IV.. hardly forbear to reverence and magnify the invifible SERM. Founder of their authority. By fo doing, as they will fet before men's eyes the best pattern of loyalty; as they will imprefs upon men's hearts the strongest argument for obedience and refpect toward themselves; as they fhall both more plainly inform and more effectually perfuade people to the performance of their duty unto them, than by all the law and all the force in the world; as they will thereby confequently beft fecure and maintain their own honour, and their own welfare, (for inen will never be heartily loyal and fubmiffive to authority, till they be→ come really good; nor will they ever be very good, till they see their leaders fuch :) fo they will together greatly advance the praise and glory of him in whofe name they rule, to whofe favour they owe their power and dignity; in whofe hand, as the Prophet faith, is their breath, and Dan. v. 23. whofe are all their ways. For all men will be ready most awfully to dread him, unto whom they fee princes themfelves humbly to ftoop and bow; no man will be ashamed or unwilling to ferve him, whom he shall obferve that his lords and governors do concern themselves to worship: the world cannot but have a good opinion of him, a participation of whose power and majefty yields fuch excellent fruits; it will not fail to adore him, whose shadows and images are fo venerable. It is a most notorious thing, both to reafon and in experience, what extreme advantage great perfons have, efpecially by the influence of their practice, to bring God himself, as it were, into credit: how much it is in their power eafily to render piety a thing in fashion and request. For in what they do, they never are alone, or are ill attended; whither they go, they carry the world along with them: they lead crowds of people after them, as well when they go in the right way, as when they run aftray. The cuftom of living well, no lefs than other modes and garbs, will be foon conveyed and propagated from the court; the city and country will readily draw good manners thence, (good manners truly fo called, not only superficial forms of civility, but real SERM. practices of goodness.) For the main body of men goeth IV. not qua eundum, fed qua itur, not according to rules and reasons, but after examples and authorities; especially of great perfons, who are like stars, shining in high and confpicuous places, by which men fteer their course: their actions are to be reckoned not as fingle or folitary ones, but are, like their perfons, of a public and representative nature, involving the practice of others, who are by them awed, or shamed into compliance. Their good example efpecially hath this advantage, that men can find no excufe, can have no pretence why they should not follow it. Piety is not only beautified, but fortified by their dignity; it not only shines in them with a clearer luftre, but with a mightier force and influence: a word, a look (the least intimation) from them will do more good, than others' beft eloquence, cleareft reafon, moft earneft endeavours. For it is in them, if they would apply themselves to it, as the Prov. xx. 8. wisest prince implies, to Scatter iniquity with their eyes. A fimile of theirs were able to enliven virtue, and diffuse it all about; a frown might fuffice to mortify and diffipate wickednefs. Such apparently is their power of honouring God; and in proportion thereto furely great is their obli gation to do it: of them peculiarly God expects it, and all equity exacts it. What the meaner rank of fervants (who are employed in bafer drudgeries, whofe fare is more coarse, whose wages are more fcant, who ftand at greater distance from their lord, and receive no fuch ample or exprefs marks of his favour, what thefe) do is of fome confequence indeed, but doth not import fo much to the master's reputation; their good word concerning him, their good carriage toward him doth not credit him fo much. But those whom he employs in matters of highest truft and importance to his affairs, whom he places in the nearest degree to himself, (feats even in his own throne, upon his own tribunal,) whom he feeds plentifully and daintily, maintains in a handsome garb, allows largely, as their deportment doth much reflect on their lord's esteem, as they are highly capable of advancing his repute; fo all the rules of ingenuity and gratitude, all the laws of SERM. juftice and equity do oblige them earnestly to endeavour IV. it. And it is indeed no lefs their concernment to do so. For if there be disorders, prejudicial to the master's honour and intereft, frequently committed in the family, it is those servants must be refponfible: if due order be there kept to his glory and advantage, they shall chiefly be commended, and peculiarly hear the Euge, bone ferve. They Matt. xxv. must be loaded with other men's faults, or crowned for other men's virtues, as their behaviour hath respectively contributed to them. Thofe univerfal rules of equity, proposed in the Gospel, will, in God's reckoning with and requiting men, be punctually obferved: to whomsoever Luke xii. much is given, of him much shall be required; answerable to the improvement of what is delivered in trust shall the acceptance be. I have infifted somewhat more largely on this point, because our text bath a particular aspect thereon; the words being uttered upon occafion of Eli, then judge in Ifrael, his not using authority to these purposes; his forbearing to redress a grievous abuse, committed by his own fons, to the differvice and difhonour of God. Whence to perfons of his rank is this law especially directed; upon them is this duty chiefly incumbent; on them affuredly, (as fure as God is true,) if they will obferve the duty, the reward fhall be conferred. God will certainly not only preferve the honour they have already, but will accumulate more honours on them. 23. These are general truths; the particular application of them is ours. God, I pray, vouchfafe his grace and bleffing, that it may be made to our benefit and comfort. 