Heavens declare the Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy work Psalm 19.1 And thus the Angels and Saints in Heaven declare His Glory And thus all His People on Earth declare His Glory The Heavens declare His Glory Naturally and Saints declare His Glory Spiritually They shew forth His Glory and do manifest to their own Consciences Dominum magnificat qui Domini magnificentiam praedicat Euseb Emiss hom 6. and to the World how highly they prize and esteem His Glory and how earnestly they desire and as much as in them lieth endeavour it that all other Men would also with them acknowledge and admire the same Sing Praise to the Honour of His Name make His Praise to be glorious Psalm 66.1 The Prophet doth not say make His Essence to be more glorious than it is in it self but make His Praise to be more and more glorious in the Eye and Esteem of Men Psalm 145.11 12. That Men may speak of the Glory of His Kingdom and talk of His Power And make known to the Sons of Men His Mighty Acts and the glorious Majesty of His Kingdom So Psalm 96. 2 3 6 7 8. Sing unto the Lord Bless His Name shew forth His Salvation from day to day Declare His Glory among the Heathen His Wonders among all People Honour and Majesty are before Him Strength and Beauty are in His Sanctuary Give unto the Lord O ye Kindreds of the People give unto the Lord Glory and Strength Give unto the Lord the Glory due unto His Name When we endeavour by our Thanksgivings Confessions Faith Obedience and Good Works to bring God's true Religion and Worship into request to win a due Reverence to His Holy Name and Word to beget in others more High and Honourable Thoughts concerning God in all these His most Eminent Attributes of Wisdom Power Justice Mercy c. This is according to Scripture Language to glorifie God. 1. To glorifie God supposeth that we know what a God He is a God full of all Perfection a God glorious in Holyness glorious in Majesty and Power otherwise we cannot give Him Glory no more than a Blind Man can praise super-eminent Beauty or Excellent Colours 2. It supposeth that there be an inward Delight in His glorious Excellencies 3. Then will follow an outward testifying and acknowledging of His Excellencies declaring what a God of Glory He is We do not by shewing forth His Glory increase His Glory We add not Light to the Sun when we praise and commend the Lustre of it God's Excellencies are His Praise our Acknowledgment makes this His Praise glorious A Man would think the glorious Angels and Saints in Heaven were fitter Instruments for such an Employment than such poor Worms of the Earth as we are It is confessed they in Heaven are fitter to do it and there it is best done but it is more needful to be done here upon Earth and if it be sincerely done here it is very acceptable unto God. It is not so much the thing done that God regardeth as the performance of it in singleness of Heart Let that be set right first and then be the performance what it will we both Please and Honour God therewith Whoso offereth Praise glorifieth me saith the Lord Psal 50.23 That is so He intendeth it and so I accept it Wherefore the Glory of God the setting forth of His Eminencies and Excellencies should be the end of our Lives and the principal thing we should aim at We begin with it in the Lord's Prayer Hallowed be thy Name It should be our main Employment Of Him and by Him are all things to Him be Glory for ever Rom. 11. We should therefore give God that which is His own Thine is the Glory as it is in the Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer When we begin the first Petition we are to put up is Hallowed or Glorified be thy Name We are to pray that His Name may be Hallowed or Glorified And when we have gone through all the Petitions we are to wrap up all in the Conclusion with this Acknowledgment that to Him alone belongeth all the Kingdom the Power and Glory for Ever and Ever God's Glory must have the first place in all our Designs Prayers Intents and Purposes It is the end of all Obedience Matth. 