2. By the discoveries it maketh. The greatest, truest, and fullest prospect of God's goodness to mankind we have in the gospel There ' the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared,' Titus iii. 4. When God was displeased for the breach of tlie first covenant, and man had fixllen from his primitive holiness, and brought himself irreparably under guilt and a curse, the Lord took occasion by his misery to open a door of hope to us by Christ, and hath set up a new covenant of righteousness and life founded on the death of his Son, where grace taketli the throne, and the judge is Christ, and tlie rule is the gospel, and pardon and salvation is offered to all those who with a ready and thankful mind are willing to return to their obedience to God ; and God standeth with open arms to receive all those that run for refuge to this covenitnt, and take sanctuary at this grace, as willing to bestow upon them all kind of mercies and grace to help. Surely this word may well be called ' the good word of God,' Heb. vi. 5, and ' the glad tidings of good things,' Rom. x. 15, the best news that ever was brought to man's ear. Now the impress should be according to the seal ; a good religion should breed a good peoi)le. When such wonders of goodness are discovered, it should make us more ready for our duty to God and man.
[1.] To God. The love and goodness of God in Christ is the great engine of the gospel, and the great motive and encouragement to per- suade us to our duty : 2 Cor. v. 14, 15, 'For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead ; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them, and rose again.' God would be obeyed by his people, not as slaves, but as children, and
VeR. 9.] SERMONS UPON EPIIESFANS V. 263
^\•ould have the sprint]: and rise of our obedience to be love and gratitude ; .1 herefore doth he obh'ge us at so high a rate, and cany on the tenor of his grace and mercy in such an astonishing and wonderful way, that none of his commandments might be grievous to us, being_ sweetened by his love. He will be served^ not as an imperious sovereign, but as the God of love ; not with a grudging mind, but with delight and readiness ; not as doing good by force, but as encouraged wdth a deep «ense of this goodness.
[2.] To men. Surely we will imitate what we prize and esteem. No man can be thankful to God who is not merciful to his brother ; so much goodness demonstrated will breed goodness in us. When the apostle had asked a contribution to the necessities of the poor saints at Jerusalem, he useth this argument, 2 Cor. viii. 8, 9, ' I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to ]-)rove the sincerity of your love ; for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became {)Oor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.' Christians can want no motives to goodness when they consider the liberality and bounty of God to them in Christ, and those riches of grace provided for tliem. If they sincerely believe these things, they will have somewhat in their own bosoms that will strongly persuade them not to be wanting to occasions and opportunities of doing good.
3. The examples it propoundetli to our imitation, not mean and blemished ones, such as we may find among our fellow-creatures, but the high and glorious examples of God and Christ himself. There is a good God set before us, that we may not take up with any low pattern ofgoodness. He is represented to us as all goodness : Ps. cxix. 68, ' Thou art good, and doest good.' He is good in his nature, and his work is agreeable to his nature; nothin^^ is wanting to it, or defective in it. Nothing can be added to it to make it better. 'O oWo)? ov TO irpoiTov — Philo, The first being must needs be the first good. As soon as we conceive there is a God, we presently con- ceive that he is good, as being both the fountain and pattern of all the good that is iu the creatures.
[1.] As to his nature, he is originally good, good in himself, and good to others ; as the sun hath light in himself, and givetli light to Tdl other things. Essentially good ; not only good, but goodness itself Goodness in us is an accessary quality or superadded gift ; but in God it is not a quality, but his essence ; as a vessel that is gilded with gold, and a vessel tliat is all gold ; the gilding or lustre is a superadded quality ; but in a vessel all of gold, the lustre and the sub- stance is the same. God is infinitely good ; the creature's good is limited, but there is nothing to limit the perfection of God, or give it any measure. He is an ocean of goodness without banks or bottom. Alas ! what is our drop to this ocean ! God is immutably good ; his goodness can never be more or less than it is ; as there can be no addition to it, so no subtraction from it. Man in his innocency was jjeccabilis, afterward peccatpr ; but God ever was and is good. Now this is the pattern propounded to us, but his nature is a great deep. Therefore —