THESE words do show both how and why we must walk as
children of the light; and so are both an explication and confirmation of the
former exhortation.
An explication, what it is to walk, or how we must
walk, in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.'
A confirmation, or new
reason, as the causal particle, ' for,' showeth.
The apostle had argued
from their profession of being Christians. Now from the grace by which they
were made Christians ; they were regenerated by the Holy Ghost. To be light in
the Lord and to be renewed by the Spirit is all one thing ; and if you be
enlightened and regenerated, the fruit of this must be 'All goodness, and
righteousness, and truth.'
In the words we have-
1. The author, the
Holy Spirit
2. The fruits of his sanctifying operations enumerated, ' All
good-ness, and righteousness, and truth.' This is the conversation that may be
called ' Walking as children of the light.'
The three words may be taken in
a more general sense, or in a more limited and restrained sense. In a general
sense: Rom. xv. 14, ' And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that
ye also are full of goodness.'
So goodness is taken for all saving
graces; and righteousness for a preparedness to discharge our duty to God and
man. As Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous,' Walking in all the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless,' Luke i. 6.
And
truth for sincerity, called elsewhere ' The girdle of truth,' Eph. vi.
14. · Or in a more limited sense, so goodness is that grace whereby we
are inclined to do good to others to the uttermost of our power: Gal. vi. 10, '
Let us do good to all men, especially to them that are of the household of
faith.' This goodness is reckoned among the fruits of the Spirit: Gal. v. 22,'
Gentleness, goodness, faith.'
Righteousness implieth justice in our
dealing, which giveth every one his due: 1 Tim. vi. 11, 'Follow after
righteousness/ Truth signifieth fidelity in our speech and actions, when we
live free from lying and dissimulation. Now which sense shall we prefer, the
general or more limited ? It mattereth not much which of them we prefer, for
they are not contrary, but subordinate. But that you may conceive aright of the
words, let me give you these expository observations-
1. The apostle, for
example's sake, mentioneth some parts of the holy life, not to exclude, but
imply the rest; for there is a secret 'and such like' understood. When he
saith,' This is the fruit of the Spirit/ you must not think it is all. When we
bring a sample of a commodity, we bring a little to show the quality of the
rest, not as if that were all we had to sell; so these graces are mentioned,
but not to exclude the rest.
2. He instanceth in such graces as concern the
second table, kindness, justice, and fidelity, as is usual in such cases. The
world is most capable of knowing and approving these things, but they suppose
higher graces; for all our goodness, justice, and truth must come from love and
obedience to God, and faith in Christ, as their true and proper principle, or
else they are but moral virtues, not Christian graces: Job 1.1, ' There was a
man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was perfect and
upright, one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And Joseph of Arimathea was a
good man and a just man,' who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. Luke
xxiii. 50. When they are accompanied with these higher graces, then these
things are good. Sometimes the new creature is described by the state of the
heart, as it standeth affected to God and the world to come ; so other graces,
as fruits of the Spirit, are mentioned : 2 Tim. i. 7, ' For God hath not given
us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.'
Sometimes the Spirit is spoken of as it fitteth us and frameth us for our duty
to man, as here in the text. There is not a more benign thing, that doth more
fit us to live peaceably and usefully in human society,than the gospel spirit;
and the world looketh to these things, and chooseth these things.
3. These
are spoken of as in combination. We must not so follow after one as to neglect
the other. Goodness must not make us neglect justice, nor justice, goodness;
and in the acts of both we must be sincere and true. Some divide these things:
Rom. v. 7, ' For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure
for a good man some would even dare to die;' for one really performing what he
pretends to do. Our duty to our neighbour is either negative, not wronging
them; or positive, promoting their good. Justice bindeth our hands, and keepeth
us from doing hurt to our neighbour, but goodness inclineth us to seek their
good by all ways possible. And truth commendeth both. Righteousness keepeth us
from the wrong that is done them by open violence, and truth keepeth us from
the wrong that may be done them by fraud and deceit. Goodness inclineth to seek
our neighbour's good and benefit, and truth bindeth us to seek it sincerely,
not in word and tongue only, but in deed and in truth: 1 John, iii. 18,' My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in
truth.'
