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<DATE>2013-06-17</DATE>
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<NAME>Corinne Vieracker</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A SERMON <HI>Pre&s;sing to, and Directing in,</HI> that Great Duty of Prai&s;ing God.</P>
<P>Preached to the PARLIAMENT <HI>At We&s;tminster,</HI> Octob: 8. 1656.</P>
<P>BEING The day of their Solemn Thank&s;giving to God for that late Succe&s;&s;e given to &s;ome part of the Fleet of this Common-wealth again&s;t the Spani&s;h Fleet in its return from the We&s;t Indies.</P>
<P>By JOSEPH CARYL, Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel at <HI>Magnus</HI> near <HI>London</HI> Bridge.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed by <HI>M. Simmons,</HI> and are to be &s;ould by <HI>John Hancock</HI> at the fir&s;t Shop in Popes-head-Alley next to Cornhill, 1657.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="approbation">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>Thur&s;day, Octob: 9. 1656.</HEAD>
<P>ORdered, That the thanks of this Hou&s;e be given to Mr. <HI>Caryll</HI> for his great pains taken ye|&s;terday in his Sermon preached be|fore this Hou&s;e in <HI>Margarets We&s;t|min&s;ter,</HI> being a day &s;et apart for publick Thank&s;giving, and that he be de&s;ired to Print his Sermon, and that he have the like priviledge of Printing as hath been allowed to o|thers in like Ca&s;es.</P>
<P>And that the Lord <HI>Broghill</HI> be de&s;ired to give him the thanks of this hou&s;e accordingly.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Hen: Scobell</HI> Clerk of the Parliament.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
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</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>TO THE PARLIAMENT <HI>OF England, Scotland,</HI> &amp; <HI>Ireland, AND</HI> The Dominions thereunto belonging.</HEAD>
<P>_THe&s;e are times of Action, as well as of Con&s;ulation; and this hath been your happine&s;&s;e, that while you have been con&s;ulting how to &s;ettle and a&s;&s;ure (as an earthly felicity may be called &s;ure) peace and Government at home, God hath pro&s;pered tho&s;e with a very &s;ignall &s;ucce&s;&s;e, who are acting in a war abroad. And though &s;ucce&s;&s;e be no in|fallible
<PB REF="4"> argument of a good cau&s;e, yet a good cau&s;e receives a very comfortable encouragement by &s;ucce&s;&s;e. And as a neglect to goe on in doing good is not excu&s;able, even while we find that the good we are doing, doth not goe on; So when it doth, our neglect is altogether inexcu&s;able. When God &s;eems to <HI>&s;tand &s;till</HI> or (as the Scripture &s;ome|times &s;aith) <HI>to be a &s;leep,</HI> 'tis our duty to a|wake and work, how much more when he ap|pears eminently awake and at work for us? 'Tis not good to out-run providence, and 'tis as bad to loyter and lagge behind it. The <HI>Arme of the Lord</HI> (as the Prophet long &s;ince prayd hard it might, <HI>I&s;a: 51. 9.</HI>) hath lately awakened for us <HI>(The occa&s;ion of this Sermon is his wit|ne&s;&s;e) it hath awakened and put on &s;trength as in the ancient dayes, in the generations of old, it hath cut Rahab and wonded the Dragon in the Sea; It hath broken (&s;ome of) the heads of Leviathan in peices, and given him to be meat to his people inhabiting the wilderne&s;&s;e (P&s;al. 74. 14.)</HI> And is not all this bottome enough for me to cry, <HI>Awake, Awake O arme of man, O arme of the Parliament put on &s;trength and be cloathed with a holy care &amp; courage for God and for his people,</HI> though as yet but in a
<PB REF="4"> wildernes condition, wherein we are much entan|gled with bryars and thornes, and &s;ometimes en|gaged in unbeaten paths? <HI>many thou&s;ands will bear this witne&s;&s;e with me, that it is.</HI> And my hearts de&s;ire and prayer to God for you is, That your Coun&s;els both in reference to this par|ticular mercy for which you have &s;o &s;olemnly gi|ven thanks to God, as al&s;o in reference to all tho&s;e important affairs of the&s;e Nations that are in your hands, may <HI>bear this witne&s;&s;e al&s;o.</HI> El&s;e I mu&s;t take the boldnes (with much &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion) to &s;ay, <HI>That your own Thank&s;givings will give witne&s;&s;e again&s;t you.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis an act of high favour from God to bestow a mercy, and 'tis an act of much grace and faith|fulne&s;&s;e in man to improve it. 'Tis ea&s;ier peri&s;h|ing for want of help from God, then for want of a heart for God. 'Tis better to be in &s;uch &s;treights, that we know not what to doe, then to make &s;uch little u&s;e of our enlargements, as not to doe what we know. And what an Obligation is there upon the&s;e three Nations, and upon <HI>your Selves,</HI> e&s;peci|ally, who are <HI>the repre&s;entative</HI> of them, to be more then active, even very zealous for the pub|lick good, &s;eing we daily find Sons of <HI>Beliall</HI> ri&s;ing up, who are active to the utmo&s;t against it?
<PB REF="5"> Tis honorable to imitate their indu&s;try, who&s;e un|dertakings we abhor, and that their zeal in a bad matter &s;hould provoke ours in a good. As there|fore the Nations have rea&s;on to pay you many thanks for your unwearied labours, and the i&s;&s;ues of them to this day, So the Lord give you to en|crea&s;e more and more&punc; A good man may be wea|ry in well doing, but he &s;hall never be weary of it. And it &s;hould mightyly uphold our &s;pirits not to be&punc; (as the Apo&s;tle admoni&s;heth the <HI>Galatians</HI> Chap: 6. 9.) <HI>weary in well doing:</HI> becau&s;e (as it follows there) <HI>we &s;hall reap if we faint not.</HI> That you may &s;ow without fainting, and reap with rejoycing, is the vote of</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>SIRS,</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Your mo&s;t humble Servant, in this work of the Lord, JOSEPH CARYL.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>A SERMON Pre&s;&s;ing to, and Directing in, that great Duty OF <HI>Prai&s;ing GOD.</HI></HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>PSALM 111. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.</BIBL>
<Q><P><HI>Prai&s;e ye the Lord, I will prai&s;e the Lord with my whole heart in the a&s;&s;embly of the upright, and in the congregation.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The works of the Lord are great, &s;ought out of all them that have plea&s;ure therein.</HI></P>
<P><HI>His work is honourable and glorious, and his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e endureth for ever.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He hath made his wonderfull works to be remembred, the Lord is gracious and full of compa&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He hath given meat unto them that fear him, he will ever be mindfull of his Covenant.</HI></P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THIS P&s;alm is King <HI>Davids</HI> order for a day of Thank&s;giving. In which we may con&s;ider four things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the matter of the duty.</P>
<P>Secondly, the encouragement to the duty.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the manner and qualifications of the duty.</P>
<P>Fourthly, the grounds of the duty.</P>
<PB N="2" REF="6">
<P>The matter of the duty is laid down in the fir&s;t words of the fir&s;t ver&s;e, <HI>Hallelujah, prai&s;e ye the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>And le&s;t any &s;hould think that their chiefe Magi|&s;trate invited them to a duty which he had no mind to him&s;elfe, he adds</P>
<P>Secondly, his own leading example in the next words for their encouragement, <HI>I will prai&s;e the Lord.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, <HI>I will not call you to this duty, and with|draw from it my &s;elfe; my purpo&s;e is to bear a part and joyn with you in it. 'Tis a beautifull and ble&s;&s;ed thing, to &s;ee tho&s;e who give the rule, to be the example of it; Prai&s;e ye the Lord</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David</HI> to the people) <HI>I will prai&s;e the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>As he gives both the rule, and the example of the duty, &s;o</P>
<P>Thirdly, the manner of it, in a twofold qualifi|cation, and that al&s;o from his own example in the &s;ame ver&s;e. Fir&s;t, He would prai&s;e the Lord, not formally, not becau&s;e it was a cu&s;tome to doe &s;o when fre&s;h mercies came in; But becau&s;e he loved to doe &s;o, for (&s;aith he) <HI>I will prai&s;e the Lord with my whole heart,</HI> that is, I will prai&s;e him heartily and mo&s;t affectionately: Theres the fir&s;t poynt in the manner. Secondly, he tells us that he would doe it very openly, he would not be a&s;hamed to prai&s;e God, he would not doe it in a corner; Though he would doe it with all his heart, yet he would not doe it onely in his heart, but (&s;aith he) <HI>I will prai&s;e him in the a&s;&s;embly of the upright.</HI> Nor is that all, he would doe it yet more openly, <HI>I will prai&s;e him in the congregation,</HI> I will prai&s;e him not onely in the <HI>a&s;&s;embly of the upright,</HI> or in a meeting of &s;ome choice &amp; &s;elect ones, but among good and bad, even in the mixed multitude. As if he had &s;aid, <HI>As the Lord hath
<PB N="3" REF="6"> owned me and my cau&s;e, and my people, in the eye of all the world, by his &s;ignall mercies, &s;o al&s;o will I own the Lord with &s;ignall prai&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, we have here the grounds of the duty. And the&s;e are twofold, or of two &s;orts.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, his experience of what the Lord had already done for him, and his people.</P>
