The Doctrine of Practical Praying, Chapter 38 – Title page
CHAP. XXXVIII. Of the duties which ought to be performed before and after thanksgiving: and of the object and time.
DUties to be performed out of the action both before and after.
Before, Preparation: Psal. 108. 1. and 57. 7.Before, is required preparation. Wherein, first, we are to stirre up our selves to the performance of this duty, Psal. 103. 1, 2. and 104. 1. Secondly, we are to meditate of Gods undeserved bounty towards us, & our own unworthines. Thirdly, because of our selves we are unable, we are to crave the assistance of Gods Spirit, that he opening our lips we may shew forth his praise, Psal. 51. 17.
After, we are to testifie our thankfulnesse, First,After, we must testifie our thankfulnesse. by referring the benefits and gifts received to the glory of God the giver, in the good of his Church. Secondly, in seeking to glorifie God who hath been so gracious unto us, by bringing forth the fruits of a godly life, John 15. 8. by shunning sinne, John 5. 14. and walking in new obedience. Thirdly, by honouring the Lord with our substance, Prov. 3. 9. and acknowledging him to be the chief Lord from whom we do hold all good things; by giving unto him the tithes which are his, Levit. 27. Debentur Deo, &c. They are due unto God by vertue of his universall dominion over all, and by him assigned before the Law to the first-born which were his Priests, as to Melchisedec; under the Law, to the Leviticall priests; under the Gospel, to the ministers & preachers thereof, 1. Cor. 9. 13, 14. In which respect he is the portion of Priests. Neither are they due to the ceremoniall law onelyonly: For the tribe of Levi, unto which the ceremoniall law doth tie them, in Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec. Unthankfull therefore are they to God, who is the portion of the Priests, who deny to give to God his part. The Apostle seemeth to call it a mocking of God, Gal. 6. the Prophet Malachi, chap. 3. a spoyling of God, that is, sacriledge.
Now it remaineth that we should speak of the objectOf the object of thanksgiving and the time. 1. Thess. 5. 18. foreign, In all things give thanks, &c. Ephes. 5. 20. foreign, giving thanks alwayes for all things. The object, foreign, for all things, Ephes. 5. 20. that is to say, for all good things. For as we are to pray unto God onelyonly for good things, Matth. 7. 11. so are we to praise him for good things onelyonly: Otherwise we shall by our praying and praysing go about to make God the authour of evil. And it is manifest that officium gratias agendi, the duty of giving thanks doth presuppose beneficium, a benefit for which we are to give thanks.
It is true indeed that all things as they proceed from God are good, and are by him ordered and directed to his glory and the good of his chosen: and therefore in all things he is to be praysed. God is to be praysed for his attributes and for his works absolutely considered: but we are to give him thanks because he is good unto us who are his Church, and causeth all things to work for our good. We are therefore upon all occasions to give thanks unto God for his benefits either bestowed or promised, either common or private, either old or new, spirituall or temporal, either positive or privative: positive, when he bestoweth a real blessing or good thing upon us; privative, when he preserveth or delivereth us from any evil or danger whereunto either our own sinhath made us subject, or the malice of ourenemies whether spirituall or corporall doth expose us.
The time, foreign, Ephes. 5. 20. foreign, sc. foreign, in We must give thanks continually. Heb. 13. 15. Object.every opportune time, 1. Thess. 5. 18. foreign, continually.
But against this divers things may be objected. 1. If we must give thanks alwayes then we must do nothing else.
