The Connection Between Present Holiness and Future Felicity

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"Follow after holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

"Many are asking: Who can show us any good?" Psalm 4:6. As the human soul was originally designed for the enjoyment of no less a portion than the ever-blessed God—it was formed with a strong innate tendency towards happiness. It has not only an eager fondness for existence—but for some good to render its existence happy. And the privation of being itself, is not more terrible than the privation of all its blessings. It is true, in the present degeneracy of human nature, this vehement desire is miserably perverted and misplaced; man seeks his supreme happiness in sinful, or at best in created enjoyments; forgetful of the uncreated fountain of bliss.

But yet still he seeks happiness: still this innate impetus is predominant, and though he mistakes the means—yet he still retains a general aim at the end. Hence he ransacks this lower world in quest of felicity! He climbs in search of it the slippery ascent of honour! Or he hunts for it in the treasures of gold and silver; or plunges for it in the foul streams of sensual pleasures. But since all the sordid satisfaction resulting from these things is not adequate to the unbounded cravings of the mind, and since the satisfaction is transitory and perishing, or we may be wrenched from it by the inexorable hand of death, the mind breaks through the limits of the present enjoyments, and even of the lower creation, and ranges through the unknown scenes of futurity, in quest of some untried good. Hope makes excursions into the uncertain duration between the present now and the grave, and forms to itself pleasing images of approaching blessings, which often vanish in the embrace, like delusive phantoms! Nay, it launches into the vast unknown world that lies beyond the grave, and roves through the regions of immensity after some complete felicity to supply the defects of sublunary enjoyments.

Hence, though men, until their hearts and minds are refined by regenerating grace, have no relish for celestial joys—but pant for the poor pleasures of time and sense—yet as they cannot avoid the unwelcome consciousness that death will before long rend them from these sordid and momentary enjoyments, are constrained to indulge the hope of bliss in a future state: and they promise themselves happiness in another world when they can no longer enjoy any in this fleeting world.

And as reason and Scriptural revelation unitedly assure them that this felicity cannot consist in sensual indulgences, they generally expect it will be of a more refined and spiritual nature, and flow more immediately from the great God. He must indeed be miserable, who abandons all hope of this blessedness. Yet without holiness, the Christian religion affords him no other prospect but that of eternal, intolerable misery—in the regions of darkness and despair! And if he flies to infidelity as a refuge, it can afford him no comfort but the shocking prospect of annihilation. Now, if men were pressed into heaven by an unavoidable fatality, if happiness was promiscuously promised to them all without distinction of characters, then they might indulge a blind unexamined hope, and never perplex themselves with anxious inquiries about it. And he might justly be deemed a malignant disturber of the repose of mankind—who would attempt to shock their hope, and frighten them with causeless scruples.

But if the light of nature intimates, and the voice of Scripture proclaims aloud, that this eternal felicity is reserved only for people of particular characters; and that multitudes, multitudes who entertained pleasing hopes of it, are confounded with an eternal disappointment, and shall suffer an endless duration in the most terrible miseries—we ought each of us to take the alarm, and examine the grounds of our hope, that, if they appear sufficient—we may allow ourselves a rational satisfaction in them; and if they are found delusive—we may abandon them, and seek for a hope which will bear the test now while it may be obtained.

And however disagreeable the task is to give our fellow-creatures even profitable uneasiness—yet he must appear to the impartial a friend to the best interests of mankind, who points out the evidences and foundation of a rational and Scriptural hope, and exposes the various mistakes to which we are subject in so important a case.

And if, when we look around us, we find people full of the hopes of heaven, who can give no Scriptural evidences of them to themselves or others; if we find many indulging this pleasing delusion, whose practices are mentioned by God himself as the certain marks of perishing sinners; and if people are so tenacious of these hopes, that they will retain them to their everlasting ruin, unless the most convictive methods are taken to undeceive them; then it is high time for those to whom the care of souls (a weightier charge than that of kingdoms) is entrusted, to use the greatest plainness for this purpose. This is my chief design at present, and to this my text naturally leads me. It contains these doctrines:

First, That without holiness here, it is impossible for us to enjoy heavenly happiness in the future world.

"Follow after holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14. To see the Lord, is here put for enjoying him. And the metaphor signifies the happiness of the future state in general; and more particularly intimates that the knowledge of God will be a special ingredient therein. See a parallel expression: "Blessed are the pure in heart—for they will see God." Matthew 5:8.

Secondly, that this consideration should induce us to use the most earnest endeavours to obtain the heavenly happiness.Pursue holiness, because without it no man can see the Lord. Hence I am naturally led,

I. To explain the nature of that holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

II. To show what endeavours should be used to obtain it. And,

III. To urge you to use them by the consideration of the absolute necessity of holiness.

I. I am to explain the NATURE of holiness.

I shall give you a brief definition of it, and then mention some of those dispositions and practices which naturally flow from it.

The most intelligible description of holiness may be this: "Holiness is a conformity in heart and practice to the revealed will of God."

As the Supreme Being is the standard of all perfection, his holiness in particular, is the standard of ours. We are holy when his image is stamped upon our hearts—and reflected in our lives. The apostle defines it as "putting on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:24. "Whom he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." Romans 8:29. Hence holiness may be defined, "A conformity to God in his moral perfections." But as we cannot have a distinct knowledge of these perfections but as they are manifested by the revealed will of God, I choose to define holiness, as above, "A conformity to his revealed will."

