Part 1

The previous post asked a question important to us all – “What is the chief end of man?/What is the purpose of life?”, with slightly different answers. This post, as well as some in the future, will largely be excerpts from a work called A Body of Divinity, by Thomas Watson  (c.1620-1686). Some of his works can be found online at The Hall of Church History. The Body of Divinity  is a collection of sermons around the questions found in the Westminster Confession, beginning with the question at hand. So without further introductory explanation, let’s begin:

Man’s Chief End is to Glorify God

Question. 1. What is the chief end of man?

Answer. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

Here are two ends of life specified. 1. The glorifying of God. 2. The enjoying of God.

First. The glorifying of God, 1 Pet. 4:11. “That God in all things may be glorified.” The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. l Cor. 10:31. “Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; now, man being a rational creature, must propose some end to himself, and that should be, that he may lift up God in the world. He had better lose his life than the end of his living. The great truth asserted is that the end of every man’s living should be to glorify God. Glorifying God has respect to all the persons in the Trinity; it respects God the Father who gave us life; God the Son, who lost his life for us; and God the Holy Ghost, who produces a new life in us; we must bring glory to the whole Trinity.

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To be continued. . .