The Application
THE APPLICATION
I shut up all with some practical inferences.
INFERENCE 1. Holiness is absolutely necessary to happiness: for (Heb. 12:14,) "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Ye may be either poor or rich, sick or whole, and yet be happy. But if ye be not holy, ye are miserable; for ye have no part with Christ, And, Acts 4:12, "There is no salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." It is astonishing to think, how easy many that hear the gospel are about holiness; they are in no concern whether they be holy or not. They would not have people to take them for saints; nay, holy people are a jest with them. There is no accounting for this any other way but that holiness is rare in the world, and they have no mind to be singular, nor to distinguish themselves from "the world lying in wickedness."
But consider these four things.
1. God is holy. The God that made you is holy by necessity of nature; he is so holy that he cannot be but holy. If God is necessarily holy, he cannot but hate unholiness; because be cannot but love his own image, and hate what is contrary to his nature: therefore he cannot but hate your unholiness, and for it hate you who are unholy. And what we hate as contrary to our nature, we seek to destroy. Now, consider the misery of being objects of God's hatred and aversion, and what makes you so; and ye will see the necessity of your being holy, 1 Pet. 1:16, "Be ye holy," saith the Lord, "for I am holy."
2. Christ our Saviour is holy. As he is God, he is "the holy One of Israel;" as he is man, he is "that holy thing," Luke 1:35. Jesus is called "the holy One;" the very devils owned him to be so, Mark 1:24. The very end of his being Jesus, was to make men holy, Matth. 1:21, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." He came to destroy the works of the devil, he died to redeem sinners from their sins, Tit. 2:14. What part then can ye possibly imagine yourselves to have in him, while ye continue unholy?
3. The body of Christ is holy; they that belong to him, the company of the saved, Eph. 5:25, 26. The devil is the god of this world; his subjects are the world lying in wickedness. Out of them Christ raises his kingdom, and his subjects are all holy, Gal. 4:4; Rev. 19:14. It is their distinguishing badge from those that belong to Satan, that agrees to them all, and to them only, 2 Tim. 2:19. So that if ye are not holy, ye belong not to Christ, but to Satan.
4. Heaven is holy; it is a holy state, a holy place, where no unholy thing can enter, Rev. 21:27. As to the dogs and swine, their place will be without, Rev. 21:15, that is, the unholy, who "go with the dog to the vomit, and with the sow that was washed to the wallowing in the mire," shall be cast out from the supper of the saints in glory into outer darkness, Matth. 8:12.
INFERENCE 2. There is no true holiness, but in communion with Christ. Men may have a shew and semblance of holiness, without union and communion with Christ. But real holiness acceptable to God, no man attains but in Christ, being sanctified only with his blood, by his Spirit, through faith; made new creatures after his image, by participation of the all-fulness of grace in him, as at large declared, 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:2; Acts 26:18.
And therefore holiness is quite another thing, than,
1. Common civility. A man may be civil, not rude, but courteous, discreet, and obliging in his conversation; and yet be a stranger to holiness. This was the case of the young man, of whom, "when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God," Mark 12:34. There are some rude persons that bear the devil's mark on their foreheads, who behave themselves neither according to the rules of grace nor good manners: some professors that affect and pride themselves in rudeness, regarding no body, nor their offence, but only to please themselves. Such would do well to consider, whether that be consistent with real holiness or not. The reason of the doubt, is the second great command of the law, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Howbeit, civility is not holiness, though a part of the matter of it.
2. Morality, whether we understand by it common honesty in dealings in the world; or a conformity to the letter of the law, which makes a blameless outward conversation, and goes under the name of moral virtue, but has no relation to Christ and his Spirit. Men may have all this, and not be holy; as had the Pharisee, Luke 18:11, who "stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." This was also the case of Paul, Phil. 3:6, "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." These fruits are in many like the apples of Sodom, which are fair to look at, but when handled fall to ashes.
3. A form of godliness, 2 Tim. 3:5. There may be the going the round of the external duties of religion, where there is no holiness: for these may be done by them that are without Christ, Luke 18:12; Matt. 5:20; Is. 58:2, 3; though many place all their religion in these things, as if they pray, communicate, &c. to be concerned no more to be holy.
All these differ from true holiness,
1st, In the original and spring of them. True holiness springs from union with Christ, the Spirit applying the blood of Christ to the soul, received by faith, improving the word, sacraments, and afflictions. The Spirit is the efficient cause, the blood the meritorious cause, and faith the instrumental cause of true sanctification. But these others have a far lower rise. They are the effect of good education and breeding; of unsanctified consideration of their own circumstances and worldly interest, that oblige many to take up themselves, and live regularly; of fear and hope; of respect to credit and reputation; and in some, of legal convictions.
2dly, In the subject of them. Holiness diffuseth itself through the whole man, inward and outward, 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Thess. 5:23. These are mere plasterings of the outward man, while enmity against God, raucour against serious godliness, and reigning power of lusts in the heart, do remain in their native force, and the old man bears full sway within; as appears in the Pharisees. They make a new life, but they leave the old nature unhealed, unrenewed.
3dly, In the extent of them. True holiness extends to all the Lord commands and forbids, Psal. 119:6; for the whole law is written in the heart, Heb. 8:10; and so they are holy in all manner of conversation. These never take in more than some shreds of the law; such men never set themselves to conform to it in its spirituality. They quite neglect many of the duties thereof; they consider them not, or they contemn them: for they have no mind to take more of them, than makes for their purpose.
