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A72514
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The practice of thankefulnesse; or Davids choyse directions how to prayse God In an exposition and application vpon the whole sixtie sixe Psalme. With a short treatise vpon the thirtie one, and thirtie two verses of the one hundred and seuenth psalme.
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[Larke, Nicholas]
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1622
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STC 15254.5; ESTC S124556
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47,121
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107
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God euen our owne God Psal 144. then are you blessed Oh blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Rom. 8.32 Then are you protected If God bee on our side who can bee against vs Then are you safe Psal 48.14 Our God will be our guide euen vnto death Reioyce that the Lord is become your God prepare an habitation for him in your hearts Exod. 15.2 exalt him with your tongues and call to others saying Blesse our God blesse our God O ye people And make the voyce of his praise to bee heard This is the token that people are come vnto God when they make others heare them praise God they that make others heare them praise Images and superstitious Popish Ceremonies shew no token that they are come vnto God they that make others heare them praise the sinfull pleasures of wicked lust shew no token that they are come vnto God they that make others heare them by swearing and lying and other sinnes blaspheme God shew no token of comming vnto him they that are afraid and ashamed to let others heare them professe praise and glorifie God shew no token that they are come vnto him But they that with zeale modestie reuerence and sinceritie doe make others heare and perceiue that they doe acknowledge honour and praise God doe shew a sufficient token that they are indeed come vnto him Therefore when the exercises of praising God are performing congregate together readily thereto lurke no where in Kitchin or Hall or Butterie or Chamber or Yard or Street or any where absent which is enough to make you suspected of irreligious hearts But come forth all come affected and come prepared to pray together to heare together and to sing together that we may together blesse our God and make the voice of his glorious praise heard euen his praise Which holdeth our soule in life Vers 9. Euen his praise which hath restored our soulevnto life The restoring of our soules vnto life the holding of them in life are speciall reasons to lead vs to praise God Oh man or woman whose soule by sicknesse or by the malice of enemies or by other euils hath been compassed about with the sorrowes of hell and beene in the snares of death and God of his maruellous goodnesse hath redeemed it and restored vnto life and doth still preserue and keepe thee healthfull and aliue Doest thou disobey this good God doest thou dishonour him with thy life doest thou sinne against him with the health and libertie that hee giues thee doest thou not praise him for his wonderfull kindnesse O foolish body and vnwise Deut. 32.6 doe you thus requite the Lord O ye righteous be it farre from you to be so vngracious doe not you so requite the Lord but remember all his benefits Psal 107. thinke vpon all his goodnesse and consider in particular how when your soules were in wofull miserie when your liues were in great ieopardie your troubles were sore and many hee heard your cry hee sent you helpe from his holy place and hee redeemed you from all your miseries and it is he only which holdeth our soule in life and Suffereth not our feet to be moued They that doe serue God faithfully are in the greatest safetie Yee bloudie and deceitfull men why doe you imagine mischiefe against Gods faithfull seruants They shall bee as Mount Sion Psal 125.1 which cannot bee remoned Yee gates of hell why doe you offer violence to Gods Saints Ioh. 10.29 They are in his hands who is greater then all and none can plucke them out Ye men on earth that desire to be safe why doe yee not turne from your sinnes and come to our God to serue him Then you shall bee safe Psal 15.5 and shall neuer bee mooued Yee righteous why are you afraid in any condition or for any mans threatning Feare not Psal 55.22 faint not cast your burthen vpon the Lord hee will sustaine you and will neuer suffer you to bee moued Are we safe Is our King safe Is the Kings sonne safe Is our Land safe Are our Preachers and people safe Are our wiues and children safe Are our goods and cattel safe Giue God alone the glory sing praise to his Name Psal 36.6.44.4 6 7. for hee onely saueth vs he preserueth man and beast Not our owne arme nor our sword but hee himselfe hath saued vs from all our enemies putting them to shame that hated vs Psa 18.34.56.13 hee inlargeth our steps vnder vs hee holdeth our feet that they slip not hee keepes them from falling he sets them 40.3 as on a Rocke and suffers them not to bee moued and if at any time 30.6 7. to checke vs for our securitie and vaine confidence wee be moued and troubled it is onely his gracious triall of vs that wee might then looke to him and say to him In this also wee acknowledge thine hand For thou O God hast prooued vs Verse 10. thou hast tryed vs as Siluer is tryed Gods children can picke matter of thankesgiuing and of consolation out of their affliction O thou that quarrellest at the godlies Religion because of their tribulation and scoffest at their Profession because of their affliction their crosse is better then thy crowne their miscrie then thy prosperitie their sorrowes then thy pleasures For thou pickest out of thine abundance matter of irreligion of pride of vnthankfulnesse of crueltie of condemnation but they out of their sore affliction matter of reioycing of thankesgiuing and of consolation Psal 73.21 c. O child of God whose mind is grieued who art pricked in thy reines whose flesh and whose heart faileth because of rebuke and chastening be no more so foolish so ignorant and so like a beast before the Lord regard and take out this lesson picke thou matter of comfort and of thankesgiuing out of thine affliction But here must be grace wisedome experience and obseruation First grace for if we be by faith in Christ entred into that grace Rom. 5.2 3 wherein wee stand vnder hope of Gods glory then shall wee euen glory in tribulations Secondly wisedome for if we be truely wise we shall vnderstand the easie and wealthy place of the vngodly to be so slippery Psal 73.18 and their end such infelicitie and so vnhappy as wee shall praise God that wee drinke not of their full cup of prosperitie Heb. 11.25 26. and preferre the affliction of Gods people before their sinfull and short pleasures esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures in Egypt Thirdly experience for if wee find the tryall how God comforteth vs in all our tribulation 2. Cor. 1.4 yea so farre as hee makes vs able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith wee our selues are comforted of him we shall get much ioy and hope and blesse the Lord with great gladnesse Fourthly obseruation for if we
