The section that immediately follows is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards:
“So the holiness of God in the more extensive sense of the word… is the same with the moral excellency of the divine nature, or his purity and beauty as a moral agent, comprehending all his moral perfections, his righteousness, faithfulness and goodness… From what has been said, it may easily be understood what I intend, when I say that a love to divine things for the beauty of their moral excellency, is the beginning and spring of all holy affections… Holy persons, in the exercise of holy affections, do love divine things primarily for their holiness: they love God, in the first place, for the beauty of his holiness or moral perfection, as being supremely amiable in itself… The true beauty & loveliness of all intelligent beings does primarily & most essentially consist in their moral excellency or holiness. Herein consists the loveliness of the angels, without which with all their natural perfections, their strength, and their knowledge, they would have no more loveliness than devils…But though the devils are very strong, and of great natural understanding, they be not the more lovely: they are more terrible indeed, but not the more amiable; but on the contrary, more hateful. The holiness of an intelligent creature, is the beauty of all his natural perfections. And so it is in God, according to our way of conceiving of the divine Being: holiness is in a peculiar manner the beauty of the divine nature. Hence we often read of the beauty of holiness (Ps 29:2; 96:9, and 110:3). This renders all his other attributes glorious and lovely. Tis the glory of God’s wisdom, that tis a holy wisdom, and not a wicked subtlety and craftiness. This makes his majesty lovely, and not merely dreadful and horrible, that it is a holy majesty. Tis the glory of God’s immutability, that it is a holy immutability, and not an inflexible obstinacy in wickedness. And therefore it must needs be, that a sight of God’s loveliness must begin here. A true love to God must begin with a delight in his holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute; for no other attribute is truly lovely without this, and no otherwise than as (according to our way of conceiving God) it derives its loveliness from this; and therefore it is impossible that other attributes should appear lovely, in their true loveliness, till this is seen; and it is impossible that any perfection of the divine nature should be loved with true love, till this is loved. If the true loveliness of all God’s perfections, arises from the loveliness of his holiness, then the true love of all his perfections, arises from the love of his holiness. They that don’t see the glory of God’s holiness, can’t see anything of the true glory of his mercy and grace; they see nothing of the glory of those attributes, as any excellency of God’s nature, as it is in itself; though they may be affected with them, and love them, as they concern their interest: for those attributes are no part of the excellency of God’s nature, as that excellent in itself, any otherwise than as they are included in his holiness…. As the beauty of the divine nature does primarily consist in God’s holiness, so does the beauty of all divine things. Herein consists the beauty of the saints, that they are saints, or holy ones: tis the moral image of God in them, which is their beauty; & that is their holiness” (RA 255-258).
As noted in earlier posts, Jonathan Edwards, speaking of God, said that “His infinite beauty is his infinite mutual love of himself.” In fact, without going into great detail at this moment, Edwards would say that God’s holiness consists in love for Himself. In other words, when God swears by His holiness He is swearing by His love for Himself as triune. That which gives all the attributes of God their beauty is His holiness, which is His love for Himself. As Edwards says in the above quote, “If the true loveliness of all God’s perfections, arises from the loveliness of his holiness, then the true love of all his perfections, arises from the love of his holiness. They that don’t see the glory of God’s holiness, can’t see anything of the true glory of his mercy & grace; they see nothing of the glory of those attributes.” If Edwards is correct in saying this, then it is of the utmost importance that we see this love of God for Himself, which shows what His true holiness is because in that alone will we see the true beauty and glory of God in all of His attributes.
Edwards says in the quote above that people can see beauty in God in the sense that they are affected by them and love them but only “as they concern their interest.” In other words, people see God as beautiful and have something called love for Him only because they think He provides them with some benefit. But the true beauty of God is that in which His love for Himself or His holiness shines. This shows us that studying God of and for self-interest will never give us a sight of the true glory of God and teaching and preaching self-interest is at odds with true holiness. True holiness in humans, as Edwards sets out, is the reflection of God’s own holiness and in it alone will we see the true beauty and glory of God in all of His attributes. We can study and know about the attributes of God until the cows come home (to use an old phrase) and we will never see the true beauty of God until we see God’s love for Himself as triune. We can be affected and have great feelings with a lot of weeping but those would be for nothing but self unless we see the true beauty of God which is His love for Himself. We can teach people to fear hell and to love the God who delivers them and we have done nothing but teach them according to self-interest. While it is true that we should preach the biblical doctrine of hell, until we teach people the true holiness of God which is His love for Himself we have not taught them how they should be holy and we have not taught them to love what heaven will be like. In other words, we have not taught them what it means to love God which is what heaven will primarily consist of. Certainly it is what God will do for all eternity.
God Loves... Himself 
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