4. I observe that there is a note of universality joined to the
word goodness, ' All goodness,' to show this is of chief regard, and that wo
must not be good in one sort or kind only, but ' fruitful in every good work.
Col. i. 10. A Christian should be made up of goodness; his very constitution
and trade must be goodness.
5. I observe that these are called fruit, not
only by a Hebraism, who are wont to express the works of a man by the term '
fruit;' for man is, or should be a tree of righteousness; but there is a
distinction : Gal. v. 19, 22, now the 'works of the flesh' are manifest, but'
the fruit of the Spirit;' so also here compare the text with ver. 11,
'Unfruitful works of darkness.' But why is it called 'fruit?' Partly to show it
is the native and genuine product of the Spirit in our hearts, as fruit groweth
on a tree ; nnd partly to show that sin is an unprofitable drudgery, but
holiness is fruit. There is toil, here benefit: Rom. vi. 21, 22, ' 'What fruit
had you then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? for the end of those
things is death. But now, being made free from sin, and become the servants of
God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.' There is
no fruit in sin; the work is drudgery, and the reward is death; but holiness is
fruit, for it is the way to eternal life.
6. All these graces, and duties
consequent, are fruits of the Spirit. The Vulgate reads lucis. The Holy
Ghost produceth this fruit in us; he worketh and dwelleth in the hearts of all
those who are light in the Lord.
7. He speaketh of habits, not of acts:
'Walking as children of the light,' relateth more to the acts or exercise of
the grace which we have received; but here the apostle speaketh of goodness
rather than good works, of justice rather than just works. The habits give
facility and easiness to all acts. When the soul is thus constituted, it is
hard to do otherwise. So in opposition to the ' Works of darkness' there is '
Putting on the armour of light,' Rom. xiii. 12. The habit is opposed to the
act, because the work will follow, when once the heart is framed and fitted for
these things.
8. These are ascribed to the Spirit by the apostle for two
reasons-
[1.] Partly because of man's incapacity to produce these things of
himself. We are not only defective in the duties which concern our commerce
with God, but also in the lower hemisphere of duties, those which concern our
dealings with men. None is good of himself, but only God: Mat. xix. 17,' Why
callest thou me good ? there is none good but one, that is God ;' that is,
originally good. As all the stars derive their light from the sun, so do we
receive every good and perfect gift from the Father of lights, James i. 17. God
is originally good, but we are good by participation. This was true of man in
innocency; but there is another reason for man in his fallen estate, for there
we were altogether bent on evil: Ps. xiv. 3, ' There is none that doeth good,
no not one.' Surely in that estate, whatever good we do is from the Spirit of
God : Acts xi. 24, ' Barnabas was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and
of faith.' We are made so by the Holy Spirit, not born so ; none of us love
good, and hate evil, and sincerely set ourselves to do that which is holy and
righteous, till lie hath framed us for this use. Therefore all true goodness
and righteousness is from him.
[2.] And partly because all the effects
carry such a resemblance with the Spirit. The fruit must be correspondent with
the root or nature of the plant on which it grows. If you are made light in the
Lord by the Spirit, you will bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in all
goodness, righteousness, and truth.
Goodness; the Spirit is called the
good Spirit: Ps. cxliii. 10,' Teach me, for thou art my God; thy Spirit is
good; lead me into the land of uprightness;' Neh. ix. 20, ' Thou gavest also
thy good Spirit to instruct them.' Now this operation is accordingly; he maketh
us good, kind, to love all with a love of benevolence, and our
fellow-Christians with a love of complacency. So for righteousness, or justice
in all our dealings, giving every one his due; this is the fruit of the Spirit;
for, Eph. iv. 24, ' The new man is created after God in righteousness and true
holiness.' God hath done so much to demonstrate his righteousness, that
Christians have not the spirit of their religion if they be not righteous. So
for truth or fidelity, whereby we carry ourselves sincerely, and free from all
hypocrisy and craft. The Spirit is often called the Spirit of truth; and that
holiness which he worketh in us is holiness of truth, or true holiness: '
Therefore put away lying,' Eph. iv. 25; it is a sin contrary to the new nature.
