(12.) Twelfthly, To provoke you to labour after higher degrees of holiness, consider that the more holiness any man attains to, the more serviceable and useful lie will he in his generation. David was a man eminent in holiness, and as eminently serviceable in his generation : Acts xiii. 36, ' For David after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.' Men that have but a little stock of holiness, will be but a little serviceable in their generation, but men that have a great stock of holiness, will be greatly serviceable in their generation. Men that have but little farms, and little stocks, are but a little serviceable to their country, but men that have great farms, and large stocks, and rich revenues, are greatly serviceable to their country. What a world of good sometimes does one rich man do in a town, a city, a country ! So one saint that is rich in grace and holiness, oh, what a world of good does he do to all that are round about him ! Merchants that have great stocks, trade to the East and West Indies, and so enrich their country, whenas those that have but weak estates can only barter with their neighbours at home, and so are instruments but of little public good. A candle enlightens the room, but the sun enlightens the whole world. The more holiness any man has, the more meet for public use that man will be, 2 Tim. ii. 21. As there was none so holy as Christ, so there was none of so public a spirit as Christ ; he went up and down doing good. Acts x. 38 ; he laid out himself, and he laid down himself for public good ; he healed others, but was hurt himself; he filled others, but was hungry himself A man that is eminent in holiness, will be of his mind, who was rather willing to beautify Italy than his own house. Moses was a man of great holi- ness, and of famous use in his generation. Num. xiv. 11-14, 19, 20. Ah, how often did he turn away the fierce anger and indignation of God from sinful Israel ! Deut. ix. 14 ; and oh the famous deliverances and glorious salvations that God brought about by his hand! Ps. cvi. 23. Nehemiah was a very holy man, and he laid out himself and his great estate for public service, Neh. v. 14, seq. Mordecai was a very pious man, and a man famously serviceable in his generation, Esth. iv. Esth. X. 3, ' For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, eeeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.'
Heb. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OP HOLINESS. 363
King Jehoshaphat and Joshua, were men of eminent holiness, and of singular use and service in their generation. Men that have no holiness, and others that have but a little holiness, will be still a-carrying on a private interest of honour, or profit, or friends, or relations, and this we have seen evident amongst us in these latter days ; and therefore, as ever you would be eminently serviceable in your generation, labour after an eminency in holiness. But,
(13.) Thirteenthly, To provoke you to labour after higher degrees of holiness, consider that the greatest degrees of holiness are usually attended with the highest degrees of honour. Grace is called glory, and the greatest measures of grace are commonly crowned with the greatest degrees of glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18. Abraham was a man eminent in grace and holiness, and he was highly in honour among the people : Gen. xxiii. 6, ' Hear us, my lord : thou art a mighty prince amongst us;' or as the Hebrew has it, thou art a prince of God amongst us, that is, thou art a notable prince, thou art an excellent prince, for so the Hebrews speak of all things that are notable and excellent, Eph. v. 27. Job was a man that had attained to a very high degree of holiness, Job i. 1, 2; and he was highly honoured among the people: Job xxix. 25, ' I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army.' In all weighty matters Job was the only man, he was chosen by all, and advanced by all above all, in all assemblies and places of judicature, &c. Whoever was of the committee, yet Job was still chairman ; whoever was of the council, yet Job was still president ; and whoever was of the court, yet Job was still king, yea, he dwelt as a king in the army. Job was guarded as a king in the army, and honoured as a king in the army, and beloved and admired as a king in the army, and obeyed and served as a king in the army, and feared and reverenced as a king in the army. I might give you further instances of this in Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Mordecai, the three children, and Daniel, but I shall forbear. Faith is but a piece, a part, a branch of holiness ; and yet, oh, what an honourable mention doth Paul make of the Komans' faith, in that Kom. i. 8, ' First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the world.' i The Romans had attained to an eminency in faith, and the report thereof sounded throughout the Roman empire, yea, throughout the world, for there being a great resort to Rome from all parts of the world, and by every one's discoursing and admiring of the Romans' faith, their faith came to be spread abroad among all the churches all the world over. Look, as Christ's fulness of grace was his highest glory in this world ; so a Christian's fulness of holiness is his highest honour in this world, Ps. xlv. 1, 2. 0 sirs, there is no such way to be high in honour and renown, both in the consciences of sinners and saints, as to be high in holiness. Jewel was a man eminent in holiness, and his holiness set him high in the very judgments and consciences of the Papists. The dean of the college, though a Papist, yet speaks thus of him : In thy faith I hold thee a heretic, but surely in thy life thou art an angel ; thou art very good and honest, but a Lutheran. Among the very heathens, those were most highly honoured that were most excellent and eminent in moral virtues. Aristides was
^ This is a figurative eipreesion, according to the style and manner of speaking then.
364 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XIL 14.