<P>Secondly, his a&s;&s;urance of what the Lord was to them, and would further be to and do for them.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t &s;ort of grounds, upon which <HI>David</HI> gave order for a day of Than&s;giving, or the experience of what God had done, is &s;et down under four di&s;tinct adjuncts, or attributes of his works.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Lord had not done &s;mall matters for them. <HI>The works of the Lord are great,</HI> at the &s;econd ver&s;e.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Lord had not done &s;ome ob&s;cure thing for them. <HI>His work is honourable and glorious,</HI> at the third ver&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. The Lord had not done &s;ome ordinary and common work for them. <HI>His workes are wonderfull,</HI> at the fourth ver&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Lord had not done &s;ome unprofitable wonders for them, his work was beneficiall and ad|vantagious. <HI>He hath given meat to them that fear him,</HI> at the fifth ver&s;e.</P>
<P>The&s;e are the four characters of the Lords works&punc; He had done great, and honorable, and wonderfull, &amp; beneficial things for them; and were not all the&s;e enough to cal up their hearts to the high, to the high|e&s;t prai&s;es of God? All the&s;e make the fir&s;t ground of <HI>Davids</HI> order for Thank&s;giving.</P>
<P>The &s;econd ground of his order ari&s;eth from the a&s;&s;urance of what God was to them, and would fur|ther
<PB N="4" REF="7"> be to and do for them. This is &s;et forrh in three particulars.</P>
<P N="1">1. Prai&s;e the Lord, for we have this a&s;&s;urance of him, he is righteous and will be righteous, <HI>His righ|teou&s;ne&s;s endureth for ever,</HI> (v. 3.)</P>
<P N="2">2. Prai&s;e the Lord, for we have this a&s;&s;urance of him, <HI>He is gracious and full of compa&s;&s;ion,</HI> (v. 4.)</P>
<P N="3">3. Prai&s;e the Lord, for we have this a&s;&s;urance of him, He is faithfull and will be faithfull alwayes. <HI>He will ever be mindfull of his Covenant,</HI> (v. 5:)</P>
<P>I am fallen upon a very rich mine of holy truths, here's that which is precious, and here's plenty of it, greater plenty of precious and golden Oare, then I &s;hall be able to mint and &s;tamp out into particulars at this time; and therefore I purpo&s;e to propo&s;e but one generall point of duty from this large text, and draw all the particulars of it together in a way of application for our better improvement of the oc|ca&s;ion of this great and Holy Solemnity.</P>
<P>The point is plainly this:</P>
<Q>It is our duty to pay the Lord &s;peciall prai&s;es, when he is plea&s;ed to be&s;tow upon us &s;peciall and remarkable mercies; or, &s;peciall prai&s;es are due to the Lord for &s;peciall mercies.</Q>
<P>Here is <HI>&s;peciall</HI> and <HI>&s;peciall,</HI> I expre&s;&s;e it &s;o, becau&s;e to prai&s;e God is every days duty; Thus the Apo&s;tle directs (<HI>Heb. 13. 15) By him therefore let us offer the Sacri|fice of prai&s;e to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.</HI> But though prai&s;e be an e|very days work, yet there is a day of &s;pecialty in pra&s;ing God. For as it is our duty to <HI>pray continually, to continue in prayer (Col.</HI> 4. 2.) yea, <HI>to pray without cea|&s;ing</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="7"> (1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 17.) yet there are &s;ome &s;peciall &s;ea&s;ons for prayer, or peculiar praying times. <HI>Call upon me in the day of trouble (P&s;al.</HI> 50. 15.) And we have the &s;ame rule (<HI>James 5. 13.) Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.</HI> Tis both our duty and our intere&s;t to pray though we are not afflicted; but the duty of prayer is mo&s;t incumbent upon us in affliction. Trouble drives us to God; and God only can drive away our troubles. Again, it is our duty to repent continually, yet there are &s;ome &s;peciall &s;ea&s;ons for repentance, as when we have fallen into great &s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> or when we are under the fear of great calamities (<HI>I&s;a 22. 12.) And in that day</HI> (a day of common danger) <HI>did the Lord God o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> Ho&s;ts call to weeping and mourning, and to baldne&s;s, and to girding with &s;ack cloath,</HI> all which are the mo&s;t &s;ig|nificant acts of repentance and &s;oul humilition be|fore the Lord. So (I &s;ay) though to give thanks be every days duty, and that upon a threefold con&s;ide|ration. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e every day we receive new mer|cies, and have our former mercies renewed. Second|ly, becau&s;e every mercy is a witne&s;&s;e of the goodne&s;&s;e of God to us, and of his power put out for us. Third|ly, becau&s;e every the lea&s;t mercy is more then we have either de&s;erved at Gods hand, or could get alone with our own hand; and therefore we are bound by this threefold cord, to prai&s;e the Lord every day, yet upon &s;ome dayes we are bound more to prai&s;e him, and that upon a fourfold con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Some &s;peciall mercies &s;hew forth more of God then our every days mercies doe; more of the power, more of the wi&s;dome, more of the love, more of the mercy and goodne&s;&s;e of God is &s;tampt and im|pre&s;t upon them, then upon many other mercies.
<PB N="6" REF="8"> Now the more of God appears in any mercy, the more and the lowder it cals us to this duty of prai&s;ing him. The lea&s;t appearance of God is prai&s;e worthy; His great appearances are infinitely more then wor|thy of our greate&s;t prai&s;es.</P>
<P>Secondly, We have more urgent need of &s;ome mercys then of others; Some are onely acce&s;&s;ary mercies, others are extreamly nece&s;&s;ary; Some con|cerne only the well being or bettering of our e&s;tate, o|thers the very being of it; Some are only ornamental mercies, others are &s;ub&s;tantiall; &s;ome re&s;pect only the honour and flouri&s;hing condition of our affaires, o|thers the very life and &s;ub&s;i&s;tence of them; they are &s;uch as we know not how to &s;pare, nor what to doe without them: &s;uch &s;peciall mercies urge us una|voydably to &s;peciall prai&s;es.</P>
<P>Thirdly, For &s;ome mercies the Lord hath been more then ordinarily &s;ought to in prayer, and with a greater exerci&s;e of faith and patience, then ordinary, waited upon for the receiving of them. They that know the Lord and have acquaintance with him, would not have any mercy without a&s;king, they pray for every mor&s;ell of bread they eat, they love to &s;ee all come in a way of prayer, through the promi&s;e. But there are &s;ome mercies for which there hath been abundance of &s;triving in our own hearts, and much &s;triving and tugging with God that we might attain them: we for &s;ome mercies have wre&s;tled all night, like <HI>Jacob,</HI> before we could prevaile, and be <HI>I&s;raels,</HI> Princes with God. Now when &s;uch a mercy comes in, as hath been thus &s;pecially prayed for, and of which we may &s;ay, when we receive it, (as <HI>Hanna</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Eli</HI> about her &s;on <HI>Samuel) for this child I prayed, and
<PB N="7" REF="8"> the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him (1 Sam.</HI> 1. 27.) So for this &s;ucce&s;&s;e I praid, for this mercy I fa&s;ted, and mourned, I wept and made &s;up|plication before the Lord, and he hath given me my petition which I a&s;ked of him, when a mercy hath been thus gained by prayer, it ought and will be worne and enjoyed with prai&s;e and thankfulne&s;&s;e. Every an&s;wer or returne of prayer, calls for a return of prai&s;es, much more when it is an an&s;wer to many prayers, to much prayer. Then, if ever, prai&s;e waits for God in <HI>Zion, (P&s;al.</HI> 76. 3.) when in <HI>Zion,</HI> that is, in an&s;wer to the &s;upplications made in <HI>Zion,</HI> the Lord <HI>break<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th the arrows of the bow, the &s;heild, the &s;word, and the battel.</HI> I grant, tho&s;e mercies which have &s;tood us in little pains, in few prayers, which have come in for little a&s;king, yea without a&s;king, oblidge us to prai&s;e God mo&s;t, becau&s;e of his readine&s;&s;e to hear and &s;pee|dine&s;&s;e in granting, when God an&s;wers before we call, how great a call have we to prai&s;e him after &s;uch an an&s;wer? yet tho&s;e mercies which have been mo&s;t co&s;tly to us, as to the duty of prayer, are mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly con&s;trayning upon us as to the duty of prai&s;e. And although, when through the free grace of God we find our prayers even prevented by our mercies, the heart cannot but be &s;tirred up mightily to the duty of prai&s;e, yet when, through our own &s;loath we have neglected to fetch in our mercies by prayer, we u&s;u|ally find our hearts little pre&s;&s;ed unto prai&s;e.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Becau&s;e when we pray much and wait long for eminent mercies, we always implicitely and &s;ometimes explicitely vow prai&s;es to the Lord, and &s;o bind our &s;elves by vow to prai&s;e him. And hence we find often in Scripture that prai&s;ing God is ex|pre&s;&s;ed
<PB N="8" REF="9"> by paying vows to God, (<HI>P&s;al. 50. 14.) Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vowes unto the mo&s;t high,</HI> that is, offer that thank&s;giving unto God, which thou ha&s;tvowed to pay unto him. And as we have it in that P&s;alm laid down in a propo&s;ition, &s;o in another P&s;alm we have it laid down in practice, <HI>I will offer to th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e the &s;acrifice of thanksgiving, and will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> upon the name of the Lord, I will pay my vowes unto the Lord, now in the pre&s;ence of all his people,</HI> (P&s;al. 116. 17, 18.) Our prai&s;es are debts, and <HI>Solomon</HI> tells us it is very dangerous being in this debt, <HI>When thou v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">we&s;t a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no plea&s;ure in fools, pay that which thou ha&s;t vowed</HI> (Eccl. 5. 4.) <HI>Owe no man any thing, but to love one another</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. 8.) that is, Owe no man any thing to his prejudice, or in his wrong. And though we can never come out of Gods debt, and therefore mu&s;t be alwayes paying, yet when he finds us to our utmo&s;t paying, he looks upon us as if w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> owed him nothing. Mercy received brings us in debt, and prai&s;e returned brings us (in Gods account) out of debt; The Lord (through mercy) takes prai&s;e, as payment for his mercies. We have rea&s;on to be very carefull in making this payment, not one|ly becau&s;e we owe &s;o much, but becau&s;e we can pay no more.</P>
