is engaged against him, and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," Heb. x. 31.

condition is every unbeliever? God's power himself against him, and prospered?" Job sends a challenge to all creatures in heaven and earth. Who is he did ever take up the buckler against God, and came off conqueror? For a person to go on daringly in any sin, is to harden his heart against God, and, as it were, to raise a war against heaven; and let him remember God is El-shaddai,-almighty; he will be too hard for them that oppose him, Job xl. 9, "Hast thou an arm like God?" Such as will not bow to his golden sceptre, shall be broken with his iron rod. Julian hardened his heart against God, he opposed him to his face; but what got he at last? did he prosper? Being wounded in battle, he threw up his blood into the air, and said to Christ, vicisti Galilæe,—“ O Galilean, thou hast overcome! I acknowledge thy power, whose name and truth I have opposed." Will folly contend with wisdom?-weakness with power?-finite with infinite? O take heed of hardening your heart against God! He can send legions of angels to avenge his quarrel. It is better to meet God with tears in your eyes, than weapons in your hand. You may overcome God sooner by repentance, than by resistance.

Use 3. It reproves such as do not believe this power of God. We say, we do not doubt of God's power, but his will. But indeed it is God's power that we question. "Is there any thing too hard for me?" Jer. xxxii. 27; yet we stagger through unbelief, as if the arm of God's power were shrunk, and he could not help in desperate cases. Take away a king's power, and we unking him; take away the Lord's power, and we ungod him; yet how guilty of this are we! Did not Israel question God's power? "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" Ps. lxxviii. 19. They thought the wilderness was a fitter place for making of graves, than spreading of a table. Did not Martha doubt of Christ's power? John xi. 39, "He hath been dead four days." If Christ had been there while Lazarus was sick, or when he had been newly dead, Martha did not question but Christ could have raised him ; but he had lain in the grave four days, and now she seemed to question his power. Christ had as much ado to raise her faith, as to raise her dead brother. Use 5. Get an interest in God, and then And Moses, though a holy man, yet limits this glorious power is engaged for you. God God's power through unbelief, Numb. xi. 21, gives it under his hand, that he will put forth "The people among whom I am, are six the whole power of his Godhead for the good hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast of his people: 1 Chron. xvii. 24, “The Lord said, I will give them flesh that they may eat of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to a whole month: shall the flocks and the Israel." This almightiness of God's power herds be slain for them to suffice them? or is a wonderful support and comfort to every shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for believer. It was Samson's riddle, Judges xiv. them to suffice them?" And the Lord said 14, "Out of the strong came forth sweetunto Moses, "Is the Lord's hand waxed ness:" so out of the attribute of God's power, short?" This is a great affront to God, to go out of this strong comes forth sweetness. to deny his power. That men doubt of God's power, appears, 1. By their taking indirect 1. In case of strong corruption. My sins, courses. Would they defraud in their deal-saith a child of God, are potent; I have no ings, use false weights, if they believed the power of God, that he could provide for them? 2. By their depending more upon second causes than upon God, 2 Chron. xvi. 12, 'In his disease, he sought not to the

Lord, but to the physicians."

Use 4. If God be infinite in power, then let us take heed of hardening our hearts against God: Job ix. 4, “Who hath hardened

It is comfort in several cases.

power against this army that comes against me; I pray, and humble my soul by fasting, but my sins return upon me. Ay, but dost thou believe the power of God? The strong God can conquer thy strong corruption; though sin be too hard for thee, yet not for him; he can soften hard hearts, and quicken the dead. "Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" Gen. xviii. 14. Set God's power on

lambs?

work, by faith and prayer. Say, 'Lord! it | air, cannot he provide for his children? He is not for thy honour that the devil should that clothes the lilies, cannot he clothe his have so strong a party within me; O break the head of this leviathan! Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee!'

2. In case of strong temptation. Satan is called 'the strong man,' O but remember the power of God: Christ is called, 'The lion of the tribe of Judah;' he hath broken the serpent's head upon the cross. Satan is a chained enemy, and a conquered enemy. Michael is stronger than the dragon.

3. Comfort in case of weakness of grace, and fear of falling away. I pray, but I cannot send out strong cries; I believe, but the hand of my faith doth shake and tremble. Cannot God strengthen weak grace? 2 Cor. xii. 9, "My strength is made perfect in weakness: most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.' ." I fear I shall not hold out. Christian, dost thou believe the power of God? Hath not God preserved thy grace thus far? Mayest thou not set up thy Ebenezer? God hath kept thy grace hitherto as a spark in the main ocean; and is not he able still to keep thy grace? 1 Pet. i. 5, "Who are kept by the power of God," &c. God's mercy pardons us, but his power preserves us. He who by his power keeps the stars that they do not fall out of their orbs, keeps our grace that it doth not fail or annihilate.

