LXIV. Wherefore toward our being enabled to glorify SERM. God, two things must concur; that we be good men, and that we be openly such. speciosa That we be good men, because otherwise our commendation will have no worth or weight; for praise is not comely in the mouth of sinners. It is Non est no ornament to be commended by ill men, to whose laus in ore words little regard is due, little trust can be given. Ecclus. xv. peccatoris. That we be good openly, avowing God in practice 9. conducing to his honour; otherwise no glory can accrue to him from our goodness: we may serve God, and please him in private; but we cannot by that service glorify him; at least at present, and here in this world. It is true, the closest piety will yield glory to God at the last, when our Lord shall 2 Thess. i. come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in them that believe; but to design such a future glorification of God is not enough; it is our duty to glorify God now, that we may be rewarded for it, and that he may requite us with glory hereafter. 10. God himself telleth us in the Psalm, Whoso of- Psal. 1.23. fereth praise, he glorifieth me; and how can praise be offered, or to what purpose will it be offered, otherwise than apparently, either in word or deed, by oral or by real expression, to the ears or to the eyes of men, so as to occasion in them the production of worthy conceptions and due affections toward God? In such a manner the holy man did offer it, who said, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in Psal. xxii. the midst of the congregation I will praise thee; cvii. 32. Gloria est consentiens laus bonorum incorrupta voce bene judicantium de excellente virtute. Cic. 3. Tusc. init. Gloria est frequens de aliquo fama cum laude. Cic. de Inv. ii. 22. cxi. I. x. 30. SERM. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the LXIV. assembly of the upright, and in the congregation : he did it sometimes with his mouth, which is a notable part of our conversation; but we may do it continually by our life; for, He, saith St. Austin, who praiseth God with his tongue, cannot do that always; but he that praiseth God by his manners can always do it. This motive is by the great masters of our Christian practice frequently urged; for Phil. i. II. St. Paul wisheth the Philippians to be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the praise and glory of God; he pray2 Thess. i. eth for the Thessalonians, that God would fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified in them; he particularly doth incite the Corinthians to works of charity, that 2 Cor. ix. by that ministration men might be induced to glorify God, rendering him thankful praise for their beneficial obedience. 11-13. I Pet. ii.12. Ἐν ἡμέρα ἐπισκοπῆς. St. Peter likewise doth exhort all Christians to II. have their conversation honest among the Gentiles, that they might by their good works, which they should behold, glorify God in the day of visitation, (that is, perhaps, when they carefully do view and reflect on them.) Matt. v. 16. Our Lord himself thus chargeth his disciples, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven; they did observe his command, and Chrys. f Qui Deum laudat lingua, non semper potest; qui moribus Deum laudat semper potest. Aug. in 1 Ep. Joh. Tr. 8. LXIV. the effect did follow, many being converted to God, SERM. no less by the radiant integrity of their life, than by the persuasive efficacy of their doctrine: and, In John xv. 8. this, saith our Lord again, is my Father glorified, if ye bear much fruit: what fruit was that? what but of good works, visible to the eye and perceptible to the taste; otherwise how could men thence find cause to glorify God? In fine, this is declared to be the peculiar design of our religion, or of the whole Christian institution; to this end we are made a chosen generation, a 1 Pet. ii. 9. royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that we should shew forth the praises (or virtues) of him, who hath called us out of darkness to his marvellous light; not only by our profession, but in our practice declaring his goodness. On the other hand, by stifling our virtue and conscience, in an open compliance with sin, or neglect of our duty, we greatly shall dishonour God; for thereby in effect we deny him and desert him; we injure his majesty, and disclaim our allegiance to him; we intimate our mean opinion of him, and small affection to him; we betray our want of reverence to his excellency, of dread to his greatness, of love to his goodness, of hope in his promises and gracious overtures of mercy, of fear in regard to his severe justice and fierce menaces; so immediately we dishonour him, and we thereby also do countenance disrespect and disobedience to him; and our behaviour tendeth to produce or to confirm the like irreligious dispositions of mind and impious practices in others; so that with horrible disingenuity we cross the design of our creation, and violate our greatest obligations toward our Maker. SERM. Indeed what greater affront or more heinous indignity can we offer to God, than openly before the Tit. i. 16. world, by the most real expression of our works, to deny and disown him: than to be notoriously ashamed or afraid to avow him for our Lord and Master; than to express no sense of our duty to him, no reverence of his authority, no gratitude for his benefits to us; than visibly to prefer any other consideration or worldly advantage before a regard to his will and pleasure? Ezek. In this, open sin doth outgo private wickedness, and putteth down even the worst hypocrisy, (beside its own,) that it not only offendeth God, but sorely woundeth his honour, and exposeth his glorious name to contempt; by which consideration such miscarriages are frequently aggravated in holy scripture; so in the prophets God complaineth of his people, for having by their scandalous crimes profaned his holy name among the heathen; so St. Paul expostulateth with the Jew, Thou that boastest of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? so Nathan told David, that God 2 Sam. xii. would punish him, because by his bad deed he had given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. But, xxxvi. 21 Is. lii. 2. Rom. ii. 23. 14. 4. We should be careful of our good behaviour in the sight of men, that we may thereby maintain the dignity and repute of our Christian profession, which by our naughty or negligent demeanour will be much disparaged and disgraced. Most evident it is to reason, that a visible practice, conformable to the rules of our religion, cannot otherwise than exceedingly commend and grace it; for how can the goodness of a rule more surely obtain its due commendation, than from its being SERM. applied to observable practice and experience? LXIV. Assuredly charity, meekness, humility, patience, sobriety, discretion, and all Christian virtues, as in themselves they are very amiable and venerable to all men, as they yield great benefit and much pleasure to those whom their consequences do touch; so they do ingratiate the law which prescribeth them, they bring esteem to the principles whence they are derived; he, as the apostle saith, that in these Rom. xiv. things serveth Christ, is both acceptable to God," and approved of men, as the follower of a most excellent rule. We may also consider, that a conspicuous practice, according to our religion, is a demonstrative proof that we do seriously and firmly embrace it, or that we are heartily and steadily persuaded of its truth; which is no small credit to any profession; arguing that it hath a good foundation in reason, apt to bottom and sustain a solid faith. And as thereby we pregnantly do evidence that we ourselves do highly value the noble privileges, the excellent promises, the precious rewards exhibited in the gospel; so we thereby do breed a like esteem in others; upon whom the authority of men apparently virtuous and conscientious infallibly will have a forcible influence. Such a practice will have a great stroke toward evincing the truth and reality, the perfect excellency, the notable strength and efficacy of our religion; plainly shewing, that it is not a mere name, an idle pretence, a weak fancy, a dry speculation, a chimerical dream; but a vigorous and masculine principle, able to produce most worthy fruits of sub 18. |