Two Sermons at Pauls Cross, Sermon 1

Two Sermons at Pauls Cross · Sermon 1

p. 1A SERMON PREACHED AT Pauls-Crosse London, November, 21. 1624.

1. TIM. 4.4.

For eueryevery Creature of God is good: and nothing to bee refused, if it be receiued with Thankesgiuing.

OF that great and Vniuersall Apostacie, §. 1. The Coherence.which should bee in the Church through the tyrannie and fraud of Antichrist; there are elsewhere in the Scriptures more full, scarce any where more plaine predictions, then in this passage of Saint PAVL, whereof my Text is a part. The Qualitie of the Doctrines foretold Vers. 1. Contrary p. 2to the Faith, Erronious, Diuelish; [aaVers. 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressely, that in the later times some shall depart from the Faith, giuing heed to seducing Spirits, and doctrines of Deuils.] The Qualitie of the Doctors foretold, Vers. 2. Lyars, Hypocriticall, vnconscionable; [bbVers. 2. Speaking lyes in Hypocrisie, hauing their Consciences seared with a hot jron.] But least these generalities should seeme not sufficiently distinctiue; each side charging other, (as commonly it happeneth where differences are about Religion) with Apostacy, and Errour, and Falshood, and Hipocrisie: the Apostle thought it needfull to point out those Antichristian Doctors more distinctly, by specifying some particulars of their diuelish Doctrines. For which purpose he giueth instance in ccVers. 3.two of their Doctrines: whereof he maketh choyse, not as being simply the worst of all the rest, (though bad enough) but as being more easily discernable then most of the rest, viz. a Prohibition of Marriage, and an Injunction of abstinence from certaine Meates. Which particulars, being so agreeable to the present Tenets of the Romish Synagogue, doe giuegive euen of themselues alone, a strong suspition, that there is the seate of Antichrist. But joyned vntounto the other Prophecies of dd2. Thes. 2.3. &c.2 Thess 2:3St. Paul, and eeApoc. 13.11. &c.Rev 13:11St. Iohn, in other places, make it so vnquestionable: that they who will needes bee so vnreasonably charitable, as to thinke the Pope is not Antichrist, may at the least wonder, (as ffMoulins accomplishment in the Preface.one saith well) by what strange chance it fell out, that these Apostles should draw the picture of Antichrist in eueryevery point and limbe, so just like the Pope, and yet neuer thinke of him.

§. 2. Scope.The words of the Text, are the ground of a Confutation; indeed properly and directly of the latter of these two Errours onelyonly, concerning Abstinence from certaine meates: but yet so, as it strongly ouerthroweth p. 3the other too, concerning Marriage; and in trueth generally, all other superstitious Precepts, or Prohibitions, of like Nature. Marriage being the holy Ordinance of God, as Meates are the good Creatures of God: and neither Marriage, nor Meates, nor any other Creature or Ordinance, being to be refused as vponupon tye of Conscience; prouided euer, they be receiued with such thankefulnesse, and such other requisite conditions, as become Christian men. For eueryevery Creature of God is good; and nothing to bee refused, if it be receiued with thankesgiuing.

Which words giuegive vsus occasion to consider of Three points,§. 3. And diuision of the Text. which according to the number and order of the seuerall clauses in this verse, are these. First, the Qualitie of Gods Creatures, as they come from him, and are giuen to vsus: [EueryEvery Creature of God is 1good.] Secondly, the vse of Gods Creatures, consisting 2in their lawfulnesse vntounto vsus, and our libertie vntounto them, [And nothing to bee refused.] Thirdly, a 3condition necessary on our parts, least the Creatures, otherwise good and lawfull, should become vntounto vsus euill and hurtfull; and that is Thankefulnes: [If it bee receiued with Thankesgiuing.] The two first set out the bountie of God towards vsus; who hath made a world of Creatures, and all good, and hath not enuyed vsus the vse of any of them: and the third, containeth our dutie vntounto God in regard thereof; viz. to returne vntounto him, for the free vse of all his good Creatures, the tribute of our Thankes. Of these three Points it is my purpose, by Gods grace, and with your patience, to speake in such manner, as shall be most for our edification; in such measure, as the vsuall houres will allow; and in such Order, as the Text giueth them: and first of the First, from the first clause thereof; EueryEvery Creature of God is good.

p. 4By Creature vnderstand,§. 4. Obseru. 1. The Goodnes of the Creature declared. not onelyonly such as are appointed for nourishment: but euen all kind of created Beings; the ggGen. 1.1.Gen 1:1Heauen and the Earth, and hhExod. 10.11.Exod 10:11all things therein contained iiCol. 1.16.Col 1:16visible and invisible, with all their seuerall Properties and Accidents. Of all and each of these the Apostles assertion is true; EueryEvery Creature of God is good. Hee concludeth all kinds of meates to bee good; because, they are the Creatures of God: which argument were not good, if eueryevery Creature were not good. And by Goodnesse vnderstand, not only that goodnes ad intra, whereby eueryevery thing is simply and metaphysically good, in regard of the Nature, perfection, and beeing thereof: but that goodnesse ad extra too, whereby eueryevery thing is in the kind and in some measure endowed with an abilitie to doe some good without and beyond it selfe. You may call them an kkV. Scalig exer. 107. sect. 27.Absolute, and a Relatiue Goodnes. And eueryevery Creature hath both of these. There being in the meanest and basest of Gods Creatures, not onelyonly an Absolute Goodnes, whereby it is perfect in its proper kind, Quà Ens, as it hath a beeing and existence: but also a Relatiue Goodnes too; and that two-fold. One, respecting God the Creator: whose glory more or lesse it serueth to shew forth, Quà Creatura, as it is the Worke of his hands. Another, respecting its llforeign. Plat. in Protag. & in Menone.fellow-Creatures: to some of whom it is some way or other seruiceable, Quà Pars Mundi, as it is a Part of the Whole; but especially seruiceable vntounto Man, for whose seruice (next vnderunder the Glory of God) the whole was Created. The summe is. EueryEvery Creature which God hath made is good. Good, absolutely & in it selfe; as a Thing: Good, in that it setteth forth the Glory of him that made it, as a Creature: Good, as a part of the World, for the seruice it doth to Man, and other Creatures.

p. 5Hereof wee neede neither further,§. 5. With the proofe. nor other testimony, then Gods owne approbation registred in the story of the Creation Gen. 1. Where wee may see Gods allowance stamped, both vponupon the seuerall Creatures of each seuerall day, that they were mmGen. 1.4.12.18.21.25.Gen 1:4Gen 1:12Gen 1:18Gen 1:21Gen 1:25good: and also vponupon the whole frame of the Creatures, when the worke was finished; that behold they were nnIbid. Psal. 31Ps 31exceeding good. Et nusquam in toto corpore menda fuit. In this goodly systeme and fabricke of Nature, that which is beyond all, is, the harmony and conjuncture of the Parts, exceeding in goodnesse, beauty, and perfection: yet so, as no one part is superfluous or vnprofitable; or, if considered singly and by it selfe, destitute of its proper goodnesse and vsefulnesse. As in the Naturall Body of a Man; not the least member, or string, or sinew, but hath his proper office and comlin… in the Body: and as in the artificiall Body of a Clocke or other Engine of motion, not the least wheele, or pinne, or notch, but hath his proper worke and vse in the Engine. God hath giuen to eueryevery thing hee hath made, that ooWisd. 11.20.Wis 11:20number, weight, and measure of perfection and goodnesse, which he saw fittest for it vntounto those ends for which hee made it. EueryEvery Creature of God is good.§. 6. And ground thereof.

A truth so euident; that euen those among the Heathen Philosophers, who eyther denyed or doubted of the Worlds Creation, did yet, by making ppforeign. Arist. 1. Ethic. 6.Ens and Bonum termes convertible, acknowledge the goodnes of eueryevery Creature. It were a shame then for vsus, who qqHeb. 11.3.Heb 11:3through Faith vnderstand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, if our assent vntounto this truth should not bee by so much firmer then theirs, by how much our euidence for it is stronger then theirs. They perceiued the thing; wee, the ground also: they saw, it was so; we, why p. 6it is so. Euen because it is the worke of God. A God full of goodnes; a God who is nothing but goodnesse; a God rrPars naturae corum est esse b…nos. (De Diis) Seneca.essentially and infinitely good, yea very Goodnesse it selfe. And as is the Workeman, such is his workemanship. Not for degree, (that is here impossible;) but for the truth of the Qualitie: not alike good with him, but like to him in being good. In eueryevery Creature there are certaine trackes and foot-steps, as of Gods Essence, whereby it hath its Being; so of his Goodnes too, whereby it also is good. The ssSee August. passim in Script. …ou…r. M…nichae…s.Manichees saw the strength of this Inference: Who, though they were so injurious vntounto the Creatures, as to repute some of them Euill; yet durst not be so absurd, as to charge the true God to be the cause of those, they so reputed. Common reason taught them: that from the good God could not proceed any euill thing; no more then Darkenesse could from the light of the Sunne, or Cold from the heate of the Fire. And therefore so to defend their Errour, as to avoid this absurdity; they were forced to maintaine another absurditie (indeed a greater, though it seemed to them the lesse of the two,) viz. to say, there were two Gods, a Good God, the Author of all good things; and an Euill God, the Author of all euill things. If then we acknowledge, that there is but tt1. Cor. 8.6.1 Cor 8:6one God, and that one God good; (and wee doe all so acknowledge;) vnles we will be more absurd then those most absurd Heretiques, wee must withall acknowledge all the Creatures of that one and good God to be also good. He is so the causer of all that is good; (for uuIam. 1.17.Jas 1:17eueryevery good guift and eueryevery perfect giuing descendeth from about from the Father of lights:) as that hee is the causer onelyonly of what is good (for with him is no variablenes neither shadow of turning, saith Saint Iames.) As the Sunne who is Pater Luminum, the fountaine p. 7and father of Lights, (whereunto Saint Iames in that passage doth apparantly allude) giueth light to the Moone, and Starres, and all the lights of heauen, and causeth light wheresoeuer hee shineth, but no where causeth darkenesse: so God the Father and fountaine of all goodnesse, so communicateth goodnesse to eueryevery thing hee produceth, as that he xxErrat, si quis putet illos (Deos) nocere velle q non pissunt. Senec. Epist. 95. Nec dant malū, nec habent Ibid.cannot produce any thing at all, but that which is good. EueryEvery Creature of God then is good.

Which being so; certainely then, first (to raise some Inferences from the premisses for our farther instruction and vse) certainely I say; Sinne, §. 7. Inferences thence: the First.and Death, and such things as are euill and not good, are not of Gods making, they are none of his Creatures: for all his Creatures are good. yyIam. 1.13.Jas 1:13Let no man therefore say when hee is tempted and ouercome of sinne, I am tempted of God: neither let any man say when he hath done euill, it was Gods doing. God indeed preserueth the Man, actuateth the Power, and ordereth the Action to the glory of his Mercy or Iustice: but he hath no hand at all in the sinfull defect and obliquity of a wicked action. There is a naturall (or rather transcendentall) Goodnes, Bonitas Entis as they call it, in eueryevery Action, even in that whereto the greatest sinne adhereth: and that zzMali author non est, qui omnium qua sunt author est: quia in quantū sunt, in tantum bona sunt. August. 83. Quest. 21.Goodnes is from God, as that Action is his Creature. But the Euill that cleaueth vntounto it, is wholly from the default of the Person that committeth it; and not at all from God. And as for the Euils of Paine also; neither are they of Gods making. aaWisd. 13.16.Wis 13:16Deus mortem non fecit, saith the Author of the Booke of Wisedome, God made not death, neither doth he take pleasure in the destruction of the liuing: but wicked men by their words and workes hauehave brought it vponupon themselues: bbOsc. 13.9.Perditio tua ex te Israel, Os. 13. O Israel, thy destruction is from thy selfe: that is; both thy sinne, whereby thou destroyest thy selfe, and thy Misery whereby thou art destroyed, p. 8is onelyonly and wholly from thy selfe. Certainly God is not the cause of any Euill, either of sinne or Punishment. Conceite it thus: not the Cause of it (formally, and) so farre forth as it is Euill. For otherwise, we must know, that (materially considered) all Euils of Punishment are from God: for, ccAmos 3.6.Amos 3:6shall there be euill in the City, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3.6. In Euils of sinne, there is no other, but onelyonly that Naturall or Transcendentall goodnesse (whereof wee spake) in the Action: which goodnes though it be from God, yet because the Action is Morally bad, God is not said to doe it: But in Euils of Punishment, there is, ouer and besides that Naturall Goodnesse whereby they exist, a kind of Morall Goodnes, (as wee may call it, after a sort, improperly, and by way of reduction,) as they are Instruments of the Iustice of God: and whatsoeuer may bee referred to Iustice, may so farre forth be called good: and for that very goodnes, God may be said in some sort to bee the Author of these euils of Punishment, though not also of those other euils of sinne. In both, we must distinguish the Good from the Euill: and ascribe all the Good whatsoeuer it be, (Transcendentall, Naturall, Morall, or if there any other,) to God alone; but by no meanes any of the Euill. Wee are vnthankefull if we impute any Good, but to him: and wee are vniust, if wee impute to him any thing but good.

Secondly,§. 8. The second. from the goodnes of the least Creature, guesse we at the ddSee Wisd. 13.1. &c.Wis 13:1excellent goodnes of the great Creator. eeA Gell. 1. Noct Attis. 1.Ex pede Herculem. God hath Imprinted as before I said, some steps and footings of his goodnes in the Creatures: from which we must take the best scantling, we are capable of, of those admirable and inexpressible and vnconceiuable perfections that are in him. There is no beholding of the body of this Sunne, who dwelleth in such a ff1. Tim. 6.16.1 Tim 6:16glorious light as none can attaine vntounto; p. 9that glory would dazle with blindnesse the sharpest and most Eagly eye that should dare to fix it selfe vponupon it, with any stedfastnes: enough it is for vsus, from those ggTantae hae forma…um varieta, in rebus conditis, quid nisi quidam sunt radij Deitatis, demonstrantes quidem quid vere sit a quo sunt; non tamen quid fit, prorsus dest…ien…es. Bern. Ser. 31. in Cant.rayes and glimmering beames which he hath scartered vponupon the Creatures, to gather how infinitely he exceedeth them in brightnes and glory. hhBern. ibid.De ipso vides, sed non ipsum: We see his, but not him. His Creatures, they are our best, indeed our only instructers. For though his reuealed word teach vsus, what we should neuer hauehave learned from the Creatures without it: yet, fitted to our capacity, it teacheth no otherwise then by resemblances taken from the Creatures. iiRom. 1.19, 20.Rom 1:19Rom 1:20foreign, as St. Paul calleth it Rom. 1. the whole Latitude of that, which may be knowne of God, is manifest in the Creatures: and the invisible things of God not to be vnderstood but by the things that are made. S. Baesill therfore calleth the world kkBasil.foreign, the very schoole where the knowledge of God is to be learned: and there is a double way of teaching, a twofold method of trayning vsus vp into that knowledge in that schoole; that is to say, ll…quin. 1. qu… 11.12.Per. Vi… negationis, and per viam Eminentiae. First, mmforeign. Damasc. 1. de fid. Orthod. 4.Viâ negationis: looke whatsoeuer thou findest in the Creature, which fauoureth of defect or imperfection; and know God is not such. Are they limited; subiect to change, composition, decay, &c? Remoue these from God: and learne that he is infini…e, simple, vnchangeable, eternall. Then Viâ Eminentiae: looke whatsoeuer perfection there is in the Creature in any degree; and know that the same, but (infinitely and incomparably) more eminently, is in God. Is there Wisedome, or Knowledge, or Power, or Beautie, or Greatnesse, or Goodnesse, in any kinde or in any measure, in any of the Creatures? Affirme the same, but without measure of God: and learne that he is infinitely wiser, and skilfuller, and stronger, and fairer, and greater, and better. In eueryevery good thing so differently excellent aboue p. 10and beyond the Creatures; as that, though yet they be good, yet compared with him they deserue not the name of good nnMark. 10.18Mark 10:18There is none good but one, that is God. Mark. 10. None good, as hee: simply, and absolutely, and essentially, and of himselfe such. The Creatures that they are good, they hauehave it from him; and their goodnes dependeth vponupon him: and they are good but in part, and in some measure, and in their owne kinds. Whensoeuer therefore we finde any good from, or obserue any goodnes in any of the Creatures: let vsus not bury our meditations there, but raise them vp by those stayres (as it were) of the Creatures, to contemplate the great goodnes of him their Creatour. We are vnhappie truants; if in this so richly furnished schoole of Gods good Creatures; we hauehave not learned from them at the least so much knowledge of him and his goodnes, as to admire, and louelove, and depend vponupon it and him. Looke vponupon the Workemanship, and accordingly judge of the Workeman: EueryEvery Creature of God is good: surely then the Creator must needs excell in goodnesse.

