§ 6. The attentive reader will obferve, that our immediate inquiry is not, What is the chief end in the great system of the universe? or in that noble partof it, the plan of redeeming grace? This, I apprehend, is not a matter of choice, and therefore is no act of fovereignty. The reasons why I think fo are the following. Rectitude requires that the highest value fhould be placed on the higheft worth. GOD is poffeffed of infinite rectitude and infinite worth, and therefore muft neceffarily place the highest value on himself. But, to place the highest value on any given object, attainable in the profecution of any plan, is the fame as to make it fuch an end, in L com the high priest and the facrifice of it. That which makes the beauty of a temple, is the order and variety of ornaments that are found in it. Thus to render the living temple of the divine majefty worthy of its inhabitant, and proportionate to the wisdom. and infinite love of its author, all poffible beauties are to make it up. But it is not fo with this temple, raised to the glory of GoD, as with material ones. For that which conftitutes the beauty of the fpiritual edifice of the church, is the infinite diversity of graces, communicated from him who is the head of it, to all the conftituent parts. "Tis the order and admirable proportions among them, 'tis the various degrees of glory fhining and reflecting on all fides round about it. Laftly, it was requifite that God alone should have all the glory of the beauty and perfection of the future world. This work, which infinitely excels all others, ought to be a work of pure mercy. It was not for creatures to glory in having any other part in it, than that which the grace of Jefus Chrift had given them. In a word, it was fit that GOD fhould fuffer all men to be involved in fin, that he might fhew them mercy in Jefus Chrift." F. MALEBRANCHE, Concerning Nature and Grace, Difcourfe I. § 1, 3, 5, 6, 24. See alfo Prefident EDWARDS's Hiftory of Redemption, P. 363-368. Edinb. 1774. And ROLLIN's Ancient Hiflory, Vol. viii. Conclufion. comparison of which every other must be deemed inferior. Wherefore, Gon's chief end is himself, as far as he is capable of being fought and attained, not by mere choice but neceffarily. That is, to do otherwife would feem inconfiftent with infinite rectitude.+ These remarks, I conceive, clearly establish the diftinction between an ultimate and a chief end. The former may be matter of choice and appointment, the latter not. Every chief is alfo an ultimate, but every ultimate is not a chief end. What When we are confidering with ourselves, what would be "moft fit and proper for God to have a chief respect to, in his "proceedings in general, with regard to the universality of "things, it may help us to judge of the matter with the greater "ease and fatisfaction, to confider what we can suppose would be "judged and determined by fome third being of perfect wisdom "and rectitude, neither the Creator nor one of the creatures, "that should be perfectly indifferent and difinterested: or if we "make the fuppofition, that wisdom itself, or infinitely wife juftice "and rectitude, were a distinct disinterested perfon, whose office "it was to determine how things fhall be most fitly and properly "ordered in the whole fyftem, or kingdom of existence, includ ❝ing king and fubjects, GoD and his creatures; and upon a view "of the whole, to decide what regard should prevail and govern "in all proceedings. Now fuch a judge, in adjusting the proper "measures and kinds of regard that every part of existence is to "have, would weigh things in an even balance; taking care, that 66 greater or more existence fhould have a greater fhare than less, "that a greater part of the whole fhould be more looked at and "refpected, than the leffer in proportion (other things being "equal) to the measure of existence, that the more excellent "fhould be more regarded than the lefs excellent :- fo that the "degree of regard should always be in a proportion compounded of "the proportion of exiftence, and proportion of excellence, or ac"cording to the degree of greatness and goodness confidered con "juntly. * What God ultimately aimed at in the human moral fyftem, was the praise of redeeming grace, and what he chiefly aimed at was HIMSELF in the difplays of his equity, and efpecially of his mercy. What is chief is determined by rectitude, which is invariable; but what is ultimate is determined by wisdom, which "junly. Such an arbiter, in confidering the fyftem of created "intelligent beings by itself, would determine, that the system in "general, confifting of many millions, was of greater importance, "and worthy of a greater fhare of regard, than only one indi"vidual. For however confiderable fome of the individuals "might be, fo that they might be much greater and better, and "have a greater share of the fum total of existence than another "individual, yet no one exceeds others fo much as to countervail "all the reft of the fyftem. And if this judge confider not only "the fyftem of created