he lived to rest in the bosom of God in whose bosom he hath often been by holy meditation when he was alive 3. You must be often and frequent in the duty of Divine Meditation by often using it to make it more easie there is great complaint of the difficulty of this duty it hath been often said to me Sir there is no duty in the world so hard as Divine Meditation and it is true it is a hard matter to keep the heart close in Meditation of Divine things and therefore you must accustom your selves to this duty and use will make perfectness usus promptos facit by often doing it at last through grace it will become easie When a young youth is bound Prentice to a Manual Trade at first it seems very hard to learn his Trade but by long custom at last he is very expert in it A man that is to go up a hill every morning at first he pants and breathes and cannot get up the hill within a little while he can get up with ease so this duty of Divine Meditation though it be exceeding difficult because it is exceeding spiritual yet by often and frequent practising of it through the assistance of Gods Spirit it will become at last very easie whereas the seldomness of the practice of this duty makes it difficult and intermission of any thing makes it very hard A man that learns the Greek or Hebrew Tongues or learn to speak French if he intermit the speaking eleven or twelve years he will quickly forget to speak it so long omission of this duty is the reason why it is so difficult would you but resolve to practise it for one twelve month you would find it at the twelve months end an easie duty through the help of God The second property is this Divine Meditation must be solemn and serious though we must accustom our selves to this duty yet we must take heed of customariness and formality in the duty formality in good duty is the dead fly that spoils the box of precious ointment God hates a formal Christian he hates a formal prayer a formal hearer of the word formality in Gods service is like the plague of locusts of which you read Exod. 10. that did eat up all the green things in the land formality in good duties eats up all the beauty and all the comfort and benefit of a good duty there is nothing God hates more than formality in his service therefore you must take heed above all things of being formal in the practice of this duty of Meditation it must be solemn and serious and you must be very intent about it slight thoughts of God will make but a slight impression upon the affections and he that thinks slightly of God will serve him slightly and love him slightly he that thinks slightly of sin will slight sin he that thinks slightly of God God will slight him And the reason why we serve God with so little affection and so little devotion and reverence is because we meditate slightly of God for slight thoughts of God work but a slight heart and a slight conversation I will give you an instance or two of this slight way of Meditation Ioh. 6. you shall read of certain men that when Christ was preaching had a very good ejaculation ver 34. Lord say they evermore give us of this bread it was a sweet Meditation but it was but a short a slight and formal one for at the end of the Chapter these men forsook Christ it was not a solemn and serious Meditation Ioh. 18. 38. you read of Pilate Pilate saith unto him what is truth here is a good question that arose from some inward thought that he had and when he had said this he went out again he never thought of it more he never tarried to hear an answer but now our care must be to be very solemn and serious in this work of Divine Meditation let me give you an example of Alexander the Great a Heathen man was offering Sacrifice to his God the Priest that held the Censor the Chafing-dish wherein the Incense was there was a spark of fire fell upon his hand and he was so intent and unwilling to hinder the Sacrifice that he suffered his hand rather to be burnt than he would intermit the Sacrifice this shews how devout and intent this Priest was even in the service of the Heathenish God and Chrysostome tells a story of a Lady that being to make a precious ointment she calls in all her handmaids to help her so saith he when we converse with God in any holy duty we must call in all our handmaids all our affections when we are making any holy ointment the meaning is this when you are conversing with God by meditation or conversing with Christ or the Promises you must call in all your affections to assist you you must be very solemn and serious and intent upon this work And yet I must give you one caution here you must take heed you be not over-intent though you must be serious you must not be over-serious I have heard a story of a godly Minister Mr. Welsh that was one day meditating of eternity and he was so serious in the thoughts of Eternity that he fell into a trance into a swound that they could hardly ever recover life in him again he was so swallowed up in that Meditation he was too serious we must be serious but not over-serious we must do as good travellers do that will be careful not to over-ride their horses lest they tire they will ride moderately that so they may hold out to their journeys end so must we be serious but we must be moderate not over-serious we must remember we have a body of flesh that is not able to bear over-much seriousness in these weighty Meditations of Eternity and God and Christ and Heaven 3. Divine Meditation must not only be notional and speculative but practical and affectionate therefore consideration and meditation are not only acts of the head but acts of the heart Deut. 4. 39. Know therefore this day and consider it in thy heart There are three doors as I may so speak that Meditation must get into or else it is of no use 1. It must get into the understanding that must ponder the things of Heaven but it must not tarry there But 2. It must get into the door of the heart and affections to stir them up for the understanding must be as a Divine pair of Bellows to kindle a Divine fire in the heart and affections and to inflame and raise them up as David saith Psal. 39. While I was musing the fire burned we must so muse upon God and Christ that our affections may as it were burn within us as the Disciples hearts burnt within them while Christ was speaking 3. It must get into the door of the conversation that is we must so meditate of Christ as to live according to
