Tag Archives: thankfulness

Thankfulness as a Means of Obedience

28 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by in Augustine, Thankfulness, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Thinking this through …

Eugene Peterson gave a wonderful explanation of Baalism:

Do we realize how almost exactly the Baal culture of Canaan is reproduced in American church culture? Baal religion is about what makes you feel good. Baal worship is a total immersion in what I can get out of it. And of course, it was incredibly successful. The Baal priests could gather crowds that outnumbered followers of Yahweh 20 to 1. There was sex, there was excitement, there was music, there was ecstasy, there was dance. “We got girls over here, friends. We got statues, girls, and festivals.” This was great stuff. And what did the Hebrews have to offer in response? The Word. What’s the Word? Well, Hebrews had festivals, at least!

He is quite right. But as I have been thinking of this, I see that I can easily fall into an equal and opposite trap.

In Book IX of Augustine’s On the Trinity, he makes this observation, “For no one willingly does anything which he has not first said in his heart.” (Nemo enim aliquid volens facit, quod non in corde suo prius dixerit.)

What then makes such a thing “willing”? He next says that the word which conceived “by love (amore), either of the creature or of the Creator.”

[Conceived] therefore, either by desire or by love: not that the creature ought not to be loved; but if that love [of the creature] is referred to the Creator, then it will not be desire (cupiditas), but love (caritas). For it is desire when the creature is loved for itself. And then it does not help a man through making use of it, but corrupts him in the enjoying it.

Augustine of Hippo, “On the Trinity,” in St. Augustin: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Arthur West Haddan, vol. 3, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 131. We either have a desire or longing for the creature as an end in itself; or we have love toward God. (The word here for love “caritas” is used to translate agape in 1 Corinthians 13.)

There is a laying hold of the creature as an end in itself; or there is a seeing through the creature to the Creator:

Romans 1:19–25 (ESV)

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

One thing which struck me here was the implicit Gnosticism which so easily infects my understanding of the creation. John writes:

1 John 2:15–17 (ESV)

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

I find myself – and find in the ‘spiritual’ talk of others this tendency to think that fo the physical as the equivalent of “the world”. But Jesus himself expressly confirms that we “need” such things:

Matthew 6:31–32 (ESV)

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

The trouble does not lie in the physical things per se. The trouble lies in the relationship to such things. It lies in the creature as an end-in-itself.

But to get this wrong leads to a painful and inhuman problem: on one hand there physical things in this world for which I have inclination, they are embodied, tangible, they appeal to my senses. On the other hand, there is God who is then reduced to a bare concept. And thus, God becomes less real than a sight or a sound.

But Augustine, informed by the Scripture, notes that this thing is only rightly known and used if it is known and used in the context of God. As Paul writes:

1 Timothy 4:1–5 (ESV)

4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

The creature is received with thankfulness – which is precisely what Paul condemns in the unbeliever of Romans 1. And thus, my implicit Gnosticism in thinking in reducing my relationship to God to an idea, makes me co-belligerent with the condemned man in Romans 1!

It also reduces relationship to the creation as one of sin in all cases, which then makes actual sinful relationship not that much different.

Jesus however looks at birds and flowers and sees teachers. He receives a meal and gives thanks.

This orientation of thankfulness actually permits easy interaction with the creation without sin: If I can receive this thing in holy thankfulness, then I will not sin in the use of it. But since that could easily be misunderstood as license, I will use this illustration from Bishop Ryle’s chapter on William Romaine:

He was one evening invited to a friend’s house, and, after tea, the lady of the house asked him to play cards, to which he made no objection. The cards were brought out, and when all were ready to begin playing, Romaine said, “Let us ask the blessing of God.” “Ask the blessing of God!” said the lady in great surprise; “I never heard of such a thing before a game of cards.” Romaine then inquired, “Ought we to engage in anything on which we cannot ask God’s blessing?” This reproof put an end to the card-playing.

On another occasion he was addressed by a lady, who expressed the great pleasure she had enjoyed under his preaching, and added that she could comply with his requirements, with the exception of one thing. “And what is that?” asked Romaine. “Cards, sir,” was the reply. “You think you could not be happy without them?” “No, sir, I know I could not.” “Then, madam,” said he, “cards are your God, and they must save you.” It is recorded that this pointed remark led to serious reflections, and finally to the abandonment of card playing.

