Londons Resurrection, Discourse 30
DISCOURSE XXX.
That to be thankful to God, and men, for the good beginnings of a new City, is one good way to perfect it.
WE are doubly indebted for that part and proportion of another London, be it a tenth, or whatſoever it is, which we ſee already: Firſt to the great God, of whom it is ſaid Pſ. 127.1. Except the Lord build the houſe they labour in vain that build it. Nextly, and ſubordinately, to men for whatſoever they have contributed thereunto, by their advice, authority, bounty, induſtry, or otherwiſe; and particularly for that excellent, and prudent Act of Parliament, which was quickly made in the caſe, beſides an additional Bill for that purpoſe, which had paſſed the honourable Houſe of Commons, and ſeemed to meet with no obſtruction in the honourable Houſe of Lords, but want of time to paſs it: and which we doubt not, when the two houſes ſhall come together again, will be readily agreed to, and made into an Act.
How noble a precedent of thankfulneſs for a good beginning (and no more) is that we read of, Ezra 3.10. And when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord, they ſet the Prieſts and the Levites to praiſe the Lord, v. 11. And all the people ſhouted with a great ſhout, when they praiſed the Lord becauſe the foundation of the houſe of the Lord was laid. Though the ancient men who had ſeen the firſt, did weep at the ſame time with a loud voice (becauſe the latter was not to be compared with the former;) yet the reſt of the people gave thanks, and ſhouted for joy. And certainly they took a right courſe to have another Temple brought to perfection, in being ſo thankful for it, whilſt it was yet but imperfect. They that will ſee a mercy finiſhed before they give thanks for it, reſolve to truſt God no further man they can ſee him.
The ſacrifice of praiſe (whereby God is glorified) is not to be defer'd till ſuch time as the work of mercy hath brought forth, but is to be offered, ſo ſoon as there is but a conception, or at leaſtwiſe, any life and motion in it; to diſcover that it hath conceived. As the hearty ſucking of a child brings down more milk into thoſe breaſts in which there was but little at the firſt: ſo a thankful heart brings down more, and more mercy, and fills thoſe breaſts more full, which by our daily receivings we are as it were emptying. What Chriſt ſaid to Nathaniel in reference to his believing, John 1.50. Becauſe I ſaid I ſaw thee under the figtree believeſt thou? thou ſhalt ſee greater things than theſe, may be applied to thankſgiving; If for a little mercy we have received already, we can be daily thankful, we ſhall be ſure of more. We ſhould be thankful for the leaſt of mercies, for that we our ſelves are leſs than the leaſt.
What better copy can we write after than that of Ezra (that holy ſcribe?) Ezra 9.8. And now for a little ſpace grace hath been ſhewn from the Lord to leave us a remnant to eſcape, and to give us a nail in his holy place; that our God my lighten our eyes (ſo Jonathans were with a little honey) and give us a little reviving in our bondage. You ſee he was thankful for a remnant, for a nail, for a little reviving, and God gave more afterwards. The ſeed of mercy always proſpereth when it lights upon the valley of an humble heart, and is ſoakt with the warm ſhowrs of affectionate thankſgivings. So as the great God could have hindred the work we are now in hand with, either by invading us with the Plague, or plagueing us with an invaſion, or otherwiſe, not one houſe might have been built at this day, of all that were burnt, nor ſo much as one foundation laid, whereas now (thanks be to God) ſome hundreds of houſes are already finiſhed: (ſeveral of them more ſtately than before) ſo that now we may allude to what the Pſalmiſt ſpeaketh, Pſ. 48.12, 13. Walk about Zion and go round about her: tell the towers thereof, mark ye well her bulwarks, conſider her pallaces, that ye may tell it to the generation following. So may I ſay, walk now about London, mark yee well her pallaces, &c. that yee may tell the generation to come, how many goodly buildings were in London, within leſs than two years, after the greateſt part of it was burnt to the ground. This is the Lords doing and ſhould be marvellous in our eyes.
Have not men, as inſtruments, contributed ſomething (and that conſiderable) towards the rebuilding of the City? (ſuch I mean as had no houſes there of their own to build) and ought they not to be thankfully acknowledged for what they have done? I doubt not but many had a hand in the forementioned Act that had no private concern in London. So to eye men as to overlook God is the greater fault of the two, but to overlook men when, and wherein they deſerve to be thankfully eyed is likewiſe a fault. Ezra hath ſet us a good pattern Ezra 7.27. Bleſſed be the Lord God which hath put ſuch a thing as this in the Kings heart, to beautifie the houſe of the Lord, v. 28. And hath extended mercy to me before the King and his counſellors, and before all the Kings mighty Princes, &c. Here, though the chief honour, and praiſe, was aſcribed to God, yet the King, and his Counſellors, and Princes, were owned alſo. The King is ſaid to have beautified the houſe of God, though God to have put it into his heart ſo to do.
Whenſoever favours are received, be they great or ſmall, thanks becomes a debt, and it is but juſt to pay it. How ſhould they look to proſper who can pay what they owe and will not? and when it is but thanks that is owing, or expected, who cannot pay it? It is a perverſe thing to withhold thanks from them that have deſerved at our hands; out of a conce it they might have deſerved more. They that do for us more than they might have done (be it more or leſs) have earned our thanks, and more it is like they will do, if they find us thankful. Some will ſcatter their bread upon the waters by way of trial, whether they ſhall find it again, I mean they ſhew leſſer kindneſſes at the firſt, to ſee if they ſhall find men thankful, and when they have found them ſo, they open the hands of their bounty much more wide, and their latter favours are ſuch as ſpeak the former, to have bin but a kind of earneſt. It is like that Leaper who alone of all the ten that were cured, did return to give thanks; had ſome favour above all the reſt added to his cure, it being uſual with God to thank men (I mean to reward them) for their thanks. And who knows but that our Rulers may have farther intentions of kindneſs towards the poor City, exceeding all that they have done for it already (I had almoſt ſaid as the laſt cloud which Elijah ſaw did exceed the firſt, 1 Kings 18. if ſuch a thing were poſſible) if they ſhall but experiment that they are owned, and acknowledged (as I hope they will be) in, and for what they have done already. Tertullus that great orator ſpoken of Acts. 24. may inform us of the beſt rhetorick wherewith to prevail for future kindneſs, who being about to court Felix, to be his friend againſt Paul, beſpake him as followeth, v. 2, 3. Seeing that by thee we injoy great quietneſs, and that very worthy deeds, are done unto this nation by thy providence. We accept it always and in all places (moſt noble Felix) with all thankfulneſs.