God and Christ and Heaven and he that hath not a good stock of knowledg of Christ or the Promises can never continue long to meditate upon Christ or the Promises if ever you would be a good Practitioner of this duty of Divine Meditation you must labour to be instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven as the Phrase is Mat. 13. 42. Every Scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man which is a housholder that brings out of his treasure things old and new You must be acquainted with things both new and old and instructed in the things of the Kingdom of God and you must be men in understanding 1 Cor. 14. 20. Brethren be not children in understanding howbeit in malice be ye children but in understanding be men A babe in understanding cannot be long in meditation but you must be babes in malice but in understanding men of ripe age You had need have a great deal of knowledg that would be Practitioners to purpose of this excellent duty of Divine Meditatiou you must grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord Iesus Christ. 5. If ever you would be a good Practitioner in the School of Divine Meditation you must labour to get a serious spirit for a slight-headed Christian can never be a good meditating Christian a slight-headed and a slight-hearted Christian that cannot dwell upon things but rove from one thing to another cannot be a good Christian pardon my words I speak them upon much deliberation for Religion is a serious matter it is a business of eternity and therefore it requires a serious Christian and if ever you would practise this duty that I am preaching of if ever you would go up to the mount of Meditation to converse with God there you must labour to be of a serious spirit as those were Luk. 1. 66. And all they that heard him laid it up in their hearts they did not slight what they heard but laid it up in their hearts Luk. 2. 19. But Mary kept all these sayings and pondered them in her heart Luk. 2. 51. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart A good Christian is a pondering a serious Christian. There is a fourfold frame of spirit that cannot stand with true Christianity nor with the practice of this duty that I am preaching of and the Lord help you against them 1. A slight frame of spirit that man that thinks slightly of God will love him but slightly and serve him but slightly slight thoughts of God will make but slight impressions upon the heart and slight impressions upon the life Slight thoughts of God will have but slight affections to God for if my apprehensions be slight my affections and my actions will be slight for my affections and actions follow my apprehension Therefore a slight frame of spirit is a very sad frame of spirit 2. As there is a slight so there is a trifling frame of spirit when a man thinks of the things of Heaven as trifles when a man trifles way a Sacrament trifles away a Sermon trifles away a Prayer as thousands of you do Oh it is a sad thing for a man to be serious in trifles and to trifle in serious things I cannot tell which is the worst though I think rather the second is the worst That is a sad thing when a man looks upon Sabbaths and Sacraments and Ministers and Ministry and all the holy things of God as trifles such an one was Gallio when he saw it was a matter of Religion he cared for none of these things he looked upon them as trifles A trifling frame of spirit cannot consist with true Christianity 3. There is a watry frame of spirit there are some men tell them of their sins and they will yield to you and confess their sins and promise amendment and there are many while they are at a Sermon the Sermon takes impression upon them but they are of a watry spirit nothing will abide upon them As a man that flings a stone into the water it will make one circle and another circle and another circle a great many circles but there is no abiding of them they are quickly gone so there are some men their hearts will melt at a Sermon or a Sacrament but they are of a watry spirit nothing will abide upon them Take a stone and fling it at a feather-bed the stone will make a great dint in it but this dint will not abide though the feather-bed yield to the stone yet there is no remaining of the impression so many a man is of a yielding spirit that nothing will fix 4. A rash inconsiderate frame of spirit cannot stand with true Christianity when a man rusheth upon good duties and upon Offices Church-offices and State-offices without any deliberation Meditation or preparation when a man prays rashly comes to the Sacrament rashly headily hand over head as we say this man is a spiritual fool and all his holy duties are the sacrifices of fools Eccles. 5. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifices of fools for they consider not that they do evil Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God A rash spirited man that prays headily and comes to holy duties headily and inconsiderately this man catcheth many a fall as a man that runs hastily will quickly stumble so a man that is spiritually rash will run into many spiritual evils As a man that is rash in his calling will quickly out-run himself so he that is rash in holy duties will quickly run into a thousand mischiefs as Peter was so rash when he said to Christ Though all men forsake thee yet will not I. He was over rash but it cost him dear So it was a rash act of David when he went to kill Nabal and if Abigail had not hindred him he had murdered him And when he gave the land to Mephibosheth's servant it was a rash act Consider I beseech you these four Particulars these frames of spirit will never make you good Christians never fit you for the practise of this rare duty of Divine Meditation but you must pray unto God that he would give you a solemn and serious spirit if ever you would be rightly qualified to go up to the mount of Divine Meditation The sixth Rule is this Labour for the love of Heaven and Heavenly things the reason why people find it so difficult to meditate upon Heavenly things is for want of love to them for if you did love Christ I need not perswade you to meditate of God I need not perswade a covetous man to meditate of his money a man that loves the world you need not perswade him to meditate of the world or a man that is voluptuous to meditate upon his pleasures his love to his pleasures will force him to think of them
