A discourse of the saving grace of God

For Relative Glory, that indeed depends on the Creatures. But the Lord had been as glorious in himself, if this Glory had never been, as will appear from the Nature of it. The essential Attributes of God are his divine Perfections, absolutely existing, without respect or relation to the Creatures. Relative Attributes are those essential Perfections, as manifested to the Creatures, or rather the Manifestation of them. If then Essential Glory be the lustre of those essential Attributes, as shining in the divine Essence, which we showed before, it must follow, that Relative Glory is that which results from the Manifestation of those Perfections to the Creatures. For example, Relative Mercy is the Manifestation of essential Goodness in the Salvation of the Elect; and Relative Justice is the Manifestation of essential Righteousness or Justice in ⟨p. 22⟩the Condemnation of the Reprobate.

For Relative Glory, that indeed depends on the Creatures. But the Lord had been as glorious in himself, if this Glory had never been, as will appear from the Nature of it. The essential Attributes of God are his divine Perfections, absolutely existing, without respect or relation to the Creatures. Relative Attributes are those essential Perfections, as manifested to the Creatures, or rather the Manifestation of them. If then Essential Glory be the lustre of those essential Attributes, as shining in the divine Essence, which we shewed before, it must follow, that Relative Glory is that which results from the Manifestation of those Perfections to the Creatures. For example, Relative Mercy is the Manifestation of essential Goodness in the Salvation of the Elect; and Relative Justice is the Manifestation of essential Righteousness or Justice in ⟨p. 22⟩the Condemnation of the Reprobate.

Now God had been as glorious in himself, if he had never made known his Mercy or Justice to the World, if there had been no World, no Creatures made, to manifest these to, if there had been no Men or Angels to take notice of them. For, is the Sun made more splendid or beautiful by our beholding of it? No, it would be as glorious, if no Eye ever saw it. Did the Israelites eating Manna add any sweetness to that pleasant food? no sure, it had been as sweet in it self, if no Palate had ever tasted it. Even so the Lord had been as powerful, if he had never created the World; no less merciful in himself, if he had never saved any, if there had been none to save; no less righteous, if there had been none to condemn, if he had never condemned any.