700 7Jë Goodnéfs of God: VOL I: and relieve us in our diftrefs, and comfort us in our atHidions and forrows ? Ìf we may with confidence rely upon any thing to confer good upon us , and td preferve and deliver us from evil, we may truft infinite goodnefs. 6. TheGoodnefs ofGod is likewife an argument to us topatience and conten- tednefs with every condition. If the hand of God be fevere and heavy upon u§ in any Afidion, we may be affured that it is not without great eaufe, that fe much goodnefs is fo highly offended and difpleafed with us ; that he defigns our good in all the evils he fends upon us, and does not chajfen usfor his pleafure, but for our profit ; that we are the caufe of our own Sufferings, and our Sins feparaté between Godandus, andwith-holdgoodthings fromus ; that in the final iffue and re- fult of things, all things (hall work togetherfor good to us ; and therefore we ought not to be difcontented at any thing which will certainly end in our Happinefs. 7. Let us imitate the goodneßof God. The higher} Perfection öf the beft and molt perfed Being is worthy to be our Pattern. This the Scripture frequently propofeth to us ; Matth. 5.48. Beye therefore perfeff, even as your Father which is inheaven is perfet!. How is that ? in being good, and kind, and merciful, as God is. But Ifay untoyou (fays our Lord) Love your enemies, bleß them that curfeyou, do good to them that hate you, andprayfor them which defpitefully ufe you, andperfe- cute you ; that ye may be the children ofyour Father which is in heaven : for he maketb his Sun to rife on the evil, andon the good, and fendeth rain on the jiff, and on the unjuff. And then it follows, Beye thereforeperfell,. even as your Father which is in heaven is perfell. The fame pattern St. Paul propofeth to` us , Ephef.4. 3z. and Ch. S. r. Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted ; forgiving one another, even es Godfer Chrijf's fake hath forgivenyou. Be ye therefore followers of Godas dear Chil- dren, and walk in love. We cannot in any thing referable God more, than it goodnefs and kindnefs, and mercy, and in a readinefs to forgive thofe who have been injurious to us, and to be reconciled to them. I,.et us then often contemplate this Perfection ofGod, and reprefent it to our Minds, that by the frequent contemplation of it, we may be transformed into the Image of the Divine Goodneß. Is God fo good to his Creatures ? with how much greater reafon fhould we be fo to our fellow Creatures ? Is God good to us ? let us imitate his univerfal goodnefs, by endeavouring the goodof 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 (}ill be to us, that let us be to others. We are infinitely be- holden to this Perfectionof God for all that we are, and for all that we enjoy, and for all that we expel ; and therefore we'have all the reafon in the World to ad- mire and imitate it. Let this Patternof the Divine Goodnefs be continually be- fore us, that we may be Rill fafhioning our felves in the temper ofour Minds, and in the actions of our Lives, to a likenefs and conformity to it. Lajfly, The confideration of the Divine Goodneß, fhould excite our praife and thankfulnefs. This is a great Duty, to the performance whereof we fhould ¡infl- ation all the Powersand Faculties ofour Souls, as the holy Pfalmift does, Pfal. 703. Bleß the Lord, 0 my Soul, and all that is within me, bleß his holy Name. Bleß the Lord, 0 my Soul, andforget not all his benefits. And we fhould invite all others to the fame Work, as the fame devout Pfalmift frequently does, Pfal. rob. 0 give thanks unto theLord! for he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever. And P, fal. 107. 0 that men would therefore praife theLordfor bitgoodneß, andfor his wonderfulworks.. to the children ofMen! And we had need to be often ,call'd upon to this Duty, to which we have a peculiar backwardnefs. Necef ity drives us to Prayer, and fends us to God for the fupply of our wants; but Praife and Thankfgiving is a Duty which depends upon our gratitude and ingenuity; and nothing fooner wears off, than the fenfe of Kindnefs and Benefits. We are very apt to forget the Wettings of God, not fo much from a bad Memory, as from a bad Nature ; to forget the greateft bleflings, the continuance whereof fhould continually put us in mind ofthem ; the Wettings of our Beings : So God complains of his People, Deut. 3z. Ofthe Godthat formed thee, thou ball been unmindful; the dignity and excellency of our being above ail the Creatures of this vifible World; yob 3 ;. so, t o. Nonefaith, Where is God my Maker?
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