this Building the better to bear it up These should be as so many great Arteries branching forth from the Heart to convey vital spirits into the body of this heavenly Duty of Meditation and keep it alive and warm and improvingly active CHAP. VI. Of the proper Objects of Divine Meditation FRom things of a remoter relation to the subject in hand I pass to such as are the nearer the more intrinsical and peculiar And here comes first to be handled the Matter or the Object of this Meditation When the wise King Solomon was to build the Temple first he is providing the rich and precious Materials then he proceeds to the framing and fitting of them and then to erecting and finishing that glorious Structure That which next is to be done is first to look out the Materials of our work and then the framing and finishing up is to follow The Materials or objective parts are far more rich and precious than those of Solomon's Temple They are as our Description of Meditation holds them forth either 1. Such as are more properly and purely spiritual and heavenly in their own Nature 2. Or things considered in a Spiritual way and to a Spiritual end and use It is not the Consideration of things as to their Entity or Being that is Metaphysical Metaphysicks treat of Entities of the meer Beings of things Of the first Being namely God and of secondary Beings derived from God the first Being It is not the Consideration of things as Rational the Rational respects things have one to another this is Logical Logick that considers respects of things as Causes Effects Subjects Adjuncts and the like It is not the Consideration of things in their particular Natures and Natural properties This Natural Philosophy Contemplates It is not the Consideration of things Civil Moral or Political these Moralists and States-men are exercised about Neither is it the consideration of particular Crafts and Trades this is Mechanical and but a work prudential and Humane not Divine But this Meditation hath Objects of a far higher Sphere and Rank things of a Divine and Theological Consideration Nay nor yet is it the meer Study of things Theological and Divine A man may be a Student in Divinity beat and busie his Brains about the high points and Mysteries in it may read and muse on Matters Divine and yet not be a Meditator such as we speak of not act Divine Meditation A man may act upon things as Notions and as matters of Knowledge or to make up an Universal knowing person he may act Contemplation for Curiosity for such an use as the Heathen man Aristotle made of reading Moses his first Chapter of Genesis whereof he passed his undue and heathenish censure that Moses affirms all but proves nothing he read first and then pondered and then censured But he acted not Meditation not that we speak of It was not a consideration of spiritual things as spiritual and for spiritual ends but only as wise man acts his thoughts upon things as New for New notions and improving Knowledge Many thus consider things Scriptural and Divine study them as we call it study Books of Divinity study things in the Scripture but they act not the Duty of Meditation They act upon things as Matters Intellectual and Rational not as Heavenly and Spiritual Act for Notion and Speculation and not for Holiness Act Curiosity not Christianity The right Meditater far transcends any meer Student he acts a more Noble part hath a more Noble and sublime manner of Operation Aristotles studying Moses Writings and David's Meditating in the Law of God how far do they differ So a Heathen's or a Mahometan's or a Jew 's or any such persons studying matters in the Bible differs greatly from Meditating in it Nay many Protestants are great Students in Divinity that never Meditated they dwell upon the study of it but touch not with the least of their fingers the hard work of holy Meditation But to return to our matter in hand and to speak to this subject of Meditation Formerly it was said that Spiritual things or things in a Spiritual and Heavenly manner considered are the proper and adequate Object of this Meditation And bere O how large and fair a prospect hath the Spiritual Eye to Expatiate and Recreate it self in The Infinitely Glorious and All-sufficient God the Father Son and Holy Spirit as the Scripture reveals The vast world the frame of Heaven above and Earth below with all the so innumerable things contained in them Their sundry Natures Properties and Vses with the so beauteous and various Excellencies of them The mighty Sustentations and Preservations of all things Created as to their Beings their Faculties and their Acts. The most wise righteous and holy Governing of them with a most steady and never erring hand unto their particular ends and with a most certain winding them all up ultimately in the Supream scope of the great Creator and Governour Then that peculiar Government of the rational Creatures Angels and Men The unspeakably sad full of some Angels and all Mankind The Recovery of some men and their Eternal Salvation by Christ the Redeemer God in our Nature Here here is matter of Meditation The great mystery of Godliness as 1 Tim. 3.16 And particularly the four last things as they are called namely Death Judgment Heaven and Hell Besides there is for Meditation the whole Book of boly Scriptures now compleat in the New Testament-times with the Ordinances of Christ and the Covenant of Grace And lastly the Meditation of that so great concern our own particular Estates how matters stand with us and are like to be with us to all Eternity which Eternity challenges and imposes on every person the greatest both intensions and frequencies of thoughts But though this be so great yet again what is there in all the vast circumference of the whole world I say what is there although never so small but by a wise and holy heart may be an Object improvable to an excellent use and end As the Art of Chymistry can extract rare and efficacious Remedies out of Dungs Putrefactions and Poysons That Soul must be a pitiful vain and barren piece that wants matter and mind to move and act fruitfully in so large a sphere and compass as Meditation hath It affords the whole latitude of all things properly spiritual And it comprises likewise all other things which in some respect or other wisdom can improve by this rare Art No Artist in any way of Operation with all his rare Instruments and efficacious Engines can operate more eminently than an Artist in this holy kind may do Of this the Scriptures give plentiful proof in the many Precedents left us in it for imitation So we see it in holy David in many of his Psalms besides them of the Word of God his greatest Subject of Meditation in those made of God's great works yea the works of his common Providence and Guidance as the
out of thy deep security so long and so dangerously rested in Eph. 5. Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead c. For this thou must gather all awakening considerations the Scrpitures furnish thee with concerning the inconceivable misery every sinner is in But consider things spoken in general in Scripture and not brought and set home on thy self in particular will not work to an awakening Neither will thy saying and acknowledging thy sinfulness and misery in general serve Generals humble not Generals hit not home A single Arrow or Bullet will not serve against a whole flock of fowls but scattering shot must be used Take therefore all the warmest considerations thou canst and heap them as coals of fire on thy own head bring them home to thy own heart to melt down thy frozen frame of sinful security Do all thou canst by the light of the Scripture and beg beg most earnestly the light of the Holy Spirit to convince thee of thy extreme misery It is he Joh. 16.9 That convinces of sin and misery Endeavour to thy utmost to rightly found this work by most industrious striving to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin Rom. 7. the abounding evil in it Rom. 5. And do this by fullest possible pondering the great transcending evil of the lesser sins or such as are comparatively small and we count not great see it in examples as Vzzas dying by an immediate stroke for but touching once the Ark 1 Chro. 13.10 The Bethshemites for an only looking but into the Ark fifty thousand and seventy persons were slain by an hand from Heaven 1 Sam. 6.19 Adam and all his posterity with him were undone by his eating of a fruit because forbidden which in the nature was no immortal thing as idolatry murder c. but sinful by a peculiar precept of tryal broken Yea if Adam when he was the representative of all had sinned the least imaginable sin in one commission sin'd in one sinful one vain thought it had been his own and all his succeeding posterities ruine nay in the least omission Though there be many sorts of sins with sundry measures and aggravations yet there 's none so small but is crimen laesae majestatis infinitae is high Treason against an infinite Majesty This is a grand intent of God in the whole Bible and in also his punitive Providences to demonstrate Gods heart in his dislike and loathing all sin that it might blot out our mistakes and reduce us stamp our judgments and hearts with a suitable impression a sense of all sin or whatsoever is but near to it Therefore among others that 's very remarkable Num. 6.9 10 11. The Nazarite not only by purposely touching a dead body or coming to it was unclean But if any dyed suddenly by him he was to bring his sin-offering and burnt-offering to make atonement which was to manifest by the Type the purity God requires and his distaste of any the least likeness or nearness to any defilement of sin Dwell and dive deep as ever thou canst into the abounding sinfulness of every the least sin Thence reason and ponder with thy self what is thy unspeakable misery that art guilty of a whole life-time sins such an innumerable company of sins in thoughts affectings purposings speakings doings in acts ways habits and all thy heart evil that hath ever dwelt in thee And if thou wilt overlook them and not consider them thou shalt be judged one day for them all To methodize this grand Inquiry and Soul-search and to have the kindly issue in a due awakening strive to avoid all confusion of thoughts and to do it distinctly and in the best affecting manner thou canst Rules of Art are not here necessary to be used but the way of thy best skill by Gods assisting thou canst take to set an edge and give more efficacy to this undertaking thou mayst single out first that sin or lust which dares and pinches thy spirit most touch first where thou art tenderest and sorest on that which items thee most flashes fullest like Lightning in thy face makes thy heart oftenest ake It 's the counsel of some great Divines to pitch upon some gross sin first seek ease first where thou art disquieted most or that is likely to give the first blow The Scriptures set sinners to consider their doings especially their ways which are continued doings These should more humble than meer particular acts but both acts and ways should be viewed as they can be recalled and brought to mind and then put all into the scale to make down weight and contribute to fuller awaking But above all sinning any or divers sins into ways and then walking these ways into wonts those worst defilings and soul-enslavings of cursed habits such as habits of sensualness and intemperance habitual covetousness and worldliness habitual pride and presumption self-exalting self-seeking habitual vanity of thinkings and such like These great chains thou art bound with and enslaved by Tit. 3.3 Serving divers lusts Lusts served are sins formed into habits These old rooted soul-diseases these heart-gangrenes should well be eyed and much awaken thee O it 's sad to find thy self going to Hell in a custom and by a habit binding thee and haling thee thither To all as highest aggravations add the consideration of that sin of thy Nature that emptiness and deprivation of all spiritual life power image of God and his glory conjunction and communion with God and all happiness with cursed inclinedness to all the sin in kinds and aggravations that the whole World Hell and all ever acted or can act for ever And that blackest piece of Hell dropt into thy heart the worst very worst thing in Satans heart that enmity and borrid repugnancy crossness and contrariety to all the extensiveness and dimensions of whatsoever is good is holy and righteous yea that highest monstrosity and transcendency of impiety enmity to that God that gave at first and ever keeps up thy being and which is the height of that height the utmost venom Hell could hatch and heart can breed that horrid enmity to the very Being of God himself Before Grace no guilty sinner but wishes God were not and if he could would dethrone and destroy God utterly And above all yet intimated take in the superabounding sins against the Gospel neglectings and refusings of the only remedy and relief of an undone soul which is the greatest possible soul-wronging Prov. 8.36 wisdom affirms it Sinning against me saith Wisdom he wrongs his own soul All sin wrongs but the meaning is more he wrongs with the greatest possible wrong the highest can be done to refuse Christs Salvation And which is yet far exceeding all self-wronging there sin so touches the very apple of God eye strikes so provokingly at his very heart and dashes down his most darling design the utmost and highest that he ever went or will go the highest exalting of the riches of infinite free Love and
relating to those things Meditation is to be upon gather the varieties of Scripture-passages about that particular subject you mean to meditate on The Scripture in the diversities of passages about particular subjects is like a rich banquet where are set before thee great varieties of rarities There are all manner of subjects All the credenda and facienda all things to be believed and practised in order to salvation There are great varieties of heavenly Truths for knowledge and wisdom and right believing Great varieties of Precepts Rules and Directions for due practice Many Promises and many Threatnings to back the Precepts sundry Patterns and Precedents to assist them and make them and thereby the Precepts more effectual on us Oft in Scripture the same things are expressed in a various manner in a different a new mode and fashion in new trimmings as it were and new dressings to both edifie and also please us Variety in expression carries oft variety of Notion holds forth something more to be learnt and affords something that may gratifie our spirits as to pleasure and delight So the lame thing hath it may be varieties of Arguments and Reasons for conviction and demonstration Inducements to perswade and lead Arguments and Inducements with the highest Art of Reasoning with the best improvement of Rhetorick and Perswasion Thus if thou meanest to meditate upon God or Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit upon Faith or Love or any Grace upon any duty any sin any affliction Thy way is to see what the Scripture hath and holds forth in the several passages of it as concerning Faith of the Nature of it of the effects and properties of it priviledges coming by it reasons to perswade to believe to live by Faith in all conditions how great variety of expressions have you for all things relating to Faith so of other particular subjects By this variety taking up one expression after another at such times as you can best how may thy Meditation be carried on with great delight and to great advantage This is one excellent way to order and improve thy Meditation take varieties of Scripture-passages about any particular subject thou wilt meditate on 1. For Scripture expression hath a bottom and foundation of sure and infallible truth which comes from God that cannot lye your Meditation goes on sure ground 2. Scripture-expressions are suited for us by the so infinite wisdom of a God who knows how best to declare his own mind and how best to convey and teach it to our capacity and condition None can speak so to me as God in the Scripture doth 3. Yea Scripture-expressions are sanctified by God to enable us to sanctifie him in this and all other duties This therefore is our best way to feed on these rarities this rich banquet of so great varieties when we are to meditate Hereby we may ever have matter abundantly to meditate never be to seek and for the manner perform it with great delight and pleasure which will otherwise be a weariness This certainly was the way of the highest Artists in Meditation David and other holy persons upon Record in Scripture They could not but see the same things to be repeated yet oft in a various way of expression therefore must conclude that the holy Inditer had his wise intendment in so various expressions Therefore their godly wisdom must teach them when they meditated to go in that way the Spirits condescending intent led them So let it be thy Rule for thy help for to make thy Meditation pleasurable and profitable together I will mention some Instances The Grace of Faith is thus variously exprest By trusting in God Prov. 3.5 Trust in the Lord with all thy heart Isa 26.4 Trust in the Lord Jehovah and in other places Psal 37.5 By rowling our way on God By taking hold of Gods strength Isa 27.5 and divers others In reference to Christ by seeing the Son Joh. 6.40 Coming to Christ Matth. 11.28 And believing on and in Christ often Love of God Deut. 30.6 Love thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Deut. 6.5 Love thy God with all thy heart and soul and a third is added With all thy might Mark 12.10 Christ adds to the three former With all thy mind Certainly these varyings had their intent were that when we meditate of these or other graces we should furnish our Meditation and improve by them Thus things cited in Deuteronomy are variously exprest from those very passages and particulars in the former Books So the Chronicles express differently things in the Kings and the Four Evangelists vary the expressions of the same things both the matters historical and doctrinal and all the Scripture over this is practised Variety of expression calls for observation and holds forth oft some peculiar Notion and Instruction Let this therefore be thy Rule in Meditation 2. Be sure frequently and earnestly to meditate both of thy supreme and chief end and of the proper and proportionate means thereto conducing But do daily something more to purpose in that great Meditation of the supreme end as wisdom teaches and being that in its nature which deserves the highest and first things that also which gives Rules to all thy other actings and endeavours that glorifying exalting God above all Do very much in collecting together spreading before thee well considering acting the most vigorous and intense Meditation of all such things which may reduce thee to higher apprehensions warmer affections firmer resolutions and more earnest and even contendings for glorifying him that is God and there is none beside him for him that only gave thee thy all body soul life and only preserves thy all That gave his only Son to death to save thy souls life His Spirit to draw thee to Christ or thou hadst never come To dwell and work in thee and do all for thee as to applying Christ and all fellowship in Christ and with him and hath so infinitely obliged thee Therefore how sinful how unworthy to not honour and glorifie him how unkindly he takes it and how it grieves him Let Meditation gather up and indusstriously strive to improve all it possibly can Ah! how that holy Apostle was looking and striving this way how near was this glorifying God to his heart how much in his eye and endeavour how oft is he speaking of it How earnestly doth he provoke all he had to do with to it 1 Cor. 10.31 Whatsoever ye do if eat or drink do all to the glory of God acting all to it must imply an always minding of it 3. Lay sound stress likewise in Meditation as to that thy next chief end self-saving to have more serious thoughts and industrious pressings on hard to work it out and make thy calling and election sure To work it out against all difficulties and oppositions look more earnestly up to Heaven and into Heaven And it is good when thou thinkest of Heaven be then so bold with thy self
Christian is a person of great excellency it is very highly extolled in the Scripture This David though not presently yet attained in time as Psal 119.99 100. I have more understanding then all my teachers I have more wisdom then the ancients 3. To have the richest treasury of heavenly truths the fullest stores of precious experiences Meditation is the greater gatherer of them and the improver of them on all occasions It becometh not a Christian of long standing to be poor and unfurnished of holy experiences The Psalmist we may see drawing forth his experiences and telling them to others Psal 3.4 5. I cryed and he heard Psal 18. almost all the Psalm he puts all the pearls of deliverances experiences that way on one silken thread of this one Psalm together So Asaph Psal 77.6 I call to remembrance my song in the night what joy he formerly felt though now he wanted it Thus oft the Saints in Scripture The Apostle 2 Cor. 1.10 Who hath delivered and doth he had his experiences ready 4. More peculiarly your great exercise which others cannot so well reach is to be much implied in the deepest Mysteries the highest points of Faith and the hardest matters of practice I mean not so much such sorts of difficulties in Divinity those which great skill in the Tongues and Arts will require and that must have long time much study which the necessary occasions of very many cannot admit and are not necessary for every man to understand But such higher matters of godliness as may more Jude 20. edifie you in your holy faith increase your obedience to a more fruitful and exact walking Eph. 5.15 See ye walk circumspectly accurately or exactly the word is thus the higher contemplations of the Nature of God his Attributes and Titles the Works of God Creation and Providence his wise righteous and holy Administrations and Government 1. Government in the whole world and all things in particular in it to the least circumstance the falling of a hair from the head 2. Government and that so rare and admirable towards the rational creatures but most observable astonishing towards his Church and his dear Saints This as some of our Divines say of Gods Government of the world and matters in it is to be one of the great Meditations of Christians that are by the Apostle called Fathers who having obtained formerly much acquaintance with other truths of more necessary use for their then rank and standing now are to busie themselves in these high Mysteries for furthering Faith and Godliness The Mysteries in the two Books of Scripture and Nature are the two Tropicks or Lines between which thy Meditation should move and bound run its course and keep within this compass which is useful and safe In sum let thy Meditation be improved all thou canst for the setting up of the main mark for the fullest aiming at it the hardest pressing toward it with all contendings for an excellency of wisdom eminency of holiness exemplariness of conversation and exact walking together with all industriousness after that peace which passes all understanding joy unspeakable and full of glory the establishings and heightning of them with longings and hastnings after that appearing of the Lord and crying Come Lord Jesus come quickly Conclusion Now this so highly important duty of holy Meditation having been as to the nature kinds necessity and excellency so fully discovered and demonstrated the great sinfulness of neglecting it evinced the dangers following the neglect manifested the practice with such high inducements and powerful Scripture-arguments urged home and the way respecting all sorts of persons in so many Rules and Directions cleared Application general Then all who know these things are utterly inexcusable that know these so greatly necessary things and will not comply with the careful practice of them Ah! therefore let every one most earnestly beg it of God to write this his Law of holy Meditation in his heart to give the right wisdom to understand the way of it the firm purpose and resolution constantly to perform it yea the practice of it with sweetest solace and highest delight Let me say to my soul Necessity is laid upon me It is an Imperial Law of the great King of Heaven if I do it not great guilt will be contracted great wrath of a God will be kindled my soul will deeply be wronged If I have not act not good thoughts my heart will act evil thoughts will fill with evil thoughts will fix and habit it self in them be quite over-run with them I shall have a spirit stained deeply dyed into habitual vanity of mind yea I may be given up to judicial penal vanity of thoughts It may be to terrifying and most affrighting thoughts That I which would not be brought to think of the threatnings of a just God and his terrible Curses That would not meditate of that greatest of evils sin of my heart and life-sins shall have all my sins set in order before me held and kept staring me continually in the face That I who would not meditate of the most blessed God his Christs fulness his Spirits sweetness his Heaven and everlasting Happiness shall now have represented to my thoughts and be made to see Satan Hell and eternal Death continually before me Yea to be under such amazements and terrours to be so haunted and followed that at last it may be insupportable and quite overwhelm me O therefore let me not so sin against my own soul and for ever undo my self by wilful or heedless neglecting this duty which lies so indispensibly upon me and may be so advantageous to me O how many are continually guilty of self-destroying for want of a timely self-bethinking By a slighter thinking for want of serious thinking By a too short thinking for want of the necessary allowance of time and space for thinking By a too seldom thinking and not using due frequency of thinking By acting meer phansie and imagination and not wise consideration Adams first state was good yet mutable but it was not a sin or imperfection to be mutable And though this mutability of his will was a ground of his fall yet it was his incogitancy was the first blamable cause he fell by acting sudden too hasty imagination and not due consideration he considered not all things to be considered Thus ever since the falls of sinners are generally more by incogitancy haste and hurries of fancy and imagination want of consideration though there be sins also of deliberation not precipitations but presumptions When God reduces a sinner he brings him from swaying phansie and carelesness to considerateness Ezek. 18.28 Because he considers and turns he breaks the reeden Scepter of phansie and inconsideration and brings in and sets up the golden Scepter of wise consideration So Acts 2. Men and brethren what shall we do Acts 16.30 Sirs what must I do to be saved But O what pity is it that any soul should perish for want of
