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mercy_n	great_a	lord_n	sin_n	25,125	5	5.0495	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81245	A model of true spiritual thankfulnesse. Delivered in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons, upon their day of thanksgiving, being Thursday, Feb. 19. 1645, for the great mercy of God, in the surrender of the citie of Chester into the hands of the Parliaments forces in Cheshire, under the command of Sir William Brereton. / By Tho. Case, preacher in Milkstreet London, and one of the Assembly of Divines.	Case, Thomas, 1598-1682.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1646 (1646)	Wing C833; Thomason E323_4; ESTC R200593	35,919	45

Lord not unto us but to thy Name give the praise Ezek. 48.35 O let not the City be called by your Name but let the Name of the City be from this day Jehovah-shammah The Lord is there Worthy Sirs what is now my faithful advice to you shall be always the humble request for you at the Throne of Grace of Psal 115.1 Your Honours to serve you in all Gospel offices THO. CASE To the Maior Aldermen and the rest of the Citizens and Inhabitants of the City of Chester Grace with Peace be multiplied Right Worshipful and Beloved I Desire to rejoyce with you and for you in this great mercy of God in restoring you to your Habitations from which some of you have been so long divorced or to your Liberties in the surprise whereof you have been no better then prisoners in your own Houses Which that it may be a mercy indeed give me leave as one that loves you to commend unto you a few Cautions 1. Take heed I beseech you now that you are returned to your old Houses you do not return to your old sins now you are restored to your Civil Liberties you do not backslide to your former sinful Liberties What they were you best know give me leave to minde you what your Christian friends in the Kingdom have taken notice of and bewailed in you Pride in your apparel sumptuousnesse in your houses excessive delicacie on your Tables whose sins these were Ezek. 16.49 will tell you profanation of Sabbaths contempt of the faithful Ministery of the Word compliance with Episcopal Superstition formality in Religion almost scorn of the godly and of the power of Godlinesse and the like Gal. 4.16 I speak not these things to shame you but as a Minister of Christ and a friend to admonish you and I hope I shall not become your enemy because I tell you the truth I le assure you Friends you have as much cause to keep days of Humiliation in Chester for your old sins as days of Thanksgiving for your new Mercies A voice was heard upon the high places Jer. 3.21 weeping and supplication of the children of Israel for they have perverted their way and have forgotten the Lord their God This was the posture of Israel returning out of Captivity and I wish from my soul it may be Yours 2. Enquire the way to Sion with your faces thitherward and to that end purchase to you●selves an inward spiritual Jer. 50.5 powerful Ministery whatever it cost you Say not you are poor or if you do know that this is the next way to recruit your estates the Gospel never comes empty-handed to a people it bears its own charges with advantage Prov. 23.23 O then buy the truth and sell it not buy it at any price sell it at no price Prove God herewith I beseech you and see if he do not open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon you and make your later end with Job more prosperous then your beginning Mal. 3.10 Job 42.12 2 Tim. 3 5. 3. Labour to be Christians in good earnest A form of godlinesse will not serve the turn it is a moth that will insensibly eat out the beauty strength of a Church or people Studie the power of it You have now made an Experiment whose service is better Deut. 28.47 48. Gods or your Enemies If God be God with you now serve him and serve him like Himself Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect Matth. 5. ult if after all this you dally with God and settle upon your lees again I must prophesie to you in the Name of the Lord The troubles you have suffered have been but the beginnings of your sorrow 4. From henceforth know your friends from your foes learn to distinguish between Complements and Realities The Bramble said to the trees Come and put your trust under my shadow Trust Brambles no more 5. Studie Thankfulnesse for this blessed turn of Providence in returning your Captivity They say abroad in the Kingdom The Lord hath done great things for you Judg. 9.15 Will not you eccho back again Yea the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoyce The Lord teach you to pr●ze your naked walls more then you have done formerly your sumptuous surnisht houses to improve your Freedoms to better purpose then ever heretofore How you may be thankful this ensuing Sermon preached for the Celebration of your Deliverance will direct You bear the greatest share in the mercy I wish you may bear the greatest share in