SERM. to the third, I propofed the confidering these two

I. The univerfal extent of God's goodness to all his créatures.

II. More especially the goodness of God to man, which we are more especially concerned to take notice of, and be affected with.

The first of these appears in these four particulars. 1. In his giving being to so many creatures. 2. In making them all fo very good, confidering the number and variety, the rank and order, the end and design of all of them.

3. In his continual prefervation of them.

4. In his providing fo abundantly for the welfare and happiness of all of them, fo far as they are capable and fenfible of it.

The first of these I spoke largely to; I proceed

to fhew in the

2d place, That the univerfal goodness of GoD appears, in making all thefe creatures fo very good, confidering the number and variety, the rank and order, the end and defign of all of them. His goodnefs excited and fet a-work his power to make this world, and all the creatures in it; and that they might be made in the best manner that could be, his wif dom directed his power, "he hath made all things

in number, weight, and meafure;" fo that they are admirably fitted and proportioned to one another: and that there is an excellent contrivance in all forts of beings, and a wonderful beauty and harmony in the whole frame of things, is, I think, fufficiently vifible to every difcerning and unprejudiced mind. The lowest form of creatures, I mean those which are deftitute of fenfe, do all of them contribute, fome way or other, to the ufe, and conveniency, and

com

comfort of the creatures above them, which being endowed with fenfe, are capable of enjoying the benefit and delight of them, which being fo palpable in the greatest part of them, may reasonably be prefumed, though it be not fo difcernable concerning all the reft; so that when we furvey the whole creation of GOD, and the several parts, we may well cry out with David, Pfal. civ. 24. "O LORD, how mani "fold are thy works? in wifdom haft thou made "them all."

It is true, indeed, there are degrees of perfection in the creatures, and GoD is not equally good to all of them. Thofe creatures which are of more noble and excellent natures, and to which he hath communicated more degrees of perfection, they partake more of his goodness, and are more glorious inftances of it: but every creature partakes of the divine goodness in a certain degree, and according to the nature and capacity of it. GOD, if he pleafed, could have made nothing but immortal fpirits; and he could have made as many of these as there are individual creatures of all forts in the world: but it feemed good to the wife architect, to make feveral ranks and orders of beings, and to difplay his power, and goodness, and wisdom, in all imaginable variety of creatures; all which should be good in their kind, though far fhort of the perfection of angels and immortal spirits.

He that will build an houfe for all the ufes and purposes of which an house is capable, cannot make it all foundation, and great beams and pillars; must not fo contrive it, as to make it all rooms of ftate and entertainment: but there must of neceffity be in it meaner materials, rooms and offices for feveral ufes and purposes, which, however inferior to the reft in dignity and degree, do yet contribute to the beau

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ty

SER M. ty and advantage of the whole: fo in this great frame CXLIV. of the world, it was fit there fhould be variety, and

different degrees of perfection in the several parts of it; and this is fo far from being an impeachment of the wisdom or goodness of him that made it, that it is an evidence of both for the meanest of all God's creatures is good, confidering the nature and rank of it, and the end to which it was defigned; and we cannot imagine how it could have been ordered and framed better, though we can easily tell how it might have been worse, and that if this or that had been wanting, or had been otherwife, it had not been fo good; and those who have been moft converfant in the contemplation of nature, and of the works of God, have been most ready to make this acknowledgment.

But then if we confider the creatures of GOD, with relation to one another, and with regard to the whole frame of things, they will all appear to be very good; and notwithstanding this or that kind of creatures be much less perfect than another, and there be a very great distance between the perfection of a worm and of an angel; yet confidering every thing in the rank and order which it hath in the creation, it is as good as could be, confidering it's nature and use, and the place allotted to it among the creatures.

And this difference in the works of GOD, between the goodness of the feveral parts of the creation, and the excellent and perfect goodness of the whole, the scripture is very careful to exprefs to us in the hiftory of the creation, where you find God represented, as first looking upon, and confidering every day's work by itself, and approving it, and pronouncing it to be good, Gen. i. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25. at the end of every day's work, it is faid, that "GOD "faw

3

.

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"faw it and it was good:" but then, when SERM. all was finished, and he furveyed the whole together, it is faid, ver. 31. that "GOD faw every thing that "he had made, and behold it was very good:". very good, that is, the beft; the Hebrews having no other fuperlative. Every creature of God by itfelf is good but take the whole together, and they are very good, the best that could be.

3. The univerfal goodnefs of GoD farther appears, in the careful and continual prefervation of the things which he hath made; his upholding and maintaining the several creatures in being, in their natural state and order; those which have life, in life, to the period which he hath determined and appointed for them; in his preferving the whole world, his managing and governing this vaft frame of things, in fuch fort, as to keep it from running into confufion and diforder. This is a clear demonstration, no less of the goodness than of the wisdom and power of GOD, that for fo many ages all the parts of it have kept their places, and performed the offices and work for which nature designed them; that the world is not, in the course of fo many thousand years, grown old and weak, and out of repair, and that the frame of things do not diffolve and fall in pieces.

And the goodness of GoD doth not only take care of the main, and fupport the whole frame of things, and preserve the more noble and confiderable creatures, but even the least and meaneft of them. The providence of GOD doth not overlook any thing that he hath made, nor despise any of the works of his hands, fo as to let them relapfe, and fall back into nothing, through neglect and inadvertency; as many as there are, he takes care of them all, Pfal. civ. 27, 28. where the pfalmift, fpeaking of the innume

rable

SER M. rable multitude of creatures upon the earth, and in the fea, "these (faith he) wait all upon thee, that thou

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mayeft give them their meat in due feafon; that "thou giveft them, they gather; thou openeft thine "hand, and they are filled with good." And to the fame purpose, Pfal. cxlv. 15, 16. "The eyes of "all wait upon thee, and thou giveft them their "meat in due feason; thou openest thine hand, and "fatisfieft the defire of every living thing." The inanimate creatures, which are without fenfe; and the brute creatures, which, though they have fenfe, are without understanding, and fo can have no end and defign of self-prefervation, GoD preferves them, no less than men who are endowed with reafon and forefight to provide for themselves; Pfal. xxxvi. 6. "Thou preferveft man and beast." And Pfal. cxlvii.

9.

"He giveth to the beast his food, and to the "young ravens which cry." And fo our SAVIOUR declares to us the particular providence of GOD towards thofe creatures, Matt. vi. 26. Be"hold the fowls of the air: for they fow not, nei"ther do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet "your heavenly Father feedeth them.” Ver. 28, 29. "Confider the lilies of the field how they grow; "they toil not, neither do they fpin and yet 1 fay "unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was "not arrayed like one of these."

And though all the creatures below man, being without understanding, can take no notice of this bounty of God to them, nor make any acknowledg ments to him for it; yet man, who is the priest of the visible creation, and placed here in this great temple of the world, to offer up facrifices of praife and thanksgiving to GOD, for his univerfal goodness to all his creatures, ought to blefs GoD in their be

half,