Negative commandments do bind semper & ad Answ.semper, alwayes and at all times: but the affirmative, though they bind us alwayes, yet they do not bind us to perform them alwayes. That which is forbidden is never to be done: that which is commanded is to be done, not alwayes but when occasion is offered (as every duty hath his time) and when there is a concurrence of circumstances requisite. The perpetuity therfore that is required in performing duties injoyned in affirmative commandments is to be understood of the whole course of our lives, and not of every moment of time: that is, We are alwayes bound whilest we live to perform the duties at all times when just occasion is offered; which being many and divers must have their divers seasons; neither can they all be done at once. Negative commandments are to be obeyed all at once, but affirmative in their du… seasons as just occasion is offered. In this sense David saith Psal. 46. 2. While I live I will prayse the Lord: I will sing prayses to my God while I have any being. Psal. 104. 33. and 145. 1, 2. I will extoll thee, my God, O King, and I will blesse thy name for ever and ever; that is, for ever whilest I live or have a being I will be ready upon all occasions both ordinarily and extraordinarily to prayse thee. For the distinction of invocation, that it is stata, stinted, or vaga, unstinted, is to be applied to this kind: We must both set our selves certain times wherein to call upon God, praying unto him and praysing him, after the example of Daniel, chap. 6. 10. and also extraordinarily be ready upon all occasions to return thanks and prayse unto God, acknowledging with David that when God bestoweth any new blessing upon us, he hath put a new song of thanksgiving into our mouthes, and think no time wherein God doth blesse unseasonable to give him thanks. And for as much as Gods mercies are renewed upon us every morning, Lam. 3. 23. and multiplyed upon us every day, Psal. 68. 19. and every night, therefore we are with David to prayse him every night and every day, Psal. 92. 2. and 145. 2. yea, seven times a day, Psal. 119. 164. Neither must we think midnight it selfe unseasonable for this purpose; Psal. 119. 62. Acts 16. 25. Every morning we are to prayse God for his blessing upon us that night, and every night we are to prayse him for his blessing upon us that day: Every meal is to begin with prayses and be concluded with thanksgiving: every attempt and businesse of importance is to begin with prayer and be ended with thanks, Col. 3. 17.
Thanks is to be given with joy; but we are manyObject. 2. times in distresse, and consequently in grief.
The Apostle as he exhorteth us to give thanks alwayes, Answ. That we must give thanks alwayes & for all things.1. Thess. 5. 18. so also to rejoyce alwayes, v. 16. But you must understand this as spoken to the faithfull, who rejoyce in God, being perswaded of his love towards them. For those who have not tasted how good the Lord is, nor are perswaded of Gods love towards them, they have no peace, and much lesse joy. Paulus non omnes ad hoc juge gaudium, Basil.sed tantum sui similes invitare videtur, Paul doth not seem to invite all to continuall joy, but onelyonly those who are like himself. But the faithfull, who are at peace with God, have also joy in the holy Ghost: whereby they do rejoyce in God in all estates, not onelyonly in time of peace & prosperity, but also in time of adversity, Rom. 5. 3. Yea the greatest afflictions of this life are to be born of the godly, not onelyonly meekly and patiently, but also comfortably and thankfuly. For 1. as God in all his judgements remembreth mercy, so must our faith apprehend his mercy as well as our sense apprehendeth his judgements. And therefore we ought to say with Job, chap. 13. 15. Though he kill me yet will I trust in him.
2. Because the faithfull have this priviledge, that as nothing can hurt them, Isai. 54. 17. so all things, even their afflictions, do work together for their good, Rom. 8. 28.
3. Because God afflicteth them for their good, whether by triall or chastisement.
4. Because with the outward affliction he vouchsafeth inward comfort, 2. Cor. 1. 5. 1. Sam. 30. 6. Acts 16. 25. Psal. 94. 19.
5. Because the afflictions of the faithfull, though for sinne, are under their desert; and in them the anger of God is carried not against their persons but against their sinne.
6. Because of those other favours of God which in their afflictions they do enjoy. Desinentes contristari Basil. 386. f.propter ea quae non habemus, de rebus praesentibus gratias agere debemus, Ceasing to grieve for those things we have not, we are to give thanks for things which we presently have.
7. Because though positive blessings are wanting, yet there are alwayes innumerable privative blessings for which we are to give thanks. Consider the evils we have deserved, and the dangers whereunto we are exposed: Consider that by our sinnes we have deserved all the plagues denounced in the law, Deut. 28. 15. not onelyonly in this life but also in the world to come. Whilest therefore our condition is better then those in hell, we have cause to prayse God, who hath not dealt with us after our sin…es, nor rewarded us after our iniquities, Psal. 103. 10. Lam. 3. 22. Now if they are bound to prayse God that are not consumed, how much more have we cause to prayse God, whom he hath not onelyonly not consumed, but hath heaped and multiplied his mercies upon us both privative and positive? And as at all times we are to prayse God, so in solemn festivalls ordained to that end, such as was that of Purim, Esth. 9. and ours of the Fifth of November, for our marvellous deliverance from that horrible conspiracy of the Papists by the gunpouder-treason.
FINIS.
A GODLY AND FRUITFULL EXPOSITION OF THE LORDS PRAYER;
Shewing the meaning of the words, and the duties required in the severall Petitions, both in respect of prayer it self, and also in respect of our lives.
PHIL. 4. 6. Be carefull for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
¶ Printed by Roger Daniel, Printer to the Universitie of Cambridge. Ann. Dom. MDCXL.