5.16 Let your Light so shine before Men that they may see your good Works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven This is a notable Tryal of all our dealings and this is that which may humble the best Christians who are too apt to respect themselves and cannot keep their Eye directly and only upon God and His Glory And that we may glorifie God we must 1. Pray and Endeavour after the Knowledge of God for without it we cannot discern the Excellency of His Name nor in any measure sanctifie Him in our Hearts Ignorant People have no esteem of Mens Gifts Learning c. because they know them not much less can we have a due Estimation of God's Perfections without Knowledge God made the World and the Creatures thereby to make Himself known for His Glory And more clearly did He make Himself known by His Word that He might be glorified But they that come not to the Knowledge of God cannot glorifie Him. 2. We must endeavour that in our hearts we may have a due Reverence and Awful Admiration of the Lord's Excellencies that we may rightly conceive of Him and that we may discern Him in His Word and in his Works and rightly be affected towards Him in His Worship 3. We must likewise in our Words endeavour to express due Reverence towards Him upon all occasions speaking to His Praise and Glory And 4. That all our Works and Actions may be directed to His Glory and that in them others may discern a due Respect to His Majesty And here let us take heed of aiming at our own Glory in God's Service this is the way to lose a Reward from God for herein a Man serveth himself and not God and therefore no marvel if the Lord deny him any Wages Yea herein a Man putteth himself in God's place and therefore deserveth that Punishment which is due to such as rob Him of His Glory Obj. Oh but we are bid to let our Light shine before Men that they may see our good Works Respon The Words reconcile themselves We are bid to let our Light shine before Men to this end that seeing our good Works they may glorifie our Heavenly Father We are bid not to do them before Men for this end to be seen of Men. In the second place we are to enquire what we are to understand by these Fires in my Text Glorifie ye the Lord in the Fires c. Fire is taken in Scripture diverse ways 1. There is an Internal Metaphorical Fire a Fire in the Conscience Thus God sends an evil Conscience into many wicked Men which is like a flaming Furnace much worse than King Nebuchadnezzar's Furnace
8. The Mirth of Tabrets ceaseth the noise of them that rejoyce endeth the joy of the Harp ceaseth They shall not drink Wine with a Song strong Drink shall be bitter to them that drink it That is all their Joy and Mirth shall come to an end But these shall lift up their Voice and sing for the Majesty of the Lord they shall cry aloud from the Sea. Now upon this difference of God's Dispensation the Prophet groundeth an exhortation in the words of my Text Wherefore glorifie ye the Lord in the Fires even the Name of the Lord God of Israel in the Isles of the Sea. Here was the Description of the Judgment which like Fire had consumed all Here were some that were spared and they lifted up their Voice and cryed unto others Wherefore glorifie ye God in the Fires c. So that the Words are an Exhortation to an Holy and Gracious improvement of the Judgment of God that was upon them Wherefore glorifie ye God c. Here it will be needful to open two things 1. What is meant by glorifying of God. 2. What is here meant by these Fires in my Text. To glorifie God understand it first Negatively What it is not It is not to be understood as if it were to make God glorious for God was glorious from Everlasting When we glorifie Him we do not begin to make Him glorious They that were obscure among Men by Honour and Glory put upon them may begin to be glorified but God's Glory was with Him from Everlasting He is Infinitely Glorious in Himself and so no Addition can be made to Him that is Infinite in Glory Our glorifying of Him is not the adding any thing to the Glory which God had it is not the heaping up any farther Glory upon Him than what He had before for His Glory is Infinite and that is Infinite to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken The greatest Glory on Earth is that of a Mighty Monarch when he appeareth in State his Robes Glorious his Attendants Glorious when every thing about him is ordered to be as glorious as may be the Scripture speaks of Solomon in all his Glory Matth. 6. I grant there is no proportion here for what proportion is there between that which is Finite and that which is Infinite But because we know no higher it is the best resemblance we have whereby we take some scantling of the Infinite Glory of our Heavenly King. Therefore the Scriptures speak of it to us according to our Capacity Psalm 93.1 The Lord is King and hath put on glorious Apparel the Lord reigneth he is clothed with Majesty O Lord my God Thou art become exceeding glorious Thou art clothed with Majesty and Honour Psal 104. But as I said before it holdeth no proportion So that we may not unfitly take up our Apostles Words elsewhere though spoken to another purpose 2 Cor. 3.10 Even that which is most glorious here hath no Glory in this respect by reason of the Glory