persuaded of this? It were a happy Sermon, if it could prevail for the more fruitful hearing of all the rest henceforward. We have lost too much of our little time; and thus, with the Apostle, I beseech you, I beseech you, receive not the grace of God in vain.

Now, that you may be fruitful, examine well your own hearts; pluck up, weed out, for there are still thorns. Some will grow, but he is the happiest man who hath the sharpest eye and the busiest hand, spying them out, and plucking them up. Take heed how you hear; think it not so easy a matter. Plough up, and sow not among thorns. Jer. iv. 3. And above all, pray, pray before, after, and in hearing. Dart up desires to God. He is the Lord of the harvest, whose influence doth all. The difference of the soil makes indeed the difference of success: but the Lord hath the privilege of bettering the soil. He who framed the heart, changes it when and how he will. There is a curse on all grounds naturally, which fell on the earth for man's sake, but fell more on the ground of man's own heart within him: Thorns and briers shalt thou bring forth. Now it is He that denounceth that curse, who alone hath power to remove it. He is both the sovereign owner of the seed, and the changer of the soil; He turns a wilderness into Carmel by His Spirit; and no ground no heart, can be good, till He change it.

And being changed, much care must be had still in manuring; for still that is in it, which will bring forth many weeds, is a mother to them, and but a step-mother to this seed. Therefore,

He that hath

Consider it, if you think this concerns you. an ear to hear, as our Saviour closes, let him hear. The Lord apply your hearts to this work; and though discouragements should arise without, or within, and little present fruit appear, but corruption is rather stronger and greater, yet, watch and pray. Wait on; it shall be better. This fruit is to be brought forth with patience, as St. Luke hath it. And this seed, this word, the Lord calls by that very

name, the very word of His patience. Keep it, hide it in thy heart, and in due time it shall spring up. And this patience shall be put to it but for a little while. The day of harvest is at hand, when all who have been in any measure fruitful in grace, shall be gathered into glory.

SERMON XIV.

2 COR. vii. 1.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

It is a thing both of unspeakable sweetness and usefulness, for a Christian often to consider the excellency of that estate to which he is called. It cannot fail to put him upon very high resolutions, and carry him on in the Divine ambition of behaving daily more suitably to his high calling and hopes. Therefore, these are often set before Christians in the Scriptures, and are pressed here by the Apostle upon a particular occasion, the avoidance of near combinements with unbelievers. He mentions some choice promises which God makes to His own people, and speaks of their near relation to, and communion with, Himself; and upon these, he enlarges and raises the exhortation to the universal endeavour of all holiness, and that as aiming at the very top and highest degree of it.

In the words are, 1. The thing to which he would persuade. II. The motive.

I. The thing is, holiness in its full extension and intention. Purging ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The purging out of filthiness, and the perfecting of holi

ness, express those two parts of renewing grace, mortification and vivification, as usually they are distinguished. But I conceive they are not so truly different parts, as a different notion of the same thing, the decrease of sin and the increase of grace, being truly one thing, as are the dispelling of darkness and the augmenting of light. So here, the one is rendered as the necessary result, yea, as the equivalent of the other, as the same thing indeed: purging from filthiness, and, in so doing, perfecting holiness; perfecting holiness, and, in so doing, purging from filthiness. By perfection is meant a growing, progressive advance towards perfection.

The words, without straining, give us as it were the several dimensions of holiness. The breadth-cleansing from all filthiness; the length, parallel to man's composition, running all along through his soul and body,-from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit; the height-perfecting holiness; the depth, that which is the bottom whence it rises up,-a deep impress of the fear of God, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Let us cleanse ourselves.] It is the Lord who is the sanctifier of His people; He purges away their dross and tin, He pours clean water, according to His promises; yet, doth He call to us to cleanse ourselves. Even, having such promises, let us cleanse ourselves. He puts a new life into us, and causes us to act, and excites us to excite it and call it up into act in the progress of sanctification. Men are strangely inclined to a perverse construction of things. Tell them that we are to act and work, and to give all diligence, then they would fancy a doing in their own strength, and be their own saviours. Again, tell them that God works all our works in us, and for us, then they would take the ease of doing nothing if they cannot have the praise of doing all, they will sit still with folded hands, and use no diligence at all. this is the corrupt logic of the flesh, its base sophistry. The Apostle reasons just contrary, Phil. ii. 12. It is God that worketh in us, both to will and do;-therefore, would a carnal heart say, we need not work, or at least, may work VOL. III.

