Part 135 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 136 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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And so I come now to the last use of this doctrine, and that is for comfort and consolation to all those who have this genuine holiness, without which there is no happiness. O sirs! open wide the everlasting doors of your souls, that not a river—but a sea of joy and comfort may flow in upon you. For,
[1.] First, Know for your comfort—that genuine holiness is the seal of your eternal election. Some are elected to glorious offices in this world, others are elected to eternal glory in the heavenly world. Judas was chosen to be an apostle on earth—but not to be a saint in heaven, John 6:70; but the Thessalonians were elected to eternal glory in heaven, though they were not chosen to any glorious offices here on earth, 1 Thes. 1:4. It may be you are a poor creature, who never was, nor ever are likely to be, elected to any noble or honorable employments, either in church or state.
Oh, but if you are a holy person, then know for your everlasting comfort, that your genuine holiness is a genuine seal of your eternal election. It is the counterpart as it were, of all that gracious love, grace, and eternal favor which God bears unto you: Eph. 1:4, "He has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world—that we should be holy." God did not choose us either because we were holy, or because he foresaw that in time we would be holy—but he chose us to that very end that we should be holy. Look! as Esther was first chosen out among the virgins, Esther 1, and then purified and decked with rich and royal ornaments and garments, before she was brought into the presence of the king: so God first chooses poor sinners, and then he purifies them, and adorns them with the rich and glorious garments of grace and holiness, Psalm 45:13, so that they may be fit to enter into his royal presence!
1 Thes. 1:4, "Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." Verse 5, "For our gospel came not unto you in word only; but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit." Verse 9, "And how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." When the gospel comes in power and in the Holy Spirit, and turns people from idols to serve the living God—it is a clear and evident sign of their election. Genuine sanctification is a sure evidence, a fair copy of a man's election. Look! as the original is known by the picture, and the cause by the effect—just so, election is known by genuine sanctification.
A Christian need never put himself to the charge of making a ladder to climb up to heaven, to search the records of glory, to see whether his name is written in the book of life, in the book of election or not. Rather, he should make a strict and diligent inquiry whether he is really and thoroughly sanctified or not; for where there is genuine sanctification, there the glorious image of God's election is in the golden characters stamped upon the soul. A man may have his name set down in the chronicles—yet lost; engraved in durable marble—yet perish; set upon a monument equal to a Colossus—yet be ignominious; inscribed on the hospital gates—yet go to hell; written in the front of his own house—yet another come to possess it. All these are but writings in the dust, or upon the waters—where the characters perish as soon as they are made; they no more prove a man eternally happy, than the fool could prove Pontius Pilate eternally happy because his name was written in the Apostles creed. But in genuine sanctification, a man may see his name so clearly written in the book of God's election, as that it shall remain legible to all eternity. But,
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