ing, there is no true excellency therein. In a word, Without boliness no man fhall jee God, Heb. xii. 14. Bleffed are the pure in heart: for they shall fee God, Matth. v. 8.-So much for a fhort hint at the excellency of this purity.

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SERMON X.

PROV. XXX. 12.

There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes; and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

I

[The third Sermon on this text.]

T is a fad fentence when God paffes it upon any, He that is filthy, let him be filthy ftill; he that is unjust, let him be unjust still, Rev. xii. 11. Ephraim is join ed to his idols, let him alone, Hof. iv. 17. O how fad is it when God fays, concerning fuch a perfon, Let him alone! Minifters and ordinances, Let him alone; Word and Spirit, Let him alone: let no word that is preached do him good; let no threatening of the word awaken him; let no promife of the word allure him; let no precept of the word draw him: let him continue hardened against all that can be faid from the word; Let him alone; let him live and die under the power and guilt of fin, under the wrath and curfe of God: he is a filthy man, and fhe is a filthy woman, and let them be filthy ftill. Oh! dreadful fentence! And yet it seems to be paffed against the generality of people in our day; and yet few or none touched with it: let us think on it in fad earneft; for, as my text faith, There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

We have finifhed what we defigned on the doctrinal part of the fecond obfervation we deduced from the words, by enquiring into the nature, mentioning fome

of

of the qualities, evincing the neceffity, and pointing out the excellency of purity. We now proceed,

V. To the fifth thing propofed, viz. The application of the subject. This we fhall effay in several uses.

ift, Let us improve this doctrine for information. Is it. fo, as has been faid, That purity is an excellent thing, and of abfolute neceffity to denominate a true faint? Then,

1. Hence fee the difference between juftification and fanctification. Sanctification, or purity, is neceffary and excellent, in all the refpects that I have formerly; named: but yet it is not neceffary for juftification, fo as to be the ground thereof. It is neceffary to be the evidence of justification; but not the ground thereof: the ground of justification is only Chrift's righteoufnefs. Many are utterly bemisted in this point; they confound justification with fanctification. Though, indeed, they be as infeparable as head and body to a living man, yet there can be nothing more different. They are moft diftin&t. (1.) Juftification comes from the merit of Chrift; fanctification comes from the Spirit of Chrift. (2.) Justification makes a relative change, by bringing us from enemies to friends, from condemnation to abfolution; fanctification makes a real change, by healing our inward maladies and plagues. (3.) Juftification gives us a title to heaven; fanctification gives us a meetness for heaven. (4.) Juftification takes away the guilt of fin; fanctification takes away the filth, and power, and pollu tion of fin. (5.) Juftification is by a righteousness, without us; fanctification is by a righteousness within us. (6.) In juftification there is the imputation of Chrift's righteousness and fanctification; but in fanctification there is the implantation of grace, and fomething fubjectively imparted; not imputed to us, but wrought in us by the Holy Ghoft. (7.) Juftification is but one act and once acted; fanctification is a continual action, or a progreffive work. (8.) Juftification is perfect and abfolute; fanctification is imperfect, and but begun. And hence, (9.) Juftification is equal, and alike in all believers; no man is more juftified than another: fanc tification is unequal, in fome more, and in fome less,

according

according to the measure of the gift of Chrift: justification is perfect the first moment; fanctification is never perfect till a man die. (10.) In justification we are paffive, and do nothing; but in fanctification we are active; for, being acted, we act; being moved, we move and do work, being fet on work by the Spirit of God: is there any thing more diftinct than these two? (11.) Juftification anfwers the law, as a covenant; fanctification anfwers it as a rule. (12.) Juftification makes a man accepted; fanctification makes a man acceptable; as we formerly obferved on the third general head of the doctrine. *

2. Hence fee, that there is no juftification by the deeds of the law. Why? because, though this purity and conformity to the law, be thus neceffary and excellent for denominating a faint, and evidencing of justification; yet it is imperfect in time, and fo cannot be the matter and ground of juftification: no righteoufnefs, but a perfect one, can justify us before God. Do any of the faints reckon their purity and piety to be their righteoufnefs before God? No, by no means: David trembles at the thoughts of this; and he deprecates it with abhorrence : O Lord, enter not into judgment with thy fervant: for in thy fight fhall no man living be justified, Pfal. clxiii. 2. Purity may justify us before men; but we cannot appear before an infinitely holy God, without a perfect holiness; nor before an infinitely just God, without a complete fatisfaction: and these are only to be had in Christ. For, when our purity and righteoufnefs is laid in the balance of God's holy law, MENE TEKEL is written on it; it is found wanting: we are but unprofitable fervants; and our righteoufnefs is as filthy rags, a menstrous cloath. If any poor deluded foul be expecting that God will justify him, and accept of him, and fhew favour to him, because he does as well as he can, and because he performeth this and the other good duty, and hath a good heart to God, meaneth well, and the like; it is evident the

