Might be found unto praise and honour and glory.' Note these three words, which I think are often neglected, and sometimes misunderstood--praise, honour, glory.' Whose? People sometimes say God's,' since His people's ultimate salvation redounds to His praise; but it is much better to understand the praise as given to the Christians whose faith has stood the testing fires. Well done, good and faithful servant'--is not that praise from lips, praise from which is praise indeed? As Paul says, then shall every man have praise of God.' We are far too much afraid of recognising the fact that Jesus Christ in Heaven, like Jesus Christ on earth, will praise the deeds that come from love to Him, though the deeds themselves may be very imperfect. Do you remember She hath wrought a good work on Me,' said about a woman that had done a perfectly useless thing, which was open to a great many very shrewd objections? But Jesus Christ accepted it. Why? Because it was the pure utterance of a loving heart. And, depend upon it, though we have to say Unclean! Unclean! We are unprofitable servants,' He will say Come! ye blessed of My Father.' Praise from Christ is praise indeed.
Honour.' That suggests bystanders, a public opinion, if I may so say; it suggests have thou authority over ten cities,' and that men will have their deeds round them as a halo, in that other world. As praise' suggests the redeemed man's relation to his Lord, so honour' suggests the redeemed man's relation to the fellow-citizens of the New Jerusalem. Glory' speaks of the man himself as transfigured and lifted up into the light and lustre of communion with, and conformity to, the image of the Lord. Then shall we appear with Him in glory. Then shall the righteous blaze forth like the sun in My heavenly Father's Kingdom.
Shall be found.' Ah! there will be many surprises yonder. Do you remember that profound revelation of our Master when He represents those on whom He lavishes His eulogies as the Judge, as turning to Him and saying, Lord! when saw we Thee in … prison and visited thee?' They do not recognise themselves or their acts in Christ's account of them. They have found that their lives were diviner than they knew. There will be surprises there. As one of the prophets represents the ransomed Israel, to her amazement, surrounded by clinging troops of children, and asking, These! Where have they been? I was left alone,' so many a poor, humble soul, fighting along in this world, having no recognition on earth, and the lowliest estimate of all its own actions, will be astonished at the last when it receives praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.'