Now what precisely about cards is the problem, I am not quite certain. But what I do know is that the orientation and test is correct. If I cannot ask God’s blessing upon the thing, then I cannot do the thing. God has specified what he will bless and what he will curse.

When I give heed to that instruction in thankfulness for the wisdom of God, I am freed from the sin of action and the sin of legalism (As Sinclair Ferguson helpfully explains, legalism is to take up God’s law in the absence of God’s person. It is the conduct without the relationship.)

And so, I see that I have this bent to cheat God of his glory (they did not honor him as God, nor were they thankful) – disguised as obedience! This is certainly not my only fault ….

Thomas Manton Sermon on Titus 2:11-14 1.2

19 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by in Puritan, Thomas Manton, Titus, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

The first post on this sermon may be found here: 

Part Two: Use

I. Use 1. To persuade us, if grace be the cause of all the good we enjoy, not to wrong grace.

A. Why? For this is to close and stop up the fountain; yea, to make grace our enemy; and if grace be our enemy, who shall plead for us?

B. But how do we wrong grace? I answer—five ways—

1. By neglecting the offers of grace. Such make God speak in vain, and to spend his best arguments to no purpose: 2 Cor. 6:1,

a. It is a great affront you put upon God to despise him when he speaks in the still voice. Look, as when David had sent a courteous message to Nabal, and he returns a churlish answer, it put him in a fury: 1 Sam. 25:34,

b. It may be you do not return a rough and churlish answer, and are not scorners and opposers of the word, but you slight God’s sweetest message, when he comes in the sweetest and mildest way. … It is great salvation that is offered; there is an offer of pardon and eternal life, but it worketh not if you neglect it. There is a sort of men that do not openly deny, reject, or persecute the gospel, but they receive it carelessly, and are no more moved with it than with a story of golden mountains, or rubies or diamonds fallen from heaven in a night-dream. You make God spend his best arguments in vain if you neglect this grace.

….They do not absolutely deny, but make excuse; they do not say, non placet, but non vacant—they are not at leisure; and this made the king angry. When all things are ready, and God sets forth the treasures and riches of his grace, and men will not bethink themselves, their hearts are not ready. How will this make God angry? Such kind of neglecters are said to ‘judge themselves unworthy of eternal life,’ Acts 13:46. …Grace comes to save them, and God makes them an offer as though they were worthy; and they judge themselves unworthy, and plainly declare they were altogether not worthy of this grace.

2. Another sort of men that wrong grace are those that refuse grace out of legal dejection.

(a) Many poor creatures are so vile in their own eyes that they think it impossible they should ever find favour in God’s eyes. Oh! but consider, cannot the riches of grace save? When God shall set himself on purpose to glorify grace to the full, cannot it make thee accepted? Wherefore doth God bring creatures to see their unworthiness, but that grace might be the more glorious? Grace would not be so much grace if the creature were not so unworthy; therefore you should be glad you have your hearts at that advantage, to be sensible of your own vileness.

(b) It is a wrong to grace if you do not fly to it; you straiten the riches and darken the glory of it. It is as if an emperor’s revenue could not discharge a beggar’s debt. …
Take heed of slighting the grace of God; it is God’s treasure: so far as you lessen grace, you make God a poor God. Mark that expression, Eph. 2:4, ‘God, who is rich in mercy.’ God is lord of all things, but he counts nothing to be his treasure but his goodness and mercy. He doth not say, rich in power, though he is able to do beyond what we can ask or think; nor rich in justice, though he be righteous in all his ways and just in all his works; nor doth he say rich in creatures, though his are the cattle of a thousand hills; but rich in mercy. Therefore take heed of straitening mercy, for so far you lessen God’s wealth and treasure.

3. Grace is wronged by intercepting the glory of grace.

(a) It is the greatest sacrilege that can be to rob God of his glory, especially the glory of his grace.

(b) Grace is wronged also when you are puffed up with anything you have done for God, as if it were done by your own power and strength.