take away the heart what is there spoken of a more total taking away the heart in evil men is true of a gradual taking away the heart the heat and liveliness in godly men 2. Meditation on due Enquiry finds heart-coolings to arise from Christians smothering their heat with heaping up businesses and troubles upon themselves launching too far into the Seas of worldly Affairs and over-carings The thorny ground had the word choaked by cares and affairs of this life what cares and business doth to the Word it doth to the hearts warmth can thou entangle thy self in the matters of the World and thou wilt cool apace The farther a man Travels from the Sun Northward the cooler he is Turn your face from Heaven to the World go far and you come to not only cool but freeze Or as she in the Roman story that out of a design to enrich her self contracted with the Enemy to betray the Castle for that which the Souldiers had on their left arm meaning their Golden Bracelets but the Souldiers instead of their Bracelets threw their Shields on her whereby she instead of being enriched was smothered To engage in a throng is the way to be smothered The world will smother thee if thou engagest too far it will still cool thy heart-heat make thee of a warm and lively a cool dead-hearted Christian There is a Fish call'd the Torpedo if you touch it with your bare leg or hand it presently nums that Limb that toucht it Touch with thy heart upon the world it will leave it num there 's no such way to keep in thy heat as to keep out the world avoid the danger of a Crowd of businesses and cares 3. Meditation upon searching discovers the decay of heat is from decay in heart-warming Ordinances where the Sun of Righteousness shines warm upon thee whereby the Soul-heat is both preserved and encreast Abatings of heavenly heat arise from drawing away the fuel of heavenly duties or thy own remissness and negligence in them If a man shall cast away his Cloaths leave his food and decline the means of preserving heat and life he must needs grow cold if he be not quickly kill'd If a man reads not meditates not prays not hears not or is negligent and formal herein he must needs like a dying man grow cold It much depends upon the lively performance of holy duties that you keep Heart-warm or that you decay in your fervour by carelesness in the means Meditation will mind you of this and put you upon mending it in time The Angel of the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2. forsook or left his first Love his Heart-heat and Christ intimates he had left off his first works 2. Meditation is instrumental to spiritual vivacity and warmth applicando promovens by helping to apply the things that recover and promote heat and liveliness I will name but two things in this 1. Meditation mightily helps here by being a great instrument of searching out applying and working home the Scriptures Heart-warming considerations such as the quickning Spirit the inditer of the Scriptures that knows what things are most proper and proportionate for recovering or increasing heat what he hath left upon record to use in this case As consideration is the first mover in the soul so warm considerations are the first warmers O what a latitude and fullness hath Meditation to fetch heart-warming considerations from If the Eye looks up to the Heavens what abundance of Heavenly bodies for conveyance of light and heat it soon discovers But if the eye of Meditation looks into the Scriptures what a prospect of various rare and glorious passages is there to be found of Considerations Like abundance of richest Spirits highest Cordials and preparations of all sorts in Artists Shops and Closets O what heart-warming considerations can Meditation fetch and apply from the infinitely blessed God his infinite Excellencies Eternal Love sweetness unspeakable of the sense of his Favour and the like Ah what heart-warming considerations from Jesus Christ to behold him and view him all over in all he is in his unexpressible Glories In all he hath done whereby he hath out done all that ever was or shall be done What warming considerations in respect of the Holy Spirit the grand and mighty applyer of Redemption by his habitation and operation What in respect of the Word the Precepts Promises Threatnings and Examples in it of sundry sorts all for our help and comfort What of the Covenant of Grace so sure and sweet What in respect of our selves souls state and all the great concerns of it in salvation Meditation can never want heart-warming considerations can bring stores of Arguments of all sorts and blow upon them to make the heart kindle and flame although it was chill and dead and never so low brought Lastly this Engine of heavenly Meditation produces heart-warmth and vivacity by taking thee out of the shade and cool and leading into the Sun-shine of Heart-warming Ordinances wherein the Sun of Righteousness arises and shines warm and his quickning spirit breathes warm upon thee Rev. 2.5 As a cure of cooling and decaying Love Christ counsels the Angel of that Church of Ephesus first to repent and then to do his first works Negligence in holy Duties omission of them or remisness in them introduced a cooling of his Love therefore what was lost by not doing must be recovered by such a doing as the first was that his first works done again might be a rekindler of his first Love Disuse of Exercise abates the natural heat and vigour but returning to it will again recover it Meditation when it finds the failure and defect will provoke and engage to the just Remedy and Relief I have now dispatcht at length this second End of Meditation its being for quickning the Affections The next follows CHAP. XXIII The End of Meditation in reference to the will MEditation as it is to be a helper to warm the affections so for a means to strengthen and fix the holy purposes and resolutions of the will It is not a wavering and weak purpose or a feeble resolution will serve for a foundation for building so high as Heaven for carrying on so great and hard a work as soul-saving The Scripture mentions cleaving to the Lord with purpose of heart Acts 11.23 Holy David often in the Psalms tells us of his will his purpose of heart and his heart was fixed Psal 119. and Psal 108.1 Meditation is singularly instrumental here 1. Of fixing and deeper rooting of the grand general purpose of pleasing and glorifying God and working out our own salvation 2. It 's greatly instrumental for corroboration and for strengthening the lesser Roots of derivative purposes that spring from the grand purpose that are the particular Abettors and Helpers of the main and general forementioned purpose In every holy heart there is planted at first conversion that fundamental and noble purpose of pleasing and glorifying God in all
the glorious Angels and the place of happy reception entertainment and habitation of the spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12.23 But of this more particularly hereafter But among all I may more peculiarly muse and in musing greatly wonder at that one thing namely Man Ps 8. the making of him in so great excellency and all things in the World for his use and service all for a little speek of dust with a little spark in it of an immortal soul O what is man that a God should be so mindful of him and do so for him But O what must man then be that so little minds God! and what must that man be that does not that cannot or rather will not find mind Employment how to engage and act that rare endowment the thinking power in the rich and ample provisions purposely made for objects of mind entertainment All this being then my Eye-scope and having so great varieties of Eye-walks so large a latitude to exercise my thinkings so profitably to act this holy Duty of Meditation I am left wholly if I neglect it without all excuse If I still daily let my thoughts run and ravel out in vanities and impertinencies and can fix no where usefully for my spiritual good But in that multitudes of things may breed confusion prudence must direct to find out the best method and order that so I may meditate with more ease pleasure and advantage My best Wisdom therefore is to consider of the fittest way if not in it self yet at least for my particular ability and times 1. As either to meditate of some portion or passage of holy Scripture some Precept Promise Threatning Direction Encouragement or Example or some Grace Virtue Vice or Sin And for more delight and help meditate I may by setting one contrary against another as one Promise being singled or some of the Promises I may turn upon the Threatnings If I meditate upon a Reward and Blessing given to any turn I may to the Punishment and Evils that have been inflicted or are threatned Reward on Obedience and Punishment on Disobedience 2. Meditate I may over the heads and chief points of Religion in order as I can set them or as some short Bodies of Divinity and Catechisms comprise them 3. Or something of the Works of the great God as Creation that so amazing and utterly inconceivable Work set out as it is in Genesis the first and in other Scriptures Or Providence God's so strange and admirable preservation and governing of all things in the World from the greatest to the least in it and about it every motion mutation and disposing of it to a sure end his own highest glory 4. Or something particularly of my own spiritual condition for my more peculiar benefit As 1. Something which may make me wiser to salvation and adde to my Treasure of spiritual truths 2. Something may make me warmer and encrease my heat of holy affection 3. Or something which may strengthen and fix my souls great purpose of walking with God and render me a more highly resolved person for Heaven 4. I should as a grand business the affair of chief concernment meditate frequently and most seriously about the case of my soul how in very deed it is 2 Cor. 13.5 both without any self flattery on the one hand or self injury on the other hand Psal 36.2 Neither making my self and state better than it is nor worse than it is Lam. 3.1 That I may not on any mistake be confident presuming fondly John 2.4 nor diffident desponding and discouraged weakly 5. I must frequently meditate of the evil and most deceitful heart that arch cheater I continually carry in my bosom and therefore am never to be secure but alway awakened for fear of its falseness and deceits Meditate therefore of that so excellent Scripture Jer. 17.9 The heart c. Therefore I shall more largely speak to it CHAP. XVI Meditation should often be of the hearts great deceitfulness MEditation should be very frequent of the hearts great deceitfulness The right and best way of this Meditation lieth in these four particular paths 1. In pondering the infallible certainty of it and particulars in it 2. Pondering the sad condition every one is under by it 3. Weighing the sad attendants and consequences 4. The way of deliverance and relief 1. It is best here to begin with the Meditation of the infallible certainty of this so superabounding heart deceitfulness 1. This first is to be minded as that which is asserted so by a God for whom it is impossible to lie Heb. 6. being infinitely wise holy righteous and good he affirms it and that before and to the very faces of all persons He hath written recorded it in his Scripture of truth he hath commanded all persons to read what he hath there recorded he hath preserved miraculously these Records against all haters and opposers Men and Devils and among other ends that men may have a Glass a perfect undeceiving Glass to shew men that they never would or could see or believe if God had not held this Glass to them and made the true and lively representation of the hearts deceitfulness above all things by it 2. These Scripture assertions of the hearts deceitfulness are from that God who is the only both heart-framer and heart-searcher and knower Ps 33.15 having his Eye omniscient Eye also every moment and least particle of time upon it and every where in every Chamber and corner every part of it therefore he must needs know exactly all the hearts deceitfulness and desperate wickdness As he made the whole frame of the Soul and all the faculties the Springs and Wheels of that exquisite frame so he knows all the foulness and soil of sin which hath fallen in and which it hath gathered all its motions irregular all its stops and stands all its commissions and omissions all its defects of principles all its corrupt principles Therefore knowing the both natural powers of the Soul with all superadded corrupt principles evilly inclining aims and interests biassing and leading he keeping also such an Eye ever upon it for of the things in the whole world there 's no one thing the Eye of God looks so upon as spirits and hearts He must know the deceitfulness of it by being the only Maker and likewise the continual Observer of it and therefore if he affirms it how deceitful the heart is it must be so 3. But besides there can be nothing in the heart to alter and change it to restore and raise it from this bad state but he knows it his Eye is ever upon the heart he keeps alway an awakened Eye that is still watching it narrowly viewing it he is the heart continual searcher and tryer Psal 7.9 He tries the heart and the reins 4. He must also be Judge of the secrets of mens hearts Rom. 2.16 God shall judge the secrets of mens hearts c. therefore all deceitfulness
Christ that he may both be admired of Saints and Angels and magnified in the sight of all wicked men and Devils Therefore he now is to appear in the highest glory splendour and power And he being made now the visible Judge this must be most glorious in that it is the consummating work of his Mediatory Kingdom preceding immediately his delivering up his Kingdom to God the Father as the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 15.24 For the method and most fruitful way of this so very necessary Meditation I conceive it may be 1. To begin with those Scriptures that most clearly and distinctly present us with the infallible certainty of this grand point 2. To then gather up the Remarkable particulars of it in Scripture as to the Nature Manner and the things that both accompany and follow it 3. How to manage it to our being best moved and stirred up by it 1. For the infallible certainty of this Judgment day let me look out those Scriptures in the Old and New Testament that speak perspicuously of it and then labour by Meditation and Prayer to sink deep into my heart to lay them so strongly to infuse as to leave a deep abiding tincture upon it To be put into a full possession and assurance of Faith in this so high soul-concernment In Jude 14. Enoch the seventh from Adam that so walked with God and that was first translated prophesied of the Lords coming to Judgment Job who is supposed by the Learned to have lived when the Israelites were in Egypt and before Moses time in his 19. Chapter 25 26 27. verses hath a most clear and full assertion of his Redeemers being the last day on the Earth and seeing him then c. Solomon Eccl. 12.16 God shall bring every thing to Judgment every secret thing good or evil Dan. 12.2 They that sleep in the dust shall arise some to shame others to life In the New Testament out of Christs the Judges own mouth Math 25.31 to the end This Doctrine is most fully with the particulars and manner of it described and in the other Gospels often So the Apostle of the Gentiles Acts 17.19 At Athens the great Vniversity of the World he tells them God had appointed a day to Judge the World in righteousness and by the man Jesus c. Rom. 2.16 In that day that God shall Judge the secrets of mens hearts So we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ c. 2 Cor. 5.10 2 Thes 1.7 8 9 10. Christ shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance to all that know not God and obey not the Gospel And Revel 20.12 13. to the end I saw the dead stand before God and judged according to their works c. The varieties of places in Scripture are like many Candles lighted in one place like multitudes of Lights in the Heavens all to give light to us below that we might have clearest discoveries firmest Faith strongest instigations to yield full compliance and obedience with greatest readiness pleasure and sweetness O I must answer for having the Scriptures the varieties perspicuities convincing Reasons and perswading endeavours of the Spirit of God towards me in them and by them The more in the Scripture is done for me the more will be required of me This for the first 2. The particulars remarkable to be gathered together of this day as the nature manner c. 1. I must meditate of the Person the so great and glorious Person that shall be Judge which is God himself as the Scripture often tells us as Eccl. 12.16 Rom. 2.16 as was mentioned before God shall judge c. Though this be greatly considerable under which our Faith must be concluded and this alone well pondered may greatly awaken awe and provoke us to all fulness of regard and care yet the Word tells us farther it is God by Jesus Christ so in Acts 17.19 God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World by that man he hath appointed Hath committed all judgment to the Son It is not committed to the holiest man that ever lived nor to any mighty Angel it is too high an Honour too great a Work for any created Nature only fit for him that is God and man For by being God there 's both an Omniscient and Omnipotent an infinitely Holy Righteous Good and Merciful Judge And by being Man there 's to all mens eyes a visible Judge that the Scriptures may be fulfilled And this for the Saints surpassing joy but the wickeds greater daunting and terrour let in by the eyes both of the one and other All must be judged by a Judge their eyes shall behold 2. For the time of his coming Mat. 24.42 it cannot will not be known At what hour your Lord will come you know not 3. For the suddenness and secresie of his coming 2 Pet. 3.10 The Lord will come as a Thief in the night Math. 24.44 At an hour you think not your Lord comes 4. For the place whence he sets out and comes 1 Thes 1.16 The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven 5. It will be in power and great glory such as never was and never the like again shall be never did the Sun of Righteousness ascend to and shine in such a Meridian such a transcendent height of glory Tit. 2.3 Looking for the glorious appearing 6. For the company and retinue it 's all the whole Court of Heaven come to wait on their King of Glory All the glorified Saints and Angels leave Heaven empty to make up his Train thousand of thousands giving their attendance Jude 8. With thousands of his Saints 2 Thes 1.7 Comes with his mighty Angels Math. 25.31 Cometh and all his holy Angels with him O what an unspeakably glorious attendance this is 7. For the dreadfulness of his coming 2 Thes 1.7 Christ is revealed coming in flaming fire 2 Pet. 3 10. The Heavens shall pass away with a great noise the Elements melt with fervent heat the Earth with the works in it burnt up 8. As a preparative to the Judgment Christ descends from Heaven 1. with a shout never was there such a shout made in all the time the world stood 2. with the voice of the Arch-Angel and the Trump of God the Voice and Trump at Mount Sinai where six hundred thousand might hear that was a glorious and most dreadful voice and sound but nothing like this Never such a voice that which will make the whole world ring and the dead rise out of their Graves and with the same bodies the same numerical bodies that lived here 3. Those that are alive shall be changed in a moment in the twinckling of an Eye on the sound of the Trump 1 Cor. 15. 4. The dead in Christ shall rise first be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 1 Thes 4.16 17. O blessed and most joyful meeting of the Saints that were on Earth now raised changed and
