Part 8 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 9 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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8. Eighthly, Where there is real holiness, there will be the exercise of righteousness towards men from righteous principles, and upon pious accounts, namely, the honor of God, the command of God, the will of God, the credit of the gospel, etc. Real holiness towards God is always attended with righteousness towards men: Eph. 4:21, "And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness," or, holiness of truth. Tit. 2:11-12, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." These words contain the sum of a Christian's duty; to live soberly towards ourselves, righteously towards our neighbors, and godly towards God, is true godliness indeed, and the whole duty of man.
Just so, holy Abraham in Gen. 23:16, "Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants." It is recorded to holy Abraham's everlasting honor and fame, that he paid for the field that he bought from Ephron with current money, not counterfeit; pure, not adulterate shekels of silver; not shekels of brass silvered over; he paid the price that was agreed, and he paid it in such coin as would go current in one country as well as another.
Just so, holy Jacob, in Gen. 43, supposing that the money that was returned in the sacks of corn that his sons brought out of Egypt was through some mistake or oversight, he very honestly and conscientiously ordered them to carry the money back again. Verse 12, "Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake." A holy heart will not, a holy heart dares not, take an advantage from another's error to do him wrong; it is but justice to return and restore to every man his due.
Just so, holy Moses, in Num. 16:15, "I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, and I have never hurt a single one of them." He sought their good, not their goods; he preferred their safety before his own life; he did right to every man, he did wrong to no man; he did every man some good, he did no man the least hurt.
Just so, holy Samuel, in 1 Sam. 12:3-4, "Now tell me as I stand before the Lord and before his anointed one—whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong." "No," they replied, "you have never cheated or oppressed us in any way, and you have never taken even a single bribe." He makes a solemn protestation before the Lord, before his anointed, and before the people, that he had so lived in the exercise of justice and righteousness among them, that they could not accuse him of the least unrighteousness, they could not say black was his eye, they could not say that he had lessened them to greaten himself, or that he had impoverished them to enrich himself, or that he had ruined them to raise himself; upon his appeal they unanimously declare his innocency and integrity.
Just so, holy Daniel, in Dan. 6:4-5, "Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. So they concluded—Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the requirements of his religion." Though ENVY is the father of cruelty and malice, the mother of murder and ambition, the plotter of others' destruction—yet holy Daniel was so just and righteous, so innocent and prudent, so careful and faithful in the administration of his high office—that none of his envious, malicious, and ambitious enemies could, after their unity in a hellish and cruel conspiracy, charge him with the least spot of injustice or of unrighteousness; they narrowly scanned all his administrations, and diligently weighed all his actions—and yet themselves being judges, Daniel is found innocent. They could not so much as charge him with a fault.
Just so, Zachariah and Elizabeth, they walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, Luke 1:5-6; they walked not only in the ordinances—but also in the commandments of the Lord, and they walked not only in some commandments—but in all the commandments of the Lord; they walked in the commandments of the second table, as well as in the commandments of the first table; they were as well for righteousness towards man, as they were for holiness towards God.
Just so, the apostles, in 2 Cor. 7:2, "Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one." The apostle would have the Corinthians to make room for them in their hearts and houses, as the Greek word imports, for they had wronged no man in his name or reputation, as the false apostles had; neither had they corrupted any man in his judgment by false doctrines or evil examples, as the false apostles had; neither had they defrauded any man in his estate, as the false apostles had, who made a prize of their followers and hearers.
Of the same import is that of the apostle in 1 Thes. 2:10, "You are witness, and God also, how holily, justly, and unblamably we behaved ourselves among you who believe." He takes God and them to witness, that they had lived holily in respect of God, and righteously in respect of the world, and unblamably in respect of those who believe. By all which it is most evident, that where there is real holiness towards God, there will be the exercise of righteousness towards men.
But now, where there are but the shows and appearances of holiness, there people make no conscience of exercising righteousness towards men. Witness the Scribes and Pharisees, who, under a pretense of praying, made a prey of widows' houses; who, under a pretense of piety, exercised the greatest covetousness, unrighteousness, and cruelty—and that upon widows, who are usually the greatest objects of pity and charity; they made no bones of robbing the widow, under pretense of honoring of God, Mat. 23:14.
Just so, Judas, who under a pretense of laying up for the poor, robbed the poor, John 12:6; he made use of counterfeit holiness, as a cloak to cover all his thievish villainies; he pretended to lay up for the poor—but he intended only to lay up for himself, and to provide against a rainy day. It is like he had no great mind to stay long with his Lord, and therefore he was resolved to make the best profit he could for himself; that so when he should lay down his stewardship, he might have something to live upon. Judas acted the part of a saint in his profession and discourses, that so he might be the less suspected to act the part of a thief in his more secret practices. Judas had not been long in office, before he put conscience out of office, and conscience being put out of office, Judas sets up for himself, and, under a cloak of holiness, he practices the greatest unfaithfulness. Though the eagle soars high—yet still her eye is upon her prey—just so, though Judas did soar high in profession—yet his eye was still upon his prey, upon his bags, and so he might have it, he cared not who went without it; so he might be rich, he did not care though his Lord and his retinue grew ever so poor. Judas had Jacob's voice—but Gehazi's heart and hands. Under all his shows of sanctity, he had not so much as common honesty in him. Counterfeit holiness is often made a stalking-horse to the exercise of much unrighteousness. Certainly that man is as far from real holiness, as the devil himself is from true happiness, who lives not in the exercise of righteousness towards men, as well as in a profession of holiness towards God. Well, Christians, remember this, it were better to have honesty and morality without religion, than to have religion without honesty and morality. But,
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Part 9 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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