Rules How to Use the World, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
The things of the World from the greatest to the least must be ever matter of our Praise.
HEaven and Earth Praise Psal. 107. 8, 9, 10.God.
The Heavens, viz.
The Celestial and Highest Heavens.
Angels and Saints, the Glorious Inhabitants there, in that Heavenly Quire continually Praise him; their Note is, Allelujah, Salvation Rev. 19.and Glory, Honour and Power unto the Lord our God.
The Upper Heavens;
The Sun, Moon, and Stars of Light Praise him, the Father of Lights by whom they were made.
The lowest Heavens;
The Fowls and Meteors therein Praise him who in his Wisdom made them; no less wonderful in their Nature than Variety.
The Earth (which includes both Sea and dry Land) Praises him.
The Sea.
The Great Water-work of God, and all the Scaley Inhabitants that trace the Liquid Paths of that Watery World.
The dry Land.
The Footstool of God, and the fulness thereof Praises him, who laid the Foundation thereof by his Job 38. 4. Jer. 10. 12.Power, and established the World by his Wisdom.
The Heaven of Heavens, and all the Inhabitants in that Celestial Countrey, the upper and lower Heavens, with the Host thereof, the Sun, Moon, and all the Stars of Light, Fire and Hail, Snow, Vapours, Psal. 148. 2, 3, 4, 7.Stormy Winds, and flying Fowl declare his Glory, and show his Handy-work, the Earth and the things contain'd therein, Mountains and all Hills, Fruitful Trees and all Cedars, Beasts, and all Cattel, Creeping things on the Earth, Dragons, and all Deeps Praise him, the Sea Roars, and the fulness thereof, the Mountains skip like Rams, and the little Hills like Lambs, the Floods clap their Hands, and the Hills rejoyce together, and in all, praise him whose Name alone is Excellent, and whose Glory is above the Earth and Heavens.
Those Creatures that have no Tongues, yet Praise him with such obedient Testimonies as their insensible Natures afford. There is no Speech nor Language, where their Voice is not heard, their line is gone out through all the Earth, and their Words to the end of the World. And those that have Tongues, though no Reason, yet praise him with those natural Psal. 19. 3, 4.Organs, how much more then should Man who has a Tongue, (a Vocal Instrument) Reason to guide his Tongue, a Rule to direct his Reason, and Mercy to oblige it, abound in praise, which is a Heaven upon Earth, and will be the work of Heaven to all Eternity, but no work of ours there, unless begun by us here,
None but wicked men on Earth, Devils and Damned Spirits in Hell deny it.
We can never sufficiently praise God, should we live everlastingly to do it, nor add any thing to him by it; for he was Essentially Glorious from all Eternity, before there was either an Angel in Heaven to praise him, or a man upon Earth to speak good of his Name; a declarative Honour indeed it is, that so many Millions of Angels, and Glorify'd Saints are about his Throne, ascribing Blessing and Glory, Thanksgiving and Honour Rev. 7. 12.to him that sits upon it, but a greater Honour it is, that he does not need it; for he is higher Neh. 9. 5.than the Praises of Heaven and Earth.
His Praise may be made Glorious, (make his Praise Glorious) Psal. 66. 2.but his Essence cannot.
Our highest Praises are nothing to our meanest Mercies, and less than nothing to the Giver of them, who, though sometimes pleased with them, is at no time profited by them, yet it is our Duty to Praise him; for, as Transcendently Glorious in himself, he is the highest Object of our Praise, and it is due to him for his own Excellencies, and continually due, (for as he ever was, so he ever will be Essentially Glorious); Due, though we never had received any Mercy from him but our First Being, but doubly due, and the more obliging since we have; viz. to him as a Glorious God in himself, and as a Gracious God to us; as the chief Good in himself, and as continually doing Good to us. It is He, more than the Clouds, that affords us Fruitful Seasons; He, more than the Earth, (that bona Dea as the Heathens call'd it) that gives us plenty; He, more than either our Power, or Policy, that continues our Peace; He, more than Bread, that keeps us in Health; and He, more than Physick, that Cures us when sick. He in these, and He, more than these; for the Efficient and Universal Cause works more than the Instrumental and Particular. He only is the Author of our Mercies, and he only must be the Object of our Praise; we receive all from him, and must return the Praise of all to him. Not to our selves, but to him; not to others, but to him, and to him alone; the Father of Mercies, through Christ the Son 2 Cor. 13. Eph. 3. 20.(the Mediator of our Praises as well as Prayers) we must as obedient Children offer up the Sacrifice of Praise, and this, not only for our Mercies, but for our Praises too; for, we are Debtors for both, can give him nothing but his own, and our Honour it is, 1 Chro. 29. 14.and not his, if he will receive it from us.
The Rabbins say that Moses was kept out of Canaan, because he ascribed too much to himself.
