(2.) Hereafter we shall reign visibly and gloriously, when we shall sit upon thrones with Christ, at his last coming to judge the world, and angels themselves : Mat. xix. 28, 'Verily, I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of hisgloiy, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel ; ' Luke xxii. 29, 30, ' I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.' This was spoken at the Lord's supper, which is a pledge of it : ' The upiight shall have dominion over them in the morning,' Ps. xlix. 14.
(3.) They shall be kings eternally in heaven : Luke xii. 32, ' Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom ; ' 2 Tim. ii. 12, 'If we suffer, we shall also reign with him;' that is, in heaven. With respect to this right, title, and interest, so they are made kings. We are heirs in Christ: Rom. viii. 17, 'If
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children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ : if we suffer with him, that we may he also glorified together.' We are heirs of a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
[2.] Priests. That was a great dignity among the Jews. To this all christians are now advanced : 1 Peter ii. 5, ' Ye are an holy priest- hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.' Our sacrifices are not expiatory, but gratulatory ; not sin-offerings, but thank-offerings ; not typical, but spiritual. Jesus Christ is the only sin-offering. Our thank-offerings are either ourselves : Kom. xii. 1, ' I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.' Or our duties, which are spiritual offerings. We offer not beasts, which were typical, but the calves of our lips, our prayers and praises : Heb. xiii. 15, * By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually ; that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.' Or alms : ver. 16, ' But to do good, and to communicate, forget not ; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased ; ' Phil. iv. 18, * But I have all, and abound ; I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you ; an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.' Now this is a great honour, that we should be separated by the Lord from all the rest of the world, and admitted into such a nearness and access to God with boldness, and hope of being accepted through Christ.
Use 1. In the general, all this should stir up our hearts to give continual praise and glory to Christ our blessed Redeemer. So doth the apostle here ; that is the use he maketh of it: * To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.' It is a thing to be reproved in christians that we take so little time to admire, honour, and praise our Eedeemer, which yet is a great part of our work. Surely if you had a due sight of his excellency, or a sense and taste of the riches of his goodness and love, you would be more in this delightful work. Usually praise is a stranger to our worship ; and however we are enlarged in confession of sin or supplication for such things as we want, yet we are straitened in our gratulations. Surely lauding and praising God in Christ is as necessary as the other parts of worship : Ps. xxii. 3, God is said to ' inhabit the praises of Israel ; ' that is, in Israel, where he is praised. The great end of worship is not the relief of man so much as the honour of God ; therefore we should not only ask things needful for ourselves, and mind merely the supply of our necessities, but the honour of Christ : Ps. 1. 23, ' Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.' If God will account it an honour to be well thought of and spoken of by his creature, we should more abound in this work. Why are we then so scanty in praises and thanksgivings ? The reasons of this defect are self-love ; we are eager to have blessings, but we forget to return to give God the glory. Prayer is a work of necessity, but praise is a work of mere duty. Self-love puts all upon prayer, but the love of God upon praise. Again, stupid negligence ; we do not gather up matter of thanksgiving, nor watch in our prayers, nor seek after matter for it: Col. iv. 2, ' Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanks- giving.'
2. More particularly, let us take our example from this doxology, ' To
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him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.' We can but ascribe to Christ what he hath already, but we must do it heartily. Observe here — (1.) The things ascribed to Christ, ' Glory and dominion.' (2.) The manner of ascription ; it is imperative. (3.) The duration, ' For ever and ever/ (4.) The seal of all, in the word ' Amen.'