the greatest and best men; our services may be overlooked or misreprefented; or partial favour may confer on others the rewards, which we have deferved. And the best things, which their warmest affection can give, are inconfiderable and momentary. Whereas if we are fincerely devoted to the fervice of God, if we honestly strive to improve our minds in virtue and piety, and to do good in our stations; he who fees the heart knows and approves our fincerity. And as his treasures are infinite, and his goodness and dominion everlasting; he will caufe us to feel the effects of his gracious acceptance, and unchanging benignity, in our everlasting felicity. And of this we are as fure, as that the God who hath formed us to difcern the excellence, and approve the beauty of benevolence, must himself difcern and approve thefe; and the God who hath formed us to defire and delight in the good of others, hath in himself an infinitely larger fund of benevolence, than he hath communicated to us, and to all the millions of mankind.

This view also of the goodness of God fhould regulate our expectations from him.

The goodness, which hath been proved to be a divine perfection, is not, you must have obferved, a blind undiftinguishing fondness, or an unguided propenfity to communicate good alike to all; whether deferving or undeferving, grateful or ungrateful. It is the benevolence of the wifeft, as well as the best of fathers and fovereigns; who communicates happiness to his rational creatures, according to their improvement of the moral abilities which he hath given them. We must be reverent, grateful and fubmiffive to our heavenly Father, and equitable kind and beneficent to our fellow creatures, children of the fame parent; if we would be treated by him as approved and beloved children. We must cultivate the noble powers which he hath given us, and establish a difpofition for the fatisfactions of knowledge, goodness and devotion; if we would be fixed by his favour in a state, wherein the compleat poffeffion of thefe fatisfactions will make us fully and for ever happy. For the fame reason that God is good, and kind and equitable, he will be difpleafed with his rational creatures, who have contracted oppofite difpofitions, with the felfish, uncompaffionate, inhuman, un

just,

juft, malicious, and revengeful; with all, who instead of loving goodness and delighting in beneficence, delight in vexing and injuring those with whom they are conversant; or, who giving themselves up to mean inclinations, incapacitate themselves for the noble fatisfactions which he defigned for their happiness,

Let none therefore indulge a hope, that they can be objects of the divine complacency, till their temper and conduct are such as a most wife, as well as benevolent Being, can approve. Let none hope to enjoy a bleffedness arifing out of the perfection of their nature, but after a diligent cultivation of their rational and moral powers; and in confequence of that prevailing purity, righteoufness, charity and devotion; which, according to the constitution of our nature, prepare us to enjoy the perfection of bleffednefs to eternity in the perfection of these difpofitions. This is the order established with regard to moral agents, by their most wise and good Creator. We must deferve well, if we would fare well; and be fuited in our

* Revelations iii. 4.
E 3

tempers

*

tempers to a rational and divine felicity, if we would enjoy it. From this order he will never deviate, and all hopes built on the contrary fuppofition must end in confufion and defpair. Without holiness no man shall fee the Lord. Let our hopes therefore cherish and establish the love of God, and of goodness in our hearts, and they will never make us ashamed ; but be greatly exceeded by the benignity of our heavenly Father; and confummated in our final perfection and fe licity. Amen!

Hebrews xii. 14.

+ Romans v. 5.

SERMON

SERMON III.

The Goodness of God, as Creator, illuftrated in various Inftances.

PSALM CXlV. 9.

The Lord is good to all, and his tender mer▾ cies are over all his works..

F

ROM the defcription and proof of thẻ
Divine Goodness, our method leads us,

III. To illuftrate it, by directing your thoughts to an attentive confideration of fome of the principal inftances of the goodnefs of the Deity, which come within the reach of our observation; and justify us in concluding, that his tender mercies are over all his works. Let us in this inquiry follow the common divifion of the works of God, as Creator, Preferver, and Redeemer; and obferve and admire his goodness displayed in them all.