his journey's end, further than to Vol. VII. direct and excite him to go thither. And this appears further by the contrary; it is not neceffary to make a finful Action,that a man fhould Formally,much lefs Actually intend God's dishonour; it is enough to conftitute a man a wicked man, if he willingly tranfgrefs God's Law, the doing whereof does by consequence reflect a difhonour upon him: fo on the other hand, it is fufficient to make an Action good and acceptable, if it be conformable to God's Law, and fuch as by confequence redounds to God's glory.

Second Queftion. Whether the Glory of God may, or ought to be confidered, as an End feparate and diftinct from our own Happinefs?

Anfw. I fhall fpeak but briefly to this, because I have elsewhere fpoken to it; but in that little which I have to fay for fatisfaction to this Queftion, I will proceed by thefe fteps.

I. By the glory of God, we mean the Demonftration, or Illuftration, or Manifeftation of fome or all of his Perfections, more especially his Goodness, and Mercy, and Juftice, and Wifdom, and Power, and Holinefs.

II. It is plain that the manifeftation of fome of thefe Perfections is a thing that may be separated from the Happiness of a Creature; for his Holiness, and Juftice, and Power, may and shall 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 diftinct and feparate from our respective Happiness; fuch a Happiness, as refpects only fome particulars, and fome particular duration, in oppofition to abfolute and Eternal Happinefs. In this sense our Saviour fays, that he fought not his own Glory, but the Glory of him that fent him; by which he

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Vol. VII.

does not mean, that he quitted e

Vol. VII verlafting 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 Apoftle tells us, that he was encouraged to do this out of a refpect to a greater glory, Heb. 12. 2. Who for the Foy that was fet before him, endured the Cross, defpifing the Shame, 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 particu lar or temporal, not our eternal in tereft; and that it is no more, is plain from the Argument our Saviour uses to encourage this felf-denial, the promife of a far greater Happiness than that we deny; no man that forfakes father and mother for my fake, but fhall have eternal life; And proportionably we are to underfland thofe Commands of loving Chrift more than our felves, that is, more than any tempora! intereft.

IV. The

IV. The manifeftation of any, of God's Perfections, neither ought Vol. VII. nor can reasonably be propounded by us, as an End feparated from, or oppofite to our Eternal Bleffedness; that is, we cannot naturally or reafonably defire the glory of God fhould be advanced, tho' it were to our final ruin,either by annihilation, or eternal mifery.

I.

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

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

(2.) Not reafonably. 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 Soveraignty; his Power hath already been as much manifefted in crea

ting and making the Creature out Vol.VII. of nothing, as it can be by redu cing it into nothing; for to Create is the very fame demonftration of Power, as to annihilate. And as for his Soveraignty, God will never manifeft that in contradiction to his Goodness, or Wisdom, or any other Perfection of the Divine Nature., To unmake a Creature, and take away the Being which he had given, would argue either a failure of his Goodness toward the Creature, or that he did repent he had made it, which would reflect upon his Wifdom and Conftancy. I do not fay, that in Juftice God cannot annihilate a Creature; far be it from me; for what he gave was his own, and he may without any wrong to the Creature take it again.

2. Much lefs can we naturally defire that God should be glorified in our Eternal Mifery. The Reafons which I gave about annihilation are ftronger here; therefore we cannot naturally defire it; nor reafonably, for the demonftration of his Power,