Carm. Py

Hier. Da

masc.

ber God; as a ground of fearing God, and an in- SERM. ducement to believe his providence. For those and LXIX. many such purposes, to bring upon men things distasteful to sense may be very requisite; nor doth the doing it anywise prejudice the truth of divine goodness, but rather confirms it, commends it, and advances its just esteem. It would be a fond indulgence, not a wise kindness; a cruel, rather than a loving pity, to deal otherwise. In fine, we are to Wisd. i. 12. consider that all the mischiefs we undergo, God thag. Cyril. doth not so much bring them on us as we do pull them on ourselvesh. They are αυθαίρετα πήματα, affected, or self-chosen mischiefs; they are Kakà βλαστήματα προαιρέσεως, bad sprouts of our free choice, as a Father calls them; they are, as another Father saith, ἑκουσίων κακῶν ἀκούσια ἔκγονα, the unwilling of springs of wilful evils; they are the certain results of our own will, or the natural fruits of our actions; actions, which (however God desire, advise, command, persuade, entreat, excite) we do will, we are resolved to perform. We in a manner, as Salvian saith', do force God to do whatever he doeth in this kind; violently plucking down vengeance on our own heads; compelling the kind and merciful Lord, against his nature and will, to afflict us; not so much as giving him leave to spare us. God Miseros vehemently disclaims himself to be the original juranti Deo cause; to design, (according to absolute or primary intention,) to desire, to delight in our grief, or our

* Πάντα κινεῖ καὶ πραγματεύεται ὁ Θεὸς, ὥστε ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάξαι και λάσεως, καὶ τιμωρίας. Chrys. tom. viii. p. 1oo.

i Nos vim Deo facimus iniquitatibus nostris; nos nolentem ulcisci cogimus. Deus enim pius et misericors est, et qui neminem velit perire, vel lædere, &c. Salv. lib. 5. et 8.

nos si nec

credimus.

Hier.

30. xxxiii.

SERM. ruin. As I live, saith the Lord, (and surely when LXIX. God swears, we may believe that he is very serious,) Ezek. xviii. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. I Deut. xxx. call heaven to record this day against you, that I have set life and death before you: therefore Lam..33. choose life. He doth not afflict willingly, nor

IJ.

19.

xiv. 1.

grieve the children of men. He would have all men

to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the Wisd. i. 13. truth. He would not have any perish, but that all should come to repentance. He made not death, nor hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living. God then, if we may believe him, is not the first author of our calamities. Who then? He tells us Hos. xiii. 9. himself: O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself: Jer. v. 25. thou hast fallen by thine own iniquity. Your sins Isa. Ixiv. 6. have withholden good things from you. Our iniMatt. xxiii. quities, like the wind, have taken us away. How often would I have gathered you, but ye would not! The designs and the endeavours of God do tend to our welfare and salvation; it is our will and our actions which only procure our ruin: It is we, that, Wisd. i. 12. as the Wise Man saith, seek death in the error of our life, and pull upon our own selves destruction.

37.

So that, to conclude this part of our discourse, even those passages of providence, which at first glimpse appear most opposite or disadvantageous to the goodness of God, (or to our opinion and belief concerning it,) do, being well sifted, nowise prejudice it, but rather serve to corroborate and magnify it.

St. Chrysostom in divers places doth insist upon the goodness of God in making and threatening hell itself.

Τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἔλαττον, ἡ τῆς γεέννης ἀπειλὴ δείκνυ ἀγαθότητα, &c. ̓Ανδρ. ζ'.

αὐτοῦ τὴν

LXIX.

I shall only further briefly touch (or rather but SERM. mention) the uses and effects, to the producing which, the consideration of God's goodness, in so manifold ways declared, should be applied.

1. It should beget in us hearty love and reverence toward God, in regard to this attribute so excellent and amiable in itself, so beneficial and advantageous to us. What can we esteem, what can we love, if so admirable goodness doth not affect us? How prodigiously cold and hard is that heart, which cannot be warmed and softened into affection by so melting a consideration!

