2. If tender of receiving honour from men, to God's wrong. The apostles did not set up a trade for themselves : Acts xiv, 15, ' They rent their clothes, and said, What do ye do ? we are but men of like passions.' So Acts iii. 12, ' Why gaze ye upon us, as if by our power and holiness we had made this man to walk.' Herod received applauses, and was therefore blasted, Acts xii. The concealer is as bad as the stealer ; to afiiect or admit divine honour, or too much attributing to ourselves any good effected by us, as instruments, as we must not assume, so we must not receive honour when it is ascribed to us by others. The apostles would not sufter the admiration and
138 SEKMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXII.
praise of tlie people to rest upon themselves : ' Thy pound hatli gained ten pounds,' Mat xxv. ; and, 1 Cor. xv. 10, ' Not I, but the grace of God that was with me ; ' ' And I live, but not I,' Gal. ii, 20.
8. If affected deeply with God's dishonour, though done by others : Ps. Ixix. 9, ' The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up, and the reproaches of them that have reproached thee have fallen upon me.' Vehement passions waste the body, affected more with God's dishonour than our own personal injuries. On the other side, when we rejoice in his glory, though we ourselves be lessened : Phil. i. 18, 'Whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice;' John iii. 30, 'He must increase, but I must decrease.'
4. If it be the principal design that your souls travail with, and you are still contriving how you may improve your relations, capacities and particular advantages, for God's honour and glory, Neh. i. 11. What a man loveth, he will strive to promote it. If a man love the flesh, he will strive to please it, Kom. viii. If a man love the Lord, he will contrive how he may honour him ; if a minister, ' study to show thyself a workman that needs not be ashamed ; ' if a master of a family, he will endeavour to glorify God in his family, and will consider what he hath there to do for God.
5. If not solicitous about the opinions and censures of men, 1 Cor. iv. 3. Not to stand much upon man's day or what men think of us ; it is no great matter, my business is to approve myself to God ; the christians in the spirit were discerned from the christians in the letter : Kom, ii. 29, ' Whose praise is not of men, but God.' Sincerity is much known by considering whom we make our witness, judge, approver and pay-master ; and the truest magnanimity is a living above opinions, and slighting what men think and say of us, so we be found in the way of righteousness and in the discharge of our duty ; it is more easy to deny wealth and pleasure, than it is to deny esteem and reputation.
6. When this is the great motive to all honest walking. For our end is known by our motives ; and the only way and means to glorify God is by an uniform and constant holiness : Mat. v. 16, 'Let your light so shine,' &c. ; 1 Peter i. 2 ; 2 Thes. i. 12. Not seeking any glory to ourselves from men, but honestly aiming at the glory of God, will bring sufficient encouragement. So John xv. 8, ' Herein is my Father glorified, if ye bring forth much fruit.' When we seek our father's glory in all that we do, it is argument enough.
7. If we rejoice that God be glorified by others, and to the utmost of our power endeavour that it may be so. True grace is cumulative : Luke xxii. 32, ' When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.' As fire turneth all into fire about it, so grace will diffuse itself. It is observed of mules and creatures of a mongrel race, that they never procreate and bring forth after their kind. There is an enmit}^ goeth along with a carnal profession ; they would fain impale the common salvation, appropriate Christ to themselves, shine alone in the reputa- tion of holiness ; but hearts zealously affected with the glory of God can delight in the gifts and graces of others, and in their actings for God, as they could do in their own : ' Would to God all the Lord's people were prophets,' Num. xi. 29. It is a sign we mind the
VeK. 14.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 139
end more than tlie instruments. Self-love and self-seeking is much bewrayed by envy ; if at work for God, we should be glad of company. It is a sign Grod's glory is our aim, v/hen we can rejoice that others are equal or superior to us. When a man would fain have a work despatched, he would be glad of fellow-labourers.
SEKMON XXIII.
For the love of Christ constraineth us, because tve thus judge, that if one died for all, then luere all dead. — 2 Cor. v. 14.