Section XIII: The False Glory of External Prosperity
supplies, from Jesus Christ, will secure believers from giving heed unto this trifling deceit.
Section XIII: The False Glory of External Prosperity Sect. XIII. One thing more, amongst many others of the same sort, may be mentioned. It is a notion of truth, which derives from the light of nature, that those who approach unto God in divine worship should be careful that they be pure and clean, without any offensive defilements.
This the heathens themselves give testimony unto, and God confirmed it in the institutions of the law. But what are these defilements and pollutions which make us unmeet to approach unto the presence of God,—how and by what means we may be purified and cleansed from them,—the gospel alone declares. And it doth, in opposition unto all other ways and means of it, plainly reveal, that it is by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon our consciences, so to purge them from dead works, that we may serve the living God. See
Heb. 9:14, 10:19–22. But this is a thing mysterious: nothing but spiritual light and saving faith can direct us herein. Men, destitute of them, could never attain an experience of purification in this way.
Wherefore they retained the notion of truth itself, but made an image of it for their use, with a neglect of the thing itself. And this was the most ludicrous that could be imagined; namely, the sprinkling of themselves and others with that they call holy water when they go into the places of sacred worship; which yet also they borrowed from the Pagans. So stupid and sottish are the minds of men, so dark and ignorant of heavenly things, that they have suffered their souls to be deceived and rained by such vain, superstitious trifles!