the losse of our liues by the hand of time for as it doth insensibly growe great below so doth it waste and growe lesse and lesse aboue vntill it bee vtterly spent Such is the spending and losse of mans life by time euery moment depriues him of a little portion of life and neuer leaues till it haue depriued him of all and left him timelesse as the glasse is sandlesse These considerations would God might worke in vs some care to bestow our times better then we haue done in piety and goodnes which my text desires now of vs. THE SECOND Sermon PRO. 19.22 That that is desired of a man is his goodnesse or the desire of a man is his kindnesse AS you haue beene graciously pleased to take a view of the front and out-roomes in the Palace of goodnesse so lend mee your patience I beseech you awhile till by this Perspectiue I giue you a ful suruey of the whole building The next roome then that you see affordes another argument out of the Text to enforce this duty of goodnesse which I call Familiaritas officij The familiarity and naturallnesse of the duty being such as that no creatute but hath a particular goodnesse and all for our good without which wee could not liue an houre Therefore one saith that Bonitas est id Raymund ratione cuius bonum agit bonum Goodnesse is that by reason whereof good doth that which is good The creature is therefore naturally good that it might doe vs some good if then wee would enioy the goodnes of the creatures and not turne those excellent blessings into cursings let vs imitate them in goodnesse seeing wee are Lords of the creatures They haue all their goodnesse to the benefite of vs and one of another Let vs not bee more dull then the insensible creatures There is written vpon euery creature these three sentences Accipe beneficium redde debitum caue supplicium Receiue the benefite of the creatures doe the duty of the creatures take heed of the punishment for abusing not imitating the creatures If thē thou wilt take the comforts of the creatures and not doe the duty of the creatures bee sure thou shalt not auoide the punishment the benefit of them is the supply of thy wants the duty is goodnesse and thankefulnes to God for that supply Deut. 28.28 the punishment madnesse for want of that duty The last but not the least argument to prouoke this duty of goodnesse I call Excellentia officij The excellency of the duty that euen that excellent duty of goodnesse none else The Pronoune quòd is the force of this reason as if hee should haue sayde That duty and none else that particularly and alone and none else but that Not wisedome nor knowledge nor honour nor riches nor strength nor beauty not any other thing but that euen that goodnes which answeres to all Truely may that bee spoken of goodnes which the wise King spake of that excellent woman Pro. 31 many daughters haue done vertu ously but thou surmountest them all Many graces are commended but goodnes surpasseth them all There was neuer any shippe brought home any such marchandise neuer any vineyard bore any such grapes neuer field any such fruit neuer wooll any such cloath neuer flaxe any such linnen For strength and honor are the cloathing of goodnes and in the latter day goodnes shall reioyce To goodnes it shall bee sayd Mat. 25 Beholde good and faithfull seruant thou hast beene faithfull in little I will make thee ruler ouer much enter into thy Masters ioy Now the holy Ghost not without great cause hath thus fortified enforced this duty of goodnes with so many strong motiues and reasons Because Sathan impugnes nothing more then the progresse and successe of goodnesse For 1. whereas the holy Ghost commends the duety to vs from the facilitie of it and that in a double respect First because but one duty Secondly for that a louely duty the duty of goodnes Sathan labours to infringe this argument by instilling this perswasion intows that a good mans life is like a ring the beginning ending is without beginning and ending like a husbandmans life euer plowing or harrowing or sowing or dunging or weeding or reaping still in labour from prayer to sermons from sermons to prayer and meditation from that to reading and discoursing from one holy exercise to another Therefore not so easie a matter saith hee as they would make it seeme And besides neither is it so louely a duty saith he for few of any fort can away with the company of goodnes Thus spake he in the Scribes and Pharisies against our Sauiour Christ Doe any of the Rulers beleeue in him 2. Whereas it is recommended by the necessity of it hee labours to take off that argument as hee did in Pharaoh Who is the Lord that I should obey him As in those wicked Who is the Almighty that wee should serue him Iob 21 and what profit should we haue if wee pray vnto him 3. Whereas the duty of goodnes is commended in that it is desired and entreated of vs hee perswadeth and suggesteth that goodnes piety religion and holinesse are but matters of forme and policie else they would bee more strictly commanded and the neglect more seuerely punished 4. Whereas the argument of the present time enforceth the duty hee perswadeth as wee may see him speake