9. This Spirit God hath sent among us by the preaching of the gospel; for
when he saith, 'Ye are light in the Lord,' it implieth both the knowledge of
the gospel and the illumination of the Spirit; the one as concomitant with the
other, and settling the belief of it in our hearts. The doctrine of Christ
bringeth the Spirit to us, and we receive it by faith: Gal. iii. 2, ' Received
ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith ?' John vii.
39,' But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive.' We receive the Spirit more plentifully by the gospel than by the law,
and we receive it by faith in Christ.
Having made this way, I come now to
propound a particular point
Doct. 1. That the Spirit which we
receive by the gospel worketh all goodness in the hearts of believers. To
illustrate this point, I shall show-(1.) What is goodness; (2.) How this is the
product of the Spirit of the gospel.
I. What is goodness? I answer -
Goodness is either moral or beneficial.
1. Moral goodness is our whole
duty required by the law of God, whatever is just and equal for us to perform:
Deut. xxx. 15,' I ha ve set before you life and good, death and evil.' Holiness
is called good, and sin evil; and the whole duty of man elsewhere is called
good: Micah vi. 8, ' He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth
the Lord require of thee ?' The totum hominis, the whole duty of man, is
bonum hominis, the whole good of man.
2. There is beneficial
goodness, which is a branch of the former, and implieth a readiness to do good
to others to the utmost of our capacity; for all good is communicative of
itself: Heb. xiii. 16, ' But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for
with such sacrifices God is well pleased.' This duty must not be forgotten nor
neglected, because it showeth the due impress of our religion upon us. Well,
then, this first sort of goodness is holiness, the second beneficence.
II. That this is the fruit and product of the Spirit by the gospel.
1. Let
us see what the gospel doth to promote this goodness in the world.
2. Upon
what grounds we may expect the Spirit to co-operate therewith.
First, What the gospel doth to promote this goodness in the world.
1. By the laws and precepts of it, or the duties it requireth; it
requireth us to be good, and to do good.
[1.] To be good ; for we are
first made good before we can do good: Luke vi. 45,' A good man, out of the
good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man,
out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil: for
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.' Every man hath a
treasury or store-house within him, from whence all his actions are brought
forth. He that hath an honest heart, or a repository of good purposes and
resolutions, in short, whose whole heart is set upon doing good on all
occasions, he bringeth forth from thence good actions. Now the design of the
christian religion is to make men good and to cure them of all evil; it not
only inviteth and persuadeth men to be good, but offereth grace whereby they
may become good: Eph. ii. 10, ' For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works.' It offereth grace, whereby men may be changed; and
being naturally bent to evil, may be disposed and inclined to good. This
religion would not have us do good by accident, but by nature, as having our
hearts set towards it; and to work not occasionally, but from a habit and a
principle of goodness in ourselves, as being thus constituted and framed that
we may do it easily and with delight; yea, it is a force if we do the contrary.
[2.1 To do good, both as to God and men.
(1.) As to God, the great
duty is love; that we should love him, and obey him as our rightful Lord and
chief good and happiness. This was our primitive duty, which we owed to our
creator; and Christ came not to dissolve, but to establish it He never intended
to rob God of a creature when he made any man a Christian; for he ' redeemed us
to God by his blood,' Rev. v. 9. That we might love him and serve him ; love
him with all our hearts, and serve him with all our might, Mat. xxii. 37. Oh,
what a good religion is this, where our principal work is love and delight in
him whom we serve and worship ! We begin our happiness in our duty and love to
God, that we may be beloved of him. Whole Christianity is but an holy art to
leach us the way of loving and enjoying God.
(2.) To do good to men.
Certainly that religion is good which only employeth men in doing good, and
obligeth us to seek the welfare of others as we would do our own. It enjoineth
us ' to do good to all, especially to the household of faith,' Gal. vi. 10. We
cannot take delight in all, for some are an offence to the new nature which is
in us; but we must do good to all, and seek their happiness. The love of
benevolence or good will is opposite to the hatred of enmity, and the love of
complacency and delight to the hatred of aversation and offence. We cannot take
pleasure in sinners, but yet must do them good. Suppose they have disobliged
us, yet enemies are not excepted: Mat. v. 44, ' Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you.' None can be euch enemies to us
as we were to God in our natural estate. Now it is the duty of a Christian to
revenge injuries with courtesies : Bom. xii. 14, ' Bless them which persecute
you ; bless and curse not; and ver. 21,' Be not overcome of evil, but overcome
evil with good.' This doing good God expecteth from men in every capacity and
relation. The magistrate is ' the minister of God to thee for good,' Rom. xiii.
