The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII.
Divers qualities of the praise due to God. With helps therein. And notes of Gods hearing our prayers.
THough this be Gods due and our duty, No easie matter to praise God aright.and in it selfe a delightfull thing, yet it is not so easie a matter to praise God, as many imagine: Musick is sweet, but the setting of the strings in tune is …pleasing; our soules will not be long … …e, and it is harsh to us to go about the setting them in order; like curious Clocks, a little thing will hinder the motion; especially passion, which disturbs not onelyonly the frame of grace in us, but the very frame of nature, putting man out of the power and possession of himselfe; and therefore David here, when he had thoughts of praising God, was faine to take up the quarrell betwixt him and his soule first; Praising sets all the parts and graces of the soule aworke; and therefore the soule had need gather it selfe and its strength together to this duty.
It requires especially selfe-denyall, from a conscience of our own wants, Self denyal requisite in praising God.weaknesses, and unworthinesse; it requires a giving up of our selves, and all ours to be at Gods dispose; the very ground and the fruit which it yeelds are both Gods; and they never gave themselves truly up to God, that are not ready to give all they have to him whensoever he calls for it; thankfulnesse is a sacrifice, and in sacrifices there must be killing before offering, otherwise the sacrifice will be as the offering up of some uncleane creature; thanksgiving is … Incense, and there must be fire to …rne that Incense; thanksgiving requires not onelyonly affections, but the heat of affections; there must be some assu…ce of the benefit wee praise God …or; and it is no easie matter to maintaine assurance of our interest in the best things.
Yet in this case if we feele not sense What a Christian should doe in want of assurance.of assorance, it is good we should praise God for what we have; we cannot deny but God offers himselfe in mercy to us, and that he intends our good thereby, for so wee ought to construe his mercifull dealing towards us, and not have him in jealousie without ground; if we being our hearts to be willing to praise God, for that wee cannot but acknowledge comes from him, hee will be ready in his time to shew himselfe more clearely to us; we taste of his goodnesse …ny wayes, and it is accompanied with much patience, and these in their natures leade us not onelyonly to repentance, Rom. 2. 4.but likewise to thankfull acknowledgement; and wee ought to follow that which God leades us unto, though hee hath not yet acquainted us with his secrets.
It is good in this case to help the Resolutiō necessary in Christianity.soule with a firm resolution, and to back resolution with a vowe, not onelyonly in generall that we will praise, but particularly of something within our owne power, (provided it prove no snare to us.) For by this meanes the heart is perfectly gayned, and the thing is as good as done in regard of Gods acceptance, and our comfort; because strong resolutions discover sincerity without any hypocriticall reservation and hollownesse. Alwayes so much sincerity as a man hath, so much will his inward peace be. Resolution as a strong streame beares downe all before it; little good is done in Religion without this, and with it all is as good as done.
So soone as we set upon this worke, wee shall feele our spirits to rise higher and higher as the waters in the Sanctuary, as the soule growes more and more heated; see how David riseth by degrees, Be glad in the Lord, and then, rejoyce Psal. 32. 11.ye righteous, and then, showt for ioy … yee that are upright in heart, the spirit of God will delight to carry us along …n this duty, untill it leaves our spirits in heaven, praising God with the Saints …d glorious Angels there; to him that …h and useth it shall be given; hee that Mat. 25. 19.…weth God aright, will honour him by trusting of him; hee that honours …m by trusting him, will honour him by praying; and he that honours him by prayer, shall honour him by praises; hee …at honours him by praises here, shall perfect his praises in heaven; and this will quit the labour of setting and kee…ing the soule in tune; this trading with God is the richest trade in the world; when we returne praises to him, … returnes new favours to us, and so an everlasting ever-encreasing intercourse betwixt God and the soule is maintained; David here resolved to praise God, …use hee had assurance of such a de…rance, as would yeeld him a …ound of praising him.
Praising of God may well be called Praise, a sweet Incense.…ense, because as it is sweet in it selfe, and sweet to God, so it sweetens all that comes from us. Love and Ioy are sweet in themselves, though those whom wee love and joy in, should not know of our affection, nor returne the like; but wee cannot love and joy in God, but hee will delight in us; when we neglect the praising of God, we lose both the comforts of Gods love, and our owne too; It is a spirituall judgement to want o… lose the sight or sense of Gods favours, for it is a sign of want of spirituall life, or at least livelinesse; it shewes wee are not yet in the state of those whom God hath chosen, to set forth the riches of his glory upon.
