scudderpage165

Page 165

a good beginning, so they are directed to a good end, 1 Cor. x. 31, namely, the pleasing of God, and the glory of his name, as his direct, chief, and utmost end; not that a man might not have respect to himself, and to his neighbour also, proposing to himself his own and his neighbour's good, as one end of his actions, sometimes; but these must not be proposed either only, or chiefly, or as the ultimate end, but only as they are subordinate to those chief ends, and are the direct means to promote God's glory. For so far as a man's health and welfare, both of body and soul, lie directly in the way to glorify God; he may in that respect aim at them in his actions. Our Saviour Christ, in an inferior and secondary respect, aimed at his own glory, and at the salvation of man, in the work of man's redemption, when he said, Glorify thy Son; and prayed, that his church might be glorified, John xvii. 1, &c. Here he had respect unto himself, and unto man; but when he says, "that thy Son may glorify thee," here he made God's glory his utmost end, and the only mark which for itself he aimed at.

The upright man's aim at his own, and at his neighbour's good, is not for themselves, as if his desire ended, and was terminated there; but in reference to God, the chief good, and the highest end of all things.

Indeed, such is God's wisdom and goodness, that he has set before man evil and good; evil, which follows upon displeasing and dishonouring him by sin, that man might fear and avoid sin; good, and recompence of reward, which follows upon faith and obedience; that he might hope, and be better induced to believe and obey. This God did, knowing that man has need of all reasonable helps to deter him from evil, and to allure him to good. Now, God having set these before us, we may and ought for these good purposes to set them before ourselves. Yet the upright man stands so fully and only to God, that, so far as he knows his own heart, he is thus resolved, that if there were no fear of punishment, nor hope of reward; if there were neither heaven nor hell, he would endeavour to please