130 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. mighty. power. The making, therefore, of all things depends on a mere sovereign act of the will and pleasure of God. So the whole creation makes its acknowledg- ment, " Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, ho- nor and power ; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev. 4 : 11 ; 5 : 12. God could have omitted all this great workwith- out the least impeachment of his glory. Not one holy property of his nature would have been diminished in its eternal glory by that omission. This then depended on a pure act of his will and choice. 2. On supposition that God would work, by his power produce any thing without himself, it was ab- solutely necessary that himself should be the end of his so doing. For, as before the production of all things there was nothing that could be the end why any of them should be brought forth out of nothing, or towards which they should be disposed; so God being an infi- nite agent, in wisdom, and understanding, and power, he could have no end in his actings but that also which is infinite. It is therefore natural and necessary to God to do all things for himself. It is impossible he should have any other end; and he hath done so accordingly. "The' Lord hath made all things for himself." Prov. 16 : 4. He aimed at himself in all that he did; there being no other infinite good for him to make his object and end but himself alone. 3. This doing things, all things, for himself, cannot intend an addition thereby of any new real good unto himself; his absolute eternal perfection and alt-suffi- ciency render this impossible. God doth not become more powerful, great, wise, just, holy, good or gracious, by any of his works; he can add nothing to himself. It must therefore be the manifestation and declaration of the holy properties of his nature that he intends in his works. In order to this two things are requisite :
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