§. 9. The third.Thirdly; there is in men, amongst other cursed fruites of selfe-louelove, an aptnes to measure things, ooNon ex sui naturae, sed ex suo commodo, vel incommodo. August. 12. de Ciuit. 4.not by the leuell of exact Truth, but by the modell of their owne apprehensions. Who is there, that cannot fault anothers worke? The ppPlin. 35 Nat. hist. 10.Cobler could espy something amisse in Apelles his master-piece; because the picture was not drawne just according to his fancy. If a thousand of vsus heare a Sermon, scarce one of that thousand, but he must shew some of that litle wit he hath in disliking somthing or other: There the Preacher was too elaborate, here too loose; that point he might hauehave enlarged, contracted this; he might hauehave beene plainer there, shewed more learning here; that obseruation was obuious, that exposition enforced, that proofe impertinent, that illustration common, that exhortation needlesse, that reproofe vnseasonable: one misliketh his Text, another his Method, p. 11a third his stile, a fourth his voyce, a fifth his mem…ry; eueryevery one something. A fault more pardonable if our Censures stayed at the workes of men, like our selues; and qqLucian in Hermotimo.Momus-like we did not quarrell the workes of God also, and charge many of his good Creatures, either with manifest ill, or at least wise with vnprofitablenes. rrSee Sirac. 39.16, 17. &c.Why was this made? or why thus? what good doth this, or what vse of that? It had perhaps beene better, if this or that had neuer bin; or if they had beene otherwise. Thus we sometimes say or thinke. To ssNe tanti artificis opus in aliquo reprehendere vanitate humanae temeritatis audeamus. August. 12 de Ciuil. 4.rectifie this corruption, remember this first clause of my Text, EueryEvery Creature of God is good. Perhaps thou seest not, what good there is in some of the Creatures: like enough so: but yet consider, there may bee much good, which thou seest not. Say, it giueth thee no nourishment: Possibly it may doe thee ttforeign. Damasc. 2 de fid Orthod. 12.seruice in some other kinde. Say, it neuer yet did that: yet it may doe hereafter. Later times uuQuam multae animalia hoc primun. cognovimus seculo? & quidem multa venientis aeui populus, ignota nobis, Sci. Senec. 7. Nat. qu. 31.hauehave found out much good vse of many Creatures, whereof former ages were ignorant: and why may not after times find good in those things, which doe vsus none? Say, it neuer did, nor euer shall do seruice to man, (although who can tell that?) yet who knoweth but it hath done, or may doe seruice to some other Creature, that doth seruice to man? Say, nor that neither: yet this good thou mayst reape euen from such Creatures, as seeme to affoord none; to take xx…Vtitur quibusdam assumendis & respuendis, ad val…tudinem; quibusdam tole…ā dis, ad patiEnt…am; quibusdam ordinā …is, ad tusticiam; quibusdam consideranilis, ad al…quod vecitatis documentum. August. 83 quest. 25.knowledge of thine owne ignorance, and to humble thy selfe thereby, who art so farre from comprehending the essence, that thou canst not comprehend the very workes of God. The most vnprofitable Creatures profit vsus, at least this way: yyBern. Serm. 5. in Cant.Visu, sinon vsu, as Bernard speaketh; if not to vse them, yet to see in them, as in a glasse Gods wisedome, and our owne ignorance. And so they doe vsus good; if not zzIbid.cedendo in cibum, if not exhibendo ministerium, in feeding and seruing vsus; yet exercendo p. 12ingenium, as the same Bernard speaketh; in exercising our wits and giuing vsus a sight of our ignorance.

§. 10. A Doubt remoued.But yet those Creatures, which are apparantly hurtfull to vsus; as Serpents, and Wild-beasts, and sundry poysonous plants; but aboue all, the Diuels, and cursed. Angels: May we not say, they are ill, and justly both blame and hate them? Euen these also are good, as they are the Creatures of God, and the workmanship of his hands. It is onelyonly through sinne, that they are Euill: eyther to vsus, as the rest, or in themselues, as the Diuels. These (now wicked) Angels were glorious Creatures at the first: by their owne voluntary transgression it is, that they are now the worst, and the basest. And as for all the other Creatures of God, made to doe vsus service; they were at the first, and still are good in themselues: if there cleaueth to them any euill, whereby they become hurtfull to vsus, that is by accedent; and wee hauehave to thanke none but our selues for that. For who, or what could hauehave harmed vsus, if we had beene followers of that which was good? It was aaRom. 8.10.Rom 8:10not of their owne accord, but through our sinfulnesse, that the Creatures became subiect vntounto vanity, and capable eyther to doe or to suffer ill. They had beene still harmelesse, if we had bin still faultlesse: it was our bbforeign. Chrysost. in Gen. Hem. 25.sinne, that at once forfeited both our innocency, and theirs. If then we see, any ill in them, or finde any ill by them; let vsus not lay the blame, our wreake our hatred vponupon them: let vsus rather bestow our blame and hatred where it is most due, the blame vponupon our selues, the hatred vponupon our sinnes. If Balaam had done iustly, he should hauehave spared the ccNumb. 22.27, &c.Num 22:27Asse, and hauehave corrected himselfe: but the false Prophet doth the fault, and the poore beast must beare both blame and strokes. When we suffer, we curse, or at the easiest blame the Creatures: this weather, that floud, such a storme, hath blasted our fruites, sanded our grounds, shipwrackt our wares, and vndone vsus: when alas these hauehave neyther p. 13heart nor strength against vsus, but what our selues put into them by our sinnes. EueryEvery sence of euill thereof in or from the Creatures, should worke in vsus a sence of our disobedience vntounto God, should encrease in vsus a detestation of the sinnes we hauehave committed against God, should teach vsus by condemning our selues, to acquite the good Creatures of God: which as they are good in themselues, so should they hauehave beene euer and onelyonly good vntounto vsus, if wee had beene true to our selues, and continued good and faithfull seruants vntounto God. They are all good: doe not thou accuse any of them, and say they are euill; doe not thou abuse any of them, and make them euill.

Hitherto of the first Point, the Goodnesse of the Creatures;§. 11. Obseru. 11. Our Liberty to the Creatures. EueryEvery Creature of God is good. Followeth the second, which is their vse: consisting in their lawfulnesse vntounto vsus, and our liberty vntounto them; eueryevery Creature of God is good, and nothing to bee refused. [Nothing.] That is, most agreeable to the argument of the former verse, nothing fit for food: but more generally, (and so I rather thinke the Apostle intendeth it) no Creature of God, whereof we may hauehave vse or service in any kinde whatsoeuer. Nothing, which may yeeld vsus any comfortable content for the support of this life, in point of health, ease, profit, delight, or otherwise (with due sobriety, and other requisite conditions;) nothing is to bee refused. By which Refusall the Apostle meaneth not a bare forbearance of the things; (for that we both may, and in many cases ought so to re…use some of the Creatures shall anone appeare:) but the thing he forbiddeth is, the forbearance of the Creature, as vponupon immediate tye of Conscience; viz. eyther out of a superstitious opinion of the vnlawfulnesse of any creature, for some supposed naturall or legall vncleannesse in it, or out of a like superstitious opinion of some extraordinary perfection, or operatiue and effectuall holinesse in such refusall. The p. 14Point is this. All the Creatures of God are lawfull for vsus to vse: so as it is against Christian liberty, eyther to charge the vse of them with sinne, or to place holinesse in the abstaining from them.

§. 12. Without eyther sinne in the vse.Our Apostle often teacheth this Point. In Rom. 14. at Psal. 20. ddRom. 14.20Rom 14:20[All things are pure:] and at Psa. 14, there he deliuereth it as a certaine truth, and vponupon knowledge, eeIbid. 14.[I know and am perswaded by the Lord Iesus, that there is nothing vncleane of it selfe:] and therefore he imputeth it as an errour and weakenes in judgement to them that refused some kind of meates out of a superstitious opinion, or but timorous feare of their vnlawfulnes, at Psal. 2. ffIbid 2.[One beleeueth hee may eate all things: another, who is weake, eateth hearbes:] And in 1. Cor. 10. gg1. Cor. 10.251 Cor 10:25[Whatsoeuer is sold in the shambles that eate, asking no question for Conscience sake:] and anon Psal. 27, hhIbid 27.[if an vnbelieuer bid you to a feast and you be disposed to goe; Whatsoeuer is set before you, eate, asking no question for conscience sake.] And to the end we might know the libertie he there giueth to extend to all other Creatures as well as meates, he pronounceth of them all vniuersally at Psal. 23, iiIbid. 23.[foreign. All things are lawfull for me]. And so he doth in Tit. 1.15. vniuersally too; kkTit. 1.15.Titus 1:15[Omnia munda mundis, To the pure all things are pure.] From all which Testimonies wee may conclude, there is no vnlawfulnesse or impurity in any of the Creatures, but that wee may with security of conscience, freely vse them without sinne. If wee vse them doubtingly against Conscience, or indiscreetly against Charity, or otherwise inordinately against Sobrietie; they become indeed in such cases sinfull vntounto vsus: But that is through our default, not theirs; who sinfully abuse that, which wee might lawfully vse. And that abuse of ours, neither llRom. 14.14.Rom 14:14defileth the things themselues; nor ought to mm1. Cor. 10.29, 30.1 Cor 10:291 Cor 10:30preiudice the liberty of another, that may vse them well.

p. 15And as there is no sinne in the vse: §. 13. Or merit, in the forbearance.so neither is there any religion or perfection to be placed in the refusall of any of Gods Creatures. Rather on the contrary, to abstaine from any of them, out of a conceit of any such perfection or holinesse, is it selfe a sinfull superstition. Our Apostle ranketh it with Idolatrous nnCol. 2.16, &c.Col 2:16Angel-worship, and condemneth it as a Will-worship, Colos. 2. from …s. 16. to the end of the Chapter. The subiecting of our selues to those and such like ordinances, Touch not, tast not, handle not; though it may hauehave a shew of wisedome in will-worship, and in a voluntary humility and neglecting of the body, yet it is derogatory to that liberty wherein Christ hath set vsus free, and a reuiuing of those rudiments of the world, from which we are dead with Christ. EueryEvery Creature of God is good; and nothing to be refused, out of a superstitious either feare of vnlawfulnesse or opinion of holines.

Now the Ground of this our Right or Liberty vntounto the Creatures is double: the one,§. 14. Our right by Creation. Gods ordinance at the first Creation; the other Christs purchase in the worke of Redemption. At the Creation, God made all thinges for mans vse, as hee did man for his owne seruice; and as he reserued to himselfe his absolute Soueraignty ouer Man; so he gaue vntounto man a kind of limited ooGen. 1.26.Gen 1:26Soueraignty ouer the Creatures, in Gen. 1. ppPsal. 8.6. — quod nos in hoc pulcher rimo domicitio vuluerunt (Dij) secundas fortiri, quod terenis prafecerunt. Sen. 2. de benef. 29.Ps 8:6He hath put all things in subiection vnderunder our feete, saith Dauid, Psal. 8. Which dominion ouer the Creatures was one speciall branch of that glorious qqGen. 1 27.Gen 1:27Image of God in vsus, after which wee were created: and therefore was not, nor could be absolutely rrBonis naturae ma…a aduentitia dam non succedunt, se. laccedunt: tu…pant▪ vtique ea, non exterminant▪ …ō turbant, non deturbant Bern. in Cant. Ser. 82.lost by sinne; but onelyonly decayed and defaced, and empaired, as the other branches of that Image were. So that, albeit man by sinne lost a great part of his Soueraignty, (ssChrys…st in Gen▪ hom. 9. foreign, as speaketh St. Chrisostome,) especially so farre as concerneth the execution of it; many of the Creatures being p. 16now rebellious & noysome vntounto Man and vnanswering his commands and expectations: yet the Right still remaineth euen in corrupt nature; & there are still to be found some tracings and Characters, as in Man of superioritie, so in them of subiection. But those ttforeign. Damasc. 4. de fid. Orthod. 4.dimme, and confused, and scarce legible: as in old Marbles, and Coines, and out-worne Inscriptions, we hauehave much a doe to find out what some of the letters were.

§. 15. And Redemption.But if by sinne we had lost all that first title we had to the Creature, wholly and vtterly: yet God hath been pleased graciously to deale with vsus, we are fully as well as before. God the Father hath graunted vsus, and God the Sonne hath acquired vsus, and God the Holy Ghost hath sealed vsus a new Patent. By it, whatsoeuer Defect is, or can be supposed to be, in our old Evidence, is supplyed, and by vertue of it, we may make fresh challenge and renue our claime vntounto the Creatures. The blessed Sonne of God uuCol. 1.20.Col 1:20hauing made peace through the blood of his Crosse, hath reconciled vsus to his Father; and therein also reconciled the Creatures both to vsus and him: reconciling by him (saith our Apostle Col. 1.20.) foreign, all things (not men onelyonly) vntounto himselfe. For God hauing giuen vsus his Sonne xxHeb. 1.2.Heb 1:2the heyre of all things; hath he not yyRom. 8.32.Rom 8:32with him giuen vsus all things else? hath he not permitted vsus the free vse of his Creatures in as ample Right as euer? zzIoh. 8.36.John 8:36If the Sonne hauehave made vsus free we are free indeede. And as verily as Christ is Gods, so verily (if we be Christs) all things are ours. This Apostle setteth downe the whole series and forme of this spirituall Hierarchy, (if I may so speake,) this subiection and subordination of the Creatures to Man, of Man to Christ, of Christ to God, 1. Cor. 3. aa1. Cor. 3.21, 23.1 Cor 3:211 Cor 3:23All are yours, and yee are Christs, and Christ is Gods.

§. 16. This liberty impeached by IudaismeStrengthened with this double title, what should hinder vsus from possession? Why may we not freely vse that libertie, which was once giuen vsus by God, and againe p. 17restored vsus by Iesus Christ? Why should we not bbGal. 5 1.Gal 5:1stand fast in, and contend earnestly for the maintenance of that libertie, wherewith Christ hath set vsus free: by rejecting all fancies, opinions, and Doctrines, that any way trench vponupon this our Christian prerogatiue; or seeke eyther to shorten, or to corrupt, our freedome vntounto, and power ouer the Creatures? First, If any shall oppose the legall Prohibitions of the Old Testament; whereby some Creatures were ccLeuit 11,Lev 11forbidden the Iewes, pronounced by God himselfe vncleane, and decreed vnlawfull: it should not trouble vsus. For, what euer the principall reasons were, for which those prohibitions were then made vntounto them (as there bee diuers reasons giuen thereof by Diuines both ancient and moderne;) certaine it is, they now concerne not vsus. The Church, during her nonage and pupillage, (though she were ddGal. 4.1, 2.Gal 4:1Gal 4:2heyre of all, and had right to all; yet) was to bee held vnderunder Tutors and Gouernors, & to be trayned vp vnderunder the law of Ceremonies as eeGal. 3.24, 25.Gal 3:24Gal 3:25vnderunder a Schoolemaster, during the appointed time. But ffGal. 4.4.Gal 4:4when the fulnesse of the time appointed was come, her war…ship expired, and liuery sued out (as it were;) by the comming and suffering of Christ in the flesh: the Church was then to enter vponupon her full royalties, and no more to be burdened with those ggforeign. Gal. 4.9.Gal 4:9beggerly rudiments of legall obseruances. The hhCol. 2.14.Col 2:14handwriting of Ordinances was then blotted out; and the muddy iiEpes. 2.14.partition wall broken downe; and the legall impuritie of the Creatures scowred off; by the kkforeign. Damasc. 4 de fid. Orthod. 4blood of Christ. They hauehave little to doe then, but withall much to answere; who, by seeking to bring in Iudaisme againe into the Christian Church, eyther in whole or in part, doe thereby as much as lyeth in them, (though perhaps vnawares to themselues, yet in deed and in truth) llGal. 5.2.4.11.Gal 5:2Gal 5:4Gal 5:11euacuate the Crosse of Christ. In that mmAct. 10 1… 15.Acts 10:1large sheete of the Creatures, which reacheth from heauen to the earth, whatsoeuer we finde, wee may freely kill, and p. 18eate, and vse eueryevery other way to our comforts without scruple. God hauing cleansed all; wee are not to call or esteeme any thing common or vncleane: God hauing 2Created all good, we are to refuse nothing. If any shall oppose secondly, the seeming morality of some of these prohibitions; as being giuen nnGen. 9.4.Gen 9:4before the Law of Ceremonies, pressed from ooLeuit. 17.11.14.Lev 17:11Lev 17:14Morall reasons, and confirmed by ppAct. 15.20.29.Acts 15:20Acts 15:29Apostolicall Constitution since; vponupon which ground some would impose vponupon the Christian Church 3this, as a perpetuall yoke, to abstaine from blood: Or thirdly, the prophanation which some Creatures hauehave contracted by being vsed in the exercise of Idolatrous worship, whereby they become Anathema, and are to be held as execrable things; as qqIosh. 7.1.Josh 7:1Achans wedge was, and the 4 Kin. 18.4.Brazen Serpent which Hezechiah stamped to powder; vponupon which ground also some others hauehave inferred an vtter vnlawfulnesse to vse any thing in the Church, which was abused in Popery, by calling them ragges and reliques of Idolatry: neyther this, nor that ought to trouble vsus. For although neither my ayme, (which lyeth another way,) nor the time, will permit me now to giuegive a just and full and satisfying answere to the seuerall instances, and their grounds: yet the very words and waight of my Text, doe giuegive vsus a cleere resolution in the generall, and sufficient to rest our Consciences, and our judgements and practice vponupon; that, notwithstanding all pretensions of reason to the contrary, yet these things, for so much as they are still good, ought not to be refused. For the Apostle hath here layd a sure foundation, and impregnable: in that hee groundeth the vse vponupon the Power; and from the Goodnesse of the Creature inferreth the lawfulnesse of it. [EueryEvery Creature of God is good: and nothing to bee refused.] Hee concludeth; it is therefore not to be refused, because it is good. So that looke whatsoeuer Goodnesse there is in any Creature; that is, whatsoeuer naturall p. 19Power it hath, which either immediately and of it selfe is, or may by the improuement of humaine art and industry be taught to be, of any vse vntounto man, for necessity, nourishment, seruice, lawfull delight or otherwise: the Creature, wherein such goodnes or power is to be found, may not be refused as vponupon tye of Conscience; but that power and goodnesse it hath, may lawfully be employed to those vses, for which it is meete in regard thereof: Euer prouided, we be carefull to obserue all those requisite conditions, which must guide our consciences, and regulate our practise, in the vse of all lawfull and indifferent things. They that teach otherwise, lay burdens vponupon their owne consciences which they neede not, and vponupon the consciences of their brethren which they should not; and are iniurious to that liberty which the blessed Sonne of God hath purchas…d for his Church, and which the blessed spirit of God hath asserted in my Text.

