[277]
204
68.
t
AN
ESSAY
On the DUTY of
DIVINE PRAISE
:
AND
THANKSGIVING.
By a Clergyman of the Church of England.
Let all thoſe that ſeek thee be joyful and glad in thee;
and let fuch as love thy Salvation ſay alway, the
Lord be praiſed.
fal. X. 16.
61
OND ON
Printed for THOMAS ASTLEY, at the Dolphin and
Crown, in St. Paul's Church-Yard.
Price
60
BV
4305
.E78
PEO REIPUBLICÆ ET AMICTS
Fringe Duffield A. M
In tali nunquam lassat venatio sylva..
A.D.1884.
11-12-37 Sup
Gift
Texppaus Prente Cess
1-23-1932
то.
Mrs. Sarah Bonnell.
MADAM,
Humbly take leave to
I
preſent you with a
plain Diſcourſe, in
which my Deſign is not mere-
ly an Ambition to ſhew my
Gratitude for Favours re-
ceiv'd, but to revive and re
commend by the Authority
of
i
iv
Dedication.
of your Example, a moſt
ſweet and amiable Part of
Devotion; I mean the Duty
of praifing God, which is
the greateſt Pleaſure upon
Earth, and will be the ever-
lafting Entertainment of
Heaven.
I SAID your Example, Ma-
dam; becauſe the beſt Pre-
cepts are but coldly atten-
ded to, without the Influ-
ence, and Life, and Vigour,
they
Dedication.
V
they receive from fuch a Pat-
tern; and therefore I will
prefume to add thus much,
that whoever takes a View
of this little Eſſay, will im-
mediately diſcern it to be an
imperfect Model of a truly
great and devout Mind:
But then,Madam, as for thofe
who have the Honour and
Happineſs of knowing you,
they will readily think what
is a great Truth, that while
I am defcribing the angelick
and
vi
Dedication.
and fublime Pleafure of a
Life ſpent in divine Praiſe,
I am only pointing out for
their Imitation your daily
Practice.
IN fhort, 'tis no Flattery,
Madam, to wish that you
may be always what you are;
happy, and adorned with a
thouſand Graces in your
Perfon and Behaviour, a
worthy Iffue, the living Or-
naments of your Family,
an
Dedication.
vii
an Affluence of Fortunes,
and a Mind truly liberal,
and Chriſtian in the Ufe
of them.
You are in every In-
ſtance of Piety and Good-
nefs an Ornament to the
beft and pureft Church Mi-
litant upon Earth, and will
one Day be recalled into a
fuperior Claſs of Beings;
and bear a Part in the ever-
lafting Songs of the Church
Tri-
viii Dedication.
Triumphant in Heaven. I
am with the higheft Re-
fpect,
Madam,
Your most Sincere,
and most Obedient
Humble Servant.
THE
PREFACE.
ERE there not Ten
cleanfed, faid our blef-
fed Saviour, (mildly
upbraiding the Ingratitude and
Forgetfulness of thoſe mifera-
ble Lepers, whom his Good-
nefs had condefcended to heal,)
where are the Nine? There
are not returned to give
Glory to God fave this Stran-
ger.
a
And
X
Preface.
A
And may not our Church
with great Reafon upbraid
many of her Sons and Daugh-
ters with Unkindness, and
complain, that out of thoſe
Numbers who daily implore
the Mercies of God to them-
Selves and Families, and re-
pair to the Spiritual Betheſda,
and go away healed by the
Virtue of its living Waters,
Scarce one in ten returns to
give Glory to God for the
Mercies received.
But where, I pray, lies
the Fault of all this? Why,
much
Preface.
xi
much, without doubt, in the
Corruption and Pride of bu
man Nature itſelf, fince we
are all of us ready enough to
offer up our Prayers and Ad-
dreſſes at the Throne of Grace,
for the Relief of our Neceffi-
ties, and the Supply of our
Wants, and yet too apt to for-
get the Hand that fo liberally
vouchsafed the Supply.
But then I humbly appre-
hend, this is not the whole Ac-
count of the matter: The
Fault is rather owing to the
injudicious Compofitions of fome
devo-
a 2
xii
Preface.
devotional Writers, who have
burdened Religion with too
many Severities, infifted too
much upon their Penitentials
and Litanies, which, tho' con-
feffedly a great Duty in this
our finful and dependant State,
yet this is not all. Praife and
Thanksgiving ſhould have their
Turns, and take up a great
Share of our Lives; for the
Service of God is perfect
Freedom and Pleafure, and
Chriftian Religion a reafona-
ble Service,
In
Preface.
