this Eucharistical Sacrifice and after what manner we are to offer it that it may be such wherein God is well pleased we may gather from the Practice of the Man after his own Heart here in the Context 1. It must be with the Soul from the Altar of a Sensible Heart My Soul shall make her boast of God Ver. 2. To glory in him is one way of giving glory to him And well may we value our selves upon the honor to be obliged by such a One. And that this glorying may Imitate the Blessed Virgin 's whose Soul magnified the Lord It must not be a verbal flash like the crackling of Thorns on fire but making melody in our Hearts to the Lord. Indeed if the Heart is not thankful we are not at all thankful The most pompous Halelujahs and Magnificats are no more than sounding Brass and the tinkling Cymbal if not the over-flowings of enlarged Hearts The dead praise not the Lord Hearts dead in sin must needs be dead to the Divine Praises And when matters so stand within none of the Rhetorick of our complemental Harangues speak we never so good of his Name makes any Musick at all in his Ears who searches the Hearts and requires Truth in the inward parts Tho cavity of Instruments is requisite in common Service yet here hollow Instruments sound harsh and hideous and while they offer to praise God only divulge their own shame Yet 2. Tho it must not be only a Lip-Service we must not refrain our Lips neither but let our mouths shew forth his praise It shall ever be in my mouth V. 1. 'T is not to imprison up our Thanks so as to stifle the sense we have of his Favors nor hide his loving kindness in our Hearts making them as the silent Grave to swallow up all But out of their Abundance we must be speaking to his honor and not think it will sully our Speech to mention the loving kindness of the Lord. When our bodies are his Temple and our Tongues the living Bells articulately to sound his Praise how can we better imploy the speaking Faculty than in celebrating his Goodness that gave it What we are transported with we can hardly forbear to speak of if we are full of it 't is apt to float on our Tongues And if the Mercies of God affect our Hearts 't is fit we should express the same both to discharge a due Debt our selves and also to kindle the like Flame in others Indeed no Expression here can be too much that 's without Affectation and Hypocrisie Tho we not only extol him with our Tongues Psal 66.17 But our Tongues speak of his praise even all the day long Psal 35. last And we abundantly utter the memory of his great Goodness in a pious Vein flowing from the good Treasure of the Heart accustoming our selves to speak of the glorious Honor of his Majesty and of his wondrous Works to speak of the glory of his Kingdom and talk of his Power to make known the Fame thereof to the Sons of Men. As with Panegyrick pomp of Words this Sacred Orator sets it forth Psal 145. And even this cheap Oblation for which we go not to the Flock or the Field shall not fail of a good acceptance above when according to the Exhortation Heb. 13.15 We offer to God the fruit of our Lips giving thanks to his Name 3. To bless the Lord at all times as Ver. 1. not only by fits as it pleases us or when extorted from us upon some occasions extraordinary but with such a Heart * Herbert whose Pulse may be his Praise Our holy Living is the most effectual Thanksgiving For so while we live we shall praise the Lord and sing praises to our God whilst we have our Being Psal 146.2 To the offering of Praise therefore is presently subjoined ordering the Conversation aright Psal 50.23 And after he had ask'd Who can shew forth all his praise immediately he adds Blessed are they that keep Judgment and do Righteousness at all times Psal 106.2 3. For as the Heavens tho silent are said to declare the glory of God they are Preachers of his Praise because their vast and beautiful Fabrick their constant and regular Motions their sweet and powerful Influences tell the Supreme Majesty the excellent Attributes and glorious Perfections of him that there inhabits So when we justifie the Divine Laws by our Obedience and thus stand up to attest their high Reasonableness and Goodness instead of repining at them as hard Sayings and heavy Burdens shewing that really we do admire and applaud them for the blessed Products of an infinite Wisdom and Love to contrive and effect our everlasting Happiness Then do we give them the best Commendation to make all enamour'd with those Sacred Institutions which they not only hear set off in hollow Encomiums but see produce such happy Effects Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much Fruit Jo. 15.8 The Fruits of Righteousness are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God Phil. 1.11 That Men may so taste and see and bless the Giver of such increase I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the Work which thou gavest me to do saith our