5. Comfort in regard of the resurrection. This seems difficult to believe, that the bodies of men when eaten up by worms, devoured by beasts and fishes, or consumed to ashes, should be raised the same numerical bodies; but if we believe the power of God, it is no great wonder. Which is hardest, to create, or raise the dead? he that can make a body of nothing, can restore it to its parts when mingled and confounded with other substances, Matt. xix. 26, "With God all things are possible." If we believe the first article of the creed, that God is almighty, we may quickly believe the other article, the resurrection of the body. God can raise the dead because of his power, and he cannot but raise them because of his truth.

6. It is comfort in reference to the church of God: he can save and deliver it when it is brought low. The enemies have power in their hand, but the remainder of wrath God will restrain, Ps. lxxvi. 10. God can either confine the enemies' power or confound it. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" God can create Jerusalem a praise, Isa. lxv. 18. The church in Ezekiel, is compared to dry bones, but God made breath to enter into them, and they lived, Ezek. xxxvii. 10. The ship of the church may be tossed, because sin 4. Comfort in case of the deficiency in thy is in it, but it shall not be overwhelmed, beestate. God can multiply the oil in the cause Christ is in it, Ps. xlvi. 6, Deus in cruse; miraculously he can raise up sup-medio. All the church's pangs shall help plies; God, who provides for the birds of the forward her deliverance.

OF THE HOLINESS OF GOD.

in his perfect loving of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil, Hab. i. 13, "Of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity."

THE next attribute is God's holiness, Exod. xv. 11, "Glorious in holiness." Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known, Ps. cxi. 9, Holy and reverend is his name." He is 1st, God is holy intrinsically: 1. He is holy the holy One, Job vi. 10. Seraphims cry, in his nature; his very being is made up of "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the holiness, as light is of the essence of the sun. whole earth is full of his glory," Isa. vi. 3.-2. He is holy in his word; the word bears His power makes him mighty; his holiness a stamp of his holiness upon it, as the wax makes him glorious, God's holiness consists bears an impression of the seal, Ps. cxix. 140,

!

1

"Thy word is very pure;" it is compared to
silver refined seven times, Ps. xii. 6. Every
line in the word breathes sanctity, it en-
courageth nothing but holiness.-3. God is
holy in his operations; all God doeth is holy;
he cannot act but like himself; he can no
more do an unrighteous action, than the sun
can darken, Ps. cxlv. 17, "The Lord is holy
in all his works."

2dly, God is holy primarily he is the
original and pattern of holiness; holiness
began at him who is 'the Ancient of days.'

3dly, God is holy efficiently: he is the cause of all that is holiness in others, James i. 17, "Every good gift, and every perfect gift comes from above." He made the angels holy; he infused all that holiness into Christ's human nature; all the holiness we have is but a crystal stream from this fountain. We borrow all our holiness from God. As the lights of the sanctuary were lighted from the middle lamp, so all the holiness of others is a lamp lighted from heaven, Lev. xx. 8, "I am the Lord which sanctify you." God is not only a pattern of holiness, but he is a principle of holiness; his spring feeds all our cisterns, he drops his holy oil of grace upon us.

4thly, God is holy transcendently, 1 Sam. ii. 2, "There is none holy as the Lord." No angel in heaven can take the just dimensions of God's holiness; the highest seraphim is too low of stature to measure these pyramids: the holiness in God is far above the holiness in saints or angels.

never lost a drop of his holiness; as he cannot have more holiness, because he is perfectly holy, so he cannot have less holiness, because he is unchangeably holy.

2. The holiness in God is above the holiness in the angels; holiness in the angels is only a quality, which may be lost, as we see in the fallen angels; but holiness in God is his essence, he is all over holy, and he can as well lose his Godhead as his holiness.

OBJ. But is he not privy to all the sins of men? He beholds their impurities; how can this be, and he not defiled?

ANS. God sees all the sins of men, but is no more defiled with them than the sun is defiled with the vapours that arise out of the earth. God sees sin, not as a patron to approve it, but as a judge to punish it.

25.

