1. A compellation and confession of God's goodness, both in his nature and actions.
2. A petition for grace, teach me thy statutes.
First, The compellation used to God, ' Thou art good, and doest good.' Divers have been the glosses of interpreters upon these words. Aben Ezra, Bonus es non 2)&tenti, et henefacis j^etenti — thou art good to them that ask not, but surely dost good to them that ask. Others, thou art good in this world, dost good in the world to come. Others better, God is good of himself and doeth good to us. Goodness is com- municative of itself; he is good, that noteth his nature and inclination; and he doeth good, that noteth his work, whereby he giveth proof of his goodness. Unumquodque operatur secundum suam formam — every- thing acteth according to its nature. So doth God ; as is his being, so is his operation ; he is good, and doeth good ; the work must needs be answerable to the workman. The point is : —
Doct. It becometh all those that have to do with God to have a deep sense of his goodness.
1. What is God's goodness.
236 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXVII-
2. How it is manifested to us.
3. Why those that come to God should have a deep sense of it. First, What is God's goodness ? There is a threefold goodness
ascribed by divines to God : —
1. His natural goodness, which is the natural perfection of his being..
2. His moral goodness, which is the moral perfection of his being.
3. His beneficial communicative goodness, called otherwise his be- nignity, which is of chief regard in this place. Besides the perfection and excellency of his nature, there is his will and self-propension to diffuse his benefits ; the perfection of his nature is his natural and moral goodness, the other his bounty. All must be spoken to distinctly.
1. God is naturally good. There is such an absolute perfection in his nature and being, that nothing is wanting to it or defective in it, and nothing can be added to it to make it better. As Philo saith, 'O oVrtw? oiv TO irpcoTov u'yadov — the first being must needs be the first good. As soon as we conceive there is a God, we presently conceive that he is good. In this sense it is said, Mark x. 18, ' Why callest thou me good ? there is none good but one, and that is God.' He is good of himself, good in himself, yea, good itself. There is none good above him, or besides him, or beyond him ; it is all from him and in him, if it be good. He is primitively and originally good, avTu'yado^, good of himself, which nothing else is ; for all creatures are good only by participation and communication from God. He is essentially good ; not only good, but goodness itself : the creature's good is a superadded quality ; in him it is his essence. He is infintely good ; the creature's goodness is but a drop, but in God there is an infinite ocean and sea, or gathering, together of goodness. He cannot be better, he is summum honum — the chiefest good ; other things are good in subordination to him, and according to that use and proportion they bear to him. He is not good as the means, but as the end. Things good as the means are only good in order, proportion, measure, and respect ; but God is- absolutely good ; beyond God . there is nothing to be sought or aimed at ; if we enjoy him we enjoy all good to make us completely happy. He is eternally and immutably good, for he cannot be less good than he is ; as there can be no addition made to him, so no subtraction, or aught taken from him.
2. God is morally good, that is, the fountain and pattern of all that virtuous goodness which is in the creatures. So Ps. xxv. 8, ' Good and upright is the Lord ; ' and Exod. xxxiii. 19, 'He said, I will make all my goodness go before thee, and proclaim my name.' As the creature hath a natural goodness of beauty, power, dominion, wisdom, so it hath a moral goodness of purity and holiness. Accordingly we must conceive in God his holiness, purity, veracity, justice, as hi& moral perfection and goodness, as his will is the supreme pattern and fountain of all these things in the creature.
3. God is communicatively and beneficially good ; that implieth his- bounty and beneficence, or his will and self-propension to diffuse his benefits. It may be explained by these considerations : —
[1.] That God hath in him whatsoever is useful and comfortable to us. That is one notion we apprehend him by, that he is ' God all- sufi&cient,' Gen. xvii. 1, or that he hath all things at command, to do
VeR. 68.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 237
for US as our necessities shall require: Ps. Ixxxiv. 11, 'For the Lord Ood is a sun and a shield ; the Lord will give grace and glory ; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly ; ' Gen. XV. 1, 'Fear not, Abraham ; I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.' The privative and positive part is expressed in both these •places, whether we need life or comfort, or would be protected from all dangers, bodily or spiritual. Why should we seek good out of God ? Riches, i')leasures, honours might more happily be had if we could jiossess all things in God : Jer. ii. 13, ' My people have committed two great evils ; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and liewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.' God is the fountain of all those things which are necessary to give us all good and defend us from all evil. Fossidet 2Mssidentem omnia : 2 Cor. vi. 10, ' As having nothing, and yet possessing all things.'