The Churchs Thank-Offering to God Her King, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
The Church, in Recording, looks backe to the Ancient of Dayes, and thoſe ancient Mercies hid with Chriſt in God; exalteth free Grace; Thence receives all concerning this Life, and the Life to come; Then Recordeth her forgetfulneſſe of Mercies and is humbled.
SECT. I.
The Righteous Nation advanceth free Grace. God is to be praiſed for the leaſt of His Mercies. He is to be admired in the glorious wayes of Redemption.
THe Church cannot fixe the time where She begins to thanke and to praiſe, no more then She can the juſt period or end thereof; for her Thanks and her Praiſes are as her Mercies are, from everlaſting to everlaſting. But yet She may ſpeake to our capacity and purpoſe here, to ſhew us the method which She uſeth in Thanksgiving, and where She begins; Not, as the uſuall manner is, at the preſent time only, for Mercies in ſight, and for all the ſweets and comforts to ſence. She is not all for preſent Mercies, though She can be inlarged for them; Theſe move upon an everlaſting foundation; And in the vertue and by the ſtrength of old Mercies, She, receives and carries on the new. We muſt obſerve the order. The Church then begins to Record, to Thanke, to Praiſe her God, looking backe as far as her underſtanding can carry her, and beyond it, even to the dayes of Eternity, before the foundation of the World: There, according to her meaſure, beholds free Grace, Mercy, and Love; Love to His, becauſe He loved them aDeut. 7.; Grace, becauſe He will be gracious; Mercy ſo free too, even becauſe it pleaſed Him bEph. 1. 5.. It was according to the good pleaſure of His will. What is …reer then Grace? and behold what Grace! Is there any vaine boaſter in the World? Yes, thouſands: She can confound him and them, that they ſhall never open their mouth a…y more becauſe of their ſhame cEzek. 16. 63.; If they will remember with her the Time, when She, as they, lay in her bloud to the loathing of her Perſon; and that her good Lord, ſaid even then, this is a Time of Love bEzek. 16. ….. An admirable and free Love. She was even as others, by nature the children of wrath cEph. 2. 3., in the ſame lump and tranſgreſſion, no difference there dRom. 3. 22.. Free Grace came, made her to differ from another e1 Cor. 4. 7.. She was dead, and then her eye was cloſed, and her eare ſtopped to all that man could doe or ſay; Say what you will, the dead heare not: But the dead can heare a creating and quickning voice, and ſo her Lord was pleaſed to ſpeake unto her, with a ſtrong hand fIſa. 8. 11., as the expreſſion is, which ſpeaks and drawes too, and then She was obedient: And as her Lord ſpake with a ſtrong hand to her at the firſt; ſo, with the ſame hand hath He commanded in her ever ſince, therefore She is not rebellious: her Lord rules in her heart as he doth in the world, in the midſt of his enemies gPſal 110. 2.; and through the greatneſſe of that power ſhall thoſe enemies ſubmit themſelves unto Him, hPſal. …6 3.and be ſubdued in her. But here is free Mercy ſtill, free Grace; She is called by a very proper Name, The Church; Perſons called and culled out, not for any worth that was in them: *foreign.The Lord caſt aſide a thouſand on the right hand, and ten thouſand on the left, as honourable, as wiſe, as good as they, within and without the Pale, pitched his Love upon her. And now She is a ſelect, choice and peculiar people; nay a more choice and peculiar people yet (as one ſaith) iClem Alexandr. Strom. 6 p 485. foreign.which ingageth mightily to walke more peculiarly. The Church hath another Name, which me thinks is very ſignificant, and muſt keep her very humble all her dayes; Thou ſhalt he called, Sought-out kIſa. 62. 12.; Sought out indeed from amidſt a refuſe multitude, when as She was no better then they, as Children of the Aethyopians unto me, ſaith the Lord lAmos 9. 7.. Sought out, as you ſeeke your Wheate amidſt tares, or covered over with …n heap of Chaffe; or as you ſeeke Fiſh in a Drag-net, amidſt rubbiſh and heaps of dirt. *Phil. 3. 9.Thou ſhalt be called, Sought out, and it is her Glory, That She is found in Chriſt: She Records that, and is humbled, and ſo well fitted to Thanke and Praiſe, wherein She is too much ſtraitned: But in this She is comforted, That what She doth, She doth heartily; and what is wanting to that worke now, ſhall be made up hereafter; for it is the worke the Saints ſhall be imployed in to all Eternity.
SECT. II.
Common expreſſions ſuffice not to ſhew forth Rich and precious Mercies.
