The Pure in Heart shall see God.

SERMON XXV.

MATT. V. 8.

Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.

THE wickedness of men's lives proceeds from the depravity of their hearts; and, therefore, before the life can be pure, the heart must be cleansed. The heart, in an unconverted state," is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;" but in a converted state, it is renewed in righteousness and holiness after the image of God; Real blessedness necessarily follows this great change. God, who before was hidden and unknown, is now both seen, admired, and enjoyed. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Let us, first, make a few remarks upon purity of heart: and, secondly, consider the blessedness which results from it.

I. REMARKS UPON PURITY OF HEART, 1. Things are commonly said to be pure when they are simple, unmixed, and uncompounded with any other substance;

and purity of heart, in this respect, implies sincerity and simplicity, as opposed to the base mixtures of hypocrisy and deceit. That man (says David) shall ascend the holy hill, who has clean hands and a pure heart; and that by a pure heart, he means simplicity and sincerity, appears from what immediately follows: "Who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." That Nathaniel was a man of this character, appears from the testimony of our Lord: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile."

2. But purity of heart, understood in its full meaning, implies that entire sanc tification, whereby the heart is cleansed from all evil, and filled with all good: or a heart from which "old things are passed away, and all things are become new." The understanding is enlightened, the will is subdued, and the affections are placed upon proper objects: sinful thoughts are banished; pride is rooted out, and the soul is clothed with humility: furious passions are destroyed, and are succeeded by meekness and gentleness: undue love of the world is rooted up, and the supreme love of God is planted in the mind: mur muring and complaining are at an end, and contentment is sweetly experienced in every state; and, in short, the carnal mind is exchanged for the mind which was in

Christ Jesus. It necessarily follows that God is all in all to the pure in heart. They worship him in spirit and in truth and constantly obey him with a willing mind. The tyranny of sin is at an end, and the government of God, which in every point of view is desirable, is begun in the soul. The constant language of one who is pure in heart is, "Not my will, but thine be done." Such a one may be tempted to evil; but temptation is not sin. He may feel many weaknesses, frailties, and infirmities; but these are not sins. He feels nothing within contrary to the divine nature, for every principle in his heart leads him to God and heaven, so that "whether he eat or drink, or whatsoever he doth, it is all to the glory of God."

3. Doubts have been entertained, even by the pious, whether such a state of purity can be attained on this side the grave. They forget, however, that if it be not attained before death it cannot be attained afterwards; for there is no purga tory after death to purify the polluted soul from' its sins. To say it is wrought in death, is to say nothing at all; unless the phrase, in death, signifies some intermediate state between a mortal life, and immortality: a thought which is so absurd as not to deserve a refutation. The plain

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fact is, that death ends this mortal life; and the moment we die, we enter upon an unchangeable state in the eternal world. This great work, then, must either precede death, or we never can be admitted into the undefiled kingdom of God. If it cede death an hour, why not a year-why not twenty years-why not now? Certainly God is both able and willing to cleanse us now; and if we are not cleansed, we may blame ourselves. Christ shed his precious blood to cleanse us from all sin; God expressly commands us to be holy; He has promised to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; inspired men have prayed for clean hearts; and our text pronouncesthe pure in heart blessed.

4. That we may attain purity of heart, let us feel the need of it; and use those means by which it may be attained. The principal means to be used are prayer and faith. Prayer opens heaven. God condescendingly says to the needy sons of men, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." How can we expect this great blessing, if we never ask for it! Will God force it upon us? It discovers great goodness in him to shew us the need of purity: surely we shall not think it too much trouble to pray for the blessing. But let us pray earnestly, and persevere in

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prayer till we receive a gracious answer. Faith in Jesus is a necessary means of sanctification. Faith purifies the heart; and we are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus. We trust in Jesus for pardon: let us trust in him for holiness. When we can do so, the Holy Spirit is given in his cleansing influences, and the work is accomplished.

II. THE BLESSEDNESS WHICH RESULTS FROM PURITY OF HEART.

The blessedness of purity far exceeds all that can be said upon the subject: it is better felt than it can be expressed. Of the pure in heart our text says, "they shall see God." This may imply two things, namely, that they shall have pleasing discoveries of God, and that they shall enjoy him as their God.

1. The discoveries of God, with which the pure in heart are favoured, refer both to this world and the next. In this world they see him in all his wonderful works of creation, in all his varied providences, and in the pleasing dispensations of his grace. Before, they had neither eyes to see, nor hearts to understand; but now his wisdom, power, and goodness, meet their eyes in every direction; and while they see, they love, adore, and praise. In the

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