caught up to meet and see the Lord Jesus their Saviour and now the glorious Judge coming to consummate their happiness in soul and body together to die no more and to meet with all the Saints and Angels come from Heaven and to be for ever with the Lord never to be from him again 5. But others that were wicked and now raised with the other black Troop that were in Hell and now have their Souls united to their bodies All shall be brought before Christ the Judge according to the opinion of some sitting on a high Throne in the Air the Saints and Angels all attending about him 9. For the manner of these proceedings alluding to the manner of mens Judicatures as Revelations Chapter 20. 1. All persons small and great are brought and stand before God that is Christ God and man 2. The Books are opened the Book of Gods Omniscience and the Books of mens hearts and consciences not in an imperfect state of ignorance and forgetfulness but fully prepared for their work of answering at the Tribunal and Bar of Christ 3. It is a judging men according to their works for that hath been done in the body good or evil Eccl. 12.16 And a judging every secret thing of mens hearts Rom. 2.16 Some conceive that seeing there will be the Revelation of the righteous judgment of God Rom. 2. therefore it will have a long time to judge the cause of every person in all particulars that so the righteousness of the judgment and sentence of Christ with the Execution of it may fully appear and none to have any least objection against it But others think there will not be so particular a discovery and tryal of all things relating to the Saints but a more general one However Christians must be diligent to be found of Christ without spot and blameless as 2 Pet. 3.14 10. When the cases of all have been tryed and made to appear the Sheep having been separate from the Goats and set at Christs right hand the Goats on the left the sentence then passes that most comfortable sentence for the Sheep the Righteous now so judged by the heart-knowing and most just Judge Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you And that terrible sentence on the Goats now openly convicted Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels To which the Saints and Angels all give their full approbation as also to the doom upon the Devils 11. Upon which the most righteous execution follows of both the sentences for the righteous and against the wicked ones To make all this obtain a more efficacious impression daily on my spirit let me strive to represent this Day as now come that I hear the Trump sound see the dead rise the living all changed in a moment looking up I see Christ coming in the Clouds with great glory Angels and Saints all attending him Christ placed on the Throne of Judgment all persons convented before him and my self among the rest my case tryed my works words thoughts and all my secrets judged and my state for all Etemity determined and now when the World is all on Fire the wicked sent into that everlasting destruction the righteous going with Christ into Heaven and everlasting happiness what my own particular condition is like to be If I can come before Christ the all-knowing Judge with confidence and exceeding joy shall be absolved and hear that joyful sentence Come thou blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for thee CHAP. XXI Of Meditation of Hell and Death Eternal therein THE very naming of Death is dreadful Death Eternal is much more dreadful but a being in Hell the worst place possible is most dreadful of all Hell though in the meer mentioning it makes such a jarr upon the spirit of any though the least touching on it by a but glancing thought the least touch be like the needles sharp point to the Apple of the Eye so acute a pain and smart yet must the Eye of the soul by Meditation not only touch it but take it close to it but dwell upon it Death natural in the but very thought hath a very high attending regret we cannot endure to look deathward but O how greatly unwilling to look in the least this sad way destruction-ward Hell-ward toward death Eternal The first is tasting Gall but the second is a drinking Poyson The one hath a deep attending reluctancy the other a double died antipathy It 's the harshest task for a sinner it 's a hard for a Saint to fix willingly and dwell in Meditation on so sad and dreadful a subject as Hell is yet is it that which must be done and by a holy wise spirit may be both confidently and advantageously done The best Christian on earth will lose nothing by sometimes looking into Hell and fixing the thoughts there No man ever yet fled from Hell but first fixt his thoughts in some proportion on it No man will flye fast enough from this Pit of perdition this Lake of Fire if he do not oft look towards it and keep his Eye upon it Hell and Death Eternal are set down in Scripture for both evil and good mens flying but this cannot be compast without frequencies of earnest ponderings and meditatings For a right proceeding in this Meditation 1. Let me first look to that which is my infallible rule the testimony of that God who founded Hell and laid the corner stone of it who first threatned and prepared this Prison this Pit of destruction who knows all the large dimensions of it all things in and about it and cannot nor will not in the least deceive us in it He hath given us his Word to tell us and that under his own hand in great numbers and varieties of passages that we cannot rationally conceive he would so do mention and give it so many times under his own hand were there no such thing no local Hell and second Death Eternal My way therefore as a good Christian is to look up gather Scripture passages passage after passage all over the Book of God as I find this asserted in them O shall my lives time ravel out without any redeeming it as to this particular of giving due down weight of thoughts frequent serious thoughts as opportunity can be had of Death Eternal in Hell I must not only say there is a Hell I must not only give it for granted as most persons do but I must be concluded under the Scripture Authority See it and say it upon due perswasion upon clear demonstration demonstration on conclusive argumentation Arguments chosen as so many Arrows taken out of Christs Quiver the Scriptures levell'd right flying round up to the mark and hitting full my unbelieving and recoiling averse spirit making it fall down under this weighty truth reducing it through Christs help to a firm and operative belief yea so to assent to and ponder this so high
Directions to old Christians pag. 360 Chap. 20. More Directions for setting Meditation on work pag. 363 Chap. 21. Of Meditation respecting those that are called Fathers pag. 369 Chap. 22. Of the particular management of Meditation of those called Fathers pag. 373 Chap. 23. The Conclusion exciting every one to a constant daily performance of this excellent duty of divine Meditation pag. 376 BY reason of the Authors absence from the Press several faults are escaped which the Reader is intreated to correct or candidly pass by SOLITUDE IMPROVED IN MEDITATIONS Upon DIVINE MEDITATION THat so noble Subject and necessary Duty of Divine Meditation I have now chosen by Christs assistance to speak of to you Of Meditation in general according to Scripture-latitude in the various Kinds and Considerations of it there exprest My Text therefore must not be one single Scripture for the total foundation of what I shall tender but the universal vote and passages asperst through the Bible some of which are these you may please to turn unto 1 Tim. 4.15 Meditate upon these things There Timothy and in him by way of proportion every person is commanded Meditation Psal 1.2 In that Law doth he meditate day and night If the blessed man doth so meditate then all who will be blessed must do the like And Psal 77.12 I will meditate on all thy works Both the word and works of God must be the godly mans meditation Psal 63.6 and Meditate on thee in the night-watches And Psal 104.34 My Meditation of him shall be sweet God must be meditated on and that Meditation should be sweet Obs From these and the like passages scattered over the Bible the Observation or Conclusion is this Pious Meditation is the Duty of every Christian or It is the high Institution of Christ and greatly Incumbent duty of Christians to exercise themselves much in holy Meditation A rare and soul-enriching way such as none know the sweetness and blessed Incomes of it but such who exercise themselves in it Philosophers tell us there would be no life or motion in the lower World if the Sun and Celestial Bodies stood still Physicians say if the Heart did not continually beat in the Body there would be no life and motion in the little World Man And Experience proves if there were no Springs or Weights in Watches and artificial Engines they could perform nothing What the Sun Moon and Stars are to life and motion here below what the Heart is to the Bodies life and moving and what the Springs and Weights are to Motions Artificial that in a high degree is Meditation to spiritual Life and Motion Of the various things tendred to us for truths this is the great Trier the Percolation and Refiner the Melioration and Improver Such things that come to us crude and raw become mellow and concocted by Meditation It is the Golden Scale to give Divine things their due weight The Souls Rare Limbeck to effect the highest Operations to extract the richest Spirits for Heart use Meditation is of that happy Influence it makes the Mind wise the Affections warm the Soul fat and flourishing and the Conversation greatly fruitful Psal 119. Who can but practise it continue it contend to larger improvements in this Heavenly Art that hath once experienced and fed upon the surpassing sweetness and refreshments the unspeakable solaces and ravishments both had and heightned in it To speak of it adequately I cannot it is such an attainment that none know the All of it Nothing but progress in the daily practice can help to comprehend it There is still a plus ultra a Going and a Knowing further I shall speak to four things only concerning Meditation 1. The Precedents upon the File of Scripture or some rare Examples of the Practice and but briefly 2. The Nature Ingredients Qualifications and the several sorts of Meditation and here I must be something large 3. The Grounds and supporting Reasons of it to manifest it 4. The diverse Improvements of it to divers sorts of persons First The Precedents on the Sacred File recorded Instances in Scripture There are among others four Instances which I shall single out four famous holy and eminent ones The first is that of the godly Patriarch Isaac Gen. 24.63 Isaac went out in the Evening to meditate God is a most free Agent as in all other actings so in conferring his Scripture Honours He honours whom he pleaseth and when and how he pleaseth He is bound to give no account of his matters And oft we see him in his Goings and Doings but cannot by searching find him out Job 11.7 Divine Soveraignty and Wisdom is pleased in the Scripture Records to fix the first honour of this practice of Meditation on holy Isaac Doubtless his so excellent Father holy Abraham did use to beat this path to Heaven who walkt so much with God Doubtless those other Patriarchs and Saints living before Abraham travelled much in this heavenly Road. Enoch for his walking with God so highly honoured was no stranger to this way Questionless it was one of his walks He certainly used to go to Heaven Mentally before he was translated Personally He used to ascend up by Meditation before his happy translation But Isaac is he who first is mentioned for acting this holy Meditating It may be he exceeded and excelled in this Heavenly Art and Practice and because it was a Duty performed privately and that was not known God would reward and honour him openly by making it known and that some hundreds of Years after by Moses his holy Pen. It 's probable there was something more than ordinary in it which occasioned this first Record of Meditation However this was the holy pleasure of God so to fix it to place it first on the File of godly Meditators Isaac is the first mentioned Meditator in Scripture Records Instance 2. The second which is the fullest to all intents and respects is that high and noble Precedent of holy David That man after Gods own heart among other reasons I believe for his beating so much this path to Heaven for the frequencies of his visits made this way He soon became a man of Great Troubles and Difquiets yet then in them he would resolutely cut out his way and keep his course of holy Meditation witness those many Psalms penned in and on occasions of his troubles and stiled his Meditations He after Sauls death is crowned King of Judah had his great multitudes of high Employments was a mighty Warriour and so must be exposed to highest hazards yet nothing in no time whatever should check or retard his course Though he had his Head full of Thoughts his Heart full of Troubles his Hands full of Work nothing should hinder him in this high Exercise of his so experienced sweet Meditation In Psal 1.2 He makes Meditation the Character of a blessed man To meditate in Gods Law day and night And what he makes a Rule for others he makes good
in his own Example Psal 119.97 O how love I thy Law it is my Meditation all the day there 's the practice of the first time the day and a full Example and Practice All the day And Psal 119.148 Mine Eyes prevent the Night-Watches to meditate in thy Word there 's the practice of the other time mentioned in the Character in Psal 1.2 Not a Watch set in the Night but he had his Meditation O most admirable frame of spirit A King and a daily Meditator and a night Meditator also It was not Family Business nor State Affairs not Wars Urgencies and Difficulties that so could crowd in and impose upon his thoughts but he would have his spiritual retreats his soul repasts in Meditation mount up to Heaven by it Trace we him with the Eye of duest Observation over the Book of Psalms the Psalms which are the choice and rare Records of his Exemplary this way actings we find most excellent Patterns of all sorts as for this holy Exercise Singular Meditations sometimes of the great Works of God as Psal 8. and Psal 19. and Psal 104. c. wherein the Fire kindles and flies up in the highest strains His heart like the most rare and exquisite Engine and Instrument produces-such raised and sublimated things that transcend sometimes all the strains of Rhetorick and Poetry in the world as some very learned men observe Sometime his Meditations and there they ply more as of nearer concernment are on the Word of God as Psal 19. and Psal 119. c. and what passages and praises hath he most high and sweet and savoury that what can be fuller and high for the nature and properties of it Sometimes the most blessed God himself is the high subject of his Meditating and what transcendencies of thoughts what Raptures and Ravishments what Instances of highest Soul transportings hath he this way recorded for us purposely to put us upon pursuit of the like Glimpses and Tastes by suitable first breathings and pantings after sweetest communion with him It is evident he was a grand Master in this Art of Meditation by the so exquisite pieces drawn to the life and reserved for use and imitation in the Book of Psalms 3. The third Pattern is that of the so wise Solomon in Ecclesiastes who gave his heart as he saith to seek and search and to know wisdom Eccl. 1.13 and v. 17. ch 2.12 Davids strain of Meditation proceeds principally on matters in themselves spiritual as God his Word and Ways and sometimes on the Works of God Solomons more upon things natural and the ways and works of men Eccl. 1.13 14. but to demonstrate the insufficiency of all things in the world and all the works of men to make up true happiness without the true fear of God and keeping his Commandments Eccl. 12.13 This is the sum and scope chiefly of that his Book that Book of most deep and great Considerations and excellently useful Meditations for all to obtain wisdom by It is of all the choicest piece of Scripture in this kind it sets us an accurate Copy of regular and fruitful Contemplation and Meditation of all things under the Sun which we should strive to imitate and write after Chap. 1.14 It is left us thereby to learn from him the so great Experimenter and Tryer the wisest and most exquisite weigher of all things and the Finder of their extream insufficiency and vanity To teach every person by this his so eminent and exemplary acting his successful searching to do in the like manner To infuse his spirit and lay it asteep strongly and deeply in this Meditation of Creature vanity and the vanity of all mens labours under the Sun Yea to sink this down to the bottom of the soul there to fix and root it self thence as by a most potent and predominant principle to work and act up to more weanedness from things of the world and to more wariness of our being ensnared by them The fourth rare Instance is of the female Sex That of the Blessed Virgin Mary Luke 2.19 But Mary kept all these sayings and pondered them in her heart This is the remarkable and special Example of Meditation mentioned that I know of in the New Testament We have none so punctual and plain which I can remember as this Some signal honour is hereby intended to this so Blessed Virgin to be so noted more than others in the Gospel Records and thereby held forth as a pattern and provocation to all after Ages The Scriptures silence as to other Saints practice in this Duty is not a Negative or an Exclusive of their doing it Because it is not said of every one they Pondered or Meditated we must not thence infer they did it not David in the first Psalm and second Verse saith the Blessed man meditates in the Law of God day and night He therefore makes it a necessary Duty and certain Character of every godly person in some sincere measure and constancy performing of it As the people of God are all taught wisdom to salvation so this peculiar wisdom this way of Meditation of the great concerns of Gods Kingdom and their most precious immortal Souls to give things of the highest importance their due and down weight their due and down weight in the Ballance of a holy Meditation CHAP. II. Of the Nature and Description of this solemn Meditation MEditation according to the usual Notion and Acceptation is taken for any serious or earnest thinking of any matter whatsoever for what end soever whether it be good or evil So Meditating is used in the Scripture not only in a good sense but in an evil sense So Psal But ordinarily it is taken in a good sense for a holy Mind Exercise or acting the thoughts in any seriousness upon any matter in a spiritual manner There is a double kind of Meditation 1. That which is more set and solemn when a man is serious in thinking of any thing for some spiritual end and so as to allow some due space of time for a right performance of it 2. There is that which is called Meditation of Ejaculation which though serious yet is more short and quick and sudden wherein the soul darts up to Heaven and makes a short visit thither I shall begin with the first that which more commonly is called Meditation The other shall follow in its due place Therefore having mentioned some Scripture Instances or Examples of Meditation as to the practice of it I shall come to handle the Nature and Description of the set and more solemn Meditation Here first I will endeavour to present you with the true Picture and Description of Meditation in some Scripture lineaments and proportions and afterward the Explication and peculiar handling of them I shall give you the Description in this manner It is that Ordinance of Christ and Obedience or Duty of a Christian whereby he acts his spirit into a right pondering of either heavenly and spiritual
things or any other things in a holy manner unto spiritual and holy ends and improvements only 1. Here is the more general Nature founding it 2. The more peculiar Nature and particular Requisties finishing it 1. The more general Nature in a double Aspect The first looks up to Christ it is his Ordinance his Institution The second looks down to man it is his Obedience his Duty 2. Here is the particular Nature and Requisites Where first 1. The Object I will consider the Proper Object of this Meditation in two parts 1. Things spiritual and heavenly 2. Things though not in themselves spiritual yet in a spiritual manner lookt upon 2. The acting on it The acting on this Object by way of right pondering where many particulars will be opened 3. The Ends of this Meditation for only spiritual ends or the ends to be levell'd at must be spiritual and only holy 1. The more general Nature of Meditation we speak to It 's 1. Christs own Ordinance 2. And then mans Duty and Obedience It is Christs own Ordinance as those Scriptures fore-cited and many other which will be after-named prove Three things there are in an Ordinance of Christ which I shall speak of 1. The Rise and Original it is heavenly 2. The Nature it is spiritual and holy Yea 3. The use and end it is for a help 1. For the Rise and Original it is glorious and transcendent it comes as far as Heaven it is Heaven-born and bred It bears Christs Image and superscription Brings his Broad-seal and Commission it is one bright beam of Christs Sovereignty shining down upon us One holding out of his Golden Scepter for us to touch the top of it It comes with the King of Heavens Must it must be yielded to done as the strict and high Command of the great King of Saints given in Indispensible Necessity yea with the very same Cogency and Necessity that Praying Hearing the Word or any other most usually yielded to Duty doth Commonly as by our daily practice we prove it we lay not such stress upon Divine Meditation as we do upon other Scripture Institutions As if there were a less weight of Christs Regal Scepter in it As if it were not so current Coin of his but rather like some light Gold which we need not receive except we please Whereas this Duty of Meditation comes in Christs Name to every soul and with a Commission as full and firm as any other Gospel Command or Duty whatsoever 2. An Ordinance of Christ is holy Every Institution is a participation and carries a stamp and beam of God's glorious Holiness Not only of his Regal Authority but of his inconceivable Holiness and Purity The Holiness of God is that glorious Attribute of his whereby being free from all Impurity he wills and orders all things for his Name and Glory The holiness of an Ordinance is chiefly that by which it is laid and levelled full at the grand scope and mark of God's highest praise and honour It must be lookt on and represented to us as an Appointment for the most High God his Highest Interest All Religion is principally for living to the Living God Rom. 6.7 Heb. 9.14 All Ordinances are but the higher and more eminent ways given us for exalting him So many ascents and rising grounds whereby he may mount aloft and become more transcendently great and glorious If this be not the predominant Ingredient in our performances we are quite mistaken and so take his blessed name in vain This therefore being the chief thing this Ordinance of Meditation stands charged with must accordingly be minded and meant in it God's Institution of it First for his own highest Interest his intending it first for himself who so infinitely surpasses all Created Beings and their total Interests whatsoever they can amount unto This is the second Considerable an Ordinance is Holy chiefly instituted for lifting up God 3. An Ordinance is helpful for our heavenly help by Grace and the Lord's Condescension it is an Appointment and Institution for us For our chief Interest the High-way of our Souls help an Intendment and a Means to the main Mark of Happiness The singular way of our God's devising The sweet way of our great Prophets Teaching Christ's first setting me up a Light and therewith lending me his hand of help all Gospel Ordinances carry light and help with them The Scriptures call them ways Psal 119.3 They are Gods ways and they are also our ways They are first the King of Heaven's High-ways his Institutions and Appointments for us And they are our ways our High-ways to travel up to the City of God Heaven our ways to walk in to our chief Happiness I must look upon Christs Ordinances not as meer Impositions and significations of Christs Sovereignty not as Burdens and Tasks the products and effects of severity but such as are the Demonstrations of his Graciousness and Pity He sets me and shews me the way who justly might leave me to lose my way and to lose my self to lose both my Labour and Life Heaven and Happiness and that for ever These three forementioned Considerations ah what exteam need hath every one to give them the keenest edge to make Meditation more penetrative and powerful To both facilitate it to us and fortifie it in our Hearts Ah when we are to Meditate how do we still find our spirits all over-run and tainted with carnal and hellish Repugnancies and recoilings against it Rom. 7.21 how biassed and acted with strong diversions from it How sunk down suddenly in deadness and flatness in it How overcome with fainting fits and feebleness in it from the poysonous Fumes and dangerous Damps ascending out of the Hell of Corruption lying at the bottom of our spirits And how still abused by the frequencies of our hearts Deceitfulness and Miscarriages about it The more high holy and conducing any Ordinance of Christ is the more fearful and sad are the Demonstrations of the Enmity and Hell in our Hearts acting against it Domine Gehenna sum Lord I am Hell said that devout Meditator Ah what Floods what Seas of Considerations have we need of to quench these Hellish sparks that rise up in our Bosoms What need of all the Heavenly fire we can make and kindle to extinguish this Hellish Fire that so quickly burns and flames up As we see the Sun to extinguish the Fire on the Hearth Celestial Fire our Culinary Fire This may suffice for the first thing Meditation is an Ordinance of Christ To come to the Second it is our Incumbent Duty our Obedience to the great Law-giver Christ CHAP. III. Meditation our Duty our Obedience 2. Meditation our Duty MEditation is not only Christs Institution and Ordinance but every ones Incumbent Duty and Necessary Obedience not like the Free-will Offering a matter meerly arbitrary and as a dealing by way of courtesie Not for a Casting in as a Redundancy over and above all other Duties but is
