Part 117 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 118 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Secondly, As God is essentially holy—just so, God is UNMIXEDLY holy. The holiness of God is a pure holiness, it is an unmixed holiness: 1 John 1:5, "God is light, and in him isno darkness at all." There are no mixtures in God. God is a most clear, bright-shining light; yes, he is all light, and in him is no darkness at all. The moon, indeed, when it shines brightest, has her dark spots and specks—but God is a light that shines gloriously without the least spot or speck. [Plato calls God the horn of plenty, and the ocean of beauty, without the least spot of injustice, etc.]
Now, look, as that darkness which has not the least light attending it is the grossest, the thickest, Egyptian, darkness that can be—just so, that light that has not the least cloud of darkness attending it must be the most clear, splendid light that possible can be; and such a light is the Holy One of Israel.
It is very observable, the apostle, to illustrate the perfect purity and sanctity of God, adds a negative to his affirmative, "In him is no darkness at all," that is, God is so pure, that not the least spot, the smallest speck, can cleave to him; he is so holy, that no iniquity can be found in him; there is no defect nor default in the nature of God. He is a God of truth, and without iniquity; just and righteous is he. As Moses spoke in that Deut. 32:4, God is a pure, a most pure being, without the least potentiality, defectability, or mutability, and therefore in the highest sense he is in God; no evil can dwell with him, or come near unto him. God stands at such a distance from iniquity, yes, he so abhors it, that he never did, nor ever will, bestow a good look upon it: Hab. 1:13, "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity."
There are four things that God cannot do:
1. He cannot lie;
2. He cannot die;
3. He cannot deny himself;
4. He cannot look with a favorable eye upon iniquity.
God does indeed look upon iniquity with a hateful eye, with an angry eye, with a revengeful eye, and with a vindictive eye—but he never did nor will look upon iniquity with an eye of delight, or with an eye of approbation. Witness his hurling the fallen angels out of heaven, and his banishing of sinning Adam out of paradise.
By all this you see that the holiness of God is a pure holiness, it is a holiness without mixture. But all the holiness that is in the best and choicest saints in the world is but a dreggyholiness, a mixed holiness, a weak and imperfect holiness; their unholiness is always more than their holiness. Ah, what a deal of pride is mixed with a little humility, and what a deal ofunbelief is mixed with a little faith, and what a deal of peevishness is mixed with a little meekness, and what a deal of earthliness is mixed with a little heavenliness, and what a deal ofcarnalness is mixed with a little spiritualness, and what a deal of harshness is mixed with a little tenderness!
Oh, but the holiness of God is a pure holiness, it is a holiness without mixture, there is not the least drop nor the least dreg of unholiness in God. It is true the gods of the heathen were such as had been impure, beastly, filthy men, and therefore several writers have taken a great deal of pains to convince heathens of their impiety and folly in worshiping such for gods, upon whom they fastened many horrid, ridiculous, lascivious, and impious actions, and therefore they conclude against them, that they are no gods. It is most certain that the true God, that he who is the High and the Holy One, cannot be charged with any iniquity, no, nor with the least show or shadow of vanity.
In God there is wisdom without folly, truth without falsehood, light without darkness, and holiness without sinfulness. But,
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