Use 1. Is God so infinitely holy? Then see how unlike to God sin is. Sin is an unclean thing, it is hyperbolically evil, Rom. i. 13. It is called 'an abomination,' Deut. vii. God hath no mixture of evil in him; sin hath no mixture of good; it is the spirits and quintessence of evil; it turns good into evil; it hath deflowered the virgin-soul, made it red with guilt, and black with filth; it is called 'the accursed thing,' Josh. vii. 11. No wonder, therefore, that God doth so hate sin, being so unlike to him, nay, so contrary to him; it strikes at his holiness; sin doth all it can to spite God; sin would not only unthrone God, but un-god him; if sin could help it, God should be God no longer.

Use 2. Is God the Holy One, and is his 1. It is above the holiness in saints. 1. It holiness his glory? Then how impious are is a pure holiness: the saints' holiness is like they, 1. That are haters of holiness? As the gold in the ore, imperfect; their humility is vulture hates perfumes, so they hate this stained with pride; he that hath most faith sweet perfume of holiness in the saints; hath need pray, Lord help my unbelief;' their hearts rise against holiness; as a man's but the holiness of God is pure, like wine stomach at a dish he hath an antipathy from the grape; it hath not the least dash or against. There is not a greater sign of a tincture of impurity mixed with it.-2. A person devoted to hell, than to hate one for more unchangeable holiness: the saints that thing wherein he is most like God, his though they cannot lose the habit of holiness holiness.-2. That are despisers of holiness: (for the seed of God remains), yet they may they despise the glory of the Godhead, "Glolose some degrees of their holiness, Rev. ii.rious in holiness." The despising of holiness 4, "Thou hast left thy first love." Grace cannot die, yet the flame of it may go out; holiness in the saints is subject to ebbing, but holiness in God is unchangeable; he

is seen in the deriding of it; is it not sad men should deride that which should save them? Sure that patient will die that derides the physic. The deriding the grace of the Spirit

comes near to the despighting the Spirit of holiness; it should not only be like the grace. Scoffing Ishmael was cast out of Egyptian temples, beautified without, but Abraham's house, Gen. xxi. 9. Such as scoff like Solomon's temple, gold within, Ps. xlv. at holiness shall be cast out of heaven.

Use 3. Of exhortation. Is God so infinitely holy, then let us endeavour to imitate God in holiness: 1 Pet. i. 16, "Be ye holy, for I am holy." There is a twofold holiness, a holiness of equality,-and a holiness of similitude. A holiness of equality no man or angel can reach to; who can be equally holy with God? Who can parallel him in sanctity? But, 2. There is a holiness of similitude, and that we must aspire after, to have some analogy and resemblance of God's holiness in us,-be as like him in holiness as we can; though a taper doth not give so much light as the sun, yet it doth resemble it. We must imitate God in holiness.

QUEST. If we must be like God in holiness, wherein doth our holiness consist?

ANS. In two things; 1st, In our suitableness to God's nature. 2dly, Our subjection to his will.

1st. Our holiness stands in our suitableness to the nature of God; hence the saints are said to partake of the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4, which is not a partaking of his essence, but his image. Herein is the saints' holiness, when they are the lively pictures of God, they bear the image of God's meekness, mercifulness, heavenliness,-they are of the same judgment with God, of the same disposition, they love what he loves, and hate what he hates.

13, "The king's daughter is all glorious within." That I may press you to resemble God in holiness, consider,

1. How illustrious every holy person is; he is a fair glass in which some of the beams of God's holiness shine forth. We read, Aaron put on his garments for glory and beauty, Exod. xxviii. 2. When we wear the embroidered garment of holiness, it is for glory and beauty. A good Christian is ruddy, being sprinkled with Christ's blood; and white, being adorned with holiness. As the diamond to a ring, so is holiness to the soul, that, as Chrysostom saith, they that oppose it cannot but admire it.

2. It is the great design God carries on in the world to make a people like himself in holiness; what are all the showers of the ordinances for, but to rain down righteousness upon us, and make us holy? What are the promises for, but to encourage holiness? What is the sending of the Spirit into the world for, but to anoint us with the holy unction? 1 John ii. 20. What are all afflictions for, but to make us partakers of God's holiness? Heb. xii. 10. What are mercies for, but loadstones to draw us to holiness? What is the end of Christ's dying, but that his blood might wash away our unholiness? Tit. ii. 14, "Who gave himself for us, to purify unto himself a peculiar people." So that if we are not holy, we cross God's great design in the world.