and must be performed as a Duty of indispensible necessity 1 Tim. 4.15 Psal 1.2 1. A Duty in reference to Christ Necessity in reference to Christ himself an Obedience to his Law a subjection to his Crown Imperial an homage and service due to him as the Sovereign Lord of our Souls and of that Meditating and pondering faculty he endowed them with Meditation is Jesus Christs Reservation in the great Gift and Grant of our Souls Thinking power He hath endowed us with that so Noble Faculty of minding and musing and also with a large Mind-Charter and liberty of thoughts for our own occasions and sober Recreatings in our Contemplations or Studies But yet 't is always provided that a holy Tribute out of the whole of our thoughts is still duly to be paid in and that as an acknowledgment both of holding our thinking faculty upon him Rom. 11.36 and our best way of employment of it and this to be done in the due seasons both Ordinary and Extraordinary The neglect of this Duty is a denying of his Right and Royalty over my thoughts and over that which is so eminent an Endowment of the Mind and given in to the Spirit by God for its chiefly Thinking of him that is so High and Allsufficient and the surpassing excellent things of God as being the Souls best acting Certainly thus the Saints in the Scripture acted highly upon this account of their paying in the Reserved dues of Christ their Leige Lord 1 Cor. 6.20 His Dues and their Duties moving strongly to act highly in this work and way 2. Duty to my self and my own Soul Concernments is another great Consideration here In all doing Duty there 's a doing my self right paying in to my own Soul its due Neglecting in any kind my Duty is a wronging my own soul Prov. 8.36 He that sins against me wrongs his own soul Performing it is a doing my Soul Right Yea holy Duties are the Highest doings of right to our Souls There 's no way of doing better to my self than going in the King of Heavens High-way His ways are my Souls best ways wherein I act best for my self and when I perform them in them in the best manner This leads me to the next particular the Requisites and the Ingredients of this Meditation considered as a holy Duty which are these next following CHAP. IV. Of the Requisites in Meditation THere are these three things I shall mention as the Requisites for holy Meditation as a Duty 1. That I call a Foundation or Preparative to it 2. Those things that are for the forming and framing it as to the parts and proportions 3. The things that finish it up 1. As to the Foundation or Preparative to it This must be laid above in Heaven by the Dispositive or Preparative work of fervent Prayer The foundation of this Soul Affair must be as a Learned man saith of the Foundation of the World The Foundation of the World he saith is the. Third Heaven which is of a constant incorruptible Nature of no pre-existent principles and so not liable as other things are to corruption and resolution and which as to the convex or outward superficies or the highest part is only bounded or terminated by its own limits or terms of Essence and Quantity but in its concave or bollow superficies or the lowest part contains all inferiour things and is fixt immoveable If the Foundation of the great World is laid by the Third Heaven the Foundation of this great Work of holy Meditation must be laid in Heaven laid by the Soul 's strong mounting up thither and fixing it self there by fervent Prayer as the great Preparative to this Meditation Fervent Prayer The word in the Hebrew used for Meditation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies also Prayer Prayer and Meditation being so near a kin and the one helping mutually the other 1. To begin with a bringing the Soul into the Glorious and Tremendous Presence of the Great God and under his so pure and all-seeing Eye 2. To act the Soul and lay it as it were asteep in self-abasings and humblings for its former miscarriages and failings in and present unfitness and indisposedness for what is now undertaking 3. To exercise fresh Self-denyings as to any sufficiency of ability to perform any thing herein acceptably and profitably 4. To act vigorous and strong recumbencies on Jesus Christ for his both Teachings and Touchings of our Spirits and upholdings likewise in the work 5. To procure and beget a warm temper in us such as may make the heart to Glow all the Duty over 2. As to the forming of the Duty in the Parts and Particulars of it 1. It must be bottom'd and rise from the Spring and Great Principle of Motion and Action which is the will in a both free choice and firm purpose A resolvedness and rooted purpose Thus David Psal 119.48 I will meditate in thy Statutes and verse 15. I will meditate in thy Precepts The evil heart saith I will not Meditate Satan saith so far as he can hinder you shall not And the prophane World saith you need not But the holy heart saith I will Meditate This is my free and firm purpose and nothing by Christs assistance shall divert me The Philosopher saith that in every virtuous action there must be a choice of Will it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be Elective come free from the Spring of the Will and run in Resolution otherwise it is not a virtuous Action The Scriptures for all Religious Actings call for Willingness Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy Power or as it is in the Hebrew A people of willingnesses thy people And in divers places call for Readiness in what we perform to God No work in the World can challenge that intense degree and share of Readiness and Freeness as Christs work and such ways as have a clear and lively Stamp of his Royal Will and Command No higher Character is given in Scripture of a Real Godliness than freest Choice of Will and Readiness To Chuse the good part Luke 10.42 To Chuse the things that please God Isa 56.4 and as in abundance of places is to be seen A Carnal heart acts from Carnal Wisdom and self-Interest or from Passion and self-biassing affection but not from pure freeness and deliberate Choice of Will That is not the Spring and rise of his Duties as it is in a good and holy heart A good heart acts from purpose a well and deep set purpose Acts 11.23 with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord. And Psal 119.106 I have sworn and I will perform c. So the Will for holy Duties must put forth in Purposes firm Purposes varieties of fresh Purposes Act all the still needful and conducing Purposes any Duty in any respect calls for There are many Rare and Rich Attendants and Properties Ingredients and Excellencies Divine and Heavenly Beauties appertaining to holy Duties
which the Will must intend and make its free firm Choice of which the purposes of the Will must lye level to and make after as the proper and proportionate Marks and higher Tendencies CHAP. V. Of the Purposes for this I Shall name Five Particulars for this There must be 1. An aim and firm Purpose to make the Duty a Right Work to make sure it be made true 2. A free and full Purpose of a Wise Work to have it a Work of Spiritual Wisdom 3. A firm purpose for a vigorous and spirited performing 4. A strong purpose of watching and earnest striving against all Diversions and Interruptions 5. In a firm purpose of Vtmost endeavour of success and having the Right and Kindly End and Fruit of the Duty 1. A right Work 1. The Wills purpose and intendment must be to make the Duty of Meditation a Right Work to make sure it be made true and and sincere John 4.24 Not a Carcase a Painted piece without Soul and Substance a Formality without Power Not a meer work performed as it were to flatter God who looks for a Duty As they in Psal 78.86 are said to flatter God with their lips but their heart was not right with him We are ready to flatter him instead of Realities with our Modes of Meditation and Fashions of Thinkings with our Formalities without Realities and Truth and the work 's being sincere It must not be a flattering of God but a true pleasing him from being true it self It must not be a work dawbed over with the untempered Mortar of our own hearts self-deceitfulness setting up a thing to shew like it and be something near it only and putting thereby a Cheat upon our selves Nor make it a thing only to stop the mouth of our Consciences keep them from calling on and challenging of us but to design it strongly and firmly to purpose through God to proffer to and please him with a sincere Work Gen. 17.1 Walk before me and be sincere This must be understood certainly of every Walk and Path we go in Not a walk in some one way or divers and not all but in every walking sincerity must be a Property a Qualification design'd and firmly resolv'd and we must not be satisfied unless it be Right Meditating such as Scripture requires and Saints in Scripture practised yea that they told God himself that they performed Ps 119.23 And doubtless David durst not tell the Heart-searching God he Meditated if he had done it formally and hypocritically and not been sincere and upright in it Again It must be a wise work 2. The Intendment of the Will must be for making this Duty a Wise Work to make it a Work of Spiritual Wisdom The Apostle Ephes 5.15 says Be not fools but wise understanding what the will of the Lord is And 2 Tim. 3.14 there 's mention of wisdom to salvation And Prov. 9.12 Wisdom is called on for our selves 1. Wise in respect of God Certainly as Solomon did things of great Excellency to shew himself very wise so when the most High God's Honour is concern'd and when he will be present at our Performances and comes as it were purposely to them shall we present him with any foolish piece not design a wise work and be seen acting wisely 2. Wise in reference to our selves Should we not also strongly purpose to make this Duty a Wise Work a Work of sure Wisdom for our selves and lay it fully level to the grand mark of Eternal Salvation for our selves Solomon Prov. 17.21 saith The Father of a Fool shall have no joy so the Parent of a foolish acting will have no joy It is the Godly prudent acting whose Fruit is Peace and which issues in Heavenly joy O how sweet and comfortable is that Duty in which we have acted up to the Rule of sound Wisdom This is the Second Particular a Duty must be Purposed and Intended to be a Wise Work 3. A spirited and lively work There must be a firm and strong Purpose and Intendment for a vigorous and spirited a lively and warm Work Rom. 12.11 Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. In every Duty we must have a Purpose of striking fire of making the heart burning hot It must not be luke-warm in an indifferency that 's but lazy nor Blood-warm that 's but low But the Souls Purpose and Design must be for highest heat and fervency greatest vigour and activity As Artists in some High Operations endeavours the hottest Fire As warmest Preaching and warmest Hearing as the Disciples hearts burned within them when Christ opened the Scriptures Luke 24.32 And so warmest Reading and warmest Meditating David's heart while he mused the fire burned Psal 39.3 So when we Meditate we should intend a warm work to be very warm at the heart 4. A striving against all lets In a strong purpose of earnest striving against all lets and interruptions The whole work of a Christian here must not only be vigorous and sedulous but striving and contentious Luke 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait Gate Every single and particular Duty must bear a part of striving to enter in at the strait Gate For this is to be applied to every particular Duty though Christ speaks only in General bidding us strive Two things make up the Notion of striving 1. First Intension and Earnestness 2. Secondly Contention against Opposition When a man strives he acts earnestly and when he strives after or for a thing he strives also with that which is against him Striving is against something that letts or opposes In all Soul-work and peculiarly in this of Meditation the throng of Difficulties is great the Oppositions are many therefore the purposes and Resolutions of heart must be strong and high None ever carry on their work well Who are not first well resolved and still renew and link one firm purpose to another to hold on their course to the last 5. A purpose for the kindly issuing of Meditation The Will must purpose firmly to endeavour still the kindly issue and success of the Duty Look saith the Apostle John 2.8 ye lose not the things wrought who would set up at the Labour in Vain Christ's sweet Promise is Isa 65.23 The seed of the blessed of the Lord shall not labour in vain The way among others of having it performed is by grounding our endeavours in strong and rooted Resolutions for that running and pressing on and looking after our Duties doing until the work winds up and issues in the spiritual ends in the sweet success it is appointed unto such as encrease of Holiness and Grace and improvement of Communion with God Finis Coronat Opus Success sets the Crown on the head of the Work Resolve to get the Crown still set on the Head of every Duty that it shines in the glory of success These are the five special Branches this Root of Resolution should put forth these as so many precious corner-Stones should lye at the Bottom of
growing of the Grass and Herbs and Trees the singing of the Birds among their Branches in the waters the playing of the Leviathan the innumerable creeping things in the Seas and the going of the Ships in them as Psal 104. The wise Solomon hath his Meditation of the Horse-leach with her daughters Prov. 30.15 The Ant in her Industry Prov. 26.14 sending the Sluggard that turns on his Bed as the Door on the Hinges that often moves but never removes to her to learn Industry Prov. 6.6 Yea sometimes the most inconfidenable things the Scripture takes notice of for us to mind the Hairs on the head which all are numbred the Sands of the Sea which though so weak and small is thereby bridled The Dust of the Earth by Gods power as in a Measure comprehended Isa 40.12 And not only God's great works and high actings but the lowest actions of men and the meanest actings of the inferiour Creatures are in Scripture held forth as occasions for this Meditation as advantage grounds for the ascending of thoughts and raising up the Mind Heaven-ward All this pains taken by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures is to shew what a wise and fruitful spirit may extract by this holy Art of Meditation yea to teach us how constantly thought-busie we should keep our hearts like that wonder in Nature the so wise and laborious Bee still in gathering some Celestial sweetness from every Flower of Scripture or Providence or any other Object we stay upon CHAP. VII Of the Requisites for Meditation FRom the Object and Matter of Meditation we must next come upon the Requisites and Qualifications and the things contained in it and constituting of it Here by the way there were two sorts of Meditation mentioned 1. That which is set and more solemn 2. That which is short sudden and ejaculatory 1. The first that which more properly is called Meditation is that so frequently we have spoken of in the Scripture and mentioned in our Divinity-Books and in Discourses Meditation in the ordinary acceptation of the word taken for a work of time seriousness and solemness that must have a due proportion of Time Labour and Diligence to effect that upon the heart it is to be used for 2. There is that which is called Ejaculation sudden quick acting or ascending of the Soul to Heaven This is a holy spark flies up out of the heavenly Fire burning suddenly in the heart this is but Meditation rather more improperly so call'd Of this I shall speak something hereafter But that we are now to proceed upon is the Meditation more properly so call'd more set solemn Meditation a business of time and seriousness There are divers things I shall mention eight Particulars or Requisites for this Meditation There are eight Requisites I shall mention 1. There 's requisite a Holy Awe and Reverence a putting on a reverential frame of heart sutable to the holiness of the Duty 2. There is requisite a Retreat of the Thoughts calling off the mind from all its preceding excursions or engagings otherways 3. There 's requisite the setting of a strong Guard and so sure a Watch upon our slippery spirits as we are able to secure it against all diversions 4. Meditation as to the Form and Nature proper Notion and Essence consists in Application of the Mind and Thoughts and setting them upon the Subject or Matter intended to be considered 5. Meditation as to the Nature and Essence consists as in Application of the Mind to so in the intension and due seriousness of thinkings on a fit Object 6. In a diving and searohing of thoughts scanning for a best discovery 7. In a Commoration and due stay of the thoughts upon the work in hand without precipitation and undue hastening 8. It 's requisite there be an infusing and intermixing the life and beauties of such affections as are sutable and proper for the Duty 1. Meditation it must have the Dispositive and Preparation of Holy Awe and Reverence a still engaging the Spirit to and imposing upon it and framing of it unto all that holy Awe and highest Reverence which this so excellent Duty calls for both in the Entrance and over all the Performance I say Highest Reverence as that which is to be done in the so infinitely pure presence of a God a God whose eye is observing in a special manner our hearttemper not only in a Duty performed in his view but a temper presented and tendered to himself as an Homage and Honour As a way of Ingratiating our selves with him as a way and one of our sweetest ways of higher Intimacy and Communion with him The Spirit of a Creature perfect much less of a sinner it cannot have too strong an Infusion too deep a Tincture of holy Reverence This is the first Requisite a deep Tincture of holy Reverence contended to CHAP. VIII Of the second Requisite THE next Requisite is in sounding a Retreat of the Thoughts and calling off the Mind from all preingagements not only Evils and Vanities but all Business and Duties Nothing must detain the thoughts or divert the thoughts when we design and intend Meditation God complains of men when Bodies are brought and Hearts are left out well may he complain if we go about Meditation a Mind a Thought Exercise if we let the mind and thoughts be sent abroad and not called home The Philosophers say truly that intention can be only of one thing at one particular individual time Divinity tells us there must be no allowance of disintention neither a giving way to a seisure of Impertinencies to keep possession of the Mind that will keep off that which is incumbent and our present Duty David Psal 119.113 says he hated vain thoughts when they were Intruders when they crowded in much more as they were Excluders and crowded out good thoughts Therefore most of all when they obstructed and interposed at the time of his Meditation Therefore being so rare an Artist in Heavenly Meditation he still would shake out and empty the Vessel of his heart of other previous improper thoughts Do as Nehemiah when Tobijah had laid up his stuff in the Temple he throws it all out to make way for the proper Furniture Musing in this sort therefore must have its Preparative its stand and its retreat off and from all impertinent thoughts a making the Coast clear a setting the mind free disburdening and disclogging it Casting off all weights when we are to run this Race and mount up the Hill of Divine Contemplation Now is the time to call to by-thoughts to void the Room and leave it free for other thoughts to enter This is the Second Requisite a sounding a Retreat to the thoughts from all other things 3. When Meditation is to be performed there must be a strong Guard set a sure Watch kept upon all Avenues and Passages on all the Inlets and Out-lets of the heart As Jehoiada the Priest set a Guard round about the young King
things without exception This purpose also must be often renewed have its reiterations for corroboration There must be also derivative and subservient purposes particular purposes in reference to advancing the main purpose and the Souls chief end and intendment purposes for particular soul-concerns particular Duties either respecting Mortification of particular corruptions and particular self-denials or that respect particular graces and duties in the seasons required for them Every particular Duty and Soul concern must have the hand of a peculiar purpose lent it to assist it Right undertaking as it must have the mind acted in wisdom to direct it so it must have the will acted in purpose deliberate purpose to effect or endeavour it Grace in the will must work it into a due purposing for the particular occasion of every particular incumbent Duty Purpose of heart to ground Performance The Scriptures give frequent instances of both general and particular purposes this way practised First of the general and grand purpose thus David very often in the Psalms declares so Psal 119.8 I will keep thy Statutes there 's a general purpose superadded to the first purpose that he did when he first gave up his heart in conversion to his God Thus in the 69. Verse of this Psalm I will keep thy Precepts with my whole heart there 's another general purpose And Psal 116.9 I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the living there 's another of his added general purposes for serving God Psal 119.57 Thou art my portion O Lord I have said I will keep thy word There he tells you what he had done in the time past he had said as in the former he saith what he would do for the future So in the 106. Verse he tells you what a purpose he had taken such as had a confirmation of an Oath or as some express it had quasi vim Juramenti as it were the strength or force of an Oath yea here tells you what he did in time past and what he will do for the future I have sworn there 's the time past And will perform there 's purpose for the future A recalling of his old purpose and a renewing of a fresh purpose to back the old So others of the Saints in Scripture are to be observed to accustom themselves frequently to strengthen the first general purpose with the additions of frequent following purposes As Jos 24. So for particular purposes for particular coming occasions we have frequent instances of holy mens practices In reference to avoiding sin Psal 101.3 I will set no evil thing before my eyes In reference to taking heed to our ways and words Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue In reference to trusting on God in difficulties waiting upon God worshipping God praying praising and all sorts of Duties and Graces Love Joy Hope Courage Constancy and the like Purposes and Resolutions general and particular and the frequent use of them Linking purpose to purpose strong purposes are still necessary for every Christian that will work out salvation Yet all must be done in the strength of Christ else they will not hold but wear out and snap asunder Now Meditation is rarely instrumental herein 1. Instrumental to make our purposes wise we must ponder and consider before we purpose rash purposes and more sudden without due bottoming in a previous Meditating will prove but miscarryings and abortions They are like foolish building on the Sand they soon fail A purpose the more deliberate the more durable 2. Meditation helps to make purposes strong and firm we have need of strong purposes for the great things of Eternal life we have strong opposition from corruption within and temptation without Meditation helps mightily to strengthen Resolution 1. By repairing to your spiritual Magazine and thence fetching forth strong spiritual Arguments to raise strong Resolutions and Purposes Arguments out of the rich stores of Scripture of all sorts and natures to relieve the weakness of the will in purposing Meditation acts a Divine reasoning disputes you into a purposing when it shews you have so much for it and nothing at all against it 2. Meditation selects and sharpens Arguments sets home and improves them upon the conscience that you must yield must resolve and firmly strongly in such matters as none can be higher O how many strong and unanswerable Arguments can Meditation come furnisht with to dispute against carnal unresolvedness to plead for your acting strong Resolutions for any part of an enjoyned Duty What weight can it put into the Ballance to cast the Scale for Gods and your Souls interest I need not name the heads of Arguments such as the indispensible necessity of the Precept and means the great sinfulness of unwillingness the excellency of the thing with the sweetness comfort confidence and advantages attending it But this I shall adde The excellency of a Christian lies chiefly in his will and the excellency of that will is in the height of its purpose and resolution freest purpose and choice firmest resolution and determination for the work he came into the world to do And the great Assistant on our part of holy resolution is holy Meditation applying fit reasons to stir up resolution and instigating to all those ways that breed and cherish it And this latter is another particular whereby Meditation is a relief and fortifier of good resolutions and purposes 2. Meditation I say is a great strengthener and stablisher of holy purposes both as it is a directive and instigative as teaching us what are the ways to help us in purposing and as instigating and provoking to the Ordinances and means that will water the Plants of holy purposes make them root deep and shoot up high flourish and bear fruit If our purposes are weak if our hearts in purposings are apt to slip out of joint no sooner set but as soon slipt or ready to dislocate and be out of joint what remedy then have we but consideration or falling to meditate to make a true inquiry first of the right and proportionate ways of healing this will-malady this heart-infirmity 2. And then Meditation instigates to a due use of discovered helps of infirm and inconstant resolutions draws you to and through the whole circle of means provokes you to try every Remedy to cure these abortive purposes It directs and leads you to all the Ordinances of help to the promises that make over help to a Christ and all his Fulness of help to the holy Spirit for his applying effectually of help to stirring up Faith to acting recumbencies and restings on Christ in the Promises to stirring up our selves to humble our selves for our failings in our purposes and to strive against them watch our hearts slipperiness and to labour keeping our resolutions and purposes better In Natures order doing is upon resolving resolving upon considering so in grace performing is upon purposing purposing arises from
