truth and faithfulness, &c. It confifts in thefe, and cannot be diftinguished from them. Therefore they who have confidered holiness as a diftinct attribute of God, and have attempted to describe it, as diftinguished from goodness, wildom, &c. do not appear to have, any diftinct, clear ideas, and to be able to give any fatisfactory or intelligible definition of it. It does not appear that the fcriptures warrant any fuch-diftinction, but there the holiness of God means the goodness of his moral character in general; And we find that when it is applied to men, it denotes a virtuous moral character and conduct, and comprehends every thing morally good, even, every branch of moral excellence. And fhould any one, attempt to define the holinefs of a man, as diftinct from goodness, his love, to God and his neighbour, his humility, righteoufnefs and temperance, he not only would have no fcripture warrant for it; but must run himself into the dark, and be altogether unintelligble to himself and others. 3. The whole of true holiness, or the moral excellence and perfection of God, is comprehended in LOVE,or goodaels, by whatever names it may be called. Where there no love or goodness of heart, there is nothing morally good; and where this love or goodness is, there is every moral virtue and excellence, as neceffarily involved and implied in it. Therefore infinite goodness, is infinite moral perfection, and forms an abfolutely perfect and infinitely excellent moral character. By this love and goodness is meant good will, with every affection necessaly implied in it; that univerfal benevolence, which conls in a difpofition to feek, and promote the greatest pofable general good and happiness, and all thofe affections and exercifes, and that conduct in which this is expreffed nd acted out. What abfolutely perfect and infinitę enevolence and goodness implies, and contains in the ature of it; and that nothing can be added to it to form a infinitely excellent moral character, will be more particularly D 3 ticularly confidered and evinced hereafter. But it is proper first to confider what evidence we have from the fcriptures, that the divine, moral character, or the holinefs of God, confifts wholly in this. 1. The holy law of God, which is not only the ftandard of holiness, or of moral excellence and perfection in the creature, but an expreffion and tranfcript of divine holinefs, requires nothing but love or goodness; fo that he who LOVETH, as the law of God requires, is perfectly conformed to the law, which is the fame with being perfectly holy And this is perfect conformity or likeness to God in his moral character; fór holiness in the creature is the moral image of God: Therefore God fays to men, "Be ye holy; for I am holy."| Jefus Chrift has taught us that the holy law of God requires nothing but love, in the following remarkable words, "Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. This is the firft and great commandment. And the fecond is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Agreeable to this, St. Paul fays, "Love is the fulfilling of the law." Nothing can be more exprefsly afferted than this, viz. that love exercised to a proper degree, and expreffed and acted out in all proper ways, forms a perfect moral character; and therefore that the divine moral character confifts wholly in this. 2. The Apoftle John fays repeatedly that God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Here all the moral perfections of God are comprehended in love, and by this the whole of his moral character is expressed. If we know what love is, we know what God is; for God is love. And if we dwell in love, we are conformed to God, and he dwelleth in us, moral image is formed in us by love. his 3. When 3. When Mofes befought God to fhew him his glory; in answer to this petition, God faid, "I will make all my, GOODNESS país before thee." And when he granted this petition, it is faid, "The Lord defcended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord paffed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long fuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." The glory of God confifts in his moral perfection and character: But when he propofes to fhew this his glory to Mofes, he mentions his goodness, and nothing else, "I will make all my GOODNESS to pass before thee." q.d. I have no glory to fhow but my goodnefs; this is the whole of my moral beauty and excellence.. And when it is faid, "he proclaimed the name of the Lord; it means that he proclaimed his character,' and declared that in which his moral perfection and glory did confift. And here is nothing but goodness or love mentioned. Love in the higheft, moft refplendent and glorious exercises and manifeftations of it, in the pardon and falvation of finners. TRUTH is indeed mentioned here; but not as any thing diftinct from goodness or benevolence; but as that which is neceffarily included in it. But this leads to a more particular confideration of the moral perfections of God, which are included in love or goodness. 1. Infinite wisdom is a moral perfection of God. Wildom consists in difcerning, and propofing the higheft and best end, and fixing on, and pursuing the most proper and best way and means, in order to accomplish it. Infinite wisdom does this with infinite ease, and without any poffibility of the leaft error and miftake. It is certain that this wisdom is a moral excellence, and belongs to the heart, and therefore does not confift in mere fpeculation, or that knowledge or understanding, which may be without any rectitude or goodness of difpofition or heart. Satan, who has no moral goodness, has no wisdom. He does not discern and propose any good end, but the contrary; and is devifing and pursuing methods to accomplifh his evil defigns. Therefore, however clear and right his fpeculations may be in fome inftances, and though he may be very fubtil and cunning, he has no wisdom, and no true difcerning in things of a moral nature; but all his proposals, defigns and pursuits, are directly the reverfe of wisdom. They are confummate folly and madness. Therefore the fcriptures fpeak of wisdom, as a moral excellence; yea, as including all moral rectitude; and perfectly opposed to all folly or moral evil; and a wise and understanding heart, in the fcriptures, means a moral excellence depending on the difpofition of the heart, and not confifting in any knowledge and fpeculations which are confiftent with a corrupt and evil heart. Of this every one who has attended to the Bible, must be fenfible; it is therefore needlefs to produce paffages here to prove it. This true wisdom is called light, in the fcriptures; in which fense God is 'faid to be light, and to dwell in light. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." Wisdom and goodness, or benevolence, are not to be confidered as diftinct, and the former as independent of the latter. Where there is no benevolence there is no wifdom; for where benevolence or goodness is not, there no good end is proposed and pursued, or difcerned. It is benevolence alone that feeks the higheft general good, and proposes and pursues the beft end, and where this is not, the true good is not discerned, and therefore the best end is not propofed, fought, or perceived. This therefore gives or contains all the light and discerning there is in true wisdom. If we have a juft idea of benevolence or goodness of heart, and know what that is, we have an idea of true wifdom, the latter being neceffarily included in the former. This will be evident to every one who confiders and underftands, what benovolence is, and what is true wifdom; fo that no farther proof of this point will be needed. This is agreeable to what is faid in the fcriptures of benevolence and wildom. There love or benevolence is represented as being or containing all that light and knowledge which is in true wildom and that where this love is not, there is not any degree of this light and difcerning. "Every one that LOVETH, knoweth God, He that loveth not, knoweth not God. He that faith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother, abideth in the light: But he that hateth his brother, is in darkness, and walketh in darkness. Here love is faid to be, or imply, all that light and discerning which is of a moral nature, in which true wifdom confifts; there fore love is wisdom. Love is true light and difcerning, and this is true wisdom. Love is the true knowledge of God, or implies it, and is effential to it. And in the knowledge of God true wisdom confifts. "If thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding-thou fhalt then understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God: For the Lord giveth wisdom."* Moreover, the fcriptures teach us that wisdom, confidered as propofing and pursuing a good end by the best means, confifts in love. There it is faid, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: But fools defpife wifdom and inftuction. And unto man he said, "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." By the fear of the Lord, is evidently meant, true piety, or obedience to God, in keeping his commandments; which confifts wholly in love, love * Prov. ii. 2, 5, 6. |