WH

DOING GOOD

HEN Almighty God designed the reformation of the world, and the restoring of man to the image of God, the pattern after which he was first made, He did not. think it enough to give us the most perfect laws of holiness and virtue, but hath likewise set before us a living pattern,1 and a familiar example to excite and encourage us, to go before us and show us the way, and as it were to lead us by the hand, in the obedience of those laws. Such is the sovereign authority of God over men, that He might, if He had pleased, have only given us a law written with His own hand, as he did to the people of Israel from Mount Sinai; but such is His goodness that He had sent a great ambassador from heaven to us, "God manifested in the flesh," to declare and interpret His will and pleasure, and not only so, but to fulfil that law Himself, the observation whereof He requires of us. The bare rules of a good life are a very dead and ineffectual thing in comparison of a living example, which shows us the possibility and practicableness of our duty, both that it may be done and how to do it. Religion, indeed, did always consist in an imitation of God, and in our resemblance of those excellences which shine forth in the best and most perfect being; but we may imitate Him now with much greater ease and advantage, since God was pleased to become man, on purpose to show us how men may become like to God. And this is one great end for which the Son of God came into the world, and was made flesh, and dwelt among us," and conversed so long and familiarly with mankind, that, in His own person and life, He might give us the example of all that holiness and virtue which His laws require of us. And as He was in nothing liker the Son of God than in being and doing good, so is He in nothing a fitter pattern for our imitation than in that "Who went about doing good" (Acts x. 38).

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excellent character given of Him here in the text, that " He went about doing good."

Our Saviour's great work and business in the world, which was to do good; who employed Himself in being a benefactor to mankind. This refers more especially to His healing the bodily diseases and infirmities of men-“ God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil," intimating to us, by this instance of His doing good, that He who took so much pains to rescue men's bodies from the power and possession of the devil, would not let souls remain under his tyranny. But though the text instances, though only in one particular, yet this general expression of doing good comprehends all those several ways whereby he was beneficial to mankind.

His great work and business in the world was to do good; the most pleasant and delightful, the most happy and glorious work in the world. It is a work of a large extent, and of a universal influence, and comprehends in it all those ways whereby we may be useful and beneficial to one another. And indeed it were pity that so good a thing should be confined within narrow bounds and limits. It reacheth to the souls of men, and to their bodies; and is conversant in all those ways and kinds whereby we may serve the temporal or spiritual good of our neighbor, and promote his present and his future happiness.

By good instruction; and under instruction I comprehend all the means of bringing men to the knowledge of their duty, and exciting them to the practice of it, by instructing their ignorance, and removing their prejudices, and rectifying their mistakes by persuasion and by proofs, and by making lasting provision for the promoting of these ends.

By instructing men's ignorance; and this is a duty which every man owes to another as he hath opportunity, but especially to those who are under our care and charge-our children and servants and near relations, those over whom we have a special authority, and a more immediate influence. This our blessed Saviour made His great work in the world, to instruct all sorts of persons in the things which concern the kingdom of God, and to direct them in the way to eternal happiness; by public teaching, and by private conversation, and by taking

occasion, from the common occurrences of human life, and every object that presented itself to him, to instil good counsel unto men, and to raise their minds to the consideration of divine and heavenly things; and though this was our Saviour's great employment, and is theirs more particularly whose office it is to teach others, yet every man hath private opportunities of instructing others, by admonishing them of their duty, and by directing them to the best means and helps of knowledge, such as books of piety and religion, with which they that are rich may furnish those who are unable to provide for themselves.

And then by removing men's prejudices against the truth, and rectifying their mistakes. This our Saviour found very difficult; the generality of those with whom He had to do being strongly prejudiced against Him and His doctrine by false principles, which they had taken in by education, and been trained up to by their teachers; and therefore He used a great deal of meekness in instructing those that opposed themselves, and exercised abundance of patience in bearing with the infirmities of men, and their dulness and slowness of capacity to receive the truth.

And this is great charity to consider the inveterate prejudices of men, especially those which are rooted in education, and which men are confirmed in by the reverence they bear to those that have been their teachers. And great allowance is to be given to men in this case, and time to bethink themselves, and to consider better, for no man that is in an error thinks he is so; and therefore, if we go violently to rend their opinions from them, they will but hold them so much the faster; but if we have patience to unrip them by degrees, they will at last fall in pieces of themselves.

