we envy any body else or not, though they generally go together,) and what great reason every one of us have, be our circumstances never so mean, to be easy and satisfied with our present lot. There is no man that has health and food enough, though never so plain, to support his life, and sufficient clothing, though never so coarse, to keep him from the injuries of the weather, but must confess that even this is more than he can pretend to deserve. For he is not only a creature which was but lately nothing, but he is a vile, ungrateful sinner too, and a rebel to his great and good Creator; and if he deserves any thing, it must be ruin. Since therefore God's mercy reprieves him from that ruin, nay designs, through the merits and mediation of his blessed Son, at length to make him for ever happy in heaven, and that upon most reasonable terms; and in the mean time gives him here more and greater blessings than he is worthy of upon any account whatever; what reason has he to be discontented, even with the meanest condition of life? he would be basely ungrateful if he should, and a thankful cheerfulness is no more than his duty.

But how few of us are in such low circumstances as those we mentioned but now! How plentifully do most of us enjoy the comforts as well as necessaries of life, and may say with the Psalmist, Thou hast cast my lot in a fair ground, yea I have a goodly heritage: thou daily heapest thy benefits upon me. I have bread to the full, and my cup runneth over! What abundant reason have we therefore to be easy and cheerful and satisfied, who, though unworthy as we are of the least of all the mercies which God hath bestowed upon us, have yet en

joyed so many and so great ones from our youth up even till now, and have a comfortable prospect of the years to come!

Perhaps we may have met with some crosses and disappointments, and have known some sorrow; but for the most part this is the effect of our own folly, and always is no more than the due desert of our sins; and yet we are apt presently, with equal impiety and ingratitude, to fret against our good God, to quarrel with his providence, and overlook the many and great blessings we already have, because in every thing we cannot have our vain desires gratified. But how ill does this become us! how strangely do we forget ourselves, and the undeserved benefits of our gracious Creator!

Thus Jeshurun grows fat and kicks; thus we become wanton with the large bounty of Heaven, and then brutishly spurn at our divine Benefactor. We surfeit of too much plenty, and grow weary of and loathe what many a poor wretch, as good, and it may be better than ourselves, would think himself very happy if he could enjoy. For shame, let this great and most provoking fault be for the future amended; and if shame will not, let fear teach us the great wisdom of contentment; lest God deprive us of those blessings which we so slight and undervalue, and keep his hand shut to us for the time to come.

IV. Lastly, from what hath been said of God's great goodness to us, his undeserving creatures and unprofitable servants, we may see how much thanksgiving is our duty; and what strong obligations lie upon us to have his praises ever in our mouths. An easy, cheap return this, and yet very acceptable to the Father of mercies, if it proceeds from a sincerely

grateful spirit. And what can be a greater motive to it than this, that such wretches as we should receive such infinite favours, who have deserved nothing but the flames of hell! O that our hearts were duly touched with a sense of our own vileness and unworthiness, that so we might worthily magnify God's infinite goodness! What can look worse, than to see an unworthy sinner surrounded with blessings spiritual and temporal, numerous and great, and he all the while insensible of them; or at most bring out at some set times a few cold, customary, general acknowledgments! God forbid it should be so with any of us any longer, whatever it has been hitherto! And to the end we may be more deeply affected with the wondrous kindness of our heavenly Benefactor, it is very advisable, that we would often set ourselves in our retirements to look back to the earliest days we can remember, and muster up, as well as we can, God's particular mercies to us, and place them in order before our minds, and heedfully consider the number and the value of them.

Thus, (to give some hints whereby we may the better direct our meditations upon this blessed subject,) how great was God's care over every one of us at our first entrance into this world, preserving us from those many sad accidents which a poor babe is then in danger of, and which should they befall it would render its whole life after miserable! And how great was his good providence towards us in the helpless state of infancy, and busy, thoughtless childhood! how often have we been strangely preserved from sad mischances in those our tender years, any of which would have put an end to our short life, had not our heavenly Father given

his angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways!

We may further consider, how happy it was for us that we were born in a Christian country, and early dedicated to God in baptism; "wherein we were made members of Christ, children of God, " and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven;" that we had good and indulgent parents, who gave us a pious and ingenuous education, and brought us up in the fear and service of God; that we have all along enjoyed the free use of our senses and our reason, and some of us an uninterrupted state of health (the greatest blessing in this world) for many years together; that we have had the great advantage of good company and excellent example; and most of us a comfortable maintenance, and many of us a very liberal one, whereby our minds have been freed from anxious care and solicitude about to morrow's support, (or at least had no need to cark and pinch, whatever our covetousness may have prompted us to do,) and our thoughts at leisure for a vigorous pursuit of our great end!

And how hath God prospered us in the main strokes of our lives; in our callings, our estates, our marriages, our issue; and (as I believe many of us may say) in every thing of moment that we have set our hands unto!

What friends hath he unexpectedly raised up to us, to counsel and advise, to aid and assist, to support and comfort us; to make light our burdens, by bearing part of our troubles, and add to our enjoyments by their endearing conversation! What great helps have we enjoyed in the prosecution of our main interest, the salvation of our souls! How BRAGGE, VOL. III.

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many excellent books have we met with to enliven our dying religion, and reenkindle the flames of a sincere piety in our breasts! How affectionately and impartially have the guides of our souls laid before us the whole of our religion in its native beauty and lustre; and stirred us up with the most prevalent arguments to walk worthy of it in all holy conversation and godliness!

Does not one day tell another, and one night certify another, that the mercies of our God never fail, but are new every morning? Where shall I make an end even of these general hints of the wondrous goodness of God? There is no end nor bottom, it is a boundless and unfathomable ocean.

But though the blessed and delightful theme be endless, our discourse of it must not be so too; and therefore let us sum up all in that amazing expression of the divine love, the redemption of the world from the eternal miseries of hell, by the death and passion of the Son of God. Who became a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, that he might be an atonement and propitiation for our sins; and bore our punishment, that through his stripes we might be healed, and our sinful souls cleansed by his precious blood. What words can express the value of this mercy! What adoration and praise can be sufficient for such unparalleled love as this! O blessed God, as is thy majesty, so is thy mercy both infinite and inexpressible !

And now let us breathe a while; and being, I hope, by this faint glimpse of the glory of the divine goodness to us, become sensible in some measure of the infinite obligations he has laid upon us, let us cast an eye upon ourselves; and see whether