them to the utmost of our power'': but, in our present
state of darkness and ignorance, it is rarely given to men so fully to behold all the wonders of God's love, as to have their organs of vision blinded by the overwhelming splendor of the light : we " see at present only in part :" we " behold things only, as in amirrour, darkly :" as " Moses put a veil upon his face" to hide from the admiring Israelites that glory which they were " unable stedfastly to behold," so God has, in mercy, veiled even his goodness from us, because we are incapable of support- ing the ineffable effulgence of his glory. Of what we do see, we must say, with Job, " Lo, these are parts of his ways; but how little a portion is heard of him ! but the thunder of his power'* (we may add too, the riches of his goodness) '' who can under- stand'^?'"]
2. With practical self-devotion —
[However overwhelmed our minds may be, there must be in us a determination of heart to render to the Lord all the service of which he has made us capable. Our gratitude to him must be, " not in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth.'* His love must have a constraining influence on our souls: it must
^' constrain • Rom. xi. 33. '' Isai. xii. 14—6. " Job xxvi. 46.
"constrain us no longer to, live unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us, and rose again '^." Every blessing we enjoy must lead us to him who of his great mercy and bounty has bestowed it on us : and the consideration of redeeming love espe- cially must animate us to a total surrender of ourselves, in hodv, soul, and spirit, to the service of ourGod'^. y\s, under the Law, the slaughtered victims were wholly burnt by fne upon the altar, so, under the Gospel, must we offer ourselves up wholly to the Lord " as living sacrifices." This is nothing more than our reasonable service': " We are not our own ; we are bouglit with a price : and therefore we should glorify God with our body and in our spirit, which are his^."]
But let us somewhat more distinctly consider, III. The way in which we should requite them —
The example of the pious Jews is very instruc- tive—
[The Jews were encouraged under their troubles to betake themselves to God, and to make vows unto the Most High : and these vows they were required strictly to perfgrm. On paying their vows to their heavenly Benefactor, they presented cer- tain sacrifices, of which they and their families were permitted to partake, in remembrance of God's mercies towards them, and as an expression of their gratitude to him''. On these occasions, it was common for the master of the family to close the feast by taking a cup of wine, and drinking of it, first himself, and after- wards all his family in succession; and then to close the whole with a hymn. To this custom it should seem that David refers in other psalms', as well as in the passage before us: and our blessed Lord adopted it as a suitable method of commemo- rating the wonders of his dying love''. He took a cup, and blessed it, and gave it to his Disciples, that they, and all his fol- lowers, to the very end of time, might drink it in remembrance of his blood shed for the remission of their sins'.]
After this example we should pay our vows, and *' receive the cup of salvation," or, as that used by the Jews was called, *' the cup of deliverances" — «
[Is it asked, What sacrifice are we to offer ? I answer. The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving'". " The calves of our lips'* are far more acceptable to God than, all the burnt-offerings that ever were offered". And surely the Sacramental cup, of which every Believer should frequently partake, may at once remind us ,