Lastly, In the nature and kind of them. True holiness is a cluster of the fruits of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22, "Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." They are acts of moral discipline, which have self-love in an unrenewed heart, not the love of God in a renewed heart, for their principle. The reason of them is not the will of God; for reasons of their own they do so, but not because God commands it. They do not their works in faith of the promise of assistance from heaven, nor of acceptance for Christ's sake; but out of their own stock, little valuing whether they be accepted or no; or if they do, looking for acceptance on their intriusic worth. Their end is not the glory of God, and to express their gratitude; but as they come from self, so they are swallowed up in self.
INFERENCE 3. Vain are the pretences of the unholy to part with Christ; for no unwashed sinner has part with the holy Jesus. They do but deceive themselves in their pretending thereto; and the deceit will out on them to their eternal confusion, if they see it not timely. Here consider,
1. Who are unwashed sinners; and,
2. The state of unwashed sinners, as having no part with Christ.
1. Consider who are unwashed sinners. In the general,
1st, Those who have not yet escaped the pollutions of the world in the outward man, but in the course of their lives are conform to the world lying in wickedness, Psal. 24:3, 4; Gal. 5:19–21. How can they pretend to be washed, on whom the gross filth of sin is still lying visible in their outward life and conversation? Men may escape that, and yet not be truly washed; escape and yet be intangled again by apostacy. Let none such pretend to have part in Christ, 2 Pet. 2:20, 21, for Christ will disown them.
2dly, They that have no apparent beauty of holiness on them, 1 Thess. 5:5. Men deceive themselves in despising the appearance of holiness, scorning to appear holy. That is but a peace of fashionable contempt of religion, poured on it in compliance to an ungodly world, and a naughty heart: for wherever grace is in the heart, it will shine forth in the life, Matth. 6:22; Philip. 2:15, 16. And though men may appear holy, who are not so; yet no man can be holy that has no appearance of it. If there is any religion at at all in the world, it must be among them that have an appearance of it, and not among those that have not.
More particularly, they are yet unwashed by Christ,
1st, Who have never yet had the glass of the law held to their face, in a work of conviction of the sinfulness of their nature, heart, and life, John 16:8. Christ washes none till he has discovered to them their pollution. For till then they will never see their need of washing. He washeth by the word, as by its light it convinceth of defilement, points out the cleanness to be aimed at, and sets the soul astir anxiously to seek it.
2dly, Who have not yet got a view of the filthiness, loathsomeness, and abominable nature of sin, Ezek. 36:31. Men's consciences may be fired with a sense of the guilt of sin; so as they may be brought to cast it out as a coal that would burn them; that yet are blind to the filth of sin, and see not how it defiles them. This appears, in that if they could be but safe from wrath, they would never part with sin.
3dly, Who have not yet been made willing to be made clean. None are washed against their will, Jer. 13:27. And there is need of a day of power to make willing, Psal. 110:3. Men naturally love to be still in the pollution of their sin, as the sow to wallow in the mire. They are as loath to be brought away, as fishes to come out of the water. Nay, there is in every unregenerate man, a heart enmity against holiness, Rom. 8:7. The heart spits its venom against it. They are not only not fond of it, but they hate it: A certain indication, that they are void of it.
4thly, Who have never yet felt an absolute need of Christ, his blood and Spirit, for their sanctification; and so have not yet come to Christ by faith for it, Hos. 5:13; Psal. 51:2; and 65:3. There is no washing but by Christ, and in union with him: therefore they who have not come to Christ for sanctification, whatever pains they have been at to wash themselves, are yet unwashed.
2. Consider the state of unwashed sinners as having no part with Christ. Having no part with Christ,
1st, They have no part in the favour of God, Eph. 2:12. They are "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." They are yet in a state of enmity with God; for he only is our peace, and the only way to the Father. All their sins, original and actual, in the guilt of them, do yet lie upon them: there is not one item blotted out of their account. For God gives no pardons, but to sinners in Christ: they must meet him there who would be pardoned or reconciled, 2 Cor. 5:19.
2dly, They are loathsome in God's sight; his soul abhors them as abominable, Tit. 1:15. No sinner can be savoury in God's sight, but by the sweet-smelling savour of Christ's sacrifice upon them. The smell of Jacob was sweet to Isaac, in the goodly raiment of his elder brother: and sinners are savoury to God, only in Christ, 2 Cor. 2:15. While the sinner has no part with Christ, the filth of all his sin, original and actual, lies on him; and there is nothing on him to master the filthy savour arising therefrom.
3dly, They have no part with the family of God, but with "the world lying in wickedness, 1 John 1:3, and 5:19, "They are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world," being without Christ, Eph. 2:12. They have no right to the privileges of God's children; for none can have that but in the right of Christ as his head. What is the state of the world lying in wickedness, is their state. They are under God's wrath, and the curse of the law.
Lastly, They shall have no part with the saints in light, but their part will be with sinners in outer darkness, Col. 1:12, 13; Rev. 22:15. One who has no part with Christ here, will have no part in heaven hereafter for none can come there, but in and through him. They will have their part in "the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone," Rev. 21:8.
INFERENCE 4, Lastly, The way to be washed from sin, and made holy, is to get part with Christ by faith.
1. Think not that ye must first be holy, before ye can have part with Christ: but ye must first have that part with Christ, ere ye can be holy, as appears from what is said. The former is as absurd as to say, the sick must be cured ere he come to the physician, and the filthy washed ere he come to the waters. Hence, (1.) Your unholiness cannot bar you from getting part with Christ. (2.) The first step to holiness is to believe.
2. This is a sure way to holiness; it cannot misgive. For hereby the sick are put in the hand of the physician, the filthy in the laver. The sinner united to Christ, most needs partake of his blood and Spirit: as through our relation to Adam we are defiled, so by our relation to Christ we come to be sanctified.
3. Lastly, This is the only way, as being of God's appointment. The sanctification of a sinner is above the power of nature, not to be reached by natural endeavours; they have not that word of appointment.