When we consider that if we answer not kindnesse, and favour shewed unto us by men, we are esteemed unworthy of respect (as having sinned against the bond of humane society and love) wee cannot but much more take shame to our selves, when wee consider the disproportion of our carriage, and unkind behaviour towards God; when in stead of being temples of his praise, wee become graves of his benefits; what a vanity is this in our nature, to stand upon exactnesse of justice, in answering petty curtesies of men, and yet to passe by the Vnthankfulnes most hainous towards God.substantiall favours of God, without scarce taking notice of them? the best breeding is to acknowledge greatest respects where they are most due; and to think, that if unkindnesse and rudenesse be a sinne in civility, it is much more in Religion; the greatest danger of unthankfulnesse, is in the greatest matter of all; if wee arrogate any spirituall strength to our selves in spirituall actions, wee commit either sacriledge in robbing God of his due; or mockerie, by praising him for that which we hold to be of our selves; if injustice be to be condemned in man, much more in denying God his due, Religion being the first due. It takes much from thankfulnesse, when we have common conceits of peculiar favours, praise is not comely in the mouth of fooles, Godloves no Mal. 1. 8.blind sacrifice.
We should therefore have wisdome and judgement, not onelyonly to know upon what grounds to be thankfull, but in what order, by discerning what be the best and first favours whence the rest proceed, and which adde a worthiness to all the rest; it is good to see blessings, as they issue from grace and mercy. It much commends any blessing, to see Gods love in every mercy chiefly to be looked at.the love and favour of God in it, which is more to be valued then the blessing it selfe; as it much commends any thing that comes from us, when we put a respect of thankfulnesse, and love to God upon it; and if we observe we shall find the unkindnesse of others to us, is but a correction of our unkindnesse to God.
In praising God, it is not good to delay, but take advantage of the freshnesse Not to delay our praises.of the blessing; what we adde to delay, we take from thankfulnesse, and withall, lose the prime and first fruits of our affections; It is a wise redeeming of time, to observe the best seasons of thankfulnesse; a cheerefull heart will best close with a cheerefull duty; and therefore it is not good to waste so fit a temper in frivolous things, but after some contentment given to nature, let God have the fruit of his owne planting; otherwise it is even no better then the refreshing of him that standeth by a good fire, and cryeth Ah, ah, I … warme.Isa. 44. 16.
David doth not say, I will thanke God, but I shall priase him; (though hee intends that) Thankes is then best when it tends to praising, and there ends; for thankes alone shewes respect to our … good onelyonly, praises to Gods glory, and in particular to the glory of such excellencies whence the benefit comes; and from thence the soule is enlarged to thinke highly of all Gods excellenties.
Hanna upon particular thankes for 1 Sam. 2. 1.hearing her about a childe, takes occasion to set out Gods other excellencies, and riseth higher and higher, from one to many, from the present time, to that which was to come, from particular favours to her selfe, she stirres up others to praise God for his mercy to them; So David, Deliver me, O God, and my tongue shall sing of thy praises; Hee propounds Psal. 51.this as an ingagement to the Lord to helpe him, because it should tend to the inlargement of his glory; he was resolved to improve Gods favour this way.
The Spirit of God workes like new …ine, enlarging the spirit from one degree Our thankes should bee large.of praising God to another; and because it foresees the eternity of Gods love, (as farre as it can) it endeavours an eternity of Gods praise; a gracious heart upon taste of favour shewed to it selfe, is presently warmed to spread the praise of God to others, and the more it sees the fruit of trusting God, and his truth in performing promise, the more it still honours that trusting, as knowing that it lyes upon Gods honour, to honour those that honour him; blessing will 2 Sam. 30.procure blessing; the soule hath never such freedome from sinne, as when it is in a thankfull frame; for thankfulnes issues from a heart truly humbled, and emptied of it selfe, truly loving and rejoycing in God; and upon any sinne the spirit is grieved and straitned, and the lips sealed up in such a heart; for the conscience upon any sinne, lookes upon it not only as disobedience against Gods will and authority, but as un…ankfulnesse to his goodnesse, and this …elteth a godly heart most of all; Whē Nathan told David God had done this, 2 Sam. 12 8.…d this for him, and was ready to doe nore, he could not hold in the confessi… of his sinne, but relented and gave in presently.
