unto the production of spirituall and supernaturall effects when they are made instrumentall of sanctification and spirituall consolation First wen they are made instrumentall of our sanctification when they improve our graces quicken to duties stirre up holy and heavenly affections when they help and further us in the wayes of God And thus all mercies doâ— that are received enjoyed and used thankfully Such mer. cies are as glasses to discover and represent the wise and carefull providence of God towards us as steps whereby our souls ascend towards God in holy and heavenly contemplations and affections as needles to use the smilitude of Austin to sew God and our soules together as golden cords to draw us and as Anchors to fasten us unto God As the shining of the Sunne on a garden of Spices raiseth up a fragrant smell as a showre of rain makes the Woodbine or honysuckle as also the Eglantine or sweet-bryer Rose more fresh and sweet so the Sunshine of mercies and the showres of blessings Ezek. 34.26 on thankfull persons begets a sweet savour of obedience betters both their soules and their lives makes them more faithfull unto God and fruitfull unto men Lastly sanctified mercies are made instrumentall of spirituall consolation sound peace of conscience joy unspeakable and full of glory arising from an apprehension of a renewed and comfortable estate in such mercies as also of a testimony of Gods love by them a discovery of the light of Gods countenance shining through them on us in his Sonne Christ Jesus A thankfull heart lookes on all mercies the smallest meanest mercies as fruits of Gods speciall love as branches of his promises as returnes of his own prayers â—and this renders his little his narrow measure of temporals better that is more sweet and comfortable unto him then the vastest riches and possessions are unto the unthankfull Psalm 87.16 He findes and feeles amidst his greatest wants a purer clearer more unmixed more satisfying gladnesse then they can take in the greatest increase of their corn and wine That is very remarkable which Luke records of the Primitive Christians Acts 2.46 7. in even their persecuted condition They did eat their meat with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart praising God They therefore did eat their meat with gladnesse because they praised God The praise of God will make relishable the meanest and coursest fare a morsell of brown bread and cup of cold water c. Thirdly Vide Antidum Mortoni contra meritum c 19. sect 3. thanksgiving and praise procureth at Gods hands new mercies which are expected and desired not in a way of justice but onely in a way of mercy and liberality not out of desert of the duty but meerly in vertue of Gods free grace and promise in Christ Jesus Against the merit of thanksgiving I shall onely alledge these two Arguments It is our duty and Gods free gift First our duty as appeares by what we have spoken at large concerning the justice of it and our Saviour commands us when we have done those things which are commanded to say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to doe Luke 17.9 10. Secondly * Illud quod sumus quod habemus sive sint boni actus five boni habitus scu usus totum est in nobis ex liberalitate divina gratis dante conservante Et quia ex dono gratuito nullus obligatur ad danduÌ„ amplius sed potius recipiens magis obligatur danti Idco ex bonis habitibus ex bonis actibuâ— sive usibus nobis à Deo datis Deus non obligatur nobis ex aliquo debito justitiae ad aliquid amplius dandii ita quod si non dederit sit injusâ—us sed potius nos sumus Deo obligati Durand it is Gods free gift as all graces and good works are 2 Cor. 3.5 Phil. 2.29 Phil. 2.13 Now free gifts oblige the receiver unto gratitude and not the giver unto any further degree or larger measure of bounty But although thanksgiving cannot be Medium meritorium of mercies it is yet of them Medium impetratorium What is usually said of the prayer of petition is appliable even unto the prayer of thanksgiving It is the key of heaven which unlocketh all the treasuries of Gods mercies both temporall and spirituall Deliverance of our selves and overthrow of adversaries is a mercie highly valued in these dangerous times and what an influence praise hath thereon you may see by comparison of Psalm 8.2 with our Saviours quotation of the place Matth. 21.16 Davids words are Out of the mouthes of Babes and Sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies that thou mightest still or cause to cease the enemy and the avenger Now our Saviour rendreth strength praise Matth. 