Part 2 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
Part 3 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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1. First, A person of real holiness is much affected and taken up in the admiration of the holiness of God. Unholy people may be somewhat affected and taken with other of the excellencies of God; but it is only holy souls who are affected and taken with the holiness of God: Exod. 15:11, "Who is like unto you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" In this stately description of God, holy Moses is most taken up in magnifying and admiring the holiness of God. Holiness is that glory of the Creator, which holy ones most delight to glory in. Just so, holy David: Psalm 71:22, "Unto you will I sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel." Just so, Isaiah 12:6, "Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of you." Just so, Psalm 78:41, and 89:19; Isaiah 43:3, and 49:7. The inhabitants of Zion must shout and roar out, (as the Hebrew word carries it,) in token of joy, because he who is great and in the midst of them is the Holy One of Israel. Just so, Psalm 78:41, and 89:19; Isaiah 43:3, and 49:7.
Just so, Hab. 1:12, "Are not you from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One?" Among holy ones—there is none who can be compared to the Holy One! Yes, the more holy any are, the more deeply are they affected and captivated with the holiness of God: as you may see in Isaiah 6:3, "And one cried unto another"—or this one cried to that one—and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is full of his glory." The holy seraphim, by trebling the acclamation of his holiness, "Holy, holy, holy," denote not only the superlative eminency, glory, and excellency of God's holiness—but also they reveal how greatly, how abundantly they are affected and captivated with the holiness of God. To the holy angels, the holiness of God is the sparkling diamond in the ring of glory.
But now unholy people are rather affected and taken with anything than with the holiness of God. The carnally-secure sinner is affected and taken with the patience, forbearance, and long-suffering of God. "Oh!" says he, "what a God of patience is this, who has waited so many years for my repentance! that he who might long since have damned me—waits still to save me! that he who might long since have cast me into hell—is still willing that I should go to heaven!"
The presumptuous sinner is much affected and taken with the mercy and goodness of God. "Well," says the presumptuous sinner, "though I have sinned thus and thus—yet God has been merciful to me; and though I do sin daily thus and thus—yet God is still merciful to me; and though I should still go on to sin sevenfold more—yet he would be merciful to me. (Deut. 29:18-21; Eccles. 8:11.) He does not delight in the death of a sinner, nor in the damnation of souls; oh, what a merciful God is God!"
The prosperous sinner is taken with the bounty and liberality of God. "Oh!" says he, "what a bountiful God, what a liberal God is this, who fills my barns, who fills my bags, who prospers me at home and abroad, who has blessed me with a healthful body, a fair estate, a kind wife, a full trade, laborious servants, and thriving children!" etc.
But where is there a sinner in all the world, who is affected and taken with the holiness of God? Certainly there is nothing which renders God so formidable and dreadful to unholy people—as his holiness does. Isaiah 30:11, "Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!" "Oh that you would not preach so much, nor talk so much to us of the Holy One of Israel! Oh that you would for once, cease from molesting and vexing us with message upon message from the Holy One! Why can't you talk and preach to us of the merciful One, the compassionate One, the affectionate One, the pitiful One, etc., as be still a-talking to us of the Holy One, the Holy One! Oh, we do not like to hear it! Oh, we cannot bear it!"
Nothing strikes the sinner into such a terror as a discourse on the holiness of God; it is as the handwriting upon the wall, Dan. 5:4-6. Nothing makes the head and heart of a sinner to ache like a sermon upon the Holy One. Nothing galls and gripes, nothing stings and terrifies unsanctified ones—like a lively setting forth of the holiness of God, Hab. 1:13.
But to holy souls, there are no discourses which more suit them and satisfy them, which more delight and content them, which more please and profit them—than those do, which most fully and powerfully reveal God to be glorious in holiness.