XIII
In a Word, Devotion fhould
be built upon the most noble
and generous Principles, Such
as honourable and worthy Ap-
prehenfions of the divine Na-
ture, and due Reflections on
God's Greatness in himself,
and his Goodness to his Crea-
tures; for did we frequently
meditate, as we ought, on the
Attributes of God, our Souls
would be filled with a holy
Awe and Admiration of him,
who is infinitely great, won-
derful, and holy; and did we
entertain our Thoughts with
the
xiv
Preface.
the Immenfity of his Love to-
wards us declared by his Son
Chriſt Jefus, our Hearts
would continually burn with-
in us, and glow with the
Flames of Gratitude and Love;
of which the Refult would
be, that we should inceſſantly
praife and delight in him,
whom our Soul loveth.
The Defign, therefore, of
this little Treatife is to in-
Struct the devout Chriftian
how to behave as the living
Temple of God, and build a
Chapel in his own Heart,
from
Preface.
XV
from whence he may daily of
fer up the Sacrifice of Praife
and Thankſgiving, and ferve
God with that Fear which
worketh by Love, and ex-
preſſes itſelf in the Fruits of
a holy Life, and charitable
Actions, and a chearful Obe-
dience to the divine Commands.
AN
AN
ESSAY
On the DUTY of
DIVINE PRAISE
AND
THANKSGIVING.
S Prayer is a Duty of Natu-
ral Religion, arifing from a
Senſe of our Dependance on,
and the All-fufficiency of
that great and glorious Being on whom we
depend, fo we are thence inftructed, that
B
2 1
An Essar on the Duty of
a Being, of infinite Excellency in him-
felf, and of infinite Kindneſs to his Crea-
tures, has an undoubted Right to the
largeſt Tribute of Praife, and Thankfgi-
ving, and Veneration, that they can pof-
fibly render unto him.
UPON thefe Confiderations the Light
of Nature has directed Men in all Ages
by Prayer and Supplication, to make
known their Requests unto God, unto
that Almighty Being, in whofe Hands
are all the Springs of Motion and Ac-
tion, and who doth according to his
Will in the Armies of Heaven, and
among the Inhabitants of the Earth.
On the other hand, Sacrifices have
been as antient as the World, and uſed
in all Places, there being no Age nor
Country wherein Mẹn have not wor-
ſhipped and fupplicated God, and ren-
dered Praiſes to him for all the Goods
they enjoyed, as having received them
from him.
WHEN
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 3
WHEN this World was in its Infancy,
Cain brought the Fruits of the Earth,
and Abel the Firſtlings of his Flock, to
be offered unto God in Teftimony of
their Gratitude to him, by whoſe gra-
cious Influence the Earth became fruit-
ful, and the Flocks brought forth young.
And though there is no exprefs Com-
mandment of God extant for the firft
Inftitution of Sacrifices, yet it cannot be
thought that Cain and Abel would have
made their reſpective Offerings as Acts of
Worſhip that would be acceptable to him,
unleſs Adam their Father had required
them to do it as a Duty God expected,
or adviſed it as a Thing proper, and in
itſelf fit, or approved it as a fuitable
Token of their Thankfulneſs to God,
and Reliance upon him.
FOR, in truth, the more we know of
God, the better we ſhall underſtand our
Duty towards him; and the more chear-
fully and willingly we fhall yield our
Obedience, we ſhall ſee what Right and
Ba
Title
4
An Essar on the Duty of
Title he has to our Obedience, and that
Religion is a very reaſonable Service;
and to this End the Attributes of God
are ſo often difplayed in Holy Scripture,
and more eſpecially in this Book of
Pfalms, where, among the many Excel-
lencies of this pious Collection of Hymns,
which have render'd it highly valuable
to the Church of God in all Ages, a
principal one is, that they give us the
moft amiable Ideas of God, and the Wif
dom of his Providence in the Preferva-
tion and Government of his Creatures,
and recommend a Homage that is moft
agreeable to his Nature, moft fublime,
and worthy of him; fo that inſtead of
refting in material Sacrifices, or the Per-
formance of fome external Rites and Ce-
remonies of Worſhip, which of them-
felves are of no real Value in the Sight
of God, we are now directed to offer unto
God the Calves of our Lips, giving
Thanks to his Name, or, according to
that of the Royal Pfalmift, to praiſe the
Name of the Lord, for his Name alone
is excellent.
