The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

What is of so great account with him, will not be of least account with his holy ones, when they appear in his glorious presence. Their own holiness is a conformity to his, the likeness of it. And as their beholding it forms them into that likeness: so that likeness ⟨p. 83⟩makes them capable of beholding it with pleasure. Divine holiness doth now more ravish than affright. This hath been the language of sinful dust,¹ Who can stand before this holy God? when holiness hath appeared armed with terrors, guarded with flames, and the Divine Majesty been represented as a consuming fire. Such apprehensions sin and guilt naturally beget. The sinners of Zion were afraid. But so far as the new man is put on, created after God, and they who were darkness, are made light in the Lord, he is not under any notion more acceptable to them, than as he is the holy one. They love his Law, because holy; and love each other, because holy, and hate themselves, because they are no more so. Holiness hath still a pleasing aspect when they find it in an Ordinance, meet it in a Sabbath, every glimpse of it is lovely. But with what triumphs hath the holiness of God himself been celebrated even by Saints on earth?² Who is a God like unto thee, ³glorious in holiness! There is none holy as the Lord, ⁴for there is none besides thee. Sing unto the Lord, all ye Saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. What thoughts will they have of it,^* when their eyes can behold that glory? when they immediately look on the archetypal holiness, of which, their own is but the image; and can view that glorious pattern they were so long ⟨p. 84⟩in framing to! How joyfully will they then fall in with the rest of the heavenly host; and join in the same adoration and praise; in the same acclamation, and triumphant song, holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth. How unconceivable is the pleasure of this sight; when the [Greek or Hebrew], the first pulchritude, the original beauty offers it self to view! Holiness is intellectual beauty; Divine holiness is the most perfect, and the measure of all other; And what is the pleasure or satisfaction, of which we speak but the perfection and rest of love! Now Love,