Now, this righteousness of Christ, and no purity, no obedience, no grace, no holiness of ours, is the ground and cause of justification. And if you have gospel purity indeed, you will never, if you be in your right senses, propose this as the end of it, namely, that you may be justified; for that belongs only to the righteousness of Christ: "In him shall all the seed of Israel be justified," Isa. xiv. 25. But,

2. This purity is the fruit and evidence of justification and as we know a tree by its fruit; so may we know justification by sanctification; "Shew me thy faith by thy works," James ii. 18. We are to shew our faith of this righteousness of Christ, for our justification, by our works of purity and sanctification: "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ," Rom. viii. 1. What is the fruit and evidence of this? Why, they walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. The man that is a good tree, a justified man will bring forth good fruit. The good fruit doth not make a good tree; but the good tree maketh the good fruit: so, the fruit of sanctification doth not make a man to be justified; but justification maketh a man produce the good fruit of sanctification. Herein lies the difference between works in the new covenant of grace, and works in the old covenant of works, or, herein differs legal and evangelical purity. In the legal way, work is first: and then justification thereupon: but in the gospel way, justification is first; and the works follow thereupon. So, in the old and new Sabbath: The Sabbath instituted in Paradise was the seventh day in order after the six working days; and was suited to man's state of innocency, and did most properly belong to the covenant of works, which promised life and rest, after perfect works of righteousness wrought by us," The man that doth these things, shall live by them," Rom. x. 5.: But the Christian Sabbath is the first day of the week, before our six working days and so is fitted to the new covenant, which promised rest to the conscience, in a way of believing, and that before they do works of righteousness: but these works, and this righteousness, do necessarily attend and follow upon justification. As the same day that the wa

ters went off from the earth, and were gathered into the sea, the earth was adorned with grass, herbs, flowers, and trees, and was fruitful, Gen. i. 9. 11.; so when the deluge of wrath goes off from the soul, in justification, it is presently adorned with the graces of the spirit, and called a tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Wherever a man is justified, there also he is sanctified and purified. If you be justified, you will shew it so, as it may be evident to yourself and others, by your study of purity. And if you be purified, you will endeavour through grace, to make this one of the ends thereof; and this will be your design, that you may shew to others, and be convinced yourself, by having certain evidence of your being justified: for, where there is no purity at all, there is no evidence at all of justification and pardon: even as the body without breath is a body without life, James ii. 20. Where there is little purity, there is little evidence of justification; where there is much purity, there will be the clearer evidence of justification. Though the Lord can, and doth sometimes make the believer's justification evident to him, in other ways than by the evidence of it in sanctification; and though justification is not up and down, according to the changes in sanctification; nay, justification is always equal, constantly the same, always perfect in the believer: like the sun in the firmament, always full, whatever waxings and wanings there may be in the moon of sanctification, and whatever changes take place in it: and he ought to be assured of this, even when his purity and sanctification is at the lowest ; yea, like the moon, disappearing for a while out of view. Surely, he is not to doubt; he ought not to doubt of his justification, by Christ's righteousness imputed, because of the waning of his sanctification by a righteousness imparted but where there is no imparted grace at all for sanctification, that a man can either see in himself, or reflect upon, as what he hath seen sometimes, or lamented the want of; where there is nothing of all this, I say, there can be no comfortable evidence of sanctification. Try yourselves then by these things, and look to the Lord to assist you in the trial.