<P>So then, if &s;peciall mercies have the cleare&s;t mani|fe&s;tations of God in them, if we have an urgent ne|ce&s;&s;ity to receive them, if God hath been more &s;ought that we might obtaine them, if the vowes of God are upon us to prai&s;e him, when ever they &s;hould be ob|tained? who can be unconvinced, That &s;peciall prai&s;es are due, and to be paid, for &s;peciall received
<PB N="9" REF="9"> mercies. And if &s;o,</P>
<P>Then con&s;ider,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, How &s;infull it is to with hold and impri&s;on the prai&s;es of God in a day of eminent and &s;peciall mercy. There are two things which we &s;hould take heed we doe not impri&s;on; Fir&s;t the Truths of God, Secondly the Prai&s;es of God. And I may freely &s;ay, <HI>It is as dangerous to impri&s;on the Prai&s;es of God, as it is to impri&s;on the Truths of God.</HI> To impri&s;on or hold the Prai&s;es of God in unthankfulne&s;&s;e, as it is to impri|&s;on or <HI>hold the Truths of God in unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> There are many that hold the Truths of God in unrigh|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e; O take heed, take heed, that no &s;uch pri&s;oners be found among you! <HI>For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven again&s;t tho&s;e</HI> that doe &s;o (<HI>Rom.</HI> 1. 18.) Now as it is dangerous to impri&s;on the truths of God, &s;o it is as dangerous to impri&s;on the mercies and the prai&s;es of God. To hold them in unthank|fulne&s;&s;e hath not onely this danger in it, that God will give us no more mercies, &s;eing we u&s;e tho&s;e he hath given us &s;o hardly and unworthily, but it hath this danger in it al&s;o, that it may provoke the Lord to poure out wrath upon us. <HI>Eliphaz</HI> chargeth <HI>Job</HI> with impri&s;oning prayer, <HI>Thou ca&s;te&s;t off fear and re|&s;traine&s;t prayer before God</HI> (Chap. 15. 4.) Thats a &s;ad frame of heart, if when the &s;pirit moves and urgeth to pray, and there are workings of con&s;cience which provoke to prayer (even a naturall con&s;cience may doe it) then to re&s;train prayer notes a very ill habit of the &s;oul; for &s;uch give witne&s;&s;e again&s;t them&s;elves that they have ca&s;t off the fear of the Lord. Now as to re&s;train prayer, &s;o to re&s;train prai&s;e, is an argument that men have ca&s;t off the fear of the Lord. And
<PB N="10" REF="10"> when once tis &s;o with man, his heart is at wor&s;t and his &s;in at full. Therefore the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul (2 Tim.</HI> 3. 2) gives this as one of the blacke&s;t caracters of tho&s;e pe|rilous times, of which he there prophecyeth, <HI>Men &s;hall be lovers of their own &s;elves,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>unthankefull, un|holy, without naturall affection.</HI> They who have no &s;pirituall affections to performe duty to God, are often puni&s;hed with a want of naturall affection to|wards one another. We have cau&s;e to fear that this Prophecy is fulfilled upon this Generation; that for unthankfulne&s;&s;e many are given up, not onely to un|holine&s;&s;e towards God, but unnaturalne&s;&s;e towards men. O how are the mercies of God &s;wallowed up in unthankfulne&s;&s;e! yea not onely &s;wallowed up in unthankfulne&s;&s;e, but murthered in our murmurings and di&s;contents; to what a height then is the &s;inful|ne&s;&s;e of this age like to encrea&s;e? &s;eing they who with hold from God the glory of his mercies are in a readine&s;&s;e to with hold obedience to his commands, yea, in that, they with hold obedience to his greate&s;t and mo&s;t comprehen&s;ive commands. How can it be but the unthankfull mu&s;t needs be unholy, &s;eing un|thankfulne&s;s is the &s;um of all unholine&s;s? A heathen could &s;ay, Call a man unthankfull, and you have called him all that's bad or nought; or (as we &s;peak) you have <HI>Call'd him all to nought.</HI></P>
<P>Let the unthankfull remember, That the inani|mate creatures will ri&s;e up in judgement again&s;t them; for they prai&s;e God continually after their manner, or as well as they can. <HI>The Sun Moon and stars, fire, and haile, &s;now, and vapour, &s;tormy winds, fulfilling his word, mountains, and all hills, fruitfull trees and Cedars, bea&s;ts and all cattle, creeping things, and
<PB N="11" REF="10"> flying fowle, Dragons, and all deeps,</HI> are commanded to prai&s;e the Lord, and they doe it; And are not all men, <HI>Kings of the earth, and all people, Princes, and all the Judges of the earth, both young men and maidens, old men and children, more, commanded to prai&s;e the Lord?</HI> and are not Saints commanded and bound to prai&s;e the Lord more then all other men? And are not tho&s;e Saints that have pray'd for &s;uch a mercy, and who have per&s;onally ta&s;ted the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of &s;uch a mercy, and who&s;e intere&s;t is much advanced and &s;trengthned by the mercy obtained, have not they more cau&s;e to Prai&s;e God for it then all other Saints? And is not this the ca&s;e of many here pre&s;ent, and of many more ab&s;ent in the &s;everall parts of the&s;e Do|minions?</P>
<P>Therefore (to clo&s;e this poynt) Let not us with hold prai&s;e from God, either in whole or in part. <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> were &s;trucken dead for with hol|ding part of the price; they brought &s;omething of their vow, and laid it down at the Apo&s;tles feet, but not all, and dyed for't. If we keep a part of our Prai|&s;es to our &s;elves, or give part of our Prai&s;es to in&s;tru|ments, we deale with God like <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira,</HI> who brought their gift indeed, but kept part of the price to them&s;elves, whereas it was all dedicated to God; we may quickly run into a paralell &s;in in this day and duty of thank&s;giving, and when the whole was dedicated to God, keep a part to our &s;elves. It is not enough for us to &s;ay, <HI>Prai&s;ed be God,</HI> but we mu&s;t &s;ay (as <HI>P&s;al. 115. 1.) Not unto us O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory:</HI> we mu&s;t deny our own Prai&s;e perfectly, or el&s;e all our Prai&s;es of God are im|perfect; we mu&s;t doubly deny, twice deny all our own
<PB N="12" REF="11"> Prai&s;es, el&s;e we doe not &s;o much as give God one &s;in|gle Prai&s;e, that is, not one &s;ingle-hearted Prai&s;e.</P>
<P>And that we may come forth freely in our Prai&s;es of the Lord, and &s;ing <HI>Halalujahs</HI> to his name alone; give me leave to &s;et the &s;tamp or character of tho&s;e works of God which are in&s;tanced in this text, upon tho&s;e works of God, which are the occa&s;ion and mat|ter of our Prai&s;e this day, and to &s;hew how all tho&s;e grounds which that &s;weet &s;inger of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> laid as the foundation of his own and his peoples Prai&s;es, meet and center in ours.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, (&s;aith <HI>David) The works of the Lord are great.</HI> And &s;urely, we are not called this day to Prai&s;e the Lord for &s;ome &s;mall or little work; indeed, all the works of the Lord are great, great as done by him, for he leaves the impre&s;&s;ion of his own greatne&s;&s;e upon all that he doth: as every &s;in, the lea&s;t &s;in is a great &s;in, becau&s;e committed again&s;t the great God; &s;o every mercy is a great mercy, as it comes forth from the hand of the great God; but I &s;peak not of the greatne&s;&s;e of the works of God here in this notion, but as they are great both in them&s;elves and compa|ratively with others. And as for the work of this day we may affirme the greatne&s;&s;e of it in a threefold con&s;ideration.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is great materially, or in the &s;ub&s;tance of it: A great force of the enemy was beaten and broken, a great trea&s;ure was taken from the enemy, is not this a great work? The Prophets prediction well may be our report concerning the work of this day, and he &s;pake it in the &s;tile of a <HI>Navall victory (I&s;a.</HI> 33. 23.) For having &s;aid of <HI>Sion</HI> (v. 21.) there <HI>The glorious Lord will be to us a place of broad rivers and &s;treams,
<PB N="13" REF="11"> wherein &s;hall goe no Gally with oares, neither &s;hall gallant Ship pa&s;&s;e thereby</HI> (that is, to annoy or hurt us) He pre&s;ently &s;ubjoyns the rea&s;on (<HI>v. 22.) For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our law giver, the Lord is our King he will &s;ave us;</HI> This &s;alvation of <HI>Sion</HI> is the de&s;tructi|on of <HI>Babylon</HI> (as is &s;hewed in the next ver&s;e by an ele|gant&punc; Apo&s;trophe to the enemy) <HI>Thy tacklings are loo&s;ed, they could not well &s;trengthen their ma&s;t, they could not &s;pread the &s;aile; then is the prey of a great &s;poile devi|ded, the lame take the prey:</HI> And when he &s;aith, <HI>The lame take the prey,</HI> he doth not mean that it &s;hall be ta|ken by a company of creeples, but by &s;ome &s;maller power. And may we not &s;ay, That now the prey of a great &s;poile is devided? yea may we not &s;ay, <HI>The lame have taken the prey?</HI> Was it not taken by &s;o &s;mall a part of the forces &s;ent upon that de&s;igne, as may not improperly be called a lame or weak limb, in compari&s;on of the whole body? and did not the ene|my look upon our &s;ix Frigats which engaged them, as a company of Fi&s;her-boats? Therefore great is the work of the Lord in the matter of it.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is yet greater in the circum&s;tances of it. The greatne&s;&s;e of actions whether civill or morall, good or evill, ari&s;eth much, if not chiefly from circum&s;tan|tialls; from the way and manner, from the time and &s;ea&s;on in which they are done. And was not this done, fir&s;t, in a time when our need was great? Was it not done, &s;econdly, in a time when our faith was little? Was it not done, thirdly, in a time when the &s;pirits of &s;ome were high in wrath, and the &s;pirits of others higher in &s;corn at this undertaking? And as this work was great both in the &s;ub&s;tance and concomitant circum&s;tances of it: &s;o</P>
