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

As it is with a Garden, let a Garden be dressed, and made very exact, so that there is not any thing amiss, not a Weed to be seen in it: I, but the Garden must be kept thus, or else in a little time it will be over-run with Weeds again. It is so in our hearts: Suppose we have weeded out this, and that, and the other evil, if we do not keep a continual care of our hearts, the Weeds will grow again; and therefore our hearts must be continually ⟨p. 79⟩weeding; and our hearts must be continually washed. We must go daily to the Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness: We must wash our hearts by the renewed Acts of Repentance, confessing our sins, bewailing our sins, mortifying our sins. This is a great work for us. If you have pure hearts, look to it that you keep them pure; you may quickly be defiled: David, a man that had a pure heart; yet got so much defilement upon his heart, that he could not tell what to make of it, but begs of God to create him a new heart, and all because he did not watch his heart, but gave way to Temptation, and so was overtaken: then you will find if you do not daily sweep your houses, they will defile; and the cob-webs they will grow; the Spiders will be at work; and though your hearts be never so pure, Spiders will creep into them, this Lust, ⟨p. 80⟩and that Corruption, and they will be weaving their Webs there. O what sad Webs we have in the hearts of men, and all because they look not after them! You must sweep down the Cob-webs, and throw out the dirt every day, if you would keep your hearts clean.

As it is with a Garden, let a Garden be drest, and made very exact, so that there is not any thing amiss, not a Weed to be seen in it: I, but the Garden must be kept thus, or else in a little time it will be over-run with Weeds again. It is so in our hearts: Suppose we have weeded out this, and that, and the other evil, if we do not keep a continual care of our hearts, the Weeds will grow again; and therefore our hearts must be continually ⟨p. 79⟩weeding; and our hearts must be continually washt. We must go daily to the Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness: We must wash our hearts by the renewed Acts of Repentance, confessing our sins, bewailing our sins, mortifying our sins. This is a great work for us. If you have pure hearts, look to it that you keep them pure; you may quickly be defiled: David, a man that had a pure heart; yet got so much defilement upon his heart, that he could not tell what to make of it, but begs of God to create him a new heart, and all because he did not watch his heart, but gave way to Temptation, and so was overtaken: then you will find if you do not daily sweep your houses, they will defile; and the cob-webs they will grow; the Spiders will be at work; and though your hearts be never so pure, Spiders will creep into them, this Lust,