earth; that he is seeking a better country, even a heavenly; that he is travelling to Mount Zion above.

We now proceed to another inquiry. The answer in the Catechism on which I am speaking, mentions two things, which are certainly in some respects different, namely, the glorifying of God, and the everlasting enjoyment of him. What was the intention of this? Can our chief end consist in two distinct things? I have already had occasion to remark, that the glory of God and our own happiness are always promoted by the same means, and yet that they imply distinct views. To remind us of this connexion and distinction, was, I suppose, the design of those who formed the answer we consider; and it is not unimportant to keep it constantly in mind.

1st, Then, let us briefly consider that a supreme regard to the glory of God, never does or can interfere with the truest regard to our own happiness. It would indeed be strange, if it were otherwise. One of the clearest and strongest laws of the nature which our Maker has given us is, that we should desire and seek our own happiness; and it would imply a contradiction of Himself, if he had given us a second law, which we could not keep without violating the first. Let us never entertain such unworthy thoughts of our Maker, as to imagine this. No truly, we must believe that the glory of God, and our own highest final happiness, are always consistent and inseparable. Yet some of those who have resolved all virtue into disinterested benevolence, and all real piety into disinterested love of God, have certainly gone the length of affirming, that a man ought to be willing to suf fer eternal perdition, for the promotion of the divine glory. Now in answering to this, we are ready to acknowledge that there is, not only a disinterested love of God, but that without it there can be no true love to God at all. He who does not love the Deity for what he is, in and of Himself, certainly has no genuine love to Him. Yet this by no means implies, either that all true virtue is comprised in this single act or affection, or that a love of gratitude, always implying a sense

of favours received, is unlawful; or that a regard to our own happiness is not permitted, or not absolutely incumbent on us. The whole error, it seems to me, arises from attempting to separate in imagination, and in reasoning, what are never separated in fact; but indissolubly linked together by the divine constitution. Thus, in regard to the point before us, those who maintain it must, I apprehend, make a separation between the suffering and the sin, of a state of final perdition. That state will, in fact, invariably consist not only of extreme misery, but of the most awful and unmixed enmity to God, and to all goodness. Now, if the misery of such a state be not in idea separated from its sinfulness, then those who affirm that a man must be willing to be consigned to eternal perdition for the glory of God, will have to maintain, that we may and ought to love our Maker with such supreme affection as to be willing to hate and blaspheme Him forever. But any thing more palpably absurd and self-contradictory than this, cannot, in my apprehension, be easily expressed or conceived and to my mind it is not less shocking than it is absurd.

*

As to those passages of scripture-I think they are but two -which are supposed to give some direct countenance to this objectionable tenet, I have only time to say at present, that I entirely agree with the best commentators, in thinking that they have not the smallest bearing on the point. No, my young friends, the appointment of the God of all goodness is, that in glorifying Him we shall, always and invariably, consult our own highest happiness; we shall enjoy his comfortable presence now, and be preparing to enjoy it to all eternity.

But 2d, Although, by the divine constitution, the glory of God and the happiness of the man who glorifies Him, are inseparable, these two things not only admit of distinct views, but sometimes require them. I have just shown indeed that they may be so widely separated, as to leave one entirely out of sight, which certainly ought never to be done. Yet in

* See the note at the end of the Lecture.

laying down a rule of duty, good reasons may be assigned, why we should always make the glory of God our guide, and derive from it our highest motive, and our supreme obligation; mindful always, that by doing so, we shall invariably consult our own best interest.

In the first place, We should recollect that it is agreeable to the fitness of things-to what we always consider right and reasonable-that we should be supremely influenced by the consideration of that which is in itself most important. Now, the glory of the great and ever blessed God, is, in itself, the most important consideration that can be presented to the mind of any of his intelligent creatures. There is no comparison between the importance of promoting the glory of God, and any other end or object that we can have in view, While therefore other objects may be thought of, and other motives have influence, this, in all reason, should be supreme; and should immediately control every other which may come, or seem to come, in competition with it.

