An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

But some may say, how is that done? I would give answer to this question in five things.

First, Then we magnify the work of God, when we magnify God for his work: we cannot magnify the mercy of God, but by magnifying the God of our mercies; We cannot magnify his work while we neglect himself. we magnify God in his work, first, when we ascribe the whole efficiency of what we see done in the world, to him, and say, This is the singer of God, Or when we say, according to this or that time, What hath God wrought? (Numb. 23.23.) To magnify the work of God is to give the whole of it to God. 'Tis the hand of God upon a work that sets the price upon any wo•k, and makes it worthy to be magnified. As in some Pictures, this •ets a price upon them, to say they are such a mans work, the work of such a famous Artist, the work of Apelles, or of Michael Angelo. So if we would magnify any providential work, we must say, it is the wo•k of the great God, it is he that ha•h done it; the eye of our mind must look directly at God in ruling and governing of the wo•ld. While we pore much upon, or stay our thoughts about second causes, we cannot exalt the work of God; though we call it Gods work, yet if our hearts hang about second causes, the work cannot be exalted as his. 'Tis a depression of the work of God to put any thing of man upon it. To honour the work of God is to give him the ⟨p. 360⟩whole effect of the work. As we then magnify God when we look to him alone, with a single eye, as the end of all our works (There is nothing doth magnify God in what we do, but our looking to God as the end of all we do; Let our work be what it will, never so glittering, never so gay and glorious in the eye of the world, yet if it be not consigned over to God, it is a base and pitiful work; if any man dedicates his work to himself he dishonours his work: Now (I say) as it magnifieth our work when we make God the end of our work) so that which magnifieth Gods work, is, when we look upon him, not only as having an hand in it, but as being both the beginner and ender of it. If we take or give this to the creature, that is, sit down in this or that Instrument, as the means by which we have attained our end, or as the end of what we have attained, we spoil the work as to God, or despoil God of his work. Remember, this, and this only, magnifieth our work, when we with a single eye look to God as the author and as the end of it.