ed by any good in the creature; nor hindred by any evil in the creature: fo, it is the property of justification, that neither the believer's fins makes him lefs juftified; nor his holiness makes him more juftified. This is indeed the privilege of all juftified believers: but the more pure that the believer is, the more comfortable sense has he thereof. Believers, by juftification, stand in the favour of God, upon the fame ground on which Chrift, as Mediator, ftands in his favour; for you are accepted in the Beloved. Chrift, as Mediator, is beloved for his righteoufnefs' fake; The Lord is well-pleafed for his righteoufnefs' fake. He is highly exalted of God, and honoured of him, because he gave himself to be obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Chrift is beloved and accepted of God upon this ground; and you are accepted in him upon the fame ground. Why then, if Christ and you ftand upon the fame bottom, upon the fame ground, confider how fure that ground is furely, there is no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus; no laibleness to condemnation. If any will affert, that the believer, after all, may become liable to condemnation, while he remains in myftical union with the Son of God, which is for ever, and remains favoured of God, or accepted upon the fame ground, that Chrift is, let them anfwer for the difhonourable thought that this imports concerning the Son of God himself. Can the ground upon which Chrift ftands, in the favour of God, ever fail?. Nay; it were blafphemy fo to imagine: Neither can the ground upon which the believer ftands, in the favour of God, ever fail; for they ftand upon the fame ground, namely, the mediatory righteoufnefs, which is as much imputed to the believer, as if he himfelf had, in his own perfon, fulfilled it: It is reckoned to the believer, as if he himfelf had, in his own perfon, fatisfied divine juftice, and fulfilled the divine law: And hence, whatever can be faid of the happiness of the faints now in heaven, in point of fecurity from vindictive wrath; I fay not his holiness, but his happiness; in this refpect, the fame may be afferted of the believer on earth, in point of juftification. "Why .. Why then, fay you, the believer may do as he pleaseth, and fin as he lifteth; for there is no fear of him." The world, truly, mistakes matters, with respect to the true believer. A carnal heart, never renewed by grace, may indeed deliberately argue thus; "If I was fecure as to that event, viz. that I would never go to hell, but fhall infallibly be brought to "heaven, then I would drink, and debauch, and fin "as I please." Such a difpofition, and way of talking, is very agreeable to a man that is in a carnal natural ftate; but it is cross to the very nature of a believer. And, if any say they are believers, and yet would use that doctrine of grace at this rate; why, their very fpeech bewrays them, and fays they are not believers: because no believer, as a believer, can fay fo. But it may poffibly be urged, May not the corrupt part of the believer fay fo? Yea; and if it do, it fhall be destroyed for fo faying: for that which defilleth the temple of God, that will God deftroy. If the old man of corruption thus defile God's temple, God will deftroy that old man he will deftroy it with the fire of his vindictive wrath and vengeance: for the old man of fin in the believer, may indeed be faid to be under the law, and fhall be condemned. Though the believer, as he is a believer, is ever freed from condemnation; yet his fin and corruption is, and fhall be condemned; and God takes many ways to do that: yet fo as vindictive wrath fhall never touch the person of the believer in Christ. But let us take the believer at himself, and fee if this be confiftent with the grain of the child of God. Your fin is pardoned; therefore, go and take your fill of fin. God hath delivered you from hell; therefore, go and walk in the way of hell. God hath loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, vent your enmity against God to the uttermoft. 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 difhonour him as you can. Oh! no, no. Such expreffions would offend the generation of the righteous, and of true believers: it would, make the hairs of their head to ftand, if we may be al lowed lowed the expreffion, 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 fenfe of juftification, the more purity; and the more purity, the more fenfe of juftification: and yet neither your purity or fanctification, nor failing therein, doth influence your juftification, or affect it; for it remains still perfect, and invariably the fame.-So much for an ufe of confolation to the godly. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes; and yet is not wafhed from their filthiness. I [The feventh Sermon on this text.] F 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 fuch impure eyes, that we cannot behold his purity. Yea, though our eyes were purer than they are; yet God is fo perfect, that we cannot fee his perfection: even as the fun is fo bright, that we cannot fee the brightnefs of it. But as the ftronger the eye, the better fight will it get of the fun; fo, the purer the foul is, the more clearly will it fee the holiness and purity of God: Bleffed are the pure, for they fhall fee God. O! what is the reason, that God is fo little feen, and is fo far out of fight, with the generation? Why, the generation is impure and defiled; and what aggravates the matter prodigiously, is, they do not know fo much; The reader may fee this point of doctrine copiously handled, by confulting Vol. II. Serm. XXIII, &c. intitled, Law-death, Gofpel-life. 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 fubject, the excellency of gofpel purity; it only remains now, that we conclude the fubject, with a particular addrefs to the conscience. The feventh Ufe, therefore, that we make of the doctrine, is for exhortation and direction. Is it fo, as has been faid, That gofpel purity is fo excellent a thing? Then let me exhort you, in the words of the prophet, Wafh you, make you clean, Ifa. i. 16. O feek to be washed and purified from your filthinefs. Seek to be partakers of this gofpel purity and holiness. I have already preached feveral fermons upon this one doctrine; and they may not only be fo many witneffes, that the doctrine we inculcate, is a doctrine according to godliness, tending to advance holiness, and not to incourage licentiousness, let reproachers say what they will; but they may be fo many witneffes against a polluted generation, that neither are washed from their filthinefs, nor have any defire to be washed, but are filthy ftill. Let me now exhort both the wicked to feek after purity, and the godly to seek after more of it. As we have already infifted fo long upon the applicatory part, I shall put both thefe together for gaining of time. And to inforce the exhortation, we fhall, 1. Adduce fome motives. 2. Offer some directions. ift, By way of motive to the ftudy of purity, confider, that this gofpel purity eminently tends to the following things. 1. The glory of God. 2. The honour of Chrift. 3. The credit of the gafpel. 4. The good of both ourfelves and others. [1] This gofpel 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 effential quality of his nature; impurity is the very reverse thereof: fin is that abominable thing which his foul hates. The more impurity that there is in the world, the more is God difhonoured; but the more purity and holiness, the more is he glorified. As impurity is an open difhonour done done to God; fo external purity is a glorifying of God before the world: therefore fays our Lord, Hereby is. my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit. And he pofitively injoins, that we should make our light fo to bine before men, that they feeing our good works may glorify our heavenly Father.. Further, This gofpel purity tends to the glory of God, in as much as it is the end of our election; for, he hath chofen 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 fanctification. It is the livery in which his fervants ferve him; for, they ferve 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 bage and spot of his children; for, holiness becometh his house for ever. : In thefe, and many other refpects, 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 great marks and characteristics, whereby it is distinguished from the finest painted hypocrify. But, perhaps, fome may be ready to fay, How fhall I know, if the glory of God be my great end in my purity and holiness, and all that I do? I confefs, this is the great question that determines the controverfy between two great competitors, the one a pretender, the other a lawful fovereign, 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 fhall offer a few thoughts in answer to the question. 1. The man that intirely acts for the glory of God, in the ftudy of purity, he can trample upon his own happiness, when it comes in competition with the glory of God: he fees this to be of more worth than a thoufand heavens; and therefore, the felf-denied believer, before the glory of God fhould fuffer, would, in a manner, |