refresh it when it was day,] and even languished for want thereof. Which feasonable and excellent mercy of thine, as it hath been [to the great comfort] and benefit [of us, who could not merit it, because we are the unworby] and unprofitable Servants : So it fhall be made use of by us to thy honour, [and to the Glory of thy Holy Name,] for we will take this Occafion to declare thy infinite Goodness, and our own happiness [through thy Mercies] bestowed on us, [in] the name, and for the fake of [Jelas Christ our Lozo,] to whom with thee,and the Holy Ghoft,be all Praife and Thankf giving now and evermore. Amen.

S.I.

SECTION XIV.

Of the Thanksgiving for Bair-Weather.

பட

He firft Altar, that ever we read of in Scripture, was built by Noab after the univerfal Flood, Gen.viii.20,21. to praise God for the ceafing of the waters; for no fooner did that Holy man falute the dry Land, but he offers fome of all forts of clean Beafts in Sacrifice, to acknowledg the divine goodness, which preferved himself and the reft from a common deftruction; and we find the benefit of his pious gratitude to this very day; fince God was fo pleased with it,as to refolve that the Waters fhould never arife to the height of a general defolation again; which may invite us to imitate his happy Thankfulness now we are delivered, though in a lefs degree,that our Sacrifices of praise may ftill prevail with our heavenly Father to perform what his goodness moved him at first to promife: I shall only add,that the Heathens,who imitated the Hiftory of Noab's, in the DeHh fcription

460

with 1

praise,

his pos lebratin in mag meafur. and ali Thanks Mercy with fo

dily hea have all

Chrifto

F]

Part.

inget to mention. Me and he did mof ore the Deities,

As the Floods were o emelves were fafe (a) nger tis like was not as theirs, yet it might hav Jenis great, if God had not t Mercy prevented it, fo that we a o are conged to great degrees thankfulncis, which we may it xpreis in the following Form.

his Thanksgiving.

·O Loja God, wis ceba july humbies is by the lar

piague of immode

though P20bit to who

Rain af Harve diftill Teath t man]ar thefe uf. at this t thanks, tbee] to Men and five dr at the i. pected, Land, v

A Practical Difcourfe upon this Thanksgiving.

S.III. Lord God, who haft jufkly humbled us by thy late Plague of immoderate Rain and

wwaters,]

It would rarely encrease the gratitude of one newly come fafe to fhore after a dangerous ftorm or fhipwrack, to stand a while at the Sea- fide, and look back upon the rolling furges and boiftrous waves, which fo lately threatned his deftruction; in like manner now the Rain is ceased, and the floods are gone; it may be very profitable for us to call to mind the miserable circumstances with which we lately were encompaffed.We all were, or ought to have been, tumbled in the time of our late immoderate Kain and waters. Our fighs and ears, our wishes and vows, our complaints and Prayrs did exprefs no lefs; they are now indeed all gone, ince God hath removed the Cause of them, and we are ow cheared again; but in our present joy we must not orget the depth of our mifery, leaft we be flack in his raises who changed the Scene and made the alteration; nd withal we must confefs the Juftice of God in hum›ling us, or else we shall not fo well difcern his mercy in our exaltation. It was the overflowings of Ungodliness hat caused the waters to flow fo high, and woe had een unto us, if they had rifen as high as our Iniquities ave done; it was a fore Judgment indeed, but we must confess it to be a very just one, and in fo doing we to glorifie God as much as we can do by any Ac of praise; for in Holy Scripture the acknowledgnent of our Sin, and of Gods Juftice in chaftiing us, is called Giving glory to God, Joh. vii. 19. Sam. vi. 5. fo that if we do now make the like Confeffion of our finfulness and evil defervings, Hh 2

we

S.2.This Thanksgiving hath three Parts.

fcription of Deucalion's flood, did not forget to mention, that his Wife and he did moft thankfully adore the Deities, as foon as the Floods were 0

(a) Hic ubi Deucali

on, nam cætera texerat æquor,

Cum conforte tori par- ver,and themselves were fafe (4).

va rate vectus ad

hæfit, Corycidas Nymphas Numina montis

The

adorat

Fatidicamque

mim-Ovid. Met.l.

1.fab.Io.

Our danger 'tis like was not fo great as theirs, yet it might have been as great, if God had not in Mercy prevented it, so that we alfo are obliged to great degrees of thankfulness, which we may fitly exprefs in the following Form.

The Analysis of this Thanksgiving.

we pzaife and glo.

2. An A& of Praise for this fa- <riffe the Holy name

vour.

for this the Mercy, 3nd will always declare thy loving. kindness from gene.

3. A Vow of perpetual Grati-ration to generati

tude.

on through Jefus Chult our Lord,

men.

A

A Practical Difcourfe upon this Thanksgiving.

S.III. Lord God, who haft fully humbled us by the late Plague of immoderate Rain and

wwaters,]

It would rarely encrease the gratitude of one newly come fafe to fhore after a dangerous ftorm or fhipwrack, to stand a while at the Sea fide, and look back upon the rolling furges and boiftrous waves, which fo lately threatned his deftruction; in like manner now the Rain is ceased, and the floods are gone; it may be very profitable for us to call to mind the miferable circumstances with which we lately were encompaffed.We all were, or ought to have been, bumbled in the time of our late immoderate Kain and waters. Our fighs and fears, our wishes and vows, our complaints and Prayers did express no lefs; they are now indeed all gone, fince God hath removed the Cause of them, and we are now cheared again; but in our prefent joy we must not forget the depth of our mifery, leaft we be flack in his praises who changed the Scene and made the alteration; and withal we must confefs the Juftice of God in humbling us, or else we shall not fo well difcern his mercy in our exaltation. It was the overflowings of Ungodliness that caused the waters to flow fo high, and woe had been unto us, if they had rifen as high as our Iniquities have done; it was a fore Judgment indeed, but we muft confels it to be a very just one, and in fo doing we do glorifie God as much as we can do by any Ac of praife; for in Holy Scripture the acknowledgment of our Sin, and of Gods Juftice in chastifing us, is called Giving glory to God, Joh. vii. 19. 1 Sam. vi. 5. fo that if we do now make the like Confeffion of our finfulness and evil defervings, Hh 2

we