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(text; Psalm 73:25, 26): —

I. THE GLORIFYING OF GOD.

1. Its nature. To glorify is either to make glorious or to declare to be glorious. God glorifies, i.e., makes angels or men glorious; but man cannot make God glorious, for He is not capable of any additional glory (Job 35:7). God is glorified, then, only declaratively (Psalm 19:1). Man declares His glory —

(1) By his heart. Honouring God with the lips only is but a very lame and unacceptable performance. He ought to be glorified —

(a)  By our understanding, thinking highly of Him, and esteeming Him above all others.

(b)  By our wills, choosing Him as our portion and chief good.

(c)  By our affections, loving Him, and rejoicing and delighting in Him above every other.

(2) By his lips (Psalm 1:23). Therefore man's tongue is called his glory (Psalm 16:9), not only because it serves him for speech, which exalts him above the brutes, but because it is given him as a proper instrument for speaking forth the glory of God.

(3) By his life (Matthew 5:16).

2. In what respects is God's glory man's chief end?

(1) It is man's end —

(a)  It is the end which God aimed at when He made man (Proverbs 16:4; Romans 11:36).

(b)  It is the end of man as God's work. Man was made fit for it (Ecclesiastes 7:29). The very fabric of a man's body, whereby he looks upward, while the beasts look down, is a palpable evidence of this.

(c)  It is the mark to which man should direct all he does (text; Psalm 16:8).

(2) It is man's chief end, that which God chiefly aimed at, and that which man should chiefly aim at. God made man for other ends, as to govern, use, and dispose of other creatures (Genesis 1:26); but still these are subordinate. There are some ends which men propose to themselves, which are simply unlawful, and which are not capable of subordination to the glory of God, who hates robbery for burnt-offering. But there are other ends, in themselves lawful, but sinful, if they be not subordinate to the glory of God. Now, God's glory is made our chief end —

(a)  When whatever end we have in our actions, the glory of God is still one of our ends. We may eat and drink for the nourishment of our bodies; but this must not jostle out our respect to the glory of God.

(b)  When it is that which we chiefly design. All other sheaves must bow to that sheaf: as a diligent servant designs to please both the master and his steward, but chiefly the master.

(c)  When it is the perfection of what we design, beyond which we have no more view. Thus we should eat that our bodies may be refreshed, so that we may he the more capable to glorify God. Thus we are to seek salvation, that God may be glorified.

3. The extent of this duty. This must be the end —

(1) Of our natural rations (text).

(2) Of our civil actions, working our work, buying and selling, etc. (Ephesians 6:7; Proverbs 21:4).

(3) Of our moral and religious actions (Zechariah 7:5). We must pray, hear, etc., for God's glory.

4. The reason of the point is, because God is the first principle, therefore He must be the last end. He is the first and the last, the Alpha, and therefore the Omega. God is the fountain of our being; and therefore seeing we are of Him, we should be to Him (Romans 11.).

II. THE ENJOYMENT OF GOD FOR EVER.

1. The nature of this enjoyment.

(1) There is an imperfect enjoyment of God in this life; which consists —

(a)  In union with Him, or a saving interest in Him, whereby God is our God by covenant. By this union Christ and believers are so joined that they are one spirit, one mystical body.

(b)  In communion with God, which is a participation of the benefits of that saving relation, whereof the soul makes returns to the Lord in the exercise of its graces, particularly of faith and love.

(2) There is a perfect enjoyment of God in heaven. This consists in —

(a)  An intimate presence with Him in glory (Psalm 16:11).

(b)  Seeing Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

(c)  A perfect union with Him (Revelation 21:3).

(d)  An immediate, full, free, and comfortable communion with Him, infinitely superior to all the communion they ever had with Him in this world, and which no mortal can suitably describe.

(e)  Full joy and satisfaction resulting from these things for ever (Matthew 25:21).

2. The order of this enjoyment.

(1) It is a part of man's chief end, and, in conjunction with glorifying of God, makes it up.

(2) Glorifying of God is put before the enjoying of Him, because the way of duty is the way to the enjoyment of God (Hebrews 12:14). The pure in heart, and they who glorify God now, shall alone see God, to their infinite joy in heaven.

3. The enjoyment of God is man's chief end in point of happiness, the thing that he should chiefly seek. For this end, consider —

(1) What man is.

(a)  He is a creature that desires happiness, and cannot but desire it.

(b)  He is not self-sufficient; and therefore he is ever seeking something without himself in order to be happy.

(c)  Nothing but an infinite good can fully satisfy the desires of an immortal soul.

(2) What God is.

(a)  God is the chief good, for He is the fountain good, and the water that is good is always best in the fountain.

(b)  God is all good. There is nothing in Him but what is good. All that is good is in Him; so that the soul, finding Him commensurate to its desires, needs nothing besides Him.

(T. Boston, D.D.)

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KJV: Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

WEB: Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.