praises unto my God while I have any being;' and 'I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.' No man can reasonably pretend greater impediments, or oftener avocations from the practice of this duty, than be, on whom the burden of a royal estate, and the care of governing a populous nation, were incumbent yet could not they thrust out of his memony, nor extinguish in his heart, the lively sense of divine goodness; which (notwithstanding the company of other secular incumbrances) was always present to his mind, and like a spirit, (excluded from no place by any corporeal resistance,) did mingle with and penetrate all his thoughts, and affections, and actions. So that he seems to have approached very near to the complete performance of this duty, according to the extremity of a literal interpretation, and to have been always, without any intermission, employed in giving thanks to God. The consideration, methinks, of so noble a pattern, adjoined to the evident reasonableness of the duty, should engage us to the frequent practice thereof.*

But if the consideration of this excellent example do not, yet certainly that may both provoke us to emulation, and confound us with shame, of Epictetus, a heathen man, whose words to this purpose seem very remarkable: El yàp vouv εἴχομεν, saith he in Arrian's Dissert. + ἄλλο τι ἔδει ἡμᾶς ποιεῖν, καὶ κοινῇ, καὶ ἰδίᾳ, ἢ ὑμνεῖν τὸ θεῖον, καὶ εὐφημεῖν, καὶ ἐπεξέρχεσθαι τὰς χάριτας ; οὐκ ἔδει καὶ σκάπτοντας, καὶ ἀροῦντας, καὶ ἐσθίοντας ᾄδειν τὸν ὕμνον τὸν εἰς τὸν Θεόν ; Μέγας ὁ Θεὸς, &c. that is, in our language, "If we understood ourselves, what other thing should we do, either publicly or privately, than sing hymns to, and speak well of God, and perform thanks unto him? Ought we not, when we were digging, or ploughing, or eating, to sing a (suitable) hymn to him? Great is God,

* Εἰ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀνὴρ μυρίαις βαπτιζόμενος φροντίσι, καὶ πανταχόθεν περιελκόμενος, τοσαυτάκις παρεκάλει τὸν Θεόν· τίνα ἂν ἔχοιμεν ἀπολογίαν ἢ συγγνώμην ἡμεῖς, τοσαύτην σχολὴν ἄγοντες, καὶ μὴ συνεχῶς αὐτὸν ἱκετεύοντες, &c. Chrys. tom. v. p. 76.

+ Lib. i. cap. 17.

† Πάντα τοίνυν τὸν βίον ἑορτὴν ἄγοντες, πάντη πάντοθεν παρεῖναι τὸν Θεὸν πεπεισμένοι, γεωργοῦμεν αἰνοῦντες, πλέομεν ὑμνοῦντες, κατὰ τὴν ἄλλην πολιτεία» ¿vtéxvws àvaoтpepóμe@a.-Clem. Alex. Strom. vii. p. 517.

in that he hath bestowed on us those instruments wherewith we till the ground: Great is God, because he hath given us hands, a throat, a belly; that we grow insensibly, that sleeping we breathe. Thus" (proceeds he) "should we on every occurrence celebrate God, and superadd of all the most excellent and most divine hymn, for that he hath given us the faculty of apprehending and using these things orderly. Wherefore since most men are blind and ignorant of this, should there not be some one, who should discharge this office, and who should for the rest utter this hymn to God? And what can I, a lame (and decrepit) old man do else, than celebrate God? Were I indeed a nightingale, I would do what belongs to a nightingale; if a swan, what becomes a swan; but since now I am endued with reason, I ought to praise God. This is my duty and concernment, and so I do; neither will I desert this employment while it is in my power; and to the same song I exhort you all." Thus that worthy philosopher, not instructing us only, and exhorting with pathetical discourse, but by his practice inciting us to be continually expressing our gratitude to God.

And although neither the admonition of prophets, nor precepts of philosophers, nor the examples of both, should prevail; yet the precedents, methinks, of dumb and senseless creatures should animate us thereto; which never cease to obey the law imposed on them by their Maker, and without intermission glorify him. For, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowlege. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.' It is St. Chrysostom's argumentation; Kai yàp aioxpòv av ein, saith he, τὸν λογικὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἁπάντων τιμιώτερον, ἔλαττον τῆς κτίσεως φέρειν κατὰ τὸν τῆς εὐφημίας λόγον· οὐκ αἰσ χρὸν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄτοπον, &c. “ It were an ugly thing, that man, endued with reason, and the most honorable of all things visible, should in rendering thanks and praise be exceeded by other creatures: neither is it only base, but absurd. For how can it be otherwise, since other creatures every day and every hour send up a doxology to their Lord and Maker? For, the heavens declare the glory of God,'" &c.

