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‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’
1Co_10:31
I. What is it to glorify God?—You give glory to a teacher by receiving and adopting his instruction; to a monarch by obeying his laws and upholding his authority; to a father by loving his person and living so that men praise him in you: and just as in human relations a teacher is praised or blamed according to the success or failure of his pupils; a monarch applauded or condemned according to the loyalty of his subjects; a father honoured or brought to shame according to the conduct of his children; so the actions of men bring praise or blame, honour or dishonour, glory or shame, to the God they profess to worship.
II. Since it is thus in our power to give glory to God, it is declared in the text to be our duty to do so in all things.
(a) This one principle is to direct our most important, as well as our most trivial works; all are to be done with a view to the glory of God; and you will observe that those actions are specially named which every one must do every day. The simplest, most ordinary everyday actions are mentioned, that we may gather the mind of God to be this: that whether we eat or drink, read or walk, buy or sell, whatever from morning to night, from night to morning, we are engaged in, the leading object of our whole life, and of every action in that life, should be to promote the glory of the Lord our God.
(b) This principle thus stated in the text is confirmed by all the teaching of Scripture. In almost the same words St. Paul says, ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, and the Father by Him’; where you will observe that acting in the name of the Lord Jesus is acting for the glory of God. St. Peter likewise writes: ‘If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.’ The whole life of our Saviour was but a carrying out of this principle. His first words express it, ‘I must be about My Father’s business.’ His last prayer declares it accomplished, ‘I have glorified Thee on earth. I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.’ From the carpenter’s shop to the Cross, He was in all things and at all times seeking His Father’s glory.
(c) This principle of Christianity will be made more clear by being contrasted with that of other religions. It is the nature of false religions to consist in certain definite acts, in certain services, in certain forms, in certain pilgrimages, in certain tortures. Hence in them religious acts and secular acts are separated. So much of man’s time is religious, so much is secular. Religion in such systems comes in contact with business, as oil with water; the two do not, and cannot, unite; whereas the Christian religion mixes itself with the business of a man’s life, as wine with water; it unites itself with all and with every part, gives life and vigour and strength to all, and makes the whole spiritual.
Rev. Canon F. Morse.
Illustration‘A young infidel was one night in bed contemplating the character of his mother. “I see” (said he within himself) “two unquestionable facts. First, my mother is greatly afflicted in circumstances, body, and mind, and I see that she cheerfully bears up under all by the support she derives from constantly retiring to her closet and her Bible. Secondly, that she has a secret spring of comfort of which I know nothing, while I who give an unbounded loose to my appetites, and seek pleasure by every means, seldom or never find it. If, however, there is any such secret in religion, why may not I attain to it as well as my mother? I will immediately seek it of God.” Thus the influence of Christianity, exhibited in its beauty by a living example before him, led Richard Cecil to know Christ Himself, and to glorify Him by a life of most successful devotion to His service.’
THE PARAMOUNT CLAIM OF RELIGION
I. It is true that God intends us to reach heaven hereafter, but He also means to make this life, with all its daily toil, better, nobler, and happier by religion, by His presence here.—Will our life-work be less efficient because we submit it day by day to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God? It is here and now that we are to fight the battle, and to face the discipline, and to bear the burdens which shall fit us hereafter for a place in a heavenly and better kingdom. What is the meaning of the Incarnation if it is not this—God with man, not hereafter, but now?
II. As the guiding principle of our life, religion will have something to say to the work of life.—It will say that idleness is contrary to the Divine law, that in honest work lies the fulfilment of the Divine purpose. Every life has its proper sphere in which it is best fitted to work out its truest and highest development. Every man has his work, his opportunity; yet are there not those who tell us that time hangs heavily on their hands, that as years go on life becomes more and more a burden? To such comes St. Paul with his great principle—‘Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ God has laid down lines for your life; God has ordered it. If you search out and try to find these lines, and follow them, your life will be a good one, a useful one, a life with a purpose, not a mere dragging out of years, not the miserable failure that so many lives seem. Aim, then, at acting your part well in life, for therein is the path of honour.
III. But life cannot be all work, and therefore our religion must have something to say to our play, to our amusements; and this we are apt sometimes to forget. Duty is the end of life; pleasure, recreation, amusement are only means to that end—a perfectly lawful means, to most of us a necessary means, but one, nevertheless, which needs to be carefully guided and guarded. We are therefore warned that it does not follow that because amusement is lawful and good, therefore everything that amuses is necessarily so. The influence of our amusements on ourselves, on our brethren, on the world at large—all this must be taken into account. ‘All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient.’ Whatever amusement recreates, soothes, invigorates, tends to fit you better to do your duty, and (mind that saving clause) leaves no sting behind it, this may be looked upon by Christians as safe.
