do Ofthe NQture,KnotvÌedges Will But to God there is no Means . He is not a Means of himfelf; And no creature can be a means of him : If we fay, that any thing can be a means ut Deusft, vel ut fit Maximus, Sapientifmus, Optimus, it were no better thanBlafphemy. Godthen bath not -an End like man. 385. Yet neceffity conftraineth us to ufe the phrafe, but there things muff ftill be underftoodwhenwe ufe it. i. That no creature eau be .Gods End ; unless you will call an obje l as terminative, an End ; or elfe an Effeci. 386. 2. That it is not Gods Effence and perfe@ions that is an end as to anymedium; But it is his will: For his Free mill is the Beginning , and thecomplacency of that will is theEnd of all things. But ifyou call God his own Objeli, andfocall thefind Ohjeel an End, fowe muff confider God as LovingHimfelf; andHimfelf is the End or final objet of his own Love or Complacency; and he himfelf as Loving himfelf, is faid to Act on that Endor Object. And indeed eternal felf-knowledge and fell; (which tome of old ventured to call the fecond and third Perlons) are theGreat Immanent Acts of the Divine Effence, (with die fhi vivere.) And it feemeth the chiefNotion ofHolinefs inGod , that he Loveth Him felf in primo inflanti, and that he is molt Amiable to his Creatures in fe- condoinflanti, and that he is the caufe andEnd of all that isgood in them. Thus a final obje& of his own and our Love or Complacency, God is paft all doubt. And fecondarily his Will is pleated and fulfilled in all his works. 387. 3. Yet by that Complacency we mean not that God is pa /five, or receiveth any Delight from the Creature, or hash any addition by it to his felicity : But as he is a Communicative Good by wayof Efficiency as the firfi efficient Caufe, fo is he afelicitating Good to the Creature as its End, and he is Love taking the creature into itsneareft communion with him : which is his Complacency, and the End of all things. And hence it is that God is faid when hehad finifhed his works, to Heft complacentially its all as veryGood. 388. 4. As theComplacency ofGods Will is his End , in the formal notion (fo far asit may be faid ofGod) fo.his Glory is his End in the .Material notion. 389. That his Glory is not Formally his End, is confeffed by all Di- Vines who fay that nothipg below God can be his End. But by his Glory is meant fomethiug below himfelf ; force creature, or action of the crea- ture. Ergo, etc. For if by his Glory be meant Himfelf, there is noMeant to fach an end. 39o. Thereforeby Gods Glory is meant the fhining luflre of his Image x or theAppearance ofGod in his works : And not only mans Praifing and Glorifying thoughts and words of him: whichthough they are ourhighelt duty, are unfit to beGods End, alone. Yet are they part of that Glory which is materially hisEnd, thoughnot the whole. . 391. This Glory or Appearance ofGod, which is materially his End, is, r.The perfeEtion of the whole Creation. 2. Next that the Glory of theCedeftialKingdom, containingcbrift and all the holy ones. 3.IText that the GloryofchrOs ownperfón alone. 4. Next that the Glory of the holy ones alone, &c. 392. Becaufe this per£e&tionof the Univerfe is not yet acçomplilhed, but (hall be, improperly we may fay that God bath not yet attained hie End, that is, his MaterialEnd. 393. 5. But properly and formally Gods End is never unattained : Be ¡pule hiswill is never unfulfilled, though the things willed be not yet per- fated..
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