The reader may fee this point of doctrine, viz. the difference between justification and fanctification, further illustrated, Vol II.p. 35, 36.; and their difference ftill more copioufly held forth, and their harmony pointed out in a great many inftances, Gospel Sonnets, Part VI. Chap, iii. Scât, 1, 2.

man

man knoweth not himself, that he knoweth not the purity of God's holy law, and the impurity of his own heart, otherwise he would fear to think of standing upon that ground before God.

3. Hence fee the neceffity of a law-work, in fome measure and degree. No man will run to the Surety, till, by the law, he hath the knowledge of his being quite infolvent, and a bankrupt. What man will run to the fountain for cleansing, if he does not fee that he is defiled and polluted. If purity be fo neceffary, then a law-work, discovering our impurity, is neceffary alfo; that knowing the malady, we may apply to the remedy.†

4. Hence fee the reafon why God treats mankind as he doth, both with judgment and mercy. Why, the world is polluted; and God hath a mind to purify it. Why doth the Lord shine upon you with the fun of a kindly providence? It is even to melt you, that you may part with fin, and that his goodness may lead you to repentance. Why doth he cast you into a furnace of affliction? It is to purge away drofs; and that you may come forth as gold tried in the fire. Why was the whole earth washed with a deluge? Why, it was polluted, and needed to be cleanfed. And why will he again melt it with fire? Because it must be purified before it be a new earth.

5. Hence fee the neceffity of the open fountain for fin and uncleannefs. The blood of the Lamb is a fountain: it is not a rivulet, or a stream, that quickly drys up; no, no: it is a fountain, a never failing fountain. It is not a fountain fealed: antiently, in thefe hot countries, when they got a fountain, they reckoned it a precious treasure, and fealed it; people had not promifcuous accefs to it. Yea, but here is a fountain open; every man, every woman is welcome to come and purify themselves at it, and bathe in it, to wash till they be whiter than the driven fnow. It is not only open for the boufe of David, for the royal family; but to the inhabitants of Jerufalem: it is tendered to the whole

The nature of a law-work, the meafure and degree thereof, and how much of it is abfolutely neceffary, may befeen, by confulting Vol. II. p.

270,271, 272.

VOL. I.

Y Y

vifible

vifible church. And it is open for fin and uncleanness; for all pollution whatever. O what need of this fountain among such poor polluted finners!

6. Hence fee the reason of what is a paradox to many in the world, and yet what is the experience of the faints: it lets us fee, I fay, why fome folk long fo paffionately for death fometimes; yea, would chufe rather to die than to live: why, the children of God know there is no perfect purification, but by death; and that death will purify them more than all the fermons ever they heard, than all the providences ever they were trysted with, than all the prayers they ever put up, and all the tears ever they fhed. It is a mad fancy of the church of Rome, and it was an ignorant fancy of fome mistaken divines, and Greek fathers, that there is a state of purgation between this and heaven: but we fee from the Bible, that in a moment the foul, feparated from the body, is made pure. The thief upon the crofs, the fame day that he is converted, he is glorified; This day thou shalt be with me in Paradife. Ŏ how will the believer, when groaning under a sense of sin, long for the day of defolution, faying, When fhall the day break, and the fhadows flee away, when there shall be no more fin, no more pollution?

2dly, This doctrine may be applied for lamentation, that there is fuch a scarcity of this neceffary and excellent thing, purity; and fuch a plenitude of the contrary evil, even of all manner of impurity. Oh! may we not lament that there is such a famine of piety and purity, and fuch a fulness of impiety and profanity? I might here tell you, 1. Somewhat of the evils of impurity, that we fhould lament over. 2. Some of the evidences of it.

[.] We are to acquaint you of fome of the evils of impurity. It is a lamentable thing, that there fhould be fo little purity, and fo much impurity. For,

1. This impurity mars all our excellency. We lofe our excellency by fin and impiety. It takes away the peace of a good confcience, which fhould be a continual feat: There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked. It

takes.