IT
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 5
Ir being, therefore, a Matter of the
utmoft Confequence, in order to our be-
ing truly religious and devout, to frame
in our Minds the moft worthy Concep-
tions of that Being, whom we are obliged
to adore, I fhall,
I. First of all, enquire what we are to
underſtand by the Name of God.
II. Secondly, What it is praiſe or glo-
rify him.
III. Thirdly, Shew our Obligation to
the Duty enjoined.
Firft, We are to enquire what we are
to underſtand by the Name of God.
I. Then by the Name of God we are
to underſtand himſelf, as we may fee by
comparing Pfal. xx. 1. where,
I. where, faith
the Pfalmift, the Lord hear thee in the
Day of Trouble; the Name of the God
of Jacob defend thee. 1 John v. 13.
Thefe Things have I written unto you
that believe on the Name of the Son of
God,
6 An Essar on the Duty of
God, that ye may know that ye have
eternal Life, and that ye may believe on
the Name of the Son of God.
II. Secondly, GOD's Name or Title is
holy: For when Mofes was commiffioned
by the moft High God to be the Leader
of his People Ifrael, and to demand of
Pharaoh their Releaſement from their in-
tolerable Bondage, he enquires of God
by what Name he would be known to
Pharaoh; whereupon God makes An-
fwer, that he would be known to him by
the Name, I am; which, according to the
Hebrews, by the way of Excellence, fig-
nifies, a Being Self-exiftent, Potential,
and Caufative of all other Beings, Inde-
pendent on any other, upon whom all
Things elfe depend, and by whom all
Things elfe are governed: Accordingly,
the Jews in their ordinary Converſation
and Intercourfe, fpeaking of God, uſed the
Name Elohim, which fignifies God, but
is frequently in Scripture, by way of Ac-
commodation, uſed to denote Angels and
Magiftrates, and them who are called
Gods,
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 7
Gods, but by Nature are not Gods:
But as for the Name Jehovah, this they
accounted the facred, tremendous, unut-
terable Name, and not to be pronounced
but with Solemnity by the High-Prieft,
when he enter'd once a Year into the
Holy of Holies.
III. Thirdly, By the Name of God,
we may underſtand the Attributes of the
divine Nature: And thefe are briefly
fummed up by St. Paul in his Doxology,
1 Tim. i. 17. where afcribing unto God
the Glory due unto him, he ftiles him the
King Eternal; Immortal, Invifible, and
only Wife God: Where by Eternal, he
means that God is without Beginning,
and without End. This is Mofes's Ac-
knowledgment, Ifai. xc. 2. Before the
Mountains were brought forth, or ever
the Earth and the World were formed,
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou
art God. He is the Ancient of Days,
and before all Time.
Ir
8 An Essay on the Duty of
It muſt be confeſſed, that (poor Crea-
tures as we are, that have our Beings fet-
tled in the Moments of Time, that grow
up together with Days and Years) we
cannot comprehend the Nature of Eter-
nity; we cannot comprehend fuch a ſtea-
dy Duration, where there is no Flux of
Time; nothing afore or after, nothing
paſt, or to come, but all prefent; where
one Day is as a thouſand Years, and a
thouſand Years but as one Day. This
is a Gulph to human Apprehenfions :
Nevertheleſs, God has not left us defti-
tute of natural Means to know and to
acknowledge him to be thus eternal:
For the invifible Things of him from
the Creation are clearly feen, being un-
derſtood by the Things that are made,
even his eternal Power and Godhead.
But then, as God has been from Ever-
lafting, fo is he to Everlafting; his
Throne is for ever and ever. He laid
the Foundations of the Earth; and the
Heavens are the Work of his Hands:
But
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 9
But though they all fhall periſh, he ſhall
endure; yea, all of them ſhall wax old
as a Garment, becauſe as a Veſture he
fhall change them, and they fhall be
changed; but God is the fame, and his
Years fhall not fail: He is the inex-
hauſtible Ocean of Being, the ever-
flowing Fountain of Life, from whence
the whole World is derived.