IV. One more ruling principle our religion will lay down for the guidance of our life—it will call attention to the two sides of our nature.—One relates to the world around us; the other, to the unseen, but no less real, spiritual world. The body, it is true, has its claims; but the body is not all. This life is only part of the great whole; it is the threshold of eternity. Why, then, give it all our care? Why not use it as a means of preparation for the inheritance of the saints in light? Religion and daily life! Should they, can they, be separate and apart? Then each becomes valueless; bind them together by the sacred tie of God’s Presence and they become a living power to witness in the world and to ennoble all with the dignity of God Himself.
Bishop E. R. Wilberforce.
Illustration‘Sir Joshua Reynolds was one of the most distinguished painters of his day; and, in answer to the inquiry, how he attained such excellence, he replied: “By observing one simple rule, viz. to make each painting the best.” Depend upon it that the same thing is true in the service of God.’
RELIGION AND RECREATION*
I. We cannot fail to recognise its importance.—The crowds which flock to watch the ‘matches’; the large space allotted in the newspapers to athletic news; the crowd who betake themselves to race centres at certain seasons; the popularity of the theatres; the large number of novels taken from the shelves of our libraries, these facts, and many others, testify to the importance which is practically attached to recreation. It is the duty of religious teachers to point out the true ideas and principles on which our practice should be based. Recreation—the very word gives us a clue; it means to create afresh, and implies that the daily round of work is apt to waste and exhaust our nervous energy. Recreation, then, is that change of, or slackening from, work, which has the effect of supplying afresh the store of power which has been dissipated. God has given us our daily work to do, but He has also given us bodies, minds, and hearts to be trained for Him, and I do not see how we are to develop every side of our nature unless we allow a fair time for recreation. Let us make health and manly recreation a moral and Christian duty. Not only so with regard to cricket, football, etc., but with regard to more emotional or intellectual recreations: music, reading, etc. All that enriches the mind and refines the heart has its place among the innocent and useful relaxations of life.
II. We must consider the dangers connected with recreation.
(a) I would speak of those forms of physical recreation which are most popular amongst us—football, cricket, etc. Are they not too often degraded by being made occasions for betting? There can be no real healthy enjoyment when this is the case. Gambling is one of the greatest dangers of the day. I would appeal to you, my brothers, as you watch with interest the well-contested match, to let your enthusiasm be pure and healthy; let it be a manly love of the game which impels you to look on, and not a desire to make money by dishonest means.
(b) Is there not in some cases a danger lest our interest, and natural desire that our side may win, should lead us to be unfair towards our opponents? Let us always be considerate and chivalrous: scrupulously careful to deal fairly by an opponent.
(c) Again, are not the athletic sports sometimes productive of hard swearing? I know it is so. But as Christians we are forbidden to take God’s Name in vain. Swear not at all is our rule, and as sensible men we ought to despise a habit which proves that we have so little self-control. If we could divest our sports of those three dangers—betting, bitterness, and swearing—we should make our physical recreations far more useful and enjoyable.
See that your amusements are recreations and not dissipation, i.e. that they send you back to your work strengthened and not weakened.
III. Note the methods of recreation.
(a) We ought to regard future needs in our recreation. Sport is good when it strengthens the body or disciplines the mind.
(b) Do not confine your recreations to bodily exercise only. Give some of your spare time to those amusements which tend to elevate and refine the emotional and intellectual part of you. Think of the pleasures to be gained by beautiful scenery, music, painting, reading, pursuit of zoology or botany, or geology. Have a hobby: take up one or other of these forms of amusements; it will fill up many a spare hour, and enrich your life by pouring into it something of the beauty and richness of those worlds of thought and art which lie around us.
Rev. Canon C. L. Ivens.
Illustration‘An early writer tells a story concerning St. John the Evangelist. He was amusing himself one day with a tame partridge on his hand, and was asked by a huntsman how such a man as he could spend his time in so unprofitable a manner, to whom St. John replied, “Why dost thou not carry thy bow always bent?” “Because,” answered the huntsman, “if it were always bent I fear it would lose its spring, and become useless.” “Be not surprised, then,” replied the Apostle, “that I should sometimes remit a little of my close attention of spirit and to enjoy a little recreation.” We have in the story a beautiful illustration of the principle expressed in the homely proverb, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” ’