Use. Is to exhort us to two things — (1.) To be in a capacity to bless God for spiritual blessings ; (2.) To be most affected with these mercies.
1. See that you be in a capacity to bless God for spiritual blessings. First see that you have these mercies, and then bless God for them. It would trouble a man even to trembling to hear slight and vain persons take up a form of thanksgiving which no way is proper to them, as to bless God for their election before time, their sanctification in time, and their hopes of glory after all time. As if a leper should give thanks for perfect health, or a madman that he is made wiser than his neighbours, or a man that is ready to die to thank God that he is pretty well and recovering, so they give thanks for grace which they never knew nor felt. Tliis is to mock God while we pretend to adore him. It is true there are spiritual mercies for which all are bound to give thanks, such as the mystery of redemption, the new covenant, the offers and invitations of grace, means, and time to repent ; these you should value more, and bless God for them. But for men that know not their own great necessities and benefits, but slight their chiefest mercies, and account them burdens, they can more feelingly thank God for a gluttonous meal, or unjust gain, or some vain pleasure, but for the means of grace they bless him not. But now, the flower of thanks- giving is when we can bless God for Christ, for his Spirit, for heaven, for faith and love ; and therefore we should labour to get these things, and to make our sincerity more unquestionable ; for these are the chiefest matters for which God expecteth praise from us. The apos- tolical forms insist upon these things : 1 Peter i. 3, ' Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.'
2. To be most affected with these mercies. Other mercies may be
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•overvalued, especially if we look upon them under the notion of provi- sion for the flesh ; so our very thankfulness may be a snare. Lust engrosseth our hearts, but religion tippeth our tongues. Men will thank God for their preferment more than for the offer of Christ, and pardon and life by him. Our esteem is known by this, what it is that moveth us to thankfulness ; if it be for the world, as used for the pleasure of the flesh rather than for the service of God, it is but lust disguised in a religious form. Therefore, what are you most affec- tionately thankful for, worldly or spiritual good things ? God is to be thanked for all, for temporal encrease, but chiefly for spiritual mercies. Now what endeareth God to your hearts, that he is so good in Christ, or that he blesseth your outward estate ? You should not lessen that favour, but look for a better and more distinguishing expression of his love.
Doct. 3. That not only the spiritual blessings vouchsafed to ourselves, but to others also, must be acknowledged with thankfulness.
1. It suiteth with our relation of members in the same mystical body of Christ, and so is a part of the communion of saints : 1 Cor. xii. 26, ' And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.' The members care for one another, and are affected with each other's woe or weal. If the toe be trod upon, the tongue will cry out. You have hurt me ; therefore, they that have lost sympathy and feeling seem to have cast themselves out of the body, as if they were no way concerned in their fellow-members in Christ. If we be in the body, we must be affected with others' concernments as with our own : Phil. i. 7, ' I have you in my heart.' Where sincere love is among christians, there will be a communion of prayers and praises, therefore they bless God for others' mercies as their own. See Eom. xii. 15, * Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.' Spiritual love is but acted and personated if we only drop some words of prayer and praise, and do not look upon ourselves as under a debt, and that it is meet so to do, and do it upon inclination, and not merely upon the invitation of others. We should give thanks for all their mercies, especially for such spiritual mercies as constitute the union, such as faith and love. By faith we are united to the head, by love to the fellow-members : Col. i. 3, 4, ' We give thanks to God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have to all the saints.' These graces qualify for this spiritual communion.
2. The glory of God is concerned in it. Wheresoever his goodness shineth forth, especially with any eminency, it must be acknowledged : Horn. i. 8, ' I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.' When Christ's kingdom doth thrive extensively or intensively, by the addition of more peace or the increase of grace ; if we love our Master, we must be glad when he getteth more servants, and our joy must be expressed in praises. When Paul was converted, he saith, Gal. i, 24, the saints ' glorified God in me ; ' that is, praised God in his behalf, and gave him the honour of that great work, that so useful an instrument was gained to the faith.