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A64351 Concerning doing good to posterity a sermon preach'd before Their Majesties at White-Hall, on February the 16th, 1689-90 / by Thomas Tenison ... Tenison, Thomas, 1636-1715. 1695 (1695) Wing T689; ESTC N1813 9,202 18

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a Burthen too heavy for him to bear Then for the Charity of Prayer who is there that cannor call on God for a Blessing on Persons and Families on Churches and States after they shall have left this unquiet Stage and that Sche●● of the World which passeth away Exod. 20. 5 6. ● 34. 7. Deut. 7. 9. In sum all Wicked M●● ●s wi●ked are hurtful and all Good Men a● good ●re beneficial both at present and for the future Blessing and Cursing persue Families very often according to the Righteousness or Impiety of the first Heads of them Secondly There are Discouragements which hinder Men who are able to do Good to other Generations from being Willing That is to say The Instance of Backwardness in Public Mannagers to reward those who have undone themselves by some useful Invention which generally ruines the first Projestors whilst Posterity reaps the fruit of their Wit Labour and Expence Also the Instances of Failures and Frauds of smothered or abused Legacies in Trust of the converting of that to the use of the Rich which is bequeathed to the Poor together with the Consideration of the uncertainty of Times in which by Wars and tumultuous Violences the Effects of publick Charity do often perish There is much Truth in this Objection but yet not so much as makes it unanswerable Useful Inventions are often greater Charities than could have been done by the Pains and Wealth which they cost Frauds and Abuses do not alwaies happen They do not alwaies come and wo to them no● who are injur'd by them but by whom they come And the Observation of such accidental Miscarriages should indeed increase the Caution but not prevent the Charity of wealthy Men. It is also profitable for us to remember That whatsoever Hazards Good Works run the Soul that has done them in Christian Manner shall be safe in the Hands of their Mediator Christians know in whom they have believed and how able he is to keep that which is committed to his Trust to that Day For the uncertainty of Times and Seasons that 's an Objection against doing Good in all Ages for Heaven only is a Kingdom which cannot be shaken Wherefore laying aside these Impediments cast in our Way by too great a Degree of Jealousie let us Secondly Provoke our selves to Piety and to Good Works by laying before our Thoughts such further Motives as these The First may be taken from the true pleasure which is found in all good Acts and particularly of those of that kind of which we have been speaking Pleasure naturally springs up in the Mind when we think of any thing we much value as continuing and prospering A great degree of happiness consists in hope and in hope cherished by proceeding The Mind is damp'd when it is stinted and when it sees an end of any thing in which it took content And if pleasure is derived to us from the growth and progress even of our humblest Plants much more shall we be pleased by the extent of our goodness to Christian Men and in the duration of it It is a blessed and comfortable Thought that God will vouchsafe to use such frail earthen Vessels as Instruments of good by Instruction by Example by Prayers by Alms not only for the Span of our Life but for many years to come It was a strong Consolation to Abraham that in his Off-spring all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed The Second Motive may be taken from Honour which is Fame acquired by doing of worthy things After this Men so naturally thirst that some have affected the Name of Benefactors Luke 22. 25. who have turn'd their Power into Oppression for of that number as Philo shews us was Caius Caligula They understood what was venerable but they did not pursue if Even the Charity which is transient is honourable and the Woman who with her Spikenard anointed our Saviour to his burial is to this day honourably remembred wheresoever the History of the Gospel is read And if to transient good our Praise is due certainly to that which is lasting it ought not to be denied Wherefore the Holy Virgin considering the Salvation of the World by Christ whose Mother she was become through God's special favour believed not her Magnificat to be a vain-glorious Hymn but said with humble Joy God hath regarded the lowliness of his Hand-maiden for behold from henceforth all Generations shall call me blessed But the greatest Motives of all are Conscience which requireth us to do good as our Christian Duty Religious Fear which sets before the Unprofitable the unprofitable to Men for God we cannot profit the Terrors of the great Day And last of all Religious Hope which moves us to be useful in all our Capacities whilst time lasts upon the most comfortable prospect of an Eternal Recompence O the blessed Day when those who abound in the work of the Lord Iesus shall find their labour not to be in vain in the same Lord. When the penitent pious and righteous shall behold the general Assembly of those great Souls who neither liv'd nor dy'd to themselves May God prepare us for this Felicity by Faith and Repentance and Good Works through him who was both the desire and the blessing of all Nations Iesus Christ the Righteous to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory World without end Amen FINIS