unto me: for if Ifrael had walked in my ways; I should foon have put down their enemies, and turned my hand against their adverfaries. And in like Manner, Efai. xlviii. 17, 18. Thus faith the Lord thy Redeemer, the Holy one of Ifrael, I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldeft go. O that thou hadst bear kned to my commandments; then peace had been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the fea. To name no more Paffages of this Nature, how paffionate is that Proteftation of God, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. As I live faith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live, turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die O ye houfe of Ifrael? This earnest Defire of God,that by Repentance we would qualifie our felves to receive his Mercy, can proceed from no other Principle than the utmost Perfection of Clemency and Goodness to Mankind; and, beyond all other Arguments,demonftrates to us the Greatnefs of it; fince the Execution of Juftice tendeth no lefs to manifeft the divine Glory, than A&ts of Mercy do. And thus it again ap pears, that a right Senfe of our Obligation, arifing from the divine Benefits, is the most effectual Motive of Ŏbedience; fince his Benefits being infinite, and tranfcendent, may reasonably be expected to produce a futable and not inferiour Degree of Gratitude.

But then farther, in Relation to the Divine Benefits, it is to be confidered, that they are not only great in their own Nature, but also wholly undeferved by us; which contributeth very much to raise the esteem of their Excellency in our Minds, and amplifie the riches of the Divine Beneficence. The Pfalmift made excellent use of this Confideration, when comparing the unworthiness of Man, to the Greatness of the divine Favours conferred on him, he cries out in Admiration: Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the fon of Man, that thou fo regardeft him? The Apostle ufeth the fame Argument, Rom. v. 8. For fcarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man fome would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love towards us, in that

while

while we were yet finners, Chrift died for us: That is, fcarce would any other confer fo great a Benefit, as to lay down his Life for his Sake, upon any one, however punctually performing all the Duties of Juftice, and deficient in none of thofe Offices which are neceffarily required of him: Yet perhaps for one, who out of the Abundance of his Zeal and Charity, for the good of his Neighbour, doth more than was in common Juftice required; fome Men, induced by a powerful Senfe of Gratitude, would not fear to lay down their Lives.

And in this appeareth the incomparable Greatness of the divine Goodnefs, that while we, far from performing thofe Duties, which in the ftricteft Manner we are obliged to pay to God, much lefs from doing more than is neceflarily required of us, had by our Sins provoked the divine Displeasure, and proclaimed our felves Enemies to God; yet notwithstanding all this, Chrift vouchfafed to die for us. If we apply this Argument to our own Obligation arifing from the divine Benefits, we fhall find it very cogent. For if for a good, although not for a juft Man, fome would, out of Gratitude, even dare to die: What ought not we to do for God, who, by his fuperabundant Goodnefs, bath fo far exceeded, what he oweth to us in Juftice, that the latter holdeth no Proportion to the former? In ftrict Propriety of Speech he oweth nothing to us; fince our Creation is an Act of his own Free-will: And although when once created he cannot without Injustice neceffitate us to be miserable, orlay greater evil upon us without Refpect to our Demerits, than what may be countervailed by the Happiness neceffarily flowing from our Exiftence; yet is this owing rather to the Justice of his own Nature, than to any Right acquired by us. But then the undeferved Benefits bestowed on us are greater than we are able to conceive, and hold no Proportion with any Thing fave the Infinity of his Goodnefs, as being no less than Redemption from eternal Death, and the Hopes of everlafting Happiness.

For what can we plead in behalf of our felves toren

der

der us worthy of the divine Favour? Not the Dignity of our Nature,which in his fight is Duft and Afhes: Not the Perfections of our Mind, which are the Products of his own Power,and miferably debafed by finful Habits: Not our Righteousness or Piety, which is infinitely inferiour to our Demerits, and although moft perfect, yet were no more than our Duty: Not the Ability of magnifying the Perfections of his Nature, and celebrating his Majefty; for that is infinite already, and can receive no Addition from our imperfect Praifes. The Angels were much more fitted by the Excellency of their Nature to perform that Office; as having more noble Conceptions of the divine Majefty, and being able, by Reafon of their Spirituality, to fing Praifes unto him without intermiffion: Yet obtained not they the fame Favours with Mankind, nor enjoy the Benefit of the forbearance and longJuffering of God. For them, after Apoftacy, he receiveth not to Mercy: But the Angels which kept not their firft eftate, but left their own habitation, he hath referved in everlafting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day, Jude vi. It is Man alone, whom God feems to have chofen out for the darling of the Creation; and to have tried how far it was poffible to oblige his Creatures, by undeferved Benefits, to the Worship of him.

