DISCOURSE XVIII.

PART FIRST.

For the Days of Rogation Week.-An Acknowledgment that every good Thing we enjoy cometh from God.

General Epistle of St. JAMFS i. 16. and part of 17th verse.

Do not err, my beloved brethren, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.

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HE defign of this difcourfe is to raise in our hearts a juft and grateful sense of God's unbounded goodness; and from a due confideration of our unworthiness, and the greatnefs of his condefcending mercy, to lead us to adore his mighty name; not only on account of his wonderful creation of the world, and the gracious prefervation and providential government of it, (the medita→ tion of which alone is fufficient to magnify his power and wisdom, and excite us to bonor, love, and fear him) but also to inftance the more par ticular

ticular circumftances of his general bounty toward mankind, and to extol the manifold private and public benefits we daily receive at his hands, for whofe ufe he both formed the world, and all things in it, and doth continually fupply fuch a liberal ftore of provifions and comforts to his creatures. Did we but encourage a particle of sterling gratitude for the fingular benefits we hourly enjoy, how would thankfgiving every where abound! and the praifes of the Almighty become a natural and an univerfal theme! But the misfortune is, men receive these various bleffings, as things of courfe; they in general defcend to the level of mere brutal inconfideration, and gratify their appetites by carnal inftinct, without a thought of HIM, from whom proceedeth every good gift. Nay, if they reafon on their happiness, they are too apt to attribute their profperity to the exertion of their own fkill and management, and not to the hand of the great Parent of Nature. Were it otherwife, the memorial of his abundant kindnefs could not fail to move the warmest affections towards our heavenly Benefactor, and urge us to praise him in word and deed, as long as we have our being.

Now a duty which fo materially concerns us all to practife, will readily be allowed a proper fubject for occafional confideration, and fhould engage the ferious attention it deferves, from all who hear it. One grand means to obtain benefit from the present inftruction, would be for every one privately to reflect upon the many rich favors they have received in their lives, and their own unworthiness. This would greatly affiit in promoting a fpirit of pure thankfgiving to Almighty God, and bring conviction of his goodness to the mind, in every particular point that may happen to be mentioned at this time; for I need hardly obferve, that merely to bear of God's great mercy towards us, nay to be affured of it, and even to confefs that every degree

degree of happinefs proceedeth entirely from his good will, as the chief fource of all things; the bare knowledge, I fay, of all thefe truths, will work no effential benefit to us, if we fuffer it to reach no farther than our ears: For instance, what valuable advantage (in a ferious point of view) did the most celebrated fages of antiquity receive from the fecret fenfe of the power and wifdom of the Most High, when it did not operate to make them glorify him in their knowledge as God? How did it mark their ingratitude and perverseness, when, after the profoundeft ftudy of the wonders of creation, they ftill remained regardless of his goodnefs, by difhonoring him in their lives? Did not this grofs neglect of his moft mighty name deferve that blindnefs in which they were fuffered to continue, as likewife God's defertion of them? and, being once forfaken of God, how could they but fall into farther ignorance and error? For though they valued themselves upon their worldly wifdom, and great proficiency in human knowledge, and were the admiration of the age they lived in for depth of fkill in various curious arts and fciences; ftill the imaginations of their hearts paffed away like a dream; profeffing themselves wife, they became fools, and perifhed in their folly.

And this must be the end of all who draw nigh to God in knowledge, but depart from him in their duty. The fate of fuch men is fo finely drawn from the life, by St. Paul, Rom. i. 18th and following verfes, that it is very applicable in this place: The wrath of God (fays the Apoftle) is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteoufness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; and which he clearly explains in the next verse : becaufe that which might be known of God is manifeft in them, for God hath shewn it to them, by the understanding he hath given them, to difcern the invifible things of him, from the creation of the world, which are clearly

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feen, being understood by the things that are made, even bis eternal power and Godhead, fo that they are without excufe; because when they knew God (that is, could not avoid acknowledging his power, wifdom, and goodness by the light he had vouchfafed them) they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, (that is, puffed up with the conceit of their own knowledge); and, as a juft punishment, their foolish heart was darkened. The very fame fentence is pronounced upon them by the Pfalmift, Ixxiii. 26th, For, lo, they who forfake thee shall perish, for thau haft destroyed all, them that are ftrayed from thee. And the Prophet Jeremiah, in the xviith chapter and 13th verse, declareth the like judgment against them: O Lord, the Hope of Ifrael (faith he), all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from thee fhall be written in the earth, because they bave forfaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. So that you fee, it will profit us nought to hear only of God's gracious goodness towards his creatures, unless a lively fenfe thereof affects our hearts, fo as to bring forth a grateful return of praife, and to honor Him in our lives, no lefs than with our lips.

Of this we have a most serious and valuable example in the cafe of the Jewith nation they were God's chofen people. Who ever heard more of God's wonderous works than they did? Nay, his continual miracles were before their eyes; his law and prophecies were published for their particular government and conviction, and yet the far greater part of them profited not. Why? Becaufe they received him not in their hearts by faith. They mistrusted him notwithstanding all his glorious acts; and accordingly fuch foul and blind ingratitude was the natural caufe of their deftruction. These things are ftill on record for our warning. Let us avoid the dangerous and unworthy conduct which at length produced the ruin of this once ce

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lebrated people; for, depend upon it, however wè may flourish, as individuals, for the prefent, or as a nation in the general estimate of worldly glory, the decline of piety and the increase of immorality; in fhort, the infidelity that is so confpicuous from the lives of numbers, while their understandings cannot fail to be enlightened by the truth; this, if not remedied, will render us, fooner or later, the deferved victims of God's highly provoked vengeance. Let us rather speedily return from the error of our ways, and imitate the wife and humble meditation of the Apoftle (Rom. xi. 36.), who, when he duly weighed the wonderful proceedings of God's providence, and his infinite goodness towards the works of his hands, could not refrain this juft and pious conclufion; that surely, of him, and through him, and to him, are all things; to whom therefore be glory for ever. Amen.

Upon this found foundation of the Apostle we will now proceed to build fuch obfervations as naturally arise from a due confideration of this fubject, and, that they may be more easily retained and understood, it may be profitable to divide them into three diftinct heads of exhortation.

I.

1. It shall be fhewn you, that we can have no good thing but what we receive from the Father of lights. This will both excite our gratitude and humble our pride.

2. That Jefus Chrift, his Son and our Lord, is the fole caufe, or means, through whom we experience the merciful goodnefs of God in any fhape. This will contribute farther to lower our pretenfions to any exclufive merit. And,

3. It shall be made appear, that by the power and affiftance of the Holy Spirit (procured for us by Christ) we are rendered capable of receiving and employing these gifts and graces. This will help to enliven our hope, by directing us to the

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