and shall see God. By the pure in heart, here in the text, we may safely understand the sincere and single-hearted Christian, in opposition to the double-minded Christian, as you may easily perceive by comparing the scriptures in the margin together.' Mark, purity is twofold : First, simple and absolute ; and in this sense no man is piu'e in this life, no not one. Secondly, respective and in part, and that is the purity here meant. A pure heart is a plain, simple heart, without fraud or guile, like Nathanael, in whom there was no guile ; it is a heart that is evan- gelically blameless and sincere. But, secondly, purity is opposed to mixture ; purity consists in the immixedness of anything inferior. That metal we account pure metal, which hath not any baser than itself mixed with it. If you mix gold with silver, the silver is not made impure by tlie mixture of gold ; but if you mix lead or tin with it, it is made impure. Remember once for all, viz., that a pure heart is such a one as hath ca.st off and cast out the love and allowance of every known sin, and mingles not with it, though never so small ; such a heart as hath rcDounced every known way of sin. Though there is corruption remaining in it, &c., yet it can solemnly and seriously appeal to God, that there is no known way of sin, but it hates, and abhors, and strives against, and will u23on no terms allow of This heart, in the language of the gospel, is a pure heart ; yea, it is such a heart as dares venture upon the trial of God himself. Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24, ' Search me, O God, and know my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts ; and see if there be any wicked way in me,' or any way of pain, or of grief, or of provocation, as the Hebrew hath it, or any course of sin that is grievous to God or man. A gracious heart, a pure heart, can neither allow of any way of wickedness, nor wallow in any way of wickedness, nor make a trade of any way of wickedness, nor give up itself to any way of wickedness. Though sin may cleave to a pure heart, as dross doth to silver, yet a pure heart will not mix nor mingle with sin. 'And lead me in the way everlasting,' or in the way of eternity, or in the way of antiquity, as the Hebrew hath it ; that is, that good old way that leads to peace and rest, to heaven and happiness, Jer. vi. 16. Evangelical purity of heart lies in this, that it will not admit any known sin to mingle with the frame and purpose of the heart. A pure heart, like a pure fountain, will still be a-working and a-casting out the mud and filth that is in it. Though sin may cleave to a regenerate man, as dross doth to the silver, yet it mingles not with the regenerate part, nor the rege- nerate part mingles not with it, no more than oil mingles with the water, or water mingles with the oil. Now you know, though the water and the oil touch one another, yet they do not mingle one with another; so though grace and sin, in a regenerate man, may as it were touch one another, yet they do not mingle one with another. Dear hearts ! look, as we truly say, that gold is pure gold tiiat is digged out of the mineral, though much dross may hang about it ; and as we truly say, that such and such an air is pure air, though at times there be many fogs and mists within it ; and as we truly say, that such and such springs are pure springs, though mud, and dirt, and filth may be lying at the bottom of those springs ; and as we truly say, that face is a fair face, though it
1 I Tiin.i.5; James i. 8; 1 Peter i 22; Prov. xx. 6; Eccles. ii 21; 1 Johni.8; Johniii. 2; Luko i. 5, 6
274 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. I.
hath some freckles in it ; so we may as truly say, that such and such a heart is a pure heart, though there may be much sinful dross and filth cleaving to it. The Jews report, that when Noah sent forth his sons to people the world, he delivered to every one of them some relics of old Adam. It may be fabulous for the history, but it is true in the morality ; the relics of his sinful corruptions cleaves close to us all. Beloved ! the best, the wisest, the holiest, and the most mortified Chri.stians on earth, do carry about with them a body of sin and death, Rom. vii. 22, 23 ; they have in them a fountain of original corruption, and from this foun- tain sin will still be arising, bubbling and a-boiling up as the scum in a pot over the fire. But mark, as in wine, or honey, or w-ater, though scum and filth may arise, yet the wine, the honey, the water, will be still a-purging and purifying itself, and a-working and casting it out; so though sin, though corruption, though spiritual filth may, and too often doth, arise in a gracious heart, yet there is a spring of grace, a spring of living water in him, there is a holy cleansing and purifying disposition in a regenerate person, that will still be a-working and casting it out. But now mark, in men of impure hearts and lives, the scum doth not only arise, but it seethes and boils in. Ezek. xxiv. 12, ' She wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her ;' notwithstanding all the threatenings of God, and all the judgments of God upon her, yet her scum and filthiness boiled in. Though God boiled Jerusalem in the pot of his judgments, yet her scum and filth stuck to ever}^ side of her. Wicked men's scum and filth doth not only arise, but it also seethes and boils in, and mingles together with their spirits ; but so doth not the scum and filth that rises in a gracious heart. A sheep may fall into the mire, but a swine delights to wallow in the mire.^ But,