This Confideration cannot but ftrike our Souls with a lively Senfe of our Obligation to God, that in difpenfing the Riches of his Goodness, he weighed not our Merits, but chofe to make known his Power in our Weakness. A Confideration which might juftly find Matter of Aftonishment for our whole Lives, and working up our Souls into an Extafie of Gratitude constrain us to Obedience. Wifely therefore did Moses so much inculcate it in the ix. of Deuteronomy, where aggravating the Greatness of the Obligation, which God had laid upon the People of Ifrael, by his wonderful and numerous Benefits, he chargeth them to remember withall that they were undeferved. Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God had caft out the Canaanites from before thee, faying: For my righteousness the

Lord

Lord hath brought me to poffefs this land. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart doft thougo to poffefs their land, but for the wickedness of thefe Nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord fware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob. And this is the Second Head, upon the Account of which the divine Benefits ought to appear infinite unto us, and create a proportionable degree of Thankfulness: Because they are undeferved by us.

Laftly, If we confider the Nature of Mankind, we fhall easily discover, that no Argument fo effectual could be propofed to us, as this of Gratitude. The greatest Part of Mankind are no otherwife moved than by the Report of their Senfes, and have not fo far improved their Reason, as to conceive the Perfection of the divine Attributes, without the Affistance of fenfible Obje&s. Thefe can be no other than the vifible and most remarkable effects of the divine Power and Goodness. By thefe as Men are chiefly led to the Knowledge of aGod, fo they are perfwaded to pay him Worship and Adoration.

Tothis Purpose no Actions of God are fo adapted, as thofe which declare his Beneficence and Liberality, in which Mankind is peculiarly concerned, and receive the Benefit of them. Other Actions indeed might equally manifeft his Nature, if feriously reflected on; but thefe few make the Subject of their Meditations. Men feldom confider God any otherwife than in Relation to themfelves, and therefore want fome extraordinary Benefits to excite their Attention, and entertain their Confideration. Thefe, beyond all other Arguments, make the deepest Impreffions on our Imaginations, and therefore continue longest in our Memories. So that if the Remembrance of these be once effaced, we may reafonably conclude, all other Arguments of our Duty and Subjection to God, to have been long before forgotten. And accordingly the Scripture frequently expreffeth the final Apoftacy of Men from Religion, by their forgetting the Benefits of God. Thus Judges ii. after it had been faid

Verfe 7. That the people ferved God all the days of fofbua, and of the Elders who had feen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Ifrael: It is fubjoyned, Verfe 10. That when all that generation was dead, there arofe another generation efer them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Ifrael. Now fee the effect of this Forgetfulness. It follows in the 11th Verfe. And the children of Ifrael did evil in the fight of the Lord, and Jerved Baalim, and forfook the Lord God of their fathers. And therefore the Pfalmift commonly joyneth both together, Oblivion of the Divine Benefits, and Difobedience to his Comrands, as Pfalm cvi. 7. Our Fathers regarded not thy wonders in Egypt, neither kept they thy great goodness in remembrance; but were difobedient at the Sea, even at the Red Sea; and Verse 19. They made a calf in Horeb, and worShipped the molten Image; and they forgat God their Saviour, who had done so great things in Egypt: And Pfalm lxxviii. 11, 12. They kept not the covenant of Gol, and would not walk in his law: But forgat what he had done, and the wonderful works which he had bewed for them.

And indeed if the Senfe of the Divine Benefits cannot perfwade us; if an Argument recommended by fo many great Advantages cannot move us; if we be deaf to the obliging Words of fo fweet a Charmer, and inexorable to all his Invitations; in vain will it be hoped, that other Arguments will have any Influence upon us. Other Arguments may be

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