Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

And to bring a man that is in a state of peace and friendship with God, after he ⟨p. 323⟩hath sinned, and thereby defiled and wounded his Conscience, back to that same peace and calmness that he had before he sinned, and make him in some respect as quiet and calm, as i• he had not sinned: And therefore the blood of Christ must be infi•ly preferable to all these ceremonial sacrifices, pu•gings, and washings; which probably they inclined to join with him.

And to bring a man that is in a state of peace and freindship with God, after he ⟨p. 323⟩hath sinned, and thereby defiled and wounded his Conscience, back to that same peace and calmness that he had before he sinned, and make him in some respect as quiet and calm, as i• he had not sinned: And therefore the blood of Christ must be infi•ly preferable to all these ceremonial sacrifices, pu•gings, and washings; which probably they inclined to joyn with him.

In the words read, the Apostle illustra•s, and confirms the efficacy of Christs blood, by comparing it with the ceremonies of the Law, obviating an Objection, which is this; The ceremonies of the Law had a good use, and why then will ye cry them down? He Answers, they had an use as they respected Christs Sacrifice, that was in due time to be actually offered, and as they • ed it; and also as to a ceremonial cleansing, or holiness; but they could not, as pertaining to the Conscience make a man perfect; And (sayeth he) if these ceremonies had an efficacy, as to the outward man, and making ceremonially and externally clean or holy; how much more shall the blood of Christ be efficacious to the cleansing of the Soul, and inner man? If the ceremonies of the Law had an efficacy toward the admitting of a man to external ordinances; how much more shall the blood of Christ have an efficacy to purge the Conscience from dead works, and to take away the sting and guilt, and the defilement also of sin, and to make it quiet, and so to capacitate the man to be adtted to real fellowship with him in his ordinances? That the comparison may be the more clear, he uses ere a threefold distinction 1. Of a twofold uncleanness one of the flesh or outward man; another of a mans Sate, and Conscience before God; The first related to the mans practice, and made him that was ceremonially unclean, to be thirst without the camp, and to continue so, till he was legally cleaned; The second marred the mans peace before God. The 2d. distinction is of a twofold Court wherein this uncleanness is charged upon the man, The one is a Court wherein the mans flesh i (as it were) judged,