11. Consider how abundantly they are commanded and commended in the word of God. Christ himself hath given us the pattern of his own life, which from his first moral actions to his last, was nothing but doing good and bearing evil. He made love the fulfilling of the law, and the works of love the genuine fruits of christianity, and an acceptable sacrifice to God. Gal. vi. 10, "As we have opportunity let us do good to all men, especially to them of the household of faith." Heb. xiii. 10, "To do good and communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Tit. iii. 8, "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou constantly affirm, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works: these things are good and profitable to men." Eph. ii. 10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Tit. ii. 14, "To purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Acts xx. 35, "That so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Eph. iv. 28, "Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." You see poor labourers are not excepted from the command of helping others: insomuch that the first church sold all their possessions, and had all things common; not to teach levelling and condemn propriety, but to show all after them that christian love should use all to relieve their brethren as themselves.
12. Consider that God will in a special manner judge us at the last day according to our works, and especially our works of charity: as in Matt. xxv. Christ hath purposely and plainly showed; and so doth many another text of Scripture. These are the motives to works of love.
_Quest._ II. What is a good work, even such as God hath promised to reward?
_Answ._ 1. The matter must be lawful, and not a sin. 2. It must tend to a good effect, for the benefit of man, and the honour of God. 3. It must have a good end; even the pleasing and glory of God, and the good of ourselves and others. 4. It must come from a right principle, even from the love of God, and of man for his sake. 5. It must be pure and unmixed: if any sin be mixed with it, it is sinful so as to need a pardon: and if sin be predominant in it, it is so far sinful as to be unacceptable to God, in respect to the person, and is turned into sin itself. 6. It must be in season; or else it may sometimes be mixed with sin, and sometimes be evil itself and no good work. 7. It must be comparatively good as well as simply. It must not be a lesser good instead of a greater, or to put off a greater; as to be praying when we should be quenching a fire, or saving a man's life. 8. It must be good in a convenient degree. Some degrees are necessary to the moral being of a good work, and some to the well-being. God must be loved and worshipped as God, and heaven sought as heaven, and men's souls and lives must be highly prized and seriously preserved: some sluggish doing of good is but undoing it. 9. It must be done in confidence of the merits of Christ, and presented to God as by his hands, who is our Mediator and Intercessor with the Father.
_Quest._ III. What works of charity should one choose in these times, who would improve his Master's talents to his most comfortable account?
_Answ._ The diversity of men's abilities and opportunities, make that to be best for one man which is impossible to another.[173] But I shall name some that are in themselves most beneficial to mankind, that every man may choose the best which he can reach to.