The Doctrine of Practical Praying, Chapter 36
CHAP. XXXVI. Speciall duties required in thanksgiving.
THe duties specially required in Thanksgiving do concern either the manner how, or the time when, or the object for which we are to give thanks. For the manner, there are duties required both in the action it self and out of it, that is, before and after.
In the action there are duties required both inward and outward.
The inward are foreign, Thankfulnesse; and foreign, Chearfulnesse.
The former is required Col. 3. 16. that we should1. Thankfulnesse. sing foreign, with grace in our hearts. For foreign and gratia do signifie both the benefit and the thanks; as when we say, foreign, Gratia gratiam parit, A good turn begetteth thanks: And in this sense the word grace is used for Thanksgiving at meals. The grace therefore that is required in the soul is Thankfulnesse. For outward thanksgiving without inward thankfulnesse is counterfeit and hypocriticall. There is no doubt but that habendae sunt gratiae quas agimus, we must have thankfulnesse when we give thanks. And as prayer is the expressing of our desire, so thanksgiving is the testifying of our thankfulnesse. And therefore as they play the hypocrites which pray for that which they do not desire, so likewise they which give thanks for that for which they are not thankfull, either because they have it not, or do not think themselves beholding to God for it, Luke 18. And as in prayer the Lord especially regardeth the desire of the heart; so in thanksgiving, the thankfulnesse of the soul.
Now unto this thankfulnesse there is required
grata
recordatio, mindfulnesse, in the soul;
agnitio, acknowledgement, in the soul;
affectio, affection, in the heart.
For first, if we be not mindfull of Gods benefits,2. Rememb…ance of Gods benefits. non habemus gratias, we bear them not in mind, we are not thankfull. And therefore we are often stirred up to remember Gods benefits, and straitly charged that we do not forget them: for to forget them is to be unthankfull. See Deut. 6. 10, 11, 12. and 8. 11, 14, 17, 18. and 32. 15, 18. Psal. 103. 2. and 116. 21. And this remembrance it must be effectuall, moving us to be thankfull both in heart, word, and deed, Psal. 78. 7. Deut. 8. 11.
The second is a gratefull acknowledgement beneficii 3. A gratefull acknowledgment of Gods benefits.Divini, of Gods goodnesse; and officii nostri, of ou beholdingnesse. To the gratefull acknowledg…ent of Gods benefit is required, first a faithfull gnizing of the authour or benefactour, and a rig… prizing of the benefit. For if we would be tr… thankfull unto God, we must acknowledge, w…t good thing soever we have, whether spiri…all or temporall▪ by what means soever, that God i… …he authour and giver thereof, Jam. 1. 17. But in…delity in not acknowledging God to be the giver, …ut either resting in the secondary causes, which are but the instruments of God, or ascribing the good things we have either to our good fortune or to our own industry or worthinesse, maketh men unthankfull unto God. For faithlesse men, as when they desire any good thing which they want do not seek unto God, so having obteined their desire they do not return praise unto him, but ascribe the good thing which they have either to blind fortune with profane Atheists, or to their idoles with idolaters and Papists, Hos. 2. 5, 8. or else rest in secondary causes as the principall, and preferre the tool before the workman, Isai. 10. 15. or attribute it to their own means and industry, and so sacrifice to their net, Hab. 1. 16. or lastly to their own wisdome and worthinesse, as if they were gods to themselves, Deut. 8. 17, 18.
