6. For our share in the public plenty, peace, and tranquillity.

When we have eaten and are full, we have reafon to bless thee for the land which thou haft given us : A land which the eyes of the Lord our God are always upon, from the beginning of the year, even to the end of the year.

Thou makeft peace in our borders, and filleft us with the finest of the wheat: We are delivered from the noife of archers at the place of drawing water; there, therefore, will we rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even his righteous acts towards the inhabitants of his villages.

We thank thee that the powers that are fet over us are ministers of God to us for good, that they feek the welfare of our people, fpeaking peace to all their feed.

2. The goodness of his grace relating to our fouls, and the life that is to come.

But efpecially bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all spiritual bleffings, in heavenly things, in Chrift.

ift. We must give God thanks for his kindnefs to the children of men, relating to their better part, and their future ftate, and his favour to the church in general,

1. We must give thanks for his gracious defign and contrivance of man's redemption and falvation, when he was loft and undone by fin.

O how wonderfully did the kindnefs and love of God our Saviour towards man appear, not by any works of righteoufnefs which he had done, but according to his mercy he faved us: We had deftroyed ourfelves, but in thee, and thee only, was our help.

When we were caft out in the open field, and no eye pitied us, thou faweft us polluted in our own blood, and thou faidft unto us, live: yea, thou faidst unto us live; and the time was a time of love.

When the redemption of the foul was fo precari

ous, and that it must have ceased for ever, and no man could by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him, then thou was pleased to find a ransom, that we might be delivered from going down to the pit.

When we must needs die, and were as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, then didst thou dévife means that the banished might not be for ever expelled from thee.

When thou fpareft not the angels that finned, but - didit caft them down to hell; thou faid, concerning the race of mankind, deftroy it not, for a bleffing is in it.

Herein appears the wifdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world for our glory.

2. For the eternal purpofes and counfels of God concerning man's redemption.

We are bound to give thanks always to thee, O God, because thou haft from the beginning chofen fome to falvation through fanctification of the fpirit: That there is a remnant, according to the election of grace, whom God hath chofen in Chrift before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy, and without blame before thee, in love, having predestined them to the adoption of children, by Jefus Chrift, unto thyself, according to the good pleasure of thy will, to the praife of the glory of thy grace. Thine they were, and thou gavest them to Chrift, and this is thy will, that of all that thou haft given him, he should lofe nothing, but should raife it up at the last day.

3. For the appointing of the Redeemer, and God's gracious condefcenfion to deal with men upon new terms, receding from the demands of the broken covenant of innocency.

We bless thee that when facrifice and offerings thou wouldst not, and in it had no pleasure, that then the eternal Son of God faid, Lo, I come to do

thy will, O God, and a body haft thou prepared me: And that as in the volume of the book it was written of him, he did delight to do thy will, O God, yea thy law was within his heart.

Thou haft laid help upon one that is mighty, one chofen out of the people: Thou haft found David thy fervant, with the holy oil thou haft anointed him, even with the oil of gladnefs above his fellows, and didft promife that with him thy hand fhould be eftablished, and thy arm should strengthen him, and that thou wouldeft make him thy firft-born, higher than the kings of the earth.

We blefs thee that the Father now judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son: That as he has life in himfelf, fo he hath given to the Son to have life in himfelf, and hath given him authority to execute judgment alfo, becaufe he is the Son of Man: That the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand; and that the counfel of peace is between them both,

That he is thy fervant, whom thou doft uphold; thine elect, in whom thy foul delighteth; thy beloved Son, in whom thou art well pleased: That thou haft given him for a covenant of the people, and that through him we are not under the law, but under grace.

That God fo loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son, that whofoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

4. For the early and ancient indications of the gracious defign concerning fallen man.

We bless thee that as foon as ever man had finned, it was graciously promifed, that the feed of the woman fhould break the ferpent's head; and that in the Old Testament facrifices Jefus Chrift was the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world.

And that by faith the elders, though they received not the promise, yet obtained a good report, for they obtained witnefs that they were righteous..

We blefs thee for the promife made to Abraham, that in his feed all the families of the earth should be bleffed; and to Jacob, that the Shiloh fhould come, and to him should the gathering of the people be : And that the patriarchs rejoiced to fee Chrift's day, and they faw it, and were glad.

5. For the many glorious inftances of God's fa vour to the Old Teftament church.

We adore that wisdom, peace, and goodness with which thou brought the wine out of Egypt, did caft out the heathen, and plant it; thou prepared room before it, and did caufe it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

And they got not the land in poffeffion by their own fword, neither did their own arm fave them, but thy right hand, thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour to them.

We blefs thee that to the Jews were committed the oracles of God, that they had the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, the giving of the law, and the fervice of God, and the promifes: And that there did not fail one word of all thy good promifes, which thou promised by the hand of Mofes, thy fervant.

We blefs thee for all which thou didst at fundry times, and in divers manners, speak in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, thofe holy men of God, who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and prophesied of the grace that should come unto us, testifying beforehand the fuffering of Christ, and the glory that thould follow, and not to themfelves only, but to us they miniftered thofe great things, things which the angels therafeves defire to look into.

And efpecially we bless thee that thou haft provid ed fome better things for us, that they without us fhould not be made perfect.

6. For the wonderful and mysterious incarnation of the Son of God, and his coming into the world.

1

We bless thee, that when the fulness of time was come, thou didst fend forth thy Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons.

That the eternal word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and there were thofe who faw his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And without controverfy, great is the mystery of godlinefs, that God was manifefted in the flesh.

We bless thee that to this end he was born, and for this caufe he came into the world, that he might bear witnefs of the truth, and we believe, and are fure, that he is that Chrift, the son of the living God; that it is he that fhould come, and we are to look for no other.

We bless thee that the Son of Man is come to feek and to fave that which was loft; that he is come that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly, and that for that purpose the Son of God was manifefted, that he might destroy the works

of the devil.

Lord, we receive it as a faithful faying, and well worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners, even the chief.

We bless thee, that forafmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he alfo himself likewife took part of the fame: That he took not on him the nature of angels, but our nature, and was in all things made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the fins of the people; and that he is not aflamed to call them brethren.

And that the first begotten was brought into the world, with a charge given to all the angels of God to worship him.