UPON OUR LORD’S SERMON ON THE MOUNT. DISCOURSE III. MATT. v. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
_Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace-makers; for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness-sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you._
I. 1. HOW excellent things are spoken of the love of our neighbour! It is _the fulfilling of the law, the end of the commandment_. Without this all we have, all we do, all we suffer, is of no value in the sight of God. But it is that love of our neighbour which springs from the love of God: otherwise itself is nothing worth. It behoves us therefore to examine well upon what foundation our love of our neighbour stands: whether it is really built upon the love of God? Whether _we_ do _love him, because he first loved us_? Whether we are _pure in heart_? For this is the foundation, which shall never be moved. _Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see_ God.
2. _The pure in heart_ are they, whose hearts God hath _purified even as he is pure_; who are purified thro’ faith in the blood of _Jesus_, from every unholy affection; who being _cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfect holiness in the_ loving _fear of_ God. They are, through the power of his grace, purified from pride, by the deepest poverty of spirit; from anger, from every unkind or turbulent passion, by meekness and gentleness; from every desire but to please and enjoy God, to know and love him more and more, by that hunger and thirst after righteousness, which now engrosses their whole soul: so that now they love the Lord their God, with all their heart, and with all their soul and mind and strength.
3. But how little has this _purity of heart_ been regarded, by the false teachers of all ages? They have taught men barely, to abstain from such outward impurities, as God hath forbidden by name. But they did not strike at the heart; and by not guarding against, they in effect, countenanced inward corruptions.