Most Holy God! I have seen Thee, who dwellest in the fire. I have heard
Thy voice, Draw not nigh hither; put thy shoes off from thy feet. And my
soul has feared to look upon God, the Holy One.
And yet, O my God! I must see Thee. Thou didst create me for Thy
likeness. Thou hast taught that this likeness is Thy Holiness: 'Be holy,
as I am holy.' O my God! how shall I know to be holy, unless I may see
Thee, the Holy One? To be holy, I must look upon God.
I bless Thee for the revelation of Thyself in the flames of the
thorn-bush, in the fire of the accursed tree. I bow in amazement and
deep abasement at the great sight: Thy Son in the weakness of His human
nature, in the fire, burning but not consumed. O my God! in fear and
trembling I have yielded myself as a sinner to die like Him. Oh, let the
fire consume all that is unholy in me! Let me too know Thee as the God
that dwelleth in the fire, to melt down and purge out and destroy what
is not of Thee, to save and take up into Thine own Holiness what is
Thine own.
O Holy Lord God! I bow in the dust before this great mystery. Reveal to
me Thy Holiness, that I too may be its witness and its messenger on
earth. Amen.
1. _Holiness as the fire of God._ Praise God that there is a
Power that can consume the vile and the dross, a Power that
will not leave it undisturbed. 'The bush burning but not
consumed' is not only the motto of the Church in time of
persecution; it is the watchword of every soul in God's
sanctifying work.
2. There is a new Theology, which only speaks of the love of
God as seen in the cross. It sees not the glory of His
Righteousness, and His righteous judgment. This is not the God
of Scripture. 'Our God is a consuming fire,' is New Testament
Theology. To 'offer service with reverence and awe,' is New
Testament religion. In Holiness, Judgment and Mercy meet.
3. _Holiness as the fear of God._ Hiding the face before God
for fear, not daring to look or speak,--this is the beginning
of rest in God. It is not yet the true rest, but on the way to
it. May God give us a deep fear of whatever could grieve or
anger Him. May we have a deep fear of ourselves, and all that
is of the old, the condemned nature, lest it rise again. 'The
spirit of the fear of the Lord' is the first manifestation of
the spirit of holiness, and prepares the way for the joy of
holiness. 'Walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort
of the Holy Ghost;' these are the two sides of the Christian
life.
4. The Holiness of God was revealed to Moses that he might be
its messenger. The Church needs nothing so much to-day as men
and women who can testify for the Holiness of God. Will you be
one?