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The Subjects, on which the Thanksgiving Pfalms were chiefly compofed are thofe, which are of all other the greateft; namely,

1. The works of Creation, in which as all Men are concern'd, fo all fhould unanimously join to Praise the Author of them. This goodness of God in Creating us, and all things, is the foundation of all the rest of his Mercies, and the clearest demonstration of the Being of God, without whom nothing elfe could have been: And what can be more juft and agreeable, than that we fhould often own and praise that Power and Wisdom in which we live, and move, and have that Being on which all our other Enjoyments depend; and who hath fo made us, that we are capable of Praifing Him, as no other Creature in this visible World can do, but Man? Other Creatures may and do afford us Matter, or give us Occafion to Praise God, but none of them can offer this Sacrifice but we alone. None of the Creatures we have to do with can have any knowledge or apprehenfion of God, but our felves: They want both Speech and Reafon, without which this Service cannot be performed. This is the chief Privilege by which we are diftinguifh'd from them, that we can, with Mind and Voice, Worship and Praise our Creator: And they who make no ufe of this Privilege, do wilfully degrade themselves, and, as it were, become Brutes by choice.

2. We ought alfo frequently to commemorate thofe Works of Divine Providence, whereby we, and what belongs to us, have been preferv'd, whereby we have the Comforts and Conveniences of this Life, at least in some measure continued to us: For the fettled courfe of Nature, the conftant returns of Night and Day, Seed-time and Harvest, Summer and Winter: And the Pfalms will put into our Mouths fit words to exprefs our fence of thefe Bleffings.

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But the Pfalter will in an efpecial manner affift ts in offering up our Thanks to God for his peculiar Care of the Church, for his miraculous Providences, whereby he has protected, and faved it against all the fecret Practices, and open Affaults of its malicious and politick Enemies. The Pfalmifts are not more particular in any thing, than in rehearfing all the mighty Works which God did for his People, from the time of Abraham till the re turn of the Jews from the Babylonish Captivity, after which time none of the Pfalms, or other Books of the Old Testament were written; but they do in an efpecial manner, and very often recount the Miracles which God did in behalf of the Jewish People in Ægypt, the Red-Sea and the Wilderness, to the time of their fettlement in the promised Land. And the Chriftian Church is more interess'd and concern'd in thefe miraculous Providences, than may at firft fight be apprehended: For 'tis certain that Abraham was the Father of the Faithful, and his Pofterity by his Son Ifaac, and Grandfon Jacob, were the true Church, as all fincere Chriftians now are; and thofe Jews who paffed through the Red-Sea were the Ancestors of us Chriftians, 1 Cor. X. 1. the Remnant of their Pofterity, who own'd fefs to be the Meffias, and were, as I may fo fay, the Mother-Church of Christ. This Church of Jewish Converts (to use St. Paul's fimilitude Rom. xi.) were [the root, or true Olive-Stock] into which we, whofe Fores fathers were Gentiles, or Heathens were ingrafted.] And the Conclufion from thence is, that the Wonders which God perform'd in behalf of the Childreti of Ifrael in Egypt, and elfewhere, were perform'd to our Ancestors, to the fame Church in fubftance, that we now are. And as there is nothing more wonderful in Man, than his Conception, his growth in the Womb, his breaking forth from thence, and gradual increafe in Bulk, Strength and Senfe: Sø

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there is nothing more admirable in the Church than that Series of Miracles, whereby he raifed, fettled and establish'd it in the midft of the Heathen World, and in defpite of all the Power and. Malice of Pharaoh, and other Idolatrous Tyrants. But further, the extraordinary Works which he did by Mofes, Joshua, and other Leaders of his People down to David, fhould remind us of the greater Power, which he afterwards fhew'd in enlarging his Church upon the coming of the Meffias, by the Tongues, Pens, Divine Works, and Sufferings of the Apoftles, and others who first planted Christianity; and the wonderful Succefs which he gave to Conftantine the Great, and other of the firft Chriftian Emperors, against thofe Heathen Generals, and Forces, which opposed them; and to the many Kings and Queens, whom he hath fince raised up to be Nurfing-Fathers, and Nurfing-Mothers to his Church.