(c) So, when we have done anything for the glory of God, let us send for God to take the honour.

4. Grace is wronged by turning it into wantonness.

(a) It is a heavy charge, and a black note is set on them: Jude 4, ‘Ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness;’ …It is a mighty wrong to grace when we make it pliable to such a vile purpose.

(b) You dishonour God and disparage grace when you would make it to father the bastards of your own carnal hearts. You are vile and sinful, and you are so under the encouragements of grace, and the rather because of the abundance of grace; and, like the spider, suck poison out of the flower, and turn it into the nourishment of your lust;

( c) Grace giveth no such liberty to sin. This is done grievously by the Antinomians, who say grace gives them freedom from the moral law. It is true, grace makes us free, but to duty, not to sin.

(d) A man hath never the more carnal liberty for being acquainted with the gospel. This is the great thing which puts us upon duty and watchfulness, and melts the heart for sin, and awes it, and disposeth it to obedience.

5. Grace is wronged by slighting it after a taste, as carnal professors do: 1 Peter 2:3, ‘If so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.’

(a) A man hath at first a taste, that he may have trial how sweet the ways of God are. Now, if after trial, you are not satisfied, but make choice of the world again, it is a mighty wrong and contempt you put upon grace; for you do as it were declare and pronounce that you have made trial, and upon experience have found the pleasures and profits of the world are better than all the comforts that flowed from the grace of God.

(b) The whole aim of the word is to persuade men to make trial of the sweetness of grace: Ps. 34:8, ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good,’ and that his grace is good. But now your experience is a flat negative and contradiction to the word, and you do as it were say, I have made trial, and I find no such sweetness in it. None wrong grace so much as they that have tasted of grace, and yet have turned aside to the profits and pleasures of the world again, and grow weary after some strictness of profession.

II. Use 2. To press you to glorify grace.

A. This is the glory God expects from you. ..Certainly he that is a partaker of it must needs be most affected with it. Let us see a little what cause we have to praise God, above the angels, and above other men.

1. Above the angels. I do not mean the bad angels, with whom God entered not into treaty; he dealeth with them in justice, not in grace; but even the good angels. …

(a) In some respects we have more cause to bless God than even the good angels…. It is true God hath been exceeding good and bountiful to the angels, in creating them out of nothing, that they are the courtiers of heaven; but mark how good and gracious he is to us above them. The angels never offended him, but he is bountiful and gracious to us, notwithstanding the demerits of our sin; his wronged justice interposed and put in a bar, yet grace breaks out, and is manifested to us unworthy creatures.

2. Above other men.

(a) There is a common and inferior sort of grace, which is made known to all the world. [“Common grace”]

(b) The whole earth is full of his goodness, but this grace that bringeth salvation, that is peculiar to the elect, to a few poor base creatures in themselves, a little handful whom God hath chosen out of the world.’’

But when God comes to look among the sons of men, many times he chooseth the most crabbed pieces, and calls them with a holy calling, according to the purpose of his grace. It is a wonder sometimes to see how grace makes the difference between two persons involved in the same guilt. Justice can make no separation; when men are in a like case, they must look for the same judgment; but grace makes a great separation. Many of God’s elect are as deep in sin as those now in hell, yet God makes a difference. Both the good and bad thief were involved in the same condemnation, yet one is taken into paradise, and the other went unto his own place. Thus praise and glorify grace.

John Calvin: The World as a Theater

23 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in Genesis, John Calvin, Romans, Thankfulness, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Therefore, because God has put us in this world as in a theatre, to contemplate his glory, let us acknowledge him to be such as he declares himself to us, and because he gives us the second instruction which is even more familiar in his word, let us be more confident and stirred with a burning zeal to aspire unto him until we reach that goal, and let us be aware that this world was created for that purpose and that our Lord has placed us here and has favored us with living here and enjoying all the things he has created.

Now, the sun was not made for itself and is even a creature without feeling. The trees, the each, which produces food for us — all of that works for man. The animals, although they move and have some feeling, do not do for all that have this high capacity to understand what belongs to God, for they do not discriminate between good and evil. We also see that their life and death are for men’s use and service.

