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Evil, as much as I forbear it in Affurance that otherwise I cannot go unpunished: I am perfuaded to Repentance by the Hope of being forgiven, and justified (i. e.) by the Hope of God's Mercy, the Glory whereof is given him by that Hope. Again, God hath promised to bring me to Everlasting Happinefs, if I perfevere in the doing of what he commands, therefore I do not fee it poffible for me to obey, with Intention of obtaining that Happiness, without believing his Promife, and acknowledging his Truth and Faithfulness who has promifed, Finally, thefe Principles of Motion feem to be infeparable from that of Charity, or defigning the Good of others, with which, as the Apoftle fays, all our Things are to be done, For no Man that is awakened into a Senfe of his own Salvation can be unconcerned for his Brother, nor can any Man defign the Glory of God who is indifferent whether God be glorified by others or not. In fhort, these Principles of Motion are distinct from one another, but they cannot be divided.

Therefore I acknowledge it to be necessary that all our Doings be good by every one of thefe Ends and Principles, by Faith, by Conscience, by Piety, by Charity; for where one of these is wanting, fomething is wanting that is effential to the Goodness of a Man, and without which it is impoffi

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ble to please God, and this whether we confider the Nature of the Things themselves, the want of any of them implying great Degeneracy and Viciousness of Mind, or whether we confider the Law of God, which requires all.

But then however the Question, whether one of these Principles or Ends will fanctify a good Work without the reft, is of no Use, and needless to be made, because these are fo chained one to another, that they cannot be divided; and therefore he that does the thing that is good out of Faith, believing in God, and expecting his Rewards, is the good Man, whofe Intention is pure in all Refpects.

Neither ought we to enquire fcrupulously which of thefe Ends hath the ftrongest Influence upon our Minds, for one doth infer another, the Prefence of one improves the other, and if any one happens to be the leading and predominant Principle, tho' it fhould not happen to raise up the rest to an equal Height with it felf, yet it doth not make the good Works thence proceeding unacceptable to God, and that for this plain Reafon, because God hath no where fet them one against another, but laid them all before us, and required us to take them all into the reafon of our Actions. You are therefore to observe, that these good Ends are fhewn us, are taught us, in Competiti

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on with all corrupt and worldly Ends of Actions outwardly religious, not in Competition with one another; they are defigned to exclude Covetoufnefs, Vain-glory and Senfuality, from being any way the Principles of our External Religion, but not that any one of them fhould interfere with and weaken the reft; and therefore our Care fhould be to exclude, as much as poffible, all Carnal Ends, because they are contrary to the other, but not to weaken any of the Religious Ends, for they do not hinder, but promote each other.

Indeed altho' one Principle of truly religious Intention infers all the reft, yet for the better fecuring, and in order to the perfecting a fincere Intention in the general, it is highly profitable, and for the most part very necellary, that we should by frequent Confideration lay all thofe Ends before our felves, by the propounding of which the Intention is made fincere, that is, that we fhould often, and that with Deliberation, propound to our felves the keeping of a good Confcience, the maintaining of our Maker's Honour, and the fecuring of our own Salvation, and the doing of Good in the World, as the End of our Being and Life, and as the great Measure by which we are to direct and govern all our Actions. This we ought, I fay, to lay before our felves, with renewed Purpose and Refolution to make

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these the Guides and End of our acting, then especially when we are either entring upon the folemn Acts of Religion, or about to engage in any Business where there is great Temptation to Vain-glory, or Covetousness, or to any other inordinate Affection. And by this Means the greater and more remarkable Paffages of our Lives will not only be fanctified, by an actual intending hereby Purity of Confcience, God's Glo. ry, our own Soul's Salvation at laft, and others Good, but the more common Actions of our Life will become holy by fuch an habitual good Intention.

After all, it must be acknowledged that there is one Principle of fincere Intention, which in it felf is more excellent than the reft, and in the Improvement whereof in our felves our greatest Perfection stands, and that is CHARITY, which comprehends the Love of God and Man. For the Goodnefs of God, I may fafely fay, is the most Divine Perfection of his Nature, and therefore the Love of his Goodness is the best Quality in ours, and the most Divine Principle of Virtue, and the most effectual Cause of loving and doing Good to others, in Imitation of his Goodness; and therefore this Principle of well-doing is more infifted upon in the Gospel than any other, and to this we should have a particular Regard, in endeavouring to fix our felves upon a fincere

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Intention

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Intention, and that by a frequent Confideration of the infinite Goodness of God to us, and to all Mankind, by recounting to our felves as many as we can of those innumerable Obligations, for which we are indebted to his Bounty, to his Patience, his Mercy, his wife and good Providence; for this way we fhall not fail to fhed abroad the Love of God in our Hearts, and therewith the Refemblance of his Goodness, which stands in a strong Difpofition to do what Good we can in the World.

And so much shall be fufficient to be spoken of the Four General Ends of well-doing required in the Gospel, and of their including one another,

2. There are alfo more Particular Ends of doing what is good, and they are fuch as peculiarly relate, and are proper to the particular kinds of well-doing. For Instance: Prayer is not only to be made for the general Reason, as being a Religious Action in the general, but it is to be used also as it is a Means of obtaining God's Grace for my self and others, and therefore that, and fuch like Ends, are to influence my Intention. So when I faft upon a Religious Account, I am to intend the mortifying of a Luft, or chaftifing my felf for fome Fault or Faults, or for the quickning of Devotion, or rather for all thefe Ends together. So in giving Alms, I must be moved by Compaffion

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