out of the mouth of the vngodly crue in the olde worlde as hee speakes in the liues generally of all sorts of men in this euill world Sap. 2 Our time is short come let vs enioy the good things that are present let vs vse the creatures as in youth let vs fill our selues with new wine let vs annoint our selues with the best oyntments let not the floure of our time passe away let vs crown our selues with rose buds let none of vs go without his part of voluptuousnesse let vs leaue some token of our pleasures euery where for this is our portion this our lot This perswasion he vsed with the rich man in the Gospell whose sentence was Hâc nocte repetent animam tuam This night will they fetch away thy Soule and then whose shall all these things be Fiftly whereas it is commended vnder the reason of naturalnesse he labours to perswade that it is most vnnaturall as the wicked speake in the Psalm Whilest men doe good to themselues euery man will speake good of them but not whilest they doe good to others and our selues are the nearest to our selues Therefore in nature we should haue all care of our selues Lastly where it is commended vnder the title of excellency Satan perswades that the most excellent things are honours riches carnall pleasures fleshly delights ease greatnesse and the like euen as Ieroboam did with the Israelites touching the golden Calues These are thy Gods O Israel that brought thee out of Egypt and as he did to our Sauiour shewing him
the least thing in the worlde which is goodnes hee shall haue that in himselfe that is worth many worldes and will make him loue nothing in himselfe but his goodnes Finally goodnes is all that all the creatures of God desires of man It is the cry of all the creatures saith that learned Father Aug. Coelum terra quicquid in ijs est vndique mihi dicunt vt te amem Domine nec cessant hoc dicere omnibus vt sint inexcusabiles The heauen and earth and all that is in them speake vnto mee O Lord that I shold loue thee nor do they at any time cease to speake the same to all men that they might be inexcusable And what is this voyce of nature but that wee should haue this goodnes which proceedes from the loue of God Hence hath the lawe ordayned that if thy neighbours Asse fall into the dirch thou shouldest lift him vp not onely in respect of thy duty to thy neighbor but also to the beast which stands in need of thy helpe of thy goodnesse And it is also commanded that thy beast should rest the seauenth day it is a goodnes thy beast desires of thee Besides thou must not mouzel themouth of the Oxe that treades out the corne that duty of goodnes thy Oxe desires of thee And hence it is sayd Pro. 12 that the righteous man regardes the life of his beast And because wee doe not performe this duty of goodnesse to the creatures therefore doe they grone and sigh Rom. 8 as people vnder a cruell Tyrant to bee deliuered from the bondag and cruelty vnder which wee hold them And I maruell in my heart when I seriously thinke on it wee doe not heare them sigh and grone For surely they speake in their language aloude and if our horrible sinnes did not strangely deafe vs wee should heare them For euen for this cause that wee doe not performe this duty of goodnes to them but doe miserably abuse and tyrannize them doe they rebell against vs the heauen drowning the earth the ayre infecting our bodies the earth denying her fruite and all of them being vp in armes against vs to be reuenged of vs for want of goodnesse to them For neuer was there any bloody or mercilesse Tyrant in the world that did so wickedly tyrannize ouer his people as wee in this Age doe tyrannize abuse all the good creatures of God Now then if thou hast not this goodnes to bestow all thou hast or art to the good of others thou art first iniurious to God secondly iniurious to the Angells Thirdly iniurious to Man-kinde Fourthly iniurious to thy owne Soule Fiftly iniurious to all the creatures Most iniurious art thou to God because thou rebellest against him to the Angells because thou grieuest them to Man because thou doest not loue him to thy selfe because thou hatest thy own Soule to the creatures because thou abufest them Seeing then all that God and Angells Men and thy own Soule the heauens and all the creatures desire of thee is thy goodnesse thou art taught hereby to regulate and order thy affections and desires towards all men according to the same rule namely not to desire that they might be rich honorable learned beautifull or the like but to desire that they might be good godly pious gracious and in all manner of conuersation godly And not onely so but withall that they may grow in goodnes for that also doth God Angels men our selues and the creatures desire of vs. Solus Deus melior esse non vult quia non valet saith that deuout Father Onely God it is that will not be better Ber. because he cannot be better but with men it must not be so Minime pro certo bonus es si non vis esse melior vbi incipis nolle esse melior ibi desinis esse bonus For a truth thou art not good if thou desirest not to be better For where thou beginnest not to desire to be better there thou