Gospel-love, heart-purity, and the flourishing of the righteous being the last sermon of the…

Secondly, Look to the purity of your hearts, for they have certainly need of purifying. They whose hearts are still in their first natural state, they have need indeed, and they who are in a spiritual state, have need of daily purifying, look ⟨p. 73⟩(I say) therefore to the purifying of your hearts, for they have need to be purified, they are the filthiest part of us: If there be impurity in the hand, there's much more in the heart; and then,

'Tis indeed a vain thing▪ to go about to purify the hand, or Tongue, or life, if the heart be Impure. 'Twere a vain thing for any one to go and cleanse a stream, while he know's that there is a Fountain above that sends forth filthy, and unclean, and poisonous water. 'Tis just so in this case; till the heart be made pure, nothing can be pure.

'Tis indeed a vain thing▪ to go about to purify the hand, or Tongue, or life, if the heart be Impure. 'Twere a vain thing for any one to go and cleanse a stream, while he know's that there is a Fountain above that sends forth filthy, and unclean, and poysonous water. 'Tis just so in this case; till the heart be made pure, nothing can be pure.

And the great esteem which God hath of us, is with respect to this purity of heart. He is a friend indeed to those who have a pure heart, he hath a great respect for them. There is an expression, in Prov. 22. 11. He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips ⟨p. 74⟩