Showing posts with label march. Show all posts
Showing posts with label march. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Be Thankful

The things for which thanks are to be given; and they are all things; the rule, and which is, according to the will of God, is "giving thanks always for all things;" and again, "In everything," or for everything, "give thanks" (Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18), to which agrees what the apostle says (Phil. 4:6). And,
1a. First, for temporal mercies; for God is the "Father of mercies," even of all such mercies; the author and giver of them, and therefore thanks should be returned to him for them. As,
1a1. For our beings; to be, is better than not to be; and none could give us existence but God, the fountain of being; "In him we live, and move, and have our being;" that is, we have it from him, as well as are supported in it by him; "It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves:—be thankful unto him, and bless his name" (Acts 17:28; Ps. 100:3,4), the wonderful formation of man, the structure of his body, the symmetry and perfection of its parts, as well as soundness of limbs, are matter of praise and thankfulness; as they were to the Psalmist David (Ps. 139:14-16).
1a2. For our life, which is from God; he "giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:25), some creatures have a being, and yet not life, as inanimate ones; some have life, yet only a vegetative one, as plants; and others only an animal one, as brutes; but God has given to man a soul, both living and rational; Adam’s body was made out of the dust of the earth, and then God breathed into him the "breath of life, and man became a living soul;" and such a life every man has, which is a grant and favour from God (Job 10:12), and therefore thanks should be given to him for it, and for all the mercies of life, and for that more than for them; since "the life is more than meat," or drink, raiment, and everything by which life is nourished, supported, and made comfortable; and, indeed, is preferable to all a man has besides (Matthew 6:25; Job 2:4).
1a3. For the preservation of our being and life be God; his visitation, which is every day, every morning, preserves our spirits; he upholds our souls in life; he is therefore truly called, the "preserver of men," and is worthy of praise and thanksgiving on that account; the reason given is, not only because he has made the heaven, earth, and seas, and all therein; but because he "preserveth them all" (Neh. 9:5,6).

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