The Chief End of Man
Hugh Binning. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1. That God's glory is the end of our being. 2. That God's glory should be the end of our doing. 3. The ground of both these, because both being and doing are from Him, therefore they ought to be both for Him. Goal is independent altogether and self-sufficient. This is His royal prerogative, wherein He infinitely transcends all created perfection. He is of Himself, and for Himself, from no other, and for no other, but of Him, and for Him are all things. But the creature, even the most perfect work, besides God, it hath these two ingredients of limitation and imperfection in its bosom. It is from another and for another. It hath its rise out of the fountain of God's immense power and goodness, and it must run towards that again, till it empty all its faculties and excellencies into that same sea of goodness. Dependence is the proper notion of a created being, dependence upon that infinite independent being, as the first immediate cause and the last immediate end. You see then that this principle is engraven in the very nature of man. It is as certain and evident that man is made for God's glory, and for no other end, as that he is from God's power, and from no other cause. And there is the more reason of it that His Majesty's seeking of His own glory is not prejudicial to the creature's good, but the very communication of His fulness goes along with it; so that in glorifying Himself He is most beneficial to His own creatures. "All things are of Him and for Him," but man in a peculiar and proper way. As God in making of man, He was pleased of His goodness, to stamp him with a character of His own image, and in this He puts a difference between man and other creatures that be should have more plain and distinct engravings of Divine majesty upon him, which might show the glory of the workman. So it appears that he is in a singular way made for God as his last end. As he is set nearer God, as the beginning and cause than other creatures, so he is placed nearer God as the end. But you may ask, what is it to glorify God? Doth our goodness extend to Him? Or is it an advantage to the Almighty that we are righteous? No indeed. And herein is the vast difference between God's glorifying of us and sanctifying of us, and our glorifying and sanctifying of Him; God calls things that are not and makes them to be; but we can do no more, but call things that are, and that far below what they are. God's glorifying is creative, ours only declarative. He makes us such, we do no more but declare Him to be such. This then is the proper work that man is created for, to be a witness of God's glory, and to give testimony to the appearances and out-breakings of it, in the ways of power, and justice, and mercy, and truth. Other creatures are called to glorify God, but it is rather a proclamation to dull and senseless men, and a provocation of them to their duty. The creatures are the books wherein the lines of the song of God's praises are written, and man is made a creature capable to read them, and to tune that song. They are appointed to bring in bricks to our band, and God has fashioned us for this employment, to make such a building of it. We are the mouth of the creation, God will open the mouths of asses, of babes and sucklings, and in them perfect praises (Psalm 8:1, 2). Epictetus said well, "If I were a lark I would sing as a lark, but seeing I am a man what should I do but praise God without ceasing?" It is as proper to us to praise God as for a bird to chant. All beasts have their own sounds and voices peculiar to their own nature, this is the natural sound of a man. Now as you would think it monstrous to hear a melodious bird croaking as a raven, so it is no less monstrous and degenerate to hear the most part of the discourses of men savouring nothing of God. If we had known that innocent estate of man, oh, how would we think he had fallen from heaven! This, then, is what we are bound unto by the bond of our creation; this is our proper office and station God once set us into when He assigned every creature its own use and exercise. This was our portion (and oh, the noblest of all, because nearest the King s own person) to acknowledge in our hearts inwardly, and to express in our words and actions outwardly, what an one He is, according as He hath revealed Himself in His Word and works. Well, then, without more discourse upon it, without multiplying of it into particular branches, to glorify God is in our souls to conceive of Him, and meditate on His name, till they receive the impression and stamp of all the letters of His glorious name, and then to express this in our words and actions, in commending of Him, and obeying of Him. Our soul should be as wax to express the seal of His glorious attributes of justice, power, goodness, holiness, and mercy. And as the water that receives the beams of the sun reflects them back again, so should our spirits receive the sweet warming beams of His love and glorious excellency, and then reflect them towards His Majesty with the desires and affections of our souls. All our thoughts of Him, all our affections towards Him, should have the stamp of singularity such as may declare there is none like Him, none besides Him; our love, our meditation, our acknowledgment should have this character on their front, there is none besides Thee. Thou art, and none else. And then a soul should by the cords of affection to Him, and admiration of Him, be bound to serve Him. Then a soul will glorify God, when love so unites it to God, and makes it one spirit with Him, that His glory becomes its honour and becomes the principle of all our inward affections and outward actions. Now, when we are speaking of the great end and purpose of our creation we call to mind our lamentable and tragical fall from that blessed station we were constitute into. "All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). His being in the world was for that glory, and he is come short of that glory. O strange shortcoming! Short of all that he was ordained for! What is he now meet for? For what purpose is that chief of the works of God now? But behold! the goodness of the Lord and His kindness and love hath appeared towards man, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through Jesus Christ" (Titus 3:4, 5). Our Lord Jesus, by Whom all things were created, and for whom He would not let this excellent workmanship perish so, therefore He goes about the work of redemption. A second creation more laborious and also more glorious than the first, that so He might glorify His Father, and our Father. This is the end of His second creation as it was of the first; "We are His workmanship created to good works in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). We once came short of our end. God's glory and our happiness; but know that it is attainable again. We lost both, but both are found in Christ. Awake then and stir up your spirits else it shall be double condemnation, when we have the offer of being restored to our former blessed condition, to love our present misery better. You are sent into the world only for this business, to serve the Lord. Now what will many of you answer? If you speak the truth you must say, "Lord, I spent my time in serving my own lusts, I was taken up with other businesses and had no leisure, I was occupied in my calling," etc. Even as if an ambassador of a king should return him this account of his negotiation, I was busy at cards and dice, I spent my money, and did wear my clothes. Though you think your ploughing, and borrowing, and trafficing, and reaping very necessary, yet certainly these are but as trifles and toys to the main business. Oh, what a dreadful account will souls make! Know, my beloved, that you were not made for that purpose, nor yet redeemed either to serve yourselves or other creatures, but that other creatures might serve you, and ye serve God (Luke 1:74, 75). And this is really the best way to serve ourselves, and to save ourselves, to serve God. Self-seeking is self-destroying; self-denying is self-saving, soul-saving. Here is a compendious way to glorify God. Receive salvation of Him freely, righteousness and eternal life, and this sets a seal to God's truth, and grace, and mercy: and whoso counts the Son worthy to be a Saviour to them, and sets to their seal of approbation to Him whom God the Father hath sent and sealed, he also honours the Father, and then he that honoureth the Father hath it not for nothing, "for them that honour Me, I will honour" (1 Samuel 2:30), says the Lord; and "he that serves Me him will My Father honour" (John 12:26). (Hugh Binning.) Parallel Verses KJV: Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. WEB: Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.