Hence it is that the wise man saith, that ' the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour.' He is more glorious than another man, as pearls are above pebbles. He is more excellent in life, in death, and after death especially ; for there is a growing from glory to glory. He is glorious in life, more glorious in death, when his soul shall be put into glory in heaven ; and most of all glorious when Christ shall come to be glorious in his saints, as it is in 2 Thess. i. 10. So he is excellent in life, and in death, and for ever. For another man, that is but a man — a man, said I, nay, if a man be but a man, he is either like a devil in subtlety, or a beast in sensuality ; he carries the image either of a beast or of the devil, besides a man. A righteous man therefore that hath the image of God stamped upon him, he is better than another man every way ; for he is in a higher rank of creatures. Grace sets a man as far above other men as other men are above other creatures. At the first the creatures reverenced God in Adam. They came and took their names from him. They were, subject to him. So grace is a glorious, majestical thing. Wicked men, even Herod, reverenced grace in John Baptist, Mark vi. 20, and e\'il men reverence it in their hearts, in God's people, though their mouths speak against it. A Christian is a spiritual man. As reason lifts a man above other creatures, so the image of God set upon a man, it lifts and raiseth him above other men.
Use 1. If grace and the image of God and Christ in us be glory, and make us excellent, Jet us all labour for grace above all things. We all, as I said before, desire liberty ; and as we desire liberty, so we desire glory ; but we know not the way how to come to it. In seeking liberty, we seek licentiousness ; in seeking glory, we seek it from men that cannot give it. We seek glory in outward things that are nothing. What is the glory of all outward things, but the shining of a rotten piece of wood in the night time, or as a glow-worm ? What is all this glory but a flash ? It is nothing. If we would seek true glory indeed, as naturally all do, let us seek grace. Thereby we resemble Christ, ' the Lord of glory ; ' thereby we are glorious in the eyes of Christ ; thereby we are glorious both with- out and within. Though this glory for the present be hid, thereby we are terrible to the devil and all enemies. For ever since his head was crushed by Christ, that broke the serpent's head, he is afraid of man's nature in Christ ; he is afraid of Christians, as knowing that they be better than himself. And he shall be judged by them ere long. The devil shall be judged by Christians. Therefore let us study for this glory. A man is never glorious till he be a Christian.
278 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
It is said of Antioclius, that he was a vile person. What ! Though he was a king (i) ? Yes. Let a man be never so great in the world, if lie be a wicked man, a man that dishonourcth his tongue, that should be his glory, that hath not the language of Canaan, that dishonours and defiles his body, that should be the 'temple of the Holy Ghost,' 1 Cor. vi. 19, a man that carries a malicious and malignant spirit, that hath the image of the devil in his soul : if he be never so great a person, he will be vile ere long, when all relations shall end in death. All excellencies must be laid down in death. Therefore seeing all other excellencies cannot keep a man fiom being a vile person, let us labour for that that will put a glory upon us. Labour for the image of Christ to be stamped upon our soul. There is a great humour in this age in looking to pieces of workmanship. If a man have skill to discern a piece, as they call it, it is more than ordinary. Beloved, what a vanity is this (though these pictures be lawful ; they are a kind of mute poetry). But what is this to the having of the glorious image of Christ stamped upon us ; to be glorious in the eye of God and in the very judgment of carnal men !
There is nothing so excellent as grace, and nothing so base as sin. In- deed there is nothing base but sin ; and nothing excellent but grace. So that God's children, not only in their glorious riches and pi-erogatives to be the sons of God and heirs of heaven, are glorious, but they have an inward glory. ' The spouse of Christ is glorious within,' Ps. xlv. 13. Insomuch that Christ is in love with his own graces. He wonders at his own graces in his children.
Use 2. Again, oppose this to the scorn and hatred of the world; base- minded persons, that disgrace goodness that their illness may be the less discerned. They labour to make all alike, all they can, by slanders at least, that their illness may not appear. Oppose the judgments of God's Spirit that esteems grace glory against all the judgment of the base world. Beloved, they shall know one day, that those that they despise shall judge them ; and their hearts secretly tell them so. Wliat makes them malign men better than themselves ? They have a secret conceit, he is above me. ' The spiritual man judgeth all things,' 1 Cor. ii. 15. He is a man that discerns by a spiritual eye. He judgeth and condemneth my ways, and hereafter he will judge me. A secret conscience in him makes him fear a good man. Though he deprave* and malign him, yet his heart stoops.