The Best Way To Be Holy

"Turn to the Lord with weeping and with mourning."

Joel 2:12

The best way to be holy is to accuse, indict, arraign, and condemn yourself for your unholiness. Greatly lament and mourn over your own unholiness, over your own wickedness. Go to your closet, and fall down before the most high and holy God, and mourn bitterly over . . .

the unholiness of your nature,
the unholiness of your heart,
the unholiness of your affections,
the unholiness of your intentions,
the unholiness of your thoughts,
the unholiness of your words,
the unholiness of your life.

Oh, who can look upon sin . . .
as an offence against a holy God,
as the breach of a holy law,
as the wounding and crucifying of a holy Savior,
as the grieving and saddening of a holy Sanctifier,

and not mourn over it?

Oh, who can cast a serious eye . . .
upon the heinous nature of sin,
upon the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
upon the aggravations of sin--

and not have . . .

his heart humbled,

his soul grieved,

his spirit melted,

his mouth full of penitential confessions,

his eyes full of penitential tears, and

his heart full of penitential sorrow?

The Christian mourns that he has sinned against . . .

a God so great,

a God so gracious,

a God so bountiful,

a God so merciful.

Oh, how should a sinner fall a-weeping when he looks upon the greatness of his wickedness, and his lack of holiness! As ever you would be holy, mourn over your own unholiness. Those who weep not for sin here--shall weep out their eyes in hell hereafter! It is better to weep bitterly for your sins on earth, than to weep eternally for your folly in hell.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Matthew 5:4

(Thomas Brooks, The Crown and Glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the Only Way to Happiness, 1662)