beings, but the fyftem of being in general, "comprehending the fum total of universal existence, both creator "and creature; ftill every part must be confidered according to "its weight and importance, or the measure it has of existence "and excellence. To determine then what proportion of regard "is to be allotted to the Creator, and all his creatures taken "together, both must be as it were put in the balance; the fupreme Being, with all in him that is great, confiderable, and excellent, is to be estimated and compared with all that is to be "found in the whole creation and according as the former is "found to outweigh, in fuch proportion is he to have a greater "fhare of regard. And in this cafe, as the whole fyftem of "created beings in comparison of the Creator, would be found as "the light duft of the balance, (which is taken notice of by him "that weighs) and as nothing and vanity; fo the arbiter must "determine accordingly with refpect to the degree in which GOD "fhould be regarded by all intelligent existence, and the degree "in which he should be regarded in all that is done through the. "whole * Ifa. lx. 21. lxi. 3. Jer. xiii. 11. is no less diverfified in its divine fource than are the poffible plans in all-fufficiency. § 7. It will now be asked, How fovereignty ap pears in fixing upon the praise of glorious grace in the falvation of the church, as the ultimate end of our moral system? It appears from feveral confiderations. Particularly, I. The "whole univerfal fyftem, in all actions and proceedings, determinations and effects whatever, whether creating, preferving, "ufing, difpofing, changing, or deftroying. And as the Creator "is infinite, and has all poffible existence, perfection and excel"lence, fo he must have all poffible regard. As he is every way "the first and fupreme, and as his excellency is in all respects "the fupreme beauty and glory, the original good, and fountain "of all good; fo he must have in all refpects the fupreme regard. "And as he is GOD over all, to whom all are properly fubordin"ate, and on whom all depend, worthy to reign as fupreme head "with abfolute and univerfal dominion; fo it is fit that he should "be fo regarded by all, and in all proceedings and effects through "the whole fyftem: that univerfality of things in their whole "compass and series should look to him, and respect him in such a "manner, as that respect to him should reign over all respect to "other things, and that regard to creatures fhould univerfally be "fubordinate and fubject. "When I fpeak of regard to be thus adjusted in the univerfal "fyftem, or fum total of existence, I mean the regard of the fum "total; not only the regard of individual creatures, or all creatures, "but of all intelligent exiftence, created and uncreated. For it "is fit, that the regard of the Creator fhould be proportioned to "the worthinefs of objects, as well as the regard of creatures. "Thus we must conclude fuch an arbiter, as I have fuppofed "would determine in this bufinefs, being about to decide how "matters fhould proceed moft fitly, properly, and according to the "nature of things. He would therefore determine, that the "whole 1. The ultimate end might have been a difplay of creating and preferving goodness, in the happinefs of the fyftem. But fovereignty determined, by leaving the creature in the hand of its own counsel, to manifeft the equitable and merciful perfections of Deity, rather than mere fupporting grace. 2. The ultimate end might have been a difplay of mere equity in the total and final deftruction of the system. But a fovereign hand fixed it otherwise; by establishing a plan of recovering grace, there is glory to God in the higheft, on earth peace, goodwill towards men. GOD has a tribute of eternal "whole univerfe, including all creatures animate and inanimate, "in all its actings, proceedings, revolutions, and entire series of 46 events, fhould proceed from a regard and with a view to God, as "the fupreme and last end of all: that every wheel, both great “and small, in all its rotations, fhould move in a conftant invari"able regard to him as the ultimate end of all; as perfectly and "uniformly as if the whole system were animated by one common "foul: or, as if fuch an arbiter as I have before fuppofed, one "poffeffed of perfect wisdom and rectitude, became the common "foul of the universe, and actuated and governed it in all its "motions. "Thus have I gone upon the fuppofition of a third perfon, "neither Creator nor creature, but a difinterested person, step"ping in to judge of the concerns of both, and state what is most "fit and proper between them. The thing fuppofed is impoffi"ble; but the cafe is nevertheless just the fame as to what is "most fit and suitable in itself. For it is most certainly proper "for God to act, according to the greatest fitness in his proceed"ings, and he knows what the greatest fitnefs is, as much as if perfect rectitude were a diftinct person to direct him." EDWARDS's Differtation on God's laft End in the Creation of the World, P. 16-19. Edinb. 1788. |