There is no Man, but God hath put many excellent things into his poffeffion, to be used, improved and managed by him for the common Good and Intereft for Men are made for Society and mutual Fellowship. We are not born for our felves alone, but every other Man hath fome Right and Interest in us; and as no Man can live happily in this World without the Help and Affiftance of others, fo neither is any Man exempted or privileged from being in his place fome way beneficial to others.

It is with Men in this World, as with the Parts of the Body Natural. It is St. Paul's comparison, I Cor. 12. the Body confifts of divers Members, which neither have the fame Dignity and Honour, nor the fame Ufe and Office; but every Part hath its proper Ufe and Function, whereby it becomes ferviceable to the whole Body and if any one part fails, or is ill affected, the whole fuffers for it, and the meanest part is neceffary for the good of the whole; fo that the Eye cannot Jay to the Hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the Head to the Feet, I have no need of you. Thus hath God diftributed feveral Gifts among the Sons of Men, or they by God's Bleffing upon their Industry acquire particular Art, Skill and Experience, fome in one thing, fome in another, none in all; fo that it is impossible, but that every Man muft want fomething for the Conveniency of his Life, for which he

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must be obliged to others: upon which account it is most highly reasonable that he alfo himself fhould fome way oblige and serve others.

But befides this there are many special Favours and Advantages that fome Men enjoy above others, which alfo are defign'd for the common Good and Benefit. It is plain that there is a very great Inequality among Men, both as to the internal Endowments of their Minds, and their external Conditions in this Life. Many more Talents are committed to fome Perfons than to others; but yet we greatly mistake when we think them given us merely for our own fakes, to ferve our own turns, and for the fatisfaction of our own private Appetites and Defires, without any refpect to other Men. No, at the best they are but depofited with us in truft; the more we enjoy of them, the greater Charge we have upon our hands, and the more plentiful Returns God doth juftly expect from us: for unto whomsoever much is given, faith our Saviour, of him shall be much required.

This ought efpecially to be confidered by all thofe, who by reafon of the Eminency of their Qualities and Dignities, and by their Superiority above others, have vaft Authority over them; whofe Sphere is large and Influence great, who have many Dependents that court their favour, and whofe intereft it is to obferve and please them: What infinite good may

fuch

fuch do in the World, efpecially by their Example ?

5. Doing good is the main and most subftantial part of Christian Religion, the most acceptable Sacrifice we can offer, or Service we can perform to God; and therefore do we fo often find in Scripture all Religion fumm'd up as it were in this one thing, it being the best Expreffion of our Duty towards God, and either formally containing or naturally producing all our Duty towards our Neighbour; whence this is faid to be the fulfilling of the whole Law. It is not enough that we give to every Man what is due to him. His Religion is but very little, and of a narrow Compafs, who is only just; nay, he that is rigidly fo in all Cafes, hath no Religion at all. That I have wronged no Man, will be a poor Plea or Apology at the laft Day for it is not for Rapine or Injury, for pillaging or cozening their Neighbours, that Men, at the laft Day, are formally impeached and finally condemned; but I was an hungry, and ye gave me no Meat; I was a Stranger, and ye took me not in: you neglected to do that Good which you had Power and Opportunity to do.

Some Men are fo taken up with their Courses of Piety and Devotion, that they have no time to do much good. If they be but temperate and juft, and come frequently to Church, and conftantly perform the Duties of God's Worship; this they hope will carry C 4

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them to Heaven, tho they are notoriously covetous and uncharitable, and hardly ever do any good Office for their Neighbours or Brethren. Some again there are who pretend to be of a more fpiritual and refined Religion, fpend their time in Contemplation, and talk much of Communion with God, but look upon this way of ferving God by doing good as a lower Attainment, and inferior Difpenfation fuitable to Children and Novices in Religion; and think that they are excufed from thefe mean Duties: and yet read over the Life of the best Man that ever lived, the Founder of our Faith and Religion, and you cannot but confess what I have already fhewn you, that the great thing he was most exemplary and illuftrious for, was his unwearied Readiness to help and oblige all Men; he went about doing good. And it is a Scandal raised on our Church, that we do not hold the Neceffity of good Works in order to Salvation, but truft wholly to Faith; for we hold and teach them to be as neceffary as Papifts themselves can or do, but then we fay they are accepted by God only for the fake of Jefus Christ.

6. And lastly, Nothing hath greater Rewards annexed to it than doing good, and that both in this Life and that which is to come.

I have time now but juft to mention to you fome few of thofe Benefits and Advantages that do either naturally flow from it, or

by

by God's gracious Promife are annexed to

it.

To do good with what we enjoy, is the moft certain way to procure God's Bleffing upon all we have; it doth entitle us to his more fpecial Care and Protection. Trust in the Lord, faith David, and be doing good, fo fhalt thou dwell in the Land, and verily thou shalt be fed. The divine Goodness cannot but be mightily pleas'd to see Men, so far as they are able, imitating it felf, and following the Example of God's Benignity.

For every good Office we do to other Men, we have fomething to plead with God Almighty, to engage him to beftow upon us what we want or defire; not by way of Merit or Defert, but God himself graciously becom ing our Debtor, takes what is done to o thers in fuch cases as done to himself, and by promise obliges himself to full Retaliation.

By this means we provide against an evil Day that which will mightily fupport us under all the Troubles and Afflictions that may happen to us in this Life; our good Works will attend us and stand by us at the Hour of Death, as I have already hinted to you; nay farther, our good Works will appear and plead for us before God's Tribunal, and will procure us, for the fake of Jefus Chrift, at the hands of our merciful God, a glorious Recompence at the Refurrection of the Juft: for at the laft and final Reckoning, when all Mens Actions fhall be scann'd and judged, the great King

fhall