Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere

1. First, his goodness in himself should keep thee from offending him. There's nothing but goodness, infinite goodness in him, and canst thou find in thy heart to sin against so good a God? To offend, and wrong a good dispositioned person, one of a sweet nature and affection, it aggravates the fault, 'tis pity to wrong or hurt such a one, as injures no body. Now such a one is God, a good God, infinite in goodness, rich in mercy, very goodness it self; and therefore it must needs aggravate the foulness of sin to sin against him: But now he is not only thus in himself, but

1. First, his goodness in himself should keep thee from offending him. There's nothing but goodness, infinite goodness in him, and canst thou find in thy heart to sin against so good a God? To offend, and wrong a good disposition'd person, one of a sweet nature and affection, it aggravates the fault, 'tis pity to wrong or hurt such a one, as injures no body. Now such a one is God, a good God, infinite in goodness, rich in mercy, very goodness it self; and therefore it must needs aggravate the foulness of sin to sin against him: But now he is not only thus in himself, but

2. Secondly, He's good to thee, Rom. 2. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance? &c. What hast thou that thou hast not received from his bountiful hand? Consider of this, and let this be a means to draw thee off from thy sinfulness. When David had greatly sinned against God, and when God brings his murder home to him, he pleads thus with him: When thou wert nothing in thine own eyes, I brought thee (saith God) to the Kingdom, I took thee from the sheep-fold, and exalted thee, and brought the to a plentiful house, Vid. 2 Sam. 12.7, 8. And may not God say the like to us? and do you thus requite the Lord, O you foolish people and unwise, Deut. 32.6. that the more his mercy and goodness is to you, the higher your sins should be against him.