340 THE OLIVE LEAF. CHAP. 



lamb, sprinkled upon the door-posts of the Israelites, 

 less significant as a spiritual symbol, because we have 

 found out recently that blood has a property which was 

 previously unsuspected the property of retaining and 

 absorbing the germs of disease in the atmosphere ? On 

 the contrary, the natural discovery gives a new and 

 deeper significance to the spiritual symbol. While the 

 application of the blood of the paschal lamb was 

 meant, in the first instance, to guard the Israelites 

 from the pestilence by absorbing and retaining in itself 

 morbific germs that was not its only or its ultimate 

 object and reference. It was meant to be a sign or 

 type of our redemption through the application to our 

 hearts and consciences of the blood of the Lamb of 

 God slain for us. And if common blood is essentially 

 cleansing removing the effete particles of the body, 

 and useful in certain refining processes of human manu- 

 facture if it is so powerful to deodorize and render 

 innocuous the evils of the natural world, how much 

 more powerful must be the blood of the Lamb of God, 

 without blemish or spot, to deodorize and render in- 

 nocuous the evils of the spiritual world ! The spiritual 

 fact is thus based upon the natural ; the health of the 

 soul and the health of the body are intimately bound 

 up together ; and the laws that are designed to pro- 

 mote our highest welfare as immortal souls must take 

 cognizance also of our welfare as passing and perishing 

 creatures dwelling in mortal bodies. 



The historical incident in Egypt is spiritually re- 

 peated in the experience of every Christian believer. 



