This being a truth, that God's children, when they have tasted of his mercy, break forth into his ])raise, it being the end of his favours ; and nature being inclined thereto, this should stir us up to this duty. And that we may the better perform this holy duty, let us take notice of all God's favours and blessings. Knowledge stirs up the affections. Blessing of God springs immediately from an enlarged heart, but enlargement of heart is stirred up from apprehension. For as things are reported to the know- ledge, so the understanding reports them to the heart and affections. Therefore it is a duty that we ought to take notice of God's favours, and with taking notice of them,
2. To mind them, to ronemher them, forget not all his benefits. ' Praise the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits,' Ps. ciii. 2, insinuating that the cause why we praise not God is the forgetting of his benefits.
Let us take notice of them, let us register them, let us mind them, let us keep diaries of his mercies and favoiirs every day.* He renews his mercies and favours every day, and we ought to renew our blessing of him every day. We should labour to do here, as we shall do when we are in heaven, where we shall do nothing else but praise and bless him. We ought to be in heaven, while we are on the earth, as much as we may. Let us register his favours and mercies.
Quest. But what favours ?
Ans. Especially spiritual, nay, first spiritual favours, without which we cannot heartily give thanks for any outward thing. For the soul will cast with itself, till it feel itself in covenant with God in Christ, that a man is the child of God.
Indeed I have many mercies and favours. God is good to me. But perhaps all these are but favours of the traitor in the prison, that hath the liberty of the tower, and all things that his heart can desire ; but then he looks for an execution, he looks for a writ to draw him forth to make him a spectacle to all. And so this trembling for fear of a future ill which the soul looks for, it keeps the soul from thankfulness. It cannot be heartily thankful for any mercy, till it can be thankful for spiritual favours.
Therefore first let us see that our state be good, that we are in Christ, that we are in covenant of grace, that though we are weak Christians, yet we are true, [that] there is truth in grace wrought in us. And then, when we have tasted the best mercies, spiritual mercies ; when we see we are taken out of the state of nature (for then all is in love to us), when we have the first mercy, pardoning mercy, that our sins are forgiven in Christ, then the other are mercies indeed to us, not as favours to a condemned man.
And that is the reason that a carnal man, he hath his heart shut, he can- not praise God, he cannot trust in God ; because he staggers in his estate, because he is not assm-ed. He thinks, it may be God ' fattens me against the day of slaughter,' Jer. xii. 3. Therefore I know not whether I should praise him for this or no. But he is deceived in that. For if he had his heart enlarged to bless God for that, God would shew further favour still ; but the heart will not yield hearty praise to God, till it be persuaded of God's love. For all our love is by reflection. ' We love him, because he
* 'DiaHes.' As a fine specimen of, and counsels in regard to, this kind of diary, see Beadle's ' Diary of a Thankful Christian,' 12mo, 1656.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VEK. 3. 25
loved us first,' 1 Jolin iv. 19, and we praise and bless him, because be hath blessed us first in heavenly blessings in Christ.
Let us take notice of his favours, let us remind them, let us register them, especially favours and mercies in Christ. Let us after* think how we were pulled out of the cursed estate of nature, by what ministry, by what acquaintance, by what speech, and how God hath followed that mercy with new acquaintance, with new comfort to our souls, with new refreshings ; that by his Spirit he hath repressed our corruptions, that he hath sanctified •us, made us more humble, more careful, that he hath made us more jealous, more watchful. These mercies and favours will make others sweet unto us.
And then learn to prize and value the mercies of God, which will not be xinless we compare them with our own unworthiness. Lay bis mercies together with our own unworthiness, and it will make us break forth into blessing of God, when we consider what we are ourselves, as Jacob said, ' less than the least of God's mercies,' Gen. xxxii. 10.
We forget God's mercies every day. He strives with our unthankful- ness. The comparing of his mercies with our unworthiness, and our desert on the contrary, will make us to bless God for his goodness and patience, that he will not only be good to us, in not inflicting that which our sins have deserved. ' Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.'