gation, if you would know fomewhat pofitively, what the holineffe of God is, I would describe it briefly to you thus: It is the infinite rectitude and perfection of the will of God efpecially, whereby he doth will and worke all things futable to the infinite excellency of his own being; the excellency of God is the higheft, and therefore the rule of all excellency; and the will of God being alwayes futable to his owne infinite excellency, and impoffi ble to vary in the leaft from it, therefore his will is the rule of all holineffe. Let us confider it a little by looking into the holineffe of the creature, and by that we fhall fee fomewhat of the holineffe of God: for as we cannot fee the glory of the Sun by looking directly upon it, it being too bright an object for us: but by the reflection of its beames in the water we may behold its glory: fo, the holineffe of God is too bright to be beheld in it felfe; we cannot behold the infinite purity and holineffe of God immediately: but by looking upon the holineffe of the creature, which is as it were the reflection of Gods holineffe upon it,and a ray and beam of it, we may come to fee fomewhat of the holineffe of God. Now the holineffe of a creature is this, the separation of it from common things to a holy use, or the dedication of a creature in fome immediate minner to God, for the lifting up of the name of God; the holineffe of the Saints is this, the feparation of their fpirits from all common things to God as the highest and last end. And when they are able to worke to God as the utmost end, and to will that they doe in order to God as the laft end; and fo as is futable to God as the highest end, that is the holineffe of their wills: fo it is in Gods holineffe: Gods holineffe is a dedication, as it were, of God to himselfe: that is, God being of and from himselfe, and himselfe being his own laft end, he gives up himfelfe unto himselfe, and wills himfelfe as the highest and utmoft end, and fo wills all things in order to himfelfe as the laft and higheft end: this is the holineffe of God; and the image of this holineffe is that ftampe and worke of grace that is upon the creature: when the creature is enabled to will God as the higheft end, and all things in fubordination to him, the crea ture is then faid to be holy, because it hath a stampe of God' upon it: this is Gods holineffe.

But

But glorious in holinesse how is God glorious in holid neffe? God is glorious in all his attributes and workes: and the truth is, there is not one thing in God more glorious then another, every attribute of God being in te felfe equally glorious; but in regard of manifeftation and according to our apprehen fion, fo one thing appeares more glorious then another; and God is pleased to speak to us according to our apprehenfions: therefore you may fee how the Saints doe especially glory in God as a holy God: looking upon him as a holy God, they doe excordingly rejoyce and glory in him: therefore fayes the Pfal mift, Pfal.99.3. Let them praife thy great and terrible name, for it is boly: and verfe 5. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his foot-ftool, for he is holy and again; verfe 9. exalt the Lord our God and worship at his hily bill, for the Lord our God is holy.Thus the people of God look upon God in his holineffe as the fpeciall ground of his praise and exaltation; yea the Angels themfelves in heaven, look upon God in his holineffe, and especially exalt him from thence, Ifaiab 6.3. the Cherubims and Seraphines cry three times,boly,boly,holy is the Lord of bofts. You never finde any of Gods attributes mentioned fo three times together: though it is true, God is infinite in power, and in wifedome, as well as in holineffe; yet you never finde in Scripture that God is faid to be wife, wife, wife, or, almighty, almighty, almighty but holy, boly, holy, three times together: and as the Angels of Heaven adore God efpecially for his holineffe, fo the Church of God,Rev.4.8. cryes out, boly, boly, holy, Lord God almighty, fhewing the bleffed condition of the Church of God, when it fhall be hereafter more fanctified, and God fhall dwell amongst them, they fhall exceedingly then adore God in his holineffe above any other attribute a yea God himselfe feemes to glory in his holineffe above any other attribute; therefore when God would lift up himselfe in his glory, and give you the highest expreffion of hinfelfe, he doth it in this,as he is holy. Isaiah 57.15. For thus faith the high and lofy one that inhabiteth eternity, whofe name is boly. When God would lift up himfelfe, it is in this whofe name is holy and fo when God would fweare by himfelfe (Amos 4.2.)he (weares by his holineffe. Now as the Scripture fayes, when God could fweare by no greater,he fware

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by himselfe: so I may fay, when God could fweare by no excellency above this,he swares by his holineffe.

Again,God glories in heaven it felfe as the habitation of his holineffe: heaven is the habitation of Gods glory, there God lets out his glory fully: but what is that glory? why the top of all,is,the holineffe of God. Ifaiah 63.15. Looke downe from beaven and behold from the habitation of thy holineße and thy glory: yea the throne of God is Gods holineffe, Pfal. 47.8. God fitteth upon the throne of bis holineffe; you know Kings upon their thrones are exalted and lifted up, fo is God lifted up upon throne of his holineffe. Solomon, he made himselfe a throne of Ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold, 1 Kings 10. 18. But the throne of God is a throne of holineffe, a throne of bright hining holineffe.