1

I sum up all this use of examination with these ques tions. If you be washed from your filthiness, I ask you, Was you ever shaken out of your refuges of lies, your old rotten natural faith and good works? Have you ever been brought in to Christ, and made to close with him for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption? Have you ever been begotten again to a new and lively hope, through faith of him? Have you ever known what it is to have Christ dwelling in your heart, and reigning in your soul, by his word and Spirit? Have you ever known what it is to have faith working by love? And this love discovering itself by a love and respect to all the commandments of God, and by a hatred to every false way? If you can, in the sight of God, answer YEA to these questions, then I can say, you have been washed from your filthiness, and made partakers of gospel purity: but if you be in a doubt about it, and at a loss what to say, O live not contentedly in a doubtful state, but seek that the Lord would resolve your doubt, and that you may find the matter resolved to you by the Lord himself. If you never found any of these things, and are an absolute stranger thereto, O man, woman, who are in that case, however pure you are in your own eyes, yet you are not washed from your filthiness; and while the filth of sin remains, the guilt remains also; and while the guilt remains, the wrath of God abideth upon you; and therefore, as you regard the glory of God, and your eternal salvation, fly for your life out of that state; take no rest there, but go immediately to God, and cry earnestly to him, That he may pity you, and purge you, and wash you, for his name's sake. Tell him," Lord, what will all things avail me, if I live and die in my sins, and pe'rish for ever?'-May the Lord himself direct you.

PROV. XXX. 12.-There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

[The Sixth Sermon on this Text.]

THE judgment of God is according to truth; and it is by the judgment of God we stand or fall. It is not what this or that man judgeth us to be, or what we ourselves imagine we are, that will contribute to our safety, or bear us out; for we cannot judge right, unless we judge of ourselves according to the word of God; and to judge of ourselves thus, is to judge according as God judgeth. What God takes us to be, that we are: but we are not always what we take ourselves to be. Some take themselves to be Christians, who yet are but Antichristians. Some take themselves to be friends to God, who yet are enemies: "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes: and yet is not washed from their filthiness."

A generation of sinners, that live in sin impenitently, do make room for a deluge of wrath. One Achan troubles the whole camp of Israel: and what wrath then may multitudes of sinners bring upon a church and people! The text speaks of a multitude; and, perhaps, multitudes of impure and unsanctified sinners were never greater than at this day wherein we live; and hence it is a day of wrath; for, it could never be more truly said in any period, than of our day, "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness."

We have already improven this doctrine in an use of information, lamentation, reproof, and examination: we now proceed to another use of the point.

The fifth use that we make of the doctrine shall be for terror to all that are not washed from their filthiness; but are filthy still, impure still; were never renewed, never purified, never sanctified: but remain under the power of sin and corruption; and are utter strangers to all that purity that hitherto I have been speaking of.

There is ground of terror to all the wicked of the world, that are altogether filthy, and to believers, who are partly so, and do not watch, but indulge themselves much in impurity.

1st, This doctrine affords ground of terror to the wicked, that never were washed from their filthiness, but are going on in a course of sin, drunkenness, whoredom, revelling, and all manner of immoralities. Alas, sirs! consider how miserable you are, and are like to be. Look to your sad and dismal case in life, in death, and at the day of judgment. And O if the Lord would awaken your conscience, seriously to ponder your dangerous situation.

[1.] Look to and be persuaded of it, that you are truly miserable in life. And,

1. While in that impure state, you are an utter stranger to God; « At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world," Eph. ii.12. You are without God, the author of hope; without Christ, the foundation of hope; without the covenant of promise, the ground of hope; without the grace of hope: you are in a hopeless case, while you refuse to fly for refuge to the hope set before you; to Christ, for wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.

2. You are contrary to God, and God is contrary to you; your nature is contrary to God, and God's nature is opposite to you. Your principles, your practice, your nature, your aims, your mind, your affections, are all opposite to God, while you are altogether filthy.

3. You are out of case for communion and fellowship with God. What! communion between light and darkness! Nay: you have communion and familiarity with the devil: The strong man armed keeps the house. The whole world lieth in wickedness, in time, in the arms of the wicked one. You are, as it were, fast lulled asleep in the arms of the devil.

4. You are a slave and a drudge to every lust. And, alas ! what base degeneracy, that now, your immortal soul is a drudge to the devil, a slave to lust, a servant of sin, and an associate with the wicked!