Page images
PDF
EPUB

anger, and of great mercy, and hast told us, that thou dost not afflict willingly,a or grieve the children of men, but though thou cause grief, yet thou wilt have compassion according to the multitude of thy mercies.b

Thou takest pleasure in them that fear thee, in them that hope in thy mercy.c

(2.) For the many instances of his goodness.

1. The goodness of his providence relating to our bodies, and the life that now is; and this.

1st. With reference to all the creatures, and the world of mankind in general.

Thou hast stretched out the heavens like a curtain, and in them thou hast set a tabernacle for the sun,d which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. And thou causest thy sun to shine on the evil and on the good; and sendest rain on the just and on the unjust.g

When we consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the sun, the moon, and the stars which thou hast ordained; Lord, what is man that thou thus visitest him?h For truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun :i all the glory be to the Father of light,k who commandeth the morning, and causeth the day spring to know his place./

Thou didst not leave thyself without witness among the heathen, in that thou didst good, and gavest them rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness,m

Thou coverest the heavens with clouds, and preparest rain for the earth, and makest grass to grow upon the mountains: thou givest to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.n

Thou causest it to rain on the wildernes, where there is no man to satisfy the desolate and waste ground..

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water ; thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided

a Psalm 145, 8.

d Psalm 104. 2.
h Psalm 8 3,4.
/ Job 38. 12,
oJob 38. 26, 27,

Lam. 3. 32, 33.
e Psalm 19 4, 5,
i Eccl. 11.7.
m Acts 14. 17,

c Psalm 147. 11.
& Matt, 5, 45.
James 1, 17.
n Psalm 147, 8, 9t

for it thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly, thou settlest the furrows thereof, thou makest it soft with showers, thou blessest the springing thereof: thou crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness.a

Thou sendest the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills; and they give drink to every beast of the field and by them the fowls of the heavens have their habitation, which sing among the branches.b

Thou hast laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever, and settest bounds to the waters of the sea, that they turn not again to cover the earth.c Thou hast shut up the sea with doors, and broken up for it thy decreed place, saying Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther, here shall thy proud waves be stayed.d And thou hast made good what thou hast sworn, that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth.e

Thy covenant of the day and of the night is not broken,g but still thou givest the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night;h and art faithful to that covenant of providence, that while the earth remains, seed time and harvest time, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.¿

The heaven, even the heavens are thine, but the earth thou hast given to the children of men,k and thou hast put all things under their feet, and made them to have dominion over the works of thy hands ;/ so that the fear of man, and the dread of man, is upon every beast of the earth, and upon the fowl of the air, and into his hand they are delivered, because thou hadst a favour to him,m and thy delights were with the sons of men.n

Thou causest the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man, that thou mayest bring forth food out of the earth; wine that makes glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengthens man's heart.o

a Psalm 65. 9, 10, 11. d Job 38. 8, 11.

h Jer. 31. 35.

/ Psalm 8. 6.

o Psalm 104, 14, 15.

6 Psalm 104. 10, 11, 12, c Psalm 104.5.9. e Isa. 54.9.

i Gen. 8. 22.

m Gen. 9.2.

g Jer. 33.20.

k Psalm 115, 16.

n Prov. 8. 31.

Thou givest to all life and breath,a and all things on the earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy.b

All the creatures wait upon thee, that thou mayst give them their meat in due season; that thou givest them they gather; thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; thou renewest the face of the earth. This thy glory shall endure for ever, and thou rejoicest in these works.c

It is through thy goodness, O Lord, that as one generation of mankind passeth away, another generation comes,d and that thou hast not blotted out the name of that corrupt and guilty race from under heaven.e

2dly. With reference to us in particular.

(1.) We must give thanks that he has made us reasonable creatures, capable of knowing, loving, serving, and enjoying him, and that he hath not made us like the beasts that perish.