3. Above all we ought never to forget the greateft of his Mercies, which is the knowledge of his Will, or that Revelation of Divine Truth, which he has vouchfafed to us, without which our Condition would be little better, if it were not worse, than that of the Beafts which Perifh: By this we are inform'd how we may certainly please him, by what means we may obtain the pardon of our Sins, and the affiftance of his Grace, and whatever is neceffary to make us either Good here, or Happy hereafter; and the Pfalms will furnish with great variety of expreffion, whereby we may return our thanks to God for this eminent, unvaluable Mercy. In this particular we ought, if poffible, to raise our Devotions above that of David and the other Pfalmifts; for when they thank God for the Benefit of his Word, they chiefly meant the Law of Mofes and as much as the Gofpel excels the Law, so much fhould our Praife and Gratitude exceed theirs.

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And let it be obferved that the Pfalmifts did not think it fufficient, barely to recite all the Mercies they had received from God, but they do moft frequently, and amply acknowledge his Wisdom and Power, Veracity, or Faithfulness, and especially his Goodness, which are the Caufe, and Spring-head of all our Bleffings. And this is not only a very confiderable part of that Honour which we owe him; but is likewife very neceffary to quicken, and inflame us in all other parts of our Devotion: for he muft needs perform the Duty of Prayer with great coldness, and indifference, who does not both heartily believe and duly confider, that the God, to whom he offers his Prayers, is All-knowing, Almighty, the Author of all the Good, that we can have, or hope for, [who is alone able to fave, or to deftroy.]

But here it may be objected, that feveral forts of Pfalms may, and do occur in the very fame Service, and that it can scarce be fuppofed that Men are fo much Mafters of their own Affections, as to turn, and alter them every minute as they please. How can a Man be dejected with Sorrow while he is reciting a Penitential Pfalm, and be elevated with Joy, and Praife, when he has turned the Leaf, and is beginning another, and immediately be fired with a zeal, and due concern for God's Church in rehearsing a third? for it may, at first fight, feem a matter very difficult, if not impoffible, fo often, and all of a fudden to change our frame of Mind.

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In Answer to which I need only give an Inftance, to prove that this is fo far from being hard to be practifed, that 'tis really natural to us. In reading a History, when in one page we obferve a good Cause, or a vertuous Perfon opprefs'd or injur'd, we are infenfibly wrought into pity, and commifera tion, we condole the undeferved fufferings of the a 3

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Innocent, and have a juft indignation against thofe who are the caufes of them. In the next page, when we fee Vertue breaking through a Cloud, and by a fudden turn grown fuccefsful, and triumphant, and its adverfary depreft, and mortified, we do in our minds exult, and congratulate the Deliverance, and we find as great an alteration in our Minds and Affections, as there is in the affairs which the Hiftory treats of. Much more may our Affections be rais'd, or lay'd in a moment of time, when we bend our Minds to the doing of it, and make ufe of our Reason to that purpofe, for which God gave it us, namely, to regulate, command, and turn our Thoughts, and Paffions, as the prefent, occafion fhall require. Indeed, the greateft difficulty is to keep our thoughts close to one Subject for a confiderable time together, and not to turn them to a new one; for this rather refreshes, and relieves them. And therefore that great variety of Matter, and diverfity of Affection, which is fo obfervable in the Pfalms, does really render them more agreeable for the Devotions of Creatures, whofe thoughts are fo quick, and changeable as ours are. If there were any thing in this Objection, it would lie as much against all manner of true Devotion, as against the Pfalter. For whoever prays as he ought, muft confefs his Sins, and in doing fo fhould be heartily grieved, and afhamed: And in the fame Prayers he must proceed to Praife and Thanksgiving, and then ought to have a heart fill'd with joy and love, towards him who is the Author of all our Mercies; he muft intercede for all that are in want, and then fhould be touch'd with a feeling pity of thofe he Prays for: So that in truth this feeming Objection against the ufing the Pfalter by way of Devotion, and which has likewife been urged against the Common-Prayer, does as much affect the De

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