Royal Homage

A SERMON DELIVERED

BY REV. C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"And cast their crowns before the Throne." Revelation 4:10.

THERE are a great many things we should like to know about Heaven. Our
curiosity has been excited full often to ask a vast number of
questions, but after being excited it has never been gratified, for
God's Word has told us little about the details of that happy realm. I
suppose the Lord thought it better to leave the future shrouded in
mystery that we might think more of the common everyday duties of the
life that now is. Therefore the Revelation He has made directs our
faith to Himself and to His dear Son–and does not distract our
attention with descriptions of scene and circumstance into which our
imagination would fondly rise.

He has thus saved the details about the next world until we get there,
to make surprises of them, so that Heaven might be all the brighter
because it so infinitely exceeds anything that we had conceived. We are
not told, for instance, where Heaven is. There have been very learned
conjectures about certain stars and constellations which are supposed
to be the center of all the celestial system and therefore may be the
center of the universe and, therefore, the place where the Throne of
God is absolutely located and the Presence of God peculiarly revealed.
When all is said, it is only, "it may be," and it is just as unlikely
as it is likely.

I regard such speculations as stargazing to be idle and unseemly,
impertinent and unprofitable–a pure waste of time and perhaps worse.
We are not told anything even about the social communion of Heaven. We
do know, or at least we think we have abundant reason for believing,
that saints know each other–that they are not like men in a great
mass, indistinct and undistinguishable–but that there is fellowship
among the saints. We think that Abraham is Abraham, and Isaac is Isaac,
and Jacob is Jacob–and the redeemed ones from among men sit down with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as such–in the kingdom of God.

The New Jerusalem is said to have its streets, and streets imply
intercourse, but there is little said about that–just an outline, as
it were, such as an artist might make with charcoal–none of the
filling up and the bright colors. We are told little of the food of
Heaven, or whether there is any–whether the bodies need food to feed
on for their nourishment and nectarous draughts for their refreshment,
albeit, when the manna once dropped from Heaven men did eat angels'
food. And we are told little of the celebrations of Heaven, whether the
worship will be uniform, or whether there will be certain days joyous
above the rest, high days, feasts and festivals, jubilees and glorious
times of the unveiling of God's Presence in sevenfold splendor when the
harps shall pour forth more melodious tunes!

Of all these things we should like to have known something, but our
heads cannot hold much. One thing would have pushed out another.
Passages like this we could not spare–"The Son of Man came to seek and
to save that which was lost." Concerning such a sentence I will venture
to say every single syllable in the verse is worth more than whole
volumes about Heaven might have been, though the Spirit of God might
have inspired them–worth more for present and practical purpose to us
who are yet among the sons of men.

Are there any dear Brethren who understand the Book of Revelation, the
Book of Ezekiel and the Book of Daniel? I am pleased to hear it. But if
the Lord will help me to understand Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, I
shall be perfectly satisfied to go on preaching the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, for I think I shall get up to them by-and-by, in their
knowledge of prophecy and mystery, when I come into clearer light and
see the Master face to face! Meanwhile, there are sinners to be saved!
We must go about doing this soul-saving business in His name, with the
simple means put before us in the Gospels and Epistles which we are
enabled to understand by the Spirit of God through our own personal
experience of the revealed Truth of God.

Now, tonight, let us take a glimpse, just a glimpse, within the veil,
such as our text affords us. We find the 24 elders, (who, without
straining the passage, we might conceive to be and who doubtless are,
the representatives of the Church), sitting on their thrones before the
august Majesty of God. They have crowns upon their heads and they are
represented as casting those crowns before the Throne of God. From this
sublime picture I gather two things–first, that these representative
men, representatives of the Church of God, will all be crowned–they
have crowned heads. And secondly, that they all cast their crowns
before the Throne of God. When we have talked of these things, we will
gather a few lessons of practical moment for this present life.

