SAINT, Sanctity, to sanctify, &c. These Words are used in different Senses in the Scripture. First, Saint signifies pure, free from all Sorts of Defilements and Sins, which may make a Man unfit to approach to holy Things; and to sanctify signifies to purify, and to put one’s self in a Condition to appear before the Lord, and to partake of holy Things. And let the Priests also which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. And again; And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the People, and sanctify them to Day and to Morrow, and let them wash their Cloaths. And be ready against the third Job i. 5.Day, to receive the Law. Job sent and sanctified his Children.
Secondly, To sanctify, is put for appointing to any holy Use. God sanctified the seventh Day. He sanctified all the First-born. Set Bounds about the Mount, and sanctify it. 41.Sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the Priest’s Office. There were in the Temple at Jerusalem many rich Spoils that David and his Successors had sanctify’d to the Lord.
Thirdly, to sanctify, is sometimes put for Preparation for any Action, that does not require any extraordinary Holiness. Numb. xi.Sanctify yourselves against to Morrow, and ye shall eat Flesh. And Joshua said unto the 18. Josh. iii. 5.People, Sanctify yourselves, for to Morrow the Lord will do Wonders among you. Blow Joel ii. 15, 16.the Trumpet in Sion, sanctify a Fast, call a solemn Assembly, gather the People, sanctify the Congregation. That is, prepare it, or publish a Fast, a Congregation.
Fourthly, Saint, Sanctity, Sanctification. These Epithets in a sovereign manner are ascribed to God, the Author of all Sanctity and Holiness. So the Cherubims and Isai. vi. 3.Seraphims cry to him without ceasing, Holy, Holy, Holy. He is named by way of Excellence, The Saint, the Holy One of Israel1. All our Holiness before him is nothing but Pollution, his Name is Holy, or, his Name is the Saint, or rather Sanctity itself. We sanctify and hallow his Name, and we pray that his Name be hallow’d, when we praise him, when we acknowledge his Majesty, when we worship him, and when we endeavour to make him known, adored, praised, and beloved by all those that are capable of it.
Fifthly, the Saint, the Sanctum, the holy Place, stands for that particular Part of the Temple, which was between the Porch and the Sanctuary, and in which were placed the golden Candlestick, the Altar of Incense, and that of the Shew-bread.
Sixthly, the Sanctum, or Sancta, is taken for the whole Temple, or even for Heaven. Psal. xx. 6. Ps. cii. 19.He will hear him from his holy Heaven. For he hath looked down from the Height of his Sanctuary; from Heaven did the Psal. cl. 1.Lord behold the Earth. Praise God in his Sanctuary, praise him in the Firmament of his Power.
Seventhly, the Holy of Holies, Sanctum Sanctorum, or the Sanctuary, signifies the most inward and sacred Part of the Temple, where was placed the Ark of the Covenant, and where Nobody was to enter but only the Highpriest, and that but once a Year, upon the Day of solemn Expiation.
Eighthly, the Saints, is sometimes put for the People of Israel, or sometimes for Christians. The Israelites of the Faction of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, said to Moses and Aaron; Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the Congregation are Holy (or Saints) every one of them, and the Lord is among them. And in more Places of Scripture than one, the Hebrews are call’d a holy Nation. a Ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests, and an holy Nation. Nothing is more frequent in St. Paul, than the Name of Saints given to the first Christians. See Rom. i. 1. viii. 27, 28. xiii. 13. xv. 25, 26. xvi. 2, &c.
Ninthly, the Saints stand for the Priests Numbers xvi. 5, 7.of the Lord. Even to Morrow the Lord will shew who are his, and who is Holy; and will cause him to come near unto him, even him whom he hath chosen, will he cause to come near unto him. Aaron is call’d in Deuteronomy, the holy One, or the Saint Deuter. xxxiii. 8.of God. Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy One. And in the Psalms; They envied Moses also in the Camp, and Aaron the Saint of the Lord.
Tenthly, also the Saints signify in particular good Men, and the Servants of God. Prov. ix. 10.As for Example, The Knowledge of the Holy (or Saints) is Understanding. And Prov. xxx. 3. Ps. xxxiv. 9.again, I neither learned Wisdom, nor have the Knowledge of the Holy, or Saints. O fear the Lord, ye his Saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. And elsewhere, Psal. xvi. 2, 3.My Goodness extendeth not to thee, but to the Saints that are in the Earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my Delight.
Eleventhly, the Saints, are often put also for the Angels. To which of the Saints wilt thou turn? And elsewhere, Behold he putteth no Trust in his Saints, yea the Heavens are not clean in his Sight. Which is a parallel Place to that other Passage in the same Job iv. 17, 18.Book. Shall mortal Man be more just than God? Shall a Man be more pure than his Maker? Behold, he put no Trust in his Servants, and his Angels he charged with Folly.Dan. iv. 13, 23. Deuter. xxxiii. 2, 3. Daniel says, An holy One (or Saint) came down from Heaven. And Moses, the Lord shined forth from Mount Paran, and came with ten thousands of Saints.
Twelfthly, Saints and Saintesses. The Hebrews give these Names, by way of Antiphrasis, to Men and Woman that prostituted themselves in Honour (as they thought) of some prophane Deity, according to the blind and polluted Notions of their false Religion. The Hebrew, for example, gives this Name to Tamar,2 who was taken for an Harlot or Prostitute. Moses says, c There shall be no Whore of the Daughters of Israel, nor a Sodomite of the Sons of Israel. Or literally thus, there shall be no Saintess or Saint, &c. See also 1 Kings xiv. 24. xv. 12. xxii. 47. and 2 Kings xxiii. 7. Job xxxvi. 14. Hosea iv. 14. where the like Expressions are to be found.
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