ings that he doth to the glory of God,
but it is even the beauty and perfection of a man,--the greatest accession
that can be to his being,--to glorify God by that being. We are not our
own, therefore we ought not to live to ourselves, but to God whose we are.

But you may ask, What is it to glorify God? Doth our goodness extend to
him? Or is it an advantage to the Almighty that we are righteous? No
indeed! And herein is the vast difference between God's glorifying of us
and sanctifying of us, and our glorifying and sanctifying of him. God
"calls things that are not," and makes them to be: but we can do no more
but call things that are, and that far below what they are. God's
glorifying is creative,--ours only declarative. He makes us such,--we do no
more but declare him to be such. This then is the proper work that man is
created for, to be a witness of God's glory, and to give testimony to the
appearances and out-breakings of it in the ways of power and justice and
mercy and truth. Other creatures are called to glorify God, but it is
rather a proclamation to dull and senseless men, and a provocation of them
to their duty. As Christ said to the Pharisees, "If these children hold
their peace, the stones would cry out," so may the Lord turn himself from
stupid and senseless man, to the stones and woods and seas and sun and
moon, and exhort them to man's duty, the more to provoke and stir up our
dulness, and to make us consider that it is a greater wonder that man,
whom God hath made so glorious, can so little express God's glory, than if
stupid and senseless creatures should break out in singing and praising of
his majesty. The creatures are the books wherein the lines of the song of
God's praises are written; and man is made a creature capable to read
them, and to tune that song. They are appointed to bring in brick to our
hand; and God has fashioned us for this employment, to make such a
building of it. We are the mouth of the creation; but ere God want praises
when our mouth is dumb, and our ears deaf, God will open the mouths of
asses, "of babes and sucklings," and in them perfect praises, Psal. viii.
1, 2. Epictetus said well, _Si Luscinia essem, canerem ut Luscinia: cum
autem homo sim, __ quid agam? Laudabo Deum, nec unquam cessabo_--If I were
a lark, I would sing as a lark, but seeing I am a man, what should I do,
but praise God without ceasing? It is as proper to us to praise God, as
for a bird to chaunt. All beast