1. This was the chief business and employment of his life to doe good . To propound to you the several instances of it , were to give you an history and account of his whole life , the four Gospels being nothing else but the authentick records of those good works Jesus of Nazareth did , containing his excellent instructions , his free reproofs , the wise methods he used for the bettering and reforming men's minds , together with those various kindnesses he shewed to their bodies and outward estates with a generosity and charity not to be parallell'd by any thing but the divine goodness it self . I shall not therefore descend to particulars , but onely take notice , 1. That doing good was his ordinary daily employment . 2. That to the same end tended all his extraordinary miraculous works : and 3. That this was also the sum and substance of his Religion . From all which it will easily appear , that he made doing good the chief business of his whole life .

( 1. ) Doing good was his ordinary dai-employment . He did not onely by the by , and on great occasions exercise his charity and compassion , but it was as it were his onely profession , his meat and drink , his business and recreation too ; so that he denied himself the conveniences of this life that he might attend this work . How was he throng'd after and press'd upon by the miserable and unfortunate , the diseased and possessed in all places where-ever he came , and can you tell of any one person whom he ever sent from his presence dissatisfied ? It was but saying Lord have mercy upon me , and the poor humble beggar's wants ( of what kind soever ) were strait supplied .

And by these acts of love and kindness he did engage men to hearken to his wise counsels , and obey his gratious commands , for he had a farther design in all this compassion which he shewed towards mens bodies and outward estates , viz. to heal their bodies and their minds both together ; to instill and insinuate good instruction , and to promote men's eternal welfare , by contributing so much to their ease and happiness in this present life .

All this good he did with the greatest readiness and joy ; it was his greatest pleasure to spread his healing wings over every place , continually to dispense his benign influences and favours , and to make every one , who had the happiness to converse with him , sensible of his good-will to Mankind . Nor from this would he ever rest , not so much as on the Sabbath-day , though he was accounted a Transgressour for it . He consulted the good of other men above his own reputation , and would cure the sick on that day even before those who thought it a great piece of prophaneness and wickedness so to doe . He wanted objects sooner than will to shew kindness ; and nothing grieved him so much as that men by their own malice and perverseness should obstruct and defeat his gratious designs toward them , and obstinately refuse to be made happy by him .

( 2. ) This was not onely his ordinary daily employment , but for this end did he always exercise his extraordinary divine power , to doe benefits . All his Miracles were mercies to men , so that his wonderfull works proved him to be sent from God , not more by that infinite power that was seen in them , than by that surpassing goodness they demonstrated to the World .

He never employed his omnipotence out of levity or ostentation , but onely as the necessities and wants of Men required it . His miraculous works were not such as the Jews sometimes demanded and expected from him , such onely as would strike their senses and fancy with admiration and astonishment , as the making prodigious and amazing shews and representations in the Heavens , or in the Air ; but they were all expressions of a most immense benignity and charity to Mankind , such as healing the sick of all manner of diseases , making the lame to walk , and the blind to see , and the deaf to hear , cleansing the lepers , feeding the hungry , raising the dead , and casting evil spirits out of those that were miserably possessed with them , and cruelly tormented by them .

In such good offices , so usefull and profitable to Men , did he all along exert and manifest that divine power which God had anointed him with , thus demonstrating himself to be the most divine person that ever appeared in our flesh , not onely by doing the strangest and most miraculous works , but especially by doing the most good in the World .

( 3. ) To doe good was the sum and substance of his Religion . He affected not any precise singularities , or unusual severities of life . Of all the time he was here on earth , he spent but forty days in the Wilderness in close solitude and retirement ; the rest of his time he conversed freely and openly , that thereby he might have opportunity of obliging and benefiting all sorts of Men. He neglected not indeed any duty of piety towards God , but then his love to God shone forth most resplendently in his incessant care of , and charity to his Creatures . He knew he could not please or glorify his Father better , than by bearing much fruit , or , which is all one , doing much good in the World .

His Religion was active and operative : it consisted not in notions or formalities , or external abstinences and strictnesses , by which the several Sects amongst the Jews were distinguished one from another ; but the principal thing he was most remarkable for in his way of living was a most sincere readiness to doe all manner of good to all that came to him . He pretended not to any seraphick enthusiastical raptures , or inimitable unaccountable transports of devotion , or wonderfull mortification ; others might pray oftner and longer , fast more than He or his Disciples did , ( as we know was objected against him by St. John's disciples ; ) but no Saint , no Prophet , no Man ever before him so served God in his generation , or was either able or willing to shew such considerable kindnesses to the World as our blessed Lord and Saviour did .

And in this chiefly did his holiness and godliness appear above the rate and pitch of other mens , in that he was so infinitely mercifull and charitable : He made not such a pompous outward shew of Religion as some of the Pharisees did , but his actions truly bespoke him what he was , a person infinitely full of goodness , that could not be at ease without continual venting it self ; nor yet by all the wants , infirmities , necessities , either of mens minds or bodies could ever be exhausted .

