3 6o Of the Blej7ednefs of the Pure in Heart. SE R M. the teftimony of confcience concerning our XHL fincerity will yield us folid inward peace, and an uníhaken confidence towards him. But Rill we ought to remember that pu- rity of heart muff be accompanied with cleannefs of hands, which is indeed the only certain evidence of it. Thefe two are of- ten expreilly joyned in the fcripture declara- tions, and are never feparated in the inten- tion of any of them. When the Pfalmift putteth the queftion, Pfal. xxiv. 3. Who _hall afcend into the hill of the Lord, and who _hall fland in his holy place ? That is, who (hall be an approved worfhipper, and enjoy the fa- vour of God, the fame in fenfe with feeing him; the anfwer is in the 4th ver. He that bath clean hands, and a pure heart. Thefe two muff necelfarily go together, as they are in the nature of the thing infeparable. Vain are all the pretences to inward purity, when the courfe of a man's outward ac- tions is wicked. It is very true that what is within the cup or platter muff firft be cleanf- ed, that the outfide may be clean ; that is, finners in order to reform their lives mutt firft change their minds, which is the lite- ral fignification of the word we common- ly tranflate repenting in the new teftament, and it is from thinking on their ways that they
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