which that part of the moral world that are good were made. Thus in
subservient to the interest of others. The words are emphatical. The emphasis and repetition constrain us to understand that what God does is ultimately for his own sake: "For my own sake, even for my own sake will I do it."
So the words of the Apostle, in Rom. 11:36, naturally lead us to suppose that the way in which all things are to God, is in being for his glory. "For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." In the preceding context the Apostle observes the marvellous disposals of divine wisdom, for causing all things to be to him in their final issue and result, as they are from him at first, and governed by him. His discourse shows how God contrived and brought this to pass in his disposition of things, viz. by setting up the kingdom of Christ in the world; leaving the Jews, and calling the Gentiles; and in what he would hereafter do in bringing in the Jews with the fullness of the Gentiles; with the circumstances of these wonderful works, so as greatly to show his justice and his goodness, magnify his grace, and manifest the sovereignty and freeness of it, and the absolute dependence of all on him—and then in the four last verses [33–36], breaks out into a most pathetic rapturous exclamation, expressing his great admiration of the depth of divine wisdom in the steps he takes for the attaining his end, and causing all things to be "to him": and finally, he expresses a joyful consent to God's excellent design in all to glorify himself, in saying, "to him be glory forever"; as much as to say, as all things are so wonderfully ordered for his glory, so let him have the glory of all, forevermore.
2. The glory of God is spoken of in Holy Scripture as the last end for which that part of the moral world that are good were made. Thus in Is. 43:6–7, "I will say to the north give up, and to the south keep not back, bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the
earth, even everyone that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him." Is. 60:21, "Thy people also shall be all righteous. They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hand, that I may be glorified." Ch. 61:3, "That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."
In these places we see that the glory of God is spoken of as the end of God's saints, the end for which he makes them, i.e. either gives them being, or gives them a being as saints, or both. It is said that God has "made" and "formed" them to be his sons and daughters, for his own glory: that they are trees of his planting, the work of his hands, as trees of righteousness, that he might be glorified. And if we consider the words, especially as taken with the context in each of the places, it will appear quite unnatural to suppose that God's glory is here spoken of only as an end inferior and subordinate to the happiness of God's people; or as a prediction that God would create, form and plant them that he might be glorified, that so God's people might be happy. On the contrary, if we take the places with the context, they will appear rather as promises of making God's people happy, that God therein might be glorified.
So is that in the 43rd chapter [of Isaiah] as we shall see plainly, if we take the whole that is said from the beginning of the chapter. 'Tis wholly a promise of a future, great and wonderful work of God's power and grace, delivering his people from all misery, and making them exceeding happy; and then the end of all, or the sum of God's design in all, is declared to be God's own glory. "I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.… I will be with thee.… When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, nor the flame kindle upon thee … thou art precious and honorable in my sight. I will give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not, I
am with thee.… I will bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; everyone that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory," [Is. 43:1–2, 4–7].
So it plainly is [Isaiah,] ch. 60, ver. 21. The whole chapter is made up of nothing but promises of future, exceeding happiness to God's church. But for brevity's sake, let us take only the two preceding verses [19–20], "The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." [Ver. 21,] "Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands," and then the end of all is added, "that I might he. glorified." All the preceding promises are plainly mentioned as so many parts or constituents of the great and exceeding happiness of God's people; and God's glory is mentioned rather as God's end, or the sum of his design in this happiness, than this happiness as the end of this glory.
Just in like manner is the promise in the third verse of the next chapter. [Is. 61:3,] "To appoint to them that mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." The work of God promised to be effected is plainly an accomplishment of the joy, gladness and happiness of God's people, instead of their mourning and sorrow; and the end in which the work issues, or that in which God's design in this work is obtained and summed up, is his glory. This proves by the seventh position that God's glory is the end of the creation.
The same thing may be argued from Jer. 13:11, "For as a girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord: that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear." That is, God sought to make them to be his own holy people; or, as the Apostle expresses it, his peculiar people, zealous of good works [Titus 2:14]; that so they might be a glory to him, as girdles were used in those days for ornament and beauty, and as badges of dignity and honor. Which is agreeable to the places observed before, that speak of the church as the glory of Christ.7
Now when God speaks of himself as seeking a peculiar and holy people for himself, to be for his glory and honor, as a man that seeks an ornament and badge of honor for his glory, 'tis not natural to understand it merely of a subordinate end, as though God had no respect to himself in it; but only the good of others. If so, the comparison would not be natural; for men are commonly wont to seek their own glory and honor in adorning themselves, and dignifying themselves with badges of honor, out of respect to themselves.
The same doctrine seems to be taught, Eph. 1:5–6, "Having predestinated us to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ, unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace."
The same may be argued from Is. 44:23, "For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, he hath glorified himself in Israel." And ch. 49:3, "Thou art my servant Jacob, in whom I will be glorified." John 17:10, "And all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them." 2 Thess. 1:10, "When he shall come to be glorified in his