I. Brethren, THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN ARE ALL CROWNED. I say, "all," for
these represent the whole. The 24 elders are represented as saying,
"You have redeemed us out of every people, and language, and nation,"
so that they represent all. It may be that there are degrees in Glory.
It may be that there are none. I do not attempt to solve the question.
But if there are, yet there is no degree below a crowned head in
Heaven. All the saints have their crowns–"A crown of life that fades
not away" is the very lowest portion of the very least saint who is
admitted into Glory!

Now, how is it they come to be crowned? Our answer will be six fold.
They are all kings Dei Gratia. You know how our monarchs like to put it
on their coins, "Dei Gratia"–"by the Grace of God," though I don't
know with what propriety–for on the whole they are about as graceless
a lot of individuals as are to be found anywhere–kings and emperors
and all hereditary rulers. If one were to take promiscuously
half-a-dozen kings and half-a-dozen paupers, I think, in respect to
moral character, the paupers would probably not have the most cause to
blush. And I am sure there is a larger percentage of the poor on earth
than of the richest among men who are heirs of the kingdom of Heaven.

But what they take for themselves as being by the Grace of God,
everyone in Heaven may say of himself. Truly, they are all kings by the
Grace of God. Ah, ask them and they will tell you it was the sovereign
will of God, alone, that set them apart–it was the Lord, their
heavenly Father–who chose them from among the sons of men that they
should be His sons and daughters! And it was the Grace of God which
first led them to know anything about reigning with Christ. Grace came
and enlightened their understanding. Grace influenced their wills.
Grace changed their affections. Grace made them to be heirs of Heaven
and they will tell you it was Grace that kept them where Grace brought
them–that they did not merely begin in the spirit to be afterwards
made perfect in the flesh–but that as Grace was Alpha, it was Omega.

The Spirit of God which worked in them mightily, made them diligent in
every good word and work and willing to be and to do according to God's
good pleasure. And every crowned head there will tell you that the very
last act of faith, before he entered into fruition, was as much based
upon Grace and as much the fruit of Grace as was the first act of
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is not a king in Heaven that
has his crown on any other terms than this, "by the Sovereign Grace of
God." But, though it may seem astonishing, in the second place they are
all kings by hereditary descent! "How?" you say, "They were born in sin
and shaped in iniquity! They are of the fallen Adam, heirs of eternal
misery."

Quite so, but they have been born-again, and it is in their new nature
that they are before the Throne of God. They have been "begotten,
again, unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead." "Beloved, know you not that they are the sons of God," and
though, "it does not yet appear what they shall be," yet they are truly
God's sons and, therefore, when Christ shall appear they, also, will
appear with Him in Glory? There are none in Heaven but God's sons! The
angels, it is true, are there, and they are His ministering servants.
But there are none of the human race there that are merely servants.
They are all sons.

Some were prodigal sons and some, at times, had got into the bad temper
of the elder brother in the parable. But they are all sons and they are
there because they are sons. They have come to their crown by
inheritance, as much as any Prince of Wales ever succeeded in this
country to his crown. There is born in the image of God's Son a new and
peculiar race with Heaven as their inheritance–an inheritance which
Hell can never spoil. They are kings, then, by hereditary descent. But,
thirdly, they are kings by another right. They are kings by marriage
alliance. There are some that come to royal dignity by being affianced
and betrothed to kings.

There is many a crowned head that would not have been so by descent,
but has come to be so by being given in wedlock to a royal consort. Now
the Church of God is the Bride, the Lamb's wife and, because Jesus is
crowned, therefore He will have it that His Church shall be crowned,
too. He gave her Himself–He gave her everything that He

had–He relinquished Heaven for her sake. He suffered on earth for her,
bled on the Cross for her, went into the grave for her and now He will
make her partaker of all He has. As He took all her shame, so she shall
take her share in all His Glory. He went to the Cross for her and she
shall come to the crown with Him!

Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve Him day and night
in His Temple, because they are one with Jesus. Because He lives, they
also live. And because He, as the only begotten Son, stands always in
His Father's love, therefore do they stand in the same. But fourthly
(and you will think surely that all the rights in this world meet in
these crowned heads, and so they do), they are kings by right of
conquest and of victory. A crown should signify and did signify, in the
olden times, struggling, battling and contending. The first crowns, I
suppose, were given to those who were the strongest men and had fought
best in the day of battle.

