7. To do God's will, is our honour. A person thinks it an honour to have a king speak to him to do such a thing : the angels count it their highest honour in heaven to do God's will. Servire Deo regtiare est, to serve God, is to reign. Xoii onerant noSy sed ornant, Salvian. How cheerfully did the rowers row the barge that carried Caisar; To be employed in this barge was an ho- nour : to be employed in doing God's will is insigna honoris^ the highest ensign of ho- nour that a mortal creature is capable of. Christ's precepts do not burden us, but a- dorn us.
8. To do God's will on earth, makes us like Christ, and akin to Christ. It makes us like Christ : is it not our prayer that we may be like Christ ? Jesus Christ did his Father's will, John vi. 38., " I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me." God the Father and Christ, as they have but one es- sence, so but one will; Christ's will was melted into his Father's John iv. 34-., " My meat is to do the will of him that sent me." By our doing God's will on earth, we re- semble Christ, nay, we are akin to Christ, and are of the blood-royal of heaven. Alex- ander called himself cousin to the gods ; what honour is it to be akin to Christ ! Mat. xii. 50., " Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Did king Solomon arise off his throne to meet his mother and set her on a throne by him ? 1 Kings ii. 19., such honour will Christ be- stow on such as are doers of God's will, he will salute them as his kindred, and set them on a glorious throne in the amphithea- tre of heaven.
9. Doing God's will on earth brings peace in life and death. 1. In life, Ps. xix. 11,, In keeping thy precepts " there is great reward," not only after keeping them, but in keeping them ; when we walk closely with God in obedience, there is a secret joy let into the soul, and how swiftly and cheer- fully do the wheels of the soul move when they are oiled with the oil of gladness ? 2. Peace in death. W'hen Hezekiah thought he was about tc die, what gave him com-
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fort? Tliis, tliat he had done the will of God, Isa. xxxviii. 3., " Remember, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth, and have done that which is good in thy sight." It was Augustus's wish, that he might have an easy death, without much pain : if any thing make our pillow easy at death, it will be this, ' we have en- deavoured to do God's will on earth.' Did you ever hear any cry out on their death- bed, that they have done God's will too much ? No ; hath it not been, that they have done his will no more, that they come so short in their obedience ? Doing God's will, will be both your comfort and your crown.
10. If we are not doers of God's will, we shall be looked upon as contemners of God's will; let God say what he will, yet men will go on in sin ; this is to contemn God, Ps. x. 13., " Wherefore do the wicked contemn God ? " To contemn God is worse than to rebel. The tribes of Israel rebelled against Reho- boara, because he made their yoke heavier, 1 Kings xii. 16. ; but to contemn God is worse, it is to slight him ; to contemn God is to put a scorn upon him, and affront him to his face, and an affront will make God draw his sword. Thus I have answered that question, Avhy doing God's will on earth is so requisite ? It is as necessary as salva- tion.
Quest. In what manner are we to do God's will, that we may find acceptance ?
Ans. 1. The manner of doing God's will is the chief thing. The schoolmen say well. Modus rei cadit sub precepto, — ' the manner of a thing is as well required as the thing itself.* If a man build an house, if he doth it not according to the mind of the owner, he likes it not, but thinks all his charges lost ; so if we do not God's will in the right manner, it is not accepted ; we must not only do what God appoints, but as God ap- points ; here lies the very life-blood of reli- gion. So I come to answer this great ques- tion, " In what manner are we to do God's will, that we may find acceptance ?"
Ans. We do God's will acceptably, when we do duties spiritually, Phil. iii. 3., *' Which worship God in the spirit." To serve God spiritually, is to do duties ah in- terno priyicipio, — from an inward ])rinelple; the Pharisees were very exact about the ex-