21.16 Out of the mouthes of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected praise And from these two places compared together it is obvious to inferre That the praises of Babes and Sucklings the weake and contemptible members of a distressed and persecuted Church is their strength such a strength as is able to still the enemy and the avenger to rout and destroy all the Churches adversaries Hence it is that the Psalmist for the obtaining of a full and compleat victory against Church-adversaries advised the Saints to make use as of a two edged sword in their hand so also of the high praises of God in their mouth Psalm 149.5 6 7 8 9. Let the Saints be joyfull in glory let them sing aloud upon their beds let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two edged Sword in their hand to execute vengeance upon the Heathen and punishments upon the people to bind their Kings with chaines and their Nobles with fetters of iron to execute upon them the judgement written c. Of this strength of prayse we have a notable example in the successe of Jehosaphat against the children of Moab and Ammon 2 Chron. 20 21 22. He appointed Singers unto the Lord and that should praise the beauty of holinesse as they went out before the Army and to say Praise the Lord for his mercy eâ—dureth for ever And when they began to sing and to praise the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir which were come against Judah and they were smitten It was not then you see without good reason that Luther called the prayers and praises of Christians their Artillery and Gunâ—es If you desire growth in grace increase of the Spirit such a perfection and fulnesse of grace as is attainable here in this life the Apostle Paul prescribeth as means of obtaining it the exercise of Psalmes and giving of thankes Ephes 5.18 19 20. Be filled with the Spirit speaking to your selves in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall Songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord giving of thankes alwayes c. From which words the pious and learned Bayn collects that the exercise
gifts Wise men worke ever for some notable good how much more the infinitely wise God impossible that so omniscient an agent should propound to himselfe any low or meane end Eightly The Point may be made good from an application of the severall sorts or kinds of goodnesse unto praise and thanksgiving It is Bonum Honestum Iucundum Vtile an Honest Pleasant and Profitable good First it is an Honest or * Quid tam lauda ile quid tam aequaliter in omnium avimos quam referre bene meritis gratiam Senec. de Benef l. 4. c. 16. Quid est hovestius quam gratumesse 〈◊〉 â—19 virtuous good unto which we are ingaged by many severall virtues bp Religion Charity Justice and Fidelity First by Religion which inclineth to performance of those things that carry direct and immediate honour and glory unto God And God himselfe tels us Who so offereth praise glorifieth or honoureth him Psal 50 23 Indeed other graces and duties looke unto Gods honour and glory too but none so fully so expresly as this because t is its proper and peculiar office to honour God in all his attributes Secondly by Charity For that as aâ—ppeares by our Saviours opening the full extent thereof Mat. 5.43 44. obligeth to love our enemies to doe good to them that hate us to pray for them that despitefully use and persecute us And therefore sure it engageth us even to loose our selves in the love admiration and prayses of a God whose mercies towards us are so unspeakable so unconceivable Not to be ravished with such goodnesse is to be unthankfull Charity binds us to blesse them that curse us much more to blesse God who continually blesseth us to recompence to no man evill for evill much more to returne good for good not to bee overcome with evill but to overcome evill with good Rom. 12.17.21 Much more to be overcome and conquered with the riches of Gods goodnesse forbearance and long suffering Thirdly by Justice In * Keckerm Hthick l. 2. â— 5. Morall Philosophy gratitude to men is made a branch of iâ—stice And shall not thankfulnesse to God be so also in Divinity Are wee bound to men for their courtesies and not obliged to God for his blessings Vlpian defines justice to be Constans et penpetua voluntas jus suum cuique tribuendi that is a virtue which constantly and firmly inclineth to give unto every one his due and right And glory sayth the Psalmist is due unto the name of the Lord. Psal 29.2 Psal 96.8 Aynsworth on Levit. 