that excelleth And the force of the Argument he useth at the next Verse there holdeth full out as strongly here For saith he If that which is done away be glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious The Glory of the Mightiest Prince in the World when it is at the fullest is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a matter rather of shew and Opinion than of Substance and hath in it more of Fancy than Reality 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is St. Luke's Expression Acts 25.23 yet as empty a thing as it is if it were of any permanency it were more worthy to be regarded but that which makes it the more vain is that it is a thing so transitory it shall and must be done away But the Glory of the Great King of Heaven abideth and shall not cannot be done away for ever Psalm 104.31 The glorious Majesty of the Lord endureth for ever If then that be glorious then this much more And as no other thing belongeth so properly to God as Glory so neither doth Glory belong so properly to any other Person as to God. The Holy Martyr St. Stephen therefore calleth him Acts 7.2 The God of Glory And the Holy Apostles when they speak of giving him Glory do it sometimes with the Exclusive Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the onely Wise God or as the Words will equally bear it saith Bishop Sanderson Onely to the Wise God be Glory to Him and onely to Him yea and the Holy Angels In that Anthem they sang upon our Saviour's Birth when they shared Heaven and Earth their several Portions alotted us our Part in peace and the good Will of God but with Reservation of the whole Glory to Him Luk. 2.14 Glory be to God on high and in Earth Peace and towards Men good Will. Tibi Domine tibi maneat Gloria illibata mecum bene agitur si pacem habuero Bern. in Cantic Serm. 13. It is well for us if we may enjoy our own Peace and His good Will for it is but little that we have deserved either of both but let us beware how we meddle with His Glory for He is most jealous of that Divine Infinite Incomprehensible Glory that belongeth to Him as Supream King of Kings as His peculiar Prerogative and the choicest Flower in His Crown in that He will bear no sharer for He hath expresly told us My Glory will I not give to another Isa 42.8 One would think that by the form of the Verb in the Exhortation that God looketh for some Glory from us for what else is it to glorifie but to make one glorious by conferring some Glory upon him which he had not or not in that degree before And how can that be done to God whose Glory is Perfect Essential and Infinite And unto what is Perfect much less to what is Infinite nothing can be added What one that had Virgil in great Veneration said of him Tanta Maronis Gloria ut nullius laudibus creseat nullius vituperatione minuatur was but a flaunting Hyperbole far beyond the Merit of the Party he meant it to But the like Speech would be most exquisitely true of God a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather than an Hyperbole as a Learned Man noteth for God's Glory is truly such as all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth should they joyn their whole Forces to do it could not make it either more or less than it is We must therefore be constrained to forsake the proper signification of the Word Glorifie which is to add some Glory to another either in kind or in degree which before he had not and understand it in such a Sence as that the thing meant thereby may be feisible So then when we are exhorted to glorifie God affirmatively it is to manifest the Glory that God hath or to declare and shew how glorious God is Now when we glorifie God we do but shew forth his Glory The
of Fire when heated Seven times botter than ordinary These are the greatest of all Fires and their burnings are the greatest scorchings when the sparks of God's fiery Wrath and Indignation fall into it 2. There is the Fire of Bodily Distempers Such Fires are threatned Deut. 28.22 The Lord shall smite thee with the Consumption and the Fever and with an Inflammation and an extream burning How many Persons both young and old doth God consume by such Fires as these are 3. The third Judgment of Fire may be taken for the Extream Heat and Burning of the Sun such as we had in some part of this Summer And this in Scripture is called by the Name of Fire Joel 1.20 The Beasts of the Field cry unto Thee for the Waters are dryed up and Fire hath devoured the Pastures of the Wilderness This Fire is only the heat of the Sun which scorched and burnt up the Pastures of the Wilderness and this the Prophet calls by the name of Fire And God many times sends a blasting by which the tender Fruits of the Earth are burnt up which the Latines call by the Name of Vredo that is a burning 4. There are extraordinary Fires which God sometimes sends from Heaven Such was the Fire of God that destroyed Job's Sheep Job 1.16 which burnt up his Sheep and his Servants and consumed them such was that Fire that went out from the Lord and consumed Nadah and Abihu for offering strange Fire before the Lord Levit. 