A DESCRIPTION OF The Forme and Manner of publicke Thinkeſgiving.FIrſt, to ſhew what Thanksgiving is, And ſecondly the ſeverall Branches in it.

THankſgiving is an Ac­knowledging, & con­feſſing with gladneſſe of the Benefits and Deliverances of God, both towards our ſelves, and others, to the Praiſe of His Name.

• 1. Remembrance of the good done.
• 2. Mention of that good.
• 3. Confeſſing GOD to be the Author and Giver of it.
• 4. Chearefulneſſe.

1. Thanksgiving is an acknowledging and confeſſing of Benefits, and Deliverances: Thus when David in­cited the People to a publick Thanksgiving, he cals upon Iſrael, and upon the houſe of Aron, and upon all that feare the Lord, to acknowledge and confeſſe Gods benefits and Deliverances wrought for them. Pſal. 118.2, 3, 4. verſes, and have not we the like oc­caſion to confeſſe and acknowledge the benefits & de­liverances of God towards us, in working ſo great a work for us, who could have wrought this peace and unity between us and amongſt us, but the Lord? Let us look upon thoſe diſtreſſed Churches beyond the ſeas, and upon what might have befallen us, had not the Lord wrought for us; and then wee cannot chuſe, but muſt needs acknowledge & confeſſe, the great benefits and deliverances that God hath wrought amongſt us.

2. This acknowledging and confeſſing to God, it is with gladneſſe. Thus when the Lord delivered Sion then was our mouths filled with laughter, and our tongues with ſinging (ſaith David) the Lord hath done great things for us, whereof wee are glad (ſaith he) Pſal. 126.1, 2, 3. verſes, and have not we as great cauſe to rejoyce before the Lord, to ſing, & be glad, for the great deliverances y^e the Lord hath wrought for us: ſurely we have very ſtony & had hearts, if we be not touched with joy before the Lord for the ſame. 3. It is for Gods deliverances both towards our ſelves, & others: The Apoſtle exhorteth that thanksgiving be made for all men. 1 Tim. 2.1. Let us3 but conſider Gods gratious mercies, & deliverances towards us, and towards our whole Land; yea & to­wards our neighbor-united Nations, we had not only Rumors of VVarres, but ſhedding of bloud on both ſides, warres were begun, the ſubjects of one King and people of one faith, of one Religion, we & our brethren were banded one againſt another; here was begun a ſad Tragedy, here was Iſaake at the point of death, in the worlds apprehenſion, & to be admired is the goodneſſe of the Lord, that where as before this time, more plenty of blood might have binſhed in our ſtreetes, then wee have had of raine; yet the Lord hath eſtabliſhed peace. Ever bleſſed be our gratious God, that we, & they, were not the ruine and deſtruction each of other? This was the mighty hand of God, Oh let us therefore praiſe his holy Name.

4. Thanksgiving ought to be to the praiſe of the name of God; therefore (ſaith David) I will be glad and rejoyce in thee, I will ſing praiſe to thy name, O thou moſt high. Pſal. 9.2. The day of Thankſgiving is not a day of carnall pleaſure, & fleſhly delight, to re­create the body with the pleaſures and delights of the word, but after a ſpirituall manner to rejoyce in the Lord, & to ſing Pſalms & praiſes to his name, & to declare the wonders that he hath wrought for us. There are ſome (ſaith Hierome to Nepotianus) which contrary to the common order, and nature of men, in their thanksgiving and faſting, will neither drink wa­ter, nor eat bread, but ſeek for more delicate ſuppings, and ſweet meats, looking to be praiſed for ſuch faſting: Fye for ſhame, doe we not bluſh, at ſuch fooliſhneſſe, are we not weary of ſuch ſuperſtition.