<PB N="14" REF="12">
<P>3. It may prove yet greater in the con&s;equences of it: Who knows what effects this work may have, or how far it may reach? this may prove <HI>a long handed mercy.</HI> The Apo&s;tle <HI>James</HI> &s;peaks admiringly, <HI>Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!</HI> the fire is not much at pre&s;ent but it may do much, &s;o much that po&s;&s;ibly we and others may have cau&s;e to admire the greatne&s;&s;e of that matter which &s;hall be kindled with this little fire; Therefore let us go forth in prai&s;es, for as in <HI>Davids,</HI> &s;o in our experience, <HI>The work of the Lord is Great.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd attribute of the work of the Lord is laid down in the third ver&s;e, <HI>His work is honourable and glorious,</HI> or (as the Originall text hath it) <HI>His work is honour and glory.</HI> When <HI>ab&s;tracts</HI> are put in Scripture for <HI>concreetes,</HI> the &s;ence is encrea&s;ed; To &s;ay, the work of the Lord <HI>is honour and glory,</HI> is more then to &s;ay <HI>it is honourable and glorious;</HI> much is &s;aid in this, but more in that: Tis good for us when God declares his mercy, but 'tis better when he declares his glory; We &s;hould be thankfull for favour, but our thanks &s;hould exceed for honour. The work of God before us <HI>is honourable and glorious, tis honour and glory.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. To God him&s;elfe; He hath (in the eye of his people) made him&s;elfe <HI>a glorious name,</HI> as the Pro|phet &s;aith, he did of old by the conduct of his people <HI>I&s;rael</HI> through the wilderne&s;&s;e (<HI>I&s;a.</HI> 63. 14.)</P>
<P N="2">2. 'Tis honourable and glorious, honour and glory to his &s;ervants, even to all who had a hand or a heart in it, a good wi&s;h or a prayer going with it. As the with-drawings of God, as to the &s;ucce&s;s of any undertaking, leave tho&s;e who are engaged in it under
<PB N="15" REF="12"> clouds of di&s;re&s;pect, yea &s;ometimes of contempt a|mong men; So his appearances with them are a re|demption of their e&s;teem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, and a reparation of their honour among men. For though we ought not to e&s;teem actions by their events, but by their righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, yet &s;ucce&s;&s;e renders them honourable in their eyes (&amp; &s;uch are the mo&s;t of men) who judge actions more by their events, then by the rules and grounds of them. The Lord hath been tender of us, and re|membred u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> in this; Making this action which had (in the eyes of impartiall and di&s;cerning men) an in|trin&s;ecall honour and glory, as to the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of it, extrin&s;ecally honourable and glo|rious, as to the &s;ucce&s;&s;e and pro&s;perity of it: There|fore let me &s;ay with <HI>David (P&s;al. 66. 2.) O make his prai&s;e glorious.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, The text &s;aith, <HI>His works are wonderfull.</HI> This attribute al&s;o is very applicable, and but due to the pre&s;ent work of God, which is not onely a mercy, but a marveile, not onely a favour but a won|der. I doe not &s;ay it is a miracle but a marveile it is, and there are wonders in it.</P>
<P N="1">1. This hath &s;ome what of a marve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">le and a won|der in it; that it &s;hould be done at the enemies own doore, when they thought them&s;elves beyond all hazzard, and as it were in harbour, when they were ready to &s;ay, and probably &s;aid in effect with <HI>Agag,</HI> &s;urely the bitterne&s;&s;e of death is pa&s;t, yea the fear of danger, yet then they were en&s;nared and taken, even in the face of their creddit, their friends and country men looking on, but not able to relieve them.</P>
<P N="2">2. This work had &s;omewhat of a wonder in it, be|cau&s;e done by a &s;mall appearance of humane power,
<PB N="16" REF="13"> becau&s;e done (as was toucht before) by the lame or by little &s;trength. That which is done without the concurrence of any vi&s;ible means, is a miracle; And that which is done with the concurrence of little vi|&s;ible means, is a marveile. It was not &s;urely any plot of man, but a plot of providence it &s;eems to be, That the greate&s;t part of our force was in that nick of time with-drawn upon nece&s;&s;ary occa&s;ions far off. If a greater power had been there, the wonder had been the le&s;&s;e. For though the greate&s;t earthly &s;trength is as weak to any work as the lea&s;t, and as unable to effect it unle&s;&s;e God be with them (and &s;o they who are &s;pirituall will confe&s;&s;e, when they have mo&s;t of an arme of fle&s;h with them) yet then the conviction comes mo&s;t clearly upon us, that God is much in any work when we &s;ee little of man in it. And that was the rea&s;on why the Lord took off all <HI>Gideons</HI> Army, except three hundred, in his undertaking again&s;t the <HI>Midianites:</HI> when <HI>Gideon</HI> had gathered a gallant ar|my of thirty thou&s;and, the Lord &s;aid unto him (<HI>Judg. 7. 2.) The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest I&s;rael vaunt him&s;elfe again&s;t me, &s;aying, mine own hand hath &s;aved me.</HI> We may hear &s;uch words from God &s;poken aloud, though not formally, yet vertually, in this di&s;pen&s;ation. And therefore let us &s;ay, as it is often &s;aid (<HI>P&s;al. 107.) O prai&s;e the Lord, for his goodne&s;&s;e, and for his wonderfull works, which he doth for the chil|dren of men,</HI> e&s;pecially for that which he hath lately done for us upon <HI>the great waters, there many &s;aw the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep</HI> (v. 23, 24.)</P>
<P>Fourthly, The text &s;aith, The works of the Lord
<PB N="17" REF="13"> are beneficiall and profitable, that's expre&s;&s;ed (<HI>v. 5.) He hath given meat to them that fear him.</HI> We may put this character al&s;o upon the pre&s;ent work of the Lord; we have rea&s;on to come forth in his prai&s;es and &s;ay, what the hand of God hath wrought, is not only an honor to us, but a benefit to us: there is not onely credit in it but there is meat in it, yea (as we &s;peak proverbially of &s;uch things as are very com|fortable and beneficiall) There is <HI>meat drink and cloath in it. He hath given meat to them that fear him:</HI> We fight &s;ometimes and get nothing but blowes; we fight many times and get nothing but bare victo|ry and honor by it; but there is meat in &s;ome victo|ries, and there is much in this.</P>
<P>The Originall word which we tran&s;late <HI>meat,</HI> is extreamly &s;utable to the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion; for it doth not &s;ignifie our u&s;uall food, &s;uch as is gotten by ordinary labour, and pains-taking, by dre&s;&s;ing grounds, and keeping cattle: but it &s;igni|fies &s;uch meat as is gotten by force and fighting, by battell with and beating of an enemy; &s;uch meat as is gotten by the &s;word and &s;pear, not by the plough and &s;pade; &s;uch meat as is gotten by blood, not by &s;weat. And therefore we put in the Margin of our larger Bibles, <HI>He hath given prey to them that fear him,</HI> the prey of war. So the word is u&s;ed in the Prophe|&s;ie of dying <HI>Jacob,</HI> concerning the Tribe of <HI>Judah (Gen. 49. 9.) Judah is a Lyons whelp, from the prey my &s;on thou art gone up;</HI> that is, having taken the prey and &s;poile of the enemy in war, thou art gone up tri|umphantly; <HI>Judah</HI> was the Kingly Tribe, who as he had the power of making war, &s;o he was under this promi&s;e, that he &s;hould be victorious in his wars,
<PB N="18" REF="14"> and returne laden with the &s;poyles of the enemy. <HI>Judah</HI> was a Lyons whelp, and the Lord doth &s;ome|times feed tho&s;e that fear him, as Lyons feed them|&s;elves and their whelps; he feeds them with <HI>prey,</HI> and they tear their meat out of the bowels and bellies of tho&s;e adver&s;aries, who before did tear and make a prey of them. The Lord in this pre&s;ent work hath given us <HI>prey</HI> for meat, he hath given Thou&s;ands, I will not take upon me to &s;ay, how many thou&s;ands, of the enemies trea&s;ure into our hands by this victory; But &s;ure I am, he hath given meat to feed the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e, which was in &s;ome danger of &s;tarving, and which many wi&s;ht might &s;tarve. 'Tis a mercy when God gives us meat any way, and 'tis a remarkable mercy when he gives us meat as he hath given us this meat, out of an enemies &s;tore, or meat of an enemies own dre&s;&s;ing &amp; preparing. In this work of providence that minatory &s;entence is verified and made good, which <HI>Job</HI> &s;pake, or Prophecyed rather, again&s;t any unrighteous oppre&s;&s;our, whether he be an oppre&s;&s;or of private per&s;ons and families, or of States and Na|tions, in the 27 Chapter of that Book (<HI>v. 16, 17.) Though he heap up &s;ilver as the du&s;t, and prepare rayment as the clay, he may prepare it, but the ju&s;t &s;hall put it on, and the innocent &s;hall divide the Silver.</HI> As if God had &s;aid by <HI>Job,</HI> I know oppre&s;&s;ors never think their du&s;t|heap big enough, and therefore they care not whom they oppre&s;&s;e, &s;o they may but heap up Silver for them&s;elves as the du&s;t, yea they heap up &s;ilver as the du&s;t that they may be &s;trong to oppre&s;&s;e; well let them goe on and pro&s;per, let them prepare it, but I will prepare heires for them which they never thought of, unle&s;&s;e how to oppre&s;&s;e and vex them,
