a gentle heat, and invigorated with lively spirits, disposed to health, and qualified for a long endurance; subservient to a soul imbued with divers senses, faculties, and powers, apt to inquire after, pursue, and perceive various delights and contents. To the satisfaction of which all extrinsical things do minister matter and help; by his kind disposal, who furnishes our palates with variety of delicious fare, entertains our eyes with pleasant spectacles, ravishes our ears with harmonious sounds, perfumes our nostrils with fragrant odours, cheers our spirits with comfortable gales, "fills our hearts with food and gladness," supplies our manifold needs, and protects us from innumerable dangers. To Him, who hath inspired us with immortal minds, and impressed upon them perspicuous characters of his own divine essence; hath made us, not in some superficial lineaments, but in our most intimate constitution, to resemble himself, and to partake of his most excellent perfections; an extensive knowledge of truth, a vehement complacency in good, a forward capacity of being completely happy, (according to our degree, and within our sphere.) To which blessed end, by all suitable means (of external ministry and interior assistance,) he faithfully conducts us; revealing to us the way, urging us in our process, reclaiming us when we deviate: engaging us by his commands, soliciting us by gentle advices, encouraging us by gracious promises; instructing us by his holy word, and admonishing us by his loving Spirit. To Him, who vouchsafes to grant us a free access unto, a constant intercourse and a familiar acquaintance with, himself; to esteem and style us his friends and children; to invite us frequently, and entertain us kindly, with

those most pleasant delicacies of spiritual repast; yea, to visit us often at our home, and (if we admit) to abide and dwell with us; indulging us in the enjoyment of that presence, wherein the life of all joy and comfort consists, and to behold the light of his all-cheering countenance. Is there any thing more? Yes: To Him, who to redeem us from misery, and to advance our estate, hath infinitely debased himself, and eclipsed the brightness of his glorious Majesty; not disdaining to assume us into a near affinity, yea, into a perfect union with himself; to inhabit our frail and mortal nature, to undergo the laws and conditions of humanity, to appear in our shape, and converse, as it were, upon equal terms with us, and at last to taste the bitter cup of a most painful and disgraceful death for us.

Yea, to Him, who not only descended from his imperial throne, became a subject, and (which is more) a servant for our sake; but designed thereby to exalt us to a participation of his royal dignity, his divine nature, his eternal glory and bliss, submitting crowns and sceptres to our choice,crowns that cannot fade, and sceptres that cars never be extorted from us.

Farther yet, to Him, the excellent quality, the noble end, the most obliging manner of whose beneficence doth surpass the matter thereof, and greatly augment the benefits; who, not compelled by any necessity, not obliged by any law, (or previous compact,) not induced by any extrinsic arguments, not inclined by our merits, not wearied with our importunities, not instigated by troublesome passions of pity, shame, or fear, (as we are wont to be,) not flattered with promises of recompense, nor bribed with expectation of

emolument, thence to accrue unto himself; but being absolute master of his own actions, only both lawgiver and counsellor to himself, all-sufficient, and incapable of admitting any accession to his perfect blissfulness,—most willingly and freely, out of pure bounty and good-will, is our Friend and Benefactor; preventing not only our desires, but our knowledge; surpassing not our deserts only, but our wishes, yea, even our conceits, in the dispensation of his inestimable and unrequitable benefits; having no other drift in the collation of them, besides our real good and welfare, our profit and advantage, our pleasure and content.

To Him, who not lately began, or suddenly will cease, that is either uncertain or mutable in his intentions; but from everlasting designed, continues daily, and will (if we suffer him) to all eternity persevere unmovable in his resolutions to do us good.

To Him, whom no ingratitude, no undutiful carriage, no rebellious disobedience of ours, could for one minute wholly remove or divert from his steady purpose of caring for us; who regards us, though we do not attend to him-procures our welfare, though we neglect his concernments— employs his restless thought, extends his watchful eye, exerts his powerful arm, is always mindful, and always busy to do us good;-watching over us when we sleep, and remembering us when we forget ourselves; in whom yet it is infinite condescension to think of us, who are placed so far beneath his thoughts; to value us, who are but dust and dirt; not to despise and hate us, who are really so despicable and unworthy. For, "though he dwelleth on high," saith

the Psalmist truly and emphatically, "he humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in heaven and earth."

To Him that is as merciful and gracious, as liberal and munificent towards us-that not only bestows on us more gifts, but pardons us more debts, forgives us more sins, than we live minutes that with infinite patience endures, not only our manifold infirmities and imperfections, but our petulant follies, our obstinate perversenesses, our treacherous infidelities;-overlooks our careless neglects, and our wilful miscarriages;-puts up with the exceedingly many outrageous affronts, injuries, and contumelies continually offered to his supreme Majesty, by us base worms, whom he hath always under his feet, and can crush to nothing at his pleasure.

To Him yet, who, as St. James saith, "giveth freely, and upbraideth no man ;" who calls us reither very frequently, nor over-strictly to account; who exacts of us no impossible, no very difficult, no greatly burdensome or costly returns-being satisfied with the cheerful acceptance of his fa vours, the hearty acknowledgments of his good. ness, the sincere performance of such duties, to which our own welfare, comfort, and advantage (rightly apprehended) would otherwise abundant. ly dispose us.

To Him, lastly, whose benefits to acknowledge, is the greatest benefit of all; to be enabled to thank him who deserves our greatest thanks; to be sensible of whose beneficence, to meditate on whose goodness, to admire whose excellency, to celebrate whose praise, is heaven itself and paradise, the life of angels, the quintessence of joy, the supreme degree of felicity.

In a word-to Him, whose benefits are immensely great, innumerably many, inexpressibly good and precious. For, "who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?" said he who had employed often his most active thoughts, and his utmost endeavours thereupon, and was incomparably better able to do it.

To this God, to this great, to this only Benefactor of ours, we owe this most natural and easy, this most just and equal, this most sweet and pleasant duty of giving thanks. To whom, if we wilfully refuse, if we carelessly neglect to pay it, I shall only say thus much, that we are not only monstrously ungrateful, and horribly wicked; but abominably foolish, and deplorably miserable. I shall repeat this sentence once again, and wish it may have its due effect upon us: To this great, to this only Patron and Benefactor of ours, if we do not in some measure discharge our due debt of gratitude for his inestimable benefits and mercies, we are to be adjudged not only most prodigiously unthankful, most detestably impious, but most wofully stupid also and senseless, most desperately wretched and unhappy.

SPIRIT OF DEVOTION.

THE spirit of devotion removes from the worship of God the perception of tediousness, and with that also every disposition to censure or cavil at particular phrases, or expressions used in public worship. All such faults, even if they be real, and such observations upon them, are