5. The next duty of the day is Thanksgiving. Though this seems not the proper duty of the day, yet is not to be omitted, for the due consideration of God's mercy tends to the aggravation of sin, and so to make mens confessions and humiliations more affectionate and evangelical. As in that fast I mentioned before, Neh. 9. The Levites did stand up among the people, and begin the day with blessing God. Blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise, ver. 5. and so they proceed to recite a catalogue of God's mercies, even from the first call of Abraham, to their settlement in the Land of Canaan, which reacheth to ver. 25. And all this was to bring in the Nevertheless mentioned v. 26. with the greater Emphasis to their humiliation, Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy Law behind their backs, and show thy Prophets, &c. and the same we may observe in Ezra, chap. 9. He takes notice of the reviving God had given them in their bondage, and the Nail in his holy place, and the Wall in Judah and Jerusalem, ver. 8, 9. the more to aggravate the peoples sin in doing according to the abominations of the Canaanites, and mingling themselves with the people of the Land, ver. 1, 2. The goodness of God is said to lead men to Repentance, Rom. 2. And therefore mention is to be made of it upon a day when the exercise of Repentance is specially in season.
5. The next duty of the day is Thanksgiving. Though this seems not the proper duty of the day, yet is not to be omitted, for the due consideration of God's mercy tends to the aggravation of sin, and so to make mens confessions and humiliations more affectionate and evangelical. As in that fast I mentioned before, Neh. 9. The Levites did stand up among the people, and begin the day with blessing God. Blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise, ver. 5. and so they proceed to recite a catalogue of God's mercies, even from the first call of Abraham, to their settlement in the Land of Canaan, which reacheth to ver. 25. And all this was to bring in the Nevertheless mention'd v. 26. with the greater Emphasis to their humiliation, Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy Law behind their backs, and shew thy Prophets, &c. and the same we may observe in Ezra, chap. 9. He takes notice of the reviving God had given them in their bondage, and the Nail in his holy place, and the Wall in Judah and Jerusalem, ver. 8, 9. the more to aggravate the peoples sin in doing according to the abominations of the Canaanites, and mingling themselves with the people of the Land, ver. 1, 2. The goodness of God is said to lead men to Repentance, Rom. 2. And therefore mention is to be made of it upon a day when the exercise of Repentance is specially in season.
