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lib. viii.

which God and Angels and good men chiefly ob-s ER M. ferve, and govern themfelves by,) what is given is XVII. but committed to the faith, depofited in the hand, treasured up in the cuftody of him that receives it : Kaλòv Bi 9nand what more palpable iniquity is there, than to augima betray the truft, or to detain the pledge, not of fomes." inconfiderable trifle, but of ineftimable good-will? Excepta Macedonum gente, faith Seneca, non eft ulla De Benef. data adverfus ingratum actio: In no nation (excepting cap. 6. the Macedonians) an action could be preferred against ingrateful perfons, as jo. (Though Xenophon, no mean author, reports, that among the Perfians also there were judgments affigned, and punishments appointed for ingratitude.) However, in the court of heaven, and at the tribunal of confcience, no offender is more conftantly arraigned, none more furely condemned, none more feverely punished, than the ingrateful man.

Since therefore we have received all from the divine bounty; if God fhould in requital exact, that we facrifice our lives to the teftimony of his truth; that we employ our utmost pains, expend our whole eftate, adventure our health, and proftitute all our earthly contents to his fervice; fince he did but revoke his own, it were great injuftice to refufe compliance with his demands: how much more, when he only expects from us and requires fome few acknowledgments of our obligation to him, fome little portions of our fubftance, for the relief of them that need, fome eafy obfervances of his moft reasonable commands?

Thirdly, This is a most sweet and delightful duty. III. Praife the Lord, faith the most experienced Pfalmift, Pf. cxxxv. for the Lord is good; fing praises to his name, for it is3 pleafant and otherwhere, Praife the Lord, for it is Pf. cxlvii.t. good to fing praifes to our God; for it is pleasant, and ix. 1. praife is comely. The performance of this duty, as it efpecially proceeds from good humour, and a cheer

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ful

SER M. ful difpofition of mind; fo it feeds and foments XVII. them; both root and fruit thereof are hugely sweet

and fapid. Whence St. James; If any man be afJam. v. 13. flicted, let him pray; is any merry, let him fing pfalms. (Pfalms, the proper matter of which is praife and thanksgiving,)

Vid. Pfal.

1. 13, 14.

23.

Other duties of devotion have fomething laborious in them, fomething difguftful to our fenfe. Prayer minds us of our wants and imperfections ; confeffion induces a fad remembrance of our mifdeeds and bad deferts: but thankfgiving includes nothing uneafy or unpleasant; nothing but the memory and fenfe of exceeding goodness.

All love is fweet; but that especially which arifes, not from a bare apprehenfion only of the object's worth and dignity, but from a feeling of its fingular beneficence and usefulness unto us. And what thought can enter into the heart of man more comfortable and delicious than this, that the great Mafter of all things, the most wife and mighty King of heaven and earth, hath entertained a gracious regard, hath expreffed a real kindness towards us? that we are in capacity to honour, to please, to prefent an acceptable facrifice to him, who can render us perfectly happy? that we are admitted to the practice of that wherein the fupreme joy of paradise, and the perfection of angelical blifs confifts? For praife and thanksgiving are the most delectable bufinefs of heaven; and God grant they may be our greatest delight, our most frequent employment upon earth.

To thefe I might add fuch farther confiderations: Ixix. 30,31. That this duty is of all moft acceptable to God, and most profitable to us. That gratitude for benefits procures more, difpofing God to beftow, and qualifying us to receive them. That the serious performance of this duty efficaciously, promotes and facilitates the practice of other duties; fince the more we

are

are fenfible of our obligations to God, the more s ER M. ready we shall be to please him, by obedience to his xv11. commandments. What St. Chryfoftom faith of prayer, It is impoffible that he, who with competent Vid. diviniff. Chryf. promptitude of mind doth conftantly apply himfelf locum tom. thereto, fhould ever fin, is moft efpecially true of v. p. 76. this part of devotion: for how can we at the fame time be fenfible of God's goodnefs to us, and willingly offend him? That the memory of paft benefits, and fenfe of present, confirms our faith, and nourishes our hope of future. That the circumstances of the divine beneficence mightily ftrengthen the obligation to this duty; efpecially his abfolute freeness in giving, and our total unworthinefs to receive; our very ingratitude itself affording strong inducements to gratitude. That giving thanks hath de facto been always the principal part of all religion; (whether instituted by divine command, or prompted by natural reason, or propagated by general tradition;) the Ethnic devotion confifting (as it were totally) in the praise of their gods, and acknowledgment of their benefits; the Jewish more than half in eucharistical oblations, and in folemn commemorations of providential favours; and that of the ancient Chriftians fo far forth, that bye-ftanders could hardly discern any other thing in their religious practice, than that they fang hymns to Chrift, and by Plin. Epift. mutual facraments obliged themselves to abstain from all villainy. But I will rather wholly omit the prosecution of these pregnant arguments, than be farther offenfive to your patience.

Now the bleffed Fountain of all goodness and mercy inSpire our hearts with his heavenly grace, and thereby enable us rightly to apprehend, diligently to confider, faithfully to remember, worthily to efteem, to be beartily affected with, to render all due acknowledgment, praife, love, and thankful obedience for all his (infinitely great and innumerable many) favours, mercies, and benefits

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SER M.freely conferred upon us and let us fay with David, XVII. Bleed be the Lord God of Ifrael, who only doth wondrous things: and blessed be his glorious name for ever, Pf. lxxii. and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Bleed Pf. cvi. 48. be the Lord God of Ifrael from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen,

18, 19.

SERMON

SERMON XVIII.

Of Quietness, and doing our own Business,

I THESS. IV. II.

And that ye ftudy to be quiet, and to do your own Chryf. in

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business.

2 Cor. Or. 19.

S frequently between neighbouring states there s E R M. do rise diffenfions and contefts about the just xvIII. limits of their territories; fo doth it frequently hap-. pen between virtue and vice, right and wrong, duty and mifcarriage in practice: for although the extreme degrees, and even the middle regions of these things are very diftant, yet the borders of them do lie very close together, and are in a manner contiguous; a certain ridge of feparation running between them, which commonly (being very narrow, thin, and obfcure) it is not eafy to difcern. So it particularly falleth out in the matter before us, wherein. our text is concerned. Duty and offence do nearly confine, and almost indifcerniby differ one from the other; for there are about this cafe precepts which seem to contradict; there are duties appearing to thwart one another.

St. Paul here biddeth us to be ftudious or ambitious of quiet; otherwhere he enjoineth us to be earnestly active, (to be on un invngoì, not flothful in bufi- Rom. xii.

ness ;)1

11.

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