Cor. vii. 1. Faith
having such promises, cleanses the man from all filthiness of the flesh
and spirit. The proper order of faith is the word, and the word is the
truth by which we are sanctified and made clean, John xvii. 17. There are
many precious promises of sanctification and holiness, and faith draws the
virtue of purifying the heart out of the promises, and applies the promise
to his impure heart, and it is purged. III. Faith purifies the heart also
by provocation and upstirring, in as far as it gives the answer of a good
conscience. For the man who hath gotten a solid answer to all his
objections in Christ's blood, and hath the continual feast of joy and
peace in believing, O how will he abhor himself, and repent in dust and in
ashes! Faith takes up God's holiness and purity, and loathes itself with
Job, and cries, unclean. The believer will thus reason and conclude,--shall
I any more delight and live in sin, since I am dead unto it by Jesus
Christ? Rom. vi. 1, 2. He falls in with the beauties of holiness, and so
cannot abide his own. Faith begets hope, and hope purifies the heart.
Shall then the man who expects to see God, and be a citizen of the new
Jerusalem, where no unclean thing can enter, shall he walk in his former
lusts, like the wicked world, and not make himself ready for the
continuing city he goes to, and adorn himself for the company of the
blessed God and angels?

Let us now conclude, by applying all which hath been said in some uses.
Use I. We may see from what hath been hinted, how little faith is among
you. Faith purifies the heart, but if ye examine yourselves, your hearts
will be found unclean, and such as the Holy Ghost cannot dwell in. The
temple in which God's Holy Spirit resides must touch no unclean thing, 2
Cor. vi. 16, 17. Are not many men's corruptions rank and lively? Unclean
hands are an infallible demonstration of an unclean heart, James iv. 8.
These things which proceed out of the heart may teach you what is within
the heart. The streams may let you know what is in the fountain Mark vii.
15-22, James iii. 11, 12. What need ye any more proof of yourselves?
Sinners, look to your hands, and your outward man, and learn from them to
know your hearts. These things proceed out of the heart and defile the
whole man. The profanity of the most part of men's practices, cursing and
swearing &c., is a bitter stream that cannot proceed from a good fountain.
It is a wonder how the world satisfy t