it; it is hearty and sincere, is the strength and security of the saints, and will remain for ever. Nehem. viii. 10. Zeph. iii.

17.

OF THE HOLINESS OF GOD.

HAVING Considered those attributes of God which bear a likeness to affections in men; I proceed to consider those which in them may be called virtues; as holiness, justice, or righteousness, truth, or faithfulness; I shall begin with the holiness of God. And shew,

I. That it is in God, that it 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; Isai. xl. 25. Hos. xi. 9. Holiness is the purity and rectitude of his nature; 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. 1 Pet. i. 15, 16. It is what is called the beauty of the Lord, Psal. xxvii. 4. God is glorious in holiness, Exod. xv. 11. this gives a lustre to all his perfections. He is originally holy, and is the fountain of holiness to all rational creatures that partake of it; it is peculiar to him, yea, only in him, Hannah says, in her song, There is none holy as the Lord, 1 In another song yet to be sung, the song of Moses and the Lamb, it is said, Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, glorify thy name? for thou only art holy, Rev. xv. 4.

Sam. ii. 2.

and

II. The instances wherein and whereby the holiness of God is displayed,, which are his works, and actions, and proceed. ings towards his creatures; God is holy in all his works; or his holiness is manifest in them, and by them, Psal. cxlv. 17. 1. The holiness of God the father which is visible,-1. In the works of creation; for as he made all things by his Son, not as an instrument, but as co-efficient with them, so when he overlooked them, he pronounced them very good; which he would not have done, had there been any thing impure or unholy in them. 2. In his works of providence; which, though many of them are dark and intricate: there is nothing sinful in them.

3. In those acts of grace which are peculiar to him; as in choosing some in Christ his Son to everlasting life, before the world began. The like may be observed with respect to other acts of the Father's grace; as adoption, pardon, &c. 11. The holiness of the Son of God. This is to be seen in all his works; in giving himself to sanctify the church, and in the execution of all his offices. III. The holiness of the blessed Spirit. This is visible in the formation of the human nature of Christ, in the sanctification of the chosen of God, 2 Thes. ii. 13. in calling them with an holy calling; in purifying their hearts by faith, through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus; in leading them in the way of holiness, in which men, though fools, shall not err; and in carrying on, and perfecting the work of sanctifica tion in them, "without which none shail see the Lord."

OF THE JUSTICE OR RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. THIS attribute of God,

I. Belongs to him, and is natural and essential to him. Indeed, without this attribute, he would not be fit to be the governor of the world, and the judge of the whole earth. Adam was righteous, but not of himself. Saints are righteous, not by their own righteousness, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them. But God is righteous in and of himself. Righteousness in creatures, is according to some law, which is the rule of it; but God has no law without himself; his na ture and will is the law and rule of righteousnes to him.

II. I shall next consider the various sorts, or branches of righteousness, which belong to God. Some distinguish it into righteousnes, of words, and righteousness of deeds. Righteousness of words lies in the fulfilment of his prophecies, and promises; Righteousness of deeds, is either the rectitude, purity, and holiness of his nature: or it is a giving that which belongs to himself, and to his creatures, what is each their due. Thus God gives or takes to himself what is his due; by making and doing all things for his own glory; and he gives to his creatures what is due to them by the laws of creation. Jus.

tice, among men, is sometimes distinguished into commuta. tive and retributive. Commutative justice lies in covenants, compacts, &c. Retributive justice is a distribution either of rewards or punishments; the one may be called remunerative justice, the other punitive justice; and both may be observ. ed in God. 1. Remunerative justice or a distribution of rewards; the rule of which is not the merits of men, but his own gracious promise; God, as Austin expresses it, " makes himself a debtor, nct by receiving any thing from us, but by promising such and such things to us." God does not re ward the works and godly actions of men, as meritorious in themselves; but as they are the fruits of his own grace; who works in them both to will and to do of his own pleasure; and therefore he is not unrighteous to forget their work and abour of love; Heb. vi. 10, Moreover, the works according to which God renders eternal life, are not mens' own personal works; between which, and eternal life, there is no proportion; bat the works of righteousness done by Christ as their Head and Representative, 2 Tim. iv. 8. 11. Puritive or vindictive justice, belongs to God; It sa righ.eous thing with God to render tribulation to them that trouble his people, 2 Thess. i. 6. That pu

nitive,

or vindictive justice, is essential to God, or that he not only will not let sin go unpunished, but that he cannot but punish sin, is manifest, I. From the light of nature; Rom. ii. 14,15. 2. From the word of God, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. 3. From the nature of God, Heb. i. 13. 4. From the nature of sin, and the demerit of it, 5. From the law of God: the sanction of it, and the veracity of God in it: 6. From sin being punished in Christ the Surety of his people, Matt. xxvi. 39. But,

