great a care he took of the Poor that they should have the gleanings both of the Vineyard and Field †Lev. 19.10 Lev. 23.22 and not be forced to pay Vsury for the Money lent them * Ex. 22.25 4. His Goodness is seen in taking care of the wickedest Persons The Earth is full of his Goodness * Psal 37.5 The wicked as well as the good enjoy it they that dare lift up their hands against Heaven in the posture of Rebels as well as those that lift up their Eyes in the condition of suppliants To do good to a Criminal far surmounts that goodness that flows down upon an Innocent Object Now God is not only good to those that have some degrees of goodness but to those that have the greatest degrees of wickedness to Men that turn his liberality into affronts of him and have scarce an appetite to any thing but the violation of his Authority and Goodness Though upon the fall of Adam we have lost the pleasant habitation of Paradise and the Creatures made for our use are fall'n from their Original Excellency and Sweetness yet he hath not left the World utterly incommodious for us but yet stores it with things not only for the preservation but delight of those that make their whole lives invectives against this good God Manna fell from Heaven for the Rebellious as well as for the Obedient Israelites Cain as well as Aâ—â—l and Esau as well as Jacob had the influences of his Sun and the benefits of his Showers The World is yet a kind of Paradise to the veriest Beasts among Mankind The Earth affords its Riches the Heavens its Showers and the Sun its light to those that injure and Blaspheme him * Mat. 5.45 He makes his Sâ—n to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust The wickedest breath in his Air walk upon his Earth and drink of his Water as well as the best The Sun looks with as pleasant and bright an Eye upon a rebellious Absalom as a righteous David The Earth yields its Plants and Medicines to one as well as to the other 'T is seldom that he deprives any of the faculties of their Souls or any Members of their Bodies God distributes his Blessings where he might shoot his Thunders and darts his Light on those who deserve an Eternal Darkness and presents the good things of the Earth to those that Merit the Miseries of Hell for the Earth and the fulnâ—ss thereof is the Lords * Psal 24.1 Every thing in it is his in Propriety ours in Trust 'T is his Corn his Wine * Hos 2.8 He never devested himself of the Propriety though he grants us the Use And by those good things he supports multitudes of wicked Men not one or two but the whole Shoal of them in the World For he is the Saviour of all Men i. e. is the Preserver of all Men * 1 Tim. 4.10 And as he Created them when he foresaw they would be wicked so he provides for them when he beholds them in their ungodliness The ingratitude of Men stops not the Current of his Bounty nor tires his liberal hand Howsoever unprofitable and injurious Men are to him he is liberal to them and his Goodness is the more admirable by how much the more the unthankfulness of Men is provoking He sometimes affords to the worst a greater portion of these Earthly Goods they often swim in Wealth when others pine away their lives in Poverty And the Silk-worm yields its bowels to make Purple for Tyrants while the Oppressed scarce have from the Sheep Wool enough to cover their nakedness and though he furnish Men with those good things upon no other account than what Princes do when they nourish Criminals in a Prison till the time of their Execution 't is a Mark of his Goodness Is it not the kindness of a Prince to treat his Rebels deliciously To give them the liberty of the Prison and the enjoyment of the delights of the place rather than to load their Legs with Fetters and lodge them in a dark and loathsom Dungeon till he orders them for their Crime to be conducted to the Scaffold or Gibbet Since God is thus kind to the vilest Men whose meaness by reason of Sin is beyond that of any other Creature as to shoot such rayes of Goodness upon them How unexpressible would be the Expressions of his Goodness if the Divine Image were as pure and bright upon them as it was upon Innocent Adam 2. His Goodness is evident in the preservation of Humane Society It belongs to his Power that he is able to do it but to his Goodness that he is willing to do it 1. This Goodness appears in prescribing Rules for it The Moral Law consists but of Ten Precepts and there are more of them order'd for the support of Humane Society than for the adoration and honour of himself * Exod. 20.1 2. Four for the Rights of God and Six for the Rights of Man and his security in his Authority Relations Life Goods and Reputation Superiours not to be dishonoured Life not to be invaded Chastity not to be stain'd Goods not to be filcht Good Name not to be crackt by False-witness nor any thing belonging to