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A. 9. We glorify God by walk- God, much of his glory lies in

his truth; now when we are advocates for truth, this is to glorify God; so Athanasius, the bulwark for truth. Jude v. 3., "That ye should contend earnestly for the faith," viz. the doctrine of faith. The Greek word, to contend, sig

picture than for his land of inheritance, -for a box of counters, than for his box of evidences.

ing cheerfully. It is a glory to God, when the world sees a Christian hath that within him that can make him cheerful in the worst times; he can, with the nightingale, sing with a thorn at his breast. The people of God hath ground of cheerfulness; nifies a great contending, as one they are justified, and instated would contend for his land, and into adoption; and this creates not suffer his right to be taken inward peace; it makes music from him; so we should contend within, whatever storms are with- for the truth. Were there more out, 2 Cor. i. 4., 1 Thes. i. 6. If of this holy contention, God would we consider what Christ hath have more glory. Some can conwrought for us by his blood, and tend earnestly for trifles and cerewrought in us by his Spirit, it is monies, ies, but not for the truth; a ground of great cheerfulness, we should count him indiscreet, and this cheerfulness glorifies that would contend more for God. It reflects upon a master when the servant is always drooping and sad, sure he is kept to hard commons, his master doth not give him what is fitting; so, when God's people hang their heads, it looks as if they did not serve a good master, or repented me." The Hebrew word bara, of their choice; this reflects dis- to create, and barak, to praise, honour on God. As the gross are little different, because the sins of the wicked bring a scandal end of creation is to praise God. on the gospel, so do the uncheerful lives of the godly, Ps. c. 2., "Serve the Lord with gladness.' Your serving him doth not glorify him, unless it be with gladness. A Christian's cheerful looks glorify God; religion doth not take away our joy, but refine and clarify it, it doth not break our viol, but tunes it, and makes the music sweeter.

A. 11. We glorify God, by praising him. Doxology, or praise, is a a God-exalting work: Ps. 1. 23., "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth

David was called 'the sweet singer of Israel, and his praising God was called a glorifying of God. Ps. lxxxvi. 12., "I will praise thee, O Lord my God, and I will glorify thy name." Though nothing can add to God's essential glory, yet praise exalts him in the eyes of others. When we praise God, we spread his fame and renown, we display the trophies of his excellency. In this man

A. 10. We glorify God, by standing up for his truths. Much ner the angels glorify God, and of God's glory lies in his truth. they are the choristers of heaven, God hath intrusted us with his and do trumpet forth God's truth, as a master intrusts his praise. And praising of God is servant with his purse to keep. one of the highest and purest acts We have not a richer jewel to of religion; in prayer we act like trust God with, than our souls; men; in praise we act like angels; nor God hath not a richer jewel this is a high degree of glorifying to trust us with, than his truth. God. Believers are called ' temTruth is a beam that shines from ples of God,' 1 Cor. iii. 16.

that he may be the fitter, by the strength he receives, for the service of God; he makes his food, not fuel for lust, but help to

When our tongues praise, then heal the decays of nature, and the organs in God's spiritual teinple are going. How sad is it, that God hath no more of his glory from us this way! Many are full of murmurings and dis- duty. 2. In buying and selling, contents, but seldom do they we do all to the glory of God. bring glory to God, by giving him The wicked live upon unjust the praise due to his name. We gain, either by falsifying the read of the saints having harps balances, Hos. xii. 7., "The bain their hands, Rev. v. 8., the lances of deceit are in his hands." emblems of praise: many have While men make their weights tears in their eyes, and complaints lighter, they make their sins in their mouth, but few have heavier; or, by exacting more harps in their hand, blessing and

Let us hoPraise is the

glorifying of God. nour God this way. quit-rent we pay to God; while God renews our lease, we must renew our rent.

A. 12. We glorify God, by being zealous for his name: Numb. xxv. 11., "Phinehas hath turned my wrath away, while he was zealous for my sake." Zeal is a mixed affection, a compound of love and anger; it carries forth our love to God, and anger against sin in a most intense manner. Zeal is impatient of God's dishonour: a Christian fired with zeal, takes a dishonour done to God worse than an injury done to himself, Rev. ii. 2., "Thou canst not bear them that are evil." Our Saviour Christ did thus glorify his Father: he, being baptized with a spirit of zeal, drove the money-changers out of the temple, John ii. 14, 17., "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up."

