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Thiefe are the feveral ways of doing good to the fouls of men, wherein we, who are the difciples of the bleiled Jefus, ought, in imitation of his example, to exercise ourfelves according to our feveral capacities and oppor-tunities. And this is the nobleít charity, and the greateft kindness that can be fhewn to human nature. It is in the most excellent fenfe to give eyes to the blind, to fets the prifoners at liberty, to refcue men out of the faddeft flavery and captivity, and to fave fouls from death. And it is the most lafting and durable benefit; because it is to do men good to all eternity.

2. The other way of being beneficial to others, is, by procuring their temporal good, and contributing to their happiness in this prefent life. And this, in fubordina tion to our Saviour's great defign of bringing men to eternal happiness, was a great part of his business and; employment in this world. He went about healing all: manner of fickneffes and difeafes, and refcuing the bodies of men from the power and poffeffion of the devil.

And though we cannot be beneficial to men in that: miraculous manner that he was, yet we may be fo in the ufe of ordinary means. We may comfort the afflict ed, and vindicate the oppreffed, and do a great, many acts of charity, which our Saviour, by reafon of his po verty, could not do without a miracle. We may supply, the neceffities of thofe that are in want, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, and vifit the fick, and minister to them fuch comforts and remedies as they are not able to provide for themselves. We may take a child that is poor, and deftitute of all advantages of education, and bring him up in the knowledge and fear of God; and, without any great expence, put him into a way wherein, by his diligence and induftry, he may arrive to a consi、 derable fortune in the world, and be able afterwards to relieve hundreds of others. Men glory in raifing great and magnificent ftructures, and find a fecret pleasure to fee fetts of their own planting to grow up and flourish: but furely it is a greater and more glorious work, to build up a man; to fee a youth of our own planting, from the fmall beginnings and advantages we have given him, to grow up into a confiderable fortune, to take root in the world, and to fhoot up to fuch a height, and spread his

branches

branches fo wide, that we, who firft planted him, may ourfelves find comfort and shelter under his fhadow. We may many times, with a small liberality, fhore up a fa mily that is ready to fall, and struggles under fuch necef fities that it is no able to fupport itself. And if our minds were as great as fometimes our eftates are, we might do great and public works of a general and lasting advantage, and for which many generations to come might call us bleffed. And thofe who are in the lowest condition may do great good to others by their prayers, if they themselves be as good as they ought: for the fer vent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The interceffion of those who are in favour with God, as all good men are, are not vain wifhes, but many times effectual to procure that good for others which their own endeavours could never have effected and brought about.

I have done with the first thing, the great work and bufinefs which our bleffed Saviour had to do in the world, and that was to do good. I proceed to the

II. Second thing contained in the text, our Saviour's diligence and industry in this work: He went about doing good. He made it the great bufinefs and constant employment of his life; he travelled from one place to an other, to feek out opportunities of being ufeful and beneficial to mankind. And this will fully appear, if we briefly confider the following particulars.

on.

1. How unwearied our bleffed Saviour was in doing good. He made it his only bufinefs, and spent his whole life in it. He was not only ready to do good to those that came to him, and gave him opportunity for it, and befought him to do it; but went himself from one place to another, to feek out objects to exercife his charity upHe went to those who could not, and to those who would not come to him: for fo it is written of him, He came to feek and to fave that which was loft. He was contented to spend whole days in this work, to live in a croud, and to be almoft perpetually oppreffed with company; and when his difciples were moved at the rudeness of the people in preffing upon him, he rebuked their impatience; and for the pleasure he took in doing good, made nothing of the trouble and inconvenience that attended it.

2. If

2. If we confider how much he denied himself in the chief comforts and conveniencies of human life, that he might do good to others. He neglected the ordinary refreshments of nature, his meat and drink, and fleep, that he might attend this work. He was at every body's beck and difpofal to do them good. When he was doing cures in one place, he was fent for to another; and he either went, or fent healing to them; and did by his word at a distance, what he could not come in perfon to do. Nay, he was willing to deny himfelf in one of the dearest things in the world, his reputation and good name. He was contented to do good, though he was ill thought of, and ill fpoken of for it. He would not refufe to do good on the Sabbath-day, though he was accounted profane for fo doing. He knew how fcandalous it was among the Jews to keep company with publicans and finners, and yet he would not decline fo good a work for all the ill words they gave him for it.

