nal Life, and the Way to it, are Vol. VII. clearly discover'd to us. God is pleafed to enter into a New and better Covenant with us, and to afford us inward grace and affiftance, to enable us to perform the Conditions of it; and graciously to accept of our Faith and Repentance, of our fincere Refolutions and Endeavours of Holinefs and Obedience, for Perfect and Compleat Righteousness, for his fake who fullfilled all righteousness. This is the great and amazing goodness of God to Mankind, that when we were in open Rebellion against him, he should entertain thoughts of Peace and Reconciliation; and when he paft by the fall'n Angels, he should fet his Affection and Love upon the finful and miferable Sons of Men. And herein is the love of God to men perfected, that as he hath made all Creatures, both above us, and below us, fubfervient and inftrumental to our fubfiftence and prefervation, fo, for the ranfom of our Souls from eternal Ruin and Mifery, he hath not spared his own Son, but hath given him up to death for us; him, whom he hath commanded all the Angels Angels of God to worship, and to Vol. VII! whom he hath made fubject all Creatures in Heaven and Earth; Him, who made the World, and who upholds all things by the word of his power, who is the brightness of his Glory, and the express Image of his Perfon. And after fuch a ftupendious Inftance as this, what may we not reafonably hope for, and promife our felves from the Divine Goodness! So the Apostle hath taught us to reafon, Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how fball he not with him also freely give us all things? Vol. VII. SERMON III. The Goodness of God. PSAL. CXLV. 9. The Lord is Good to all, and his tender I 'N handling this Argument, I proceeded in this Method, First, To confider what is the proper Notion of Goodness. Secondly, To fhew that this Perfe tion of Goodness belongs to God. Thirdly, I confidered the Effects of the Divine Goodnefs under these Heads. I. The universal Extent of it, in the number, variety, order, end, and defign of the things created by him, and his prefervation and providing for the welfare and happiness of them. II. I confidered more particularly Vol. VII the Goodness of God to Mankind, of which I gave thefe four Inftances. 1. That he hath given us fuch noble Beings, and placed us in fo high a rank and order of his Creatures. 2. In that he hath made and ordained so many things chiefly for us. 3. In that he exerciseth fo peculiar a Providence over us above the rest, that tho he is said to be good to all, he is only faid to love the Sons of Men. 4. In that he hath provided for us eternal Life and Happiness. There only now remains the Fourth and last particular to be fpoken to, which was to answer fome Objections which may feem to contradict and bring in question the Goodnefs of God; and they are many, and have (fome of them efpecially) great difficulty in them, and therefore it will require great confideration and care, to give a clear and fatisfactory anfwer to them, which undoubtedly they are capable of; the Goodness of God being one of the most certain and unquestionable Truths in the World. I fhall mention those which are most con |