the duty 6. Finally Brethren farewel Be perfect be of good omfort be of one minde live in peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you So prays Your real friend and servant in the Lord Tho. Case A Model of true SPIRITUAL THANKFULNESSE Delivered in a Sermon before the Honourable House of COMMONS Upon their day of Thansgiving being Thursday the 19 of Febr. 1645. for the great Mercy of God in the Surrender of the City of CHESTER into the hands of the Parliaments Forces in Cheshire under the Command of Sir William Brereton PSAL. 107.30 31. Then are they glad because they be quiet So he bringeth them into the desired haven O that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderful works to the children of men IN the two former Psalms the holy Psalmist doth celebrate the mighty Acts of God in the deliverance and preservation of his Church In this Psalm he contemplates the wonders of Providence towards all Mankinde For after he had in the beginning of the Psalm finished the mention of his mercy and loving kindnesse to his Red●emed in the eight first Verses he descends to take notice what God doth For the Hungry Vers 9. For the disconsolate and afflicted Vers 10 11 12 13 14. For the sick and languishing Vers 17 18 19 20. F●r Sea-men and such as travel upon the waters from the 23 to my Text. He takes notice what he doth in the great turns of Providence turning plenty into famine wherein his Justice is magnified V●rs 33 34. And back again famine into plenty wherein his Mercie is advanced Vers 35.36 37 38. What he doth in breaking the power of mighty Princes turned Oppressors and Tyrants in making them contemptible and ●ain like Vagabonds to wander up and down in desert and hungry places Vers 40. And in lifting up the heads and restoring the habitations of their poor oppressed Subjects and People Vers 41. Upon each of these admirable Turns of Providence the Psalmist sets a Crown of glory breathing out his enlarged and repeated desires that when men have the comfort God might have the praise of all his wonders of Providence Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse c. It is the burden of the Song Oh that men would praise the Lord My Text is the fourth repetition of this gracious breathing poured out

over the fourth work and wonder of Providence namely The admirable and even stupendious deliverances which God vouchsafes Mariners and Sea-men in many a black dreadful furious death-threatnin● storm and tempest exprest to the life in the 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Verses I shall not meddle with the D●liverance it self though if I should it would be neither impertinent nor improper for the work of this day for certainly a man might easily run a parallel between the state of the Mariner in th● storm and the condition of this poor and yet bleeding Church and State In Ireland and England We that have gone down into the Sea this Red-sea of Blood and have had our businesse now for these four or five yeers in these great waters of Civil war surely we have seen the works of the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep Verse 24 If ever people saw the works the wonders of the workings of Jehovah we have We have lived I think I may safely speak it in the greatest Age of wonders that ever the Church knew We use to say Miracles are ceast but truely if men have ceased to do Miracles God hath not and yet he hath done them by men too in this Deep of Englands and Scotlands and Irelands troubles and ●fflictions For he commandeth and ●●●seth up the stormy winde Verse 25. which lifteth up the waves thereof Surely all the storms and tempests that have beaten upon these three Kingdoms have not come by chance and fortune this af●●iction hath not risen out of the dust but as it was with Sol●mon af●er his heart began to depart from God it is sa●d 1 Kings 11.14 The Lord stirred up an Adversary unto Solomon Had●d the Ed●mite c. And Vers 23. God stirred him up another Adversary Rezin the son of Eliadah Adversary after Adversary and all stirred up by God So hath it been and is yet with us Storm after Storm Tempest after Tempest one cloud of blood and wrath after another Eccles 12.2 The clouds have returned after rain and all raised up by God in his righteous Judgement upon these sinful backsliding Nations We have as it followeth been mounted up to heaven and then hurl'd down again into the depths Oh the various changes that have been upon us I Somtimes up and somtimes down somtimes raised up as high as heaven by wonderful Deliverances and glorious Victories anon cast down even as l●we as hell As in the West c. by sad breakings of our Armies and losse of our Strong-holds Surely our souls have been melted because of trouble Our hopes have been melted and our hearts have been melted Oh how oft have I seen palenesse in mens faces the very shadow of death upon mens countenances I how oft have I seen men with their hands upon their loyns while fear hath