in this, that they are open for God, confecrated to God, their ends are for God; as for inftance, in the very work of mercy but a man may be impure in the works of mercy if he hath ban ends, to ferve himfelfe and cover his fin, his heart is very uncleanea man may do many good things and yet be very impure in the doing of things that are materially good, but now when a man doth not only do things that are right, but his ends are right, and he aimes at Gods glory,he is able to appeale to God. Lord, thou that fe archeft and tryeft the fecrets of all hearts, try this heart of mine, I am willing my heart thould lye open to all the world in fuch and fuch things, this is a pure heart.

Sixthly, A pure heart is a heart working to good ends with plainnefle and fimplicity; for tis not enough for a man to have good ends, to fay, well I aime at Gods ends, but I will havé fuch fetches about, and fuch mixing of humane and cunning devices Many a man bleffes himself that he hath general aims at God, but he hath a company of fetches and devices that are the ftirrings of his own corruption, and fo he spoyles all: So that this purity is that which in other Scriptures is call'd the fimplicity of the Gospel, when a man walks according to the fimplicity of the Gofpel in all cander & ingenuity, in all plainnelle of fpirit, this is purity, when having his ends to be good, and then in the attainment to thofe ends there's nothing but plainnetle and the fimplicity of the Gospel, as for policies and devices they may befeem men in the matters of the wo Id, yet when he comes to the matters of Chrift,he carryes all on in the plainneffe and fimplicity of the Gospel,

Seventhly, A pure heart is a heart futable to all profefions and duties that a man doth; when a man makes profefion of God, and of the wayes of God, and then hath a heart that doth come up to his profeffion; and when a man doth much service for God, and his heart comes up to his fervice, here's pu ity, and agreement between the profe fion and fervices that aman makes or performes, and the difpofirion of his heart; The impurity and uncleaneffe that is in the hearts of hypocrites confifts in this; Their profeffionis great and glorious but their D dd 2

hearts

are not surable : So then, take all there together, and you fee What a pure hart is: A heart wafht in the brood of Chrift front the guilt of fin, A heart acting by pure principles, A heart cafting out the love of every known fin,

A heart that harh a furableness to the hol nets of God and of his law A heart confecrated, denoted to God, That hath right ends for God in all it doth, A heart working towards thefe goo. ends in the plainneffe and fimplicity of the Gospel, beart that hath an agreeableneffe to whatfoever profeffion is, made, or fervices that are done, This is a pure heart; Now bleffed is the pure in heart.

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If this be pure, where will you find this purity of heart in any, Prov. 20. 9. Who can fay he hath cleaned his heart.

To that its antwer'd, that Chrift fpeakes here in a Gofpel way, that may be accepted for purity of heart, that yet hath much uncleannelfe remaining in it, but though there be, yet together with thefe di pofitions there's added,

Firft, That there be pains taken to find out what corruption is remaining in thy heart, Lord, I beleeve I have corruption, O that I could find it out, when the heart of a man or woman is, willing to fearch to find out all the corruptions, yea the fecret wandrings and turnings of my heart; the Lord knowes that it he would fpeak from Heaven and ask me what I would have,he knowes that this would be one petition, that I might know my own heart.

Secondly, There is an unfeigned mourning for all the mainders of that impurity; The heart when it hath found out any corruption, it mournes over it,it accounts it to be the evil, the diffemper of the heart, and that's obfervable,that the more peace there is in the heart through the affurance that it is clenfed in the blood of Chrift,the more doth it mourne and lament. for any uncleanneffe that ever hath been, or is in it, that Scripture is very obfervable, in the 36 of Ezek. 25. Then will I fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clear: from all your filthineffe and from all your Idols will I clear fe you: A new heart. alfo will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you, and fo he goes on,& then, I wil also face you from all your uncleaneffes;

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· The excellency of a purc

and I will call for the corne, &c, and then in the 3 verfe. Then all ye remember your own evill wayes, and jour doings that were Hot good, and shall loath your felves in your own fight for your iniquities and for your abominations. And God accounts them to be deanfed that do loath themfelves for their iniquities and abo minations: And no men and women do more loath themselves for their iniquities and abominations, then those that are moft cleaned from their iniquities and abominations; its a notable. Scripture for it, and fpeakes of the times of the Gofpell, that thewes the evill of thofe vaine and wanton (pirits among us, that in magnifying of free grace grow foolish and wanton, and never fenfible of the remaining evills that are in their hearts, they think they are cleanfed by the blood of Christ, and by the Spirit of Chrift: but the text promifes, that when the Lord halt cleanfe his people, that then they shall loath themfelves for all their abominations, and for all their evils.

Though there be evill remaining, yet ftill one that hath true purity doth watch over himfelfe to prevent the occafions of evill as much as may be.

