the grain of Human Nature; Nor does it require any Thing beyond our Strength, or above our Power or Abili ty to do; God measures our Gratitude. not fo much by the largeness of Gifts and Offerings, as by the Inward Affections of Heart and Soul. By an humble Dependance on God, and fuch a due Sence of all his Mercies, as will engage us to Serve honour and obey him, and to fbow forth his Praife both with our Lips and. in our Lives, and by Deeds of Mercy and Charity according to what he has. given us; I fay, by fuch Expreffions of our Gratitude as thefe, we may Offer the Heb. xiii. Sacrifice of Praife unto God continually ;15. and we shall do it more Acceptably than we could do with Thousands of Rams, and ten thousands of Rivers of Oil.

I.

And Thankfulness to God is not only an Eafy Duty, but a great and experienc'd Master in it, tells us moreover, what a Joyful and Pleasant Thing it is to be Pf.cxlvii. Thankful. This may be well illuftrated 1. in the Words of an excellent Author, much to my present Purpose-"There Hooker's "is great Caufe (fays he) why we should Pol, B. "Delight more in giving Thanks for par. 43. "God's Bleffings than in making Re"quests for them, in as much as the "One hath Penfivenefs and Fear, the "Other hath always Joy annexed; the

"One

Ecclef.

"One belongeth unto them that Seek "the Other unto them that have Found "Happiness; They that Pray do but "Sow; They that give Thanks declare "they have Reaped -Now Men may Sow in Tears but they Reap in Foys In our Trouble and Heaviness We Pray unto God, But when he has Delivered us, we Rejoice in his Salvation: He has then tarned our Heaviness into Joy, and our Mouths Praife him with Joyful Lips.

But we may alfo farther confider, that Thanksgiving is a Duty that will never Ceafe. Other Duties will Ceafe when we come to Heaven; When our Troubles and Weakness and Wants are at an End, there will no longer be Occafion for Supplications and Prayers; but Then efpecially is the greateft Occafion for Thanksgiving: Therefore Lauding and Magnifying the Lord is ftill the great Bufinefs of the Bleft above. Everlafting Bleffednefs will require Everlast ing Thanksgiving and Praife.

Therefore by this Divine Exercife we may be gin our Hallelujahs before-hand, and in fome Degree have our Conversation in Heaven even whilft we are here on Earth; and may thereby be training up ourselves for Heaven, and for thofe Hallelujahs and Anthems of Praife, which, if we are ever admitted into the Regions

of

of Blifs, will be, we fuppofe, in great Measure, our Blessed Employment to all Eternity.

4thly and laftly; If we neglect this Duty of Gratitude to God,This Reasonable, Eafy, Delightful Duty, we have no Extufe for our Ingratitude.

Ingratitude, when it is to Men, has many Shifts and Excufes to cover itself withal"'Tis True, (fays the Un"grateful Perfon) he once did me a "kindness, but twas by Chance-Or, "That was a long time Since "he has Difobliged me fince-gand Or, He "has fince That affifted my known

"Enemy.-
"with it
"Difgraced me for it.

Or,

Or he has upbraided me Or he has fufficiently Or he fets fuch a Value upon a Trifle of a "Kindness-Or he has done More for "Others with Lefs Reafon - Or he "has made fo Bold with me for it, "that he has long fince cancel'd the "Obligation. Or I had fuch Diffi"cult access to his Favour. ----- It coft me so much Importunity and Media❝tion of Friends, that 'twas hardly "worth the Attendance. Or he gave it at laft in fuch an Unhand"fome Difobliging Manner,- with "fo much lingring and indifference

66

"with fuch Sowreness and Supercili
"ousness or with fuch Reflections----
"Or elfe fo Publickly for the Oftenta
"tion of his Bounty, that he fham'd
"and Reproach'd me, even whilst he
"Reliev'd me.-
Or perhaps, he had
66 an Eye to his own Intereft, expecting
"the Benefit should at laft redound to
"himself; and fo the Kindness was to
himself, though he is pleased to charge
me with the Obligation, &.

Thefe, and many more Pretences may ferve to furnish out fome Plea for Ingra titude to a Friend or Benefactor, but which of all these can poffibly be charg'd on God? His Gifts are All of a Juft Standard; Perfect and Intire in all their Circumftances: He can have no Self-Inte reft, nor By-Designs in his Beneficence, which is always Free and Undeferv'd: Jam. i. He is the Giver of every Good and Perfect Gift, and he Giveth to all Men Liberally and Upbraideth not.

Thus we fee how we are furrounded with Obligations to Gratitude. But forasmuch as we cannot perform our Religious Duties to God aright, without the Affiftance of his Grace, our Church has not only taught us to beg of him, that he would Mercifully Affift our Prayers that we make before him in all our Troubles and Adverfities, whenfoever

they

they opprefs us; but has likewife taught us to Pray to him to Affift us in our Thanksgiving allo; to Open Our Lips that our Mouths may show forth his Praife.

Let us therefore humbly befeech him to give us that due Sence of all his Mercies, that oar Hearts may be unfeignedly Thankful, and that we may show forth his Praife, not only with our Lips but in our Lives, by giving up ourfelves to his Service, and by walking before him in Holiness and Righteousness all our Days, through Jefus Christ our Lord; to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghoft be all Honour and Glory World without End. Amen.

SER

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