God, glorify him not as God, neither are thankful; it would inspire us with a most pleafing Love and Reverence to him, preserve us very powerfully from finning against him by the Abuse of his own Gifts; and fupport us under whatever we might suffer in this World, by the Affurance that he, of whofe Bounty we have fo large Experience here, hath Bleffings infinitely fuperior in Store for us hereafter.

Let us therefore ftir up and cherish in our Breafts, a Habit of conftant Thankfulness to Heaven: bear always in our Thoughts the Value of those Faculties and Powers of Body and Mind with which we are endowed, of the Health and Ease which we enjoy or have enjoyed, and remember that He it is who made us, and not we ourselves". Let us reckon over the manifold Comforts and Accommodations of Life, the Relations and Friends, the agreeable Acquaintance, the fair Efteem, of which we are poffeffed, and confider that all these are the Donations of a kind Providence. Let us raise our Views higher : contemplate the inestimable Benefits of our Redemption; of the Precepts, the Examples, the Promises of holy Writ;

• Rom. i. 21.

4 Pf. c. 2.

the

the Inftructions given us by God's Ministers in public, by good Perfons and good Books in private; the Freedom, which we and all around us have of worshipping our Maker, according to our Confciences. Let us recollect, at the fame Time, the Security of our Perfons and Properties from Oppreffion in all other Respects, as well as this: that the whole Exercife of civil Authority over us, is legal and mild; that no one will or can harm us, if we are Followers of that which is good'. Let us compare our own Condition in these Particulars, with that of the Multitudes elfewhere, indeed of moft Men throughout the Earth, who fit in Darkness, and Bondage, temporal, and fpiritual. Yet even they have Caufe to praise God. For the most deficient in worldly Advantages have many Confolations, if they will attend to them properly: the most ignorant shall be accountable only in Proportion to their Means of Knowledge; and the most faulty fhall be judged with every due Allowance to the Propenfities of their Nature, and the Prejudices of their Education. But how much more liberal is our Share of

whatever pertains unto Life and Godliness*: and what Pleasure should we take in paying fuitable Acknowledgements' Blessed are they that dwell in thy Houfe: they will be alway praifing thee'.

But befides being thankful to God alway, we ought,

II. To be thankful to him for all Things.

That the Gift of Life, taking the Whole of it together, is juftly a Ground of Thankfgiving, we cannot question, without questioning alfo the Goodness of the Giver. Yet whether we are indeed thankful, and to what Degree, for the Sum total of it united, we fhould do well to examine ourfelves. But the Apostle expressly enjoins us to be fo for each Part separately. Be it ever fo afflictive, we have deserved much worfe: and therefore ought to blefs our merciful Father, that the Blow came no fooner, that it was no heavier, that it was repeated no oftener. But then, befides, the fame Apoftle hath told us, that all Things work together for Good to them who love God". We are extremely prone to think otherwife, when any unpleafing Occurrence

k 2 Pet. i. 3.

· Pf. lxxxiv, 4.

m Rom. viii. 28. befalls

befalls us; and to fay with good old Jacob, All thefe Things are against me". But as he found most unexpectedly, that the Grievances, which he bemoaned, were the very Inftruments of his Happiness throughout the Remainder of his Days: fo have very many fince, and so very poffibly may we, experience the like unforeseen Connection. I have fhewn you, in speaking on the Subjects related to this, from what Evils our Sufferings or Difadvantages often preserve us, what Benefits they often procure us. Indeed we frequently acknowledge, that to fuch or such a Misfortune or Disappointment we are indebted for our Escape from destructive Dangers, or our Attainment of moft defirable Bleffings. But we might difcern many more Events of this Nature, would we look for them: and we should believe there are fuch very commonly, when we cannot fee them. It is an A&t of Duty owing to him, whose Power and Wisdom can eafily bring Good out of Evil: and an Act of Prudence, which we owe to ourfelves, as the fure Way of turning every gloomy Appearance into a cheerful one.

n Gen. xlii. 36.

4

And

And were our Troubles and Croffes never to end in augmenting our temporal Welfare, yet they may and will, if it be not our own Fault, contribute to a far greater Felicity, our moral and spiritual Improvement. Sometimes we cannot avoid perceiving their medicinal and falutary Tendency: often we might perceive it by the Help of a little serious Confideration and they may be extremely requifite, when at the Time we perceive it not. For both our outward Dangers and our inward Weaknesses are very commonly unseen by us: whence we imagine ourselves to be in perfect Safety, while we are really in imminent Hazard. But the great Phyfician of our Souls knows our true and whole State and it is unfpeakable Goodness in him, to apply the Remedies, be they ever fo rough, which our Cafe demands and a due Regimen obferved on our Part will render effectual. When a needful, but harsh Operation is prefcribed to be 'performed on us by one of our Fellow-creatures, though we are fenfible we must feel from it exquifite Pain, yet we chufe to undergo it, we defire to have it completely gone through without fparing us; and even during the

Smart,