Jean Calvin, “The Triune God at Work (Gen. 1:1-2)” in Sermons On Genesis, Chapters 1:1-11:4: Forty-Nine Sermons Delivered in Geneva between 4 September 1559 and 23 January 1560, trans. Rob Roy McGregor (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, ©2009), 6.

However, we need note here that we are more than cursed and abominable if we, being masters and possessors of all the good things God has bestowed upon us, do not at least show gratitude as we worship him and confess that everything comes from.

Id., at p. 10. This is the great indictment of humanity:

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:21–25 (ESV)

 

Ethics of Gratitude 

17 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by in Colossians, Theology of Biblical Counseling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Patience, longsuffering and joy should continually be accompanied by a thankful spirit. In Christianity, someone has said, theology is grace, and ethics is gratitude. If God’s attitude and action towards us have been characterized by grace, our response to Him, in life and behaviour as well as in thought and word, should be characterized by gratitude. Nothing less is fitting, when we consider how, in the apostle’s language here, He has “fitted us to share the inheritance of His holy people.”

Commentary on Ephesians and Colossians, E.K. Simpson, F.F. Bruce (Wm. B. Erdmanns, Grand Rapids, 1957), 187

http

New Ingratitude

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

This all-sufficiency in Christ works the other way around. God’s aim in saving us is not to boost our self-esteem or self-evaluation, but to expose our self-sufficiency as a sham. Newton trembled at his own sins and marveled at how he had been loved so much and how he loved so little in return. We are invested with all the mercies of heaven, and what is our daily response? Forgetfulness and spiritual laziness. “Every new day is filled up with new things—new mercies on the Lord’s part, new ingratitude on mine.”

Tony Reinke, Newton on the Christian Life

Thomas Manton on Psalm 119:65, continued

04 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Biblical Counseling, Discipleship, Psalms, Thankfulness, Thomas Manton

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

The previous post may be found here

Doctrine 2: We should give thanks for what we have received. “We should not be always, craving, always complaining; there should be a mixture of thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:6.

A. “There is a time for all things, for confessing sin, for begging mercy, for thankful acknowledgements” “As no condition is so bad but a good man can find reason of praising God”. James 5:13, Psalms 50:15

B. “Self love will put us upon prayer, but love of God upon praise and thanksgiving”

C. “It is for the glory and honour of God that his servants should speak good of his name. When they are always complaining, they bring an ill report upon the ways of God, like the spies that went to view the promised land; but it a great invitation to others when we can tell them how good God hath been to us” Psalms 34:8

D. It is for our profit, “We do no more thrive in victory, over corruption, or the increase of divers graces, because we do no more give thanks.”

E. It prevents many sins.

1. Hardness of heart

2. Murmuring, fretting, quarelling

Use: This must urge us to be thankful in fact.

To remedy this:

A. Be thankful to God for everything we enjoy. Hosea 2:8, Isaiah 1:3

B. When we are thankful, let us be particular for each thing: not merely thankful for a generic “all” Psalms 139:17

C. Trace benefits to their fountain: God. Psalms 138:2, Hosea 13:11, Isaiah 38:17

D. When you think of what you actually possess, you will see that many would be thankful for your condition. John 14:22

E. Consider your own unworthiness to have actually received anything from God. Genesis 32:10, 2 Samuel 7:18

Doctrine 3: Thankfulness must acknowledge that good comes according to God’s promise, “according to your word“. Joshua 23:14, 1 Kings 8:56

This will bring great benefit:

A. To us:

1. It will confirm our faith

2. Seeing something which comes by way of promise, will increase its sweetness

B. To others, “you will invite, encourage, and strengthen them in believing.”

Use: “Let us look to the accomplishment of these promises, and trust God the more for the future.” Hebrews 11:13, Romans 18:21, Psalms 116:11, Psalms 31:22.

Paul Baynes, Brief Directions Unto a Godly Life, Chapter Sixteen, Thanksgiving and Fasting

16 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Biblical Counseling, Esther, Fasting, Paul Baynes, Thankfulness

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

The previous post in this series may be found here: http://wp.me/p1S7fR-24r

CHAPTER SIXTEEN, THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES OF SOLEMN THANKSGIVING AND FASTING

Extraordinary helps are two:

First, solemn thanksgiving.

