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(6.) For our own share in the public plenty, peace and tranquility.

When we have eaten and are full, we have reason to bless thee for the good land which thou hast given us,a a land which the eyes of the Lord our God are always upon, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year.b

Thou makest peace in our borders, and fillest us with the finest of the wheat :c we are delivered from the noise of archers at the place of drawing water; there, therefore, will we rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even his righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages.d

We thank thee that the powers that are set over us, are ministers of God to us for good,e that they seek the welfare of our people, speaking peace to all their seed.g

2. The goodness of his grace relating to our souls and, the life that is to come.

But especially blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ.h

1st. We must give God thanks for his kindnesses to the children of men, relating to their better part, and their future state, and his favours to the church in general.

(1.) We must give thanks for his gracious design and contrivanceof man's redemption and salvation, when he was lost and undone by sin.

O how wonderfully did the kindness and love of God, our Saviour, towards man appear, not by any works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us : we have destroyed ourselves, but in thee, and thee only was our help.k

When we were cast out in the open field, and no eye pitied us, thou sawest us polluted in our own blood, and thou saidst unto us, Live; yea, thou saidst unto us, Live; and the time was a time of love./

When the redemption of the soul was so precious, as that it must have ceased forever, and no man could by

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any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him, then thou wast pleased to find a ransom,a that we might be delivered from going down to the pit.b

When we must needs die, and were as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, then didst thou devise means that the banished might not be for ever expelled from him.c

When thou sparedst not the angels that sinned, but didst cast them down to hell ;d thou saidst concerning the race of mankind, destroy it not for a blessing is in it.e Herein appears the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world for our glory.g

(2.) For the eternal purposes and counsels of God concerning man's redemption.

We are bound to give thanks always to thee, O God, because thou hast from the beginning chosen some to salvation through sanctification of the spirit :h that there is a remnant according to the election of grace,ż whom God hath chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before thee in love, having predestinated them to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ, unto thyself, according to the good pleasure of thy will, to the praise of the glory of thy grace.k

Thine they were, and thou givest them to Christ, and this is thy will, that of all that thou hast given him he should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.l

(3.) For the appointing of the Redeemer, and God's gracious condescension to deal with men upon new terms, receding from the demands of the broken covenant of inno

cency.

We bless thee, that when sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, and in it hadst no pleasure,m that then the eternal Son of God said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, and a body hast thou prepared me :n and that as in the volume of the book it was written of him, he did

a Psalm 49.7.
d 2 Pet. 2.4.
h2 Thess. 2. 13.
Z John 17, 6, 6, 39.

b Job 33. 24.
e isa. 65, 8,
i Rom. 11. 5.
m Heb. 10. 5,6,7.
H

c 2 Sam. 14. 14.
g 1 Cor. 2.7.
k Eph. 1. 4. 5. 6.
n Psalm. 40. 7,8

delight to do thy will, O God, yea, thy law was within his heart.

Thou hast laid help upon one that is mighty, one chosen out of the people a thou hast found David thy servant, with thy holy oil thou hast annointed him, even with the oil of gladness above his fellows, and didst proImise that with him thy hand should.be established, and thy arm should strengthen him, and that thou wouldest make him thy first-born, higher than the kings of the earth.b

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We bless thee, that the Father now judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son: that as he hath life in himself, so he hath given to the Son to have life in himself,c and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.d That the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand; and that the counsel of peace is between them both.e

That he is thy servant, whom thou dost uphold, thine elect in whom thy soul delighteth ;g thy beloved Son, in whom thou art well pleased :h that thou hast given him for a covenant of the people,i and that through him we are not under the law, but under grace.k

That God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life./

(4.) For the early and ancient indication of the gracious design concerning fallen man.

We bless thee, that as soon as ever man had sinned, it was graciously promised that the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head ;m and that in the Old Testament sacrifices, Jesus Christ was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.n

And that by faith the elders, though they received not the promise, yet obtained a good report, for they obtained witness that they were righteous.o

We bless thee for the promise made to Abraham, that

a Psalm 89. 19, 20, 21, 27.

c John 5.22.26, 27. g Isa. 61.

k Rom. 6. 14.

n Rev. 13. 8.

d John 3.35,

h Mal, 17. 5.

John 13, 16.
o Heb. 11. 2, 4, 39:

b Psalm 40. 7.

e Zech. 6. 13.

i Isa. 49. 8.
m Gen. 3.15.

in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed ;a and to Jacob, that the Shiloh should come, and to him should the gathering of the people be ;b and that the Patriarchs rejoiced to see Christ's day, and they saw it and were glad.c

(5.) For the many glorious instances of God's favour to the Old Testament church.

We adore that wisdom, peace and goodness with which thou broughtest the vine out of Egypt, didst cast out the heathen and plant it; thou preparedst room before it and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.d

And they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them, but thy right hand and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour to them.e

We bless thee that to the Jews were committed the oracles of God,g that they had the adoption and the glory, and the covenant, the giving of the law, and the service of God and the promises :h and that there did not fail one word of all thy good promise, which thou promisedst by the hand of Moses, thy servant.i

We bless thee for all that which thou didst at sundry times and in divers manner speak in time past unto the fathers, by the prophets,k these holy men of God, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and prophesied of the grace that should come unto us, testifying beforehand the suffering of Christ, and the glory that should follow, and that not to themselves only, but to us they ministered those great things, things which the an'gels themselves desire to look into.m

And especially we bless thee, that thou hast provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.n

(6.) For the wonderful and mysterious incarnation of the Son of God, and his coming into the world.

We bless thee, that when the fullness of time was come thou didst send forth thy Son made of a woman, made

a Gen. 12.3.
d Psalm 80. 8, 9.
h Rom. 9. 4.
12 Pet. 1. 21.

b Gen. 40. 10.

e Psalm 44. 3.

i 1 Kings 8. 56,

m 1 Pet. 1. 10, 11, 12.

c John 8, 56.
g Rom. 3. 2.
* Heb. 1. 1.
n Heb. 11. 40.

under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.a

That the eternal word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and there were those who saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, that God was manifested in the flesh.b We bless thee, that to this end he was born, and for this cause he came into the world, that he might bear witness of the truth; and we believe, and are sure, that he is that Christ, the Son of the living God :e that it is he that should come, and we are to look for no other.d

We bless thee, that the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost je that he is come that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly,g and that for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.h

Lord, we receive it as a faithful saying, and well worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the chief.i

We bless thee, that forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same: that he took not on him the nature of angels, but our nature, and was in all things made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and Faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people: and that he is not ashamed to call them brethren.k

And that the first begotten was brought into the world with a charge given to all the angels of God to worship him./

(7.) For God's gracious owning of him in his undertaking, and in the carrying of it on.

We bless thee, that thou wast in Christ, reconciling the world to thyself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and that thou hast committed unto us the word of reconciliation.m

a Gal. 4. 4. d John 6, 69 h 1 John 3 8.

/Heb. 1. 6.

b John 1. 14.
e Luke 19. 10.
i1 Tim. 1. 15.
m2 Cor. 5. 19.

c John 18. 37.
g John 10. 10.

kHeb. 2. 11, 14, 16, 17.

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