oth by water
and blood, 1 John v. 6. He came by blood, to sprinkle and purge the
conscience, that it might have no more conscience of sins, Heb. x. 2, ix.
14. And he also came by water, that is, the washing and cleansing virtue
of the Spirit of grace, to purge and cleanse us from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit. There are two things in sin that Jesus came to destroy,
the guilt and offence of sin, whereby the sinner is bound over to
condemnation, and lies under the Judge's curse, and the spot of sin, which
also Christ came to destroy. He did both in his own person, and he is to
perfect this in us personally, who were judicially reckoned one with him,
Rom. vi. 3-12, 1 John iii. 5. Now Jesus Christ hath come with blood to
sprinkle the conscience from dead works, and give it a good answer to the
challenges of the law, and an ill conscience. And he hath come likewise
with water, to wash and cleanse us from the spots, and filth, and power of
sin. The first removes the guilt, the latter removes the filth of sin, and
both are done by faith, which is our victory over the world, and this is
the way how faith overcomes the world by the water and blood. 1 John v.
4-6. The blood of Jesus Christ is holden by faith with a twofold virtue of
cleansing, from the guilt, and from the filth of sin, and thus cleanses us
from all unrighteousness, 1 John i. 7. According to the promise of the
covenant (Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26.), the application of the blood of
sprinkling hath two effects. One is for justification, "ye shall be
clean," another is, "from all your filthiness and idols will I cleanse
you," that is sanctification. I. Now this purity consists in this, that
the pure heart regards not iniquity in the inward man, nor delights in
sin, Psal. lxvi. 18. He sets not up his idols in God's place, Ezek. xxxvi.
25. The cleansing of the heart is from idols. Although he cannot get
himself purified as Christ is pure, and though iniquity be in his heart,
yet he regards it not. He looks not upon it as a guest approven and
accepted. Sin may be an intruding guest, but sin is not welcomed with all
his heart. He dare not take that pleasure in sin that another man would
do. He hath a worm that eats up his pleasure when he departs from God, or
his thoughts go a-whoring from him. The unbelieving man's heart is a house
full of idols, but the entry of faith by God's Spirit makes their Dagon to
fall. But, II. The pure heart hath much of the filthiness taken aw