<PB N="19" REF="14"> <HI>The innocent &s;hall divide the Silver.</HI> And that word <HI>divide</HI> hath a &s;ound of war in it; &s;eing after victories obtained, &s;poiles are divided.</P>
<P>I know, &s;ome are ready to take offence at this day of thank&s;giving, becau&s;e it is a thank&s;giving for <HI>prey.</HI> But let &s;uch remember: Fir&s;t, 'tis prey taken from an enemy. Secondly, 'tis prey taken from an enemy who hath &s;wallowed up Nations greater then his own, without offence given, or recompence made, as a prey. And thirdly, we have enough in this text to an&s;wer &s;uch objectors; here's King <HI>Davids</HI> order for a day of thank&s;giving becau&s;e <HI>God had given meat or prey to his people,</HI> as he hath given to us this day: We have as much (I might &s;ay more) rea&s;on to give thanks to God for meat gotten by a lawfull war, as for meat gotten by our lawfull labour. Therefore let us eate it, or enjoy the benifit of it, and prai&s;e the Lord. If while <HI>this meat is in our mouths,</HI> the prai&s;es of God be in our mouths too, certainly, if they be in our hearts and lives too, we &s;hall not need to fear (though we cannot be too much caution'd about it) that (as it befell the I&s;raelites who fell a lu&s;ting in the wilderne&s;&s;e) the wrath of God &s;hould fall upon us, <HI>and &s;lay the fatte&s;t of us, and &s;mite downe the cho&s;en men of our I&s;rael (P&s;al.</HI> 78. 30, 31.) Indeed if we have either a&s;ked <HI>this meat for our lu&s;ts,</HI> or ha|ving gotten it be&s;tow it upon our lu&s;ts, we may ex|pect a &s;everer vengeance then theirs.</P>
<P>Thus, I have touched upon, and made a briefe application of the fir&s;t ground of prai&s;ing God, laid down in this context, by a paralell of the works of the Lord, for which <HI>David</HI> gave order for publique prai&s;es, with the works of the Lord for which we are
<PB N="20" REF="15"> called to prai&s;e him this day: They are <HI>Great</HI> and <HI>Ho|norable,</HI> they are <HI>Wounderfull</HI> and <HI>Beneficiall, He hath given meat or prey to them that fear him.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd generall Ground why <HI>David</HI> ordered a day of prai&s;e, was that a&s;&s;urance and holy confi|dence which he had of what God was and would further be unto them and doe for them. And indeed, <HI>what God him&s;elfe is to us, is far more valuable then all that he hath done for us:</HI> And in all our outward en|joyments we &s;hould be drawn off from the mercies of God to the God of our mercies, from all the works of God, to God who hath wrought them; So did <HI>David</HI> here, though he &s;pake and thought highly of what God had done for them, yet his heart was e&s;pe|cially carryed out to and taken up with the thoughts of God.</P>
<P>There are four particulars in which <HI>David</HI> gives in&s;tance for the exalting of the name of God in prai|&s;es, as to what he is in him&s;elfe, and as to what he will be unto his people.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>The Lord is righteous and ju&s;t; his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e (or ju&s;tice) endureth for ever</HI> (v. 3.) He is not righ|teous in this or that act onely, at this or that time onely, but he is righteous in all and always. Some men will doe righteou&s;ly now and then, here and there, to this or that per&s;on; yet they &s;tep awry at other times, or in other ca&s;es: and &s;o do ju&s;tice, not with re&s;pect to truth, but with re&s;pect to per&s;ons. But the Lord doth ju&s;tice at all times, in all ca&s;es, without re&s;pect of per&s;ons; and therefore the Lords <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e indureth for ever.</HI> We are &s;aved by, and live upon, the grace and mercy of God: yet we cannot but, and are much bound to, acknowledge
<PB N="21" REF="15"> his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and ju&s;tice. They in the <HI>Revelation (Chap. 15. 2, 3.) Who had gotten the victory over the Bea&s;t, and over his image, and over the number of his name,</HI> were &s;een by <HI>John, &s;tanding on the Sea of gla&s;&s;e, having the harps of God, and &s;inging the &s;ong of Mo&s;es the &s;ervant of God, and the &s;ong of the Lamb, &s;aying, Creat and marvellous are thy works O Lord God almighty, ju&s;t and true are thy wayes thou King of &s;aints.</HI> The ways of Chri&s;t are ju&s;t towards his enemies, as he hath threatned; and they are true towards his own peo|ple, as he hath promi&s;ed. He is the <HI>Am<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> (giving being and accompli&s;hment to his own word) <HI>The faithfull and true witne&s;&s;e (Rev.</HI> 3. 14.) bearing his te&s;timony to what he hath &s;aid, by that which he doth, &s;o declaring his own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And may not we now turne <HI>Davids</HI> Prophe&s;ie (<HI>P&s;al. 65. 5.) By terrible things in righteou&s;ne&s;s thou wilt an&s;wer us O God,</HI> (may we not I &s;ay turne that Pro|phecy) into a hi&s;tory and &s;ay, <HI>By terrible things in righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e thou ha&s;t an&s;wered us O God of our &s;alvation, who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the &s;ea.</HI> O how much are we engaged to prai&s;e the Lord for his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, who hath avouched our right, and declared him&s;elfe again&s;t tho&s;e who would not repaire our wrongs? Thus did the &s;ame Holy <HI>David</HI> (P&s;al. 9. 2, 3, 4.) <HI>I will be glad and rejoyce in thee, I will &s;ing prai&s;e to thy name, O thou mo&s;t high; when mine enemies are turned back they &s;hall fall and peri&s;h at thy pre&s;ence, for thou ha&s;t maintained my right and my cau&s;e, thou &s;itte&s;t in the Throne judging right.</HI></P>
<P>And as we are to prai&s;e the Lord becau&s;e he hath been righteous, or for the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e which he
<PB N="22" REF="16"> hath done: &s;o we are to prai&s;e him upon this a&s;&s;u|rance, that he will ever doe that which is right; For as he is <HI>the Father of Lights,</HI> &s;o al&s;o <HI>the judge of rights,</HI> with whom there is no variablene&s;&s;e nor &s;hadow of turning, <HI>His righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e endureth for ever, Prai&s;e ye the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd part of this &s;econd ground of prai&s;e, is the graciou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, <HI>The Lord is gracious and full of compa&s;&s;ion</HI> (v. 4.) That proper name, <HI>John,</HI> derived from the Hebrew word here tran&s;lated <HI>gracious,</HI> was given in &s;peciall by the Angells appointment to the Bapti&s;t (<HI>Luke</HI> 1. 13.) either becau&s;e he was &s;ent to preach the grace of God in Chri&s;t, &s;hortly after to be exhibited in the fle&s;h; or becau&s;e he was be&s;towed upon his parents in their old age, as a te&s;timony of the favour and grace of God to them. And thus, all that God doth for his people, flows from the foun|tain of his free grace, and from his compa&s;&s;ions which faile not: The Lord de&s;erveth highe&s;t prai&s;es from man, becau&s;e what he doth for man he doth it <HI>gratis,</HI> or unde&s;erved. As the Lord is righteous in all he doth again&s;t wicked men, &s;o he is gracious in all that he doth for the holye&s;t of the &s;ons of men: yea, he &s;aveth them graciou&s;ly, not onely without their <HI>de|&s;ervings,</HI> but though they are very <HI>ill de&s;erving.</HI> Thus he proclaimes and entitles him&s;elfe (<HI>Exod. 34. 6.) The Lord, The Lord, mercifull and gracious, long &s;uffering, and aboundant in goodne&s;&s;e and truth, keeping mercy for thou&s;ands, forgiving iniquity tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;in.</HI> Here are a multitude of royall titles reckoned up in this proclamation, yet the &s;um and &s;ub&s;tance of all may be collected and re&s;olved into this one, <HI>The Lord is gracious.</HI> Surely, then we ought to proclaime his
<PB N="23" REF="16"> prai&s;e in this title al&s;o.</P>
<P>The adverb of this word is often u&s;ed in Scripture, to note injuries received without cau&s;e or de&s;ert. Thus <HI>David</HI> complains to God of his enemies (<HI>P&s;al. 35. 7.) Without cau&s;e have they hid for me their net in a p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t, which without cau&s;e they have digged for my &s;oule.</HI> And againe (<HI>P&s;al. 7. 4.) I have delivered him that without cau&s;e is mine enemy,</HI> or, <HI>that is mine enemy gratis;</HI> I never gave any cau&s;e in this world why <HI>Saul</HI> (whom he calls at the head of the P&s;alm <HI>Cu&s;h the Benjamite</HI>) &s;hould be mine enemy, yet he is &s;o. And when men or nations make war upon us wrongfully, or having been offered peace and friend&s;hip upon ju&s;t and righ|teous tearms, &s;hall refu&s;e, and &s;o become our enemies (<HI>gratis</HI>) without any ju&s;t cau&s;e given them; then u&s;ually the Lord doth ari&s;e to de&s;troy enemies and help his own people (<HI>gratis</HI>) though they have gi|ven him no cau&s;e, but are exceeding unworthy to receive any &s;uch help and mark of honour, at his hands: yea though they have provoked him (as the Prophet &s;peaks, <HI>Amos</HI> 5. 12.) by their <HI>mighty &s;ins, to &s;ell them for nought (P&s;al.</HI> 44. 12.) and to deliver them up into the hand of their enemies, that they might &s;atisfie their lu&s;t upon them.</P>
<P>This I find &s;pecially taken notice of in the Order publi&s;hed for this day of thank&s;giving, in the&s;ewords, <HI>The eminency of this mercy of God in weakning the common enemy of Religion, and in encouraging and &s;trengthning the hands of his &s;ervants in a vigorous pro&s;ecution of this en|gagement, is much heightned by the freene&s;&s;e of it, being extended to us a froward unbelieving and unthankefull people, who had just cau&s;e rather to expect from the Lord a renewing of his stroaks, and to be still kept under his re|bukes,
