Part 25 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 26 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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II. Secondly, As there are six things that you must decline if ever you would obtain that real holiness without which there is no happiness—just so, there are ten things which you are to DO--which you are to put in PRACTICE, without which you will never be holy here, nor happy hereafter.
Question. But what are they?
Answer. They are these:
(1.) First, Greatly lament and mourn over your own unholiness, over your own wickedness. The first step to holiness, is melting and mourning over a man's own unholiness. Go to your closet, and fall down before the most high and holy God, and mourn bitterly over the unholiness of your nature, the unholiness of your heart, the unholiness of your affections, the unholiness of your intentions, the unholiness of your resolutions, the unholiness of your expressions, and the unholiness of your life: Joel 2:12, "Turn to the Lord with weeping and with mourning." The foundation of a thorough reformation must be laid in a deep humiliation. The best way to be holy is to accuse, indict, arraign, and condemn yourself for your unholiness. [Ezra 6:2; Jer. 50:4; Psalm 51:5.]
You shall as soon espouse light and darkness, and marry midnight to the noonday—as you shall espouse or marry a holy God to an unhumbled sinner. Oh, who can look upon sin as an offence against a holy God, as the breach of a holy law, as the wounding and crucifying of a holy Savior, as the grieving and saddening of a holy Sanctifier, and as an eternal loss and undoing of his own soul—and not mourn over it? Oh, who can cast a serious eye upon the nature of sin, or upon the exceeding sinfulness of sin, or upon the aggravations of sin—and not have his heart humbled, his soul grieved, and his spirit melted for sin? Oh, who can look upon sin as it strikes at the honor of God, the name of God, the being of God, the glory of God, and the design of God—and not have his mouth full of penitential confessions, his eyes full of penitential tears, and his heart full of penitential sorrow?
Some, as they say of witches, cannot weep for sin; but those who weep not for sin here, where there are handkerchiefs in the hands of Christ to wipe off their tears—shall weep out their eyes in hell hereafter. It is better to weep bitterly for your sins on earth, than to weep eternally for your folly in hell. Ah, how hard is that heart that can sadly lament and bewail the loss of a groat, a chicken, a child, a sheep, a ship, a friend, etc.—and yet can't let fall a tear to save a lost soul!
Jacob weeps and prevails with God, Hosea 12:4; his tears made a happy conquest upon God. Jacob weeps and prevails with God for his life; and what do you know but that by your penitential tears you may prevail with God for your soul? He weeps and prevails with God for temporals; and why may not you by weeping prevail with God for eternals? He weeps and prevails with God for some outward happiness; and why may not you by weeping prevail with God for inward holiness? It is an old observation, that the tears of repenting sinners are the wine of angels. Certainly God himself can smile to see a sinner grieve for his sins, and to see him grieve that he can grieve no more, for that he has sinned against a God so great, so gracious, so bountiful, so merciful, etc., Psalm 51:17.
Though God is displeased with a sinner's sins—yet he is very well pleased with a sinner's tears, and therefore as he has a bag for the one, so he has a bottle for the other. It cannot but be a pleasure to God—to see a sinner drown his sins in a deluge of penitential tears. Though tears of indignation, as was Esau's; and tears of dissimulation, as was Ishmael's; and tears of desperation, as was Judas'; are abominable to God—yet tears of godly compunction and contrition are acceptable and delightful unto God. A sinner never looks so sweetly, as when he weeps most penitentially: witness Mary Magdalene, Manasseh, and those murderers of Christ, Acts 2. A sinner's face never shines so beautiful, as when it is bedewed with penitential tears. Tears have a voice, "The Lord has heard the sound of my weeping" Psalm 6:8. And God has an eye as well upon a man's tears as upon his prayers. Penitent tears are divine ambassadors, which never return from the throne of grace without answers of grace, Isaiah 38:5, "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears." Peter said nothing—but went out and wept bitterly—and obtained mercy, Mat. 26:75. Tears are a kind of silent prayers, that will at last prevail for mercy. Naaman the Syrian was cleansed of his leprosy by the waters of Jordan; penitential tears may do much towards the cleansing of your leprous soul from sin.
He who really grieves that he cannot grieve for sin—is grieved for sin. He who is truly sorry that he cannot be sorry for sin, is in a measure sorry for sin. He who truly desires to drown his sins in his tears, he has in divine account drowned his sins in his tears. The maid in Scaliger swooned at the sight of a lily. Oh, how much more should you swoon at the sight of your unholiness! Basil wept when he saw the rose, because it brought to his mind the first sin from whence it had the prickles. Oh, how should a sinner fall a-weeping when he looks upon the greatness of his wickedness and his lack of holiness! As ever you would be holy, mourn over your own unholiness. But,
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