perhaps no man is capable of committing, as a malicious oppofition to the truth, when I am convinced and know it to be the truth: for this feems to be a contradiction, to know any thing to be the truth, and to believe it to be fo, and yet to oppose it; because the understanding can no more oppofe truth as truth, than the will can refuse good as good or elfe, they are fuch as no man can know he is guilty of in this life; as final impenitency, which fuppofeth a man to live and die without repentance or elfe fuch as I think no good man is incident to; as a malicious and perverfe oppofing of the truth after fufficient means of conviction. However, none of these are that which the scripture describes to be the fin against the Holy Ghost; as I have already fhewn.

But ftill there are two things which usually trouble ho neft and well-meaning perfons; but are rather the effects of melancholy, than any reasonable ground of trouble. Some think that every deliberate fin against knowledge, and after conviction, is the fin against the Holy Ghost. This is acknowledged to be a very great aggravation of fin, and fuch as calls for a great and particular repentance; but does by no means render a man incapable of forgiveness. Others are troubled with blafphemous thoughts; and those they think to be the fin against the Holy Ghoft. But this is generally the mere effect of melancholy; and the perfons that are troubled with these black thoughts, are no ways confenting to them; but they rife in their minds perfectly against their wills, and without any approbation of theirs and in this cafe they are fo far from being the unpardonable fin, that I hope, yea and verily believe, they are no fins at all, but the mere effects of a bodily distemper; and no more imputed to us, than the wild and idle ravings of a man in a frenzy or a fever. And God forbid that the natural effects of a bodily difeafe fhould bring guilt upon our fouls. So that these perfons have reafon enough for comfort; but the mifery is, their prefent diftemper renders them incapable of it.

2. The other use I would make of this difcourfe is, to caution men against the degrees and approaches of this fin. For if the fin against the Holy Ghost be of fuch a high nature, and fo unpardonable, then all approaches VOL. I.

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to

to it are very dreadful: fuch as are, profane fcoffing at religion, and the Holy Spirit of God which dwells in good men; abufe of the holy fcriptures, which were indited by the Spirit of God; perverfe infidelity, notwithftanding all the evidence which we have for the truth of Christianity, and fufficient affurance of the miracles wrought for the confirmation of it, brought down to us by credible history, though we were not eye-witnesses of them; obftinacy in a finful and vitious courfe, notwithflanding all the motives and arguments of the gofpel to perfuade men to repentance; finning against the clear conviction of our confciences, and the motions and fuggeftions of God's Holy Spirit to the contrary; malicious oppofing of the truth, when the arguments for it are very plain and evident to any impartial and unprejudiced mind, and when he that oppofeth the truth, hath no clear fatisfaction in his own mind to the contrary, but fuffers himself to be furioufly and headily carried on in his oppofition to it. These are all fins of a very high nature, and of the nearest affinity with this great and unpardonable fin, of any that can easily be inftanced in. And though God, to encourage the repentance of men, has not declared them unpardonable; yet they are great provocations; and if they be long continued in, we know not how foon God may withdraw his grace from us, and fuffer us to be hardened through the deceit, fulness of fin.

Be ready then to entertain the truth of God, whenever it is fairly propounded to thee, and with fuch evidence as thou art willing to accept in other matters, where thou haft no prejudice nor intereft to the contrary. Do nothing contrary to thy known duty; but be careful in all things to obey the convictions of thine own confcience, and to yield to the good motions and fuggeftions of God's Holy Spirit, who works fecretly upon the minds of men, and infpires us many times gently with good thoughts and inclinations, and is grieved when we do not comply with them, and, after many repulfes, will at laft withdraw himself from us, and leave us to be affaulted by the temptations of the devil, and to be hurried away by our own lusts into ruin and perdition.

SER.

SERMON

303

XVIII.

The example of Jefus in doing good.

W

ACTS x. 38.

-Who went about doing good.