48. III. I should now fhew why the duty is required of us, or how reasonable it is. I must not (and the matter is so palpable that I need not) spend many words on that. God furely doth not exact honour from us because he needs it, because he is the better for it, because he, for itself, delights therein. For (befide that he cannot want any thing without himself, that he cannot any wife need SERM. mortal breath to praise him, or hands of fleth to ferve IV. him, who hath millions of better creatures than we ab folutely at his devotion, and can with a word create millions of millions more, fitter than we to honour him) the best estimation we can have of him is much below him; the best expreffion we can make is very unworthy of him. He is infinitely excellent, beyond what we can imagine or Neh. ix. 5. declare: his name is exalted above all bleffing and praife; Pf. cxlviii. his glory is above the earth and heaven. So that all our endeavours to honour him are, in comparison to what is due, but defects, and in a manner difparagements to him. It only then (which fhould affect our ingenuity to confider) his pure goodness that moves him, for our benefit and advantage, to demand it of us. 13. Ecclus. xliii. 30. 1. For that to honour God is the most proper work of reason; that for which primarily we were defigned and framed; (for as other things were made to afford the matter and occafion, fo man was defigned to exercise the Sen. Ep. 76. act of glorifying God :) whence the performance thereof doth preserve and perfect our nature; to neglect it being unnatural and monstrous. 2. For that also it is a moft pleafant duty. He is not a man, (hath loft all natural ingenuity and humanity,) who doth not delight to make fome returns thither, where he hath found much good will, whence he hath felt great kindness. Since then all the good we have, we have received from God's favour, it cannot but be very pleasant to render fomewhat of requital, as it were, unto him; and we can render no other but this. We cannot make God more rich, more joyful, more happy than he is all that we can do is, to express our reverence toward him. 3. For that likewife our honouring God disposes us to the imitation of him, (for what we do reverence we would resemble,) that is, to the doing those things wherein our chief perfection and happinefs confifts, whence our best content and joy doth fpring. 3 ̓Ακήρατος γὰρ αὐτῇ ἡ ἐσία καὶ ἀνενδεής οὖσα, ἐδενὸς ἑτέρα προσδεῖται· οἱ δὲ «ivõvres autòv λqurgóṛegos vívoila.. Chryfoft. in Pfal. cxliv. et vide in Pfal. ciii IV. 4. In fine, for that the practice of this duty is most pro- SERM. fitable and beneficial to us; unto it by an eternal rule of justice our final welfare and profperity being annexed: whence God hath declared it to be, the way and condition of our attaining that thing which we fo like and prize, honour to ourselves; the which by promise he hath engaged himself to confer on those who honour him. And, IV. This promise he makes good several ways: fome of them I fhall briefly fuggeft. 1. The honouring God is of itself an honourable thing; the employment which ennobles heaven itself, wherein the highest angels do rejoice and glory. It is the greateft honour of a fervant to bring credit to his master, of a fubject to spread his prince's renown, and (upon grounds vaftly more obliging) of a creature to glorify his Maker: that we may do fo is an honour we fhould be glad, may be proud of. 2. By honouring God we are immediately inftated in great honour; we enter into moft noble relations, acquire moft illustrious titles, enjoy moft glorious privileges; we become the friends and favourites of heaven, are adopted into God's family, and are styled his children; do obtain a free access unto him, a fure protection under him, a ready affiftance from him in all our needs. And what honour can exceed, can equal this? 3. God hath fo ordered it, that honour is naturally confequent upon the honouring him. God hath made goodness a noble and a stately thing; hath impreffed upon it that beauty and majesty which commands an univerfal love and veneration, which strikes presently both a kindly and an awful refpect into the minds of all men. The Prov. xii. righteous is (not only in himself, but in common esteem) 25. more excellent than his neighbour. Power may be dreaded, riches may be courted, wit and knowledge may be admired; but only goodnefs is truly efteemed and honoured b. Not only men of goodness and discretion, but τοῦ Ὁ Γίνου τοῦ πλησίον τιμιώτερος ἐκ τοῦ φανῆναι χρησότερος, &c. Naz. Οrat. de Paup. |