is so excellent Difficilia quae pulchra the more excellent any duty is the more difficult it is And another reason why it is so difficult is because it is so contrary to corrupt nature now the more contrary any duty is to corrupt nature the more excellent it is The difficulty of the duty should not so much discourage us as the excellency of the duty should quicken us Now that I may help you against the difficulty of this duty I shall lay down three sorts of rules 1. Rules for the right qualifying of the person that is to meditate 2. Rules for the right ordering the Subjects upon which he is to meditate 3. Rules for the right meditation upon these Subjects I. I shall lay down Rules and Directions for the right qualifying and ordering the person that is to practise this Divine duty of Meditation and for that purpose I shall give you in these Rules 1. Convince thy soul of the absolute necessity of Divine Meditation I have shewed it is a duty expresly commanded by God a duty required of all sorts of persons of Kings of Generals of Armies of young Gentlemen of Women of Ministers David Ioshua young Isaac in my Text practised this duty and many Women and many holy men Let me add that this very duty is the life and soul of all Christianity you are but carcasses of Christians if you be not acquainted with it it is as impossible to live without a soul as it is to be a good Christian without Divine Meditation As it is impossible for a man to be nourished by meat if he want digestion and concoction so it is impossible for a man to be nourished in grace if he neglect the duty of Divine Meditation for Divine Meditation is the spiritual concoction and digestion of all holy things and all holy duties As a man without concoction I mean without a faculty of digestion and concoction so is a Christian without the practise of Divine Meditation 2. Convince your souls and the Lord convince you of the great benefits and advantages that are obtained by a conscientious practise of Divine Meditation as I have shewed Divine Meditation is a mighty help to the begetting grace and increasing grace 1. It is a mighty help to the begetting repentance as David saith Psal. 119. 59. I considered my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies It was the consideration of the evil of his ways that made David turn his feet to Gods Testimonies And it is said of Peter Mark 14. 72. When he thought thereon he wept what made Peter repent the meditation of the unkindness of the sin he committed against Christ. And what made the Prodigal child come home to his father Luk. 15. 17. When he came to himself he considered and said how many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger It was consideration that made the Prodigal child come home to his father he considered how much bread there was in his fathers house and he ready to starve 2. Divine Meditation is a mighty help to the love of God for to an inconsiderate Christian God is as a picture with a curtain drawn over it but consideration takes away the curtain unveils God to a man and shews him all the beauty and excellency that is in God and it is like a fiery furnace to kindle a Divine fire of love in the soul of every Christian. 3. It is a mighty help to beget in us the fear of God Oh did you meditate much of the power of God and the goodness of God and the forgivenesses that are in God Oh you would fear God for his goodness and for his greatness the reason why we love God no more is because we think of God no more study God no more 4. It would be a mighty help to the love of Christ for Christ Jesus to an unmeditating Christian is like a book that is sealed like a treasure that is lockt up but Meditation opens this book unlocks this treasure and that man that solemnly meditates of the excellency and love of Christ cannot but love Christ. 5. It is a mighty help to the contempt of the world for the world is like gilded Copper there is a glittering excellency in it but meditation of the vanity of the world will wash off all the gilt the whorish paint the glittering excellency that is in the world a man that looks upon the world a far off sees nothing in it but excellency but when you come to meditate of the vanity of the world and all worldly things meditation will make you contemn the world and all worldly things 3. Consider the unconceivable and unexpressible mischiefs that come upon a Christian for want of Divine Meditation What is the reason why men go on in their sins without repentance it is for want of Meditation Ier. 8. 6. No man repenteth because no man saith what have I done What is the reason the Word of God takes no more impression upon your hearts and there is no more good done by Preaching it is because you do not meditate upon what you hear as a plaister that is put to a wound if it be pluckt off as soon as it is put on it will never do you good so if a Sermon be forgotten as soon as it is heard it will never profit you And what is the reason that the mercies of God do no more good that men are no more thankful for mercies and no more fruitful under mercies because they do not consider their mercies come from God Hos. 2. 8. She did not know that is she did not consider that I gave her corn and wine and oil and multiplied her silver and gold which they prepared for Baal They would not have prepared their silver and gold for Baal had they considered that God gave it but they would have served God with it that is the reason why you are so proud of your mercies and sin against God with your mercies because you do not meditate that the Lord hath given you all the mercies you have and what is the reason men get no more good by afflictions because they do not consider why God afflicts them what is the meaning of Gods rod and how they might get their afflictions sanctified the want of the practice of Divine Meditation is the cause of all punishment as well as of all sin Ier. 12. 11. All the whole land is made desolute because no man lays it to heart 4. If you would be rightly qualified for Divine Meditation labour to get a sufficient furniture of spiritual knowledg for the reason why this duty is so difficult and why men cannot continue long at it is for want of sufficient matter to meditate upon For as I shewed you Meditation is a dwelling a musing an abiding upon the things we know of God or Christ or the Promises it is an unlocking of the treasure of knowledg concerning
