God will be glorified in our falvation, or the juftice of God will be glorified in our damnation. God will one way or other have glory from us.-Now, how can we bear the thought of being the eternal monuments of the vindictive juftice of God! How can we bear the thought of dwelling with devouring fire and everlasting burnings t As ever then we would efcape the wrath to come, it concerns us to get out of a state of fin, into a state of grace : for if we die in our fins, we fhall perifh for ever in our fins.

O then, as we defire to live eternally to the glory of God, let us feek to him to bestow on us renewing grace 3 which only can incline and difpofe us to live to God. And in feeking to God for grace, make bis glory your great plea and argument. Beg of God converting grace in order to his glory. Defire him to fanctify you, that you may glorify him. Humbly put God in mind, how much it will redound to his glory, to confer grace upon you: and plead with him, that for the glory of bis own name he would work a gracious change in you. Such a plea as this drawn from the glory of God, will be most prevalent with him. God is very tender of his glory, and is greatly pleafed when he fees us to be fo too. And if we make his glory the great end of our praying to him for grace, we may be fatisfied that he will hear and anfwer our prayers. Jefus Chrift made the glory of God·· his great end in his prayer to him, Job. xvii. 1. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may alfo glorify thee. And this prayer of his was anfwered. So fhall yours alfo be, if it be herein conformed to the prayer of Jefus Chrift.

USE 2. Of exhortation to the regenerate, in two words. Exb. 1. Shew forth the glory of God in your lives. For this end has God renewed you, that you might be. for a name and a praise to him. Ifai. xliii. 21. This people bave I formed for myself; they fhall fhew forth my praise. 1 Pet. . 9. Te are an boly nation, a peculiar people, that Je bould bew forth the praises of him who has called you

out

out of darkness into his marvellous light. See then, that you answer the end of God, in your new creation. Be therefore fruitful in every good work Job. xv. 8. Here in is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.-Hereby you will glorify God yourselves. Your fruitful obedience, will be your perfonal teftimony to the glorious excellencies of God; that he is one moft worthy to be ferved as your fovereign Lord.-Hereby alfo, you may induce others to glorify God. Your holy walk with God, may prove a means to bring over others unto the leading an holy life, to the glory of God. Matth. v. 16, Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Pet. ii. 12. Having your converfation boneft among the Gentiles, that they may by your good works which they shall bebold, glorify God in the day of vifitation; that they may embrace christianity, to the glory of God, when the gofpel of God does vifit them in the preaching of it to them. Good examples are oftentimes attractive, and do win perfons over to the love of religion. O then, fee you be exemplary chriftians, that God may vifibly be glorified by you, and by others through your means.

Exb. 2. Earneftly defire the converfion of others, that God may by them be glorified. The more there are of finners converted, the more is God glorified: the more monuments, and recorders, will there be of the eternal glory of God. And if we are really converted ourselves, and concerned for the glory of God, we fhall be defirous, that others may glorify him as we do, and more than we do. Love to the glory of God, as well as regard to the good of their fouls, will put us upon earnest prayer to God, that he would bestow convèrting grace upon them. Holy David had an eye to, and defire of this. Pfal. li. 13. Then will I teach tranfgressors thy ways, and Jinners shall be con verted unto thee. This is one thing that the difciples of Chrift are by our Lord himself directed to pray for, Matth. vi. 9, 10. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. We

should

fhould pray, that God's name may be glorified, that his kingdom of grace may be enlarged, and that his will may readily and cheerfully be done by men, as it is by the angels in heaven. This is the hearty defire of every fincere convert. He may certainly conclude himself an unconverted perfon, that cares not whether others be converted, or not. And on the other hand, it is a good fign, that we are converted, and have tafted that the Lord is gracious, when our heart's defire and prayer to God for others is, that they may be faved, to the eternal glory of God. Let us then approve ourselves real converts, by our fervent prayers for the converfion of others, more efpecially for those that are near to us and defcended from us. Let us pray that, he would pour out his Spirit upon our feed, and bis bleffing upon our off-fpring; according to his gracious promife, Ifai. xliv. 3. Yea, let us pray, that the Spirit of the Lord may be poured out upon all flefb, that all flesh may blefs bis holy name for ever and ever. Pray for a more abundant effufion of the holy Spirit on mankind, that the earth may be more filled with the glory of God. Pfal. xvii. 2, 3. Let thy way be known upon earth, thy faving health among all nations. Let the people praife thee, O God, let all the people praifé

thee.

The Work of GOD to be done, while the Day of Life continues: because it cannot be done when the Night of Death

I must work the Works of him that fent me, while it is Day; the Night cometh, when no Man can work.

**I**

*****

*****N this chapter a very large and particular ***** account is given of a most memorable and illuftrious miracle, wrought by Jesus Christ. ***** As he was making an escape from the violence of his adverfaries, who went about to ftone him, he meets in his way with a man that was blind from his birth: Our compaffionate Lord looking fomewhat ftedfastly upon him, his difciples afked him, Who did fin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Poffibly their enquiry might proceed from their being tainted with an error, thought to be common among the people of the Jews, viz. that the fouls of men after

death

death paffed into other human bodies (in the womb) and fo came into the world a fecond time. And then their enquiry is, Whether this calamity of blindness from his birth, was inflicted on him for any fin of his own. foul when in its former body, or whether it was for fome fin of his parents ? Or, poffibly, this their enquiry might proceed from needlefs curiofity; being defirous to know the fecret fins of others. But from whatever principle they made this enquiry, they seem to be too cenforious, in fuppofing that there must needs be fome fpecial provoking iniquity, for which this fad calamity was inflicted. Our Lord fatisfies their enquiry, and gives them to understand, that it was not for any particular fin, either of the man or his parents, that this blindness was brought into the world with him. But the end and defign of God herein was, that his power might be manifefted in the miraculous cure thereof. (V. 3.) And now the time was arrived, wherein God would have this cure to be wrought. Jefus Chrift applying himself to effect this cure, gives a reafon why he would do it at this prefent time, in the words of our text: I must work the works of him that fent me, while it is day. By day is here meant the day of natural life. During this time of life, Chrift was to do thofe miraculous works, which God fent him to work. Now, the day of his life was near expiring; as the next words intimate, The night cometh, when no man can work. The night of death was coming upon Chrift, and therefore he muft take this opportunity of working this miracle, while his life lafted; after which he could not, according to the conftitution of God, work it. Now, it is

plain, that our Lord here applies a general truth and duty, to a particular cafe, and to his own perfon in particular. That which all men ought to do,. he was now concerned to do. And indeed his example or practice in this cafe, is what we ought to follow. Hence then obferve this general truth----