10.2 Elijah procured Fire from Heaven to consume the Captains that came to apprehend him from the King 2 Reg. 1.10 12. And it is said That the Lord did raign down Fire and Brimstone from the Lord out of Heaven upon Sodom to consume it Gen. 19.24 and burnt up the Cities of the Plain And the Psalmist speaking of the Plagues of Egypt Psalm 105.32 saith That the Lord sent flames of Fire in the Land. So some Expound that place Psalm 104.4 He maketh His Angels Spirits and His Ministers a flame of Fire i.e. say they He useth flames of Fire for His Ministers for His Messengers He sends a Fire on His Errand to do His Work. But we know that place is applyed to the Holy Angels by the Apostle Heb. 1.7 The Fire of God which burnt up Job's Sheep and Servants is conceived to have been some terrible flash of Lightning which in a moment destroyed and consumed the Sheep and the Shepherds And this is more probable because it is said to fall down from Heaven that is out of the Air for so often in Scripture Heaven is put for the Air the middle Region of the Air where Satan hath great Power Eph. 2.2 therefore he is called the Prince of the Power of Air and he can do Mighty things command much in that Magazine of Heaven where the dreadful Artillery which makes Men tremble those fiery Meteors Thunder and Lightning are lodged This Fire that consumed Job's Sheep and Servants is called the Fire of God not only because it was sent from God as all other Afflictions are but it may be called the Fire of God because of the strangeness of it it was a Wonderful an Extraordinary Fire And so it is usual in the Hebrew to use the Name of God as an Epithete as an Additional Word to heighten the Excellency Greatness and Rareness of things We find that Phrase often A Man of God. The Hebrews say to call one a Man of God is as much as to say he is an Extraordinary Man a Man of an Excellent Spirit a Prophet an Holy Man a Man inspir'd of God. In that Psalm where the Church is shadowed under the similitude of a Vine it is said She did send forth her Branches like the goodly Cedars so we translate it It is in the Original She sent forth her Branches as the Cedars of God that is Excellent Cedars tall and Extraordinary Cedars The Psalmist in Psal 36. comparing the Love of God to great Mountains saith Thy Righteousness is like the great Mountains Psal 36.6 The word is like the Mountains of God. So in Psalm 65.9 Thou visitest the Earth and waterest it thou greatly enrichest it with the Rivers of God that is with an Excellent River So here the Fire of God that is a strange Fire a vehement Fire an extraordinary Fire an unusual and unheard of Fire Therefore the Hebrews call Extraordinary things the things of God because all the Wonders and Excellencies all the Beauty and Glory that is in Creatures is but a foot-step and drop of that Excellency Glory and Power that is in God therefore every thing that is most Excellent is ascribed unto God. This Fire being a strange and Extraordinary Fire is said to be the Fire of God. But here it may be demanded why Satan chose to consume Job's Sheep with Fire Why did he not rather make use of Spoilers and Robbers to take them away He could have drawn the Sabeans to have carryed away the Flocks of Sheep as well as the Droves of greater Cattle he could easily have procured them why then doth he cause Fire from Heaven to come down even the Fire of God to consume them I Answer The Reason of it was to make the Affliction more sharp and grievous He would not have the Sheep to be taken away after the same manner that the Oken and Camels were that he might aggravate Job's Trouble and stir him up to murmur against God yea and to blaspheme His Holy Name for that was his Design and thereby to beget an Opinion in God that God was become his Enemy as well as Man. Those Afflictions are most grievous wherein God appeareth to be against us It may be demanded further Why the Sheep were consumed with Fire rather than any other of his Cattle Expositors answer this in two things 1. The Sheep were used in Sacrifice when the days of the Feasting of Job's Children were ended Job 1.5 Job offered Sacrifice he offered Burnt-Offerings according to the Number of them