fupplied their Wants, no fooner did they meet with any new Difficulty but they for gat the Works of the Lord, his former Acts of Lovingkindness and Power, murmurred against him, would revolt and backflide from him. Instead of commemorating his Mercies, and trufting in him, of whofe Goodness and Power they had constant Experience: Yet, after all fuch a long Series of Miracles wrought for them, no fooner did any new Scene of Difficulty appear, but, as if they had never any Experience of God's Mercy and Power, they would immediately betray a murmurring, unthankful, and difcontented Spirit. You may obferve, by reading this Part of Sacred History, how difpleafing this Temper and Conduct in them towards God was; witnefs the fevere, but righteous, Treatment they met with. See how offenfive this is to Almighty God, by confulting Isaiah, i. 2, 3. Hear, Ó Heavens, and give Ear Q Earth, for the Lord bath Spoken, I have nourished and brought up Chil dren, and they have rebelled against me: The Ox knoweth his Owner, and the Afs his Mafter's Crib; the most stupid brute Creatures in their Way acknowledge, and bow to, their Owners and Benefactors, as Experience fhews; But Ifrael doth not know, my People doth not confider; Ifrael is infenfible of my peculiar Favours. How justly may God de

prive us of all our Comforts in Life, if we difown him by our Ingratitude? But, on the other hand, if we are thankful for the Bleffings of Providence and Grace, and are careful to return our Tribute of Praise for Mercies received, this is the Way to have them continued and increased.

I shall only add to this another Motive to Enter God's Gates with Thanksgiving, and his Courts with Praife. The more we accustom ourselves to this fublime Devotion, the better fitted and prepared we shall be for adoring and praifing God; which is the Work, and everlasting Employment, of bleffed Spirits above. Can they be qualified and difpofed for fuch an exalted Service, who were never any way acquainted with it on Earth? The Soul that has been deeply affected with the Mercies of God, and well acquainted with the refined Pleafures which attend this elevated Service, who hath delighted itself in the Almighty, and had the reviving Sense of his Favour, and peculiar Regard; who hath often wished for an Heart to praise God better; this is the Soul that is attempered to and fitted for the delightful Exercise and Employment of glorious Angels and perfected Spirits, and may joyfully, and on good Grounds, expect fhortly to be admitted to the Society of innumerable Angels, and

the

the Spirits of the Juft made perfect. They who delight to enter into God's Gates, and to join with the Church Militant in Thanksgiving and Praife, fhall fhortly be added to the Church Triumphant in Heaven.

Thus I have represented to you what Obligations we are under to render our just Tribute of Glory and Praise to God. What remains is to make fome Inferences from the Whole.

1. This reproves those who are forgetful of God's Benefits, and fo, from Day to Day, live negligent of this Duty. "Tis owing to Mens Forgetfulness of the Divine Favours that they flide gradually into an habitual Ingratitude. They confider not that Hand of Bounty which fupplies all their Wants. Hence they live unmindful of the God who made them, and forget the Rock of their Salvation, and forfake the Fountain of living Waters. May all such stupid Sinners be fenfible of, and humble for, their past Ingratitude. There is no Want of Matter for praifing God: The only Thing that is wanting is an Heart to difpofe for this Duty. Let all fuch apply to the Father of Lights, from whom every good and perfect Gift cometh, that he would give them an Heart, or Dispofition of Mind, that shall incline them to love, worship, and adore him, who is the

glorious

glorious Author of their Beings, and of all their Bleffings.

2. This Doctrine reproves all thofe likewife who content themselves with fome faint verbal Praifes, though they live to the Difhonour of God's Name, and to the Dif credit of Religion. Though they enter God's Courts, and with their Lips pretend to honour God, yet, foon after fuch a Shew of external Devotion, profane and blafpheme the Name of God by their execrable Oaths; or, whilft they praise God for the Gifts of his Providence, wafte and confume them in Luxury and finful Pleasures. They who offer Praise to God, and with great seeming Devotion enter his Courts to celebrate his Praises, whilft they are criminally defective in a real Principle of internal Piety towards God, and in Acts of Justice, Mercy, and Charity to others, do but diffemble with an Omniscient Deity, and are guilty of the vileft Hypocrify and Diffimulation.

3. We may hence learn in what true Religion does confift. They who are of a Pharafaical Temper, and vain-glorious Difpofition, may make a great Shew and Oftentation of Piety and Devotion; may go on in a conftant Circle of external Duties, when all the while the Heart may be unaffected with the Goodness of God, or with any proK

per

per Senfe of Obligation to him. Religion confifts in having a becoming Veneration, Reverence, and Love, of God, fixed in the Mind, in Purity of Heart, in Gratitude to God for all his Mercies; and, in Confequence of this internal Principle, in ordering the whole Converfation by the Laws of right Reafon and Religion. They who have this real and vital Principle of Holiness will delight in God, and every Day pay their Tribute of Thanksgiving to him for all his Mercies. They endeavour to make God's Praise to be celebrated by others, for this End and Purpose, that their own Minds may be more impreffed with the Goodness of God. They embrace readily every Opportunity of entering his Gates, and by their reverent Behaviour in Divine Worship, fhew what a Regard they have to the Great Object of their Adoration; and thus endeavour to raife and promote the like Spirit of Devotion in others. You fee, by this, how vaftly different true Religion, in the Power of it, is from a Form and fpecious Shew thereof. May God grant that we may be more and more acquainted with the Life and Power of Religion; that we may fee the Beauties of Holiness, that we may praise God with all our Hearts, anfwerably to his Greatness & Goodnefs. Let us learn hence the Nature of true Religion, and not reft in the speculative Noti

on,