r profession, will never contribute to
the cleansing of your person; and your persons shall defile all your most
clean actions. God loveth not that stock of Adam, and all that groweth on
it must be hateful; he is only well-pleased in Jesus Christ, and with
those who are transplanted out of rotten Adam into the true vine Jesus. It
is such fruit only that can be acceptable; therefore, until you be
sprinkled with clean water, and made clean according to the new
covenant-way, you cannot please God. Believe this,--your sins and your
duties are one, your oaths and your prayers are in the same account with
God. What have you then to build upon, when all this is removed? You must
once he stript naked of all coverings; and will not your nakedness then be
great? The Pharisee went away unjustified, and the poor repenting sinner
justified. What was the reason? There are not many of you have such a fair
venture for heaven as he had,--so many prayers, fastings, alms, to ground
your hope on. Nay, but all this would never justify his person, because
once he was unclean, come of Adam, and had contracted more uncleanness,
and all that is like the leprous garment, defiling all that cometh near
it; so that whatever hath any dependence on a son of Adam, must contract
filthiness. Now, I ask your consciences, have you so many specious
coverings to adorn yourself with? Is not your outside spotted, and not so
clean as the young civil man and the religious Pharisee? Certainly no; and
yet you have no other ground to plead the acceptation of your persons
upon, but only this, your prayers and tears, or some such duty performed
by you. Well, all is uncleanness, since your persons were once unclean,--no
soap nor nitre can wash it, no holy flesh make it holy, no good wishes nor
duties can make it acceptable. Did not this people think of their duties
as much as you do? and had more reason so to do; for our congregations
have not so much form of godliness as they had, and yet God solemnly
protested to them that all their works were defiled, even those which they
took to wash themselves with. So your repentance and tears must be as
filthy as the sin you would wash by it.

_Secondly_, The uncleanness of men's practice maketh unclean performances.
Unclean hands maketh unclean prayers, Isa. i. 15. When men go on in sin,
and use their members as instruments of unrighteousness against God, and
guiltiness is above their head unrepented of and unpardoned, then wh