Berm. CIV. God thefire Caufe, and lafl End that the Lord did this and that, ftirr'd up fuch an Enemy, brought fuch a Judg- ment. And we fhall find that holy Men in Scripture make excellent ufe of this eorfideration, to argue themfelves into patience and contentednefs in every con- dition. So Eli, 1 Sam. 3. s 8. It is the Lord, let him do whatfeemeth him god. So lab, he did not fo confider the Sebeans and Chaldeans who had carried away his Oxen and his Camels, and ham his Servants ; nor the Wind which had thrown down his Houfe, and kill'd his Sons, and his Daughters but he looks up to God, the great Governor and difpofer of all thefe Events; The Lordgiveth, and the Lord hath taken away, blojel be the Name of the Lord. So David, Pfal. 36.9. I was dumb and fpake not a word, becaufe thou Lord dies? it. So our Bleffed Saviour, when he was ready to fuller, he did not confider the malice of the yews, which was the caufe of his death but looks to a higher hand ; the cup which myFather gives me to drink, (hall not I drink it t He that looks upon all things as coming from fecond Caufes, and does not eye the firfi Caufe, the good and wife Governor, will be apt to take offence at every crois and unwelcome accident. Men are apt to be angry, when one flings Water upon them as they pats in the Streets; but no Man is offended, if he is wet by Rain from Heaven. When we look upon Evils as coming- only from Men, we are apt. to be impatient, and know not how to bear them but we fhould look upon all things as under the Government and difpofal of the &II Caufe, and the Circumstances of every condition as allotted to us by the wife Providence of God; this Conlderation, that it is the hand of God, and that he bath done it, would Rill all the murmurings of our Spirits. As when a Seditious Multitude is in an uproar, the pretence of a grave and venerable Perfon will hufh the noife, and quell the tumult ; fo if we would but reprefent God as prefent to all Actions, and governing and difpofing all Events, this would íh11 and appeafe our Spirits, when they are ready to riot and mutiny againft any of his Difpenfations. fyfe theSecond. If God be the laß End of all, let us make him our laft End,' and refer all our Actions to his glory. This is that which is due to him, as he is thefrrfl Caufe; and therefore he does moft reafonably require it of us. And herein likewife the Scripture doth excel all other Books, that is, doth more frequently and exprefly mind us of this End, and calls upon, us to propofe it to our felves, as our ultimate aim and deign. We fhould love him as our. chief End, Matth. zz. 37. Thou [halt love the Lord thy Godwith all thy heart, and with all thyfoul, andwith all thy mind. Thus to love God is that which, in the language of the Schools, is loving God as our ChiefEnd. So likewife the Apoftle requires, that we fhould refer all the Actions of our lives to this End, i Cor.10. 31. Whether ye eat or drink, do.all to the gloryof God ; that we fhould glorifie him in ourfouls, andin our bodies, which are his. He is the Author of all the Powers that we have, and therefore we fhould ufe them for him ; we do all by him, and therefore we fhould do all to him. And that we may the better underftand our felves as to this Duty, Y (hall en- deavour to give fatisfaction to a Queftion or two which may arife about it. Firfl, Whether an actual intention of God's Glory be neceffary to makeevery action that we do, ggpod and acceptable to God ? Anf. 1. It is neceffary that the Glory of God either Formallyor Virtually fhould be the ultimate end and fcope of ourLives, and all our Actions ; otherwife they will be defective in that which in moral Actions ismolt confiderable, and that is theEnd. If a man fhould keep all the Commandmentsof the Gofpel, this excepted of making God's Glory his fupreme End, only with a"defiign to gain reputation, or force other advantage in the World, this very thing would vitiate all, and ren- der him unacceptable to God. a. It is very requifite and convenient as a good fign, that we fhould very frequently, actually -think upon, and intend this End ; for if it be very much out of our thought's, we have force reafon to bejealous of our felves, that we do not intend it at all. 3. It is fo far from being neceffary, that we fhould in every Action have this intention ofGod's Glory, that it is not morallypoflible that we fhould ; no more than 773
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