it was much that an Esau should say he had much ; but says holy Jacob, ver. 11, {Li col,) 'I have all.' Esau had much, but Jacob had all, because he had the God of all : he had him that was all in all. It hath been said of the great Duke of Guise, that though he was poor as to his present possessions, yet he was the richest man in France in bills, bonds, and obligations, because he had engaged all the noblemen in France to himself, by preferring of them. A holy man is the richest man in the world in promises and obligations, for he hath the great and glorious God engaged by many thousand pro- mises to own him, to bless him, to stand by him, to give grace and glory to him, and to withhold nothing from him that may be good for him, Ps. Ixxxiv. 10, 11. When wicked men brag of their lordships and manors, and boast of their great possessions, and glory in their thousands a year, a holy man may make his boast of God, and say, God is mine, God is mine ; he is my great all ; he is my all in all ; and therefore I am richer and a greater possessor than any wicked man in the world, yea, than all wicked men in the world put together. But, [2.] Secondly, By holiness you will gain a good report, a good name: Heb. xi. 39, ' And these all having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.' Nothing raises a man's name and fame in the world like holiness. The seven deacons that the church chose were holy men, Acts vi. 5 ; and they were men of good report, ver. 3 ; they were men well witnessed unto, well testified of, as the Greek word imports. 1 Cornelius was a holy man. Acts x. 1-4 ; and he was a man of good report among all the nation of the Jews, ver. 22. Ananias was a holy man. Acts ix. 10, 20 ; and he was a man of a good report. Acts xxii. 12, Gains and Demetrius were both holy men, and they were men of good report ; witness that third epistle of John. The patriarchs and prophets were holy men, and they were men of a good report: Heb, xi. 1, 2, ' For by it the elders obtained a good report;' their hoHness did eternalize them. The apostles were holy men, 1 Thes. ii. 10 ; and they were men of a good report, 2 Cor. vi. 8. Now certainly it is none of the least of mercies to be well reputed and reported of. Next to a good conscience, a good report is the noblest blessing. Good fare doth not more rejoice and strengthen the out- ward man, the ignoble part of man, than a good report doth rejoice and strengthen the inward man, the noble part of man : Prov. xv. 30, ' A good report makes the bones fat.' Yea, and I may add, it makes the heart fat too. It is no small pleasure to a man to know that others are pleased with him. Beautiful objects do not more delight the eyes than a good report delights the ears. 0 sirs, as ever you would obtain a good report, you must labour after holiness. You may obtain a great report without holiness, but you can never obtain a good report without holiness. There is no such way to perpetuate your names as to labour after holiness. Holiness will embalm ^ your names, it will make them immortal : Ps. cxii. 6, * The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance ;' Prov. x. 7, ' The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.' Wicked
^ A good renown is better than a golden girdle, saith the French proverb. ' Spelled •inbalm.'—G.
176 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITy, [HeB. XII. 14.
men many times outlive their names, but the names of just men out- live them. When a holy man dies, he leaves his name as a sweet and as a lasting scent behind him ; his fame shall live when he is dead.i According to the Hebrew, the words may be read thus, ' The memory of the just shall be for a blessing.' The very remembering of the just shall bring a blessing upon them that remember them. Whilst the just, the holy man lived, he was a blessing to those amongst whom he lived, and when he is dead, his memory is a blessing to pos- terity. But the name of the wicked shall rot. Whilst a wicked man lives, he lays his name under disdain and disgrace, and when he dies, he leaves it under an odious stink. Wickedness corrupts not only the heart, but the name. And look, as wickedness makes a man's soul stink in thQ nostrils of God, so wickedness makes a man's name stink in the nostrils of men. Look, as a wicked man's body, when he is dead, stinks under ground, so his name stinks above ground. His' very name casts forth so stinking a savour, that all the perfumes in the world, and all the spicery of hell, can never sweeten it. Well, once more remember that these words, ' the name of the wicked shall rot,' are a metaphorical speech taken from a tree, which, though for a time it grows green and flourishes, yet at length it grows rotten ; so though wicked men may flourish and be green and glorious for a time, yet at last they shall rot, their names shall rot on earth, their bodies shall rot in the grave, and their souls shall rot in hell ; but the memory of the just shall be blessed. Next to a holy man'^ soul, there is nothing so near and dear to him as his name ; and this God will so perfume as that the fragrancy of it shall last for ever. The name of a holy man shall be always as an ointment poured forth ; but the name of a wicked man shall be always as a stinking jakes. 0 sirs, what a deal of stir do many men make to get a name, to get a name to be wise, a name to be knowing, a name to be learned, a name to be skilful, a name to be rich, a name to be great, a name to be mighty, and a name to be valiant, &c., as Nimrod, Cain, Absalom, Alexander, Pompey, Adrian, &c. And why then should you not labour after holiness, that so you may get a good name, which is rather to be chosen than riches, Prov. xxii. 1, and which is better than precious ointment ? Eccles. vii. 1. 0 sirs, shall many Romans and others run the hazard of damning their souls to immortalise then- names, and will not you labour after holiness to eternalize yours ? There is no way to a good name, to a good report, but by getting of holiness.
[3] Thirdly, By holiness you will gain a hiding-place, a shelter, a refuge in stormy and tempestuous times : Prov. xi. 6, ' The righteous- ness of the upright shall deliver them : but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.' Let a holy man's enemies, dangers, snares, hazards, be never so many, yet his righteousness shall shelter him against all, Isa. iii. 10, and xxvi. 20, 21. In the midst of trouble, holiness will keep a man from trouble ; and in the midst of dangers, holiness will keep a man from dangers, Isa. xliii. 2-4 ; John xiv. 1. Holiness is the most sovereign antidote in the world
Holy Abel hath been dead above this five thousand years, and yet his name is as fresh and fragrant as a rose to this very day, Heb. xi. 4.
Heb. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 177