n38 SERMONS úposi Serm,><6. Creatures, Light is the molt pure and defecate ; therefore it is put to refemble God's Holinefs. Our Life is a Chequer-work of Light and Darknefs. Adam Ain his Inno- éency, tho he had no Corruption, yentas mutably Holy ; he might commit Evil : tho he were not Peccator, a Sinner, yet he was peccabdis, one that might fin : But God is at the greaten diltance and elongation from fin and weaknefs; James t. t3. God can- not be tempted with Evil, dir eus©' zanily, neither tempteth he any one. Once more, the Pslefed Spirits and Angels, tho they are,perfedly Holy in their kind, yet finitely and derivatively, they do not love God much as he might be loved.. God loveth him felt as much as he can -be loved ; there is as much purity in his Love, as there is per - fe &ion in his Effênce. The Creatures.Holihefst is limited, we cannot love God fo müch as he is to be loved, God loveth the Jowen Saint, with an higher Love than the highefl Angel can love God. The good Angels -, 4ho they have been God's confiant menial Servants, without the.lean fpot or taint of Sin in Nature or Life ; aqd tho they be confirmed in their happy'Efiate, either by the Merit of Chrin, or their many Years expérience and communion with God ; yet there is folly in them in comparifon of God, becaufe of that effential mutability that is in any Creature : Job 4. t8. He charg- eth his .,Angels with:Folly. It is fpoken of Good Angels, who are oppöfed to dwellers in Hotifes of. Clay : It were too eafy a Charge for the Apofiate Spirits, to charge them with Folly; the Angelical Nature, tho it be pure, yet becaufe it .is mutable, it hath fome kind of Folly in it, it was once liable to raft: Attempts againft the Dignity and Empire of God. Briefly, the Holinefs of God cannot be leffened, 'nor increafed, be- ing always infini ely pedal. The Regenerate Creature mull hill be increafing to fur- ther Degrees, Ill it come to the meafure of the Stature in Chrifi : the bleffed Spirits, tho feparated from all defilement, yet infinitely come fhort of that glorious Holinefs which agreeth to the Nature of God ; and God is (kill railing it higher and higher in the Saints on Earth. Their Holinefs rifeth and groweth,like Ezekiel's Waters ; but God is always equal in Holinefs, becaufe in Infinitenefs there are no Degrees. 3. God is Originally Holy. God is the Fountain, the ever - flowing, the over -flow- ing Fountain of Holinefs. Ours is but a Stream, a Derivation, a Ray of the Father of Lights: as little Children, we can defile our felves 5 but we fhould NI lie in our Filth, if God did not cleanfe us. The Creature can no more make it felf Holy, than it can make it felf to be. God is the Original, both of Natural and Moral Perfe &ion; Lev. 20. 8. I am the Lord which fangify you. He is fummum Bonum, the chiefeft Good, as well as the firfi Caufe. ,uod vivamus, Deorummunus eft; good bene vivant*, nofiruin : a wicked Speech of Seneca ! It is by the Influence of God that we are Holy. Grace is called, a Participation of the Divine Nature, 2 Pet. t. 4. It is a weak Ray of the Father, of Lights, who is in Chrin the Fountain - Caufe. The Saints, that have communion with God, have fome faint Lufire; which fhould make us careful to ;maintain Holinefs, it is a Work of God. II. Why mull we thus look upon him in Prayer ?. i. It is the way to beget Humility and Godly Fear. Holy Father, there is a word to beget Confidence, and a word to beget Reverence. This mixt Affe &ion, is the fitteft temper of Soul in our Addrefíes to God, Confidence and Reverence ; he is a Father, but an Holy Father. Nothing driveth the Creature to fuch felf- aborrency, as the confederation of God's Holinefs; we have to do with him, who hath an infinite difpleafure againfi Sin and Sinners : the more good any one is, the more he hateth Evil ; fence therefore-God is infinitely good, he doth infinitely hate Sin. The Angels, that have lively and frefh thoughts of God's Holinefs, they are abalbed in his Pre - fence. Ifa. 6. 2, 3. Each one of the Seraphim had fix Wings ; with twain he covered his Face, and with twain he covered his Feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and faid, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hafts. And. the Prophet having a fight of it in Vifion, he crieth out, Verf. s. Wo is me, for I am undone, for l am a Man of unclean Lips. A thorow fight of God's Holinefs, would drive us to our Wits ends. So when God hadtenified his difpleafure for the violation of one Circumnance in Re- ligion, looking into the Ark, fifty thoufand, threefcore and ten Men were fmote; t Sam. 6.20. The Men of Beth- fhemefh faid, Who is able to fl and before this Holy Lord God e Certainly, we that are made up of Imperfe&ions, fhould tremble more than we do, when we have to do with the Holy God. So Peter, when Chrifl had difcovered his Glory in a Miracle; Luke ;. 8. Depart from me, for I am a fistful Man, 0 Lord. God that doth infinitely love his own Holinefs, doth as infinitely hate Sin. Did we confider this
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=