Thus he made doing good the chief business and employment of his whole life , which is the first thing signified by these words .

2. That he went about doing good implies farther , that where he did not easily meet with , he industriously sought out objects of pity and compassion . His goodness did often prevent mens desires , always surpass them , doing for them beyond all their requests or hopes . He came to seek and save that which was lost .

He descended from the bosome of his Father , and eclipsed the glory of his Divine Majesty with a veil of flesh , and lived amongst us , that he might redeem us from the greatest evils and miseries , even whilst we were enemies to him , and desired no more than we deserved his love and favour . And whilst he was here upon earth , he was not onely easie of access , he did not onely courteously receive all that addressed themselves to him , he not onely freely invited and encouraged all men to repair to him for succour and relief ; but also did not disdain himself to travel up and down the Countrey on purpose to give opportunity to all that stood in need of him , to partake of his healing vertue and power . Those whom his Disciples checked for their rude and troublesome importunity , he lovingly entertained , and never dismissed without a blessing .

This mightily enhanced the value of every kindness he bestowed , the frankness of his doing it doubled the benefit . We spoil a good turn when it is extorted from us . It loseth all its grace and acceptableness when it is done grudgingly , and as of necessity .

Nay our Saviour denied not to converse familiarly with Publicans and the greatest Sinners ; he endeared himself to them by signal condescensions , though this also proved matter of reproach and infamy to him : as if he countenanced those vices he attempted to cure , or it were any disgrace to a Physitian to visit his patients . He refused not the civil offer of a Pharisee , though his sworn enemy , and would go to the houses , and eat at the table of those who sought his ruine : and whatever ill design they might have in inviting him , yet he always improved the occasion for the doing them some considerable good .

3. And Lastly . He constantly persevered in this notwithstanding the foul ingratitude and malitious opposition his good works met with in the World . Never did any one meet with greater discouragements , or more unworthy returns than the Son of God , when all his acts of beneficence , all the good offices he had done amongst them were so far from obliging , that they rather tended to exasperate and provoke that untoward generation ; and the more kindness he expressed toward them , the greater hast they made to betray and destroy him . This great Patron and Benefactour , this generous friend and lover of Mankind , was mortally hated and cruelly persecuted , as if he had been a publick enemy , and had done or designed some notorious mischief . They continually laid traps to ensnare him , loaded him with malitious slanders , greedily watched for an advantage to animate the multitude against him , took up stones to throw at him , as a reward of his gratious attemt to make them wise and happy ; put bad constructions , and made sinister interpretations of all the good he did , as if he designed to caress the people , and by such arts to gratify his ambition , and make himself popular . So that this great and gallant person was looked upon as a dangerous man , and the more good he did , the more he was feared and suspected : yet all this and a thousand times worse usage could not disswade him from persisting in doing good to them . He was ready to repay all these injuries with courtesies , even his bitterest enemies were partakers of his kindness , and he still continued to entreat them to accept of life from him , and with tears of true compassion bewailed their infidelity and wilfull folly . Nay at last when they laid violent hands upon him , and put him to the shamefull death of the Cross , yet then did he pray to his Father to forgive them ; and which is still most wonderfull , and is the very perfection of charity , he willingly laid down his life for them who so cruelly and treacherously took it from him . Thus our Lord went about doing good ; Let us who are his disciples and followers go now and doe likewise : which brings me to the second thing I was to consider in these words , viz.

II. Our duty in imitation of his most glorious example , who went about doing good .

But we , you 'll say , are not in a capacity , we have not ability or opportunity of doing good in that ample manner , in that measure and degree our Lord did . We cannot by any means , ( however willing to it or diligent in it ) come up to the perfection of this noble and heroical example . Were such miraculous powers communicated to us as were to our Saviour , so that by a word speaking we could heal all manner of sickness , and restore sight to the blind , and feet to the lame ; could we instruct the ignorant , reprove the prop●ane , admonish the erring with so much ease , advantage and authority as our blessed Lord did , we should then perhaps be very free and liberal in imparting those great favours and blessings Heaven had so signally bestowed upon us , for the good and benefit of others ; but alas ! as things now stand with us , we have neither power , nor skill , nor means to doe good at all after that illustrious manner our Saviour did .

To which all I shall at present reply is , that though we cannot after that stupendious manner be beneficial to mankind as our Saviour was , yet there are very many things which we are able to doe for the good of others , which our blessed Saviour could not doe by reason of his poverty and low estate in this World , without the expence of a miracle .

Few of us but as to our outward circumstances in this life are in a far more plentifull condition than the Son of God himself was , whilst here on earth : and it is in our power by ordinary ways to relieve and succour , oblige and benefit many , so as our Lord could not doe , without employing his divine power to furnish himself with means for it .