* The

cleanness, amongst the works of the flesh. works of the flesh, says he, are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, feditions, heresies, envyings, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and fuch like. True christian purity, therefore, is concern'd to purge out all these footy and ill-natur'd qualities which defile the mind, and like a fecret poison, swell it to an unnatural bulk, and tend to as certain (tho' a flower) ruin. For the proud in heart are an abomination to the Lord; God sets himself || to refift the proud; and when the Almighty contends, he will certainly overcome at last.

HAVING given you thus a full description of the persons blessed, the pure in heart, by the feveral particulars which such a purity reftrains, and stands in oppofition to; I must conclude the first general head with this caution, that we are to take the character in its full extent and comprehenfion, and not in any one article separate from the rest. The pure in heart, therefore, is the fincere and honeft man, who has devoted his best affections and his worship to the one true God, serves him in the way of modefty and obedience, pays him adoration both with his mind and body; is really good and virtuous, as well as feems to be fo, and has respect to all the commandments of God; is faithful in all his depofitions; true to his trust and to his promises; fincere in his friendships, and in all his conversation; and honeft in his dealings; indulges himself in no impurity of action, word, or thought; in no intemperance or excess; in no covetous defires, no greediness of gain, no vile affection to his money; no pride, ambition, or oftentation. He must be all this, to constitute him one of those

* Gal. v. 19, 20, 21.

† Prov. xvi. 5. || James iv. 6.

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pure in heart, to whom the blessing (next to be confidered) appertains, for * without holiness no man shall see the Lord. And now,

II. SECONDLY, We are to enquire into the nature of that blessing, they shall fee God; and this shall be done in as few words as possible.

(1.) IT may be observed in Scripture language, that words fignifying any corporeal fenfe, as tafting, seeing, feeling, and the like, when God is représented as the object of such senses, are frequently put for knowing, enjoying, or being affected with some attribute of his. As in the Pfalmist, to taste and see that the Lord is good; which fignifies no more than, Oh perceive and be affected with the goodness of God. So St. Peter also uses the phrase; if so be, ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, have understood and found by experience that he is so. And St. Paul in his defence at Athens, That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, i. e. understand and know him. This being apply'd to the present expression of feeing God, it may properly fignify thus much, That the pure in heart shall have rich communications of the grace and bleffing of God in this life; shall enjoy a great meafure of his favour and love, and comfortable sense of it; shall be blessed with a clearer perception, and an higher relish than ordinary, of the divine excellencies, and know as much of the divine nature as can be communicated, known, and understood by us in the present state of things: And all this as a pledge or feal, a foretaste of what we shall know and enjoy more perfectly in the world to come; which is the state referred to in my fecond observation.

(2.) THAT though God is a Spirit, invisible to human eyes, as they are now qualify'd, there is a beatifick vision of him to be enjoy'd in heaven; where our bodies being at the refurrection spiritualiz'd, (as St. Paul has taught us, * it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body) fublimed into the dispositions and qualities of a spirit, and so the faculties of it more pure, and more intelligent, and capable of perceiving more refined objects, we + shall fee God as he is, and be for ever happy in the blessed sight of him. The eye shall then fee after the manner of a spirit, being part of a spiritual body; and if the angels, which are spirits, have an immediate and perceptive vision of God, why may not the human nature, when it becomes so spiritualized? How indeed to describe that vision, as yet we know not; for St. John, in the place above-cited, tells us, \\ It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know only in gene ral, that we shall fee him as he is. It will be something proportionable to our then more refined and excellent state; there will be that emanation or communication of the divine presence in the state of glory, which shall be a real and lasting satisfaction to the faculties of a glorified body. And it is observable that St. John applies it to the very cafe we are now upon; for having spoke of this beatifick vision of God, his next words are, ... And every man that hath this hope in him, [viz. of feeing God in glory, doth purify himself even as he is pure. The pure in heart, therefore, shall fee God, in the manner above defcrib'd; and this I take to be the most proper meaning of the words in this Beatitude. Those pure and holy perfons, whose temper and course of life in this world has so well

qualify'd them for a better, shall be received into that most pure and excellent state of glory, into which *there shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth, nor any one that worketh abomination, or maketh a lie. They shall there be admitted to that more glorious fight of God, than it was poffible they could be while the vail of dull mortality was upon them; †for now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Think, Chriftian, upon the happiness of this; think how you are pleas'd with the fight and conversation of an intimate friend, especially after a long and tedious absence, when at beft you could only converse with him by letters; and think how joyfully you behold the face of a reconciled enemy; and then confider what it will be for you to be admitted into the presence and the bright reflexions of that countenance which alone can speak peace and solid comfort to you. Think of the honour and privilege of it too, in being called up to ferve the King of glory, the fupreme and universal Sovereign of heaven and earth, in his own court, and near his person, where you may for ever contemplate, at the nearest view, his infinite majefty, power, wisdom and goodness. Think of the peculiar agreeableness of this reward to that purity which it is designed to recompenfe. Thou shalt be received into heaven, that most pure and perfect state, and fee and converse with God, the most pure and perfect object, that original efsential purity, which thou haft here endeavoured (though with great imperfection) to imitate, and shalt then rejoice in to all eternity. And having raised thy affections by such thoughts, adore and bless the mercy of thy Saviour, who has entail'd this bleffing upon the pure in heart, that they shall fee God.

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CHAP. VII.

OF PEACE.

MATTH. V. 9.

Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God.

T

HIS in order is the seventh of the Beatitudes, which we will consider in the fame method we have the former.

I. THE character of the persons here

described, the peace-makers.

II. THE reward affigned unto them, they shall be called the children of God.

I. In our confideration of the persons here blefsed, the peace-makers, it will be neceffary to premise something in general, with respect to the latitude or fignification of the word, before we rec kon up the particulars wherein this excellent and diffusive character exerts it self. Ἐιρινοποιός, is the word made use of in the text; and it may fignify either (1.) a reconciler and composer of differences as a third person, a promoter of peace and good agreement amongst others: And this is the sense to