But if no Great Danger has ever yet come Home to us; Though we have never been Senfible of any Design upon our Life, neither from the open Attempts of Profest Enemies, nor the Secret Stroke of Private Revenge; Though we have never had the Bullet nor the Arrow grazing on our Heads, nor any other Inftruments of Death in any Shape pass over us; yet have we never Seen them, (as David once faw the Deftroying Angel, with his Sword drawn over the People,) Scattering Death round about us? Have we not feen many Spectacles of Mortality on every Side of us, Old and Young, going before us to the Grave? Ought not then fuch Spectacles to ftir us up to a due Sence of Gods Goodness towards us, that has in the midst of all those many and great Dangers, with which we are always furrounded, ftretch'd forth His Right Hand to help and defend us?"

Or though we have never been in any Extraordinary External Danger, yet the Greatest Danger is from Within us: For we have lurking even in the Vital Parts the Seeds of fo many Diseases; and the very Frame of our Constitution is held together by fuch Weak, and fuch Jarring Principles, that though we are apt to be Surpriz'd if we are at any time out of Order, we have more Rea

yet

fon

fon to wonder that we are not Always fo. And would we look back and confider the Years that are paft, it is more than probable, that the Greater Part of us here Prefent, have at fome Time or other in our Lives, been reduc'd by Sickness to Dangerous Extremities. Whither did we then betake ourselves? Whose Help was it that we then implor'd? Were we not glad then to fly to him for Succour, in whom are the Iffues of Life and Death? And fince he graciously heard our Prayers, ought we not, with the Good Samaritan, to return the Glory to him? and always teftify our Gratitude to him, with the Devout Pfalmift, V.3, 4. Pf. xliv. It was not our own Arm that helped us; but it was Thy Right Hand, and Thine Arm, and the Light of thy Coun

tenance.

any

Or if we have never yet been under fuch defperate Sickness, yet sure it is at least as great a Mercy, to be Guarded from,as to be Protected under Dangers. If he has Preferved us from Sickness, instead of Delivering us from it, he has then Prevented us with his Goodness: And certainly it ought not to be an Abatement to our Gratitude, if we enjoy the Bleffing of Health intire, clear of the Pains and Trouble of Diseases.

But

But Once more: Befides these Confiderations of our Obligations to Gratitude for Deliverance from Temporal Dangers, (feeing a Leper was only the Type of a Sinner under the Law,) it may therefore be fit in the laft Place to Moralize the Text, and confider, what Spiritual Danger we have at any Time been in, and been Delivered from.

The World is full of Temptations, and We as full of Weakneffes ready to admit them. Of all that vaft Variety of Objects we meet with in the World, fcarce any of them but may,in fome Circumftances, adminifter Temptation to us, or fome way or other become the Occafion of our Fall. But when the Charming Temptation comes, whatever it is that is most agreeable to Natural Inclinations and Conftitution, we are then eafily Conquer'd and Carry'd away to any fort of Vice: And Óne Vice admitted helps to bring in Others: For as Moralifts have observ'd, that the Vertues are connected together; so the Vices also hang together in Confederacy; and whenever any of them have got Poffeffion of the Soul, they Naturally introduce the Reft, and make the way easy for them.

Now when This has been our Cafe, that we were off our Guard, and just ready

G

ready to close with any Deadly Sins, if it has pleafed God to Prevent us by his Reftraining Grace; if he has been pleas'd to open our Eyes, to awaken our Confideration, and Strengthen our Refolutions; or has by any Providential Interpofals, remov'd the Temptation from Us, or Us from the Temptation; or any other way Preferv'd us; (as why may not God's Grace, if we humbly implore it, have as many ways to Deliver us, as the Malice of the Devil has to enfnare us?) I fay, if God has been pleased any way to Preferve us from Temptations; Or (put the Cafe yet farther) That Temptations have Prevail'd against Us, and brought us under the Dominion of Sin; if after he has made a Trial of our Faith, and given us Exercife for our Humility, he has been Pleased, when we were fallen from our own Strength, to fhow His Strength in our Weakness; to ftretch forth His Right 2 Tim. ii. Hand to recover us out of the Snares of the Devil, and pluck us as Firebrands_out of the Burning; certainly fuch Confiderations muft oblige us to perpetual Gratitude, if we can only be induced to Believe, that the Eternal Welfare of our Souls is a Thing of any Concern to

26.
Am. iv.

II.

us.

Since therefore we are in the midst of fo many and great Dangers, and have fo many Prefervations or Deliverances from them, We have every one of us reafon at all Times to give Thanks and Praise to our Great Deliverer. I fhall therefore conclude All with the Holy David, Pf. cxlv. — My Mouth Shall fpeak the Praife of the Lord; and let All Flefb Blefs his holy Name for Ever and Ever. Amen, Amen.