Iniurious in the second place,§. 17. and Poperie; in the points to this branch of our Christian liberty, is the Church of Rome: whom Saint Paul in this passage hath branded with an indeleble note of infamy; in as much as those very doctrines, wherein he giueth in…tance as in doctrines of Deuils, are the receiued Tenets and Conclusions of that Church. Not to insist on other preiudices done to Christian liberty, by the intollerable vsurpations of ss2. Thes. 2.3.2 Thess 2:3the man of sin, who exerciseth a spirituall Tyranny ouer mens Consciences, as opposite to Euangelicall liberty, as Antichrist is to Christ: let vsus but a little see, how she hath fulfilled Saint Pauls prediction in teaching lying and Diuelish doctrines and that with scared consiences and in Hypocrisie, in the two specialities mentioned in the next former verse, viz. forbidding to Marry, and commanding to abstaine from Meates.

Marriage,§. 18. of Mariage, the holy Ordinance of God, instituted in the ttGen. 2.18.Gen 2:18place and estate of innocency, honoured by uuIoh. 2.2.John 2:2Christs p. 20p…esence at Canae in Galilee; the se…ie…ples of the Church, and the xx1. C…r. 7.2.sole allowed remedie against incontinencie and burning lusts; by the Apostle commended as yyHeb. 13.4.Heb 13:4honourable in all men, and commanded in case of zz1. Cor. 7 9▪1 Cor 7:9vstion to all men: is yet by this **Reu 17.1.3.Rev 17:1Rev 17:3purple strumpet forbidden, and that sub mortal…, to Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Subdeacons, Monkes, Fryers, Nunnes: in a word, to the whole Clergie (as they extend that title) both Secular and Regular. Wherein besides the Diuelishnes of the Doctrine, in contrarying the Ordinance of God, and in denying men subiect to sinfull lusts the lawfull remedie, and so casting them vponupon a necessity of sinning, see if they doe not teach this lye with scared consciences. For with what Conscience can they make the same thing a Sacrament in the Lay; and aaBellarm. de Monach Cap. 34Sacriledge in the Clergy? With what Conscience permit stewes; and forbid Marriage? With what conscience alledge Scriptures for the single life of Priests; and yet confesse it to bee an bbAquin. 2.2. qu. 88.2. Bellar. de Cler. c. 18. Decan. 1. man Controu. 13. …. 11.ordinance onelyonly of Ecclesiasticall and not of Diuine right? With what conscience confesse fornication to be against the Law of God, and Priests marriage onelyonly against the Law of holy Church; and yet make marriage in a Priest a ccCoster. Enchirid. cap. 20 prop. 9.farre fouler sinne then …ornication, or incest? with what conscience exact a vow of continencie from Clearks, by those Canons, which ddCa. Is. qu. dist. 34 c. 12. qu. 1. ca. Dilectissimisdefend their open incontinency? With what conscience forbid lawfull marriages to some; and yet by dispensation allow vnlawfull marriages to others.

And is not the like also done in the other particular, concerning Meates? §. 16. and Meates.The lawes of that Church forbidding some eeBenedictines and Carthusiansorders of men, some kind… of meates perpetually, and all men some meates vponupon certaine dayes: and that not for Ciuill respects; but with opinion of satisfaction, yea merit, yea and supererogation too. In which also, besides the Diuelishnes of the Doctrine, in corrupting the profitable and religious exercis… of p. 21fasting, and turning it into a superstitious obseruation of Dayes and Meates: judge if they doe not teach this lye also, as the former, with seared Consciences. For with what conscience can they allow an ordinary Confessour to absolue for Murder, Adultery, Periury, and such petty crimes; but reserue the great sinne of Eating flesh vponupon a Friday or Ember day to the censure of a Penitentiary, as being a matter beyond the power of an ordinary Priest to grant absolution for? With what Conscience make the tafting of the coursest flesh a breach of the Lent fast; and surfetting vponupon the delicatest fishes and confections, none? With what conscience pretend they forbid such and such meates, for the taming of the flesh; when they allow those that are farre more nutritiue of the flesh, and incentiue of fleshly lusts? With what conscience inio…ne such abstinence for a penance, and then presently release it againe for a peny? Indeed the Glosse vponupon the ffDist. 82. ca. Presbyter.Canon, that doth so, hath a right worthy and a right wholesome note: Note, saith the ggGloss. ibid.Glosse, that he who giueth a peny to redeeme his fast, though he giuegive money for a spirituall thing, yet he doth not commit Symonie, because the contract is made with God. If these men had not seared vp their consciences: would they not thinke you feele some checke at the broaching of such ridiculous and inconsistent stuffe, as floweth from these two heads of Diuelish Doctrines; of forbidding to Marry, and commanding to abstaine from Meates?

I deny not, but the bands of that strumpet,§. 20. The extent of this Liberty, in eight Positions. the Doctor ▪ … …hat Church, hauehave their colourable pretences whe… with to blanch ouer these errours: else the lyes would be palpable; and they should not otherwise fill vp the measure of their Apostacy, according to my Apostles prophecie, in teaching these lyes in Hypocrisie. But the colours, though neuer so artificially tempered, and neuer so handsomely layd on; are yet so thin: that p. 22a steddy eye, not bl…ered with preiudice, may discerne the Lye through them, for all the Hypocrisie. As might easily be shewen; if my entended course led me that way, and did not rather direct me to matter of more profitable and vniuersall. Hauing therefore done with them it were good for vsus in the third place, (that we might know our owne freehold with better certainty, and keepe our selues within our due bounds;) to inquire a little what is the just extent of our Christian liberty vntounto the Creatures, and what restraints it may admit. A point very needfull to bee knowne for the resolution of many doubts in conscience, and for the asking of many questions and dispu…es in the Church: which are of very noysome consequence, for want of right information herein, I hauehave other matter also to entreate of: and therefore since I may not allow this enquiry so large a discourse, as it well deserueth: I shall desire you to take into your Christian consideration, these Positions following.

The First. Our Christian liberty extendeth to all the Creatures of God.§. 21. I. It extendeth to all the Creatures. This ariseth clearely from what hath beene already deliuered: and the testimonies of Scripture for it are expresse. hhRom. 14.20Rom 14:20All things are Pure; ii1. Cor. 10.231 Cor 10:23All things are lawfull; kk1. Cor. 3.22.1 Cor 3:22All are yours; elsewhere: and here, Nothing to be refused.

The second Position. Our Christian libertie equally respecteth the vsing ▪ and the not vsing of any o… Gods Creatures.§. 22. II. It equally respecteth the vse and the forbearance. There is no Creature; but a Christian man by vertue of his libertie, as hee may vse it vponupon just occasion, so hee may also vponupon just cause refuse it. ll1. Cor. 6.1… ▪1 Cor 6:1All things are lawfull for mee, saith St. Paul, but I will not be brought vnderunder the power of any thing. Where he establisheth this libertie in both the parts of it: libertie to vse the Creatures, or else they had not all beene lawfull for him; and yet libertie not to vse them, or else he had bin vnderunder the power of some of them. Whence it followeth, p. 23that all the Creatures of God stand in the nature of things Indifferent: that is, such as may indifferently bee eyther vsed or not vsed, according as the rules of godly discretion, circumstances duely considered, shall direct.

The Third Position. Our Christian liberty for the vsing or not vsing of the creature, may without prejudice admit of some restraint in the outward practise of it.§. 23. III. It may admit of some restraints in the outward exercise of it: Ab illicitis semper, quandoque & a licitis; I thinke it is St. Gregories: A Christian must neuer doe vnlawfull; nor yet alwaies, lawfull things. St. Paul had liberty to eate flesh, and hee vsed that liberty, and ate flesh: yet hee knew there might bee some cases, wherein to abridge himselfe of the vse of that liberty so farre, as nn1. Cor. 8.13.1 Cor 8:13not to eate flesh whilst the world standeth. But what those Restraints are, and how farre they may bee admitted without prejudice done to that liberty, that wee may the better vnderstand: let vsus goe on to

The Fourth Position. Sobriety may and ought to restraine vsus in the outward practise of our Christian liberty.§. 24. IIII. as first, Sobrietie; For our Dyet, all Fish, and flesh, and folwe, and fruites, and spices, are lawfull for vsus, as well as Bread and herbes: but may we therefore with chri…tlesse prodigality and exquisite royall fare delisiously and sumptuously eueryevery day, vnderunder pretence of Christian liberty? Likewise for our Apparell; all stuffes and colours, the richest silkes, and furres, and dyes are as lawfull for vsus, as cloath, and leather, and sheepes-russet: Christan liberty extendeth as well to one as another. But doe wee thinke that liberty will excuse our pride, and vanity, and excesse, if we ruffle it out in silkes and scarlets, or otherwise in stuffe, colour, or fashion vnsuteably to our yeares, sexe, calling, estate or condition? In all other things of like nature; in our buildings, in our furniture, in our retinues, in our dispores, in our recreations, in our society, in our Mariages, in other things: wee ought as p. 24well to consider, what in Christian sobriety is meete for vsus to doe; as what in Christian liberty may bee done. Scarce is there any one thing, wherein the Diuell putteth s…urres vponupon vsus more frequently, yea & more dangerously too, (because vnsuspected:) then in this very thing, in making vsus take the vttermost of our freedome in the vse of indifferent things. It therefore concerneth vsus so much the more, to keepe a sober watch ouer our selues and soules, in the vse of Gods good Creatures: lest otherwise, vnderunder the fayre title and habite of Christian liberty, we yeeld our selues ouer to a carnall licenciousnesse.

The Fift Position. A… Sobriety: so Charity also may,§. 25. V. Secondly, Charity: in our selues, and ought to restraine vsus in the outward exercise of our Christian liberty. Charity, I say, both to our selues, and others. First, to our selues: for regular charity beginneth there. If we are to Math. 5.29.30.Matt 5:29Matt 5:30cut off our right hand, and to plucke out our right eye, and to cast them both from vsus, when they offend vsus: much more then ought we to deny our selues the vse of such outward lawfull things, as by experience we hauehave found, or hauehave otherwise cause to suspect to be hurtfull eyther for our bodies, or soules. So a man may, and should refraine from meates, which may endanger his bodily health: But how much more then from eueryevery thing, that may endanger the health of his soule? If thou findest thy selfe enflamed with lust, by dancing; if enraged with choler, by game: if tempted to couetousnes, pride, vncleannes, superstition, cruelty, any sinne, by occasion of any of the Creatures: it is better for thee, to make a couenant with thine eyes, and eares, and hands, and sences, (so farre as thy condition and Calling will warrant thee,) not to hauehave any thing to doe with such things: then by satisfying them therewith, cast both thy selfe and them into Hell. Better, by our voluntary abstinence, to depart with some of our liberty vntounto the Creatures: then by our voluntary p. 35transgession forfeit all and become the Diuels captiues.

But Charity, though it begin at home, §. 26. and others.yet it will abroad: and not resting at our selues, reacheth to our brethren also: of whom we are to hauehave a due regard in our vse of the creatures. An argument, wherein St. Paul often enlargeth himselfe: as in Rom. 14. and 1. Cor. 8. the whole Chapters throughout, and in a great part of 1. Cor. 10. The resolution eueryevery where is, that pp1. Cor. 14.26.1 Cor 14:26all things be done to edification: that things lawfull become qq1. Cor. 10.23.1 Cor 10:23inexpedient, when they offend rather, then edifie: that though rrRom. 14.20.Rom 14:20all things indeed are pure, yet it is euill for that man which vseth them with offence: that albeit flesh and wine and other things be lawfull, yet ssIbid. vers. 21.it is good neyther to eate flesh, nor to drinke wine, nor to doe any thing, whereby a mans brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weake. Hitherto appertaineth that great and difficult common-place of scandall, so much debated and disputed of by Diuines. The Questions and Cases are manifold; not now to bee rehearsed, much lesse resolued, in particular: But the Position is plaine in the generall, that in case of Scandall, for our weake brothers sake, we may, and sometimes ought, to abridge our selues of some part of our lawfull Libertie.

Besides these two, Sobrietie and Charity; there is yet one restraint more, which ariseth from the duty wee owe to our Superiours, and from the bond of Ciuill obedience: §. 27. VI. Thirdly, Duty, in Obedience to Gouernours; Oeconomicall,which if it had beene by all men as freely admitted, as there is just cause it should, how happy had it beene for the peace of this Church? Concerning it, let this be our Sixth Position. The determination of Superiours may and ought to restraine vsus in the outward exercise of our Christian liberty. We must tt1. Pet. 2.13.15.16.1 Pet 2:131 Pet 2:151 Pet 2:16submit our selues to eueryevery ordinance of man, saith Saint Peter, 1. Pet. 2.13. and it is necessary we should doe so: for so is the will of God, vers. 15. Neither is it against Christian p. 26liberty if wee doe so; for we are still as free as before: rather if we doe not so, we abuse our liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse, as it followeth there, vers. 16. And St. Paul telleth vsus we uuRom. 13.5.Rom 13:5must need… be subiect not onelyonly for feare, because the Magistrate xxIbid. vers. 4.carrieth not the Sword in vaine, but also for conscience sake, because yyIbid. vers. 1.the powers that are ordained of God. This duty, so fully pressed and so vniformely by these two grand Apostles, is most apparant in priuate societies. In a family, the master or Pater familias, who is a kind of petty Monarch there, hath authority to prescribe to his children and seruants in the vse of those indifferent things; whereto yet they, as Christians, hauehave as much libertie as hee. The seruant, though he be zz1. Cor. 7.22.1 Cor 7:22the Lords free-man, yet is limited in his dyet, lodging, livery, and many other things by his master: and hee is to submit himselfe to his masters appointment in these things, though perhaps in his private affection he had rather his master had appointed otherwise, and perhaps withall in his priuate judgement doth verily thinke it fitter his Master should appoint otherwise. If any man vnderunder colour of Christian liberty shall **1. Tim. 6.3.51 Tim 6:31 Tim 6:5teach otherwise, and exempt seruants from the obedience of their Masters in such things: St. Paul in a holy indignation inueigheth against such a man, not without some bitternesse, in the last Chapter of this Epistle, as one that is proud, and knoweth nothing as hee should doe, but doateth about questions and strife of words, &c. vers. 3.5.

§. 28. Civill,Now looke what power the Master hath ouer his seruants for the ordering of his family; no doubt the same at the least, if not much more, hath the supreame Magistrate ouer his subiects, for the peaceable ordering of the Common-wealth: the Magistrate being Pater Patria, as the Master is Pater familias. Whosoever then shall interpret the determinations of Magistrates in the vse of the Creatures to be contrary to p. 27the liberty of a Christian: or vnderunder that colour shall exempt inferiours from their obedience to such determinations, he must blame St. Paul; nay, he must blame the Holy Ghost, and not vsus, if he heare from vsus that he is proud, and knoweth nothing, and d…ateth about vnprofitable questions. Surely, but that experience sheweth vsus it hath beene so, and the Scriptures hauehave foretould vsus that **1. Cor. 11.19.1 Cor 11:19it should be so: that there should bee differences, and sidings, and part-takings in the Church: a man would wonder how it should ever sinke into the hearts and heads of sober vnderstanding men, to deny eyther the power in Superiours to ordaine, or the necessity in Inferiours to obey Lawes and constitutions, so restraining vsus in the vse of the Creatures.