ALL Things have their Dependance on
him: He made them all, and upholds
them by the Word of his Power. In
him we live, and move, and have our
Being; and he is the Stay of all the Ends
of the Earth, without whofe Support all
would fall into Nothing again.
He is Alpha and Omega, the Firſt and
the Laft, who was, and is, and is to
come. In a Word, God is all in all.
INFINITE in Power, Wiſdom and Good-
neſs, as in all other Perfections: He alones
faith St. Paul, bath Life in himself; and
if Angels and the Souls of Men are in-
mortal,
C
10 An Essar on the Duty of
mortal, it is becaufe God hath been plea-
ſed to make them fo. Again, he is inviſible
in his Effence, and no Way to be beheld
by us but in his Works, which clearly
demonftrate his eternal Power and God-
head. By his Wiſdom he hath garniſhed
the Heavens, and the Earth is full of his
Goodnefs.
But then if we confider the Know-
ledge of God, in refpect of the vaſt
Comprehenfion of it, the Pfalmift, in
devout Admiration of it, cries out, Of
his Understanding there is no Number,
in Regard of the Multitude of Particu.
lars which he comprehends; for there is
not any Creature which is not manifeft in
his Sight, but all Things are open and
naked to the Eyes of him with whom we
have to do. Thus the Scripture repre-
ſents him as having all Things within
the Compaſs of his Knowledge, and that
his Knowledge is moft certain and infal-
lible; for he who is the Fountain of
Knowledge and Wiſdom, muſt have it in
the moft exalted Degrec.
HA
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 11
He that made the Eye, fhall he not
fee? He that made the Ear, fhall he not
hear? And he that giveth Man Know-
ledge, and communicates it to others,
fhall not he have it in Perfection?
THUS I have fhewn at large, that God
alone is Infinite in all Excellencies and
Perfections; and therefore he only is the
eternal Object of the Adorations and
Praiſes of all his Creatures. This is
therefore Matter of Triumph and Re-
joicing to us, that God whofe Wiſdom,
and Knowledge, and Goodneſs, fhines
throughout the whole Creation, and is
loudly proclaim'd by his Works of Won-
der, and whoſe Throne is eſtabliſhed in
Righteouſneſs, fitteth over All bleffed for
ever; and that we are in the Hands of a
faithful Creator, who made us, and
therefore, we need not fear, defigns our
everlaſting Happineſs. Let not, there-
fore, the wife Man glory in his Wiſdom,
neither let the mighty Man glory in his
Might: Let not the rich Man glory in
a z
his
12
An Essar on the Duty of
his Riches; but let him that glorieth,
glory in this, that he is capable of
knowing God, of loving fo much Good-
nefs, of beholding fo great Glory, of ad-
miring fuch Perfections, and hath the
Honour of doing Homage to the great
and glorious Majefty of Heaven and
Earth. In a Word, as the Prophet Je-
remy ſpeaks, let him that glorieth, glory
in this, that he knoweth the Lord who
exercifeth Judgment, and Justice, and
loving Kindness in the Earth. Let us
then proceed to the
SECOND Thing propos'd, viz. To con
fider in what Manner we are to praiſe
and glorify God: For tho', as the Pfal-
miſt ſpeaks, God is exalted far above all
Bleffing and Praife, yet he piouſly re-
folves, upon the Account of God's fu-
perlative Excellency, to praiſe him as
long as he hath any Being. For this is
the natural Reſult of our knowing God,
to worſhip him as God, and to make
him the everlaſting Object of our De-
votions.
WHERE
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 13
WHEREFORE to praiſe the Name of
of God, will contain in it theſe two
Things:
1. THAT we preſerve in our Minds
fuitable Apprehenfions of his Greatneſs,
entertain an honourable Opinion and wor-
thy Thoughts of him, a profound Reve-
rence for him, and fuitable Affections to-
wards him, and exprefs the Sincerity of
our Love by living in Obedience to him;
otherwiſe our verbal Praiſes are but empty
Applauſes, and a downright Mockery of
him, which cannot be done but to the
Sinners everlafting Shame and Confu-
fion.
ports
2dly, To praiſe and glorify God im-
the outward Worſhip of him, pro-
claiming his Excellency to all the World,
giving him the Glory of his Attributes,
acknowledging him in all our Ways,
thinking and ſpeaking of him at all Times,
as becomes his excellent Greatnefs, treat-
ing whatever relates to him with a Reve-
rençe
$4
An Essay on the Duty of
rence fuitable to his Majefty to whom,
they belong, making his Glory the firſt
Thing in our Prayers, the chief End of all
our Actions: Thus 'tis the Advice of
St. Paul, That whether we eat or drink,
or what foever we do, we should do
all to the Glory of God. But to be fome-
what more particular,
L
To praiſe and glorify him aright im-
plies, that we should bear a ſuitably Re-
fpect to all Perfons and Things that re-
late to him, or bear his Imprefs and Infcrip-
tion; and they are chiefly thefe Four,
his Word, his Sacrament, his Miniſters,
and his Houſes of Prayer.
