we make him to be an infinite monster. By Stephen Charnock If every attribute of the deity were a distinct member, holiness would be the soul to animate them. Without holiness, his patience would be an indulgence to sin. His mercy would be a fondness. His wrath would be a madness. His power would be a tyranny. His wisdom would be an unworthy subtlety. Holiness gives balance to them all. The holiness of God is His glory and crown. Holiness is the blessedness of His nature. Holiness renders Him glorious in Himself and glorious to His creatures. Holy is more fixed as an epithet to His name than any other. Holiness is His greatest title of honor. He is pure and unmixed light, free from all blemish in His essence, nature, and works. He cannot be deformed by any evil. The notion of God cannot be entertained without separating Him from whatever is impure and staining, though He is majestic, eternal, almighty, wise, immutable, merciful, and whatsoever other perfections may dignify so sovereign a being, yet if we conceive him destitute of this excellent perfection, and imagine him possessed with the least contagion of evil, we make him to be an infinite monster, and sully all of his perfections. It is a contradiction for him to be God and to have any darkness mixed with his light. To deny his purity makes him no God. He who says God is not holy speaks much worse than if he said there is no God at all. Where do we read of the angels crying out, Eternal or faithful Lord God? But we do hear them singing, Holy, holy, holy. God swears by His holiness. Psalm 89, verse 35. His holiness is a pledge for the assurance of His promises. Power is His hand. Omniscience is His eye. Mercy is His heart. Eternity is His duration. And holiness is His beauty. Holiness renders him lovely and gives beauty to all his attributes. Every action of his is free from all hints of evil. Holiness is the crown of all his attributes, the life of all his decrees, and brightness of all his actions. Nothing is decreed by him and nothing is acted by him that is not consistent with the beauty of his holiness.