Well, we have already said that the crowns in Heaven are all the gifts
of Divine Grace and yet at the same time it is true that those who have
the crowns have fought for them–"These are they that came out of great
tribulation." It was not that tribulation procured them their crowns,
still it seems to be a rule–the usual rule in God's Church–that those
of His servants who are to be rewarded should work, and those who are
to be crowned should fight. At any rate, if you and I suppose we shall
get the crown without contending for it, we shall find ourselves
mistaken! Canaan belonged to the Israelites–it was theirs by a
Covenant of Salt–but they had to fight for it and dispute every inch
with the Hittite and the Canaanite and the Jebusites, and so must we.

We shall get to Heaven by God's Grace, but we must go on pilgrimage to
get there. There is no chariot to carry us all along the road. We must
foot it. We must climb the Hill of Difficulty and go down to the Valley
of Humiliation. And he that endures to the end–the same shall be
saved. Master Bunyan's picture of the bright spirits on the top of the
palace who sang, "Come in! Come in! Eternal Glory you shall win"–would
not have been complete if he had not pictured the armed men at the
bottom of the stairs who stood there to keep back any who sought to
enter the house–would not have been complete without the description
of the man of the grave countenance.

The man with the ink-horn said, "Set down your name," and when he had
put down his name, he drew his sword and fought desperately until he
seemed to die–yet by-and-by he was seen on the top of the palace for
he had won the day–

"Lord, I must fight if I would reign, Oh bear me safely through."

They are kings, then, because they have fought with sin and with
temptations! They are not crowned without having contended for the
victory. And you know how sharply some of them have had to contend,
even unto blood have they resisted, striving against sin. Yes, the
brightest and fairest of them have had to bear the brunt of most fierce
persecutions, fights with lions–even to die at the stake and through
sufferings that cannot be told have they entered into rest.

Then, fifthly, the crowned heads in Heaven have their crowns and their
crowns befit them well, because of the nobility of their character. If
honors were fairly distributed among men, we should not so often see
the meanest spirit in the loftiest place. It is always one of the
hardships of this life. Of this the wise man complained–that he had
seen servants on horseback and masters walking in the mire–the great
spirits in the world in rags and the mean spirits clothed in
scarlet–the men that deserved well lying at the gate licked by dogs
and the men that deserved ill faring sumptuously every day and clothed
in scarlet and fine linen!

Now it is not so in Heaven. There, in Heaven, nobility is given to the
noble and to the upright in character the reward of the righteous, for
though it is not of debt, but of Grace, yet the pure in heart shall see
God and they that are undefiled in the way shall inherit the blessing.
O how bright those spirits are that are crowned! The crowns do well
demean them–they are without fault before the Throne of God. There is
no infirmity about their character or imperfection about their
constitution. If you should dwell with them a thousand ages you would
never hear them speak an idle word and if you could inspect their
hearts with Omniscient eyes you would not read therein one godless
thought. They are sanctified perfectly, delivered from every taint of
corruption and now they are like their Lord Himself in holiness of
character! Well should they be crowned whose character has thus been
made glorious by the work of the Spirit of God within them!

And, once more, they have another right to their crowns, because those
crowns represent real possessions. There are little princes in this
world whose principalities are about as large as ordinary kitchen
gardens and they account themselves very great, indeed. The man of
great esteem is like John R. in English history, who had not a foot of
ground.

The less the man's possession, often the man's greater self-possession.
But in Heaven there are no pauper princes. There they are rich to all
the intents of bliss. They have their crowns, and they have their
kingdoms. All things are theirs–the gift of God–and God is theirs and
Christ is theirs. They are clothed with honor and majesty–not
outwardly, only, but inwardly–and they have all the accompaniments
that should go with royal dignity.