taken hold upon them and sorrow a● pain upon a woman in travel Have we not been in the day of sad tidings from the West and other places in the Kingdom Vers 27. like drunken men full of the fury of the Lord and rebukes of our God reeling to and fro in our spirits and staggering in our Councels at our wits end Parliament at their wits end and Citie at their wits end and Armies at their wits end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All their wisdom swallowed up as the Hebrew signifies nonplust and lost not knowing what to do next unlesse it were with the Mariners in my Text for the most part the profanest of men to go and cry to God in our trouble Vers 28. betake our selves to our fasting and prayers when God hath shewed himself easie to be intreated 2 King 20.12 very gracious at the voice of our cry and hath brought us out of these distresses and straits wherein were calming the storms and stilling the waves the pride and rage Verse 30. the power and policie of our devouring Adversaries Thus hath the Lord done as often heretofore so now wonderfully of late at Dartmouth and Plymouth at Hereford at Belvoyre and at Chester the Wonder of mercy which we this day celebrate Thus you see if I should pitch upon the Deliverance it self here would be a foundation upon which we might build a Discourse not unseasonable or unsutable to the work of the day But it is not the Deliverance it self but the Return which hath called out my thoughts and now humbly calls for your attention And this Return is Twofold 1. What they do Then are they glad c. 2. What they should do O that men would praise the Lord c. And to hold you in the porch no longer though many Observations might be raised from the words I shall onely from the comparing of these two together sc What men do when mercies and deliverances come in They are glad with what they should do O that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse c. hold forth to you this Point of Doctrine Every man in the world can be glad of mercies and deliverances but the duty that God expects is that men should praise him for his mercies Then are they glad I but that will not serve the turn it is a Return of an high nature which God looks for Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse c. Or thus if you please There is a great difference between Gladnesse and Thankfulnesse It is one thing to be glad of a mercy or deliverance it is another thing to be thankful for it What that difference is and wherein it doth consist is all I intend to do upon the Doctrinal part of this Truth They differ in these four things sc in respect of their 1. Nature The difference between Gladnesse and Thankfulnesse 2. Rise or ground 3. Duration 4. Operation 1. In their Nature First Gladnesse and Thankfulnesse differ in their Nature Gladnesse or Joy is but a natural affection Some of the Stoick Philosophers have defined or described it to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysippus and other Stoicks Elatio animi propter aliquid quod optandum esse videatur it is the lifting up or widening or enlargement of the heart upon the coming in of any sutable and desirable good And it is found not onely in * Psal 105.38 Lam. 1.21 natural men but even in the bruit creatures even these you see do expresse in their way a great deal of gladnesse and contentment when they meet with that which is sutable to their natures and dispositions But now Thankfulnesse which is here commended is a divine grace wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God whereby the heart is drawn out towards God in gracious and holy desires and endeavours to praise and exalt the Lord who is the Author and Donor of the Mercie as here it is expressed by this chiefest and highest act of Thankfulnesse Oh that men would praise the Lord c. Let them exalt him

c. And therefore this is to be found onely in the Saints Psal 33.1 Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright Let the Saints be joyful in glory Psal 149.5 6. let them sing aloud upon their beds let the high praises of God be in their mouthes c. they be the Righteous onely the upright the Saints in whose bosoms this grace dwells and who can manage this Spiritual service and duty of rejoycing and praising the Lord in a right manner Indeed the holy Psalmist doth often expresse the workings of his heart upon the receipt of great deliverances and mercies under the notion of gladnesse all over the Psalms but you are to take it as a Synonymon or t'other expression of thankfulnesse not a meer stirring of natural joy and complacency in and for deliverances and mercies but the Spiritual movings and sparkling of his aff●●ction towards God in witnesse whereof you shall never sinde that notion stand single but like the * 1 Cor. 6.17 Spirit of the holy man himself joyned unto the Lord either as the Author or as the Object of his Gladnesse I will be glad and rejoyce in thee Psal 9.2 And Be glad in the Lord Psal 32.11 