Therefore, in the next place, as a branch of the former, if we would praise God, durll not on the second causes. If God use second causes in any favour he bestows on us, either in keeping us from any ill, or bestowing any good, consider it as a means that God might dispense with ; that he might use if he would, or not use. See God in the second causes ; rise from them to him. Art thou healed by physic ? Use physic as a means, but see God in it. But if God hath cured thee without physic, without ordinary means, then see him more immediately doing good to thee without the help of second causes. That is one way to help us to praise God, to see him in every favour and deliverance. For what could second causes do, if he should not give a blessing ? Especially praise him when he hath imme- diately* done it, as he can. Did not he make light before there was a sun ? He is not tied to give light by the sun ; and he made waters before he made the clouds. He is not tied to the clouds. Therefore especially * praise God ' when we have deliverance we know not how, without means, imme- diately from the goodness and strength of God.
Again, If we would ' praise God ' for any favour, consider the necessity and use of the favour ve jnrty for, as these men here ; they were at death's door, and ' loathed all manner of meat.' Alas ! they had died if God had not helped them. If thou wouldst bless God, consider what a miserable state thou shouldst be in if thou hadst not that favour to praise God for. If thou be to bless God for thy senses, put case thou shouldst want thy sight, what a miserable case thou shouldst be in ! So for any of the senses that a man wants, whereby he should glorify God, and take the comfort of the creature, put case a man should want his taste, as these men here — ' their soul abhorred all manner of meat ' — alas ! what a miserable case is it to want a relish and taste of the comfort that God hath put into the creatures ; put case we should want the meanest benefit we enjoy, how uncomfortable would our lives be !
This spark of reason that God hath given us, that we have understanding * That is?, ' without means.' — G.
WITH A RETURN OF PRAISE. 153
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to conceive things, which is the engine whereby we do all things as men, and are capable of the grace of God, what a miserable thing were it if God should take away our wits, or suspend the use of them ?
But especially in matters of grace, if God had not sent Christ to redeem the world, what a cursed condition had we lain in, next to devils ?
Again, K we would praise God, let us eccnj day keep a diary of his favours and blessiiiys : what good he doth us privately, what positive blessings he bestows uj)on us, and what dangers he frees us from, and continues and renews his mercy every day ; and publicly what benefit we have by the state we live in. Oh what a happy state is it that we live in peace, that we enjoy such laws, ' that every man may sit under his own vine, and under his own lig-tree,' Micah iv. 4, and enjoy the comforts of life, when all the world about us are and have been in combustion ! We should keep a register of God's blessings. Oh that we could learn to have such exact lives ! It would breed a world of comfort, and we should have a less account to make when we die.
Every day labour to be humbled for our sins, specially such as break the peace of our consciences, and never give our bodies rest till our hearts have rest in the favour of God ; and together with matter of humiliation, daily observe how God bestows new favours, or else continues the old ; that notwithstanding our provocation and forgetfulness of him, he strives with us by his goodness. This is a blessed duty that we should labour to per- form.
And then when we have done this, let us rouse up all that we are, and all that we have within us, to praise God. Ps. ciii. 1, 'My soul, praise the Lord, and all that is within me praise his holy name.' What have we within us to praise God ? Let us praise God with our understanding, to conceive and have a right judgment of God's favours, of the worthiness of them and our own unworthiness, and then a sanctified memory. ' Forget not all his benefits,' Ps. ciii. 2. Forgetfulness is the grave of God's blessings. It buries all. And then there is in us the aifection of joy and love to God to taste him largely, and then all within us will be large in the praising of God. And our tongue likewise, though that be not within us, it is called our ' glory,' Ps. xvi. 9 and Ps. Ivii. 8 ; let us make it our glory in this, to trumpet out God's praise upon all occasions. All that is within us, and all that we are, or have, or can do, let it be all to the glory and ' praise of God.'