Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_000.lzh/D_073.TXT

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CHAP. XX:                                    OF T[tE HOLINESS OF GOD.                                                               73

should be, and what he appointed thetn to: Ire rejoices
and delights in Iris work of grace on the hearts of Iris
people: this is their beauty, even the beauty of holiness,
which he, the king, greatly desires; by which they are all
glorious witl,in, and well-pleasing in his sight; he delights
in the graces which he himself, by his Spirit, has wrought
in them, and in the exercise of those graces, as drawn
fortli by hi,n, their fifith, hope, love, fear, &c. The Lord
taketh pleasure i,, them that fear him, in those that hope
in his mercy, Psalm cxlvii. 11. see Cant. iv. 9, 10. And
so all his people, as they are his workmanship, his poem,
ctn'iously wrought by him; the works of his hands, in
whom, and whereby he is glorified; he rejoices in them,
and blesses on account of them, Isa. xix. 25. and Ix. 21.
Wherefore,
3. IIe may be truly said to rejoice, delight, and take
pleasure in his people, as he often is; they are his Heph-
zibah, in whom he delights; Iris Benlab, to whom he is
married; and therefore, as a bridegroom rejoices over his
bride, so does the Lord rejoice over them, Psalm cxlix.
4. Isa. lxii. 4, 5. not in all men; for there are some iu
whom he has no joy, vessels in whom he has no delight
and pleasure, Isa. ix. 17. and xxvii. 11. Mal. i. 10. but
his special covenant-people, Jer. xxxii. 58--41. and these
not as creatures, and still less as sinful creatures, el[her
as considered in Adam, or in themselves, guilty and de-
filed; hut as in Christ, in whom God is well pleased, and
in all that are in him, as chosen in him, and given to him;
so God the Father rejoiced in them from everlasting;
for as his love to them, sO his joy in them, is so early, it
being a. love of complacency and dehght; and of.. which
joy there are new expressions in conversion; see Luke
xv. 7, 9, 22, 23, 24. And likewise the Son of God, was
from all eternity rejoicing in the habitable parts of the
earth; and his delights were with the sons or' men, Prov.
viii. 31. and which joy he felt under all Iris sorrows and
sufferings, when working out their salvation, Heb. xii. 2.
hnd which he expresses at their conversion; that being
the time of finding his lost people; and, indeed, the day
of his open espousals to them, and so of the gladness of
Iris heart, Luke xv. 3, 4, & Cant. iii. 11. and they will
also be Iris joy, and crown of rejoicing, in the last day;
when they shall be introduced into his presence, not only
with joy and gladness in themselves, but with it in him,
who will present them before his Father and himself,
with exceeding joy, Psalm xlv. l3, 14. Jude v 24. and
this joy over them, both in him and his divine Father,
is to ..do them good, and issues in it; to bestow benefits
npon them, grace here, and glory hereafter; to beautify
them with salvation; to make them prosperous, especially
in spiritual things, in which prosperity he takes pleasure;
and iu making all things work together for their good,
Jet. xxxii. 41. Psalm cxlix. 4. and xxxv. 27. whicti.jo.y
is full; there is a redundancy, an overflow of it; it is
hearty and sincere, is the strength and security of the
saints, and will remain for ever, iNehem. viii. 10. Zeph.
iii. 17.

CHAP. XX.

OF THE HOLINESS OF GOD.

Having considered those attributes of God which
bear a likeness to affections iu men; I proceed to con-
sider those which in them may be called virtues; as holi-
ness, justice, or righteousness, truth, or faithfulness; and
shall begin with the holiness of God. And,
First, Shew that it is in God, and belongs to him, and
what it is. The scriptures most abundantly ascribe it to
him; he is very frequently called holy, and the holy One;
this title he takes to himself, Isa. x1.25. Hos. xi. 9. and
is often given him by others, angels and men; and, in-
deed, without holiness he would not be that perfect being
he is; unholiness is the imperfection of every rational be-
ing in whom it is; it is what has made angels and meu
both impure and imperfect; and since no men, even the
best, are without sin; therefore none are in themselves
perfect. But as for God, his ways and works are per-
fect, and so is his nature; being just and true, and without
iniquity, Deut. xxxii. 4. Holiness is the purity and recti-
tude of his nature; whose nature is so pure, as to be
without spot or stain, or any thing like it: he is light and
purity itself, and in him is no darkness or impurity at all;
as "he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity," so he
is of a purer heart and mind tha, n to have one sinfu1
thought in it: Iris thoughts are not as ours; he is the
pattern of purity and holiness, and to be copied after:
men should be holy, as and because he is holy; it is one
of the imitable perfections of God, in which he is to
be followed; though it cannot be attained to, as it is in
him, Lev. xi. 44, 45. and xix. 2. 1 Pet. i. 15, 16.
Holiness is an essential attribute of God; it is his
nature and essence; it is himself; he is holiness itself;
"he swears by himself, because he can swear by no
greater ;" and he will not swear by any less, and yet he
swears by his holiness, Heb. vi. 13. Psalm lxxxix.
.Amos iv. 2. and vi. 8. which places put and compared
together shew that the holiness of God is himself; and
it has been thought to be not so much a particular and
distinct attribute of itself, as the lustre, glory, and harmony
of all the rest; and is what is called the beauty of the
Lord, Psalm xxvii. 4. as it is the beauty of the good
angels, and of regenerate men;and, indeed, what is
wisdom or knowledge, without holiness, but craft and
cunning ? or what is power, without it, but tyranny, op-
pression, and cruelty ? but God is glorious in holiness,
Exod. xv. 11. this dives a lustre to all his perfections,
and is the glory of them; and therefore none of them
are or can be exercised in ,a wrong manner, or to any bad
purpose. And as it is his nature and essence, it is infinite
and uubounded; it cannot be-greater than it is, and can
neither be increased nor diminished.; when, therefore,
men are exhorted to sanctify the Lord, and are directed
to pray that his name may be hallowed, or sanctified,
Isa. viii. 13. Matt. vi. 9. the meaning is not as if he was
to be, or could be made more holy than he is; but that
his holiness be declared, manifested, and celebrated more
and more; it is so perfect that nothing can be added to
it. And as it is his natm, e and essence, it is immutable
and invariable; the holiness of a creature is changeable,
K