CXLI.

there is hardly any thing that men are more afham- SER M ed of, than to be taken in a lie; and it is esteemed the highest reproach to be charged with it; it argues fuch a direct contrariety to that which is the rule of perfection, "the nature of GOD," and confequently fo much imperfection and bafenefs; he that tells a lie out of fear, is at once bold towards GOD, and bafe towards men.

Upon these accounts GoD expreffeth himself highly offended with those that practise lying and falfhood, and to have a detestation of them; Prov. xii. 22. "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD." It renders us unlike to him; Eph. iv. 24, 25. " Put "on the new man, which after GOD is created in " righteousness and true holiness (or in the holiness "of truth.") And from hence he infers, "where"fore putting away lying, speak every man truth to his neighbour: for we are members one of "another." Col. iii. "Lie not one to another, feeing that ye have put off the old man "with his deeds; and have put on the new man, "which is renewed in knowledge, after the image "of him that created him :" that is, because we profefs to be conformed to the image of GOD. More particularly, we should charge ourselves with truth and faithfulnefs towards GoD and men.

9, 10.

1. Towards GOD, in our oaths, and vows, and covenants. In our oaths, when we fwear in any matter, we tell God that what we speak is truth, and invoke him to bear witnefs to it. To falfify in an oath is one of the most folemn affronts that we can put upon the GOD of truth.

And fo in our vows, which are a folemn promise to GOD, of fuch things in which we have no precedent obligation lying upon us. He that regardeth

truth

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rafh in making a vow, nor Ecclef. v. 4. "When thou defer not to pay it, for he

SERM. truth will neither be careless to perform it. "vowest a vow to GOD, "hath no pleasure in fools." Not to perform what we have vowed, is an argument of folly; either of rashness in the making of it, or of inconftancy in not keeping it.

So likewife in all our covenants with God, to ferve him and obey him, and keep his commandments, we should directly charge ourselves with performance of thefe. There is a natural obligation upon us to these things from the very law of our creation, though we fhould never folemnly make any fuch promife, nor enter into any fuch engagements, because it is a tacit condition of our beings : but the taking of this covenant folemnly upon us in baptifm, ftrengthens the obligation, and makes our unfaithfulness the greater fin. All our hopes of happinefs are founded in the faithfulnefs of Gop; and if thou be falfe to him, how canft thou expect he fhould be faithful to thee? It is true indeed, that "he abides faithful, he cannot deny himself;" but if thou haft any ingenuity in thee, this should be an argument to thee to be faithful to him; I am fure this can be no encouragement to thee to be unfaithful for if thou breakeft the covenant thou haft entered into, and neglecteft the conditions upon which GOD hath suspended the performance of his promise, thou dischargest the obligation on his part.

2. Towards men: we fhould charge ourselves with truth in all our words, and faithfulness in all our promises. It becomes us who worship "the "GOD of truth," to fpeak truth; to use plainness and fincerity in all our words, to abhor falfhood and diffimulation, and thofe more refined ways of lying,

by

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by equivocation of words, and fecret refervations of S ERM.
our minds, on purpose to deceive. Those that plead
for thefe, it is a fign they do not understand the na-
ture of GOD, and of religion; which is, to conform
ourselves to the divine perfections. We meet with
many complaints in the old teftament, of the want
of truth and faithfulness among men, Pfal. xii. 1, 2.
Ifa. lix. 13, 14, 15. Jer. vii. 2, 8, 9. ii. 4, 5, 6. Hof.
iv. 1. I am afraid there is as much reafon for this
complaint now; for we live in an age of greater
light, which doth reprove and make manifest this
work of darkness; and methinks there is no fadder
fign of the decay of Chriftianity, and of the little
power and influence that the gofpel hath upon us,
than that there is fo little regard had by Chriftians to
thefe moral duties, which, because moral (how-
ever men may flight that word) are therefore of eter-
nal and indifpenfable obligation, having their foun-
dation in the nature of GOD.

To conclude all: that man that can dispense with
himfelf as to moral duties, that makes no conscience
of telling a lie, or breaking his word, what badge
foever he may wear, what title foever he may call
himself by, as it is impoffible that fuch a manfhould
be a true Chriftian, it is as to reconcile "the GOD
" of truth," and " the father of lies."

SER

SERM
CXLII.

The holiness of GOD.

I PET. i. 16.

Be ye boly, for I am holy.

N fpeaking to this attribute, I fhall,

I. Inquire, what we are to understand by the holinefs of GOD.

II. Endeavour to fhew, that this perfection belongs to GOD.

1. What we are to understand by the holiness of GOD. There is fome difficulty in fixing the proper notion of it; for though there be no property more frequently attributed to GOD, in fcripture, than this of holiness, yet there is none of all Goo's attributes, which divines have spoken more fparingly of, than this.

The general notion of holiness is, that it is a feparation from a common and ordinary, to a peculiar and excellent use. And this notion of holiness is applicable either to things or perfons. To things; thus the veffels of the tabernacle, and the vestments of the pricfts, were faid to be holy, because they were feparated from common ufe, and appropriated to the peculiar and excellent ufe of the fervice of Gon. Holinefs of perfons is two-fold; either relative and external, which fignifies the peculiar relation of a perfon to GOD; fuch were called, ipsis, priefts, or holy men or elfe habitual and inherent; fuch is the holinefs of good men, and it is a feparation from moral imperfection, that is, from fin and im

purity:

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purity and this is called doorns, and the primary SER M. notion of it is negative, and fignifies the abfence and remotion of fin. And this appears in those explications which the fcripture gives of it. Thus it is explained by oppofition to fin and impurity, 2 Cor. vii. I. "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness "of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness;" where holiness is opposed to all filthinefs. Sometimes by the negation of fin and defilement. So we find holy, and without blame put together, Eph. i. 4. "holy "and without blemish," Eph. v. 27. "holy, harm

lefs, and undefiled," Heb. vii. 26. It is true, indeed, this negative notion doth imply something that is pofitive; it doth not only fignify the abfence of fin, but a contrariety to it; we cannot conceive the absence of fin, without the prefence of grace; as, take away crookedness from a thing, and it immediately becomes ftrait. When ever we are made holy, every luft and corruption in us is fupplanted by the contrary grace.

Now this habitual holiness of perfons, which confifts in a feparation from fin, is a conformity to the holinefs of GOD; and by this we may come to underftand what holiness in GoD is: and it fignifies the peculiar eminency of the divine nature, whereby it is feparated and removed at an infinite diftance from moral imperfection, and that which we call fin; that is, there is no fuch thing as malice, or envy, or hatred, or revenge, or impatience, or cruelty, or tyranny, or injuftice, or falfhood, or unfaithfulness in GoD; or if there be any other thing that fignifies fin, and vice, and moral inperfection, holinefs fignifies that the divine nature is at an infinite distance from all these, and poffeffed of the contrary perfections. Therefore all thofe texts that remove moral imperfection