3.1 notes that a sacrifice of Peace-offerings is in the Originall a sacrifice of pay-offerings or a sacrifice of payments In our peace-offerings in our sacrifices of thanksgivings wee doe but pay a debt unto God now it is justice to pay men their debts much more God his Thanksgiving is both * Debitum Morale sive debitum Honestatis quod fundatur in honestate morali debitaâ— reclitudine virtutis quam quisque servare tenetur in suis actionibus quoe sunt ad alterum Debitum Legale seu Iustitiae ad quod redden dum aliquis lege astringitur Aquin 2a 2ae q 80. Debitum Legale ad quod exigendum alter verum jus actionem moralem habet ideo ratione illius juris alius obligatur lege justitiae ad illud reddendum Becan Sum. Theol. partis 2ae p. 3. q. 1. debitum morale and debitum legale First debitum morale a debt of duty unto which we are tied by morall honesty in Gods commandement Secondly debitum legale or debitum justitiae unto which we are tied by Gods law which God hath a full right to exact and challenge and that by virtue of our relation unto him and our mercies received from him First of relation to him He is our father and if I bee a father saith hee where is mine honour Mal. 1.6 Secondly by virtue of our mercies received from him Every mercy is a strong obligation unto the payment of thanks especïally such mâ—rcies as win us praise and honour with men Of every such mercy wee may say as * Pro Marcello Cicero did in the like case Quanta est in dato beneficio laus cum accepto tanta sit gloria what praise and glory is due unto God for the gift of mercies seeing upon our bare receipt and possession of them such praise doth acrew unto us Our having of mercies renders us praise worthy much more doth gods giving of them make his praise worthy For t is sayth the Lord Jesus a more blessed thing to give then to receive Act. 20.35 This deliverance for which you keep this Anniversary hath made you honourable in the eyes of men And is it not justice that it should gaine from you an high esteeme both of it and its author God It hath made you the delivered famous and renowned not onely in this Kingdome but also in forreine parts O then how pretious and glorious should it render in your account God the deliverer Your enjoyment of the mercy hath purchased glory and renowne to you ô then t is very just and equall that Gods bestowing of it should procure glory praise and thanks from you A single mercy you see makes us debtors bindes us unto a returne of thanks much more the fulnesse of mercies his dayly loading us with benefits Psal 68.19 his showers of blessing Ezech. 34.26 his giving to all men liberally or largly Jam. 1.5 His giving us richly all things to enjoy 1 Tim. 6.17 Especially if you add thereunto the consideration of the freenesse of Gods mercies which are oftentimes beyond our hopes and desires without our prayers and endeavours without â—ay against our deserts Luk. 6.35 The highest is kind unto the unthankfull and to the evill Christ hath received gifts for the rebellious Psal 68.18 compared with Ephes 4.8 Now as he in the * Teren. Phorm act 1. Sc. 2. Comedran Vt nunc sunt mores adeo res redit si quis quid reddit magna habenda est gratia as the manners of men are in this corrupt age the world is come to that passe that great thanks must be given for payment of what is ones own and due O then how deeply doe free and undeserved favours engage unto thanks indeed they engage us unto thanks by an higher title and bond then that of justice * 2a 2ae q. 80. Aquinas makes thanksgiving to be but a potentiall part of justice such a part of justice as the powers and faculties of the soule are thereof to bee but a virtue ordering upon justice Magnam sayth he cum justitia cognitionem habet perfectam tamen ejus rationem non attingit It hath as all other potentiall parts of justice a kind of kindred unto or alliance with justice but yet it doth not perfectly reach the nature of justice in quantum deficit in ratione debiti in as much it commeth short of the duenesse debt or right
Secondly as the Saints onely have gifts and abilities for the duty so they alone finde acceptation in it To give thanks sayth Paul is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you 1 Thessa 5.18 that is as Zanchy expoundeth the words Towards you who are in Christ Jesus from such onely t is the acceptable will of God that is by a Metonymy Iunius Willet on Levit. an Object which will please and delight his will In Peace offerings the sacrifices were to be eaten as pure Levit. 