(.5.) Our personal mercies, and other men's mercies. No question but we are to give thanks for our own personal mercies, as being most nearly concerned in them. We are also to give thanks for others : 2 Cor. i. 11, ' You also helping together by prayer for us ; that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf.' God's children rejoice in one another's jn-osperity, and are interested in one another's mercies, as if they were their own : Phil. ii. 27, ' For indeed he was sick nigh unto death, but God had mercy on him ; and not on him only, but on me also.' Epaphroditus was recovered, and Paul gave thanks to God : Ps. cxlii. 7, ' The righteous shall compass me about, for thou shalt deal boun- tifully with me.' When one is delivered, all the rest are glad of it. The more any partake of spiritual life, the stronger is spiritual sympathy ; they mourn and rejoice with others, as by mutual prayers, so by mutual praises. God would knit our hearts in spiritual love to one another : Ps. xxxiv. 3, ' 0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.'
(6.) Public mercies and private mercies. The cabin is of no stead when the ship is lost. In the peace of the nations wherein we are embarked we have peace. The children of God are wont to be affected with the good or ill of Sion above their private loss and benefit. When well at ease, Nehemiah and Daniel mourned because it went ill with the church. Especially when both are bad ; as that woman, 1 Sam. iv. 19, when she heard her father and husband were dead, and the ark of God was taken, she would not be comforted, but died. When it is
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ill with them, yet well with the church ; they rejoice as Paul rejoiced that Christ was preached, Phil. i. 18. But when it is well with both, then they rejoice : Ps. cxxviii. 6, ' Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.'
(7.) Mercies in hand and mercies in hope. That argueth a strong faith, affectionately to praise God for mercies in hope as well as mercies in hand : Ps. xxxi. 19, ' Oh, how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee, before the sons of men ! ' Abraham, when he had not a foot in the land of Canaan, built an altar and offered thank-offerings to Grod Gen. xiii. 18 ; so God's children ' rejoice in hope of the glory of God,' Kom. v. 2 ; 1 Peter i. 8, ' Whom having not seen ye love ; in whoru, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.'
(8.) Bless God for things prosperous and things adverse. I know it is a question whether we are to give thanks to God for afflictions, for poverty as well as wealth, for sickness as well as health, for death as well as life.
A71S. 1. Simply we cannot give thanks for afflictions as afflictions, no more than we can pray for them ; for evil as evil cannot be matter of thanksgiving ; it is in itself matter not of joy, but of grief : Heb. xii. 11, ' No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.' Thankfulness is the effect of joy ; how then can we be said to give thanks for things prosperous and adverse ?
2. Though we do not simply give thanks for the evil, yet we may give thanks for the good that is mixed with them ; that is to say — (1.) For the mixture : Job ii. 10, ' Shall we receive good at the hands of God, and shall not we receive evil?' Ahstulit, sed et 2^rucs dedit. He taketh away opportunities of service, but it is a mercy that he con- tinued them so long. (2.) For the mitigation ; it might have been worse : Ezra ix. 13, ' And after all this is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast pun- ished us less than our iniquities deserve ; ' Lam. iii. 39, ' Wherefore doth a living man complain ? ' a man on this side hell. (3.) For the fruit and profit ; if it be not good in itself, it turneth to good : Kom. viii. 28, ' All things shall work together for good to them that love God ;' Ps. cxix. 71, ' It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes ; ' Ps. xciv. 12, ' Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, 0 Lord, and teachest him out of thy law.' It is well that God doth not give us over to a reprobate sense, and will not let us sleep in our sins ; there is a blessing hid in the cross. (4.) For the final issue, that God may be glorified : 1 Peter iv. 14, 'On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified ; ' and we rewarded : Mat. v. 12, ' Eejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven ; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.' Thus they rejoice and give thanks. Some kind of suf- ferings are an honour: Acts v. 41, 'And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to :suffer shame for his name.'