Temple of Afculapius at Tetrapolis, a City of the Ionians and Carians, in which there was multitudes of fick and miferable Petitioners, and the Walls thereof were every where covered with painted Tablets, in which were written the Difeafe,and the name of the Party, which had been restored; the like alfo was done in the Ifle of Coos, and elsewhere, Strab.lib.8. & Natal. Comes.lib. 4. c.11. In like manner those who were delivered from Shipwrack by praying unto Neptune, hung up their garments with like Tablets in his Temple, and payed their Vows Vestimenta maris Deo. there (b), thofe poor Gentiles taHor.Carm.l.1.Od.5. king more care to do honour to

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their falfe Gods than we Chriftians to the true. But if Heathen Examples will not shame us,let inftances of Holy Scripture prevail with us; for among the Jews it was fo conftant and known a Custom for all upon their recovery to go up to the Temple, and give folemn thanks, that in the Hiftory of Hezekiah's fickness, the going up to the Houfe of the Lord, is put to fignific his Recovery, Ifaiah xxxviii.22. What shall be the fign, that I hall go up into the houfe of the Lord? that is, what fhall be the fign, that I shall recover, and as ufual, be able to go to the Temple and make my Acknowledgments? And the Duty was approved by our Saviour and his Apoftles: The lame man whom our Saviour cured at the Pool of Bethesda, made first use of his Legs to carry him to the Temple to praise God, and there Jefus found him foon after, John v.14. He also whofe Limbs were reftored by the Prayers of St. Peter and St. John, no fooner was able to ftand up, but immediately he waited on the Apostles into the Temple, to praise God there, according to the pious ufe of his Nation, Acts iti.8. It were endlefs to relate, how it was u

fed

fed of the antient Chriftians, and of our pious Forefathers to return thanks,and offer rich Oblations, and diftribute large Alms upon the receipt of fuch Mercies, as we in this irreligious Generation are wont to take no notice of at all: But if yet we will amend, let us confider how we obfcure the glory of God, difparage the prayers of the Church, and fhew our felves unworthy of the mercy received, if we do not cause open thanks to be given for our deliverance: Let us obferve how bafe a temper it fhews, to be craving and importunate till we get a mercy, and when we have it, to regard him no more of whom we begged it. How thall it be known that God hath fhewed mercy, or the Prayers of the faithful prevailed? How fhall any be encouraged to feek to God, or defire the Churches prayers hereafter, When the efficacy of both is fmothered by thy vile Ingratitude? We hear the Petitions, but whether they be anfwered or no, we cannot tell through the unworthiness of those for whom they are made. They have many of them obtained their bafe end, which was eafe and health to enable them to ferve the World or the Devil as they did before, and God nor his Church hear of them no more, till another ficknefs do arreft them, which when it comes to pass, it is very likely He will be deaf to the next entreaties, that was fo little regarded for his former anfwers, and they who do not give thanks for the first recovery, deferve never to be heard the fecond time. Let us imitate therefore the best Examples,and confider how holy David did not only pray in fickness to be delivered, but when his Prayers were heard, he made Pfalms on purpofe,and gave them to the Choir to be fung openly in the Temple for his reftoring to health: On which occafion the vi..and cxvi.with fome others were written.We have a Form made ready, the good Lord grant us a heart rightly difpofed when we are delivered, and then

we

we shall never neglect to pay our folemn acknowledg ments to the glory of God, the encouragement of the Church, and the procuring relief for our selves, when ever we relapse into like diftrefs.

S.V We bless thee for our Creation, Preservation and all the blessings of this Life.]

