Topa

lives, but they complain that it is not in w their power, they have not any Means or rot Opportunities for it, and they bemoan ange ng themselves fadly upon this account, as Cons: thinking their lives useless, because they t; have not thofe vifible Capacities of be-filing ferviceable to the world that others the have.

to To fuch as thefe let me fay this in the ge

neral: There is no condition in the world ife, fo mean and defpicable, but yields us Opat portunities of doing Good. There is neian. ther Old nor Young, Man nor Woman, onvi Rich nor Poor, High nor Low, Learned nor op Unlearned,, but in their Sphere, by a good husbandry of thofe Talents that God has ithe intrufted to their care and management day they may be very useful to others, and id prove instruments of much good in their ent generations.

Dent

gene

be

I

This truth St. Paul most elegantly fets forth in 1 Cor. 12. where he compares the Society of Chriftians to a Natural body. There he fhews that as in the Natural body there are many members, and all those at members have not the fame dignity and he honour, nor the fame ufe or office: and yet every member (even the meaneft). hath its particular ufe by which it doth real fervice to the body; nay fo useful it is that the body cannot be without it: fo it is with the Church of Christ, and with every

H 3

every Body Politick. There is a neceffity both in the Church and in the State, that there fhould be variety of functions and callings, and degrees and conditions. There must be fome to govern, and fome to be governed; there must be fome more confpicuous, fome more obfcure; fome whofe gifts and endowments lie this way, and fome whofe Talents lie in another way; and yet there is not one of thefe but in his degree and ftation, either is or may be as ufeful as any that belong to the Society. So that the eye cannot say to the band (as our Apoftle there expreffeth it) I have no need of thee. Nor again the head. to the feet, I have no need of you, nay more, thofe members of the body (as he continues) that Seem to be most feeble are yet very neceffary.

To reduce the Apostle's notion to its particulars, or to fhew in how many respects every individual perfon that is a Member of a Society is neceffary to the publick, and either doth or may ferve the Weal it, and fo do Good in his life, is a task too great for me to undertake at this time, let it fuffice at the prefent to propofe to you thefe general heads.

First of all, None can want opportuni ties of doing Good that is in a capacity of performing any acts of Mercy or Charity, ftriftly fo called, whether that Charity be fhew'd

fhew'd to the Bodies or Souls of men. Now the instances and expreffions of this way of doing good are infinite, as infinite Das are the wants and neceffities of mankind.

0 To the Bodies of men we do good whenever we contribute to the relieving and eafing them of the outward preffures and wants, and neceffities they lie under: Such as Sickness, Pain, Poverty, Hunger, Naskedness, Debts, Imprisonment, or any other outward affliction that falls upon them; whether that ease and relief be effected by our purfe, or by our counsel and advice, or by our labour and pains,

And fure fome one of these three things there is none fo mean or inconfiderable in the World, but it is in his power to benefit his poor Neighbour with.

To the Souls of men we do good, whenever by our discourses or other endeavours we make men better or wifer; when we inftruct the ignorant, when we fatisfie the doubtful, when we reduce those that are milled by errour, when we establish the weak, when we reprove thofe that do amifs; in a word, all our attempts and endeavours in what way foever to reclaim men from vice, and to bring them to wifdom and fobriety is a Charity to their Souls; and whether our designs fucceed or

H 4

not,

not, we fhall be rewarded as thofe that have done good in the world.

Secondly, All the acts of Beneficence and kindness, nay even of Civility and good Nature, are to be accounted among the inftances of doing good. A man doth Good not only by acts of Charity properly so called, but by every courtefie that he doth to another; He doth good by fhewing his refpect and good-will to all about him, by reconciling differences among neighbours, and promoting peace, friendship and fociety as much as he can; by being Generous and Liberal and Hofpitable according to his ability; by forgiving injuries, and if it be poffible making friends of thofe that did them; by being eafie of accefs, and sweet and obliging in his carriage; by complying with the infirmities of thofe he converfeth with, and in a word, by contributing any way to make the lives of others more eafie and comfortable to them.

Thirdly, A man alfo doth good when he makes ufe of that acquaintance or friendship or intereft, that he hath with others to ftir them up to the doing of that good which he by the narrowness of his condition, or for want of Opportunity cannot do himself. This is a very confiderable inftance. of doing good how flight foever it may feem; the man that exercises himself this way is doubly a benefactor; for he is not

only

only an inftrument of good to the perfon or perfons for whom he beg'd the kindness or the charity; but he does alfo a real kindxness to the man himself whom he puts upon the benefaction, for God will not lefs reward his Good-will for being excited by another.

Fourthly, Another way to do good is to be careful and diligent, and confcientious in the discharge of all 'thofe Publick Offices which we are called upon to excecute in the place where we live. How burthenfome foever these be, and how much foever of our time they rob us of, yet God by calling us to them, hath put a prize into our hands, (as the Wife man fpeaks) to do much good, if we have hearts to make use thereof."

Fifthly, We do good when being in a private Capacity we fo carry our felves in all the Relations in which we ftand as the nature of the Relation requireth. As for inftance, when being Subjects we conscitentiously obey the Laws of the Kingdom, and fubmit to our Governours, and promote what we can the publick Peace both of Church and State. When being Masters of Families we take care of thofe under our Charge, making fufficient provifion both for their Souls and Bodies. When being Husbands or Wives we discharge faithfully all the Conjugal duties: When being Pa

rents