Serm. LX.XXIX. Of doing Good. we confider, That it is the imitation of the higheft Excellency . and Perfection. Todo Good, is to be like God, who is Good, and doth Good; and it is to be like to him, in that which he efteems his greateft Glory. It is to be like the Son of God, who, when he was pleafed to take our Nature upon him, and live here be- low, and to dwell amongft us, went about doing good. And it is to be like the blefled Angels; the higheft Rank and. Order of God's Creatures ; whole great Employment it is to be Miniflring Spirits, for the good of Men. So that for a Man to be kind, and helpful, and beneficial to others, is to be a good Angela and a Saviour, and a kind of God. too. It is an Argument of a great, and noble, and generous Mind,, to extend pur Thoughts and Cares to the conceruments of others, and to employ our Intereft, and Power, and Endeavours for their benefit and advantage ; Whereas a low, and mean, and narrow Spirit, is contracted and fhrivel'd up within it felf, and cares only for its own things, without any regard to the good and happinefs of others. It is the moft noble work in the World, becaufe that inclination of Mind, which prompts us to do good, is the very temper and difpofition of Happinefs Solomon, after all his Experience of worldly greatnefsand pleáfure, at laft pitched upon this, as the great Felicity of Human Life, and the only good Ufe that is to be made of a profperous and plentiful Fortune. Ecclef. 3. z a. Iknow (lays he, fpeakingof Riches) that there is no good in them, but for a Man to rejoyce anddo good in his life. And certainly, the heft way to take joy in an Elate, is to do good with it ; and a greater and wifer than Solomon has Paid it, evenhe who is the Power and Wifdom of Godhas Paid it, that it is a more Bleffed thing togive than to receive. Confider farther, That this is one Of the great and fubfiantial parts of Reli- gion, and next to the love and honour, which we pay to Almighty God, the moft acceptable Service that we cando to him ; it is one Table of the Law, and next the Fir/I andgreat Commandment of loving theLordourGod, and very like to }t. And the fecond is like unto it, (lays our Saviour) Thou (halt love thy Neigh- bour as thy felf ; like to it in the excellency of it ; and equal to it, in the necef- fary obligation of it. For this Commandment (fays St.. john, z Epift. Chap. 4. v. 21.) we have from him, that he who loveth God, love his Brother alfo. The Firft Commandment indeed excels in the Dignity of the Object, becaufe it,enjoins the Love of God ; but the fecond feems to have the advantage in the reality of 'its Effeéts : for the Love of God confifts in our acknowledgment, and honour of him ; but our righteoufnefs and goodnefs extends motto him ; we can do him no real Benefit and Advantage : But our love to Men is really Ufeful and Beneficial to them ; for which reafon God is contented in many cafes, that the external Ho- nour and Worlhip which he requires.of us by his pofitive Commands, fhould give way to that Natural Duty of Love and Mercy which we owe to one another. /will have mercy (fays God in the Prophet Amos) and not Sacrifice. And to thew how great a value God puts upon this Duty, he hath made it the very Teftimony of our love to himfelf ; and for want of it, hathdeclared that he will rejet all our other Profeffions and Teftimonies of love to him as falfe and infincere. Whofo bath this world's good, (faith St. yohn, z Epift. 3. L7.) and feeth his Brother have need, and fhutteth up his bowels of compajion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ? And.again, Chap. 4. ver. ao. If a Man fay, Ilove God, andhateth his Brother, he is a lyar ; for he that loveth not his Brother, whom be hath feen, how can he loveGod, whom he hath not feen i You fee the Duty here recommended, both in the Extent and in the Excellen- cy of it ; let us do good. I proceed to confider, in the II. Place, the Extent ofthis Duty, in refped of its Objeás, which is all Man- kind, but more efpecially Chriftians, thofe that are of the fame Faith and lie- ligion. Let us do good unto all Men, efpecially unto thofe that are of the houfholdof Faith. So that the Object, about which this Duty is converfant, is very large, and takes in all Mankind ; let us do good unto all men. The yews confined their Love and Kindnefs to their own Kindred and Nation ; and becaufe they were pros hibited 669
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