ing and glorifying of God's name; neve? was more honour brought to God's namd than by this great undertaking of Christ now, here was Christ's comfort before his deatli, that he had hallowed God's name, and brought glory to him. So, what a cor- dial will this 1)0 to us at last, when our whole life hath been an hallowing of God's name ! We have loved him with our hearts, praised him with our lips, lionoured him with our lives ; we have been to the praise of his glory, Eph. i. G. At the hour of death all your earthly comforts will vanish ; to think how rich you have been, or what ])leasures you have enjoyed upon earth, this will not give one drachm of comfin-t. What is one the better for an estate that is s))ent? But now, to have conscience witnes- sing that you have hallowed God's name, your whole life hath been a glorifying or him, what sweet peace and satisfiiction will this give ! That servant who hath been all day working in the Anneyard, how glad is he when evening comes, that he shall re- ceive his pay ! Such as have spent their lives in honouring God, how sweet wil. death be when they shall receive the recom- pense of reward ! What comfort was it to Ilezekiah, when he was on his sick bed, and could ajij)eal to God, Isa. xxxviii. 3., " Remember, Lord, how I have walked be- fore theS with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight." I have hallowed thy name; I have brought all the honoiu- I could to thee; " I have done that which is good in thy sight."
G. There is nothing lost by Avhat we dc for God ; if we bring honour to his name, he will honour ns. Honour is as lialak said to Balaam, Numb. xxii. 37., " Am not I able indeed to promote thee to honour ?" So if we hallow and sanctify God's name, is he not able to promote us to honour ? 1. He will honour us in our life. (1.) He will put honour upon our persons ; he will numl)er us among his jewels, ]Mal. iii. 17. he will maJ\e us a royal diadem in his hand, Isa. Ixii. 3. ; he will lift us up in the eyes of others, Zech. ix. IG., " They shall be as the stones of a crown lifted up, as an ensign upon this land:" he will esteem ns as the cream and fiower of the creation, Isa. xliii. 4., " Since thou wast precious in ray i>ight,
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OF THE FIRST PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
thou hast been honourable." (2.) God I will jMit honour upon your names, Prov. x. 7. " The memory of the just is blessed." How renowned have the saints been in all ages who have hallowed God's name? How renowned was Abraham for his faith, Moses for his meekness, David for his zeal, Paul for his love to Christ? Their names as a precious ointment, send forth a sweet perfume in God's church to this day. — 2. God will honour us at our death ; he will send his angels to carry us up with triumph into heaven, Luke xvi. 22., " The beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom." Amasis king of Egypt, l>ad his chariot drawn by four kings whicli he had conquered in war : but what is this to the glory every believer shall have at his death ? He shall be carried by the angels of God. — 3. God will put honour upon us after death: (L) He will put glory upon our bodies ; we shall be as the angels, not for substance but quality ; our bodies shall be agile and nimble ; now our bodies are as a weight, then they shall be as a wing, moAnng swiftly from place to place ; our bodies shall be full of clarity and bright- /less, like Christ's glorious body, Phil. iii. 21.' The bodies of the saints shall be as cloth dyed into a scarlet colour, made more illustrious ; they shall be so clear and trans- parent, that the soul shall sparkle' through them as the wine through the glass. (2.) God will put glory upon our souls ; if the cabinet of the body shall be so illustrious, of what orient brightness shall the jewel be? Then will be the great coronation day, when the saints shall wear the robe of immortality, and the crown of righteous- ness which fades not away. O how glori- ous will that garland be which is made of the flowers of j)aradise ! Who then would not hallow and glorify God's name, and spread his renown in the world, who will put such immortal honour npon his peo- ple, " as eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither bath it entered into the heart of
uiun to conceive :
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