Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

and carried from the womb a: and thou holdest our souls in life, and sufferest not our foot to be moved b.

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

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 g. And they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for the good of them that shall be heirs of salvation h.

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

When perhaps there has been but a step between us and death i, and when we have received a sentence of death within ourselves k, and have been ready to say in 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 thy back l.

When the sorrows of death hath 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 m.

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

[blocks in formation]

Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with his benefits, 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 has 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 wildernessi, 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 perfectl; 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

a Psalm lxviii. 19.
d Job xxix. 3. 5.
h Neh. ix. 25.
/ Psalm xviii. 32.
o Job xxi. 9.

6 Psalm xxiii. 2. 5.
e 1 Tim. vi. 17.
i Deut. viii. 2.
m Job i. 10.
p Psalm cxviii. 15.

c Luke xxii. 35.

с

g Job xii. 6.

k 1 Sam. vii. 12.
n Job viii. 7.

Jordan, and now we are become two bands a, and 'tis God that settest the solitary in families b.

If we have lived joyfully with our relations c, 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, that thou makest it to be d. (6.) For our own share in the public plenty, peace, and tranquillity.

When we have eaten and are full, we have reason to bless thee for the good land which thou hast given use; 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 g.

Thou makest peace in our borders, and fillest us with the finest of the wheath: 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 towards the inhabitants of his villages i.

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

1st. We must give God thanks for his kindness 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

a Gen. xxxii. 10.
d Prov. v. 19.
h Psalm cxlvii. 14.
/ Est. x. 3.

b Psalm lxviii. 6.
e Deut. viii. 10.
i Judg. v. 11.
m Eph, i. 3.

c Eccl. ix. 9. Deut. xi. 12. k Rom. xiii. 4.

contrivance of 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 a: we have destroyed ourselves, but in thee, and thee only was our helpb.

[ocr errors]

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 c.

When the redemption of the soul was so precious as that it must have ceased for ever, and no man could by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him d, then thou wast pleased to find a ransom, that we might be delivered from going down to the pite.

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 g.

When thou sparedst not the angels that sinned, "but didst cast them down to hell h; thou saidst concerning the race of mankind, destroy it not, for a blessing is in iti.

Herein appears the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world for our glory k.

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

We are bound to give thanks always to thee, O God, because thou hast from the begining chosen some to salvation through sanctification of the spirit: that there is a remnant according to the election of grace m; whom

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

God hath chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before thee in love, having predestined 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 a.

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 b.

(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 innocency.

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

his heart.

1

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

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 g, and hath given him authority to execute

a Eph. i. 4-6.
d Psal. xl. 7, 8.
g John v. 22. 26. 27.

b John xvii. 6. vi. 39. c Heb. x. 5, 6. 9. e Psal. lxxxix. 19-21. xlv. 7.

« AnteriorContinuar »