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The CONTENT S.

69.81

SERM CL.CLI. The long-fuffering of God. Ecclef. viii. f.
Becaufe fentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,

therefore the beart of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do

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SERM CLIV. The immenfity of the divine nature. Pfal cxxxix.
7. 8. 9. 10. Whitber fhall I go from thy fpirit? or whither shall
I flee from thy prefence? If I afcend up into beaver, thou art
there; if I make my bed in bell, bebold, thou art there. If I take
the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermoft parts of the

fea, even there fall thy band lead me, and thy right hand shall

bold me.

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SERM. CLVIII. Of doing good.. Galat. vi. 9. 10. Let us not

be weary in well-doing; for in due feafon we shall reap, if we

faint not: As we bave therefore opportunity, let us do good unto

all men, especially unto them who are of the boufbold of faith 196

SERM. CLIX. The neceffity of repentance and faith. Acts xx. 21.

Teftifying both to the Jews, and alfo to the Greeks, repentance to-

ward God, and faith toward our Lord Jefus Chrift

213

SERM. CLX. Of confeffing and forfaking fin, in order to pardon.

Prov. xxviii. 13. He that covereth bis fins fhall not profper: but

whofo confeffetb and for faketh them, fhall base mercy

226

SERM. CLXI. Of confeffion and forrow for fin. Pfal. xxxviii. 18.

I will declare mine iniquity, and be forry for my fin
244

SERM. CLXII. The unprofitableness of fin in this life, an argu-

ment for repentance. Job xxxiii. 27. 28. He looketh upon men,

and if any fay, I have finned, and perverted that which was

right, and it profited me not; be will deliver bis foul from going

into the pit, and bis life fhall fee the light

258

SERM. CLXIII. CLXIV. CLXV. CLXVI. The shamefulness of

fin, an argument for repentance. The final iffue of fin, an ar-

gument for repentance. The present and future advantage of

an holy and virtuous life. Rom. vi. 21. 22. What fruit bad ye

then in thofe things, whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of

thofe things is death. But now being made free from fin, and be

come fervants to God, ye bave your fruit unto holiness, and the end

everlasting life
274.287. 298. 312.

SERMON CXLIII.

The goodness of God.

PSAL. cxlv. 9.

The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.

T

The firft fermon on this text.

HE fubject which I have now propofed to treat of, is certainly one of the greatest and nobleft arguments in the world, the goodnefs of God; the highest and most glorious perfection of the best and most excellent of beings, than which nothing deferves more to be confidered by us, nor ought in reafon to affect us more. The goodness of God is the caufe, and the continuance of our beings, the foundation of our hopes, and the foundation of our happiness, our greatest comfort, and our fairest example, the chief object of our love, and praife, and admiration, the joy and rejoicing of our hearts; and therefore the meditation and discourse of it must needs be pleasant and delightful to us; the great difficulty will be, to confine ourselves upon fo copious an argument, and to fet bounds to that which is of fo vaft an extent; The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Which words are an argument, which the divine Pfalmift ufeth, to ftir up himself and others to the praise of God: At the third verfe, he tells us, that the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised; and he gives the reason of this, verfe 8. and 9. from thofe properties and perfcctions of the divine nature, which declare his goodness; The Lord is gracious, and full of compaffion, flow to anger, and of great mercy: The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works: where you have the goodness of God declared, together with the amplitude VOL. VII.

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and

and extent of it, in refpect of the objects of it; Lord is good to all..

The

In the handling of this argument, I fhall do these four things:

First, Confider what is the proper notion of goodness, as it is attributed to God.

Secondly, Shew that this perfection belongs to God. Thirdly, Confider the effects and the extent of it. Fourthly, Anfwer fome objections which may feem to contradict and bring in question the goodness of God. First, What is the proper notion of goodness, as it is attributed to God.

There is a dry metaphyfical notion of goodness, which only fignifies the being and effential properties of a thing but this is a good word ill beftowed; for, in this fenfe, every thing that hath being, even the devil himfelf, is good.

And there is a moral notion of goodnefs; and that is 'two-fold:

1. More general, in oppofition to all moral evil and imperfection, which we call fin and vice; and fo the juftice, and truth, and holiness of God, are in this fenfe his goodness. But there is,

2. Another notion of moral goodness, which is more particular and reftrained; and then it denotes a particular virtue, in oppofition to a particular vice; and this is the proper and ufual acceptation of the word goodness; and the best defcription I can give of it is this, that it is a certain propenfion and difpofition of mind, whereby a perfon is inclined to defire and procure the happinefs of others; and it is beft understood by its contrary, which is an envious difpofition, a contracted and narrow fpirit, which would confine happiness to itself, and grudgeth that others fhould partake of it, or fhare in it; or, a malicious and mifchievous temper, which delights in the harms of others, and to procure trouble and mifchief to them. To communicate and lay out ourselves for the good of others, is goodnefs; and fo the Apoftle explains doing good, by communicating to others, who are in mifery, or in want. Heb. xiii. 16. But to do good, and to communicate, forget not. The Jews made a diftin&tion between a righteous and a good man; to

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