There are no virtues which are not comprehended in the perfect rule of life, the law of God. We have pointed out the most prominent aspects of each commandment in the previous chapters. We shall now consider some of these matters more explicitly, and thus stir up the soul that delights in holiness to practice it.
Virtue: Its Nature and Goal
Virtue is that within man which perfectly harmonizes with the will of God as presented in the law.
One may consider virtues in their propensity or in their manifestation. The propensity is the virtuous disposition which God has infused at regeneration and is acquired by way of many exercises. Due to this propensity the virtuous person is active in a holy fashion toward various objects.
He who has one virtue has them all. This is true not only because they are all united—for one virtue does not exist independently, and in the exercise of one virtue many merge together—but also because the disposition of the heart is virtuous and capable of being exercised in harmony with the requirement of the object. The holier this disposition is, the holier the ensuing deeds will be. By reason of the exercise of the one virtue, this holy disposition is increased and thus becomes more competent to exercise other virtues.
The one virtue (when considered as such) is not superior to another virtue, for they are in perfect harmony with the law under all circumstances. Any conformity to the law less than that is a fault, and therefore sin. However, the objects and circumstances are either greater or less, and in that respect the manifestation of the one virtue is greater than of the other. Furthermore, since man is imperfect, one man has more of this virtuous disposition and its actual manifestation than the other.
In regard to the ultimate goal of a virtue, the consideration of the virtue precedes its manifestation. The more that man is illuminated, the more he will focus on loftier matters, setting them before him in order to attain them. A beginning Christian perceives the dreadfulness of eternal condemnation and has confused notions about salvation. This causes him to aim at being delivered from the one and to acquire the other. As such a person is increasingly illuminated, he will focus upon loftier matters and will strive to acquire them. He will do so until he is acquainted with and delights in the highest goal: the glorification of God. Being motivated by this, he uses all means at his disposal to attain to this. A younger Christian, having lesser matters in view, nevertheless ends in the glorification of God, giving thanks for the good that was received. The more mature a Christian becomes, however, the more he will engage himself from the superior to the inferior; that is, love for the glory of God motivates him to do everything which serves to that end. This ultimate goal, the glorification of God, we posit as the primary virtue.
God Glorifies Himself in the Works of Nature and Grace
God first of all glorifies Himself when He reveals His perfections to His creatures—both in the works of nature as well as in the works of grace.
(1) God glorifies Himself in the works of nature, that is, in creation and preservation. Consider the following passages: “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! When I consider Thy heavens …” (Ps 8:1); “In wisdom hast thou made them all” (Ps 104:24); “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (Rom 1:20); “Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good … from heaven” (Acts 14:17).
(2) God glorifies Himself in the work of grace, by manifesting therein His righteousness: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness” (Rom 3:25); His wisdom: “To the intent that now … might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” (Eph 3:10); His mercy and grace: “To the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph 1:6); His love: “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared” (Titus 3:4). And thus “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa 6:3).
Secondly, God glorifies His Son, the Mediator Jesus Christ: “The God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus” (Acts 3:13), and the Son in turn glorifies the Father: “I have glorified Thee on the earth” (John 17:4).
Thirdly, God glorifies His children in this life when He adorns them with His image and exalts them before the eyes of the world. “Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honourable” (Isa 43:4); “And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD” (Ezek 16:14). God glorifies them after death: “For it became Him … in bringing many sons unto glory” (Heb 2:10); “Moreover … whom He justified, them He also glorified” (Rom 8:30).
The Lord has all honor and glory infinitely within Himself—also when there was no creature to acknowledge this. He is “the God of glory” (Acts 7:2), the “King of glory” (Ps 24:8), and “the Father of glory” (Eph 1:17). From this glory emanates a brilliance which even the angels cannot endure. Therefore they cover their faces and cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts” (Isa 6:5). When surrounded by this brilliance, man disappears and cries out, “Woe is me! for I am undone … for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa 6:5). The glory of God can neither be decreased nor increased by a creature. His glory remains the same, irrespective of whether man despises or magnifies it. It is pure goodness of God—who is light, and who covers Himself with light as with a garment and dwells in an unapproachable light—that He reveals His glory to men in some measure, permitting them to rejoice in this, to glorify, acknowledge, magnify, and praise Him, and to make Him known to others as such. This is felicity and the work of angels. “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14). This is felicity and the work of glorified souls. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power” (Rev 4:11). This is felicity and the work of believers upon earth who have been formed to the praise of His glorious grace and to show forth His praise (Isa 43:21). Every godly person delights in this activity as David did. “I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works” (Ps 145:5).