Blessed Saviour Joh. 17.4 Where he intimates that the doing of God's Will is the way to Hallow his Name When like the Luminaries above that warm and move too we send out the heat of Divine Love and regularly move in the sphere of Obedience without which indeed Honour is but an idle Complement unless we so delight to do his Will that our desires like the Cherubims Wings stand displayed ready even to spell out his Pleasure and prevent his Commands But a sad reckoning it would prove to us should we count that we are delivered to commit abominations and make the bolder with God's Precepts because we have tasted so deep of his Mercies as if his Goodness were our Warrant to despise him Thus licentious Men use to be worst when they fare best and in times of Festivity are the greatest Brutes not knowing how to be thankful and glad without being wanton and mad But such as fear the Lord are call'd upon to praise him Psal 22.23 And then do we most acceptably sing to the Lord a new Song when we apply our selves to lead a new Life when we look on our prosperity not so much a reward for doing well as an opportunity still to do better not an occasion to the flesh but an obligation to abound in his Praise The thansgiving of ill Men 't is but a fulsom harangue and offensive noise and indeed only reproaching the Name of God to speak good of it and do no good as becomes those that profess it Praise is comely for the upright but 't is marr'd in the Mouths of the wicked It is a Sacrifice and none but holy Persons are to officiate about holy things As long as we live ungodly we are in no capacity to praise God
that Honor to be taken up in the work of Angels How much for our own praise to praise him that has given us both matter and hearts for it 'T is no diminution at all but the preservation of honor and addition to it for the highest on Earth to stoop lowly to the Supreme Majesty of the World who has promised to honor them that honor him And tho this Duty seems to have nothing of self in it as giving all unto God yet is it indeed as all the Duties of Religion much for our profit every way for that it not only secures the blessings of God to us but increases them still upon us he thinking them well bestowed where they are so well resented And Praise provoking us also to an imitation of him whom we extol thus it has a tendency to assimilate us to the Divine Perfections and consequently to prepare us for the everlasting Glory to bear a part with all Angels and Saints in the Admiration Love and Eternal Praise and Fruition of God in his Heavenly Kingdom Thus as we are capable of magnifying the Lord and obliged to it so even in point of our own best Interest we â—â—nnot but be sensible what reason we have for it And now suitable to the design of this day consider we the publick expression of it and its discharge in conjunction with others according to the invitation here given O magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his Name together He that was taken up even wholly in the Praises of God himself could not be contented to enjoy so much sweetness alone but as true goodness is ever diffusive of itself and indeed does but still add to its own dimensions by such Communication So was he for calling in partners to share with him in so sweet an entertainment After he had led the Chorus as Prefect of this Musick he declares for a Consort in it and gives not a cheap exhortation without his own example Nor is he for going in so good a way without company but to make the Communion of Saints a point of practice as well as an Article of Faith he was for joyning all the sparks to blow them up into a mighty Flame And his Apostrophe is not only to the Children of Sion but 't is All ye Lands make a joyful noise to the Lord. Psal 100.1 117.1 Praise the Lord all ye Nations Praise him all ye People And that none might be slack and backward he not only calls on them but upon God himself to quicken them Psal 77.3 5. Let the People praise thee O God Yea let all the People praise thee He was not only for giving thanks apart in private recesses but for going into the House of God where Praise waiteth for him in Sion Psal 65.1 I will give thee thanks in the great Congregation I will praise thee among much People Psal 35.18 To whisper thanks in corners is but a tacit kind of denying received Benefits Sen. de Benef. He car'd not how many Witnesses he had of his thanksgiving not for ostentation of himself but to excite an Universal compliance of the Church A good Man would lose much of the pleasure of Heaven's Way to move solitary in it But here he gives the most charitable instance of his sociable Nature to draw all that ever he can along with him Indeed this is a kind invitation to Festivity as well as Duty and here to devout Souls a hint is enough though to dull Brutes a spur is too little But to none can we offer a greater courtesie than to