all And the Sheep chiefly were offered in Sacrifice Now Satan by consuming the Sheep hoped to fasten this upon Job if he could possibly do it that God was not pleased with his very Sacrifices that He was angry with his Duties and Services As if he should say Dost thou think that the offering up of thy Sheep in Sacrifice hath been acceptable unto God Doubtless if the Fire of those Sacrifices had been pleasing to God if he had smelt a savour of rest in them as He is said to have done when Naah offered Sacrifice after the Deluge Gen. 18.11 He would never have sent a Fire from Heaven to consume them But Origen brings in Job excellently retorting this suggestion upon Satan I sacrificed now one and then another of my Sheep to God but now blessed be God who hath accepted all my Flock as one Burnt-Offering Moreover Job's Sheep were consumed by Fire as to make Job think his former services were rejected of God
answerableness as these Rules call for Mark what the Prophet saith in a like case Psalm 66. O God saith the Prophet Thou hast proved us and tryed us as Silver is tryed verse 10 and verse 12. We went through Fire and Water that is Thou hast brought us through all manner of Evils For all kinds of Afflictions in Scripture are understood by Fire and Water And we presently find upon this a glorifying of God. I will go into thine House with Burnt-Offerings I will pay thee my Vows which my Lips have uttered and my Mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble And verse 16. Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul. Now to press you to this Duty let me lay some Considerations before you 1. Unless ye glorifie God in the Fires ye do not answer God's end in kindling these Fires among you Do you think that God kindled these Fires among you for nothing If a Sparrow falls not to the ground without God's Providence do ye think that God would kindle so many Fires in this City and throw down so many Thousand Houses as He did in the great Conflagration for nothing Mark what God saith Mal. 1.10 Who is there even among you that would shut the Doors for nought Neither do ye kindle Fire upon mine Altar for nought The Words may be understood two ways in reference to their Ceremonial Worship Ye do not kindle a Fire upon mine Altar for nought That is every Man had some end that did it which he propounded to himself in the doing of it He brought a Sacrifice to offer Secondly He did it not for nought that is without any profit He should have that which should answer his Charge answer the kindling of that Fire Now as Men shall not kindle a Fire for nought so God will not kindle a Fire in your Houses for nought Ye defeat God of His End when ye glorifie not God in the Fires 2. If ye glorifie God in the Fires these very Fires shall be your Glory Then these Fires are Blessings when we can bless and glorifie God for them It changeth the Nature of these Fires it turneth Evil into Good when we can glorifie God in these Fires When the Cross sits heavy upon our backs and the Fire of Affliction is ready to consume us yet if we can glorifie God and bless Him from the Heart for them it will be as a Crown of Glory upon our Heads 3. To glorifie God in the Fire of Affliction is in some degree a higher Dignity than God puts upon the Angels in Heaven The Angels only glorifie God in a way of Service it is only the Saints on Earth that glorifie Him in a way of suffering 4. If ye do not glorifie God in the Fires that He hath kindled among you you do but put God upon kindling new Fires among you If one be not big enough He can make more and bigger and if one will not do it another shall He will fetch up His Glory one way or other and ye do but make more combustible matter for the Judgment of God if ye do not yield Him His ends in kindling so many Fires among you Josephus tells us That Titus the Son of Vespasian the Roman Emperour was very unwilling to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem that he laboured to quench the Flame after it was set on fire Joseph de bello Judaico and suffered some prejudice in his Wars about it it was done divino quodam impetu by a certain Divine Stroke as the same Author observeth But Joseph being a Jew was ignorant of the main cause of the Destruction of the City and Templeof Jerusalem scil their Rejecting and Murthering the Son of God. 5. Suppose God kindle no more Fires and bring no more such a Judgment upon you yet be ye assured of this that they who glorifie not God in the Fires shall find God Himself to be a Fire unto them Heb. 12.29 Our God saith the Apostle is a consuming Fire Not that He will consume His People He will consume their Dross