HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 415
Jesus Christ? &c. Then, without all peradventure, thy name is written in heaven, and thou art the person that hast the greatest cause in the world to joy and rejoice. ^
Again, the holy Christian is the best Christian in the world, nay, he is such a one ' of whom this world is not worthy,' and therefore God cannot but take singular pleasure and delight in him. Many there are which are accounted deep scholars, great linguists, profound philosophers, good grammarians, excellent mathematicians, sharp logicians, cunning politicians, fine rhetoricians, sweet musicians, &c., but the truth is, he is the best grammarian that hath learned to speak the truth from his heart, and he is the best astronomer that hath his conversation in heaven, and he is the best musician that hath learnt practically to sing out the praises of God, and he is the best arithmetician that knows how to number his days, and he is the best read in ethics that every day grows holier and holier, and he is the best skilled in economics that trains up his family in the fear of the Lord, and he is the best politician that is as good at taking good counsel as he is at giving good counsel, and he is the best linguist that speaks the language of Canaan ; and therefore God cannot but take the greatest content and satisfaction in such.
Again, the holy Christian is the only man for whom God hath wrought the greatest miracles. He can tell you that he was blind, but now God hath given him eyes to see sin to be the greatest evil, and Christ to be the choicest good. He can tell you that once he was 60 deaf, that though God called very often and very loud upon him, by his word and by his works, by his rods at home and by his judg- ments abroad, and by his Spirit and conscience that were still a-preaching in his bosom, sometimes life, sometimes death, sometimes heaven, and sometimes hell, yet he could not hear ; but now God hath given him a hearing ear, so that now he can with delight hear the sweet music of the promises on the one hand ; and with a holy trembling listen to the voice of divine threatenings on the other hand. He can tell you that once he was so dumb, that if he might have had the whole world he could not have spoke a good word for God, nor for his ways, nor for his people, nor for his ordinances, nor for any of his concernments in the world. 2 Oh ! but now his tongue is as the pen of a ready writer, Ps. xlv. 1, and he is never better than when he is a-speaking either of God, or for God and his concernments. Now he can contend for the faith, and speak for saints, and plead for ordinances, and though in some cases he may want power to act for God, yet he never wants a tongue to speak for God. The spouse's lips drop honeycombs, in that Cant. iv. 11; 'And the tongue of the just is as choice silver,' in that Prov. x. 20 ; yea, his tongue is a tree of life, whose leaves are medicinable, in that Prov. xii. 18. He can tell you that once he was so lame, that he was not able to move one foot heavenwards or Christ- wards, or holiness- wards, &c. ; but now his feet delights, not only to go, but to run in all the ways of God's commands, Ps. cxix. 32. Yea,
^ Phil. iv. 3 ; Heb. xi. 38. Seneca, though a heathen, saw bo much excellency that morality put upon a man, that he cries out. Ipse aspectus boni viri delectat, The very looks of a good man delights one. Sapiens Dei comes est, saith Philo.
* The very heathen could say, Qtiando sapiens loquitur, aulea animi aperit, When a vise man speaketh, he openeth the rich treasure and wardrobe of his mind.
416 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XIT. 14.
he can tell you that once he was dead, as to all his Boul-concernments, but now he is alive, and the life that he leads in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God, that hath loved him and given himself for him, Gal. ii. 20. It was by a miracle that the river Jordan was driven back, and it is no less a miracle to see a sinner that was accustomed to do evil, habituated now to do good. That the tide of sin, which before did run so strong, should be so easily turned, that the sinner which a little before was sailing hellward, and wanted neither wind nor tide to carry him thither, should now on a sudden alter his course, and tack about for heaven — what a miracle is this ! To see the earthly man become heavenly, a carnal man become spiritual, a loose man become precise, a proud man become humble, a covetous man become liberal, and a fro ward man become meek, &c., is to behold no less than miracles. To see a sinner move cross and contrary to him- self in the ways of Christ and holiness, should be as wonderful in our eyes, as to see the sun go backward, or the earth to fly upward, or the dead to raise themselves, or the bowl to run contrary to its own bias. Now how can God but take infinite delight and pleasure in his holy ones, considering the many miracles that he hath wrought both in them and for them ?