Neyther let any man cherish his ignorance herein: by conceipting, as if there were some difference to be made betweene Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall things,§. 29. and Ecclesiasticall. and Lawes and Persons in this behalfe. The truth is, our liberty is equall in both: the power of Superiours for restraint equall in both, and the necessity of obedience in Inferiours equall in both. No man hath yet beene able to shew, nor I thinke euer shal be, a reall and substantiall difference indeed betweene them, to make an inequality. But that still, as ciuill Magistrates hauehave sometimes, for just politique respects, prohibited some trades, and manufactures, and commodities, and enioyned othersome, and done well in both: so Church-gouernours may vponupon good considerations, say it bee but for order and vniformities sake, prescribe the times, places, vestments, gestures, and other Ceremoniall circumstances to bee vsed in Ecclesisticall Offices and assemblies. As the Apostles in the first Councell holden at Ierusalem in Act. 15. layd vponupon the Churches of the Gentiles for a time, a **Act. 15.28, 29.Acts 15:28Acts 15:29restraint from the eating of Blood, and things sacrificed to Idols, and strangled.

p. 28Thus we see our Christian liberty vntounto the Creatures may without preiudice admit of some restraints in the outward exercise of it:§. 30. VII. With the comparison of these 3. restraints. and namely from the three respects, of Christian Sobrietie, of Christian Charity, and of Christian Duty and Obedience. But now in the comparing of these together; when there seemeth to be a repugnancy betweene one and another of them, there may be some difficulty: and the greatest difficultie, and which hath bred most trouble, is in comparing the cases of Scandall and Disobedience together, when their seemeth to be a repugnancy betweene Charity and Dutie. As for example. Suppose in a thing which simply and in it selfe wee may lawfully according to the Liberty wee hauehave in Christ, either vse or forbeare; Charity seemeth to lay restraint vponupon vsus one way, our weake brother expecting we should forbeare, and Duty a quite contrary way. Authoritie requiring the vse: in such a case what are we to doe? It is against Charity to offend a brother; and it is against Duty, to disobey a superiour. And yet something must be done: eyther we must vse, or not vse; forbeare, or not forbeare. For the vntying of this knot, (which, if we will but lay things rightly together, hath not in it so much hardnesse as it seemeth to hauehave;) let this be our seuenth Position. In the vse of the Creatures, and all indifferent things, we ought to beare a greater regard to our publique Gouernours, then to our Priuate Brethren; and bee more carefull to obey them, then to satisfy these, if the same course will not in some mediocritie satisfie both. Alas, that our Brethren who are contrary minded, would but with the spirit of Sobrietie admit common Reason to be vmpire in this case: Alas, that they would but consider, what a world of Contradictions would follow vponupon the contrary Opinion, and what a world of Confusions vponupon the contrary practise. Say what can be said, in the behalfe of a Brother: all the same, and more may bee p. 29faid for a Gouernour. For a Gouernour is a Brother too, and something more: and Duty is Charity too, and something more. If then I may not offend my Brother, then certainly not my Gouernour: because he is my Brother too, being a man, and a Christian, as well as the other is. And the same Charity, that bindeth me to satisfie another Brother, equally bindeth mee to satisfie this. So that, if we goe no farther, but euen to the common bond of Charity, and relation of Brotherhood: that maketh them equall at the least: and therefore no reason, why I should satisfie one that is but a Priuate Brother: rather then the publique Magistrate, who (that publique respect set aside) is my Brother also. When the scales hang thus euen: shall not the accession of aaSi tantopera cauenda sunt scandala parvulorum, quanto amplius praelatorum? Bernard. de Praecept. & dispens.Magistracie to common Brotherhood in him, and of Duty to common Charity in mee, be enough to cast it cleare for the Magistrate? Shall a seruant in a family, rather then offend his fellow-seruant, disobey his Master? And is not a double scandall against Charity and Duty both, (for Duty implyeth Charity,) greater then a single scandall against Charity alone? If priuate men will bee offended at our Obedience to publique Gouernours: we can but be sorry for it: Wee bbPrudenter aduertat qui hoc cogitat, scandalum scandalo non bene emendari. Qualis, emendatiò erit, si vt alijs scandalum tollao, alios scandalizas? Bernard. de praec. & disp.may not redeeme their offence by our disobedience. Hee that taketh offence, where none is giuen, sustaineth a double person; and must answere for it, both as the giuer and the taker. If offence be taken at vsus, there is no woe to vsus for it, if it doe not come by vsus: ccMath. 8.7.Matt 8:7Woe to the man by whom the offence commeth: and it doth not come by vsus, if wee doe but what is our duty to doe. The Rule is certaine and equitable; The respect of private scandall ceaseth, where lawfull authority determineth our liberty: and that restraint which proceedeth from speciall Duty, is of superiour reason to that which proceedeth but from Common Charity.

p. 30§. 31. VIII. The inward freedome of the ConscienceThree Moderatours then of our Christian liberty to the Creatures we are to allow off; Sobrietie, Charity, and Duty ▪ vntounto eueryevery of which a just regard ought to be had. Neither neede we feare, if we suffer Sobrietie on one side, and Charity on another, and Duty on a third, thus to abridge vsus in the vse of our Christian liberty; that by little and little it may be at length so pared away among them, that there may bee little or nothing left of it. To remoue this suspition; let this be our Eighth and last Position. No respect whatsoeuer can, or ought to diminish the inward freedome of the conscience to any of the Creatures. And this inward freedome is it, wherein especially consisteth our Christian liberty to the Creature. This freedome we are all bound to maintaine to the vtmost of our powers; and not to suffer our selues to be made dd1. Cor. 7.23.1 Cor 7:23the seruants of men, (otherwife then in eeGal. 5.13.Gal 5:13seruing one anoth…r by louelove:) but to ffGal. 5.1.Gal 5:1stand fast in the liberty wherein Christ hath set vsus free. Now this Liberty consisteth in a certaine resolution of judgement, and a certaine perswasion of …onscience arising thence, that all the creatures of God are in themselues lawfull, and free for vsus either to vse, or refuse, as wee shall see it expedient for vsus: and that neither the vse not the …orbearance of them, doth of it selfe either com…tend or discommend vsus vntounto God; or any way either please him as a part of his worship, or offend him as transgression of his Law. ggRom. 14.17.Rom 14:17The Kingdome of God is not meate and drinke, saith Saint Paul: hh1. C…r. 8.8.neither of wee …, are wo…he better; neither the worse if wee doe not eate; nor on the contrary. Now here is the wickednesse, and the vsurpation of the High Priest of foure; that he challengeth to himselfe a spirituall power ouer the consciences of men, which is the greatest tyranny that euer was, or can be exercised in the world: laying impuri…y vponupon the things he forbiddeth; and anno…ing operatiue holinesse, and power both satisfactory, p. 31and meritorious, to the things hee inioyneth. Which vsurpation, whosoeuer hateth not in him with a perfect hatred: is justly vnworthy of, and shamefully vnthankefull for, that liberty and freedome, which the blessed Sonne of God, hath purchased for his Church.

But this inward freedome once established in our hearts, and our consciences, fully perswaded therof: let vsus thenceforth make no scruple to admit of such just restraints in the outward exercise of it,§. 32. may stand with some restraints in the outward exercise. as Christian Sobrietie, Charitie, and Dutie shall require. For wee must know, that the Liberty of a Christian is not in eating, and wearing, and doing, what and when and where and how he list; but in being assured that it is all one before God, (in the things themselues barely considered,) whether hee eate or not eate, weare or not weare, doe or not doe, this or that, and that therefore, as he may vponupon iust cause eate, and weare, and doe; so he may vponupon just cause also refuse to eate, or weare, or doe, this thing or that. Indeed otherwise, if wee well consider it, it were but the empty name of liberty, without the thing: for how is it liberty, if a man be determinately bound the one way, and tyed ad alteram partem contradictionis precisely: and not left indifferent and equall to either? If then the regards of Sobrietie, Charity, or Duty, doe not require a forbearance, thou knowest eueryevery Creature of God is good, and nothing to bee refused: thou hast thy Liberty therefore, and mayest according to that liberty freely vse that Creature. But if any of those former respects require thou shouldest forbeare; thou knowest that the Creature still is good, and as not to be refused, so not to be imposed: thou hast thy liberty therefore here, as before, and oughtest according to that liberty, freely to abstaine from that Creature.§. 33. Obseru. III. The Creature to be receiued with Thankesgiuing; Both in vsing, and refusing, the Conscience is still free: and as well the vse as the refusall, and as well the refusall as the vse, doe equally and alike belong to the true libertie of a Christian.

We hauehave seene now, what liberty God hath allowed vsus: and therein we may see also his great goodnesse and bounty towards vsus, in making such a world of Creatures, and all of p. 32them good, [EueryEvery Creature of God is good;] & not enuying vsus the free vse of any of those good Creatures, [Nothing to be refused,]. But where is our Duty, answerable to this Bounty? Where is our thankefulnes, proportionable to such receipts? Let vsus not reioice too much in the Creatures goodnes, nor glory too much in our freedome thereunto: vnlesse there be in vsus, withall, a due care and conscience to performe the Conditio…, which God requireth in lieu thereof; neither can their goodnes doe vsus good; nor our freedome exempt vsus from evill. And that condition is, the Dutie of thankesgiuing: expressed in the last clause of the verse, [If it be receiued with thankesgiuing.] Forget this prouis…: and we vndoe all againe, that we hauehave hitherto done, and destroy all that we hauehave already established concerning both the goodnes of the Creature, and our liberty in the vse thereof: for without thankesgiuing, neither can we partake their Goodnes, nor vse our owne liberty, with comfort. Of this therefore in the next place: wherein the waight of the Duty considered, together with our backwardnes thereunto, if I shall spend the remainder of my time, and meditations: I hope my labour by the blessing of God and your prayers shall not be vnprofitable, and my purpose therein shall find, if not allowance in your judgements, at least in your Charity Excuse. To speake of which Duty of thankesgiuing in the full extent, and by way of common place; were to enter into a spacious field, indeed a very sea of matter without bottome. For mine owne case therefore and yours, I shall confine my selfe to that branch of it, which is most immediatly pertinent to my text; viz. that tribute of Thankes, which we owe vntounto God for the free vse of his good Creatures: forbearing to meddle with the other branches thereof, otherwise then as they fall within the reach of this, by way either of Proportion or Inference.

§. 34. and what is meant thereby.And first we are to know, that by Thankesgiuing in my Text is not meant onelyonly that subsequent act, whereby wee render vntounto God praise and thankes for the Creature, after wee hauehave receiued it, and enioyed the benefit of it: p. 33which yet is most properly Thankesgiuing: but we are to extend the word farther, euen to those precedent acts of Prayer and Benediction, whereby we beseech God to giuegive his blessing to the Creature, and to sanctifie the vse of it to vsus. For what in this verse is called Thankesgiuing, is in the next verse comprehended vnderunder the name of aaVers 5. hic.Prayer. And we shall accordingly find in the Scriptures elsewhere, the words foreign, and foreign, the one wherof signifieth properly Blessing, the other Thankesgiuing, vsed oftentimes promiscuously the one for the other. The blessing which our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ, vsed at the consecration of the Sacramentall bread, bbLuk. 22.17.19.Luke 22:17Luke 22:19St. Luke and cc1. Cor. 11.241 Cor 11:24St. Paul expresse by the word foreign: ddMath. 26.27.Matt 26:27St. Mathew and eeMark. 14.22.23.Mark 14:22Mark 14:23St. Marke, by foreign. And the Prayer of blessing, vsed before the eating of common Bread, is by ffMath. 15.36. Mark, 8.6. Ioh. 6.11. Act. 27.35.Matt 15:36John 6:11Acts 27:35eueryevery one of the foure Euangelists in some places described by the word foreign: and by ggMath. 14.19. Mark. 6.41. Luk. 9.16.Matt 14:19Mark 6:41Luke 9:16three of them in other some places, by foreign. And the name hhSee Casaub. exercit. 16. in Baron. sect. 33.foreign is somtimes found in the writings of the Ancients, for the Sacrament of the Lords Supper; the more vsuall name whereof is foreign, or the holy Eucharist. And we in our ordinary manner of speech, call as well the Blessing before meate, as the Thankesgiuing after, by the common name of Grace, or saying of Grace. Both these then together, Grace before meate, and Grace after meate; a sacrifice of Prayer before we vse any of the good Creatures of God, and a sacrifice of Praise after we hauehave vsed them; the Blessing wherewith we blesse the Creature in the name of God, and the Blessing wherewith we blesse the Name of God for the Creature: both these I say together, is the just extent of that Thankesgiuing, whereof my Text speaketh, and we are now to entreat.

Concerning Meates and Drinkes, §. 35. For meates and drinkes,vntounto which our Apostle hath speciall reference in this whole passage: this duty of Thankesgiuing, hath bin euer held so congruous to the partaking thereof, that long and ancient custome hath established it in the common practise of Christians; not only with inward thankfulnesse of heart to recount and acknowledge p. 34Gods goodnes to them therein, but also outwardly to expresse the same in a vocall solemne forme of Blessing or Thankesgiuing, that which we call Grace, or saying of Grace. Which very phrases, whether or no they hauehave ground, (as to me it seemeth they hauehave,) from those words of our Apostle, 1. Cor. 10. (ii1. Cor. 10.301 Cor 10:30 For if I by grace bee a partaker, why am I euill spoken of, for that, for which I giuegive thankes:) I say, howsoeuer it be with the phrase; sure we are the thing it selfe hath sufficient ground from the examples of Christ, and of his holy Apostles. From whom, the custome of giuing Thankes at meales, seemeth to hauehave bin deriued, throughout all succeeding ages, euen to vsus. Of Christ himselfe we reade often, and in eueryevery of the Euangelists, that hee blessed and gaue thankes in the name of himselfe and the people, before meate; in 14. and 15. of kkMath. 14.19. & 15 36.Matt 14:19Matt 15:36Mathew, in 6. and 8. of llMark. 6 41. & 8.6.Mark 6:41Mark 8:6Marke, in 9. of mmLuk. 9.16.Luke 9:16Luke, and in 6. of nnIoh. 6.8.John 6:8Iohn. And in Math. 26. that after meate also, when Supper was ended, he and his Disciples ooforeign. Math. 26.30.Matt 26:30sang an hymne, before they departed the roome. And St. Luke relateth of St. Paul, Act. 27. when hee and his company in the Ship, who were wel toward 300. persons, were to refresh themselues with food after a long fast, that he tooke Bread, and first ppAct. 27.35.Acts 27:35gaue thankes to God in the presence of them all, and then after brake it, and began to eate: yea St. Paul himselfe so speaketh of it, Rom. 14. as of the knowne practise of the Church among Christians of all sorts, Weake, and Strong. He that was strong in the faith, and knew the liberty he had in Christ to eate indifferently of all kinds of meates, flesh as well as hearbes; did eate of all indifferently, and gaue God thankes for all. The weake Christian too, who made scruple of some kinds of flesh or other meates, and contented himselfe with hearbes and such like things, yet gaue God thankes for his hearbes, and for whatsoeuer else hee durst eate. qqRom. 14.6.Rom 14:6Hee that eateth, eateth to the Lord (saith hee there, at verse 6.) for he giueth God thankes: and hee that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giueth God thankes too. Notwithstanding they differed in their judgements p. 35and opinions, and consequently in their practise, concerning the lawfull or vnlawfull vse of some meates: yet they consented most sweetly, and agreed both in their judgement and practise, in the performance of this religious seruice of Thankesgiuing.

So then giuing of Thankes for our meates and drinkes before and after meales, in an outward and audible forme,§. 36. and other Creatures, the Thankesgiuing of the mouth expedient; is an ancient, a commendable, an Apostolicall, a Christian practise: ordinarily requisite as an outward testimony of the inward thankfulnesse of the heart; and therefore not to bee omitted ordinarily, neither but in some few cases. There being the like necessitie of this dutie, in regard of inward thankefulnes, as there is of vocall Prayer, in regard of inward Deuotion; and of outward Confession, in regard of inward Beliefe: and looke what exceptions those other outward duties may admit; the very same, mutandis mutatis, and in their proportion, are to be admitted here. But not …nely Meates and Drinkes; but eueryevery other good Creature also of God, whereof we may hauehave vse, ought to be receiued with a due measure of thankfulnesse. And if in these things also, so often as in good discretion it may seeme expedient for the aduancing of Gods glory, the benefiting of his Church, or the quickning of our owne Deuotion; wee shall make some outward and sensible expression of the thankfulnes of our hearts for them: wee shall therein doe an acceptable seruice vntounto God, and comfortable to our owne soules. For, for this cause God instituted of old among his owne people, diuers solemne feasts and sacrifices, together with the Sanctifying of the first fruits, and of the first-borne, and diuers other ordinances of that nature: as on the other side to be fit remembrancers vntounto them of their duty of thankfulnes; so to bee as well good testimonies and fit expressions of their performance of that duty.

But if not alwayes, the outward manifestation thereof:§. 37. but of the Heart necessary. yet God euer expecteth at least the true and inward thankfulnesse of the heart, for the vse of his good Creatures. rrCol. 3.17.Col 3:17Whatsoeuer you doe in word or deed, doe all in the name of p. 36the Lord Iesus, giuing thankes vntounto God and the Father by him, Col. 3. ssPhil. 4.6.Phil 4:6Bee carefull for nothing: but in eueryevery thing by prayer and supplication with thankesgiuing, let your request be made knowne vntounto God, Phil. 4. ttPsal 103.1.2Ps 103:1Ps 103:2Blesse the Lord, O my soule, (saith Dauid in Psalm. 103.) and all that is within mee, praise his holy name; Praise the Lord, O my soule, and forget not all his benefites. Forget not all his benefits: as much as to say, by an ordinary Hebraisme, forget not any of all his benefites. He summoneth all that is in him, to blesse God for all he hath from him: he thought it was necessary for him, not to receiue any of the good Creatures of God, without Thankesgiuing. Which necessity of Thankesgiuing will yet more appeare; if we consider it, either as an act of Iustice, or as an act of Religion: as it is indeed and truly both.