our Neighbour to be coveted And in the whole Scripture not only that which was Calculated for the Jews but compil'd for the whole World he hath fixt Rules for the ordering all Relations Magistrates and Subjects Parents and Children Husbands and Wives Masters and Servants Rich and Poor find their distinct Qualifications and Duties There would be a Paradisical State if Men had a goodness to observe what God hath had a goodness to order for the strengthning the Sinews of Humane Society The World would not groan under oppressing Tyrants nor Princes tremble under discontented Subjects or mighty Rebels Children would not be provok't to anger by the unreasonableness of their Parents nor Parents sink under grief by the Rebellion of their Children Masters would not tyrannize over the meanest of their Servants nor Servants invade the authority of their Masters 2. The Goodness of God in the preserving Humane Society is seen in setting a Magistracy to preserve it Magistracy is from God in its Original the Charter was drawn up in Paradise Civil subordination must have been had Man remained in innocence But the Charter was more explicitly renew'd and enlarg'd at the restoration of the World after the Deluge and giv'n out to Man under the Broad Seal of Heaven * Gen. 9.6 Whoso sheds Mans Blood by Man shall his Blood be shed The Command of shedding the Blood of a Murderer was a part of his Goodness to secure the lives of those that bore his Image Magistrates are the Shields of the Earth but they belong to God * Psal 47.9 They are Fruits of his Goodness in their Original and Authority Were there no Magistracy
How wonderful is this Wisdom of God! That the seed of the woman born of a mean Virgin brought forth in a stable spending his days in affliction misery and poverty without any pomp and splendor passing some time in a Carpenters shop with Carpenters tools and afterwards exposed to a horrible and disgraceful death Mark 6 6. should by this way pull down the gates of Hell subvert the kingdom of the Devil and be the hammer to break in pieces that power which he had so long exercised over the World Thus became he the Author of our life by being bound for a while in the chains of death and arrived to a principality over the most malicious powers by being a prisoner for us and the anvâ—l of their rage and fury 7. The Wisdom of God appears In giving us this way the surest ground of comfort and the strongest incentive to obedience The Rebel is reconciled and the rebellion shamed God is propitiated and the sinner sanctified by the same blood What can more contribute to our comfort confidence than Gods richest gift to us What can more enflame our love to him than our recovery from death by the oblation of his Son to misery and death for us It doth as much engage our duty as secure our happiness It presents God glorious and gracious and therefore every way fit to be trusted in regard of the interest of his own glory in it and in regard of the effusions of his grace by it It renders the Creature obliged in the highest manner and so awakens his industry to the strictest and noblest obedience Nothing so effectual as a crucified Christ to wean us from sin and stifle all motions of despair a means in regard of the Justice signaliz'd in it to make man to hate the sin which had ruined him and a means in regard of the love exprest to make him delight in that Law he had violated 2. Cor. 5.14 15. The love of Christ and therefore the love of God exprest in it constrains us no longer to live to our selves 1. It is a ground of the highest comfort and confidence in God Since he hath given such an evidence of his impartial truth to his threatning for the honour of his Justice we need not question but he will be as punctual to his promise for the honour of his mercy T is a ground of confidence in God since he hath redeemed us in such a way as glorifies the steadiness of his veracity as well as the severity of his Justice We may well trust him for the performance of his promise since we have experience of the execution of his threatning his mâ—rciful truth will as much engage him to accomplish the one as his just truth did to inflict the other The goodness which shone forth in weaker rays in the Creation breaks out with stronger beams in redemption And the mercy which before the appearance of Christ was manifested in some small Rivulets diffuseth itself like a boundless Ocean That God that was our Creator is our Redeemer the Repayrer of our Breaches and the Restorer of our Paths to dwell in And the plenteous Redemption from all Iniquity manifested in the Incarnation and Passion of the Son of God is much more a ground of hope in the Lord than it was in the past Ages when it could not be said the Lord hath but the Lord shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Psal 130.8 It is a full Warrant to