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heal divisions, to revive charity, to increase virtue, and to save men's souls, yea, or to the public common felicity; and his impediments shall be so multifarious, so far-fetched, so subtle, so incessant, and in spite of all his care and resolution, usually so successful, that he shall seem to himself ke a man that is held fast, hand, and foot, while he sees no one touch him; or that sees a hundred blocks brought and cast before him in his way, while he sees no one do it.”

I have transcribed this passage that such opposition may not come upon any one unexpectedly. O thou doer of good, expect a conflict with wicked spirits in high places, to clog all the good thou dost propose to do. Expect that they will make ceaseless endeavours to overwhelm thee, by instilling into the minds of men, vile ideas concerning thee, and by putting into their mouths calumnies against thee. These will be some of their devices to defeat all thy proposals: "Be not ignorant of Satan's devices."

Yea, and if the devil were asleep, there is malignity enough in the hearts of wicked men themselves, to render a man, who wishes to do good, very offensive and troublesome to them. They are the offspring of him who slew his brother because his works were righteous;" and they will malign a man because he is useful to other men. Indeed "to be spoken ill of by the wicked is to be praised." Wicked men will curse a man because he is a blessing. Base and wicked disposition!

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I happened once to be present in the room where a dying man could not leave the world until he had lamented to a minister, whom he had sent for on this account, the unjust calumnies and injuries which he had often cast upon him, The minister asked the. poor penitent what was the occasion of his abusive conduct; whether he had been imposed upon by any false reports. The man made this horrible answer: "No, Sir; it was merely this; I thought you were a good man, and that you did much good in the world, and therefore I hated you. Is it possible, is it possi

* Malis displicere est laudari.

ble," said the poor sinner," for such a wretch to find pardon;" Truly, though other causes may be assigned for the spite and rage of wicked men against a person of active benevolence, yet I shall not be deceived if I fear that a secret antipathy to the kingdom of God lies at the bottom of it. Or, in proud men it may frequently be pale envy, enraged that other men are more useful in the world than they, and vexing themselves with more than Sicilian torment, at the sight of what God and man unite to perform. "They see it and are grieved." "He is not a good man who has not goodness enough to call forth envy and hatred."* But you must not "think strange of the trial," if men "speak evil of you," after you have done good to many, yea, to those very persons who thus speak. It will not be strange if you should "hear the defaming of many;" if the men who do not love the holy ways of the Lord in his churches, should have no love to you; if javelins should be thrown at you with the most impetuous rage; and if pamphlets filled with falsehood and slander should be published against you. God may wisely and in much faithfulness permit these things "to hide pride from you." "O how much of that deadly poison, pride, still remains within us; for which nothing short of poison is an antidote !" Alas! while we still carry about us the grave-clothes of pride, these rough hands are the best that can be employed to pull them off. If you should meet with such things, you must bear them with much meekness, much silence, great self-abasement, and a disposition to forgive the worst of all your persecutors."Being defamed, you must entreat." Be well pleased if you can redeem any opportunities to do good. Be ready to do good even to those from whom you suffer evil. And when you have done all the good in your power, account yourself well paid if you escape as well as the crane did from the wolf; If you are not punished for what you

*Non bonus est qui non ad invidiam usque bonus est. to quantum est venenum superbiæ, quod non potest nisi

veneno curari.

do. In short, be insensible of any merit in your performances. Lie in the dust, and be willing that both God and man should lay you there. Endeavour to reconcile your mind to indignities. Entertain them with all the calmness and temper imaginable. Be content that three hundred in Sparta should be preferred before you. When envious men can fix upon. you no other blemish, they will say of you, as they said of Cyprian, that you are a proud man, because you do not jog on in their heavy road of slothfulness. Bear this also, with a still more profound humility. It is the last effort usually made by the dying "pride of life," to bear the charge of pride with impatience.