importune their Society in so delightful a Path to their own Happiness And such as stand off here are the most absurd of all Dissenters and nothing fit to taste of that good for which they are too stiff to give thanks Nor did this eminent Servant of God think himself too high to assist with his Inferiors in the Divine Worship that Spiritual Ordinary which levels all before him with whom is no respect of Persons So great a Prince was not asham'd to own whence he received all yea among the rest he calls on the Mighty to give unto the Lord Glory Psal 29.1 For Princes and Grandees of the World that have most temptations to forget God and exalt themselves must lay aside the consideration of their greatness when they fall down and worship before the Lord their Maker No height in the World but must humble itself to him who is higher than the Highest and compar'd with whose Omnipotence all greatness else dwindles even to nothing The Noblest Worthies in Heaven themselves do cast their Crowns down before the Throne of God Rev. 4.10 and that does but faster secure them on their Heads But Oh! how much are they out in their sense of honor as well as defective in their conscience of this duty who offer to set up their own credit on the ruins of God's Glory Indulging to the Popish humour of assuming to self and Idolizing Creatures in derogation from the God of our Lives and of all our Mercies Truly Atheistical is it so to live without God in the World afraid to own him but ascribing all to a lucky hit this or that did the Work and no mention of Him that worketh all in all When Men would be reputed great for being Ungodly and like wild Horses in the carreer of their Impiety cast dirt at their Owner as if they were neither in debt to him nor in danger of him As if it were below them to own subjection to him that made them Servile not to be above Duty and a Diminution of their own Excellency to Magnifie Him. And if Conscience extorts from them any acknowledgments of God they are in care that none but himself may observe it who sees indeed that they are asham'd of him before Men and so he will be of them one day before all the World Thus such as use to glory in their Shame are asham'd of their Glory too And tho all a fire at any disgraceful reflection on themselves counting every thing less than flattery an affront yet this gives a notorious instance of their Bastardy which is the foulest Infamy that they can so easie brook a contempt of the Heavenly Father thinking it fine to hear his Name Blasphem'd and his Word Burlesqued and never stirring to assert his Honour as they would to vindicate the good Name of a Friend Well may they dread the Fate of Herod to perish wretchedly for not giving God the Glory Or to be sent with Nebuchadnezzar to School to the Brutes to learn to know their Owner When they can live all upon his good things and yet scarce afford him a good Word Right Brethren in Iniquity to Cabal for Mischief and run eagerly to excess of Riot to eat and drink and enflame Lust and contribute every one to heighten the Debauch but none can find a Heart or Tongue to recognize the blessed Founder of all their Comforts Or no
sooner is any thing to his Praise set a foot amongst them but 't is frown'd upon droll'd away and hist out Not so much as his Name must be mentioned unless in Oaths for fear of spoiling all good Company But besides this Profane Generation that instead of joining to Magnifie the Lord do nothing but vilifie and would if they could even nullifie God Instead of exalting his Name acting as 't were in perfect spight and defiance of him who has told us he will not hold them guiltless that profane it Tossing that tremendous Name in their unhallowed Mouths as a thing of nought and their Blessing and Praising is even nothing but Cursing and Damning There are others a new sort of Nonconformists who peradventure will find that they have not done well to be so angry to stand off from contributing to make up this Harmony to Magnifie the Lord with the rest and exalt his Name together When 't is so good and pleasant for Brethren to dwell together in Unity and best and pleasantest of all to unite in the Praises of him who obliges and blesses us all No Good Fellowship in the World comparable to this when we can as readily concur to celebrate as to participate the Blessings that the Church may go up with general Shouts and Acclamations and the noise of Axes and Hammers in the Temple may not drown the voice of Rejoycing and Salvation That what is as Life from the dead to some may not be as the shadow of Death to others And O that in this sense the Church would once cease to be Militant and learn at last to accord in beginning the Eternal Triumph with one Mind and one Mouth to glorifie God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ O that Hearts and Tongues and Pens might all agree here that some may not be snagling as Saws