Does it not seem, however, like a dream, as one thinks it over and
tries to realize it? Let us pause a moment and follow the reverie, to
which a well assured faith gives substantial reality. You and I, if we
believe in Jesus, will soon sit with Jesus where we shall be crowned!
We are poor today, obscure and ignoble–we have no influence, it may
be, and possibly are of little account among our fellows–but within a
short time, perhaps before this year or even this month shall have run
out its anxious days, we shall be with crowns upon our heads
spiritually. We shall be before the Throne in spirit, and then,
by-and-by, when the Lord shall come, we shall in body, as well as in
spirit, sit there raised from the dead and made perfect, forever
enjoying the rank of kings and priests unto our God, for we shall reign
forever and ever!

Can you conceive of it? Bunyan represents Mercy as laughing in her
sleep. Truly, as we think this over, one feels inclined to laugh for
very joy of heart! Shall I wear a crown? Those who were despised and
rejected of men and counted fools–will they be kings? Those saints
that were made to lie in prison for their Master's sake and no names of
ignominy were thought base enough for them–will they be kings? Will
the angels be courtiers while these humble ones, raised and changed,
but yet the same, sit as kings in the midst of the courts of Heaven,
there to abide forever? Even so it will be!

Come! If the head aches tonight, let the reflection that it will soon
be crowned be a consolation to you. Come! If you have had much to worry
you throughout the day, let the sweet thought that you will soon be
where not a wave of trouble shall ever cross your peaceful breast be a
rich consolation to you. There is a throne in Heaven that no one can
occupy but you! And there is a crown in Heaven that no other head can
wear but yours! And there is a part in the eternal song that no voice
can ever compass but yours! And there is a glory to God that would be
missing if you did not come to render it! And there is a part of
infinite majesty and glory that would never be reflected unless you
should be there to reflect it!

Therefore comfort one another with this, that before long you shall be
there! Because the Grace of God has elected you, you have an hereditary
right through the new birth. You have a marriage right by reason of
union with Christ. You have rights of conquest as a warrior. You shall
have the rights of character, for your character will be perfect before
long. And you have the rights of possession, for God has given you all
that which goes with the crown.

II. Well, now, secondly we come to a department of our subject which
seems more easy to believe. Though they all have crowns, THEY ALL CAST
THEM BEFORE THE THRONE. We can well conceive that, for to many of us
that would he the first impulse of our minds. If ever we get to those
sacred heights we will do adoring homage and if ever we receive any
honors we will present them to Him to whom all the honor is due!

Why, then, you ask now, do they cast their crowns at the foot of the
Throne? There are four answers which may very properly be given. The
first, no doubt, is for the reason of solemn reverence. They see more
of God than we do, therefore are they more filled with awe and thrilled
with admiration. From what we–who worship, as it were, in His outer
courts and get but distant glimpses of His majesty and His mercy–from
what we at present know of God we should be constrained to say, "Not
unto us, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory for Your mercy and
Your Truth's sake." But where God more gloriously reveals Himself and
where His attributes are more clearly seen, no doubt there is more
overwhelming emotion and more intense reverence–therefore at once, and
of spontaneous impulse–the soul pays all the homage that it can before
the Throne of God.

I think it would seem to them as though it could not be that they could
sit with crowned heads in the Presence of the King of kings! That head
that once was crowned with thorns, when we see it adorned with the
royal diadem, surely we should not bear to be crowned in the Presence
of such an One! For what are we, and what is our Father's house? God
has done all He can for us, yet what shall we be as compared with Him,
the Infinite and Eternal! And as compared with Christ, the ever-blessed
who died for us? O, our reverence will always make us feel in the
lowest state of self-abasement at the foot of the Throne!

Moreover, they are, no doubt, actuated by sincere humility. Reverence
to God always brings a humble opinion of one's own self. Here below,
Beloved, we sometimes murmur at the Divine will when His appointments
cross and foil our inclinations. Were we more humble and less
self-opinionated we should utterly distrust ourselves and put implicit
confidence in Him. We should at once cast our wills at the Lord's feet.
Here we set up our own opinion in opposition to

the revealed will of God. We would not do that if we knew ourselves,
but we should lay our judgment at the foot of the Throne. But up there
they judge righteous judgments and, knowing God and beholding His
Glory, they shrink into nothing and lay themselves at His feet–much
more do they renounce their will.