1. WE are to reverence his Word, i. e.
we fhould firmly believe, that whatever
he fays is moft true; and that whatever
he commands is moſt fitting to be done by
: And, therefore, are to receive both
with an Attention and Regard fuitable
to his Majefty, who fpeaketh to us in
the holy Oracles.
HERE
<
Divine Praiſe and Thankſgiving. 15
HEREUPON We are heartily to affent
to the Truth of thofe Propofitions and
Matters of Fact which are related in
them.
As that God did at firft create all
Things by the Word of his Power, and
ftill rules and governs them all by his
Providence.
THAT in the Unity of the Godhead
there are three Perfons of one Subſtance,
Power and Eternity, the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghoft; the Greatneſs of which
Myſtery, tho' we cannot comprehend,
yet are we firmly to believe, becauſe it is
revealed by God who is infinitely wife
and omniſcient, and infinitely good and
true.
He cannot be deceived himſelf, neither
will he deceive his Creatures.
AGAIN we are to believe, that God the
Father hath one proper and only begotten
Son
16
An Essay on the Duty of
Son to whom he hath communicated his
divine Effence; and that, in the Fulneſs
of Time, this divine Perfon for us Men,
and for our Salvation came down from
Heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy
Ghoſt of the Virgin Mary, and was made
Man. That, after the Space of about
thirty Years ſpent on Earth, he ſuffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; and, after three Days,
roſe again, and converfed on Earth, and
afterwards, in a viſible and triumphant
Manner, afcended into Heaven, in the
Prefence of his Apoftles, and there fit-
teth at the Right Hand of God's Majeſty,
till he ſhall hereafter come in his own
Giory, and the Glory of his Father, to
judge both the Quick and Dead, and to
render to every Man according to his
Works. Theſe, I fay, and fuch like
Propofitions and Matters of Fact, we are
to believe, as being revealed in the Scrip-
tures, which are the infallible Word of
God.
AGAIN
Divine Praiſe and Thankſgiving. 17
AGAIN, if we take a View of the Pres
cepts of the Gofpel, of which we have
a Summary in our Lord's divine Sermon
on the Mount, thefe are fo pure and ho-
ly in themſelves, and tend ſo much to the
Perfection of our Natures, that we can-
not well refuſe our Obedience to them;
befides, that they are fo graciouſly con-
triv'd by God, that our Obedience to
them will make us happy, both in this
and the other World; even in this Life,
great Peace have they that love the Law
of God; but then Godliness, faith St.Paul,
bath the Promife, not only of the Life
that now is, but alſo of that which is
to come.
2dly, We are to reverence his Sacra-
ments, i. e. we are to receive them ac-
cording to the Inftitution of our bleffed
Saviour and Redeemer, and in Obedience
to his Commands, and in humble Reliance
on his Bleffing. Having then in our In-
fancy been dedicated to God by Baptifm,
and enter'd into Covenant with him,
D
we
18 An ESSAY on the Duty of
we are thereby made his Children by
Ado tion, entitled to the many and high
Privileges of his Kingdom; or, as our
Church expreſſes it, we are thereby made
Members of Chriſt, Children of God,
and Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Hereupon, when we come to Ripeneſs
of Underſtanding, we fhould acquaint
our felves with the Nature, End, and
Defign of the Lord's Supper; we ſhould
be evermore defirous to feed on their
Bread, which nouriſheth unto Life eter-
nal. I beseech you therefore, to uſe
the Addreſs of St. Paul, that ye pre-
fent your Bodies a living Sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your rea-
Sonable Service. Rom. xii.
LET us frequently approach the holy
Altar out of a deep Senfe of our Sins,
and a fincere Defire to become better;
out of pure Love and Thankfulneſs to
our Maſter and only Saviour Jefus Chrift,
and in Remembrance of his bitter, but
meritorious Crofs and Paffion, whereby
alone we obtain Remiffion of our Sins,
and
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 19
and are made Partakers of the Kingdom
of Heaven.
