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you, that you would be in public. This will much honour God, when the confcience of his eye being on you, is as forcible to restrain you from evil, as the eyes of the world would be; as was the cafe with Jofeph, Gen. xxxix. 9. when he faid to his lewd miftrefs, How can I do this great wickedness, and fin against God? O what do the practifers of fecret mifchief think of God! They can do a mifchief unfeen, and then cover it with a lye. But alas! is there not a God in heaven, that fees himself difhonoured by fuch practices ? See Prov. xxvi. 26. Open fhame, or elfe a fecret ftroke, will be the confequence, Job xx. 26.

5thly, Shew yourselves on God's fide, in the midst of the dishonours done to him in the world. For ye muft either join iffue with the dishonourers of his name, or else teftify against them: hence fays our Saviour, Matth. xii. 30. He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad. If you have no heart nor brow to appear for God, while ye fee him difhonoured, remember what God accounts of that, and how he will treat it: Mark viii. ult. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and finful generation, of him alfo fhall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. Beware of being partakers with other mens fins; but fet yourselves to be a check upon in others, and witnesses against it, elfe ye honour not God.

6thly, Commend the way of God and religion to others, and encourage good motions where ye can perceive them. Grace is communicative for the honour of God; and every gracious perfon is

difpofed

difpofed to propagate religion. Hence faid the Lord of Abraham, Gen. xviii. 19. I know him, that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, &c. The wearing out of that so much now, from what it was in former years, is one of the black symptoms of the decay of religion at this day.

7thly, Learn to bear troubles in the world with a Chriftian patience, meeknefs, refignation, and holy chearfulness. This doth exceedingly tend to the honour of God; as you fee exemplified in the worthies mentioned Heb. xi. There is a defpifing of the chaftening of the Lord, wherein the proud and foolish scorn to be lowered by the rebukes of Providence, wherein the Atheism of the heart, and contempt of God appears. There is a fainting under the rebukes of Providence, wherein unbelief appears. Both are dishonourable to God, and to be guarded against, Heb. xii. 5. The middle courfe is to God's honour.

Laftly, Walk with God in a confcientious performance of the duties of your station. Hence is that exhortation of the Apoftle's, 1 Cor. vii. 24. Brethren, let every man wherein he is called, therein abide with God. That is the sphere wherein ye are fet to honour God: and God is much honoured that way. It is exemplified in the cafe of the priests, Mal. ii. 6. in that of wives, 1 Pet. iii. 5. and in that of fervants, Tit. ii. 10. No man can live to the honour of God, who does not carefully notice, and diligently purfue the duties of his Station, to the honour of God.

I fhall give you a few motives to live to the honour of God.

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Mot. 1. God is the author of thy life. The life and being thou haft, thou haft from God: Rom. xi. ult. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever. Amen. Therefore remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, Eccl. xii. 1. And fince he is your firft caufe, is it not reasonable that he be your chief end? The life which you had from him, will ye not improve for him?

Mot. 2. God is the preferver of thy life. Hence fays David, Pfal. xxxvi. 6. O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. For every moment's life thou haft had, thou art his debtor. Thy life is continually in his hand, to prolong it, or take it away, as feems good in his fight. If he fhould but withdraw his upholding hand, thy life would prefently go. Every moment there must be a new outletting of influence from him for prefervation of thy life. How unacountable must it be then not to live to his honour? This was a grieVous charge against Belshazzar, Dan. v. 23. -The God in whofe hand thy breath is, and whofe are all thy ways, haft thou not glorified.

Mot. 3. God is the giver of all thou haft whereby thou mayft honour him. Haft thou a tongue whereby thou art capable to speak for God, and hands to act for him? he gave them to thee. Haft thou any health, ftrength, wealth, and reputation, whereby thou art in capacity to honour him? all is from him: and fhall not his own be used for him? Hence faith David, 1 Chron. xxix. 14.

All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. Is it not facrilegious to do otherwife? Mot. 4. God puts opportunities in thine hand for honouring of him. As he has given thee means

whereby

whereby thou mayst honour him, so his providence lays to thy hand opportunities calling thee to use them, Luke xix. 13. Every opportunity is a próvidential call, to lay out what the Lord has put in thy hand for his fervice. And it will be found dangerous to hide one's talents in the earth, and not lay them out for God.

Mot. 5. There are fome who are deprived of those abilities or occafions ye have to honour God. So the whole Pagan world is deprived of gospellight, which we all have; the fick of thofe which the healthy have. The not improving of them then will aggravate your condemnation, Matth. xi. 21. It is fad to be cumberers of the ground in God's vineyard, taking up room in it uselessly, which others might improve to good advantage.

Mot. 6. Ye have forfeited by fin all your abilities, opportunities, and your very life. God might justly have taken them all from us, and made us as incapable to speak or act for his honour, as we have been unwilling to it. But his patience has suffered us long, and he has done us good though unthankful and evil, if peradventure these might lead us to repentance. Shall not this engage us to live to his honour?

Mot. 7. This was the defign of the redemption purchased by Chrift, Tit. ii. 14. Who gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Man was made at firft for the honour of God: fin entering rendered him unfit for that his great work. Therefore Chrift died that they might be again brought to live to God's honour, Eph. v. 25. 26. 27. If then ye are not fo living, it is an evidence Chrift's redemption

is not applied to you as yet: and if ye continue fo, it will evidence that ye are none of the redeemed ones.

Mot. 8. It is the defign of the fanctification of the Spirit Hence fays the Apostle, 1 Pet. ii. 9. Te are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should fhew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. When God puts his Spirit into a man, it is that he may walk in his way, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. So that if So that if ye live not to the honour of God, it is an evidence that ye have not the Spirit, but are dead while ye live.

Mot. 9. laftly, It is a loft life that is not lived to the honour of God, loft in death, eternal death. Hence fays our Lord; Matth. xvi. 25. 26. Whofoever will fave his life, fhall lofe it: and whofoever will lofe his life for my fake, fhall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own foul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul? Confider, this life is fhort, it is foon away; it is uncertain, none knows how foon: but fuch as it is, eternity depends on it: Eccl. ix. 10. For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goeft. If ye live not to the honour of God here, never expect to live with him hereafter in heaven. Remember the end of the flothful fervant, Matth. xxv. 30. Caft ye the unprofitable fervant into outer darkness: there fhall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth. For your help to live to the honour of God, take thefe following directions.

1. Allow yourselves the justice once seriously to confider, now that ye are living, and must die,

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