Well, this is an everlasting truth—he who truly loves the holiness of God, and loves God for his holiness—is certainly made partaker of his holiness. If you are really holy, you are much affected and taken with the holiness of God. Souls, what say you to this? But,
2. Secondly, True holiness is DIFFUSIVE. It extends, diffuses, and spreads itself all over the soul; it spreads itself over head and heart, lip and life, inside and outside. Psalm 45:13, "The king's daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is of wrought gold." Inward holiness is the inward glory of the king's daughter. The king's daughter is "all glorious within;" herunderstanding is hanged with holiness, her mind is adorned with holiness, her will is bowed to holiness, and all her affections are sprinkled, yes, clothed with holiness. Her love is holy love, her grief is holy grief, her joy is holy joy, her sorrow is holy sorrow, her fear is holy fear, her care is holy care, her zeal is holy zeal. And on the outside, her clothing is of "wrought gold"—that is, her life and conversation, which is as visible to others as the clothes she wears, is very sparkling and shining in grace and holiness. True sanctification is throughout, it reaches to soul, body, and spirit, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
True holiness is a divine leaven, which leavens the whole man, Mat. 13:33. Look! as leaven diffuses itself through the whole lump of dough, so true holiness diffuses itself through the whole man. Look! as Absalom's beauty was spread all over him, even from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, 2 Sam. 14:25, so the beauty of holiness spreads itself over every member of the body, and every faculty of the soul. Look! as Solomon's temple was glorious both within and without, so holiness makes all glorious both within and without. Look! as Adam's sin spread itself over the whole man, so that holiness that we have by the "second Adam" spreads itself over the whole man—just so, that that man who is not all over holy, that is not throughout holy, that man was never truly holy, 1 John 1:16. Look! as that holiness which was in Christ did diffuse and spread itself over all Christ; so that his person was holy, his natures were holy, his heart was holy, his language was holy, and his life was holy—just so, real holiness spreads itself over head, hand, heart, lip, and life, 1 Pet. 1:15.
The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, Eph. 5:9; he who is truly good, is all over good; he has goodness engraved upon his understanding, and goodness engraved upon his judgment, and goodness engraved upon his will, and goodness engraved upon his affections, and goodness engraved upon his inclination, and goodness engraved upon his disposition, and goodness engraved upon his conversation. He who is not all over good is not really good. There are those who have new heads but old hearts, new words but old wills, new expressions but old affections, new memories but old minds, new notions but old conversations; and these are as far off from true holiness, as the Pope, the Turk, and the devil are from real happiness.
In every holy person there are many divine miracles: there is a dead man restored to life, a dumb man restored to speech, a blind man restored to sight, a deaf man restored to hearing, a lame man restored to walking, a man possessed with devils possessed with grace, a heart of stone turned into a heart of flesh, and a life of wickedness turned into a life of holiness. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17. If it be thus with you, I dare write you, and call you both holy and eternally happy. But,
3. Thirdly, People of real holiness set the highest price and the greatest value and esteem upon those who are holy. They do not, as the blind world do—value people by their great estates, names, professions, arts, parts, gifts, mirthful clothes, gold chains, honors, and riches—but by their holiness. As a holy God, so holy souls look not how rational men are—but how religious; not how notional—but how experimental; not how great—but how gracious; not how high—but how holy; and, accordingly they value them. Psalm 16:3, "But to the saints who are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight." Proverbs 12:26, "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor."
It is holiness which differences one man from another, and which exalts one man above another. A holy man is a better man than his neighbor, in the eye, account, and esteem of God, angels, and saints. There is no man, compared to the holy man. The sun does not more excel and outshine the stars—than does a righteous man excel and outshine his unrighteous neighbor: Proverbs 28:6, "Better is the poor that walks in his uprightness, than he who is perverse in his ways, though he be rich."