3dly, We are to reverence his Minif
ters, becauſe they are Stewards of the
Myfteries of God, and are appointed in
his Name, to entreat Men to be reconci-
led unto God. To be reconciled to him,
by leaving off their Sins, by turning from
their Iniquities, and living foberly,
righteouſly, and godly, in this prefent
World, in Expectation of the bleffed
Hope of everlaſting Life, and of that
Glory which ſhall be hereafter revealed;
and now my Brethren, fince this is the
Work of your fpiritual Paftors and
Teachers, we could wifh that Men would
eſteem of us very highly, not for our
felves, but for our Work's fake.
4thly, We ſhould reverence his Houfes
of Prayer; and this may be done by build-
ing and erecting Places for God's pub-
lick Worſhip, or by liberally contributing
to their Maintenance and Endowment.
D 2
How
20
An Essar on the Duty of
So
How acceptable this was under the
Old Teftament, we may find by that moft
excellent Prayer of Solomon's at the Feaft
of the Dedication of the Temple, 2 Chron.
vi. In anſwer to which God fo bleffed
him, that he furpaffed all the Kings of
the Earth in Riches and Wiſdom.
again, we may obferve in the New Teſ-
tament, that when the Rulers of the Sy-
nagogue entreated our bleffed Lord to
come and heal the Centurion's Servant,
they thought it a good Plea to obtain this
Grace at his Hands, that the Centurion
had built them a Place for publick Wor-
ship.
HE is worthy, fay they, for whom
thou ſhouldft do this, for he loveth our
Nation, and bath built us a Synagogue,
Luke vii. 52. But however, if our For-
tunes are fo ftrait, that we cannot do fuch
great Things for the Houſe of God and
the Offices thereof, yet we ſhould contri-
bute our Prayers and good Wiſhes for
their Succefs; and altho' he whom the
K
Heaven
Divine Praife and Thanksgiving. 21
Heaven of Heavens cannot contain, dwel-
leth not in Temples made with Hands,
yet in the moſt profound Admiration of
his fuperlative Perfections, we ſhould
take all Opportunities to offer up our
Addreffes and Devotions in them.
WE fhould delight to affemble in the
Houfe of Praiſe and Thankſgiving, and
declare to all the World that we worship
the great Creator of Heaven and Earth,
and fhew forth his Goodneſs with the
Voice of Praife, and tell of all his mar-
vellous Works.
FOR when we pray unto him, both
in publick and private, we thereby
teftify our Dependance upon him;
and that from his infinite Fulnefs and
free Grace we hope for the Supply of
all our Wants: We own his Omnipre-
fence; that he is near at hand to help us,
and ever ready to do us good; to hear
and anſwer our Petitions whenever we
offer them up to him.
THUS
22
An Essar on the Duty of
THUS do we praife the Name of God,
who alone is fo excellent, by giving him
the Glory of his Attributes, and by
treating whatever relates to him with a
Reverence fuitable to his Majeſty, to
whom they belong,
LET us proceed then to the laſt Thing
propofed, viz.
THIRDLY, TO Confider the Motive to
the Duty now recommended.
Ift, Motive is the Excellency and
Goodneſs of the divine Nature.
}
2dly, GoD's eſpecial Kindneſs as to us.
1. THIS we cannot but believe of
God, if we meditate on his fuperlative
Wiſdom, Holinefs, Power, and Good-
nefs, and do but reflect with ourſelves
how inceffantly theſe Attributes are em-
ployed for our Good; that his Wiſdom
delights to contrive our Happineſs, as
his
Divine Praiſe and Thankſgiving. 23
his Almighty Power is ever ready to ef-
fect it. With thee, faith the Pfalmift, is the
Well of Life, and it can never be drawn
dry. And in another Place he cries out,
In thy Prefence is the Fulness of Joy.
IN a Word, God is the fupreme Beau-
ty and Excellence, the original Good-
nefs, from whence all-created Goodneſs
is derived. Whenfoever then we behold
any Spark of Wiſdom and Goodneſs in
the Creatures, which yet at beft is finite,
weak, and imperfect, then fhould we
raiſe up our Thoughts to God in Admi-
ration, and Praife, and Love of him,
whofe Perfections are as infinite as his
Being, which is the fame Yeſterday,
To-day, and for ever.