If the busy heavens are always at leisure, and the stupid

earth is perpetually active in manifesting the wisdom, power, and goodness of their Creator; how shameful is it, that we (the flower of his creation, the most obliged, and most capable of doing it) should commonly be either too busy, or too idle to do it; should seldom or never be disposed to contribute our endeavors to the advancement of his glory? But,

2. Giving thanks always' may import our appointing, and punctually observing, certain convenient times of performing this duty; that is, of serious meditation on, and affectionate acknowlegement of the divine bounty. We know that all persons, who design with advantage to prosecute an orderly course of action, and would not lead a tumultuary life, are wont to distinguish their portions of time, assigning some to the necessary reflexions of their body, others to the divertisement of their minds, and a great part to the dispatch of their ordinary business otherwise (like St. James's 'double-minded man') they would be unstable in all their ways;' they would ever fluctuate in their resolutions, and be uncertain when, and how, and to what they should apply themselves. And so, this main concernment of ours, this most excellent part of our duty, if we do not depute some vacant seasons for it, and observe some periodical recourses thereof, we shall be tempted often to omit it; we shall be listless to do it, apt to defer it, and easily diverted from it by the encroachments of other less-behoving

affairs.

The Jews, to preserve them in the constant exercise of this duty, had instituted by God a sacrifice called on (juge,) rendered by the Greek translators, & diawavròs Ovơía, 'the continual sacrifice ;' (Dan. viii. 11.) to which the divine author of the Epistle to the Hebrews seems to allude, when in these words he exhorts : Δι' αὐτοῦ οὖν ἀναφέρωμεν θυσίαν αἰνέσεως διαπαντὸς τῷ Θεῷ by him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,' (or the continual sacrifice of praise,) the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.' As that sacrifice therefore, being offered constantly at a set time, was thence denominated 'continual;' so perhaps may we, by constantly observing some fit returns of praise and thanksgiving, be said 'always to give thanks.'

In determining the seasons and proportions of which, what

other rule or standard can we better conform to than that of the royal prophet? I shall not urge his example so much; (according to which we should be obliged to a greater frequency;) for, seven times a day,' saith he, 'do I praise thee, because of thy righteous judgments:' but rather allege his general direction and opinion, proposed to us in those words of his; It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O thou Most High; to show forth thy loving-kindness every morning, and thy faithfulness every night.' It is a good thing;' that is, a seemly, a convenient, a commendable, a due performance: every morning;' that is, when our spirits, being recreated with sleep, are become more vigorous, our memories more fresh, our fancies more quick and active: to show forth thy loving-kindness;' that is, from a hearty sense of our obligation, to acknowlege the free bounty of him, who in pursuance of his former kindness hath been pleased to accumulate new favors to us; to guard us by his watchful care, when we were buried, as it were, in a senseless ignorance, and total neglect of our own welfare; to raise us from that temporary death, and to confer a new life on us, restoring us to our health, to our means of subsistence, to all the necessary supports, and the desirable comforts of life: 'every night' also; that is, when our spirits are exhausted with action, and our minds tired with thoughtfulness; when we are become weary, not of doing only, but almost of being; we should conclude our toils, and wrap up our cares in the sweet sense and grateful memory of his goodness, who hath protected us so many hours from the manifold dangers, and more sins, to which, by our weakness, and our folly, and our bad inclinations, we are through every minute exposed; and withal hath provided us so easy and so delightful a means of recovering our spent activity, of repairing our decayed strength.

Thus if we constantly begin, and thus close up, thus bound and circumscribe our days, dedicating those most remarkable periods of time to blessing God, and making, as the psalmist speaks, the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice' in him (since beginning and ending do in a manner comprehend the whole; and the morning and evening, in Moses's computation and style, do constitute a day;) we may (not in

congruously) be supposed and said to give thanks always." But yet farther, this may import,

3. A vigilant attendance on this duty, such as men bestow on their employments, whereof though the actual prosecution ceases, yet the design continually proceeds. As we say, such a one is writing a book, building a house, occupying a piece of land, though he be at that present peradventure sleeping, or eating, or satisfying some other desire; because his design never sleeps, and his purpose persists uninterrupted. And thus, it seems, we are to understand our Saviour and the Apostles, when they exhort us pookаprepeir, to continue instant in prayer and thanksgiving ;' and ἀγρυπνεῖν ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσet, to watch with all perseverance;' and ypnyopeïr, to ' wake in thanksgiving;' and μm waveσbat, not to give over giving thanks' and to perform these duties àdiaλeiros, incessantly,' or without giving off;' μǹ ékкaкeiv, 'not to grow worse, faint, or faulter :' (which is, in that place, made equivalent to, explicatory of doing duty always.) Which expressions denote a most diligent attendance on these duties; that we may make them not a rápepyov, a diversion or by-business of our lives, allowing only a perfunctory and desultorious endeavor on them; but esteem them a weighty business, to be pursued with steadfast resolution and unwearied industry.

As our beings and powers did proceed from the goodness, so the results of them naturally tend to the glory of God; and the deliberations of our will ought to conspire with the instincts of our nature; it should be the principal design which our intention should aim at, and our endeavor always drive on, to glorify our Maker. Which doing, we may be reputed to discharge this duty, and in some sense said always to give thanks.' But farther,

4. This term ['always'] doth necessarily imply a ready disposition or habitual inclination to give thanks, ever permanent in us that our hearts,' as David's was, be fixed' always (that is, fittingly prepared and steadily resolved) to thank and praise God; that our affections be like tinder, though not always inflamed, yet easy inflammable by the sense of his good

ness.

"Tis said of the righteous man that he is ever merciful, and