It is first, an Act of Iustice. §. 38. as an Act, 1. of Iustice;The very law of Nature, which containeth the first seedes and principles of Iustice, bindeth eueryevery man that receiueth a benefit, to a thankefull acknowledgement of it first, and then withall. (ability and opportunity supposed,) to some kind of retribution. The best Philosophers therefore make Gratitude a uuCic. 2. de inuent 13 & 36.branch of the Law of Nature; and so account of it, as of a thing, then which there is xxQuid tam cō tr… …ffictū, quā nō reddere quod acceperis? Ambros. 1. offic. 21 Nullum o…ficium referenda gratia magi… necessarium est. Cic. 1. de Offic.not any office of vertue more necessary: as nor any thing on the contrary more detestable, then Ingratitude. You cannot lay a yyErunt homicida, tyranny, fures, adulters, raptores, sacrilegi, proditores: infra ista omnia ingratus est. Senec. 1. de benef. 10.fouler imputation vponupon a man, nor by any accusations in the world render him more odious to the opinions of all men; then by charging him with vnthankfulnesse. Ingratum dicas, omnia dixeris: doe but say, he is an vnthankfull wretch; you neede say no more, you can say no worse, by any mortall Creature. Verily, eueryevery benefit carrieth with it the force of an obligation; and we all confesse it: if we receiue but some small kindnes from another we can readily and complementally protest our selues much bound to him for it. Indeede when we say so, we often speake it but of coarse, and thinke it not: but yet whē we do so, we speak more truth then we are aware of▪ for, if it be in truth a kindnes in him, we are in truth & equity p. 37bound to him thereby. The common saying is not without ground, Qui benificium accepit, libertatem vendidit. Some men therefore refuse kindnesses and courtesies at other mens hands; because forsooth they will not be beholden to them. Which though it be a peruerse and vniust course, and indeede a high degree of vnthankefulnesse, (for there is vnthankefulnesse, as well in zzNon solum is gratus debet esse, qui accepit beneficium; verum etiam is, cui potestas accip…endi fuit. Cic. de Prouinc. Consular. Tam teneor dono, quam si demittar onustus. Horat. 1. Epist. 7.not accepting a kind offer, as in not requiting a good turne;) and therefore also a high degree of folly, (for it is not a foolish thing for a man, out of the bare feare of vnthankfulnes one way, to become wilfully vnthankefull another?) though I say, it be a fond and peruerse course in them: yet it argueth withall in them a strong apprehension of the equity of that principle of Nature and Iustice, which bindeth men that receiue benefits ad foreign, to a necessity of requitall and retribution. Truth it is; to God our heauenly Father first, and then to our earthly **Sirac. 7.28.Parents, none of vsus can reddere paria: none is able to make a full requitall to either of them; especially not to God. But that freeth vsus not from the the debt of thankfulnes, as not to our Parents, so neither to God: it rather bindeth vsus the faster therevnto. The same Law of Nature, which teacheth vsus to requite a good turne to the vttermost, where there is wherewithall to do it, and withall a fare opportunity offered; teacheth vsus also where there wanteth either ability or opportunity, to endeauour by the best conuenient meanes we can to testifie at least the th…nkefulnesse of our hearts, and our vnfained desires of requitall. Which eeIn beneficio redendo, plus animus, quam census operatur: mag…s que praepouderat benevolentia, quam possibilitas, referendi muneris, Ambros. 1. offic. 32desire and endeauour, if eueryevery ingenuous man, and our earthly Parents, doe accept off, where they find it, as of the deede it selfe: can we doubt of ffVt decent vires tamen est laendanda volun as: hac ego contentos auguror esse Deo…. Ouid. de Ponto.Gods acceptation of our vnfained desires herein, though infinitely and without all proportion short of a just requitall and retribution? Dauid knew right well, that when a man hath done all he can, he is but ggLuk. 17.10.Luke 17:10an vnprofitable seruant, and hhIob. 22.2.Job 22:2cannot be profitable vntounto God, as hee that is wise may bee profitable to himselfe and his neighbours; and that iiPsal. 16.2.3. Nulla ex nobis vtilitas Deosperanda est, Sene. 4. de ben. c. 3. Nec ille collato eget, nec nos ti quicquam conferre poffumus ▪ Ibid. cap. 9.Ps 16:2Ps 16:3his goodnes, though it might be pleasurable to the Saints that are on the earth, yet it could p. 38not extend vntounto the Lord; all this he knew; and yet knowing withall that God accepteth the will for the deede, and the desire for the performance; he doubted not to raise vp his language to that key, in Psal. 116. kkPsal. 116.12, 13.Ps 116:12Ps 116:13Quid retribuam? What requitall shall I make? What shall I render vntounto the Lord, for all his benefits towards mee? I will take the cup of saluation, and call vponupon the name of the Lord. This thankefull heart he knew God valued as a sacrifice: nay, llforeign. Xenoph. 1. foreign.preferred before Sacrifices. For hauing reiected them at Psal. 8. mmPsal. 50.8.14Ps 50:8Ps 50:14[I will not reproue thee for thy sacrifices, &c.] he exacteth this at Psal. 14. of Psal. 50. [Offer vntounto God thankesgiuing, &c.] God respecteth not so much the calues out of our stalls, or the fruits from of our grounds: as these nnOsec. 14.2.Vitulos labiorum, these Calues of our lips, as the Prophet; and these ooHeb. 13.15.Heb 13:15Fructus labiorum, these fruits of our lips, as the Apostle calleth them. [Let vsus offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruite of our lips giuing thankes to his name, Heb. 13.] More then this, in his Mercy hee will not desire: lesse then this, in all reason wee cannot giuegive. Thankfulnes is an Act of Iustice: wee are vniust, if wee receiue his good Creatures, and not returne him thankes for them.

It is not onelyonly an Act of Iustice: it is an act of Religion too;§ 39.2. Of Religion: a double sanctification of the Creature; and a branch of that seruice whereby we do God worship and honour. ppPsal. 50.23.Ps 50:23Who so offereth praise, he honoureth me, Psal. 50. verse last. Now looke what honour we giuegive vntounto God; it all redoundeth to our selues at the last with plentifull advantage; qq1. Sam. 2.30.1 Sam 2:30[Them that honour me I will honour. 1. Sam. 2.] Here then is the fruite of this religious Act of Thankesgiuing; that it sanctifieth vntounto vsus the vse of the good Creatures of God which is the very reason Saint Paul giueth of this present speech in the next verse. EueryEvery Creature of God is good, saith he here, and nothing to be refused, if it be receiued with Thankesgiuing: for, saith he there, rrVers. 5. hic.it is sanctified by the word of God, and Prayer. Vnderstand not by the Word of God there, his written word, or the Scriptures; as some yet giuegive the sense, not without violence p. 39to the words, though the thing they say be true: but, more both naturally to the construction of the words, and pertinently to the drift and scope of our Apostle therein, vnderderstand rather the word of his eternall councell and decree, and of his power and prouidence, whereby he ordereth and commandeth his Creatures in their seuerall kinds, to afford vsus such seruice and comforts, as he hath thought Good. Which sanctifying of the Creatures by the word of Gods decree and prouidence, implyeth two things, the one, respecting the Creatures, that they doe their kindly office to vsus; the other respecting vsus, that we reape holy comfort from them. For the plainer vnderstanding of both which; instance shalbe giuen in the Creatures appointed for our nourishment: and what shall be said of them, we may conceipt of, and apply vntounto, eueryevery other Creature in the proper kind thereof.

First then,§. 40. The first way. the Creatures appointed for foode are sanctified by the word of God; when together with the Creature, he giueth his blessing, to goe along with it: by his powerfull word, commanding it, and by that command enabling it, to feede vsus. Which is the true meaning of that speech in Deutr. 8. alledged by our Sauiour against the Tempter, ssDeut. 8.3. Math. 4.4.Deut 8:3Matt 4:4Man liueth not by bread onelyonly but by eueryevery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Alas, what is Bread to nourish vsus without his word? vnles he say the word, and cōmand the bread to do it, there is no more sap or strength in Bread, then in stones. That power and nutritiue vertue which the Bread hath, it hath from his deeree; because the word is already gone out of his mouth, that ttPsal. 104.15.Ps 104:15bread should strengthen mans heart. As in the first Creation, when the Creatures were produced in acta primo, had their beings giuen them, and naturall powers and faculties bestowed on them; all that was done by the word of Gods powerfull decree, [uuPsal. 33.9.Ps 33:9 He spake the word, and they were made; he commanded and they were Created;] So in all their operations in actu secundo, when they doe at any time exercise those naturall faculties, and doe those offices for which they p. 40were created; all this is still done, by the same powerfull word and decree of God, [xxHeb. 1.3.Heb 1:3 He vpholdeth all things by the word of his power,] As we reade of Bread; so wee often reade in the Scriptures of yyLeuit. 26.26. Psal 105 16. E…ek. …16▪Lev 26:26Ps 105:16the staffe of Bread: God sometimes threatneth he will breake the staffe of Bread. What is that? Bread indeede is the staffe of our strength; it is the very stay and prop of our liues: if God breake this staffe, and deny vsus Bread, we are gone. But that is not all Bread is our staffe: but what is the staffe of Bread? Verily, the Word of God, blessing our Bread, and commanding it to feede vsus, is the staffe of this staffe: sustaining that vertue in the Bread, whereby it sustaineth vsus. If God breake this staffe of Bread, if he withdraw his blessing from the Bread, if by his countermaund he inhibit or restraine the vertue of the bread; we are as farre to seeke with Bread, as without it. If sanctified with Gods word of blessing; a little pulse zzDan. 1.12.15.Dan 1:12Dan 1:15and water, hard and homely fare shall feede Daniel as fresh and fat and faire, as the Kings dainties shall his companions: a **3. King. 19.6.8.…ake and a cruse of water, shall suffice Eliah nourishment enough to walke in the strength thereof 40. dayes and nights: a few aaIoh. 6.9.12.John 6:9John 6:12barley loaues and small fishes shall multiply to the satisfying of many thousands, eate while they will. But if Gods word and blessing be wanting; bbGen. 41.20.21.Gen 41:20Gen 41:21the leane Kine may eate vp the fat, and be as thin, and hollow, and ill liking as before: and we may, as the Prophet Haggay speaketh, ccAgg. 1.6.Hag 1:6eate too much and not hauehave enough, drinke our fills and not be filled.

§. 41. The second way.This first degree of the Creatures sanctification by the word of God, is a common and ordinary blessing vponupon the Creatures; whereof, as of the ddMath 5.45.Matt 5:45light and dew of heauen, the wicked partake as well as the Godly, and the thanklesse as the thankfull. But there is a second degree also▪ beyond this; which is proper and peculiar to the Godly. And that is, when God not onelyonly by the word of his Power bestoweth a blessing vponupon the Creature: but also causeth the Eccho of that word to sound in our hearts by the voice of his Holy spirit) and giueth vsus a sensible tast of his goodnes to vsus p. 41therein: filling our hearts not onelyonly eeActs 14.17.Acts 14:17with that joy and gladnes, which ariseth from the experience of the effect, viz. the refreshing of our naturall strength, but also joy and gladnes with more spirituall and sublime then that, arising from the contemplation of the prime cause, viz. the fauour of God towards vsus in the face of his Sonne; that which Daeuid calleth the ffPsal. 4.6.Ps 4:6light of his countenance. For as it is the kind welcome at a friends table, that maketh the cheare good, rather then the quaintnes of variety of the dishes, ggOuid Metamorph. 8.(Super omnia vultus Accessere boni;) so as that hhProu. 15.17.Prov 15:17a dinner of greene herbes with louelove and kindnes, is better entertainment then a stalled Oxe with bad lookes: so the light of Gods fauorable countenance, shining vponupon vsus through these things, is it, which iiPsal. 4.6.7.Ps 4:6Ps 4:7putteth more true gladnes into our hearts; then doth the corne, & the wine, and the oyle themselues, or any other outward thing that we doe or can partake. Now this sanctified and holy and comfortable vse of the Creatures, ariseth also from the word of Gods decree; euen as the former decree did: but not from the same decree. That former issued from the decree of Common prouidence; and so belonged vntounto all, as that prouidence is common to all. But this later degree proceedeth from that speciall word of Gods decree, whereby for the merits of Christ Iesus, kk1. Cor. 15.451 Cor 15:45the second Adam, he remoueth from the Creature that llGen. 3.17.Gen 3:17curse, wherein it was wrapped through the sinne of the first Adam, And in this the wicked hauehave no portion; as being out of Christ: so as they cannot partake of Gods Creatures; with any solid or sound comfort; and so the Creatures remaine, (in this degree) vnsanctified vntounto them. For this reason, the Scriptures stile the mmHeb. 12.23.Heb 12:23Faithfull Primogenitos, the first borne; as to whom belongeth nnDeut. 21.17.Deut 21:17a double portion: and ooRom. 4.13.Rom 4:13Haeredes mundi, heires of the world; as if none but they had any good right thereunto. And St. Paul deriueth our Title to the Creatures from God, but by Christ; pp1. Cor. 3.22.23.1 Cor 3:221 Cor 3:23[All things are yours, and you are Christs, and Christ is Gods:] as if these things were none of theirs, who are none of Christs. And in the verse before my Text, he p. 42saith of meates, that qqVers. 3. hic.God hath created them to be receiued with thankesgiuing of them which beleeue, and know the truth: as if those that wanted faith and sauing knowledge, did but vsurpe the bread they eate. And indeede it is certaine, the wicked, hauehave not right to the Creatures of God, in such ample sort, as the Godly hauehave. A kinde of Right they hauehave, and we may not deny it them; giuen them by Gods vnchangeable ordinance at the Creation: which being a branch of that part of Gods image in man, which was of naturall and not of supernaturall grace, might be, and was fouly defaced with sinne; but was not, neither could be wholly lost, as hath bin rrSee before §. 14.already in part declared. A Right then they hauehave: but such a right, as reaching barely to the vse, cannot affoord vntounto the vser true comfort, or sound peace of conscience, in such vse, of the Creatures. For, though nothing be in, and of it selfe vncleane: for EueryEvery Creature of God is good: yet to them that are vncleane, ex accidenti eueryevery Creature is vncleane and polluted, because it is thus sanctified vntounto them by the word of God. And the very true cause of all this, is the impurity of their hearts, by reason of vnbeliefe. The holy Ghost expresly assigneth this cause, ssTit 1.15.Titus 1:15To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and vnbelieuing is nothing pure: but euen their mind and conscience is defiled. As a ttSinterum est nisi vas, quodtunque infundis accessit. Horat. 1. Epist. 2.nasty vessell sowreth all that is put into it: so a conscience not uuFide purifitans corda. Acts 15.9.Acts 15:9purified by faith, casteth pollution vponupon the best of Gods Creatures.

§. 42. and how this belongeth to the present point.But what is all this to the Text, may some say: or what to the point? What is all this to the Duty of Thanksgiuing? Much eueryevery manner of way: or else blame St. Paul of impertinency: whose discourse should be incohaerent and vnjointed, if what I hauehave now last said were beside the Text. For since the sanctification of the Creature to our vse, dependeth vponupon the powerfull and good word of God, blessing it vntounto vsus: that Duty must needes be necessary to a sanctified vse of the Creature, without which we can hauehave no faire assurance vntounto our Consciences; that that word of blessing is proceeded out of the mouth of God. And such is this duty p. 43of Thankesgiuing: appointed by God, as the ordinary meanes, and proper instrument, to procure that word of blessing from him. When we hauehave performed this sincerely and faithfully; our hearts may then, with a most cheerefull, but yet humble confidence, say Amen, So be it: in full assurance that God will joyne his Fiat to ours: crowne our Amen with his: and to our So be it of Faith & Hope, adde his of Power and Command: blessing his Creatures vntounto vsus, when we blesse him for them; and sanctifying their vse to our comfort, when we magnifie his goodnes for the receipt. You see therefore how, as vnseperable & vndiuided companions, the Apostle joyneth these two together: the one, as the cause: the other, as the meanes of the Creatures sanctification: [It is sanctified by the word of God, & Prayer.] By the Word of Gods powerfull decree: as the sole efficient, and sufficient cause: and by the Prayer of Thankesgiuing (for such Prayer he meaneth, as either hath Thankesgiuing joyned with it, or else is a part of Thankesgiuing, or Thankesgiving a part of it?) by Prayer I say and Thankesgiuing, as the proper meanes to obtaine it. This is the blessed effect of Thankesgiuing, as it is an Act of Religion. And thus you hauehave heard two grand Reasons, concluding the necessity of Thankesgiuing vntounto God, in the receiuing and vsing of his good Creatures. The one, considering it as an Act of Iustice: because it is the onelyonly acceptable discharge of that obligagation of debt, wherein we stand bound vntounto God for the free vse of so many good Creatures. The Other, considering it is an Act of Religion: because it is the most proper and conuenient meanes to procure from the mouth of God a word of Blessing, to sanctifie the Creatures to the vses of our liues, and to the comfort of our Cons…iences. This Thankesgiuing being an Act both of Iustice and Religion: whensoeuer we either receiue or vse any good Creature of God; without this we are vniust in the Receipt, and in the Vse prophane. It is now high time, we should from the premises inferre something for our farther vse and Edification.

p. 44And the first Inference may be, shall I say for Triall; or may I not rather say, for Conuiction?§. 43. The first Inference; for Conuiction of our vnthankefulnes to God since wee shall learne thereby, not so much to examine our Thankefulnes, how true it is; as to discouer our Vnthankfulnes, how foule it is. And how should that discouery cast vsus downe to a deepe condemnation of our selues for so much both Vniustice and Prophanenesse; when we shall finde our selues guilty of, so many failings in the performance of such a necessary Duty both of Iustice, and Religion? But we cannot abide to heare on this care: We vnthankfull to God? farre be that from vsus: we scarce euer speake of any thing we hauehave, or hauehave done, or suffred; but we send this clause after it. I thank God for it. And how are we vnthankfull, seeing wee doe thus? It is a true saying, which one saith; Thanking of God, is a thing all men doe, and yet none doe, as they should. It is often in vdo, but seldome in imo: it swimmeth often vponupon the tip of our tongues, but seldome sinketh into the bottom of our hearts. I thanke God for it, is, as many vse it, rather a **Vsu quodem, magis quā sensu vel affectu, personare in ore multorum gratiarum actionem aduertere est. Bern. in Cant. serm. 13.By-word then a Thanksgiuing: so farre from being an acceptable seruice to God, and a magnifying of his name; that is rather it selfe a grieuous sinne, and a taking of his holy name in vaine. But if we will consider duly and aright, not so much how neere we draw vntounto God with our lips, as how farre our hearts are from him when we say so: wee shall see what small reason we hauehave, vponupon such a slender lip-labour to thinke our selues discharged either of the bond of thankefulnesse, or from the sinne of vnthankfulnes. Quid verba audiam, facta cum vidiam! Though we say, I thanke God, a thousand and a thousand times ouer, yet if in our deedes we bewray foule vnthankefulnesse vntounto him: it is but Protestatio contraria facto: and we doe thereby but make our selues the greater and the deeper lyers.