And secondly, fasting with prayer more than usual.

Solemn Thanksgiving

For the first, when in some rare and unlooked for deliverance out of desperate danger, we do in most fervent manner yield praise to God for the same, rejoice heartily in the remembrance and consideration of it, tying ourselves in a renewing of our holy covenant more firmly to the Lord; testifying both by sings and unfeigned good will to our brothers. An example of this is most clearly seen in the story of Mordecai and Esther, found in Esther 9.

It is to be measured according to the nature of the occasion. When the occasion for thanksgiving belongs to the entire church, the thanksgiving should be a public event. It ought to be accompanied by the preaching of the Word, for the quickening [profit, enlivening] of the entire assembly. If the occasion be private, it is to be privately used with the singing of Psalms, praising his Name and speaking of his works, and the reading of Scripture that tends to that end.

Fasting and Prayer

The second extraordinary help is fasting: and this is a most earnest profession of deep humiliation in abstinence with confession of sins and supplication (for the great part fo the day at least) to God, to turn away some sore calamity from us or for the obtaining of some special blessing.

It must be used according to occasions – as with thanksgiving.

Remember, neither fasting nor thanksgiving should be undertaken without true repentance.

Now if we weigh the force and use of these exercises, how the one raises up a joyful recording of God’s wonderful kindness; the other brings us low for our own vileness; both the matter more especially remembered. Both of them do exceedingly draw our hearts to more love and more obedience to God. We must need confess them to be effectual means for the setting us forward in a godly life.

Ann Bradstreet: What Shall I Render to Thy Name?

27 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Anne Bradstreet, Praise, Thankfulness

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

In thankful remembrance for my dear husband’s safe arrival, September 3, 1662.

What shall I render to thy name,

Or how thy praises speak;

My thanks how shall I testify?

O Lord, thou know’st I’m weak.

 

I owe so much, so little can

Return onto thy name,

Confusion ceases my soul

And I am filled with shame.

 

O thou that hear’st prayers Lord,

To thee shall come all flesh;

Thou has me heard and answered

My ‘plaints have had access.

 

What did I ask for but thou gav’st?

What could I more desire?

But thankfulness, even all my days,

I humbly require.

 

Thy mercies Lord, have been so great,

In number numberless,

Impossible for to recount

Or any way express.

 

O help thy saints that sought thy face

T’return unto thee praise,

And walk before thee as they ought,

In strict and upright ways.

 

This was the last thing written in that book by my dear and hon’d mother.

John Flavel, The Method of Grace.7

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in John Flavel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

(The previous post in this series is found here: https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/john-flavel-the-method-of-grace-6/

From the eight propositions, Flavel draws out seven inferences.

Inference 1:. Learn from hence, what a naked, destitute, and  empty thing, a poor sinner is, in his natural unregenerate state.

The Gospel begins where human merit and ability end. We constantly seek for some good in ourselves, some justifying merit. But God says, that lies in Christ alone:

As no creature (in respect of external abilities) comes under  more natural weakness into the world than man, naked, empty, and more shiftless and helpless than any other creature; so it is with his soul, yea, much more than so: all our excellencies are borrowed excellencies,

The purpose of such a realization is not to wallow in self-loathing (which would be to make ourselves the point), but rather to lead us to prize Christ:

Well then, let the sense of your own emptiness by nature humble and oblige you the more to Christ, from whom you receive all you have.

Inference 2: Hence we are informed, that none can claim benefit by imputed righteousness, but those only that live in the power of inherent holiness; to whomsoever Christ was made righteousness, to him he also was made sanctification.

The justification we receive in Christ is to change us.

It is true, our sanctification cannot justify us before God; but what then, can it not evidence our justification before men? Is there no necessity, or use for holiness, because it has no hand in our justification? Is the preparation of the soul for heaven, by altering its frame and temper, nothing? Is the glorifying of our Redeemer, by the exercises of grace in the world, nothing? Does the work of Christ render the work of the Spirit needless? God forbid.

