gives latitude to himfelf in the intervals, he looks not like one that is growing and advancing in purity. Mofes' face fhined as much when he came off from the mount, as when he was on the mount.

2. Conflict with fpiritual fins, and spiritual evils, is an evidence hereof. When a man is helped to conflict against heart-fins, which lie moft hid and remote from the eyes of the world; and obtains fome fpiritual victory and conqueft over them, it is an evidence of purity. When the heart rifes, with all its ftrength, against fpiritual pride and felf, and felf-ends, it evidences fome advances in holiness.

3. When a man is exercifed in fpiritual duties, and in internal duties of religion; not only bufied about external duties, but efpecially is exercifed about thofe and the like internal ones, viz, Meditation, mortification, felf-examination, felf-refignation, felf-loathing, felf-judg ing, felf-condemnation; praying in the Spirit, watching over the heart, applying the blood of Chrift, the death Chrift; applying the promife and the word to his own foul: when it is thus with a perfon, it is an evidence of his making fome progrefs in purity and holi, nefs.

4. When a man is carried on to religious duties by fpiritual principles and internal motives: when a person is acting, from a fenfe of divine love, from a fenfe and defire after Chrift's fpiritual prefence, and from the fweetnefs and excellency of communion and fellow fhip with a God in Chrift.-Thefe are fome evidences of a perfon's growing in puri.y and holinefs. .

2dly, We proceed next to point out fome grounds of confolations for fuch perfons.

1. The more purity you have, the more like God. And, O what comfort accrues from this, to be like to God; to be conformed to the Son of God! The more likeness, the more love. The Lord cannot but delight in his own image: He himself is holy; and cannot but delight in the holiness and purity of his people.

2. The more purity, the more ripe for heaven: yon are thus made meet for the inheritance of the faints in

light; for no unclean thing can enter into the heavenly Jerufalem. And, O what comfort arifes from this, that, you are a candidate for the glory of the new Jerufalem!

3. The more purity the more communion and fellowfhip with God; "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me, fhall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifeft myself to him. If any man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him," John xiv. 21. 23. The godly perfon, by his impurity, may greatly mar his fellow fhip with God; but by advancing in holinefs, his communion is promoted.

4. The more purity, the more communication of good things from God; the more holinefs you are poffessed of, the more will God give you: "He will give grace and glory; and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," Pfalm lxxxiv. 11. When he gives this grace to walk uprightly, he will be ftill adding more: And every new addition of grace, and communication of love, will make the babe of grace leap chearfully in the foul; for they that walk in the fear of the Lord, will walk in the comfort of the Holy Ghoft, Acts ix. 31.

5. The more purity, the more will the truth and reality of all your other graces be notified to you; particularly these three cardinal graces, Faith, Love, and Hope, 1 Cor. xiii. 13.-Faith, in its fincerity is hereby notified; for, if it be true faith, it will purify the heart. The man that fays he believes, and yet walks on în a courfe of fin, it fhows his faith to be but a fancy.Love is, in its fincerity, notified hereby; for, true love proceeds from a pure heart: "The end of the commandment, is love out of a pure heart."--Hope alfo is notified and made known; for, "He that hath this hope, purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

6. The more purity, the more sense of pardon and juftification. There is comfort, that your fanctification doth not affect your juftification; and that failures in purity, doth not diminifh your juftification. And as it is the property of fovereign grace, that it is neither mov

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ed by any good in the creature; nor hindred by any evil in the creature: fo, it is the property of juftification, that neither the believer's fins makes him lefs juflified; nor his holinefs makes him more juftified. This is indeed the privilege of all juftified believers: but the more pure that the believer is, the more comfortable fenfe has he thereof.

:

Believers, by juftification, fland in the favour of God, upon the fame ground on which Chrift, as Mediator, flands 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 righteousness' 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 crofs. Chrift is beloved and accepted of God, upon this ground; and you are accepted in him upon the fame ground. Why then, if Chrift 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 liableness 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 answer for the difhonourable thought that this imports concerning the Son of God himfelf. 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 fland upon the fame ground, namely, the mediatory righteoufnels, 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 person, 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 holinefs, but his happinefs; 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 "pleafeth, 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 pleafe." 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 fay 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 deftroyed for fo faying: for that which defileth the temple of God, that will God deftroy. If the old man of corruption thus defile God's temple, God will defiroy 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 shall 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 perfon of the believer in Chrift.

But let us take the believer at himfelf, 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

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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 ftill perfect, and invariably the fame. So much for an ufe of confolation 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.

IF

[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, tho' 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 brightness 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 holinefs and purity of God; "Bleffed are the pure, for they fhall fee God." O! what is the reafon, 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; "There

*The Reader may fee this point of doctrine copiously handled, by confulting Vol. II. Ser. XXIII. &c intitled, Law-death, Gofpel life.