I gave you also some directions how to praise God, and to stir up your- selves to this most excellent duty, which I will not insist on now, but add a little unto that I then delivered, which is, that u-e must ivatch all advantages of praising God from our dispositions. ' Is any merry? let him sing,' saith James, v. 13. Oh ! it is a great point of wisdom to take advantages with the stream of our temper to praise God. When he doth encourage us by his favours and blessings, and enlarge our spirits, then we are in a right temper to bless him. Let us not lose the occasion. This is one branch of redeeming of time, to observe what state and temper of soul we are in, and to take advantage from thence. Is any man in heaviness ? he is fit to mourn for sin. Let him take the opportunity of that temper. Is any dis- posed to cheerfulness ? Let him sacrifice that marrow, oil, and sweetness of spirit to God. We see the poor birds in the spring-time, when those little spirits they have are cherished with the sunbeams, how they express it in singing. So when God warms us with his favours, let him have the praise of all.
And here I cannot but take up a lamentation of the horrible ingratitude of men, who are so far from taking advantage by God's blessings to praise him, that they fight like rebels against him with his own favours. Those tongues which he hath given them for his glory, they abuse to pierce him with blasphemy ; and those other benefits of his, lent them to honour him with, they turn to his dishonour ; like children who importunately ask for divers things, which, when they have, they throw them to the dog. So favours they will have, which, when they have obtained, they give them to the devil ; unto whom they sacrifice their strength and cheerfulness, and cannot be merry, unless they be mad and sinful. Are these things to be tolerated in these days of light ? How few shall we find, who, in a temper of mirth, turn it the right way ?
1. But to add some encouragements to incite us to praise God unto the former, I beseech you let this be one, that ^ve honour God by it. It is a
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well-pleasing sacrifice to liim. If we would study to please him, we cannot do it better than by praising him.
2. And it is a gainful trading uith God. For in bestowing his seed, where he finds there is improvement in a good soil, with such a sanctified disposition as to bless him upon all occasions, that there comes not a good thought, a good motion in the mind, but we bless God who hath injected Buch a good thought in our heart ; there, I say, God delights to shower down more and more blessings, making us fruitful in every good work to the praise of his name. Sometimes we shall have holy and gi'acious per- sons make a law that no good or holy motion shall come into their hearts, which they will not be thankful for. Oh ! when God seeth a heart so excellently disposed, how doth it enrich the soul ! It is a gainful trade. As we delight to bestow our seed in soUs of great increase, which yield sixty and an hundredfold, if possible, so God delights in a disposition inclined to bless him upon all occasions, on whom he multiplies his favours.
3. And then, in itself, it is a most noble act of religion, it being a more base thing to be always begging of God ; but it argueth a more noble, raised, and elevated spirit, to be disposed to praise God. And it is an argument of less self-love and respect, being therefore more gainful to us. Yea, it is a more noble and royal disposition, fit for spiritual kings and priests thus to sacrifice.
4. Again, indeed, u-e have more cause to praise God than to pray ; having many things to praise him for, which we never prayed for. Who ever prayed for his election, care of parents in our infancy, their afiection to us, care to breed and train us to years of discretion, besides those many favours daily heaped upon us, above all that we are able to think or speak? Therefore, praise being a more large sacrifice than prayer, we ought to be abundant in it. For those that begin not heaven upon earth, of which this praise is a main function, they shall never come to heaven, after they are taken from the earth ; for there is no heavenly action, but it is begun upon earth, especially this main one, of joining with angels, seraphim, and cherubim, in lauding God. Shall they praise him on our behalf, and shall not we for our own ? We see the choir of angels, when Christ was bom, sang, ' Glory be to God on high, on earth peace, and goodwill towards men,' Luke ii. 14. What was this for ? Because Christ the Saviour of the world was born ; whereby they shew that we have more benefit by it than they. Therefore, if we would ever join with them in heaven, let us join with them upon eai-th. For this is one of the great privileges mentioned by the author to the Hebrews, unto which we be come to, ' communion with the spirits of just men made perfect, and to the company of innumerable angels,' Heb. xii. 22, 23. We cannot better shew that we are come to that blessed estate and society spoken of, than by praising God.