NOw the Church ſhould Record her ſtrong Conſolations, when …r Beloved brought her to the Banquetting houſe, when His left-hand was under her H…ad, and His right-hand did embrace Her. Then I ſhould come to Revelations, cleare Manifeſtations of Cant. …. 4. 6.her Beloved unto her, ſtill with ſweet diſtillations, droppings of the Spirit upon her heart; Then His hiding of Himſelfe, for that made her aske more earneſtly after Him whom her ſoule loveth: She Records all theſe, and cals in all her ſweet experiences, gracious and rich Promiſes, for theſe are the Pillars that beare her up, her hands and her heart: All theſe ſhe doth Record, for theſe ſhe doth Thanke and Praiſe: I leave her before her God, and to her owne expreſſions, for truly they are unspeakable, they cannot be uttered by any other but her ſelfe. Beſides, I ſhould ſpeake Parables, and dazle my eye with an amaze. We will conclude here, That her veſſell is filled, and her houſe with the glory of the Lord, as full as an habitation on earth can be; ſo as the Glory of the World is darkneſſe to her, and the fulneſſe of the Creature there but emptineſſe, her mouth then is filled with praiſe, and her heart ſhall be kept as a chaſte Matron for her Beloved, even as the Holy of Holies. She will praiſe the Lord while She hath any being here, and hereafter the high Praiſes of her God for ever.
SECT. III.
The Church overcome with the loving kindneſſe of her Lord, giving her all things richly to enioy, chargeth her ſelfe with unthankefulneſſe.
ANd now that this fountaine is opened, this Well-head of Mercies …nd loving kindneſſes; The ſtreams flowing towards her therefrom, doe carry her downe as into an Ocean of Love; for now behold what a rich portion She hath! All things are hers, God is hers, and She hath enough, for He is all things; All things in Heaven and in Earth worke for her good: She looks abroad in the World, and behold …ercies before and behinde, and on each hand. Truly the Church cannot tell what to record next; but much is to be recorded before She comes to that which is expected. Indeed her good Lord, bleſſed for ever, hath dealt to her ſuch a largeſſe of good things, according to His rich bounty, even in earthly matters, under Moone comforts; That She can reſolve upon no other way but this, being amidſt a throng of Mercies, which now preſſe in upon her, even to Record, Thanke, and Praiſe the Lord for H…s free grace towards her, ſo abu…dantly ſhewed in this; That He hath not charged upon her the dayes of her forgetfulneſſe; When She did not record and render backe, according as She had received. Her Lord hath forgiven much this way unto her; and therefore She loveth much; for how few of many Mercies are recorded, and fewer yet had their full weight of Thanks and praiſe from her. Mercies! When She ſpeaks of them, She is confounded, and as one in a maze: Mercies cloathe her; Mercies feed her; Mercies uphold her every moment; She lyeth downe with them, riſeth up with them: Mercies privative; Mercies poſitive; Preventing Mercies; Following Mercies; Crowning Mercies; Mercies to the outward man; Mercies to the inward man. How many? Aske rather how many Sands there be, and the number of the Starres: But there is One for all, A comprehenſive Mercy indeed, and the fountaine of all; From Him (that is, from Chriſt) All flow downe unto her, and are a purchaſe of bloud. And truly She ſaith heartily, She is not thankfull for Chriſt, not for that unspeakable gift, not according as She hath received; and that is her ſhame and trouble both. It is her wonder, and ſhame, and ſorrow, all three, That Mercies ſhould be continually in her ſence; She ſees them, and taſtes them, and feeles them, and yet ſo little in her mind. O bleſſed be God, Who hath not charged upon her the dayes of forgetfulneſſe.
Recording, Thanking, Praiſing, is the only Tribute, Taxation or Impoſt which the Lord hath ſet upon all things, He gives us richly to enjoy. The Earth ſhall give in unto thee her fruitfulneſſe; not the leaſt herbe there but is for thy meat or thy medicine: So the Waters, ſo the Ayre, the variety of Inhabitants therein: So the Heavens, the Starres and influences there-from. All ſhall give forth their ſtrength, beſides their homage and Tribute to man their Lord; But now he muſt remember this Tribute to God And yet how is that forgotten? Heare what the Lord ſaith; My flaxe and my Wooll (all are His, even the Beaſts upon a thouſand Mountaines) are to cloathe thee; My Oyle and my Wine to refreſh Thee; My Wheate and my Barley to be a ſtay and ſtaffe unto Thee: Only record theſe Mercies, acknowledge the Giver, and pay Him His Tribute, Thanks and Praiſe. Good Lord, how ſhort are we herein in rendring back! Nay, the Church doth ſay ſo, and yet her Lord hath paſſed it over, and in this way of loving kindneſſe hath forgiven much; She hath no more to ſay, but this: Therefore She loveth much. And yet I muſt adde this; for it is according to the mind of the Righteous, They remember notonly, Their forgetfulneſſe of mercies, but their unfruitfulneſſe under them; Their abuſe of them; Their ſecurity; Yea and their rebellion alſo; The more the Mercies were, the more ſecure they were; The fuller the Paſture was, the more they kicked with the heele, fighting ſometimes againſt God with His own weapons. But ſith their God hath paſſed over all this; Therefore they love much.