possessed this character before. This is implied in their repentance. If it were not for this, there would be no room for such a thing as repentance. Why shall I repent of that for which I was not blameable? Why repent of a life of unholiness, if I have not been under obligation to live a different life? The Lord says to Israel, "And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight, for all your evils that ye have committed;" Ezek. xx. 43. Does this mean, that they would repent of their outward transgressions only, but not of the pride and selfishness of their hearts? Do not all those, who sorrow for sin after a godly sort, feel deeply affected with their sin, in having remained so long in a state of enmity against God? But would it be reasonable for them to be thus affected if it had not been their duty to be reconciled to God, at the very time when they were his ene mies? If then repentance be a suitable exercise, it proves the point before us, viz, That it is the duty of all men to be holy as God is holy. PART II. IMPROVEMENT. 1. From this subject, it is clear, that we are to understand Christ in the fullest sense, when he says to his disciples, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." This entirely harmonizes with the command in our text, " Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy." Some have thought, that because the best men are sinfully imperfect, the Saviour 7 should be understood, as only to require that religion which is genuine, but not a perfection of it. He is no doubt to be understood, as requiring that religion, which is genuine, in distinction from that which is hypocritical; but this is not all; he requires his disciples to be right--perfectly right. This we have seen, that all rational creatures are under obligation to be; and the Christian Lawgiver did not lower down his requirements from what was right, to what his people were willing to do. When he required them to love God, he required them to do it with all the heart. When he required them to repent, he required them to be perfectly full of godly sorrow for sin. When he required them to believe his testimony, he did not allow them to have any doubt. He required men to pray always, and not faint. The gospel requirements differ nothing from the requirements of the law, as to their extent. If gospel requirements were to be lowered down, to accommodate the imperfect state of christians in this world, the question would arise, How much shall they be lowered down ?--how much shall they fall short of perfect holiness? If they fall short any, with a view to accommodate the imperfection of christians, it is reasonable that they should come down as low as their imperfection. But if the laws of Christ were to be lowered down to the imperfection of christians, in this case, christians would cease to be imperfect, because, on this supposition, they would fully obey the laws of their Master. In this way the christian, with no more sanctification than he now has, would cease to confess, Behold I am vile! He would cease to groan under a body of death. 2. If it be the duty of all men to be holy, like their Maker, then it is the duty of unconverted men to be converted; for there is no other way in which they can be holy in the least degree. "For the carnal (that is, the unrenewed) mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be : So then, they who are in the flesh (that is, in an unrenewed state) cannot please God." Now, if creatures, possessing such a character, are required to be holy, they certainly must be required to become new creatures.--to have new hearts. There were a great multitude of Israelites, to whom the command in the text was addressed, who had unre. newed hearts, and there was no possible way for them to comply, in any measure, with the spirituality of the command, only by becoming renewed in their mind. The present inference plainly follows from the subject. But what may convince every one, that the inference is not fallaciously drawn, is this,---that it coincides with explicit command, addressed to unregenerate men in different parts of the bible. Let the unregenerate seriously inquire into the meaning of such commands as these; "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked." "Rend your heart, and not your garment." "Make you a new heart, and a new spirit; for why will ye die?" "Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." If the Most High were to require any thing less of sinners, than to become saints, he would vir tually require them to sin. It would be ac. knowledging, that their evil propensities were an excuse for not rendering hearty obedience to the reasonable requirements of his word. It would be, in effect, giving up his authority over them. It has been the opinion of some, even respect. able writers, that all which the Lord required of Israel, as his covenant people, was an external holiness. But in the light of this subject we see, that such an opinion will not bear the light. If the holiness required of Israel were external, it will follow, that the holiness of the God of Israel was also external: for he proposed himself to them, as the standard of holiness to which they were to conform. But let us only fix our eye on this one passage, and attentively consider it, and will it not settle the dispute at once? "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul?" Deut. x. 12. 3. We can see in the light of this subject, why the commands of the King of heaven to our fallen world are put in the present tense. " Choose you this day whom ye will serve." "To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.?? " Now he commandeth all men every where to repent." "Now is the day of salvation." If all men, however wicked, are under obligation to be holy, it is proper that this obligation should be urged upon them without any delay. When men are urged to forsake the foolish and live, and go in the way of understanding, they are al. ways ready at least to say, "Go thy way for this time." If it be urged upon children, that they must love God, pray to him, and keep his commandments, they are disposed to defer the matter, until they shall have passed from childhood to youth. Youth would defer serious attention to these things, until they shall have entered the marriage state. The newly married would place the commands of God still in the future tense, until they have first laid up a treasure on the earth. This disposition to make the commands of God future, and not present, is seen among the middle-aged, and even among those in old age. But God commands children, youth, the newly married, the middle-aged, and the hoary, immediately to repent, and engage in his service. He does not command the irreligious to become religious a year hence, or a month, or a day, or even a moment; but now, this instant, he com. mandeth all men every where to repent. If sinners will ever be bound to love God, they are bound to do it now. It is infinitely criminal to delay a moment. If any delay a single moment, it is in direct opposition to the most express commands of the Almighty, and is unspeakably dan. gerous to their own souls. "Why halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him." |