And foutthly, Such a one loves the ftricteft rule, I find much impurity in my heart, but God knowes the ftricteft rule I aim at, and thofe that grow up moft in godlineffe my heart is moft with them.

Fifthly and laftly, my foul longs for perfection, I hope there. is a time coming when all my defilement shall be done away, for the prefent my foul, is wafht, perfected in respect of its juftification, and I look for a time that it shall be perfect in refpect of Sanctification,Othat that time were come; certainly here's a pure heart, and therefore do not fay, where is the pure heart?and who can make his heart pure?and are there any that are pure?

The next thing is to fet out unto you the excellency that. there is in a cleane heart,

First, A pure heart, That thewes the excellency of it, that it is the fruit of the blood of Chrift, and the work of the Holy Ghoft; Thofe two Scriptures you had,1 Revel.& in 36 Ezek, cleer this; tis watht with the blood of Chrift, and by the holy

Ghoft

Ghoft it's cleansed, furely that that is the fruit of the blood of Chrift that's purity, when the blood of Chrift and the holy Choft as water comes to be powred out upon the foule, durely thefe mult work moft glorious cleanels and purity.

Secondly, This purity of heart, is the cause of foundnesse of Spirit: It's that will help againft diftempers, to that though there be outward occafions to diftemper the heart, yet where the heart is clean within, it will not be distempered as others are, as 'tis with the body, the body of a man that is foule, let a fuch a one take but a little cold,prefently there will grow ficknels, if there be any externall thing that puts bim out of any orderly course, then he will fee the foulnefle of his body, and he faith, it was the cold I took at fuch a time, the cold thou tookeft, it was the foulness of thy body, and this cold thou haft is bet that hath occafioned the stirring of the humors of thy bo dy fome way or other: A foul body is very fubject to dieafes upon any occafion, but one that hath a clean body,that is cleanfed from fuch humors that are inothers, let fuch a one indure cold or heat, whatsoever outward thing befals him, yet his body is kept whole and found, why it is from the cleannet's that is in his body, fo it is in the heart, the hearts of men that are impure, when any temptation comes to evil, ic doth mightily diftemper them,what a deal of filth appears intheir hearts upon the occafion of any temptation, and they lay it upon the temptation, though they had rempted thee never to much, yet if there had not been much foulnetfe in thy heart, the temp tation would never have prevailed,faithChrift, The Devil comes &he finds nothing in me.In that one thing of puffion and anger! Many of you feem to live very fair and plau bly in your courfe,' let fome come and anger you, that you are put into a paffiony what a deale of filthiness and bafenefs will appeare in you: You will fay, it was fuch one that angred me, and he provokt me, and why did he do thus and thus against me, fo you are ready to lay all upon the temptation, when the truth is, it was from the filbinele of your corruptions, for all the filthy" Rufe that appears in a paffion, it was there before, only there was an occafion to flir it, but there it lay before,and this temp

tation doch but now make appear what was before in the heart, but now one that's pure in heart, one thit hath thole corrup tions mortised, that is cleaned from pride, and fel-love, and the like, though fuch a one be wronged, yet he can keep himfelf in a meek and quiet temper, he can commit his caute to God, and go and make his mom to God, Blefjed are the pure in beant, they are of found and hailSpirits and are not eally diBempered as other men are, and hence follows, they have found hearts; 2 Tim: 7.5.

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Thirdly, Blefjed are the pure in heart, for they have much peace of concience, they are able to look upon the face of God with peace and joy,when God appears in his great works abroad in the world their confciences peak peace unto them, and they rejoyce that they have to deale with fuch a holy God as the Lord is, and all this comes from the cleannels that there is in their hearts, in the 11 Job 14, 15. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it fan away and let not wicked refs dwel in thy Tabernacles: What then? For then fhalt thou lift up thy face without Spot, ye thou shair be steadfast and fall not fear Mark,here it's froken concerning the having of clean hands, and putting iniquity far from us, furely when we have not only put iniqui ty from our hands, but from our hearts, when wickedness is not only far from our Tabernacles, but far from our hearts, then fhall we be able to lift up our faces without fpot, to be Headfaft,& not to fear whatfoever evil tydings comes,we thall be able to look upon the face of God, to lift up our countenances and not to fear; When a man hath guiltinefle in hisheart, and he hath an impure concience,fuch a man though he can lift up his face when he is among his impure company, yet when God comes to cal him before himself,& hath to deal with him fo that he shall fee plainly 'tis the juft, right, & holy God that now I have to deal withal,that I ftand before, an impure confcience,an impure heart will then caufe terror to be in men,& be ready to overwhelm the with horror, he prefence of God its very dreadful to an impure heart: Bleffed are the pure in heart,. for they fall fee God,the prefence of God fhall be joyfull unto them, not to others; In the 51 Pfal: 7, 8. David there having defil'd his heart, began to look upen the prefence of God as

terrible

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