But to come to the branches which are in thankſ­giving. 1. Remembrance of the good done. Remem­ber the marvellous works which the Lord hath done, (ſaith David) his wonders and the Iudgments of his4 mouth. Pſal. 105.5. The whole Pſalme is excellent concerning this particular, in the ſtory of Gods pro­vidence over his people. And thus we to celebrate a thankſgiving to the Lord, wee muſt remember that good that the Lord hath done for us, we muſt ſuffer our hearts to be enlarged in the remembrance of his mer­cies: and•his we may doe by looking upon our ſelves, as we were before Deliverance, and under the Croſſe; when we were al, ſo diſtracted & troubled, that we knew not what to doe: with troubles abroad, and troubles at home, and fallen even into the mouth of war & ruine, ready to fall before the ſword: O let our hearts be tou­ched with the thoughts hereof, and remember that the Lord hath delivered us, and graciouſly overcome all theſe dangers for us, and now our wars are turned into peace; for which let us praiſe the Lord, and not forget ſuch great mercies. 2. Mention of that good done, David ſaith, My Tongue (ſayes he) ſhall talk of thy righteouſneſſe all the day long, for they are confounded, for they are brought unto ſhame, that ſeek my hurt. Pſ. 71.24. Thus may we ſay with holy David here, O our Lord God, we will talk, & make mention of thy righteouſnes, all the day long, we will celebrate a day of thanksgiving to thy name, for the mercies, and the gracious Deliverances which thou haſt wrought for us, & haſt brought thoſe wicked enemies of thine, & ors (that ſought to devoure us) to ſhame and confu­ſion, therfore our lips, ſhall greatly rejoyce, and ſing unto thee, & our ſoules which thou haſt redeemed ſhall praiſe thee. 3. Confeſſing God to be the Au­thor and Giver of all our bleſſings, deliverances, and benefits. For as David ſaith, it is in vain to riſe early and to ſit up late, and to eat the bread of ſorrowes, for God giveth his beloved ſleepe. Pſal. 127.2. It is not all the plotting, & contriving that a ſtate can do, it is not the policy of all the wits of the whole King­dome5 that could have effected this gratious pacifi­cation, & wrought theſe great bleſſings for us, had not the Lord given us reſt; let us aſcribe it not to man, for God is the Author of all our good; therefore let us labour to be acquainted with Gods goodneſſe, & ren­der thankes unto him, and praiſe his holy name of his mercyes towards as. 4. The laſt b•anch is Cheareful­neſſe being glad of an occaſion to praiſe him, & doing it•ladly with joy, David could ſing, the voyce of re­joycing and ſalvation, is in the Tabernacles of the righ­teous the right hand of the Lord doth valiautly. Pſal. 118.15. And hath not the right gand of the Lord done valiantly for us. to reduce us ſo graciouſly, & to confound, and put to ſhame, all the Enemyes of our peace: O then let the voyce of rejoycing be in our Churches, for the great ſalvation that GOD hath wrought for us. This joy which is a ſweet motion of the ſoule, ariſing from the goodneſſe, and mercy of God wrought for us, not a worldly joy ariſing from Na­ture, but ſuch a joy as is ſpirituall, and heavenly, even ſuch a joy as Chriſt would have to be full in his mem­bers, Joh. 15.11. To ſeeke the Lord and his ſtrength, and to ſeeke after his face continually.

Obj. It may be ſome will ſay? what needs ſuch a ſtir? Do not we know how to faſt, & how to pray, and how to give God thanks? Do not we know how to ſeek the Lord, without ſo much adoe?

Anſ. To whom I anſwer with Calvins own words, on Pſal. 105. The ſeeking of the Lord (ſaith he) is pro­perly the marke whereby the faithfull are diſcerned from the worldlings: Howbeit they come farre ſhort as yet in ſeeking him as they ought to do: & there­fore they have need of ſpurs continually wherewith to prick them forward, although they be running of their own accord; for they be neither gadding per­ſons, nor altogether dullards, nor ſuch as be faſt tyed6 to Earthly Dregs, whom the Prophet ſtirreth up to ſeek God, but ſuch as with a forward mind went a­bout it already: Verily becauſe he ſeeth them letted with many hinderances, ſo as they cannot runne faſt e­nough? What neceſſity then is there think you to rouze up thoſe Muckwormes, & Earthly minded men to do their duty to God, as becommeth Chriſti­a•s; leſt pleaſure, profit, or pride hinder them, and choak their devotion, and ſo in ſtead of celebrating a day of thanksgiving to the Lord, they offer the ſacri­fice of fooles, and diſhonour the name of God, not regar­ding the ſpirituality of his worſhip? The worſhip of God conſiſteth not in dead Ceremonies, but chiefly in the ſacrifice of praiſe, God requireth alſo, that wee be chearefully thankefull to him, and doe it willingly. Therefore David called upon the people to make haſt to come into Gods preſence, Pſal. 95. Which is a thing very needfull to be done in ſo great ſlothfulneſſe, as is bred in us by Nature, at ſuch times as we are cal­led to give God thankes. Now like as the Prophet doth nip the ſlothfulneſſe of the people in old time of ſinging praiſe unto GOD: ſo let us know that we have need of the ſame ſpur at this day alſo, becauſe we be no leſſe unthankefull then they were: and let us ſtir up our devotion when we come into the Con­gregation, and conſider that we are in Gods preſence, there is nothing more to be wiſhed, then to offer in Gods preſence the Sacrifice that God avoucheth to be moſt acceptable unto him; God is preſent before our faces as a witneſſe; therefore let all thoſe that feare the Lord conſider with themſelves that they ſhall not loſe their labour.