12. Twelfthly, Consider this, that holiness will put the greatest splen- dour and majesty upon persons that can possibly be put upon them, Job xxix. 8-11 ; Pro v. xii. 26. There is nothing that imprints such a reverence and majesty upon man as holiness doth. There is nothing that is such a grace to man as grace. It is holiness that puts the greatest excellency and majesty upon man : Ps. xvi. 3, ' But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.' Saints are the most excellent ones. The Hebrew word (veadire from adar) that is here rendered excellent, signifies (magni- Jicis) the magnificent ones, or the noble, glorious, or wonderful ones. 2 Saints or holy persons are the most excellent, magnificent, noble, and~ glorious ones ; and in Dan. viii. 24 the holy people are called mighty, because there are no people upon the earth that have might and majesty stamped upon them as they have : Cant. vi. 10, ' Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners ?' 3 The light, grace, glory, and
1 Holcot. [Qu. 'Murcot'?— G.] ^ Arias Montanus, Junius, &c.
2 Some by the moon understand inherent righteousness, and by the sun they under- stand imputed righteousness.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. l83
holiness of the church rises by degrees : and this makes her terrible to all her enemies. Every degree of holiness is terrible to the unholy; but the higher the church rises in holiness, the more terrible and majestical it grows. Holiness puts such a splendour and graceful majesty upon all persons that have it, as even dazzles the eyes some- times of wicked men, and begets in them an awe and reverence ; as it is evident in Saul : 1 Sam. xxiv. 17, ' And Saul said to David, Thou art more righteous than I : for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.' So Herod : in Mark vi. 20, it is said that he ' feared John, knowing that he was a just man and holy, and observed him.' Holiness is very majestical. The greatest monarchs fall down before it. Herod reverences John, not for his birth or breeding, but for his holiness : not for his arts or parts, but for his holiness : not for his scholarship or greatness, but for his holiness. So that great monarch king Joash fell down before the holiness of Jehoiada whilst he lived, 2 Kings xi. 1, 2, &c. And so did the holiness of the three children command respect and honour from that great monarch Nebuchadnezzar. And so did the holiness of Daniel cause king Darius to reverence him, and to cast a favourable aspect upon him, Dan. iii. And so did the holiness that was written upon Judas the high priest cause Alexander the emperor to reverence him, and to fall down before him.i In hoUness there is such a sparkling lustre, that none can behold it but must admire it, and bow before the graceful majesty of it. It is not greatness but grace, it is not riches but righteousness, it is not outward pomp or splendour, but hoHness, that can overawe the vain spirits of men. A holy life is the upbraid- ing of that which is corrupt : Wisdom ii. 15, 12, ' He is grievous unto us, even to behold him ; for his life is not like other men's, his ways are of another fashion, he upbraideth us with our offending the law.' Grace wiU make a man majestical among those that have no grace. Bradford was had in so great reverence and admiration for his holi- ness, that a multitude that never knew him but by fame, greatly lamented his death, yea, and a number of Papists also wished heartily his life. 2 Holy men have a daunting presence and majesty with them, as Athanasius had, and Basil had ; for when Valens the emperor came to surprise him, he being in holy exercises, such a splendour and majesty was upon him, that it struck such a terror into the emperor that he reeled, and had fallen backward, had he not been upheld by those that were with him.s Henry the Second, king of France, being present at the martyrdom of a certain tailor, who was burnt by him for his religion, and so terrified by the boldness of his countenance, and by his holy and gracious behaviour in his sufferings, that he swore at his going away that he would never be present at such a sight more.* It is very observable, that the moral virtues of the heathen did put a great deal of splendour and majesty upon them : to instance only in Cato ; Cato was a man of much justice and integ- rity ; he was a man of an unspotted conversation and of high reputa- tion among the Komans.^ Now his morahty put such a splendour
1 Quintus Curtiua evi nomine.— Q. * [Foie] Acts and Mon., page 1458.
» Greg. Orat. de laude Basilii. * Epiet. Hiflt. Gall., 82.
* Valer. Max., lib. ii. cap. 5.
184 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
and majesty upon him, that when he was present the very worst of the worst durst not in speech or gesture discover any impiety or immodesty, any wantonness or wickedness. Now certainly if morality puts such a splendour and majesty upon men, true sanctity will put much more upon them. And therefore, sirs, as ever you would have a splendour and majesty upon you, labour to be holy. Maximilian the emperor had such a presence and majesty with Mm, that a stranger that never saw him before, pointed him out among thirty great per- sons. 0 sirs, it is not the gray beard, nor the purple robe, nor the grim look, that makes a man so much a man of presence and majesty, as holiness doth ; and therefore as you would indeed be men of pres- ence, men of majesty, labour to be holy. But,