the

Again, when God reloyces in his people, he doth it as they are a holy people, Deut.7.6. For thou art a boly people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God bath chofen thee to be a peculiar people unto himselfe above all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Yea further, you fhall finde that this attribute of holi neffe is more especially afcribed to the third perfon in the Trinity: God the Father is a holy God;the Son,he is the holy one of God; but the Holy ghoft hath his name from Holineffe: and tis very obfervable, that all the three perfons challenge an equall share in the working of holineffe in the creature, it being fuch a part of Gods glory, that all the three perfons work it wherefoever it is: as the Father, he is a Sanctifier. Jude fpeaks of the work of fanctification wrought by God the Father in the firft verfe of his Epiftle, To them that are fanctified by God the Father. And then for the Son, Epb.5.25,26. Husbands,love your wives, even as Chrift alfo loved the Church, and gave himselfe for it, that he might fanct fie and cleanfe it with the washing of water by the Word. Chrift he gives himselfe for his Church; to what end? Not that he might bring it to Heaven onely, but that he might fanctifie it alfo; and then the Spirit of God, 1 Cor.6.11. And fuck were fome of you: but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified, in the Name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God. So that all the three perfons come in for a fhare in this work:this is the glorious work of Father, Son,and Holy ghoft.

But

But yet further for the demonftration of it: holineffe muft needs be the glory of God, because it is the highest perfection and rectitude of an Intelligent free Agent. An Intelligent free Agent is the highest being of all, and holineffe is the rectitude of that being, and therefore must needs be glorious. Hence it is, that grace is called Gods image, because it is that which reprefents God in his highest excellency for that is properly an Image of another thing,that fets it out in the excellency of it: if it doe it onely in a common and generall way, it is not an Image of it. And then, in Scripture,holineffe is called the beau ty of God, Pfalm.27.4. One thing have I defired of the Lord, that I will feeke after, that I may dwell in the boufe of the Lord all the dayes of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in bis Temple.Now what is Gods beauty but the beauty of holinesse, the holineffe of God appearing in his Ordinances, and his worship is the lufter and beauty of the infinite glory of God, as Pfalm.110.3. the Ordinances are called the beauty of holineffe: Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of bolineffe, &c. Yea holineffe, fome feeds of it, the very Image of it, onely in the creature, is called the glory of God, Rem. 3. 23. All have finned and come short of the glory of God; the very beginnings of the work of holiness in the hearts of Saints is cal led the glory of God; much more then the infinite holineffe of Gods own nature. Further, it is holineffe that puts a lufter upon all the other attributes of God, and makes them glorious and honourable, Pfalm.111.9. Holy and reverend is his name; the name of God is therefore reverend, because holy; so take all the height of excellencies that are in God, yet if they be fuch as you can conceive them separated from his holineffe, they doe not make his name reverend: and this fhewes how infinitely it concernes us to labour after holineffe; if all the excellencies of God cannot make his name reverend,being separated from holineffe,then let the creature have what excellency it wil,for parts, for eftate,for dignity,and honour in the world; take away holinefs,& you cannot fay reverend is his name;but,boly and reverend is his name;fo it is faid of God,his name is reverend,because holy. Again, Gods name is glorious by holineffe, because it is the fpeciall end of all his works, to advance holineffe: a workman

when he drawes a worke, he fhewes Art in the beginning of it: but when he comes to the top of it, there he fhewes the excellency of his workmanship: 'tis fo with God, God will be honoured in all his workes, of creation and providence: but now come to the height and pitch of all, and 'tis that he might be honoured as a holy God; and that he might have a holy people to honour him here, and to all eternity. I fay holineffe is that which God aymed at in creating of heaven and earth; 'tis that which God aymes at in all the wayes of his providence: It is the great bufineffe for which the fon of God came into the world, that he might redeem to himselfe a people to serve him in holincffe: 'tis the end of the great councell of God from all eternity; yea and that he might manifeft the beauty of his own holineffe in thofe two great attributes, Mercy and Justice, which are the branches of his holineffe, that he might make them fhine to all eternity: this is that God aymes at ; therefore holineffe must needes be the glory of Gods name.

Now a little for the third: but what is the reason that this Title is given to God here in this Song of Mofes, glorious in bolineffe? the reafon is this: to fhew, that the infinite excellency of God's power is fuch, that it is without any mixture of the leaft evill in the exercife of it: here was an act of mighty power put forth, and God was infinitely holy in this act of his power. It is otherwife with men (obferve the difference between God and man) It is a very hard thing for a man to doe great things, and to manifeft great power without a mixture of evill: as 'cis with the waters, while they run fhallow,they may run clearely: but when once the waters rife and overflow, they run muddy, and ufually there is a great deale of filth comes in with great ftreames fo though in common and ordinary workes we doe not manifeft our uncleanneffe, yet 'tis feldome when we ayme to doe great things, but we manifeft a great deale of filthineffe: but it is otherwife with God; God is great in power, and in that keeps the glory of his holineffe. And God manifefted here the greatneffe of his wrath upon his enemies, and yet the glory of his holineffe too. It is a very hard thing for men to doe fo; let men have their anger stirr'd a little, O how much filth doe they prefently difcover? how many have we that all the while they

are