own selves and seeing purity and holiness is the great preparative for everlasting happiness, a mistake in your search may make you miserable to all eternity. I shall here, 1. Offer some negative characters, pointing out those that are not washed from their filthiness. 2. Some positive evidences by which we may try, whether or not we be washed from our filthiness, and partake of this gospel-purity which we have held forth in the nature, necessity, and excellency thereof.

[1.] We are to offer some negative characters, pointing out those that are not washed from their filthiness, but are filthy still. Upon the last use, I offered several witnesses to be produced for testifying the impurity of the day we live in; and shall not resume what I said, but offer some things further, by which we may try how impure we are, and the generation is. And, though some of the particulars I am to mention may take place, in some measure, with the godly that are washed, yet those who are under the power of these evils, the unmortified power, unlamented and unrepented dominion. thereof, were never washed from their filthiness: the text says, "There is a generation that is not washed from their filthiness;" though yet they are pure in their own eyes, and self-conceited, which is the particular sin that I reserve to be spoken to in the third and last doctrine and therefore shall not insist upon it here. But, you see, besides this, all other sins and abominations, and impurities are included in the text; and therefore it gives us occasion to speak of all manner of sin, while it says, "There is a generation that is not washed from their filthiness."

1. There is a generation of atheists, that neither fear God nor regard man; that say in their heart, "There is no God;" and vainly wish there were none.. There is a generation of deists, which is but a second edition of atheism, whereby the providence of God is denied, and so the God of providence blasphemed: but beside the gross, contracted, and almost professed atheism of many, what a huge generation is there that was never purged from their natural atheism! And though they would take it ill to be called atheists, are evidently and prac

tically so, while, though they profess to know God, yet in works they deny him. Surely these are not purged from their filthiness.

2. There is a generation of ignorant persons, that know not God, know not religion, know not the principles of Christianity; they are grossly and stupidly ignorant, notwithstanding the means of knowledge: they are artfully ignorant, neglecting the opportunities of instruction, diets of examination, and other seasons of learning. They are ignorant of Christ, and the way of salvation through him; ignorant both of law and gospel; the covenant of works, and covenant of grace. Are these washed from their filthiness? No; " It is a people of no understanding," saith God; "Therefore he that made them, will not have mercy upon them; and he that formed them, will shew them no favour." And, beside the grossly ignorant, there is a generation that hath a smattering of knowledge, some notional views of gospel-mysteries; but they never had the eyes of their understandings opened; the God of this world having blinded their eyes: " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." They are not washed from their filthiness; no, the ignorant person is filthy still.

3. There is a generation of mockers, that despise all things, 'serious and sacred. If they come to church to attend ordinances, they but slight and despise these ordinances in their hearts. If they hear a preaching, they but despise and contemn the word that they hear, and know not what it is to hear to edification. If public prayers be an offering up, they but despise the same; their eyes are roving, and they know not what it is to join in prayer with their souls. If public psalms be a singing, they despise that piece of worship, and can sit with their mouths close, when the mouths of others are opened, to sing praises to God. I have sometimes observed, with regret, how, while the congregation were professing at least, to praise God with open mouth, some will sit with such a close mouth, as if they were openly professing that they despised and contemned that heavenly exercise. They that love not to join with a congregation on earth, to praise God, how unfit are they

for joining with the heavenly company, whose exercise is to praise him for ever?-There is, I say, a generation of mockers and despisers: and some that slight and despise ordinances altogether, of whom God saith, "Behold, ye despisers! wonder, and perish!" Surely these are not washen from their filthiness.

4. There is a generation of hypocrites and formalists, that surely are not washen from their filthiness, that make a fashion of reading, and hearing, and praying, and praising, and singing; and rest satisfied with the external performance of duty, and were never accquainted with the love, the power, the life of religion; that have a name to live, but are dead. Wo to you hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside; but are not washen from your internal filthiness: you are as whited sepulchres, having a far outside; but within are full of rottenness and putrefaction.

