paffion to my Brother, and defign his Relief, which is the particular End of the good Work. So in inftructing others, in perfuading them to Repentance and Virtue, my particular End must be the Good of their Souls. So again as to all ingenuous Profeffions, or other lawful Callings, why, Men are not only to propound to themfelves their being well and honeftly employed, in Obedience to the Commands of God in the general, but the doing of Good to the Society of Mankind, which is the particular End of their Profeffion or Employment.

And truly it is, in most Cases, necessary enough actually to propound the proper Ends of particular good Actions, in order to the attaining of thefe Ends. For Inftance: We are not only to confider, that the receiving the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood is a Duty in Obedience to a Divine Command (the discharging of which is the great End of our fo doing, and we are to be fo minded in all other Religious Performances) but we must also intend the particular Ends thereof, which are the Commemoration of Chrift's Death, the renewing of our Covenant with God, and the strengthning our Refolution to live to, and, if need be, to die for him, who died for us; for if we do not defign thefe Things, the outward Performance will not effect them.

For

For a Conclufion of this: The greatest Difficulty is in fixing our Intention upon thofe General Ends that will make it fincere, and when that is done, it is no hard Matter to design alfo thofe Particular Ends that are proper to excite a good Work. If a Man be influenced by Conscience, by the Defire and Hope of Everlafting Salvation, and by a Spirit of Piety and Charity in all that he does, he will almost naturally intend the particular End of any good Action, of every Religious Service towards God, of his Profeffion and Business in the World, he will give for the Supply of his Brother's Need, he will faft for the fubduing of his Bodily Appetites, and for the humbling of his Soul, or the like, and he will labour in his Profeffion for the particular Benefit that others receive by it.

I fhall only add, that it is highly profitable, in order to the fecuring of our Sincerity, to fix upon as many good Ends as we can in all the Good we do, because this will not only beft fecure our Perfeverance in doing well, but also our Sincerity and Heartiness in it.

And thus have I fhewn you at large. what Purity of Intention is; these are the Ends General and Particular that Religion requires us to fix upon, that we may be come Perfons truly good and holy in Heart as well as Life.

I proceed

I proceed next in the third place to enquire, whether the mixing of other Ends with thefe fpoils the Goodnefs of our Intention.

Now for our Inftruction and Satisfaction` in this Point, I fhall lay down three Rules.

1. A bad End doth always fpoil the Inten tion. He that fafts for Strife, or gives for Vain-glory, or makes long Prayers to devour Widows Houfes, or is temperate out of Covetousness, he is but an Hypocrite when all is done. If there be any thing of Pride, or Covetousness, Ill-will, or the like, in our Intention in what we do, it is not done for God's Sake; nor can any good End be fully intended where there is a bad one.

2. Befides thofe Ends which we are taught by Religion, we may intend others that regard our own prefent Intereft in this World, which are confiftent with them. This is plain in every honeft Calling, by which a Man may defign a Livelihood for himself, as he must propound the doing of that Good to others by it, which makes fuch a Calling neceffary for Society; I am bound in Duty to God to live temperately and foberly, but may alfo defign the fecuring of my own Health, and the preferving of my Eftate by it; I am to forgive Injuries, because God requires it, but I may take this into Confideration too, that it is the best way to live quietly in the World.

I

But

But then the third Rule is, the defigning of my Worldly Advantage, which in the general is lawful, must be fubfervient to the great Ends of Religion and Charity, and my Salvation in the World to come: For Inftance: If it fhould happen that to pass by one Injury with Chriftian Temper would expose me to more, I must remember my Salvation is concerned in my fo doing, and muft venture my prefent Quiet. If I must go thro' ill Report in difcharging a good Confcience, I must not stand upon my Reputation. Again, If my Calling will not enrich me, without exacting upon others, and taking the common Liberties of this World, yet this is not to be done, because God is to be obeyed, my Neighbour is to be used with Juftice and Charity, and the Hope of Eternal Life is not to be thrown away whatever comes of it. I need add no more Inftances.

So then of what has been faid this is the Sum: If a Man would have from God at laft this Commendation, Well done, good and faithful Servant, in all Kinds of well-doing he must propound to himself the General good Ends thereof I have mentioned, and muft intend withal the Particular good Ends of every good Work, never mingling with the right Ends any bad Intention, that will fpoil all, and ever making all other Ends of any Virtue or good Work respecting this

Life, fubfervient to thofe great and the chief Ends, which regard his Soul's Welfare and the other Life; this we must all do, if we expect the Rewards of an all-feeing, allknowing God, that fearches the Hearts, and if we would be fuch as fhall have Praife of God, when he fhall come to bring to Light the bidden Things of Darkness, and to make manifeft the Counfels of the Hearts.

Two Inferences I fhall draw from what has been delivered on this Subject.

1. We may from hence learn the reafon of that Doctrine, which has generally pass'd in the Church, concerning the Virtues of Heathens, that they were not truly good Works, that they had but the Appearance, and not the Reality of Virtue, and the rea fon is, because the Good they did proceeded not from a right Intention, or from a good End, and in that Cafe all their feemingly glorious Actions were no better than beautiful Pictures or Statues, a good End being that to a good Action which the Soul is to the Body; what they did was not for God's Sake, nor in Obedience to him, but for the most part out of Ambition, Covetousness, or fome other evil Principle, but especially Vain-glory, and a Thirft of Honour a mongst Men, which carries a Man to that which is wrong as often as to that which is right. The Restraint that fome of them laid upon their Appetites, fo long as it was likely

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