REMEMBRANCE IS THE HALLMARK OF GRATITUDE. Consider what the Lord has done for us: it is profitable to look back. Reflection upon the past will do us good tonight. Our land was once immersed in pagan darkness, superstition, and barbarity; then it fell under the dominion of ecclesiastical ignorance, priestcraft, idolatry, deception, and cruelty. How different was its former state compared to the present! Men were then slaves of Satan, under the dominion of sin, and under the curse of God. They were thoughtless, careless, and hardened. They bowed to idols, and after them they would go. But God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, quickened us together with Christ, and saved us by His amazing grace. How delightful were the days of our first love! How precious was the Saviour and how sweet the gospel! How delightful was the Lord’s day and how amiable the tabernacles of God! But in time, our zeal declined, our joys faded, and our prospects were overcast, because we had wandered away from God. We became like the heath in the desert, and we complained with a mournful noise. But the good Shepherd sought us out, reproved us for our follies, and restored us again.

For Meditation:
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!