A. 13. We glorify God, when we have an eye at God, both in our natural and in our civil actions: 1. In our natural actions. In eating and drinking, 1 Cor. x. 31., "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God." A gracious person holds the golden bridle of temperance; he takes his meat as a medicine to

than the commodity is worth, they do not for fourscore write down fifty, but for fifty, fourscore; they exact double the price that a thing is worth. But when we buy and sell to the glory of God, when in our buying and selling, we observe that golden maxim, "To do to others, as we would have them to do to us," Matth. vii. 12. When we do sell our commodities, that we do not sell our conscience, Acts xxiv. 16., "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." This is to glorify God, when we have an eye at God in our civil and natural actions, and will do nothing that may reflect any blemish on religion.

A. 14. We glorify God, by labouring to draw others to God. We convert others, and so make thein instruments of glorifying God. We should be both diamonds and loadstones; diamonds for the lustre of grace, and loadstones for our attractive virtue in drawing others to Christ: Gal. iv. 19., "My little children, of whom I travail," &c. This is a great way of glorifying God, when we break the devil's prison, and turn men from the power of Satan to God.

A. 15. We glorify God in an high manner, when we suffer for

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God, and seal the gospel with one would think, savoured of our blood: John xxi. 18, 19., pride, but the apostle pulls the "When thou shalt be old, ano- crown from his own head, and ther shall gird thee, and carry sets it upon the head of free grace, thee whither thou wouldst not: yet not I, but the grace of God this spake he, signifying by what which was with me." As Joab, death he should glorify God." when he fought against Rabbah, God's glory shines in the ashes of sent for King David, that he his martyrs, Isa. xxiv. 15., might carry away the crown of Wherefore glorify the Lord in the victory, 2 Sam. S xii. 28., so a the fires." Micaiah was in the Christian, when he hath gotten prison, Isaiah was sawn asun- power over any corruption or der, Paul beheaded, - Luke temptation, sends for Christ, that hanged on an olive-tree, thus he may carry away the crown of did they by their death glorify the victory. As the silk-worm, God. The sufferings of the pri- when she weaves her curious mitive saints did honour God, work, hides herself under the and make the gospel famous in silk, and is not seen; so when we the world. What would others have done any thing praise-worsay? See what a good master thy, we must hide ourselves under they serve, and how they love the veil of humility, and transhim, that they will venture the fer the glory of all we have done loss of all in his service. The to God. Constantine did use to glory of Christ's kingdom doth write the name of Christ over his not stand in worldly pomp and door, so should we write the grandeur, as other kings'; but it name of Christ over our duties; is seen in the cheerful sufferings let him wear the garland of praise. of his people. The saints of old A. 17. We glorify God by an "loved not their lives to the holy life; as a bad life doth dis

death," Rev. xii. 11. They snatched up torments as so many crowns. God grant we may thus glorify him, if he calls us to it. Many pray, "Let this cup pass away," but few, "thy will be

done."

A. 16. We glorify God, when we give God the glory of all we do. Herod when he had made an oration, and the people gave a shout, saying, "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man;" he

"Ye

honour God: 1 Pet. ii. 9.,
are an holy nation, that ye should
shew forth the praises of him that
hath called you;" Rom ii. 24.,
"The name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles through you."
Epiphanius saith, that the loose-
ness of some Christians, in his
time, made many of the heathens
shun the company of the Chris-
tians, and would not be drawn to
hear their sermons." So, by our
exact Bible-conversation we glo-

took this glory to himself, the rify God. Though the main work text saith, "And immediately of religion lies in the heart, yet the angel of the Lord smote him, our light must so shine that others because he gave not God the glory, may behold it; the chief of a and he was eaten of worms," building is the foundation, yet the Acts xii. 23. Then we glorify glory of it is in the frontispiece; God, when we sacrifice the praise so beauty in the conversation : and glory of all to God, 1 Cor. when the saints, who are called xv. 10., " I laboured more abun-jewels, cast a sparkling lustre of dantly than they all," a speech, holiness in the eyes of the world,

city of glorifying him; the health he hath given you, the parts, estate, seasons of grace,-these all are opportunities put into your hand to glorify him; and, be assured, God will call you to account, to know what you have done with the mercies he hath intrusted you with, what glory you have brought to him. The parable of the talents, Mat. xxv. 15., where the men with the five talents, and the two talents, are brought to a reckoning, doth evidently shew that God will call you to a strict account, to know you have traded with your talents, and what glory you have brought to him. Now, how sad will it be with them who hide their talents in a napkin, that bring God no glory at all? V. 30., "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness." It is not enough for you to say, that you have not dis

