Two treatises of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of earthly-mindedness

CHAP. XVI. An Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to God.

And then, It would be a Conversation glorifying God much. Oh! the Glory that God would have from a Conversation in Heaven! Let your light so shine before men, that others beholding your good works, may glorify your Father which is in Heaven. Then indeed the Image of the God of Heaven is held forth when mens Conversations are heavenly, the Lord takes much delight to have his glory to be dispensed abroad by his Saints, to have some reflection upon the world: As in a glass, though beams of the Sun do not shine upon a wall, yet by a glass you may take the beams of the Sun and cast the reflection of them ⟨p. 245⟩upon a wall: so those beams of the glory of God that shine in Heaven, the Saints by their Heavenly Conversation may (as it were by a glass) take them and reflect them upon the world, and upon the faces of men: the hearts of the Saints should be as a glass taking the beams of the glory of God and casting them up and down where they are, and so your Heavenly Father should come to be glorified by you. Let every Christian think thus, My Conversation is thus and thus; but what glory do I bring to God by my Conversation? do others glorify God by beholding the lustre of the holiness of God in me? do they see cause to bless God that they see so much of the glory of God in me? Certainly, there is more of the glory of God shines in the gracious, holy, spiritual Conversation of a Christian, than shines in the Sun, Moon, and Stars, than in Heaven, and Earth: I mean, for the works of Creation and Providence that are in Heaven and Earth; the creatures that God hath made, as the Sun, Moon, and Stars; and here in this world, the Seas, the Earth, the Plants, and the like, though they have much of the glory of God, yet a Heavenly Conversation declares more of the glory of God than all these. You know what the Psalmest saith, The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the Firmament show his handy work. It may be spoken more fully of Heavenly Conversations, the Heavenly Conversations of the Saints, declare the glory of God; and those that shine in the Firmament of the Church are stars, (for the Church is the firmament, and the Saints be there as stars) & they declare the Handy work of God. Now though its true, As in Heaven there's one star differs from another star in glory: