The Apostles rule is that the lesse is blessed of the greater , Abraham of the King of Salem ; the Prophets charge is , that the greater should be blessed of the lesse ; yea the greatest of the least , God of man : This agrees wel ; Blessing is an act that will beare reciprocation ; God blesseth man , & man blesseth God ; God blesseth man imparatiuely , man blesseth God optatiuely ; God blesseth man in the acts of mercy ; Man blesseth God in the notions , in the expressions of thanks . God blesses man when he makes him good and happy ; man blesseth God when he confesseth how good , how gracious how glorious he is : So as the blessing is wholly taken vp in agnition , in celebration ; in the one we acknowledg the bounty of God to vs ; in the other we magnifie him , vocally , really , for that bounty .

Oh see then what high account God makes of the affections and actions of his poore , silly , earth-creeping creatures ; that hee giues vs in them power to blesse himselfe , & takes it as an honor to be blessed of vs : Dauid wonders that God shold so vouchsafe to blesse man , how much more must wee needs wonder at the mercy of God that will vouchsafe to be blessed by man , a worme , an atome , a nothing ? Yet , both S. Iames tels vs that with the tongue we blesse God ; & the Psalmist cals for it here , as a seruice of deare acceptation ; Blessed be the Lord ; Euen we men liue not ( Camelion-like ) with the aire of thanks ; nor feed ere the fatter with praises , how much lesse our maker ? O God , we know wel that whatsoeuer men or Angels do , or do not , thou canst not but be infinitely blessed in thy selfe ; before euer any creature was , thou didst equally inioy thy blessed selfe , from all eternity ; What can this worthles loose filme of flesh either adde to , or detract from thine infinitnesse ? Yet , thou that humblest thy selfe to behold the things that are done in heauen , & earth , humblest thy selfe also , to accept the weake breath of our praises , that are sent vp to thee from earth to heauen . How should this incourage the vowes , the indeuors of our hearty thankfulnes , to see them graciously taken ? Would men take vp with good words , with good desires , & quit our bonds for thanks , who wold be a debter ? With the God of mercy this cheap paiment is currant ; if he then wil honor vs so far as to be blessed of vs , Oh let vs honor him so far as to blesse him ; Quare verbis parcam ? gratuita sunt : Why do we spare thanks that cost vs nothing , as that wise Heathen ; O giue vnto the Lord , yee mighty , giue vnto the Lord the praises due to his name , offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiuing : and still let the foot of our song , be , Blessed be the Lord .

This for the descant of gratulation ; the ground follows ; His own sake hath reason to be first ; God will be blessed both as Iah , and Adonai ; the one the style of his Essence , the other of his Soueraigntie . Euen the most accursed Deist would confesse , that as a pure , simple , infinit , absolute being , God is to be blessed ; for if being be good , & these two be conuertible , nature must needs teach him , that an absolute & infinit being must needs be absolutely and infinitly good : but what do I blur the glory of this day with mention of those monsters , whose Idol is nature , whose religion is secondary atheisme , whose true region is the lowest hell ; these damned Ethnicks cannot , will not conceiue of God , as he is , because they impiously seuer his essence from his inward relations ; We Chrstians can neuer be so heauenly affected to God , as we ought , till we can rise to this pitch of piety , to blesse God for what he is in himself , without the external beneficial relations to the creature ; Else our respects reflect too much homeward , and we doe but look through God , at our selues .

Neither is it for vs only to blesse him as an absolute God , but as a Soueraigne Lord too ; whose power hath no more limit then his essence ; the great moderator of heauen and earth , giuing lawes to his creature , ouer-ruling all things , marshalling all euents , crushing his enemies , maintaining his Church , adored by Angells , trembled at by deuills ; Behold here a Lord worthy to be blessed . We honour , as we ought , your conspicuous greatnesse , ô yee eminent Potentates of the earth ; but alas , what is this to the great Lord of heauen ? When wee looke vp thither , we must craue leaue to pitty the breath of your nosthrills , the rust of your coronets , the dust of your graues , the sting of your felicities , and ( if yee take not good heed ) the blots of your memories : As ye hold all in fee from this great Lord , so let it be no disparagement to you , to doe your lowliest homage to his footstoole ; homage , I meane , in action ; giue me the reall benediction ; I am sure that is the best ; they blesse God that praise him , they blesse him more , and praise him best , that obey him . There are that crouch to you great ones , who yet hate you : Oh let vs take heed of offering these hollow obseruances to the searcher of hearts , if wee loue not our owne confusion . They that proclaimed Christ at Ierusalem , had not only Hosanna in their mouths , but palmes in their hands too ; so must wee haue : Let mee say then , If the hand blesse not the Lord , the tongue is an hypocrite . Away with the waste complements of our vaine formalities ; Let our loud actions drowne the language of our words , in blessing the name of the Lord .

Neyther must we blesse God as a soueraigne Lord onely , but ( which is yet a more feeling relation ) as a munificent Benefactor , Who loadeth vs daily with benefits . Such is mans selfe-loue , that no inward worth can so attract his praises , as outward beneficence ; Whiles thou makest much of thy selfe , euery one shall speake well of thee , how much more whiles thou makest much of them ? Here God hath met with vs also . Not to perplexe you with scanning the variety of senses , wherewith I haue obserued this Psalme aboue all other of Dauids , to abound ; see here , I beseech you , a foure-fold gradation of diuine bounty . First , here are benefits ; the word is not expressed in the originall , but necessarily implyed in the sense ; for there are but three loads whereof man is capable from God , fauours , precepts , punishments ; the other two are out of the road of gratulation ; when we might therefore haue expected iudgments , behold Benefits : And those secondly , not sparingly handfulld out to vs , but dealt to vs by the whole load ; loadeth with benefits . Whom , thirdly , doth he load , but vs ? Not worthy and well deseruing subiects , but vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rebels : And lastly , this he doth , not at one doale & no more , ( as euen churles rare feasts vse to be plentifull , ) but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 successiuely , vnweariedly , perpetually . One fauour were too much , here are benefits ; a sprinckling were too much , here is a load ; once were too oft , here is daily largition . Cast your eyes therefore , a little vpon this three-fold exaggeration of beneficence , the measure , a load of benefits ; the subiect , vnworthy vs ; the time , daily : Who daily loadeth vs with benefits .

Where shall we begin to survey this vast load of mercies ? were it no more , but that he hath giuen vs a world to liue in , a life to enioy , ayre to breathe in , earth to tread on , fire to warme vs , water to coole and clense vs , cloaths to couer vs , food to nourish vs , sleep to refresh vs , houses to shelter vs , varietie of creatures to serue and delight vs ; here were a iust load : But now , if wee yet adde to these , ciuilitie of breeding , dearnesse of friends , competency of estate , degrees of honor , honesty or dignitie of vocation , fauor of Princes , successe in imployments , domestique comforts , outward peace , good reputation , preseruation from dangers , rescue from euills , the load is well mended : If yet , ye shall come closer , and adde , due proportion of body , integrity of parts , perfection of senses , strength of nature , mediocritie of health , sufficiency of appetite , vigour of digestion , wholsome temper of seasons , freedome from cares , this course must needs heighten it yet more ; If still , yee shall adde to these , the order , and powers , and exercise of our inward faculties , inriched with wisedome , art , learning , experience , expressed by a not-vnhandsome elocution : and shall , now , lay al these together , that concerne estate , body , mind ; how can the axeltree of the soule but crack vnder the load of these fauours ? But , if from what God hath done for vs as men , we looke to what hee hath done for vs , as Christians ; that hee hath imbraced vs with an euerlasting loue , that hee hath molded vs anew , enliued vs by his Spirit , fed vs by his word and Sacraments , clothed vs with his merits , bought vs with his blood , becomming vile to make vs glorious , a curse to inuest vs with blessednesse ; in a word , that he hath giuen himselfe to vs , his Sonne for vs : Oh the height , & depth , and breadth of the rich mercies of our God ; Oh the boundlesse , to plesse , bottomlesse load of diuine benefits , whose immensity reaches from the center of this earth , to the vnlimited extent of the very empyreall heauens . Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse , and declare the wonders that hee doth for the children of men .

These mercies are great in themselues , our vnworthinesse doth greaten them more : To do good to the well deseruing were but retribution ; Hee ladeth vs , who are no lesse rebellious to him , than he is beneficiall to vs . Our strait and shallow bounty picks out the worthiest , and most capable subiect ; The greatest gift that euer God gaue , he giues vs , whiles we are enemies . It was our Sauiours charge to his Disciples , Interrogate quis dignus ; Aske who is worthy , that is , ( as Hierom interprets it ) of the honour to receiue such guests ; Should God stand vpon those termes with vs , what should become of vs ? See , and wonder , and be ashamed ô yee Christian hearers ; God loads vs , and we load him ; God loads vs with benefits , we load him with our sinnes . Behold , I am pressed vnder you , saith God , as a cart is pressed , that is full of sheaues , Amos. 2.13 . He should goe away laden with our thanks , with the presents of our duty , and wee shamefully clogge him with our continuall prouocations : Can there be here any danger of selfe-sacrificing with Seianus , and not rather the iust danger of our shame and confusion in our selues ? How can we but hate this vnkind , and vniust , vnanswerablenesse ; Yet herein shall we make an aduantage of our foulest sins , that they giue so much more lustre to the glorious mercies of our God , who ouercoms our euill with good , and loads euen , Vs.

