But how doth the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God ? Certainly it doth, ' that the thanksgiving of many may redound to the glory of God.' The more heart, the better music in God's ears, the better music and the louder music ; the more the prayers are, the more are the praises, Prov. xiv. 28. The wise man saith, ' The glory of a king is in the multitude of his subjects,' and the glory of God is in the multitude of subjects, thankful subjects, that will return praise to him, give him the tribute he requires at our hands ; the wages and service is to him the more the better. When a company can, as it were, levy an army, not only in praj'ers, to ofier an holy violence to God, to get a blessing, but when it is gotten to join in company to praise God, Oh it is a blessed sound, a blessed noise in God's ears, when many do it.
Beason. The reason is this, because there is more abundance of incense. Prayers and praises be incense, and if the prayer of any one man be power- ful with God, of one righteous man, what is the prayer of many righteous men ? If the praise of one man be incense, what are the praises of many ? ' If where two or three be gathered together, Christ is in the midst of them,' Mat. xviii. 20, what will he do where two or three thousand be gathered ? will not he be much more in the midst of them ? 0 beloved, company is excellent here, and therefore as you have it recited well in the psalms, stir up one another to praise the Lord, ' Praise the Lord, 0 my soul ; and all that is within me, praise his holy name,' Ps. ciii. 1. But that is not enough, ' Praise the Lord all his angels, all the creatures.' The holy prophet, he puts a voice into hills, dragons, mountains, rivers, and every creature, that they may_ praise the Lord, Ps. cxlviii. 7.
But fearing he should not have heart and spirit enough to praise God
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. IV, VER. 15. 475
enough, he stirs up ' sons of Levi, sons of Aaron, angels of heaven, to praise God.' So large was the heart of that hlessed man, because he knew if the praises of one would be acceptable, what would the praises of many be ? Why have we such narrow hearts ? Indeed, God intends our good, God intendeth it, for to make us heavenly-minded, who would otherwise have been like moles in the earth, but in regard of God, that we may think of God, and praise God, and therefore, Ps. xcii., there is a psalm of the Sab- bath, wherein is a high exaltation of God's woi-ks. And we have the sacrament. Why is it called eucharist, the Greek word,* but because it is a praising of God ? We having the sacrament are to praise God for tho good we have by his body broken, his blood shed; and therefore have cause of the greatest praise that ever was, for the greatest gift that over was given, * the Son of man.' It is God's end in Sabbaths, in sacraments, his end in all his favours and blessings both in this and a better life ; and therefore let us stir up our hearts, and stir up others to praise God, that thanks- giving may abound by many. But I cannot linish this argument so necessary.
For some rules how to do it I will not go out of the text, because I have spoken of thanksgiving upon every occasion.
If we will praise God, see that everything he a grnce, he a grace oud abundant grace, answerable to the degrees of goodness. The abundant grace indeed is Jesus Christ, who is the gift of gifts, and cause of all gifts, and the good we have by him. The abundant mercy in God is, new birth in Christ. There is the abundant grace. But even in the things of this life, that we have sacraments, ministers, helps to heaven, is abundant grace. Beloved, whatsoever we have more than hell by nature, it is all grace; and when we be Christians, and delivered from fear of hell, whatsoever is overplus is a grace. If we were poor all our life, and miserable all our life, what were it ? But when to our way to heaven God giveth double portions, mercy here, and abundant hereafter, here is ' abundant redundant grace.' Therefore if we will be thankful, see grace and abundant love in every- thing. And consider the circumstances that increase the favours of God in Christ towards us, when we were unworthy, when we deserved the con- trary. It came in opposition of the enemy ; it came when we had much comfort in it, being stripped of all other comforts. See it come from the spring of God's favour, and see all the sweet circumstances of it, and that will make us thankful.
And then consider it is all ive can do or need to do. It is just we should do it. God needeth not our thanks or praises, but it is justice on our part. Is it not just that we should return praise, ' that rivers should run into the sea, from whence they came ? ' that beams should reflect to the sun, from whence they came ? An unthankful person is an unjust person. There- fore stir up others, that the thanksgiving may be by many.