pondering and meditating The Saints in Scripture that acted the highest resolutions exercised the deepest Meditations as we see in that man after Gods own heart Fits and flashes of Phansie never breed firm purposings but such resolutions that lie longest asteep in due preceding Meditation have the deepest tincture and holding Colour Longer I have been upon this particular as a point more material because the art of raising and fixing heightning and improving holy resolutions is such a happy fruit of Divine Meditation ordered to that blessed End CHAP. XXIV Of Moditation as a grand supporter of the Christian course 4. MEditation is for a constant keeper up and supporter of the Christian course as to the evenness of this Golden thread without decays sinkings stands and interruptions 2. As to improvements and goings on to perfection 3. And as to conflictings with Enemies and Oppositions This was holy Paul's practice by still taking in the highest provoking considerations minding and due pondering of them it made him to labour so abundantly to press so hard to the mark forgetting the things behind and looking to the things before He meditated on the Price of the high calling kept his Eye on the Crown of righteousness he kept his Eye alway on the stores and varieties of Gospel encouragements A Christian of the greatest consideration will ever keep up best his evenness and constancy New fresh Meditations are new Soul feedings new meals which adde new strength and vigour they make a Christian like Elijah when he had eaten to travel with new strength to Horeb the Mount of God There is a Beast in the West-Indies they call Pigritia which signifies sloth for its strange slow pace which is going fourteen days a stones cast and they have contrarily a glorious Bird call'd the Bird of Paradise that is seen generally flying and in a very expedite motion Divers for running the blessed race of Godliness go creeping slowly making little haste or progress certainly they meditate little The swiftest of foot in Christs way are the frequent serious Meditaters Meditating makes the Birds of Paradise the Christians of the perpetual motion I might adde more to this particular but I hasten to the next CHAP. XXV Of the End or Vse of Meditation in reference to others 3. THe third and last End or Use of Meditation named was in respect of others As the former ends were in reference first to God then towards our selves So this we come now unto is in respect of others Meditation in reference to others to persons of all sorts is to fill the treasure of the heart with good things and to fit the good man out of the good treasure of his heart to bring them forth to furnish others and be serviceable to their spiritual condition Luke The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things He first lays in a good treasure stores himself with the riches of heavenly treasure and then brings it out It is not a work meerly of phansie and imagination but chiefly of Meditation and Consideration Imagination takes in varieties of things in a promiscuous manner without differencing or distinguishing Imagination makes a collection Meditation makes a selection and dijudication Meditation observes what precious things are offered us and lays them up and discerns what are not precious and lays them by yea by Meditation there is not only an old store laid in but there will be also an adding of new It is this rare Art of Meditation that both founds and fills the treasury with old and new Phansie and Imagination as it is in divers may fill the mind with trash but not with Treasure with things that glister but are not Gold It is this Meditation that makes discerning betwixt the precious and the vile that takes up on searching the treasure found and discern'd and lays it up in the treasury of a good heart And this is first for the good mans own store and supply but then it is also for to enable him to bring forth for others use and help to bring forth in first discourse that is spiritual and savoury for the Nature and that likewise is seasonable and sutable for the occasion offer'd to bring and shew forth the Apples of Gold in their Pictures of Silver as Solomon saith of a word spoken in season likewise to hold forth things that are exemplary as to a fruitfulness in walking to bring forth the good things of light to shine out light of precious edifying truths and light of rich and rare experiences and to bring out the good things of a heavenly quickning comforting and encouraging Nature Meditation as it is the great way of gathering up things that are useful and filling the heart-treasury so it is to be the way of direction to open it and bringing forth in discourse the good things stored up And by this imparting them to others we our selves have a double advantage often following 1. A clearer and more distinct apprehension as Silver and Gold brighten by use not by lying up 2. A warmer and livelier Affection and when they come forth warmer by discoursing they are the apter to warm others and make their hearts burn within them This then is one End one great and excellent End of this so excellent way of Meditation That as face answereth to face in water so heart may answer heart in warmth When things have been well warmed in the Forge and Furnace first of Meditation and then in our Communication Fire may kindle Fire and one warm heart may occasion another Discourse that is the meer product and fruit of Phansie and Memory and hath not some rise and tincture of warm Meditation some discovery of heart-heat is like flashes of lightning or the shining of the Moon they make a shew but warm not No body is warmer by the one no heart is warmer by the other CHAP. I. Of the several kinds or ways of Meditation WE now from the divers Ends of Meditation proceed to the several kinds or ways of it Meditation is either that which is more set and solemn or that which is more sudden and short 1. That which is more set and solemn and this is either the more ordinary and daily or that which is extraordinary upon some more peculiar Occasions both which the Scriptures hold forth in the recorded Precepts and Precedents therein 1. The necessity of daily Meditation The first way of solemn Meditation is that which should be daily That as private Praying and other Duties are a Christians daily ways of exercising himself in Godliness and walking with God so holy Meditation is one golden path in the great Road to Heaven one way of breathing his soul daily up the Hill of Eternity and meeting with God in the Mount Psal 1.2 The holy Prophet makes it a Character of the blessed man that he Meditates in the Law of God day and night Where we have held forth as they say Gratiam Gradum the
righteous manner to the salvation of his people destruction of his Enemies and his own Glory 2. I may Meditate at least sometimes of the other soul-beauties of heavenly Graces as of that grand rare grace of Love holy Love that which is the fullfilling of the Law the great Breeder and Feeder of all Obedience Love which daily as a Fire must be blown up and made to burn afresh in the heart and enliven the daily course Ah what a Christian may do by keeping his heart hot and burning in Love 3. Joy Meditating of living the life of heavenly peace and joy rejoycing in the Lord alway Not living the life of sadness and pensiveness most unbecoming an Heir of Eternal Glory 4. Hope Meditate also I may of heavenly Hope which makes not ashamed Rom. 5.5 Heb. 6.19 An Anchor sure and firm to ride out all storms And of all the Graces as of holy Fear Humility Meekness Patience Contentedness Zeal Courage Constancy all the Chain of Graces mentioned in 2 Pet. 1.5 and other places The whole days actings should be considered so as not to be a complication of vanities follies and careless walkings but a shewing forth and shining in the glorious beams of heavenly Graces and Excellencies 5. Meditate daily I should of the spiritual dangers I am surrounded with by spiritual Enemies That principal and Arch-Enemy the Flesh that sin which is connatural to me dwells in me Rom. 7. and so easily besets me Heb. 12.1 that is alway present and too prevalent the Fountain and Forge of all other sins the Heart Touch-wood and Tinder for temptation The ground out of which all the stinking and poysonous weeds of Lust grow up and that ground and foundation of the deepest tincture and grain Colour of all soul-defiling Habits and customary sins that so enslave and lead a sinner captive 2. Of that so potent Adversary Satan his subtlety and depths vigilancy and unwearied diligence whetted by implacable and improving malice 1 Pet. 5.8 3. The World that Bait for Satans Hook and great Engine whereby he acts by the many sweet Allurements on the one hand and Determents on the other hand These I must every day watch and war with Therefore I must daily consider my helpers God the Father Son and Holy Spirit 2 Cor. 8.9 Eph. 6.13 The Armour of God I must put on for every part and my fighting in the strength of Christ by whom I may be made more than Conquerour Rom. 8.37 And for the last general there must be Meditation of the unspeakable preciousness of time running on without possibility of a stand or least stay With the Frailty of life Psal 39.4 with the uncertainty of it and the certainty of death and unavoidableness of that which will cast me upon Eternity These are the more general things among which my Meditation may take its walks and upon which my seriousness may daily sit down to make its spiritual advantage by I must adde now things more particular CHAP. XI Of some Particulars to be added to the former Generals THere are some things in particular I may adde which may help to direct and quicken a Christian in his daily course 1. For the Scripture I daily read or hear to endeavour some thoughts which may help to higher quickenings and heart-enlargings by farther fresh ponderings of the surpassing Excellencies and mighty Efficacies of the Scripture to think of a required higher rising estimation more inflamed affections of Love Joy Hope Longing and the rest seen and so observably conspicuous in the Saints in Scripture to light our Candle by their flame And the more rooted resolution I should take up and engage in to be more by my looking into the Glass of the Word transformed into the image of it 1 Cor. 3.18 Of Faith in the Word I should farther think of that Faith I am necessarily to act in the truth and certainty and usefulness of the Word I now am to be exercised in and of my mixing of Faith more abundantly with it Heb. 4.2 As to any Doctrine Precept Promise Threatning or Examples and whatever is there related for my use Of Wisdom I should think also of the Wisdom which that I read requires in selecting that out is most conducible is my proper portion and best fitting my souls condition As Samuel at his Feast set forth something peculiar for Saul 1 Sam. 9.23 24. Joseph caused to be prepared for his Brother Benjamin Gen. 43.34 God will now be seen if wisdom be used to hold forth a peculiar prepared portion Some Eye-salve to annoint mine Eyes Rev. 3.18 some rich Balm to heal some sore some corrosive to eat out some proud flesh some Cordial for a strengthener and chearer some piece of spiritual treasure to enrich me some rare Jewel for ornament wanting to me something there is now in my hand for my now spiritual advantage if I can see it and see it I may by that which must be the Auxiliary and constant Assistant of my reading if I would meet with a due profiting which is my conscientious and careful pondering weighing and weighing this pure Gold stored up in Christs rich Treasury to make me rich Reading brings me Meat Meditation brings forth the sweetness Reading brings the Coals to the Wood Meditation makes the flame Reading brings me the Sword of the Word Meditation whets it Reading barely proves pouring water into a Sieve Meditation is putting Gold into a Treasury the former lets the Water out the latter locks the Gold up O let me read much but let me also Meditate much that Meditation and Reading may be commensurate my Souls digestion proportioned to its Reception its taking in by Reading let me Read and Meditate that I may not have a meagre lean soul like them that have an eager appetite and a weak digestion but that it may be fat and well-liking by this good digestion of due Meditation 2. Some lively and vigorous Meditation should be daily performed in reference to private Prayer I say for assistance and furtherance of secret Closet-Prayer that so important and sweet Soul-Exercise 1. Of that importancy and concernment that the main stress both of the whole work and likewise of the hearts after warmth and life in the day lies greatly on it 2. Of that heavenly sweetness that it is the chief way of our private familiarity with God 3. Of that excellency that it is our only way of private speaking unto the great God of having the high honour and favour of whispering in his ear access in private to his bosom and bowels and the chief way of procuring his private Signet and Seal of blessed assurance of happiness The way it is of the souls freshest freest and most elevated actings such as oft-times praying in company must not cannot bear and the way of strong high Exercise of sundry Graces 1. It sends private Embassies daily to the King of Heaven by Faith 2. It carries up daily the soul to Heaven in a
of it therefore he must know it and it must be true Rom. 2.2 The Judgment of God is according to truth and the Word of truth whereby he will judge 5. Take in also the recorded demonstrations of it such as God discovered foretold and after came to pass setting a seal to this infallible truth Hazael 2 King 8.19 was by Revelation from God told it by Elisha and with much seeming abhorrence disclaim'd it yet instantly is confuted and had his mouth stopt The Apostles were told of their forsaking Christ and Peter of his denying of him which he would not believe Mar. 14.50 yet within a very little time appeared Scripture Records of the hearts great deceitfulness are left us to conclude and confirm us herein But O how hard is it to see to believe against our selves Our own great frequencies of Experiences the very instances out of the Nurseries of our own hearts the evil Plants that put forth fresh continually of their fruits deceitfulness prove it to our faces if we make Observations of them as we ought to do O there 's not one day if we are watchful but is full of sad instances from Morning to Night At all times we may find our hearts ready to commit cheats upon our selves and in soul concerns as to our spiritual Estates O what grand deceits are we too apt to have therein As particularly in respect of God how ready to think erroneously of him as to his omniscience truth holiness righteousness mercy free Grace power and providence and such like As the self condemned Drunkard Deut. 29.19 says I shall have peace though I adde drunkenness to thirst And he in the 50. Psalm v. 21. Thou saidst I was like to thee so the best are out of predominant corruption very ready to commit great mistakes and deceits in respect of their own sins graces the things of God and things of the world there 's no end of naming excellent Treatises are written of this hearts deceitfulness 2. Meditation should proceed to the unspeakable sadness of this heart Temper every one should cry out with the holy Apostle Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this deceitful heart out of the hands of this Deceiver so great and so near gotten so far within me and that will be a cursed inmate so long as this House of the Body stands and will not out utterly whatsoever hard usage it finds O how sad is it to have such a self-betraying companion so deeply rooted within me To have in my own Bosom such a continual Forge and Fountain acting and running in so violent Tydes high Spring-Tydes ever and anon carrying me down to that I must so sadly bewail and smart under 3. The attendants and consequences of this heart deceitfulness should greatly be pondered as to be so fooled by my self by trusting my self Prov. 28.26 He that trusts his own heart is a Fool May I not trust my own heart without having such a Character and Brand upon me O then what a Fool have I been and that Millions of Millions of times O how great a Fool exceeding often in suffering so notorious Cheats to be put upon me such a Lust or Corruption to clap a Biass on my Heart and Fool lead me lead me so far so deep into the dirt so far from home from Heaven from God from peace comfort hope and heart of returning How many and many ways have I been a fool yea and still am daily most unwise he that is so easily and ordinarily unwise must be a fool to purpose Whosoever shall be but twice or thrice cheated by the same person and not beware will be accounted no wise man but for a sinner to be not twice or thrice cheated but thousands of times by the same deceitful heart cheated with the saddest saddest imaginable deceits must be unwise indeed O how sad is it that we cannot by all experiences take heed of this deceitful heart I can take heed of every one better than my self it may be I scarce will trust any body in worldly affairs but my self that is worse than any without me that I will trust and so be deceived O let me often think what trusting my own heart is and needs must come unto I had need think well of the foolish Builder Mat. 7.26 that built his house upon the sand grounded his hopes of salvation on a false bottom and of the wise Builder who built his house on a Rock by real building by precious Faith on Christ And let me likewise meditate often on the ten Virgins the foolish deceived with a Lamp of outward profession only and the wise that with their Lamps provided Oyl of Grace a heart right-renovation 4. Meditate first on the heart-knower Against heart deceitfulness let me as the sure way look up continually to the only perfect heart-knower to beg most earnestly his help to shew me my hearts deceitfulness Secondly on Christ my wisdom Let me mind this well that Christ only must be my wisdom 1 Cor. 1.31 my teacher whom I must apply and rest on peculiarly for his wisdom and teachings daily to extricate and carry me out of the Labyrinths and many secret windings of my so deceitful spirit Thirdly on the Spirit my helper And must consider the mighty helper the Holy Spirit to help me against my self-deceivings Rom. 8.26 He helps our infirmities and he helps against this infirmity of being so ready to be cheated Christ by his Spirit he can and will deliver me if I trust upon him he hath given me his Word Fourthly the Word I must meditate on the Word there are the sure Rules and ways revealed to shew how to undeceive my self The Word Heb 4.12 is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart if I make it my Exercise to meditate in the Word of Christ he by his Spirit with the Word will teach and help me if I obey it I have endeavoured a little this being so important a concernment to help our Meditation in it and those that believe and fear their hearts deceivings most will ever speed best those that trust their hearts most will smart most CHAP. XVII Of divers other things for solemn and set Meditation 6. SOlemn and serious Meditation a very great and diligent consideration I should often act in reference to that arch Enemy without namely the Devil who though he be an Enemy without yet gains and maintains all he can a correspondency with corruption within me Satan I must consider as fallen from God and so from his primitive station and happiness into damnation and Hell fallen out implacably with God and for his sake with his best Creature on Earth man Out of his implacable hatred his aim is to drown men in the same Perdition and Hell with himself 1 Pet. 5.8 He seeks whom he may devour Rev. 2.24 he hath his deceits depths methods and arts of both tempting and troubling 2 Cor. 2.11 And
these acted with the purest enmity keenest malice utmost vigilancy and unwearied diligence He hath the higher ground of us by far as being a Spirit and of the highest rank of Creatures as to his Nature and Essence and is thereby most wise and strong and agile He is immortal never can dye nor in any sort decay as we and other creatures decay in strength senses and exercising of our souls faculties understanding memory and others as he is never dying nor in the least decaying so he hath been is and ever will be to the worlds end trying and tempting Trying and practising upon the innumerable sorts of persons of all Sexes all Ages that are capable in the least degree to be tempted of all ranks conditions relations in all places whatsoever through the vast inhabited earth Job 1.7 He also enlarges his experiences puts still fresh on his file improves continually his arts of deceiving and doth he not grow more bold raging and busie as his time grows shorter Rev. 12.12 Pondered well it should be that 't is not one single Devil to tempt us but there are Legions very many of them and they are all one huge Army of Devils under one great Head The Devil and his Angels Mat. 25.41 Rev. 12.7 His Angels are his assistants which constantly and exactly comply and co-operate with him The Devils never are divided do not jar and act against each other but are all of one interest of destroying Souls and accordingly do harmoniously contend Oft in Scripture mention is made of Satan and the Devil as if he were a single one But this may be to shew their unanimity and unity The Scripture hath sufficiently warned us and related his attempts and prevailings as first upon Adam and Eve in their state of innocency and perfection yet he then though they knew not only their own happiness but all their posterities though never so numerous lay at the stake he then by his Artifices and subtlety prevailed After that upon the second man that ever was upon the deceived Parents first born Cain therefore 1 Joh. 3.12 Cain is said to be of the wicked one and on sundry other wicked all along still the current of time Yea prevailed he often hath upon the very best Saints that ever the world had Job David Peter and others Job 3.1 c. 2 Sam. 24.1 Mat. 26.3 he forbears none Therefore it is very much to be considered and how he is to be watched and warred with and the Armour of proof is to be duly minded and the putting of it on Ephes 6.13 He that hath conquered him the Lord Jesus and that hath conquered him for his members this glorious conquest must be meditated upon as the strongest Cordial in the case and way of taking it the Promise with the way of acting by the Promise Praying and other Ordinances given for our help this need be often a great Meditation 7. That Enemy the World should have its due Meditation Its allurements on the one side its oppositions on the other I must meditate on the diversities of baits the latitudes of Pleasures heights of Honour heaps of Wealth 1 Joh. 2.15 Friends Relations Company Converse Cares Business and all my Lets Diversions Entanglements of all the evils in Troubles Forcings Frauds Plottings and all ways of ensnaring and ruining me Also the World in so many respects being suited either to my natural inclination or my customary readiness for closing with it or otherwise to my fears and cowardise softness and fickleness weakness and weariness to withstand or overcome it Yet I must consider how the Saints have overcome the world by acting as Moses and others their self-denyal looking to the recompence of reward looking to him that is invisible and especially to Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith and by Faith and Patience both enduring and gloriously overcoming 8. Sometimes I may very fruitfully meditate on the wants and weakness of my Grace begun in some measure 2 Pet. 1.5 it s often ebbings and flowings its stops and stands A little progress at the best my so carnal heart makes also of the extream need I have of continual stirring up and exercising Faith Love Hope Fear and other Graces thereby to grow stronger and put forth vigorously on all occasions minding also the helps I have in Christs holy Ordinances encouragements in the precious promises and supplies by the blessed Spirits operations out of the so great fulness of Christ 9. Oft I should apply my seriousness to that so concerning particular the continual and fast running out of the golden sands of my time and special seasons for working out of my salvation The time is short faith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.29 Psal 39.5 Behold thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth Seasons past can never be recall'd seasons present cannot be stopt from running out Opportunity is the greatest Talent as the saying is as that whereby we employ all other Talents Therefore we are so often earnestly call'd upon for redeeming time as Eph. 5.16 Redeeming the time Eccl. 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might for there is no work in the Grave c. Though time and seasons as the course of the Heavens may be made to stop if the Sun as in Joshua's time should miraculously stand still Jos 10.13 or as in Hezekiah's time go back Isa â— 8 yet mens particular time then did not go back or stand still so our particular time of life cannot go back or stand still Job 9.25 and 14.1 2. and ver 5. Life every moment shortens and is melting down into its appointed period Life is a thing of the greatest contingency and uncertainty there is no Ensurance Office set up for it It passes swiftly without pause or stop this the Scripture both minds us greatly of and furnishes us with rare precedents of the Saints serious and moving Meditations about it O let me then look on them and do likewise I let me use and improve the patterns purposely there recorded to help and quicken my forgetful dead spirit I next come to speak of the four last things as they commonly are called Death Judgment Hell and Heaven CHAP. XVIII Meditation of Death THE uncertainty of life last mentioned leads me to the subject next akin to it that so considerable and consequential point of Mortality Death and Dissolution O that here I could be the highest Artist to speak most fitly and movingly to this subject Death or at least to do something which might prove effectual to some such proper and proportionate way of directing and quickning this so necessary and useful Meditation This is the great momentous and most highly concerning thing the end and winding up of life and all affairs and matters relating to it and that which casts me and determines my condition for all Eternity in woe or happiness Let me therefore endeavour the best I can at all times to improve my thinkings of it
