They who would make themselves most holy, appear most unholy before God. Thoughts of our own purity, render us impure. We are never so black before God, as when we are whitest in our own eyes. We find the Pharisee (Luk. 18.) washing himself in snow-water, and making his hands very clean, he tells us that he had fasted and prayed, and given alms, and paid tithes (this is to wash our selves in snow-water, and to make our hands very clean) but the Lord plunged this Pharisee in the ditch, he cast him for a ⟨p. 370⟩wicked man. The poor Publican plunged himself in the ditch, and judged himself fit to be thrown into the mire; But he went home to his house justified, rather then the other. The Lord tells his people (Jer. 2.22.) Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me. The speech is of the same importance in the letter with this of Job; yet there the holy Ghost rather intends an hypocritical washing,1 by excusing or denying our sins; or (as some gloss that text) by showing images or imaginations, fancies or forgeries of holiness. If thou shalt put thy self in these dresses of holiness, as if thou wert washed with nitre, and cleansed with much soap, yet thou canst not avoid mine eye, For thine iniquity is marked before me, I can see thy sin through all the daubings and paintings, through thy deckings and coverings put upon it. Now, as God sees iniquity through all the masks and coverings of hypocrites; so he can see spots through all the washings and cleansings of the most sincere. And if we wash our selves to justify our selves, our very washing is our defiling. God will not only see, but mark their iniquity, who think they can put all their iniquity out of his sight. And such shall be made so vile, that not only God, but their own clothes shall abhor them, as Job expresses himself in the next words.
They who would make themselves most holy, appear most unholy before God. Thoughts of our own purity, render us impure. We are never so black before God, as when we are whitest in our own eyes. We finde the Pharisee (Luk. 18.) washing himself in snow-water, and making his hands very clean, he tels us that he had fasted and praied, and given alms, and paid tithes (this is to wash our selves in snow-water, and to make our hands very clean) but the Lord plunged this Pharisee in the ditch, he cast him for a ⟨p. 370⟩wicked man. The poor Publican plunged himself in the ditch, and judged himself fit to be thrown into the mire; But he went home to his house justified, rather then the other. The Lord tels his people (Jer. 2.22.) Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine iniquity is marked before me. The speech is of the same importance in the letter with this of Job; yet there the holy Ghost rather intends an hypocriticall washing,1 by excusing or denying our sins; or (as some glosse that text) by shewing images or imaginations, fancies or forgeries of holinesse. If thou shalt put thy self in these dresses of holinesse, as if thou wert washed with nitre, and cleansed with much sope, yet thou canst not avoid mine eye, For thine iniquity is marked before me, I can see thy sinne thorow all the dawbings and paintings, thorow thy deckings and coverings put upon it. Now, as God sees iniquity thorow all the masks and coverings of hypocrites; so he can see spots thorow all the washings and cleansings of the most sincere. And if we wash our selves to justifie our selves, our very washing is our defiling. God will not only see, but mark their iniquity, who thinke they can put all their iniquity out of his sight. And such shall be made so vile, that not only God, but their own clothes shall abhorre them, as Job expresses himself in the next words.
- 1Est se excusare, culpam a••e•are, simulamenta p•etatis often tare.Est se excusare, culpam a••e•are, simulamenta p•etatis osten tare.
