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light in them. No man can do any thing in faith, unlefs he can fay, So it is written; or hath a thus faith the Lord to warrant it: and whatsoever is not thus of faith is fin. This purity is fcriptural both with respect to the law and the gofpel: the law is the rule of purity, and the gospel is the inftrument, even the word of Now are ye clean, through the word that I have spoken unto you. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is

truth

grace:

6. It is not a partial, but an extenfive, univerfal purity. It is not a part of the man, that is wafhed from filthinefs, but the whole man: the whole man is renewed after the image of God. If any man be in Chrift he is a new creature; old things are past away; behold, all things are become new. There is a new state, a new difpofition; there is a new light in the understanding; the light of the knowledge of the glory of God: a new liberty in the will; being made willing in the day of God's power: a new order in the affections; they being fet upon things above: a new peace in the confcience; a peace that paffeth all natural understanding: a new luftre in the whole converfation; it being a converfation becoming the gospel: a new trade of communion with God, and intercourfe with heaven: a new war against the devil, the world, and the flefh: All things are become new. Think not you are holy enough when free from the outward pollutions of the world. New defires and new delights must be inlaid and implanted in the foul: new faith, in oppofition to the old dead faith; new hope, in oppofition to the old natural hope; new repentance, in oppofition to the old-covenant repentance; a new obedience, in oppofition to the old-covenant obedience. And fo,

7. It is not a legal, but an evangelical purity. Legal purity is built upon the ground of perfonal righteousness and inherent strength, like Adam's in a state of innocency: but evangelical purity is built upon the ground. of Chrift's righteousness and strength, Ifa. xlv. 24. The man that is evangelically purified faith, Surely in the Lord only have I righteousness and strength. Gospel purity acts upon the divine strength of Chrift, for being to itfelf, and for all its affiftance: and it acts upon

the

divine righteousness of Chrift, for acceptation to itself, and for all its acceptance.- Legal purity acts by compulfion and constraint, from fear of hell, and the like: but gofpel purity acts freely, and from love. Legal purity levels at felf, and the magnifying thereof: gofpel purity levels at free grace, and the praise and glory thereof. Legal purity is mercenary, expecting God will make out his part, because the pure creature thinks he has done his endeavour, to perform his condition on his part; and fo imagines he has a right founded upon his purity and holiness: but gospel purity is humble, and takes all things freely; not in a conditional way, but in an abfolute manner, with refpect to him; and expecting all things promised in the covenant, only upon the condition performed by Chrift, his obedience to the death.

8. It is not an evanishing, but a permanent purity. All the religion that many have is evanishing and fuperficial; it comes and goes like a flash of lightening. True purity is permanent and conftant; it continues and grows: for, he that hath clean hands fhall wax ftronger and ftrong

er.

The righteous holdeth on his way, like a veffel failing toward fuch a port, though it meet with many blafts to drive it hither and thither, and fometimes very far back;" yet it goes on again, and makes out the harbour defigned: fo, though the believer may meet with blasts of temptation and corruption, that may fet him far back; yet he holds on his way. A God in Chrift is the centre of reft, to which he moves; yea, he hath taken up his reft in hin, and there he refolves to stay for ever: he hath chofen a God in Christ for his portion, and he is determined to abide by his choice; Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none in all the earth that I defire befides thee, Pfalm lxxiii. 25. As if he had faid, I have been ranging and ranfacking heaven, and looking to all the angels there; I have been traverfing earth, and viewing all the children of men; but there is none worthy of my choice but thee alone: Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none in all the earth that I defire befides thee. Here is a characteristick and diftinguishing quality of a pure and upright man. A hypo

crite can go to a preaching and a prayer; but he can never fay, Now, I could live and die in this work; no, no: the man must be back to the world again, back to his idols again: there is fomething in the earth that is more his portion than God; fo his religion is vanifhing. But,

III. It is proper now to fpeak a word of the neceffity of this purity. Here I would effay two things: 1. Shew that it is neceffary. 2. Enquire for what it is neceffary.

ift, We are to fhew that purity is neceffary. This will appear clear, if you confider these things following.

1. That purity is neceffary, will appear from all the typical works under the law; the legal wafhings and purifyings. What meant the great fea of brafs that was appointed for the high priests to wash in, before they made their addreffes to the throne, before they compaffed the altar? What needed all the wafhings of the people and of the facrifices? Certainly, if we look not to the fpirituality of it, but only to the latter, they feem a piece of pageantry, unworthy of the divine Spirit to concern himself in thefe outward washings: but having a further view, they point at a gofpel fpiritual washing and purification.