concern as to work off all my usual wonted easiness and slightness of thinkings on this particular And to arrive at a contrary habitual seriousness and earnestness of mindings frequent thinkings yea let my spirit not rest till I am reduced to and improve under the powerful and prevailing provocations of it to whatever so great a thing calls for from me That I may daily more answer the intendments of a God in relating this Hell so plainly and plentifully in his Word for my due notice of it My way then must be a course of serious pondering the Scriptures passage after passage wherein the second Death and Hell is set forth in the several Books As in Isa 30.1 Tophet is prepared of old even for the King he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it An elegant description in an allusion So those many clear passages of Christs own mouth set down so plainly as words can utter Math. 5.22 and 29 30. In that very first Sermon of Christs on the Mount there he mentions Hell-fire and casting into Hell three several times Mat. 11.23 Brought down to Hell Luke 16.23 The Rich man is said to be in Hell Pet. It 's called a Prison Prisons being the wors of places made for securing and punishing Rev. 20.1 A bottomless Pit Luke 16.23 A place of torment Mat Their worm dieth not alluding to that worm that breeds in and feeds on the body is lying gnawing and cannot be cured Their fire goes not out Fire is the most quick and active the most tormenting and torturing Element It 's Brimstone that is the fuel which is a most combustible noisom and suffocating matter It 's call'd utter darkness Darkness is a most dreadful and disconsolating thing as that of Egypt For the company it is only wicked persons perfect in sin and most wretched Devils the worst of Creatures Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels O how hot and scorching must that fire be that purposely is prepared for utmost torment Not like Nebuchadnezzars Furnace seven times hoter but seventy times hoter that which is inconceivable In Scripture Hell or the state of misery is exprest by the terms of second death death one death in any kind is very dreadful above all other things but after dying a first death then to come and dye a second death and this not so easie as dying any bodily death millions of times over If a Malefactor should die the most cruel death and then be made to live again and then die that death a second time yea thousands and thousands of times over O how sad were the case of that person that must be so under the both fears of that death first and then the torments and pains But what is all this to this second death being under the fullness of infinite wrath and that for ever The inflicter of this misery is no less than an infinitely wise holy sin hating and an omnipotent God acting in the purest and fiercest wrath endeavouring the fullest revenge the damned creature is capable of and for which it purposely is made a vessel of wrath and that vessel is preared to receive and hold this wrath 1. Prepared by being widened extended as it were to receive the fulness of wrath As the Saints shall have their spirits elevated and extended to the utmost to be made fit to receive the fulness of glory and happiness so the damned have their spirits widened and enlarged their understandings and hearts in the utmost extensiveness that they be brim-full of wrath 2. Prepared by being purposely strengthened to the utmost as Vessels are made strong to hold the strongest Wine or Liquor to hold and keep in that wrath poured into them Were Hell but to have the least torment in the least member or sensible part as in the Toe Finger or the like for ever or but one torment in a noble part Head Liver Heart or a complication of many sad diseases for ever how intolerably sad were this state but to have all possible trouble and torment both in body and soul set on by a God for ever O how unspeakably sad is this All the forenamed this imprisonment this tormenting this worm this fire the weepings the wailings the gnashing of teeth is not for an hour a day a month a year an age nor a thousand years or ages or what can be reckon'd by millions of millions but for ever no rest for ever no ease for ever no hope of any deliverance or degree of it for ever but sorrow torment and terrour sinking in despair and hopelesness for ever ever ever O then to improve this Meditation and make it operative upon my spirit Let me first look upon Hell begun in that terrour and horrour the wicked instantly upon their raising up from the dead and changed are seized with The hot burning Coals of Hell are thrown into their bosom fill them up and lie burning and scorching as they are both bringing to the judgment seat and are standing before Christ at the Bar all the time of their arraignment Never did any poor guilty prisoner stand in such a fear as this fear and were so amazed 2. The then unspeakable shame Then all the time of their arraignment and especially on the pronouncing of that dreadful sentence which will be passed and executed O what must be the unspeakable shame mixt with the continuing and encreasing sad horrour Dan. 13. O what must be that shame when all things possible concur to load and cover them with shame never was there nor can be such a shame poured upon any A shame in the greatest concourse that ever was or can be all the Saints and Angels yea all the wicked and the Devils every particular ashamed also before all their own company in this so desperate state 3. And especially a transcendent shame in respect of the infinitely glorious Judge the Lord Jesus despised and sinned so against by so many Ah what must be the shame of wicked men to stand uncover'd with open faces to see the so dreadful Judge looking the arraigned person full in the face looking with the most wishly Eye and stern countenance upon I say their uncover'd faces to have all their sins ript up every one adding still to the shame but then when the dreadful sentence passes O what the shame will farther then be And yet far more when the sentence is Executed they driven away and all Devils and men thrust into the Dungeon of darkness what an everlasting shame will that be Now O now to think of all their unexpressible losses of such a Bill of losses as never was seen loss of God himself his face and communion with him Father Son and Spirit loss of the company of all the Saints and Angels lost Heaven and all its glory lost and all that happiness that arises from all
such a state as is so good and glorious to that utmost possibility as the Creature is susceptive of and can have and for that so all sweetning and satiating eternity And then which greatly aggravates the misery as Christ himself expresses it Luke 13.28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth when ye shall see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all c. So to see all the Saints to see all the godly Patriarchs Abraham Isaac Jacob and all the other To see Moses Samuel David and all the holy Prophets to see all the blessed Apostles Peter John Paul and all the Disciples of Christ with all the glorious Martyrs and Confessors in all times and all the innumerable company of Saints in both former present and after Ages all these known in their times but neglected scorned opposed persecuted and destroyed yet all these to be taken up with Christ into Heaven but as other sinners so thy woful self dying without a Christ shut out and have Heaven Gates shut up lockt and barr'd against thee for ever and withal also ah lockt up fast in the Dungeon of darkness and fill'd up full in soul and body with unspeakable torment never to end And to realize this more and make it more effectual on thee that art saved after the Judgment is ended sentence of condemnation passed let me imagine my self looking after this Herd of Goats all driving down headlong to the Lake of fire and Brimstone seeing them taken hold of and haled to the Prison of Hell and immediately shut in presently seis'd with wrath and torment fill'd brim full up with unspeakable woe and torture Then could I but go near lay my ear to the door of this Prison and listen earnestly O what would be the dolours the groanings cryings roarings yellings shriekings that so many many thousands altogether tortured would be heard to make The noise of a few Prisoners condemning of Passengers in a Ship drowning of men in Battel killing and dying makes a most hideous impression makes a mans ears to tingle and his heart to ake and tremble But O what is or can be like unto this hideous noise and cry of so many innumerable millions of all sorts and sexes men and women under such intolerable torments O but might I have liberty and security to make an ocular observation with my eyes to see the Gates of that horrid place open to see the lake of Fire and Brimstone flaming to look in and see the tormented in their so woful condition most sad postures and behaviours All the multitudes and throngs of persons and the persons in particular I desire to see and view There I might see that first Murderer Cain appearing in his Chains and Tortures and on my demanding who he was he answers I am that cursed one that kill'd my righteous Brother Abel here here I have bin already so many thousands of years and here I must remain to be tormented for ever In another place appears another it may be wicked Saul that persecuter of holy David in another Achitophel or Haman Herod Judas and abundance of such strewed all over this Prison Sinners of all sorts Idolaters Superstitious Prophane Wizards Witches Swearers Cursers Prophaners of the day of God with disobedient to Parents Murderers Adulterers Thieves Lyars Covetous and all others of several Sexes Ranks and Conditions If I might ask and be answered upon enquiry by the persons I see there would not one come and say I am such a one another say I am such and so others Would not one come and shew me there in such a place are those that were drowned by the Deluge there are the Sodomites burnt with fire and Brimstone there 's Pharaoh and the Egyptians those drowned in the Red Sea there 's such and such Enemies and Persecuters of Christ and his Church of old there are the heathen Persecuters and the Antichristian Enemies there such Apostates such Hypocrites such loose Christians in this place such a man or such a woman you knew and in that place another there you see them and in the same sad case with my self But should I ask of their several conditions and what they continually feel O what doleful Relations would they give in of the scorchings of that fire of the gnawing of that never dying worm of their deepest sorrows highest fears and above all of their overwhelming and unspeakable despairs Prov. 18.14 Here when God suffers but a spark to flye out of the Furnace of Hell and fall into a sinners bosom as Judas Math. 27.5 O how intolerable doth it prove But when the whole pile of Hell's fuel and fire shall be laid and fastned on sinners by the hand of an Almighty God O what must that torment and that despair amount unto and then when under infallible certainty of a lengthening out to all Eternity O let every one Meditate often and most seriously of this so dreadful state not be shye of a looking this way of a looking into this Lake of Fire and realizing all the so dreadful things comprehended in it Not contenting thy self with thy yieldings and giving it for granted and never ponder never labour to any purpose to be rightly affected stirred up to take a sure course for escaping it But let this terrour of the Lord 2 Cor. 5.11 awaken provoke and perswade every one to flye from this wrath to come and flye to that Christ make sure of him that only can deliver us CHAP. XXII Of Heaven and Happiness Eternal THE last thing I shall mention in this part of solemn and set Meditation is that of Heaven and Happiness Eternal therein Hell is not so miserable a state but Heaven is as transcendently glorious and happy The one being purposely for demonstration of the fulness of Gods hatred and wrath the other for the highest manifestation of the riches of Mercy and Free Grace Yea this being the thing the Lord is so infinitely pleased and delighted in must needs have the fullest and most glorious manifestation that is any way possible for a God to make and his Creatures can be apprehensive and receptive of and therefore the state of Glory must be glorious indeed Eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for such as love him There he is speaking of things but dispositive to happiness the blessings of Grace Peace Joy and heavenly Priviledges given in Christ but then if happiness only begun be so glorious O what is happiness finished up and consummate For our way of proceeding in this Meditation I conceive it best by laying a full Scripture ground in gathering those choice Flowers springing up thick in the rich Garden stores of the infallible Scriptures and are purposely growing there for the hand of faith to gather and the Eye of our dim weak sight to be healed and cleared to believe and see the glory of Heaven by It is not a way
of meer general thinkings or that of Phansie or Speculation of our own but first laying a Scripture great and firm foundation And then after to improve those Scripture assertions by all the ability and help we can of Reason and Inferences of best Representations and Resemblances of Imagination and Invention General apprehensions and grantings of Scripture truths deceive and destroy many when they are rested in General notions of Heaven and happiness granting it there is a Heaven and no more makes many miss of it miss for want of more distinct apprehensions well grounded believing and due deep sinking of it to the bottom of the heart there to lie glowing to warm and kindle the affections to provoke into a labouring a mighty striving to win the Crown of glory The way is as wisdom in all other cases of consequence teaches to come off every day from general confused thoughts of Heaven and happiness restings on and runnings away with a supposed doing enough If we still grant there 's a Heaven and Happiness every day to endeavour distincter and clearer thoughts and knowledge Generals will not serve grantings must not be made the enough of a wise Christian he must have an extensive and enlarging clearness an encreasing firmness of Faith in the Doctrines the great points of salvation But we having this so prime an Article of faith that which hath wrapt up in it so rich a Treasure and preserves as it were that so inestimable Jewel of happiness mans last end that which is the great foundation and instigation of all a Christians strivings and hopes for he hath no hope in this life for happiness here This therefore should not be turned off nor terminated as too oft is done with a granting or bare assent but still obtain of us a fuller firmer warmer and more operative seeing and belief Now this cannot be without diligent gathering in and better still Meditating on particular Scriptures asserting and clearly manifesting this main Article and mans chief end comprised in it The Jewish Church had this typified in the Holy of Holies as Heb. 9.3.12.24 Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which were the Figures of the true but into Heaven it self This was that by the visible place faith might be stirr'd up to eye and view the invisible typified state of glory Psal 73.24 David tells us of it and was assured to be received up into glory that is into Heaven in glory Dan. 12.23 Of them that sleep in the dust some shall awake to everlasting life and shine as the brightness of the firmament and some as the stars for ever The Church of the New Testament in the writings given by Christ to it have this Doctrine of Heaven and happiness abundantly and most clearly set forth The first mentionings of it are out of the mouth of him that with the Father and Holy Spirit made it Math. 5.3 in Christs first Sermon Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven So verse 10 12. The persecuted for righteousness theirs is c. verse 20. Mention there is again of it Verse 34. and v. 45. and 48. Chap. 6. v. 1. v. 9. The first passage in the Lord's Prayer At least twelve several times in this first Sermon of Christ this Heaven is mentioned And as in the Gospels so all the new Testament over you may many scores of times find and see it lying as a most shining and glorious Diamond in the Mine or as in a rich Cabinet for to be viewed and laboured for The multitudes of places well weighed must needs hold forth to all that shut not their eyes wilfully a Local Heaven a place of happiness and glory It is no Allegorical Heaven as some have dream'd or may ignorantly imagine when it is asserted in so many clear passages which all of them in our reading or hearings should have their due weight weight of thinkings and efficacy on us for firm believing and answerable endeavours for not losing but enjoying it For the rank of places what it hath the Scripture tells us it is the third Heaven the first being that where the Clouds are the second where the glorious Lights Sun Moon and Stars are this third above them all call'd therefore the highest Heaven This third and highest Heaven is most inconceivably excellent not made of any preceeding matter much less of any elementary matter Some say it was made immediately of nothing and with it were also made concreated the Angels all at the same instant Heaven never being empty of Inhabitants The Sun Moon and Stars were made not the first day but the fourth day for Furniture of that Heaven under the highest Heaven 2. It is the largest and most capacious place as that which comprises or surrounds all the inferiour world and things in that O here here is Rechaboth room enough In this world here 's crowding pushing crushing of the Saints The wicked world would quite cast them every one out of it to be left alone and enjoy all to be let alone and have none to see and shame them any way But the Saints shall all be brought at last into a large place where none shall molest or trouble them Heaven is a Rechaboth indeed a most large place The Globe of the whole Earth and Water is as Geographers tell us at the least one and twenty thousand and six hundred miles in compass The Air above encompassing in that and especially the uppermost part of the Air must needs be far more in compass than the Earth and Water The Moon alone is very great though something less than the Earth some of the Planets are judged far greater than the Globe of the Earth The Sun by some is judged to be one hundred sixty six times greater than the whole Earths Globe which others make yet far greater which then must be some millions of miles in compass according to that account The fixed Stars which all are above the highest Planet Saturn are by the Learned every of them judged greater than all the Earth the least of them eighteen times bigger than the Earth those of the highest magnitude and the most glorious brightness an hundred and eighteen times bigger than the whole Earth Of these fixed Stars who can tell the numbers of them those which are reckon'd are but some hundreds in their Constellations How exceeding then vast must this starry Heaven be if the Planets and fixed Stars in it are so great and numerous O then how unspeakably vast and large must this third Heaven be which compasses round all the Earth Air and the starry Heavens What a Kingdom for Territories is this What a place for Christ to prepare Mansions for his in What a place for the all-glorious God and Jesus Christ to keep a Court in highest splendour and magnificence in And the Lord Jesus the Saviour that purchased this inheritance with his own blood for him to be ever viewed loved admired
