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God to communicate of and diffuse his own good, the less excellent, because it is implied in his love and regard to himself. For his love to himself does not imply it any otherwise, than as it implies a love to whatever is worthy and excellent. The emanation of God's glory, is in itself worthy and excellent, and so God delights in it; and his delight in this excellent thing, is implied in his love to himself, or his own fulness; because that is the fountain, and so the sum and comprehension of every thing that is excellent. And the matter standing thus, it is evident that these things cannot derogate from the excellency of this disposition in God, to a cmanation of his own fulness, or communication of good to

the creature.

Nor does God's inclination to communicate good in this manner, i. e. from regard to himself, or delight in his own glory, at all diminish the freeness of his beneficence in this communication. This will appear, if we consider particularly in what ways doing good to others from selflove, may be inconsistent with the freeness of beneficence. And I conceive there are only these two ways:

1. When any does good to another from confined selflove, that is opposite to a general benevolence. This kind of selflove is properly called selfishness. In some sense, the most benevolent, generous person in the world, seeks his own happiness in doing good to others, because he places his happiness in their good. His mind is so enlarged as to take them, as it were, into himself. Thus, when they are happy, he feels it, he partakes with them, and is happy in their happiness. This is so far from being inconsistent with the freeness of beneficence, that on the contrary, free benevolence and kindness consists in it. The most free beneficence that can be in men, is doing good, not from a confined selfishness, but from a disposition to general benevolence, or love to beings in general.

But now, with respect to the Divine Being, there is no such thing as such confined selfishness in him, or a love to himself, opposite to general benevolence. It is impossible, because he comprehends all entity, and all excellence

in his own essence.

The first Being, the eternal and infinite Being, is in effect, BEING IN GENERAL; and comprehends universal existence, as was observed before. God, in his benevolence to his creatures, cannot have his heart enlarged in such a manner as to take in beings that he finds, who are originally out of himself, distinct and independent. This cannot be in an infinite being, who exists alone from eternity. But he, from his goodness, as it were enlarges himself in a more excellent and divine manner. This is by communicating and diffusing himself; and so instead of finding, making objects of his benevolence; not by taking into himself what he finds distinct from himself, and so partaking of their good, and being happy in them, but by flowing forth, and expressing himself in them, and making them to partake of him, and rejoicing in himself expressed in them, and communicated to them.

2. Another thing, in doing good to others from selflove, that derogates from the freeness of the goodness, is doing good to others from dependence on them for the good we need or desire; which dependence obliges. So that in our beneficence we are not selfmoved, but as it were constrained by sornething without ourselves. But it has been particularly shewn already, that God's making himself his end, in the manner that has been spoken of, argues no dependence, but is consistent with absolute independence and selfsufficience.

And I would here observe, that there is something in that disposition in God to communicate goodness, which shews him to be independent and selfmoved in it, in a manner that is peculiar, and above what is in the beneficence of creatures. Creatures, even the most gracious of them, are not so independent and selfmoved in their goodness, but that in all the exercises of it, they are excited by some object that they find; something appearing good, or in some respect worthy of regard, presents itself, and moves their kindness. But God, being all and alone, is absolutely selfmoved. The exercises of his communicative disposition are absolutely from within himself, not finding any thing, or any

object to excite them or draw them forth; but all that is good and worthy in the object, and the very being of the object, proceeding from the overflowing of his fulness.

These things shew that the supposition of God's making himself his last end, in the manner spoken of, does not at all diminish the creature's obligation to gratitude, for communications of good it receives. For if it lessen its obligation, it must be on one of the following accounts. Either, that the creature has not so much benefit by it, or that the disposition it flows from is not proper goodness, not having so direct a tendency to the creature's benefit, or that the disposition is not so virtuous and excellent in its kind, or that the beneficence is not so free. But it has been observed that none of these things take place, with regard to that disposition, which has been supposed to have excited God to create the world.

I confess there is a degree of indistinctness and obscurity in the close consideration of such subjects, and a great imperfection in the expressions we use concerning them, arising unavoidably from the infinite sublimity of the subject, and the incomprehensibleness of those things that are divine. Hence revelation is the surest guide in these matters, and what that teaches shall in the next place be considered. Nevertheless, the endeavors used to discover what the voice of reason is, so far as it can go, may serve to prepare the way, by obviating cavils insisted on by many; and to satisfy us that what the Word of God says of the matter, is not unreasonable, and thus prepare our minds for a more full acquiescence in the instructions it gives, according to the more natural and genuine sense of words and expressions, we find often used there concerning this subject.

CHAPTER II.

Wherein it is inquired, what is to be learned from the holy Scriptures cancerning God's last End in the Creation of the World.

SECTION I.

The scriptures represent God as making himself his own last end in the creation of the world.

IT is manifest, that the scriptures speak, on all occasions, as though God made himself his end in all his works; and as though the same being, who is the first cause of all things, were the supreme and last end of all things. Thus in Isa. xliv. 6. "Thus saith the Lord, the king of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of Hosts, I am the first, I also am the last, and besides me there is no God." Chap. xlviii. 12. "I am the first, and I am the last." Rev. i. 8. "I an alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Verse 11. "I am alpha and omega, the first and the last." Verse 17. "I am the first and the last." Chap. xxi. 6. "And he said unto me, it is done, I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end." Chap. xxii. 13. "I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

And when God is so often spoken of as the last as well as the first, and the end as well as the beginning, what is meant (or at least implied) is, that as he is the first efficient cause and fountain from whence all things originate; so he is the last final cause for which they are made; the final term to which they all tend in their ultimate issue. This seems to

be the most natural import of these expressions; and is confirmed by other parallel passages; as Rom. xi. 36. “For of him, and through him, and to him are all things." Col. i. 16. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, principalities and powers, all things were created by him, and for him." Heb. ii. 10. "For it became him, by whom are all things, and for whom are all things.” In Prov. xvi. 4. It is said expressly, "The Lord hath made all things for himself."

And the manner is observable, in which God is said to be the last, to whom, and for whom are all things. It is evidently spoken of as a meet and suitable thing, a branch of his glory; a meet prerogative of the great, infinite and eternal being; a thing becoming the dignity of him who is infinitely above all other beings; from whom all things are, and by whom they consist, and in comparison with whom, all other things are as nothing.

Wherein so

SECTION II.

positions are advanced concerning a just method of arguing in this affair, from what we find in holy Scrip

tures.

WE have seen that the scriptures speak of the creation of the world as being for God, as its end. What remains therefore to be inquired into, is, which way do the scriptures represent God as making himself his end ?

It is evident that God does not make his existence or be. ing the end of the creation; nor can he be supposed to do so without great absurdity. His being and existence cannot be conceived of but as prior to any of God's acts or designs; they must be presupposed as the ground of them. There fore it cannot be in this way that God makes himself the end

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