The Doctrine of Practical Praying, Chapter 37
CHAP. XXXVII. Of the outward expressing inward thankfulnesse by praysing God.
THe outward duty is, to expresse our inward thankfulnesse and chearfulnesse: Our thankfulnesse, by celebrating and praysing the name of God, extolling his goodnesse, recounting his mercies, and exciting others to prayse God: Our chearfulnesse, jubilando, by making a joyfull noyse, and singing unto God; Psal. 100. 1. and 81. 1. Jam. 5. 13.
Now because naturally we are backward in the performance of this duty, insomuch that scarce one of ten can be found to return prayse and thanks unto God, as appeareth in the story of the ten lepers, Luke 17. 17. I will therefore use some argumentsReasons moving us to praise God. to move us thereunto. And first that threefold argument Psal. 147. 1. Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing prayses to our God: for it is pleasant, and prayse is comely. I. It is good: For it is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us, 1. Thess. 5. 18. It is the commandment of God in many places; Psal. 50. 14. And the same is testified Psal. 92. 1, 2.
II. It is pleasant: Psal. 135. 3. For it is an exercise wherein not onelyonly the faithfull on earth do especially rejoyce, but also the Saints and Angels in heaven, who enjoy perpetuall joy and happinesse, rejoycing and reposing therein a part of their happinesse.
III. It is decent or com…ly: 1. in respect of God, to whom all glory and praise is due, and it is therefore just to give unto him the glory and praise which is due unto his name, Psal. 92. 2. in respect both of his attributes and works: Praise the Lord: for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ev…r, Psal. 136. 1, 2, &c.
Secondly, in respect of the faithfull; Psal. 33. 1. For what can more become those who by Christs benefit are become priests to offer spirituall sacrifices unto God, then to sacrifice praise unto him? 1. Pet. 2. 5. Revel. 1. 5. By him therefore let us offer continually the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing to his name, Heb. 13. 15.
To these we may adde another ternion of arguments, That praise and thanksgiving is an exercise it self most Excellent, to God most Honourable, to us most Necessary.
1. The excellency of it may appear by comparingThe excellency of this duty. it, first to the sacrifices of the Law: For the sacrifice of praise, the calves of our lips, is farre preferred before the sacrifices of goats and bulls, Psal. 50. 14. secondly, with Prayer: for as it is a more blessed thing to give then to receive, Acts 20. 35. so a more excellent thing to give thanks then to beg and crave. Again, what more excellent thing can be done on earth then that which is the exercise of the Saints and Angels in heaven? and therefore to praise God is not onelyonly an excellent but also a blessed exercise; wherein the faithfull have reposed happinesse, Psal. 84. 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thine house: they will be still praysing thee.
2. Praise is Honourable to God; Psal. 50. 23. He 2. Praise honourable to God.that sacrificeth praise he honoureth me. God so highly esteemeth his praises proceeding from us, as if thereby something were added to his glory, to which being infinite nothing can be added. Therefore the praysing of God in the Scriptures is called bl ssing. Psal. 103. 1. the magnifying of God, Luke 1. 46. and the glorifying of his name, Matth. 9. 6. the making of his praise glorious, Psal. 66. 2. or, as some reade, appone gloriam nomini ejus, appoint glory to his name, not that our praises indeed do make him great or glorious, or adde to the glory of his name, for his name is exalted above all praise, Nehem. 9. 5. but that to incourage us to this duty he is pleased so to term the setting forth of his praise, and the declaring or celebrating of his glory.
3. It is Necessary, 1. Necessit…te praecepti, by necessity3. Praysing of God necessary. of precept, Psal. 50. 14. 1. Thess. 5. 18. the which imposeth necessitatem officii, the necessity of duty, and the rather because we are priests ordained to offer spirituall sacrifices, 1. Pet. 2. 5. Revel. 1. 3. Heb. 13. 15. because in our daily prayers we desire that we may glorifie his name, and therefore in our lives are to endeavour it. We desire also that his will may be done; but this is the will of God, 1. Thess. 5. 18. Would we, as we pray, do the will of God as it is done in heaven? then must we be frequent in sounding forth his praise: for this is the exercise of the Saints and Angels in heaven.
II. Necessitate medii, by necessity of the means; as a necessary means, in respect both of our good and Gods glory. 1. Of our good, for new blessings: because it is the condition upon which the Lord promiseth to heare and deliver us, Psal. 50. 15. And in this respect thanksgiving is also profitable, because God will honour them that honour him, 1. Sam. 2. 30. The readiest way to obtein new blessings, is to giveAs…census gratiarum est descensus gratiae. thanks for the old: not that by giving thanks we deserve better and greater blessings, as the Papists reach: for this i before confuted. 2. In respect of Gods glory, which is the sovereigne end of all. All creatures do set forth Gods glory, Psal. 19. 1. and 148. The dumbe creatures, as Basil saith, are foreign, silent praysers & piercing preachers of Gods hidden works: but much more men, who set forth Gods praise not onelyonly as the matter but as the instruments of his praise, Psal. 145. 10. Our speech was given us to glorifie God; & therefore our tongue is our glory: So that they are worse then bruit creatures who are mute in Gods praises. Yea, such necessitie there is of praysing and glorifying of God, that if men should be silent God would make the stones to sound forth his praise
III. Necessitate signi, by the necessitie of the signe. For it is necessary not onelyonly that we should be thankfull unto God for his mercies, but also that we should expresse our thankfulnesse. And for as much as we cannot reserre or recompense Gods bounty, (for our goodnesse will not reach to him, Psal. 16. 3.) It remaineth therefore that we must agere gratias, that is, give thanks. For if we should enter into consultation with our selves, and deliberate what course we should take to testifie our thankfulnesse, our resolution must be the same with that of David, Psal. 1 16. 12, 17. Seeing then this is the onelyonly thing besides the glorifying of God by a godly conversation that we can do to expresse our thankfulnesse, we are very unthankfull if we be defective herein.