4. He is not so much to mind his own greatness as the public benefit. The
minister is to seek the good of souls, ' to impart some spiritual gift.' Rom.
i. 11, to be an instrument of increasing light or life. Fellow-christians
should seek to do good one to another, and value all their talents, not by
possession, but use: Luke xvi. 8, 'The lord commended the unjust steward,
because he had done wisely.' People in an inferior quality, as servants: Eph.
vi. 8, ' Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he
receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.' If they make conscience of
doing good in their callings and relations, and go about these duties as
service to God, and profitable to men, it is a good thing, and accepted by the
Lord. Thus the gospel requireth we should still be doing good, something that
conduceth to the glory of God and the benefit of others.
2. By the
discoveries it maketh. The greatest, truest, and fullest prospect of God's
goodness to mankind we have in the gospel. There ' the kindness and love of God
our Saviour towards man appeared' Titus iii. 4. When God was displeased for the
breach of the first covenant, and man had fallen from his primitive holiness,
and brought himself irreparably under guilt and a curse, the Lord took occasion
by his misery to open a door of hope to us by Christ, and hath set up a new
covenant of righteousness and life founded on the death of his Son, where grace
taketh the throne, and the judge is Christ, and the rule is the gospel, and
pardon and salvation is offered to all those who witli a ready and thankful
mind are willing to return to their obedience to God; and God standeth with
open arms to receive all those that run for refuge to this covenant, and take
sanctuary at this grace, as willing to bestow upon them all kind of mercies and
grace to help. Surely this word may well be called ' the good word of God,'
Heb. vi. 5, and ' the glad tidings of good things,' Rom. x. 15, the best news
that ever was brought to man's ear. Now the impress should be according to the
seal; a good religion should breed a good people. When such wonders of goodness
are discovered, it should make us more ready for our duty to God and man.
[1.] To God. The love and goodness of God in Christ is the great engine of the
gospel, and the great motive and encouragement to persuade us to our duty: 2
Cor. v. 14,15,' For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge,
that if one died for all, then were all dead ; and that he died for all, that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that
died for them, and rose again.' God would be obeyed by his people, not as
slaves, but as children, and would have the spring and rise of our obedience to
be love and gratitude; therefore doth he oblige us at so high a rate, and carry
on the tenor of his grace and mercy in such an astonishing and wonderful way,
that none of his commandments might be grievous to us, being sweetened by his
love. He will be served, not as an imperious sovereign, but as the God of love;
not with a grudging mind, but with delight and readiness; not as doing good by
force, but as encouraged with a deep sense of this goodness.
[2.] To men.
Surely we will imitate what we prize and esteem. No man can be thankful to God
who is not merciful to his brother; so much goodness demonstrated will breed
goodness in us. When the apostle had asked a contribution to the necessities of
the poor saints at Jerusalem, he useth this argument, 2 Cor. viii. 8, 9, ' I
speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to
prove the sincerity of your love ; for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though he was rich, yet fnr your sakes he became poor, that ye
through his poverty might be rich.' Christians can want no motives to goodness
when they consider the liberality and bounty of God to them in Christ, and
those riches of grace provided for them. If they sincerely believe these
things, they will have somewhat in their own bosoms that will strongly persuade
them not to be wanting to occasions and opportunities of doing good.
3.
The examples it propoundeth to our imitation, not mean and blemished ones, such
as we may find among our fellow-creatures, but the high and glorious examples
of God and Christ himself. There is a good God set before us, that we may not
take up with any low pattern of goodness. He is represented to us as all
goodness: Ps. cxix. 68, ' Thou art good, and doest good.' He is good in his
nature, and his work is agreeable to his nature; nothing is wanting to it, or
defective in it. Nothing can be added to it to make it better. The first being
must needs be the first good. As soon as we conceive there is a God, we
presently conceive that he is good, as being both the fountain and pattern of
all the good that is in the creatures.
