The Saints Sacrifice, Section 120
§. 120. Of provoking others to praiſe God.
PSAL. CXVI. XIX.
Praiſe ye the Lord.
THe Prophet having abundantly teſtified his owne readineſſe and forwardneſſe to praiſe the Lord; contenteth not himſelfe therewith, but that the more praiſe might redound to God, in the cloſe of his hymne he ſtirreth up others, even all of all ſorts without any limitation or exception of any to do the like, in this compound word, aOf this word See The Whole Armour of God. Treat. 3. Part. 2. §. 72. Exhortamur vos, ſratres, ut laud… tis Deum, & hoc eſt quod vobis omnibus dicimus, quando dicimus Alleluiab, &c Aug. Ehar in Pſal. 148. Provoke others to praiſe God.Praiſe ye the Lord.
Of the duty implied in this phraſe, which is to praiſe the Lord, ſufficient hath beene ſpoken before. It remaineth here to ſpeake of the meanes of ſpreading abroad and propagating the praiſe of God, by inciting others to praiſe him. This cohortation being added to his profeſſion, two uſefull obſervations hence ariſe.
I. We muſt provoke others to praiſe God.
II. We muſt our ſelves practice what we provoke others unto.
1 For the firſt, the duty of provoking others is in Scripture applied to all points of piety, juſtice, and charity. For, what we find behoofull for our ſelves to do, we muſt thereunto incite others. In generall therefore its ſaid, bHebr. 10. 24.Conſider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. c—3. 13.Exhort one another. d1 Theſ. 5. …1.Edifie one another. But more particularly for inciting others to praiſe God, as other bookes of Scripture, ſo eſpecially the booke of Pſalmes doth abound with incitations thereto: ſtirring up ePſal. 148.—135. 19, &c.—149▪—150.Angels, Kings, Princes, Iudges, Prieſts, Levites, old, young, male, female, all of all ſorts: yea by a Rhetoricall Apoſtrophe he turns his ſpeech unto unreaſonable and ſenſleſſe creatures, and calls on them to praiſe the Lord, thereby the more to quicken ſenſible and reaſonable creatures thereunto. The 136 Pſalme was purpoſely penned and appointed to be ſung time after time, both daily in the f1 Chro. 16. 41 2 Chro. …. 13.—7. 3, 6.temple, and g— …0. …1. Ezr. 3. 11. Cum ab hominibus beneficium accepimus, alios quoque provocamus ad communem gratiarum actionem, multo magis ad Deum invitandi ſunt, qui pro nobis gratias agant. Chryſ. Hom. …. in 2 Cor. 1.on extraordinary occaſions, to incenſe the ſpirits mutually of one another to praiſe God. The celeſtiall ſpirits (though they be every one moſt forward to praiſe the Lord, and need no incitation, yet) to ſhew their earneſt and unſatiable deſire to have it continually done by all, they cry one to another, Hallelu-jah praiſe ye the Lord, Rev. 19. …, 3, 4, 6. When we receive a good turne from man, we uſe to ſtirre up others, to thanke him in our behalfe. Much more ought we to invite and incite others to praiſe God with us and for us.
The zeale we ought to beare to Gods glory: The love we owe to our brethren; The comfort that we may reape to our owne ſoules, by provoking others to praiſe the Lord, are as a three-fold twiſted cord to hold us faſt to the performance of this duty.
1 The more perſons are brought to praiſe the Lord, the more is Gods name hallowed. Now it is an evidence of a great zeale of Gods glory, not onelyonly with the uttermoſt of our owne power to praiſe him our ſelves, but alſo to be a meanes to draw on others ſo to do: as he that ſaid, I will Pſal. 45. 17.make thy name to be remembred in all generations: therefore ſhall the people praiſe thee for ever and ever.
2 It is an evidence of much love to our brethren to incite them to praiſe the Lord, both in regard of the great need wherin they ſtand therof, and alſo in regard of the great benefit they may reape therby. All have great need to be daily ſtirred up to this duty, by reaſon of their naturall backwardneſſe thereunto. The more excellent any duty is, the more backward we are by nature thereunto: but of all duties, none more excellent, none more divine, none wherein we come nearer unto the celeſtiall ſpirits, then this of praiſing God: which maketh our earthly, perverſe diſpoſition to be ſo dull to it, as it is, Can heavy things of the earth be forward to aſcend upward? but in praiſing God our ſpirits aſcend to heaven where God is. Hence alſo is it, that, though we are at ſome times quicke and forward thereunto, yet we ſoone waxe dull therein, and as it were fall downward, as heavy weights, which though they be pulled up, by their owne heavineſſe fall downe againe: or as water, which though with fire it be heated, of its owne nature waxeth cold againe. Therefore as weights are oft to be pulled up, as fire is of… to be put under water, and blowne up, ſo our ſpirits are oft to be quickned and ſtirred up by mutuall cohortations. The benefit whereof is very great, by reaſon of the true vertue and efficacy of incitations. As ſouldiers, even freſh water ſouldiers, and all that ſtrive for maſteries by running, riding, rowing, ſhooting, wraſtling, &c. are much animated and whetted on by acclamations, and incitations, ſo Chriſtians by holy exhortations are much quickened to praiſe the Lord.