<PB N="24" REF="17"> then that he &s;hould returne to us in loving kindne&s;&s;e and tender mercy as he hath done in this late di&s;pen|&s;ation.</HI></P>
<P>Now &s;eing the Lord hath been thus gracious, and favourable to us, let me pre&s;&s;e it once more, O prai&s;e him for his graciou&s;ne&s;&s;e; That's the pro|per cry of Saints. When the <HI>great mountaine becomes a plain before Zerubbabel, then he &s;hall bring forth the head &s;tone thereof with &s;houtings, and cry, grace grace to it, (Zech.</HI> 4. 7.) that is, The grace or free favour of God hath done it, and, the &s;ame grace and free favour will maintaine it. And if the Lord &s;hall make that <HI>Great mountaine,</HI> the greate&s;t mountaine of any &s;tate in the Chri&s;tian world, with which his people in the&s;e Nations are now contending by war, <HI>to become a plaine before our Zerubbabel and before his helpers and a&s;&s;i&s;tants,</HI> all the lines of our duty in prai&s;ing him mu&s;t center in this &s;hout or cry, <HI>grace, grace:</HI> And let it be the &s;hout and cry of this day, <HI>The Lord is gra|cious, The Lord is gracious,</HI> in what he hath done. His favour not our force or &s;trength hath obtained this great victory. Yet that's not all, the Lord hath not onely &s;aved us graciou&s;ly, but which is added in the text, he hath &s;aved us <HI>compa&s;&s;ionately.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He is gracious and full of compa&s;&s;ion.</HI> The word &s;ig|nifies &s;uch kind of affections as parents have when their bowells are &s;tirred toward their children, &s;eing them in any extremity, or imminent danger, (1 <HI>Kings</HI> 3. 26.) when the true mother &s;aw her child ready to be divided (according to the award given by <HI>Solomon) Her bowells</HI> (&s;aith the text) <HI>yerned upon her &s;on.</HI> Com|pa&s;&s;ion is an affection which be&s;ides love takes griefe into the compo&s;ition of it: &s;uch griefe as is full of
<PB N="25" REF="17"> &s;impathy or fellow feeling of the evill or mi&s;ery which lyeth upon the party beloved. Thus when the Lord &s;eeth the Powers and Princes of this world ready to divide and devour his children who are dear to him as the apple of his eye, his bowells are &s;tirred and his compa&s;&s;ions are kindled together.</P>
<P>And &s;urely the Lord hath been touched and grie|ved with our affliction, &s;eing how we were in danger to be divided, yea to be de&s;troyed. The Lord &s;eems in this providence to &s;peak to us, as he did to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in the bu&s;h. <HI>In &s;eeing I have &s;een,</HI> or <HI>I have &s;urely &s;een the afflictions of my people, and I know their &s;orrows as to this undertaking, and I have helped them in pure com|pa&s;&s;ion?</HI> The Lord &s;eems to &s;ay, <HI>I have &s;urely &s;een the angui&s;h of &s;ome of their &s;oules le&s;t this bui&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hould mi&s;carry, I have &s;een how they have beene burthened as with the difficulty &s;o with the co&s;tlines of this worke, and I have had compa&s;&s;ion on them. I have &s;urely &s;een by en|vy and di&s;contents of many at home concerning it, as al&s;o the pride and &s;corne of more abroad, even &s;aying as they of old, what? will they build in a day? conquer nations in a day? &s;wallow up the world at once? yea the Lord &s;eems to &s;ay, I have &s;urely &s;een, I have heard what &s;trange con&s;tructions and interpretations have been made of former di&s;appointments and delayes of &s;ucce&s;s in this en|gagement; yea, I have &s;urely &s;een how &s;ome would have rejoyced and triumphed at further with-drawings and di&s;appointments: And having &s;een all this, my com|pa&s;&s;ions are moved towards them, and I am come forth for their help. O prai&s;e the Lord, who is full of Com|pa&s;&s;ion; He hath remembred us in our low e&s;tate, for his mercy endureth for ever.</HI></P>
<PB N="26" REF="18">
<P>The third particular in the text, for which we are to prai&s;e the Lord, is his faithfulne&s;&s;e, of which <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks in the clo&s;e of the fifth ver&s;e, <HI>He will ever be mindfull of his Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>The Covenant of God is the collection or coali|tion of all his promi&s;es into this one, (which is the center, in which their &s;everall lines meet, and upon which they move) <HI>I will be their God and they &s;hall be my people.</HI> The Covenant of God is our title to God, by that we claime him ours; <HI>and if God be ours, all is ours:</HI> by that he hath given up him&s;elfe to us, and takes us up to him&s;elfe. Wee &s;hould prai&s;e the Lord.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, For making &s;uch a Covenant, (<HI>P&s;al. 56. 4.) In God I will prai&s;e his word,</HI> that is, the word of his Covenant. <HI>There's our Trea&s;ure, That's our magazin.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, We &s;hould prai&s;e him more for mind|ing of it, <HI>He is mindfull of his Covenant,</HI> &s;aith the text. And that mindfulne&s;&s;e of God hath two things in it; Fir&s;t, his remembring the Covenant which he hath made with us: Secondly, his doing or making of it good to us. It is a common &s;in among men, that they make Covenants, but doe not mind them; and that's a &s;in very chargeable upon this Nation. It is our intere&s;t as well as our duty, to make and minde our Covenants with God; Not to make a Covenant with him (in &s;ome ca&s;es) is &s;infull, but not to mind what we have made is more &s;infull. Not to mind Covenant with man is &s;infull, much more not to mind our Covenant with God. Such is the weak|ne&s;&s;e of &s;ome men, that though they mind their Co|venants they cannot do them, or make them good; And &s;uch is the &s;infulne&s;&s;e of many, that they make
<PB N="27" REF="18"> Covenants and never mind them, nor have any mind to make them good; yea &s;uch is the wickedne&s;&s;e and perver&s;ne&s;&s;e, and perfidiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of others, that though they mind their Covenant, yet they will not doe it, yea they refu&s;e to do it, and (which is wicked|ne&s;&s;e wound up to the hight) chu&s;e to deale fal&s;ly with God in Covenant. Now, as the terrour of the Lord &s;hould keep all men from &s;uch a hight of wick|edne&s;&s;e, &s;o the example of the Lord &s;hould keep all men from the lea&s;t and lowe&s;t degree of it. For as the Lord is mindefull of the Covenant which he hath made, &s;o he mindeth it to do it, yea his mind|ing or remembring of it, is his doing of it. He can as ea&s;ily keep his Covenant as make it, and as &s;oon fulfill his word as give it.</P>
<P>Thirdly, God doth not only make and mind his Covenant, but, <HI>he is ever mindfull of it.</HI> It never de|parts (as wi&s;dome coun&s;elleth us her councells &s;hould not <HI>Prov.</HI> 4. 21.) from his eyes, he keeps it in the mid&s;t of his heart, and tis alwaies as written in the palmes of his hands; he is mindfull of it, not on|ly without a totall Ce&s;&s;ation, but without &s;o much as the lea&s;t intermi&s;&s;ion. O let all that are in Covenant with the Lord prai&s;e the Lord, who will ever be mindfull of his Covenant. Who among other mer|cyes promi&s;ed in his Covenant, hath promi&s;ed to ble&s;&s;e them that ble&s;&s;e his Covenant people, and to cur&s;e tho&s;e that cur&s;e them. And thus he hath been plea&s;ed to mind his Covenant to us in the mercy of this day.</P>
<P>I have now &s;et before you tho&s;e two Generall grounds of prai&s;e: The experience of what God hath wrought for his people, and the a&s;&s;urance of
<PB N="28" REF="19"> what God is to his people; hereby to provoke your &s;oules to rejoce in and prai&s;e the Lord: The work of the Lord is great, his work is honourable and glo|rious, his work is wonderfull and beneficiall; there|fore prai&s;e him. The Lord him&s;elfe is righteous, he is gracious and full of compa&s;&s;ion in all that he hath done for us, he is mindfull and will ever be mind|full of his Covenant to doe it more and more for us, as the matter &s;hall require.</P>
<P>Now what remains? but, that as I have paralelld our grounds of keeping this thank&s;giving day, with tho&s;e of <HI>David</HI> in the text; &s;o I &s;hould both direct and pre&s;&s;e you to paralell <HI>David</HI> by prai&s;ing God in the &s;ame manner and with the &s;ame Spirit as he did.</P>
<P>I &s;hall draw forth this directive Exhortation into four Conclu&s;ions, taken up out of the text and body of this P&s;alm, and &s;o conclude.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Prai&s;e God knowingly or under&s;tandingly; The Lord cannot bear blind &s;ervices and obedience, nor doth he delight in blind prai&s;es and thank&s;gi|vings: And as the Lord would have us to under|&s;tand what it is to prai&s;e him, (&s;ome pretend prai&s;e to God, who know not what it is to prai&s;e him) &s;o the Lord would have us under&s;tand what that is, for which we prai&s;e him; he would have us under&s;tand our mercies. As when we repent we &s;hould &s;earch out and labour to know all our &s;ins, and all the &s;in|fulne&s;&s;e of them; &s;o when we prai&s;e God, we &s;hould &s;earch out and labour to know all the mercies of God and the mercifulne&s;&s;e of God to us in them. This we have expre&s;ly in the text, at the &s;econd ver&s;e, <HI>The works of the Lord are great, &s;ought out of all them that have plea&s;ure therein.</HI> We mu&s;t &s;eek them out,
<PB N="29" REF="19"> and find the compa&s;&s;e of them, we mu&s;t labour to under&s;tand and comprehend the height, and depth, and length, and bredth of them, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks concerning the love of God. They are great and their Greatne&s;&s;e mu&s;t be &s;ought out.</P>
