"Approaching the end of God’s grand design" - excerpts from a sermon by Jonathan Edwards

“God's end in the creation of the world consists in these two things, viz. to communicate Himself & to glorify Himself. God created the world to communicate Himself, not to receive anything. But such was the infinite goodness of God that it was His will to communicate Himself, to communicate of His own glory & happiness; & He made the world to glorify Himself, [as it is] fit that God should glorify Himself. These two things ought [not] to be separated when we speak of God's end in the creation of the world, as the assembly of divines in speaking of the chief end for which man was created have judiciously united glorifying and enjoying {God}. Indeed, God's communicating himself and glorifying {himself} ought not to be looked upon as though they were two distinct ends, but as what together makes one last end, as glorifying God and enjoying {God} make one chief end of man. For God glorifies Himself in communicating Himself, & He communicates Himself in glorifying Himself…

God's design in all the works {of creation} is to glorify His Son, & through Him to glorify Himself… God hath an infinite love to His [Son and] delights to put honor upon Him… The way in which the eternal Son of God is glorified in the creation is by communicating Himself to the creatures, not by receiving anything from the creatures…

[God will] glorify his majesty, power [and] justice before his elect that they might behold the glory and so be happy in the sight of this glory of God, and that they might give God the glory due to him on this account, and that they might be the more sensible of the worth of {their} happiness and of the wonderfulness and sovereignty of God's grace."

- Jonathan Edwards, Approaching the end of God’s grand design

http://edwards.yale.edu/archive?path=aHR0cDovL2Vkd2FyZHMueWFsZS5lZHUvY2dpLWJpbi9uZXdwaGlsby9nZXRvYmplY3QucGw/Yy4yNDo3LndqZW8=