THE ART of DIVINE Meditation OR A DISCOURSE OF THE Nature Necessity and Excellency thereof With Motives to and Rules for the better performance of that most Important Christian Duty IN SEVERAL SERMONS On GEN. 24. 63. And Isaac went out to meditate in the fields at the even-tide By EDMVND CALAMY B. D. late Minister of Aldermanbury London LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst and are to be sold at his shop at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chappel and by I Collier at the Bible on Londonbridg under the gate 1680. To the Christian Readers IF the Heathen Moralist Plutarch could say Meditation is as it were the recovery of decaying knowledg because as forgetfulness seems to be the egress of knowledg Meditation doth restore a new memory instead of that which passeth away and so preserve knowledg that it is in effect the same in that notwithstanding mutations it leaves something new and like it self resembling that which is Divine How may a Christian endow'd with the true knowledg of God say with the Psalmist in the revival of it Psal. 104. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet When he is alone and hath no other companions to refresh himself with then he may as Bishop Hall who penn'd a part of his Meditations under the solitary Hills of Ardenna from a renewed mind send forth his active thoughts those immediate rays of that Candle of the Lord within him to contemplate upon his Maker Saviour and Sanctifier and reflect upon himself who is to survive the visible Creation and so raise himself into an Heaven upon earth relish such sweetness as the carnal mind and sensual heart immersed in dreggy matter and be-dull'd therewith is never so happy as to attain The Author of this little Treatise whose great and pious soul was notably heavenliz'd by the frequent exercise of holy Meditation the very same who penn'd The Godly mans Ark which hath been often printed for the support of drooping Christians amongst other excellent discourses upon various subjects in the exercise of his Ministry with great success did from his own experience recommend this of Meditation whether ejaculatory and occasional or solemn and deliberate I am not ignorant that many other eminent Divines persons of great worth and honour have already notably display'd the excellency and usefulness of this way of thinking yet perhaps this grave and famous Preacher in his day hath in a more easie method and plain way by his familiar expressions and resemblances suited to vulgar capacities here help'd the real Christian who would most delight in the Duty to put Meditation in practise than any who hath gone before him No doubt had this excellent person himself published this discourse here presented to your view you would have had it every way more accurate by the lopping off some superfluities and amending of phrases c. more proper for a Writer than these of a Preacher to a popular Auditory yet such as it is considering the Author in the Pulpit you 'l find when you have read it through it doth fully as much resemble Mr. Calamy in his preaching at Aldermanbury to your minds as the Engraver on the frontispiece hath represented his face to your eyes I dare say any of you who were his Auditors will be abundantly satisfied tho this piece be posthumous yet it is genuine And seeing there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety nine just persons which need no repentance Luk. 15. 7. If these practical Sermons taken by the swift pen of a ready writer have such an influence upon any as to bring them to the frequent and beneficial practise of Meditation which the Preacher of them held necessary None who prefer things before words and esteem real knowledg above elegancy of speech as the general good of mankind beyond that of any particular Countrey can justly think the Author wrong'd but rather that with Dr. Preston Mr. Fenner Mr. Hooker c. some of whose Works popularly deliver'd with plainness suited to the capacities of their hearers and taken but rudely from their mouths did more benefit Readers of meaner abilities than those which whiles alive they themselves published with greater exactness He is renown'd when he hath by this more diffusive good-work been any way instrumental to have God and the things of heaven where he now resides more delightfully thought upon As judicious Calvin in his Epistle to the King of Swetheland prefixed to his Commentary on the Minor Prophets said he would not be so morose a Censor of manners as to obstruct the publishing of that Commentary delivered in an extemporal kind of speaking when design'd only for his own private Oratory not otherwise to have come abroad only as 't was pen'd from his mouth by Budaeus Crispin and Ionvil because he said he had long before learn'd not to serve the theater of the World else he doth afterwards tell the Reader that if in his other works which he had written deliberately and succinctly with much more pains he had met with envious malignants who did carp at and quarrel them he might well endeavour to suppress that work taken by the aforesaid writers after him as it was freely utter'd to his own hearers for present use yet when others assured him that it would be a loss yea injurious to the Church if not printed as it was taken rather than not at all He thereupon having not time nor strength to transcribe or amend it readily permitted it to go to the Press And the Reformed Church hath since rejoyced in the benefit of having it as it was published yea and to this day Divines who have made great use of it since in their Commentaries as well as others to find the true true meaning of the Holy Writ have heartily blessed God for it Yet as Bishop Wilkins hath observ'd in his Epistle to the Real Character Foreigners in Short-Writing come far behind us here in England though it hath been now seventy years invented where they admire the skill of our Writers and whither the Divines of other Nations frequently come and learn our Language chiefly to understand our Practical Sermons many of which have been only preserv'd in this way You have this 't is to be hoped very useful piece taken well from the mouth of Mr. Edmund Calamy The Analysis or Method of the Contents of the whole Book Page THE Introduction 1 Text divided 2 1. The Person spoken of Isaac Ibid. 2. What is related of him He went out to meditate Ibid. 3. The place he chose In the field Ibid. 4. The time At the eventide Ibid. Explicat There is a Twofold Meditation 1. Sinful and wicked that was not Isaacs Ibid. 2. Holy and godly This Isaac practised 3 Observ. The Meditation of Holy and Heavenly things is a work that God requires at the hands of all people 4 Viz. of 1. Young Gentlemen Ibid. 2. Kings Nobles and great Persons Ibid. 3.