7.15 so Pura a Puris both the sacrifices and the sacrificers were to be free from any legall or ceremoniall uncleannesse or pollution vers 19.20 21. To teach That as the expressions of thankfulnesse so the persons of the thankfull were to be holy If he that did eate of the flesh of the Peace-offerings were Levitically uncleane he was to be cut off Thereby intimateing the unacceptablenesse of our thanksgivngs if tendred by one morally uncleane whose uncleannes is unmortified who indulgeth himselfe in the love and practise of his lusts and corruptions Amos 5.22 23. Every such a man is a child of wrath Ephe. 2.3 an object of Gods vindicative wrath a wrath of malediction and if his Person be hated and accursed by God how can his prayses be accepted with god Hee is a corrupt tree and therefore all his thanks are corrupt rotten and stinking in the nostrils of God Hee is in the flesh and in an estate of infidellity now they that are in the flesh cannot please God Rom. 8.8 without faith t is impossible to please him Heb. 11.6 All his sacrifices his sacrifices of praise all his prayers his prayers of thanksgiving as well as petition are an abomination unto the Lord. Prov. 15.8 and 28.9 Hee will spread the dung of them upon his face Mal. 2.3 He wil regard them no more then the cutting off a Doggs neck Dickson new Annotat. then the offering of Swines blood then the blessing of an Idoll Isa 66.3 The Apostle in Heb. 6.1 termes all workes that goe before repentance and conversion Dead workes because they proceede from a dead principle from a nature dead in sins and trespasses because they make liable to death they deserve death Now to argue from the generall to the particular it followeth therefore that the prayses and thanks of unregenerate men which goe before their repentance and conversion are but a dead worke onely the carkase and forme of praise and thanksgiving as comeing from dead hearts and affections and being so farre from finding favour and acceptance with God as that the wages of them is death Although then they bee very forward and seemingly zealous in their prayses and thanks though they be very elaborate and make great flourishes in their celebrations of God mercies yet to use the similitude of Chrysostome applyed by him to the workes of the wicked in generall All this is but like the Reliques of the dead wrapt up fairely Wee ourselves reckon it no credit but a disgrace rather to be praised by base and unworthy men Paul was greived with the prayses that the damsell possessed with the Spirit of divination gave him and Silas Act 16.16 17 18. And will God then thinke you bee well pleased with those prayers that come from impure mouths and unsanctified hearts or will he not rather account them disprayses a staine and a blemish unto his glory when the spirit of an uncleane Devill uttered the glorious praise of Christ Proclaiming him with a loud voice to be the holy one of God Christ rebuked him and commanded him to hold his peace Luk. 4.33 34 35. In like manner though not in so high a degree he deeply distasteth and disrellisheth all prayses and thanks which come from those that are of the Devill 1 Joh. 3.8 children limbes of the Devill Act. 13.10 who commit sinne make a trade of sinning obey sinne in the lusts thereof For their most glorious prayses are so farre from exaltation of Gods most holy Name as that they are a profanation and pollution thereof Thirdly In a third place The excellency of the duty may be gathered from the excellency of its object and that in the text is the name of God It is a good thing to fing prayses unto thy Name Now the name of God is great terrible and holy Psal 99 3. glorious 1 Chro. 29.13 Exalted above all blessing and prayse Nehem. 9.5 Excellent above the Earth and heaven Psal 8.1 Psal 148.13 But to speake distinctly Gods mercies and benefits are the object of thanksgiving his excellencies and perfections of prayse So then thanksgiving lookes upon that which is most amiable sweet and lovely in Gods attributes and workes his tender mercies that are over all his workes Psal 145.9 that are as great as the heaven is high above the earth Psal 130.11 And that which respects so sweet an object cannot possibly be unlovely Praise regards what is most admirable in Gods nature and workes his divine excellencies and perfections Psal 107.8 Psal 145 5 6. And in reference unto this is it that God is said to be fearfull in prayses doing wonders Exod. 15.11 Rivet upon the place thinkes that prayses may be taken metonymically for the matter of prayses those works of God for which he is to be praysed and then the sense is Those workes of thine for which thou art to be praysed are fearefull terrible and wonderfull The latter words doing wonders explaine the former Fearefull in prayses God is therefore fearefull in prayses because he doth wonders Regard is had unto that great and dreadfull execution of judgement upon the Aegyptians in the foregoing chapters But the expression upon good ground is applyable unto all the marvellous workes of God Now that which respects so glorious an object cannot possibly be inglorious that cannot but be an admirable duty which is whol ly taken up with those workes of God that deserve dread and wonder Fourthly * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist 3. Top. 