and holds faft the truth of the Gospel as it is in Chrift, is the man that holds the mystery of Faith in a pure confcience, 1 Tim. iii. 9. Thefe are the "people to whom the Lord turns a pure lan"guage," (Zech. iii. 9.) and fuch "bring to the "Lord a pure offering," Mal. i. 11.

Purity of heart ftands in foundness, integrity, conftancy, and fincerity; being purged by the Spirit, and in the furnace, from the dross and tin of felf-righteousness, self-sufficiency, deceit, guile, craftiness, hypocrify, and diffimulation. " I will

purify them as filver is purified, and try them as gold is tried; I will take away all their dross and tin, and make a Man more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir." Such a foul hates deceit, and loves fincerity; and " he that loveth pure

nefs of beart, and hath grace in his lips, the "King fhall be his friend," Prov. xxii. 11. And fo it seems; for thus faith the King,-Blessed are the pure in heart

"He that caused the

For they fall fee God. "light to fhine out of darkness, hath fhined into our

hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of "the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift." This is no less than feeing him who is invifible; it is feeing him in his own rays, by faith, who is invifible to mortal fight. But the text means that such souls shall not be separated or banished from God and his prefence; but they fhall fee him with accept

ance, and with approbation, as their dear and everlafting Father. "In that day, I shall fhew you

plainly of the Father; you fhall fee his face with"out a cloud, and hear his voice without a pro"verb." The text means an eternal abiding with him," in whofe favour is life, in whose presence "is fulness of joy, and at whose right-hand are plea"fures for evermore." It means further, a perfect deliverance from the remains of the old vail, the napkin, and the weeds that are at present wrapped about our heart and head, which too aften blindfold and hoodwink us; and, when we creep out of the dark regions, we go blinking and nodding like an owl in the fun, being not able to bear the light: "For we know but in part, and propart; we look through a glafs darkly;' phefy in but in that day the glass will give way to the face; we shall not wrap our face in a mantle, nor will God dwell in thick darkness: the vail will be rent from the top to the bottom; and "then fhall the

righteous fhine forth as the fun in the glory of "their Father's kingdom, for ever and ever; we "fhall then fee as we are seen, and know as we are "known." The winding-fheet and the napkin fhall both be left in the tomb; and mortality, with all her rags and tatters, be fwallowed up of life, and Immortality be all in all. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they fhall fee God. Blessed are the peace-makers.

Peace-makers must

have peace in poffeffion; they must be fons of Peace before they can make peace. An unbeliever is a very improper perfon to stand in the gap, or make up a breach, either between Chrift and his children, or between faint and faint; for he is an enemy to both parties, and can never with well to either. We may fay of fuch peace-makers, as Jebu faid of the fon of witchcraft, "What haft thou to do with "peace? Get thee behind me." Peace flows from the counsel of Heaven: "For mercy and truth met "together, righteousness and peace kiffed each other," in the person of Chrift, when he undertook to fatisfy righteousness, fulfil and honour truth, open a way for mercy, and make peace by the blood of his

crofs.

Peace prefuppofes a war fubfifting between two parties, and is brought about by the interpofition of a middle perfon, who appears in the character of a Mediator; and this Mediator is Chrift, who fuffered the sword of Justice to be sheathed in his own heart, that peace between God and elect finners might be proclaimed upon honourable and everlafting terms.

To this peace we were predeftinated and ordained from eternity; on which account we are called fons of Peace, before peace is revealed to us. “Into "whatsoever houfe ye enter, fay, Peace be to this "house; and if the fon of Peace be there, your peace

"hall

fhall come upon it; if not, it fhall turn to you again."

Peace, in the revelation of it to the finner's heart, is the effect of pardon and juftification; as it is written, " Thy fins are forgiven thee, go in peace.— "And being juftified by faith, we have peace with "God." And it is called a fruit of the Spirit, and is produced under his operation, as foon as the foul is fealed to the day of redemption. The man, therefore, that is a ftranger to the pardon of his fin, the juftification of his perfon, and the mystery of faith, cannot be either a peace-poffeffor or a peacemaker; for the way of peace he has never known. A peace-maker is one who is authorized and commif fioned by the high Court of Heaven, as an ambasfador of the King of kings, to proclaim peace in the name of his rightful Sovereign, between the Moft High God and the children of men. Which bleffing of peace flows from the everlasting love of God, as the efficient caufe; from the blood of Chrift, as the procuring caufe; and by the Spirit into the finner's heart, by faith, as the applicatory hand, or inftrumental caufe. "Beautiful upon the "mountains," and bleffed for ever are fuch peace

makers.

Every child of God is commiffioned to make and keep peace, but his commiffion authorizes him not to proclaim peace between the world and the church, Chrift came not to fend peace here, but a fword " and

" and a fire;" nor between Satan and the Church. Christ hath no concord with Belial, nor yet between the old man and the new, in a child of God (by a finlefs perfection;) for these are to war together; the one is to be put off, and the other put on to the end. Nor are they to proclaim peace between faints and hypocrites, for this is not taking forth the vile from the precious; but to proclaim, enforce, and endeavour tomaintain peace between Chrift and his family, and between the children of God, is, and ever is to be, the honest endeavour of a fon of Peace: and fuch peace-makers, and only fuch, are bleffed. And→ They fhall be called the children of God. And fo they are called, and acknowledged to be, by those who are partakers of adopting grace; and children of God they really are, though profeffors often call them by another name. But no uninspired perfon, no unbeliever, can, with certainty, be called "a "child of God." Chrift commiffions no man to tell lyes, nor to call them God's children that are not fo.

Bleffed are they which are perfecuted for righteousnefs fake. Not to get a righteousness, but for the fake of one already got. Perfecution, in the highest fenfe, is the Devil in the heart of a rebel, opposing Chrift in the heart of a faint. Abel was perfecuted for righteousness fake, or because God had accepted Abel's person, and gave witness of it, testifying of his gift; while Cain, who was of that wicked one,

not