crowns and fceptres to our choice; crowns that can- s E R M. not fade, and fceptres that can never be extorted xvI. from us.

Farther yet, To him, the excellent quality, the noble end, the most obliging manner of whose beneficence doth furpass the matter thereof, and hugely augment the benefits; who, not compelled by any neceffity, not obliged by any law, (or previous compact) not induced by any extrinfic arguments, not inclined by our merits, not wearied with our importunities, not inftigated by troublefome paffions of pity, fhame, or fear, (as we are wont to be,) not flattered with promifes of recompence, nor bribed with expectation of emolument, thence to accrue unto himself; but being abfolute mafter of his own actions, only both lawgiver and counsellor to himfelf, all-fufficient, and incapable of admitting any acceffion to his perfect blissfulness; moft willingly and freely, out of pure bounty and good-will, is our Friend and Benefactor; preventing not only our defires, but our knowledge; furpaffing not our deserts only, but our wishes, yea, even our conceits, in the difpenfation of his inestimable and unrequitable benefits; having no other drift in the collation of them, befide our real good and welfare, our profit and advantage, our pleasure and content.

To him who not lately began, or fuddenly will cease, that is either uncertain or mutable in his intentions, but from everlasting defigned, continues daily, and will (if we fuffer him) to all eternity perfevere unmoveable in his refolutions to do us good.

To him whom no ingratitude, no undutiful carriage, no rebellious difobedience of ours, could for one minute wholly remove, or divert from his steady purpose of caring for us: who regards us, though we do not attend to him; procures our welfare, though we neglect his concernments; employs his restless thought, extends his watchful eye, exerts his powerful arm, is always mindful, and always bufy to

XVI.

SER M. do us good; watching over us when we fleep, and XVI. remembering us when we forget ourselves: in whom

yet 'tis infinite condefcenfion to think of us, who are placed fo far beneath his thoughts; to value us, who are but dust and dirt; not to defpife and hate us, who are really fo defpicable and unworthy. For Pf. cxiii. 5, though he dwelleth on high, faith the Pfalmift truly and emphatically, he humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in heaven and earth.

6.

To him that is as merciful and gracious, as liberal and munificent toward us; that not only beftows on us more gifts, but pardons us more debts, and forgives us more fins, than we live minutes; that with infinite patience endures, not only our manifold infirmities and imperfections, but our petulant follies, our obftinate perverfeneffes, our treacherous infidelities; overlooks our carelefs neglects and our wilful mifcarriages; puts up the exceedingly many outrageous affronts, injuries, and contumelies continually offered to his fupreme Majesty by us bafe worms, whom he hath always under his feet, and can crush to nothing at his pleasure.

To him yet, who, as St. James faith, giveth freely, and upbraideth no man; who calls us neither very frequently nor over ftrictly to accounts; who exacts of us no impoffible, no very difficult, no greatly-burdenfome or coftly returns; being fatisfied with the cheerful acceptance of his favours, the hearty ac knowledgments of his goodness, the fincere performance of fuch duties, to which our own welfare, comfort, and advantage (rightly apprehended) would otherwife abundantly difpofe us.

To him, laftly, whofe benefits to acknowledge is the greatest benefit of all; to be enabled to thank whom deserves our greatest thanks; to be sensible of whose beneficence, to meditate on whofe goodnefs, to admire whofe excellency, to celebrate whose praise, is heaven itself and paradife, the life of angels, the quinteffence of joy, the fupreme degree of felicity.

In a word, To him whofe benefits are immenfely S ER M. great, innumerably many, unexpreffibly good and xvI. precious. For, Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can fhew forth all his praife? faid he, who Pf. cvi. z. had employed often his most active thoughts and his utmost endeavours thereupon, and was incomparably

better able to do it.

To this God, to this great, to this only Benefactor of ours, we owe this moft natural and eafy, this most juft and equal, this most sweet and pleasant duty of giving thanks. To whom if we wilfully refufe, if we carelesly neglect to pay it, I fhall only fay thus much, that we are not only monftroufly ingrateful, and horribly wicked; but abominably foolish, and deplorably miferable. I fhall repeat this fentence once again, and wish it may have its due effect upon us: To this great, to this only Patron and Benefactor of ours, if we do not in fome measure discharge our due debt of gratitude for his ineftimable benefits and mercies, we are to be adjudged not only most prodigiously unthankful, moft deteftably impious, but moft wofully stupid alfo and fenfelefs, moft defperately wretched and unhappy.

I should now proceed to confider the circumstance of time determined in the word always; and the extenfion of the matter, implied in those words, for all things and then to fubjoin fome farther inducements or arguments perfuafive to the practice of this duty. But the time (and, I fear, your patience) failing, I fhall referve then to fome other opportunity.

SERMON

SERMON XVII.

Of the Duty of Thanksgiving.

EPHES. V. 20.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God.

H

AVING formerly difcourfed upon these words,s E R M. I obferved in them four particulars confider- xvII. able: 1. The fubftance of a duty, to which we are exhorted, to give thanks; 2. The term unto which it is directed, to God; 3. The circumftance of time determined in that word always; 4. The extent of the matter about which the duty is employed, for all things. Concerning the two former particulars, wherein the duty confifted, and wherefore efpecially related unto God, I then represented what did occur to my meditation.

III. I proceed now to the third, the circumftance of time allotted to the performance of this duty, expreffed by that univerfal and unlimited term, always.

Which yet is not fo to be understood, as if thereby we were obliged in every inftant (or fingular point of time) actually to remember, to confider, to be affected with, and to acknowledge the divine benefits: for the deliberate operations of our minds be