And when this is done, the way is open for counsel and persuasion. And this our Saviour administered in a most powerful and effectual manner by encouraging men to repentance, and by representing to them the infinite advantages of obeying His laws, and the dreadful and dangerous consequences of breaking them. And these are arguments fit to work upon mankind, because there is something within us that consents to the equity and reasonableness of God's laws. So that, whenever we persuade men to their duty, how backward soever they may be to the practice of it, being strongly addicted to a contrary course,

yet we have this certain advantage, that we have their consciences and the most inward sense of their minds on our side, bearing witness that what we counsel and persuade them to is for their good.

And, if need be, we must add reproof to counsel. This our Saviour did with great freedom, and sometimes with sharpness and severity, according to the condition of the persons he had to deal withal. But because of His great authority, being a teacher immediately sent from God, and of His intimate knowledge of the hearts of men, He is not a pattern to us in all the circumstances of discharging this duty, which, of any other, requires great prudence and discretion, if we intend to do good, the only end to be aimed at in it: for many are fit to be reproved, whom yet every man is not fit to reprove; and in that case we must get it done by those that are fit; and great regard must be had to the time and other circumstances of doing it, so as it may most probably have its effect.

I will mention but one way of instruction more, and that is by making lasting provision for that purpose; as, by founding schools of learning, especially to teach the poor to read, which is the key of knowledge; by building of churches, and endowing them; by buying or giving in impropriations, or the like. These are large and lasting ways of teaching and instructing others, which will continue when we are dead and gone; as it is said of Abel, that "being dead, he yet speaks." And this our Saviour virtually did, by appointing His apostles, after He had left the world, to "go and teach all nations "; and ordering a constant succession of teachers in His Church, to instruct men in the Christian religion, together with an honorable maintenance for them. This we cannot do in the way that He did, who had "all power in heaven and earth "; but we may be subservient to this design in the ways that I have mentioned, which I humbly commend to the consideration of those whom God hath blest with great estates, and made capable of effecting such great works of charity.

Another way of doing good to the souls of men is by good example. And this our blessed Saviour was in the utmost perfection; for He " fulfilled all righteousness, had no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." And this we should endeavor to be, as far as the frailty of our nature and imperfection of our

present state will suffer; for good example is an unspeakable benefit to mankind, and hath a secret power and influence upon those with whom we converse, to form them into the same disposition and manners. It is a living rule that teacheth man without trouble, and lets them see their faults without open reproof and upbraiding; besides that, it adds great weight to a man's counsel and persuasion when we see that he advises nothing but what he does, nor exacts anything from others from which he himself deserves to be excused; as, on the contrary, nothing is more cold and insignificant than good counsel from a bad man; one that does not obey his own precepts, nor follow the advice of which he is so forward to give to others.

These are the several ways of doing good to the souls of men, wherein we, who are the disciples of the blessed Jesus, ought, in imitation of His example, to exercise ourselves according to our several capacities and opportunities. And this is the noblest charity and the greatest kindness that can be shown to human nature. It is in the most excellent sense to "give eyes to the blind, to set the prisoners at liberty"; to rescue men out of the saddest slavery and captivity, and to save souls from death. And it is the most lasting and endurable benefit, because it is to do men good to all eternity.

The other way of being beneficial to others is procuring their temporal good, and contributing to their happiness in this present life. And this, in subordination to our Saviour's great design of bringing men to eternal happiness, was a great part of His business and employment in this world. He went about healing all manner of diseases, and rescuing the bodies of men from the power and possession of the devil.

And though we cannot be beneficial to men in that miraculous manner that He was, yet we may be so in the use of ordinary means. We may comfort the afflicted and vindicate the oppressed, and do a great many acts of charity, which our Saviour by reason of His poverty, could not do without a miracle. We may supply the necessities of those that are in want, "feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, and visit the sick," and minister to them such comforts and remedies as they are not able to provide for themselves. We may take a child that is poor, and destitute of all advantages of education, and bring him up in the knowledge and fear of God, and without any great expense put