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SERM. the LORD did this and that, ftirred up fuch an ene

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my, brought fuch a judgment. And we fhall find that holy men in fcripture make excellent ufe of this confideration, to argue themfelves into patience and contentedness in every condition. So Eli, 1 Sam. iii. 18. "It is the LORD, let him do what feemeth "him good." So Job, he did not fo confider the Sabeans and Chaldeans, who had carried away his oxen and his camels, and flain his fervants; nor the wind which had thrown down his house, and killed his fons and his daughters; but he looks up to GOD, the great governor and difpofer of all these évents; "The LORD giveth, and the LORD hath "taken away, bleffed be the name of the LORD." So David, Pfal. xxxix. 9. "I was dumb, and fpake 66 not a word, because thou LORD didft it." So our bleffed SAVIOUR, when he was ready to fuffer, he did not confider the malice of the Jews, which was the cause of his death, but looks to a higher hand; "the cup which my father gives me to "drink,. fhall not I drink it ?"

He that looks upon all things as coming from fecond caufes, and does not eye the firft caufe, the good and wife governor, will be apt to take offence at every cross and unwelcome accident. Men are apt to be angry, when one flings water upon them as they pafs 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 first cause, and the circumftances of every condition as allotted to us by the wife providence of God; this confideration,

thas

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that it is the hand of GoD, and that he hath done SERM. it, would ftill all the murmurings of our fpirits. As when a feditious multitude is in an uproar, the prefence of a grave and venerable perfon will hush the noife, and quell the tumult; fo if we would but represent God as prefent to all actions, and governing and difpofing all events, this would ftill and appease our spirits, when they are ready to riot and mutiny against any of his difpenfations.

Use the fecond. If GoD be the last end of all, let us make him our last end, and refer all our acThis is that which is due to him, as he is the first cause, and therefore he does most reasonably require it of us.

tions to his glory.

And herein likewife the fcripture doth excel all other books, that is, doth more frequently and exprefly mind us of this end, and calls upon us to propose it to ourselves as our ultimate aim and defign. We should love him as our chief end, Matth. xxii. 37. "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God "with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with "all thy mind." Thus to love God is that which, in the language of the fchools, is loving God as our chief end. So likewife the apoftle requires, that we should refer all the actions of our lives to this end, 1 Cor. x. 31. "Whether ye eat or drink,

that

do all to the glory of GoD;" that we should glorify him in our fouls, and in our bodies, which "are are his." He is the author of all the powers 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 understand ourselves as to this duty, I fhall endeavour to give fatisfaction to a queftion or two which may arise about it.

SERM.

First, whether an actual intention of God's glory CLVII. be neceffary to make every action that we do good and acceptable to God?

Anfw. 1. It is neceffary that the glory of GoD, either formally or virtually, fhould be the ultimate end and scope of our lives, and all our actions; otherwise they will be defective in that which in moral actions is most confiderable, and that is the end. If a man should keep all the commandments of the gofpel, this excepted, of making God's glory his fupreme end, only with a defign to gain reputation, or fome other advantage in the world, this very thing would vitiate all, and render him unaccepto God.

2. It is very requifite and convenient, as a good fign, that we should very frequently, actually think upon, and intend this end; for if it be very much out of our thoughts, we have reason to be jealous of ourselves, that we do not intend it at all.

3. It is fo far from being neceffary, that we should in every action have this intention of God's glory, that it is not morally poffible that we should, no more than it is poffible, that a man that goes a journey of a thousand miles, should every step he takes have actual thoughts of his journey's end, nor is it more neceffary; for confideration of the end is only fo far neceffary, as it is neceffary to guide and quicken us in the use of means; as it is not neceffary for a man to think of his journey's end, farther than to direct and excite him to go thither. And this appears farther by the contrary; it is not neceffary to make a finful action, that a man fhould formally, much lefs actually intend GoD's difhonour; it is enough to conftitute a man a wicked man, if he willingly tranfgrefs GoD's law, the doing whereof does

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does by confequence reflect a difhonour upon him: SERM.
fo, on the other hand, it is fufficient to make an ac-
tion good and acceptable, if it be conformable to
God's law, and fuch as by confequence redounds to
GOD's glory.

Second question. Whether the glory of GoD may, or ought to be confidered, as an end separate and diftinct from our own happiness?

Anfw. I shall speak but briefly to this, because I have elsewhere spoken to it; but in that little which I have to say for fatisfaction to this question, I will proceed by these steps.

I. By the glory of GoD, we mean the domonstration, or illuftration, or manifeftation of fome or of all his perfections, more especially his goodness, and mercy, and juftice, and wisdom, and

and holiness.

power,

II. It is plain, that the manifestation of fome of thefe perfections is a thing that may be feparated from the happiness of a creature; for his holiness, and juftice, and power, may and fhall be manifefted in the final and eternal ruin of impenitent finners.

III. The manifeftation of any of God's perfections, ought many times to be propounded by us as an end distinct and feparate from our respective happinefs; fuch a happiness, as refpects only fome particulars, and fome particular duration, in oppofition to absolute and eternal happiness. 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 everlasting glory and happiness; but that, in order to the glory of GOD, he did for a time lay afide his own glory, and diveft himself of it while he was in this world; for the apostle tells us, that he was encouraged to do

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SERM. this out of a refpect to a greater glory, Heb. xii. 2.

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Who for the joy that was fet before him, endur"ed the cross, defpifing the fhame, and is fet down "at the right hand of the throne of GOD.". And in this fenfe we are to understand the command of felf-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 argument our SAVIOUR ufes to encourage this felf-denial, the promife of a far greater happiness than that we deny; no man that "forfakes father or mother for my 66 fake," but fhall "have eternal life:" And proportionably we are to understand thofe commands of loving CHRIST more than ourselves, that is, more than any temporal interest.

IV. The manifeftation of any of GOD's perfections, neither ought, nor can reasonably be propounded by us, as an end feparated from, or oppofite to our eternal bieffednefs; that is, we cannot naturally or reasonably defire the glory of GOD fhould be advanced, though it were to our final ruin, either by annihilation, or eternal mifery.

1. We cannot either naturally or reasonably defire God fhould be glorified by our annihilation.

(1.) Not naturally. Becaufe fuch a defire would be directly contrary to the natural defire of felf-prefervation, which God himfelf hath planted in us, and is most intimate and effential to our nature.

(2.) Not reasonably. Because it is utterly unimaginable how GoD can be glorified by the annihilation of a creature. All the attributes that we can imagine can be manifefted herein, are power and fovereignty; his power hath already been as much manifefted in creating and making the creature out of nothing, as it can be by reducing it into nothing;

for

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