then they "walk as Christ walk- | There is none here present but ed," 1 John ii. 6. When they God hath put you in some capalive as if they had seen the Lord with bodily eyes, and been with him upon the mount, then they adorn religion, and bring revenues of glory to the crown of heaven. Use 1. It shews us what should not be our chief end: not to get great estates, not to lay up treasures upon earth, this is a degeneracy of mankind since the fall; their great design is to compass the earth and grow rich, and this they make their chief end; those never think of glorifying God, they trade for the world, but are not factors for heaven: Eccles. ix. 3., "Madness is in their heart while they live." Sometimes they never arrive at an estate, they do not get the venison they hunt for, - or, though they do, what have they? that which will not fill the heart, no more than the mariner's breath will fill the sails of a ship, a picture drawn on the ice! So honoured God, you have not they spend their time, as Israel, lived in gross sin; but what good in gathering straw, but remem- have you done? what glory have ber not the end of living to glorify God: Eccles. v. 16., " What profit hath he that laboureth for the wind?" And these things are soon gone.

you brought to God? It is not enough for the servant of the vineyard, that he do no hurt in the vineyard, that he do not break the trees or destroy the hedges, if he doth not do service in the vineyard, he loseth his pay; if you do not good in your place, do not glorify God, you will lose your pay, miss of salvation. Oh think of this, all you that live unserviceably ! Christ cursed the barren fig-tree. 2. It reproves such as are so far from bringing glory to God, that they rob God of his glory, Mal. iii. 8., " Will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed me." They rob God, who take the glory due to God to themselves: 1. If they have gotten an estate, they ascribe

Use 2. It reproves such-1. As bring no glory to God. They do not answer the end of their creation, their time is not time lived, but time lost; they are like the wood of the vine, Ezek. xv. 2.; their lives are, as St. Bernard speaks, "either sinfulness or barrenness. An useless burden on the earth." God will one day ask such a question as king Ahasuerus did, Esth. vi. 3., " What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai?" So will the Lord say, "What honour hath been done to me? What revenues of glory have you brought into my exchequer?" | all to their own wit and industry,

they set the crown upon their Luke xi. 52., "Ye have taken own head, not considering that, away the key of knowledge; ye Deut. viii. 18., "Thou shalt re-entered not in yourselves, and member the Lord thy God, for it them that were entering in ye is he that giveth thee power to hindered." If there be either get wealth." 2. If they do any justice in heaven, or fire in hell, duty of religion, they look squint they shall not go unpunished. to their own glory, Matth. vi. 5., Use 3. Exhortation. Let us "That they may be seen of men," every one, in our place, make this -that they may be set upon a our chief end and design, to glotheatre that others may admire rify God: 1. Let me speak to and canonize them. The oil of magistrates; God hath put much vain glory feeds their lamp. How glory upon them, Ps. lxxxii. 6., many hath the wind of popular " I have said ye are gods;" and breath blown to hell! Whom the will they not glorify him whom devil could not destroy by intem- he hath put so much glory upon ? perance, he hath by vain glory. Magistrates should be zealous for 3. It reproves them who fight against God's glory: Acts v. 39., "Lest ye be found to fight against God."

Q. But who do fight against God's glory?

God's worship and day; they should not let the sword rust in the scabbard, but draw it out for the cutting down of sin. 2. Ministers, how should they study to promote God's glory! God A. Such as do oppose that, hath intrusted them with two of whereby God's glory is promoted. the most precious things, his God's glory is much promoted in truths, and the souls of his peothe preaching of the word, be- ple. Ministers are, by virtue of cause it is his engine whereby he their office, to glorify God: 1. converts souls. Now, such as They must glorify God by labourwould hinder the preaching of ing in the word and doctrine: 2 the word, these fight against Tim. iv. 1., "I charge thee beGod's glory, 1 Thess. ii. 16., fore God and the Lord Jesus "Forbidding us to speak to the Christ, who shall judge the quick Gentiles, that they might be and the dead: preach the word, saved." Dioclesian, who raised be instant in season, out of seathe tenth persecution against the son," &c. It was Augustine's Christians, did prohibit church- wish, "that Christ, at his commeetings, and would have the ing, might find him either praytemples of the Christians to be ing or preaching." 2. Ministers razed down. Such as hinder must glorify God by their zeal preaching do as the Philistines and sanctity. The priests under that stopped the wells, they stop the law, before they served at the well of the water of life, the altar, did wash in the laver ; they take away the physicians such as serve in the Lord's house, that should heal sin-sick souls. must first be washed from gross Ministers are lights, Matth. v. 14., sin in the laver of repentance. and who but thieves hate the It is matter of grief and shame, light? these persons do directly to think how many, who call strike at God's glory; and what themselves Ministers, do, instead an account will they have to give of apparently bringing glory to to God, when he shall charge the God, dishonour God, 2 Chron. blood of men's souls upon them? xi. 15. Their lives, as well as

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