his mercy upon men and angels, subjects capable of it, which two
attributes are as the poles about which all the wheels of election and
reprobation turn as you see in that place, Rom. ix. 22, 23. Let this then
be established as the end of all his works, as it is designed in his
counsel, and nothing else. It is not the creature, nor any thing in the
creature, which is first in his mind, but himself, and therefore of him,
and for him, are all things. Here they have their rise, and thither they
return, even to the ocean of God's eternal glory, from whence all did
spring.

The right establishing of this will help us to conceive aright of his
counsel of predestination. It is a common cavil of carnal reason: how can
the Lord reject so many persons, and fore-ordain them to destruction? It
seems most contrary to his goodness and wisdom, to have such an end of
eternal predestination before him, in the creating of so many, to make men
for nothing, but to damn them? Here carnal reason, which is enmity to God,
triumphs, but consider, I say, that this is not the Lord's end and chief
design, to destroy men. Even as it is not his majesty's first look, or
furthest reach, to give unto others eternal life, so it is not his prime
intent to sink them into eternal death, as if that were his pleasure and
delight. No, indeed! Neither is the creature's happiness nor its misery
that which first moves him, or is most desired of him, but himself only,
and he cannot move out of himself to any business, but he must return it
unto himself. Therefore the wise preacher expresses it well, "He made all
for himself, even the wicked for the day of evil." It was not his great
end of creating wicked men to damn them, or creating righteous men to save
them, but both are for a further and higher end,--for himself and his own
glory.

All seem to agree about this, that the great end of all the Lord's
counsels and decrees is his own glory, to be manifested on men and angels,
and that this must be first in his mind; not that there is first or last
with him, but to speak after the manner of men. If he had many thoughts,
as we have, this would be his first thought and in this one purpose this
end is chiefly aimed at, and all other things are by the Lord's counsel
subordinate to this, as means to compass that. But as concerning the order
of these means, and consequently of his majesty's purpose about them, men,
by examining his majesty according to the creature's