It is as natural for Ihe new creature to do so as for the birds to sing in the spring. When the sun hath warmed the poor creature, it shews its thankfulness in singing ; and that httle blood and spirits that it hath being warmed after winter, it is natural for those creatures so to do, and we de- light in them.
It is as natural for the new creature, when it feels the Sun of righteous- ness warming the soul, when it tastes of the mercy of God in Christ, to shew forth itself in thankfulness and praise ; and it can no more be kept from it, than fire can keep from burning, or water fi'om cooling. It is the nature of the new creature so to do.
The reason is, every creature must do the work for which God hath enabled* it, to the which God hath framed it. The happiness of the * That is, ' qualified.'— G.
2 coRiNxniANS CHAP. I, veh. 3. 23
creature Is in well-doing, in working according to its nature. The heathen could see that. Now all the creatures, the new creature especially, is for the glory of God in Christ Jesus. All the new creature, and what privileges it hath, and what graces it hath, all is, that God may have the glory of gi-ace. Why then, it must needs work answerable to that which God hath created it for. Therefore it must shew forth the praise and gloi-y of God. * Blessed he God,' saith the apostle, Eph. i. 3 ; and the blessed apostle Peter begins his epistle, ' Blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath begotten us to an inheritance immortal and imdcfiled, which fudeth not away, reserved for us in heaven,' 1 Pet. i. 3.
I shall not need to set down with the exposition of the word ' blessed :' how God blesseth us, and how we bless God. His blessing is a conferring of blessing ; our blessing is a declaring of his goodness. It is a thing well enough known. Our blessing of God is a praising of God, a setting out what is in him.
Only one thing is to be cleared. What good can we do to God in bless- ing of him ? He is blessed, though we bless him not ; and he is praised, whether we praise him or no. He had glory enough before he made the world. He contented himself in the Trinity, the blessed Trinity in itself, before there were either angels, or men, or other creatures to bless him ; and now he can be blessed enough, though we do not bless him.
It is true he can be so ; and he can have heaven, though thou hast it not, but be a damned creature ; and he wiU be blessed, whether thou bless him or no.
1. Our blessing of him is required as a duty, to make us more capable of his graces, ' To him that hath shall be given,' Mat. xiii. 12. To him that hath, and useth that he hath to the glory of God, shaU be given more. We give nothing.
The stream gives nothing to the fountain. The beam gives nothing to the sun, for it issues from the sun. Our very blessing of God is a blessing of his.
It is from his grace that wo can praise his grace ; and we run still uito a new debt, when we have hearts enlarged to bless him.
We ought to have our hearts more enlarged, that v^e can be enlarged to praise God.
2. A7id to others it is good, foi' others are stirred up by it. God's good- ness and mercy is enlarged- in regard of the manifestation of it to others, by our blessing of God.
3. Yea, this good cones to our souls. Besides the increase of grace, we shall find an increase of joy and comfort. That is one end why God requires it of us. Though he himself, in his essence, be alway alike blessed, yet he requires that we should be thankful to him alway ; that we should bless and praise him even in misery and affliction. And why, then ?
1. Because, if ive can work upon our hearts a disposition to see God's love, and to })raise and bless him, n:e can never be uncomfortable. We have some comfort against all estates and conditions, by studying to praise God, by working of our hearts to a disposition to praise and bless God ; for then crosses are light, crosses are no crosses then. That is the reason that the apostles and holy men so stirred up their hearts to praise and thanksgiving, that they might feel their crosses the less, that they might be less sensible of their discomforts. For undoubtedly, when we search for matter of praising God in any affliction, and when we see there is some mercy yet reserved, that we are not consumed, the consideration that there is alway
21 COMTMENTARY ON
some mercy, that we arc yet unthankful for, will enlarge our hearts ; and God, when ho hath thanks and praise from us, ho gives us still more matter of thankfulness, and the more we thank him and praise him, the more wo have matter of praise.