when others are running as oiled Wheels with enlarged Hearts That we would not postpone the Publick Good to private Piques nor shew our selves so mighty sollicitous for our own little concerns as for the Glorification of the Power Wisdom Mercy and Faithfulness of God in appearing as he has done for his Church But O what a Soil is that wherein the most auspitious Influences of Heaven produce nothing but Briars and Thorns How contrary is this to him that brings good out of evil when we are only for fetching evil out of good and so full of Discontent and Contradiction that there 's no room at all in us for the Praises of God Some may think it a great matter to be quiet that the Government is much beholden to them as extremely obliging when they say nothing but vouchsafe only to hold their Tongues and not load every one with Complaints when the truth is they have all the reason in the World to give Thanks instead of making a Hubbub as if sorely pinch'd and wrong'd But when every Malecontent must set up for a Pope to make a whole Kingdom answer it at their infallible Bar and damn all the Country that are not for driving just the same way as themselves The same Pride that has mislead some will hardly suffer them to own that they have erred And then in what disposition are they to admire the Goodness and gratefully commemorate the Blessings of God when they are All-a-mort and even continually cruciating themselves with the matters to them cross and offensive Here they sit down restive and averse to all Thankfulness poring and hatching on their Grievances till they overlook all that the gracious Lord has done for them and grow not only rude and surly with Men but sour and sullen even to God himself Instead of that cheerful Spirit of Thankfulness which makes Society easie and delightful and sheds abroad the sweet Satisfaction which is like Oil and Wine to facilitate and exhilarate our motions they hang the head and tragically exaggerate the matters they take to be ill and dolefully forebode worse to cast a damp on their own Spirits and exasperate or deject all whom they can influence And here every little busie-body fansies himself no less than an Atlas to bear up the Pillars of the Earth and support a sinking Kingdom betraying nothing so much as Pride and Ill-humor Envy and Vengeance a canker'd Breast and a raw sore Mind unacquainted with the way of Peace To lie barking at the Sun and Moon which God in our doleful distress has raised up to illuminate and refresh our Land. Thus Usurping Judges make bold to shoot their Bolts and dogmatize after some of their own preconceiv'd Measures not allowing a step out of the common Road to unravel what others had so wofully perplext Like idle Spectators on the Shore stand censuring Mariners toiling in a Storm for not observing every Punctilio in Mood and Figure They think Physick may be administred to a wretchedly distemper'd Body without any disturbance When indeed considering into what Exigencies a Jesuitical Conduct had cast us well may we wonder and bless the God who watches for good over us that we are so well as we are that all is not desperate and that any hopes of a better Regulation than those of late are yet before us No marvel if Papists hold themselves agrieved but murmuring Protestants look now somewhat monstrous compos'd of such Contradictions as need an Oedipus to unriddle them when they would have their Religion Regnant and yet they keep a Coil at the Extirpation of that which struggled so hard to ruin it How long shall the Lord bear with such as despise all the Riches of his Goodness and huff and pish at Mercies too good for their betters because every thing is not exactly tasteful to their particular Appetites and hardly forbear to snap at the Hand that brings them all the Tokens of his Love May not he expostulate with them as Num. 14.11 How long will this people provoke me and how long will it be ere they will believe me for all the signs which I have shewed among them When still we are as Incredulous and Misdeeming as if nothing at all had been done for us nothing conferr'd upon us And may we not thus tempt God to bring us yet lower when we are so out of sorts that we are got no higher O when will Dust and Ashes know it self and leave off such Arrogance and daring the free dispencer of every Mercy to turn us out of all To contribute somewhat if it be possible to help us out of this ill Humor to get that foul Jaundice out of our Eyes which discolors the fairest Blessings and makes them mistaken for Grievances and Calamities That the Tares of our Divisions may not still prevail to choak the sweet Fruits of our Thanks and Praise that the strings out of Tune may at last cease their jarring and vain jangling and be wound up into an harmonious Agreement with the rest and change the Cynick Tone into the more becoming Accents of Praise and Thanksgiving to God rejoicing in