a motive--that at last you shall be glorious. But to engage you a little,
Thirdly, I shall lay down some directions and helps to enable you
while you are here to do gloriously; and so proceed to other things
that remain.
1. For the first, to motivate you to do gloriously, methinks here is
a motive--that at last you shall be glorious. But to engage you a little,
consider these four or five things to move you to do gloriously—
[1.] First, Consider the Lord has done already very gloriously for
you; therefore do you gloriously for God. God has done very
gloriously for you. He has made your ugly inside glorious, and he has
made your ugly outside glorious: Psalm 45:13, "The king's daughter
is all glorious within, and her raiment is of embroidered gold." God
has pardoned you gloriously, God has justified you gloriously, God
has fenced you against corruption gloriously, God has strengthened
you against temptations gloriously, God has supported you under
afflictions gloriously, God has delivered you from the designs and
plots of treacherous, murderous wretches, gloriously and frequently.
Oh, how should this engage all Christians to do gloriously for God,
that has already done gloriously for them!
[2.] But then, in the second place, To move you to do gloriously,
consider that the greatest part of the world does basely and wickedly
against God; therefore you have the more cause to do gloriously for
God. 1 John 5:19, "The whole world," says he, "lies in wickedness," in
malignity. The world lies in troublesomeness. The word signifies a
desire, a study and endeavor to work wickedness, a working
wickedness; and in such a wickedness the world lies, and the greatest
part of the great ones of this world do basely and wickedly against
God. Oh the treachery and apostasy, oh the neutrality and impiety,
oh the facing about of the great ones of this age! O believers, you had
need to do gloriously, for great and small, honorable and base, do
treacherously; and therefore this should engage you to do more
gloriously. Oh, the more base and vile any are, the more glorious
should the saints be!
[3.] Then, in the third place, Consider this, the more gloriously
you do for God here, the more glorious you shall be hereafter.
Suffering saints for Christ shall have weighty crowns set upon their
heads. Murdered saints for Christ shall have double crowns set upon
their heads. The more gloriously any man does for Christ here, the
more glorious that man shall be hereafter: 2 Cor. 9:6, "As a man
sows, so shall he reap. He who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly—
but he who sows liberally shall reap liberally." 2 John 8, "Look to
yourselves, that you lose not the things you have wrought—but that
you receive a full reward." There is a reward in Scripture, and a full
reward. The more glorious any soul is in doing for God here, the
more glorious that soul shall be hereafter: Mat. 19:27-28, "We have
forsaken all, and followed you; what shall we have? Truly," says
Christ, "you who have done this, shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Look! Christians, the more gloriously any man does for God here,
the more comfort and peace and joy that man has on this side
heaven, which is but a pledge of that happiness, of that glorious good
and sweetness that the soul shall have when he shall appear in his
glory. It is not the slight Christian, the light, loose, talking Christian,
who has much joy and peace, and the most full discoveries of God
here—but the most glorious-doing Christian, the most acting soul;
and the more gloriously any man does for God here, the more joy
and peace and comfort he shall have, which is but a pawn of that
glorious joy and goodness which at last he shall receive.
[4.] And then, fourthly, To move you to do gloriously for God, you
who shall be glorious at the last, consider this, the greatest part of
your TIME you have spent foolishly and in ways of vanity against
God. Oh, that time which is left to spend gloriously, it is very, very
little. This should bespeak you to do gloriously for God that little,
little time which is allotted you. The apostle has one argument—1
Peter 4:3, 7 compared, "For you have spent enough time in the past
doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust,
drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry." "The end of
all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so
that you can pray." He tells them that the greatest part of their time
was spent vainly; and in ver. 7 he tells them that the time behind was
short. Upon this consideration he presses them to do glorious things