Now his revealed will comprises both the law and the gospel. The LAW informs us of the duty which we as creatures owe to God as a being of supreme excellency, as our Creator and Benefactor, and to men as our fellow-creatures; and the GOSPEL informs us of the duty which as sinners we owe to God as reconcilable through a Mediator. Our obedience to the former implies the whole of morality, and to the latter the whole of evangelical graces: such as faith in a Mediator, repentance, etc.

From this definition of holiness it appears, on the one hand, that it is absolutely necessary to see the Lord; for unless our dispositions are conformed to him, we cannot be happy in the enjoyment of him. And on the other hand, that only those who are made thus holy, are prepared for the vision and fruition of his face, as they alone can relish the divine pleasure. But as a concise definition of holiness may give but very imperfect ideas of it, I shall expatiate upon the DISPOSITIONS and PRACTICES in which it consists, or which naturally result from it; and they are such as follow:

1. A delight in GOD for his holiness. Self-love may prompt us to love God for his goodness to us; and so, many unregenerate men may have a selfish love to God on this account. But to love God because he is infinitely holy, because he bears an infinite detestation to all sin, and will not indulge his creatures in the neglect of the least instance of holiness—but commands them to be as holy as he is holy—this is a disposition natural to a renewed soul only, and argues a conformity to his image.

Every nature is most agreeable to itself, and a holy nature is most agreeable to a holy nature. Here I would make a remark, which may God deeply impress on your hearts, and which for that purpose I shall subjoin to each particular: that holiness in fallen man is supernatural; I mean we are not born with it, we give no discoveries of it, until we have experienced true conversion. Thus we find it in the present case; we have no natural love to God because of his infinite purity and hatred to all sin; nay, we would love him more did he give us greater indulgences; and I am afraid the love of some people is founded upon a mistake; they love him because they imagine he does not hate sin, nor them for sinning—as much as he really does; because they do not think that he is so inexorably just in his dealings with the sinner.

It is no wonder they love such a soft, easy, passive being—as this imaginary deity! But did they see the lustre of that holiness of God which dazzles the celestial hosts; did they but know the terrors of his justice, and his implacable indignation against sin—their innate enmity to the true God would show its poison, and their hearts would rise against God in horrible blasphemies. Such love as this, is so far from being acceptable, that it is the greatest affront to the Supreme Being; as, if a profligate loved you on the mistaken supposition that you were such a wretch as himself—it would rather inflame your indignation than procure your respect.

But to a regenerate mind how strong, how transporting are the charms of holiness! Such a mind joins the anthem of seraphs with the divinest delight, Rev. 4:8, and anticipates the song of glorified saints, "Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? for you only are holy!" Rev. 15:4. The perfections of God lose their lustre, or sink into objects of terror or contempt, if this glorious attribute is abstracted. Without holiness: power becomes tyranny, omniscience becomes curiosity, justice becomes revenge and cruelty, and even the amiable attribute of goodness loses its charms, and degenerates into a blind promiscuous prodigality, or foolish undiscerning sentimentality!

But when these perfections are clothed in the beauties of holiness, how Godlike, how majestic, how lovely and attractive do they appear! And with what delight does a mind fashioned after the divine image acquiesce in them.

It may appear amiable even to an unholy sinner that the exertions of almighty power should be regulated by the most consummate wisdom; that justice should not without distinction punish the guilty and the innocent: but a holy soul only can rejoice that divine goodness will not communicate happiness to the disgrace of holiness; and that, rather than it should overflow in a blind promiscuous manner—the whole human race should be eternally miserable!

A selfish sinner has nothing in view but his own happiness; and if this is obtained, he has no concern about the illustration of the divine purity. But holiness recommends happiness itself to a sanctified soul, that it cannot be communicated in a way inconsistent with the beauties of holiness.

2. Holiness consists in a hearty delight in the LAW of God, because of its purity. The law is the transcript of the moral perfections of God; and if we love the original—we shall love the copy. Accordingly it is natural to a renewed mind to love the divine law, because it is perfectly holy, because it makes no allowance for the least sin, and requires every duty that it becomes us to perform towards God. Psalm 119:140, and 19:7-10, Romans 7:12, compared with 22. But is this our natural disposition? Is this the disposition of the generality of people? Do they not, on the contrary, secretly find fault with the law, because it is so strict? And their common objection against that holiness of life which it enjoins is, that they cannot bear to be so precise.

Hence they are always for abating the rigour of the law, for bringing it down to some imaginary standard of their own, to their present ability, to sins of practice without regard to the sinful dispositions of the heart; or to the prevailing dispositions of the heart without regard to the first workings of lusts—those embryos of iniquity. And if they love the law at all, as they profess to do, it is upon the supposition that it is not as strict as it really is—but grants them greater indulgences. Romans 7:7.

Hence it appears that, if we are made holy at all—it must be by a supernatural change; and when that is effected, what a strange and happy alteration does the sinner perceive! With what pleasure does he resign himself a willing subject to that law to which he was once so averse! And when he fails, (as alas! he does in many things,) how is he humbled! He does not lay the fault upon the law as requiring impossibilities—but lays the whole fault upon himself as a corrupt sinner!

3. Holiness consists in a hearty delight in the GOSPEL METHOD OF SALVATION, because it tends to illustrate the moral perfections of the Deity, and to reveal the beauties of holiness. The gospel informs us of two grand pre-requisites to the salvation of the fallen, namely:

1. the satisfaction of divine justice by the obedience and passion of Christ, that God might be reconciled to them consistently with his perfections; and,

2. the sanctification of sinners by the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, that they might be capable of enjoying God, and that he might maintain intimate communion with them without any stain to his holiness.

These two grand articles contain the substance of the gospel; and our acquiescence in them is the substance of that evangelical obedience which it requires of us, and which is essential to holiness in a fallen creature.

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