O Lord our Governour, how excellent is thy Name in all the World!

3. Thankfulness implies farther, a due Acknowledgment of Favours and the Obligation that refults from them. This is fuch a known piece of Gratitude that they who neglect it, are by all Men judg'd to be highly ungrateful: he that cannot find a Tongue to acknowledge, what others find a Hand to reach out to him, juftly forfeits all farther Title to Favour, and may be truly branded with the infamous Mark of Ingratitude. The leaft Homage we can pay to Almighty God, is, to acknowledge his Favours: and where there is a thankful Heart, it will appear in thofe Fruits of the Lips: I have not bid thy Righteoufnefs in my Heart (fays David) my Talk hath been of thy Faithfulness and thy Salvation; I have not concealed thy Loving-Kindness and Truth from the great Congregation; Pfal. 40. 10. This will please the Lord (faith he) better than a Ox or a Bullock, that bath Horns and Hoofs. The Calves of the Lips are more acceptable to him, than all the Calves in the Stall; and a Mouth open'd to fhew forth his Praife, is more pleafing than Sacrifices or Burnt Offerings.

Laftly, Thankfulness implies all poffible Endeavours of Requital and Satisfaction. Hence Gratitude has been ever reckon'd a Branch of natural Juftice; for every Benefit lays a Debt upon us, which Gratitude requires to repay: What fball I render unto the Lord (fays the Pfalmift) for all his Benefits? And the fame is the Language of every thankful Heart, which is ever willing to make all the Returns it can to the divine Goodnefs. And becaufe the Mercies of God exceed all Requital, he refolves with David to take the Cup of Salvation, and to call upon the Name of the Lord; but above all, to pay his Vows in the presence of all his People, and declare his Willingness to ferve and exhalt him; Pfal. 116. 12, 13, 14.

Thus we see the nature of Thankfulness, or what is imply'd in the Virtue of Gratitude, the Object whereof, our Catechifm here tells us, is our heavenly Father; I heartily thank our heavenly Father. Tho fome forts and degrees of Thanks may be given unto Men, as the Inftruments of Divine Providence, and the immediate Agents or Occafions of fome Good to us; yet our primary and principal Thanks are due to God only, who gives them all the Power or Opportunity of doing Good, either to themselves

or others: and therefore, Not unto us (faith the Pfalmift) not unto us, but to thy Name be all the Praise.

But what is the particular Mercy or Bleffing, for which we are here directed to pay our Tribute of Thanksgiving? That is the

IId Thing to be spoken to; which fhews, that we are heartily to thank our heavenly Father for calling us to this State of Salvation.

By this ftate of Salvation here, we are to understand that happy Condition into which we are receiv'd by our Baptifm; by virtue whereof, being admitted into Covenant with God, we are put into a fafe way of Salvation, and cannot miss of it, upon performing the Conditions requir'd in it. Before this our Reception into the Church, we were in a state of Enmity and Alienation from God, being Strangers from the Covenant of Promife, without God, and without Chrift, and fo without Hope in the World; in this forlorn Eftate we must have all perifh'd without Remedy, being under the Wrath of God, and the heavy Sentence of eternal Damnation: But by the Grace and Mercy of this fecond Covenant, the firft Covenant of Works was cancel'd, the Hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us was blotted out, and we reftor'd to this State of Salvation.

This is the Mercy for which we are directed heartily to thank our heavenly Father; who had Compaffion on our miferable and helpless Eftate, and employ'd both his Wildom and Goodness to rescue us from it: yea, he has not only turn'd away his Wrath, but receiv'd us into Favour and put us into a Condition, if we ourfelves please, to be made eternally happy. This is that State of Salvation, into which we are all admitted at our entrance upon Chriftianity, the Conditions whereof are not only eafy and rational, but naturally qualifying and preparatory thereto, as has been in fome measure fhew'd already, and will hereafter more fully appear.

That this is worth our most hearty Thanks to our heavenly Father, will be obvious to any that will but seriously confider, either the greatness of the Miferies we are hereby deliver'd from, or the greatness of the Mercies we are hereby reftor'd to; both which are too great to be conceiv'd, and much more to be exprefs'd by us.

This happy Tranflation then from Woe to Blifs, yea from Death to Life, deferves and calls for our greatest

Thank

Thankfulness, which must be exprefs'd too in all the foremention'd Acts of Gratitude.

As,

1. We are frequently to entertain ourselves, with the thoughts of this unmerited Love of our heavenly Father, and make it part of our daily Meditation; for when we had justly forfeited his Favour, and became Enemies to him by evil Works, he was pleas'd to be reconcil'd unto us: and becaufe we could not effect this of ourselves, he thought fit to contrive for us the means of our Reconciliation. This is never to be forgotten by us, but we are ftill to have this his great Goodness in remembrance.

