WHEN we are considering with ourselves, what would be most fit and proper for God to have a chief respect to, in his proceedings in general, with regard to the universality of things, it may help us to judge of the matter with the greater ease & satisfaction to consider, what we can suppose would be judged and determined by some third being of perfect wisdom and rectitude, neither the creator nor one of the creatures, that should be perfectly indifferent and disinterested. Or if we make the supposition, that wisdom itself, or infinitely wise justice and rectitude were a distinct disinterested person, whose office it was to determine how things shall be most fitly and properly ordered in the whole system, or kingdom of existence, including king and subjects, God and his creatures; and upon a view of the whole, to decide what regard should prevail and govern in all proceedings. Now such a judge in adjusting the proper measures and kinds of regard that every part of existence is to have, would weigh things in an even balance; taking care, that greater, or more existence should have a greater share than less, that a greater part of the whole should be more looked at and respected, than the lesser in proportion (other things being equal) to the measure of existence,—that the more excellent should be more regarded than the less excellent:—So that the degree of regard should always be in a proportion, compounded of the proportion of existence, and proportion of excellence, or according to the degree of greatness and goodness, considered ⟨p. 16⟩conjunctly.—Such an arbiter, in considering the system of created intelligent beings by itself, would determine, that the system in general, consisting of many millions, was of greater importance, and worthy of a greater share of regard, than only one individual. For however considerable some of the individuals might be so that they might be much greater and better, and have a greater share of the sum total of existence and excellence than another individual, yet no one exceeds others so much […] to countervail all the rest of the system. And if this judge consider not only the system of created beings, but the system of being in general, comprehending the sum total of universal existence, both creator and creature;
WHEN we are considering with ourselves, what would be most fit and proper for God to have a chief respect to, in his proceedings in general, with regard to the universality of things, it may help us to judge of the matter with the greater ease & satisfaction to consider, what we can suppose would be judged and determined by some third being of perfect wisdom and rectitude, neither the creator nor one of the creatures, that shou'd be perfectly indifferent and disinterested. Or if we make the supposition, that wisdom itself, or infinitely wise justice and rectitude were a distinct disinterested person, whose office it was to determine how things shall be most fitly and properly order'd in the whole system, or kingdom of existence, including king and subjects, God and his creatures; and upon a view of the whole, to decide what regard should prevail and govern in all proceedings. Now such a judge in adjusting the proper measures and kinds of regard that every part of existence is to have, would weigh things in an even balance; taking care, that greater, or more existence should have a greater share than less, that a greater part of the whole should be more looked at and respected, than the lesser in proportion (other things being equal) to the measure of existence,—that the more excellent should be more regarded than the less excellent:—So that the degree of regard should always be in a proportion, compounded of the proportion of existence, and proportion of excellence, or according to the degree of greatness and goodness, consider'd ⟨p. 16⟩conjunctly.—Such an arbiter, in considering the system of created intelligent beings by itself, would determine, that the system in general, consisting of many millions, was of greater importance, and worthy of a greater share of regard, than only one individual. For however considerable some of the individuals might be so that they might be much greater and better, and have a greater share of the sum total of existence and excellence than another individual, yet no one exceeds others so much 〈…〉 to countervail all the rest of the system. And if this judge consider not only the system of created beings, but the system of being in general, comprehending the sum total of universal existence, both creator and creature;