2. c. text 〈◊〉 difficulty is an argument of excellency and how difficult the duty is may be collected from that interrogation of the Psalmist Psal 106.2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord who can shew forth all his praises which may be resolved either into a Negation or Restriction Few or none can utter the mighty acts of the Lord can shew forth all his praise few can doe it in an acceptable manner and none can doe it in a perfect manner * Reynolds on Hosea And indeed it is not universall in Scripture for such kind of Interrogations to amount unto either a negation or at least an expression of the rarenesse and difficulty of the thing spoken of 1 Cor. 2.16 Psal 90.11 Isa 53.1 Without a full confession of mercies it is not possible to make either a due valuation of them or a just requitall for them And how impossible a thing it is fully to recount mercies you may see Psal
horse stayes not in the goodnesse of Wine or horse but respects the use thereof by our selves or freinds We wish our Wine our Horse good but t is in reference to our selves or our freinds that we or they may have the use service or benefit of this their goodnesse That loue of God then which is but of concupiscence is terminated not in God but in our selves in that advantage which we desire to reape by in that use which we desire to make of him This love then is more desirous and studious of our owne good then Gods glory and therefore cannot beget thankfulnesse which principally minds the exaltation of Gods glory But now the very height of praise thanksgiving is an effect of that love of God which is called a love of freindship for that is a love of God principally for his owne sake and therefore subjects unto his glory whatsoever is finite and created This love makes God subordinate unto nothing and an acknowledgment of the unsubordinatenesse of God is the greatest glory that a poore creature can give him This love of freindship as Aquinas observeth out of Arstotle is a love of Benevolence whereby wee wish or desire good unto the object loved Hee then that loves God with the love of freindship loves him with a love of Benevolence and to love God with a love of Benevolence is to wish and desire all possible good unto him Now our goodnesse sayth the Psalmest extendeth not unto him Psal 16.2 viz. otherwise then by way of praise declaration glory and acknowledgement The love of God then that is of benevolence enclineth to desire and endeavour the bringing of all possible praise honour and glory unto him The Apostle speaking of this love sayth that it seekes not her owne 1 Cor. 13.5 that is principally If then we love God with this kind of love we will not seeke our owne we will more zealously and diligently seeke the advancement of Gods glory then the profit pleasure honour credit and reputation of our selves * Amas et lâ—das definis lâ—dare si desir amare Aust Psal 85. If we love God with all our hearts with all our soules with all our mights we will set a higher value upon his glory and praise then upon the whole creation And therefore rather then his glory and praise should run any hazard will resolve to undergoe the utmost extremities Love of God you see is a cause of praise and thanksgiving and for proofe of its excellency I shall in this hast refer you unto 1 Cor. 13. which chapter is wholly spent in the elogies and commendations thereof Thirdly A third cause of thankfulnesse is a spirituall and experimentall knowledge of God and his workes of mercy and deliverance A thankfull man must praise God for them and therefore he must be acquainted with them He must distinctly and lively blazon out the specialties of them and therefore hee cannot bee ignorant of shem David was sensible that hee could neither have a thankfull heart nor thankfull lipps without knowledge not a thankfull heart Psal 119.7 I wil praise thee with uprightnesse of heart when I shall have learned thy righteous judgements not thankfull lipps Psal 119.171 my lipps shall utter praise when thou hast taught me thy statutes * Psa 68. v. 24.26 compared An open mouth to praise God for benefits presupposeth ever as its cause an open eve an enlightned understanding to behold the name of God written upon it as a token of his love Now knowledge is a very pretious grace that wonderfully beautifyeth and inricheth the mind of man and therefore compared by Solomon to silver and hid treasure Prov. 2 4. Fourthly A Fourth cause of praise and thanksgiving is spirituall Joy that commeth cheifly from a fight and sense or relishing of Gods love and goodnesse in mercies This will be evident if you will compare my text with the 4 verse of the Psalm for then you shall see that the Psalmist there setteth downe the