Divine Conduct, or The Mystery of Providence

The Church in all the works of mercy, owns •he ⟨p. 9⟩•and of God, Isa. 26. 12. Lord, thou hast wrought all our works in (or for) us. And still it hath been the pious, and constant practice of the Saints in all generations, to preserve the memory of the more famous, and remarkable providences that have befallen them in their times, as a precious treasure. If thou be a Christian indeed, I know thou hast, if not in thy book, yet certainly in thy heart a great many precious favours upon record; the very remembrance and rehearsal of them is sweet: how much more sweet was the actual enjoyment? Baxter's Saints Rest, p. 768. Thus Moses by divine direction wrote a memorial of that victory obtained over Amalek as the fruit and return of prayer, and built there an Altar with this Inscription Jehovah Nissi, The Lord my Banner, Exod. 17. 14, 15. Thus Mordecai and Esther took all care to perpetuate the memory of that signal deliverance from the plot of Haman, by ordaining the feast of Purim, as an Anniversary throughout every generation, every family, every Province, and every City, that those days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed, Esth. 9. 28. For this end you find Psalms indited, to bring to remembrance, Psal. 70. the Title. Parents giving suitable names to their Children, that every time they looked upon them, they might refresh the memory of Gods mercies, 1 Sam. 1. 20. The very places where eminent Providences have appeared, new named, upon no other design, but to perpet•ate the memorial of those sweet Providences which so refreshed them there: Thence Bethel took its name, Gen. 28. 19. And that well of water where Hagar was seasonably refreshed by the Angel in her distress, Beer-la-hay-roi, the well of him that liveth and looketh on me,