We ought not onelyonly to give thanks, We should study Gods praises.but …o be thankfull, to meditate and study the praises of God. Our whole life should be nothing else but a continuall …lessing of his holy name, endeavouring to bring in all we have, and to lay i… out for God and his people, to see where he hath any receivers; our goodnesse is nothing to God, wee need bring Psal. 16. 2.… water to the fountaine, nor light to the Sun. Thankfulnesse is full of invention, it deviseth liberall things; though it be our duty to be good Stewards of our talents, yet thankfulnesse addes a lustre, and a more gracious acceptance, as having more of that which God calls for.
Our praising God should not bee as Praise should be free.sparkes out of a flint, but as water out of a spring, naturall, ready, free, as Gods love to us is; mercy pleases him, so Mic. 7. 8.should praises please us; It is our happinesse when the best part in us, is exercised about the best and highest worke; it was a good speech of him that said, If God had made me a Nightingale, I would have sung as a Nightingale, but now God hath made mee a man, I will sing forth the praises of God, which is the worke of a Saint onelyonly; All thy workes blesse thee, and thy Saints praise thee; All things are either blessings in Ps. 145. 10.their nature, or so blessed, as they are made blessings to us by the over-ruling comming of him, who maketh all things serviceable to his, even the worst things in this sense are made spirituall to Gods people against their owne nature; how great is that goodnesse which makes even the worst things good?
Little favours come from no small love, but even from the same love that The least mercy to be prized.God intends the greatest things to us, and are pledges of it; the godly are more thankfull for the least favours, then worldly men for the greatest; the affection of the giver inhaunces the ….
O then let us labour to improve, …oth what we have, and what we are …o his glory: It discovers that we love God, (not onelyonly with all our understanding, heart, and affection, but) when with all our might and power, so farre as we have advantage by any part, relati…, or calling whatsoever we endeavour …o doe him service, wee cannot have a …eater honour in the world, then to be honoured of God, to be abundant in this kinde.
Our time here is short, and we shall Our praise should be reall.… ere long bee called to a reckoning, …refore let us study reall praises. Gods blessing of us is in deed, and so should ours be of him. Thankes in words is good, but in deeds is better; leaves are good, but fruit is better, and of fruit, that which costs us most. True praise requires our whole man, the judgement to esteeme, the memory to treasure up, the will to resolve, the affections to de…ght, the tongue to speake of, and the …e to expresse the rich favours of God: what can we thinke of? what can we call to minde? what can we resolve upon? what can we speake? what can we expresse in our whole course, better then the praises of him, of whom, and through whom, and to whom wee and all Rom. 11. 36.things are.
Our whole life should speake nothing but thankfulnesse; every condition and place we are in, should be a witnesse of our thankfulnesse; this will make the times and places wee live in, the better for us; when wee our selves are monuments of Gods mercy, it is fit we should be patternes of his praises, and leave monuments to others; Wee should thinke life is given us, to doe something better then life in: we live not to live; our life is not the end of it selfe, but the praise of the giver; God hath joyned his glory and our happinesse together; it is fit that wee should referre all that is good to his glory, that hath joyned his glory to our best good, in being glorified in our salvation.
David concludes, that he should certainly praise God, because he had prayed …to him. Prayers be the seeds of prai…, I have sowen, therefore I will reap; …at we receive as a fruit of our pray…, is more sweet then what wee have … a generall providence.
But how doe wee know that God heares Object.… prayers?
1. If we regard them our selves, and Answ.…ect an issue; prayer is a sure adven…re, 1.we may well looke for a returne.
2. It is a signe God hath heard our 2.prayers, when hee stirres up thankful…e aforehand upon assurance; thankfulnesse cannot be without either the …ce of God, by which we are thank…ll, or some taste of the things we are thankfull for. God often accepts the prayer, when hee doth not grant the thing, and will give us thereby occasion of thanksgiving for his wise care, in changing one blessing for another fitter for us. God regards my prayers, when … prayer my heart is wrought to that frame which he requires, that is, an humble subjection to him, from an acknowledgement of my wants, and his fulnesse. There is nothing stirred up in our hearts by the Spirit, no, not so much as a gracious desire, but God will answer it, if we have a spirit to waite.