A man of holiness prefers a holy Job, though upon the ash-heap—before a wicked Ahab upon the throne; he sets a higher price upon a holy Lazarus, though clothed with rags, and full of sores—than upon a rich and wretched Dives, who is clothed gloriously, and fares sumptuously every day. As King Ingo valued poor, ragged Christians above his pagan nobles, saying, that when his pagan nobles, in all their pomp and glory, should be cast down to hell—those poor Christians should be his fellow-princes in heaven. This blind, mad world rates and values men according to their worldly interest, greatness, glory, and grandeur; but men of holiness rate and value men by their holiness, by their inward excellencies, and by what they are worth for the eternal world. The world judges him the best man in the village, who is most rich; but a holy man judges him the best man in the village, who is most righteous. The world counts him the best man in the town, who is clothed most gorgeously; but a holy man counts him the best man in the town, whose inside and outside, whose heart and life, whose body and soul are clothed with sanctity and purity. The world reckons him the best man in the city whose bags are fullest, and whose estate is largest; but a holy man reckons him the best man in the city whose heart is fullest of holiness, and who has most to show for a fair estate in the other world. Certainly, to a holy man—there is no wife, compared to a holy wife; no child, compared to a holy child; no friend, compared to a holy friend; no magistrate, compared to a holy magistrate; no minister, compared to a holy minister; nor no servant, compared to a holy servant. Internal excellencies are far more important with a holy man—than all external glories.
The Jews say that those seventy people who went with Jacob into Egypt were as much worth as all the seventy nations in the world. Doubtless seventy holy people, in the esteem and judgment of those who are holy, are more worth than a whole world, yes, than seventy worlds, of unrighteous souls. [Plato could say, that no gold or precious stones does glisten so gloriously as the prudent spirit of a godly man.]
A soul, truly holy, sets the highest price upon those who are holy. Holy Paul prized holy Onesimus as his son, Philem. 10, as himself, verse 17, yes, as his own heart, verse 12; 2 Sam. 22:27, "With the pure you will show yourself pure," or (as the Hebrew will bear it) "with the choice you will show yourself choice." Pure souls are the choicest souls in all the world; they are choice in every eye but their own. All worldly excellencies, in the judgment of a holy man, are but as copper, brass, tin, and lead; but holiness is the tried silver, the gold of Ophir, the pearl of great price—in his eye, who has purity in his heart. They only rate and value men aright, who rate and value them according to their holiness; and if men were thus rated and valued, most men in the world would be found not worth the money that Judas sold his Master for.
If you prize others for their holiness, you are a holy person. No man can truly prize and highly value holiness in another—but he who has holiness in his own heart. Some prize Christians for their wit, others prize them for their wealth; some prize them for their birth and breeding, others prize them for their beauty and worldly glory; some prize them for the great things that have been done by them, others prize them for the good things that they have received from them; some prize them for their eagles' eyes, others prize them for their silver tongues; but he who is truly holy prizes them for their holiness, he values them for their purity and sanctity. But,
4. Fourthly, He who is truly holy will be still a-reaching and stretching himself out after higher degrees of holiness. Yes, a man who is truly holy can never be holy enough; he sets no bounds nor limits to his holiness; the perfection of holiness is the mark that he has in his eye; he hears, and prays, and mourns, and studies, and strives—that he may come up to the highest pitch of holiness. [Psalm 84:7, and 119:106; Col. 1:10; 2 Cor. 7:1, seq.] "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14. [This is a metaphor from runners in a race, who strain and stretch out themselves to the utmost, that they may take hold on the mark or prize that is set before them.]
Received measures of holiness will not satisfy a holy soul; so much holiness as will keep hell and his soul asunder—will not satisfy him; nor will so much holiness as will bring him to eternal happiness satisfy him; he will be still reaching and stretching out after the highest measures of holiness; his desires are for more holiness, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4. The beauties of holiness do so affect him and inflame him, that he cannot but desire to be more and more holy. "Lord," says the soul, "I desire to be more holy, that I may glorify your name more, that I may honor my profession more, and that I may serve my generation more. Lord, I desire to be more holy, that I may sin less against you, and that I may enjoy more of you! I would be more holy, that I may be more prevalent with you, and that I may be more victorious over all earthly vanities."
