BY THE SPIRIT AND BLOOD Or CHRIST. (G.) Where the means of purification are duly used, no defilement ensues on any sin that believers fill into, which doth or can totally obstruct communion with God in Christ, according tothe tenor of the covenant. There were many things under the Old Testament, that did ty- pically and legally defile men that were Liable unto them. But for all of them there were provided typical and legal purifications, which sanctified them as to the purifying of the flesh. Nose, no man was absolutely cut off or separated from the people of God for his being 'so de- filed, but he, that, beingdefiled, did not take care that he might be purified according to the law, he was to be cut offfrom among the people. It is in like manner in things spiritual and evangelical, There aremany sins whereby believers are defiled. But there is a way of cleansingstill open unto them. And it is not merely the incidence of a defilement, but the neglect of purifi- cation that is inconsistent with their state and inter- est in Christ. The rule of communion with God, and consequently of union with Christ in its exercise, is ex- pressed by David, Psal. xix. 12, 13. " Who can en- " derstaod his errors, cleanse thou nie from secret sins; is keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins: " let them not have dominion over me, then shall I be ,a upright, and I shall be innocent from thegreat trans- . as gression." The design of the Psalmist is to he pre. served in such a state and condition, as wherein hemay be upright before God. To be upright before God, is that which God requireth of us in the covenant, that we may be accepted with him, and enjoy the promises thereof Gen. xvii. 1. He that is so, will be freed from that great transgression, or that abundance of sin which is inconsistent with the covenant, love, and favour of God. And hereunto three things are required: 1. A constant humble acknowledgment of sin; Who can un- derstand his errors? 2. Daily cleansing from those de- filements winch the least and most secret sins are ac- companied withal. Cleanse thou enefives secret sins; and, 3. A preservation from presumptuous sins, or wilful sins committed with an high hand. Where these things are, there a man is upright, and hath the cove- nant-ground of his communion with God. And whilst believers are preserved within these bounds, though they are defiled by sin, yet is there not any thing therein inconsistent with their union with Christ. (7.) Our blessed Head is not only pure and holy, 3Z 27L5 but he is also gracious and merciful, and will not pre- sently cut off a member of his body, because it is sick, or bath a sore opon it. He lias himself passed through his course of temptations, and is now above the reach of them all. Doth he therefore reject and despise those that are tempted, that labour and suffer under their temptations? It is quite otherwise, so that on the ac count of his own present state, his compassions do ex- ceedingly abound towards all his that are tempted. It is no otherwise with him asto their sins and defilements. These he himself was absolutely freed from in all his temptations and sufferings, but we are not. And he is so far from casting us away on that account, while we endeavour after purificatiôn,' is that.. it dràwetff but his compassions towards us. In brief, he doth not unite «s to himself, because we are perfect, but that in his own way and time, he may make us so, not because we are clean, but that he may cleanse us; for it is the blood ofJesus Christ, with whom we have fellowship, that cleaisselh usfrom all our sins. Sect. 17.Lastly, To wind up this discourse, there is hence sufficiently evidenced a comprehensive differ- ence between a spiritual life unto God by evangelical holiness, and a life of moral virtue, though pretended, unto God also. Unto the first, the original and con tinnal purification of our nature and persons by the Spirit of God and blood of Christ is indispensibly re- quired. Where this work is not, there neither is nor can be any thing of that holiness which the gospel pre- scribes, and which we inquire after. Unless the puri- fication and cleansing of sin belongs necessarily unto the holiness of the new covenant, all that God hàth taught us concerning it in the Old Testament anti the New, by his institution of legal purifying ordinances, by his promises to wash, purify, and cleanse us, by his precepts to get ourselves cleansed by the means of our purification, namely, his Spirit and the blood of Christ, by his instructions and directions of us to make nie of those means of our cleansing, by his declarations that believers are so washed and cleansed from all their de; filements of their sins, are things fanatical, enthusiastic notions, and unintelligible dreams. Until men can rise up to a confidence enabling them to own such her- rible blasphemies, I desire to know, whether these things are required unto their morality? If they shall say they are so, they give us a new notion of morality 28 A
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