And Salvian also complains that the loose walking of many Christians was made by the heathen the reproach of Christ himself, saying, If Christ had taught holy doctrine, surely his followers had led better lives. And further, the same author relates how the heathens did reproach some Christians, who by their lewd lives made the gospel of Christ to be a reproach: Where, said they, is that good law which they do believe ? Where are those rules of godliness which they do learn ? They read the holy Gospel, and yet are unclean ; they hear the apostles' writings, and yet are drunk; they follow Christ, and yet disobey Christ ; they profess a holy law, and yet do lead impure lives. 1 Now I say, look, as the hoHness of many professors 2 is a dishonour to God, a reproach to Christ, a scandal to religion, a blot to profession, and a grief to many whom God would not have grieved, Ezek. xiii. 22 ; so the power of holiness, the practice of holiness, is very influential upon the worst of men, to win and work them to the Lord, and to a love and liking of his ways. The holy lives of the saints made the very heathens to say. Surely this is a good God, whose servants are so good. Ambrose his holiness did very much draw out the heart of Theodosius, the emperor, to him ; and the holiness of Paphnutius did very much draw out the heart of Constantino the Great to him. There is nothing that gives a man that heart-room and that hearty room in the souls of others, as holiness. It is the holy man that is a man of a thousand. 3 But,
5. Fifthly, Consider that real holiness is the excellency of all a mans excellencies. As holiness is the glory of God, a part of the divine nature, a spark of heaven, a ray of glory, so it is the excellency of all a man's excellencies : it is the excellency of all our natural excellencies, it is the excellency of all our moral excellencies, and it is the excel- lency of aU our intellectual excellencies. Look, as ^ God's holiness is the excellency of all his excellencies, as the angels, who best know what is the top of his excellency, do evidence by that threefold repetition, * Holy, holy, holy,' Isa. vi. 3 ; these multiplied acclamations of holi- ness denote the superlative eminency, excellency, and perfection of God's holiness.^ Both among the Hebrews and among the Grecians the holiness of God is the excellency of his omnisciency, omnipotency, and omnipresence. It is the excellency of his eternity, immutability, and fidelity ; it is the excellency of his wisdom, love, care, and good- ness : Ps. cxi. 9, ' Holy and reverend is his name.' God's name comes to be reverend by holiness. If his name were not holy, it would never be reverend ; and why is God called so often ' the holy one,' but to shew us that holiness is the very top of all his glory and excellency.^ God could not be glorious in anything if he were not glorious in holi- ness. That which speaks his power to be glorious power, is his holi- ness ; and that which speaks his wisdom to be glorious wisdom, is his holiness ; and that which speaks his mercy to be glorious mercy, is his holiness, &c. Were not the power of God a holy power, it could never
1 Salvianus de G. D., 1. 4. ^ Because of the low kind of ' holinesB ' manifested.— O, 3 2 Thes. i. 3-6, read it.
* The ' as ' here is to be connected with the * so ' on next page, line 3d from top. — G. ^ Rev. iv. 8. Some Greek copies have the word, "A710S, holy, nine times over, &c. 6 Exod. XV. 11. That which God accounts his highest honour is his holiaess.
164 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
be a glorious power ; were not the wisdom of God a holy wisdom, it could never be glorious wisdom ; and were not the mercy of God holy mercy, it could never be glorious mercy, &c. So the holiness of a man is the glory and excellency of all a man's excellencies ; it is the per- fection of all a man s perfections. In paradise, man's perfect holiness was his perfect blessedness ; and in heaven, man's perfect hohness will be his perfect happiness, Heb. xii. 23. Holiness adds an excellency to all a man's excellencies. That which adds an excellency to a man's wisdom is holiness. When a man's wisdom is a holy wisdom, then it is excellent wisdom. So holy courage is excellent courage, and holy zeal is excellent zeal, and holy' knowledge is excellent knowledge, and holy faith is excellent faith, and holy love is excellent love, and holy fear is excellent fear. It is the adding of holiness to all these that renders these virtues truly excellent ; it is holiness that is the top of all these royalties. Look, as all ciphers signify nothing except you add a figure to them ; so all the excellencies that be in men, whether they are natural, moral, or acquired, they signify nothing except you add holiness to them. Birth and breeding, wit and wealth, honour and learning, are but the shadows and shapes of nobleness and true excellency ; it is holiness that is the soul and substance of all ; and without holiness all other things are of no worth, all other excellencies have no excellency at all in them.i Naaman was general of the king's army ; he was a man in great favour with his prince, a man much honoured among the people for being a saviour and deliverer to them. He was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper, 2 Kings V. 1. This ' hut he was a leper ' was a cloud upon all his glory ; it was a veil upon all his honour, greatness, and nobleness. So to say, there is a wise man, but unholy ; and there is a great man, but unholy ; and there is an ingenuous man, but unholy ; and there is a noble man, but unholy ; and there is a valiant man, but unholy ; and there is a good-natured man, but unholy ; and there is a learned man, but un- holy, &c., — ^what is this * hut unholy,' but a cloud of darkness upon all the excellencies that are in these persons ? But let now holiness be but added to each of these, and then they will shine as so many suns. Holiness is a garment that sets off arts, and parts, and all other excellencies that be in man ; let but this garment be wanting, and the nakedness of all things will quickly appear. And this made Jerome to say that he had rather have St Paul's coat with his heavenly graces, than the purple of kings with their kingdoms. Look, as a precious jewel set in gold makes that much more conspicuous and glorious which was glorious before; so holiness adds beauty, splendour, and glory to a man's parts, birth, honour, and estate, &c. But,
6. Sixthly, Consider that holiness is not only an honour and an ornament to the person that hath it, hut it is also an honour and an ornament hath to the persons and places to loJwm he stands related.^ The holiness of the father is an honour and ornament to the child ; 80 was Abraham's to Isaac : and the holiness of the child is an honour