ye righteous And Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work Psal 92.4 c. to shew that his gladnesse was sanctified and spiritualized into the grace of Thankfulnesse And indeed Grace is nothing else but the natural affection baptized as I may so say and regenerated by the holy Ghost and the Blood of Christ faced and pointed upon God as its proper and highest object Set your affection on things above not on things on the earth Coloss 3.2 Set and Set not the affection is not changed in the matter of it but in the object So natural sorrow and grief spiritualized and set upon the right object sc upon an * Mich. 7.9 offended God is the grace of * ● Cor. 7.9 Repentance And Anger sanct fied and faced upon Gods dishonour is Zeal And Love fired with a flame from Christ and carried up in that flame to Christ is no longer the affection but the grace of Love sic in caet And thus natural joy and gladnesse heavenlized and set upon God 2 Joh. 4.19 is the grace of Thankfulnesse And this is the first difference Gladnesse or Joy is but a natural affection Common to good and bad to man and beast but Thankfulnesse is that affection sprinkled with the Blood of Christ proper onely to the Saints because like the Saint himself it is made partaker of the divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Secondly they differ in their Rise or Ground Second difference Rise or Ground The Rise or Ground of Gladnesse as it is a meer natural affection is meerly the poss ssion of some sutable desirable Good which comes in whether National or Domestick or Personal together with those natural fruits and improvements which arise and grow upon it As here in the Text Then are they glad what is the Rise Because they b● quiet●● they are now out of those fears and dangers which made their hearts work as tempestuoussy as the Sea it self Safety and rest are the ground of their joy glad the storm is over and they safe in the Haven And so you may proportion it in your thoughts in other deliverances and mercies National or Private Gladnesse riseth not higher then the bulk and body of the Good it self as the rich fool in the Gospel lookt upon his heap of wealth and glads his soul in it and in the advantages he promiseth himself from it Soul here are goods l●id up for many yeers Luke 12.19 he shall need to take no more care or thought as long as he lives take thine ease eat drink and be merrie The Grounds of Thankfulnesse But now the Grounds and Rise of Thankfulnesse they are of a more generous and divine Nature such as these 1. A Spiritual Title First a Spiritual and Divine Right to mercies a Scripture-title What is that Why the Saints have Fi st a Right of Sonship The wicked have a Right to what they have not onely a civil right before men but a divine right b●fore God but it is but a Right of Creation they have a right To the Creatures but it is but a right Of the Creatures But now th● S●ints have a right of Sonship If children Rom. 8.17 then heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ. Whatever mercy or deliverance they have it is part of their childes portion though they are not joynt-purchasers yet they are joynt-heirs with Jesus Christ they have all by inheritance Heb. 1.2 as Christ is Heir of all things so they in him All is you●s and you are Christs and Christ is Gods 1 Cor. 3.22 23. And thus ●eing Children and Heirs they have a Seco●d Right and that is a Right of Promise or Covenant and therefore Believers are call'd The children of promise Rom. 9.8 because they be both a 2 Pet. 1.4 begotten and b 1 Tim. 4.8 m●int●in'd by promise whatever they have they have by promise Godlinesse is profitable for all things having the promise of the life that now is and that which is to come Others are fed out of the Common basket of Providence they are fed out of the Ark of the Covenant which is the great List of the promises Every childe of God be he never so poor is served in Plate The words of the Lord are pure words as Silver tried in a furnace of earth He speaks of the word of promise Psal 12.6 So that if it be but bread and water yet it is served in to a childe of God in the silver and golden vessels of the Promises And this affects them more then all the bulk and heap of mercies and comforts which they do possesse or that worldlings do possesse Thou hast put more gladnesse into my heart then in the time that their corn and their wine encreased Psal 4.7 How Why by the shines of his face and favour as Vers 7. This is the Rise of a gracious Joy and Thankfulnesse That what he hath he hath not onely by Gods leave but with Gods love not by Creatureship onely but by Sonship not by providence onely but by promise With the men of the world the Principal is more then the Interest but every childe of God accounts his Interest more then the Principal Therefore you shall finde the Church glorying in this That all her deliverances and mercies are Covenant-mercies If God destroy her enemies she looks upon it as a fruit of the Covenant He is the Lord our God his judgements are in all the world She triumphs in the execution of Gods righteous judgements upon the enemies of the Church Psal 105.7 but upon what ground It follows He hath remembred his Covenant for ever c. It was a

and I will praise him Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the Sea not so much that it was done as that God did it Thy right hand O Lord is become glorious in power Vers 6. thy right hand O Lord hath dashed the enemies in pieces And in the greatnesse of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee Vers 7. The blast of thy nostrils c. Vers 8. Thou didst blowe with thy winde c. Vers 10. Who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods And The Lord shall reign for ever and ever Vers 18. Thus they lift up God because he hath lifted up himself And so the Saints in the Revelation when they repeat this Song for it is said Rev. 15.3 They sang the song of Moses the Servant of the Lord they harp upon this string Great and marvellous are thy works Vers 4. Lord God Almighty who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifio thy Name In a word you have three Psalms almost together Psalm 93 97 and 99 what the Victories and Deliverances were I cannot tell you but this is the triumph in all The Lord reigneth This is the last and the highest Rise of pure Thankfulnesse and Praise That God sets himself up above his enemies That the Lord gets glory and greatnesse to his own Name Be thou exalted O Lord in thine own strength so will we sing and praise thy power Psal 21.13 I come now to the third difference between Gladnesse and Thankfulnesse which is this They differ in their Duration Third Difference Duration Gladnesse for the most part is but a present impetus of spirit a sudden impression upon the first arrival of un-expected or long-●xpected desires overspreads the heart but stays no longer then the sense of the good rejoyced in is fresh upon the spirit As on the contrary Nullum violentum est perpetuum you see there be some sudden gusts and irruptions of grief which like a land-flood lays all under water but are quickly gone Mercies and Deliverances to a carnal heart are like flowers that upon their first cutting smell very sweet and they are put then in the bosom or like Tulips which upon the first gathering are very betutiful and delightful to the eye and serve a day or two to discourse on but anon after they grow stale and out they go to the dung-hill The holy Ghost hath compared this kinde of Gladnesse to the crackling of thorns As the crackling of thorns under a pot Eccles 7.6 so is the laughter of a fool I think I do carnal people no wrong in expounding this Text over their joy for in Scripture-sense all natural men are fools and their gladnesse and joy shews them to be so there is no solidnesse nor duration in it it is like the crackling of thorns is makes a great noise but is quickly out But now Thankfulnesse or Spiritual rejoycing is longer lived by far and therefore you shall finde God charging the memories of his people with the keeping of all the passages of his love and providence Deut. 8.2 Thou shalt remember all the way wherein the Lord thy God led thee these fourty yeers in the wildernesse a great work certainly we see it is no easie matter to remember all the way wherein the Lord hath led us these four yeers what is it to remember the mercies of fourtie yeers yet as great as it is as God doth charge it upon his people so David chargeth himself with it Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits One ingredient into Thankfulnesse is a good memory Psal 103.2 which like the Ark must preserve the rod and the pot of manna and the Law the Fatherly Corrections the Miraculous Provisions and the glorious Ordinances where with God blesseth his people And it seems David studied his charge so well that in answer thereunto he undertakes with God I will sing praise unto my God while I have my being Psal 104.33 his Thankfulnesse is as long lived as himself it knew no other termination then life it self yea life must not bound his praise I will praise thee for ever Psal 52.9 that is his engagement to God and if that be too narrow he will put an ever at the top of that ever Psal 145.1 I will blesse thy Name for ever and ever nothing short of eternity shall terminate his Thankfulnesse the Reason is because as you have seen Thankfulnesse takes its Rise from durable and unchangeable grounds the Covenant of God and his glory which like himself are eternal and immutable He hath commanded his Covenant for ever holy and reverend is his Name and therefore it self is unchangeable and eternal This shall suffice for the third I come to the fourth Difference They differ in their Operations or Returns Truely as the Rise Fourth Difference Operations so the Operations of meer carnal joy and gladnesse are lowe earthly sensual like culinary fire or smoke which seems to aspire and ascend