Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

One is that our hearts be affected with the mercies, and loving kindness of the Lord, that the heart be enlarged towards the Lord with love, and fear of his holy Name. For when a man doth kindness to another, that which winneth love is to consider the bountifulness of the mans disposition. When we observe the Lords patience and longsuffering this should teach us the knowledge of the Lord, and this should make us consider what a God he is, that so his mercies may cause us to love him, and that thereby our hearts may be enlarged towards him. So David in Psal. 18. I love the Lord for he hath done thus and thus, &c. This is to be thankful indeed when our hearts are affected towards God, when we think the better of the Lord: for therein Davids affections were right, that he was still speaking good of the Lord more and more, he is worthy (saith he) to be praised. So when we learn to trust the Lord, he hath done thus, and thus, therefore we will trust him. And when our hearts remember the Lord, when we think of him continually.

And secondly, as one part stands in this, in the affection of the heart: so likewise in our actions, then we are thankful to the Lord indeed, when we do something for him; when our thankfulness is not a thing consisting only in fancy, and notion and imagination, but when it produceth action, and when we do the works of the Lord more abundantly. When a man will set his thoughts on work to study what he may do, or what he can do for the Lord. And when he shall do this, not only for the reward to come; for that gives not a lustre to the action, but it proceeds from thankfulness indeed, when a man doth that which he doth, because the Lord hath done thus and thus for him, therefore he will serve him. Herein our thankfulness is seen when we do something really, because it is for the Lord.

And secondly, as one part stands in this, in the affection of the heart: so likewise in our actions, then we are thankful to the Lord indeed, when we do something for him; when our thankfulness is not a thing consisting onely in fancy, and notion and imagination, but when it produceth action, and when we do the works of the Lord more abundantly. When a man will set his thoughts on work to study what he may do, or what he can do for the Lord. And when he shall do this, not onely for the reward to come; for that gives not a lustre to the action, but it proceeds from thankfulnesse indeed, when a man doth that which he doth, because the Lord hath done thus and thus for him, therefore he will serve him. Herein our thankfulnesse is seen when we do something really, because it is for the Lord.