440 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [Heb. XII. 14.
gospel to he despised, profession to be abhorred, the saints to be re- viled, and young comers-on to be discouraaed, and the ungodly in their wickedness to be hardened and confirmed; oh, this is a time tvherein God calls aloud upon his people to be holy I Oh, now God expects an ex- traordinary measure of holiness in his people 1 Oh, now he looks that his people should rather walk like angels, than live like saints, that BO they may in some measure repair and make up the sad breaches that have been made upon his honour, and the credit of religion, and that they may live profession into honour and esteem ones more in the world. Such blessed effects as these, the horrid sin of the incestuous person did occasionally! work in the hearts and lives of the Cor- inthians, as you may see by comparing the scriptures in the margin together. ^ O sirs 1 in these days are there not many that have made a very high profession, that have shined as the stars in the firma- ment, who are now fallen from their profession, from their principles, and from all things that are good! How many now do build the things that they have destroyed ? What betraying of Christ, what betraying of truth, and what betraying of saints is there this day among many that have pretended very high to religion ! How many now approve of those things that before they would never own, and that justify those things now that they have formerly condemned, and that comply with those things now that formerly they have abhorred, yea, that contend for those things now for which they have formerly suf- fered ; and, therefore, certainly these are the very times wherein God calls aloud upon his people to be holy, yea, to be eminently holy, &c. But, [5.] Fifthly, In all our approaches, addresses, and drawings near to God, God calls aloud for holiness: Lev. x. 3, ' Then Moses said to Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh unto me, and before all the people I will be glorified ; and Aaron held his peace.' There is nothing more evident than this throughout the Old Testament, that the people of God were always to sanctify themselves when they were to draw nigh to God, John iv. 23, 24. God is a holy God, and there is no drawing nigh to him without holiness; the worship that God stands most upon, and that is most pleasing and delightful to him, is spiritual worship, and none can offer this but a holy people. Such as draw nigh to God without holiness may, if they were not deaf, hear God saying to them, ' What have you to do to take my name into your mouths, seeing you hate to be reformed ? and who required these things at your hands ? Ps. 1. 16, 17 ; Isa. i. 12. The Persians every morning worship the rising sun, and the Turks their Mahomet, and the Papists their images, and some of the Indians worship the first thing that they meet with in the morning, and others of them worship a red rag, and others of them worship the devil.3 The Romans used to worship Jupiter, a hurtful god amongst them, not because they loved him, but because they would not be hurt or harmed by him. And Praxi- teles the painter made the. silly people worship the image of his strumpet, under the title and pretence of Venus. And verily all the
1 = As an occasion. — G. ' 1 Cor. v. 1-3 ; 2 Cor. ii. 4-8, and vii. 11.
» The Renians [sic, but qu. Eomans.— G.J taught that a man might be saved in any religion. Isa. xxix. 13^14; Mat. zv. 8, 9.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 441
worship that thou offerest to God is little better, if thou drawest nigh to him with thy body, without holiness in thy soul. 0 sirs, remember that in all your public duties God calls aloud for holiness, and in all your family duties God calls aloud for holiness, and in all your closet duties God calls aloud for holiness. Times of drawing near to God should be always times of much holiness. You may come to a duty, but you will never come to God in a duty, without holiness. You may come to an ordinance, but you will never come to God in an ordinance, without holiness ; and therefore, in all your drawings nigh to God, remember that God calls for holiness in a special manner then. But, [6.] Sixthly, When God eminently appears in the execution of his judgments upon ivicked and ungodly men, oh, that is a time that God calls aloud for holiness. When he is a-raining hell out of heaven upon unholy persons, God now looks that his people should be holy, yea, eminently holy. So in that Exod. xix. 4, 5, 'Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,' you have been eyewitnesses of my dealings with them in Egypt, you have seen how I have fol- lowed them with plague upon plague, because they did so sorely oppress you, and would not let you go to worship me and serve me according to my own prescriptions, Exod. xxiv. And when they were judgment-proof, you saw me drown them in the Red Sea before your eyes ; and upon this very ground he urges them to obey his voice, and to keep his covenant, ver. 5. And so in that Rev. xv. 1-4, ' And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues ; from them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with tire ; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, 0 Lord, and glorify thy name ? for thou only art holy ; for all nations shall come and worship before thee ; for thy judgments are made manifest.' In this and the following chapters the utter overthrow of Antichrist is described. In this chapter you have a new vision of the gospel's restoring, and of Antichrist's ruin. By the sea of glass mingled with fire, we are to understand the fiery trials, and dreadful persecutions by fire and faggot, that Antichrist will inflict upon sincere and faithful Christians. The allusion is to the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's persecuting of Israel ; but the addition of fire is plainly to distinguish the Pope's persecution from Pharaoh's ; for though Pharaoh did sorely oppress the people of God both in their liberties and consciences, and though he had plotted and contrived a way to destroy their male children, yet he was never 60 cruel, he was never so bloody, as to burn the people of God with fire and faggot, as Antichrist hath done in all ages. But now mark, when the vials of the wrath of God comes to be poured out upon Antichrist, yea, upon whatever smells of Antichrist, or looks Hke Antichrist, why then the people of God will in a very eminent way lift up God as the great object of their fear, and then the gene- rality of the nations shall be so deeply afiected with the dreadful,