, L God theAft Gaule, and lad End. than it is poflible, that a Man that goes a Journey of a thoufand miles, should every flep he takes have actual thoughts of his Journey's end, nor is it more ne- ceffary ; for confederation of the end is only fo far neceffary, as it is neceffary to guide and quicken us in the ufe of means ; as it is not neceffary for a Man to think of his journey's end, farther than to dire and excite him to go thither. And this appears farther by the contrary ; it is not `neceffary to make a finful A&ion, that a Man fhould Formally, much lefs Atlually intend God's difltonour ; it is enough, to conflitute a Man a wicked Man, if he willingly tranfgrefs God's Law, the doing whereof does by confequence refle& a dithonour'upon him : fo on the other hand, it is fuflicient to make an Aétion good and acceptable, if it be conformable to God's Law, and fuch as by confequence redounds to God's Glory. Second Qúeflion 'Whether the Glory of God may, or ought to be conldered, as an End feparate and diflinó from our own Happinefs ? Anjv. I- ¡hall fpeak.but briefly to this, becaufe I have elfewhere fpoken to it ; but in that little which have to fay for fatisfa&ion to this Queftion; I will.pro- ceed by thefe Reps. L By the Glory of God; we mean the Demonftration, or Illufration, or Ma- nifeflation of fome or all of his Perfections, more efpecially his Goodnefs, and Mercy, and Juftice, and Wifdom, and Power, and Holinefs. II. It is plain, that the manifeflation of fome of thefe Perfeétions is a thing that may be feparated from the Happinefsof a Creature; for his Holinefs, and Jo- Rice, and Power, may and fluff be manifeftedin the final and eternal ruin of im- penitent (inners. , III. The Manifeflation of any of God's Perfeetions, ought many times to be propounded by us. as an end diftinét and feparate from our refpeEtive Happinefs-; fuch a Happinefs, as refpects only force particulars, and force particular duration, in oppofition to abfolute and Eternal Happinefs. In this fenfe our Saviour fays, that he fought not his own Glory, but the Glory of him that fent him ; by which he does not mean, that he quitted everlafting Glory and Happinefs-; but that in or- der to the glory of God, he did for a time lay afide his own glory, and divert himfelf of it while he was in this World ; for the Apotlle tells us, that he was encouraged to do this out of a refpeft to a greater glory, Heb. 12. 2. Who for the goy that was let before him, endured the Croft, defpiftng the_game, and is Jet down at the right hand of the throne of God And in this\ fenfe, we are to underffand the command of felt-denial in the Gofpel, with reference' to our particular or temporal, not our eternal intereft ;,and that it is no more, is plain from the Ar- gument our Saviour ufes to encourage this fell denial, the promife of a far grea- ter Happinefs than that we deny ; no Man that forfakes father andmother for my fake, but ¡hall have eternal life : And proportionably we are to underftand thofe Commands of loving Chrift more than our felves, that is, moré than any tempo- ral intereft. IV. The manifeflation of any ofGod's Perfections, neither ought nor can rea- fonably be propounded by us, as an end feparated from, or oppofite to our E- ternal Blefrednefs; that is, we cannot naturally or reafonably delire the glory of God fhould . be advanced, tho' it were to our final ruin, either by annihilation, or eternal mifery. a. We cannot either naturally, or reafonably delire God should be glorified by our annihilation. (a.) Not naturalt'.' Becaufe fuch a delire would be direly contrary to the natural delire of felf-prefervation, which God himfelf bath planted in us, and is molt intimate and efiential to our Natures. (z.) Not reafonably. Becaufe it is utterly unimaginable, how God can be glo- rified by the annihilation of a Creature. All the Attributes that we can imagine canbe manifetled herein, are Power and Sovereignty ; his Power hath already been asmuch manifefted in creating and making the Creature out ofnothing, as it can be by reducing it into nothing? for to create is the very fame demonftra- tion ofPower, as to annihilate. And as for his Sovereignty, God will never mani- fell that in contradiétion to his Gooduefs, or Wifdom or any other Perle&ion of the
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