cast our selves into his Arms. 2. At incentive to obedience 1. The Commands of the Gospel require the obedience of the Creature There is not one Precept in the Gospel which interferes with any rule in the Law but strengthens it and represents it in its true exactness The heat to scorch us is allaied but the light to direct us is not extinguisht Not the least allowance to any sin is granted not the least affection to any sin is indulg'd The Law is temper'd by the Gospel but not null'd and cast out of doors by it It enacts that none but those that are sanctified shall be glorified that there must be Grace here if we expect Glory hereafter that we must not presume to expect an admittance to the Vision of Gods face unless our Souls be clothed with a robe of Holiness Heb. 12.14 It requires an obedience to the whole Law in our intention and purpose and an endeavour to observe it in our actions It promotes the honour of God and ordains a universal Charity among men it reveals the whole Counsel of God and furnisheth men with the holiest Laws 2. It presents to us the exactest pattern for our Obedience The redeeming Person is not only a Propitiation for the sin but a pattern to the sinner 1 Pet. 2.21 The Conscience of man after the fall of Adam approved of the reason of the Law but by the corruption of Nature man had no strength to perform the Law The possibility of keeping the Law by Human Nature is evidenced by the Appearance and life of the Redeemer and an assurance given that it shall be advanc'd to such a state as to be able to observe it We aspire to it in this life and have hopes to attain it in a future And while we are here the Actor of our Redemption is the copy for our Imitation The Pattern to imitate is greater than the Law to be ruled by What a lustre did his Vertues cast about the World How attractive are his Graces With what high Examples for all Duties has he furnish'd 〈◊〉 out of the copy of his Life 3. It presents us with the strongest motives to Obedience Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness What Chains bind faster and closer than love Here is love to our nature in his Incarnation love to us though Enemies in his Death and Passion Encouragements to Obedience by the proffers of Pardon for former Rebellions By the disobedience of man God introduceth his redeeming Grace and ingageth his Creature to more Ingenious and excellent returns than his Innocent state could oblige him to In his Created state he had goodness to move him he hath the same goodness now to oblige him as a Creature and a greater love and mercy to oblige him as a repaired Creature and the terror of Justice is taken off which might invenom his Heart as a Criminal In his revolted state he had misery to discourage him in his redeemed state he hath love to attract him Without such a way black despaire had seized upon the Creature exposed to a remediless misery And God would have had no returns of love from the best of his earthly Works But if any sparks of Ingenuity be left they will be excited by the efficacy of this Argument The willingness of God to receive returning sinners is manifested in the highest degree and the willingness of a sinner to return to him in duty hath the strongest engagements He hath done as much to
757 758 782 783 V. Governour and Magistrates Licentiousness the Gospel no friend to Pag. 336 Life Eternal expected by Men from something of their own vide Justification Assured to the People of God Pag. 236 683 684 Light a glorious Creature Pag. 588 Light of Nature shews the Being of a God Pag. 4 5 Limiting God a contempt of his Dominion Pag. 761 Lives of Men at God's disposal Pag. 748 Love to God sometimes arises meerly from some self-pleasing benefits Pag. 90 A necessary ingredient in Spiritual Worship Pag. 147 148 A great help to it Pag. 176 God is highly worthy of it Pag. 201 202 556 557 563 675 676 677 778 Outward expressions of it insignificant without Obedience Pag. 580 581 God's Gospel name Pag. 616 Of God to his People great Pag. 769 Lusts of Men make them Atheists Pag. 2 M. MAgistracy the Goodness of God in setling it Pag. 650 Magistraees are inferiour to God to be obedient to him Pag. 765 766 Ought to govern Justly and Righteously Pag. 766 To be obey'd ib. Man could not make himself Pag. 17 18 19 20 The World subservient to him Pag. 23 The abridgement of the Universe Pag. 29 30 608 Naturally disowns the Rule God hath set him Pag. 54 ad 67 Owns any Rule rather than God's Pag. 67 ad 70 Would set himself up as his own Rule Pag. 70 ad 74 Would give Laws to God Pag. 74 ad 80 Would make himself his own End V. End His Natural Corruption how great Pag. 452 Made holy at first Pag. 507 508 607 Yet mutable which was no blemish to God's Holiness Pag. 517 518 519 Made after God's Image Pag. 607 The World made and furnish'd for him Pag. 608 609 610 In his Corrupt