Serny, 2o. How muß we in d tbingsgi"vt thanks ? thanked God frequently and fervently, l thankthee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, bccakfe thou h4 hid thefe things from the wife and Matc11.I I.25. Prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes, when trs Difciples preach - ed, and cafl out devils. Thusalfo when he raifed Lazarus, Father, I thank thee thatthou Joh.Ir.4t. haft heard me. When he was to eat common bread, he 61c jfed it with giving of Mark 8.6. thanks. Much more, confecrated bread. Luk.22.19. Thus was he a Pattern of thankfulnefs,he did in every thing give thanks. In like manner we find him reproving the nine Lepers for their un- Luk.I7.16,I7; thankfulnefs,which (hews that he held out thankfulnefs as a duty,per- fonally he gave a Pattern and Precept for it. Now though this were enough to fhety it, the will of God in Chriff Jefus, yet thefe words reach further ; namely,to thew that is the firain of the Gofpel in the Apof les Doffrine and Prac`fice, for they through their Commi(fì.on,and the great meafure of Gods Spirit in them de- clared the will of God inChrift Jefus, They worfhipped, and returned Luke 24. iik to 7erufalem with great joy, and were continually in the Temple, praiftng and blefng God. Amen. What the Apolile Paul, fpirit was in this (by whom fo much of the will of God in Chriff Jefus is revealed and penned) I need not re- hear fe, for all his Epiffles breath out the praifes of Gods grate. Thanks and Praife is the homage we owe to God for all we have and Reaf. 2. are, Therefore in every thing co be rendred. We live precariou fly, and as mercy ; by the grace of God we are what Alf.1 7.28. we are. God in his foveraignty might have lest us in the womb of no- I Cor.t5.io. thing, and never made us,and have crulht us into nothing as foon as he made us, for bath not the Potter power over bid Clay ? Every mo- Rom. 9. ment we depend on him, and hold all from him, his power over us is arbitrary and infinite ; to this Soveraign God we owe all, andthere- fore our thanks, Who bath firs`1 given to him, and it Jh ll be recompenfed Rom.11.35,36 to him again, for ,of 'him,and through him, and to him are all things, to whom.be glory for ever, Amen For not confidering this BelJhazzar Dan.5.z5. ftnarted,The God in whole hands thy breath is,and whole are all thy ways, haft thou not glorified. The birds that lift up their bills, at every drop they take, may mind us of this duty. Common and confiant mercies deferve fpecial thank, becaufe confiant. 3. Chriflians muff give thanks in every thing becaufe they have fiiiritual mercies innumerable and invaluable fuperadded to common PPP mercies,
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