Secondly, There are many that are clean, not only in their own eyes, but in the eyes of other men, yea possibly in very good men, Godly men, clean in their eyes, and yet for all this, they are not cleansed from their filthiness. Our Lord Jesus Christ detecting the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, saith, that they were like whited sepulchres, which appear fair to men, but within are full of dead mens bones, and rottenness. Thus it is with many, very many in the world, they appear very beautiful, like a brave sepulchre, painted, and gilded, have possibly a very pure hand, you can see no evil they do; they have possibly a very pure Tongue, you can hear of no evil they speak. Speak even as they in Deut. 5. 28, 29. of whom the Lord saith, they have well said in all that they have spoken, saith God to Moses, ⟨p. 62⟩they have well done indeed, in all that they have spoken? I but they did little of that which they had spoken. Many are very good in the sight of other Men, but not so in the sight of God, he doth easily discover their Impurities, and let me tell you, their are many that discover their own Impurity, and of whom we may conclude, that they have no pure heart, while we consider the gross Impurities of their lives. Indeed some carry it closely, and others profanely, and as the Lord speaks in Jer. 2. 34. Their sin is in their skirts, you need not dig for it, saith, God; I have not found it by secret searching, or by digging, their sin is in their skirts. It is so with many, their sin is in their skirts, and you need not dig to find it out, the impurities of their life do plainly show the impurity of their hearts. The Prophet Micah puts the question, Chap. 6. 11. Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the ⟨p. 63⟩bag of deceitful weights? shall I count them pure? do you think he hath a good heart, who hath such a life as this, willing to deceive, and willing to wrong his Brethren, or those that he deals with? so we may carry on the Prophets chiding question to many and many. Shall we count them pure whose eyes are full of Adultery? Shall we count them pure whose hands are full of blood? Shall we count them pure whose houses are full of oppression? Shall we think them pure whose mouths are full of cursing and oaths, of scurrility? Shall we count them pure whose mouths and Tongues are often tipped with scoffs against purity?
Secondly, There are many that are clean, not only in their own eyes, but in the eyes of other men, yea possibly in very good men, Godly men, clean in their eyes, and yet for all this, they are not cleansed from their filthness. Our Lord Jesus Christ detecting the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, saith, that they were like whited sepulchers, which appear fair to men, but within are full of dead mens bones, and rottenness. Thus it is with many, very many in the world, they appear very beautiful, like a brave sepulcher, painted, and gilded, have possibly a very pure hand, you can see no evil they do; they have possibly a very pure Tongue, you can hear of no evil they speak. Speak even as they in Deut. 5. 28, 29. of whom the Lord saith, they have well said in all that they have spoken, saith God to Moses, ⟨p. 62⟩they have well done indeed, in all that they have spoken? I but they did little of that which they had spoken. Many are very good in the sight of other Men, but not so in the sight of God, he doth easily discover their Impurities, and let me tell you, their are many that discover their own Impurity, and of whom we may conclude, that they have no pure heart, while we consider the gross Impurities of their lives. Indeed some carry it closely, and others profainly, and as the Lord speaks in Jer. 2. 34. Their sin is in their skirts, you need not dig for it, saith, God; I have not found it by secret searching, or by digging, their sin is in their skirts. It is so with many, their sin is in their skirts, and you need not dig to find it out, the impurities of their life do plainly shew the impurity of their hearts. The Prophet Micha puts the question, Chap. 6. 11. Shall I count them pure with the wicked ballances, and with the ⟨p. 63⟩bag of deceithful weights? shall I count them pure? do you think he hath a good heart, who hath such a life as this, willing to deceive, and willing to wrong his Brethren, or those that he deals with? so we may carry on the Prophets chiding question to many and many. Shall we count them pure whose eyes are full of Adultery? Shall we count them pure whose hands are full of blood? Shall we count them pure whose houses are full of oppression? Shall we think them pure whose mouths are full of cursing and oaths, of scurility? Shall we count them pure whose mouths and Tongues are often tipt with scofs against purity?
