SER M. and therefore likely to continue; yet the goodness CXLVI of GOD is greater than the malice of men, and of a longer duration and continuance. And thus David comforted himself, when he was perfecuted by Saul, fal. lii. 1. "Why boafteth thou thy felf in mif"chief, O mighty man? the goodness of GoD endureth continually." The perfecution which Saul raifed against him was very powerful, and lafted a long time; but he comforts himself with this, that the goodness of GOD endures for ever." IV. The confideration of GoD's goodness, is a powerful motive and argument to several duties. 1. To the love of God. And this is the most proper and natural effect and operation of the goodnefs of Gop upon our minds. Several of the divine attributes are very awful, but goodness is amiable; and without this nothing else is fo. Power and wif dom may command dread and admiration; but nothing but goodnefs can challenge our love and affection. Goodness is amiable for itself, though no benefit and advantage fhould from thence redound to us; but when we find the comfortable effects of it, when the riches of God's goodnefs, and long-fuffering, and forbearance, are laid out upon us, when we live upon that goodness, and are indebted to it for all that we have and hope for; this is a much greater endearment to us of that excellency and perfection, which was amiable for itfelf. We cannot but love him who is good, and does us good; whofe goodness extends to all his creatures, but is exercifed in fo peculiar a manner towards the fons of men, that it is called love; and if Gop vouchsafe to ove us, well may this be the " first and great com"mandment, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine hear, and with all thy foul, and with all • thy mind 2 2. The CXLVI. 2. The confideration of GoD's goodness is like- SERM. wife an argument to us to fear him; not as a flave does his master, but as a child does his father, who the more he loves him, the more afraid he is to offend him. "There is forgivenefs with thee (faith "the pfalmift) that thou mayeft be feared;" because GOD is ready to forgive, we should be afraid to of fend. "Men fhall fear the LORD and his good"nefs;" (faith the prophet) Hofea iii. 5. And, indeed, nothing is more to be dreaded, than defpifed goodness, and abufed patience, which turns into fury and vengeance: " defpifeft thou the riches of his goodness, and long-fuffering, and forbearance, (fays the apoftle) and treasurest up to thy felf wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God?" 66 66 3. The confideration of God's goodnefs, is a poweful motive to obedience to his laws, and (as the apostle expreffeth it)" to walk worthy of the "LORD unto all well pleafing, being fruitful in έσ every good work." This argument Samuel ufeth to the people of Ifrael, to perfuade them to obedience, 1 Sam. xii. 24. "Only fear the LORD, and "ferve him in truth, with all your heart; for con"fider how great things he hath done for you.' And, indeed, the laws, which God hath given us, are none of the least instances of his goodness to us, fince they all tend to our good, and are proper caufes and means of our happiness: fo that in challenging our obedience to his laws, as acknowledgments of our obligation to him for his benefits, he lays a new obligation, and confers a greater benefit upon us. All that his laws require of us, is to do that which is beft for our felves, and does moft directly conduce to our own welfare and happinefs. CXLVI. SERM. Confidering our infinite obligations to GOD, he might have challenged our obedience to the fevereft and harfheft laws he could have impofed upon us; fo that as the fervants faid to Naaman, "Had the "prophet bid thee do fome great thing, would't thou "not have done it? how much more when he hath "only faid, wash and be clean ?" If God had required of us things very grievous and burthenfome; in love and gratitude to him, we ought to have yielded a ready and chearful obedience to fuch commands: how much more when he hath only said, Do this, and be happy? In teftimony of your love to me do these things which are the greatest kindness and benefit to your felves. 4. The goodness of God" fhould "lead men to repentance." One of the greatest aggravations of our fins is, that we offend against fo much goodnefs, and make fo bad a requital for it; "Do ye "thus requite the LORD, O foolish people, and un"wife!" The proper tendency of GoD's goodness and patience to finners, is to bring them to a fenfe of their miscarriage, and to a refolution of a better courfe. When we reflect upon the bleffings and favours of God, and his continual goodness to us, can we chufe but be afhamed of our terrible ingratitude and disobedience? Nothing is more apt to make an ingenuous nature to relent, than the fenfe of undeferved kindness; that Gon fhould be fo good to us, who are evil and unthankful to him; that though we be enemies to him, yet "when we hunger, he feeds "us; when we thirft, he gives us to drink;" heaping, as it were, "coals of fire on our heads," on purpofe to melt us into repentance, and to overcome our evil by his goodness. 5. The confideration of GoD's goodness, is a firm ground CXLVI. ground of truft and confidence. What may we not S ER M. hope and affuredly expect from immenfe and boundlefs goodness? If we have right apprehenfions of the goodness of GOD, we cannot poffibly diftruft him, or doubt of the performance of thofe gracious promises which he hath made to us; the fame goodness which inclined him to make fuch promifes, will ef fectually ingage him to make them good. If GoD be fo good as he hath declared himself, why fhould we think that he will not help us in our need, and relieve us in our diftrefs, and comfort us in cur afflictions and forrows? If we may with confidence rely upon any thing to confer good upon us, and to preferve and deliver us from evil, we may truft infinite goodness. 6. The goodness of GOD is, likewife, an argument to us to patience and contentedness with every condition. If the hand of God be fevere and heavy upon us in any affliction, we may be affured that it is not without great caufe that fo much goodness is fo highly offended and displeased with us; that he defigns our good in all the evils he fends to us, and does not chaften us for his pleasure, but for our profit; that, we are the cause of our own fufferings, and our fins separate between GoD and us, and withhold good things from us; that, in the final iffue and refult of things," all things fhall work together for "good" to us; and therefore we ought not to be discontented at any thing which will certainly end in our happiness. 7. Let us imitate the goodness of God. The highest perfection of the best and most perfect being is worthy to be our pattern: This the fcripture frequently propofeth to us; Matth. v. 48. "therefore perfect, even as your father I 4 "Be ye which is " in CXLVI. SERM." in heaven is perfect." How is that? in being good, and kind, and merciful, as God is. "But I say unto you (fays our LORD) love your enemies, "bless them that curfe you, do good to them that "hate you, and pray for them which defpitefully "ufe you, and perfecute you; that you may be the "children of your father which is in heaven: for he "maketh his fun to rife on the evil, and on the good, "and fendeth rain on the juft, and on the unjuft. And then it follows, "Be ye therefore perfect, even "as your father which is in heaven is perfect." The fame pattern St. Paul propofeth to us, Eph. iv. 32. and ch. v. 1. "Be ye kind one to another, tender hearted; forgiving one another, even as God for "CHRIST's fake hath forgiven you. Be Be ye "fore followers of God as dear children, and walk "in love." We cannot in any thing resemble GoD more, than in goodness, and kindness, and mercy, and in a readiness to forgive thofe who have been injurious to us, and to be reconciled to them. there Let us then often contemplate this perfection of GOD, and reprefent it to our minds, that, by the frequent contemplation of it, we may "be tranf "formed into the image of the divine goodness." Is GOD fo good to his creatures? with how much greater reafon should we be fo to our fellow-creatures? Is God good to us? let us imitate his univerfal goodnefs, by endeavouring the good of mankind; and, as much as in us lies, of the whole creation of GoD, What God is to us, and what we would have him ftill be to us, that let us be to others. We are infinitely beholden to this perfection of GOD for all that we are, and for all that we enjoy, and for all that we expect; and therefore we have all the reafon in the world to admire and imitate it. Let this pat tern |