ground or reason why hee thought giving of thanks singing of praise so good and excellent a thing For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work v. 4. viz. of mercy and deliverance A rejâ—ycing of the heart by Gods workes of mercy begets a sollid and serious apprehension of the goodnes and excellency of praise and thanksgivings and such an apprehension will quicken unto a chearefull performance of it And indeed it is impossible but that praise and thanks should be the effect of spirituall joy in mercies How can a man bee unthankfull for mercies which witnesse and seale up Gods speciall love and favour and so produce glorious and unspeakable comfort A man truly and spiritually joyfull is satisfied with the love of God shed abroad through his heart as with marrow and fatnesse c. And how can such an one but be excited unto thankfulnesse I Psal 63.5 My soule saith the Psalmist shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse and then my mouth shall prayso thee with joyful lipps * In the ring of graces Faith is the diamond Joy the sparkle of the diamond Arrowsmith on 1 Sam. 7.12 Now the excellency of joy is set forth Psal 97.11 Light is sowne for the righteous and Joy for the upright in heart The latter part of the words expound the former and shew that by the Light sowne for the righteous is meant Joy And indeed t is usuall in Scripture for light to be put for joy Hest 8.16 Isai 50.10 Now light is of all sensible qualities the brightest and most glorious Lastly Humblenesse Meeknesse of mind Brokennesse of heart is a cause of thankfulnesse An humble contrite and penitent soule will debase it selfe lay it selfe low before God it will disclaime all desert of the meanest mercies And that 's the way to value mercies to exalt and extoll God aright such a soule will challenge to it selfe nothing but sinne and impotency and therefore it will not dare to finger any part of the glory honour and praise which is due unto God Now for the excellency of rhis humility meeknesse and brokennesse of heart I shall alleadge but these few following places of Scripture Psal 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart ô God thou wilt not despise The Psalmist alludes thinks some unto spices which are most fragrant when pounded and bruised so are our hearts most pleasing to God when broken with spirituall sorrow For in the latter part of the verse a contrite and broken heart thou wilt not despise there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Liptotes lesse is said and more understood So that the meaning is A broken and contrite heart thou wilt highly value and prize and so much may be gathered for that it is called not onely the sacrifice of God in the singular number but the sacrifices of God in the plurall to denote that it was insteede of all Leviticall or ceremoniall sacrifices mentioned in the
God with unthankfulnesse They glorysied him not as God neither were thankfull and indeed it goes about to rob God of the glory of almost all his attributes especially of that darling attribute of his mercy in the dispensation and manifestation of which he especially delighteth Mâ—c 6.18 whose effects are over all the works of his other attributes which are equally infinite and glorious in himselfe Religion can hardly be violated by any thing more then by Idolatry Heresie Apostacy and all these are found in unthankfulnesse unto God First Idolatry for the unthankfull attribute mercies unto either themselves or their fellow creatures and this in scripture language is a sacrificing unto their net a burning of incense unto their drag Hab. 1.16 Secondly Heresie and one of the grossest of Heresies Pelagianisme Whereupon Prosper intituled his Poems against the Pelagians Contra ingratos against the unthankfull thereby intimating not onely that the Pelagians were unthankfull but also that unthankfull persons were all in some respect Pelagians because as Pelagians they magnified nature selfe their own deserts and holines and debased Gods free grace and goodnes Thirdly Apostacy God in Isaiah cap. 1. v. 2 3. accuseth Iudah of ingratitude and vers 4 he censureth them for it to be revolters and back-sliders They have forsaken the Lord they have gone a way backward God chargeth the Jews Ier. 2.5 that they were gone farre from him and he proves the charge from their unthankfulnesse verse 6. because they did not thankfully recognize his deliverance of them out of Aegypt neither said they where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Aegypt Secondly It is a transgression against justice for it is a refusall to make payment of that which we ow unto God as a debt it is a withholding of that rent and tribute which is due unto him for his mercies This injustice of unthankfulnesse is against a principle and law of nature deeply engraven in the hearts of all men The very Philistims praysed their Dagon for the deliverance of Sampson into their hands Iudg. 16 23 24. In Ionah cap. 1.16 you have heathenish mariners off ring a sacrifice unto the Lord for causing a tempest to cease Keckerm de Monarchia Persarum And as for unthankfulnâ—s towards men it hath been declined by the worst of men Even Publicans and Sinners saith our Saviour love and doe good to those who love and doe good to them Luke 6 2.33 Zenaphon relates that it was a crime actionable * Senec de Benef. l. 3. 