walk in the way of hell. God hath loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, vent your enmity against God to the uttermost. He acts like a God of love to you therefore act you like a devil against him. God will honour you with the enjoyment of himself for ever in heaven; therefore, go your way and dishonour him as you can. Oh! no, no. Such expressions would offend the generation of the righteous, and of true believers: it would make the hairs of their head to stand, if we may be allowed the expression, and their bowels to tremble: for the quite contrary is ingrained in their new nature: Shall we thus requite the Lord? Shall we render hatred for love*.

The more sense of justification, the more purity; and, the more purity, the more sense of justification; and yet neither your purity or sanctification, nor failing therein, doth influence your justification, or affect it; for it remains still perfect, and invariably the same.So much for an use of consolation to the godly.

SERMON XIV.

PROV. XXX. 12.

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

[The Seventh Sermon on this Text.]

If we knew what a pure and holy God we have to do with, our own impurity would be hateful to us. "God is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity:" we are of such impure eyes, that we cannot behold his purity. Yea, though our eyes were purer than they are; yet God is so perfect, that we cannot see his perfection; even as the sun is so bright, that we cannot see the brightness of it. But as the stronger the eye, the better sight will it get of the sun; so, the purer the soul is, the more clearly will it see the holiness and purity of God; "Blessed are the pure, for they shall see God!"

*The Reader may see this point of doctrine copiously handled, by consulting Vol. II. Sermon intitled, Law-death, Gospel-life.

O! what is the reason that God is so little seen, and is so far out of sight, with the generation? Why, the generation is impure and defiled: and what aggravates the matter prodigiously, is, they do not know so much: "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes; and yet is not washed from their filthiness."

We have already made a very copious improvement of this subject, the excellency of gospel-purity: it only remains now, that we conclude the subject, with a particular address to the conscience.

The seventh use, therefore, that we make of the doctrine, is for exhortation and direction. Is it so, as has been said, That gospel-purity is so excellent a thing? Then let me exhort you, in the words of the prophet, "Wash you, make you clean," Isa. i. 16. O seek to be washed and purified from your filthiness. Seek to be partakers of this gospel purity and holiness. I have already preached several sermons upon this one doctrine; and they may not only be so many witnesses, that the doctrine we inculcate, is a doctrine according to godliness, tending to advance holiness, and not to encourage licentiousness, let reproachers say what they will; but they may be so many witnesses against a polluted generation, that neither are washed from their filthiness, nor have any desire to be washed, but are filthy still.

Let me now exhort both the wicked to seek after purity, and the godly to seek after more of it. As we have already insisted so long upon the applicatory part, I shall put both these together, for gaining of time. And to enforce the exhortation, we shall, 1. Adduce some motives. 2. Offer some directions.

1st, By way of motive to the study of purity, consider, that this gospel-purity eminently tends to the following things. 1. The glory of God. 2. The honour of Christ. 3. The credit of the gospel. 4. The good of both ourselves and others.

[1.] This gospel purity and holiness eminently tends to the glory of God. And it cannot fail to do so, in regard God himself is holy holiness is an essential quality of his nature; impurity is the very reverse thereof: sin is that abominable thing which his soul hates. The

more impurity that there is in the world, the more is God dishonoured; but the more purity and holiness, the more is he glorified. As impurity is an open dishonour done to God; so external purity is a glorifying of God before the world: therefore says our Lord," Hereby is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit."-And he positively enjoins, that we should make our light so to shine before men, that they seeing our good works, may glorify our heavenly Father.

Further this gospel-purity tends to the glory of God, in as much as it is the end of our election; for he hath chosen us in him; that we should be holy, and without blame. He hath called us hereunto: for, he hath not called us unto uncleanness, but holiness. It is agreeable to his will; for, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification." It is the livery in which his servants serve him; for they serve him in the beauty of holiness. It is obedience to his commands, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy :" and again, " Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." It is the badge and spot of his children; for, holiness becometh his house for ever.

