On the Holiness of God.

DISCOURSE X.

HABAK. i. 13.

Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold Evil, and canft not look on Iniquity.

T

HE heinous Nature and Demerit of Sin, and the righteous Displeasure of God against it, is a Subject that well deferves our moft ferious Thoughts. If a Senfe of this were deeply impreffed upon our Hearts, it would be an effectual Prefervative against the Force of Temptation, and would have a great Influence to make us cautious and circumfpect in our whole Behaviour. We fhould not then fuffer our

felves to be eafily drawn afide by the Charms and Allurements of Sin, or to be imposed upon by its fpecious Appearances. It is not easy to find Words more strong and expreffive to this Purpofe, than those of the Prophet Habakkuk, when addreffing himself folemnly to God, he faith, Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold Evil, and canft not look on Iniquity. These are Expreffions of the utmost Deteftation and Abhorrence. For we are apt to turn our Eyes from Objects that are very hateful and loathfome to us, and can scarce bear to look upon them. The Subject therefore which thefe Words offer to our Confideration, and which I fhall infift upon in the following Difcourfe, is plainly this: That Sin is the Object of God's righteous Deteftation and Abhorrence; it is very hateful and abominable in his Sight.

Before I proceed to demonftrate this, I shall offer fomething in general concerning the Nature of Sin. The Apostle John gives a brief, but just Description of it, I John iii. 4. Whosoever committeth Sin, tranfgrefleth alfo the Law: for Sin is the Tranfgreffion of the Law. As God is the great Author and abfolute Lord, fo he is the moft wife Governor of the World; and accordingly hath given Laws to his reasonable Creatures for the Rule of their

Duty;

Duty; which Laws they are under the highest Obligations of Juftice, Gratitude, and Intereft, to obey, Thefe Laws, which are perfectly agreeable to the Reasons and Relations of Things, may be said to be in fome measure written in the Hearts and Confciences of Men, in as much as he hath implanted a moral Sense of Good and Evil, which carries them in the inward deliberate Judgment of their Minds to approve the one, and to condemn the other. But befides this, as Mankind are now in a very corrupt and degenerate State, and the moral Senfe very much impaired and defaced by vicious Prejudices, and over-ruled by depraved Appetites and Paffions, he hath been graciously pleased to cause his Laws to be clearly and exprefsly set before us in his holy Word, as contained in the Scriptures. Now therefore, when the reasonable Creature tranfgreffeth any of the Laws of God, either by omitting to do what the divine Law requireth, or by committing what that Law forbiddeth, that Creature may be faid to fin against God: And Sin confidered in this View, as it is an Inftance of Difconformity to the Law of God, is of inconceivable Malignity, and Demerit. It is a breaking through the eternal Rules of Juftice and Order, founded in the very

Nature

1

Nature and Fitnefs of Things. It is virtually an Attempt of the Creature to fhake off its Dependency on the great Creator; it is an implicit Rejection of the rightful Authority of the great Lord of the Univerfe, and a Revolting from him, the chiefeft Good. It is a virtual Impeachment of all God's illuftrious moral Perfections, and cafts the most unworthy Reflections on his Wisdom and Goodness, his Righteousness and Purity, as if he were not fit to govern the World, and made Laws that are either unjust in themselves, or at leaft not fit for reasonable Creatures to obey. Sin is a fetting up lawless Appetite to be the Rule, and were it fuffered to prevail without Control, would introduce univerfal Mifery and Confufion, and destroy the Beauty and Harmony of the moral World.

This is a brief Account of the Nature of Sin, which appears upon this View of it to be the worst of Evils. And accordingly in the Text, and in many other Paffages of Scripture, it is called Evil by way of Eminency, as if nothing elfe deferved to be called fo. And indeed, properly fpeaking, all Evil is either Sin, or the Effects of it. It is called Iniquity, to fignify that it is an utter perverting that which is just and right. It is often called Filthiness,

and

and is described in Scripture by whatever is odious and loathfome. But after all, there is nothing fo bad as itself to express

by, and therefore when the Apostle would reprefent its heinous Malignity in the moft emphatical Manner, he reprefents Sin as appearing to be exceedingly finful. Rom. vii.

pro

And now I proceed to fhew, as I pofed, that Sin is very hateful in the Sight of God, and is the Object of his highest Deteftation and Abhorrence.

This will appear if we confider, first, That the Perfection of the divine Nature, and the Reafon of Things demonstrates, that Sin must be very hateful to God.

Secondly, This alfo appears from the exprefs Declarations of his Word concerning it.

Thirdly, It appears from the Difpenfations of his Providence, the Courfe of his Dealings towards his Creatures, efpecially towards Mankind.

First, The very Reason of Things, the Confideration of God's infinite Perfection fhews, that Sin muft needs be very hateful to him. The first and most obvious Notion that we have of God, is, that he is an abfolutely perfect Being; and abfolute Perfection is the moft oppofite Thing in the World to all moral Evil.

He is a