<P>But &s;ome may &s;ay, If the works of the Lord are &s;o great, what need they be &s;ought: great things are obvious and ea&s;ily &s;een; we need not &s;eek out the Sun?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, There is a twofold &s;eeking: Fir&s;t to find the work; Secondly to find out the work, that is, to find the rarities and beauties, the perfections, and wonders of the work. Thus, though the Sun be a great work of God, creating; yet, I may &s;ay, there are very few that to this day have &s;ought out the Sun; that is, who have &s;een the excellency, perfecti|on, and glory of that Candle of Heaven; we have not found the Sun as we ought, though it &s;hines eve|ry day to us. Much le&s;&s;e have we found out the providentiall works of God; &s;ome of which &s;hine as the Sun in the Heavens, and yet we have not found them out. The pre&s;ent work of God is &s;o great that every one heares of it, and tis every mans talke and di&s;cour&s;e, yet how few have &s;tudied to find out the perfections of it? <HI>David</HI> de&s;cribes the per&s;ons who do &s;o, They are (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;ought out of all them that have plea&s;ure therein.</HI> Then, all they that are troubled at them, who look &s;owre upon them or envy them, who think a lo&s;&s;e would &s;erve their turns and ends better then this great gaine, and to whom (as the Prophet &s;peaks in another ca&s;e <HI>I&s;a: 28. 19) It is a vexation only to under&s;tand the report,</HI> that is, to un|der&s;tand that &s;uch a thing is reported. Surely the&s;e
<PB N="30" REF="20"> and &s;uch as the&s;e have no plea&s;ure in this work of God, and therefore will never &s;eek it out. Nor is it every kind of plea&s;ure which we take in the works of God, that makes us &s;eek them out, and &s;o prai&s;e him &s;piritually and under&s;tandingly for them: They who (as many doe) take onely a carnall or fle&s;hly plea&s;ure in them, will &s;eek no further then the fle&s;h or out&s;ide of them, and all their prai&s;es mu&s;t needs &s;ymbolize with their &s;pirits, and be meerly car|nall.</P>
<P>The true plea&s;ure which we &s;hould take in this or any like work of God, mu&s;t ari&s;e upon the&s;e three grounds.</P>
<P N="1">1. As it is a returne of prayer. <HI>David</HI> in that other P&s;alme, where he puts the que&s;tion to him&s;elf, <HI>What &s;hall I render unto the Lord, for all his benifits unto me? (P&s;al.</HI> 116. 12.) had &s;aid (<HI>v. 1, 2.) I Love the Lord be|cau&s;e he hath heard my voyce &amp; my &s;upplications, becau&s;e he hath enclined his eare unto me.</HI> We never take &s;o much &s;pirituall plea&s;ure in any of the providentiall works of God, as in tho&s;e, which (with humble &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to his own good plea&s;ure) we have wrought him to by prayer.</P>
<P N="2">2. The plea&s;ure which we &s;hould take in the works of God, ought to ari&s;e from tho&s;e more emi|nent evidences of the power and goodne&s;&s;e or any other manife&s;tations of God in them. And indeed, we &s;hould take plea&s;ure in nothing but as &s;omewhat of God appears in it. As God is him&s;elfe the chiefe&s;t good, &s;o the more of God is &s;een in handing our mer|cies to us, the better they are. And therefore we &s;hould be more affected with, and take more plea&s;ure in the appearances of God in our mercies, then with our
<PB N="31" REF="20"> own advantages &amp; advancements by them. We take plea&s;ure as bea&s;ts onely, if we take plea&s;ure in what they are for us, and not in what of God is in them. As a believers hope, and tru&s;t, and confidence, is in God alone for what he would have wrought, &s;o he hath greater joy, and content, and complacency in God him&s;elfe then in any of his works.</P>
<P N="3">3. The plea&s;ure which we &s;hould&punc; take in the works of God ought to ari&s;e from their a&s;pect upon the Prophecies, or as they look toward the fulfilling of Prophecies: And indeed, we may take plea&s;ure in the &s;adde&s;t things that are done in the world (when we &s;ee Nations tumbling and rowling in blood, when we &s;ee the Towers falling, and the mountains &s;haking, though the&s;e are di&s;mall &s;ights, yet we may take plea&s;ure in them under this notion) as they are a fulfilling of Prophecies, and a bringing about of the Coun&s;ells of God. Now, They that can take plea&s;ure in this &s;peciall work of providence before us, as it looks toward the fulfilling a Prophe|cy, the powring out of the viall upon the Babylo|ni&s;h power (which &s;hall certainly be fulfilled in its &s;ea&s;on, and certainly the &s;ea&s;on of it cannot be far off: <HI>Euphrates,</HI> the &s;trength of my&s;ticall <HI>Babylon</HI> mu&s;t be dryed up, and the great undertakings of Nations will at la&s;t exhau&s;t that channell. They (I &s;ay) who from &s;uch a contemplation of this work, as it is an an&s;wer of prayer, as it is a fulfilling of Prophecies, and a clear demon&s;tration of the pow|er, wi&s;dome, truth and faithfulne&s;&s;e of God in both, have plea&s;ure in it, the&s;e) will &s;earch it out, and &s;o give prai&s;e to God knowingly and under&s;tandingly for it.</P>
<PB N="32" REF="21">
<P>The &s;econd direction which the text holds out to our practice in this duty of Prai&s;e, is, To Prai&s;e him <HI>cordially,</HI> that we have expre&s;ly in the fir&s;t ver&s;e, <HI>I will prai&s;e the Lord with my whole heart.</HI> I might &s;pend a whole hour about this <HI>whole heart,</HI> but I onely name it: doe not put God off with words or lip-prai&s;e this day; let not yours be heartle&s;&s;e prai&s;e, and let it not be done with le&s;&s;e then a whole heart; halfe a heart or a divided heart will not &s;erve in &s;acrifice: if we have not a heart, and a whole heart, in the bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e, it were better our bodies were not at all in it. They who have two hearts or are double hearted in any duty, and they who have no heart or but halfe a heart in it, are an alike abomination to the Lord.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Davids</HI> example in the text directs us to prai&s;e the Lord openly and avowedly, even <HI>In the a&s;&s;embly of the ju&s;t, and in the congregation</HI> (v. 1.) There are two degrees in the openne&s;&s;e of <HI>Davids</HI> prai&s;e. Fir&s;t he would doe it, <HI>In the a&s;&s;embly of the upright,</HI> or (as &s;ome tran&s;late) <HI>In the a&s;&s;embly of the Ju&s;t.</HI> Ju&s;t or upright men, have two &s;orts of a&s;&s;emblies, or they a&s;&s;emble for two great ends; Fir&s;t, to wor&s;hip and call upon God: Secondly, to advi&s;e and take coun|&s;ell one with another. The word here rendred an a&s;&s;embly is applicable to both &s;orts of a&s;&s;emblies.</P>
<P N="1">1. To a company of men met together to con&s;ult what to doe in any difficult ca&s;e, e&s;pecially of pub|lique concernment, whether for peace or war. And they who meet thus in Councell &s;hould be an a&s;&s;em|bly of ju&s;t and upright men. None are fit to direct the cour&s;e of Ju&s;tice but they who are Ju&s;t, nor to &s;et things right in a Nation but the upright. Every
<PB N="33" REF="21"> thing is in working, as it is in being; And what we find in our &s;elves, we are apt to impre&s;&s;e upon all we doe or take in hand. The work bears the image and &s;uper&s;cription of the workman. As the <HI>vile per&s;on will &s;peak villany (I&s;a.</HI> 32. 6.) So the ju&s;t per&s;on will &s;peak ju&s;tice, and the words of the upright man will be of uprightne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="2">2. The word is applyable al&s;o to any meeting or a&s;&s;embly of the godly, for they are a &s;ecret company too; They are &s;ecret ones, and &s;ecrets are with them: <HI>The &s;ecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, (P&s;al. 25. 14.) and he will &s;hew them his Covenant,</HI> or (as the Margin hath it) <HI>and his Covenant to make them know it.</HI></P>
<P>Now when <HI>David</HI> re&s;olves here to prai&s;e God in the <HI>A&s;&s;embly of the Ju&s;t,</HI> we may under&s;tand him of either A&s;&s;embly; He would prai&s;e God in the a&s;&s;em|bly of his Coun&s;ellours: <HI>where bui&s;ine&s;&s;es are debated and beaten out, There Succe&s;&s;es are e&s;pecially to be acknow|ledged.</HI> He would doe it al&s;o in any a&s;&s;embly of gra|cious and upright &s;oules. And indeed, <HI>Prai&s;e is comely for the upright, (P&s;al.</HI> 33. 1.) And 'tis &s;o, not onely becau&s;e they have mo&s;t cau&s;e to Prai&s;e God, but becau&s;e they are mo&s;t fit to doe it, and becau&s;e 'tis mo&s;t acceptable at their hand to the heart of God. How beautifull and of how &s;weet a &s;avour are their Prai&s;es for any mercy, who as they have travel'd for it, &s;o they would walk worthy of it. <HI>'Tis the be&s;t and mo&s;t &s;tately repre&s;entation of heaven on earth, to joyne with &s;uch an a&s;&s;embly of ju&s;t men prai&s;ing God.</HI></P>
<P>But <HI>David</HI> would not &s;tay there, neither mu&s;t we; his Prai&s;e was yet more open, <HI>I will prai&s;e him in the a&s;&s;embly of the ju&s;t, and in the congregation.</HI> Which in
<PB N="34" REF="22"> oppo&s;ition to the former is as if he had &s;aid, <HI>I will prai&s;e the Lord before all comers, let all the world come they &s;hall be witne&s;&s;es of his prai&s;e, I will prai&s;e him bare|faced and bold-faced, I care not who hears or who knows it, I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t it be told in Gath and publi&s;hed in the &s;treets of Askelon.</HI> Such Prai&s;es we are called to performe this day, we are Prai&s;ing God in the congregation; Publick be|nifits mu&s;t have publick acknowledgements: There ought to be, not onely &s;incerity, but &s;olemnity, in &s;uch a work as this. As they who &s;in before all men, &s;hould al&s;o repent before all men: So, they who have been helped and &s;aved before all men, &s;hould as <HI>David</HI> profe&s;&s;ed againe (<HI>P&s;al. 116. 13, 14.) Take up the cup of &s;alvation, and pay their prai&s;e&punc; vowes unto the Lord in the pre&s;ence of all his people.</HI> Yea, in the pre|&s;ence of all people, enemies &amp; all, if they are or could be pre&s;ent, and let it be told to them (if any will) being ab&s;ent, even in <HI>Rome</HI> and <HI>Spaine,</HI> that we this day have given thanks to God for giving us this Sea Vi|ctory and tho&s;e Indian &s;poyles.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Yet with this holy heat and freedome of &s;pirit, let your Prai&s;es this day have a tempera|ment of holy fear, and your rejoycings an allay of &s;pirituall trembling: We finde this directing cor|rective in the P&s;alm too; For a little beyond the text at the 10 ver&s;e, thus <HI>David</HI> concludes, <HI>The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wi&s;dome, a good understanding have all that doe his commandements, his prai&s;e endureth for ever.</HI> We mu&s;t not be afraid to prai&s;e God, but we mu&s;t prai&s;e him with fear, and they who have mo&s;t true courage and holy boldne&s;&s;e in prai&s;ing God, prai&s;e him with the greate&s;t mixture of this gracious fear. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> put this ingredient into his