2. The neceflity of it is evident from the facramental wafbing in the new teftament. What means the facrament of baptifm? Doth it not speak forth the neceflity of our wathing? Who no fooner enter on the threshold of life, than there is the laver of regeneration prefented for washing and purification.

3. The neceffity of it is evident from all the commands of the law. Every command hath a voice; and the general voice and cry of all is, Wafh ye, make ye clean, Ifa. i. 16. The end of the command is love, out of a puer heart, 1 Tim. i. 5.

4. The neceffity of it is evident from the promises of the gospel. The great promise of the new covenant is, I will fprinkle them with clean water, and they shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols I will cleanse

you,

you, Ezek. xxxvi. 25. These promifes were needlefs, if purity was not neceffary: and we ought to make ufe of thefe promises, and plead them.

5. In a word, It was the end of Chrift's coming into the world, that he might redeem from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people:-It was the defign of his abode in it, that he might leave us an example, fet before us a pattern of holiness, that we might follow his Steps, and be holy as he is holy :-It was the intention of his death, and the fhedding of his blood; for, be fuffered without the gate, that he might fanctify the people, and that his blood might be a laver for wafhing away all their filthinefs and impurity, and a fountain for wafhing away all fin and uncleannefs, because his blood cleanfes from all fin.-Chrift prayed for his bleffing to us; fanctify them through the truth: he sent the Spirit for this end, that he might convince of fin, caufe us to walk in his fiatutes, and apply his blood for purifying our confciences from dead works. Thus we fee that purity is neceffary.

2dly, We proceed now to confider, for what it is neceffary. Amongst others it is neceffary for these things following.

When

1. It is neceffary to evidence our juftification and pardon. Why, if you be not purified, you are not pardoned; for, the pardoned man is a purified man. God reveals the guilt of fin, he deftroys, in fome meafure, the strength of fin; Rom. viii. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus; i. e. They are juftified. Well, how do they evidence that? They walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2. It is neceffary to clear up our evidences for Heaven. -It is neceffary to clear your adoption; Touch not the unclean thing, faith the Lord; and Iwill receive you: I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my fons and daughters, 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. The meaning is, in a word: this purity fhall be an evidence of my paternal relation to you; and hereby your adoption into my family will be cleared up: for, if you be of God's family, you will, thro' grace, ftudy purity.It is neceffary to your union with him; Ido not mean that the foul must first be purified before it be

united to Chrift; as if none were to come to Chrift, till they first make themselves pure: nay, that is cross to the very scope of the gofpel, which calls polluted finners to come to him, that they may be washed by him. But I fay, it is neceflary to union, in regard that, in uniting a foul to himself, he purifies that foul and there cannot be an union between Chrift and the foul otherwife: Of him are ye in Christ Jefus, who of God is made to us fanctification, I Cor. i. 30. If Chrift come into the foul, he comes in fanctifying and purifying the foul: for he cannot unite with impurity; light cannot unite with darkness, neither life match with death. Can Heaven mingle with hell, or flesh with spirit? No; there is no union but in this purifying Spirit to come in. It is neceffary to our communion with God. As I faid of union, fo I fay of communion: when God vouchfafes to bring a perfon to communion with himself, he purifies that perfon: for, what communion hath light with darkness? And the more that a perfon is purified, the more communion with God: If a man love me, and keep my words, my Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and take up our abode with him, John xiv. 23. And he that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifeft myjelf to bim, John xiv. 21.

3. It is neceffary to the acceptableness of our fervices unto God. As in juftification the believer is made accepted; fo in fanctification he is made acceptable. I diftinguish between acceptance, and acceptableness: We are accepted only in the beloved; but thofe that are loved of him, and accepted, they are alfo made lovely and acceptable. Juftification and pardon makes a man loved and accepted: but fanctification and purity maketh him lovely and acceptable. The greatest performances, in obedience to the most exprefs commands, are loft; they are unacceptable and abominable, in the fight of God, without purity; Ifa. lxvi. 3. He that killeth an ox, as if he flew a man; he that facrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if be offered fwines blood; he that burneth incenfe, as if he blessed an

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