Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

3. The third Comfort flowing from this Doctrine of the Goodness of God, is, 'Tis a ground of assurance of Happiness. If God be so good, that nothing is better, and loves himself, as he is good, he cannot be wanting in love to those, that resemble his Nature, and imitate his Goodness: He cannot but love his own Image of goodness; where ever he finds it, he cannot but be bountiful to it; ⟨p. 684⟩for it is impossible there can be any love to any Object, without wishing well to it, and doing well for it. If the Soul loves God as its chiefest good, God will love the Soul as his pious Servant: As he hath offered to them the highest allurements, so he will not with-hold the choicest communications. Goodness cannot be a deluding thing; It cannot consist with the nobleness and largeness of this Perfection, to invite the Creature to him, and leave the Creature empty of him, when it comes. 'Tis inconsistent with this Perfection, to give the Creature a knowledge of himself, and a desire of enjoyment larger than that knowledge, a desire to know, and enjoy him perpetually, yet never intend to bestow an Eternal Communication of himself upon it. The Nature of Man was erected by the goodness of God, but with an enlarged desire for the highest Good, and a Capacity of enjoying it. Can Goodness be thought to be deceitful, to frustrate its own Work, be tired with its own Effusions, to let a gracious Soul groan under its burden, and never resolve to ease him of it? To see delightfully the aspirings of the Creature to another State, and resolve, never to admit him to a happy issue of those desires? 'Tis not agreeable to this unconceivable Perfection, to be unconcerned in the longings of his Creature, since their first longings were placed in them, by that Goodness which is so free from mocking the Creature, or falling short of its well grounded Expectations or Desires, that it infinitely exceeds them. If Man had continued in Innocence, the goodness of God without question would have continued him in Happiness: And since he hath had so much goodness, to restore Man, would it not be dishonourable to that goodness, to break his own Conditions, and defeat the believing Creature of Happiness, after it hath complied with his terms? He is a Believers God in Covenant, and is a God in the utmost extent of this Attribute, as well as of any other;

3. The third Comfort flowing from this Doctrine of the Goodness of God, is, 'Tis a ground of assurance of Happiness. If God be so good, that nothing is better, and loves himself, as he is good, he cannot be wanting in love to those, that resemble his Nature, and imitate his Goodness: He cannot but love his own Image of goodness; where ever he finds it, he cannot but be bountiful to it;