6 6. and severely punishable amongst the Persians And Seneca * Neque absolvimus illud sed cum difficilis esset incertae rei aestimatio tantum odio damnavimus inter ea reliquimus quaead vindices desoâ— mittimus de Benefâ— 3. c. 6. intimateth as much concerning the Macedonians Indeed he himselfe thought it not fit that it should be impleaded and fined with any set mulct but it was not out of any favourable opinion that hee had thereof neither saith he absolve we the same but whereas the judgement of a thing uncertain is difficult we have only condemned it with hatred and left it among those things which we refer to the justice and judgement of the gods The same author hath a very remarkable story of the severity of Philip of Macedon upon a Souldier that most ungratefully had begg'd the lands of one who had saved his life and very hospitably had entertained and relieved him when he was shipwrackt and cast away at Sea Idem de benef lib. â— c. 27. he was so displeased with him that he commanded Pausaniaâ— to brand him in the forehead to witnesse that he wasan ungrateful guest The injustice of our unthankfulnes is you see more then Heathenish nay t is more then brutish Isai 43.20 The beasts of the field shall honour me the Dragons and the Owles because I give waters in the wildernesse and rivers in the desart The Storkes doe nourish and carry their Dammâ—s by whom they are bred and fed God hath nourished us and brought us up as children and yet we have rebelled against him Isai 1.2 The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters Crib but we like Israel doe not know doe not consider verse 3. Famous is the story of Androdus whom the Lyon saved for pulling the stub out of his foot God hath pulled the sting of sin out of our soules and what coldnesse or remisnesse of love and zeale for him and his love have wee answered it with When Sabinus by the command of Tiberius was put to death his Dog expressed a very gratefull respect unto him hee lay downe by his dead body brought to his mouth the bread that was given him and when he was cast into Tyber the violence of the waves deterred him not from doing his last office unto his Master for he leap'd after him to keep him up that he might not sinke to the bottome This poore beast hazarded his life for his master which may very well put us unto the blush who are very loath to venture any thing for the glory cause and Church of God and Christ Not onely death but the least threats and frownes of great men the reproaches of the vilest and most contemptible of men startle us from not onely the performance but also profession of those respects which Gods benefits chalenge at our hands Thirdly it is a transgression against Charity a violation of that love we owe unto God First of the love of union and desire * Amor non nisi donum amantis in amatum Guliel Paris de legibus cap. 19. For by that we give our selves unto the person or thing which is beloved and the unthankfull man detaineth himselfe from God and Christ and yeelds himselfe up unto his lusts and corruptions Secondly it is a violation of the love of Complacency or delight because it hinders that joy and delight in the gifts of God and in God the giver which they and he deserve Lastly it is a violation of the love of Benevolence which is defined by Dr * Amore benevolentiae est affectus quo nos totos Deo tradimus volumus atque conamur ut omnia ipsi deferantur quae pertinent ad ejus gloriaÌ„ Apoc. 4.10.11 1 Cor. 10.31 Medul theol li. â— c.7 Thes 13. Ames out of the Schoolmen to be an affection whereby we yeeld or resigne up our whole selves unto God whereby we will and endeavour that all things be given or carried unto him which appertain unto his glory Lastly it is a transgression against Fidelity a breach of the covenant that hath been sealed between God and us in our Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. For that is a Covenant as I have shewed already as of mercy on Gods part so of gratitude on our part Our unthankfulnes then is in Gods account a double sinne not onely a deviation from his Law but also an infringement