§. 44. in sundry degrees: for want of dueEueryEvery sinne is spacious, and diffused, and spreadeth into a number of branches: this of Ingratitude not least. Yet we will doe our best to reduce all that multitude to some few principall branches. There are required vntounto true Thankfulnesse three things; Recognition, Estimation, Retribution. p. 45He that hath receiued a benefit from another, he ought first, faithfully to acknowledge it, secondly, to value it worthily; thirdly, to endeauour really to requite it. And who so faileth in any of these, is (so farre as he faileth) vnthankefull more or lesse. And doe not some of vsus faile in all, and doe not all of vsus faile in some of these? For our more assured, whether Examination, or Conuiction; let vsus a little consider how we hauehave and doe behaue our selues in each of the three respects; In eueryevery of which, wee will instance but in two kinds; and so we shall hauehave sixe degrees of Ingratitude: still holding our selues as close as we can to the present point, concerning our Thankefulnesse or vnthankfulnesse, as it respecteth the vse we hauehave of, and the benefit we hauehave from, the good Creatures of God.

And first, we faile in our Recognition, § 45. I. Recognition: the first;and in the due acknowledgement of Gods blessings. And therein first, and let that be the first degree of our vnthankfulnesse, in letting so many blessings of his … by vsus, without any regard, or so much as notice taken of them: Whereas knowledge must euer goe before acknowledgement, and Apprehension before Confession. There is a twofold Confession to bee made vntounto God: the aaConfessio gemina est: aut Peccati, aut Laudis. August exp. 2. in Psa. 29 foreign. Chrysost. in Psal. 9.Ps 29Ps 9one, of our sinnes; the other, of his goodnesse. That belongeth to Repentan… ; this to Thankefulnes. Both of them consist in an Acknowledgement: and in both, the acknowledgement is most faithfull, when it is most punctuall: and in both, we come to make default, for want of taking such particular information, as wee ought, and might. In our Repentance, we content our selues commonly with a generall Confession of our sinnes; or at the most, possibly sometimes make acknowledgement of some one or a few grosser falls, which gall our consciences or which the world cryeth shame of: and if we do… that, we thinke we hauehave made an excellent Confession. So in our Thanksgiuing, ordinarily wee content our selues with a generall acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse and mercies to vsus; or sometimes possibly recount some one or a few notable and bbBeneficia quadam magnitudo non patitur excidere: sed numero pluria, & temporibus diversa effluunt. Senec. 3. de benef. 5.Eminent fauours, such as most affect vsus, or whereof the p. 46world taketh notice: and this is all we doe. But we doe indeed in both these, deale vnfaithfully with God, and with our owne soules. If wee desire to shew our selues truely penitent we should take knowledge (so farre as possibly we could) of all our sinnes, small and great (at least the seuerall species and kinds of them, for the indiuiduals are infinite:) and bring them all before God in the Confession of Repentance. And if we desired to shew our selues truely thankefull; we should take notice (so farre as possibly we could, and in the species at least,) of all Gods blessings, small and great; and bring them all before him in the Confession of Praise. We should euen ccIoh. 6.12.John 6:12Colligere fragmenta gather vp the very broken meats, and let nothing be left, those ddColligere fragmenta, ut peccāt, i. e nec m…n…ma beneficia oblinisci. Bernard. in Cant. serm. 51.small petty blessings, as we account them: and as we thinke scarce worth the obseruation. Did we so: how many baskets full might be taken vp, which we dayly suffer to fall to the ground, and bee lost? Like Swine vnderunder the Oakes, we grouze vp the ake-cornes, and snouke about for more, and eate them too, and when we hauehave done lie wrouting & thrusting our noses in the earth for more: but neuer lift vp so much as halfe an eye, to the tree that shed them. EueryEvery crumme we put in our mouthes, eueryevery drop wherewith we coole our tongues, the very ayre we continually breath in and out through our throats and nosthrils, a thousand other such things whereof the very commonnes taketh away the obseruation, wee receiue from his fulnesse: and many of these are renewed eueryevery morning, and some of these are renewed eueryevery minute: and yet how seldome doe we so much as take notice of many of these things? How justly might that complaint which God maketh against the vnthankefull Israelites, be taken vp against vsus? eeEsay 1.3.Isa 1:3The Oxe knoweth his owner, and the Asse his Masters crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

The second degree of our Vnthankefulnesse to God,§. 46. and second Degree. and that also for want of faithfull Acknowledgement, is: in ascribing the good things he hath giuen vsus to our owne deserts, or indeauours, or to any other thing or Creature, either p. 47in part or in whole, but onelyonly to him. Such things indeed we hauehave, and we know it too (perhaps but too well) but we be stirred our selues for them, we beate our braines for them, wee got them out of the fire, and swet for them; we may thanke our good friends, or we may thanke our good selues for them. Thus doe wee ffH…b. 1.16.sacrifice vntounto our owne nets, and burne incense to our drag, as if by them our portion were fat, and our meate plentious. And as ggLuk. 13.1.Luke 13:1Pilate mingled the bloud of the Galileans with their owne sacrifices: so into these spirituall hhPsal. 50.14.Ps 50:14sacrifices of Thanksgiuing, which we offer vntounto God, wee infuse a quantity of our owne swinke and sweate, of our owne wit and fore-cast, of our owne power and friends, still some one thing or other of our owne; and so rob God, if not of all, yet of so much of his honour. This kinde of vnthankefulnesse God both fore-saw and forbad in his owne people, Deut. 8. warning them to take heed, verse 17. lest when they abounded in all plenty and prosperity, iiDeut. 8.14.17.Deut 8:14Deut 8:17they should forget the Lord, and say in their hearts, my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth. The very saying or thinking of this was a forgetting of God. kkIbid. 18.But (saith Moses there) thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is he that giueth thee power to get wealth, &c. The whole Chapter is none other but a warne-word against vnthankfulnesse. All llEst superbia, & delictū maximum, vti datis tanquam innatis; & in acceptit beneficiis gloriam vsurpare benificii, Bernard. de dilig. Deo.glorying in our selues, all vaine boasting of the gifts of God, or bearing our selues high vponupon any of his blessings, is a kind of smothering of the receipt; and argueth in vsus a kind of loathnesse to make a free acknowledgement of the giuers bounty; and so is tainted with a spice of vnthankfulnesse in this degree, mm1. Cor. 4.7.1 Cor 4:7If thou didst receiue it; why doest thou glory, as if thou hadst not receiued it? saith my Apostle elsewhere. Hee that glorieth in that, for which hee euen giueth thankes; doth by that glorying, as much as hee dareth, reuerse his thankes. The Pharisee, who nnLuk. 18.11.Luke 18:11thanked God hee was not like other men; did euen then, and by those very thankes, but bewray his owne wretched vnthanke…ulnesse.

p. 48Besides a faithfull Recognition, in free acknowledging the benefit receiued; there is required vntounto thankfulnesse a just Estimation of the benefit,§. 47. II. Estimation: the Third; in valuing it, as it deserueth: Wherein we make default, if either we value it not at all, or vndervalue it. The third Degree then o… our Ingratitude vntounto God, is the Forgetfulnesse of his benefits. When we so easily ooApperet illū non sape de reddendo cogis asse, cui obrepsit obliuio, Senec. 3. de ben 1- peruensunt c…, quo, vt ego existime, pessimus quisque & ingratissimus peruenit; vt obliuiscantur. Ibi. 5.forget them, it is a signe we set nought by them. EueryEvery man readily remembreth those things, hee maketh any reckoning of: insomuch that, although old age be naturally forgetfull, yet ppNec vero quē quam se…ū audiui ebutum, quo loco the saurum obruisses: Omnia, quae currant miminerunt: vadinc…nia cen…tituta, qui sibi, quibus ipsi debea…t. Cic de senect.Tully saith, he neuer knew any man so old as to forget where he had hid his gould, or to whom he had lent his monyes. In Deut. 8. Moses warneth the people, (as you heard) to qqDeut. 8, 14.Deut 8:14beware, lest being full they should forget the Lord that had fed them: and Dauid stirreth vp his soule in Psal. 103. to rrPsal. 103.2.Ps 103:2blesse the Lord, and not to forget any of his benefits. We all condemne Pharaohs Butler of vnthankfulnesse to Ioseph, (and so we may well doe; for he afterwards ssGen, 41.9.condemned himselfe for it:) in that hauing receiued comfort from Ioseph, when they were fellow prisoners, he yet ttGen. 40.23.Gen 40:23forgat him when he was in place where, and had power and opportunity to requite him. How inexcusable are wee, that so condemne him? seeing wherein we judge him, we condemne our selues as much, and much more: for we doe the same things, and much worse. Hee forgat Ioseph, who was but a man like himselfe: we forget God. He had receiued but one good turne: we many. It is like he had none about him to put him in mind of Ioseph; for as for Ioseph himselfe we know he lay by it, and could hauehave no accesse: we hauehave God himselfe dayly rubbing vp our memories, both by his word and Ministers, and also by new and fresh benefits. He, as soone as a faire occasion presented it selfe, confest his fault, and remembred Ioseph; thereby shewing his former forgetfulnesse to hauehave proceeded rather from negligence then Wilfulnes: we after so many fresh remembrances and blessed opportunities, still continue in a kind of wilfull and confirmed resolution, still to forget. Well may we forget these priuate p. 49and smaller blessings; when we begin to grow but too forgetfull of those great and publique Deliuerances God hath wrought for vsus. Two great deliuerances in the memory of many of vsus, hath God in his singular mercy wrought for vsus of this Land; such as I thinke, take both together, no Christian age or Land can paralell: One formerly, from a forreine Inuasion abroad; ano…her since that, from an hellish Conspiracy at home: both such, as wee would all hauehave thought, when they were done, should neuer hauehave bin forgotten. And yet, as if this were Terra Oblinionis, the land where all things are forgotten; how doth the memory of them fade away, and they by little and little grow into forgetfulnesse! Wee had almost loued, to see Eighty-eight almost quite forgotten, and buried in a perpetuall Amnestie; (God be blessed who hath graciously preuented, what we feared herein:) God grant that we, nor ours, euer liue to see Nouembers fifth forgotten, or the solemnity of that day silenced.

A fourth Degree of vnthankfulnesse is,§. 48. and Fourth degree. in vnderualuing Gods blessings, and lessening the worth of them. A fault whereof the murmuring Israelites were often guilty: who although they were brought into a uuExod. 3.8.Exod 3:8good Land, flowing with milke and honey, and abounding in all good things both for necessity and delight; yet as it is in xxPsal. 106.24.Ps 106:24Psal. 106. They thought scorne of that pleasant Land: and were euer and anon and vponupon eueryevery light occasion repining ag…inst God and against Moses; alwayes receiuing good things from God, and yet alwayes discontent at something or other. And where is there a man among vsus that can was his hands in innocency, & discharge himselfe altogether from the guilt of vnthankfulnesse in this kind? Where is there a man so constantly and equally content with his portion; that hee hath not sometimes or other either grudged at the leannesse of his owne, or enuyed at the fatnesse of anothers Lot? Wee deale with our God herein, as Hiram did with Salomon. Salomon gaue him twenty Cities in the land of Galilee: but because the Countrey was low and deepe (and p. 50so in all likelihood the more fertile for that,) 3. King. 29.11.13.they pleased him not; and …e said to Salomon, What Cities are these thou hast giuen me? and hee called them Cabul; that is to say, dirty. So are wee witty to cauill and to quarrell at Gods guifts; if they be not in eueryevery respect such, as wee in our vaine hopes, or fancies, hauehave ideated vntounto our selues. This is dirty; that barren: this too solitary; that too populous: this ill-woodded; that ill-watered: a third ill-ayred, a fourth ill-neighboured. This zzforeign. Iude 16.Jude 1:16grudging and repining at our portions, and faulting of Gods guifts, so frequent among vsus, argueth but too much the vnthankfulnes of our hearts.

§. 49. III. Retribution: the Fifth;The last thing required vntounto Thankefulnesse, (after a faithfull Acknowledgement of the receipt, and a just Valuation of the thing receiued:) is Retribution and Requitall. And that must be reall, if it be possible: but at the least, it must be votall, in the Desire and Endeauour. And herein also (as in both the former,) there may be a double faile: if, hauing receiued a benefit, we requite it either not at all, or ill. Not to hauehave any care at all of Requitall, is the fifth degree of Vnthankfulnes. To a Requitall (as you aaSee before, §. 38.heard) Iustice bindeth vsus: either to the party himselfe that did vsus the good turne, if it may be, and bee either expedient or needfull; or at the least, to his Dauid retained such a gratefull memory of Ionathans true friendship and constant affection to him; that after he was dead and gone, he hearkned after some of his good friends, that he might requite Ionathans louelove by some kindnesse to them, bb2. Sam. 9.1.2 Sam 9:1[Is there yet any left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindnesse for Ionathans sake?] And surely hee were a very vnthankfull wretch, that hauing bin beholden to the Father, as much as his life and liuely-hood is worth, would suffer the Son of so well deseruing a father to perish, for want of his helpe; and would not straine himselfe a little euen beyond his power (if need were) to succour him. Indeed to God, as we heard, we can render nothing that is worthy the name of Requitall: wee must not so much as thinke of that. But yet somewhat we must doe, to expresse the true and vnfained p. 51thankfulnesse of our hearts: which, though it bee nothing lesse, yet it pleaseth him for Christs sake to interpret as a Requitall. And that to Him; and His: To Him, by seeking his glory, to His, by the fruites of our Christian Charity. We aduenture our states and liues, to maintaine the honour and safety of our Kings in their just warres; from whom perhaps we neuer receiued particuler fauour or benefit, other then the common benefit and protection of subiects. And are we not then foulely ingratefull to God, to whose goodnesse we owe all that wee hauehave or are; if for the aduancement of his glory and the maintenance of his truth, we make dainty to spend the best and most precious things we hauehave, yea though it be the dearest hart-bloud in our bodies? But how much more vngratefull, if we thinke much, for his sake to forgoe liberty, lands, liuings, houses, goods, offices, honours, or any of these smaller and inferiour things? Can there be greater vnthankfulnesse, then to grudge him a small, who hath giuen vsus all? In these yet peaceable times of our Church and state (God be thanked) we are not much put to it: but who knoweth how soone a heauy day of tryall may come, (we all know it cannot come sooner, or heauier, then our sinnes hauehave deserued;) wherein woe, woe to our vnthankfulnesse, if wee doe not freely and cheerefully render vntounto God of those things he hath giuen vsus, whatsoeuer he shall require of vsus. But yet euen in those peaceable times there want not opportunities, whereon to exercise our thankefulnesse; and to manifest our desires of requitall: though not to him, yet to his. To his seruants and children in their afflictions; to his poore distressed members in their manifold necessities. These opportunities we neuer did, we neuer shall want, according to our Sauiours prediction, or rather promise, ccMath. ….6.11.Pauperes semper hab…bitis, The poore you shall alwaies hauehave with you, as my deputy-receiuers; but mee (in person) ye shall not hauehave alwaies. And what we doe, or not doe, to ddMath. 25.40 45.Matt 25:40these, whom he thus constituted his deputies, he taketh it as done, or not done vntounto himselfe. If when p. 52God hath giuen vsus prosperity, we suffer these to be distressed, and comfort them not, or victuals, to perish, and feede them not; or cloathing, to sterue, and couer them not; or power, to be oppressed, and rescue them not; or ability in any kind, to want it, and releiue them not: Let vsus make what shewes we will, let vsus make what profession we will of our thankefulnesse to God, what we deny to these, we deny to him; and as we deale with these, if his case were theirs (as hee is pleased to make their case his) wee would so deale with him. And what is to bee vnthankfull, if this bee not?