up to heaven or the element of fire but gets not above the first region of the air or like a lazie thick fogg which if it move upward a little it falls presently down again with its own weight to the earth from whence it arose So it is with natural joy and gladnesse For First either it is bounded and terminated within it self Carnal joy sets up 1. Self whilest upon the coming in of some desired or desirable good it doth hugg it self Hab. 1.16 and blesse it self It sacrificeth to its own net and burns incense to its own dragg i.e. ascribes to its own power and policy and wisedom what is done like the Babylonian Tyrant By the multitude of my Charets am I come up to the height of the mountains and the sides of his Carmel c. and I have digged and drunk water and with the soles of my feet have I dried up all the Rivers of the besieged places Here is nothing to be heard but I and mine and so all the Returns are dedicated to self put on fine apparel dresse as brave as the Sun eat the fat drink wine in bowls dance to the instruments of Musick set open the Cellar-doors drink so many hogs-heads empty and their own full this is an Oxford-day of Thanksgiving and I would such days were onely kept there I would this were onely the Thanksgiving of Cavaliers But secondly 2. Instruments if a carnal heart go out of it self it is not upward it is but forward to the Creature it looks no higher then the second causes it eyes the Instruments and cries up Commanders and Souldiers and puts the bays and garland upon their heads Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands God hath little or no share in the triumph Or thirdly 3. Rests in duties if carnal Joy keep a day or Thanksgiving as the very Philistines did

have shewed * Vide pag. 8. before He will ever be mindful of his Covenant and therefore the sutablest Return that we can make is the making good our Covenant to God the payment of our Vows to him Thy vows are upon me Psal 56.12 I will render praises eo thee Sixthly in Believing Sixthly in believing Let God deliver a thankful heart and it will trust him another time And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians Exod. 14.31 and the people believed the Lord and his servant Moses that was a thankful Return indeed a people or person cannot more honour God then by believing on him Abrabam was strong in faith Rom. 4.20 giving glory to God God did this great work upon the Egyptians on purpose that they might believe him ever after The Psalmist observe it Thou breakest the heads of the Dragons in the Waters Psal 74.14 Thou brakest the head of the Leviathan in pieces Who was that Leviathan who were these Dragons Surely none other but Pharaoh and his Armie as huge as the Leviathan as fierce as Dragons Oh they had stings in their heads I but God brake their heads and quencht their stings in the waters To what end Thou gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting in the wildernesse What did the Israelites powder up the carcases of these Leviathans and Dragons the Egyptians to serve them for Victuals while they kept Lent in the Wildernesse No he gave them to be meat not food for their bodies but food for their faith that as long as they should travel in the wildernesse where they should meet with innumerable multitudes of nonplussing oppositions and dangers they might remember the Dragons and the Leviathan as David after did the Lion and the Bear and their faith might be strengthned when it had fed well on the remembrance of that wonder of salvation And so it was for the present Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians and they believed the Lord and his servant Moses a blessed frame of heart and fruit of Thankfulnesse would it have held but there was their folly and unthankfulnesse they would not feed upon this experience and it became their sin and their ruine in the wildernesse How long will this people provoke me Numb 14.11 how long will it be ere they believe me for all the signes which I have shewed them in the wildernesse In this Wildernesse they shall wander Verse 33. and there they shall die But to proceed Seventhly in ordering the conversation Psal 50. ult A Seventh operation of Thankfulnesse is A well-ordering of the Conversation He that offereth me praise glorifieth me but to him that ordereth his conversation aright c. It is a kinde of honour done to God to keep a day of Thanksgiving to hear two Sermons to sing Psalms to pray and praise c. but the main work is the ordering of the Conversation or as the Hebrew signifies disposing of ones way aright Thankful lips do well but thankful lives do better A day of thanksgiving is somwhat but a life of thanksgiving is all Eighthly in desires that others would praise God Eighthy a thankful heart is fill'd with enlarged desires that others that all would be thankful The holy Psalmist here cries out to all that receive mercies that they would return praise● c. He observeth how much men take in from God