SERM. mortal breath to praife him a, or hands of flesh to ferve IV. him, who hath millions of better créatures than we ab folutely at his devotion, and can with a word create millions of millions more, fitter than we to honour him) the best estimation we can have of him is much below him; the best expreffion we can make is very unworthy of him. He is infinitely excellent, beyond what we can imagine or Neh. ix. 5. declare: his name is exalted above all blessing and praise; his glory is above the earth and heaven. So that all our endeavours to honour him are, in comparison to what is due, but defects, and in a manner difparagements to him. It is only then (which should affect our ingenuity to confider) his pure goodnefs that moves him, for our benefit and advantage, to demand it of us. Pf. cxlviii. 13. Ecclus. xliii. 30. 1. For that to honour God is the most proper work of reason; that for which primarily we were defigned and framed; (for as other things were made to afford the matter and occafion, fo man was designed to exercise the Sen. Ep. 76. act of glorifying God :) whence the performance thereof doth preserve and perfect our nature; to neglect it being unnatural and monstrous. 2. For that also it is a most pleasant duty. He is not a man, (hath loft all natural ingenuity and humanity,) who doth not delight to make fome returns thither, where he hath found much good will, whence he hath felt great kindness. Since then all the good we have, we have received from God's favour, it cannot but be very pleasant to render fomewhat of requital, as it were, unto him; and we can render no other but this. We cannot make God more rich, more joyful, more happy than he is all that we can do is, to exprefs our reverence toward him. 3. For that likewise our honouring God difpofes us to the imitation of him, (for what we do reverence we would resemble,) that is, to the doing those things wherein our chief perfection and happiness confifts, whence our best content and joy doth spring. ̓Ακήρατος γὰρ αὐτῷ ἡ ἐσία καὶ ἀνενδεής οὖσα, ἐδενὸς ἑτέρα προσδεῖται· οἱ δὲ aivävtes autòv haμægórsgos vívovlas. Chryfoft. in Pfal. cxliv. et vide in Pfal. ciii IV. 4. In fine, for that the practice of this duty is most pro- SERM. fitable and beneficial to us; unto it by an eternal rule of juftice our final welfare and prosperity being annexed: whence God hath declared it to be the way and condition of our attaining that thing which we fo like and prize, honour to ourfelves; the which by promise he hath engaged himself to confer on thofe who honour him. And, IV. This promise he makes good several ways: fome of them I fhall briefly suggest. 1. The honouring God is of itself an honourable thing; the employment which ennobles heaven itself, wherein the highest angels do rejoice and glory. It is the greateft honour of a fervant to bring credit to his mafter, of a fubject to spread his prince's renown, and (upon grounds vastly more obliging) of a creature to glorify his Maker: that we may do fo is an honour we should be glad, may be proud of. 2. By honouring God we are immediately inftated in great honour; we enter into most noble relations, acquire moft illuftrious titles, enjoy most glorious privileges; we become the friends and favourites of heaven, are adopted into God's family, and are styled his children; de obtain a free access unto him, a fure protection under him, a ready affistance from him in all our needs. And what honour can exceed, can equal this? 3. God hath so ordered it, that honour is naturally confequent upon the honouring him. God hath made goodness a noble and a stately thing; hath impreffed upon it that beauty and majefty which commands an univerfal love and veneration, which strikes presently both a kindly and an awful refpect into the minds of all men. The Prov. xii. righteous is (not only in himself, more excellent than his neighbour. riches may be courted, wit and mired; but only goodness is truly esteemed and honoured. Not only men of goodness and discretion, but but in common esteem) 26. Ο Γίνου τοῦ πλησίον τιμιώτερος ἐκ τοῦ φανῆναι χρησότερος, &c. Naz, Orat, de Paup. IV. SERM. even the vulgar fort of men (yea, as Plato hath well obferved, the worst men) do pass this judgment, do prefer true goodness above all things. 15. Prov. xxi. 1.. 6. 4. God, by his extraordinary providence, as there is reafon and occafion, doth interpofe, fo as to procure honour to them, to maintain and further their reputation, Pf. xxxiii. who honour him. God fashioneth the hearts of men: the hearts of the greatest men are in his hand; he turneth them as the rivers of waters, whitherfoever he will: he confequently raiseth or depreffeth us, as he pleases, in the Prov. xvi. 7. judgments and affections of men. When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, faith the Wife Man; that is, he disposeth the moft averfe minds to love and honour him. No envy can fupplant, no flander can deface the credit of fuch a perfon; fince God hath taken it into his charge and care, Pf. xxxvii. fince he hath faid it, that he will bring forth his righteoufPl. xxx. 7. nefs as the light, and his judgment as the noon day. God also by