And as a man of holiness desires more holiness, so a man of holiness earnestly prays for more holiness, Psalm 51:2, 7. He prays that he may be filled with the fruits of righteousness, and that he may go on from faith to faith, and from strength to strength, Job 17:9, and Proverbs 4:18; he prays that his spark of holiness may be turned into a flame, his drop of holiness into a sea, and his mite of holiness into a rich treasury; he prays that he may, like the eagle, fly higher and higher, and that his soul may be like the rising sun, which shines brighter and brighter until it be perfect day; he prays that he may, like the giant refreshed, rejoice to run his course, and that holiness in his soul, like the waters in Ezekiel's sanctuary, may still be rising higher and higher. It was Beza's prayer, "Lord, perfect what you have begun in me, that I may not suffer shipwreck when I am almost at heaven."
And as a man of holiness prays for more holiness, so a man of holiness believes for more holiness. Psalm 51:7—in the Hebrew the words run in the future thus: "You will purge me from sin with hyssop, and I shall be clean: you will wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." In the sense of all his sinfulness and vileness, he believes that God will give out greater measures of purity and sanctity to him: "You will purge me, and I shall be clean: you will wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Just so, in Psalm 65:3, "Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, you shall purge them away." Though for the present iniquity did prevail—yet he had faith enough to believe that God would purge him from his transgressions, and that he would mortify prevailing corruptions.
And as a man of holiness believes for more holiness, so a man of holiness hopes for more holiness, 1 John 3:2-4. In every ordinance he hopes for more holiness, and under everyprovidence he hopes for more holiness, and under every change of his condition he hopes for more holiness, 2 Pet. 3:14. When he is in prosperity, he hopes that God will make him more zealous, thankful, cheerful, fruitful, and useful. And when he is in adversity, he hopes that God will inflame his love, and raise his faith, and increase his patience, and strengthen his submission, and quiet his heart in a gracious resignation of himself to God.
I dare boldly to say, that that man was never truly holy, who does not endeavor to get up to the highest pitches of holiness. True holiness knows no restrictions nor limitation. But now counterfeit holiness is either like Hezekiah's sun, which went backward; or like Joshua's sun, which stood still; or like Ephraim's morning cloud, which soon passed away. No round but the highest round in Jacob's ladder will satisfy a holy soul. True holiness makes a man divinely covetous. Look! as the victorious man can never make enough conquests, nor can the ambitious man ever have enough honor, nor can the voluptuous man ever have enough pleasure, nor can the worldling ever have enough mammon, nor can the wanton ever have enough vain embraces—no more can a man of holiness have ever have enough holiness. As the grave and the barren womb are never satisfied, they never say "it is enough," Proverbs 30:15-16—just so, a holy man, while he is on this side eternity, he is never satisfied, he can never say that he has holiness enough.
5. Fifthly, Where there is real holiness, there is a holy hatred, detestation, and indignation against all ungodliness and wickedness, and that upon holy accounts: [True hatred is against the whole kind.] Psalm 119:101, "I have refrained my feet from every evil way." But why? "That I may keep your word;" verse 104, "Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way." The good that he got by divine precepts stirred up his hatred against every false way: verse 128, "Therefore I esteem all your precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way." His high esteem of every precept raised up in him a holy indignation against every evil way. A holy man knows that all sin strikes at the holiness of God, the glory of God, the nature of God, the being of God, and the law of God; and therefore his heart rises against all; he looks upon every sin, as the Scribes and Pharisees who accused Christ; and as that Judas who betrayed Christ; and that Pilate who condemned Christ; and those soldiers who scourged Christ; and as those spears which pierced Christ; and therefore his heart cries out for justice upon all. He looks upon every sin as having a hand in the death of his Savior, and therefore he cries out, "Crucify them all, crucify them all!"
He looks upon every sin as a grieving of the Spirit, as a vexing of the Spirit, and as a quenching of the Spirit; and so nothing will satisfy him but the ruin of them all. [Eph. 4:30; Isaiah 63:10; 1 Thes. 5:19.] He looks upon every sin as a dishonor to God, as an enemy to Christ, as a wound to the Spirit, as a reproach to the gospel, and as a moth to his holiness; and therefore his heart and his hand is against every sin.
