Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-11-08
8eligiuns department.
For the Monitor.
HOLINESS, WHAT rs TIP


his angels, servants, and sanctuaries,
and his throne. 1t is demanded by him
that his people be holy because he is.
1t is taught on every page of Holy
Writ, directly or by implication. The
first human pair were made in the image
of God, which is righteousness and true
holiness. When they fell from this, the
economy of restoration to obedience and
acceptance was promised, and opened in
its typical, and yet effective form. 1t
provided for instruction, repentance, in
tercession, sacrifice, pardon, and cleans
ing, and under it before Christ came,
Enoch walked with a holy God 800
years. Job, Abraham, Melchisedek,
Isaac, and Jacob, Moses and the Proph-
cts, and a multitude of men were accept
ed and saved. These were saved from
their sins, and so became saints, fit to
dwell in "his presence, where there is
fulness of joy, and and at his right hand
where are pleasures forevermore." Who
ever scans the Jewish system will see
that there is the most rigid regard for
purity everywhere inculcated. Why
were the Jews separate people? To
keep them from sin. Why were they
instructed to such anxious care lest they
should some way be de6led? Why
were they to employ SO often and care
fully the varied rites of publication ?
All of those declared that holy God
demanded purity in externals and much
more in Intervals, that every deflement
both of flesh and spirit was an abomi-
nation before him. He will see per-
petual warfare waged by God against
sin, manifest in the judgments and
calamities that fell on that erring peo-
pie, as detailed in their history. See
nation after nation warned, threatened
and swept from the earth, and we may
appeal to all human history, to witness
that God has never forgotten either to
reward the good, or to punish even on
earth the wicked. For the work of
man has he rendered unto him, and
caused every man to find according to
his own way. And it must ever be so
while he is holy. He will punish sin
with stripes and ruin, as long as this
probation period lasts, and chase the
incorrigible out of the world as the chaff
which the wind driveth away. 1.-The
ungOdly shall not stand in the judgment
nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous" Were it not for day of
probation, given and prolonged. the
holiness of God would move him to cut
off SHINING race at once and send them
to perdltion forever.
Holiness may be defined as what is In
moral character in harmony with Gods
character and will. The truly holy soul
loves God above all else, and serves
Him to his best ability. He wants to
do that service perfectly, but fallen ma
ture fails from its infnity. of perfect
works. But God accepts the willing
mind through Jesus Christ, and accounts
them holy, because they do what they
can. But this state admits of growth.
and what measure was accepted yester-
day, may not do to-day, or tomorrow.
for the growing soul can do better work
for Jesus, as time rolls around, and SO
will it be, we Opine to all eternity.
The Word of God says holiness be-
cometh thy house, o Lord. forever. -
This means now, and hereafter too
The house of God means a place of wor.
ship, temple, or heaven itself, but it,
best rendering is his household of sons
I daughters and servants, whose hearts
whether they dwell on earth or in heav
/ en-, are his living temples, in which they
worship and enthrone him. Holiness
becomes that household forever. The,
love righteousness and hate iniquity, il
harmony with his only begotten Sol
\ their elder brother, therefore God hatl
4 exalted them on his throne of righteous
ness aud holiness forever. Righteous
ness is the work, and holiness unchange,
and Interchangeable is the moral state 0
God, and his Own, here and elsewhere
are established with him in it. We d
e not mean that all are equally establish
d ed. but as far as they are established a
"a all, they are established in holiness
The earthly ones stand probationary a
Christ did, till he said ''it is finished,
and the holy angels, The church, tn
world, and the devils. and God himsel
gazes on them to see if they will igh
manfully and win the prize, the crow
and the throne. This is the true COZ
I hict of the age, when the successive mi
y lions Of redeemed contend for truth, an
overcome through the blood of the Laml
and the word of their testimony. The
shall see his face; they are his hol
ct ones; they are his and he is theirs fl
all ever. Holmes becomes them, and the
be possess it and it possesses them eve
y, more. They are Gods proper hous
= Shout all ye hosts of heaven, as slav,