But of whom will Christ say, 'I am glorified in them'?
I answer — Christ is glorified either in his person, or office, or doctrine, or operations. In his person, when he is owned and depended upon as the Son of God : John xvii. 8, ' They have known surely that I came out from thee.' Then presently it is added, ' I am glorified in them.' So John xvi. 27, ' The Father loveth you, because you have loved me, and believed that I came out from God.' His office ; many have a fond esteem of his name and memory, but neglect his office, do not come to God by him : John xiv. 13, ' Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will give it you, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.' When we seriously make use of his mediation, Christ saith, ' I am glorified in them.' His doctrine, when that is believed and practised, it is a glorifying of the word and a glorifying of Christ : Acts xiii. 48, ' When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord.' When pardon of sins and salvation by Christ is received with joy and ready submission to his terms, it is a glorifying Christ, or a blessing God for this glorious mercy revealed by him. The law is good, 1 Tim. i. 8, but the gospel glorious. Those that heartily receive the gospel have more glorious thoughts of God and Christ, his blood and Spirit. Lastly, his operations ; these are accomplished by his Spirit : John xvi. 14, ' He shall receive of mine, and glorify me.' All that the Spirit doeth, he doeth it as the Spirit of Christ, and to this end, that Christ may be glorified ; that, as a spirit of illumination, or a spirit of sanctification, as a spirit of fortitude, light, life, or love, he still inclineth to glorify Christ.
4. This glory is promised. A full reward abideth for those that live unto God, and in all things regard his glory : 1 Sam. ii. 30, ' Those that honour me I will honour.' God may put marks of favour upon them in the world ; that is likely, but not certain ; but their glorious estate is certainly reserved for them in the other world : John xii. 26, ' If any man serve me, him will my Father honour ; ' that is, abundantly reward, for an ample reward is called an honour. So Eom. viii. 7,
VeR. 12.] SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS L 335
' If so be that we suffer with hira, we shall be glorified together.' Still we fare as Christ fared ; so that in the issue, self-denial is the truest self-seeking. You need not look out for another paymaster, or say, with Peter, ' We have left all and followed thee, what shall we have therefore ? ' Mat. xix. 28. We reckon much upon our petty losses or services, but you need not murmur ; Christ will glorify you if you glorify him. And oh, how admirable is that glory which Christ bestoweth upon us ! and how different from that glory which we allow and afford to him ! what is our drop to his ocean ? Christ giveth glory to us really and inwardly, but we give glory to Christ declara- tively only, either by word or deed. His glorifying is creative and effective, ours is but declarative ; he calleth the things that are not as though they were, we do no more than call things to be what they are, and far below what they are ; we are but a kind of witnesses to God's glory, but he is an efficient to our glory ; he bestoweth upon us what was not before, and the glory he bestoweth upon us answereth the greatness of his being ; as an infinite and eternal power, he giveth us an infinite and far more exceeding weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17, and so his gift doth answer to his nature.
5. The suitableness between our work and reward, his being glorified in us, and our being glorified in him ; not only as there is a represent- ative glory for glory, but as Christ is glorified in us when we are glorified in him. Partly objectively, because this impression of honour and glory upon us doth redound to his glory. Christ is glorified in doing so much for his people, and making them such perfect, blessed, and glorious creatures : 2 Thes. i. 10, ' When he shall come to be glorified in his saints/ Partly actively, because one great part of our happiness is, that we love, and laud, and praise him ; so that we go to heaven to per- form that triumphantly which here we perform self-denyingly. This is our glory, that we behold Christ's glory, John xvii. 24, that we do more reverence and delight in him, as glorious and excellent. We know him more, for we see his face ; and we love him and praise him more, because he communicateth himself to us in a greater latitude than now we are capable of. Did we but seriously consider how much of heaven consists in admiring of, and delighting in, the person and love of the Kedeemer, we should be more convinced of the near connec- tion between his being glorified in us, and our being glorified in him, and how fitly the one follows upon the other.