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GOd is infinitly perfect, wanting nothing, that any of his creatures can do for him. The pro∣fit and advantage of the service performable by
inferiour creatures unto man, or by man unto God, must light somewhere. All is for man's pro∣fit; both what other creatures do for him, and what he does aright unto God. And by how much man's nature excell's the natures of all inferiour things, so much does his service rightly perfor∣med unto God, exceed the service which other creatures perform to him. Now the more excel∣lent the service is, the greater is the profit, there∣by redounding unto man. He therefore must needs have incomparably more profit from his service of love, freely performed unto God, then from any service that inferiour creatur's do by a natural necessity and impulse, perform unto him. And the more perfectly any man serv's God, the more profit he receiv's unto himself. 'Tis the true interest then and highest concern of man, to be incessantly performing his service of love to God, with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, seing all redounds singly and intirely to his own advan∣tage.
The service, other creatures perform to man, is not remunerable or capable of reward, because not freely performed, but by natural necessity. The service perform'd by man to God, being free, is remunerable. Man then receiving all the advan∣tage by both services, let us distinctly consider what profit he receiv's by the first, and what by the second.
By the first, perform'd by other creatures unto
him, his being is for a while continued in this mortal state. By the second, performable by him in Christ, unto God, is his everlasting wel-being atteinable. So much then as the eternal wel-being of man, excell's his bare temporal being in a mor∣tal body, does the second service exceed the first, in dignity and profit. A bare being, is not profi∣table unto man, unless he may have a wel-being. Other creatures then by serving him with all they have, unless he serv God with all he has, will but aggravate his sin and adde to his misery. Being was given unto man, in order to his wel-being; So is the service of other creatures performed unto man, for his temporary being in this world, in or∣der to that service he ought to perform unto God, with reference to his eternal wel-being, in the world to come. If the second service be not per∣formed by man to God; the first, to wit, of other creatures unto him, is render'd void and to no purpose, as much as in man lies. Yea, it is perver∣ted to the service of the devil, in enmity to God. All the service perform'd by other creatures to a man that serv's not God, is lost, or worse. The main end and chief design of God in creating the world, is frustrated and rendred of no effect, by the man that serv's not God.
We do plainly experience that man can't con∣tinue his being in this world, unless maintein'd and upheld by other creatur's: nor can other crea∣tur's continue or subsist, unless upheld by the
same hand that made them. If they could, they would be greater in this point of self-preservati∣on, then man. Man can't maintein them in being, but is maintein'd by them. Some other hand then above both, mainteins them, and him by them. But man alone stands indebted unto God, as for his own being and theirs, so for the continuance of both.
By the first service, perform'd by inferiour creatures unto man, they are brought into union with him. By the second, performed by man unto God, he is brought into union with God. So in and by man, the world comes to be united with God. All things that came out of the love of God to man, by the love of man to God are brought into union with him that made them. He then that does not love and serve the lord, does what in him lies towards the disjoyning and seperating of the world from God, and the bringing of all things into disorder and confusion. Man alone (in whose nature and constitution all sorts of created na∣ture, life, and being are put together) is the means in and by whom all inferiour creatures come to be united with God.