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enthusiasm, to love, to fear, to obey, to worship, and to adore, the greatest and best of Beings. Rational creatures cannot give a brighter display of their rationality, than in discerning the supreme excellencies of their Creator, nor a brighter display of their goodness. than in giving him the supreme affection of their hearts. If it be reasonable to love any object, it is reasonable to love the most amiable object. If it be reasonable to esteem any object, it is reasonable to es, teem that which has the greatest natural and moral excellence. If it be reasonable to obey any being, it is reasonable to obey Him, whose will is perfect recti tude. If it be reasonable to submit to the government of any being, it is reasonable to submit to the govern, ment of Him, who always knows and always does what is best. If it be reasonable to worship any be ing, it is reasonable to worship Him, who is infinitely the greatest and best of all Beings. The religion, which God requires, is founded in the nature of things, and must remain a reasonable service on the part of man, as long as he retains his rational nature, and God possesses supreme natural and moral excellence.

2. If God must display his goodness in order to display his glory; then by seeking his own glory, he must necessarily seek the good of his creatures. A full display of divine goodness must necessarily promote the highest happiness of the intellectual system. God cannot, therefore, display all his goodness, without aiming to diffuse the largest possible portion of holiness and happiness, through the universe; or in other words, he cannot seek his own glory in the highest degree, without seeking the highest good of the intelligent creation. The Scriptures abundantly teach us, that God aims at his own glory in all

his conduct. We read, that "he made all things for himself; and that for his pleasure they are and were created." In dispensing mercies and judgments, he tells us, he means to display his glory before the eyes of all his intelligent creatures. But, in every instance of displaying his glory, he displays his goodness, and promotes the happiness of the universe. In creating angels and men, and all inferior objects, his ultimate design was to make them instruments in his hand, of promoting the holiness and happiness of the universe. For if there be one creature in the universe, whose creation, destination, and final disposal will not display the goodness of God, it cannot subserve his glory. Just so far, therefore, as all created objects will eventually promote the general good of the universe, just so far and no farther will they promote the glory of their Creator. The supreme glory of God, and the supreme good of the universe, are necessarily and inseparably connected. And it is for want of seeing this connexion, that so many object against the ultimate end of God in the creation of the world. They imagine it is derogatory to God to say, that he makes his own glory his ultimate end in creation, providence, and redemption. They attach the idea of selfishness to this motive of action.

But if

God cannot seek his own glory in any other way, than in displaying his goodness; then to seck his own glory to the highest degree, is the same thing as to give the highest expression of universal and disinterested benevolence.

3. If God cannot display all his glory, without dis playing all his goodness; then the glory of God required the existence of natural and moral evil. All the goodness of God in all its branches, could not have been displayed, if natural and moral evil had not ex

isted. If there had been no sinners among the creatures of God, he could never have had an opportunity of displaying his grace in forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin; nor of displaying his justice in punishing the guilty and impenitent. There was the same kind, if not the same degree of necessity in the divine mind, to create sinful, as to create holy beings. If God meant to display all his goodness in creation, he was obliged to bring into being objects, upon which he might display both his justice and mercy. God's: goodness will shine brighter, in his conduct towards sinful, than in his conduct towards holy beings. More of the heart of God will be seen in the work of redemption, than in all his other works. In this scheme of grace, a foundation is laid for a full discovery of all the natural and moral perfections of the Deity. The glory of God, therefore, required, that just such sinful creatures as mankind are should exist, that they might be both the monuments of divine justice, and of divine grace.

4. If the supreme glory of God consists in his good. ness; then those, who like any part of his character, must necessarily like the whole. His natural perfections are under the entire control of his moral; and his moral perfections summarily consist in goodness, or universal, disinterested benevolence. His power is a benevolent power; his wisdom is a benevolent wisdom; his sovereignty is a benevolent sovereignty; his justice is a benevolent justice; and every other moral perfection of his nature is only a branch of general benevolence. No man, therefore, can understandingly approve of any one of the divine attributes, without approving of all. It is a great mistake in any to imagine, that they love the goodness, or mercy of God, while they feel opposed to his justice or sovereignty,

or any other divine attribute. The character of God is absolutely perfect and uniform. The characters of men are mixed characters, in which there are often some things to be liked, and others to be disliked. But in the Deity perfect goodness stamps a beauty and glory upon all his attributes, and forms a character completely and infinitely amiable. The only reason, why any imagine, that they love some parts of the divine character, and not the whole, is, that they do not really understand the nature of divine goodness, but suppose, that God is altogether such an One as themselves. They love the goodness of God, when they consider it as partial in their favor; but this is a false idea of it, and entirely consistent with hatred to his justice, and every other divine attribute.

5. If the supreme glory of God consists in his good. ness; then those, who dislike any part of the divine character, must necessarily dislike the whole. Some pretend to like the natural perfections of the Deity, while they object against his moral attributes. Those of a Deistical turn profess to believe, that there is one Supreme Being, who is possessed of almighty power, boundless knowledge, and every other natural perfection. And they insinuate, that they have no objections against the existence and character of such a self-existent and eternal Being. Nor do mankind in general find fault with the natural attributes of the Deity, while they view them as disconnected with his moral character. The reason is obvious... The bare existence of the natural perfections of God, while they lie dormant, and are not voluntarily directed to any particular end, nor employed to promote any particular design, cannot in the least degree affect the interest or happiness of mankind. And the worst of men are willing there should be a being of infinite natural perfec

tions, if he will let them entirely alone: But there is no room to consider the natural attributes of God as separate from his moral, for they are all under the influence of his goodness. And being under the constant direction of his goodness, they cannot be really approved of, without approving of his goodness. Those, therefore, who dislike the goodness of the Deity, which comprehends his whole moral character, must necessarily dislike every perfection of the divine nature. There are others among the believers of divine Revelation, who profess to like all the natural perfections of the Deity and some of his moral attributes, especially his goodness and grace; but yet heartily oppose his inflexible justice and absolute sovereignty. But if they dis like the justice and sovereignty of God, they must of necessity dislike his goodness and mercy, and every other natural and moral attribute. For the justice of God is only a branch of his perfect benevolence, and his sovereignty is a benevolent sovereignty. God does not dislike any of his own perfections; and those who are partakers of the divine nature, cannot dislike any of its natural and moral excellencies. It is not possible, that any man should really know all the perfec tions of the Deity, and yet hate one and love another. Those, who really hate any part of his goodness, must necessarily hate all his goodness; or all the perfections of his nature, which flow from it, and are always under the influence of it.

6. If the goodness of God forms his whole moral character; then those who do not love him supremely, must necessarily hate him supremely. There is no defect, nor blemish in the moral character of God. It is supremely amiable and glorious. In this light it appears to all holy beings. Angels and saints in heaven. discern the moral glory and excellency of the Deity,

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