leauest off to bee good at all Therfore we must desire that al mē may grow frō saith to saith frō grace to grace Eph. 4 follow the truth in loue grow vp into him in all things who is the head which is Christ Euen as the body from a small beginning grows till it come to a ful stature and furniture of euery part so must christians grow Phil. 3 This was the practise of all holy mēt I follow hard towards the marke for the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Steppe after steppe did this holy man follow till he came to the very top of holines Thus are wee come to the fourth and last columne of this building viz the reasons enforcing this duty of goodnes These I finde in the Text to be six The First I called Facilitas officij the facility of the duty For it is but one duty for all onely goodnesse It was wont to be said Tria sunt omnia Three things includes all things But now it is said Vnumest omnia one thing is all things Goodnesse answeres to all At the first God gaue man 10. commandements but because the number seemed tedious our Sauiour contracted them all into two the loue of God and of our neighbours But here for our better helpe and memory all are reduced 〈◊〉 one namely Bonitas Goodnesse Vnum necessarium one thing is necessary And yet being but one I know not how it grows heauie but sure I am that as our Sauior said to that good young man that had performed all the Commandements from his youth vp yet one thing is wanting so he may truely say to vs all This one thing of goodnesse is awanting What shame is it to neglect one duety so easy because but one duety no more What shame not to do a duety so easy as is goodnes the very name of it makes it easy For we loue the name And Omnia difficilia facit amor facilia Loue makes all difficult things to be of great facility What is more easy then to vnderstand and doe that which is good Is it not more easy then to doe euill Surely there is much more difficulty in doing euill then in doing good For as nothing is more difficult then for birds to make wings against the storme sloops to sayle against the winde and tide Planets to moue against the motion and course of the firmament so is nothing more difficult for man then to fly against the blast of the Holy Ghost to make head against the floods and stormes of his owne Conscience and to run against the firmament of Gods commandements all which doe mainely resist the euill actions of sinfull men and assist the indeuors of Gods children Therefore it was said to Saul Act. 9 It is hard for thee to kicke against the pricks Hence the wicked themselues confesse that they are wearied in the way of wickednesse but the godly finde no such lassitude and
man not this or that man respectiuely The third is the persons desiring this duty at our hands that that is to bee desired not that that this man or that desires not that our friends onely doe desire but that that is to bee desired that is that that all the things of the worlde desires of a man is his goodnesse For first all that our good God for all his goodnesse to vs desires at our hands is but goodnesse Secondly all that the Angels desire of vs is but goodnesse Thirdly what all men desire of vs is but goodnes Fourthly what our selues desire of our selues is but goodnesse Fiftly what all the creatures of the world doe desire of vs is but goodnesse The fourth pillar is the reason enforcing this most excellent dutie of goodnes And in the Text I finde sixe veines of perswasion full of pregnant reason to enforce it The 1. is Facilitas officij The facility of the dutie in that it is but one duty in which all other duties are performed The 2. is Necessitas officiij The necessity of the dutie the bond and obligation whereby we are tied to doe this duty vnto all namely to God to the holy Angels to all men to our selues and to the creatures to all which we are by many and many obligations bound but vnto God in an infinite obligation in that he saith that that is to bee desired of a man The 3. is Modus officij The manner of the seeking of this dutie at our hands it is desired besought intreated begged by all sweet meanes sought for whereas it might haue been commanded The 4. is Tempus officij The time when this duety is to bee performed It is euen now to be desired whilest wee liue heere whilest wee are in health whilest the voyce of the Turtle is heard in our Land whilest we enioy these many and vnspeakeable blessings of peace plenty the running ouer of our cup. The 5. is Familiaritas offieij The familiarity and naturalnesse of the duty seeing goodnesse is such as that no creature much more man but hath a particular goodnes in it selfe Lastly Excellentia officij The dignity and excellency of the duty in that hee sayd quod that euen that excellent duty of goodnesse and nothing else but that not power honour riches wisedome knowledge and the like but goodnesse If I might be so happy to lead your worthy and prudent eyes to beholde all the roomes of this little frame at this time I should reioyce if not I will leaue the rest to cast your gracious eyes vpon when you please to come this way next The first columne or