but must be sallying forth in the praises of God. In heaven wc shall have nothing to do but to behold the face of (Ind, and seeing him, we shall love him ; loving him, we shall praise him ; and praising, we shall sing and rejoice. Love and thankfulness are like the symbolical qualities of the elements, easily resolved into each other. Psa. cxvi. 1, David begins with, ' I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice;' and to enkindle this gi-ace into a greater flame, he records the mercies of God in some following verses ; which done, then he is in the right mood for praise ; ver. 11:* What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits V The spouse, when thoroughly awake, pondering with herself what a friend had been at her door, and how his sweet company was lost through her imkindness, shakes off her sloth, riseth, and away she goes after him ; now, when by I'unniug after her beloved, she had ])ut her soul into a heat of love, she breaks out in praising him from top to toe, Cant. v. 10. That is the acceptable j)raising which comes from a warm heart ; and the saint must use some holy exercise to stir up his habit of love, which like natural heat in the body, is preserved and increased by motion. Secondly, Excite thy joy ; Psa. Ixiii. 5 . ' My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.' The disciples for sorrow could not hold open their eyes to pray, much more were they unfit to praise : this, indeed, makes the duty of praise and thanksgiving more difficult than to pray, because our joy here is so often interrupted with intervening sins and sorrows, that this heavenly fire seldom burns long clear on the Christian's altar, from which his praise should ascend. Temptations and afflictions drive the soul to prayer, and dispose it more for prayer ; but they untune his instru- ment for praise. Hannah, she wept and prayed, but durst not eat of the peace- offering, the sacrifice of praise. It behoves us, therefore, the more to watch our hearts, lest they be indisposed by any affliction for this duty. Art thou under affliction, let not thy soul pore too long on thy troubles, but bring it within scent of God's mercies, that are intermingled with them. Sit near this fire of God's love in Christ, warm thyself with meditation on spiritual promises, while thou art under bodily pressures, and thou shalt find, through God's blessing, thy heart comfortable to praise him. Thus, Psa. Ivii. 7, ' My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed ; I will sing and give praise.'
CHAPTER LIX.
FOUR MORE RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN THE DUTY.
Fifthly, Content not thyself with a bare narrative, but give every mercy its proper accent. There is a great difference in two that sing the same song ; from one you have only the plain song, the other descants and runs upon it, in which consists the grace of music. The mercies of God affect our hearts ; as they arc dressed forth, if we put on them the circumstances that advance them, they appear glorious to our eyes, and enlarge our hearts in praise for them ; but considered without these, we pass them slightly. God himself, when he would express the height of his love to his people, presents them to his own eye, not as they are now, but as clothed with the glory he intends them : ' As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall the Lord rejoice over thee.' Thus do thou, to draw out thy thankfulness for mercies, consider them in those cir- cumstances that may render them most glorious in thine eye. Truly, careless praises disfigvu'e the lovely face of God's mercy : — ' The works of the Lord are sought out of them that have pleasure in them.' The skilful limner studies the face of the man before he makes his draught. Praise is a work not easily done ; read, therefore, the word, and learn from the saints what circumstances they have observed in recognising their mercies : sometimes we have them setting the accent upon the speedy return of their prayers, — ' In the day that I cried, thou answeredst me ;' this superadds a further excellency to the mercy : it was but knock and have; come, and be served. While the chiu'ch were at God's door praying for Peter's deliverance, Peter is knocking at theirs, to tell them their prayer is heard. Sometimes from the sinful infirmities which mingle with their prayers; now, that mercy should come notwithstanding these, and steal upon them when they had hardly faith to wait, hath exceedingly endeared the good- ness of God to them. ' I said in my haste. All men are liars. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits?' Psa. cxvi. 12. Sometimes from the
73G WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION.