Vet. I f. the 17Th Chapter of St. J OH N. á 3 7 tion; he worketh Holinefs, and he delighteth in it. Holy Father, that art Holy in thy Effence, Holy in thy Influences, Holy in thy Difpenfations, fanílify them by thy Truth; thou that abhorreft all that is Evil, workeft all that is Good, keep them from the Evil, God hateth Sin as much as we do,and infinitely more ; and therefore it is Come hope that be will help us againft ir. Do &. When we deal with God in Prayer, of ecially for Grace and Sant7ificaiion, we muff look upon him as an Holy Father. f. I will open the Holinefs of God. Holinefs, implieth a freedom from Sin and De- filement; aytos, from the privative Particle i& andÿii, terra, in whom there is no Earth, no Pollution, but all Heavenly Purity. When God fpeaketh to us, he crieth out, Jen 22.29. 0 Earth, Earth, Earth, hear the Word of the Lord. We are Earth in our Un. derftandings, in our Affe&ions, in our Pra &ices : But when the Seraphim: fpeak to God, they cry, Holy, Holy, Holy; as if it were laid, without Earth, without Earth, without Earth. Briefly, God's Holinefs is an Attribute, by which we underftand his Ef- fence to be molt pettedly juft and pure ; at the utmoft dífiance from fin and weaknefs; loving and liking himfelf above all, and the Creatures, as they do more or lets partake of his Glory. Now God is called, The Holy One ; not An Holy One, but The Holy One. i Sam. 2. 2. There is none Holy as the Lord. He doth not fay, There is none Holy but the Lord, but there is none Holy as the Lord. Therefore let us fee the diffe- rence between the Holinefs of God, and the Holinefs of the Creatures. This is an Ar- gument fit for a Seraphim, it becometh an Angel's Mouth, rather than Man's ; the An- gels that come nearer to God in Effence, can bell proclaim his Holinefs. But our Eat bath received a little thereof.. None is Holy as the Lord ; becaufe God is effentially Ho- ly, infinitely Holy, and originally Holy. I. He is Effentially Holy. God is not only Holy, but Holinefs it felt, Goodnefs it fell, it is his very Effence. The Creatures, when they are Holy, they are Holy ac- cording to the Law : the Holinefs of Angels or Men,is a Conformity to the Law of their Creation ; as we fay, he is Holy, whole Heart and Life doth exa&ly agree with God's Law. But God's Will is his Rule, his Effence is his Law, and therefore all his Actions are neceffarily Holy. The Divine Efe and Being, as it is the beginning of' all Beings, fo it is the Rule of all Moral Perfe &ions : all created Holinefs, is but a refemblance of God's, either a conformity to God's Nature, or a conformity to God's Will. Habitual Holinefs is a conformity to God's Nature, A&ual Holinefs is a conformity to God's Will ; his Will is the Rule, his Nature is the Patern. But now God is a Rule to him- felt : there are no eternal Reafons of Good and Evil beyond God, Things are not fir& Holy, and then God doth them; but God doth them, and therefore they are Holy : He himfelf is his own Rule. Any one may err, that bath not the Rule of, Righteoufnels in himfelf; God's Mt is his Rule, therefore he cannot fin. The Hand of the Artificer faileth often in cutting, becaufe his Hand is not the Rule by which he worketh ; there is a Rule or Line without him, fometimes he lriketh right, fometimes wrong. If the Hand of a Man were the Rule, it were impoffrble he should work amifs. There is a Rule prefcribed to Angels, and Men; their Will is one thing, their . Rule another, for no Creature is Holy by its own Effence. This Notion is of praaical ufe; there is Holinefs in all that cometh from God ; when he of lið us, and our Friends, or fuffereth us to be unjuftly afi&ed by Men ; when he fpareth our Enemies; tnultiplieth our Sorrows, his A& is his Rule; God's Will is the fupream Reafon of all things. Again, Holinefs in us is an acceflary Quality, a fuperadded Gift ; our Effence may remain, when Holinefs is gone. Now Holinefs in God is riot a Quality; but his Effence. The Angelical Effence continueth, when Holinefs is loft, as in the Devils : So the Man remaineth, when the Saint is fled ; but in God, his Effence and his Holi- nefs are the fame. This is of pra&ical ufe to humble the Creature : Sin is contrary td the very Nature of God; it is not only contrary to our Interefts, but to God's Na- ture : A Man hateth that exceedinglywhich is contrary to his Nature: Now in our corrupt Natures, there is a dire& contrariety to the Nature of God. A&ual Sins are but a blow and away, Original Sin is a landing Contrariety; there is a retied Enmity between God and us. Similitude is the ground of Likenefs : the averfation of a Mats from a Trade, and other Antipathies, are but a faint refemblance of this. 2. God is Infinitely Holy, fuper- purijmu!. The Faithful in this Life are Holy, but *perfedly; but God it Light, and in him is no Darknefs at all t John r. p. Of all S ff Creature§$
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