Of the Knowledge of God's Holiness

17. Another of God’s attributes is his holiness. He is called holy. 1. As he is transcendently above and separated from all the creatures, in comparison of whom the heavens are not clean; and from whom all things stand at an infinite distance. 2. As the perfection of his nature is the fountain of all moral good. 1. In the holiness of his law, the rule of holiness. 2. In the holiness of the soul: and, 3. In his holy judgments. And consequently as this perfect nature is contrary to all the moral pollution of the creature, loathing iniquity, forbidding and condemning it. That perfect goodness of the will of God, from whence floweth holy laws, and motions, and the holiness of the soul of man, is it that scripture meaneth usually by God’s holiness; rather than the foresaid distance from the creatures. And therefore his holiness is usually given as the reason of his laws and judgments, and of his enmity to sin: and our holiness is called his image (who imitate not his transcendency) and we are commanded to be holy as he is holy, 1 Pet. i. 16. The nature of the image will best tell us what holiness is in God. Holiness in us is called the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4, and therefore is radically a right inclination and disposition of the soul; which hath its rise 218 Of the K?iowkdge of God.

from a transcendent holiness in God, even as our wisdom from his transcendent wisdom, and our being from his being. Holiness therefore being indeed the same with the transcendently moral goodness of God, which I have spoken of before, I shall say but little of it now. Thus must the holiness of God be known.

I. It must cause us to have a most high and honorable esteem of holiness in the creature, because it is the image of the holiness of God. Three sorts of creatures have a derivative holiness: the first is the law; which is the mere signification of the wise and holy will of God, concerning man’s duty, with rewards and penalties for the holy governing of the world! This is the nearest image of God, engraven upon that seal which must be the instrument of imprinting it on our souls. Now the holiness of the word is not the mere product of the will of God, considered as a will; but of the will of God considered as holy, that is, as the infinite transcendent moral goodness in the architype or original. For all events that proceed from God, are the products of his will which is holy, but not as holy (as the creating, preserving, disposing of every fly, or fish in the sea, or worm in the earth, &c.) There is somewhat therefore in the nature of God, which is the perfection of his wll, and is called holiness, which the holiness of the law doth flow from and express.

This holy word is the immortal seed that begetteth holiness in the soul, which is the second subject of derived holiness; and this our holiness is a conformity of the soul to the law, as the product of the holy will of God, and not a mere conformity to his predictions, and decreeing will as such. It is a separation to God, but not every separation: Pharaoh was set apart to be the passive monument of the honor of God’s name: and Cyrus was his servant to restore his people, and yet not thus holy: but it is a separation from common and unclean uses; and a purgation from polluting vice, and a renovation by reception of the image of God’s holiness, whose nature is to incline the soul to God, and devote it wholly to him; both in justice, because we are his own, and in love, because he is most holy and perfectly good.

The third subject of holiness is those creatures that are but separated to holy uses; and these have but a relative holiness, and secundum quid: as the temple, the holy utensils, the Bible as to the materials, the minister as an officer, the people as visible members, &c.

All these must be reverenced and honored by us, according to the proportion of their holiness. 1. Our principal reverence must be to the holy word of God: for holiness is more perfect there than in our souls. The holiness of the word, which is it that the ungodly hate or quarrel at, is the glory of it in the eyes of holy men. We may much discern a holy and an unholy soul, by m2 their loving or not loving a holy law; especially as it is a rule to themselves. A distaste of the holiness of scripture, and of the holiness of the writings of divines, and of the holiness of theiif preaching or conference, discovereth an unholy soul. A love to holy doctrine sheweth that there is somewhat suitable to it in the soul that loveth it. It is the elogy of the scriptures the promises, the covenant, the prophets and apostles, that they are all holy. Kom. i. 2. Ps.cv.42. Luke i. 70, 72. Rev. xviii.20. 2 Tim. iii. 15. Rom. vii. 12. The holiness of the scripture doth make it as suitable and savory to a holy soul, as light is suitable to the eyesight, and sweetness to the taste: and therefore it is to them as the honey comb; But to the unholy it is a mystery, and as foolishness, and that which is contrary to their disposition, and they have an enmity to it: which makes a wonderful difference in their judging of the evidences of scripture verity, and much facilitateth the work of faith in one sort, and strengtheneth unbelief in the other. Holy doctrine is the glass that sheweth us the holy face of God himself, and therefore must needs be most excellent to the saints.

