Thankfulness

"I will extol thee my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness" (Psa 145:1-6). The subject of this issue of the Free Grace Broadcaster was chosen in 2004 after the devastation of Hurricane Ivan, in thankfulness to God for sparing Chapel Library. We pray it will be used by God to enflame your heart with thanksgiving to our great God. William Cooper, a Puritan preacher about whom little is known, introduces the theme of thankfulness by declaring why all men should be thankful. In another article he teaches us how to give thanks in everything, even affliction. Richard Sibbes, who inspired men such as John Cotton and David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, briefly describes thankfulness as the disposition of God's people. Thomas Manton explains the holy duty of thankfulness, while John Gill, with characteristic thoroughness, lists a catalogue of Christ-centered reasons for thanking the Triune God. In a message originally delivered to seamen, John Flavel shows how to give thanks for the mercies God has lavished upon us. Charles Spurgeon gives us three articles this time: he exhorts us to give thanks even in times of difficulty and then exposes ingratitude as a sin for which there is no excuse. He finally preaches from the story of the ten lepers whom Christ healed, in which only one returned to thank Him. We pray with all our hearts that your souls will be moved by this Broadcaster to greater and continual thankfulness to our merciful God. He has delivered our souls for ever in Christ Jesus. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1Th 5:18).