Serrai. CIV. God thé All Caisfe, and lait End. 775 the DivineNature. To unmake a Creature, and take away the Being which he had given, would argue either a failure of his Goodnefs toward the Creature, or that he did repent he had made it, which would refle& upon his Wifdom and Confiancy. I do not fay, that in Juftice God cannot annihilate a Creature ; far be it from me ; for what we have was hisown, and he may without any wrong to the Creature take it again. s. Much lefs can we naturally delire that God Ihould be glorified inour ster- nal Mifery. The Reafons which I gave about annihilation are ftronger here; there- fore we cannot naturally defire it ; nor reafonably, for the demonstration of his Power, or Soveraign, or Juftice, or Holinefs, which I think are all the Attri- butes which' we can imagine to be glorified hereby. Not as the Manifeftation ofhis Power ; for that would be as much manifefled in the Happinefs, as Mifery ofthe Creature : Not of his Soveraignty; for God will not manifeft that in con- tradi&ion to his Goodnefs, upon which nothing can, refle& more thanmerely, pro . arbitrio, for hispleafure, to make an innocent Creature for ever miferable : Not hisJuftice, and Holinefs; fbr there prefuppofe fin and demerit in the Creature, out of hatred to which he makes it miferable ; but God hath declared that he efteems himfelf more glorified by the Obedience and Happinefs of his Creatures, than by their fin and deftruEtion; and if it were reafonable to delire the Juftice and Holinefs of God might be glorified in my eternal ruin, which I have deferv- ed by fin, this would plainly follow from it, that itwere reafonable to fin, that 5tuflice might abound, which of the Two is a greater Abfurdity, than that which the Apoftle condemns, offinning that grace may abound. V. There is a ftrict and inviolable connexion between the greateft glory of God, and our Obedience and Happinefs : I fay between his greateft glory ; be- caufe he efteems himfelf more glorified by the Obedience and Happinefs of his Creatures, than by their ruin and mifery ; and that we may believe it, we have his Oath for it, As I live, faith the Lord, I delight not in the deathofaßnner, but rather that he Jhould turn, and live. And it is obfervable that the Apoftle, in c Cor. to. 3r, 3 z, 33. Whetherye eat or drink, or whatfoeverye do, do allto the glory ofGod, giving none offence, neither to theYews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God ; even as Ipleafe all Men, in all things, not feeking mike ownprofit, but the profit of many that they may be faved ; explains the glorifying of God, by edifying, andpromoting the Salvation of others. VI. We may confider the glory of God, as Tome ways diftin` from our Hap- pinefs ; that is, we may confider the manifeftation of his Goodnefs, and Mercy, and Wifdom, in our happinefs, as that which refults from it : but this is not e- nough to make it a diftinót End, but the fame diverfly confider'd ; as the publick - good is that which refults from the general good of particular Perlons, but can- not reafonably be propounded by any Man, as an End diftin& from the general' Happinefs of particular Perfons, without ruining and deftroying the Notion of publick good. VII. Tho' confidered as we are particular Beings, we can haveno greater End than our own Happinefs, inwhich God is eminently glorified, yet as weare part of the whole Creation and Workmanlhip of God, which is the nobleft confidera- tion ofour felves, the gloryof God which refults from the mánifeftations ofall his Perfe&ions in and abbot his Creatures, is precifelyour ultimate End, and yet not an End really diftin& from our own Happinefs ; and therefore it is moll proper, and becoming, and agreeable to the wife flyle of Scripture, to give our End its denomination, nor from the more particular and narrow, but the more noblecon- fideratìon of our felves, as we are parts of the whole Creation and Workmanfhip' of God ; as it is more generous and becoming for the Members,of a Civil Soci- ety tomention the Publick Good as their End, than their Private Happinefs and Advantage, tho' that be fo really and effeâually promoted by the Publick Good. Thus I have finifh'd what I propos'd on this Argument, and concerning the Attributes of God in General ; Of whom, and through whom, and to whom are all things. To Him be Glory for ever, Amen, F I N I
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=