and how little men lay out for God and is troubled at it He cries out as a man in pain and grief of spirit Oh that men would praise the Lord He would not willingly have God be a loser by any of the wonders he doth for the children of men and surely this an high expression of Thankfulnesse when the heart travels with holy desires that all the world might come in and be tributary to the glory of God it is the designe of the 148 Psalm thorowout the thankful Psalmist engageth heaven and earth Angels and men the whole Creation to come in and help him keep a day of Thanksgiving A gracious heart doth not think it enough to praise God alone though it would be praising God were there none in heaven or earth to bear it company To that end Ninthly Ninthly in talking of Gods works sal P. 145. 10 11 12. a thankful heart delights to be talking of the wonderful works of God Thy Saints shall blesse thee they shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom and talk of thy power to make known to the sons of men thy mighty acts And the Psalmist doth not intend to binde this burden upon others that he might might withdraw his own shoulders no he looks upon it as a priviledge as well as a dutie and therefore engageth himself I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majestie Verse 5. and of thy wondrous works A gracious heart delights to be spreading and publishing of the wonderful works of God repeating and reckoning up all his loving kindnesses I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord Isa 63.7 according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on me and the great goodnesse rewards the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses so sings the Church Isa 63.7 And this the Saints do to the end that they may not onely provoke one another to set forth his praises but that they may render their God glorious to all the world and propagate and perpetuate the memory of his wonderful works to all generations One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mightie acts that is one generation shall make over the report and memorial of the glorious cts of God unto another that so he may have the glory of what he doth in one age in all the succeeding ages and generations of the Church to the end of the world Psal 78.5 This was the testimonie which the Lord established in Jacob and the Law which he appointed in Israel That they should make known to their children the strength and the wonderful works which God hath done to what end That the generation to come might know them Verse 6. even the children which should be born who should arise and declare them to their children c. according to this Law your may finde them acting Vers 2 3 4. Verse 2. I will open my mouth I will utter darksayings of old Verse 3. Which we have heard and known and our fathers have told us Verse 4. We will not hide them from their children shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he hath done They had received the memorial of the wonders of God from their fathers and they will hand it down to their children that the wonders of God might be

A MODEL OF True Spiritual Thankfulnesse Delivered in a SERMON Before the Honourable House of COMMONS Upon their day of THANKSGIVING being Thursday Feb. 19. 1645 for the great Mercy of God in the Surrender of the Citie of Chester into the hands of the Parliaments Forces in CHESHIRS under the Command of Sir WILLIAM BRERETON By THO. CASE Preacher in Milkstreet London and one of the Assembly of Divines ISA 1.25.3 The strong people shall glorifie thee the citie of the terrible Nations shall fear thee ISA 1.26.2 Open ye the gates that the righteous Nation which keepeth the Truth may enter in London Printed by Ruth Raworth for Luke Fawne at the signe of the Parrot in Paul's Church-yard 1646. Die Lunae 23 Februarii 1645. ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Master Rous do give Thanks to Master Case and Master Woodcock for the great pains they took in the Sermons they preached at the intreatie of this House on Thursday last being a day set apart for a day of publike Thanksgiving for the taking of Chester and to desire them to print their Sermons And it is ordered that none shall print their Sermons without license under their hands writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint Luke Fawne to print my Sermon THO. CASE To the Honourable House of Commons in Parliament now assembled NOBLE SENATORS TO serve Your and the Kingdoms Thankfulnesse for the late mercy of God in putting Chester into your possession give me leave from the Presse to present unto your view what might have been burdensom from the Pulpit a short List or Catalogue of some eminent Providences wherewith the mercy of the day being clothed will appear very rich and glorious 1. And first you may please to observe that the very lengthning of the Siege was the advance of the Designe while in the issue it appears to have been nothing else but