pillar is the duty it selfe Bonitas Goodnesse Where I beseech you giue me leaue to vse these few quaerees 1. What this goodnesse is 2. Why goodnes is desired at our hands before greatnesse power honour riches vnderstanding wisedome knowledge and the like excellent things or rather why this not any of them at all else which yet are so much desired and sought for by vs. 3. How can goodnesse be so desired of all and practised of so few To which I wil adde a fourth quaere An sit bonitas Whether there bee any such thing as goodnesse and where it is to be found The first is quid what is this goodnesse And well may we enquire what it is that is so great and yet so little So great that it includes all our duties to God to man to the creatures and yet so little that it cannot bee found amongst any of our duties so great that it cannot enter in at the gates of our Cities Townes Houses or Churches so little that it cannot be found in any of them That deuout and good Father speaking of a good conscience Ber. saith that it is Maximum in minimo The greatest thing that can be in the least roome that can be For in the heart of a good man which is a very little thing is found a good conscience which is the greatest thing in the world And herein it is contrarie to the euent of them that digge for precious mynes of golde and siluer for they finde Minimum in maximo a little gold or siluer in a great lumpe and masse of lead or other met tall But in the hart of a good man that is so little it will not giue a Kite his breake-fast is Maximum in minimo The greatest thing that can bee in the least roome that can be that is a good conscience goodnes it selfe that delights both God and man Therefore no maruell seeing goodnesse so great if it hardly get into so narrow a roome as mans heart But I must tell you what this goodnesse is Wee may say of goodnesse as the learned say of God that hee onely can bee knowne Per viam remotionis namely that he is not the heauen nor the earth nor the Angels nor the spirits nor any thing that we see so goodnesse it is not Maiesty and power it is not riches and pleasure it is not birth or beauty it is not prudence knowledge nor is it any thing whereof wee haue most plenty though it bee more worth then all these greatnesses But wee may say of it truely Gen. 19 20 as Lot sayd of Zoar Is it it not a little one and my soule shall liue I will then aduenture to say that goodnesse is a vertue whereby we communicate to others all the good things that are in vs or belong vnto vs for their good This definition I grant is too narrowe for goodnesse for it deserues a larger roome then definitions afforde yet if I should inlarge it neuer so much I should scarcely get any one within the ring of it Now this goodnesse doth either respect the body or the minde Goodnes concerning the minde or soule of man is to labour partly by counsell partly by example of life to gaine the soule of our brother to god and to this goodnesse are these actions required 1. To admonish the vnruly 2. To comfort the distressed 3. To beare with them that are weake 4. To be patient towards all men Of these foure Saint Paule hath giuen vs these precepts 5. 1. Thes 5 14 To chastice the obstinate 6. To pray for all men of what condition soeuer According to that olde verse Consule castiga solare remitte fer ora Goodnesse respecting the body consists in many actions Namely in those foure which our Sauiour commands to feed the hungry Mat. 25 35 36 2. Sam. 2 Deut. 15 7 8. cloath the naked lodge the stranger visite those sicke and in prison 5. To bury the dead 6. To lend liberally and freely to the decayed and imprisoned All six duties included in this verse Visito poto cibo redimo tego colligo condo So then wee see what this goodnesse is and in what how many actions it stands First then if you aske mee wherein we must shew this goodnesse I answere in all the gifts and graces
into our hearts but gold nothing but gaines and honour and pleasure will downe with vs. But some may obiect against this that there must needes bee plenty of goodnesse seeing it is so little spent for few or none do vse it I answere that hath been the bane and ruine of this golden myne of goodnesse For contrary to the nature of all other mettalls and matters it growes and encreaseth by spending The more prodigall man is of goodnesse the richer hee growes if then thou wilt haue a treasure which cannot be exhausted with spending but growes and encreaseth the more labour for goodnesse practice it be herein profuse and a spend thrift and thou shalt growe most rich most honourable On the other side spend it not and thou art poore naked beggarly miserable aboue all other men A new found way to enrich and ennoble you but yet the true found way without which no man shall euer enioy that happy and euer blessed eternity of Gods presence For the rule in Diuinity is most infallible Heb. 12 Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see God so goodnesse and holinesse must be followed as a man followes his pleasure or profit and spent as a liberall or rather as a prodigal man spends his substance or else there is no seeing of