fecret methods, and undiscernible trains, ordereth all events, managing our thoughts and defigns, our enterprifes and actions fo, that the refult of them shall be matter of benefit, comfort, and reputation, or of difafter, regret, and disgrace, as he thinks good. Victory and success he abfolutely disposeth of, and confequently of the honour that follows them; and they do ufually attend the hoPf. cxi. 10. nours of God: for, as it is in the Pfalm, a good fuccefs Prov. iii. 4. have they who keep his commandments. Many are the instances of perfons, (such as Abraham, Joseph, Mofes, David, Job, and Daniel,) who, for their fignal honouring of God, from a base and obfcure, or from an afflicted and forlorn condition, have, in ways ftrange and wonderful, been advanced to eminent dignity, have been rendered xc. 17. Is gloria maxime excellit, qui virtute plurimum præftat. Cic. Adeo gratiofa virtus eft, ut infitum fit etiam malis probare meliora, Sen. de Benef. iv. 17 € C Θεῖόν τι καὶ εὔτοχόν ἐςι καὶ τοῖς κακοῖς· ὥσε πάμπολλοι τῶν σφόδρα κακῶν εὖ τοῖς λόγοις καὶ ταῖς δόξαις διαιρῶνται τὰς ἀμείνες τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοὺς χείρας. Plat, de Repub, xii. moft illuftrious, by the providence of him, who raifeth SERM. -the poor out of the duft, and lifteth the beggar out of the IV. dunghill, to fet them among princes, and to make them inhe- Pfcvii. 41. rit the throne of glory. He doth it in an evident manner, and eminent degree, to fome; he doth it in a convenient way, and competent measure, to all that honour him. 1 Sam. ii. 8. 1. Pf. cxii. 6. Prov. xiii. 5. Whereas men are naturally inclined to bear much Cic. Tufc. regard to the judgment of pofterity concerning them, are defirous to leave a good name behind them, and to have their memory retained in esteem: God fo disposes things, that the memory of the just shall be blessed; that his righ- Prov. x. 7. teousness fhall be had in everlasting remembrance; that his light shall rejoice, (or burn clearly and pleasantly, even 9. when his life is put out here.) No fpices can fo embalm a man, no monument can so preserve his name and memory, as a pious converfation, whereby God hath been honoured, and men benefited. The fame of fuch a perfon is, in the best judgments, far more precious and truly glorious, than is the fame of those who have excelled in any other deeds or qualities. For what fober man doth not in his thoughts afford a more high and hearty refpect to those poor fishermen, who by their heroical activity and patience did honour God in the propagation of his heavenly truth, than to all those Hectors in chivalry, those conquerors and achievers of mighty exploits, (thofe Alexanders and Cæfars,) who have been renowned for doing things which feemed great, rather than for performing what was truly good? To the honour of thofe excellent poor men, confpicuous monuments have been erected every where; anniversary memorials of their names and virtues are celebrated; they are never mentioned or thought of without refpect; their commendations are interwoven with the praises of their great Lord and Maker, whom they honoured e. 8 Ανάγκη, ὡς ἔοικε, μέλειν ἡμῖν καὶ τοῦ ἔπειτα χρόνε· ἐπειδὴ καὶ τυγχάνεσι κατά τινα φύσιν, οἱ μὲν ἀνδραποδωδέςατοι, οὐδὲν φροντίζον]ες αὐτῷ· οἱ δ ̓ ἐπιεικέςατοι, πῶν ποιοῦντες ὅπως ἂν εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον εὖ ἀκούωσιν. Plat. Εpift. ii. • Τῶν δὲ δούλων τῷ Χρισᾶ καὶ τὰ σήματα λαμπρὰ, καὶ ἡμέραι καταφανεῖς, ἑορτὴν zh sixvuívy moiñca, &c. Chryf. in a Cor. Or. 27. 2 SERM. 17. IV. 6. Laftly, to those who honour God here, God hath referved an honour infinitely great and excellent, in comparison whereto all honours here are but dreams, the loudeft acclamations of mortal men are but empty founds, the brightest glories of this world are but duskish and fleeting fhadows; an honour most solid, most durable; an 2 Cor. iv. eternal weight of glory. They fhall, in the face of all the world, be approved by the most righteous Judge's unquestionable sentence; they fhall be esteemed in the unanimous opinion of angels and faints; they fhall be applauded by the general voice and atteftation of heaven; they fhall then be feated upon unmoveable thrones, their heads encircled with unfading crowns, their faces fhining with rays of unconceivable glory and majefty. The lefs of honour they have received here, in this tranfitory moment of life, the more thereof they fhall enjoy in that future eternal state; where, with him who, through the whole courfe of John viii. his life, fought not his own honour, but the honour of him that fent him; who, for the fuffering of death, was crowned with glory and honour; who, for the joy that was fet before him, endured the cross, defpifing the fhame, and is fet at the right hand of God; with those who confecrated all their endeavours, and who facrificed their lives to the promoting of God's honour, they fhall poffefs everlasting glory. Which, together with them, God Almighty of his infinite mercy grant unto us all, through Jefus Chrift our Lord; to whom, with God the Father, and God the Holy Ghost, be for ever all honour and praise. Amen. 49, 50. Heb. ii. 9. xii. 2. |