3. We may know God hath accepted our prayer, whē he makes the way 3.easie & plain after prayer by a gracious providence; when the course of things begin to change, and we meete with comforts in stead of former crosses, and finde our hearts quieted and encouraged against what we most feared.
4. Likewise earnestnesse in prayer is a signe God heares our prayers, as fire 4.kindled from heaven sheweth God accepts the sacrifice; the ground of prevailing by our prayer, is, that they are put up in a gracious name, and for persons in favour, and dictated by Gods owne spirit; they work in the strength of the blessed Trinity not their owne, giving God the glory of all his excellencies.
It is Gods direction to call upon him in trouble, & it is his promise to deliver; Psal. 50. 15and then both his direction and promise that we shall glorifie him; When troubles stirre up prayer, Gods answer to them will stirre up praises. David when … saith, I shall praise God, presupposes …d would deliver him, that he might …ve ground of praising his name. And … knew God would deliver him, be…use as from faith he had prayed for deliverance, so hee knew it was the order of Gods dealing, to revive after drooping, and refresh after fainting. God knowes otherwise that our spirits would faile before him.
A thankfull disposition, is a speciall …lp in an afflicted condition, for thankfulnesse springs from love, and love rejoy… in suffering. Thankfulnesse raises Acts. 15. 21…e soule higher then it selfe, it is a tra…g with God, whereby as we by him, …o be gaines by us. Therefore the Saints …d this as a motive to God, that hee would grant their desires, because the …ing praise him, and not the dead. If Isay 38. 19God expect praise from us, sure he will …t us into a condition of praise.
Unthankfulnesse is a sinne detestable …th to God and men, and the lesse pu…hment it receives from humane lawes, the more it is punished inward… by secret shame, and outwardly by publique hatred, if once it prove notorious. When Gods arrests come forth fo… denying him his tribute, he chiefly eye… an unthankfull heart, and hates all sinne the worse, as there is more unthankfulnesse in it: the neglect of kindnesse is taken most unkindly. Why should we load God with injuries, that loadeth u… with his blessings? who would requi…e good with evill? Such mens mercies will prove at last so many inditements against them.
I beseech you therefore labour to be men of praises. If in any duty wee Vsemay expect assistance, we may in this, that altogether concernes Gods glory: the more we praise God, the more we shall praise him. When God by grace enlarges the will, he intends to give the deede. Gods children wherein their wil… are conformable to Gods will, are sure to have them fulfilled. In a fruitfull ground, a man will sow his best seed. God intends his owne glory in every mercy, and he that praises him, glorifies Psal. 50. 23.him. When our wills therefore cary us … that which God wills above all, wee …y well expect he will satisfie our de…es. The living God is a living foun…ine never drawne dry, he hath never …one so much for us, but hee can and will doe more. If there be no end of our praises, there shall be no end of his goodnesse: no way of thriving like to …. By this meanes we are sure never … be very miserable; how can he bee dejected, that by a sweet communion with God sets himselfe in heaven? nay …keth his heart a kinde of heaven, A 2 Cor. 6. 16Temple, a holy of holies, wherein Incense … offered unto God. It is the sweetest …anch of our Priestly office, to offer …p these daily sacrifices; It is not only …e beginning, but a further entrance … our heaven upon earth, and shall bee …e day our whole imployment for e…r.
Praise is a just and due tribute for all Praise is a just and due debt.…s blessings; for what else especially …e the best favours of God call for at …r hands? How doe all creatures …aise God, but by our mouthes? It is a debt alwayes owing, and alwayes paying; and the more we pay, the more we shall owe; upon the due discharge of this debt, the soule will finde much peace. A thankfull heart to God for his blessings, is the greatest blessing of all. Were it not for a few gracious soules, what honour should God have of the rest of the unthankfull world? which should stirre us up the more to be trumpets of Gods praises in the midst of his enemies, because this (in some sort) hath a prerogative above our praising God in heaven, for there God hath no enemies to dishonour him.