2. It should produce, as grateful sense in our hearts, so real endeavours of thankful obedience in our lives. It should make us walk worthy of God, Col. i. 10. to all well-pleasing, bringing forth fruit in every good work; taking heed of doing as did Hezekiah,

of whom it is said, that he rendered not according 2 Chron. xxxii. 25. to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore was wrath upon him; that we may not have that expostulation justly applied unto us, Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and Deut.xxxii. unwise?

6.

3. It should engage us the more to fear God; complying with the prophet's admonition, Fear the Hos. iii. 5. Lord and his goodness; considering that intimation of the Psalmist, There is forgiveness with thee, Ps. cxxx. 4. that thou mayest be feared; observing that advice

I

24.

of Samuel, Only fear the Lord, and serve him; for 1 Sam. xii. consider what great things he hath done for you. For that indeed nothing is more terrible than goodness slighted, and patience abused.

4. It should humble, ashame, and grieve us, for having crossed and offended such exceeding goodness

LXIX.

SERM. and mercy. It should cause us greatly to detest our sins, which lie under so heinous an aggravation; to be deeply displeased with ourselves, who have so unworthily committed them.

Neh. ix. 25, 26.

5. It should therefore render us wary and vigilant against the commission of any sin; that is, of incurring the guilt of so enormous ingratitude and baseness; making us cautious of doing like those, of whom it is confessed in Nehemiah; They did eat, and were filled, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness: nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy laws behind their back.

6. It should also breed and nourish in us faith and hope in God. For what reason can we have to distrust of so great goodness; that he will refuse to help us in our need; that he will fail in accomplishment of his promises; that he will withhold what is convenient for us? It should preserve us from deVid. Chrys. spair. What temptation can we have to despair of ii. tom. 6. mercy, if we heartily repent of our misdoings, and me et fuse. sincerely endeavour to please him?

ad Theod.

p. 63. opti

Matt. vii.

II.

7. It should upon the same account excite us to a free and constant exercise of all devotions. For why should we be shy or fearful of entering into so friendly and favourable a presence? why should we be backward from having (upon any occasion or need) a recourse to him, who is so willing, so desirous, so ready to do us good? what should hinder us from delighting in oblations of blessing and praise unto him?

8. It ought to render us submissive, patient, and contented under God's hand, of correction or trial, as knowing that it cannot be without very just cause

LXIX.

that such goodness seemeth displeased with us; that SERM. we are the chief causes of our suffering or our want; so that we can have no good cause to repine or complain: for, Wherefore doth the living man complain? Lam. iii. 39. since a man (suffers) for the punishment of his sins; since it is our sins that withhold good things from Jer. v. 25. us; since also we considering this attribute may be assured, that all God's dispensations do aim and tend to our good.

9. It should also, in gratitude toward God, and imitation of him, engage us to be good, kind, and bountiful, placable, and apt to forgive; meek and gentle, pitiful, and affectionate toward our brethren; to be good and merciful, as our heavenly Father is Luke vi. merciful and benign even toward the wicked and 1 John iii. ungrateful; to be kind unto one another, full of coloss. iii. bowels, forgiving one another, as God for Christ's 13 sake hath forgiven us.

35,36.

I

16.

Eph. iv. 32.

10. Lastly, we ought to have an especial care of perverting this excellent truth by mistakes and vain presumptions; that we do not turn the grace of God Jude 4. into wantonness, or occasion of licentious practice. Because God is very good and merciful, we must not conceive him to be fond, or slack, or careless; that he is apt to indulge us in sin, or to connive at our presumptuous transgression of his laws. No; Teтaι ἕπεται τῷ ἀγαθῷ, ἦ ἀγαθὸν, ἡ μισοπονηρία, (the hatred of wickedness is consequent upon goodness even as such, as Clemens Alexandrinus saith,) God, even as he is good, cannot but detest that which is opposite and prejudicial to goodness; he cannot but maintain the honour and interest thereof; he cannot, he will not endure us to dishonour him, to wrong our neighbour, to spoil ourselves. As he is a sure friend to us as