2. Let it be an increasing growing purity, that every day we may be more holy and undefiled : 2 Cor. iii. 18, ' Changed into the image and likeness of Christ, from glory to glory.' God having appointed us to be like his Son, fits us by degrees ; and Christ by his Spirit is sanctifying and cleansing us more and more, that ' there may be no spot and blemish in us,' Eph. v. 27. And let us also be ' perfecting holiness in the fear of God,' 2 Cor. vii. 1. The more progress we have made, the more we are fitted to make a further progress, as having received more grace, and being more confirmed in a state of holiness. Sin is a deep stain that can hardly be gotten out. Ye have purified your souls to the obedience of the truth ; and you must purify still, and persevere in this work, improving all advantages : be not satisfied with any low degree of purity.
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Thirdly, About the means and helps: how shall we get tin's clean heart, and purify ourselves as Christ is pure ? (1.) Consider what God hath done ; (2.) What we must do.
1. What belongeth to God.
[1.] Certain it is that none can change his own heart : Job xiv. 4, ' Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? ' There is no sound part in us to mend the rest. Our pollution is so universal, that there is no principle of operation left untainted ; mind, will, affections, sensual appetite, all is corrupt, and the deepness of the pollution showeth it, as well as the universality. It is not a slight tincture, but a deep dye, like cloth dyed in the wool : Isa. i. 18, ' Though your sins were as scarlet, 'or like the spots of a leopard, Jer. xiii. 13 ; not spots accidental, but natural ; not of an external adherency but engrained, belonging to the constitution. Therefore it is God must begin to purify the heart, as the principal efficient cause. He challengeth it as proper to himself: Ezek. xxxvi. 25, * I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean.'
[2.] What God doth he doth by Christ ; he is the great remedy that God hath provided for healing and cleansing of mankind ; his blood is the fountain opened for uncleanness, Zech. xiii. 1, with 1 John i. 7. And it is said, ' He hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,' Rev. i. 5 ; and the saints are washed in the blood of the Lamb, Rev. vii. 14. More literally and plainly we have it, Titus ii. 14, where it is said, 'He hath redeemed us from all iniquity.' There was the price paid for the washing of our guilty and sinful souls, both for renewing and reconciling grace, that we may recover both the favour and image of God.
[3.] What Christ doth, he doth by the Spirit ; and without the Spirit we can never cleanse and purify ourselves: 1 Cor. vi. 11, 'And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God ; ' and Titus iii. 5, 6, 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.'
[4.] What the Spirit doth he doth by the ordinances. There are certain ordinances and duties appointed by Christ for the purifying of our hearts, especially the word and sacraments : Eph. v. 26, ' Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the word.' Well, then, if we would be made clean, we must go to God ; but God without Christ will not look towards us, but being propitiated by him, he is willing to give us grace. God sendeth us to Christ, in whom alone he is well pleased ; and Christ sendeth us to the Spirit, and his Spirit we hear of in the ordinances, which are solemnly appointed and blessed by Christ to this end : ' Ye are clean through the word spoken to yon,' John xv. 3.
2. What we must do. It was Naaman's error that he would be cleansed of his leprosy and sit still, and Elisha must do all ; but the prophet biddeth him go and wash ; he must wash himself if he would be whole. Yea, in the general law for cleansing of the leper, after the,
488 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SER. VI.
sprinkling of the priest, the man was to wash himself, Lev. xiv. 6-8, to show that there is some work required on our part.
But what must we do ? Certainly we are to make conscience of this work of purifying and cleansing and preparing ourselves for our great hopes ; for it is we that repent, believe, strive, watch against sin, though still by the power of his grace.
In short, we must earnestly deal with God about it : ' Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,' Mat. viii. 2. You must depend upon the all-sufficiency of Christ's merit and satisfaction, for the saints washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb.' You must obey the Spirit's sanctifying motions: Rom. viii. 13, ' If ye through the Spirit do mor- tify the deeds of the body, ye shall live ; 1 Peter i. 22, ' Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit,' &c. You must lie at the pool. All that conscientiously use his ordinances, have some help for this holy work. It is you must keep the purifying graces, faith, hope, and love, in lively act and exercise ; it is you must be careful to keep yourselves from the pollutions of the world, to prevent all sins of infirmity, and be sensible of them, and to mourn for them ; and it is you must crucify the flesh more and more, check the pleasures of sin, by balancing them with your great hopes, and lament that the satisfying of the desires of the flesh have so sweet a relish. It is you must remember your baptismal vow. In short, you must get a greater hatred of sin, and a more universal care and study to please God in all things.