faithful promise. When a bill of exchange is paid at sight, it shews the merchant to be a man of credit and ability. By the joy thou takest \ip, and the thankfulness thou layest out for wliat the bare promise tells thee thou shalt at death receive, thou glorifiest the truth of (Jod, who is the promiser. Fourthly, There are bitter mercies and sweet mercies ; some mercies God gives in wine, some in wormwood : now, we must praise (Jod for the bitter mercies as well as the sweet ; thus Job, ' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' Too many are prone to think, nothing is a mercy that is not sweet, and leaves a pleasant farewell on their palate ; but this is the childishness of our spirits, which, as the Christian grows more judicious, will wear off. Truly, none of our temporals (whether crosses or enjoyments), considered in themselves abstractedly, are either a curse or a mercy ; they are only as the covering to the book : it is what is written in them that must resolve us whether they be a mercy or not. Is it an affliction that lies on thee ? If thou canst find it comes from love, and ends in grace and holiness, it is a mercy, though it be bitter to thy taste. Is it an enjoyment? If love doth not send it, and grace end it, it is a curse, though sweet to thy sense. There are sweet poisons as well as bitter cordials. The saints commonly have greater advantage from their afflictions in the world, than enjoyments of the world ; their eyes are oftener enlightened with wormwood than honey, — those dispensations that are bitter and unpleasing to sense, than those that are sweet and luscious. Fifthly, Mercies are either personal, or such as we receive in partnership wdth others, and both must be recognised. Haply, Christian, thou hast prayed for a sick friend, and he is restored to health ; for another in disti-css of spirit, and the Comforter at last has come to him. Now, thou who hadst an adventure in him, hast a mercy also in the return that is made to him, and therefore art to bless God with him. He that prays for his friend, and joins not with him in thankfulness when the mercy is given, is like one that is a means to bring his friend into debt, but takes no care to help him out. Thy friend, Christian, needs tliy aid mucli more to pay the thanks, than to borrow the mercy, because this is the harder work of the two. But above all mercies to others, be sure not to forget the mercies granted to the church and nation.
CHAPTER LVIIL
FOUR DIRECTIONS HOW TO FRAME OUR THANKSGIVINGS.
You have heard what is the subject of our praises and thanksgivings. We come now to lay down some rules how we are to frame our thanksgivings.
Section I. — First, be sure the thing thou praisest God for be found among the good things of the promise ; that is the compass by which we are to steer our course : if it be not in the promise, it is not a mercy, and so not the subject of thanksgiving. When some prosper in their wickedness, they are so bold as to thank God they succeeded so well. Now, if it be a grievous sin for a man to bless himself in any wicked way. Dent. xxix. 19, how much more horrid is it to bless (Jod for prospering him therein ! By the former he only avoucheth his own sin, but by the other he makes God a party with him. Bernard compares those who thank God for their success in wickedness, to hypocrites who praise him for the good things they receive. The one impute their sin to God, the other ascribe the glory of his mercies to themselves. God cannot accept thy praise, unless he first approve thy act. He that receives a bribe is guilty of the fault. And dare you thus to tempt the Holy One ? If the God you serve were like the heathen idols, it would not much matter. When the Philistines had practised their cruelty on Saul, they presented his head to their god. The devil desires no better sacrifice than the fruit of men's sins. But the Holy One of Israel abhors all wicked praises ; the hire of a whore was not to be offered, Deut. xxiii. 18. Secondly, Let all your praises be offered up in Christ ; ' By him let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God,' Heb. xiii. 15 : 'Ye are a holy priest- hood, to offer up s])iritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ,' 1 Pet. ii. 5. Couldst thou pen ever so rare a panegyric, couldst thou flourish it with ever so much art, and deliver it with the greatest zeal possible, all would be harsh, and grate the Almighty's ear, except sounded through CIn-ist. Possibly, when thou jirayest for a mercy, thou shelterest thyself under Christ's wing, and
734 WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION.