The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

Faith it doth not purify the heart perfectly, but only in part: It doth not purge out all corruption, but only some; but yet this it doth, it establisheth in the soul a pure principle, whereby the soul is purged from the dominion of all sin, from the love of all sin, from the habitual delighting in any sin; and whereby the soul is made to be continually purging of it self from the remainders of corruption: Whence is that speech you have in 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing you have purified your souls by obeying the truth; faith it purifieth the heart by planting in it a principle which makes the heart purify it self; Thereupon is that you have in 1 John 3 3. Every man that hath this hope, purifieth himself as he is pure. Hope it is the daughter of faith; where there is faith, there is hope brought forth; where there is hope, this hope makes a man purify himself, even as God is pure. I pray observe it, Hope with faith works in the soul, it looks upon God, and it doth make a man strive to purify himself, that he may come to be pure as God is: What ever impurity is discerned in the soul, there is not that hope which is the daughter of faith; faith and hope is continually labouring and striving to work out that impurity: that is the meaning of it, he purifieth himself even as God is pure, that even as a Scholar that is willing to learn, he looks upon the Copy of his master, and upon his own writing, and where ever he findeth any default, he is continually striving to mend that, and still labouring every time more and more to be more conformable to his masters copy; even thus, where ever there is faith, it doth produce hope, which hope makes the soul continually aim to conform it self to the purity of God, whom it hopeth fully to enjoy.

Faith it doth not purifie the heart perfectly, but onely in part: It doth not purge out all corruption, but onely some; but yet this it doth, it establisheth in the soul a pure principle, whereby the soul is purged from the dominion of all sin, from the love of all sin, from the habituall delighting in any sin; and whereby the soul is made to be continually purging of it self from the remainders of corruption: Whence is that speech you have in 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing you have purified your souls by obeying the truth; faith it purifieth the heart by planting in it a principle which makes the heart purifie it self; Thereupon is that you have in