We will praise thee, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that our souls, our nobler part, know right well;g for no man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him.h

Thou hast made us of that rank of beings which is a little lower than the angels, and is crowned with glory and honour; i for there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. And the spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord./ Our bodies are capable of being the temples of the Holy Ghost, and our souls of having the Spirit of God dwell in them; we therefore glorify thee with our bodies, and with our spirits, which are thine.n

Thou, Lord, hast formed us for thyself, that we might show forth thy praise.o

(2.) We must give thanks for our preservation, that our lives are prolonged, and the use of our reason and understanding, our limbs and senses, are continued to us. It was owing to thy good providence that we died not

a Acts 17. 25.
d Eccl. 1. 4.
h 1 Cor. 2. 11.
/ Prov. 20. 27.
o Isa. 43.21.

b Psalm 119. 64.
e Deut. 29. 20.
¿ Psolm 8. 5,
m 1 Cor. 6. 10. 20.

c Psalm 104. 27, 28, 30, 31,
g Psalm 139. 14.
k Job 32.8.
n 1 Cor. 3, 16.

from the womb, and did not give up the ghost when we came out of the belly, that the knees prevented us, and the breasts that we should suck.a

Though we were called transgressors from the womb,b yet by thy power we have been born from the belly, and carried from the womb :c and thou holdest our souls in life, and sufferest not our foot to be moved.d

All our bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee le for thou keepest the bones, not one of them is broken.g We lay us down and sleep, for thou, Lord, makest us to dwell in safety.h

Thou hast given thine angels a charge concerning us, to keep us in all our ways, to bear us up in their hands, lest we dash our foot against a stone. And they are all ministering Spirits, sent forth to minister for the good of them that shall be heirs of salvation.k

(3.) For signal recoveries from danger by sickness, or otherwise,

[ocr errors]

When perhaps there has been but a step between us and death, and when we have received a sentence of death within ourselves,m and have been ready to say i the cutting off of our days we should go to the gates of the grave, and were deprived of the residue of our years, yet thou hast in love to our souls delivered them from the pit of corruption, and cast all our sins behind tby back.n

When the sorrows of death have compassed us, and the pains of hell have got hold upon us, we have called upon the name of the Lord, and have found that gracious is the Lord, and righteous, yea, our God is merciful; we have been brought low, and he hath helped us, and hath delivered our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling. We will therefore walk before the Lord in the land of the living.o

(4.) For the supports and comforts of this life, which have hitherto made the land of our pilgrimage easy and pleasant to us.

a Job 3. 11. 12. d Psalm 66.9. Psalm 3.5. 11 Sam. 20,3.

b Isa. 48. 8.

e Psalm 35. 10.

i Psalm 91. 11, 12. m 2 Cor. 1. 9.

• Psalm 116, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8,

c Isa. 46. 3,
g Psalm 34. 20.
k Heb. 1. 14.
7 Isa, 38. 10, 17.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with his ben-efits, even the God of our salvation.a

Thou makest me to lie down in green pastures, thou feedest us beside the still waters: thou preparest a table for us in the presence of our enemies, thou anointest our head, and our cup runs over.b

It may be we were sent forth without purse or scrip, but lacked we any thing? Nothing Lord.c

The candle of God hath shined upon our head, and by his light we have walked through darkness, and the secret of God has been in our tabernacle.d

Thou hast given us all things richly to enjoy,e and into our hands hast brought plentifully.g

Many a time we have eaten and been filled, and have delighted ourselves in thy great goodness.h

When we remember all the ways which the Lord our God hath led us for so many years in this wilderness,¿ we must here set up a stone and call it Ebenezer, for hitherto the Lord hath helped us.k

(5.) For success in our callings and affairs, comfort in relations and comfortable places of abode.

It is God that girdeth us with strength, and maketh our way perfect; that hath blessed the work of our hands,m and it may be so as that though our beginning was small, yet our latter end hath greatly increased.n

Our houses have been safe from fear, and there hath been no rod of God upon us ;o so that the voice of rejoicing and salvation hath been in our tabernacle from day to day p

With our staff it may be we have passed over this Jordan,q and now we are become two bands, and 'tis God that setteth the solitary in farmilies.r

If we have lived joyfully with our relations,s and they have been to us as the loving hind, and as the pleasant roe, we must give thee thanks for it, for every creature is that to us, and no more than thou makest it to be.t

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »