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The improving of our life in this world to the raising up a well-grounded good name and savoury character in it, is the best balance for the present for the vanity and misery attending our life, better than the most savoury earthly things.

I. SOME THINGS SUPPOSED IN THE DOCTRINE.

1. There is a vanity and misery that is the inseparable attendant of human life in this world. No man in life is free of it, nor can be (Psalm 39:6).

2. Every man will find himself obliged to seek for some allay of that vanity and misery of life, that he may be enabled to comport with it (Psalm 6:6). This makes a busy world, every one seeking something to make his hard seat soft.

3. It is natural for men to seek an allay to the vanity and misery of life in earthly things (Psalm 6:6).

4. But the best of earthly things will make but a sorry plaster for that sore; they will not be able to balance the vanity and misery of life, but with them all life may be rendered sapless, through the predominant vanity and misery of it.

5. Howbeit, the improving of life to the raising a well-grounded good name, will balance the vanity and misery of life effectually; so that he who has reached that kind of living, has what is well worth the enduring all the miseries of life for. There is an excellency and good in it that downweigh all the evils attending life.

II. WHAT IS THE WELL-GROUNDED GOOD NAME THAT IS THE BALANCE OF THE VANITY AND MISERY OF HUMAN LIFE?

1. It is the name of religion, and no less; for there is nothing truly good separate from religion (Matthew 7:18).

2. It is raised on the reality of religion, and no less; for a mere show of religion is but a vain and empty thing, which will dwindle to nothing with other vanities. We may take up that good name in three parts.

(1) Friend of God (James 2:23).

(2) Faithful to the Lord (Acts 16:15). That designs the man's temper and way towards God.

(3) Useful to men, serving his generation (Acts 13:35). That designs the man's temper and way towards his neighbour.

III. WHAT IS THE IMPROVEMENT OF LIFE WHEREBY THAT GOOD NAME MAY BE RAISED.

1. Improve your life by a personal and saving entering into the covenant of grace, and uniting with Christ, by believing on His name.

2. Improve your life to a living a life of faith in this world.

(1) Let it be a life of believing and dependence on God in Christ for all.

(2) Let it be a life of devotion, despise and scoff at it who will. In respect of the truths of God made known to you, reckoning every truth sacred, and cleaving thereto against all hazards and opposition (Proverbs 23:28). In respect of the worship of God; in secret, private, and public, showing reverence in the frame of your heart and outward gestures; so shall ye have the good name.

(3) Let it be a life of heavenly-mindedness and contempt of the world (Philippians 3:20). So Enoch got the good name of walking with God (Genesis 5:24), and the worthies (Hebrews 11:13-16).

(4) Let it be a life of Christian deportment under trials and afflictions in flee. So patience, resignation, holy cheerfulness under the cross are necessary to raise the good name (James 1:4).

(5) Let it be a life of uprightness, the same where no eye sees you but God's, as where the eyes of men are upon you.

3. Improve your life to the living of a life beneficial to mankind, profitable to your fellow-creatures, diffusing a benign influence through the world, as ye have access; so that when you are gone, the world may be convinced they have lost a useful member that sought their good; so shall ye have the good name, "Useful to men" (Acts 13:36).

(1) "Cast the world a copy by your good example" (Matthew 5:18). Of devotion and piety towards God, in a strict and religious observance of your duty towards Him. This will be a practical testimony for Him, a light that will condemn the world's profane contempt of Him (Proverbs 28:4). Of exact justice and truth in all your doings and sayings with men (Zechariah 8:16). Of sobriety in moderating your own passions with a spirit of peacefulness, meekness, and forbearance (Matthew 11:29).

(2) Be of a beneficent disposition, disposed to do good to mankind as you have access (Galatians 6:10).

(3) Lay out yourselves to forward the usefulness of others (1 Corinthians 16:10, 11).

(4) Be conscientious in the performance of the duties of your station and relations (1 Corinthians 7:24). It is exemplified in the ease of the priests (Malachi 2:6); of wives (1 Peter 3:1); and of servants (Titus 2:9, 10). To pretend to usefulness without our sphere is the effect of pride and presumption, and is the same absurdity in moral conduct as it would be in nature for the moon and stars to set up for the rule of the day, the sun contenting himself with the rule of the night.

IV. CONFIRM THE POINT.

1. This improvement of life is the best balance for the present, for the vanity and misery of life.

(1) Hereby a man answers the end of his creation, for which he was sent into the world; and surely the reaching of such a noble end is the best balance for all the hardships in the way of it.

(2) It brings such a substantial and valuable good out of our life as will downweigh all the inconveniences that attend our life in the world.

(3) It brings such valuable good into our life as more than counterbalanceth all the vanity and misery of it. A present comfort and satisfaction within oneself (2 Corinthians 1:12). A future prospect, namely, of complete happiness, which must needs turn the scales entirely, be the miseries of life what they will (Romans 8:35-89).

(4) That good name well grounded is a thing that may cost much indeed, but it cannot be too dear bought (Proverbs 23:23). Whatever it cost you, you will be gainers, if ye get it (Philippians 3:8).

2. This improvement of life is better than the best and most savoury earthly things.

(1) It will give a greater pleasure to the mind than any earthly thing can do (Proverbs 3:17; Psalm 4:7; 2 Corinthians 1:17).

(2) It will last longer than they will all do (Psalm 112:6).

(3) It is the only thing we can keep to ourselves in the world to our advantage when we leave the world.

(4) The good name will, after we are away, be savoury in the world, when the things that others set their hearts on will make them stink when they are gone.

(5) The good name will go farther than the best and most savoury things of the earth. Mary pours a box of precious ointment on Christ, which no doubt sent its savour through the whole house; but Christ paid her for it with the good name that should send its savour through the whole world (Matthew 26:13). But ye may think we can have no hope that ever our good name will go that wide. That is a mistake; for if we raise ourselves the good name, it will certainly be published before all the world at the last day (Revelation 3:5), and we will carry it over the march betwixt the two worlds into the other world (ver. 12).

(T. Boston, D. D.)

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KJV: A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

WEB: A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one's birth.