Selected quad for the lemma: law_n
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A65794
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A method and instructions for the art of divine meditation with instances of the several kindes of solemne meditation / by Thomas White.
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White, Thomas, Minister of Gods Word in London.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing W1835; ESTC R25814
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99,155
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336
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soul loved Yet to have an opportunity to hear one of the 〈◊〉 Saint in the World in their sâ—â—ret addresses unto God is not less desireable then the former when Saints pray with others they refrain from several expressions for fear of scandal either of pride or hypocrisie There is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that liberty of speech in secret which is not lawful if possible to be uttered except by a Soul in secret when no one heareth but God alone To hear a poor soul in desertion bemoaning it self like Ephraim to hear it fetch such sighs and groans for one glympse of Gods smiling countenance such sighs and groanes I say as never any one yet heard the sorrowfullest in the world fetch for the loss of a dying or new dead friend or child or Husband nay such groanes as never any in the agonies of death or in the midst of the greatest torments ever fetched O how you would be affected to hear such sighs and such groanes as some of the people of God fetch and such sighs they have Rom. 8. 26. they might and were actually expressed if indulgent Parents had them when they dyed or men in torment had any equal to them But the Holy Ghost saith that he helpeth the infirmities of his people with sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed To hear a man sigh as if his heart would break because he could not enjoy the ordinances of God Oh how would it make one say alass alass I was never thus affected because I could not enjoy the Ordinances of God 1. Oh how would it have affâ—cted you could you have heard David in his secret addresses unto God See how affectionately he speaketh in the 119. Psalm and the 20th verse My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy Judgment at all times This was no strain of Rhetorick David would not lye to the holy Ghost and tel God his heart was ready to break if it was not for he well knew God knew his heart nay for this to be constant when ever he thought of such things then for his very soul to break gives a sufficient testimony to the truth of what I have asserted Doubtless hypocrites cannot in their actings of love or joy come up to the real affections of some of Gods people I say therefore to hear the expressions of Gods people in their secret addresses unto God their love-sick pangs in their extasies of joy were worth our hearing for they would wonderfully affect This very thing is done in the book of Psalms where we have David writing his secret devotions for abundance of the Psalms are Davids secret addresses unto God upon severall occasions as by the titles of several of his Psalms doth appear CHAP. 2. A short explanation of the words together with some short Observations upon the same BEcause the first Verse is part of the description of the blessed man and an Introductory also to the following words I shall speak something to them The words of the first verse are far more emphatical then they are rendred in our English Translarion For indeed our English Dialect will not bear to be translated exactly according to the Hebrew but as near as it can be take it thus O blessed is the man or he man i. e. whoever he be rich or poor noble or ignoble that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornfu But his will is in the Law of the Lord or of Jehovah and in his Law he doth meditate in the day and by the night Give me leave to gather up the Pearles that lye in the way to the Text. Let me a little consider the greatness and excellency of the righteous mans blessedness He is blessed 2. He is blessedness made up o' blessedness blessed in his body blessed in his soul blessed in health blessed in sickness blessed in every state and condition 3. He is blessedness blessed in the highest degree For the plural number is sometimes put for the Superlative or else blessedness signifieth all manner of blessednesses temporal spiritual and eternal if riches be a blessing he shall have them if poverty be a blessing he shall have that for sometimes poverty is a blessing sometimes riches whatsoever is a blessing he shall have 4. A Saint is not only blessed blessed even to admiration It is brought in here with an interjection or note of admiration O! blessedness is the man 5. Saints admire the Saints blessedness and it is no small matter will make the Saints admire The glory and happiness of the world they despise which the men of the world admire at and they despise the happiness of the Saints 6. See the goodness of God he gives the Saints happiness beyond their understanding f God should send the Saints a book as large as Heaven and bid us write down what we would have we should be losers by the bargain for the happiness and blessedness of Saints putteth the Saints to a stand and makes them silent for admiration is Silentium intellectus When the understanding perceiveth that there is more in the object then it is able to comprehend it leaves off making notions of the subject it then falleth to admiring of it The Platonists say of God that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 visibile invisible by reason of his excellency and abundance of light God may be praised well by many words but better by few and best of all by none but by silence admiration and extasies of love and indefatigable desire after everlasting enjoyments of him So I say of the blessedness of Saints surely as Adam in his best estate was altogether vanity Psal. 39. So the Saint the man whosoever he be is in his lowest condition altogether blessed I shall pass by the gradation of the words as walk stand sit counsel way seat wicked sinner scornful though one may observe by the way one groweth wicked by degrees but I forbear yet this I shall observe from the coherence of these words with the former viz. That negative divinity damneth thousands is is Luthers expression though we must first cease to do evil before we can do good yet it is not enough so cease to do evil but we must also do good for as sins of commission poyson the soul so sins of omission starve the soul. From that his will is in the law of Jehovah we may observe that we should have no will of our own the Law of God should be our will if you would know the will of a Saint you may find it in Gods Law Saints will is the transcript of the Law written by the finger of God Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts saith God and write in their hearts if any would know what a Saint will do in such or such a case you need not go to ask him but see what God commandeth he willeth nothing but what
