The Godly Man's Picture

5 Then we are rightly thankful, when we put Gods mercies out of Use; we turn our enjoyments into improvements; the Lord gives us health, and we spend and are spent for Christ, 2 Cor. 12. 15. he gives us an estate, and we honour the Lord with our substance, Prov. 3. 9. he gives us children, and ⟨p. 187⟩we dedicate them to God, and educate them for God; we do not bury our Talents, but trade them, this is to put out our mercies to Use: a gracious heart is like a piece of good ground, that having received the seed of mercy, thrusts forth a crop of obedience.

5 Then we are rightly thankful, when we put Gods mercies out of Use; wee turn our injoyments into improvements; the Lord gives us health, and wee spend and are spent for Christ, 2 Cor. 12. 15. hee gives us an estate, and wee honour the Lord with our substance, Prov. 3. 9. he gives us children, and ⟨p. 187⟩wee dedicate them to God, and edugate them for God; wee do not bury our Talents, but trade them, this is to put out our mercies to Use: a gracious heart is like a peece of good ground, that having received the seed of mercy, thrusts forth a crop of obedience.

6 Then we are rightly thankful, when we can have our hearts more enlarged for spiritual mercies, than for temporal: Eph. 1. 3. Blessed be God, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings: A godly man blesseth God more for a fruitful heart, than a full crop; he is more thankful for Christ, than for a Kingdom: Socrates was wont to say, he loved the Kings smile more than his gold: a pious heart is more thankful for a smile of Gods face, than he would be for the gold of the Indies.