And yet behold vnthankefulnesse, more and greater then this: vnthankfulnes in the sixth, and last, and highest, and worst degree. §. 50. and Sixth degree.We requite him euill for good. In that other we were vniust; not to requite him all: but iniurious also in this, to requite him with ill. It sticketh vponupon King Io…sh as a brand of infamy for euer, that he slew ee2. Chron. 24.22, 23.2 Chr 24:222 Chr 24:23Zachary the sonne of Iehoiada the high Priest, who had bin true and faithfull to him both in the getting of the Kingdome, and in the administration of it: recorded to all posterity, 2. Chron. 24. Thus Ioash the King remembred not the kindnesse which Iehoiada the father had done him, but slew his sonne: and when he dyed, he said: The Lord looke vponupon it, and require it. And it was not long, before the Lord did indeed looke vponupon it, and require it: the very next verse beginneth to lay downe the vengeance that God brought vponupon him for it. And yet compared with ours, Ioash his ingratitude was nothing. Iehoiada was bound as a subiect to assist the right heyre: God is not bound to vsus; he is a debter to none. Ioash had right to the Crowne before Iehoiada set it on his head: we hauehave no right at all to the Creature, but by Gods guift. Ioash though he dealt not well with the sonne, yet he euer more esteemed the father so long as he liued, and was aduised by him in the affaires of his kingdome: we rebell euen against God himselfe, and cast all his counsels behind our backs. Ioash slew the sonne; but he was a mortall man and his subiect, and he had giuen him (at least as he apprehended p. 53it) some affront and prouocation: we by our sinnes and disobedience crucifie the sonne of God, ffSymb. Nicen.the Lord and giuer of life, by whom and in whom and from whom we enioy all good blessings, and of whom we are not able to say that euer hee dealt vnkindly with vsus, or gaue vsus the least prouocation. But as Israel (whom God calleth ggDeut. 32.15.Deut 32:15Ieshurun compareth to an heyfer fed in large and fruitful pastures,) going alwayes at full bit, grew fat & wanton, and kicked with the heele: so we, the more plentifully God hath heaped his blessings vponupon vsus, the more wantonly hauehave wee followed the swinge of our owne hearts, and the more contemptuously spurned at his holy Commandements. It was a grieuous bill of complaint, which the Prophet in the name of God preferred against Israel in Osee, 2. that his hhOsee. 2.8.Hos 2:8corne and wine, & oyle, and the siluer and gold which he had giuen them they employed in the seruice of Baal an abominable Idoll. If when God giueth vsus wit, wealth, power, authoritie, health, strength, liberty, eueryevery other good thing; in stead of vsing these things to his glory, and the comfortable reliefe of his seruants, we abuse them, some or all, to the seruice of those Idols which we hauehave erected to our selues in our hearts; to the maintainance of our pride and pompe, making Lucifer our God; of our pelfe and profits, making Mammon our God; of our swinish pleasures and sensuaality, making our iiPhil. 3.9.Phil 3:9belly our God; are we not as deepe in the bill as those Israelites were? as vniust, as they? as prophane, as they? as vnthankefull eueryevery way, as they? Flat…er wee not our selues: Obedience to Gods commandements, and a sober & charitable vse of his Creatures, is the best and surest euidence of our thankefulnesse to God, and the fairest requitall we can make for them. I… we withdraw our obedience, and fall into open rebellion against God; if wee abuse them, in making them either the occasions or instruments of sinne to the d…shonour of God, and damage of his seruants: we repay him ill and vnworthily for the good we hauehave receiued, and are guilty of vnthankefulnesse in this foulest and highest degree.

p. 54Now we hauehave seene what we are: let vsus say the worst we can by vnthankefull ones; call them wretches, cayt…ffes, chur…es, any thing; loade them with infamies, disgraces, contumelies; charge them with iniustice, prophanenesse, Atheisme; condemne them, and with them the vice it selfe, Vnthankefulnesse to the pit of Hell; doe all this, and more, and spare not; and as Dauid did at Nathans parable, when we heare any case or example of ingratitude in any of the former degrees, whether really done, or but in a parable pronounce sentence vponupon the guilty, kk1. Sam. 12.5.1 Sam 12:5The man that hath done this thing shall surely die. But withall let vsus remember, when we hauehave so done, that our hearts instantly prompt vsus what Nathan told Dauid, llIbid. 7.Thou art the man. Wee, we are the men, We are these vnthankfull ones: Vnthankefull to God, first in passing by so many of his blessings without taking any consideration of them; Vnthankefull secondly, in ascribing his blessings wholly or partly to our selues, or any other but him; Vnthankefull thirdly, in valuing his blessings so lightly as to forget them; Vnthankefull fourthly, in diminishing the worth of his blessings, and repining at our portion therin; Vnthankefull fifthly, in not rendring to him & his according to the good he hath done for vsus; but sixthly and most of all vnthankefull in requiting him euill for good, and hatred for his good will. Dealing thus with him, let vsus not now maruaile, if he begin to deale something strangely, and otherwise then he was wont with vsus. If he deny vsus his Creatures, when we want them, if he take them from vsus when we hauehave them; if he withhold his blessing frō them that it shall not attend them; if wee find small comfort in them, when we vse them; if they be vnanswering our expectations, when we hauehave bin at some paines and cost with them: if as the Prophet speaketh, mmAgg. 1.6.Hag 1:6we sowe much and bring in little, we eate and hauehave not enough, we drinke and are not filled, wee cloath vsus and are not warme, and the wages wee earne we put into a bag with holes: if any of these things befall vsus; let vsus cease to wonder thereat: our selues are the causers of all our woe. It is our great Vnthankefulnesse that blasteth p. 55all our endeauours; that leaueneth with sowrenesse whatsoeuer is sweete, and turneth into poyson whatsoeuer is wholesome in the good Creatures of God. It is the nnVers. 5. hic.word of God, and Prayer that sanctifieth them to our vse; and they are then good, when they are receiued with Thankesgiuing: so long as we continue Vnthankefull; we are vaine if we looke for any sanctification in them, if we expect any good from them.

I hauehave now done with my first Inference, for Tryall, or rather Conuiction: I adde a second of Exhortation. §. 42. The second Inference, of Exhortatiō; with sundry Motiues to Thankefulnesse.The Duty it selfe being so necessarie as we hauehave heard; Necessary, as an Act of Iustice for the receipt of the Creature: and necessary, as an act of Religion for the sanctifying of the Creature: how should our hearts be enflamed with a holy desire, and all our powers quickened vp to a faithfull endeauour, conscionably to performe this so necessary a duty? One would thinke that very necessity, together with the consciousnesse of our former vnthankefulnesse, should in all reason be enough to worke in vsus that both desire and endeauour. In all reason, it should so: but wee are vnreasonable; and much a doe there is to perswade vsus to any thing that is good, euen when we are perswaded. Wherefore to enforce the exhortation more effectually, I must hauehave leaue to presse the performance of this duty vponupon your Consciences, with some farther Inducements, and important Considerations.

Consider first, the Excellency of the Duty.§. 53. viz. 1. The excellency of the Dutie. There are but three heads, whereto we referre all that is called good: Iucundum, Vtile, Honestum, Pleasure, Profit, and Honesty. There is nothing desireable or louely, but in one or other of these three respects. Each of these singly we account good but that excellently good, wherein they all concurre. We louelove things that will giuegive vsus delight; sometimes when their is neither profit, nor credit in them: we louelove things that will bring vsus profit; though possibly neither delightful greatly, nor seemely: and we louelove things that wee thinke will doe vsus honesty, often times without regard either of p. 56pleasure or profit. How should we then be affected to this duty of giuing thankes, and singing praises vntounto our God; wherein all these doe joyntly concurre, and that also in an excellent measure. Dauid hath wrapped them all together in one verse, in the beginning of Psal. 147. ooPsal. 147.1.Ps 147:1Praise yee the Lord, for it is good; yea it is a pleasant thing, and praise is comely. It is good, it will bring you profit; it is pleasant, it will affoord you delight; and it is comely, it will do you honestie: and what can heart wish more? Againe, many good vertues and graces of God in vsus, shall expire together with vsus: which though they be eternall in their fruit and reward, yet are not so as to their proper actes; which after this life shall cease, because their shall be neither neede nor vse of them then. pp1. Cor. 13.8.1 Cor 13:8Whether there be Prophesies, they shall faile; or whether there be tongues, they shall cease: or whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. There shall bee no vse of taming the flesh by Fasting, or of supplying the want either of others by Almes, or of our selues by Prayer, Nay euen Faith and Hope themselues shall hauehave an end: for wee shall not then need to belieue, when we shall see: nor to expect, when we shall enioy. But giuing of thankes, and praise, and honour, and glory vntounto God, shall remaine in the kingdome of heauen and of glory. It is now the continuall blessed qqReuel. 4.8.11 & 7.11, 12.Rev 4:8Rev 4:11Rev 7:11Rev 7:12exercise of the glorious Angels and Saints in heauen: and it shall be ours, when we shall be translated thither. O that we would learne often to practice heere, what we hope shall be our eternall exercise there! O that we would accustome our selues, being rrEpes. 5.18.20filled in the spirit to speake to our selues in Psalmes and himnes and spirituall songes, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord: giuing thankes alwayes for all thinges vntounto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ: as speaketh our Apostle, Ephes. 5.

Consider secondly, the multitude and varietie and continuance of Gods blessings:§. 54.2. The continuance of Gods blessings. and let that prouoke thy thankfulnes. If thou hadst receiued but one or a few benefits: yet thankes were due euen for those few, or for that one, p. 57more then thou art able to returne. But what canst thou alledge, or how excuse thy vnthankefulnesse: when his mercies are renewed eueryevery morning, nay eueryevery ssOmni momento me tibi obligas, dum omni momento mihi tua magna beneficia praestas. August, Solil. cap. 18. Tot numera, quae sine intermission… diebus de noctibus (Dij) fundunt. Senec. 4. de benef. 3.moment, when he is euer ttPsal. 145.16.Ps 145:16opening his hand, and powring out his blessings, and uuPsal. 68.29.Ps 68:29loading and euen ouerwhelming thee with his benefits: as if he did vye with thee, and would hauehave thee see, how easily he can overcome thy evill with his goodnesse, and infinitely out-strip thine infinite ingratitude with his more infinite munificence! His Angels are about thee, though thou knowest it not: from a thousand vnknowne dangers hee deliuereth thee, which thou suspectedst not: hee still continueth his goodnesse vntounto thee, and repriueth thy destruction, though thou deseruedst it not. What should I say more, thy very life and being thou owest to him xxAct. 17.28.Acts 17:28in whom wee all liue and moue, and hauehave our beeing: thence resolue with holy Dauid, to sing vntounto the Lord, yyPsal: 104.33as long as thou liuest; and to sing praise vntounto thy God, whilest thou hast thy beeing. Many and continuall receipts, should prouoke many and continuall thankes.

Consider thirdly, thy future necessities. §. 55.3. Our future Necessities.If thou wert sure of that thou hast, that thou and it should continue together for euer, and neuer part; and that thou couldest make prety shift to liue vponupon the olde stocke hereafter, and neuer stand need to him for more: there might bee so much lesse neede to take care for giuing thankes for what is past. But it is not so with any of vsus: of what wee hauehave, we are but tenants at courtesie, and we stand continually vponupon our good behauiour, whether wee shall hold of him any longer, or no: and much of our future hapinesse standeth vponupon our present thankefulnesse. And with what face can wee craue to hauehave more, (and yet more wee must hauehave, or we cannot subsist,) if we bee not thankfull for what wee hauehave? aaBern. Serm. 77Peremptoria res est ingratitudo, saith Saint Barnard, it cutteth it of all kindnesse. bbAugust. Soliloq. e. 18.Ventus vreus & exiccans: like that ccExod. 14.21.Exod 14:21strong East-winde which in a night dryed vp the Red sea; it p. 58holdeth of the streames of Gods bounty from flowing,Gratiarum cessat decursus, vbi recursus non futri… Bern. serm. …0. and dryeth vp those channels whereby his mercies were wont to be conueyed vntounto vsus. Certainly this is one especiall cause, why God so often sayeth vsus Nay, and sendeth vsus away empty when we aske; euen because we are so little thankefull to him for former receipts. The ddEcel 1.7. sua reddentur origine fluentae gvatiae, vt vberius …luant. Bern. serm. 89.Rivers returne all their waters to the Sea, from whence they had them: and they gaine this by the returne, that the sea feedeth them againe, and so by a continuall fresh supply preserueth them in perpetuall being and motion. If they should eeAlloquin, nisi ad fontem redeant, exictantur. Bern. ibid.withhold that tribute, the Sea would not long suffice them nourishment. So wee by giuing, receiue; and by true paying the old debt, get credit to runne vponupon a new score, and provoke future blessings, by our thankfulnesse for former: as the Earth by sending vp vapours backe to Heauen from the dew shee hath receiued thence, filleth the bottles of heauen with new moysture, to bee powred downe vponupon her againe in due season in kindly and plentifull showers. By our Prayers and Thankesgiuings wee erect a Ladder, like that which ffGen. 28.12:Gen 28:12Iacob saw, whereon the Angels ascended and descended; wee preserue a mutuall entercourse betwixt heauen and earth; and wee maintaine a kinde of continuall trading as it were betwixt God and vsus. The Commodities are brought vsus in, they are Gods blessings: for these wee traffique by our Prayers and Thankesgiuings. Let vsus therefore deale squarely, as wise and honest marchants should doe. Let vsus keepe touch, and pay: it is as much as our credit is worth. Let vsus not thinke to hauehave Commodities still brought vsus in, and wee send none out, ggHorat. 1. Epist. 1.Omnia te adversum spectantia this dealing cannot hold long. Rather let vsus thinke, that the quicker and speedier and more returnes we make, our gaines will be the greater: and that hhforeign, Chrys. in Gen▪ Hom. 26 foreign. Ibid. Hom. 25.the oftner wee pray and praise God for his blessings, the more we secure vntounto our selues both the continuance and the increase of them.

p. 59Consider fourthly thy misery, §. 56.4. Our misery in wanting.if thou shouldest want those things, which God hath giuen thee. aaforeign. Tum deni que homines nostra intelligimus bona, Quū, quae in potestate habuimus, ca…misimus. Plau. in Captiu. 1.2.Carendo magis quàm fruendo. Fooles will not know that true worth of things but by wanting, which wisermen had rather learne by hauing them. Yet this is the common folly of vsus all: Wee will not prise Gods blessings as we should, till he for our vnthankfulnesse take them from vsus, and teach vsus to value them better before we hauehave them againe. We repine at Gods great blessings; we grudge at his gentle corrections; judging these to heauy, those too light: We thinke our very peace a burden, and complaine of plenty as some would doe of scarcity; and vnderualue the blessed liberty we hauehave of treading in his Courts, and partaking his holy Ordinances; and all this, because by his great goodness wee hauehave so long injoyed them: and this is our guise in eueryevery other thing proportionably. Did we but feele a while the miseries of our neighbour Countries, who want the blessings which we thus slight; or could wee but fore-thinke what our misery should be, if we (as they) had our throates euer before the sword, or were wasted with extreame famines and pestilences, or liued eyther in thicke darkenesse, without the Gospell, or vnderunder cruell persecution for it. Did we thus; though our hearts were as hard and cold as stones, it could not be but those thoughts would soften them, and enflame them to magnifie and blesse the holy name of God for our long and present peace, for that measure of plenty what euer it be which we yet hauehave, and for the still continued liberty of his glorious Gospell and sincere worship among vsus. God grant, that from our wretched vnthankefulnesse, he take not just occation, by taking these great blessings from vsus to teach vsus at once both how to vse them better and how to value th…m better.

Consider fifthly, the Importunity with God,§. 57.5. Our importunity in asking. when thou wantest anything; and according to that, proportion thy thankes, when thou hast it. I remember what Bernard writeth of the Popes seruants and Courtiers in his time: bbBe…n lib 4 le Consid. ad Eugē.Importuni vt accipiant, inquieti donec acceprint, vbi p. 60acceceperint ingrati, When Suiters come to the Popes Court with their businesses, the Courtiers and Officers lye in the wind for them, greedily offering their seruice, and neuer quiet with them till they hauehave got something: but by that they hauehave got the money, they hauehave forgot the man, and hauing first serued their owne turne, they then leaue the businesse to goe which way it will. Not much vnlike is our dealing with God. When we ccMultos videmus vsque bedie satis importune petentes, quod sibi de esse cognoue…int; sed pausos admodum nousmus qui dig…as super acceptis beneficijs gratias agere videantur. Bernard. serm. de diuersis. 27.would hauehave something, some outward blessing conferred, or some outward calamity removed, (for these thanklesse deuotions seldome looke farther, then after these outward things;) we are as S. Chrysostome speaketh ddChrysost. in Psal. 137.Ps 137foreign, very eager and earnest with God, wee must hauehave no Nay, we wrastle with him and that stoutly, as if we would out wrestle eeGen. 32.25, 26.Gen 32:25Gen 32:26Iacob for a Blessing, and we will not let him goe till we hauehave obtained it. But foreign, saith Chrysostome there, when our turne is serued, and we hauehave what we would hauehave; by and by, all our deuotion is at an end, we neuer thinke of thankes. All the tenne Lepers begged hard of Christ for a cleansing: the Text saith, ffLuk. 17.13.17.Luke 17:13Luke 17:17They lift vp their voyces; they were all lowd enough, whilest they were suitors. Sed vbi nouem? there returned not to giuegive God thankes for their cleansing, of the whole tenne any more then barely one single man. It is our case just. When we want any of the good Creatures of God for our necessities, wee ggPsal. 81.10.Ps 81:10open our mouthes wide, till hee hhPsal. 145.16.Ps 145:16open his hand, and fill them with plentiousnesse: but after, as if the filling of our mouthes were the stopping of our throats, so are wee speechlesse and heartlesse. Shame we to bee so clamorous, when we craue from him; and so dumbe, when we should giuegive him thankes.

§. 58.6. The freedome of the guift.Consider lastly, how freely God hath giuen thee, what hee hath giuen thee. iiBern. in Psal. Qui habitat. Serm. 14.Dupliciter gratis, saith Bernard: Sine merito; sine labore. Freely both wayes: freely, without thy desert, and freely, without so much as thy paines. Freely first, without thy desert. Iacob, a man as well deseruing as thou, yet confest himsel…e kkGen. 32.10.Gen 32:10not worthy of the least of all Gods mercies. And St. Paul cutteth off all challenge p. 61of desert, by that interrogatory, llRom. 11.35.Rom 11:35Who hath first giuen him, and it shall be recompenced him? as who should say, No man can challenge God; as if he owed him ought. If hee hauehave made himselfe a debtor to vsus by his Promise, (and indeed he hath so made himselfe a debtor to vsus;) yet that is still gratis, and for nothing: because the promise it selfe was free, without eyther mmNulla Deo dandi beneficij causa est. Sen. 4 de benef. 3. Ego robur Spontaneas esse numinū benignitates, vltro que ab his fluere inexpectata beneuolentiae munera. Arnob contr. Gent. lib. Deus nulli debet aliquid: quia omnia gratuito prastat. Et si quisquam dicet, ab illo aliquid debere meritia suis; certe vt esset, non ei debebatur: non enim erat, cui deberetur. August. 3. de lib. arb. 16.debt in him, or desert in vsus. Nay more, God hath bin good to vsus, not onelyonly when wee had not deserued it; but (which still more magnifieth his bounty, and bindeth vsus the stronger to be thankfull) when we had deserued the quite contrary. And how is it possible we should forget such his vnspeakable kindnesse, in giuing vsus much good when we had done none, nay in giuing vsus much good, when we had done much ill? And as he gaue it sine merito; so sine labore too: the Creature being freely bestowed on vsus, as on the one side not by way of reward for any desert of ours; so neither on the other side by way of wages for any labour of ours. To shew that God giueth not his Blessings for our labour meerely: hee sometimes giueth them not, where they are laboured for; and againe he giueth them somtimes, where they are not laboured for. If in the ordinary dispensation of his Prouidence, hee bestow them vponupon them that labour, as Salomon saith, nnProu. 12.24; & 13.4.Prov 12:24Prov 13:4The diligent hand maketh rich; and seldome otherwise, for oo2 Thes. 3.102 Thess 3:10he that will not labor, it is fit he should not eate: yet that labor is to be accounted but as the meanes, not as a sufficient cause thereof. And if wee digge to the roote, we shall still finde it was gratis: for euen that power to labour was the guift of God; ppDeut. 8.18.Deut 8:18It is God that giueth thee power to get wealth. Yea in this sence, qqSee before, Serm 3. ad Cler. §. 18.Nature it selfe is Grace; because giuen gratis and freely, without any labour, preparation, disposition, desert, or any thing at all in vsus.

