Gods husbandry

A man may lawfully purpose, to gratify a friend in some good deeds, to procure some temporal benefit to himself by other good deeds; and in all to further and work out his own salvation. But the main and chief end, the utmost, the upshot of all the rest; that, that his mind must look to, in, and above all the rest, and make more care of than all the rest, and which must be of such power, that it would draw him to obedience; though all the rest were absent: this supreme and most potent end, must be the forenamed things, the pleasing and glorifying of God. Even as a good servant, in doing his service to his Master, hopeth and purposeth to do himself good, by being capable of his Masters bounty, and receiving liberal wages from him, whom he knows to be so good, that he will not deal niggardly with any of his faithful servants: but the special thing he aims at, is, that he may advantage his Master, and please and content him, by doing his business: for he that doth chiefly aim at wages (in so much I mean, that were not that wages an attractive, he would not do the service which he doth) cannot indeed be said so much to serve his master, as himself. So the servants of God may, and do aim at their own eternal welfare, and at the obtaining of the blessings of GOD which he hath promised: but there is an higher thing, and a further matter, at which they look more directly, & whereto they bend their thoughts more specially, and that is the pleasing and magnifying of him their Lord and Master, whom they ⟨p. 123⟩know to be so abundant in goodness, that he is ready to bestow such happiness upon his servants. So our Saviour; Father, glorify thy Son, ¹that thy Son may also glorify thee. Lo, the first thing he looked at, was the glory of his Father; and his own glory was respected by him none otherwise, than as a fruit, or means of the glory which his Father should have by him: for so that is truly called the principal end, which of it self, though all the rest were set aside, would allure a man to do a thing, although he may perhaps the rather also work, by the coming betwixt of some other inferior and subordinate end: as the chief end of a trades-mans going to the fair or market, is to buy and sell, though he may perhaps the more readily go to meet some friend there;

A man may lawfully purpose, to gratifie a friend in some good deeds, to procure some temporall benefit to himselfe by other good deeds; and in all to further and worke out his owne saluation. But the maine and chiefe end, the vtmost, the vpshot of all the rest; that, that his mind must looke to, in, and aboue all the rest, and make more care of than all the rest, and which must be of such power, that it would draw him to obedience; though all the rest were absent: this supreame and most potent end, must be the forenamed things, the pleasing and glorifying of God. Euen as a good seruant, in doing his seruice to his Master, hopeth and purposeth to doe himselfe good, by being capable of his Masters bounty, and receiuing liberall wages from him, whom he knowes to be so good, that hee will not deale niggardly with any of his faithfull seruants: but the speciall thing he aimes at, is, that he may aduantage his Master, and please and content him, by doing his businesse: for hee that doth chiefely aime at wages (in so much I meane, that were not that wages an attractiue, he would not do the seruice which he doth) cannot indeed be said so much to serue his master, as himself. So the seruants of God may, and do aime at their own eternall welfare, and at the obtaining of the blessings of GOD which hee hath promised: but there is an higher thing, and a further matter, at which they looke more directly, & whereto they bend their thoughts more specially, and that is the pleasing and magnifying of him their Lord and Master, whom they