“Unspeakable is the advantage that the soul raises to itself by the continual exercise of thanksgiving. For the grateful acknowledgement of favors is the way to more, even amongst men whose hands are short and strait, this is the means to pull on further beneficence. How much more from the God of all consolation, who largest bounty diminisheth nothing of His store.”
Joseph Hall (1574-1656) bishop of Exeter and Norwich in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 936.
Here the bishop reminds us of a truth that is both relevant to our season and especially meaningful to those seeking consolation. Don’t read it from a prosperity gospel angle which says I can manipulate God to get what I want. Read it as, when I am thankful to God for His abundant beneficence (think “divine blessings”), He, in turn, hears my cries for help when I am in need.
I love the old English expression “men whose hands are short and strait”. People with “short hands” were of low status, and the “strait” were people with limited resources. In other words, the bishop is reminding everyone that thanksgiving is unspeakably good for the soul and the pathway to more; it transforms us, and His generous beneficence does not at all diminish His store.