All these considerations; the Excellencie of the Dutie,§. 59. The third Inference; for Direction: by remouing the impediments of Thankefulnesse. the continuance of Gods bles…ings, our future Necessity, our Misery in wanting, our Importunity in Crauing, his free liberality in bestowing, should quicken vsus to a more conscionable performance of this so necessarie, so just, so religious p. 62a Duty. And thus hauing seene our vnthankfulnesse discouered in sixe points, and heard many Considerations to prouoke vsus to thankefulnesse: it may be we hauehave seene enough in that to make vsus hate the fault, and we would faine amend it; and it may be we hauehave heard enough in this, to make vsus affect the duty, and we would faine practise it, may some say, but we are yet to learne how. The duty being hard, and our backwardnes great; what good course might be taken, effectually to reforme this our so great backwardnes, and to performe that so hard a duty? And so you see, my second Inference, for exhortation; breedeth a third, and that is for direction: which for satisfaction of those men that pretend willingnes, but plead ignorance, I should also prosecute, if I had so much time to spare. Wherin should be discouered, what the principall Causes of our so great Vnthankefulnesse; which taken away, the effect will instantly and of it selfe cease. Now those Causes are especially, as I conceiue, these fiue. viz. 1. Pride, and Selfe-louelove; 2. Enuy, and Discontentment; 3. Riotousnesse, and Epicurisme; 4. Worldly Carefulnesse, and immoderate desires; Carnall Securitie, and foreslowing the time. Now then, besides the application of that which hath alreadie beene spoken in the former Discoueries and Motiues; (for eueryevery Discouery of a fault, doth virtually containe some meanes for the correcting of it, and eueryevery true Motiue to a duty, doth virtually containe some helpes vntounto the practise of it:) besides these I say, I know not how to prescribe any better remedies against vnthankefulnes, or helpes vntounto thankefulnes; then fait…lly to striue for the casting out of those sinnes, and the subduing of those Corruptions in vsus, which cause the one, and hinder the other. But because the time, and my strength are neere spent: I am content to ease both my selfe and you by cutting of so much of my prouision, as concerneth this Inference for Direction; and desire you that it may suffice for the present, but thus to hauehave pointed at these Impediments, and once more to name them. They are Pride, Envy, Epicurisme, Carefulnesse, Securitie.

p. 63I place Pride, §. 60. viz. 1. Pride.where it would be; the formost, because it is of all other aaMaxime facit ingratos nimtus sui suspectus. & insitum mortalitati vitium se sua que mirandi. Senec. 2. de benef. 26.the principall impediment of Thankefulnes. Certainely there is no one thing in the world, so much as Pride, that maketh men vnthankefull. Hee that would be truely thankfull, must hauehave his eyes vponupon both; the one eye vponupon the Guift, and the other vponupon the Giuer: and this the proud man neuer hath. Either through bbCacus amor sui. Horat. 1. Carm. od. 18.selfe-louelove he is starkeblind, and seeth neither: or else through Partiality, he winketh on the one eye, and will not looke at both. Sometimes he seeth the Guift but too much, and boasteth of it: but then he forgetteth the Giuer; he cc1. Cor. 4.7.1 Cor 4:7boasteth, as if hee had not receiued it. Sometimes again he ouerlooketh the Guift, as not good enough for him; and so repineth at the Giuer, as if hee had not giuen him according to his worth. Either he vnderualueth the Guift, or else he overualueth himselfe; as if he were himselfe the giuer, or at least the deseruer: and is in both vnthankefull. To remoue this Impediment, who euer desireth to be thankfull, let him humble himselfe, nay emptie himselfe, nay deny himselfe, and all his owne deserts; confesse himselfe with Iacob ddGen. 32.10.Gen 32:10lesse then the least of Gods mercies; and condemne his owne heart of much sinfull eeSacrilegus invasor gloria tua Bern. in Cant. serm. 13.sacriledge, if it dare but thinke the least thought tending to rob God of the least part of his honour.

Enuy followeth Pride;§. 61.2. Enuie; the ffSuperbia prima soboles inani… gloria-mox in ridiā gi…net. Greg. 31. Mor. 31.Daughter the Mother: a second ggNon potest quisquā & invidere, & gratias agere. Sen. 3. de benef. 3.great Impediment of thankfulnesse. The fault is; that men not content only to looke vpō their owne things and the present; but hhVehemens, & importunū malum Invidia; quae nos inqui…tat, dum comparat. Hoc mihi prastitit: sed illi plus; sed illi maturius. Senec. 2. de benef. 28.comparing these with the things of other men, or times: instead of giuing thankes for what they hauehave, iiIllis non tam iucundum est, multos post se videre; quamgraue, aliquem ante se. Senec. Epist. 73.repine that others hauehave more or better; or for what they now hauehave, complaine that it is not with them as it hath beene. These thoughts are Enemies to the tranquilitie of the mind; breeding many discontents, and much vnthankefulnesse: whilest our **Math. 20.15.Matt 20:15eyes p. 64are euill, because God is good to others, or hath beene so to vsus. To remoue this Impediment; who euer desireth to be truely thankfull, let him looke vponupon ffforeign. Plutarch. de tranquil. anim. Nulli ad aliena respicienti, sua placents. Senec. 3. de Ira. 30.his owne things, and not on the things of other men: and therein consider, not so much what he wanteth, and faine would hauehave, as what he hath, and could not well want. Let him thinke, that what God hath giuen him, came from his free bounty, he owed it not; and what he hath denyed him, he withholdeth it either in his Iustice for his former sinnes, or in his Mercy for his farther good: that God giueth to no man, all the desire of his heart in these outward things, to teach him not to looke for absolute cōtentment in this life, least of all, in these things. If he will needs looke vponupon other mens things; let him compare himselfe rather ggQuod que aliena capella gerat distantius vber, Tabescat, neque se maiori pauperiorum Turbae compares? Horat. 1. Serm. Satyr. 1. foreign. Plutarch. vbi Supra.with them that hauehave lesse, then those that hauehave more: and therein withall consider, not so much what hhNec …a intuimur, quae nos alys praposuere, sed ea Sola quae fortuna praesedentū … ostentat. Sen. 3. de bē. 3.himselfe wanteth which some others hauehave, as what he hath which many others want. If a few, that enioy Gods blessings in these outward things in a greater measure then he, be an eye-soare to him: let those many others, that hauehave a scanter portion, make him acknowledge that God hath dealt liberally and bountifully with him. We should doe well to vnderstand that saying of Christ, not barely as a Prediction, but as a kind of Promise too, (as I hauehave partly intimated iiSee §. 49.before,) The poore you shall alwayes hauehave with you: and to thinke that eueryevery Beggar that seeketh to vsus, is sent of God, to be as well a Glasse wherein to represent Gods bounty to vsus, as an Obiect whereon for vsus to exercise ours. And as for former times: Let vsus not so much thinke how much better we hauehave bin, as how well we are; that we are not so well now, impute it to our former vnthankfulnesse; and feare, vnlesse wee be more thankfull for what we hauehave, it will be yet and eueryevery day worse and worse with vsus. Councell is very needfull for vsus in these declining times: which are not (God knoweth, and we all know,) as the times we hauehave seene: the leprous humour of Popery secretly stealing in vponupon vsus,kkMath. 26, 11.Matt 26:11 p. 65and as a leprosie spreading a pace vnderunder the skinne; and penury and pouertie, as an vlcerous sore, openly breaking out in the very face of the Land. Should we murmure at this; or repiningly complaine that it is not with vsus, as it hath bin? God forbid: that is the way, to hauehave it yet, and yet worse. Rather let vsus humble our selues for our former vnthankefulnesse, whereby wee hauehave prouoked God to withdraw himselfe in some measure from vsus: and blesse him for his great mercy, who yet continueth his goodnesse in a comfortable and gracious measure vntounto vsus, notwithstanding our so great vnworthines and vnthankefulnesse. Thousands of our brethren in the world, as good as our selues: how glad would they be, how thankefull to God, how would they reioyce and sing, if they enioyed but a small part of that peace and prosperitie in outward things, and of that liberty of treading in Gods Courts, and partaking of his ordinances; which we make so little account of, because it is not eueryevery way as we hauehave knowne it heretofore.

The third Impediment of Thankfulnesse, is Ryot, §. 62.3. Ryot;and Epicurisme: that which the Prophet reckoneth in the Catalogue of Sodoms sinnes, aaEzec. 16.49.Ezek 16:49Fulnesse of bread, and abundance of Idlenesse. This is both a Cause and a Signe of much vnthankfulnesse. foreign, and foreign, Fulnesse and Forgetfulnesse; they are not more neere in the sound of the words, then they are in the sequel of the things: bbDeut. 8.10.11.Deut 8:10Deut 8:11When thou hast eaten, and art full, Then beware least thou forget the Lord thy God, Deut. 8. It much argueth, that wee make small account of the good Creatures of God, if we will not so much as take a little paines to get them: but much more, if lauishly and like prodigall fooles wee make wast & hauock of them. He that hath receiued some token from a deare friend, though perhaps of little value in it selfe, and of lesse vse to him; yet if hee retaine any gratefull memory of his frìend, hee will ccQuod non me movet astimatione: Verum est foreign mei sola…is. Catul.value it the more, and set greater store by it, and be the more carefull to preserue it, for his friends sake: but if hee should p. 66make it away causelesly, and the rather because it came so easily, as the Ding-thrifts prouerbe is, Lightly come, lightly goe;) eueryevery man would interpret it as an euidence of his vnfriendly and vnthankfull heart. But Ryot is not onelyonly a Signe; it is also a Cause, of vnthankfulnes: in asmuch as it maketh vsus vnderualue the good thinges of God, at too low a rate. For wee vsually value the worth of things, proportionably to their vse; judging them more or lesse good, according to the good they doe vsus, be it more or lesse. And how then can the Prodigall or Riotous Epicure, that consumeth the good Creatures of God in so short a space and to so little purpose; set a just price vponupon them, seeing hee reapeth so little good from them? A pound, that would doe a Poore man that taketh paines for his liuing a great deale of good, maintaine him and his family for some weekes together, perhaps put him into fresh trading; set him vp on his legges, and make him a man for euer; what good doth it to a prodigall Gallant, that will set scores and hundreds of them flying at one afternoones sitting in a Gaming-house? Shall any man make me beleeue, hee valueth these good guifts of God as he should doe, and as eueryevery truly thankfull Christian man would desire to doe; that in the po…dering and perfuming of an excrement that neuer grew from his owne scalpe, in the furnishing of a Table for the pompe and luxurie of a few houres, in making vp a rich Suite to case a rotten carkasse in, in the pursuite of any other lustfull vanity or delight, expendeth beyond the proportion of his reuenue or condition, and the exigence of just occasions? To remedy this: who euer would be truly thankfull, let him liue in some honest Voca…ion, and therein bestow himselfe faithfully and painfully; binde himselfe to a Sober, discreet, and moderate vse of Gods Creatures; remember that Christ would not hauehave the very broken-meates lost; thinke that, if for eueryevery word idly spoken, then by the same proportion for eueryevery penny idly-spent, p. 67wee shall be accomptable to God at the day of Iudgement.

Immoderate Care, §. 63.4. Worldly Carefulnes;and Sollicitude for outward things is another ddNon patitur aviditas quenquam esse gratū. Senec. 2. de benef. 27. Nullum habet malum cupiditas maius, quam quod est ingrata. ld. Epist. 73.impediment of Thankfulnes. VnderUnder which title I comprehend Couetousnesse especially, but not onelyonly: Ambition also, and Voluptuousnesse, and eueryevery other vice, that consisteth in a desire and expectation of something eeNivis semper cupiditatibus occupati, non quid habeamus, sed quid petamus, i… spaimus. Quicquid domi est, vile est. Sequitur autem, vt vbi quid acceperis leve nouorum cupiditas fecerit, author quoque eorum non sit in pret…o. — ideo que ciduca memoria est, fuituro immine… tium. ld. 3. de benef. 3.for the future: which desire and expectation if inordinate, must needs in the end determine in vnthankfulnesse. For the very true reason, why we desire things inordinately, is; because wee promise to our selues more comfort and content from them, then they are able to giuegive vsus: this being euer our Errour, when wee hauehave any thing in chase, to seuer the good which we hope from it from the inconueniencies that goe therewith, and looking only vponupon that neuer so much as to thinke of these. But hauing obtained the thing wee desired, we find the one as well as the other; and then the inconueniencies wee neuer thought of before, **Nihil aeque adeptis, & concup scentibus gratum. Plin.abateth much of the waight and the price wee formerly set thereupon, and taketh of so much from the estimation wee had of the good: whereby it commeth to passe, that by how much wee ouer-valued it in the pursuite, by so much we vnderunder-value it in the possession. And so in stead of giuing Thankes to God for the good wee hauehave receiued; wee complaine of the inconueniences that adhere thereunto, and so much vnderprise it, as it falleth short of our expectation: and looke how farre wee doe vnderprise it, so farre are we vnthankfull for it. To remoue this Impediment: who euer would bee thankfull, let him moderate his desires after these outward things; fore-cast as well the inconueniencies that follow them, as the commodities they bring with them; lay the one against the other, and prepare as well to disgest the one, as to enjoy the other.

The last Impediment of Thankfulnesse is Carnall securitie, joyned euer with Delayes and Procrastinations.§. 64.5. Delay. p. 68When we receiue any thing from God; wee know we should giuegive him thankes for it, and it may be we thinke of doing such a thing: but wee thinke withall another day will serue the turne, and so we put it of for the present, and so forwards from time to time, till in the end we hauehave quite forgotten both his Benefite, and our owne Duty, and neuer performe any thing at all. My Text doth after a sort meete with this corruption: for heere the Apostle saith, the Creature should be receiued with Thanke…giuing; as if the thankes should goe with the receipt, the **Qui gratus futurus est, statum dum accepit, de reddendo cogitat. Senec. 2. de benef. 25.receipt and the thankes both together. To remoue this Impediment: consider, how in eueryevery thing delayes are hurtfull and dangerous; how our affections are best and hottest at the first, and doe in processe of time insensibly deaden, and at last dye, if we doe not take the opportunity, and strike (as wee say) whilest the jron is hot; how that, if pretensions of other businesses or occasions may serue the turne to put off the tendering of our deuotions, and rendering of our thankes to God, the Diuell will bee sure to suggest …now of these pretensions into our heads, and to prompt vsus continually with such allegations, that wee shall neuer be at leasure to serue God, and to giuegive him thankes.

§. 65. The fourth Inference; and the Conclusion of all.Let vsus remember these fiue Impediments and beware of them; Pride, Enuy, Epicurisme, Worldly Carefulnesse. and Delay. All which are best remedyed by their contraries. Good helpes therefore vntounto thankfulnesse are, 1. Humilitie, and Self-deniall; 2. Contentednesse, and Selfe-suffi…ency; 3. Painfulnesse, and Sobrietie; 4. The Moderation of our desires after earthly things; 5. Speed and Maturitie. And so much for this third Inference of Direction. I should also hauehave desired, if the time would hauehave permitted, although my Text speaketh of our Thankesgiuing vntounto God precisely as it respecteth the Creature; yet to hauehave improued it a little farther by a fourth Inference: that if wee be thus bound to giuegive God thankes for these outward blessings, how much more ought p. 69wee then to abound in all thankfulnesse vntounto him for his manifold aaEphes. 1.3.Eph 1:3Spirituall blessings in heauenly things in Christ; for Grace and Election, for Mercy and Redemption, for Faith and Iustification, for Obedience and Sanctification, for Hope and Glorification. If wee ought to pray for, and to giuegive thankes for our bbMath. 6.11.Matt 6:11daily bread, which nourisheth but our bodyes, and then is ccMath. 15.17Matt 15:17cast into the draught, and both it and our bodyes perish: how much more for that ddIoh. 6.51.John 6:51Bread of life which came downe from Heauen, and feedeth our Soules vntounto eternall life, and neither they nor it can perish? If wee must say for that, GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread: shall we not much more say for this, eeIoh. 6.34.John 6:34Lord euermore giuegive vsus this bread. But I hauehave done. Beseech we now Almighty God, to guide vsus all with such holy discretion and wisedome, in the free vse of his good Creatures; that keeping our selues within the due bounds of Sobriety, Charity, and ciuill Duty, wee may in all things glorifie God: and aboue all things, and ffEphes. 5.20.Eph 5:20for all things giuegive thankes alwayes vntounto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord IESVS CHRIST. To which our Lord Iesus Christ, the blessed Sonne of God, together with the Father, & the Holy Spirit, three Persons and one only wise, gracious, and euerliuing God, bee ascribed (as is most due) by vsus and his whole Church, all the Kingdome, the Power, and the glory, both now and for euermore. Amen, Amen.

Here endeth the first Sermon.