All men should do it: True Christians can do it, through Grace, and must do it, and will do it. A Good man is a common good: Christs Spirit in them is not a dead or idle Principle. It makes them in there several measures the Salt of the Earth, and the Lights of the World: They are fruitful branches in the true Vine. Every Grace tendeth to well doing, and to the Good of the whole Body, for which each single Member is made. Even Hypocrites, as Wooden Legs, are serviceable to the body, but every living Member much more, except some diseased ones, who may be more troublesome, and dangerous than the Wooden Leg. It's a sign he is a branch Cut off and withered, who careth little for any but himself. The malignant Diabolist hateth the true and Spiritual Good: The ignorant know not Good from Evil: ⟨p. 3⟩The erroneous take Evil for Good, and Falsehood for Truth. The slothful Hypocrite wisheth much Good, but doth but little: The formal Ceremonious Hypocrite extols the Name and Image of Goodness: The worldly Hypocrite will do Good if he can do it cheaply, without any loss or suffering to his Flesh: The Libertine Hypocrite pleadeth Christs Merits against the necessity of doing Good, and looketh to be saved because Christ is Good, tho he be barren and ungodly; and some ignorant Teachers have taught them to say, when they can find no true Faith, Repentance, Holiness, or Obedience in themselves, that it is enough to believe that Christ Believed and Repented for them, and was Holy and Obedient for them. He was indeed Holy and Obedient for Penitent Believers; not to make Holiness and Obedience unnecessary to them, but to make them sincerely Holy and Obedient to Himself, and to excuse them from the necessity of that perfect Holiness and Obedience here, which is necessary to those that will be Justified by the Law of Works or Innocency. Thus all sorts of bad men have their oppositions to doing Good; But to the sincere Christian it is made as Natural: His heart is set upon it: He is Created and Redeemed and Sanctified for it; as the Tree is made for Fruit. He Studieth it as the chief Trade and Business that he liveth for. He waketh for it: Yea, he sleepeth and eateth and drinketh for it; even to enable his body to serve his Soul, in serving that Lord, whose Redeemed peculiar People are all Zealous of Good Works, Tit. 2. 14.
All men should do it: True Christians can do it, through Grace, and must do it, and will do it. A Good man is a common good: Christs Spirit in them is not a dead or idle Principle. It makes them in there several measures the Salt of the Earth, and the Lights of the World: They are fruitful branches in the true Vine. Every Grace tendeth to well doing, and to the Good of the whole Body, for which each single Member is made. Even Hypocrites, as Wooden Legs, are serviceable to the body, but every living Member much more, except some diseased ones, who may be more troublesome, and dangerous than the Wooden Leg. It's a sign he is a branch Cut off and withered, who careth little for any but himself. The malignant Diabolist hateth the true and Spiritual Good: The ignorant know not Good from Evil: ⟨p. 3⟩The erroneous take Evil for Good, and Falshood for Truth. The slothful Hypocrite wisheth much Good, but doth but little: The formal Ceremonious Hypocrite extols the Name and Image of Goodness: The worldly Hypocrite will do Good if he can do it cheaply, without any loss or suffering to his Flesh: The Libertine Hypocrite pleadeth Christs Merits against the necessity of doing Good, and looketh to be saved because Christ is Good, tho he be barren and ungodly; and some ignorant Teachers have taught them to say, when they can find no true Faith, Repentance, Holiness, or Obedience in themselves, that it is enough to believe that Christ Believed and Repented for them, and was Holy and Obedient for them. He was indeed Holy and Obedient for Penitent Believers; not to make Holiness and Obedience unnecessary to them, but to make them sincerely Holy and Obedient to Himself, and to excuse them from the necessity of that perfect Holiness and Obedience here, which is necessary to those that will be Justified by the Law of Works or Innocency. Thus all sorts of bad men have their oppositions to doing Good; But to the sincere Christian it is made as Natural: His heart is set upon it: He is Created and Redeemed and Sanctified for it; as the Tree is made for Fruit. He Studieth it as the chief Trade and Business that he liveth for. He waketh for it: Yea, he sleepeth and eateth and drinketh for it; even to enable his body to serve his Soul, in serving that Lord, whose Redeemed peculiar People are all Zealous of Good Works, Tit. 2. 14.
