earth, and the ocean. He is good to the fowls of heaven, the beasts of the earth, the fish of the sea, and to every living creature. He sees them all at one intuitive, comprehensive view, and feels truly benevolent to them all. He is, strictly speaking, "good unto all; and his tender mercies are over all his works." He stands in the same relation to all his creatures, and feels the same kind of benevolent affections towards them all. His goodness pervades and fills the uni

verse.

4. His goodness is perfect in degree, as well as in purity, permanency, and universality. His goodness bears proportion to all his other attributes. His benevolent feelings as much surpass the benevolent feelings of any or all his creatures, as his power, his knowledge, and his wisdom surpasses theirs. He loves with all his heart, with all his mind, and with all his strength. In this respect there is none good but God. His goodness, in point of strength and ardour, is infinitely superiour to the goodness of any benevolent creature in the universe. Yea, there is a greater amount of goodness in one exercise of his benevolence, than in all the benevolent feelings of all benevolent creatures, through every period of their existence. He loves his creatures infinitely more, than they ever did, or ever will love him, or one another. I now proceed to show,

II. That the goodness of God moves him to do good. The psalmist ascribes the goodness of his conduct to the goodness of his heart. "Thou art good, and doest good." It is the heart that moves every intelligent being to act. A good heart cannot fail to move a good being to do good. We have shewn that God is a good being, and his heart governs all the other perfections of his nature, and lays him under a moral necessity of employing all his knowledge, wisdom, and power to gratify his benevolent desires. Though the heathen philosophers, and many other learned men, have been ready to imagine, that an eternal, independent, and perfectly happy being would

have no possible motive, to act, or produce any effect; yet it is much easier to conceive of his activity, than of his inactivity. Goodness, or pure benevolence is the most active principle in nature. We cannot conceive how an infinitely powerful and intelligent being, possessed of perfect benevolence, should never employ his wisdom and power to answer any benevolent purpose, or how God should exist from eternity to eternity, without displaying his great and glorious attributes in doing good. This then leads me to ob

serve,

1. The goodness of God must have moved him to form, before the foundation of the world, the best possible method of doing the greatest possible good. His goodness must have moved him to employ his wisdom in the best possible manner. And it is the proper province of wisdom to form wise designs; that is, to devise the best ends, and the best means to accomplish them. The wisdom of God enabled him to discover, among all possible modes of doing good, that which was absolutely the best, and his perfect goodness disposed him to adopt that best mode of operation. Divine goodness laid the divine being under a moral necessity of forming all his purposes of doing good as early as possible. When he saw what was best for him to do, he was morally obliged to do it; and he could no more neglect to determine to do all that his infinite wisdom saw best to be done; than he could cease to be perfectly wise and good. Not to determine to do the greatest good, when he clearly saw what it was, would have been inconsistent with his perfect rectitude. As the goodness of God must have moved him to act; so it must have moved him to determine to act in the wisest and best manner, or to do the greatest good. There being no defect in his wisdom, nor in his goodness, nor in his power, these perfections united must have moved him to devise, fix, and determine, the best possible way of doing the greatest good. It was impossible for God, who was perfectly wise and good, to devise and adopt a plan of

operation, which was not the best that could be devis ed and adopted. For the least defect or imperfection in the divine purposes would argue a natural or moral defect in his character. So that we may safely conclude, that the perfect, immutable, and universal goodness of God did actually move him, to devise and adopt the best possible method of doing the greatest possible good, before the foundation of the world.

2. The perfect goodness of God must have moved him to bring into existence the best possible system of intelligent creatures. It must have moved him to give existence to the best number of beings. The number could not be infinite, but must be limited. And in the limitation, there was room for the display of perfect wisdom and goodness, to devise and fix upon the best possible number. He must have fixed the exact number of angels, of men, and of animals, as well as the exact number of the heavenly luminaries and material objects. He must have determined what variety there should be in the natural and moral qualities of the moral system to make it the most perfect. And he must have determined to make just such a natural and moral world as he has actually made.

He is

3. The goodness of God continually moves him to exert his power and wisdom in governing all his creatures and all his works, in the wisest and best manner. His perfect goodness makes him the most active being in the universe. He is neither weary, nor faint. He never slumbers nor sleeps. He constantly does all that it is necessary for him to do, in order to govern the whole creation in the wisest and best manner. actively concerned in all the good that is done in every part of the universe. He guides the hands and hearts of all his creatures in all the good they do, whether intentionally, or unintentionally. unintentionally. Notwithstanding the stupidity, ingratitude, and disobedience of multitudes of his intelligent creatures, his goodness prompts him to pour down the blessings of his providence upon them in constant and copious streams. He satisfies the desires of every living creature, and fills the

mouths of all mankind with food and gladness. He bestows as many and as great favours upon this sinful world, as it is morally possible for him to bestow. He treats every individual creature as well as the good of his great system will allow. His impartial goodness leads him to regard the whole more than a part, and to govern individuals in subserviency to the good of his whole family in heaven and on earth. Though the goodness of God moved him to do great good in the works of creation; yet it has moved him to do unspeakably more good in the works of providence. He has been doing good every moment in every part of the universe, for nearly six thousand years; nor is there a rational, nor irrational creature that has ever existed, but has felt the influence of his universal and constant goodness. But it may be further observed,

4. That the perfect goodness of God must move him, to make the intelligent universe as holy and happy as possible, through the interminable ages of eternity. He will do as much good to his creatures, as it is possible in the nature of things that he should do. His power and wisdom will always be under the influence of his permanent, immutable, and universal goodness. He will never be less able, or less disposed to do good, in time to come, than in time past. He has formed the best plan to do good for ever, and he is able to do all the good that he has determined to do from eternity. He has all his creatures under his eye and under his control, and will employ them all, to God can promote the general good of the universe. no more cease to do good, than he can cease to be good; and he can no more cease to be good, than he can cease to exist. The good he has done bears no more proportion to the good he will do, than time bears proportion to eternity. He means to make all his goodness pass before the eyes of all his intelligent creatures. Angels and men will be as capable of enjoying holiness and happiness after the end of the world, as they were before, and God will be as able,

and as much disposed to make them holy and happy, after that period as before; therefore, as long as his boundless power and goodness remain, we may be certain, they will be incessantly and perpetually employed in augmenting the holiness and happiness of the blessed inhabitants of heaven. And who can conceive to what a height of felicity God can and will raise the objects of his complacency and delight, in future and eternal ages! Thus it appears from the nature and permanency of divine goodness, that God must make the intelligent universe as holy and happy as their natures will admit, through every period of their interminable existence. This important and consoling truth is not supported by fine spun reasonings, but is demonstrated by the immutability of the existence and perfections of God.

I now procced to the improvement of the subject and observe,

1. The goodness of God is discoverable by the light of nature. It is a question, which has been frequently and warmly agitated, whether the goodness of God can be discovered by the works of God, without his word. But if God be not only good, but does good; then we may fairly conclude, that his goodness may be discovered by his works alone, without the aid of divine revelation. It is a common and infallible maxim, that actions speak louder than words. The goodness of men is more clearly and certainly discovered by their conduct, than by their declarations. It is true, that detached parts of their conduct may be ambiguous or doubtful, and their actions may appear better than they are; but this is because we cannot always know from what motives they act. But taking the whole of their conduct together, it affords the highest evidence we can have of their goodness; certainly much higher, than any declarations they can make. But if it be true, that God is good, and his goodness governs all his conduct; then his conduct is the highest possible evidence of his perfect goodness. His word is only an evidence of his goodness, after his goodness has been