4. By Rejoicing and Delighting ourselves in His Service, Phil. iv. 4. 5. By frequent Meditation upon Him, and His Love to us, Pfal. cxix. 90. 6. By thinking nothing too much to undergo for Him, A&t. v. xli. and xxi. 13. III. What must we do to love Chrift? 1. Endeavour to be fenfible of your Mifery without Him; as being then fubject, 1. To the Wrath of the moft High God, Ephef. ii. 3. 2. To the Curfe of a righteous Law, Gal. iii. 10. 3. To the Gnawings of a guilty Confcience. 4. And the Tortures of eternal Flames, 2 Theff. i. 8, 9. 2. Endeavour to have right Apprehenfions of Him; as, 1. Of the Nature of His Perfon. 2. And of His threefold Office. 1. Prophet. 2. Priest. 3. Of the End and Defign of His coming into the World, 1 Tim. i. 15. 1 S. Joh. iii. 5, 8. 4. Of what He did and fuffer'd, 1 Cor. ii. 2. 5. Of His Merits, Hebr. vii. 25. 6. Of His Death and Interceffion, Isa. liii. 5, 6. 1 Joh. ii. 1, 2. 3. Endeavour to implant a firm Belief of thefe Things in your Minds. 4. Frequent His Ordinances. 5. Meditate upon Him, and your Obligations to love Him, which are very many and great. For For confider, 1. What a Curfe is denounced against them 3. What He hath done for thee; as, 2. Was fubject to His own Creatures. 4. How much more he will do for thee, if 1. He will fend thee His Spirit, S. Joh. xvi. 7. 2. He will intercede for thee, S. Job. xvi. 26. 3. He will make all Things work together for thy Good, Rom. viii. 28. 4. Will prepare a Place for thee in Heaven, S. Joh. xiv. 2. 5. This will be the best Sign, that thou art His Difciple, and of thy Title to Heaven. IV. How may we know that we love Chrift above all Things? 1. By confidering the Grounds of our Love to Him. 2. By conparing it with our Love to other Things. 3. By obferving the Effects and Confequents of our Love to Him. S. MATT. xi. 25. At that time, Jefus anfwer'd and faid, I thank thee, O Father, &c. DOCTRINE. W E ought to imitate our Saviour in taking all Occafions to give Thanks to GOD. I. What is it to give Thanks to GOD? 1. To acknowledge God's Glory in what we enjoy, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. 1. His Wifdom, Pfal, cxlvii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 3. His Mercy, Pfal. ¢xxxvi. 1, 2, 3. and 2. In profeffing ourfelyes oblig'd unto Him for it; fo ás 1.. To dove Him more, 1 Job. iv. 19. S. Luk.. vii. 47. 2. To ferve Him better, S. Matt. v. 16. II. How many Things are requir'd to make us truly Thankful? 1. That we be regenerated, Pfal. xxxiii. 1. 2. Senfible of our own Unworthinefs, Gen. xxxii. 10. 3. And that we deferve Judgments, not Mercies, Lam. iii. 22. 4. An heavenly Difpofition, Pfal. ciii. 1. and Ivii. 7.. 5. A Sense of our Intereft in Him, as our GOD, Pfal. xviii. 1, 2, 3. and cxviii. 28. 6. A strong Belief, that what we have, shall be for our Godd, Rom. viii. 28. 7. Frequent Meditations upon the Mercies we enjoy. III. What are thofe Mercies we ought to blefs GOD for? 1 Theff. v. 18. 1. Temporal; as, 1. Our Creation, Pfal. cxxxix. 14, 15. Prefervation, Act. xvii. 28. Pfal. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. lxvi. 8, 9. Protection from Evil, Pfal. xxxiv. 3, 4. Maintenance, Pfal. xxii. 10. and cxlvii. 9. fon. Health, Pfal. ciii. 3, 4. Natural Parts, and the Ufe of Rea 2. Spiritual, Ephef. i. 3. 1. Chrift, S. Luk. ii. 14. 2. The Scriptures, Pfal. cxlvii. 19, 20. and, 1. The Truth 2. The Precepts of them. 4. Leave to pray, and the Anfwer of Prayer, Pfal. cxviii. 21. and cvii. 13, 14, 15. 5. The Influences of His Spirit and Ordinances, whereby He conveys, 1. Restraining Grace, 1 Sam. XXV. 32, 33. 2. Conftraining Grace, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. 6. The Comforts of His Spirit, 2 Cor. i. 3, 47. Sanctify'd Afflictions, Pfal. cxix. 71. MOTIVES to engage us to be thankful unto GOD, for all His Benefits. 1. It is GOD's Command, Pfal. 1. 14. 2. This is all that GOD requires, or thou canst give for all His Mercies youchsafed unto thee, Pfal. cxvi. 12, 13. 3. Praifing GOD for Mercies receiv'd, is the way to receive more. 4. It is an Evidence of thy Sincerity. 5. It will make thee fruitful and active in GOD's Service. 6. It is the Devil that is most averse from this Work. 7. It is the Employment of Angels, Rev. vii. 19, 11, and xix. 1, 2, 3. |