h His priesthood
our hearts are cleansed by the sprinkling of His blood from the
consciousness of sin.[215] But this blessing of the individual believer
is now closely connected by the Apostle with the idea of the Church,
over which Christ is King in virtue of His priesthood on its behalf. In
addition to the cleansing of our hearts from an evil conscience, our
bodies have been washed with pure water. The Apostle alludes primarily
in both clauses to the rite of priestly consecration. "Moses brought
Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water." He also "took of the
blood which was upon the altar and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his
garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him, and
sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons'
garments with him."[216] The meaning of our author seems certainly to be
that the worshippers have the privilege of the high-priest himself. They
lose their priestly character only in the more excellent glory and
greatness of that High-priest through Whom they have received their
priesthood. In comparison with Him, they are but humble worshippers, and
He alone is Priest. In contrast to the world around them, they also are
priests of God. But the words of the Apostle contain another allusion.
Both clauses refer to baptism. The mention of washing the "body" renders
it, we think, unquestionable that baptism is meant. But baptism is not
here said to be the antitype of the priestly consecration of the old
covenant. One rite cannot be the type of another rite, which is itself
an external action. The solution of this apparent difficulty is simply
that _both_ clauses together mean baptism, which is invariably
represented in the New Testament as much more than an outward rite. The
external act may be performed without its being a true baptism. For the
meaning of baptism is the forgiveness of sin, the cleansing of the heart
or innermost consciousness from guilt, and the reception of the absolved
sinner into the Church of God. "Christ loved the Church, and gave
Himself up for it, that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the
washing of water with the word."[217]

In an earlier chapter our author told his readers that they were the
house of God if they held fast their confidence. He does not repeat it.
The Church consciousness _has_ sprung up within them. They were
previously taught to look steadfastly at Jesus as the Apostle and
High-priest of their confessi