68 An Expojition of the Epiftle ~--. Bur you will fay, How can our Holinefs here be called Vn6lamea6lmefS? &rm. V. I Anfwer, Yes, in fame fenfe it may be fo called; namely, that Evnngeli– ~· cally it is fuch ; for you are perfeCtly holy in delire. You !'ray that God's wz0 maybe do/le otJEartha<itismHeavm: It is the defire ol every good Soul to be unblaineablc, Again, You may be faid to be un6lameab/e, becaufe if you tin, you mal<e it up again by repentance.. So that you fee,how by Holinefs and V1161,zmeablenr(s are meant, both Hohnefs here and hereafter, Accordingly (Before him] hath adoublefenfe. I, If you under!land the Holinefs mentioned of ImperfeCt holinefs here; the meaning is, that true holinels is not before Me:~, it is before God, who ap– proved! of lincerity only: fuch as your Father /lbrabam was to you an Exam– ple of, Gm. I 7· r. Walk before me, andbe upright, That exprellion there is all one with this Holinr{s bejort Godhere, If the heart be upright or fincere be– fore God, that is afl one as to be holy before him, In Coloff. 3· Servants are bidden to do their Millers fervice M 6ifore God, (;ic, But I cannot !land upon this now. · 2. If that Holinefs be under!loodof the holinefs of Glory, (as principally, if not on!y, it is) then [before him] hath two meanings, and both good. Th~ one is this; God hath ordained us to be holy in his prefence for ever, and there for everro enjoy him, and delight our felves in that enjoyment, It~ thy prejence (faith the Pjatmijl) there is fulnejs of joy,(!)c. Or, Secondly, the meaning is this, That ~s we might delight in God, and enjoy his Face and prefence, fa he might delight in us, we being perfeCtly holy before him, or in his account. The end of his choofing us was, that we might be in his prefence, and he deligh~ himfelf in us, and glory in his Creatures as made thus holy and thus happyby h1m. Vulce eft amare, (!) amari; It is a Jweet thing to love, and be belove.d agai11. G0d, though he loved his Children, yet could not re!\ in that love, nor heighten it to a delight in them, till he had ,made them blamelefs in love before )lim; till he had made them pcrfedly holy like himfelf. lAnd then Lafily, [bl /ovr] is added, as meant of perfeCt holinefs in Heaven, where there is no Faith, nothing but Love. And if you take it of ImperfeCt ho– linefs here, lo all the Principles of true holinefs are nothing but love; Faitb worl:ttb by love, So that the Words may well bear both thefe fenfes, I lhall now give you fame Obfervations out of the Words, as taken in either fenfe. Obferv. I . Fir!\, If this Holintfs here be meant of Perfetl holinefs (as certainly it is,) f(ethen what Heaven is: It is Perfeot Holinefs and Perj(tl Love to God, To ·be Holy before bim in love; this is the foundation of the Glory in heaven. If I lhould fpend Millions of years in defcribing Heaven unto you, I could fay no -more, but only open thefe three things couched in the Text, Perfetl Ho!inefs in God'J pre{ence, and enjoying and lovmg of him, even as we are beloved of him. This is Heaven, and this is that which God bath pitched upon to bring us t01 This is the chief thing in Eledion, -in which work of Ood's·he looks to this V11blameablnujs in Holinefs and Love before him, as the-end of it. 06ftrv. 2. :z..'ln the Second.place; whereas the Apofile in tlie next Ve~fe faith, JHe bath prtdefli11attd t/J to the adopti•n of Childre!J :] and in this Verfe foregoing it he faith, r#e batb cbo{"m u< 1o 6e bob 6rjore him ;, love] (fo pmting Ho!iiJejS be. fore Adoption;) This is the reafon of it, Adoption is a priviledge of Ours, ond · does indeed contain _all the Priviledges we l!ave (as I may fo fpeak) for our (elves: but Hotme[s IS that which IS for God; It IS to pleafe and glorifie him,and therefore it is jullly here put before the other. From whence we may obferve, That it is God's firfi aim, that we lhould be holy be'fore him; Let it therefore ·be our great care toe. That which was firll in God's eye,let it be chiefly in ours. Though we be ordained to Adoption and Glory, yet \\•e were lir!l chofen to be Holy before him i11 love. Art thou ImperfeCtly holy? Comfort thy felf with this, Thn though thou bee!\ now full of blame, and Men lll@y lay many things to thy charge; yet Ood hath chofen thee robe cne day holy and wJibont bl<1me beforr him.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=