case is thy soul now that is on the Sea of this world and then to go to the Ensuring-office you know you have your Ensuring-offices wherein you ensure your Ships at Sea to get your souls ensured by reconciliation with God and by true faith manifested by holiness and righteousness to get your souls assured that they may come safe to the haven of Happiness In a clear bright frosty Winter-night when thou goest out and beholdest the bespangled heaven multitude of bright Stars what a rare thing were it to meditate This glorious bespangled Firmament is but the stable as it were but the out-houses of that Heaven where I am to go it is but the outward Court but the Wash-house as I may say and if the Stable and Out-houses be so glorious Oh what is the inward palace above the spangled Heavens is my Fathers house where I hope to live for ever with God and there my Christ is now interceding for me and by the power of his Spirit shall I be brought one day to that house Oh when will that time come when will my soul mount thorough these Heavens into the heaven of Heavens Now is not this comely for a Christian will not this heavenlize you and spiritualize you And then when you go to bed at night to remember I have one day more to answer for to remember there will a last night come after which there will be no day but the Resurrection of all Remember thy last night thy concluding night the end of thy life But I have been over-long in this a great deal more than I thought but I do it because here I shall put an end to this discourse of occasional meditation There is a second sort of Meditation and that is that that I call set solemn and deliberate when a man sets apart an hour a day it may be sets a part some time and goes into a private Closet or a private Walk and there doth solemnly and deliberately meditate of the things of Heaven Now concerning this meditation I shall handle by Gods assistance these two Particulars 1. I will shew you the nature of it 2. I will shew you the necessity of it 1. The nature of this duty what this meditation is that I would press you to I will describe it in two Particulars 1. This holy meditation is a dwelling and abiding upon things that are holy it is not only a knowing of God and a knowing of Christ but it is a dwelling upon the things we know as the Bee that dwells and abides upon the flower to suck out all the sweetness that is in the flower so to meditate upon God and Christ and the Sacrament it is to dwell upon God and the Sacrament to suck out all the sweetness we can in the things we meditate upon As we read of Anna Luk. 2. 37. She continued in the Temple praying and fasting day and night To meditate is to continue and fix our selves and our hearts upon the things we know this meditation in Scripture is called a holy musing Psal. 39. 3. My heart was hot within me while I was musing to meditate is to muse or else it is to commune with our own hearts Psal. 4. Stand in awe and sin not commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still It is a communing a consulting with our own hearts or if you will it is a bethinking our selves so it is expressed 1 King 8. 47. If they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captive and repent The Hebrew word is if they shall bring back to their hearts if they shall reflect upon themselves for meditation is a reflecting act of the soul whereby the soul is carried back to it self and considers all the things that it knows Meditation is an inward act of the soul a spiritual act whereby the soul doth recoil upon it self and looks back upon it self and considers all the things that concern its everlasting happiness and if I be not mistaken it is rarely typified under the Law two manner of ways 1. By those beasts that did chew the cud you shall read Lev. 11. of the clean beasts and the unclean beasts now the clean beasts were such as did chew the cud of those they were to eat now the unclean beasts were those that did not chew the cud a meditating Christian is one that chews the cud that chews on the Truths of Jesus Christ that doth not only hear good things but when he hath heard them chews them over ruminates upon them that so they may be fitter for digestion and concoction and spiritual improvement an unclean Christian is one that doth not chew the cud that doth not ruminate and ponder and bethink himself of the things of Heaven 2. Another type of this rare grace of Meditation is that of the Beasts Ezek. 1. that Ezekiel saw that had eyes within and without Vers. 18. their wings were full of eyes round about them And so likewise the Beasts Rev 4. 6. Round about the Throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind A notable and a rare type of Meditation for meditation is nothing else but a looking thoroughly into the things of God a looking before and behind as I may so speak a meditating Christian is a man full of eyes that doth not only know God but sees much of God There is another metaphor to express it Psal. 119 59. I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies The word in the Hebrew is taken from Chapmen that when they buy a commodity they turn it over and over and over again they look all about it into every part of it Meditation is a thorow contemplation and a thorow consideration of the things of God a meditating Christian is full of eyes full of heavenly understanding 2. It is an act of the heart as well as of the head it is not only a speculative knowledg of things Divine but a practical knowledg it is not only an act of the intellect and understanding but of the will and affections it is an affective grace as well as an intellective grace and therefore it is said of the Blessed Virgin Mary She pondered all these sayings in her heart she did not only think of them with her head but she pondered on them with her heart and you shall read Deut. 4. 39. Know therefore this day and consider it in thy heart A true meditation is when a man doth so meditate of Christ as to get his heart inflamed with the love of Christ so meditate of the Truths of God as to be transformed into them and so meditate of sin as to get his heart to hate sin when it is such a musing of God as kindles a fire in the whole soul as David doth express it Psal. 39. 3. While I was musing the fire burnt When a man doth so contemplate on God that his heart is all on fire with the love of God
