Serm. 20, Row muß we in al1 things give Thanks i' 485 IV. Lookon thy mercies ad a *fwers to thy Prayers, and blefs the Lord for them on that accouxt ; for that's double mercy. I. That God hath inclined and direct d thine bean to beg fuck a mercy ; for this is a fpecial a& of the Spirit of adoption, Rom. 8.. 26, 27. 2. That he bath anfwer'd fuch Prayers , for this is a Ggn he accepts thee in C.hri[ . Many blefiìngs come in unasked for, and unlooked for : yet thefe require thankfulnefs. But when the Lord is inquired of for the things we have, and doth grant them to pas, this is a bleffing, upon his own inftitution,and a feat to his promife; hear David,Come near (faith be) and I rill tell you Pf.66.i6,i 7: what he hath done Pr my Soul, I cryed to the Lord and he mu extolled wish my tongue ; as if he had faid, this was a fìgnal favour for the Lord to grant what I petitioned him for, and therefore deferves a fpecial ack- owledgement. For this Hanna calls her fon Samuel, i, e. asked of God ; and Leah i Sam. I. 20. calfeth her fecond fon, Simeon, i. e. hearing, becaufe God heard her Gen.29.33. Prayer for him. And Rachel called her fon Nepthali, i. e. wreftling, becaufe the Gen,39 R. wreftled for him ; now as Samuels thould be Lemuels, i. e. dedicated to God, fo all our mercies we get by Prayer, should be the more fo- lemnly dedicated to the Lord by thankfgiving, and fuch a frame of a thankful heart is a fpiritual frame. V. When any of Gods dealings do either draw us cr drive us nearer to God, this is a .tTecial mercy. When we confider that well, we cannot but be greatly affe ted with it,and will be accordingly thankful for the mercy, or the difpenfation is thereby the more merciful : mercies are drawing cords, afflidions are whipcords, to drive us ; by both we are brought nearer to God, thank him. It the chief Shepherd hunt us together, and keep us from flragling, and bring us under command, this is a mercy to Chriíts fheep. If the Lord hedg up our wages with thorns that we cannot find our lovers, this Hof. 2.6, is a mercy. vert, 8, 9. And if the Lord recover his mercies from us, that in the want of them we may know he was the Founder and Fountain of them, this is a mercy. When Abfolom.burnt 7oab's corn, it was to make 7oah (who before that kept op) come to him. So all the angry difpenfations of God to- Amos 4.6,ts wards his children are that they return to him. v. 12. That ftorm that finks and fplits force (hips, drives, others faller into Qq q z the
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