542 HOW TO DO GOOD TO MANY. infirmities, or paltry quarrels among ourselves, nor with the mix- ture of hypocrites ; it will not be overvoted, or trod down, and persecuted by the power or number of the ignorant enemies. .0 Christians! go on in doing-good to all men with cheerfulness, for it all tendeth to make up the body of Christ, and to prepare for that glorious state and day: every soul you convert, every brick that you lay in the building, tendeth to mike up the house and city of God. But as all motion and action is first upon the nearest object, so . must ours ; and doing good must be in order ; 'first we must begin at home with our own souls ai]d lives; and then to our nearestre- lations, and friends, and acquaintance, and neighbors ; and then to our societies, church, and kingdom, and all the world. But mark that the order ofexecution, and the order of estimation and in- tention, differ: Though God set up lights so small as will serve but for one room, and though we must begin at home, we must far more esteem and desire the good ofmultitudes, of city, and church, and commonwealth; and must set no bounds to our en- deavors, butwhat God and disability set. II. But what is that good that we must do? Good is an attri- bute of being, and is its perfection, or well-being: God's goodness is perfection itself; and as he is the fountain of being, so also of goodness ; 'and, therefore, his goodness is, called love, whose high- est act is his essential self-love, which is infinitely alcove his love to. theworld; but yet it is communicative love, which made all things good, and rested in seeing them all good. And as he is the fountain, so the same will or love is the measuring rule, and the end of all derived good. The prime notion of the creature's goodness is its conformity to the will of God; but the second is its perfection as its own, which, indeed, is but the same conformity. Therefore, the true good which we must do men, is to make them conformable to the regulating will of God, that they may be happy in the pleased will of God ; and to help them to all means for sou] and body necessary hereunto; and this for as many as possibly we can. III. The rules for judging and doing good are these : l. That is the greatest good which is God's greatest interest; and his interest is his glory, and the complaisance of his fulfilled will. 2. Therefore, the good of the world, the church, of nations, of multitudes, is greater than the good of few. 3. The good of the soul is greater than of the body. 4. The avoiding the greatest evil is better than avoiding less. 5. Everlasting good is better than short. 6. Universal good, which leaveth no evil, is better than a par- ticular good.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=