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That he would grant you, according to the SER M. Riches of his Glory, to be ftrengthnedby his Spirit in the inner man.

IN pursuance of which fame manner of fpeaking, Grace or Mercy is by the Evangelift called likewife the Glory of Chrift; Joh. i. 14. We beheld his Glory, the Glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of Grace, (that is, of Mercy,) and Truth. And even of a Man, Prov. xix. 11. It is his Glory, faith Solomon, to pass over a Tranfgrefion. And the Thanks, which men are bound to return to God for his free Goodness and Compafion towards them, is expreffed to be accordingly to the Praife of his Glory;

Eph. i. 14. The redemption of the purchafed Poffeffion, unto the Praife of his Glory. In This particular fenfe, is fometimes meant That general Obfervation, that the End to which God directs All his Actions, is his own Glory; Rom. xi. 32. God hath andGal.iii. concluded All under Sin, that he might have Mercy upon All.

THUS God's manifefling the several Attributes and Perfections of his Divine Nature, in the external Exercife of them towards

22.

SER M. towards his Creatures; is frequently what the Scripture means by the Glory of God.

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is

3dly, FROM hence, on the other fide, the Return or Acknowledgment, which Creatures make again to God, for His manifeftations of his Goodness to Them ; likewife in Scripture ftiled The Glory of God, or Their giving Glory to Him. To give Glory to God, is to promote his Honour in the World; or to contribute what we can towards keeping up in All men's minds, a juft Senfe of him, and Regard towards him.

AND This is done, particularly; by Worshipping him, with conftant and perpetually-returning Acts, of folemn publick Devotion. Pf. xxix. 1. Give unto the Lord, glory and strength; give unto the Lord, the glory due unto his Name; worship the Lord, in the Beauty of Holiness. Thus the Saints in Heaven, (Rev. iv. 11.) are reprefented as worshipping God, and faying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive Glory and Honour and Power; for Thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were Created. And the Nations of the Earth ́are directed accordingly, (ch. xix. 7.)

Fear

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Fear God, and give Glory to him, and wor-S ER M.
Ship him that made Heaven and Earth. Which
Worship because the Heathen World gave
to Others inftead of the True God, even

to Gods which did not make the Heaven and Jer. x. 11.
the Earth, as the Prophet describes them;
therefore St Paul Thus charges them,
Rom. i. 21. that when they knew God, yet
they glorified him not as God.

Again: By Thanks particularly returned for Special Mercies or Benefits received, by which we profefs our Senfe of God's being the Author of thofe Benefits; is the Honour of God promoted among Men, or Glory given unto him. Thus (Luke xvii. 18.) when of the ten Lepers that were healed, one only, who was a Samaritan, was truly Thankful for the Mercy shown him; There are not found, fays our Saviour, that returned to give Glory to God, fave This Stranger.

Further: GLORY is in like manner faid to be given to God, by Acknowledgment of his Government and Supreme Dominion in the World: Phil. ii. 11. That every tongue should confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father; that is, to the Honour of God

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SERM. who exalted him, and who gave bim a I. Name which is above every Name, by setting him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places. Thus alfo Rev. xi. 13. when great Judgments of God fell upon the idolatrous World, the remnant (fays the Text) were affrighted, and gave Glory to the God of Heaven; that is, they then acknowledged the True God to be indeed Supreme Governor of the World. For not acknowledging of which, but proudly affuming to himself the cause of his own Grandeur and Riches, King Belshazzar is thus reproved by Daniel, (ch. v. 22.) Thou, O Belshazzar, has not bumbled thine heart, but haft lifted up thy felf against the Lord of Heaven; and--the God in whofe band thy Breath is, and whofe are all thy ways, thou haft not glorified. And King Herod, when, being arayed in royal apparel, he fat upon his Throne; immediately the Angel of the Lord fmote him, Acts xii. 23. because he gave not God the Glory; that is, because forgetting his dependance upon God, he fuffered the People to applaud him as being himself a God, and the Author of his own Greatness.

UPON

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UPON the fame Ground, Confession of SER M. paft Sins, with true Humiliation, and a just Sense of the Unworthiness and Ungratefulness of Sin is in Scripture ftiled giving Glory to God. Jofh. vii. 19. Jofhua faid to Achan, who had ftolen fome of the accursed things, and indeavoured to diffemble it; My Son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Ifrael, and make confeffion unto him: That is; Acknowledge, that nothing can be concealed from His all-feeing Eye; and that to Him there is no fecret nor Shadow of Darkness, where the Workers of Iniquity may hide themselves.

Actual Repentance, and Forfaking of Sin, by real Amendment, is ftill in a higher degree giving Glory to God, or promoting his Honour. Rev. xvi. 9. Men blafphemed the Name of God, who bath Power over thefe plagues; and they repented not, to give him Glory.

HABITUAL Holiness, or a conftant eftablished Practice of Virtue, in the course of our Lives, is yet further, in the highest degree we are capable, giving Glory to the God of all Righteoufnefs and Holiness, who is of purer Eyes than to behold ini