2. We are not only to remember, but to fet a high Price and Value upon this ineftimable Favour. To be tranflated from a State of Death and Damnation, to which we were doom'd by the firft Covenant, to a ftate of Life and Salvation to which we are reftor'd by the fecond, is a Mercy never enough to be valu'd by us. A redeem'd Captive highly prizes his Liberty, and a condemn'd Traitor is tranfported with Joy at the news of a Pardon these are poor resemblances of a deliverance from eternal Death to everlasting Life, and faintly fet forth our Translation from a miferable Bondage to Sin and Satan, to the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God; which therefore require our highest Esteem and our utmoft Thanks. To this we are to add, moreover,

Our frequent Acknowledgments of thefe fignal Acts of the Divine Goodnefs. Our Catechifm here teaches every one to own his invaluable Privilege, of being call'd to this ftate of Salvation, without which we had for ever remain'd miferable; and being a Mercy as much beyond our Power as above our Merits, calls for our loudest Praises and Thanksgivings: a grateful Sense whereof ought not only to live in our Hearts, but to difcover itself in our Lips; of ten faying with the Pfalmift, O that Men would praise the Lord for his Goodness, and declare the Wonders that he doth for the Children of Men!

Laftly, We fhould exprefs our Thanks to our heavenly Father, by making all the Returns we can for his unspeakable Goodness. Now because our Righteoufnefs extends not to him, nor can our higheft Praises make any the least Addition to his effential Glory, therefore he is pleas'd to accept of our hearty Defires of ferving him. To obey is better than Sacrifice, and no Incense is fo favoury in his Noftrils as that which comes from a broken and contrite

Heart :

Heart: Whofo offereth Praise (faith God) honoureth me; and to him that ordereth his Converfation aright, will I shew. the Salvation of God.

III. But how is this great Mercy obtain'd for us? That, our third Particular will tell us, was thro' Jefus Christ our Saviour; I heartily thank our heavenly Father, who hath call'd me to this state of Salvation, thro' Fefus Christ our Saviour. Now this is owing to Jefus Chrift upon a double

account:

1. Because 'twas purchas'd for us by his Merits. And, 2. 'Tis granted to us by his Mediation.

1. I fay, we are call'd to this State of Salvation thro' Jefus Chrift, because he alone by his Merits purchas'd it for

us.

The breach of the first Covenant rendred all Mankind guilty before God, by means whereof, we all come into the World Children of Wrath and Difobedience, and doom'd to a state of eternal Perdition. But God Almighty took pity on our Condition, and found out a Remedy for us, when we could neither think of, or effect any for our felves; and that was, by fending his Son to die for us, whofe Blood was of value fufficient to atone for the Sins of the whole World: by this, he not only fatisfy'd divine Juftice, but merited a new and better Covenant, into which we are enter'd by Baptifm, the Seal of it; by receiving whereof, we are here faid to be call'd to a State of Salvation thro' Jefus Chrift, who both merited the Privilege, and inftituted the Rite of Initiation into it.

2. This State of Salvation was not only purchas'd by the Merits, but granted by the Mediation of Jefus Chrift; and fo we may be truly faid to be call'd to it, in and thro him. There is one Mediator (faith the Apostle) between God and Men, The Man Chrift Jefus, who gave himself a ranfom for all, 1 Tim. 2. 5. By the fhedding his precious Blood, he obtain'd milder and eafier Terms for us; and having fulfil'd the firft Covenant in his own Perfon, he did away that, and established the fecond; for which reafon he is faid to be the Mediator of a better Covenant, eftablish'd upon better Promises, Heb. 8. 6.

In a word; As none was fo proper to intercede for us with the Father as his own Son, who likewife took our Nature to atone for our Sins, and was in all things (Sin only excepted) made like unto us; fo none but He was fufficient to effect it, who by the Greatnefs and Divinity VOL. I. K

of

of his Perfon was alone able to pacify the divine Anger, and procure Peace and Reconciliation for us.

By which we fee, not only infinite Goodness, but infinite Wisdom too, in the Contrivance of Man's Recovery to this State of Salvation; which was effected only by the Merits and Mediation of Jefus Christ our Saviour.

Upon the whole then, we have infinite reason to thank, not only God the Father for contriving, but God the Son too for undertaking and accomplishing, the Work of Man's Redemption. God fo loved the World (faith St. John) that he gave his only begotten Son; and his only begotten Son fo lov'd the World, that he gave himfelf; that whosoever be lieveth on him, fhould not perish, but obtain eternal Life; John 3. 16.

Hereby he has obtain'd eternal Redemption for us, and is become the Author of eternal Salvation, upon milder Terms than it could be had before: perfect and unfinning Obedience, which was out of our power, being exchang'd for Sincerity, and doing our utmost; and this too fecur'd to us by the Word and Promife of Him, who is Truth itfelf, and has thereby bound himself by Contract and Agreement to do that for us, which otherwife we could never claim or expect. Yea, the Apostle tells us, That God willing more abundantly to fhew to the Heirs of Promife the Immutability of his Counfel, confirm'd it by an Oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have strong Affurance and Confolation: Heb. 6. 17, 18, &c.

But that which affords greater matter of Thankfulness, is, that thefe Mercies are not promis'd in general, but apply'd to every particular Member of the Church, who are here taught to say in the fingular Number, I thank our heavenly Father, who hath call'd me, &c.

Moreover, Farther to enhance our Gratitude, we may note this to be a peculiar and diftinguifh'd Favour; for the fallen Angels were wholly paft by and neglected, who inftead of being refior'd to a State of Salvation, are referv'd in Chains of Darkness to the Judgment of the Great Day: Fude 6. Heb. 2. 15.

Yea, even among Mankind, the Heathen World of old, and many barbarous Nations ftill, never heard of this Call to a State of Salvation, but are left to grope in Darkness; and if any of them find the way to Life, it must be with great hazard and uncertainty. However that be, 'tis nei

ther