They feel, they know, they confess that any honor or desert they have
has been obtained through the Grace of God– that they must fully,
heartily, unreservedly ascribe to Grace that which they dare not
arrogate to themselves. Doubtless, also, they do this for another
reason, namely, because of their profound gratitude. They bless God
that they are where they are and what they are. If you ask those before
the Throne, they will tell you that not only do they owe their crowns
to Grace, but every single gem in their crowns. They have not one
single star in their diadem but what the Lord put there and there is
not a single sparkle of any crystal sapphire that is in their coronet
but what they may trace the flashing gleam to the Sovereign Grace of
God.

Therefore, how could they keep anything to themselves? Gratitude
constrains them to lay their crowns where their crowns came from. And,
above all, they are actuated by intense affection. They love their
Lord, and loving their Lord they do anything to adore Him. Self-denial
is the name we give on earth to that Grace which not only ignores but
consumes one's self in the fervor of zeal, in the passion of love. What
word would answer for the like?–Though the greater vehemence of those
in Heaven I cannot tell. They are glad to fling their richest goods,
their choicest trophy, their most cherished treasure at His feet–they
love Him so. Here we love ourselves and cherish some fond attachment to
our fellow creatures, also. And our hearts are stolen away by some
earthly object. But there they love God intensely, continually,
undividedly, without a flaw–and consequently they cast everything down
before Him–and they lay their crowns at His feet.

As we see what they do, let us consider what we should do, and
anticipate what we shall do when we join that august assembly. I would
like to have a bright crown, bright with many gems of souls turned to
righteousness, for they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as
stars forever. But I think the sweetness will be to have a bright crown
to lay at His feet, not for the sake of wearing it but giving it, if
thereby a saved one might give honor to His Savior. You will notice
they do not attempt to put the crown upon the Lord's head. No, we
cannot add to His splendor! He is infinitely glorious! Without
creatures, without servants, without saints He is glorious–we cannot
add to His Glory–we can but lay our crowns at His feet. We cast them
at the feet though we cannot put them on the monarch's head.

And would not we wish to have as bright a crown as possible for the
sake of placing it there? O, fight, you soldier of Christ, and bear
hardness that your crown may be a precious one! Pray, minister of God,
that you may preach with all your heart and soul and strength, that
your diadem may be a sparkling one! Dear Sister in your tent, or dear
Brother out in the battle, be valiant for God, for we all agree in
this, that whatever the crown shall be, at His dear feet we cast it!

III. Now I come to the practical lessons which these simple facts
should teach us. There is at first sight a simple, obvious reflection
which will readily occur to the thoughtful Hearer. By this text, we can
know whether we are on the way to Heaven or not, because no man goes to
Heaven to learn for the first time heavenly things. We must be scholars
in Christ's school here, or else we cannot be taken into Christ's
college above.

If you and I should walk into some great cathedral where they were
singing and ask to be allowed to sing in the choir, they would ask
whether we had ever learned the tune, and they would not let us join
unless we had. Nor can we expect that untrained voices should be
admitted into the choirs above. Now, dear Brothers and Sisters, have
you learned to cast your crowns at the Savior's feet already? Have you
been professors of religion for some years and been honored in the
Sunday school class, or in the ministry, and have you been enabled to
maintain an upright character? Well, in some measure, you have a crown.
Are you in the habit continually of casting that at His feet?

Let me put it to you–have you anything that you call your own to boast
of? Have you some good things that you have done that you could speak
of? Could you say, like one of old, "Lord, I thank You that I am not as
other men"? Have you been very good and industrious, very consistent
and persevering and do you feel you deserve a good deal of esteem and
honor as an acknowledgment of your distinguished services? My dear
Friend, I am afraid you are learning a music that will never answer in
Heaven! There is no one in Glory that ever says–"I have done well. I
deserve credit and honor." Quite the reverse! There, the one music is,
"Non nobis Domine!" "Not unto us, Lord! Not unto us!" Have you learned
that? Is that your spirit every day?

