any influence upon our Minds; he hath deterred us from the Violation of his Laws, by affixing to it the most severe and terrible Punments. If Hope can excite us; he hath given to us an infallible affurance of more than we can conceive. If Love can affect us; he hath obliged us by the greatest Benefits. Laftly, If Reafon and the fenfe of our Duty, if Rewards and Punishments, if Favours and Benefits can together engage us; he hath united all in one moft holy and excellent Religion.

And in this appears the wonderful Goodness of God; that whereas any one of these Methods were alone fufficient to oblige Mankind to the practice of our Duty, he hath chofe to employ them all; that fo that Attribute of Mercy, wherein he most delights, might be more confpicuous; and the impenitence of Mankind in oppofition to it, might not only become irrational, but even monftrous. It had been fufficient, as to the Obligation of it, to have proposed a reasonable Religion, without annexing to it any Rewards or Punishments: We had been obliged by the Laws of Creation to embrace and practice it, to obey the Dictates of Reason, that by obeying them we might have procured the perfection of our Nature.

Many Duties do arife from the Confideration of our Nature, and that Relation which we bear to God and the whole World, which would not have ceased to oblige us, although no Revelation had been made unto us. Or if it had pleafed God to re-inforce thefe Duties by a particular Revelation; yet was it not neceffary, that he should entail any Rewards on the per

formance

formance of them, as being parts of our Duty antecedently to any fuch Revelation.

If he had required of us more than was naturally fuggefted to us by the light of Reason, even the most difficult and laborious Duties, he might justly have done it, by the right of Creation, as being the Author of our Being. It had been a fufficient Reward to Mankind, to have received from God the benefit of Existence, and the Continuation of it, and to enjoy the ordinary effects of his Providence. If to these he had added Threats and Punishments, he might reafonably be fuppofed to have abundantly fecured Mankind from the neglect of his Commands; fince none but the most stupid and brutal Perfons would, for the Frution of a few, not only irrational, but trifling Vanities, incur the difpleafure of an Almighty Being, and draw upon themselves the Effects of his Vengeance. Or if to Actions in themselves indifferent, and not in the leaft contributing to the perfection of our Nature, Ations having nothing extraordinary in them, befide the greatness of their Difficulty,he had adjoyned a Promise of infinite Rewards; yet could we not have omitted them without the highest degree of Folly: When the performance of them might procure fo vaft a Reward; the fole hopes of which might induce us to force our Inclinations, and do violence to our Nature.

But when to the common Benefits of Creation and Preservation, he hath added the Revelation of Divine Truths, and adapted thofe Revelations to the Capacity and Imperfection of our Nature; when he hath urged the Prac

K 3

rife

tise of these revealed Truths, by the Promise of Reward on the one fide, and the Threats of Punishment on the other: And, as if all this were not fufficient, proceeds to heap new Favours on us; intreats us as a Friend, bears with us as a Father, and by Prodigies of Mercy leads us to our own Happinefs; we must profefs our felves aftonished and confounded at fo ftupendious a Goodness; and acknowledge our felves unable to celebrate, as we ought, the Mercy of God; who when he might have fatisfied both the Juftice and Holiness of his Nature, by requiring of us the performance of the greatest Duties without any Reward, or proportioned his Reward to the imperfection of our Service, or propofed both Rewards and Duties, without adding continued A&ts of Mercy and Forgiveness; yet contributed all to the Happiness of Mankind, and thereby made the Emanation of his Goodness, to be no lefs infinite than his Nature, the Fountain of them: Who when it was fufficient alone to manifeft the Juftice of his proceeding, to appeal even to the Judgment of Mankind, as he did fometime in the Prophet, Are not my ways equal,are not your ways unequal? O boufe of Ifrael; chofe rather to conquer us by Kindness, and by the greatnefs of his Goodness lead us to Repentance.

By the Goodness of God, in this place, we are not fo much to understand that incommunicable Attribute of perfect Holinefs; upon account of which our Saviour faid, Matth. xix. 17. There is none good but one, that is God: As his Kindness and Benignity, which inclines him to exercife Acts of Beneficence, Love and Mer

cy;

cy; which is frequently in Scripture called by the Name of Goodness, as Pfalm lxxiii. 1. Truly God is good unto Ifrael, even unto fuch as are of a clean heart: And again, Pfalm cxlv.9. The Lord is good to all, and his tender Mercies are over all his works: Where his Goodness is aptly expressed by the Tenderness of his Mercy.

The former Attribute indeed representeth God to Mankind, as a fit object of Worship and Adoration; and inciteth brave and generous Souls to the exercise of Vertue, that fo they may attain a nearer Similitude and Conformity to their Creator; the imitation of whom is their utmost perfection. But the latter chiefly creates in us that Love of God, which is the best and most efficacious Principle of all religious Actions; by representing to us his infinite Affection to Mankind,his benefactive Nature,and proneness to Acts of Mercy and Compaffion; which even although we forget our Duty,and neglect our Intereft,cannot but excite a lively Senfe of Gratitude in us, and a profound Veneration of the Divine Mercy.

This Beneficence and Indulgence of God, i defigned in the Text by the Term Goodness, Οι τὸ χρησὸν : An eminent inftance of which the Apoftle had laid down in the former part of this Verfe, in that and aneduría, Forbearance and Long-fuffering, whereby God does not immediately inflict the deferved Punishments upon Sinners, but with-holds his Anger, and patiently awaits their Repentance; whereby he does not presently revenge the Injuries and Affronts done to his Laws and Perfon by the Sins of Mankind, but compaffioK4

nates

nates our Nature; and at all times referveth Mercy for penitent Sinners. An Attribute than which nothing can render God more amiable and dear unto us,or more effectually fecure our Obedience to him; were not the Perverfeness of Mankind no less infinite than his Goodness.

Yet did many in that Age, and, as I fear, more in our Times, make a contrary use of this Goodness, by thence taking encouragement to continue in their Sins, because they fee not Vengeance to be speedily executed, and experience in themselves and others the Forbearance and Long-fuffering of God. The Apostle complains of these Men in the former Part of the Verfe, That they defpifed the riches of the goodnefs, forbearance and long-fuffering of God; and from thefe Attributes infers a contrary Conclufion to what they had formed, namely, That this ought rather to difpofe us to Repentance and Reformation of Life,by enforcing all other Arguments of our Duty with a powerful Obligation of Gratitude: Which is violated in a molt enormous Manner, by those who abufed the divine Mercy to a contrary intent, Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth us to repentance.

In handling thefe Words, I fhall endeavour to illuftrate and improve the Apostle's Argument, by confidering it, as well in Relation to that Influence, which it ought to have upon all our Actions in general, as in difpofing us to this Duty of Repentance in particular. In Difcourfing of the firft Head, I will lay down these two Propofitions.

I. That Gratitude, or a right Senfe of our

Obli