In these, and many other respects, gospel-purity tends to the promotion of God's glory. Why, in one word, the great and ultimate end of gospel-purity, is just this, That whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. And this is one of the marks and characteristics, whereby it is distinguished from the finest painted hypocrisy.

But, perhaps, some may be ready to say, How shall I know, if the glory of God be my great end, in my purity and holiness, and all that I do?

I confess, this is the great question that determines the controversy between two great competitors, the one a pretender, the other a lawful sovereign, viz. whether self, or the great JEHOVAH, be the God to whom the devotion of our purity is paid: whether God or self be our ultimate end. I shall offer a few thoughts in answer to the question.

1. The man that entirely acts for the glory of God, in the study of purity, he can trample upon his own happiness, when it comes in competition with the glory of

God: he sees this to be of more worth than a thousand heavens; and therefore, the self-denied believer, before the glory of God should suffer, would in a manner, venture his all, though the venture would never be to his loss. "Blot me out of thy book," says Moses. "Let me be accursed," saith Paul. Why, the thing that prompted them to this, was zeal for the glory of God.

2. If the glory of God be your great end, in the study of holiness, and all you do, all your duties, then your desire will be to wait on the Lord in time of absence, as well as in times of presence, Out of the depths will you cry unto God: and out of the belly of hell will you look again to his holy temple. "I will wait upon the Lord that hideth himself from the house of Jacob, and will look for him,” Isa. viii. 17. When self hath no encouragement in its hand, even then to glorify God, by waiting on him obedientially, evidences that the glory of God is the end aimed at: even when the soul is content to live by faith, when sense is gone.

3. When one hath God's glory for his end, in the study of holiness, then the more assurance he hath of the love of God in Christ, the more earnest is he in the pursuit of purity and holiness. As he grows in God's favour, so will he grow in likeness to God. Assurance will not make him slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. It is otherwise with the selfish hypocrite; his false assurance weakens his hand, and slackens his diligence in duty: because he thinks his state secure he takes his nap. Why, so far the glory of God is not his end, but self-love. Something of this may take place indeed in the believer: but I speak of the natural fruit of his assurance; and especially the more clear it is, the more earnest will he be in the pursuit of holiness, and the more diligent in the Lord's work, knowing that his labour shall not be in vain in the Lord.

4. If the glory of God be your great end, in seeking after gospel-purity, then you will have a constant conflict with self: you will find self creeping in, and intruding itself into all duties; into your prayers, hearing, reading, praising, communicating, &c. It will be a burden to you: "O wretched man that I am! who shall

deliver me from this body of sin and death ?—The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these two are contrary the one to the other.”—O therefore study holiness, seek after gospel-purity, because it so much tends to the glory of God.

[2.] Consider, for motive, to seek after this gospelpurity, that it greatly tends to the honour of Christ. Christ's errand into the world was to save sinners from their impurity and sin; He came to seek and save that which was lost; and to finish transgression, and make an end of sin. He shed his precious blood, to be a laver for washing away all filthiness of the flesh and spirit; for, his blood cleanseth from all sin: and he suffered without the gate, that he might sanctify the people. The more purity and holiness that abounds in the world, the more doth Christ see of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied. The more impurity that prevails the more is his blood trampled upon; but the more purity that takes place, the more is the virtue and efficacy of his blood manifested: and consequently he is the more honoured. The impure person is a dishonour to Christ; but the holy man bears a resemblance to him, and so puts honour upon him.

Further, That gospel-purity, wherever it takes place, tends mightily to the honour of Christ, will appear if we consider the following particulars.

1. This gospel-purity is just an imitation of Christ as an example; for, "He gave us an example, that we should follow his steps." It is an answering of the design of that copy, pattern, and example which he set before us: it is a following of the Lamb, whithersoever he goeth; a cleaving to him in tribulation and adversity, as well as in prosperity.

2. Because it flows from love to Christ, and an high estimation of him: I say, this purity flows from love to him. And those who love this purity, however unholy they see themselves to be, they love him the better, on account of the holy pattern he has given them; the better, that he was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separated from sinners. It is a good sign of some gospel-holiness, when the soul can say, he loves God, because he is a