After we have diverted a little to commemorate a fpecial Mercy,which is yet fresh in the minds of all prefent, we return to give thanks for the Mercies, which we enjoy in common with all Mankind. And here we may fay, Who can express the noble acts of the Lord, or fhew forth all his praife? Pfal.cvi.2. Oh how great is the Sum of them? if we tell them they are more in number than the Sand? Pfal.cxxxix.17. The Mercies bestowed upon all the world in one day are above human Arithmetick, and the bleflings which one fingle man enjoys in the whole courfe of his life, to trafcend the bounds of Numeration; what an amazing Sum therefore would all the Mercies make, which all men in all ages have received? Thefe infinite and inconceivable Myriads command us into fi lence and adoration, and it is the employment of Angels and glorified Souls to enumerate them in the Regions of Eternity: Yea, and Heaven it felf feems to be defigned on purpose, that we might fupply the defects of our imperfect earthly praises, and fully give glory to God for all the Acts of his goodness, which will require an everlafting duration to recount them: Only while we are upon the Earth, we may touch at the general heads under which the particulars are comprehended; wherein we have fome Prefidents in the antient Liturgies (i), as in that of

(i) Σù in rõ μù Tas His Tova μας παρήγαγες, κ nagnésovτas avisavas máxiv, xj in ἀπέςης πάντα ποιvet_is_લંક φανὸν ἀνήγαγε, Lit.S.Chryf

St.

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(k) Dens eft laudandus quia eft Crea ter ad effe, confervator in effe, recreator ad benè effe,glorificator in optimè effe. Hugo Cardin.

St. Chryfoftom God is praised for our Creation, Restauration after our fall, and all that tends to our glorification. St. Auguftine, and some of the later Doctors following him come ftill nearer our Form(k),who teach us to praise God for our Creation, Prefervation, Redemption and Glorification; but we can no where find fo exact a Divifion and Enumeration, as this Thanksgiving affords us in this and the next Paragraph.

I. In this we have all tempezal mercies, which are placed firft, as having the precedence in the order of nature, for we must have a being before we could need or enjoy any other good: And therefore we begin with 1. Our Creation, which was the firft of all Mercies to us, and made us capable of all the reft. Now there is abundant reafon, why we fhould praife God for this: It was a work of infinite Power and admirable Wisdom in it felf, and an excellent favour to us without which we had been nothing: And that we may be the more affected with it, let us conlider the dignity of our Soul, which is invisible and immortal, endued with noble Faculties, able to act in a moment of time, to difcern things past as well as prefent, and to judge probably of future events, it can compafs the Earth, measure the Heavens, and give some kind of Description of the nature of God, it is free and fubject to none but the Law of Heaver,it cannot be hurt nor dye, it is a little branch of the Divinity, and the moft exact refemblance of God, that is in the whole World (1). Again if vve contemplate the compofure of our bodies, vve cannot but admire the

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(1) vòs yep μv, ideòs' Men. Quid alind voces animum quam Deum in bumano corpore hofpitantem? Sen. ep.31. απόσπασμα θερ Phil.de infidiis. Proportions

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Proportions and beauty of the whole, the convenience and usefulness of every Part. The exquifite Art and incomparable Goodness of the Author appears in all the parts of this Work; the fecret Conveyances of our nourishment, the curious Fabric of the eyes and ears,the ftrange variety of Motions, the perpetual Circulation of our blood and spirits, and the conftant exercise of respiration, the agility of the Limbs, and the strength of the whole body,all thefe may well caufe every one of us to cry out with David, I will give thanks unto thee, for fearfully and wonderfully made, Pfal.139.13.2.We must also praise God for our Prefervation in the next place, becaufe without this our Creation would fignife but very little, we are fo frail, and liable to fo many dangers, that if an all-feeing eye did not watch over us, and an Almighty Arm guard us, our Life would be a continual Scene of Mifchief and Sorrow, and we should never be fafe, nor quiet, nor would it be long 'ere we fhould be reduced to our first nothing or a worfe Eftate; Oh how much then are we indebted to the divine Providence, which fecures us from invitible Enemies and infernal Spirits, from the fury of evil men, the rage of wild Beatts, and the venom of Serpents? Oh what a mercy is it, that we do not loose the use of our reason and understanding, our Senfes or our Limbs? What cause have we to praise him, that we escape fickness and Difeafes, wounds and infection, and all thofe kinds of death that daily watch for us? We do justly deferveto be caft out of his protection, if we do not daily praile him that keeps us at home and abroad, that preferves us night and day, that takes charge of us from the womb, to the Tomb; wherefore let us blefs his holy name also for our Prefervation. 3. And also for all the blessings of this Life, confidering that he not only defends us from all evil, but furnishcth us with all good things;!

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