only But to His Enemies He will be a consuming Fire He will consume them for ever Ye that are Wicked and Ungodly though ye walk all your days in the warm Sun yet God will be a consuming Fire to you at last Who would set Briars and Thorns against me in Battel saith the Lord I would go thorough them I would burn them together Psalm 27.4 Mark what the Prophet saith Isa 33.14 The Sinners in Sion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites Who among us shall dwell with the devouring Fire Who among us shall dwell with Everlasting Burnings God is before His own People as a Fire but they can come near to it and not be burnt But the Hypocrite trembleth at it saying Who shall dwell with devouring Fire It is a sad thing to have Burnings in your Dwellings that last but a few Hours how woful is it then to dwell with Everlasting Burnings Now God will be a Devouring Fire and Everlasting Burnings to all them that are drossy and continue in Sin. Therefore I beseech you study to put this Exhortation in my Text in Practice viz. To glorifie God in the Fires The Apostle saith In every thing give thanks Let God do what He will with His People they have cause in every thing to glorifie Him. Tho. de Kempis de imitat Christi l. 1 3. c. 5. Therefore Thomas de Kempis speaks excellently in his Book of the Imitation of Christ I give Thee hearty thanks O Lord my God that Thou hast not spared my faults but hast visited me with thy Stripes for them Thy Correction shall Instruct me and Thy Rod shall Tutor me unto Salvation Gregory speaks sweetly to this purpose Who can be unthankful even for Blows when as He went not out of the World without Stripes who came into and lived in it without Faults Therefore He is of a right Judgment who not only glorifieth God in Prosperity but also who blesseth His Name for Calamities If thou shalt by Thanksgiving in Adversity gain the Peace of God with the Things which thou hast lost shall be restored with Multiplication and moreover Eternal Joys for the short time of thy Sorrow shall be surely added Thanks must be given to a Father for his Scourges and severest Discipline for the Blows of a Father are better than the Kisses of an Enemy This is the very Will of God to give Thanks always In every thing to give Thanks argues a Soul rightly Instructed Hast thou suffered any Loss any Evil if thou wilt it is no Evil give Thanks to God and glorifie Him and then thou hast turned the Evil into Good. Say thou also as Job when he had lost all The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken blessed be the Name of the Lord. Job then did more deeply wound the Devil when being stript out of all he gave Thanks to God than if he had distributed all to the Poor and Needy For it is much more to be stript of all and to bear it patiently and thankfully than for a Rich Man to give Alms as it here hapned to Righteous Job Hath the Fire taken hold upon your Houses and turned any of you out of your Dwellings and consumed your whole Substance Remember the Sufferings and Losses of Job Give Thanks to God who could though He did not have hindred that Mischance and thou shalt be sure to receive as equal a Reward as if thou hadst put all into the Bosom of the Indigent Therefore let us not rest in this that we bear Afflictions and suffer Losses but labour to bring our Hearts to glorifie God in the Fires of Affliction FINIS Books lately Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside A Discourse of Old Age tending to the Instruction Caution and Comfort of Aged Persons By Rich. Steel Minister of the Gospel Conversion of the Soul with a warning to Sinners to prepare for Judgment By Nath. Vincent A True Touchstone which shews both Nature and Grace with sundry Meditations relating to the Lord's Supper By Nath. Vincent Minister of the Gospel A Treatise of Free Grace by David Clarkson Minister of the Gospel Baptismal Bonds Renewed some Meditations on Psalm 50.5 By Oliver Heywood Minister of the Gospel A Discourse on the Sacrament the 2 d Edition with Additions By Rich. Kidder Minister of the Gospel An Alarum to the Unconverted to which is added several Cases of Conscience judiciously answered By Joseph Allen Minister of the Gospel Grand Charter granted by Jesus Christ A Discourse upon Matth. 28.18 19 20. By George Lawson late Rector of More in Shropshire The difference between the Spots of the Godly and of the Wicked By Jer. Burroughs Illustrious Providences Recorded especially in New England By Increase Mather Minister of the Gospel in New England A serious Exhortation to Self-Examination in 5 Sermons 2 Cor. 13.5 By Tho. Wadsworth late Minister of Newington-Butts Southwark