Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

3. A sense of the Divine Goodness would make us faithful to him. The Goodness of God obligeth us to serve him, not to offend him: The freeness of his Goodness should make us more ready, to contribute to the advancement of his Glory. When we consider the Benefits of a Friend proceed out of kindness to us, and not out of self ends and vain applause, it works more upon us, and makes us more careful of the honour of such a Person. 'Tis a pure Bounty God hath manifested in Creation, and Providence, which could not be for himself, who being Blessed for ever, wanted nothing from us: It was not to draw a profit from us, but to impart an advantage to us, Our goodness extends not to him^*. The service of the Benefactor is but a Rational return for Benefits, whence Nehemiah aggravates the Sins of the Jews, ^*† They have not served thee in thy great goodness, that thou gavest them, i. e. which thou didst freely bestow upon them. How should we dare to spend upon our Lusts, that which we possess, if we considered by whose liberality we came by it? How should we dare to be unfaithful in the Goods, he hath made us Trustees of? A deep sense of Divine Goodness will ennoble the Creature, and make it act for the most glorious, and noble end: It would strike Satan's Temptation dead, at a blow: It would pull off the false Mask, and Visor from what he presents to us, to draw us from the service of our Benefactor. We could not with a sense of this, think him kinder to us, than God hath, and will be, which is the great motive of Men, to join hands with him, and turn their backs upon God.

3. A sense of the Divine Goodness would make us faithful to him. The Goodness of God obligeth us to serve him, not to offend him: The freeness of his Goodness should make us more ready, to contribute to the advancement of his Glory. When we consider the Benefits of a Friend proceed out of kindness to us, and not out of self ends and vain applause, it works more upon us, and makes us more careful of the honour of such a Person. 'Tis a pure Bounty God hath manifested in Creation, and Providence, which could not be for himself, who being Blessed for ever, wanted nothing from us: It was not to draw a profit from us, but to impart an advantage to us, Our goodness extends not to him^*