<PB N="35" REF="22"> Song of triumph for the overthrow of <HI>Pharoah</HI> and his Hoa&s;t in the red Sea, <HI>Who is like unto thee O Lord among the Gods? who is like unto thee, glorious in holin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;s, fearfull in prai&s;es, (Exod.</HI> 15. 11.) Therefore Prai&s;e him with fear; what fear? with fear,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Le&s;t we &s;hould not have prai&s;ed him as we ought; or with this fear, that we have not come up to that holine&s;&s;e and &s;piritualne&s;&s;e of the duty in which it ought to be performed. We have no rea&s;on to think we have done this work &s;o well, as that all's well, but rather to fear that we have failed much in it. When we are at highe&s;t in any duty, we are be|low our duty, how much more in this duty of prai&s;e, which is our highe&s;t duty. <HI>Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, who can &s;hew forth all his prai&s;e? (P&s;al.</HI> 106. 2.) Had we (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks in another ca&s;e, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 1.) the tongues of men and Angells, yea the be&s;t hearts of both, we could not &s;hew forth all his Prai&s;e; what then have we done with our &s;tammering tongues and &s;traitned hearts to the Prai&s;e of God?</P>
<P>Secondly, Prai&s;e the Lord with this fear, le&s;t you &s;hould forget the benifits which you have prai&s;ed him for. Holy <HI>David (P&s;al.</HI> 103. 2.) be&s;peaks his &s;oule thus, <HI>Ble&s;&s;e the Lord O my &s;oule, and forget not all his benifits;</HI> that is, forget none at all of them: They that are afraid of forgetting the benifits of God, are mo&s;t likely to remember them. Such fear will write the Prai&s;e of God upon your hearts, and provoke you to Prai&s;e him with your lives.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Prai&s;e the Lord with this fear, that you neither are nor &s;hall be able to an&s;wer his loving kindne&s;&s;e, nor returne to him according to the
<PB N="36" REF="23"> mercy now received. The great things which God hath heretofore and now done for us, will undoe us in the end, unle&s;&s;e we doe &s;omewhat (I &s;ay not equall but) &s;utable to them. Succe&s;&s;e of affaires whether at home or abroad is a Talent, yea there may be many talents in one &s;ucce&s;&s;e; And who knows not, that hath read the Go&s;pel, how dangerous it is to wrap up our talent in a napkin? If once God &s;eeth that we are not bettered, and &s;trive not to doe better when he doth us good, he will not onely not doe us good any more but doe us hurt, yea de&s;troy us (as he told his ancient people by the mouth of <HI>Jo&s;huah</HI> their lea|der and chiefe Magi&s;trate (<HI>Jo&s;h.</HI> 24. 20.) Therefore let this holy fear be &s;trong and &s;tirring upon your hearts, le&s;t you come &s;hort of the Prai&s;e of God, both in the frame of your hearts, and in your performance to him. Be afraid, that you &s;hall neither have &s;uch &s;trength of faith in God in future &s;treights, nor &s;uch faithfulnes to God in any of your enlargements, as the experience of this day calls for: Be afraid that ye &s;hall never &s;hew forth &s;uch a zeale for God as God hath &s;hewed for you; for as the Prophet tells us, <HI>the zeal of the Lord of ho&s;ts &s;hall,</HI> &s;o we may &s;ay, the zeale of the Lord of ho&s;ts hath done this great thing for us, and that zeale of God will yet doe greater, if the work of God cool not upon our hands. Fear le&s;t ye &s;hould not know what this mercy calls you to doe, and be more afraid le&s;t you &s;hould not doe what you know. As the correcting <HI>rod,</HI> &s;o the &s;upporting <HI>staffe</HI> of God hath a voyce in it; They are wi&s;e indeed, who hearing under&s;tand that voyce, and, under&s;tan|ding it, do thereafter. Whatever your hand finds to doe for the name of God, and for the pro&s;perity of
<PB N="37" REF="23"> the&s;e Nations, doe it with all your might. There's much to be done for the promoting of ju&s;tice and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in the Nation; That our Judges may every where be as at the fir&s;t, and our Coun&s;ellours as at the beginning: And that there may be no more pricking bryar nor grieving thorn among our &s;elves, as <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was promi&s;ed in reference to tho&s;e about them (<HI>Ezek.</HI> 28. 24) There's much al&s;o to be done for the promoting of truth and holine&s;&s;e, which (in con&s;ort with ju&s;tice and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e) are at once the beauty and &s;tability, the honour and the &s;afety of Nations: Let both evill deeds and damnable do|ctrines be witne&s;&s;ed again&s;t, let no errour find en|couragement, let no <HI>faith-devouring</HI> and <HI>con&s;cience|wa&s;ting</HI> errour appear with open face in our borders, without a rebuke from Magi&s;traticall power. God hath been tender of the honour of the Nation abroad, let not the honour of God &s;uffer or be ecclip&s;ed at home, through any defect in the exerci&s;e of that great power wherewith you are entru&s;ted.</P>
<P>That fear of the Lord with which I have been pre&s;&s;ing you to Prai&s;e the Lord, will &s;urely guide you in all your coun&s;els to the doing and accompli&s;h|ing of all the&s;e things. For &s;o &s;aith this P&s;almi&s;t (<HI>v. 10) The &s;ear of the Lord is the beginning of wi&s;dome;</HI> The word which we render beginning &s;ignifies al&s;o the head or top, the perfection and highe&s;t pinnacle of wi&s;dome. Indeed the holy fear of the Lord is the beginning and ending, the fir&s;t and la&s;t, the <HI>Alpha</HI> and <HI>Omega</HI> of all true wi&s;dome; and therefore the P&s;almi&s;t adds in the clo&s;e of the &s;ame ver&s;e, <HI>A good understanding have all they that doe his commandement<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> Under&s;tanding and doing are two things, yet they
<PB N="38" REF="24"> onely under&s;tand the commandements of God who doe his commandements; and they onely doe his commandements who fear him. <HI>Solomon</HI> puts both the&s;e together, and makes them the &s;um of all the duty of man, and therefore, &s;urely, the &s;um of all the wi&s;dome of man, (<HI>Eccle&s;. 12. 13.) Let us hear the con|clu&s;ion of the whole matter, Fear God and keep his com|mandements, for this is the whole duty of man,</HI> or <HI>this is the whole of man.</HI> As if that <HI>Preacher-royall</HI> had &s;aid, You have heard me long, and I have &s;poken many words, I will now ea&s;e your labour in hearing and mine in &s;peaking, when you have heard and I have &s;poken but two words more, <HI>Fear God, and keep his commandements.</HI> To <HI>fear God,</HI> is to honour him in our hearts; To <HI>keep the commandements of God,</HI> is to honour him in our lives. And is not this whole man? A man without this (though in honour) un|der&s;tandeth not, but is like the bea&s;t that peri&s;heth. A man in highe&s;t honour, and of greate&s;t under&s;tan|ding, can not goe beyond this: Therefore, <HI>This is all man,</HI> in the be&s;t of men. To this end, as every man was made, &s;o every man lives, who knows why he was made, and why he lives. And hence (to return to my text) <HI>David</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid, <HI>The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wi&s;dom, a good under&s;tanding have all they they that doe his commandements,</HI> but pre&s;ently he con|cludes, <HI>His prai&s;e endureth for ever.</HI> There is a two|fold reference of the&s;e words: Fir&s;t to God, who&s;e Prai&s;es <HI>David</HI> had been inditing and &s;inging all the P&s;alm over, <HI>His prai&s;e</HI> (eminently) <HI>endureth for ever.</HI> Secondly to that man who prai&s;eth God kowingly and with his whole heart, who prai&s;eth God boldly and with holy fear, <HI>this man hath a good under&s;tanding, and his prai&s;e endureth for ever.</HI></P>
<PB N="39" REF="24">
<P><HI>Right Honourable,</HI> You have now kept a day of Prai&s;e to God; If you &s;hall approve your &s;elves to God, and to his people, to have kept it according to the coun&s;ell and example of his Kingly Prophet, there will be more then a day of prai&s;e for you, your Prai&s;e will endure for ever; the children who are yet unborn will prai&s;e you, and prai&s;e God for you. And con&s;ider how &s;ad your account will be, if you who have, now, kept a day of Prai&s;e &s;hould give the Nation any ju&s;t and r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">all occa&s;ion to di&s;prai&s;e and &s;peak evill of you hereafter; if your name and ho|nour &s;hould receive a blot or blemi&s;h by any thing that you do, or advi&s;e to be done, after you have thus beautified the name of God with the&s;e &s;olemn Prai|&s;es. While your hand is upon the helm of govern|ment, let your eye be to heaven for guidance both as to the way and i&s;&s;ue of your coun&s;ells, that you may have prai&s;e in the gate, prai&s;e in the City, and prai&s;e in the country, that you may have nothing but prai&s;e in the hearts and by the tongues of all tho&s;e, who&s;e prai&s;es are worth the having; or that if you mi&s;s prai&s;e at pre&s;ent from men, you may have that prai&s;e of God at la&s;t which will indeed endure for ever, <HI>Well done good and faithfull &s;ervants.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
