A Sermon on John 7· 19_,.__ for thinking thy fdf pure and clea'n; or if upon a narrower Search thou finddl: fame Mifcarriages b1 thy felf, remember thou att yet but at the Threfhold of thy Heatt; enter fJrrher ioro rhy felf, and thou Chalt difcover yet greater Abominations. However, could it be fuppofed that thou arr guihy but of one Sin, and that one the leaD: thar ever was commirted~ yet this one Sin makes thee a Tranfgrelfor of the Law, and the Guilt of it can never he expiated by any Thing which thou canft either do or fuffer. but Eternal Death and Wrath mull be thy Portion, unlefs the Blood of Jefus Cbrift purge thet: from it. ' Thirdly, See then what abfolute need we all !land in of Jefus Chrill. Not only tbofe amongll us whofe Lives have been openly grofs and fcandalous, but even thofe alfo who are the mofi circumfpeEt and careful in their Walkings. Though they do nor wallow and roul themfdves in the common Pollurions of rhe World : yet it is not pollibk but that in fo dirty a R<>ad they mufi he bcfparkled; and their Garments fpott ed with the Flefh. Abfolute PerfeEtion is a Stare rather to be wifh"d for than enjoy'd in this Life; the utmoR we can here attain umo is not to commit prefilmptuous Sins, nor to allow our felves in any, when through Infirmity we do commit them. But none ofour Sins, whether of Prefumptioo or Qf Weaknefs, whether of Ignorance) or againft Knowle~ge, whether the Si ns of our Thoughts1 or of our.AEHons, can be pardoned without the Blood of God, and the Sufferings of our Almighty Saviour. It is rhe fame Precious Blood that fatisfied .God's Jullice for the Adultery and Murther ofDavid, the Incdt of Lot, the Perjury of Peter. that mutl: fatisfie it likewife tor rhy vain and loolifh Thoughts. and rafh and idle Words, if ever thou att faved. For witbont Blood there if' no Remij}ion, Heb. 9· 22. and witho11t Remrf/ton t hert can be no Salvation, Aas 22. rS. And indeed this is one of the great and main Ends of giving the Law, rhe Necdlity and A.ll.fufficiency of Chrifl to fave us may be rend red the more confpicuous. Thus faith rhe Apoftle, Rom. 10. 4· Gmft is the End of the Law for Righteoujnefs to every one that believe/b. · The Law was given us, not that we fhould feek Jui!ificarion by obfervance of it; bur finding it impoffible to be juflified by fulfilling of it, we fhould thereby be driven upto Chrifl's Righteoufnefs, who bath both fulfilled it in hlmf<lf, and farisfied for our tranfgrelling it: And therefore faith the fame Apofile, Gal.;. ':24. The Law Was our Scboo/mafier to bring us to Cbrijt, that we might be juftijied by fizith. To this End was it promulgated that feeing the Multiplicity and SrriEtnefs ofirs Commands, the Rigour and u.ttet In: fupporrablenefs of its Threatnings, and being withal fen!ibly convinced of our ow~ Weaknefs and Impotency to fulfil the Commands enjoined, and thereupon of our liablenefs to undergo the Penalty threatned, we might thereby he ftighted and tetri- . ~ed,_ and as Jt were by a School-mafter whipr, unto Chrill, to find that l<.ighteoufnefs m h1m that they may anfwer all the Demands of the Law, which in obr fdves we could not find. And whilll we make this Ufe of the Law we br~g it robe fubfervi· ent to the Gofpel. ' · Gg~
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