5. There is a generation of legalists and moralists : they go about to establish a righteousness of their own, and will not submit to the righteousness of God. They are your pretenders to works, and holiness, and righteousness: but discover their want thereof, by their estrangement from, and ignorance of the righteousness of Christ. They seek heaven in a legal way; they seek to enter in, but they shall not be able, Luke xiii. 24. They seek salvation, but they seek it not by faith; but, as it were, by the works of the law. They pretend respect to the law, and yet affront it by refusing the only law-biding, law fulfilling righteousness of Christ. They profess holiness, and yet are not washed from their filthiness; for they are under the law. For that word" Sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law, but under grace," may be read just backward, with respect to them: Sin shall have dominion over them, because they are not under grace, but under the law.

6. There is a generation of superstitious worshippers and ceremony-mongers, who will worship God in ways not enjoined in his word. A heathen Socrates would say, "God will be worshipped with that kind of worship which himself hath commanded:" and surely, those that profess themselves Christians should fear and learn. Now, I not only hear mean, all gross supersti

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tion, of whatsoever sort, but all impurity of worship. Surely they are not washen from their filthiness, who have no concern upon their hearts to stand up for the purity of religion, in its worship and ordinances, in opposition to all mixtures and corruptions whatsoever. Nothing exasperates a holy God more than this, that there should be defilements in his worship; for mixture in his worship, not only crosses his command, but impeaches his wisdom, as if we should supply the defects of his word, by our inventions; therefore, God condemns it as will-worship, saying, "Their fear toward me [or their worship of me], is taught by the precepts of men," Isa. xxxix. 13. Col. ii. 22, 23. In a word it makes God's worship a vain worship, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men," Mat. xv. 6. As mixing copper with gold, debaseth the metal, it cannot pass therefore, God giveth that awful certification, Rev. xxii. 18, 19. " For I tes tify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

7. There is a generation of erroneous persons; that err in heart, and err in practice, and err in principle. Some have no principles at all, but Latitudinarian ; they are any thing you please. Others are of abominable and corrupt principles, subversive of the gospel, and destructive to pure religion and undefiled. It was an old principle long ago, which is yet living, "That the

doctrine of free-grace, and justification by faith, with" out the works of the law, was an adversary to the law "of Moses, and to holiness." No wonder then, that some have this doctrine to defend against such a charge, when Christ himself had this ado; "I am not come to 1 destroy the law, but to fulfil it." It is a day of error; and to speak of all the errors that are like to be imbibed and drunk in, were a task not to be managed in a passing word, but would take much time. Pollution

in principle is a great pollution; and where the error is in fundamentals, surely the person is not washed from his filthiness.

8. There is a generation that makes no manner of bonds of offence; to offend the generation of the righteous, is become a common and easy thing with many professors; and yet the Lord says, "Wo to the world, because of offences! better that a mill-stone were put I about his neck, and he thrown into the midst of the sea, than to offend one of those little ones. Offences must come; but wo to them by whom they come." Surely, these that have no regard whether they offend, and lay stumbling-blocks in people's way, or not, they seem not to be washed from their filthiness.

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9. There is a generation that are drowned in security and stupidity, having no sense of sin or danger: though sin be eminent and danger eminent; they go on incorrigibly, in their own evil way; and live securely notwithstanding all the means of mercy, and motives of judgment, the Lord gives for their recovery. the language of providence, and the alarms thereof cry, Arise, O sleeper, and call upon thy God." While the stormy tempest threatens the shipwreck of the church and state; and particularly the storm of division and animosity threatens the overthrowing the church visible; yet they sleep on, saying, all is safe: "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep." When security is universal, surely it is a sign we are not washed from our filthiness.

10. There is a generation of apostates, who begin in the spirit, and end in the flesh; that begin like Nebuchadnezzar's image, with a head of gold, but end with the feet of the image, that were feet of clay. Apostasy, and backsliding, and defection are no rarity in our day, wherein the love of many waxeth cold; and the church hath left her first love; and many backslide with a perpetual backsliding; and are it is to be feared, or will be of these who draw back to perdition. Concerning all such, the scripture speaketh, very awfully; "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways. Whoso putteth his hand to God's plough, and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of heaven." Surely ha