unto bis glorious body. Phil. iii. 21. Inconceivable will the glory and bleffedness of the refurrection be. Now fuch a refurrection they may affuredly look for, who have God for their God. And hence our Lord infers the cer tainty of the glorious refurrection of Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, from his being their covenant God. Matth. xxii. 31, 32. But as touching the refurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, faying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. He is a God in covenant with the whole man, the body as well as the foul and therefore the body fhall not al"ways be in a dead and doleful eftate, but fhall be raised to life again, and to a moft glorious and happy life, which fhall never have an end. 4. If the God of Jefus Chrift be our God, he will after the refurrection receive us into beaven. Heaven is a moft glorious place. It is the, houfe of the God of glory. Job. xiv. 2. In my Father's boufe are many manfons. There God dwells, in a more especial manner, by his moft glorious prefence: it is therefore called the babitation of bis glory. Ifai. Ixiii. 15. Look down from beaven, and bebold from the babitation of thy glory. Now in that glori ous place, thofe fhall live with God, who have God for their God. Heb. xi. 16. But now they defire a better coun try, that is to Jay, an heavenly: wherefore God is not afha med to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. The heavenly city and kingdom is prepared for them, and they shall affuredly at the laft day be received thereinto. Matth. xxv. 34. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. How full of confolation is the forethought of this! And therefore when Chrift would adminifter abundance of comfort to his difciples, that were greatly troubled in fpirit, he tells them of their future reception into heaven, which might affwage their troubles. Job. xiv. 1, 2, 3. Let not your hearts be troubled,-In my Father's boufe •are many manfions-I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be alfo. 5. If the God of Jefus Chrift be our God, then he himself will be our portion for ever. When God becomes our God, he himself becomes ours. He is ours in all his fubfiftences, and in all his effential perfections. He is made over to us in his infinite all-fufficiency. Thus he faid to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 1. I am the Almighty (or) all fufficient God,) walk before me, and be thou perfect. And again he faid to Abraham, Gen. xv. 1. I am thy fhield and thy exceeding great reward. God himself would be his exceeding great reward, his all fufficient portion. God in his covenant, does not content himself with making over created good things to his people; but he makes over himself, the increated good, unto them. They shall not only enjoy the fociety of angels in heaven, but they fhall enjoy God himself. He will be eternally theirs, in a way of higheft and fulleft poffeffion. All that is in God, fhall be engaged and given to them, to constitute an happiness for them. And O! how great is their bleffedness, who live upon God, the infinite fountain of living waters! God is the fupream happiness, the felicity of felicities. They that have God theirs, have the true, compleat, perfect happiness theirs. All confluence of worldly enjoyments cannot render us fo happy, as the enjoyment of the one infinite God. Pfal. cxliv. 15. Happy is the people that is in fuch a cafe, i. e. flourishing with all worldly peace and profperity; but by way of correction it is added, Yea, happy is that people whofe God is the Lord. This is the beft felicity. A fingle GOD is of infinitely more worth, than millions of worlds.. From these things then it appears, that fuch as have an intereft in Chrift have great ground to be comforted, inaf much as the God of Jefus Chrift is their God, O then make fure of an intereft in Chrift; and thus his God and Father, is your God and Father allo. And if you accept of Chrift in all his offices, being willing that as a Prophet he should teach you your duty, and as a Prieft fhould atone for your fins, and as a King he should rule and govern you, then is Chrift yours; and fo God the Father is yours, and will be your portion for ever. Docr. VI. God is the holy one of Ifrael. So he is here called.- Two Propofitions may be fpoken to diftinctly. PROP. I. God is boly.The gods of the heathen, were impure deities: but the God of Ifrael, is the holy one. Habb. i. 12. O Lord my God, mine boly one. God is a God of holinets. This is one of thofe excellencies of God, in which he is incomparably glorious. Exod. xv.. 11. Who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness? He is holy fo as none elfe is. 1 Sam. ii. 2. There is none boly as the Lord. Nay, in fome fenfe and refpects, there is none holy but the Lord. Rev. xv. 4. O Lord, thou only art boly. How he is fo we may fee presently. Three things may here be enquired into. 1. What is meant by God's being boly? 3. Wherein does he appear to be holy? Queft. 