III. I shall next consider the displays of the righteousness of God in his works: and vindicate his justice in them; for the Lord is righteous in all his ways, Psal. cxlv. 17. 1. In ways and works of providence: Just and true are his ways; he is the Fudge of all the earth, who will do right, Rev. IV. 3. 11. God is righteous in all his ways and works and acts of grace; in the predestination of men, the choice of some,

his

Ꮮ

and the preterition of others. While the apostle is treating on this sublime subject, he stops and asks this question, Is there unrighteousness with God? and answers it with the ut most abhorrence and detestation, God forbid! Suppose one hundred slaves in Algiers, and a man out of his great gene. rosity, lays down a ransom-price for fifty of them, does he, by this act of distinguished goodness and generosity, do any injustice to the others? or can they righteously complain of him for not ransoming them?

OF THE VERACITY OF GOD.

THE apostle says, Let God be true, and every man a liar, Rom. iii. 4. this must be affirmed of him, whatever is said of creatures, he is true, and truth itself.

I. God is true in and of himself: this epithet or attribute, is expressive, 1. Of the reality of his being; he truly and really exists: Heb. xi. 6. 2. Of the truth of his Deity: he is the true and the living God; so he is often called, 2 Chron. xv. 3. Jer. x. 10. 1 Thess. i. 9. in opposition to fictitious deities. 3. This title includes the truth and reality of all his perfections; what others only appear to be, he is really.-4. This may be predicated of each Person in the Godhead; the Father is the only true God, John xvii. 3. though not to the exclusion of the Son, who is also the true God and eternal life; nor of the holy Spirit, who is truth and who, with the Father and the Son, is the one true and living God. 1 John v. 20, 6, 7. This attribute of truth removes from the divine nature every thing imperfect and sinful: it is opposed to unrighte ousness, Deut. xxxii. 4. it removes from him all imputation of lying and falsehood; he is not a man, that he should lie, as men do; the Strength of Israel will not lie; yea, he is God, that cannot lie; it is even impossible that he should, Numb. xxiii. 19. this frees him from all deception, he can neither deceive nor be deceived.

Concerning the veracity of God, let the following things be observed-1. That it is essential to him, it is his very nature

and essence; he is truth itself; he is not only called the God of truth, but God the truth, Deut. xxxii. 4. 11. It is most pure and perfect in him ; as in him is light, and no darkness at all; so he is truth, and no falshood in him, nor the least mixture nor appearance of it. III. It is first, chief, and original in him; it is first in him, as he is the first cause; it is chief, as it is perfect in him, and all truth is originally from him; natural and rational truth, moral truth, spiritual truth, these are not of men, but of God. iv. Truth, as in God, is eternal; what is truth now, was always truth with him in his eternal mind; his word is true from the beginning, or from eternity, Psal. cxix. 160. What is true with us to-day, might not be true yesterday, and will not be true to morrow, because things are in succession with us, and are so known by us; but not so with God. v. It is immutable and invariable, as he himself; God is the same, true and faithful, yesterday, today,

and for ever.

II. God is true in his works; or all his works are true, and his veracity is displayed in them; and these are either inter

creatures;

nal or external. I. Internal acts are within himself; some relative to himself, to the divine persons, their modes of subsist ing, and distinction from each other; others are relative to his counsels of old, which are faithfulness and truth; truly made, and truly performed, Isai. xxv. 1. 11. External works, as the works of creation, providence, and grace, which are all true, and real things; and in which the veracity of God appears, both in making and in continuing them, Matt. iv. 8. Rev. xiii. 13, 14. 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10.

III. God is true in his words: in his essential word, his Son; he is true in his person and natures; true in his offices he bears; the true light, that lightens men in every sense; the true and only potentate, king of kings, and lord of lords. God is true in his written word; the scriptures are the scriptures of truth, even the whole of them, Dan. x. 21. and are, therefore, to be received, not as the word of man, but as in truth the word of God, 1 Thess. ii, 13.