3. If we confider the malicious oppofition and finifter conftruction that his good deeds met withal. Never did fo much goodness meet with fo much enmity, endure fo many affronts, and fo much contradiction of finners. This great benefactor of mankind was hated and perfecuted, as if he had been a public enemy. While he was inftruct-> ing them in the meekeft manner, they were ready to ftone him for telling them the truth: and when the fame of his miracles went abroad, though they were never fo ufeful and beneficial to mankind; yet upon this very account they confpire against him, and seek to take away his life. Whatever he faid or did, though never so innocent, never fo excellent, had fome bad interpretation put upon it; and the great and thining virtues of his. life, were turned into crimes, and matter of accufation. For his cafting out of devils, he was called a magician; for his endeavour to reclaim men from their vices, a friend of publicans and finners; for his free and obliging converfation, a wine bibber and a glutton. All the benefits which he did to men, and the bleffings which he fo liberally fhed among the people, were confrued to be a defign of ambition and popularity, and done with an intention to move the people to fedition, and to make himself a king enough to have difcouraged the greatest

goodness,

goodness, and have put a damp upon the moft generous mind, and to make it fick and weary of well-doing, For what more grievous, than to have all the good one does ill interpreted, and the best actions in the world made matter of calumny and reproach?

4. And then, laftly, if we confider how chearfully, notwithstanding all this, he perfevered and continued in well doing. It was not only his bufinefs, but his delight: I delight (fays he) to do thy will, O my God. The pleafure which others take in the most natural actions of life, in eating and drinking when they are hungry, he took in doing good: it was his meat and drink to do the will of his Father. He plied this work with fo much diligence, as if he had been afraid he should have wanted time for it: I must work the work of him that fent me swhile it is day; the night cometh when no man can work. And when he was approaching towards the hardest and moft unpleasant part of his fervice, but of all others the moft beneficial to us, I mean his death and sufferings, he was not at eafe in his mind till it was done: How am I ftraitned (fays he) till it be accomplished! And just before his fuffering, with what joy and triumph does he reflect upon the good he had done in his life? Father, I have glorified thee upon earth, and finished the work which thou haft given me to do. What a bleffed pattern is here of diligence and induftry in doing good? how fair and lovely a copy for Chriftians to write after?

And now, that I have fet it before you, it will be of excellent ufe to these two purposes; to thew us our defects, and to excite us to our duty.

I. To fhew us our defects. How does this bleffed example upbraid those who live in a direct contradiction to it; who, instead of going about doing good, are perpetually intent upon doing mifchief; who are wife and active to do evil, but to do good have no inclination, no underftanding? And thofe likewife who, though they are far from being fo bad, yet wholly neglect this bleffed work of doing good? They think it very fair to do no evil, to hurt and injure no man: but if preachers will be fo unreafonable as to require more, and will never be fatisfied till they have perfuaded them out of their eftate, and to give to the poor, till they have almost impoverished

them.

themselves, they defire to be excufed from this importu nity. But we are not fo unreasonable neither. We defire to put them in mind, that to be charitable according to our power is an indifpenfible duty of religion: that we are commanded not only to abstain from evil, but to do good and that our bleffed Saviour hath given us the example of both; he did not only do no fin, but he went about doing good. And upon this nice point it was that -the young rich man in the gospel and his Saviour parted. He had kept the commandments from his youth, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not fteal; he had been very careful of the negative part of religion but when it came to parting with his estate, and giving to the poor, this he thought too hard a condition; and upon this he forfook our Saviour, and forfeited the kingdom of heaven. And it is very confiderable, and ought to be often and ferioufly thought upon, that our Saviour, defcribing to us the day of judgement, reprefents the great judge of the world acquitting and condemning men according to the good which they had done, or neglected to do, in ways of mercy and cha, rity; for feeding the hungry, and cloathing the naked, and visiting the fick, or for neglecting to do these things. Than which nothing can more plainly and effectually declare to us the neceffity of doing good, in order to the obtaining eternal happiness.

There are many indeed who do not altogether neglect the doing of this work, who yet do in a great measure prevent and hinder themselves from doing it as they ought, under a pretence of being employed about other duties and parts of religion. They are fo taken up with the exercife of piety and devotion in private and public, with prayer, and reading, and hearing fermons, and preparing themfelves for the facrament, that they have fcarce any leifure to mind the doing of good and charitable offices to others: or if they have, they hope God will pardon his fervants in this thing, and accept of their piety and devotion inftead of all. But they ought to confider, that when thefe two parts of religion come in competition, devotion is to give way to charity, mercy being better than facrifice; that the great end of all the duties of religion, prayer, and reading, and hearing the

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