ness. fore the receipt of a favor, yet thankfulness itself is not called into exercise, till the favor is by the donor made our own. Now life is given of God and we thank him for it. But we cannot thank him for it before it is given, neither in a temporal, nor yet in a spiritual sense. Gratitude and submission are but two parts of the same principle; for they both equally suppose a sense of unworthiAnd herein is the difference between a gift and a purchase: a purchase whether made by money, or by bartering one commodity for another, supposes equivalence of merit. My pound buys what is worth a pound, as on the other hand what -is worth a pound, buys my pound; for money is but merchandize, concentrated into a medium of general usefulness. But a gift supposes nothing given for what is received; or something given freely, on no condition of any thing to be received. Now God hath given freely to man without an equivalent value, either paid before or to be paid after; except the price of Christ's blood, which hath nothing to do with the merit or condition of the creatures; for his gifts are above all price. The bounties of Providence are more than we deserve, seeing man is fallen, and hath lost his title to life, with all its blessings; the blessings of grace also are free gifts, and such as man in a state of Eden-innocence, had no right to ask of God; for, 1st. They did not belong to his nature-state; 2d. They did not belong to any covenant of works; consequently 3d. They were not promised to Adam in case of obedience: which may be seen, 4thly. By observing, that though without them, man could not continue in original uprightness, and if he did not so continue, he was threatened with the pains of hell for ever; yet still God was not pleased to grant them; but suffering all mankind to fall in their head Adam, was pleased afterwards to give them freely to those whom he had chosen in Christ Jesus. But on these I cannot here stop to enlarge. Now if in Providence we possess blessings of which we are utterly unworthy, what reason for gratitude in our appointed lot; further, if in a way of grace, we receive as free gifts, pardon of sins, justification by the righteousness of Christ and the merits of his blood, adoption into his family by the election of grace, manifestation of God's everlasting love to us through the witness of the Spirit, peace in our conscience here through believing, and a hope of endless joy at God's hand, to be assuredly given us in due time, notwithstanding all unworthiness; Oh! what calls for gratitude are these. Our lot is appointed in providence; and so it is in grace: for "Known unto God are all his works "from the beginning," Acts xv. 18. But if our blessings are appointed of God, so are our trial and temptations fixed of him. And as these are sorely unwelcome to flesh and blood, so it is needful not only that we pray for gratitude in blessings given, but for submission also, to our appointed trials here below. Now these trials are various, in their kinds: as in temporal things, sickness, pain of body, losses, crosses, unfaithfulness of friends, cruelty of enemies, removal of relatives and dear counexions, &c. in spiritual things, unbelief and hardness of heart, as they remain in the regenerate, with all evil thoughts, wanderings of mind, doubts of our interest in Christ, ignorance of the workings of the Spirit, the snares of the world, the temptations of the devil, the infirmities and treachery of the flesh, the weakness of young disciples, the desertion of false brethren, doubts of our acceptance before God, disrelish of his word and worship, &c. these are appointed things to vex the Christian; appointed to try his faith, and exercise the graces of the Spirit in him. Now it well becomes the Christian to pray to be delivered from all these things. But seeing, that many pray long without being delivered (although they will be delivered at last) it behoveth God's people to pray for submission to these things; as a part of that cross which they are called to take up, to the denial of themselves, and the following of Christ. The language of a Christian under dark and trying dispensations is this; "All the days of my appointed " time will I wait till my change come,” Job xiv. 14. And if at any time these evils oppress, let us take the advice of the apostle Paul, "Consider " him that endured such contradiction of sinners "against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds," Heb. xii. 3. Now it is easy to say, let us do this or that,' but oh! when the trial comes, how faith wavers, how hope flags, how love grows cold. cold. What shall we do? Oh, that we may be found praying for submission to God's will. "Thy will be done," sweetened the bitterest cup our Saviour ever drank in his human nature; and it can sweeten ours: and it carries with it this comfort, that when God's will is done, and his end answered by the furnace, we shall come out like the three worthies of old, under the blessed attendance of the Son of God, without being scorched, or so much as the smell of the fire having passed upon us. Daniel iii. 25 and 27. Now in regard to the appointed lot which God bestows upon us; we cannot 2dly, reject them without slighting the giver. To reject a blessing given of God, is not to return it immediately as men often do the gifts of men: but not to shew gratitude to God for it, or not to use it for his glory: the same may even be said of adversity, if we bless not God in the trial, nor desire it may be blessed for our spiritual good, and for the glory of his great name; this is to reject the means of correction which God useth, to wean his people from the world and draw them to himself. May we pray in the name of Christ against this. 7th. We may also pray for God's ministers, and for his church. But first of his ministers. Many preach before they are sent. Many are not scripturally sent to preach the gospel. It is not the imposition of hands by a fellow worm, that fits a mau to preach the gospel'; but the descent of the Spirit, and its divine unction flowing into the heart. It is the Spirit's work to raise up men to minister the word. "The Holy Ghost (in old times) said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work "whereunto I had called them," Acts xiii. 2. To speak then of such ministers as are sent by the Holy Ghost: 1st. We pray for to see their ministry established among us. Ministers are plentiful in the present day; but not such ministers as preach the gospel in its consistency, reality, simplicity and truth. The false charity of the present day, leads many equally to prize the preaching of ministers of every denomination; but the priests of Baal, must not be regarded as the prophets of. God. : And what hath followed, where it has doctrines have been confounded, till gospel doctrine hath been nearly lost. | Hence hypocrites abound in all churches, and God's little flock, are ofttimes ignorant of the voice of their shepherd. Yet do we love the simplicity of truth; let us pray for a pure ministry to be among us. Of this I feel confident, where God hath a people to bring forward, there his word shall find them out, for if a pure ministry is not sent to con |