The Beauty and Glory of a Christian
Holiness is the beauty and glory of a Christian, making him amiable and desirable, and attracting all eyes and hearts to admiration.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that holiness is the true beauty and glory of a Christian, surpassing all natural beauty found in the world. He argues that holiness makes a person amiable and desirable, drawing admiration from others and reflecting the beauty of God. Brooks compares the beauty of holiness to the loveliness of renowned figures, asserting that it is the most exquisite beauty that endures beyond this life. He urges believers to pursue holiness as it not only enhances their attractiveness to others but also makes them lovely in the eyes of God. Ultimately, he warns that unholy souls are deformed and unlovely, contrasting sharply with the splendor of holiness.
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Holiness will render you most beautiful and amiable. As
holiness is the beauty of God, and the beauty of angels
--so it is the beauty and glory of a Christian also.
Holiness casts such a beauty upon man, as makes him
very amiable and desirable.
The redness of the rose, the whiteness of the lily, and all
the beauties of the natural universe--are but deformities,
compared to that beauty which holiness puts upon us. If
all natural beauty were contracted into one beauty--yet
it would be but an obscure and an unlovely beauty,
compared to that beauty which holiness puts upon us!
Holiness is lovely, yes--loveliness itself. Purity is a Christian's
splendor and glory. There is no beauty compared to that of
sanctity; nothing beautifies and bespangles a man like holiness.
Holiness is so attractive and so lovely a thing--that it draws all
eyes and hearts to an admiration of it. Holiness is so great a
beauty--that it puts a beauty upon all other excellencies in a
man. That holiness is a very beautiful thing, and that it makes
all those beautiful who have it--is a truth that no devil can deny!
"Demetrius," says Plutarch, "was so lovely of face, that no
painter was able to draw him." Just so, holiness puts so rare
a beauty upon man--that no painter under heaven is able to
draw him! Scipio Africanus was so lovely a person, that the
Spaniards stood amazed at his loveliness. Holiness puts such
a loveliness, and such an amiableness upon a person--that
many admire it, and stand amazed at it.
O sirs, as ever you would be amiable and desirable--be holy!
As ever you would be attractive and lovely--be holy!
As ever you would outshine the sun in splendor and
glory--labor to be holy!
Many have ventured their names, their estates, their liberties,
their lives, yes, their very souls--to enjoy a lovely Bathsheba,
an attractive Helena, a beautiful Diana, a lovely Cleopatra, etc.,
whose beauties have been but clay, well-colored. Oh, how
much more, then, should you be provoked to labor and venture
your all for holiness--which will imprint upon you that most
excellent and most exquisite beauty--which will go to the grave
and to glory with you; yes, which will render you not only amiable
and excellent in the eyes of men--but also lovely in the eyes of God!
Unholy souls are . . .
foul souls,
ugly souls,
deformed souls,
withered souls,
wrinkled souls,
altogether unlovely souls.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Beauty of Holiness
- A. Holiness is the beauty of God and angels
- B. Holiness makes man amiable and desirable
- II. The Comparison of Natural Beauty
- A. Natural beauty is but a deformity compared to holiness
- III. The Attractiveness of Holiness
- A. Holiness is lovely and attractive
- B. Holiness draws all eyes and hearts to admiration
- IV. The Power of Holiness
- A. Holiness puts a beauty upon all other excellencies
- B. Holiness is a very beautiful thing
Key Quotes
“Holiness casts such a beauty upon man, as makes him very amiable and desirable.” — Thomas Brooks
“Holiness is so attractive and so lovely a thing--that it draws all eyes and hearts to an admiration of it.” — Thomas Brooks
“That holiness is a very beautiful thing, and that it makes all those beautiful who have it--is a truth that no devil can deny!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- To be amiable and desirable, labor to be holy.
- To outshine the sun in splendor and glory, labor to be holy.
- Be provoked to labor and venture your all for holiness, which will imprint upon you that most excellent and most exquisite beauty.