they think bare knowing without due Meditating is an undervaluing of spiritual things CHAP. XXVII Of the third Ground of this Meditation as to several ends and uses THE third great ground of this necessary Duty is from the Ends and the great concernments of them as to all sorts of persons 1. For a sinners first conversion to God 1. Meditation is a Duty incumbent on and highly necessary for persons yet strangers to God to bring them home Ezek. 18.28 Because he considereth and turneth 1 King 8.47 If they bethink themselves and turn returning of the sinners is upon considering and self bethinking thus the Prodigal Luke 15. No man ever truly converts to God without some consideration of his Misery with his absolute need of Christ and his Grace and flying to him Although the efficacious drawing of a sinner be Gods work he awakens convinces humbles and he changes the heart yet not without the sinners considering minding mourning seeking and striving God converts men as reasonable Creatures and conversion is founded on the deepest set reasons and the strongest working and prevailing arguments in the world God he awakens and the sinner looks about and considers he reasons with himself as the Prodigal and out-reasons himself but by Gods mighty working keeping down the hearts corruption and by its quickning the soul with a new living principle and so he resolves and returns to God If more would muse and consider did do it duly more God enabling would return When the one is to be done the other shall be done men shall come to consider and ponder 2. For all renewed repenting There 's great necessity of consideration for our renewing our returning continually for holding up an evenness and constancy of renewed repentance Psal 119.59 I considered my ways and turned my feet to thy Testimonies Fresh godly sorrow self-loathings serious returnings must have new fresh considerings of the sinfulness of sin and laying loads of aggravations on particular new warpings and miscarriages Especially greater Repentings require a deeper and larger foundation in consideration as David did in Psal 51. that evidences great and deep thoughts of heart 3. For a vigorous acting of Grace For vigorous acting any Grace Faith Love Hope Fear Humility Patience and others as is frequently seen in the Saints in Scriptures what reasons and perswasions they drew out of the depths of considerations Job David others All the heart Graces are stirr'd and acted in some measure by consideration either of the command enjoyning the Promise encouraging threatning awing examples exciting arguments in some sort or other inducing and helping It is something that works and weighs is first pondered before the soul acts or is rightly moved A Christian acts not as Water or Fire which move by their own inclination But as men act in things as men which is by choice and free election but upon preceding instigation of Reason and consideration Grace though it be a spring of living water it is not that which runs over of it self That 's for Heaven where the heart will be full and run alone It is not like the spring-head of Jordan that ran of it self but like Jacob's well that had always water but must always be drawn It must be drawn out by consideration Christians mistake and complain oft of their hearts and would have them like a running Spring to run to act alone when here in the best though there be water as in Jacob's Well yet the well is deep there must be drawing for every drop or none will come Therefore to make it come the Bucket of Consideration must be letting down and pulling up and so pouring forth What the Apostle said to Timothy 2 Tim. 1.6 Stir up the gift that is in thee must be said to all and done by all that would do any thing Some Horses we say go on meer Metal without out provocation of switch or spur others will go well with some stirring up So our hearts if good will go on in godliness but not on meer Metal but with provokings of considerations There should be endeavoured the best and strongest mindings and reasonings if we would act Graces vigorously and strongly There 's a necessity that strong purposes and resolutions for believing trusting loving hoping all acting all enduring strongly be bottom'd in strong mindings and considerings The fuller the consideration the better the actings of Graces the stronger the spring in the Watch the better all the Wheels move CHAP. XXVIII Of other ends of this Meditation 4. FOR all Duties and holy performances there is great necessity of Meditation in some due measure for a due wise warm lively and spiritual acting them acting from the right principle of Grace within by the right rule eying the Word and to the right mark and end salvation Real and vigorous performing in this sort must have some good allowance of pondering what we are to perform This is very conspicuous in holy David so great a performer of holy Duties Praying confessing and praising his prayings and all things in that way he calls his Meditation Certainly those so excellent Psalms of prayings and praisings were no flashes of a meerly raised phansie or some hasty runnings over of a hot Brain not an uttering what came next but the passages so rare spiritual and heavenly and so strongly rational as they had a touch from Heaven in the Spirits guidance and assistance so they had a tincture from a wise holy heart within laying them asteep in consideration and acting them with it in highest heeds and mindings concurring with their utterings Things so well spoken must be well weighed especially when they also were to be Scripture Records For holy Prophets and Scripture Pen-men were to use their own natural gifts and their graces in their writings though the Spirit of God infallibly guided sometimes raised and elevated them above themselves Duties of Religion ebb and flow are more lively spiritual and heavenly or more dead carnal and such as run lower according to their fomentings and feedings from the warm spring of Meditation thus in our praying and other duties we may daily experience Christians complain they are dead-hearted and cold slight and perfunctory in performances confessions are not accompanied with heart-meltings shame and self-loathings Petitions not with fervency strong cryings and earnest wrestlings Thanksgivings not with that flame of love and joy and high admirings of the so great goodness and rich free Grace of God in his ways and dispensations toward us commonly the cause is the spring of Meditation is stopt the soul runs not in such a current of considerations and quickning reasons as it ought and used to do When any part or member of the body fails in heat sense or motion where there is actio laesa as the Physicians say there 's principium laesum that is where is an action or acting hurt or hindred from its natural and usual way there the principle and feeder of that action hurt and
can do little but bungle because they study and muse no more to know their own way Many Christians are but bunglers to what they might be make a large disproportion between their profession and their proficiency their practice and their profit because they meditate no more to understand their way 2. The great not only ignorance but dead-heartedness and spiritual chilness with the brokenness and unevenness of Christians in their walkings arises much from a negligence in this Meditation either negligence of not doing it but ceasing sometimes or negligence of slackness and slothfulness in ceasing fervency and industry for the manner Davids manner of meditation in the fervency and the constancy of it will keep up Davids affections fervent and flaming affections and Davids constancy and evenness of conversation 3. Little meditating makes lean Christians of little life little strength little growth and of little usefulness to others Heb. 12.12 There 's mention of feeble knees which also occasions the going with no steadiness and the not making of straight steps As it is oft in the body thus from a failing in the head obstructions of the Fountain and feeder of sense and motion so this among others this failing in Meditation is a great occasion though there be divers other causes a great ground of Christians weak feet and going no stronger and steadier Meditation that should influence stir up strength and motion is obstructed disused and neglected Meditation must still lend a hand of help to every spiritual undertaking first ponder then proceed We can perform nothing well in worldly affairs without well considering so in spiritual matters what duties can be well performed what graces rightly exercised what in all Religion that can be named can be rightly ordered if you mind not seriously consider not before the doing it as well as mind and attend it in the doing Serious thinking is fundamental to all right doing O what are the innumerable advantages that thy constancy in this course would still bring in and what have been thy losses by neglect and will daily increase upon thee by it Ah therefore consider be awakened and strive to be humbled for all thy failings and neglects especially thy fallings off from and disusings of this so necessary and excellent Duty look to thy first beginning in it and thy making no better entrance into it First undertakings if not so well and through prove great inconveniences and if not lookt after and amended may occasion a less seriousness and care ever after but however they require a making up and bettering that which serves a young weak and unexperienced Christian must not serve a grown Christian one old in his way O but be humbled for thy improving no more in this Art of Meditation for being no better Artist for having so little of this heavenly habit and heart-readiness from thy frequencies and constancies of not only acting but earnest and vigorous strivings which intend and strengthen improve and increase the habit Be humbled for no higher attainments in this happy way which we should be most perfect in ready for in which we should still have an increasing and heightening complacency and pleasure to perform with a striving to do it better as to heart-readiness better as to heart-power and purpose resolvedness against oppositions and hindrances Ah then look mournfully look we and with shame and self-abasings on all and for all our failings and for all our guilt contracted for this Duty neglected 1. That our progress and improvement hath been so small 2. Our inequalities and unevennesses so many 3. Our fallings off and desistings and lyings so long or any space of time before returning and recovering and by our dis-using contracting an unwillingness a spiritual lothness a doing with more difficulty or by refusals and denying of doing this Duty to thereby aggravate our sin Therefore I say for all these admitted and added let us be deeply humbled before God and mourn over so many and great neglects he hath observed in us Ah therefore say I have sinned greatly in what I have done 2 Sam. 24.10 say I will do so no more Job 34.32 Ah so to slight to forget the concerns of God and my soul to let my eyes be in the corners of the earth to let my soul lose so its lookings by eying vanity to imbezel my precious thoughts upon the by and overlook the main May not my God come and challenge me for great unkindness unworthiness and folly What thou my child to be so vain and unwise when thou hast to contemplate thy God in his infinite all-sufficiency thy Saviour in all his matchless beauty and fullness thy Sanctifier in all his operations and consolations thy perfect rule the Scriptures with all the treasures of heavenly truths in them and when thou hast all the excellent and admired works and ways of a God the condition of his Church and people thy own souls state and eternal salvation together with all such things that continually stand full in thy view Ah to have so many paths for the feet of thy spirit to walk in by Meditation so many rare Objects for thy Eyes entertainment and employment and to thy sweetest solace largest satisfaction and yet in any degree to miscarry the golden seasons of this so heart-enriching Meditation Ah may not my grieved God and his grieved spirit grieve and sadden my herein so sinning spirit may not my neglects of Meditation not seriously and frequently thinking of him and such things that nearly highly concern him justly occasion my Gods neglecting of me Neglecting me by withdrawing his hand from his blessed impulses infusings of heavenly thoughts judging it not meet to give down good and holy thoughts into a spirit distemper'd diverted by too usual admittance of earthly evil and carnal thoughts and disuse of holy Meditation Who will plant the most precious flowers among heaps of poisonous weeds Who will mix their richest purest Wine with puddle dirty Water or their Gold and Diamonds among dirt and dung Ah this is the way for my God not only to withdraw himself but to let Satan the foul Spirit loose upon me to trouble me to haunt me to follow me with all manner of disquieting and discouraging thoughts with temptations of injury and stealing revenge and cruelty uncleanness and filthiness and sinful sensualities and such like evil thoughts against others Ah may not this neglect of good thoughts and due Meditation be justly met with and expose me to the blackest and most horrid thoughts and temptations such as those of Blasphemy thoughts as thick as Hail and that daily haunt me darting horrour and Hell into my spirit making my heart to tremble and my hair to stand upright on my head Ah may I not if I amend not the sooner not come to that so sad and dreadful temptation so contrary to Nature the temptation of self-destroying thinking it may be best to be rid of my trouble though it be so
horrid and unnatural and will render the case so dangerous and dubious Yea may I not have self let loose upon self my own heart to worry it self my bosom opened the Book of my conscience held open before me and my eye held to a looking continually into it seeing my sins set all in order before me making me a magor missabib fear round about a terrour to my self And to all may not my God plunge me into the depths of dissertion set himself against me let all his waves pass over me let me see and feel nothing but his wrath and Hell that I who would not meditate as I should shall now nothing but meditate as I would not meditate nothing but terrour O therefore to prevent all this or whatsoever may befall me on carelesness and neglect O let me call to mind my former times my former tastes and sweet solaces had in my walking up this bill of Meditation those rare hours sweet enlargements strong consolations happy and encouraging experiences I had when I kept up my vigour and constancy as in others so in this blessed way and exercise of holy Meditation and being greatly humbled let me keep closer to and walk with an evener foot in this heavenly path CHAP. VI. A perswasion to all such who never accustomed themselves to this work of Meditation IF Meditation be so necessary a Duty let this then prevail with every one that hitherto hath done nothing in it as yet or that which hath been to no purpose O that this sin can be laid to thy souls charge that yet thou art to begin to meditate of the great things of thy God and thy own soul That thou shouldest have so rare a power in thy soul of thinking and meditating a power also that is so active and busie continually and yet never employed aright so great a Talent entrusted for use and either hid up in a Napkin or wasted and ravelled out in vanities impertinencies and wickedness 1. Seriously I beseech thee consider thou canst be no good Christian no truly godly person whatsoever thou or others think of thee that hast been and art no complier but a refuser in this particular Ah this strikes thee home to the heart dashes quite thy confidence and hopes grounded on thy calling thy self a Christian That clear passage proves it undeniably Psal 1.2 The blessed man meditates in the Law of God day and night The least that this place can hold forth must be a doing this duty in a course and way he that is a blessed man is not only one that pretends to Religion but practiseth and uses Meditation hath an inward delight in the Law of God and from delight in it meditates on it in a constancy and ordinariness not acts a now and then bare thinking when others mention it Ministers preach on it or in the reading of it to think of it then when it cannot well be avoided but a serious and purposely meditating a keeping up a conscientious and complacent constancy in it If therefore continual Meditation of the Law of God his Word and the Excellencies in it be the character of a godly person think well of it and thy own condition flatter not thy self with that kind of false godliness which falls short of the true character of true blessedness 2. Consider thou canst be no true subject of Jesus Christ that doest not submit to this Law of Christ this Meditation It is in Scripture made one of the imperial Laws of the King of the Church who gives every subject of his this charge lays this command indispensibly and repeats it frequently records the examples of the Saints who practised it diligently as David and others therefore thou disownest this Law thou disownest the Law-giver Christ and so he takes it 3. Ah then what is it that reigns in thy heart that sits in the throne and sways but the Tyrant sin sin that hath dominion over thee sin that is the great obstruction and hinders thee sin that is the great Biass of diversion that draws thee quite another way 1. It is meerly the vanity of thy mind in which thou walkest that keeps thee from walking this way 2. It is thy sinful folly the wise in heart will muse and consider and most consider things of the most concernment what is it which hath made all the spiritual fools but sin The Scripture fool is the sinner and wherein is the folly seen more than in not considering things most considerable 3. Thy not meditating it is from the tydes and currents of unmortified lusts lusts in dominion and reign lusts that ingross thy thinkings lusts that engage and set thy thoughts on work and intend them In every predominant lust there is a predominant scope and tendency an end and aim that gives the rules and laws as therefore the lusts aim lies so all the thoughts and seriousness are levell'd as the lust-aims and marks are so are the mindings If lusts of sensuality riot drunkenness uncleanness and voluptuousness if these or any of these be predominant all the strength of the mind and its musings run out at that leak that passage If covetousness and worldly mindedness be predominant all the studyings and thinkings run down and are carried away by that outlet If pride vain-glory and affectation of honour bear sway then the thoughts and contrivances act up all that way climb up that Hill Thy serving lusts and pleasures being inslaved by them is the ground of thy thoughts subserviency to them they set up an exclusive of good thoughts shut the door against all godly seriousness turn the Engine of the thinking power into an instrument and forge for themselves to act a sinful seriousness to farther only the satisfying of them I have read in Pliny that the Romans attempting a discovery of some more unknown places of Africa could not proceed and succeed in it by reason of the innumerable sorts of Serpents and poysonous creatures which filled the Country Thy heart is like that Country full of dangerous lusts which over-run it there is the true reason why thou wilt not canst not meditate because the predominant lusts in it engross and enslave the whole thinking power lusts rule thy lookings thy hearts sinfulness hath seised thy seriousness sweeps all thoughts in to it self and service One lust shares now one proportion of thoughts another lust goes away with another part and so among them all who take their turns in thy heart they gather up and appropriate all thy seriousness and vigour of thoughts all that are to any purpose all other thinkings are so short slight seldom acted in comparison that they amount to nothing millions of them make no more than motes in the Sun would contribute to make a Mountain because there 's commonly nothing of seriousness in them when they are acted toward things spiritual they are but smoke or chaff that flies away And consider why lusts have thy thoughts so enslaved to them it
more When a soul comes to look and search into himself sees what little grace he hath what abundance of corruptions and in what power they shew themselves When he finds how he is assaulted by Satan and ensnared by the world and things of it he sees how necessary it is to consider what in this case he is to do This therefore after assurance in some degree obtained and how to keep and increase it may well be the matter of Meditation Meditate then of thy grace received the weakness and imperfection of it and how to help and strengthen it especially thy Faith that great fundamental Grace that serves as the eye to see Christ the foot to come to him and hand to take him lean upon and to take and receive from him In the case of weakness of grace thy Meditation must be upon that purposely conferred fulness Cor. 1.19 that fountain-fulness which is in Christ 〈◊〉 whom by faith thou art united engraffed into 〈◊〉 to partake of the sweetness of this Vine Joh. 〈◊〉 of the fatness of this Olive 1 Cor. 1. â—◠〈◊〉 made to us wisdom righteousness sanctification 1. Meritoriously so he hath purchased these 2. Efficaciously he imparts and communicates these Joh. 15.5 Without me ye can do nothing without first a real ingraffing into Christ Joh. 15.4 without a vital influence from him and without a new continual acting trust and recumbency on him But Phil. 4.13 I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Consider thou must that he will help thee If Christ did first help thee when thou wert a stranger and enemy to him now much more will he help thee being reconciled If when thou hadst no union wert no member of his he made thee a member much more being a member will he supply life strength and growth to make thee a perfect member he must make his body in all the members perfect at last They must grow therefore that he may be a head perfected in all his members perfection The way Christ will teach thee seeking to him The work Christ will work for thee trusting in him 2. Then as thy Meditation must be of Christ the Well of living waters and his fulness so because the Well though a living Spring yet it is deep how to come at it how to draw The next Meditation therefore must be of our means vouchsafed us to draw and of particularly that by which all the Saints in all Ages have drawn out of this Well of Salvation and received grace for grace Therefore this Meditation must be of that precious powerful Faith whereby Christ is received initially by our first union and communion with him and received also gradually daily and for our building up to perfection in him Meditation must be as of Faith to fetch supply from Christ 3. So of the way Faith hath to act namely by the precious Promises of Sanctification in which Christ assures thee he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax Matth. 12.20 That the Kingdom of Heaven at first is as a grain of mustard-seed but it becomes as a great tree Matth. 13.31 32. That the good work in any heart God will finish to the day of Christ Phil. 1.6 Thou must repair to the rich Treasury of the Gospel gather up the Pearls of Promises scattered all over it string them up in Meditation and ponder their infallible Truth abundant Goodness and most transcendent Freeness 4. Next thou must meditate duely of the way for the full Breasts of the Promises to give down into thy longing spirit their sweetness and help This is by Christs appointed Ordinances praying and the rest wherein thy Faith must act upon the Promises and by them upon Jesus Christ and so though that Well be deep Faith is thy Bucket the Promises the Chain the Ordinances the Hands to let it down and draw it up filled with living water for thy thirsty soul to drink CHAP. XIII Of Meditation of Corruptions stirring and oft prevailing THis Meditation must proceed upon the Promises of sin-subduing and mortifying Mich. 7.19 He will subdue our iniquities Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace A man under the Law it gives no strength against sin Rom. 3.20 It discovers sin and irritates sin Rom. 7.8 9. but gives no strength to subdue it But being under Gospel-grace that gives power to mortifie sin Those that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 They are dead to sin Rom. 6.2 by Christ purchasing the total mortification and dead by an Initial and begun sanctification that from being implanted into Christs death and his sin-killing grace sin receives its deaths wound and shall bleed to death upon it But this by applying frequently the promises of mortification exercising Faith by them exciting Faith to rest on them Let us therefore as for other cases so for this gather up variety of promises of sin-subduing Let thy eye in Meditation go from promise to promise First set one promise before thee and dwell upon that look to Christ in that and thence draw help from him resting on him for making it good to thy souls case and then go to and dwell upon another ponder that and rest again upon Christ in that promise and so successively upon others Thou hast great varieties of Promises that thy eye in Meditation might be more delighted in walking in this Garden of Christ among these pleasant sweet flowers and that Faith might by the variety feed more to the full upon them In the case of a particular corruption sometimes yea it may be often too hard for thee Thy now Meditation must pass in a more particular manner In great pondering of the sinfulness of this sin as the Scripture in the divers passages of it sets it forth in the kind and nature in the degrees aggravations and abounding sinfulness of it 1. In the terrible threatnings denounced against it which discover Gods not dealing tenderly and handling it as it were gently What David said of Absalom in his rebellion warring against him openly Deal for my sake gently with the young man Absalom 2 Sam. 18.5 that we are ready to do with applying the Threatnings to our corruptions loth to apply him too hot and too home and let these Corrosives continue their time because of their smart and pain But we should both get store of threatnings give them all the edge we can apply them close and let them stick fast and stay their just time to issue in due fear and awakning and make thee more willing to forego thy sin The Threatnings of the Law and Word of Christ are of great necessity and use for godly spirits so God and the Saints in Scripture used them for humblings awaknings and reformings 2. This sins sinfulness in Examples In the Examples of severity recorded both of wicked and godly persons Gods severity to them yea