The second thing is a gratefull estimate and a4. A gratefull estimate of Gods benefits. right prizing of Gods benefits, as well when we have them as when we want them. But ungratefull men lightly esteem the benefits of God when they have them, which they greatly desire and highly prize when they want them. The which is most usuall in ordinary blessings: The benefits of …ealth, of peace, of liberty, the spirituall food of …ods word, &c. we make no reckoning of them wh… we have them; but carendo magis quàm fruendo, by …ting rather then enjoying them we learn rightl… to prize them: and God many times bereaveth me… of these benefits that by the want they may learn rig…tly to value them, and to be thankfull unto him … them. Our duty therefore is, not to extenua… Gods blessings, but with thankfull acknowledge ment rather to amplifie them, in respect of the greatnesse of them, the excellency, the profit, the commodiousnesse, the necessity, the sufficiencie; saying with the Psalmist, Psal. 16. 6. acknowledging also therein Gods wisdome, power, goodnesse, fatherly providence and bounty towards us; being perswaded that he doth all things well, Mark 7. 37. and that by the gracious dispensation of his good providence he causeth all things to work for our good, Rom. 8. 28. They therefore are unthankfull who either extenuate or lightly esteem the benefits of God (which, as I said, is usuall in ordinary blessings) Num. 11. 6. or, which is worse, do take in ill part that which God hath done for their good, Deut. 1. 27. which is usuall in the fatherly chastisements and crosses which God layeth upon us for our profit, Heb. 12. 10. But who is wise and will observe these things, even he shall understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord, Psal. 107. 43.
And as we are thankfully to acknowledge Gods5. An acknowledgement of our beholdingnesse. goodnesse towards us, so also we are humbly to acknowledge our own beholdingnesse. Which we shall the better do if to the acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse we shall adde the consideration of our own nullity in our selves and our own unworthi…esse.
For first, if we consider that we came naked into the world in respect of temporall blessings, and void of all spirituall goodnesse, we will acknowledge that what good thing soever we have we are beholding unto the Lord for it: Job 1. Naked we came into the world, and naked we shall go out of it: for what have we that we have not received? 1. Cor. 4. 7. and that by the grace of God we are that we are, 1. Cor. 15. 10.
But secondly, if we adde thereto the consideration6. An acknowledgement of our unworthines of our unworthinesse by reason of our sinnes, by which we have deserved the plagues of God in this life and eternall damnation in the life to come, we shall be thankfull to God in all estates, acknowledging that he hath not dealt with us after our sinnes, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities, Psal. 103. 10. In time of distresse we shall acknowledge his great bounty that we are not consumed, Lam. 3. 22. and so be thankfull for his privative blessings. And for the positive, if we have any (as we never are without some, more or lesse) we will acknowledge with Jacob, Gen. 32. 10. that we are lesse then the least of his mercies. But if in stead of heaping his judgements upon us which we have deserved, he multiply his blessings which we have not deserved in the least degree, how are we then to acknowledge our own unworthinesse with David, 1. Chron. 17. 16. and 29. 14, 15.?
True humility therefore is the mother of thankfulnesse:7. Humility the mother of thankfulnesse. But pride contrariwise maketh men unthankfull, perswading themselves either that they have not so much as they are worthy of, and so are discontented that they have no more; or that whatsoever they have is to be ascribed to their own worthinesse, wisdome or strength, Deut. 8. 17. Isai. 10. 13. which is to make themselves Gods; Ezek. 28. 4, 5, 6. D…n. 4. 30.8. Joy and rejoy…ing.
Now this acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse and our beholdingnesse, if it be effectuall as it ought to be, will work upon the heart that it shall be gratefully affected with the sense of Gods goodnesse and bounty towards us, causing us to love God and rejoyce in him, and to be obsequious towards God in all duties of thankfulnesse. For upon this sense and acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse towards us wherewith we are affected, followeth alacrity and chearfulnesse, which is the second inward duty required in thanksgiving. For as the Lord loveth a chearfull giver, so a chearfull thanksgiver: and as foreign, thanks, cometh of foreign, which is, to rejoyce, so foreign must be foreign, with joy, Phil. 1. 4. Jam. 5. 13. If any man be merry, let him sing Psalmes.
The holy Ghost in many places hath joyned them together; as Psal. 9. 2. and 33. 1. and 81. 1. and 92. 1, 4. and 100. 1, 2, 4. and therefore they ought not to be severed by us. It is the duty of the faithfull, who have tasted how good and graciousforeign the Lord is, to rejoyce in the Lord: Psal. 104. 34. and 149. 5. and 32. 11. and 33. 1. Phil. 4. 4. especially when we prayse him and give him thanks. For when men are dull, neither affected with any sense of Gods goodnesse nor with chearfulnesse, their thanks are not hearty but cold and counterfeit. So much of the inward duties.