God Therefore let vs entertayne that wise aduice Eccl. 11 Cast thy bread vpon the waters doe good to others euen with the hazard not onely of the losse of the thing but euen with hazard and losse of thy selfe And surely so many examples and actions of Gods goodnes to vs should mooue vs to this duty of goodnesse in imitation of him The earth is full of his goodnesse to vs. There is not a creature but hath bonitas goodnesse ingrauen in great Characters vpon it to allure vs to goodnesse Beholde Valde bona Gen. 2 saith God vpon the reuiew of all his creatures they were exceeding good Which could neuer haue beene but by the goodnes of God But aboue all other his goodnesses to vs being vnspeakeable he hath reuealed to vs the mysterie hid since the beginning of the world the mystery of our saluatiō by Christ Iesus besides our peace plenty health and many happy deliuerances and preseruations both generall and particular hath he heaped vpon vs. O that he would be pleased to adde one goodnesse more to these that he would giue vs a measure of goodnesse to make the true vse of these his infinite goodnesses to vs and to walke in some measure worthy of his goodnes Surely his goodnesse to vs calls for our goodnes seeing he makes all his creatures good to vs to draw and allure vs to goodnesse Now if we haue not this goodnesse to bestow all the benefites and blessings of body and minde wherewith God hath inriched vs to his glory and good of others then we are not onely condemned of all the creatures but also want the true vse of them nay they are but al bestowed vpon vs to our infinite hurt and damage For most true is that which the wise Roman concludes Sen. Nihil tibi bonum sine te bono There is nothing in the World can bee good to thee except thou thy selfe be 〈◊〉 good Therefore 〈…〉 that great 〈◊〉 for euery goodnesse of his bestowed on thee shall be accounted for how it hath beene imployed to the good of others Thus come wee to the second pillar of my Text the generality of the requisition of this duty For therefore it is said in the Text A man because no man is exempted from this duty as our Sauiour saith in another case that I say to one I say to all watch so that which is desired of one is desired of all goodnesse and the more goodnesse that any hath receiued from God the more is he bound to shew to others If fiue talents be receiued fiue must be accounted for If three then three If but one then one All must be imployed to the masters benefite nothing must be lapt vp in a napkin lest the reward of the idle and vnprofitable seruant fall to our lot which was to bee bound hand and foote and cast into eternall fire The Philosophers say that Ens bonum conuer tuntut beeing good are conuertible tearms So that there is nothing in the world but it is good and there is no good but hath a being therefore if thou hast a being and be a man thou must haue goodnesse else thou loosest the name and being of a man but this good which they spake of is but a good of thy nature not a good of grace And thou must labor if euer thou wilt haue a being in Heauen to get this good of grace this goodnesse of my text This text is such a body of diuinity that in the whole Scripture there can scarce be any found to match it For as goodnes containes all our duties to God to man to our selues to our neighbours to all the creatures Pro. 12 for a righteous man regards the life of his beast so it speakes to euery man in the world for this duty is desired of euery man no man can say it appertaines not to me for it is said indefinitely that That is to be desired of a man is his goodnesse not of this or that man but of euery man So that here I might examine and enforce this duty vpon euery particular man and euery particular calling in the world seeing none are freed from it There is no creature in the world that is so indigent and needy as man For he stands in neede of the Sunne the fire the water the ayre the earth and all the creatures to helpe him Whence he should take examples to compassionate the necessities of others seeing all things since the creation neuer cease to helpe our necessities The learned doe say that Bonum est sui diffusiuum Dionis summū bonum summe communicatiuum Good doth euer diffuse and spread it selfe abroade and the chiefe good which is God himself doth aboue other things chiefely diffuse and communicate his goodnesse to others and because all the creatures are as so many goodnesses of God communicated to vs therefore they all labour to helpe the necessities of others as we see the Heauens the Sea the Elements Now seeing all of them do so much fauor man as that without their goodnesse to him he could not liue how much rather should euery man labor by all meanes to helpe man Arist The Philosopher calls man the little world the epitome and abridgement of the world in whom the epilogue and summe of all the world is contayned Therfore seeing man hath in him vertually all creatures Sap. 1 let him from them take example to work as they doe worke If he haue the Sunne in him let him doe as the Sunne warme euery man helpe euery mans necessity if he haue the Earth in him let him