S

But

very carelessly. But he infers, Therefore let us work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, that is, in the more humble obedience to God, and dependence on Him; not obstructing the influence of His grace, and by sloth and negligence provoking Him to withdraw or abate it. Certainly, many in whom there is truth of grace, are kept low in the growth of it, by their own slothfulness, sitting still, and not bestirring themselves, and exercising the proper actions of that spiritual life by which it is entertained and advanced.

From all filthiness.] All kinds of sinful pollutions. Not as men commonly do, reform some things, and take to themselves dispensations in others, at least in some one peculiar sin, their mistress, their Herodias, or their Delilah: no parting with that; yea, they rather forego many other things, as a kind of composition for the retaining of it.

Of flesh and spirit.] The whole man must be purified and consecrated to God; not only refined from the gross outward acts of sin, but from the inward affection to it, and from the secret motions of it, that so the heart, like a weaned child, (Psal. cxxxi. 2.) go not after it, which when restrained from the outward commission of sin, it may do, and very often does; as the Israelites lusted after the flesh pots, their hearts remained in Egypt still, though their bodies were brought out. This, then, is to be done; affection to sin is to be purged That is, we are to cleanse the ground; not only to lop off the branches, but to dig about, and loosen and pluck up the root. Though still fibres of it will stick, yet we ought still to be finding them out, and plucking them up.

out.

Further, this applies not only to the inner part of all sins, but to some sins that are almost or wholly inward, that hang not so much on the body, nor are acted by it; those filthinesses of the spirit which are less easily discerned than those of the flesh, and, as more hardly discerned, so, when discerned, more hardly purged out: pride, self-love, unbelief, curiosity, &c., which, though more retired and refined sins, yet, are

pollutions and defilements, yea, of the worst sort, as being more spiritual, filthiness of the spirit. Fleshly pollutions are things of which the devils are not capable in themselves, though they excite men to them, and so they are called unclean spirits. But the highest rank of sins, are those that are properly spiritual wickednesses. These in men are the chief strengths of Satan, the inner works of his forts and strong-holds. 2 Cor. x. 4. Many who are not much tempted to the common gross sensualities, who have, possibly, though an inclination to them, yet, a kind of disdain of them, and through education, and morality, and strength of reason, with somewhat of natural conscience, are carried above them, yet, have many of those heights the Apostle speaks of, those lofty imaginations that rise against God and the obedience of Christ, all which must be demolished.

Perfecting holiness.] Not content with low measures, with just so much as keeps from hell, but aspiring toward perfection; aiming high at self-victory, self-denial, and the love of God becoming purer and hotter, like a fire, growing, and flaming up, and consuming the earth. Though men fall short of their aim, yet, it is good to aim high: they shall shoot so much the higher, though not full so high as they aim. Thus we ought to be setting the state of perfection in our eye, resolving not to rest content below that, and to come as near it as we can, even before we come at it. Not as though I had already attained, says the Apostle, but this one thing I do; forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those which are before, I press towards the mark. Phil. iii. 11, 12. This is to act as one who hath such a hope, such a state in view, and is still advancing towards it.

In the fear of God.] There is no working but on firm ground; there are no solid endeavours in holiness where it is not founded in a deeply-felt reverence of God, a desire to please Him and to be like Him, which springs from love. This, most men are either wholly strangers to, or are but