1. What is meant by God's being holy? Anfw. 1. It means his being perfectly feparated from all fin. When a perfon is undefiled, having his nature purified from fin, and his life exempted from fin, then he is holy. A feparation from fin, is one branch of holiness. Now, in this refpect God is holy. There is in God a perfect freedom from all fin. Deut. xxxii. 4. A God of truth, and without iniquity.-Ele is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 Joh. i. 5. He is purity itfelf; free from all imaginable impurity. There is not much as a remote poffibility of his either being, or doing, evil. The light admits of no mixture of darkness with jt; nor can the purity of God admit of any mixture of impurity with it. He is a God perfectly finless, and uncapable of being in the leatt degree finful. Habb. i. 13. Thou Thou art of purer eyes than to bebold evil, and canst not took upon iniquity. Anfw. 2. It means his being wholly devoted to bimfelf and his own glary. A perfon is then holy, when he is dedicated to God, to his fervice and glory. When a man's heart is fet for God's honour, and all his actions are directed to the glory of God, then he is holy in heart and life. Now, in this refpect God is holy. He gives up himfelf wholly unto himself, making bis own glory his laft and chief end. Prov. xvi. 4. He hath made all things for bimfelf. The good of the creature, is not his chief end. That he is concerned for their welfare, is in him an act of favour, grace, and condefcenfion. He has not his being, for them; but they their beings, for him. He is their ultimate end, and not they bis laft end. Inafmuch then as God is entirely felf dedicated, to the doing his own will, and feeking his own glory, fo he is faid to be holy.. Quest. 2. How is God holy? Anfw. . God is eternally holy. The being of God is from everlasting, and fo from all eternity he is holy. As his being is without any beginning, fo is his holiness. In this refpect God only is holy. All holy creatures, had a beginning; and confequently, fo had their holiness. They began to be, and to be holy, in time. But from everlafting God is holy. Antw. 2. God is originally holy. His holinefs, is of himfelf, and from himself. God is the alone fountain of his own holinefs. He derives it from no other. This follows upon the former head. For if God be holy from all eternity, there could be none before him, to communicate his holiness to him.-In this respect alfo God only is holy. For the holiness in creatures is not of and from themselves. There are holy angels, and holy men, but their holiness is derived from another, even, from the holy God. 'Twas he that made them holy, and 'tis he that keeps them holy. X 3 Afw. The holiness of Anfw. 3. God is effentially holy. God, and his effence are the fame. His holiness is not a diftinct thing from his nature. When therefore God fwears by bis bolinefs, he fwears by himself. (Ifai. xlv. 23. compared with Amas iv. 2.) Holinefs is therefore fo effential to God, as that he would ceafe to be, if he should ceale to be holy.In this refpect alfo God only is holy. The holiness in creatures, is not effential to them. 'Tis not their nature, but a quality that may be feparated from them. They may ceafe to be holy, and yet. not ceafe to be. They may lofe their holiness, and yet retain their nature and effence. Thus the Angels, that fell, loft their holiness, but not their beings; they are fpiritual beings fill. Antw. 4. God is infinitely holy. There is no measure of his holiness. 'Tis without any measure or degree. There is in God, an infinite fulness of holiness, a boundlefs ocean thereof. So that it is not poffible for God to be more holy than he is. In this refpect alfo God only is holy. No creature has an infinity of holinefs. The most holy creatures, even holy angels, and glorified faints, have only a finite holiness. They are holy only in a certain measure and degree. The holiness in them, is but as a drop to the ocean, compared with the holiness of God. Yea, it is as nothing, and lefs than nothing, compared with that holiness which is in God. The bear vens are not pure in his fight. Job. xv. 15. Their purity is no purity, in compariton with his. Anfw. 5. God is immutably holy. There can be no alteration of the holiness of God, nor can there poffibly be any ceffation of it. The holinefs of God never alters or varies as to degrees. He is never more holy than he was, nor can he be lefs holy than he is. He is ever more the fame in holiness. It is no ways variable; it does not increafe, nor decrease. But as holy as he was from eternity, fo holy he ftill is, and ever will be to all eternity. With him there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. Jam. i. 17.-In this refpect alfo God only is holy. |