[1.] As to his nature, he is
originally good, good in himself, and good to others; as the sun hath light in
himself, and giveth light to all other things. Essentially good; not only good,
but goodness itself. Goodness in us is an accessary quality or superadded gift;
but in God it is not a quality, but his essence; as a vessel that is gilded
with gold, and a vessel that is all gold; the gilding or lustre is a superadded
quality; but in a vessel all of gold, the lustre and the substance is the same.
God is infinitely good; the creature's good is limited, but there is nothing to
limit the perfection of God, or give it any measure. He is an ocean of goodness
without banks or bottom. Alas! what is our drop to this ocean! God is immutably
good; his goodness can never be more or less than it is; as there can be no
addition to it, so no subtraction from it. Man in his innocency was
peccabilis, afterward peccator ; but God ever was and is good.
Now this is the pattern propounded to us, but his nature is a great deep.
Therefore-
[2.] As to his work, he doeth good. What hath God been acting
upon the great theatre of the world but goodness for these six thousand years ?
Acts xiv. 17,' Nevertheless he hath not left himself without a witness, in that
he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our
hearts with food and gladness.' He left not himself without a witness, not by
taking vengeance of their idolatries, but by inviting benefits. Now this is
propounded to our imitation, that our whole life may be nothing else but doing
good: Mat. v. 48,' Be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.' It is in
Luke vi. 36,' Be ye therefore merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful;'
that is, learn of God how to exercise and show forth your goodness, not iu a
confined way to friends only, but to enemies; not in a scanty measure, but in
full proportion. The other example is Jesus Christ, or God incarnate: Acts x.
38,' How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power,
who went about doing good;' that is, to the bodies and souls of men, giving
sight to the blind, limbs to the lame, health to the sick, and life to the
dead. Christ did nothing by way of malice and revenge, he used not the power
that he had to make men blind, or lame, or to kill any; no, not his worst
enemies, when he could easily do it, and justly might have done it. No; he went
up and down doing good. He rebuked his disciples when they requested him to
destroy those that had contemned them by calling for fire from heaven, telling
them, 'They knew not of what spirit they were of,' etc., Luke ix. 55, 56. It
was unlike his spirit and design ; all his miracles were acts of relief and
succour, not pompous nor destructive, bating only his blasting of the
unfruitful fig-tree, which was an emblematical warning to the Jews, and
suffering the devil's entering into the herd of swine, which was a necessary
demonstration of the devil's malice and destructive cruelty, who, if he could
not afflict men and destroy men, would enter into the herd of swine that the
poor creatures might perish in the sea. I say nothing now of his abundant grace
discovered in our redemption. Surely if it be true religion to be like what we
worship as God, we must be like this God and this Christ. Certainly goodness
should wholly possess us, and dispose of our lives and actions; a religion that
holdeth forth such a good God and a good Christ should breed a good people.
4. The arguments by which it enforceth this goodness, or the rewards and
encouragements which it offereth, which is the supreme blessedness or the chief
good. We all desire good; any good will serve a carnal brutish heart: Ps. iv.
6,' There be many that say, Who will show us miy good ?' but the sober and
thinking part of mankind will not be put off so; they are groping and feeling
about for an eternal good ; and grope they may, but still fail of what they
seek after, till they come to the gospel to find it There God hath showed man
what is his chief good and proper happiness, or the greatest good that can be
attained or imagined, for beyond God there is nothing. And the happiness which
the gospel offereth is-
[1.] God reconciled.
[2 ] God finally and fully
enjoyed. Our happiness by the way consists in reconciliation with God, but at
the end of the journey, in the vision and fruition of God; this is happiness
indeed.