The ouer-long interruption of fauours loseth their thanks ; and the best benefits languish in too much disuse . Our God takes order for that , by a perpetuation of beneficence ; Hee ladeth vs daily ; Euery day , euery minute renues his fauours vpon vs ; Semper largitor , semper donator , as Hierom. To speake strictly , there is no time present ; nothing is present but an instant , and that , can no more bee called time , then a pricke can bee called a line ; yet , how swift soeuer the wings of time are , they cannot cut one instant , but they must cary with them a successiue renouation of Gods gracious kindnesse to vs .

This Sun of his doth not rise once in an age , or once in a yeare , but euery minute since it was created , riseth to some parts of the earth , and euery day to vs ; Neyther doth he once hurle downe vpon our heads some violent drops , in a storme , but he plyes vs with the sweet showers of the former , and the latter raine ; Wherein the mercy of God condescends to our impotency , who are ready to perish vnder vncomfortable intermissions . Non mihi sufficit ? saith that father ; it is not enough that hee hath giuen mee once , if he giue me not alwayes ; To daies ague makes vs forget yesterdaies health ; Former meales doe not relieue our present hunger . This cotage of ours ruines straight , if it be not new daubed euery day ; new repaired : The liberall care of our God therfore tiles ouer one benefit with another , that it may not raine thorow . And if he bee so vnwearied in his fauours , why are wee weary of our thanks ? Our bonds are renewed euery day to our God ; Why not our payments ? Not once in a yeare , or moone , or weeke , but euery day once ( without faile ) were the legall sacrifices reiterated ; and that , of all those creatures which were necessary for sustentation ; a Lamb , flowre , wine , oyle , that is , meat , bread , drink , sauce ; Why ? but that in all these wee should still daily re-acknowledge our new obligations to the giuer ? Yea , ex plenitudine , & lachrymis , as it is in the originall , Exod. 22.29 . of our plenty & teares , that is , ( as Caietan ) of a deare , or cheape yeare must wee returne ; More , or lesse may not misse our thanks ; We need daily , we beg daily , ( Giue vs this day ) we receiue daily , why do we not daily retribute to our God , and act , as some read it , Blessed bee the Lord daily , who loadeth vs with his benefits .

It is time now to turne your eyes to that mixt respect , that reacheth both to God , and vs ; Yee haue seene him a benefactor , see him a Sauiour , and Deliuerer ; The God of our saluation ; The vulgars salutaria , following the Septuagint , differs from our [ Saluation ] but as the meanes from the end . With the Hebrewes , Saluation is a wide word , comprising all the fauours of God , that may tend to preseruation ; and therefore the Psalmist , else-where , extends this act both to man , and beast ; and as if he would comment vpon himselfe , expounds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saue , by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prosper , Psal. 118.25 . It is so deare a title of God , that the Prophet cannot haue enough of it ; the interposition of a Selah cannot barre the redoubling of it in my Text.

Euery deliuerance , euery preseruation fathers it selfe vpon God , yet , as the soule is the most precious thing in the world , and life is the most precious thing that belongs to the soule , and eternall life is the best of liues , and the danger and losse of this life is the fearfullest and most horrible , chiefly is this greatest saluation here meant ; wherin God intends most to blesse , and be blessed .

Of this Saluation is he the God , by preordination , by purchase , by gift . By preordination ; in that he hath decreed it to vs , from eternitie , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.30 . By purchase , in that hee hath bought it for vs , and vs to it , by the price of his blood , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 6. the last . By gift , in that hee hath feoft vs in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , The gift of God is eternall life , Rom. 6.23 . Since therefore , hee decreed it , he bought it , hee bestowes it , iustly is hee the God of our saluation : Who can , who dares arrogate to himselfe any partnership in this great worke ? What power can dispose of the soules finall condition , but the same that made it ? Who can giue eternitie , but hee that onely hath it ? What but an infinite merit can purchase an infinite glory ? Cursed be that spirit that will offer to share with his maker . Downe with your Crownes , ô yee glorious Elders , at the foot of him that sits on the Throne , with a , Non nobis Domine , Not vnto vs , ô Lord , not vnto vs , but to thy name giue the praise . Away with the proud incroachment of the merits of the best Saints , of papall largesses : Only our God , is the God of our saluation .