In the second place, A regard to the glory of God is a much clearer, safer, and more simple rule of duty, than merely aiming to promote our own happiness. There is nothing perhaps, in which men so often, and so fatally mistake, as in choosing a course of action which they think will render them happy. What such a course actually is, has been the subject of the gravest disputes. Among the heathen philosophers, the great inquiry was about the summum bonum; or what course of life would render man the happiest: and in our daily observation we see men in pursuit of happiness, completely missing their aim, and incurring misery instead of providing for their eventual felicity. But we have a much clearer and more simple rule, when we take as our guide the moral law, given us by God himself-and an obedience to which is, in the very act of obeying, to glorify him. This therefore, we ought, in all cases, invariably to follow; and trust it with God to make-as he certainly will make—our obedience to result, or terminate, in our greatest good-our highest happiness.

In the third place, God has commanded us, to make a direct regard to his glory the rule of duty and action. This command you have heard recited; and you have just seen that it is founded both in reason and utility. But we should remember, that although this were not thus obvious, a plain precept of our Maker carries in its very nature, not only the highest authority, but the highest reason too: for of nothing can we be better assured, than that whatever is required by Him who is the infinite fountain of all wisdom and all goodness, is perfectly reasonable and perfectly benevolent: therefore in all cases obey and let heaven answer for the rest."

It now only remains to state, very briefly and summarily, in what manner we are to act, if we would make the glorifying and enjoying of God the chief end of our being.

1. We cannot glorify God, unless we form just conceptions of Him. A great part of the world, even where the light of revelation has shined, we have reason to fear, deceive themselves, in thinking that they love and honour God, when in reality they do not. They have formed erroneous conceptions of the Supreme Being; and what they love is, in fact, only a creature of their own deluded minds. I am hereafter to speak of the attributes of God; and shall therefore not anticipate that subject. I shall only now say, that if we would glorify God, we must be careful to conceive of Him as we are taught to do in his own holy word-conceive of Him" in his whole round of attributes complete;" as holy and just, as well as great, and good, and merciful.

2. As already stated, we must be filled with admiration, esteem and love, in our contemplations of Him. God is, as you have heard, infinitely worthy of these affections and exercises of our minds. We can never exceed in them, while they do not overwhelm our faculties. And without feeling them in some measure, we can never glorify Him at all.

3. God is to be glorified by obeying his laws, and keeping all his commandments. Without this indeed, all our professions of honouring, or delighting in Him, will be but vile hypocrisy, or wretched delusion. "If ye love me keep my

commandments"-was the injunction of the Saviour; and it is the test by which all our avowed regard to the honour and glory of God must be tried.

4. And especially-If we would glorify God, we must be reconciled to him through Jesus Christ his Son, our Saviour. We must accept of Christ as he is offered in the gospel; rely on him alone for our acceptance with God; know the power of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in forming us into the likeness of Christ; and always approach the Father of mercies, through the mediation of the Redeemer, by the aids and influence of the blessed Spirit. It is in the work of redemption by Christ, that it is the purpose of God to glorify Himself, more than in all his other works: and it is utterly vain to think of glorifying Him, if we do not humbly and thankfully receive Christ for all the purposes for which he was given; and do not see and admire the glory of God, as it shines transcendently in the great work of our redemption.

But we are to enjoy God, as well as to glorify him

1. By choosing him as the portion of our souls, and seeking and finding our highest happiness in Him. "Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth that I desire beside thee"-was the language of holy Asaph-and every holy soul that has ever lived, has known, that in communion with God, in a consciousness of his love and favour, and in the expectation of enjoying his blissful presence forever, there is a present enjoyment, unspeakably greater than all the delights of sense, or than all that the pleasures of mere intellect can ever afford.

2. God is enjoyed, as well as honoured, by trusting him. It is equally the privilege, the duty, and the comfort, of every child of God, to trust Him without reserve, and with unshaken confidence. "We know that all things work together for good, to them that love God." But only those who have experienced it, can know what a consolation and satisfaction there is, in an assured belief that every present and every future event, will be ordered by an almighty, and an infinitely wise and good Being-and ordered for the greatest good of