estate without any motives to excite Gods Redeeming love Pag. 625 ad 628 Restored to a more excellent state than his first Pag. 641 642 Under God's Dominion Pag. 719 720 Means Vide Instrument To depend on the Power of God and neglect them is an abuse of it Pag. 483 484 Of Grace to neglect them an affront of God's Wisdom Pag. 402 403 Given to some and not to others Pag. 734 ad 737 Have various influences Pag. 737 738 Meditation on the Law of God Men have no delight in Pag. 56 Members bodily attributed to God do not prove him a Body Pag. 118 119 What sort of them attributed to him ib. With a respect to the Incarnation of Christ ib. Mercies of God to Sinners how Wonderful Pag. 99 100 A Motive to Worship Pag. 130 Former ones should be remembred when we come to beg new ones Pag. 180 Its Plea for Fallen Man Pag. 376 377 It and Justice reconcil'd in Christ Pag. 377 Holiness of God in them to be observed Pag. 557 Contempt and abuse of them vide Goodness One foundation of God's Dominion Pag. 709 710 Call for our Love of him Pag. 676 677 678 And Obedience to him Pag. 680 681 Given after great Provocations Pag. 805 806 Merit of Christ not the cause of the first resolution of God to Redeem Pag. 621 622 Not the cause of Election Pag. 728 729 Man uncapable of Pag. 764 Miracles prove the Being of a God though not wrought to that end Pag. 5 38 Wrought by God but seldom Pag. 371 The Power of God Pag. 438 The Power of God seen no more in them than in the ordinary works of Nature Pag. 450 451 Many wrought by Christ Pag. 460 Moral Goodness encouraged by God Pag. 652 Moral Law commands things good in their own Nature Pag. 51 723 The Holiness of God appears in in it Pag. 508 Holy in the matter and manner of his Precepts Pag. 508 509 Reaches the Inward Man Pag. 509 510 Perpetual ib. V. Law of God Publish'd with Majesty Pag. 724 Mortification how difficult Pag. 101 Motions of all Creatures in God Pag. 449 Variety of them in a single Creature Pag. 449 450 Mountains how useful Pag. 23 Before the Deluge Pag. 181 Mouth how curiously contrived Pag. 30 N. NAture of Man must be sanctified before it can perform Spiritual Worship Pag. 142 Human highly advanced by its union with the Son of God Pag. 628 629 Human and Divine in Christ vide Vnion Night how necessary Pag. 350 O. OBedience to God not true unless it be universal Pag. 61 Due to him upon the account of his Eternity Pag. 202 To him should be preferr'd before Obedience to Men. V. Laws Of Faith only acceptable to God Pag. 336 Distinct but inseparable from Faith ib. Shall be rewarded Pag. 354 Redemption a strong Incentive to it Pag. 387 388 Without it nothing will avail us Pag. 580 581 The goodness of God in accepting it tho imperfect Pag. 656 657 Due to God for his goodness Pag. 680 681 682 Due to God as a Soveraign Pag. 779 780 781 What kind of it due to him Pag. 781 782 783 784 Objects the proposing them to Man which God knows he will use to sin no blemish to Gods Holiness Pag. 533 ad 536 Obstinacy in Sin a contempt of Divine Power Pag. 480 481 Omissions of Prayer a practical denial of God's Knowledge Pag. 328 Of Duty a contempt of his Goodness Pag. 666 Omnipresence an Attribute of God Pag. 243 Denied by some Jews and Heathens but acknowledged by the wisest amongst them Pag. 244 245 To be understood negatively Pag. 245 Influential on all Creatures Pag. 245 246 Limited to Subjects capacitated for this or that kind of it Pag. 246 Essential ib. In all places Pag. 246 247 248 With all Creatures Pag. 248 Without mixture with them or division of himself Pag. 248 249 Not by multiplication or extension Pag. 249 But totally ib. In imaginary spaces beyond the World Pag. 249 250 251 God's incommunicable Property Pag. 251 252 Arguments to prove his Omnipresence Pag. 252 ad 256 Objections against it answer'd Pag. 257 ad 261 Ascribed to Christ Pag. 261 262 Proves God a Spirit Pag. 262 And his Providence ib. And Omniscient and Incomprehensible Pag. 263 Calls for Admiration of him Pag. 264 Forgotten and contemn'd 264 Pag. 265 Terrible to Sinners Pag. 265 266 Comfortable to the Righteous and wherein Pag. 268 Should be often thought of and the advantages of so doing Pag. 268 ad 270 Opposition in the hearts of Men naturally against the Will of God Pag. 57 P. PArdon Gods Infinite Knowledge a comfort when we reflect on it or seek it Pag. 334 †The Power of God in granting it and giving a sense of it Pag. 470 471 The Spring of all other Blessings Pag. 698 Always accompanied with Regeneration ib. Punishment remitted upon it Pag. 698 699 'T is perfect Pag. 699 Of God and his alone gives a full security Pag. 769 770 Patience under Afflictions a duty Pag. 415 God's Immutability should teach us it Pag. 237 238 A sense of God's Holiness would promote it Pag. 555 556 And his Goodness Pag. 688 Motives to it Pag. 784 785 786 The true Nature of it Pag. 786 Consideration of