cured as soon as ever Peter took him by the hand and lift him up immediately his feet and ancle-bones received strength and he leaping up stood and walked and entred with him into the Temple the poor man never walked in all his life he was lame from his mothers womb as soon as ever he found his legs he fell a leaping presently he did not leap afterwards but walked ordinarily as other men but he was so overjoyed that he forced himself to a kind of leaping so there are many Christians that when they first set upon this duty because they find their hearts very dead and dull therefore they will offer violence to their affections and force themselves to tears or joy But you must not do this the best way is to wait in the practise of meditation for the coming down of God to wait for the consolation of Israel as it is said of Simeon Luk. 2. 25. There was one Simeon a man in Ierusalem who was just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel So must we in the use of this blessed duty wait upon God for Divine comfort and while we are waiting God will come in Isa. 30. 18. Blessed are all they that wait upon the Lord. ver ult They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles You must continue waiting and be assured the Lord whom you seek will come in and you shall find your hearts melted if you go on in a calm quiet waiting posture As Bernard who was a man much accustomed to this duty of meditation when he went to meditate and pray he found his heart at first very dull at last the visitations of the Almighty came upon him and he felt his heart warm he had the appearances of the Lord to his soul that he cried out rara hora brevis mora it comes but seldom but sometimes it comes blessed be God it tarries too short a while Oh that it would continue wait upon God in the practise of Divine Meditation and you shall find the elapses of the Holy Ghost the Visitations of God coming upon your souls and filling you full of Heavenly comfort 6. And lastly This Divine Meditation must be persevereing you must persevere in this duty though you cannot at first find the benefit and comfort that you expect There are many Christians that have set upon this work of Meditation and finding it too hard and difficult and meeting with so much opposition in their hearts wandering thoughts and abundance of spiritual distempers they have been discouraged and laid it aside which certainly they ought not to have done I have read of the Leopard when it looks after his prey when it looks after his prey when it hath a beast in view that it would prey upon the manner of its hunting is to take three or four great skips and if it cannot take the beast in three or four skips then it leaves it it is so furious and hasty So there is many a poor Christian skips into the duty of Meditation as it were by taking three or four leaps and sees he cannot compass it he cannot find the benefit and comfort he would and therefore he lays it aside this is a great fault you must wait upon God as I said in the former you must continue and persevere and go on in this duty And I have four arguments to perswade you to persevere in this duty 1. From the necessity of this duty it is a duty absolutely necessary as I have told you it is the life of all other duties prayer will do you no good unless it be joined with meditation Oratio sine meditatione est arida saith Bernard Prayer without Meditation is dry and luke warm and cold and the reason why our prayers are like so many dead carcases of prayers is because we do not join meditation with prayer sermons do us no good without meditation Meditation is the life of all Religion and that which puts life into all other duties It is of great necessity and therefore you must not be weary of well-doing you must persevere for there is no grace crowned without perseverance 2. Consider the excellency of this duty it is the souls transmigration to Heaven the souls transfiguration the souls going up to Heaven to converse with God and Christ and the things of eternity it is a rare duty as necessary as your daily bread and certainly God conveys much of himself in the practise of this duty As Iesus Christ when he was in the Mount was transfigured and his face shined like the Sun So certainly you that are much in the mount of meditation you that often go up to meditate of God and Christ and Heaven and sin your faces will shine you will be taller than other Christians in grace by the head 3. Study the mischiefs that come by the want of practising this duty it is not eating meat that nourisheth you but the digesting of it meat may be set before a man and he may eat a great deal but if he doth not digest it he will never be nourished Meditation is a digesting of all the things of God it is not the hearing a Sermon doth you good but the meditating on what you hear if a man hath a plaister and lays it to his sore and take it off as soon as he hath laid it on it will do no good at all so when you hear a Sermon if you forget it as soon as ever you have heard it if you do not chew meditate and ponder upon what you hear you will never get any good As the beast that chewed not the cud was an unclean beast so the unmeditating Christian is an unclean Christian. The reason why we have so many lean kine pardon my expression that devour the fat and are never the fatter I mean so many lean Christians that devour hundreds of Sermons that will hear three or four a day and are never the beetter never the fatter what is the reason of this because it comes in at one ear and goes out at the other one Sermon justles out another but they never meditate ponder and consider what they hear that is the reason why you are so lean in grace You know there are many hours required to digest a little meat eaten in a little while so a man should be many hours digesting a Sermon that he hears in one hour God and Christ are like a picture that hath a curtain drawn over it now a man will never judg of the picture till the curtain be withdrawn Meditation is nothing else but the taking aside the curtain and viewing of God To an unmeditating Christian God is like the Sun in a cloud to an unconsidering Christian Christ is like a jewel in a leathern purse now meditation opens the purse and takes out the jewel and looks upon it Meditation draws aside the curtain and views God and beholds the glorious things of God
