40 SERMONS upon Serm.16. Vie t. Information. It infeirmethus : i. How greatly they fen, that deride Men for their Holinefs, which is the exprefs Image of the glorious God. God is glorious in Hand's ; therefore they that defpife Holinefs, they defpife God himfelf. Holy Brethren fhould no more be a Difgrace than Holy Father : That is your Scorn, which is the Divine Glory, one of the chiefeft Ex- cellencies in the Godhead : You hate God more than you do the Saints; Holinefs in them fhineth with a faint Luftre. 2. How much we fhould prize Holinefs. It is the Glory of God, and the Glory of holy Angels, ( the Devils alto excel in Strength ) and the Glory of the Saints; Epher 5.27. That he might prefent it to bimfblf a glorious Church, not having Spot ér Wrinkle, or any filch thing, but that it fhould be holy, and without BlemiJh This is the Glory of the Church; the Church that are are a diflinft People from all the World, fhould have a diftin&Excellency : Other Societies are made glorious by their Policy, their Pomp, their Trade; the Church is a Society for Holinefs, and therefore it is called, The fairefi among Women, the bell of all Societies, though it hath little of worldly Pomp and Splendor; Pfaim 93. ult. Holinef becometb thy Houfe, O Lord, for ever. Some Ordinances became God's Houle for a time; Ceremonies, and Sprinklings, and the Vail, and the covering of Badgers Skins, &c. butHclinels is a (landing Ordi- nance. So private Chrillians are changed from Glory to Glory : 2 Cor. 3. 18. it is from Grace to Grace; for the Apoffle fpeaketh of our being changed into the Likenels of Chrift. The World counteth Purity and Stri &net a bale thing, Religio ignobilem fact ; but the Word is quit with the World, and calls a wicked Mao a vile Perforo, Pfal. i5+ and the bafef! of Men, Dan. 4. 57. Z1fe 2. It preffeth us to draw nigh to God, as unto an Holy Father. Worfhip mu[l always be proportioned to the Objeft of it. Conformity maketh way for Communi- on ; John 4. 24. God is a Spirit, and they that worflup him, muff worfhip him in Spirit and in Truth. As he is a God of Peace, he will not be worfhipped with wrathful Affe &ions : I Tim. 2. 8. I will that Men pray every where, lifting up holy Hands, without Wrath and Doubting. A living God mull have a lively Service; fo a holy God fhould have a holy Worfhip; this doth make us fit to enjoy God in the m ay of a fweet and gracious Communion. I. We mull be in an holy State. If we be accepted by God, we mute be like him, holy' as he is holy, Partakers of a Divine Nature. The Majefly and Glory of God we are not capable of; God would not have us to imitate his Power and Majefly, but his Holinefs. We enjoy him moll, when we are like him; Heb. I a. 14. Follow Peace with all Men, and Holinefe, without which no Man can fie God ; xW22s í"s, the Mafculine Ar.. tide referreth to cdylac,u,is, tho they have not Peace with Men, whatever Entertain- ment they meet with in the World, they are lure to have the Favour of God, Peace with God. That feeing God referreth to the Enjoyments of the other World; the degrees of Valion are according to the degrees of Solidification 5 1 John 3.2. We fltall be like him, for we /ball fee him as he is; but it holdeth good alto in the prelim World. A dusky Glafs cannot reprefent the Image fo diftin&ly, we cannot have fuch a fight of God, we cannot exile& any Communion and Intimacy with him, till we be holy. It is Laid, Pfalm 5. 4. Thou art not a God that haft pleafure in Wickednefs, neither /hall Evil dwell with thee. The Idols of the Heathen are ftained with filthy Pra &ices, God is not filch an one : Likenefs is the ground of Delight; God loveth himfelf for his own Ho- liners, and they are belt loved.and liked, that are molt holy: for others God pro - feffeth he will have no Intimacy with them ; he will have nothing to do with Sinners, nor be of their Fellowfhip and Communion ; and they (hall have nothing to do with him ; Psalm 5o. 16. What haft thou to do to declare my Statutes ? or that thou fhouldfl take my Covenant in thy Mouth. Nay, God will not afford Sinners one good Look; Habbak, I. 13. Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity, and canft not look upon Evil. As the Prophet, to profels his Deteflation of that prophane Prince, Paid, 2 Kings 3. 14. Were it not that I regard the Prefence of Jehofaphat the King of Judah, I would not look towards thee, nor fee thee. God would not look towards a Congregation, were it not for his People in ir. But what (hall we do ? and who can fay, My Heart it clean ? and who is able to ffand before this holy God ? I anfwcr, God hath provided a Remedy in the Gofpel; in the Gofpel -fence he only is pure, who is purged and wa(hed from the Guilt of his Sins in the
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