mine iniquity, for it is great: God be merciful to me a finner. Sirs, what fall I do to be faved? Sin, by nature, we roll as a fweet morfel under our tongue; but when we fee the evil nature of it, the exceeding finfulness of fin, the death, danger and damnation that attend it, we find it to be a Leprofy indeed, a fore and painful difeafe in the mind, that we cannot bear, but cry out (being pricked in the heart) men and brethren, what shall urd? And, indeed, the leprofy of fin must be a dreadful dicale, as it hath driven angels mad, and made them devils; and hath driven man out of Paradise, and rendered him more defpicable than the beafts that perish. Dreadful difeafe! that is fo expenfive in its remedy, that it coft the Father the utmost ftretch of thought to find it. Infinite wildom was employed to draw forth the grand plan, immenfe fulness drew forth its treasures to furnith a remedy, enriched with all the grace and mercy of a GOD! the remedy was provided in infinite wifdom, but was wrought out and accomplished by the blood and atonement of an infinite Immanuel, Ifa. lii. 5. the chaftifement of our peace was upon him, and with his fripes we are healed. Oh! amazing! that his death must be our life! his wounds our healing remedy for this painful, this lothfome disease of the leprofy of fin! What! nothing lefs than the balm of Heaven! what! muft the healing remedy fpring from my Maker's heart! Oh! amazing! Oh! matchlefs love! that the bleffed JESUS fhould be made fin for me!

Third, The Leprofy was of a deadening nature, for when Miriam, Aaron's fifter, had it, Aaron prays, Numb. xii. 12. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half confumed. Which points out, the deadening nature of fin, for finners are, by nature, dead in trefpaffes and fins, Eph. ii. 1. They have no fpiritual life, the leprofy of fin has spread fuch a fpiritual death upon their minds, that they are as though they were dead, having no heart to move heavenward, or life to ftir in the things of GOD. A dead man may as foon act and delight in the things of this life, as a foul that is dead in fin, can delight in the things of God; there must be an Almighty Powe exerted to raife him from the death of fin to a life of faith, before he can delight in spiritual things. It may likewife point out, the deadening nature that fin is of to the Saints, when they embrace it; though it be for a fhort feafon, it benumbs their minds, that they cannot act with any livenefs in the things of GOD.

Fourth, They that had the Leprofy were shut out of the camp; which might be typical of a ftate of unregeneracy, in

which ftate and condition none are fit, or qualified to enjoy communion with the Saints in the ordinances of God's houfe: Or else it might (by being fhut out of the camp) point out, the fpread and progrefs of the leprofy of fin in a member of the church, and their being cut off (on account of it) from the privilege of God's house, fet afide frem enjoying communion with the Saints, in the ordinances of the gofpel, as Miriam was fhut out of the camp for unmeet behaviour, having the leprofy upon her; fo believers, when the leprofy of fin appears, either in judgment or converfation; when their actions dif grace their profeffion, and fpread a difhonour upon the name of their great Redeemer, they are to be fet afide from communing with the church, as a rebuke for their tranfgreffions; turned again into the world, in order to bring them to repentance and godly forrow for their crime. And, that mankind might know that the church (which is a fociety of believers gathered together, according to the order of the gofpel) doth not approve of, neither will they hold communion with an ungodly and prophane perfon, I Cor. v. 11. But now I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with fuch a one, no not to eat. They are to be put out of the camp, judged unfit to be continued as church members; they are dangerous, as others might take encouragement, and thereby the contagion fpread further amongst them; to prevent which, faith the Apostle, 1 Cor. v. 4, 5. In the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, when ye are gathered together, and my fpirit, with the power of our Lord Jefus Chrift, to deliver fuch an one unto Satan, for the deftruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be faved in the day of the Lord Jefus.

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the leprous perfons confeffing their uncleannefs, as in Lev. xiii. 45. And he fhall cry, unclean, unclean?

Truth. I apprehend the leprous perfon crying unclean, unclean, may be typical of the foul being fenfible of the uncleannefs of its nature by fin, and acknowledging before GOD its guilt and contamination, Pfal. li. 3, 4. For I acknowledge my tranfgreffion, and my fin is ever before me. Against thee, and thee only have I finned, and done this evil in thy fight. As there were many who had the leprofy, but were not fenfible of it, but those that cried out, unclean, unclean, were deeply fenfible of its contaminating nature. So there are many upon whom the difeafe of fin has not only begun to appear, but it breaks forth in their thoughts and affections, in their words and

actions, yet they are not fenfible of it, they fay their tongue is their own, and who is Lord over us? Whilft there are others, who are fenfible of the plague of their own hearts, and are crying out with the Leper, unclean, unclean, conscious that their whole nature is a mafs of fin, that their heart is a fountain of evil, a fink of fin, a lake of impurity, a cage for every unclean bird, obnoxious to the wrath of GoD, deferving the curfe of the law, therefore fays, Father I have finned against Heaven, and in thy fight, pardon mine iniquity for it is great. Matt. viii. 2, 3. And behold, there came a Leper, and worshiped bim, faying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jefus put forth his hand, and touched him, faying, I will, be thou clean: And immediately his leprofy was cleanfed. It fhould feem as though King Solomon had a peculiar regard and sympathy for thofe lepers that were fenfible of their plague, (the plague of their own hearts) in his dedication of the temple, 1 Kings viii. 38, 39. What prayer, and fupplication foever be made by any man, or by all thy people Ifrael, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands towards this houfe; then hear thou in Heaven thy divelling-place, and forgive, &c. As the leprofy is called a plague, Lev. xiii. 9. fo is fin a deadly plague, Rom. vi. 23. For the wages of fin is death.

