Helps to a Life ofThankfulnrfs. ------------------------------------------------~---------- {oul fcrs light by Chrifi, and Grace, and Glory : It rclifl1eth no fpiritual mercy: It cannot be thank· ful for th:n which it finderh no grclt need of. Bur true humiliation rccovcreth our appetite, and teachcth us to value mercy as it is. Think therefore what fin is (as I have opened to youVir. 8. ; and think of your manifold aggravattd lins: and thtn think how greH rhofe mercies are that are bellowed on fo great unworthy finnrrs! Then mercy will melt your humbled hearts, when you .c-onftfs that you an: tmn.·urtby to br caUedSonJ, Luke IS· and that you arc not wortby to look up U1 Heaven, Luke 18. J 3. and that you are not worthy of the leaft of aU tbe mtrciu efGod, Gen. 32. I o. The bumble fonl is the tha11k{ul foul, and therefore fo grc..:rly valued by the Lord. y. 6. Dirc:d. 4• Vnderjland what Miftry you were delivtrt!d from; and ejfimau the greatnc[i of the Direl1. 4~ metc}tl by the greatneji of tbe prmijhment wbi..:hyou haddrferved. A-lifcry as well as ji1t muH tell us the grea.mciS of nur mercies. This is before opened, Cb.Jp. I· Dir. 9; pag. 2 I· , _ §. 7· Direct. 5· Suppofe you fdw the d,mued fimh, orfuppofe you had bun one d,')' jot HeUyourfelves : Dirdl. 5• htJIJink.. you then how tbankful you would have bcm for Chrijt and Mercy. And )'Oll wcrt condemned to ir by the Law of God, and if death had brought yoq to execution you had bee~ there; and then Mercy would have been more elleemed. lfa Preacher were [ent to thofe miferablc fouls to offer them a pardon and eternal life on the terms as they arc offered to us, do you think they would make as light of it as we do. §. 8. Direct. 6· Neg/e[l ''"' to f<!<p c/eJr tht EviJenw of thy title to thofe Jpeci,tl Mercies for Dire[!. 6• .wbicb thou jh!luldjf be moji: thankful: And hearlz.en not to Satan when he would tempt thee to think._that they are none fJj thine, that fobe might m~lzl! thee deny GoJ thc'th.mk.f fer th,m, which he expefttth. Ot this 1 havcfpoken in the Dire<lion5 for Love. §. 9• DirecT. 7: Thin~much of.thoji P•;frmal mercier which God hath jher>·ed tlmfrom thy youth up Dire[!. 7 • umilt now, by wh1ch he hatb manifejlcd hu care of thct, and parttcularkjndnifi to thee. Though the common merciu of Gods !Crvants be the grcatefi, which all other ChriCtians fhare in with each one; yet pedi:mal favours peculiar to our fclves, are apt much to affect us, as being near our apprehenfion, and exprefling a peculiar care and love of us. Therefore Chrittians fhould mark Gods de1lings with them, and' write down the great and ttotable merciei of their lives, ( which are nor unlit for others to know, if they lhould fee it.) §. IO· Dired. 8. Compare thy proportion of MrrcitJ with the rejl df the penpler i11 the mrid. A11d Dire[!. s: thou wilt~ find that it i1 not one of many tbnufands that bath thy proportion. It is fo fmall a part of the world that arc Chrijti.:~;tJ, and of thofe fo few that are Orthodox Reformed Chrijfians; and of thofe fe few that are fcrioujly godly as devoted to God ; and of thofe {0 fe::w that fall not into fomc perplexities, errors, fcandals) or great affiictions and. diftrcfs, that thofe few that are in none of thefe rmks have caufe of wonderous thankfulnefs to God: Yea, the mofl affiicted Chrifiians in the world : Suppofe God had divided his mercies equally to all men in the world, as health, and wealch, and honour,and grace,and the Gofpel, &c. How little of them would have come to thy {hare in compari– fon of what rhou now poffdfdl ? How many have Jefs wealth or honour than thou ? How many rhoufands have lefs of the Gofpel and of Grace' In reafon therefore thy tha~tkfulne[r lhould be pro· portionable and extraordinary. . · • §· 1I. DireCl.9. Compare the Mercia n·bicb thore wanteft, with th.fe which thoup~l[cffeft,and obfcrve how Dire{/. 9~ m~tch thy receiving I are gpater than thy Ji1JfcringJ• Thou hafi many meal~ plenty, tor one day Offcardty or pinching hunger: Thou hall many dayes Health, for one dayes hcknefs : and if one part be ill, there are more that are not : If one Crofs befall thee, thou efcapefl many more that might befall thee, and which thou defervefi. y. 12. DireCt. re. Bethink.. thee how thou wouldjhJaluetby mercies, if thou wert deprived of them. Virdi. 10. The want of them ufually teacheth us moll elfedually to d\eem them. Think how thou fl1ouldfl value Chritl and hope, if thou wert in Defpair? And how thou wou.ldf\ value the mercies of EJ.rtb, ' if thou wert inHell? And the Mercies of England, if thou were among bloody Inquitltors and per~ fecutors, and wicked cruell Heathens or Mahometans, or bruitifh favage Americans: Think howgood tleep would feem to thee, if thou couldll not fleep for pains' Ot how. good thy meat, or drink, or cloaths, or houfe, or inaintcnance, or friends, would all feem to thee, if they were taken Horn thee: And how great a mercy health would feem, if thou were under (omc tormenting iicknefs ; and what a mercy 1ime would frem, if Death were at hand, and Time were ending: And what a mercy thy leafi fincere defires~ or meafure of grace is in compari.fon of their cafe that :are the haters, defpifers and perfecutors of holinefs ; Thefe thoughts if followed home, may lhame thee into thankfulnef;. . . ' §. I3· DireCt. I l · Let Heaven be ever in thine eye, and ftiU tiJinJt... of the rndlefs jny which thot 1 Dirrfr. U~ jhalt have with ~hrijf. :For that is the ~ercy of all rner~ies : a~d he that hath not rhat in hope to be thankful for, wtll never be thankful anght for any thmg : and he that hath Heaven in promi[t to bethankful for, hath fiill reafon for the highe!\ joyful Thanks, whatever worldly thing ne want; or though he were fure neVer more to have comfort in any creature up6n CaJ.ith, He is unrhanlt~ ful indeed, that will not be thankful for Heaven: . But that is a mercy which will conltraiu to Thankfulnefs fO far as our title is difcerned. The more belieVing and heaven!)~ ~he inind is, the more thankful. , §. I4· Dire&. I2• Look._ontarthlyandpre[tnt !rlerciuin connexionwithHe.umz which is their End artd f)' elf 12 • arfwwned by out inure]/ inGod !hat giveth them.You leave out all the life and[wtet>tej/,which mull ~aufe " • your lhankulnefs;if you leave out God and overlook him.A dead carkafs hath not the Lcvclinefs or Ufe- - · Z • fulnefs
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