But setting afide this atheistical Sect, Vol. Vil the reft of the Heathen did unanimously affirm and believe the Good! nefs of God; and this was the great foundation of their Religion; and all their Prayers to God, and Praifes of him, did neceffarily fuppofe a perfwafion of the Divine Goodnefs. Whofoever prays to God, must have a perfwafion, or good hopes of his readinefs to do him good; and to praise God, is to acknowledge that he hath received good from him. Seneca hath an excellent paffage to this purpose, "He (Says he) that denies the Good"nefs of God, does not furely confi"der the infinite number of Prayers, "that with hands lifted up to Heaven

are put up to God, both in private "and publick; which certainly would not be, nor is it credible, that all "Mankind fhould confpire in this "madness of putting up their Suppli❝cations to deaf and impotent Deities, "if they did not believe, that the "Gods were fo good, as to confer be"nefits upon those who prayed to

"them.

But we need not to infer their belief·· of God's Goodness, from the acts of

their devotion, nothing being more common among them, than exprefly Vol. VII. to attribute this Perfection of Goodnefs to him, and among the Divine Titles, this always had the preeminence, both among the Greeks and Romans; eûs Te μégas, Deus optimus maximus, was their conftant ftile; and in our Language, the name of God feems to have been given him from his Goodness. I might produce innumerable paffages out of the Heathen Authers to this purpofe; but I.fhall only mention that remarkable one out of Seneca, primus deorum cultus eft deos credere; deinde reddere illis majeftatem fuam, reddere bonitatem, fine quâ nulla majeftas, "The first act of Worship is to believe "the Being of God; and the next, to "afcribe Majefty or greatness to him; "and to afcribe Goodnefs, without "which there can be no Greatness.

II. From the teftimony of Scripture and Divine Revelation. I fhall mention but a few of thofe many Texts of Scripture, which declare to us the Goodness of God, Exod. 34. 6. where God makes his Name known to Mofes, the Lord, the Lord God gracious and merciful, long fuffering, abundant in good

Vol.VH.

nefs and truth. Pfal. 86. 5. Thou Lord art good, and ready to forgive. Pfal. 119. 68. Thou art good, and doft good. And that which is fo often repeated in the Book of Pfalms, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, and his mercy endureth for ever. Our bleffed Saviour attributes this Perfection to God, in fo peculiar and tranfcendent a manner, as if it were incommunicable, Luke 18. 19. There is none good fave one, that is God. The meaning is, that no Creature is capable of it, in that excellent and tranfcendent degree, in which the Divine Nature is poffeft of it..

To the fame purpose are thofe innumerable Teftimonies of Scripture, which declare God to be gracious, and merciful, and long fuffering; for these are but feveral Branches of his Goodnefs; his Grace is the freeness of his Goodness, to those who have not deferved it; his Mercy is his Goodness to those who are in mifery; his Patience is his Goodnefs to those who are guilty, in deferring the Punish ment due to them.

III. The Goodness of God may likewife be argued from the Perfection

of

of the Divine Nature, thefe two ways.

1. Goodness is the chief of all Perfections, and therefore it belongs to God.

2. There are fome Footsteps of it in the Creatures, and therefore it is much more eminently in God.

1. Goodness is the higheft Perfection, and therefore it muft needs belong to God, who is the most perfect of Beings. Knowledge and Power are great Perfections, but separated from Goodness, they would be great Imperfections, nothing but craft and violence. An Angel may have Knowledge and Power in a great degree, but yet for all that be a Devil. Goodness is fo great and neceffary a Perfection, that without it there can be no other, it gives Perfection to all other excellencies; take away this,and the greatest excellencies in any other kind, would be but the greateft imperfections. And therefore our Saviour fpeaks of the goodness and mercy of God, as the fum of his Perfections; what one Evangelift hath, be ye merciful, as your Father which is in Heaven is merciful, is rendred in another, be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven

Vol. VII!

is perfect. Goodness is fo effential to a Vol. VII. perfect Being, that if we once ftrip God of this property, we rob him of the Glory of all his other Perfections; and therefore when Mofes defired to fee God's Glory, he faid, he would make all his goodness to pass before him. Exod. 33. 19. This is the most amiable Perfection, and as it were the Beauty of the Divine. Nature, Zach. 9. 17. how great is thy goodness, how great is thy beauty? fine bonitate nulla majeftas, without goodness there can be no majesty. Other excellencies may caufe fear and amazement in us; but nothing but Goodness, can command fincere love and veneration.

2. there are fome footsteps of this Perfection in the Creatures, and therefore it must be much more eminently in God. There is in every Creature fome reprefentation of fome divine Perfection or other, but God doth not own any Creature to be after his image, that is deftitute of Goodness. The Creatures, that want Reason and Underítanding, are incapable of this Moral Goodness we are fpeaking of; Man is the firft in the rank of Creatures, that is endowed with it, and he is