This is a duty that none can except Praising of God, A duty without exception.against, because it is especially a work of the heart. All cannot shew their thankfulnesse in giving or doing great matters, but all may expresse the willingnesse of their hearts. All within … may praise his holy name, though wee Psal. 103.have little or nothing without us; and that within us is the thing God chiefly requires. Our heart is the Altar on which wee offer this Incense; God lookes not to quantity, but to propor…ion; he accepts a mite where there is …o more to be had.
But how shall we be enabled to this great Quest.…y?
Enter into a deep consideration of Gods Answ.…rs, past, present, and to come; think How we may attaine to praise God in some acceptable maner.of the greatnesse and suteablenesse of them … our condition, the seasonablenesse …d necessity of them every way unto … Consider how miserable our life …re without them, even without 1. A deepe consideration of favours.…mon favours; but as for spirituall …ours, that make both our naturall …d civill condition comfortable, our …y life were death, our light were …nesse without these. In all favours …ke not of them so much, as Gods …cy and love in Christ which swee… them. Thinke of the freenesse of … love, and the smallnesse of thy own …rts. How many blessings doth God …tow upon us, above our deserts, yea, …e our desires, nay, above our very …ghts? He had thoughts of love to … when wee had no thoughts of our …es. What had we been if God had not been good unto us? How many blessings hath God bestowed upon us, that we never prayed for? and yet we are not so ready to praise God, as to pray unto him; this more desire of what we want, then esteeming of what we have, shews too much prevailing of self-love. But
Secondly, comparing also our selves 2. By comparing our selves with others.with others, will adde a great lustre to Gods favour, considering wee are all hewed out of one Rock, and differ nothing from the meanest, but in Gods free love. Who are wee that God should single us out for the glory of his rich mercy?
Considering likewise, that the blessings 3. That Gods blessings to us are, as if we onelyonly were cared for.of God to us, are such as if none but we …d them, and God cares for us, as if hee … none else to care for in the world besides. These things well pondered, should set the greater price upon Gods blessings, what are we in nature and grace, b… Gods blessings? What is in us, about us, above us? What see we, taste wee, enjoy we, but blessings? All wee have or hope to have, are but dead favou… to us, unlesse we put life into them by … spirit of Thankfulnesse. And shall we …e as dead as the earth, as the stones …ee tread on? Shall we live as if wee were resolved God should have no praise by us? Shall we make our selves God, ascribing all to our selves? Nay, shall we (as many doe) fight against God with his owne favours, and turne Gods blessings against himselfe? Shall we abuse peace to security? Plenty to ease, promises to presumption, gifts to pride? How can we please the devill better then thus doing? Oh! the wonderfull patience of God, to continue …e to those whose life is nothing else, … a warring against him the giver of …e.
As God hath thoughts of love to us, so should our thoughts be of praises to …m, and of doing good in our places …o others for his sake. Think with thy selfe. Is there any I may honour God by releeving, comforting, counselling? … there any of Ionat hans race? Is there 2 Sam. 9. 1.…y of Christs deare ones? I will doe good to them, that they together with Psal. 118. 1me, and for me may praise God. As David here checks himselfe for the failing and disquietnesse of his Spirit, and as a cure thereof, thinkes of praising God. So let us (in the like case) stir up our soules as he did, and say, Praise the Lord, O my soule, and all that is within me, Psal. 103. 1set forth his holy name. Wee never use our spirits to better purpose, then when by that light we have from God, wee stirre them up to looke back againe to him.
By this it will appeare to what good purposes we had a being here in the The excellent use of Thanksgiving.world, and were brought into communion with Christ by the Gospell. The cariage of all things to the right end, shewes, whose we are, and whither we tend. It abundantly appeares by God… revealing of himselfe many wayes to us, as by Promises, Sacraments, Sabbaths, &c. that hee intended to raise up our hearts to this heavenly duty. The whole gracious dispensation of God in Christ tends to this, that our cariage should be nothing else, but an expression of Thankfulnesse to him; that by a free cheerefull and gracious disposition, we might shew we are the people of Gods free grace, set at liberty from the spirit of bondage, to serve him without Luk. 1. 74.feare, with a voluntary child-like service, all the dayes of our lives.