Secondly, The circumstances of the duty.
1. Of time, ' Always.'
But how is this possible, that we should be without intermission in the actual exercise of this duty ?
[1.] We must always have a heart prepared and disposed to give thanks ; for the words arise from the heart if we be serious ; therefore the heart must be so purified and prepared that we may be ever ready to give thanks to God : Ps. Ivii. 7, ' My heart is fixed, 0 God, my heart is fixed ; I will sing and give praise.' When the heart is pre- pared the work is easy. Now we must never lose our thankful frame. A sense of God's favour must ever be kept fresh upon our hearts; though we are not always blessing God, yet we must ever be prepared to bless God.
[2.] We must not omit the proper occasions, but must do it fre- quently and constantly. Some mercies are so general and beneficial, that they should be remembered every day ; as the great blessings of the gospel, Christ, and the new covenant : Heb. xiii. 15, 'By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.' He had spoken before of Christ as a sin-offering. And besides, God is adding new mercies continually to those which we had before, and so giveth new matter of praise and thanksgiving : Ps. Ixviii. 19, ' Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with his benefits, even the God of our salvation ; ' Lam. iii. 22, 23, ' It is of the Lord's mercy we are not con- sumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning ; great is thy faithfulness ; ' that is, daily renewed. There is no time in which we receive not some benefit from God. Now upon all occasions we should acknowledge the great and fatherly mercies of God through, our Lord Jesus Christ.
[3.] ' Always,' that is, in all conditions, both in adversity and prosperity ; in whatsoever estate we are or may be, it can never be so ill with a christian but he hath cause to give thanks to God. Job blesseth for taking as well as giving : Job i. 21, ' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord.' Choicer mercies are continued to us than those taken away from us, for we have God still, and an interest in the covenant. So we are bidden, Isa. xxiv. 15, ' Wherefore glorify ye theLord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea ; ' that is, in the fires
420 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. XXV.
of tribulation. If we walk in the fires, and have the Son of God to be with us, we have no cause to despond.
2. The matter for which we are to give thanks, ' For all things.' The same extent of the matter we may see in a parallel place : 1 Thes. V. 18, ' In ever3'thing give thanks.' Only what is here propounded collectively, ' For all things,' is there propounded distributively, ' In every thing.'
[1.] The universal particle comprehendeth all his benefits ; not one of them should be overlooked or forgotten : Ps. ciii. 2, ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.' But how is it possible to remember them ? There is an habitual remembrance and an actual commemoration.
(1.) An habitual remembrance is necessary for all God's acts of mercy, not only for the more eminent and signal acts of providence, but for every daily kindness we receive from him. An habitual remembrance is wlien we are possessed with a greater sense of God's love, and an esteem of him because of his never-failing compassions. The more fuel is added to the fire, the more the flame increaseth ; so every mercy is so far taken notice of as to increase our love to God and trust and dependence upon him, and the cheerfulness of our obedience to him. We love him more and serve him better because of his daily kindness to us.
(2.) An actual commemoration of every single mercy is impossible. We must live over a life as long again to repeat the mercies of our former lives. Yet, as much as may be, we should be express and particular ; for particulars are most affective. We must help ourselves by two things — (1.) By a frequent reckoning ; look into thy bill, what owest thou ? Ps. cxxxix. 17, 18, ' How precious also are thy thoughts imto me, 0 God ! how great is the sum of them ! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand : when I awake, I am still with thee.' Innumerable are the mercies of God ; the oftener we come to audit, the better. (2.) The other help is, since we cannot recall the several and single acts of God's mercy, yet to recall the several kinds and sorts of them, which the psalmist called reckoning them up in order : Ps. xl. 5, ' Many, 0 Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward : they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee ; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.' To speak of them in lieap, when we cannot speak of them in tale, as a painter representeth a crowd in a little table by a cluster of heads. But then, secondly, those that are eminent, like red letters in the calendar of our lives. It is God's end in giving them : Ps. cxi. 4, ' He hath made his wonder- ful works to be remembered.' And it is charged as a great crime upon liis peo})le that ' they soon forgot his works,' Ps. cvi. 13 ; that is, his eminent and signal deliverances. These are masterpieces of providence great helps to relieve faith, and never be forgotten by us.