All Mercies are not alike (no more than all Sins) some are greater than others, though the least too great for us. They, must have a Selah, a mark of special observation set upon them, and these must have an observandum too. They in an especial manner must be remembred, but These must not be forgotten; They must have high Praise in Ditty, and Tune; and Elah, a Song of the highest strain attend them (the Jews in the Passover had a great Hallelujah) and these must have a Song of Praise too. They, a Magnificat, and These a Benedictus; for,
God will be prais'd (as the Hebrews say) in the least Emmet, or Gnat, as well as admired in the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and magnify'd in the Elephant and Leviathan.
The Israelites had, not only their Feasts of Praise once in an Age (a year of Jubilee); every seven years (the Sabbatical Year;) once in a year, (the Feast of Trumpets); once in a quarter of a year (the Feast of Dedication); once in a Month (the Feast of New Moons); once in a Week (every Sabbath); Joh. 10. 22.but once in a Day, yea twice; both morning and evening, in Publick; at set times and charge, they Praised God.
And all Davids Psalms are either Hosannah's or Hallelujah's, viz. Psa. 8, 11, 25, 26. God bless, or God be blessed.Prayers or Praises; the one for Mercies needed, the other, for Mercies receiv'd: And so must the daily Service of our Lives be; viz. either Supplicatory for what we want, or Gratulatory for what we have. The want of Mercy must send us Prayer, the receipt of Mercy to Praise. Since then, we have not only our first Being, but our continual Being from God; and not only our Being, but our well Being too. We must Praise him while we have our Being, since we sit daily at the receipt of new Mercies, are fed to the full, and all upon Free-cost, and are daily blessed by God, we must in every thing give thanks, and at all times be blessing of him, as unsatisfy'd with the least Mercy without it, as we would with the greatest, without him the Giver of it.
Eucharistical and Peace-offerings were to be as Constant, as Expiatory and Supplicatory.
It is lookt upon as a Check to Gen. 35. 1.Jacob (whom the Rabbins call votorum Pater) when God bid him go up to Bethel, to pay his Vows, as if he had either forgot to do it, or was unwilling to it, but it was Zion's Glory, that there Praise waited for him (Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion.) Psal. 65. 1.There it was due, and it is every where else, in all places, and at all times, and therefore must always wait for him, not he for that; nor is it fit he should, (though sometimes he does, and goes without it) for it is the Glory due unto Psal. 29. 2.him.
It is due at sight, the Debt is present pay, and we are not just, if we deny him his due, or withhold it from him.
The Tongue is the best Interpreter of the Mind, and Mans Psal. 108. 1.Glory; not only as his Prerogative above other Creatures, by this to express his Mind, but as an Instrument ordain'd for Gods Praise, in the advancement of which, his chief Glory consists. It is his Glory, as it is the Glorifier of God; but yet, the Heart must bear a part, and the chiefest part with it in the Song of Praise. There must be an Amen to our Praises, as well as to our Prayers, and therefore, whilst we bless with our Lips, we must not forget to say Amen with our Hearts.Psal. 103. 1.
The fuller the Quire, and the deeper the Belly of the Instrument, the louder and sweeter the Musick; and the more there is of the heart here, the better.
By offering Praise we glorifie God, and by ordering our Conversation aright, we Praise him. Therefore when we Bless with our Lips, we must not Curse with our Lives, but Live to his Praise as well as speak to it.
They that live best are ever most thankful.
This will,
1. Evidence our Ʋprightness.
2. Continue the Mercies we have.
3. Procure the Mercies we want.
1. It will Evidence our Ʋprightness.
David (as St. Chrysostom sayes) was therefore call'd a Man after Gods own Heart, because a man of so much Praise, his Psalms of Praise are twice as many as those of Prayer. This was (as one sayes) the chief String of his Harp, the sweetest compound in his Incense, and the best Odour in his Sacrifice: and Praise is comely for Psal. 33. 1.the upright, it is their Honour, and it is their Badge and Cognizance too, not only their Duty, but their Practice; for Uprightness tends to it, as Waters to the Sea. All can receive Mercies, (as Hannibal knew how to get Victories, but not how to use them) but the Upright only so as to be thankful for them, all have cause to praise God, but they only have Hearts to do it.
Necessity may send us to Prayer, but Ʋprightness leads to Praise, as naturally, as the Sparks fly upward.
2. It will continue the Mercies we have.
All the Patents of Gods Mercy are Conditional, though he gives Mercy to us, yet he reserves a power (a right in himself) to continue, or remove it as he sees Durante beneplacito.fit. Unbelief withholds the Mercies we need (not for want of power in God to give, but disposition in us to receive). Ingratitude will remove what we enjoy, Faith will fetch in what we want, and Gratitude will continue what we have; by that we shall receive, by this, we shall be happy and enjoy.
Faith is the Price, and Praise is the Quit-rent of all.
3. It will procure the Mercies we want.
Thankfulness for what we have, is the best method to procure that which we have not: We are never thankful for one Mercy, but we store up another by it. Vapours, first ascend, and then descend; and every Breath of Praise Optima petitio gratiarum actio; ascensus gratiae descensus gratiae.that ascends, returns in a new Mercy to us, so that whilst Gratitude goes up, Mercy will come down.
A good Pay-master ever makes a good Borrower.