266 THE FILTH OF SIN PURGED have shewed, andbelievers find a sense of it in their ex- some assent to what is spoken, without an examination perience, yet men in common take little notice of it. Somewhat they are affected with the guilt of sin, but little or not at all with its filth. So they canescape the righteousness of God, which they haveprovoked, they re- gard not their unanswerableness unto his holiness, where- by they are polluted. How few indeed do inquire into the pravity of their natures, that vileness which is come upon them by the loss of the image of God, or do take themselves to be much concerned therein? How few do consider aright that fomes and filthy spring which is continually bubbling up crooked, perverse, defiled imaginations in their hearts, and influencing the affec- tions unto the lewdness of depraved concupiscence? Whomeditates upon the holinessof God in a due man- ner, so as to ponder what we ourselves ought to be, how holy, howupright, how clean, if we intend to please him or enjoy him? With what appearances, what out- sides of things are most men satisfied? Yea, how do they please themselves in the shades of their own dark- ness and ignorance of these things, when yet an unac- quaintedness with this pollution of sin is unavoidably ruinous unto their souls? See the danger of it, Rev. iii. 16, 17, 18. Those who would be cleansed from it must first know it, and although wecannot do so aright withóut some convincing light of the Spirit of God, yet there are duties required of us in order therunto: As, (t.) To search the scripture, and to consider seriously what it declareth concerning the condition ofour nature after the loss of the image of God. Doth it notdeclare that it is shamefully naked, destitute of all beauty and comliness, wholly polluted and defiled? And what is said of that nature which is common unto all, is said of every one who is partaker of it. Every one is gone a- side, every one is become altogether filthy, or stinking, Psal. liii. 3. This is the glass wherein every man ought to contemplate himself, and not in foolish flattering re- flections from his own proud imaginations; and he that will not hence learn his natural deformity, shall live polluted, anddie accursed. (2.) He whobath received the testimony of the scripture concerning his corrupted and polluted estate, if he will be at the pains to try and examine himselfby the reasons and causes that are as- signed thereof; will have a farther view of it. When men read, hear, or are instructed in what the scripture teacheth concerning the defilement of sin, and giving of their own state in particular, or bringing their souls unto that standard and measure, they will have very little advantage thereby. Multitudes learn thatthey are pol- luted by nature, which they cannot gainsay, but yet really find no such thing in themselves. But when men will bring their own souls to the glass of the perfect law, and consider how it is with them in respect of that image of God wherein they were at first - created, what manner of persons they ought to be with re- spect unto the holiness of God, and what they are, how vain are their imaginations, how disorderly are their affections, how perverse all the actings of their minds, they will be ready to say with the leprous man, Unclean, unclean. But they are but few who will take pains to search their own wounds, it being a matter of smart and trouble to corrupt and carnal affections. Yet, (3.) Prayer for light and direction herein is required of all as a duty. For a man to know himself; was of old es- teemed thehighest attainment ofhuman wisdom. Some men will not so much as inquire into themselves, and some men dare not, and some neglect the doing of it from spiritual sloth and other deceitful imaginations. But he that would ever be purged from his sins, must thus far make bold with himself, and dare to be thus far wise. And, in theuse of the means beforeprescrib- ed, considering his own darkness, and the threacheries of his heart, he is to pray fervently, that God, by his Spirit, would guide and assist him in his search after the pravity and defilementof his nature. Without this, he will never make any great or useful discoveries. And yet the discerning hereof is the first evidence thata manbath received the least ray of supernatural light. The light of a natural conscience will convince men of, and reprove them for actual sins as to their guilt, Rom. ii. 14, 15. But the mere light of nature is dark and confused about its own confusion. Some of the old philosophers discerned, in general, that our nature was disordered, and complained thereof: but as the princi- pal reason of their complaints was, because it would not throughout serve the ends of their ambition; so of the causes and nature of it, with respect unto God and our eternal condition, they knew nothing of it at all. Nor is it discerned but by a supernatural light proceed- ing immediately from the Spirit of God. if any there- fore have an heart or wisdom to know their own pollu!
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