of Him who loved them and gave himself for them. All are not, indeed, called to occupy one and the same station; God assigns them different stations, and different portions of his work to do. He calls some to be " stewards of the mysteries" of his grace; some to be managers of Zion's temporal affairs; and some to be "door-keepers in the house of their God;" yet all, in their respective stations, are to labour, both separately and unitedly, to extend the limits of the Saviour's kingdom, and to cause his "will to be done in earth as it is in heaven." If Christians are sluggish and inactive, they disgrace their name, their profession, and Him who has called them. If, on the contrary, they are lively and diligent,

66

abounding in the work of the Lord," they then exhibit the character of God, who is "good and doeth good;" of whose adorable perfections action is the soul; and who is constantly employed in adjusting and regulating the movements and affairs of the seen and the unseen worlds; they then show the constraining influence of divine love, and become instrumental in bringing others to know, to love, and to glorify God.

Here, then, reader, you have an answer to the question, "How may Christians advance the glory of God?" Now I ask you, "Do you

glorify God?" Do you acknowledge, admire, and trust his perfections? Are you grateful for his mercies, submissive under his rod, holy in your desires and pursuits, and diligent in the Redeemer's cause? If so, God is glorified in you and by you; if not, you have hitherto lived in vain. You may be viewed as "Creation's blot, creation's blank." Do you call yourself a Christian? either renounce the name, or "yield yourself unto God." "I beseech you, by the mercies of God, that you present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

DISCOURSE XIII.

THE CHRISTIAN DUTY OF GLORIFYING GOD. (Concluded.)

It is the duty of all rational creatures to glorify God. This duty arises partly out of his intrinsic excellence, and partly out of the relation in which he stands to them. His unequalled excellencies render their love, adoration, and praise, his just due; while the relations in which he stands to them strongly bind them to aim at the advancement of his glory. Reason teaches that the inferior is bound to reverence the superior; that the creature is bound to honour the Creator; that the subject is bound to pay homage to the sovereign; and that the person who receives favour is bound to acknowledge and praise his benefactor. In strict accordance with the dictates of reason, the Scriptures address men, and say, "For the Lord is great, and greatly to be

praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. 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; bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth."

But, while all rational creatures are bound to glorify God, Christians are under an especial obligation to do this. They have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. They possess the saving knowledge of God as their Father. They enjoy the privilege of being the children of the Most High. They have been begotten again to a lively hope of heaven. Their obligation to God is unspeakable, and therefore they are especially called upon in Scripture to exalt his name. "Let such as love thy salvation say, continually, the Lord be magnified." "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings, sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud voice." "Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him both small and great."

As Christians are under an especial obligation to glorify God, it is proposed to show whence that obligation arises. It arises from the relation in which God stands to them as a Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, and Benefactor.

God stands to his people in the relation of a Creator. "He that built all things," says the Apostle, "is God." "For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him and for him." The same Divine Being, "who measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance," was the Former of our mortal bodies, which are so "fearfully and wonderfully made;" and the Father of our spirits, which are immortal in their nature, and admirable in their powers. He formed man out of the dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. We may, therefore, say with the Psalmist, "Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Now the design for which God created us was