We are saved to be changed – we are changed when we are saved. Dallas Willard wrote of “bar code Christianity” – those who think that justification is merely a label we affix to a man or woman: a label which changes nothing in the nature of the person. Just like putting a bar code for peanut butter on a box of raisins does not change the raisins – even though the scanner will submit to the label and disregard the reality.

John, in the famous third chapter of Gospel, makes plain, saving faith is transforming faith:

 

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36 (ESV) 

Anne Bradstreet, On My Son’s Return Out of England

12 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Anne Bradstreet, Praise, Puritan, Thankfulness

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

On My Son’s Return out of England, July 17, 1661[1]

 

All praise to him who hath not turn’d

My fear to joys, my sighs to song,

My tears to smiles, my sad to glad:

He’s come for whom I waited long.

 

Thou did’st preserve him as he went;

In raging storm did’st safely keep:

Did’st that ship bring to quiet port.

The other sank low in the deep[2].

 

From dangers great thou did’st him free

Of pirates who were near at hand;

And order’st so the adverse win,

That he before them got to land.

 

In country strange thou did’st provide,

And friends rais’d him in every place[3];

And courtesies of sundry sorts

From such as ‘fore ne’er saw his face.

 

In sickness when he lay full sore,

His help and his physician wer’t;

When royal one that time did die[4],

Thou heal’st his flesh and cheered his heart.

 

From troubles and encumbrances [5] Thou

Without (all fraud[6]) did’st set him free,

That, without scandal[7], he might come

To the land of his nativity.

 

On eagle’s wings him hither brought[8]

Through want and dangers manifold;

And thus hath granted my request,

That I thy mercies might behold.[9]

 

O help me pay my vows, O Lord![10]

That I may ever thankful be,

And may put him in mind of what

Thou’st done for him and so for me.

 

In both our hearts erect a frame

Of duty and of thankfulness,

That all thy favors great receiv’d

Our upright walking may express.

 

Comments:   Most people alive in the 21st Century (particularly in North America) cannot understand both the constant threat of death and the inability to communicate with loved ones for months (or years) at a time. While we do suffer illness, we do not face diseases which routinely strike down the young and healthy. Bradstreet’s thankfulness should not be seen as mere formality. Rather, this is the sincere love of a mother whose son survived an Atlantic crossing (storms and pirates) as well as political upheaval of England.

Thankfulness was a great theme of Puritan preaching and instruction. Consider for example the sermon of William Cooper, “How Must We in All Things Give Thanks?”:

 

It is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning Christians, that in every thing they give thanks; that they be thankful, as our word is more proper to our purpose.

For though we have nothing of our own that is good to give God but thanks, yet neither do we properly give him that, seeing both our giving and the right manner of doing it, even in thanksgiving, are of the Lord. (1 Cor. 4:7; 1 Chron. 29:14; Phil. 2:13.)

Our continual praying shows that we are always beggars, and our continual thanksgiving shows us always debtors. Our thanks, then, indeed, is the rebound of mercy heavenward, whence it came, and a holy reflection of the warm sun-beams of God’s benefits shining on us.

James Nichols, Puritan Sermons, Volume 1 (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts, Publishers, 1981), 416.

 

[1] He had left to England in November 1657. While in England, Charless II was restored to the English throne.

[2] The loss feared by Anne was not merely the loss of potential, but an actual loss. Two other men involved with the passage of the pair of ships mentioned the loss of commander Garrett’s ship. The exact nature of the loss was not known.

[3] God provided friends for son while traveling.

Proverbs 27:10 (ESV)

10  Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away.

 

[4] Henry, Duke of Gloucester (brother to Charles 1) died of small pox on September 13, 1660. Their sister, Mary died of small pox on December 24.

[5] The text is unclear at this point.

[6] “All fraud” is in the original.

[7] Scandal had a broader meaning at the time: something more akin to the modern “trouble” rather than mere moral failing.

[8] An image used of God’s rescue:

4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Exodus 19:4 (ESV)

 

 

[9] 2 Corinthians 1:8–11 (ESV)

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

 

[10] Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 (ESV)

4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.