O, I think I hear one say, "Yes, indeed it is, for I have nothing
whatever that I can boast of. I cannot say that I lay my crown at His
feet–I do not seem to have any." Yet, very likely, the person who is
saying that is the one who is serving God more zealously than any of
us, for, it is the mark of God's children that the more beautiful they
are the more uncomely they think themselves. They that are very lovely,
themselves, all unconscious of their own attractions, can see a
loveliness in others, while they perceive nothing to recommend their
own character. When you, yourself, are mourning and lamenting that you
are so deformed or so deficient, it is a mark that you are better than
you think. The spirit that gives all glory to God and takes no glory to
itself, is the spirit that is on the road to Heaven! May you judge
yourselves by that!

The next lesson, Beloved, is a lesson of unanimity. Our text says they
all cast their crowns before the Throne of God. There are no divided
opinions in Heaven, no denominations and parties, no schisms there.
They are all in perfect harmony and sweet accord. What one does, all
do. They cast their crowns, without exception, before the Throne. Let
us begin to practice that unanimity here. As fellow Christians, let us
get rid of everything that would divide us from each other, or separate
us from our Lord. I do not read that there was a single elder who
envied his brother's crown and said, "Ah, I wish I were such an one as
he is, and had his crown." I do not read that one of them began to find
fault with his Brother's crown, and said, "Ah, his jewels may be
bright, but mine have a peculiar tint in them, and are of greater
excellence."

I do not read anything of dissension. They were all unanimous in
casting their crowns at Jesus' feet. They were all unanimous in
glorifying God. And it is high time we gave over congratulating
ourselves, or censuring our fellow Christians! Rest assured there is
something in the man you condemn, if he is a child of God, which
condemns you–and you might do well to become a scholar of his in some
respects. If any honorable rivalries occur among Brethren, let both
cast their crowns at the foot of the Cross, or at the foot of the
Throne and ascribe all to Him who gave them. Those that have obtained
the prize are unanimous in their ascription of praise.

Do you ask the reason? I suppose, first, it is because their
understanding is alike transparent. Here our understandings are
divided–one cannot see this, and another cannot see that. There are a
great many differences of opinion, though there is only one Truth of
God, after all. The fault must be in our perception and, doubtless, the
blame may be distributed among us. But none the less, our allegiance to
Truth demands that we stand by our own convictions, or rather, by God's
Revelation. We cannot all be right–it is no use our professing that we
are. When a person says, "You must give up this, and you must give up
that for the sake of charity," they do but ask us to practice
benevolence at the expense of honesty. What right have I to give up a
Truth of God? Truth is Truth and we must fight for it, and die for it,
if need be.

Every effort to promote union among Christians by compromise is
treachery to the Most High. If you are right and I am wrong, contradict
me. Or if I am right and you are wrong, I will contradict you. Yet I
will not outrage charity, I will rather cherish it. Is my opponent
poor, I would supply his need without regard to his creed. Be he a Jew
or a Papist, give him his civil rights. Let them benefit by our good
works, but let us never connive at their evil. The way to unity is to
find the Truth of God out and acknowledge it together. When we come to
the Word of God, all of us, we shall come together. But any patching
up, making this compromise and that unwarrantable concession is all
wrong! If it did lead to a unity, the unity would be worse than a
division!

In Heaven the understandings are clarified and purified. They
understand that their salvation is of Grace alone and they all cast
their crowns at Jesus' feet. Wesley does it. So does Toplady. The
Arminian that preached doctrines that sounded like the will of the
flesh casts his crown as freely as the Antinomian who was known to say,
"It is of Grace. It is of Grace, alone." There are no differences
there! They have come to see eye to eye because they see with the eyes
of the pure in heart who have been made to see God. But then they are
all agreed in heart as well as in understanding. They love each other
and they love God–all their affections flow in one channel and in one
direction. Therefore they cast their crowns before the Throne.

