of Chrift, upon which the covenant was founded: as when Mofes after the delivery of the law had order'd oxen to be facrificed, he took half of the blood and fprinkled it upon the altar, and then read the book of the covenant to the people, which they promifed to obey; after that he took the rest of and blood, and fprinkled it upon the people, and faid, behold, the blood of the covenant which the lord hath made with you concerning all these words, Exod. xxiv, 8. By the sprinkling the blood of the facrifice upon the people, as it were a tipe of the blood of Chrift (the only true facrifice for the fins of the world) God fignify'd to them, that they were now in covenant with him, and he with them; that they should accordingly perform what they had promised on their parts, and that he would perform what he had promised to them by virtue of the blood now fprinkled upon them. AND fo the apoftie writing to the Hebrews who believ'd and were baptized into Chrift, faith, that they were come to Jefus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of fprinkling that speaketh better things than the blood of bel, Heb. xii. 24. Where the blood of Fefis, as the mediator of the new cavenant, is call'd the blood of Sprinkling, because it was fprinkled upon them, fo as to wash them from their fins and deliver them from the wrath of God;, as the children of Ifrael were deliver'd from from the plague wherewith God fmot the Egyp tians, by having the fides of the door-pofts of their houfes fprinkled with the blood of the pafcal lamb, typifying that of Christ the true paffover, Ed. xii. 23. THESE things I take notice of here by the way, that ye may fee how it comes to pass that inftead of dipping perfons baptiz'd, or washing them all over as they us'd to do in hotter countries; in cold climates, it hath been all along cuftomary only to fprinkle water upon them; for that being a fign or fymbol of the blood of Chrift now as the blood of the facrifices was of old and the holy Ghoft having been pleafed to fignify the applycation of the blood of Chrift by fprinkling it, as well as by washing with it, it was very obvious and eafy to infer that it might be represented and apply'd by 1prinkling as well as any other way, if not in fome fente better, forasmuch as this comes clofer up to the phrafe of fprinkling the blood of Chrift, so often ufed in the holy fcriptures, and which may feem to be us'd on purpofe to prevent the great miftake which fome notwithstanding have fallen into, that unless perfons be dipped or washed all over in water, they are not rightly baptiz'd: as if fprinkling the water did not reprefent the Sprinkling of the blood of Chrift as well as dipping it, but the miftake is grounded upon another which was worfe, even that the efficacy of the facrament depends upon the quantity of wa ter ter, whereas it depends wholly upon the inftitution of Chrift, and the promise he hath anexed to it, who therefore us'd a word in the inftituti . on, that in the original fignifies only washing in general with water more or less, and fo the 1prinkling or pouring it upon the person baptized, as well as dipping him in it: and if any one part is fprinkled, the whole is wash'd and cleans'd by the blood of Chrift, as he himself alfo hath taught us; for wafhing his difciples feet, and having faid to Simon Peter if I wash thee not, thou haft no part in in me; the apostle faith, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Upon which Jefus faid unto him, he that is wahed needeth not, fave to wash his feet, but is clean every whit, John. xiii. 10. whereby he hath fufficiently declar'd, that unless we be wash'd by him, we have no interest at all in him; and that it is not neceffary to wash the whole, but that if any part of us be washed our whole man is cleans'd by him, which the faid apostle, to whom these words were fpoken, intimates; alfo in this place, in that he expreffeth Chrift's wafhing us from our fins in his own blood by fprinkling it, which doth not use to be done upon the whole, but only upon fome part, and yet hath the fame effect as if it was upon the whole. I should not have infifted fo much upon this at prefent, but that we feldom have fuch occafion to mention it as the apoftle here gives in de Ccribing |