2. Sometimes you are to understand by Gods juftice and righteousness, his uprightness and integrity in all his actions. And then it is perfectly the fame with his holiness. And fo, righteous art thou, O Lord, and holy in all thy ways. Pfal. cxlv. 17. This is that which the church acknowledgeth to God, Rev.xix. 2. True and righteous are his judgments, for he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his fervants at her hand.

3. Sometimes by God's juftice and righteousness, you are to understand his gracioufnefs in pardoning and forgiving our failings; as Dan. ix. 7. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee. How is this explicated? look, verfe 9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him. And these are the sense of scripture, when it doth afcribe righteousness to God; and all the fcriptures that attribute justice to God, are to be understood in one of these three ways.

Now for God's punishing of fin, that is called in fcripture his severity. Rom. xi. 22. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, feverity; but toward thee, goodness, &c. His goodness in forbearance and pardon : his feverity in challenging and controuling. I can no where find in scripture, that juftice in God doth import a neceffity that lies upon God in refpect of any perfection inherent in him, to punish. It is true, God is juft if he do punish sin, Rom. iii. 5. but God is not unjust if he do not punish the fin that is repented of: for though God hath the right of punishment in the cafe of fin,

tho'

tho' he hath this as a reserve and for his further fecurity of his creatures loyalty and obedience; yet he useth his right where he wills himself; he punisheth if he pleaseth, and he hath patience where he wills, and he doth suspend and forbear and forgive upon the finner's repentance; but I can no where find in fcripture what may give any fecurity to contumacy in fin, and impenitence; for fuch a finner lies always open to God's severity; and in this cafe it is very just for God to be fevere, and to punish and controul the finner, and make him a publick example, that others may be afraid and not do the like, feeing the confequences that follow upon it. And this diftinction is of great use. It is just to punish, but no neceffity lies upon God to punish, if there be repentance. The use of this notion is this; this knowledge highly tends to animate and encourage thofe that fall, to rife by repentance; and this doth keep in awe prefumption, contumacy, and profaneness; and thofe that take leave to tranfgrefs the rule of right, do right and wrong indifferently; thefe perfons, they are always in danger, always lie open to God's severity; yea the goodness of God is engaged to. controul, them. God of his goodness doth punish contumacy: God of his juftice and righteousness doth compaffionate those that are penitent. Thus have I given you an account of this third perfection the apoftle here infifts upon; whatsoever things are just and equal.

DISCOURSE LXXIV.

Whatsoever things are holy.

PHIL. iv. 8.

Whatsoever things are pure, holy, fincere, uncorrupt, unmixt, immaculate, clean, facred; these are all equivalent words.

Whatfoever things are pure.

IN Speaking to these words, I shall do these two

things.

1. Shew you the fcripture-ufe of this phrafe.

2. What this charge is, that is here laid upon us. I. What things are comprehended under the notion of purity or holiness in fcripture-ufe; and there are fix several things comprehended under the notion of purity or holinefs. ft. Sometimes by purity and holiness is only intended the bare, fimple, down-right lawfulness of things, and it doth declare in the thing itself an indifferency, it may be done, or it may be left undone, according as the perfon is qualified and hath power. Thus St. Paul, Rom. xiv. 14. I know and am perfuaded by the Lord Jefus Chrift, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Unto the pure, all things are pure, Tit. i. 15. 2dly, Sometimes by purity and holiness, is meant innocency, uprightness

and

and integrity of mens ways, the uprightness of mens perfons and of their actions, their juft, fair and equal dealing. And thus Job's friend faith to him, Job viii. 6. If thou wert pure and upright, furely now he would awake for thee, &c. And you have this sense often in the Proverbs, Prov. xx. 9. Who can fay I have made my heart clean, and I am pure from my fin? Pro. xxi. 8. as for the pure, his work is right, Mic. vi. 11. Jam. i. 27. 3dly, Sometimes by it, we are to understand fincerity, true intention, honest meaning and fimplicity of heart, in oppofition to hypocrify, fraud, cozenage and diffimulation, Mat. xxiii. 27, 28. our Saviour tells the Scribes and Pharifees there, they were full of uncleanness, because they were full of hypocrify and iniquity, Mat. xv. 8. 4thly, It denotes feparation from iniquity, from moral filthinefs; and this fome think to be the proper notion of holiness, Heb. vii. 26. Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from finners. 2 Cor. vi. 17. Wherefore come out from amongst them, and be feparate, faith the Lord, keep thyself pure, 1 Tim. V. 22. 5thly, It denotes a distinct use; when a thing apart from common and ordinary use, then it is faid to be holy. So in the time of the Mofaical difpenfation, there were perfons holy, places holy, facrifices holy, offerings holy, things holy; that is, they were separate from common use, and had a peculiarity God-ward. Ifrael was holy unto the Lord, Jer. ii. 3. 6thly, And lastly, this is peculiarly and remarkably attributed and ascribed to that particular virtue of chastity; and this is remarkably called purity, and the contrary impurity. 1 Thef. iv. 7. For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but unto boliness.

is fet

1 Cor. vii. 34. That peculiarly hath the denomination of holiness.

II. I am in the fecond place to fhew you what charge lies upon us, upon account of this perfection of purity or holiness. 1. We are charged to confine ourselves within the compass of things lawful in the use of our liberty, and not to exceed those bounds, and we are never to use power or priviledge beyond reafon or against right; if we do, we are downright impure and unholy. 2dly, We are charged to be innocent, holy, harmless, upright in all our ways, righteous in all our dealings; to give no offence, to do no wrong. 3dly, We are required to be fincere, fingle-hearted; always to mean as we exprefs, and to mean God, goodnefs, righteousness and truth. 4thly, We are charged to put away from ourselves all iniquity and filthinefs. 5thly, We are charged to have a just reverence for ourselves, as taken into a peculiarity Godward. Reverere te ipfum, was a great rule of old. You are God's peculiar, the special care of his providence; to you he hath made his promif.

es.

You ftand in a peculiar relation to God; therefore reverence yourselves. 6thly, And lastly, We are charged to maintain chastity of body and mind. These are the inftances of real holiness; and, by thus doing, we shall make our members inftruments of righteousness and holiness; fin fhall not have dominion over us; and we ourselves fhall become Servants of righteoufnefs, and have our fruit unto holiness.

And then for the negative; we are plainly called off from these things. 1. From extending or enlarging our power or priviledge to things that are un

lawful