Hen almighty God defigned 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, and a familiar example, to excite and encourage us, to go before us, and fhew us the way, and as it were to lead us by the hand, in the obedience of thofe laws. Such is the fovereign 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 Ifracl from mount Sinai: but fuch is his goodness, that he had fent a great ambaffador from hea ven to us, God manifefted in the flesh, to declare and interpret his will and pleafure; and not only fo, but to fulfil that law himself, the obfervation 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 fhews us the poffibility and practicablenefs of our duty; both that it may be done, and how to do it. Religion indeed did always confist in an imitation of God, and in our resemblance of thofe excellencies which shine forth in the best and most perfect being; but we may imitate him now with much greater eafe and advantage, fince God was pleased to become man, on purpose to fhew 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 converfed fo long and familiarly with mankind, that, in his own perfon and life, he might give us the example of all that holinefs and virtue which

Ser. 18. his laws require of us. And as he was in nothing liker the Son of God, than in being and doing good; fo is he in nothing a fitter pattern for our imitation, than in that excellent character given of him here in the text, that he went about doing good.

In which words two things offer themselves to our confideration.

1. Our Saviour's great work and business in the world; which was, to do good; os Niñaber èu'epyεTwr, 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 Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power; who went about dong good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; intimating to us, by this inftance of his doing good, that he who took fo much pains to refcue mens bodies from the power and poffeffion of the devil, would not let their fouls remain under his tyranny. But, though the text inftanceth only in one particular, yet this general expreffion of doing good comprehends all thofe feveral ways whereby he was beneficial to mankind.

2. Here is his diligence and industry in this work: He went about doing good; he made it the great business and conftant employment of his life.

I fhall propound to you the pattern of our Saviour in both thefe particulars.

I. 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 an univerfal influence; and comprehends in it all thofe ways whereby we may be useful and beneficial to one another. And indeed it were pity that fo good a thing fhould be confined within narrow bounds and limits. It reacheth to the fouls of men, and to their bodies; and is converfant in all thofe ways and kinds whereby we may ferve the temporal or fpiritual good of our neighbour, and promote his prefent and his future happiness. What our bleffed Saviour did in this kind, and we in imitation of him ought to do, I fhall reduce to these two heads. 1. Doing good to the fouls of men, and endeavouring to promote their spiritual and eternal happiness. 2. The procuring of their temporal

good,

good, and contributing as much as may be to their happiness in this prefent life.

1. Doing good to the fouls of men, and endeavouring to promote their spiritual and eternal happiness, by good inftruction, and by good example.

Ift, By good inftruction. And under inftruction I comprehend all the means of bringing men to the knowledge of their duty, and exciting them to the practice of it; by inftructing their ignorance, and removing their prejudices and rectifying their mistakes, by perfuafion, and by reproof, and by making lafting provifion for the promoting of these ends.

By inftructing mens ignorance. And this is a duty which every man owes to another as he hath opportu nity, but especially to thofe who are under our care and charge; our children, and fervants, and near relations, thofe over whom we have a special authority, and a more immediate influence. This our bleffed Saviour made his great work in the world, to inftruct all forts of perfons in the things which concerned the kingdom of God, and to direct them in the way to eternal happiness; by publick teaching, and by private converfation; and by taking occafion, from the common occurrences of human life, and every object that prefented itself to him, to inftil good counfel into men, and to raife their minds to the confideration of divine and heavenly things. And though this was our Saviour's great employment, and is theirs more particularly whofe office it is to teach others; yet every man hath private opportunities of inftructing others, by admonishing them of their duty, and by directing them to the best means and helps of knowledge; fuch as are 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 mens prejudices against the truth, and rectifying their mistakes. This our Saviour found very difficult; the generality of thofe with whom he had to do being ftrongly prejudiced against him and his doctrine, by falfe principles, which they had taken in by education, and been trained up to by their teachers. And therefore he ufed a great deal of meeknefs in instructing those that oppofed themselves, and exercifed abundance

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