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THANKSGIVING

SERMON, &c.

PSALM xlvii. 6.

Sing Fraifes to God, fing Praifes: Sing Praifes unto our King, fing Praifes.

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HE title of this Pfalm is-To the chief mufician, a Pfalm for the fons of Korah: [or, according to the exactly literal meaning of the original Hebrew names of office and characteristic diftinctions or qualifications] To the victorious, A fructuofe or practic Pfalm of thanksgiving, for the fons of froft i.e. either to quicken a cold devotion; or rather (adapting it to the victorious progrefs of the Meffiah's kingdom in every age and every country where chriftianity prevails; plainly fignified by, OUR KING, in the words of my text) To the victorous God of Ifrael and King Meffiah or Chrift; a thanksgiving Plalm or divine fong of praises, to be used by the fons of refor mation from antichriftian errors now frozen up from the influences of the flames of perfecution by means of the wind of doctrine proceeding from what is named by antichriftianism (at this time) the northren heresy

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(as Chrift was called a Nazarene, which fignifies an heretic or feparatift; and a Galilean, i. e. a revolutioner conftantly struggling for freedom from the yoak of Jewish ceremonies and unwarrantable traditions.) This reformation, the felfish craft and fenfual tyrannic power of the antichriftian party has attempted firft to ftifle, and aftewards by hellish falfehoods and violence to destroy; in perfwading weak minds to think, and compelling others to declare (contrary to their inward thoughts and the ftrongest conviction: under the penalty of being reputed Infidels and unfit for chriftian fociety, and fometimes of inquifitorial racks and tortures), that ignorance is the mother of devotion; that it is fufficient for falvation, to believe they know not what, and to perform the outward works of pennance, enjoyned by the priest, they know not why, without inward holiness of life or conformity of will to the laws of God, which are to be fpiritually understood, tho' publish'd to incarnate man by typic reprefentations and parabolic refemblances taken from the common occurrences of human-life incarnate. Yet St. Paul tells us (1 Cor. xiv. 14, 15); If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the fpirit, and I will pray with the understanding alfo: I will fing with the fpirit, and I will fing with the understanding also. And again, fpeaking of God (2 Cor. iii. 6.) who alfo hath made us able minifters of the new teftament, not of the letter, but of the fpirit: for the letter killeth, but the fpirit giveth life. Let us then, with the understanding, as well as becoming fervour of spirit; fing praises to God, fing praises: fing praises unto our King, fing praifes. Therefore,

I. IN difcourfing on thefe words; I fhall endeavour, thro' the divine afliftance, firft to declare those attributes of God, with their connections and diftinctions, that render him fupremely worthy of the highest

highest praises and adorations of his free intelligent creatures in their upright state.

11. To declare thofe attributes of Christ our King; that render him, under God, as to his human-nature in union with the divine, fupremely worthy of the highest praises due to his mediatorial character from man incarnate regenerated or engaged in the regeneration-process.

III. To enumerate fome of thofe numberlefs mercies and acts of divine goodness to these nations; that loudly call for the higheft ftrains of praife and thangfgiving to God and Chrift our King, not in thought and words only, but alfo in beneficent actions, after the divine example of Chrift-incarnate, joining our labours with the divine wifdom manifefted in the fpiritual powers and the laws of God and Chrift given to us for the promotion of man's happinefs both here and hereafter.

IV. AND laftly fhew, by what fteps our excellent conftitution has attain'd to its prefent Perfection, and wherein that Perfection confifts: as containing the highest motives for praife and thanksgiving from thefe nations in particular, and the very materials of them.

I. To begin then with the ft. part of this difcourfe. Those attributes of God that render him fupremely worthy of the highest praises and adoration; cannot be better declared than by a practical expofition of the 1ft. part of the Athanafian Creed, received by our holy church, and agreeable to the best lights of reafon and the whole tenor of fcripture.

THE love of God and our neighbour is the fulfilling of the law [Rom. xiii, 1-8-10. Mat. xxii. 36-40]: For on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. And, if ye love me (faith Chrift), keep my commandments (John xiv. 15). For this is the love of God (faith

St.

St. John, 1 John v. 3); that we keep his commandments. Therefore, falvation or the regeneration of the Divine life (loft by the fall of Man), which reftores the image of God in the foul of man, and is taught in the law and the prophets, as exemplified by the life of Chrift and explained in the gospels; depends on the love of God and our neighbour, which confifts in keeping the laws of God and of the fociety we live in fubordinately to God's Commandments.

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HENCE, the Athanafian Creed, which contains the terms of falvation, must be a practical creed defcribing the moral character of an holy immortal or perfectly regenerate man form'd upon the plan of the perfections in God himself, procura o divine original in the moral fyftem of for thro' the mediation of Chrift, by the help of God's holy-fpirit enabling us to work out our falvation. This makes us perfect, as our father which is in heaven is perfect.

IT is to be noted once for all; that the metaphyfical nature of the holy Trinity, is no farther confider'd in this and the other two Creeds receiv'd by our holy Church, than is neceffary for the understanding the fyftem of moral perfections in the divine life copied from the all-perfect nature of God our heavenly father, and for the rightly conceiving and using the means appointed to recover that divine life loft by the fall of man.

FOR abfolute infinitude or boundless perfection applied to the metaphyfical nature and powers of the mind [which is the only expreffion man can properly ute, to point out the fupreme excellence of the divine nature, peculiar to God, unattainable by man, and incommunicable even to the most exalted creature], is too mighty for the grafp of any mind or understanding less than abfolutely infinite, . e. of any other than God himself. Relative or growing infinitude, i. e. boundless growth; which

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