“Bring hither water, and sprinkle the room”

“Then he took  him by the  hand, and led  him into  a very large  parlor that  was full  of dust, because never swept; the which after he had reviewed it a little while, the Interpreter called for  a  man  to sweep. Now,  when  he  began  to  sweep,  the  dust  began  so  abundantly  to  fly about, that  Christian  had  almost  therewith  been  choked.  Then  said  the  Interpreter  to  a damsel that stood by, “Bring hither water, and sprinkle the room;” the which when she had done, it was swept and cleansed with pleasure.

Christian: Then said Christian, What means this?

Interpreter: The Interpreter answered, This parlor is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the Gospel. The dust is his original sin, and inward corruptions,  that  have defiled the  whole man. He that  began to  sweep at first,  is  the  law;  but she that  brought  water,  and  did  sprinkle  it,  is  the  Gospel.  Now  whereas  thou  sawest,  that  so soon as the first began to sweep, the dust did so fly about that the room by him could not be cleansed, but that thou wast almost choked therewith; this is to show thee, that the law, instead of cleansing the heart (by its working) from sin, doth revive, Rom. 7:9, put strength into, 1 Cor. 15:56,  and increase it in the soul, Rom. 5:20,  even as it doth discover and forbid it; for it doth not give power to subdue. Again, as thou sawest the damsel sprinkle the room with water, upon which it  was cleansed  with pleasure, this  is  to  show  thee,  that  when the Gospel comes in the sweet and precious influences thereof to the heart, then, I say, even as thou sawest the damsel lay the dust by sprinkling the floor with water, so is sin vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean, through the faith of it, and consequently fit for the King of glory to inhabit. John 15:3; Eph. 5:26; Acts 15:9; Rom. 16:25,26.”

Interpreter- Holy Spirit; Excerpt from John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress. “Second Stage”

Nothing can my sin erase
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of works, ’tis all of grace—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

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