Ye useful men, your acceptance with your Saviour, and with God through him, and your recompense in the world to come, are to carry you cheerfully through

all your 66 essays" " at usefulnes. To be "reprobate

for every good work" is a character from which it will be the wisdom of all men to fly, with the greatest dread imaginable. And to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord" is the truest and highest wisdom. It is the "wisdom which is from above, full of mercy and good fruits." The sluggards whe do no good in the world are "wise in their own conceit;" but the men who are diligent in doing good can give such a reason for what they do, as proves them to be really wise. Men "leave off to be wise," when they leave off to "do good." The wisdom of it appears in this: it is the best way of spending our time; that time is well spent which is employed in doing good. It is also a sure and pleasant way effectually to bespeak the blessings of God on ourselves. Who so likely to find blsesings as the men that are blessings! It has been said, "He, who lives well, always prays."*. And I will add, "He, who acts well, prays well." Every action we perform for the kingdom of God, is, in effect, a prayer for the blessing of God. While we are at work for God, certainly hewill be at work for us and ours. He will do for us

* Qui bene vivit, semper orat.

† Qui bene agit, bene orat.

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far more than we have done for him; "more than we can ask or think.” There is a voice in every good action it is this; "O do good unto those that are good." Thus my Bonifacius again sustains the name of Benedictus also: Yea, and there may be this more particular effect of what we do; while we employ our invention for the interests of God, it is very probable that we shall sharpen it for our own. We shall become the more wise for ourselves, because we have been "wise to do good." And of the man who is compared to a "tree that brings forth fruit," we read, "Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Nor can a man take a readier way to "live joyfully all the days of the life of his vanity, which God hath given him under the sun :" For, in this case, our life will not be thrown away in "vanity," nor shall we live "in vain.”My friend, "Go thy way," and be joyful," for God accepteth thy works." Our "few and evil" days are rendered much less so, by our doing good in every one of them, as it rolls over our heads: Yea, the holy Spirit of God, who is the quickener of those who "do good without ceasing," will also be their comforter. Every day in which we are active for the kingdom of God, will be in some measure a day of Pentecost to us; a day of the Holy Spirit's coming upon us. The "consolations of God" will not be "small" with the man who is full of contrivances for God, and for his kingdom. In short, we read, "the vallies are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing." We may be in low circumstances, in the valley of humiliation, but if we abound in the fruits of well-doing, we shall find this valley "covered over with. corn." When this is the case, we shall "shout for joy, and also sing." The consciousness of what we do, and of what we aim to do, will be a “continual feast" to us. "Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience." "A good action is its own reward."* Indeed the pleasure that is experienced in the performance of good actions is inexpressible, is unparalleled, is angelical: it is a most refined

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pleasure, more to be envied than any sensual gratifi cation. Pleasure was long since defined, "The result of some excellent action." This pleasure is a sort of holy luxury. Most pitiable are they who will continue strangers to it!

When the useful man comes to his Nunc dimittis, then he, who lived beloved, shall die lamented. It shall be witnessed and remembered of him, "That he was one who did good in Israel :"-An epitaph, the glory of which is far beyond that of the most stately pyramid. Then the calumniators, who once deavoured to destroy his reputation, shall have nothing to reflect upon but the impotence of their own defeated malice. A Thersites will not have a more dis-advantageous article in his character than this, That he was an enemy to such a Ulysses.

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But what shall be done for this good man in the heavenly world? His part and his work in the city of God are at present incomprehensible to us but the "kindness," which his God will shew to him in the "strong city," will be truly "marvellous." Austin, writing on this subject, exclaimed, "How great will be the felicity of that city, where no evil will be seen, no good concealed."* The attempts which the Christian has made to fill this world with "righteous things" are so many tokens for good to him, that he shall have a portion in that world wherein shall dwell nothing but righteousness." He will be introduced into that world, with a sentence from the mouth of the glorious Jesus, which will be worth ten thousand worlds: "Well done, good and faithful servant!" And, O what shall be done for him! He has done what he could for the honour of the King of heaven; and every thing shall be done for him that can be done for one whom the King of heaven "delighteth to honour."

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I will give you the whole summed up in one word: "Mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good." Ye children of God, there is a character of " mercy

*Quanta erit illa felicitas, ubi nullum erit malum, nulZum latebit bonum !

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