The Lord indeed gave of his generosity in that he arranged to liberate the human race from the crime of its transgression through his only-begotten Son. He gave of his generosity because with the grace of the Holy Spirit he consecrated for his entry the temple of a virginal womb. And our earth gave its fruit because the same virgin who had her body from the earth bore a son who was coequal to God the Father in his divinity but by the reality of [his] flesh consubstantial with her. Concerning this, Isaiah also, looking toward the time of human redemption, said, On that day the branch of the Lord will be in magnificence and in glory, and the fruit of the earth will be sublime. The branch of the Lord was in magnificence and glory when the undying Son of God, appearing temporally in the flesh as a bright light, poured out upon the world the greatness of his heavenly virtues. The fruit of the earth became sublime when the mortal flesh that God received from our nature, already rendered immortal in virtue of the resurrection, was raised up to heaven.

But this enrollment of the whole world that is recalled as having been done by an earthly king also clearly designates the works of the heavenly king. Undoubtedly the reason he appeared in the world was so that from all the countries throughout the world he might gather the elect into the unity of his faith, just as he himself promised that he would write down their names forever in heaven. Also, the fact that all were going, in response to the edict of Augustus,^[1] each to report to his own city, signifies what we must do spiritually as a service to our king. Indeed, our city is the holy church, which in part already reigns with the Lord in heaven. And after the end of this age the whole church will reign in a perfected state with him forever. We must all, then, go into this city, and there must be no excuse from such a salutary journey. We must pay the census [tax] which is due to the king who has been born—that is, we must comply with divine commands in the unity of the church now present and hasten by the tireless course of good works to our entry into the heavenly fatherland.

The greatest cleansing is the spiritual washing that washes away the filth of the soul. The inspired word speaks of such a washing: The Lord shall wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Israel and shall wash away the blood from their midst. This refers to the blood of immortality as well as the killing of the prophets. He means by this purification, seen from the added phrase, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning. The washing of the body, however, is physical and is accomplished only by water. In fact, it can even be done in fields far away from the baths.

Then the gospel says, When the days of their purification were fulfilled, according to the law of Moses, they brought him into Jerusalem.^[1] The passage says, on account of their purification. Who are they? If Scripture had said, on account of ‘her’ purification—that is, Mary’s, who had given birth—then no question would arise. We would say confidently that Mary, who was a human being, needed purification after childbirth. But the passage reads, the days of their purification. Apparently it does not signify one but two or more. Did Jesus therefore need purification? Was he unclean or polluted with some stain? Perhaps I seem to speak rashly; but the authority of Scripture prompts me to ask. See what is written in the book of Job: No man is clean of stain, not even if his life had lasted but a single day. The passage does not say, No man is clean of sin, but No man is clean of stain. Stain and sins do not mean the same thing. Stain is one thing, sin another. Isaiah teaches this clearly when he says, The Lord will wash away the stains of the sons and daughters of Zion, and he will cleanse the blood from their midst. By the spirit of judgment he will purge the stain, and by the spirit of burning the blood.

Every soul that has been clothed with a human body has its own stain. But Jesus was stained through his own will, because he had taken on a human body for our salvation.

When one has recognized the differences in sins, one can see how the Lord says in Isaiah, The Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion and will cleanse the blood from their midst by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. Filth is washed away by a spirit of judgment. Blood is washed away by a spirit of burning. Even if you have not committed a sin that leads to death,^[1] you have still sinned and have thereby become filthy. The Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and he will cleanse the blood from among them. A spirit of judgment will be the recompense for filth, and a spirit of burning will be a recompense for the blood. Whenever we commit heinous sins, we do not need lye or washing with soap; rather we need the spirit of burning.

When the daughters of Zion will have destroyed every adornment on account of pride, her gates will also be mourning and weeping, she herself will die alone, and so many of her soldiers will be killed in war that a number of women will hardly be able to find one man. At that time the branch that bears the Christian name will arise, and the earth will give its fruit, and there will be exultation for those from Israel who will be saved, concerning whom it was also said above: If the Lord of Hosts had not left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah.^[1] Observe also that not all of Israel will be saved, but only the remaining people in Zion and a remnant in Jerusalem, everyone who was written for life in Jerusalem, to whom the Lord said: Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.^[2] This signifies the apostles and those who would believe through the apostles.

When the Lord will have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the blood of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning, then the remnant from Jerusalem will be saved—when their sins will be forgiven in the baptism of the Savior, and they will be cleansed by the blood of him whom the people invoked: May his blood be upon us and upon our children.^[3] Hence we read above: When you raise your hands, I will not hear you, for your hands are covered with blood.^[4] And later he attempts to move them to repentance, saying, Wash, be clean.^[5] Observe also that he will cleanse the filth of the daughters of Zion by a spirit of judgment, but the blood of Jerusalem by a spirit of burning, for what is light will be washed, but what is more heavily soiled will be scalded. John the Baptist spoke about this spirit of judgment and spirit of burning in the Gospel, when he said, I baptize you with water, but the one who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.^[6] From this we learn that man provides only water, but God provides the Holy Spirit by whom both the filth is cleansed and the sins are purged in blood.