vailing Name of Jefus our great High Priest. Hence the Apostle exhorts the Romans to prefent themselves to God, a living Sacrifice, boly, acceptable to God, by Jefus Chrift. Our Duties and Services, being in themselves very imperfect, can be acceptable only through the Merits and Interceffion of our Saviour. I. Peter, ii. 5. Ye alfo, as lively Stones, are built up a fpiritual Houfe, an boly Priesthood, to offer up fpiritual Sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jefus Chrift. The fpiritual Sacrifices which Chriftians are obliged to offer are Prayers and Praises to God, or Acts of Charity and Mercy towards others; and these become acceptable and grateful to God by our trusting in Chrift, and confiding in the Merits and Interceffion of Jefus our High Priest, Heb. xiii. 15. By him, that is. by Chrift, let us offer the Sacrifice of Praise to God continually; that is, the Fruit of our Lips, giving Thanks to his Name. Add to this, all our Acts and Expreffions of Praise and Glory to God must be attended with an boly Life, Pfalm. 1. 23. Whofo offereth Praife, glorifieth God; and to him that ordereth his Converfation aright will I fhew the Salvation of God. They who fincerely praise God for his Mercies, and whofe Lives and Converfations are well ordered, shall see the Salvation of God, enjoy that everlasting Felicity and Happiness which God, who cannot lie, or deceive

F 2

deceive any, hath promised. This leads me, in the third Place,

III. To give fome Directions, neceffary to be observed, in order to the raising and promoting our Gratitude and Thanksgiving to God for all his Mercies, which is effential to Religion.

1. We should keep up and maintain in our Minds a Remembrance of God's Favours and Bleffings bestowed on ourselves, and alfo on the Church of God. "'Tis very obfervable, to this Purpofe, when the Royal Pfalmift would have all the Powers of his Soul united in bleffing God's holy Name, he charges his Soul not to be forgetful of the Divine Benefits. Pfalm ciii. 1, 2. Blefs the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me, blefs his holy Name: Blefs the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all his Benefits. He well knew, that a Forgetfulness of God's Benefits conferr'd on him and the Ifraelites would produce a Spirit of vile Ingratitude towards God. "Tis no wonder that their Praises of God should decline, and be low and languid, who retain not in their Memories the Benefits God hath bestown, and daily bestows. On the other hand, they who frequently revolve in their Minds, and commemorate the Divine Favours, do hereby maintain an ha

bitual Sense of their Obligations to God, and Dependance on him, and confequently take a very proper Method of encreafing their Gratitude to God. Every Perfon, therefore, would do well to fet apart fome Time frequently to confider what God hath done both for Soul and Body: How tender is the Care of our Heavenly Father! How feafonably hath he fupplied all our Wants! How precious have his Thoughts of Love to us been! Who can recount his Lovingkindneffes! How great is the Sum of them! Let not a Day pafs without fome Comme-` moration of God's Benefits and Favours; but above all let his fpiritual Blefings dwell on your Minds. They who are not careful to obferve this Direction will in time fettle and be fixed in an ungrateful Temper; or if they join with others in praifing God, it will be only a Lip-Service. We should confider what God hath done for us, both as to Soul and Body, and what wonderful Works of Power and Mercy have been wrought for his Church and People. Thus, in the Pfalm laft mentioned, when DAVID had charged his own Soul to guard against this forgetful unthankful Temper for the Benefits God had conferred on him, he next speaks of God's Favours to the Ifraelites, Verse the 7th, He made known his Ways to Mofes, his Acts to the Children of Ifrael. In another Pfalm he

often

often calls on Men to praise the Lord for his Goodness, and for his wonderful Works to the Children of Men. The oftener we call to Mind the Favours God beftows on us, the more we shall abound in Thanksgiving; for 'tis next to an Impoffibility that any fhould retain thefe in their Memories without having, and expreffing, their Gratitude to Heaven. The Reason why God hath not a better Tribute of Praise from those who every Moment depend on him, is, that Mankind are fo prone to be forgetful of the Rock of their Salvation, and unmindful of the Benefits they receive from the Fountain of Goodness. If our Hearts were often impreffed with an affectionate Remembrance of God's great and innumerable Favours to ourfelves, to ours, and to the Church of God, we fhould, with Minds warm with Love and Devotion, be ready to fay to each other, Let us enter his Gates with Thanksgiving, and bis Courts with Praife, for the Lord is good.

2. Regard all your Mercies and Bleffings as flowing from God, the never - failing Fountain and Source of all. He is the Father of Lights, from whom cometh down every good and every perfect Gift. What you have of temporal Things, 'tis owing to the Bounty of his Providence; what you have and enjoy of a spiritual Nature, is owing to the

Let not

Riches and Freenefs of his Crace. the Gifts of his Providence alienate your Minds and Affections from God the Giver, or leffen your Efteem for thofe fpiritual Bleffings which are of a more excellent and valuable Nature. They who have not only a Supply of their Neceffities and Wants, but an Affluence of temporal Things, the Liberalities and Bounty of Providence, should raise a Spirit of Gratitude to God to a very high Degree: But, in the midst of all earthly good Things, which with a bountiful Hand God hath bestown, maintain and exprefs the fublimeft Praise and Thanksgiving to God for those Bleffings which relate to the Everlasting Welfare and Happiness of your Souls; fuch as, for your Redemption by Chrift, for the Pardon of your Sins, for the Affiftance of Divine Grace, for giving Victory over Sin, and for the Hopes the Gofpel gives of Eternal Life. Thus when DAVID bleffes God for healing Diseases, for redeeming his Life from Deftruction; that is, for preferving him when in the Extremity of Danger, and to human Appearance on the Verge of Destruction and Death, for crowning him with Loving-kindness, and with tender Mercies, ftill in the Front of all these Divine Favours of a temporal Nature, he forgets not to mention the great Mercy of God to be praised and adored, viz. for

pardoning