(1.) Our reconciliation with God through Christ, as soon as we
enter into his peace. This is that which we only are capable of here, and the
good we are now only admitted unto: Rom. v. 1, 'Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.' As soon as ever we turn to
him by faith and repentance, he giveth us the pardon of all our sins, and
accepteth us in Christ. The sentence of death is revenged, and we are delivered
froni wrath to come; and not only so, but are also made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life. We have a right for the present, though not the
possession ; and there is a long train of blessings which we enjoy by virtue of
this right, as a comfortable sense of the love of God, peace in our own
conscience, an interest in the care of God's providence, the audience of our
prayers, the moderating and sanctifying of all our afflictions. Now all these
should mollify arid soften the heart, and melt it into love to God and man.
Shall God be so good to us, and we so evil ? Surely such a lively sense of
God's love and grace should highly and potently promote goodness in the world.
(2.) The vision and fruition of God in the heavenly glory, that is the
great good offered to us, when our nature shall be perfected, and by its most
perfect acts be employed about the most perfect objects, and God shall be all
in all, giving out the fullest communications of his grace, and that for ever.
The soul shall be perfect without spot or blemish, and this vile body made like
Christ's glorious body, and we shall for ever remain in the sight and love of
God; and what is sweeter than his presence ? Ps. xvi. 11, ' In thy presence is
fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.' And this
without fear of change: 1 Thes. iv. 17,' And so shall we ever be with the
Lord.' If anything be good, this is good, to live for ever in the sight of God,
and to love him, and be beloved of him. Now should not all this, make us good ?
and should we not train up ourselves in a way of loving and rejoicing in God
now, that in our very work we may have a foretaste of our reward and end ? The
object of our love and service is good, and what floweth from him but goodness
? and what do we expect from him but such goodness as our hearts cannot
sufficiently conceive of?
Secondly, Upon what grounds we may expect the
Spirit to co-operate herewith.
1. Because God worketh congruously, as with
respect to the subject upon which he worketh, so with respect to the object by
which he worketh. The subject is the heart of man, and therefore he 'draweth us
with the cords of a man,' Hosea xi. 4. The object is the gospel, a good word,
or the good knowledge of God, and therefore a suitable means to work goodness
in us. There we have good precepts and good promises, and an account of God's
wonderful goodness and love in Christ; and ' therefore the fruit of his Spirit
is in all goodness.' A» the seal is graven, so the wax receiveth the
stamp. The seal is the word, the wax is our heart, and the hand that applieth
it is the Spirit of God ; he is the principal cause, and maketh the gospel
effectual to produce in us a frame of heart answerable to the scheme and
structure of the word. In short, the good Spirit, by the good word, maketh us
good, and so all suiteth.
2. The Spirit produceth this effect as a witness
of the truth of the gospel, which being a supernatural doctrine, needed to be
attested from heaven, that the truth of it might be known by the mighty power
of God which doth accompany it, working in our hearts effects suitable to the
tenor of the word. Whatever doctrine can change the soul of man, and convert it
to God, is of God, and owned by God. When such a holy doctrine eanctifieth us,
we see the truth of it: John xvii. 17, ' Sanctify them through thy truth ; thy
word is truth.' When such deliverance is published, it maketh us free indeed:
John viii. 32, ' And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free.' When such a heavenly doctrine breedeth in us a heavenly mind: 1 Cor. ii.
12,' For we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is
of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.' When
such a spiritual doctrine bringeth in more of the Spirit: 2 Cor. iii. 8, ' How
shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?' Such a wise
doctrine will fill us with wisdom; such a doctrine of grace and goodness
breedeth all goodness in us, and so we have God's attestation to his truth.
3. That thereby God may signify his peculiar and elective love to his
people. When he worketh all goodness in their hearts by his Spirit, they come
to discern that he loveth them by a special love. Love or hatred cannot be
known by anything that is before us, any outward dispensation whatsoever,
Eccles. ix. 1; but when by the good Spirit of the Lord we are made like God and
like Christ, and have the prints of the good word upon us, then we know his
love to us: 1 John iv. 13,' Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us,
because he hath given us of his Spirit' And what spirit is that but a Spirit of
love and goodness ? for ' God is love' ver. 16. Then we transcribe our pattern,
and are brought into a conformity to God.
4. God maketh an offer of his
grace to invite us to seriousness in attending on this gospel. He excludeth
none in the offer, and therefore we must not exclude ourselves. None miss it
but those that neglect and forfeit it through their carelessness, and
disobedience, and ingratitude. If you would observe the seasons of the
sanctifying motions, it would be much better with you: Prov. i. 23, ' Turn ye
at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my
words unto you.'
