1. Excellency in any thing is praise worthy: as excellency of knowledge, excellency of wisdom, excellency of power and strength, excellency of any virtue, yea excellency of eloquence, excellency of beauty and every other excellency. It is said of the woman whose excellencies were many,1 She shall be praised: and Let her own works praise her: But* we have showed that all excellencies are in God. Yea the excellencies which are in creatures are Gods, because they come all from God. If therefore ⟨p. 328⟩praise be due to any, much more to God. That very praise which in any respect may lawfully be given to any creature, is most properly due to him. Where David blesseth Abigail for her wise advise, he first blesseth God that sent her, saying, Blessed be the Lord which sent thee this day to meet me: 3and blessed be thy advise, 4and blessed be thou, &c. But because Herod gave not God the glory which was given to him he was eaten of worms. Besides there are such infinitely surpassing excellencies in God, as no creature is capable of: as Self-existencie, Eternity, All-sufficiency, Immutability, Omnipotency, Ubiquity, &c. That praise therefore is due to God,5 which may be ascribed to no other. For who is like unto thee, ô Lord, amongst the Gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, 6fearful in praises, &c. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Great is the Lord, 7and greatly to be praised. Thus we see how Gods excellency ministereth just and great cause of praising God. If when we are about to praise God, our hearts were deeply fixed on a due meditation and serious consideration of Gods excellencies, they would be much quickened unto this heavenly duty of praising God.
1. Excellencie in any thing is praise worthy: as excellencie of knowledge, excellencie of wisedome, excellencie of power and strength, excellencie of any vertue, yea excellencie of eloquence, excellencie of beautie and euerie other excellencie. It is said of the woman whose excellencies were many,1 Shee shall be praised: and Let her owne workes praise her: But* we haue shewed that all excellencies are in God. Yea the excellencies which are in creatures are Gods, because they come all from God. If therfore ⟨p. 328⟩praise be due to any, much more to God. That very praise which in any respect may lawfully be giuen to any creature, is most properly due to him. Where Dauid blesseth A•igail for her wise aduise, he first blesseth God that sent her, saying, Blessed be the Lord which sent thee this day to meet me: 3and blessed be thy aduise, 4and blessed be thou, &c. But because Herod gaue not God the glorie which was giuen to him he was eaten of wormes. Besides there are such infinitely surpassing excellencies in God, as no creature is capable of: as Selfe-existencie, Etermitie, All-sufficiency, Immutabilitie, Omnipotencie, Vbiquitie, &c. That praise therefore is due to God,5 which may be ascribed to no other. For who is like vnto thee, ô Lord, amongst the Gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holinesse, 6fearefull in praises, &c. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rocke like our God. Great is the Lord, 7and greatly to be praised. Thus we see how Gods excellencie ministreth iust and great cause of praising God. If when we are about to praise God, our hearts were deepely fixed on a due meditation and serious consideration of Gods excellencies, they would bee much quickened vnto this heauenly dutie of praising God.
- 1Pro. 31. 30, 31.
- *§. 218.
- 31. Sam. 25 32, 33.
- 4Act. 12. 23.
- 5Exod. 15. 11.
- 61. Sam. 2. 2.
- 71. Chron. 16. 25.
