and therefore it is great. How shall we efcape, if we neglect fo great falvation? Heb. ii. 3. He that finneth under the gospel, cannot fin at so cheap a rate as others though he fins the very fame fins that others commit, who are not under the gospel. Why? He that knoweth his master's will, and doth it not, shall be beaten with many ftripes. O Sirs, be convinced of these fins, and the evil of them: the fin of your nature, the fin of your heart, and the fin of your way under the gospel; for they are great fins and impurities.

[2.] I would produce fome witnesses, for proving of the great want of purity, whether total or partial. Many witneffes may be brought in to prove the charge.

1. The first witnefs is the power and prevalency of fin. Where fin is up, holinefs is down. Are fins and corruptions as many and as strong with you, as they were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago, notwithstanding of all the means you have enjoyed, and fermons you have heard, and engagements you have made? The power of fin doth witness and evidence either the want or weakness of purity.

3. The third witnefs is the eafy and frequent falling before temptation and motions to fin. When temptation touches, it takes. No fooner are you tempted than you are conquered. Does not this difcover the want of pu-* rity; and that it is either wholly wanting, or at a low ebb? Those that were eminent in holiness, in fcripture, were eminent in refifting temptation; as Jofeph, Daniel, and others. When a man needs little, or has no temptation to lead him to fin, it witneffeth against him, that he is impure.

4. The fourth witnefs is fears and faintings in a day of adversity; If thou faint in the day of adverfity, thy ftrength is fmall, Prov. xxiv. 16. Do you fret under affiction, or faint under adversity? That is an evidence of the want of purity, and the weaknefs of grace.

5. The next witnefs is barrenness and foul-leannefs; Ifa. xxiv. 16. I faid, My leanness, my leanness; wo unto me! Look to them that have my grace, and fee what poor and lean graces they have: how little faith, how little love, how little zeal, how little repentance, how

little knowledge; how much unbelief, how much *ignorance, how much untendernefs in their walk, how much neglect of duty, how much of a legal spirit in duty, &c.; how much laxnefs of principle, and levity of fpirit; how much pride of duty, how much pride of preaching, pride of praying; how much apoftafy, unftedfaftnefs, and unconftancy: the goodnefs of many is like the morning cloud, and early dew, that paffeth a

way.

6. Another witnefs is indifferency. The great indifferency that is among many profeffed Chriftians, fhews their want of purity: they are indifferent whom, and what they hear; indifferent whether they perform duty or not; whether they attend ordinances or not: Galio cared for none of thofe things. Surely, where there is much indifferency, there is little holiness, little purity.

7. The feventh witnefs is grofs immortality. And here, will not the grofs abominations of the day and generation, and of the congregation witnefs against them, that they are not washen from their filthinefs ?--Is the drunkard washen from his drunkenness? Is the whoremonger wafhen from his whoredom? Is the adulterer wafhen from his adulterics? Is the malicious man wafhen from his malice?-Are not many become fhameless in finning, when the Lord is calling for mourning? And in that day did the Lord God of hofts call to weeping and to mourn ing, and to baldness, and to girding with fackcloth; and, behold, joy and gladness, flaying oxen, and killing beep, eating flefb, and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die, Ifa. xxii. 12, 13. There were a pack that made a jest of dying, and made a mock of a future ftate: Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we must die: if we muft have a fhort life, let us have a merry one. Here is atheifm rampant; denial of a future ftate lying at the root of their brutifh fenfuality.-Many dif cover their grofs immorality by mock confeffion: like the French king that carried a crucifix in his hat; and when he had done any thing amifs he would kifs that, as a fufficient atonement. Many who call themfelves Chriftians, when they have committed any grofs fin, they confefs it, with a God forgive me; returning with

the

the dog to the vomit.-They evidence their immorality by their unreproveableness; as is manifeft from their carriage to them that admonish them: do they count them their best friends? Nay, their heart rifes and rages against them. How stand they affected towards the word, when it reproves them, and rubs upon their lufts, and croffes their delights? They count it enmity and folly. -They evidence their grofs immorality by their filthy communications, and filthy converfations, Col. iii. 8. 2 Pet.

ii. 7.