an ambushment of Providence laid of purpose to draw on the enemy to their own destruction Surely their pride and power have not met with a more burdensome stone in all their bold and confident Adventures then the Siege of Chester upon which God bath broken them with breach upon breach and blest you with victory upon victory worth many Chesters and when he had done cast that also in for an advantage Thus many times do we look upon disappointments of our hopes as frowns of displeasure which afterwards we finde to be Plots of Mercy Who would not wait upon that God who if be withhold a mercy for a while pays interest for the forbearance of more worth many times then the principal it self 2. That in three Storms of the greatest disadvantage that height of walls depth of trenches impregnablenesse of Forts and multitudes of enemies as many in the City as yours in the Siege could render the Forces were confest by the enemy to have done more execution then they received either in their assault or retreat wherein one particular providence must not be silenc'd * Lieut. Col. Ven●bles an active Commander who was four times upon the walls and though through the unexpected disadvantages of the designe not seconded according to expectation yet was brought off harmlesse save onely a slight wound on his arm to minde him what arm it was that made his rescue 3. That in all the Sallies which the enemy hath made upon the Parliaments Quarters they had more cause at their returns into their strong Hold to wring their hands then to ting their bells being always sent home with more blowes then they give 4. That our Engines during the Siege have constantly done more execution upon the enemy within then theirs have done upon our men without though the oddes of all offensive and defensive advantages were on their side whereby God would manifest the difference between having walls and bulwarks for Salvation I●a 26.1 and having Salvation for walls and bulwarks 5. It was onely an unexpected Help to our side that a Blinde of Providence caused them to leave the Prospect of a Steeple so neer the City-walls undemolished from whence our men did perform daily justice upon the Rebels slaying one of their steruest and divers others So God oftentimes beats the enemie with their own weapons 6. The patience and constancy of your Souldiery was eminently remarkable which was such as though there were temptations enough to storm it as extremity of weather want of pay clothes food unparallel'd hard duty all the time of the siege being forced many times to fetch their water from * ● Sam. ●● 15 the gate of Bethlem and that not for wantonnesse but for necessity their bread from the enemies Quarters the stores of the languishing Countrey being drained and expected supplies from neighbouring Counties failing to the extreme harassing and hazarding of their Forces both abroad and at home I say such notwithstanding was their constancy and patie●ce that none of all these could conquer it Providence always stepping in with timely Supplies and admirable Resenes in their deepest discouragements and desertions In the mount the Lord hath been seen Gen. 22.14 7. The nature of your Forces which performed this service renders it the more observable they being not an united Brigade cull'd and form'd for such a designe but a collective Body out of some few adjacent Counties the more capable of discontent and uncapable of Commands had not God put a singular Spirit of Wisedom and Activity into the Commanders and of willingnesse or awe into the Souldiers So that here you have that word made good again Zech. 46. Not by might nor power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts 8. The enemy were not so high all the time of the Siege in their demands but your terms were as honourable in the Surrender which received this addition Magmon est testimohium pro ●o qui judicium ad ●●sario comminit Abulens that the enemies themselves confesse Conditions were never better kept since the wars began A testimony out of the mouth of an adversary is double honour 9. Of what Consequence the Successe is let Chesters expectation from Ireland and the preparations of the Irish Cut-throats for Chester the Key of this Kingdom the Rest of that poor fainting County the trembling of all the malignant neighbouring Strong Holds in Wales and the securing of your Northern Leagur from the approach of an enemy the opening of the way of Trade between London and these parts the dashing in pieces of the Enemies Designes who lo were hastning now to the Infallible relief of their Garisons in Cheshire and Lancashire the reducing of the North the absolute Conquest of Scotland and then back again to the sharing of England for all this and more too Sisera-like they had not onely designed but dispatcht in their vain Confidences The strengthning the hands of our Friends thorow the whole Kingdom who shall hear and rejoyce the weakning of the Enemy who shall hear and their heart