Of all the time he was here on Earth, he fpent but forty Days in the Wilderness in clofe Solitude and Retirement; the rest of his time he converfed freely and openly, that thereby he might have opportunity of obliging and benefiting all forts of Men. He neglected not indeed any Duty of Piety towards God; but then his Love to God fhone forth most refplendently in his inceffant Care of, and Charity to his Creatures. He knew he could not please or glorify his Father better, than by bearing much Fruit; or, which is all one, doing much good in the World.

His Religion was active and operative: it confifted not in Notions or Formalities, or external Abstinences and Strictneffes; by which the feveral Sects among the Jews were distinguished one from another: But the principal thing he was moft remarkable for, in his way of living, was a moft fincere rea dinefs to do all manner of good to all that came to him. He pretended not to any Seraphick Enthufiaftical Raptures, or inimitable unaccountable Tranfports of Devotion, or wonderful Mortification. Others might pray oftner and longer, faft more than He or his Difciples did, (as we know was objected against him by St. John's Difciples) but no Saint, no Prophet, no Man ever before him fo ferved God in his Generation; or was either able or willing to fhew fuch confiderable kindneffes to the World as our bleffed Lord and Saviour did.

And

And in this chiefly did his Holiness and Godliness appear above the rate and pitch of other Mens, in that he was fo infinitely merciful and charitable. He made not fuch a pompous outward Shew of Religion as some of the Pharifees did, but his Actions truly bespoke him what he was, a Perfon infinitely full of Goodness, that could not be at cafe without continual venting it felf; nor yet by all the Wants, Infirmities, Neceffities, either of Mens Minds or Bodies, could ever be exhausted.

Thus he made doing good the chief Business and Employment of his whole Life: which is the first thing fignified by these words.

2. That he went about doing good, implies farther, that where he did not eafily meet with, he industrioufly fought out Objects of Pity and Compaffion. His Goodness did often prevent Mens Defires, always furpafs them; doing for them beyond all their requefts or hopes. He came to feek and fave that which was loft.

He defcended from the Bofom of his Father, and eclipsed the Glory of his Divine Majefty with a Veil of Flesh, and lived amongst us, that he might redeem us from the greatest Evils and Miferies, even while we were enemies to him, and defired no more than we deferved his Love and Favour. And whilst he was here upon Earth, he was not only eafy of accefs, he did not only courteously receive all that addressed themselves

to him, he not only freely invited and encouraged all Men to repair to him for Succour and Relief; but alfo did not difdain himself to travel up and down the Country, on purpofe to give opportunity to all that stood in need of him, to partake of his healing Virtue and Power. Those whom his Difciples check'd for their rude and troublefom Importunity, he lovingly entertain'd, and never difmiffed without a Bleffing.

This mightily enhanced the value of every Kindness he bestowed; the Franknefs of his doing it doubled the Benefit. We fpoil a good turn when it is extorted from us. It lofeth all its Grace and Acceptableness, when it is done grudgingly and as of neceffity.

Nay, our Saviour denied not to converse familiarly with Publicans and the greatest Sinners: He endeared himself to them by fignal Condefcenfions; tho this alfo proved matter of Reproach and Infamy to him as if he countenanc'd thofe Vices he attempted to cure, or it were any Difgrace to a Phyfician to visit his Patients. He refused not the civil Offer of a Pharifee, tho his fworn Enemy; and would go to the Houses, and eat at the Table of thofe who fought his Ruin and whatever ill Design they might have in inviting him, yet he always improved the Occafion, for the doing them fome confiderable good.

3. And lastly, he conftantly perfevered in this, notwithstanding the foul Ingratitude and

malicious

malicious Oppofition his good Works met with in the World. Never did any one meet with greater Difcouragements, or more unworthy Returns than the Son of God; when all his Acts of Beneficence, all the good Offices he had done amongst them, were fo far from obliging, that they rather tended to exafperate and provoke that untoward Generation; and the more kindness he expressed toward them, the greater hafte they made to betray and destroy him. This great Patron and Benefactor, this generous Friend and Lover of Mankind, was mortally hated and cruelly perfecuted, as if he had been a publick Enemy, and had done or defigned fome notorious Mischief. They continually laid Traps to enfnare him, loaded him with malicious Slanders, greedily watch'd for an Advantage to animate the Multitude against him, took up Stones to throw at him, as a Reward of his gracious Attempt to make them wife and happy; put bad Constructions, and made finifter Interpretations of all the good he did, as if he defign'd to carefs the People, and by fuch Arts to gratify his Ambition, and make himfelf popular. So that this great and gallant Perfon was looked upon as a dangerous Man, and the more good he did, the more he was feared and fufpected: yet all this and a thousand times worfe Ufage could not diffuade him from perfifting in doing good to them. He was ready to repay all these Injuries with Courtefies; even his bittereft Ene

mies were Partakers of his Kindness, and he ftill continued to entreat them to accept of Life from him, and with Tears of true Compaffion bewailed their Infidelity and wilful Folly. Nay at laft, when they laid violent hands upon him, and put him to the fhameful death of the Crofs, yet then did he pray to his Father to forgive them; and, which is still most wonderful, and is the very perfection of Charity, he willingly laid down his Life for them who fo cruelly and treacheroufly took it from him. Thus our Lord went about doing good. Let us who are his Difciples and Followers go now and do likewife. Which brings me to the fecond thing I was to confider in these words, viz.

II. Our Duty in imitation of his most glorious Example, who went about doing good.

"But we, you'll fay, are not in a capa"city, we have not Ability or Opportunity "of doing good in that ample manner, in "that Measure and Degree our Lord did ; "we cannot by any means (however willing "to it, or diligent in it) come up to the per"fection of this noble and heroick Example. "Were fuch miraculous Powers communi"cated to us as were to our Saviour, fo "that by a word fpeaking we could heal "all manner of Sickness, and restore Sight "to the Blind, and Feet to the Lame "could we inftruct the Ignorant, reprove

"the