8. The eight witnefs is careleffness about, and contempt of the means of purity. Doth the neglect of the means of purity witness against you? For example, prayer is a mean; fecret prayer, focial prayer, family prayer, fellowship prayer: do you live in the neglect of these? Yea: then doth not this witnefs your impurit?- The word is a mean; hearing the word attentively, reading the word diligently, hiding the word in your heart carefully, like David; Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not fin against thee. Now, what diligent ufe do you make of the word? Are you carelefs in hearing, efpecially on week-days, notwithstanding of convenient opportunity? Are you careless in reading the Bible from Sabbath to Sabbath? Why, the very duft of your Bibles will witness against you. I have read of one, that prefented Ar tipater, the king of Macedon, with a book, that treated of happiness; he refused it, faying, I am not at leifure. Many have the book by them; yea, prefented to them by Chrift, that treats of everlasting happiness, but they flight the prefent: I am not at leifure, fay they. They have opportunity of hearing the word opened on weekdays, as well as Sabbath-days; but they are not at leifure. They have means of knowledge, diets of catechifing, for clearing the fame word; but they are not at leifure. They have many precious feafons of grace, feafons of prayer, feasons of duty; but they are not at lei- . fure. They take leisure to their own work, their worldly work; yea, for idle converfation: but they have no leifure for God's work, their foul's work, eternal work.

What! are not these things fo many witneffes against you, that you are impure? I might produce multitudes

of

of more witneffes; but by the mouth of two or three witneffes, every truth fhall be confirmed: and these witnesses that I have adduced at the time, are fufficient for proving the charge. O then, will you take with the reproof; and take home the conviction of your impurity and unholinefs?

I fhall close with two advices, in order to deliver you from this impurity that prevails.

Advice 1. Seek after the knowledge of Chrift, and the things of Chrift. Knowledge of Chrift, in a faving way and manner, will ftrike at the root of all impurity: for, Beholding his glory, we are changed. And particularly, feek after the knowledge of this purity and fanctity, that I fpeak of, in its agreement with, and difference from juftification: for, the confounding of these two, makes many legal dreams in the world. Wherein it agrees with juftification, and wherein it differs, I have had occafion formerly to enlarge upon *. They agree thus ; 1. In their efficient; the God the juftifies, is also the God that fanctifies. 2. In their end; they are both for the glory of God. 3. In their fubject; the elect finner believing the man that is justified, is also the man that is fanctified. 4. In the inftrument, namely, faith. Though in divers refpects we are juftified by faith, and also fanctified by faith, or purified: yet, in juftification, faith justifies as a paffive inftrument, as a veffel receiving the water; in fanctification, faith fanctifies and purifies as an active inftrument, as a root and a fpring bullering up the water. In juftification, faith is a hand receiving, a receiving hand in fanctification, it is a working hand. -Alfo, juftification is firft, in order of nature; fanctification is next: as the good tree is before the good fruit. -In juftification a man is reckoned righteous; in fanctification, he is made righteous: in juftification, he is declared righteous, by a judicial fentence; in fanctification, he is fashioned, and made righteous, and holy, by a spiritual change.—In justification, I have Chrift for

* See thefe points farther touched above, p. 351, 352. and Vol. II. p. 35, 36.; and their difference ftill more copioufly held forth, and their harmony pointed out in a great many inftances, iu the Gospel Sonnets, Part VI. Chap. ii. Sect. 1, 2.

the

the Lord my righteousness; in fanctification, I have him for the Lord my ftrength. Our righteousness for juftification is in him, as the author and worker of it: our ftrength for fanctification is in him, as the root and fountain of it, from whence it is communicate to us.- In Juftification, he works all our works for us, and we do nothing in fanctification, he works all our work in us; and makes us do, while he worketh in us both to will and to do.

Advice 2. Having thus been brought by the knowledge of Chrift and his grace, to a renewed ftate, then, pursue your fpiritual enemies and lufts, and be daily throwing ftones at them, till they be killed. I allude to 1 Sam. xvii. 40. where David, in defeating Goliath, took five Smooth ftones out of the brook, and caft at him. In allufion to this, I will tell you of five ftones that you should daily caft at your lufts. (1.) The ftone of inftituted means, and appointed ordinances. Is prayer a mean? Is the word a mean? Use these means in the Lord's ftrength. (2.) The ftone of fcriptural arguments; fuch as Jofeph's argument; Shall I do this great wickedness, and fin against God? David's argument; fhall I do fo and fo? Then would I offend the generation of the righteous. (3.) The stone of gospel promifes: fuch as that; I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean. I will give you new heart, and a new fpirit, &c. Having thefe promifes, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and Spirit. Plead the promises, and cry for the grace promifed. (4.) The ftone of Christ's mediation and prayer; John xvii. 15, 17. Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth. While they are in the world, keep them from the evil of it. Improve the interceffion of Chrift. (5.) The ftone of Chrift's death and paffion. His crucifixion is that, in the virtue whereof fin is crucified. Improve his death, and look for virtue to come from thence.- Look to the Lord for grace and fkill to caft thefe ftones into the head of Goliath.

VOL. I.

A a a

SER