2. And we must honor and love also the holiness of the saints: for they also bear the image of the Lord. Their holy affections, prayers, discourses, and conversations must be beautiful in our eyes: and we must take heed

O/ the Knowledge of God, 2-

.f those temptations, that either injuries received from any, or from the r Wot. J.mperfections, or from the.r — “^^^ world or from the contempt and reproach and Tandts of the ungodly, would draw us to thn dishonorably of their hoUness. He ho -re^ the holy God, w.U honor his image m hi. holy people I” his eyes a vile person will he coneled, but he JiU honor them that fear he

T nr Ps XV 4. The saints on earth aie t.ie ellUntm his eyes, and his delight is in them

Ps. xvi. 2, 3. The breathings of d — loe >, the holy pi-ayers, praises and speeches of the faL, 11 their reverend and holy n^ion ot his name, are things that a holy soul doA sweetly relish, and take pleasure in. as would do to hear an angel .peak of the holy thing, ot the invisible glory.,

3 And relative holiness itself, though the low’est, must be honored by us. Holy oftices Ld persons in them must be reverenced fo their relative holiness. Holy days must be ho ily observed. Holy ordinances (which also pa ticipate of the holiness of the law, as significa ive) must be reverently used. Due reverence

must be given even to that which is lawfully by “:devofedtoaholyuse,asaretempesand

utensils of worship, and the maintenance dedi- aS to the service of God. That which is how must not be devoured, Prov. xx 25. nor used as we do things- common and unclean.

2. God’s holiness must make us holy: we must fall in love with it, and wholly conform ourselves unto it. Every part of sanctifying grace must be entertained, and cherished, and excited, and used by us. Sin must be loathsome to us because it is contrary to the holiness of God. No toad or snake should seem to us so ugly. A dead carcase is an unpleasant sight, because it sheweth us a privation of natural life; but an unholy soul is incomparably a more. loathsome ghastly sight, because it sheweth us the privation of the life of holiness. No man can well know the odiousness of sin, and the misery and loathsomeness of the unholy soul, that knoweth not the holiness of God. “Speak unto all the congregation of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” Lev. xix. 2. “Sanctify yourselves therefore and be ye holy, for I am the Lord your God.” Lev. xx. 7, 8. “As he that hath called us is holy, so must we be holy in all manner of conversation.” 1 Pet. i. 25. It is “an holy calling wherewith we are called.” 2 Tim, i. 9. We are sanctified to be a peculiar people to Christ. Tit. ii. 14. “That denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.” ver. 12. We are made “an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ.” 1 Pet. ii. 5. Rom. xii. 1, 2, “We must therefore present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, our reasonable service.” For we are “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame,” Eph. i. 4’, and are redeemed and sanctified by Christ, ‘’ that we may be presented glorious, holy, and without blemish.” Eph. v. 26. 27. See therefore th you “follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Heb. xii. 14. For ‘’ blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see him.” Matt. v. 8.

3. The holiness of God, must be to us a

standing unanswerable argument to shun all

temptations that would draw us to be unholy,

and to confound all the words of wicked men

that are spoken against holiness. Remember

but that God is holy, and if thou like that

which is spoken against God, thou art his

enemy. Think on the prophesy of Enoch,

Jude 14, 15. ‘’ Behold the Lord cometh with

ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment

upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly

among them, of all their ungoldy deeds which

they have ungodly committed, and of all their

hard speeches which ungodly sinners have

spoken against him.” God will not hold hini

guiltless that taketh his holy name in vain;

much less that blasphemeth holiness, which is

the perfection of his blessed nature.

4. The holiness of God must possess us with a sense of our uncleanness, and further our humiliation. When Isaiah heard the seraphim cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory,” Isa. vi. 3; he said, ^’ Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of Hosts,” ver. 5*

5. The holiness of God must cause us to walk continually in his fear, and to take heed to all the affections of our souls, and even to the manner of our behaviour, when we come near to him in his holy worship. What suffered the Bethshemites for irreverent looking into the Holy Ark, 1 Sam. vi. 19, and Uzzah but for touching it? And what a dreadful example is that of the two sons of Aaron, that were slain by a devouring fire from the Lord, far offering strange fire which he commanded not. Lev. X. 1,2. And Aaron was awed into silence by this account from God: “I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.” ver. 3. Take heed lest irreverence, or deadness, or customary heartless wordy services, should be brought before a holy God. Take heed of hypocritical carnal worship The holy God will not be mocked with compliments and shews.