460 WHIT LIGHT MUST The air and food are commended which make men healthy, and the medicines are praised which cure the disease ; that is account- ed good, as a means and cause which doth good, and which mak- eth men good ; if Christians were more commonly and notoriously much better than all other men, the world would believe that the gospel and the Christian religion were the best. But when scandalous Christians appear as bad, or worse than infidels, the world thinks that their religion is as bad, or worse than theirs. 4. The next ascent of honor is to the Maker or Author of our religion : the world will see that be good that maketh so good a law and gospel, and that maketh all his true disciples so much to excel all other men. And here the first honor will be to the Holy Spirit, which reneweth souls, and maketh themholy ; and the next will be to the Son, our Savior, who giveth' us both the word and Spirit ; and thehighest or ultimate glory will be to God the Father, who giveth us both his on and his Spirit. And thus honor ascendeth to the highest by these steps, and the world beginneth at that which is nearest to them, and reason will proceed by these degrees; 1. The excellent, holy lives of Christians are better than those of other men. 2. ThereforeChris - tians are better than other Men. 3. Therefore their religion is the best, or the word and work which make them such. 4.. There- fore the Spirit is good which makes them good ; the Savior is good who giveth them the word and Spirit ; and God, the Fountain of all, even the Father of mercies, is the Fountain of all good, and consequently the end of all. And thus God is known andglorified by our works. - II. The works which thus glorify him are first to be described in general, and then enumerated in special. I. In general, 1. They must be such as make or show men to be in their places like to God : they must be such as represent the particular, perfections of God, which are called his communicable attributes ; and such as declare his relations to us and such as declare his attributes, as so related, and his works. As, 1. We must so live that men, may see that indeed we take not ourselves to be our own, but God to be our absolute owner ; and that it is not'ourselves, but he that must of right dispose both of us and ours ; and that we willingly stand' to his disposal ; 1 Cor. vi. 19. " Ye are not your own." 2. We must so live as may declare that we are not lawless, nor the mere servants of men, but the resolved subjects of God, the Sovereign King of all ; and thatreally we are ruled, by his laws and will, and not by our own lusts or wills, nor by thewills of any, bùt as under him; and that we fear not any hurt to the flesh;
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