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the leprofy being in the head, in which refpect it is more emphatically expreffed, Lev. xiii. 44. He is a leprous man, he is unclean, the Prieft fball pronounce him utterly unclean, bis plague is in his head?

Truth. I answer, as the head is the feat of reason and understanding, it may be typical of those finners, whofe affections are not only polluted by fin, but whofe judgment and undertandings are corrupted, being men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith, fuch as are always quarrelling with GOD's fovereignty, diftinguishing love, and the final perfeverance of the Saints. For there be fome men who are doubly unclean, that have got the leprofy in their heads, and it has touched their brain, particularly the Arians and Socinians; for who, but madmen, would attempt to deny the effential glories of him that is to be their judge, and the plenary fatisfaction of his blood, whofe death was an atonement to GOD, a fatisfaction to his juftice, an honour to his law, and an afylum to his people? Though other finners may be faid to have the leprofy in their heads, whofe minds are ignorant in the things of GOD, yet thefe are doubly unclean, because they add enmity to their ignorance, enmity indeed to fight against

the perfections of their Maker, and ignorance with a witness to contend against the truth, Eph. v. 18. Having the underStanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

Friendly. But was there no cure for the leprofy?

Truth. Yes, but that was only by GoD, which made Mofes fay, when his fiter Miriam had the leprofy as white as. fnow, heal her now, O God, I befeech thee. In which refpect it might denote that we can never heal the disease and leprofy of fin in our minds, by all that we can do, though religiousfelf, civil-felf, and righteous-felf are good medicines in their place, but not for the cure of this difeafe: For could we do as many good works as would reach from one end of the world to the other, it would not help us one fep to Heaven; this way is abolished, made null and void for ever, Rom. iii. 20. Therefort by the deeds of the law there fhall no flesh be justified in his fight. Faith, as another way to Heaven, never fteps into our obedience, but into CHRIST'S obedience; not into our doings, but into CHRIST's fufferings; not pleading our deeds, but CHRIST's interceffion, Heb. ix. 19, 20. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies though the blood of Fefus; by a new and living way, which he hath confecrated for us through the vail, that is to jay, his fifh. This leprofy is only healed by the phyfician of fouls, with his own balmy blood, which cleanfeth from all fin; it is that precious balm which flows from the tree of life, whofe leaves are for the healing of the nations. Mat. viii. 3. And Jefus put forth his hand, and touched bim, faying, I will, be thou clean; and immediately his leprosy was cleanfed.

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the leprofy spreading in the garments, and throughout the habitations, as in Lev. xiii. 47. The garment that the plague of leprofy is in; and in Lev. xiv. 35. It feemeth to me there is as it were the plague in the house?

Truth. It is thereby typical of the infectious and defiling nature of fin, that it fpreads and diffufes itself through all that a man hath, it poifons and corrupts the vitals of his pleasure, his house and garments, and every enjoyment is polluted by it. The men of this life are apt to promife themfelves much pleafure in coftly raiment and magnificent habitations, but little think of the leprofy that is there, which mars and fpoils all. The Apostle fpeaks of the whole creation groaning under this leprofy. Rom. viii. 22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth, and travaileth in pain until now. Sin has not only

defiled our hearts but our raiment; not only our actions, but our habitations. And as the habitations were to be destroyed where the leprofy was found, Lev. xiv. 45. And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house, and he shall carry them forth cut of the city to an unclean place. This may be typical of the earthly houfe of our tabernacle being diffolved, and of the total eradi cation and extirpation of fin from our nature; as the leprofy was the caufe of the habitation being removed, and carried to an unclean place, so fin is the cause of the death of the body, and of its being carried to the grave, Rom. v. 12. Wherefore as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin, and fa death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned.

Friendly. What was the means appointed of GOD for the curing of the leprofy, and their typical fignification?

Truth. The means appointed were various, First, The leprous perfon must be brought to the Prieft, Lev. xiv. 2. which may be typical of our leprous fouls coming to CHRIST, our healing High Prieft, for the extirpation of this disease, who is faid to arife with healing in his wings; therefore the fpoufe faith, Cant. i. 13 A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved As myrrh is not only rich and odoriferous, as to its fmell, but of an exceeding healing nature, fo the facrifice of CHRIST is not only a fweet smelling favour to GOD, but is a Panacea, a fovereign medicine for all difeafes of the mind, 1 Pet. ii. 24. By whofe ftripes ye are healed.

unto me.

Second, The Prieft was to go forth out of the camp to the Leper, for the leprous perfon was fhut out of the camp, Lev. xiii. 46. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him, he shall be defiled, he is unclean, he shall dwell alone; without the camp ball his babitation be; which is a rich type of the ftupendous love, and condefcenfion of CHRIST, Firft to poor finners, that are polluted and defiled, who have the leprofy of fin all over them, yet he stoops in amazing love, to go to them, Matt. xx. 33. And Jefus flood ftill and called them, and faid, what will ye that I do unto you? Amazing, O matchlefs love! that the Lord of life and glory fhould condefcend to meet poor finners with the bleffings of falvation! that he should feek after them! the Son of man, came to feek and fave that which was loft, John iv. 4. And he must needs go through Samaria to meet a poor, ignorant, adulterous woman, with peace and pardon, with life and falvation. This is compaffion like a God, our dear, our glorious antitypical High-Prieft, who hath com

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