himself as the greatest monument of mercy that can be found on earth.
Whether then we consider our temporal or our spiritual mercies, we cannot but find unbounded occasion to raise grateful memorials to the Lord our God.]
But it will be proper to shew,
II. In what manner we should do it —
External and visible monuments are very proper expressions of national gratitude : but, as individuals, we must erect very different memorials ; —
1. We must get a sense of God's goodness en- graven on our hearts —
[We need not to form inscriptions on stone or brass: we are concerned rather to have the mercies of our God written upon our hearts. But here is our great fault: we do not " keep his great goodness in remembrance : " we " forget him at the sea, even at the Red Sea." One single calamity will call forth complaints in abundance : but ten thousand mercies are scarcely sufficient to raise the soul to God, or to excite one desire to requite his love. Sensible of this, David stirred up his soul to the performance of its duty: " Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless his holy name : bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." It is in this way that we must raise memorials to God : and such memorials he will not despise. One grateful and devout acknowledgment is a more pleasing sacrifice to him than the cattle upon a thousand hills: "Whoso offereth him praise, glorifieth him."]
2. We must endeavour to impress others also with
a sense of it —
[This is a method of perpetuating the remembrance of his goodness, which the Lord himself has prescribed''. And the more sensible we ourselves are of his kindness to us, the more shall we exert ourselves to preserve the knowledge of it in this way. How admirable is the example of David in this parti- cular! He seems to have laboured with all his might, not merely to praise God with his own lips, but to interest all, whether of his own or future generations, in the same blessed employment''. On the contrary, how severely was Hezekiah rebuked for ostentatiously displaying his own riches, when he should have been magnifying to the Babylonish ambassadors the Lord's goodness, and counnending to them the knowledge
^ Ps. Ixxviii. 5 — 7. ^ Ps. cxlv. 1 —7.
289.1 MEMORIALS OF GOd's GOODNFSS. 149
of the God of Israel*^! It is possible enough that he might pretend to give Ood the glory ; but God, who knew his heart, saw that he was lifted up wdth pride : so we are in danger of erecting memorials rather for our own honour, than for God's : but we must be exceeding jealous upon this head, lest, instead of pleasing, we offend the Majesty of heaven ; and lest, instead of bringing a blessing upon ourselves, we entail a curse. We may boast ; but our boast must be of God, and not of our- selves : we may raise monuments ; but they must be truly " Eben-ezers," ascribing every tiling to " the Lord's help," and not to an arm of flesh.]
3. We must testify our sense of it by an increased
devotion to his service —
[If we are sincere in our acknowledgments, we shall be inquiring, " What shall I render to the Lord, for all the benefits that he hath done unto me?" The end for which our God vouchsafes his mercies to us, is, that we may bring forth fruit to his glory : and, if he find that all his pains and culture are without effect, he will cut us dowai as " cumberers of the ground^." Whatever be our character then, we must make this improvement of the Lord's goodness to us : if we are impe- nitent, it must lead us to repentance; if we are already his servants, it must constrain us to increased diligence in his service, and cause us to abound more and more in every good word and work. We must not satisfy ourselves with empty commendations, crying, "Lord, Lord;" but must do with cheerfulness and delight whatsoever he commands us.]