The Greatest Sinners Exhorted and Encouraged, Question 3
We proceed then to the 3d. Enquiry. vizt.
In what respects, or upon what accounts fruitful Christians are said to glorify God?
Answ. 1. Because fruitful Christians do make it appear that God is a glorious One. Men are not said to glorifie God, as though they made him more glorious than he was before, for that is impossible: Their goodness does not extend to Him: God's Essential Glory is infinite, and therefore its impossible that there should be any addition thereunto: But when Christians bear much fruit, they delare His glory before the world. They make it manifest that the LORD is a Glorious GOD. 1. Pet. 2. 9. That you should shew forth the praises of Him, or the vertues of Him. The Virtue, the Power of God is shewed forth, when his people are made fruitful. When grace is wrought in the soul, the mighty Power of God (which is his Glory) is exerted and manifested. And so it is when they act and exercise grace. e. g. When a Christian does exercise much patience under affliction, the power of God is thereby magnified and manifested to the praise and glory of his Name. Col. 1. 11. Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with Joyfulness. Its wonderful to see with what patience some Christians endure their Temptations and Afflictions: but it is from the glorious power of God strengthning their hearts and spirits. Again, That such poor, weak creatures as the children of men are, should be enabled by Faith to encounter with and to overcome sin, Satan, & the world! this shewes the glorious power of God. Besides all this, The more a Christian does abound in fruits of Charity and Holiness, the more like he is unto God. The Lord is good, and He does good: Therefore they that doe much good are like to Him. do good (said Christ) that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. Mat. 5. 44, 45. that is to say, that you may be like to Him, as children resemble their Father: That the world may in you and by you see something what God is, what glorious perfections are in his Nature.
2. When Christians bear fruit as they ought to do, they cause the Name of God to be blessed and praised. That may be meant by these words, Herein is my father glorified. h. e. this will tend to his praise. Isai. 60. 21. Thy people shall be all righteous,—the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. h. e. by meanes of whom I shall have praise and glory. As for fruitful Christians, there are many that do bless them, and bless God for them. All the Churches in Judea, when they understood what a fruitful Christian Paul was, they blessed God for him, Gal. 1. 23, 24. They heard that he which persecuted us in times-past, now preached the faith which once he destroyed: & they glorified God in me. By meanes of him & for him they praised God. Titus also, was a fruitful Christian, and the holy Apostle blessed God for him, 2. Gor. 8. 16. But thanks be to God who put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you. And he exhorts the Corinthians unto fruitfulness from this consideration, that then many would bless God for them. If you (saith he) be serviceable unto others, they will glorify God, and there will be many Thanksgivings to God, 2. Cor. 9. 12. 13. Yea, The Fruitfulness of Christians doth sometimes cause the world to think and speak well of the Name of God; that the world will say, surely God is a good God, whose servants are thus good, & that God is a holy God whose servants are thus holy. Hence Christ said to his Disciples, Mat. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that the may see your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in heaven.