1. GOD is not only thus excellent
in himſelf, but he is wonderfully good,
i. e. kind and merciful to us.
AND this will appear if we confider
him as he is our Father by Creation, by
Providence and Redemption.
FIRST
24
An Essar on the Duty of
Firft, HE is our Father by Creation:
We all now, bleffed be God, have rea-
fonable Souls and Underſtandings: Time
was when we had them not.
FOR we cannot pretend to have been
from everlaſting. Alas! we know that
we are but of Yeſterday; we can reckon
our Age, and others can do it for
us; our Being is precarious and depen-
dent; we lay at the Mercy of our great
Creator, whether we ſhould be, or not
be at all: We are the Product of meer
Bounty and Goodnefs; for wherein can
a Man be profitable to his Maker? Our
Being is a great Benefit, and confequent-
ly we have contracted fuch a Debt to the
divine Goodneſs as we are not able to
pay. God, indeed, is, by the Right of
Creation, the great King of the Uni-
verfe. The Heavens, O Lord, are thine,
faith the Pfalmift; the Earth alſo is
thine: As for the World, and the Ful-
nefs thereof, thou haft founded them;
the North and the South, thou haft
created
2
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 25
created them: Tabor and Hermon fhall
rejoice in thy Name.
THE whole material World does Ho-
mage to the great Creator of the Uni-
verſe, by acting fuitably to thofe Laws
which he hath ordained for them and
accordingly the Royal Pfalmift, in
the moſt paſſionate and devout Strains,
calls upon all Creatures, not only
all Sorts and Conditions of Men,
but he fummons the whole Creation to
join in this Office of praifing God, where-
by he means, at leaſt, that all which can,
fhould do it for themfelves, and that
we ſhould do it for the reft; that we
fhould take occafion from all the Works
of God to give him the Praiſes due unto
his Name; that we fhould celebrate
that Power, Wiſdom, and Goodneſs,
which is fo remarkable in all his Works;
and that we, who are intelligent Beings,
fhould be as High Priefts, to offer up
that Praiſe which the whole Creation does
furniſh us withal; and above all Things,
E
that
26
An Essar on the Duty of
that fince we are created in the Image
of God, and have Souls capable of
knowing God the beſt and wiſeſt Being,
we therefore ſhould be as ready to bleſs
and praiſe him. For
2dly, He is our Father by Providence.
As he firft fent us into this World,
fo his good Providence is ever concern'd
to guard and take care of us, efpecially
if we be of the happy Number of thoſe
whom he owneth and careth for, i. e.
fuch as keep his Teftimonies, and think
his Commandments to do them.
upon
THIS great Truth the Scriptures teach
us: The Eyes of the Lord, faith holy
David, are over the Righteous, and his
Ears are open to their Cry: He is the
Author of all good Gifts, as Health and
Strength, Friends, Food, and Raiment,
&c. In him we live, and move, and
have our Being; and he hath well pro-
vided for our Happiness even in this
Life;
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 27
Life; it becometh, therefore, the Juft to
be thankful. But then,
Laftly, He is our Father by Re-
demption.
BEHOLD, faith St. John, what Man-
ner of Love the Father hath beſtowed
on us, that we ſhould be called the Sons
of God. That we, who fat in Darkneſs,
and in the Shadow of Death, who were
vile Earth and miferable Sinners, Apof-
tates from the Love of God, fhould of
his free Grace and Mercy be reſtored to
a Communion and Likeneſs with him ;
and for the Merits of his Son Jefus
Chriſt's Death have all our Sins par-
doned, and our Perfons accepted, and be
made Partakers of the Inheritance of
the Saints in Light, i. e. everlafting Life,
which is promiſed to our fincere, though
very imperfect Obedience.
You fee then, my Brethren, that
fince we have received fo many Mercies
E 2
on
28
An Essar on the Duty of
on God's Part, Praiſe and Thankſgiving
in our Mouths is very comely.
GOD, gracious and bountiful, filleth
all Things living with good, yet expects
no other Return but Praife and Thankf
giving. Let us then never defraud him
of that ſo eaſy a Tribute, but let our
Hearts be ever filled with the Senſe, and
our Mouth, with the Acknowledgment
of his Mercies.
