Old Paths In Portrait

“1. Sin is contrary to the nature of God. God’s name is holy; and as His name is, so is He—His nature all holy. He is so and cannot but be so. Therefore, God takes it worse that men should think Him wicked like themselves (Psa 50:16-22), than that they think Him not to exist (Psa 14:1). It is said to weary Him when men say that evil is good in His sight (Mal 2:17). This is the thing God glories in: He is holy, even glorious in holiness (Exo 15:11).

Holiness is the attribute that frees God, not only from evil itself, but from all appearance or suspicion of evil. If God were not holy, many of the things that God does would look unlike Him: His justice and judgments would look not only like severity, but tyranny, were not it and they holy. His love in its conduct and behavior to some people would look like fondness and respect of persons, but that it is holy. His patience would look like a toleration, if not approbation of sin, but that it is holy patience. Thus, many acts of God, were it not for holiness, would appear as seemingly evil as they are really good, and would be as much suspected by all, as they are unjustly censured by some.
 

-Ralph Venning  Puritan Minister  c.1621-1673