"I love Him, because He first loved me. It is the Divine Spirit alone who kindles in the human breast the consecrated flame of holy gratitude. That gratitude sweetly constraining us to think, to speak, and to act, for the glory of God, converts the whole life of the believer into a continuous thank-offering. On Jesus only for acceptance, as the true Christian altar, will that thank-offering be placed. He also is our great High Priest, by whom alone it can be presented unto God. "By Him, therefore," says the apostle, "let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." Heb. xiii. 15. Let us ever, therefore, remember that our praises, as well as our prayers, must be offered only through Christ. Our most fervent thanksgivings require both an atonement and a Mediator. Let this truth be strongly and continually impressed upon our minds. Amid much that is of an opposite character, there is still to be found a great deal of natural gratitude in our fallen world. It is so right, so amiable, so acceptable, between man and man, that we are ever prone to conclude that it is acceptable also with God.' If naturally you possess a cheerful, contented disposition, and, as men speak, "feel thankful for everything," be thankful for such a disposition, but be not mistaken regarding it. In and of itself, it is indeed lovely and pleasant before men; but it is not, in and of itself, acceptable before God. Bear constantly in mind the following important distinction which the Psalmist made when speaking of himself, "My goodness extendeth not to Thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight." Psa. xvi. 3. Nothing is acceptable with God-"nothing extended to Him "--unless it is offered through Christ, perfumed with the incense of His sacrifice. Men say, "It is right to be thankful; and if we are only thankful, what more can be demanded? Do we not all delight to hear men say, 'Thank God for my mercies ?' So far, indeed, as the mere words are concerned, the Pharisee himself may not be blamed, and all of us ought to pray thus with ourselves, "God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are. If we have not personally gone all lengths in wickedness with others, we certainly must not take the credit to ourselves, but ascribe the praise to God, and thank Him for it. No doctrine can be more correct. But while this is the character of the words, such is not always the character of their offerer. The Pharisee conceived that his thanksgiving must needs of itself be acceptable; but we are informed that he went down to his house not accepted" not justified "——-before God. His gratitude was a mere natural effusion of selfish satisfaction. It was not true thankfulness. Let us beware of selfish gratitude, which loves the gifts more than the Giver; which congratulates self on their possession, more sensitively than it blesses God for their bestowment;` and which prizes temporal mercies above those which are spiritual and everlasting. Natural gratitude may also lead us further than mere words; it may constrain us to do much, and to give largely. After some great experience of blessing, some remarkable deliverance vouchsafed; or provi dential mercv bestowed, we may look around us for an altar already erected, or at much cost and labor we may construct one for ourselves, whereon to offer a liberal gift unto the Lord. All this may be done in a right spirit, and will be certainly accepted in Christ, when it is truly presented through Him. But as Scripture informs us that there is "a repentance that needs to be repented of," so we must declare that there is also a thank-offering that needs to be again offered. Cain is an affecting example of a rejected thank-offerer. The eldest son of Adam, instructed by such a parent, must needs to some extent have been sensible whence his mercies flowed. Grown to manhood, and reaping of the fruits of his labor, he appears to have been the first of the two brothers to prepare an offering unto the Lord: "And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain and his offering He had not respect." Gen. iv. 3. And why ?-Because he had sinned even in his thank-offering! The Lord informs him of this by the interrogation, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?" And wherein had Cain not done well?--Because he conceived that his thanksgiving must be in and of itself acceptable to God. Cain presented his thank-offering without a sin-offering. He had no respect to an atonement and a Mediator, and therefore the Lord had no respect to him and to his offering. Let us take warning by this example. Let us not substitute a natural, for a spiritual, gratitude. Let our praises always be offered through Christ. All things are by the law purged with blood." tude must be sanctified on the altar of Christ. Our grati The flame of our profession may be bright, but it must also be pure. A lamp of the most luminous brilliancy is rejected amongst men, if it emit an offensive odor. Everything is offensive to God, that comes not before Him perfumed by His Son's merits. Apart from these merits, every oblation is vain : "Incense is an abomination, our Sabbaths," and "appointed", festivals of thanksgiving, " God hateth." Isa. i. 11-15. Look, then, continually to Christ. By Him, and by Him only, offer the sacrifice of praise. Let your gratitude be kindled at the altar of Jesus; then will it never be rejected by God. The light thereof will "extend" to Him, as well as to your fellow-men: neither by the clouds of adversity shall its lustre be dimmed, nor by all the power and violence of Satan shall its flame be extinguished. Is this hallowed fire, let us seriously ask, burning within our breasts? Are we mindful of the many, nay the innumerable mercies of our God towards us? Do we constantly acknowledge that we owe them all to the sacrifice of Christ? And do we return our thanksgiving only through Him as our Great High Priest? Do our lives testify to the purity and to the intensity of our gratitude? And do we diligently call upon our souls, all that is within us to bless and praise His holy name? Had we conferred onehalf the number of benefits upon a fellow-creature, which the Lord our God has bestowed upon us, we should feel satisfied with that small amount of gratitude which we ourselves have shown to the Most High? Assuredly not. Let us, |