Quid beatius nobis ſoret, ſi glo rificemus non ſolum linguis noſtris bonum Deum, ſed ſi proximos quoque ut noſtro nomine cum glorificent, incitemus. Chryſ. Hom. 27. in Gen. 8.3 We give evidence to others, and gaine aſſurance to our ſelves of the ſpirit of grace abiding and bearing rule in us, by drawing on others with us to praiſe the Lord. This ſpirit is called the annointing, (1 Ioh. 2. 20. 27.) It is as an ointment powred forth, (Cant. 1. 3.) which ſo diffuſeth the ſweetneſſe of the favour that is in it, as all that are neare it, carie away ſome of the ſweetneſſe of it. And is it not a great comfort to have aſſurance of ſuch a ſpirit? What now can be more bleſſed, then not onelyonly to glorifie the good God with our owne tongues, but alſo to ſtirre up others by our meanes to glorifie him.
Certenly theſe, with other like motives, were of force with him, who ſaid to God, I have not hid thy righteouſneſſe within my heart: I have declared thy faithfulneſſe, and thy ſalvation: I have not concealed thy loving kindneſſe and thy truth from the great congregation, (Pſal. 40. 10.) And againe, I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the middeſt of the congregation will I praiſe thee. I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praiſe thee among much people, Pſal. 22. 22.
Pſal. 135. 2, 3, 19, 20. 2 Chro. 7. 6.The application of this point concernes all of all ſorts. Eſpecially it concernes Miniſters to whom are committed in a peculiar manner the words of exhortation. The Prieſts and Levites were of all moſt of all bound, as to praiſe the Lord themſelves, ſo in the middeſt of great aſſemblies to incite others, and to ſing and ſay, Praiſe ye the Lord. Next to Miniſters, Magiſtrates, who are as Generalls and Captaines in the Lords army, are bound by vertue of their authority over others to provoke them to praiſe the Lord. Thus Moſes Exo. 15. 1.and the children of Iſrael, not he alone, but he with them, he directing and inciting them, ſang unto the Lord. So Deborah Iudg. 5. 1.and Barak ſaid to the people, Praiſe ye the Lord. The like I might inſtance in David, Salomon, Aſa, Iehoſaphat, Hezekiah, Ioſiah, Nehemiah, and other pious Magiſtrates. And becauſe Governours of families, whether husbands, parents, or maſters, are in their houſes as Kings and Prieſts, to them alſo it belongs to ſee that ſuch as are under their 1 Sam. 1. 7.charge do praiſe the Lord. Thus Elkanah for this very end tooke his wives along with him when he went to the Temple. Gen. 35. 2.Thus, for this very end alſo, Iacob calleth upon his whole houſhold, wives, children, ſervants, and all that were with him, to prepare themſelves ſolemnly to praiſe the Ioſ. 24. 15.Lord. And Ioſhuah undertaketh for himſelfe and his houſhold to ſerve the Lord. Finally it appertaineth to neighbours, friends, and all ſorts even of private Chriſtians by vertue of the common bond of nature, whereby all are one Iſa. 58. 7.fleſh, and that nearer bond of ſpirituall union whereby all are 1 Cor. 12. 12.one body. For theſe mutuall duties of exhorting one another, of provoking one another, of edifying one another (before mentioned) are not reſtrained to any particular ſorts or kinds of people, but extended to all of all ſorts. This was wont to be the Saints phraſe, O come, let us ſing unto the Iſta eſt clariſſima Dei magnificatio quando per innumeras linguas glorificationem offerimus. Chr. Hom. 26. in Gen. 8. Iſa. …6. 12.Lord, (Pſal. 95. 1.) And as a property of all that are of the Chriſtian Church, it was of old foretold, that many people ſhall go and ſay, Come ye, and let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord, &c. (Iſa. 2. 3.) This is an eſpeciall meanes of promoting and advancing Gods glory to doe it by many tongues. They which are guided by Satans ſpirit have their Come: their mutuall cohortations and provocations. They uſe to ſay one to another, Come ye, we will fill our ſelves with ſtrong drinke. Come with us, let us all have one purſe. Come, Pro. 1. 11, 14.—7. 18.let us take our fill of love. Hence is it that the number of wicked ones ſo increaſeth, that they are ſo audacious and impudent in their courſes, and that they carie all before them as a violent ſtreame occaſioned by the gathering together of many waters. They do without all queſtion aggravate their condemnation hereby: yet do they hereby become witneſſes againſt many that profeſſe themſelves to be the ſervants of God, in that the ſpirit of Satan which ruleth in them, is more effectuall in them to advance Satans throne, then the ſpirit of grace in many of them which profeſſe themſelves to be the ſervants of God, to promote the glory of God.
But as for ſuch as are willing and forward to give evidence of their zeale of Gods glory, of their love to their brethren, and of that aſſurance they have of the raigne of the Spirit of grace in them, by inciting others to praiſe the Lord, let them well note the next doctrine.