A METHOD AND INSTRUCTIONS for the Art of Divine Meditation WITH Instances of the several Kindes of Solemne MEDITATION By Thomas White late Minister of Gods Word in London The second Edition London Printed for Tho. Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop at the Bible and three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers Chappel 1672. ERRATA PAge 1. Line the last Read made p. 4 l. 25. r. might be p. 8. l. 14. and 17. r. blessednesses l. 26. r. but blessed p. 9. l. 15. r. them l. 16. r. they p 17. l. 5. r. one 's p. 23. l. 11. r. Obj. p. 26. l. 4. r. of Christ. p. 31 l. 3. r. straining p. 33. l. 11. r. to be l. 15. r. body of p. 38 l. 20. r. he p 52 l. 6. r. to our l. 12. r. receipt p. 54. l. 20. r. this p. 57. l. 10 r. such a street p 69. l. 12. r. inability p. 73. l 10 r. too p. 74. l. 4. blot out every day l. 13. blot out of p. 77. l. 15 r. as I have l. 17 r. in p. 78. l. 16. r. affections p. 80 l. 21. r. matter p. 85. l. 2. blot out not p. 89. l 4 r. subject p. 91. l 7. r out of doubt p98 l. 3. blot out grace p. 100. l. 23. r. by my p. 102. l. 1. r. strange p. 106. l. 14. blot out hath p 110. l. 6. r. heart p. 112. l 13 r heart p 113 l 22 r. is it p. 114. l 11 r. Is I p 123 l 23 r God p 137 l 19 r she p 147 l 12 blot out not p 148 l 24 r It is not p 192 blot out no. p 228 l 18 blot out me p 232 l 19 r. here p 271 l 17 r tell p 274 l. 20 r thou who p. 275 for to r we should p 282 l 7 r world p 292 l 19 r soul p 299 l 15 r world p 4 of the conclusion l 7 r though p 5 l 18 r for this THE PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader OVR Active Souls can no more forbear to think then the Eye can chuse but see when it is Open and we being accountable to God for thoughts he being the searcher and judge of them it would be our wisdom and security to improve all means for the Spirituallizing of them 'T is charged upon no less penalty then damnation for Jerusalem to purge her self from vain thoughts The Meditating Mind is the beginner of all Goodness On the Sinners part it is the Rise of his Returning unto God Ezek. 18. 28. In Saints and Persons Converted it is the way to a Progressive Conversion and Renewing Repentance Psal. 119. 59. I considered my wayes and turned the more consideration the more conversion Mens bold and eager pursuite in Sin is greatly from want of consideration Jer. 8. 6. Even in a Nation when God intends to work Great Returnings he stirs up great bethinkings 1 King 8. 47. If they shall bethink themselves He minds them of considering to bring them to returning In Nature Rational the first Mover is the Mind by consideration In Grace the first mover is the Mind by Meditation Luke 15. 17. And when the Soul is returned to God Oh how sweet are the Meditations of him The sweetness thereof is better felt then exprest thereby the Christian doth improve his knowledge quicken his affections and excite practice He that hath the Grace and skill to be alwayes communing with God or his own Heart will never want Work or Company never need he complain of Solitariness or tedious Hours for there is no time wherein there is not some great business to be done between God and him Apious heart by meditation is least alone when most alone his God with him and he with God are good company He is doing the most and best business when he is imployed with his God about his own and other mens Soules It was the great Design of the Reverend and holy Author Mr. Tho. White at first in publishing this small Treatise to help Christians forward in this so advantagious and heavenly Duty A few Pages of Manuscript are inserted which he left behind him for that purpose if it came to be re-printed All that knew the Author honoured and loved him He was a Burning and Shining Light he was too Bright a Star to shine longer in the Terrestrial World God made use of him to turn many unto Righteousnesse and now he is gone to Shine in the Kingdome of his Father Reader If thou beest unskilful in the Duty of Meditation here thou mayest be directed If thou beest backward in Performance here thou may'st be quickned The Instances here given argue such a holy Heart in him that used them that it will be much thy own fault if they doe not make thy Heart who perusest them if it be bad good and if it be good better that it may doe so shall be the prayers of R. A. A METHOD OR INSTRUCTIONS for the Art of Divine Meditation Psal. 1 2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law he doth meditate day and night CHAP. I. An Introduction to the following Discourse A Book wherein the Lives of the most Eminent Saints were written would be the delight of Saints to read Yet to read of the wonderful discoveries God hath mad of himself to dying Saints to hear the wonderful things that such Souls filled with extasies of Love and Joy do speak is sweet as the honey and the honey combe it seemes to realize Heaven unto us To hear a dying Saint just as entring into Heaven saying blessed be God I am arrived safe to glory The gates of Heaven stand wide open for me and Christ stands with stretched out Arms to receive me blessed be God for free Grace blessed be God for Jesus Christ. To hear another ás he was on his sick bed expounding Rom. 8. he stopped and said what light is this I see They about him said it is the Sunshine nay said he it is my Saviours shine I doubt not but you all see this Light but I feel a light within me which no one of you all can know and turning himself to the Minister that Preached his Funeral Sermon he said this night I dye and speak this from me I speak it confidently that God dealeth familiarly with man I feel his Mercy I see his Majesty Whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knâ—weth I see things that are unutterable and with many â—â—â—h like speeches he ended his life So it is no less delightful to heâ— the ravishing speeches of Martyrs crying out with clapping of hands saying O you Papists you talk of Miracles here is a Miracle I feel no more pain in the midst of these tormâ—nts then if I was upon a bed of Roses Another though in desertion to that very time yet when come to the Stake he cryed out O he is come he is come whom my