Brethren, let us stick together closely in unity of judgment and heart.
We have done so many a year to my marvel and astonishment. May the same
Spirit of God who has made us a three-fold cord in our unity with
Christ, keep us so in years to come, if it please Him to spare our
lives. May we in this Church be like the 24 elders, always casting our
crowns before the Throne. Once again, these redeemed ones in Heaven
teach us the true way of happiness. They set before us what

perfect bliss is. You observe, it does not consist in selfishness.
Never believe that possible. If a man says, "I shall make myself
happy," he will rather mar than make happiness for himself. But when he
seeks the Glory of God he will be happy in the pursuit as well as in
the attainment of his object.

Did you ever go out for a day to enjoy yourself? If you went out with
that intent I am sure you would find yourself hard to please. But if
you went out to enjoy the society of other people, or to help them to
enjoy themselves, you will most likely have been very well rewarded.
There is no happiness beneath the clouds like the happiness of
unselfishness. Strip yourself and you clothe yourself. Throw money away
and you grow rich–I mean in a spiritual sense. To scatter is to
gather. To give is to grow rich. It is a hard lesson for some minds to
learn, but it is a lesson which Christ taught us. He saved others but
Himself He could not save. And yet He has glorified both Himself and
His Father by that very Sacrifice of Himself!

Happiness, again, consists in adoration, for these blessed spirits find
it to be their happiness to adore God. The happiest days you ever spent
are those in which you worshipped God most. If you are doing a great
deal, but have your minds far off from God, your labor will be irksome,
your spirits will flag and you will lack the stimulus of His
approbation. Mary was happy at her Master's feet because she was there
adoring Him. Mind you have much of Mary's spirit and adore God all day
long, for that is the vestibule of Heaven! But then they were not
merely happy because they were self-denying and adoring, but because
they were practical. They took off their crowns and laid them before
the Throne. And our joy on earth must lie in practically carrying out
our principles.

The best religion in the world laid by will is of no good. You shall
only get joy out of it when you throw it into the winepress in clusters
and tread it in practical service. Cast your ability to do and to
suffer, as well as the crown of your labor and patience, at the feet of
your God–serve Him with all your heart and wisdom and strength, and
thus your self-denial and adoration being mixed, you shall realize on
earth as much as possible a foretaste of what the joy of Heaven may be.
O, that our souls may be always aspiring towards this blessed place
where we are to dwell! May we be granted Grace to always prove the
sincerity of our faith by fighting under God's banner for the crown!
May we always live in the spirit of adoption whereby we prove our right
to our crown by cultivating daily communion with Christ! May we be
granted Divine Grace to prove our union with Him by always ascribing
all honor, power and blessing to the Lord our God! May we always
anticipate the homage of Heaven.

Brothers and Sisters, be not slack in worship. I am afraid we are. We
are sometimes told that in the Church of England the most prominent
thing in worship is prayer, but that we do not come together so much to
pray as to hear a sermon. There may be some truth in the charge that is
thus preferred against us, and if there is truth in it, do not let it
be so any longer. But I hold that hearing a sermon is worship. If it is
practically heard it is worship and if it is applied to the soul, there
is no higher adoration on the part of the entire man than listening to
the Truth which God will speak through the minister to our ear and
heart. It is a part of worship, and a very blessed part, too.

But mind you make it so, and let it be so to us that while some worship
within walls we worship everywhere, live worshipping, live adoring!
Remember, sermons are, as it were, but the wet block, but adoration is
the great end of preaching. "Praying is the end of preaching," says
Herbert. So it is, but praising is the end of praying–the result which
is to come out of it all. It is that for which praying exists, that God
may be glorified! Pray God to help you to do so in every breath you
draw, in every act you do! Let your common actions be a part of your
holy, priestly life and be priests and kings in your doings in the
house, in the shop, in the barn, and in the field.

The Lord bless you, dear Friends. And as to those here present who know
not Christ, you will never be crowned if you abide in ignorance of Him,
or in enmity against Him. Oh, that the Lord would change your hearts
and lead you to the Savior! May you see Him crowned with thorns and
trust in Him, and then you shall come to be crowned with the royal
diadem hereafter. The Lord grant it for His name's sake. Amen!

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Revelation 4 and 7.
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The Conditions Of Power In Prayer