how thou behavest thy self towards God and towards thy neighbour Meditate of the sinfulness of sin the vanity of the world the length of eternity and the excellency of the Gospel 1. Meditate of the sinfulness of sin sin is the greatest evil in the world it is a greater evil than banishment than death than Hell it self meditate of the intrinsecal and extrinsecal evil of sin 2. Meditate of the vanity of the creature all earthly things are vain they are vanity of vanity and vexation of spirit they are all unsatisfying and unprofitable what will all the world do you good when you are sick when you are ready to die 3. Meditate of the length of eternity Oh eternity eternity that we studied thee more that we thought more of thee Study the difference between time and eternity for Time is nothing else but an intersection between two Eternities before there was time there was eternity and when time shall be no more there shall be eternity Time in comparison of Eternity is no more than a Thatcht-house in comparison of all the houses in the world than a drop of water in comparison of the Ocean 4. Study the excellency of the Gospel Oh meditate of the glorious Gospel of Christ and what a priviledg it is to enjoy the Gospel and meditate whether thy life be answerable to the Gospel whether thou that hast lived so long under the Gospel hast lived a life conformable to the Gospel Study the Commandments of God the Threatnings of God the Promises of God and the Ordinances of God 1. Study the Commandments of God whether thou keepest them or no to be humbled for not keeping them to labour to keep them better 2. Study the Threatnings of God and stand in awe of them and fear them 3. Study the Promises of God the glorious the precious Promises the freeness of the Promises the fulness of the Promises the infallibleness of the Promises there is no condition a child of God can be in but there is some promise or other to comfort him the universality of the tender of the Promises thy interest in the Promises whether the Promises of the Gospel belong to thee or no 4. Study the Ordinances of God that is study how to come prepared to Ordinances how to manage Ordinances so that Gods name may be honoured by them And there are four Ordinances that you must meditate of 1. You must meditate of the Ordinance of Prayer you must study the excellency of Prayer the efficacy of Prayer you must study to get the gift of Prayer to get the grace of Prayer Study how to pray in the Holy Ghost how to pray with faith with fervency with repentance 2. You must meditate of the Ordinance of reading the Word that is an Ordinance of God and you must study to read the Word with reverence and godly fear to read the Word as Gods Word to read the Word in a different way than you read any other Book whatsoever 3. You must meditate of the Ordinance of hearing the Word study the right art of hearing the Word so to hear the Word as to be transformed into what you hear to be trained up to Heaven by what you hear so to hear the Word as Gods Word with an universal resignation of thy will to what thou hearest 4. The Ordinance of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper Oh meditate much of this Ordinance I have told you several Heads of Meditation for the Sacrament Study the errors of the times the Iudgments of God upon the Nation the changes God hath made in this Nation and the mercies of God 1. Study the errors of the times labour to get preservatives against them it is a lamentation and it shall be for a lamentation there is a great Apostacy from the Truths of Christ among many Professors of Religion you shall hardly go into a family but you shall find some or other be-lepered with error Here is thy work O Christian to study the errors of the times what to do to get antidotes and preservatives against Anabaptism against Socinianism against Anti-sabbatarianism against Anti-scripturism against those that deny the Divinity of Christ and the Divinity of the Holy Ghost to get Spiritual armour to be able to resist all the errors of these times It is a great shame and oh that you would be humbled for it that one erroneous person can speak more for the defence of his error than twenty Orthodox Christians are able to speak for the Truth for want of studying antidotes and preservatives against the errors of the times 2. Study the Iudgments of God that have been for these many years upon England Scotland and Ireland the hand of God is gone out against these three Nations and the Lord hath laid us desolate and the sword hath drunk a great deal of blood and no man lays it to heart Now let us meditate of Gods great Iudgments upon this land that we may know the meaning of Gods rod and we may know how to get all these Judgments sanctified unto us 3. Meditate of the great changes that God hath made in this Nation we have been tossed from one condition to another from one way of Government to another Study all the changes and alterations that God hath made by his permitting-Providence Oh what a shame is it that we should meditate no more of Gods ways and dealings to know the meaning of God in all these alterations and changes and what the language of God is and what use we should make of them and how we should keep a good conscience and keep close to our Principles and how we should honour God under all our changes 4. You must meditate of the several passages of Gods Providence towards us there is no man or woman here but hath had rare experience of Gods Providence either in the place of thy dwelling that God should pitch thy dwelling under such a Minister or in the manner of thy Marriage or the Providence of God at such a time under such a sickness it is our duty to take special notice of the Providence of God in raising thee up a friend in helping thee at such a time For want of Meditation we lose all the benefit of the passages of Gods Providence and God loseth all his glory 5. You must meditate of the mercies of God of National mercies Family mercies Personal mercies mercies to thy soul mercies to thy body preventing mercies following mercies what a Catalogue would here be if you would keep a daily account of the mercies of God! The sixth thing is to lay down Rules and Directions for the better practising of this most excellent and necessary duty of Divine Meditation and indeed this is the chief of all there is no Christian but he will confess it is a very difficult duty to dwell upon the thoughts of Heaven and Heavenly things Divine Meditation is an up-hill duty and the reason why it is so difficult is because it