2d. Our holiness consists in our subjection to the will of God: as God's nature is the 3. It is our holiness draws God's heart pattern of holiness, so his will is the rule to us. Holiness is God's image; God canof holiness. This is our holiness, 1. When not choose but love his image where he we do his will, Acts xiii. 22. 2. When we sees it. A king loves to see his effigies bear his will, Micah vii. 9, what he inflicts upon a piece of coin: Ps. xlv. v. 7, “Thou wisely, we suffer willingly. This is our lovest righteousness." And where doth holiness, when we are suitable to God's righteousness grow, but in a holy heart? nature, and submissive to his will; this Isa. lxii. 4, "Thou shalt be called Hephshould be our great care, to be like God in zibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee." It holiness; our holiness should be so qualified was her holiness drew God's love to her. as God's; God's is a real holiness, such v. 12, “ They shall call them the holy peoshould ours be, Eph. iv. 24. Righteous-ple." God values not any by their high ness and true holiness." It should not be birth, but their holiness.

only the paint of holiness, but the life of 4. Holiness is the only thing that differ

enceth us from the reprobate part of the procella: Isa. lvii. 21, "There is no peace world. God's people have his seal upon saith my God to the wicked." Righteousthem, 2 Tim. ii. 19, "The foundation of ness and peace are put together. Holiness God standeth sure, having this seal, the is the root which bears this sweet fruit of Lord knoweth them that are his. And let peace; righteousness and peace kiss each all that name the name of Christ, depart other.

from iniquity." The people of God are 8. Holiness leads to heaven; holiness is sealed with a double seal: 1. Election, "The the king of heaven's highway, Isa. xxxv. 8, Lord knows who are his." 2. Sanctifica- "A highway shall be there, and it shall tion, "Let every one depart from iniquity." be called the way of holiness." At Rome As a nobleman is distinguished from another there was the temple of virtue and honour, by his silver star,-as a virtuous woman is and they were to go through the temple of distinguished from an harlot by her chas- virtue to the temple of honour: so we must tity, so holiness distinguisheth between the go through the temple of holiness to the two seeds all that are of God, as they have temple of heaven. Glory begins in virtue: Christ for their captain, Heb. ii. 10, so holi-2 Pet. i. 3, "Who hath called us to glory ness is the white colour they wear. and virtue?" Happiness is nothing else

triumphant.

QUEST. What shall we do to resemble God in holiness?

ANS. Have recourse to Christ's blood by faith; it is lavacrum animæ ; legal purifications were types and emblems of it, 1 John i. 7. The word is a glass to show us our spots, and Christ's blood is a fountain to wash them away.

5. Holiness is our honour. Holiness and but the quintessence of holiness; holiness honour is put together, 1 Thess. iv. 4. is glory militant, and happiness holiness Dignity goes along with sanctification, Rev. i. 5, 6, "He hath washed us from our sins in his blood, and hath made us kings unto God." When we are washed and made holy, then we are kings and priests to God. The saints are called vessels of honour;' they are called 'jewels,' for the sparkling of their holiness, because filled with wine of the Spirit; this makes them earthly angels. 2. Pray for a holy heart: Ps. li. 10. 6. Holiness gives us boldness with God," Create in me a clean heart, O God!" Job xxii. 26, "Thou shalt put away ini- Lay thy heart before the Lord, and say, quity far from thy tabernacle, and shalt lift" Lord, my heart is full of leprosy; it defiles up thy face unto God." Lifting up the face all it toucheth; Lord, I am not fit to live is an emblem of boldness. Nothing can with such a heart, for I cannot honour make us so ashamed to go to God, as sin: a wicked man in prayer may lift up his hands, but he cannot lift up his face. When Adam had lost his holiness, he lost his confidence, he hid himself. But the holy person goes to God, as a child to his father; his conscience doth not upbraid him with allowing any sin, therefore he can go boldly to the throne of grace, and have mercy to help in time of need, Heb. iv. 16.

7. Holiness gives peace: sin raiseth a storm in the conscience, ubi peccatum ibi

thee; nor die with such a heart, for I cannot see thee. O create in me a clean heart! Send thy Spirit into me, to refine and purify me, that I may be a temple fit for thee the holy God to inhabit!"

3. Walk with them that are holy, Prov. xiii. 20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise." Be among the spices, and you will smell of them. Association begets assimilation; nothing has a greater power and energy to effect holiness than the communion of saints.