Ir is a joyful and pleaſant Thing to
be thankful, faith the devout Pfalmift:
Let us not then lofe our Part in that
divine Pleaſure, which is the Employ-
ment of the bleffed Spirits above.
'Tis true, indeed, in this our finful,
frail, and dependent State here on Earth
Prayers and Supplications are a Duty in-
cumbent on us; but Men fhould not be
fo intent on their Litanies, as flightly to
perform the Duty of Praife; but as our
Prayers derive Bleffings on us, fo fhould
we, from an affectionate and devout
Heart
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 29
Heart, offer up Thanks to him who is
the Author and Giver of all good Gifts.
I MAY add likewife, that I know of
nothing more proper to preſerve us from
Sin, and to improve us in all Goodneſs,
than the daily Sacrifice of Praiſe; for if
performed as it ought to be, we ſhould
be very
careful not to offend our beſt
Benefactor, nay, we fhould be infenfi-
bly inflamed with a Love and Admira-
tion of him, who is fo excellent and love-
ly in himſelf; and we ſhould ſtudy to
adorn our Souls with that Holinefs and
Goodneſs we admire in him, that fo others
feeing our good Works, might be there-
by induced to glorify our Father which
is in Heaven. One Word more, and I
have done.
THE Duty here recommended is not
only pleaſant and eaſy in itſelf, but may
be perform'd at all Times, and on all
Occafions. Are we meditating on the infi-
nite Perfections of the divine Nature? how
ſhould we, in a holy Admiration of them,
cry
30
An Essar on the Duty of
cry out, To thee, O Lord, belongeth
Greatneſs and Power, and Glory, and
Victory, and Majefty: For all that is
in the Heaven, and in the Earth, is thine ;
thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and
thou art exalted as Head above all: Blef-
fed and praiſed be thy holy Name, O
Lord, for ever and ever. Are we in a
State of Profperity? is a Man's Lot fal-
len in a fair Ground? has he a goodly
Heritage? doth his Cup overflow? Why
then let him reflect on the ingenuous
Temper of the good Patriarch, who be-
ing profpered in his Condition, and con
ducted by Angels in his Progrefs to-
wards Peace and Plenty, then renounces
his own Merit and Praife, and makes
this humble and grateful Acknowledg-
ment to God; I am not worthy of the
leaſt of all thy Mercies, and of all the
Truth which thou haft fhewed unto thy
Servant: For with my Staff I paffed
over Jordan, and now am become two
Bands.
BUT
Divine Praife and Thankſgiving. 31
BUT even in a State of Adverfity and
fore Trial, ought not God to be the Sub-
ject of our Praiſe? Yes, with good Rea
fon he ought, fince we are taught, by
the pious Example of the three Chil-
dren, Shadrach, Meſhach, and Abednego,
to glorify God in the Fires. In a
word, are we in
we in Affliction and Di-
ftrefs? do we labour under the Straights
of grievous Poverty and Want? See in
what a noble Strain of Devotion the Pro-
phet Habakkuk, cries out, Altho' the Fig-
Tree ſhall not bloſſom, neither ſhall Fruit
be in the Vines; altho' the Labour of
the Olive fhall fail, and the Fields yield
no Meat; although the Flock ſhall be cut
off from the Fold, and there ſhall be no
Herd in the Stalls; yet I will rejoice
in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my
Salvation.
SUCH Ejaculations as thefe might be
formed in every State and Condition of
Life; but the Method of fuch Difcourfes
as this will not allow me to mention any
more;
32 An Essar on the Duty, &c.
more; and therefore we ſhould humbly
beſeech God that not only our Lips, but
our Lives may fhew forth his Praiſe,
by confecrating ourſelves to his Service,
and walking in Holineſs and Righteouf-
nefs before him all the Days of our Life,
that fo after our Departure hence, we
may be admitted into the Regions of Light
and Bliſs, and be initiated into an innume-
rable Company of Angels, and the general
Affembly of the Church of the Firſt-born,
that are written in Heaven, and of this
bleffed Corona, we ourſelves be made
a noble and a glorious Part, inflamed with
all that mutual Love that kindles Sera-
phims, and ſtreams out into heavenly Glo-
ry, and join with them in praifing God ac-
cording to his excellent Greatneſs, and
faying Hallelujah.
Bleffing and Honour, Glory and Power,
be unto him that fitteth on the Throne,
and to the Lamb that was flain, for
ever and ever. Amen.
FINI S.