But now, if you will but look into the Scriptures, you shall find that all those who have been but pretenders to holiness, that their hearts have been always engaged to some one way of wickedness or another, Isaiah 58:1, 9; Zech. 7:4-7. Jehu was very zealous against idolaters; but yet his heart was engaged to his golden calves. Herod hears John Baptist gladly, and reforms many things, Mark 6 etc.; but yet his Herodias must still lie in his bosom. Judas was as forward in religious services as any others—but yet money did bear the mastery with him, John 12:6. The Pharisees made long prayers—but only that they might the better make a prey upon widows' houses, Mat. 23:19, and 26:23. The young man seemed fair for heaven—but yet his possessions had so possessed and locked up his heart, that Christ could get no entrance.
Though Simon Magus believed, and was baptized, and wondered at the miracles and signs which were done by Philip; yet for all these shows of godliness, he was a prisoner to his lusts; his condition was dangerous, poisonous, and odious; he was in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, Acts 8:13-23. Just so, those in Mat. 7:21-23, though they complimented with Christ, saying, "Lord, Lord;" though they prophesied in Christ's name, and cast out devils in Christ's name; yes, though they did not a few—but many wonderful works in Christ's name; yet all this while they were workers of iniquity, they were artists in sin; they were so addicted to sin, that they made a trade of sin. ["He who harbors any one vice, has all other with it," says Seneca truly.]
Look! as every lion has his den, every dog his kennel, every swine his sty, and every crow his nest—just so, every unholy person has one sin or another, to which his heart is engaged and married; and that sin will undo him forever!
As Lysimachus lost his earthly kingdom by drinking one draught of water, so many lose a heavenly kingdom by indulging some one sin or other. One flaw spoils the diamond, one treason makes a traitor, one turn brings a man quite out of the way, one leak sinks the ship, one wound strikes Goliath dead, one Delilah betrays Samson, one broken wheel spoils the whole clock, and one dead fly spoils the whole box of ointment. And as one bastard son destroyed Gideon's seventy sons, Judges 8, so one predominant sin is enough to destroy the soul forever. As by taking one nap Samson lost his strength, and by eating one apple Adam lost paradise—just so, many men, by favoring one sin—lose God, heaven, and their souls forever. He who favors any sin, though he frowns upon many, does but as Benhadad, recover of one disease and die of another; yes, he takes pains to go to hell. Sin favored—always ends tragically.
And as no unholy heart rises against all sin, so no unholy heart disdains sin or rises against sin upon noble accounts, upon holy and heavenly accounts. Sometimes you shall have an unholy person angry with sin, and falling out with sin, because it has cracked his credit, or clouded his honor, or hindered his profit, or embittered his pleasure, or enraged his conscience, or exposed him to shame here and hell hereafter: but never because a righteous law is transgressed, a holy God is dishonored, a loving Savior is afresh crucified, or the blessed Spirit grieved.
It is between a holy and an unholy soul, as it is between two children; one will not touch the coal because it will smut him, and the other will not touch it because it will burn him. A holy heart rises against sin because of its defiling nature; but an unholy heart rises against sin because of its burning and damning nature. A holy man is most affected and afflicted with theevil that is in sin; but an unholy heart is most affected and afflicted with the punishment that is due to sin. A holy person hates sin because it pollutes his soul; but an unholy person hates it because it destroys his soul. A holy person loathes sin because it makes against God's holiness; but an unholy person loathes it because it provokes God's justice. A holy person detests sin because of the hell which is in sin; but an unholy person detests sin because of the hell which follows sin. A holy heart abhors all sin; but an unholy heart is still in league with some sin, Romans 12:9, and 7:15, 19; Isaiah 28:15, 18. Now because this is a point of great concernment, I shall a little more open and evidence the truth of it, in these three particulars:
Part 3 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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