Oh what a thing is it when happinesse when our owne gladnesse when others commending our estate cannot awaken vs out of our neglect Happinesse for as it is said Psal 144.15 The people are happie that haue such bountie Gladnesse for as it is said Act. 14.17 God by his goodnesse as wee find also in our experience doth fil our very hearts with gladnesse Others commendation for as it is said Psal 126.2 They that behold Gods manifold blessings vpon vs doe say that hee hath done great things for vs. The vse Oh if we therefore doe forget and neglect this dutie let vs confesse let vs repent let vs be ashamed as afore let vs also iudge our selues worthy to haue it said of vs as Deut. 32.6 Do you so requite the Lord ô you foolish people and vnwise worthy that the Lord should contest against vs as Isa 1.2 saying Heare ô Heauens and giue eare ô Earth I haue nourished and brought vp children and they haue rebelled against me Worthy that he should take all our abundance our riches our comforts our peace our honours from vs should powre contempt vpon vs should turne our riuers into drie land our water-springs into a wildernes our fruitfull land into barrennes humble vs vnder sore oppression affliction and sorrow And let both sorts of vs now at the length Admonition to both settle our hearts to the sincere practice of this dutie of priuate publike and worthy praise to God euen to bring forth fruit worthy amendment in this point O A description of the first wee that haue felt the fainting of our soules that haue beene in sore trouble that haue as it were sit in darknesse and the shadow of death that haue beene euen bound vp in affliction that haue had our hearts brought downe with heauinesse that haue had our life next step to the gates of death that haue had our spirits melted away with perplexitie that haue beene compassed about with most wofull miseries and that haue seene how when we cryed vnto the Lord hee brought vs out of our darkenesse he deliuered vs out of all our distresses he satisfied our longing soules he healed vs. Let vs ô let vs now practise cheerefully and readily this holy dutie To incite vs thereunto let vs consider First To moue the first to practise consider Gods readinesse Gods exceeding readinesse to heare vs and his presentnesse to deliuer vs yea though our afflictions came on vs because wee had rebelled against his Word because we had transgressed because of our iniquities Secondly Gods answerablenes Gods fulfilling of our very wishes bringing vs to the very state we desired Thirdly the due time Time manner meanes the sweet manner the gracious meanes of his deliuerance of vs. Fourthly the passing comfort we found The sequent comfort after hee had deliuered vs filling as it is Psalme 126.2 our mouth with laughter and our tongue with singing And A description of the second ô wee that haue not yet come where any sorrow woe bitternesse worme-wood hath beene put into our cup but we only haue lyen downe in greene pastures and walked along beside the still waters and our table hath been alway richly furnished our head anointed with oyle our cup running ouer goodnesse and mercy following vs all the dayes of our life O let vs let vs also if not much rather apply with haste and haste with godly zeale vnto this duty vrging our mindes thereto with these considerations Considering To moue the second consider receit First that all our comforts are things meerely receiued as 1. Cor. 4.7 What hast thou that thou didst not receiue Secondly Whence receiued that they bee all receiued from Gods good pleasure as of corporall things it is said Psal 145.16 Thou openest thine hand and fillest euery liuing thing of thy owne good will and of spirituall things Phil. 2.13 God worketh the will and the deed of his owne good pleasure Vndesert Thirdly that all the bountie we inioy is contrary to our desert for as Daniel 9.7 To vs belongeth confusion or shame of face Fourthly that our prosperitie All as we would haue them our choyse our matches our bargaines our dwellings our friends our alliance our food our rayment our peace our meanes our aduancements our times our seasons our affaires yea and our Sabbaths are euen as we would haue them as if that were verified to vs which is said of the true fearers of God Psal 145.19 Hee fulfilleth the desire of them that feare him O let vs consider these things And let these perswade vs to the dutie here required of both kinds of vs Effect of the considerations for surely these rightly weighed cannot but make vs say O come and wee shall tell you what God hath done for our soules O magnifie the Lord together with vs O what shall wee render vnto the Lord for all his benefits O we will pay our vowes which our lips haue vttered and which our mouthes haue spoken in our affliction O wee will doe our dutie of solemne praise vnto him priuately publikely and worthily O that men would so praise the Lord O that high and low would so praise the Lord O that euery one would as they are most bounden so praise the Lord. Praise him so priuately How praise priuately priuately with the family as Ioshua with his family more priuately with some of the family as Abraham with Isaac most priuately alone as the Prophet Dauid most often and in priuate say vnto him Patterne of this priuate as Psal 92.1 2. It is a good thing to giue all thanks vnto thee O Lord euen to sing praises vnto thy Name O most High yea to shew forth thy louing kindnesse euery morning and thy faithfulnesse euery night as Psal 116.16 17. Oh Lord verily I am thy seruant I am thy seruant and the sonne of thine handmaid thou hast loosed my bonds I will offer vnto thee the sacrifice of thankesgiuing and will call on thy Name O Lord. And Ps 118.21 28. I will praise thee O Lord for thou hast heard mee and art become my saluation thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God and I will exalt thee and as Psal 104.33 34. I will sing vnto thee O Lord as long as I liue I will sing praise to thee my God while I haue any being my meditation of thee shall bee sweet I will be glad in thee O after this blessed manner let euery one praise God priuately Euery one praise him also publikely How praise publikely in the congregation of the people both in ordinary on euery Sabbath with addition of more thankes and more zeale in thanking on the Sabbaths of celebrating the holy Supper of the Lord also in extraordinary on the dayes of solemne publike thankesgiuing as Nehemiah 12.27 43. and Ester 9.17 and let euery one professe concerning this publike saying as Psal 34.3 Patterns