sick like to lose thy husband or thy own own life then pick out seasonable meditations seasonable subjects go and meditate of death meditate how Christ hath taken away the sting of death Meditate how death is a gate to let us into everlasting life how death is an out-let to all misery and an inlet to all happiness that death is the best friend that thou hast next to Jesus Christ. 5. Suppose thou art to receive the Sacrament what must thou do a little before thou receivest it I would have you every Month before you come to the Sacrament spend one hour or two in meditating of the Sacrament of the nature of it the necessity of coming meditate whether thou be'st a worthy receiver and what thou must do that thou maist be a worthy receiver meditate of thy sins thy graces thy spiritual wants Let me commend this to you every Sacrament and never forget it meditate to find out thy sins to be humbled for them meditate to know whether thou hast any grace in truth and to get it increased and meditate of thy spiritual wants what they are to get them supplied What a rare deal of matter is here contained in these three particulars to find out thy sins by the glass of the Law by taking the Law of God and examining thy life and the Law together that would cost thee many an hour and then to get thy heart humbled for these sins and to confess them and to have grace to forsake them And then to examine thy Graces whether thou hast truth of grace whether thy grace be meerly counterfeit and a shadow of grace and if thou hast truth of grace how to get it increased by the Sacrament and then to meditate what thou wantest and what thou wouldest have from Christ and to get that supplied The third thing is to set down Rules and Directions for the right ordering of our meditation upon these subjects And here I will lay you down Rules to direct you how to meditate rules to help you how to begin and then how to go on and proceed to hold out an hour in meditation for the better progress in it and then rules how you shall finish and conclude this excellent duty of Meditation 1. Rules to teach you how to begin and enter upon this excellent work of Meditation and here I will lay down six rules for your first entrance 1. Be sure that you pick out a fit place to meditate in you know Isaac went out into the field to meditate and I have shewed you that this example doth not oblige us always to go into the field but it obligeth us to retire to some secret place whether it be thy Closer or the fields 2. When thou enterest upon this work be sure to get a fit time pick out a seasonable time Isaac picks out the evening and thou maist pick out the morning if thou pleasest thou art not obliged punctually to this example or thou maist pick out the afternoon but thou must be sure to pick out that time that is the fittest time you that are great persons have time enough you to whom the Lord hath given wealth I shewed the poor man how he should husband his time We have all time enough on the Lords-day to busie our selves with the work of Meditation it is a Sabbath-days work as you have heard 3. You must be sure of a fit subject you must not have your subject to seek when you begin to meditate meditate of a soul-awakening a soul-refreshing subject 4. When you have your place and your time and your subject these three are proper to the beginning of this work then I would advise you to set your selves as in Gods presence though no eye sees you yet consider the great God sees you and especially when you are meditating of Divine things for you must know that meditation of Divine things is a conversing with God When you meditate of Heaven you converse with Heaven and the glory of Heaven it is the souls transmigration to Heaven it is the souls transfiguration and therefore I would have you set your selves as in Gods presence and this will overawe you and make you serious the consideration of the presence of God will prepare you for every holy duty so consequently for this holy duty it is a rare preservative against all sin as Ioseph said to his Mistris How can I do this evil and sin against my God though no body saw him yet he knew God saw him Gen. 39. 10. And it is a rare encouragement to all godliness Psal. 119. 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies why so for all my ways be before thee Therefore whensoever you go into your Orchards or Gardens or your Closets to set apart an hour in Divine Meditation I would have you do as David did Psal. 16. 8. I have set the Lord always before me 5. I would have you always begin with prayer now I do not mean to begin with a solemn set long prayer but I would have you begin with a short ejaculation I would have you pray unto God to enlighten your understandings to quicken your devotion to warm your affections and so to bless that hour unto you that by the meditation of holy things you may be made more holy you may have your lusts more mortified and your graces more increased you may be the more mortified to the world and the vanity of it and lifted up to Heaven and the things of Heaven And therefore in the Hebrew the same word that signifies to meditate signifies to pray and as it is said in my Text Isaac went out to meditate you shall find it in the Margent Isaac went out to pray Meditation must always be joined with Prayer Isaac went out to pray and meditate to meditate and pray saith Bernard Meditation without prayer is barren and unfruitful Therefore I I would have you begin with a short prayer 6. I would have you keep your hearts with all keeping Prov. 4. 23. have a care in the entrance of thy heart pray unto God to keep out inward company You know I told you of a twofold company of an outward company and inward company pray unto God not only to keep out outward company but inward company that is to keep out vain and worldly and distracting thoughts A man may easily drive out outward company he may easily be alone but it it a hard matter to drive away inward company thy vain worldly and distracting thoughts I would have you say to the world when you go up to meditate of Heaven or of Grace or of God as Christ said to his Disciples Mat. 26. 36. Sit you here while I go yonder and pray So I would have you say to the world and all worldly thoughts Tarry you here while I go into my Closet to meditate of the things of God and Heaven to meet with God in Heavenly things And I would have you say as Abraham