A26939:52
How to do good to many, or, The public good is the Christians life…How to do good to many, or, The publick good is the Christians life…
How to do good to many, or, The public good is the Christians life directions and motives to it, intended for an auditory of London citizens, and published for them, for want of leave to preach them / by Richard Baxter.How to do good to many, or, The publick good is the Christians life directions and motives to it, intended for an auditory of London citizens, and published for them, for want of leave to preach them / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Rob. Gibs, 1682
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But for order sake we must here consider.
1. Who this All meaneth, and in what order. II. What is Good: And what is that Good which we must do. IV. What Qualifications he must have that will do Good to many. III. What Rules he must observe in doing it. V. What works are they that must be done by him that would do good to many. ⟨p. 4⟩VI. What motives should quicken us to the practice. VII. Some useful consectaries of the point.
I. It is Gods prerogative to do good to all; Mans ability will not reach to it. But our all is, as many as we can do good to. 1. To Men of all sorts: High and Low, Rich and Poor. Old and Young: Kindred, Neighbours, Strangers, Friends, Enemies, Good and Bad; none excepted that are within our power.
2. Not to a few only, but to as many persons of all sorts as we can: As he that hath true grace would still have more for himself; so he that doth good would feign do more good; and he that doth good to some would fain do good to many more. All good is progressive, and tendeth toward increase and perfection; why are the faithful said, to love and long for the day of Christs appearing; but because it is the great Marriage day of the Lamb, when all the Elect shall be perfected in our Heavenly Society? and that makes it a much more desirable day than that of our particular glorification at death. The perfection of the whole body addeth to the perfection of every part: For it is a state of felicity in perfect Love. And Love maketh every mans good whom we love, to be as sweet to us as our own; yea, maketh it our own. And then the perfection and glory of every Saint, will be our delight and Glory: And to see each single ones love united in one perfect joy and glory, will add to each persons joy and glory. And can you wonder if our little sparks of Grace do tend towards the same diffused multiplication; and if every Member long for the completing of the body of Christ; O how much will this add to every faithful Christians joy? It will not be then a little flock; not despised for singularity; nor hid in the Crowd of impious sinners, nor dishonoured by infirmities, or paltry quarrels among our selves, nor with the mixture of hypocrites: It will not be over-voted or trod down and persecuted by the power, or number of the ignorant Enemies: O Christians, go on in doing good to all men with cheerfulness; for it all tendeth to make up the body of Christ, and to prepare for that glorious state and day: Every Soul you convert, every brick that you lay in the building tendeth to make up the House and City of God.