0 sirs ! it is an argument of a very great measure of holiness, when troubles and difficulties vanish upon the sight of a promise, when all things work quite cross and contrary to sense and feeling. Now for a man to embrace a promise, to hug a promise, to kiss a promise, and to draw content and satisfaction from a promise, argues a great degree of holiness. It is a very hard and difficult thing for a man exactly to take the picture of divine providence at any time ; for many are the voices and the faces of providence, and there are as great deeps in pro- vidences as there are in prophecies; and many texts of providence are as hard, as dark, and as difficult to be understood, as many texts of Scripture are. It is as hard to reconcile the works of God, as it is to reconcile the word of God, Ps. xxxvi. 6 ; Rom. xi. 33 ; for as in the word of God there are many seeming contradictions, so in the works of God there are many seeming contradictions ; for here one providence smiles, and there another frowns ; here providence lifts up, and there providence casts down ; here providence strokes, and there providence strikes ; here providence leads towards Canaan, there providence leads towards a wilderness ; here providence leads towards Zion, and there providence leads towards Babylon; here providence speaks us very fair, and there providence doth severely threaten ; here providence is bright and lovely, and there providence is dark and dreadful. i Now under all such providences, for a man to run to a promise, and to draw out life, and strength, and sweetness from a promise, is a clear evidence of a very high pitch of holiness that such a person hath at- tained to. I have read of an emperor that put on a new suit every day. 0, sirs ! when the great God shall every day apparel himself in strange changeable providences, now for a man to hang upon the breasts of a promise, and to suck milk out of a promise, argues a very great increase of holiness. But,
[2.] Secondly, The more a man can overcome evil with good upon holy and gracious accounts, as upon the account of God's command, God's honour, the credit of the gospel, and the conviction, conversion, and salvation of souls, the greater measure of holiness such a person hath attained to. To return reproach for reproach, reviling for revil-
* I have read that Marica, a Roman princess, being great with child, had the babe in hep killed with lightning, when she herself escaped.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 401
ing, and cursing for cursing, and scorning for scorning, and defaming for defaming, is exceeding natural to us ; but to love them that hate us, to bless them that curse us, to do good to them that abhor us, and to pray for them that persecute us, and that despitefully use us, according to Christ's express command in that Mat. v. 44, are things exceeding contrary to nature, and exceedingly above nature.! The power of grace and holiness appears in nothing more than in bringing the heart to a sweet and ready subjection to such commands as are most cross, and contrary to flesh and blood. As those are in that Kom. xii. 17, 19,20, 21, ' Recompense no man evil for evil. Dearly beloved, avenge not your- selves, but rather give place unto wrath : for it is written, Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him : if he thirst, give him drink : be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.' And so that in 1 Thes. v. 15, ' See that none render evil for evil unto any man ; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.' To return good for evil, and kindnesses for injuries, to behave ourselves courteously, humbly, meekly, tenderly, and sweetly towards those who behave themselves discourteously, proudly, passionately, harshly, and sourly towards us, argues a very great degree of holiness. David was a man eminent in holiness, and he was good at this good work, as you may see in that 2 Sam. i. 24, ' Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.' He doth not envy against Saul, nor insult or rejoice over Saul, as many carnal and unsanctified hearts would have done, nor he doth not provoke or stir up the daughters of Israel to rejoice in the death and destruction of such a tyrant, that had hunted him up and down as a partridge, and that had often designed his ruin, and that had always returned him evil for good, and that had bathed his sword in the blood of Abimelech the high-priest, and in the blood of fourscore more of the priests of the Lord, and that had forsaken the Lord, and gone to a witch, yea, to the devil, for help in his need. Oh no ! he conceals what was bad, and remembers what was good ; he passes over those things that were condemnable, and he instances only in those things that might make his memory most ac- ceptable, commendable, and delightful among the weaker sex, viz., his making of bravery and gallantry fashionable amongst them. And so Joseph was a man eminent in holiness, and he was good at this hard work ; as you may see in that Gen. 1. 16-23. And Moses was a man of great holiness, and he was good at this difficult work ; as you may see in that Ps. cvi. 16, 23, 33, compared together. And Stephen was a man full of the Holy Ghost, and he was good at praying for them that made a prey of him, Acts vii. 60. And Paul was a man of the same mind and mettle, as you may see by comparing the 2 Cor. xi. 24, with the Rom. ix. 1-3. And Eusebius affirms that when Paul was beheaded, under Diocletian the emperor, he prayed both for Jews and Gentiles, for the multitude assembled, and also for the judge and exe- cutioner, that his death might not one day be laid unlo their charge. Cal- vin was a man of great holiness, and therefore though Luther (who was
^ Austin saith that Christ made a pulpit of the cross, and the great lesson he taught Christians was to love their enemies.
402 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.