Use 1. Is information.
1. It informeth us how
false the prejudices of the world are, who think the life of godliness a severe
rigid thing, as if men did put off all good nature as soon as they enter upon
the practice of it. No; ' The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness.' There
cannot be a more delightful spectacle, unless it be to a man blinded with
malice and prejudice and brutish lusts, than to see such a good man as is
described in the word of God; for he is one that seeketh to do good to all, and
hurt to none; looks for no great matters for himself in the world, bustles not
for honour and greatness, but gives place, or at least due respect to all; he
condescends to the meanest, envies none, revenges himself on none, but is
courteous to all, beneficial to all according to his ability and opportunity.
As to God, his business is to love him and live to him; he counteth it his
happiness to live with him, and is careful to keep up a due remembrance of him
by daily invocation and worship; always rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and liveth
in obedience to the motions of the sanctifying Spirit, so that his life is not
tainted with the blot of any heinous sin. He is still encouraging himself with
the promises of another world, levelling and directing all his actions thither.
This is the true good man; and can spite and infidelity object anything against
it ? You will say, There are few such in the world. Answer: The more the
pity, when so many helps and means to effect it. It is the fault of the men,
not of the rule. But many such there are; yea, all the children of God are such
in some measure. The world seeth it and hateth them, because their holy and
heavenly life upbraideth their flesh-pleasing and carnal course.
2. It
informeth us that the children of light should be full of goodness, or else
they do not improve their advantages. We have a good word to direct us, after
we had lost the knowledge of God, and of the world to come, and the way
thither; that all this should be revealed to us by Christ clearly and plainly.
And not only so, but we have a good Spirit to imprint this knowledge upon our
hearts, and to give us a heavenly mind and life. Now what remaineth but that we
should be good also ? for what should a bad people do with a good religion ?
This good word, that assureth us of God's readiness to do mankind the greatest
good; this good Spirit, whose great office it is to regenerate and make us
good. But alas ! many are more forward to talk of the word than live by it, and
not so careful to walk in the Spirit as to boast of it
3. That all the
goodness that is in us is the fruit of the Spirit; he infuseth the graces, he
exciteth the acts; therefore the glory of all that we have and do must be
transferred to God!. God hath a greater share in all the good that we do than
we ourselves. We may say of our best actions, as Augustin of his illegitimate
child,' I had nothing in him but my sin ;' nothing is ours but the defect, the
good is God's. Again, on Ps. cxxxvii. he saith, Opus tuum vide in me,
Domine! non meum, &c,-Regard, O Lord, in me, not my works, but thine
own: if tliou regardest my works, thou damnest me; if thine own, thou crownest
me : since whatsoever good I have, I have it from thee, it is therefore rather
thine than mine. Thus humbly and thankfully should we be affected. God is good
of himself, good in himself, yea, goodness itself; there is no good above, or
besides, or beyond him; it is all from him, if it be good, and therefore to him
be all the glory.
Use 2. To exhort us to increase in all
goodness.
(1.) Moral goodness, which is holiness. Now holiness is the glory
of God, and therefore must needs be our excellency: Exod. xv. 11, 'Who is like
unto thee, O Lord, among the gods ? who is like thee, glorious in holiness,
fearful in praises, doing wonders ?' So that to be holy is to put on the royal
robe of the king of all the earth. Surely the more a man partakes of the nature
and image of God, the more excellent he is.
(2.) Beneficial goodness, or
kindness and mercy; this is the first and chiefest name of God. So God told
Moses, Exod. xxxiii. 19, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass before thee,'
when he proclaimed his name: Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7, 'And the Lord passed by before
him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin;' Ps. xxxiii. 5, ' The whole earth
is full of thy goodness:' Ps. cxlv. 9,' The Lord is good to all, and his tender
mercies are over all his works.' This doth first insinuate with us, and command
our respect to him. The first temptation that ever was, was to weaken the
conceit of his goodness. Now this is that which we are to imitate, to be good
to all, and to do as much good as possibly we can.
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