of men when God pleases to permit him as we have it most evidently in the 1. 2. of Job yet he hath not such power to work upon the souls of men as to destroy them or to disturb them or to discern and discover their hearts their thinkings affectings aimings or any actings of the reasonable soul Neither can he hurt the soul either to destroy it or to defile it or to force it to think or affect or purpose He can force no man to sin in the least commission of evil or omission of good He cannot perswade terrifie or trouble without first our giving leave and giving way He gets ground by our first giving ground he leads when we let him fasten his chain and draws when we suffer our selves to be drawn Jam. 1.14 Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and is enticed Satan casts forth the bait but we first catch it before he catcheth us he cannot make us take in the bait no more than the Fisher can force the fish to bite and swallow his bait he tenders only and the fish takes it of its own accord Satan can throw his dart but it cannot enter unless we will if we will yield and not encounter with our arms but walk unweaponed and not fight 3. Though Satan hath the greatest gall deepest and most highly improved hatred of an irreversible edge boiled up to the highest Hell-dyed implacableness yet this Serpent is not so formidable as the infinite love of God to thee is comfortable What can his malice weigh against the goodness of thy God that endureth continually 4. Though Satan be unweariedly busie and sedulous yet he is not cannot be so industrious careful wakeful working for thee and disposing all things for thy greatest good Rom. 8.28 as thy God is He never can out-do thy God his doings against thee cannot out-do thy Gods doings for thee No not in any heat or height of any temptation When he tempts thee buffets thee haunts thee he must not be lookt upon as one at full liberty to do what he lists He is not the Ruler of all things governs not the world by himself alone But he is under thy God then when he tempts thee yea thy God governs the very temptation Satan can cast out no more of his serpentine venom than thy God permits He casts not out one drop or the least quantity without thy Gods first giving way 5. As thy God governs by still giving Satan leave and limiting him when he tempts as he limited him in Jobs case so his letting Satan tempt is not for him to have his will but that thy God may have his own holy will both to teach thee and better thee much to support encourage and yet humble much thy spirit that thy God sees is needful for thee Though temptations are like fire to melt the metal yet not to mar but mend it to purge it cast it into a new mould that it may be polisht and brightned and so fitted more for thy Gods praise Though the best Physicians sometimes use severe and sharp remedies yet the trouble pain sickness caused by Evacuations Corrosives Causticks Cuttings and such like are not intended for themselves but for recovery soundness strength and the good of the Patient though at present he may not so like or believe it So is it in thy Gods suffering thee to be tempted sorely and long buffeted and this must be considered and believed Thy Gods suffering thee to be tryed is only for gracious ends which after the temptation is well over will clearly be seen and thankfully acknowledged Ah! thou wilt say I could not have been without this temptation or these tryel in this nature manner me sure so sharp so long so many Never had my experiences been so rich my Faith and trust love and cleaving hope and waiting humility patience courage contentedness and other graces so appeared so improved acted so high to the praises of God and reflected and brought in such peace and joy to my own bosom Ah! how out of this evil God hath wrought my good Out of this roaring Lyon this eater brought meat out of the strong sweetness as Samson of the honey found in the Lyon he vanquisht Judg. 14.8 6. Though Satan be such an enemy and his molestations so great yet Meditation must gather up the reliefs and encouragements the Scripture supplies thee with All discouragement arises much from a single or too much pondering and poring on a present evil without a due looking to the means of relief escaping or enduring Therefore Meditation here must 〈◊〉 Eye God as well as Satan his love faithfulness pity power and all things making for comfort 2. The purchase of Christ buying victory by his blood 3. The presence and help of his Spirit against the evil Spirit and the defence he will be sure to make of his own house and Temple and the things of it to save it from harm 7. Lastly thy Meditation must look up and labour to write after the copies of the Saints that have couragiously combated and gloriously conquered especially upon thy Captain General who overcame not by his meer infinite power but by means at hand and ready always in thy power By the Scripture I have singled out a few things on this occasion whole books some less some very great have been written very learnedly and experimentally of the Doctrine of Temptations wherein large direction and help may be had for such as are tempted but I have rather exceeded already and therefore will add no more in this particular CHAP. XV. Some Directions as to occasional and set Meditation SOme Directions might be next inserted concerning that Meditation used on special occasions and which is more therefore solemn and at larger leisure As in the Law besides the daily Sacrifices there were particular solemn times where the work was much more more Sacrifices offered more Rites observed and time spent in those Services was more This Meditation must be performed according to the nature and scope and such Rules as best godly wisdom can suggest for it 1. As choice of the fittest season and opportunity doing it when we are freest from avocations and fittest as to frame temper and strength of body when we are liveliest and freshest and not sunk tyred dispirited that the good and lively present temper of body may the better help and assist the soul and the soul thereby more orderly and vigorously more intensly and deliberately act 2. Chusing the fittest place is a prudence and great advantage for avoiding disturbance and interruptions and to have the golden thread of Meditation run smoothly on without breaking from any diversions We must in faithfulness to our own spiritual interest wisely watch and strongly resolve to put by every thing that may divert or disquiet us in our now intended Meditation A darksom place or that is purposely made something dark for avoiding distractions from the eye and
The true and sound cure must be well studied Although such as are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 Quoad animi propositum cordis purificati principium as to the inward living principle and the real heart-purpose initially and gradually in little degree for that which is in no degree begun is not a grain of mustard is nothing at all Though those that are in Christ have crucified as we said their carnal affections in some degree Coming in of Christ and Grace into the heart gives the carnal affections a deadly dash like the taking of some incurable poyson given to kill gradually The first taking gives the advantage for deaths seizing yet this is not enough as experience sadly shews there must be a studying and great pondering how to rule the daily discovered unruliness of the affections and how to cure them which is not the Philosophers way nor the wise moral mans way which is to curb and moderate them but the Scriptures directed and commanded way and therefore the Christians way that he must use and that is to crucifie and mortifie them Col. 3.5 Mortifie your affections that are on the earth The Art and sure way for carnal affections as so and then to study to order these affections which are noble natural plants and dispositions of heart that they may be acted by graces principle on and for things heavenly with a real warmth and a growing fervency 3. Strongly thou must resolve and most exquisitely endeavour to study and meditate for the government of thy will The will in its nature and rank is a most noble faculty the Empress of the soul the spring of action the weight and biass for motion the door that opens and admits in chusing or shuts out in refusing that which sets up the mark and aim every end and interest and likewise makes choice or rejections of the means to the end In its corrupt and carnal state it is the wickedest piece in every person it sets up the greatest Idol in the world Self in the Throne above God Nothing in Scripture hath so great frequent and high complaints and charges brought in by God against it that which is the most hellish and devilish piece in its repugnancy contrariety stoutness and stubbornness against God and whatever is holy and the hellish hold-fast of evil chiefly when it receives the grain-colour and scarlet-tincture of habit by customary sinning In hearts changed by grace it is in a great measure still carnal and accordingly in part hath all the forementioned wickedness and is ready to act it if it be not the better watcht and ordered continually Being then in the best men so evil it needs the best study the most serious and constant Meditation to find the best way for it to rule this unruly will 1. Especially as to base self-aims in which it is the most slippery and soonest swayed hastily burried and entangled 2. And as to the cursed contrariety and hellishness against the Law will ways of God and God himself The Art of ruling this Ruler in chief is well worth thy chiefest Meditation the wretchedness of it will disquiet the pliantness and obedience holiness and purity of its aims choices and refusals will comfort most as carrying highest evidences of thy sincerity 4. Meditation hath great need to act its part industriously and accurately as to know how to govern the tongue that rare instrument called by David Psal 188.1 his glory But by sin called by the Apostle Jam. 3.8 An unruly member full of deadly poyson that sets on fire the course of nature is set on fire of Hell vers 6. David prays for a watch before his mouth Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed that I sin not with my tongue and keeping his mouth with a bridle To refrain evil words requires care to refrain vain and idle words requires a curiosity and exactness Study this Art not as Pythagoras the Philosophers Scholars that had their quinquennium silentium first spent five years in his School to learn silence but all a mans life is too little But there 's more to be learnt than just silence and that is savouriness of speaking Prov. 10.20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver the heart of the wicked is little worth then and therefore the tongue of the wicked is little worth because the heart out of whose abundance the mouth speaketh is little worth Study the Art of savoury speaking by getting three things 1. A good treasure in thy heart 2. A wisdom to discern times of speaking 3. A true godly humble boldness to speak and not be ashamed Psal 119.46 I will speak of thy testimonies before Kings and will not be ashamed Meditate for the true Scripture-way for speaking 5. Meditate how as to fill up with heart-beauties of graces within knowledge wisdom holiness and every particular grace so to have a fruitful shining exemplary conversation suitable to thy rank and station in Christianity How to walk worthy of the Lord to all well-pleasing Col. 1.11 To all fruitfulness in every good work in all conditions and in all relative duties as husband or wife parent or child master or servant and the rest It is hard to be good indeed harder to be growing better hard to become and suit a change in condition never under before hard to come up to relative duties and be Christian in them and so good as a well-grown Christian should be Some are very heedless here they too little mind a proportionate growth herein as in other parts of godliness but this must be minded Meditate universal growing how to honour thy longer standing in godliness by shooting up and spreading out more 6. Lastly Make it thy great study how to have suitably to thy rank in godliness a richer treasury and stock of experiences useful and rare experiences for thy own and others advantage make Meditation a great observer a diligent gatherer a careful layer up of experiences choice and precious to have a large treasury to bring out of it new and old CHAP. XXI Directions to Christians of the uppermost Rank 3. FOr such as are Christians of the highest form in Christs School such the Apostle in this 1 Joh. 2.13 calls Fathers not for their long living here or being long Christians visible Members of the Church as for great growth and improvement in real godliness much Knowledge Wisdom Experience Faith Love and Eminencies of Christianity their Meditation like the highest Artists must be acted higher 1. The Meditation of such as are fathers should carry higher in all the ways and concerning all the several points and particulars formerly exprest and relating to all persons in general in all the sorts of Meditation 1. In the daily Meditation to be more eminently exercised and constant in drawing out a thread of far exacter evenness and equality without such frequent breakings off and inconstancies that younger Christians more unprincipled and
SOLITUDE IMPROVED BY DIVINE MEDITATION OR A Treatise proving the Duty and demonstrating the Necessity Excellency Usefulness Natures Kinds and Requisites of Divine Meditation First intended for a Person of Honour and now published for general Use By Nathanael Ranew sometime Minister of Felsted in Essex LONDON Printed by J. M. for Nathanael Ranew and Jonathan Robinson at the Kings-Arms in S. Pauls Church-yard MDCLXX To the Christian Reader PVrposing some Improvement of Solitude in the late mournful year when death was so largely commissioned to destroy by that dreadful Pestilence I made choice of this excellent Subject of Divine Meditation The best way of thinking and mind-employing is this Meditation The right Art and Skill of it is a rare attainment The due Practice of it is a most noble self-entertainment A pious Heart hath three happy ways of self-entertainment in solitary three rare ways of being least alone when most alone The first way of self-entertainment is the Ordinance of reading and searching the Holy Scriptures the pure perfect and infallible Word and Will of Christ concerning us There Christ hath prepared his rich feast of fat things full of marrow and his Royal Banquet of heavenly Truths There he sets forth the great varieties of sure Directions precious Promises high Examples rare Experiences and the help of all his holy Ordinances to feed and satiate the hungry and thirsty spirit The second way of self-entertainment is Divine Meditation by either pondering of spiritual things for improving knowledge and exciting practice or by a weighing all other things whatever for reducing them to a spiritual end and use The third way of self-entertainment is private Praying such as is both bottom'd and bounded by Christs will in his Word such as is both prepared and assisted made wise and warm by serious Meditation Meditation stands between the two Ordinances of Reading and Praying as the grand Improver of the former and the high Quickner of the latter to furnish the mind with choice materials for prayer and to fill the heart with holy fervency in it The Naturalists observe that to uphold and accommodate bodily life there are divers sorts of faculties communicated and these among the rest 1. An attractive faculty to assume and draw in the food 2. A retentive faculty to keep it being taken in 3. An assimilating faculty to concoct the nourishment 4. An augmenting faculty for drawing to persection 1. Meditation is as the attractive faculty to help to assume and take in spiritual food This it doth by helping to act Judgment Wisdom and Faith to ponder discern and credit the things which Reading and Hearing supplies and furnishes 2. It is like the retaining faculty by assisting and corroborating the memory helping to lock up the Jewels of divine Truths sure in that Treasury Meditation makes a rational memory of things which is the surest There is in man a sensitive memory in which he participates with sensitive Natures such as beasts they have a kind of memory There is also an intellectual or rational memory wherein man partakes of the like Nature with Angels they have their faculty of memory Meditation superadds to the sensitive memory the help also of a rational memory whereby spiritual things are secured as under double lock what we rationally remember is best remembred 3. It is like the assimilating or digesting power by helping to concoct spiritual food and turn it into spiritual nourishment This it helps to effect by being instrumental to work things more powerfully on the will in a free choice firm purpose and ready obedience of the excellent Truths of Christ and likewise by working on and into the affections of love joy and the rest to cleave unto and be inflamed towards the things of Christ A spiritual digestion is not by head-work but heart-work when the will deliberately and resolvedly chuses and the affections earnestly embrace heavenly things Meditation highly conduces to this spiritual digestion by its pondering proposing and edging efficaciously such reasons and incentives as work the heart into compliance and obedience It is like lastly the augmenting and growing faculty to help the good heart to grow better and shoot up higher Heaven-ward There is one creature the Crocodile only which is said to grow all its life time so must the true Christian do Natural things grow by new assumed nourishment acted upon by the inward growing power The real godly man hath an inward growing power implanted by the new life given to him But this as by other means so by frequent Meditation is much assisted and carried on Meditation waters and cherishes the plants of heavenly graces It helps them to root deeper shoot higher and grow stronger Such Christians as meditate most will grow most be growing to the end What in all Christianity is there that Meditation is not a furtherance to That saying is excellent worthy of duest weighing Intellectus cogitabundus est principium omnis boni The meditating mind is the beginner of all goodness On a sinners part it is the rise of his initial returning to God of his first converting Ezek. 18.28 In the Saints and persons converted it is their way to progressive converting and renewed repentance Psal 119.59 I considered my ways and turned c. The more consideration the more conversion The great inlet of mans first Apostacy besides infidelity and pride was his incogitancy Our first Parents lost all for want of due thinking not for the want of acting imagination or any thinking that could not be but for want of that consideration which should have been They did not consider all things to be considered The overflowings of impiety aggravated by impenitency and mens rushings into sin so eagerly and boldly have been greatly from want of consideration Jer. 8.6 No man repented him of his wickedness saying What have I done Every one turns to his course as the horse rusheth into the battel Their not returnings were from neglect of self-reflectings In any Nation when God intends to work great returnings he stirs up that people to self-bethinkings 1 Kings 8.47 If they shall bethink themselves He minds them of considering to bring them to returning So a particular person when he first comes in to God he comes first to himself and that is by consideration and self-bethinking as the Prodigal Luke 15.17 In Natures Rational the first mover is the mind by consideration In grace the first mover is the mind by holy Meditation The Christian that would set all the wheels of the soul on going and improve that would do great things and have great attainments great things effected on the heart and in the life much light and wisdom much warmth and fervour high resolution and courage large proficiency in godliness must be much in Meditation The greatest Scholars of the world have not been only great Readers but Students much in musing and pondering The most eminent Saints in all Ages have bin this way excellent as Job David Solomon
and others in the Scriptures as Cyprian Ambrose Augustine and other Saints in succeeding Ages Vpon these and sundry other considerations this ensuing Treatise was taken in hand My purpose at first was only a private piece for the service of an honourable personage very exemplary in this pious practice This occasioned also my taking the greater liberty in the manner of expressions My intendment once accomplisht I entertained no thoughts of a Publication till some intimate Friends having the sight of the Copy importuned me to let it come sorth for the general use upon which a Review of the whole being made with divers Alterations and Additions to reduce it more to the help of all I resolved to let it come abroad though imperfect enough In the first framing because I could not make use of my Study usual helps Sentences and Quotations the ordinary trimmings were wanting And being not willing to farther trouble my self make the Treatise swell and the price rise I thought it best to let it pass as it is now presented to thy view The present Age is full of Books there be Books too many and yet too few Knowledge and wisdom will never in this world arrive at a Nil ultra yet we must ever tend to perfection and press hard to the mark And when so many still write after so many excellent Treatises on the same subject this ensuing may the better pass in the crowd Though there be the greater lights of Heaven the Sun and Moon and Stars of the first magnitude yet the least appearing Star is some lustre to the Heaven and light to the Farth Though some pieces of gold Coyn are current being fair and down weight yet those more worn and light may pass in greater payments Shall this ensuing Treatise Issue in perswading or provoking thee to the due practice of holy Meditation to make thee a true and real Meditater or a better and a higher Meditater to teach thee to take a turn often in the Garden of God and take the fresh Air of Paradise to be mentally in serious musings often mounting up to Heaven and return more enlarged and inflamed more wise and warm at the heart Let me only request this of thee to improve some of that acquired warmth in thy way of fervent praying for him that is ever thy Servant in the things of Jesus Nathanael Ranew THE CONTENTS PART I. CHap. 1. Of Divine Meditation in general pag. 1. Chap. 2. Containing a description of Meditation pag. 9 Chap. 3. Meditation our duty and obedience pag. 14 Chap. 4. Of the Requisites of Meditation pag. 16 Chap. 5. What the will must intend in Meditation pag. 19 Chap. 6. Of the proper Object of Divine Meditation pag. 24 Chap. 7. Of the Requisites in and concerning Meditation pag. 29 Chap. 8. More Requisites in Meditation pag. 32 Chap. 9. Of Meditation in applying the mind to a proper Object pag. 35 Chap. 10. Meditation includes an intension and seriousness of thoughts pag. 38 Chap. 11. Meditation includes a scanning and diving of the thoughts into a thing pag. 42 Chap. 12. Meditation includes a dwelling of the thoughts upon a thing proposed pag. 45 Chap. 13. Meditation is an affectionate acting pag. 48 Chap. 14. Of the Affection of desire acted in Meditation pag. 51 Chap. 15. Of the Affection of Love acted in Meditation pag. 52 Chap. 16. Of the Affection of Delight acted in Meditation pag. 53 Chap. 17. Of other Particulars in some special Scripture-expressions pag. 57 Chap. 18. Of the Ends of Meditation pag. 64 Chap. 19. Of Meditation relating to our selves pag. 69 Chap. 20. Of the particular Ends of Meditation respecting our selves pag. 73 Chap. 21. Of producing habitual wisdom by Divine Meditation pag. 77 Chap. 22. Meditation kindles and inflames the Affections pag. 81 Chap. 23. The end of Meditation in reference to the will pag. 87 Chap. 24. Meditation a grand supporter of a Christian course pag. 93 PART II. CHap. 1. Of the Kinds of Meditation pag. 97 Chap. 2. Of the way and manner of daily Meditation pag. 101 Chap. 3. Rules about Meditation pag. 102 Chap. 4. Of one chief end of Meditation as to our selves namely Salvation pag. 107 Chap. 5. Of things conducing to the chief end pag. 109 Chap. 6. The Holy Spirit the Applier of Meditation pag. 111 Chap. 7. Of Meditation in reference to the Ordinances of Christ pag. 114 Chap. 8. Of Meditation on the Word and Promises pag. 116 Chap. 9. Of the Spirits drawing to Christ by the Promises pag. 117 Chap. 10. Of the things Meditation may best perform on our part pag. 120 Chap. 11. Some Particulars added to the former general pag. 124 Chap. 12. Meditation on daily self-denial pag. 129 Chap. 13. Of other Particulars to be meditated upon pag. 132 Chap. 14. Of Meditation on the Lords-day pag. 137 Chap. 15. Of occasional Meditation pag. 142 Chap. 16. Of Meditation on the deceitfulness of the heart pag. 149 Chap. 17. Of Meditation on the four last things pag. 155 Chap. 18. Of Meditation on Death pag. 160 Chap. 19. Of Meditation on Judgment pag. 171 Chap. 21. Of Meditation on Hell pag. 181 Chap. 22. Of Meditation on Heaven pag. 191 Chap. 23. Of Meditation on things providential pag. 201 Chap. 24. Of ejaculatory Meditation pag. 204 Chap. 25. Of the Grounds and Reasons of Meditation pag. 210 Chap. 26. Other Grounds of Meditation pag. 216 Chap. 27. Of the ends and uses of Meditation pag. 219 Chap. 28. Of other ends of Meditation pag. 222 Chap. 29. Of grounds supporting the Duty of Meditation pag. 231 Chap. 30. Of solace and spiritual pleasure in Meditation pag. 233 PART III. CHap. 1. Containing the Improvement of the whole Doctrine of Meditation pag. 242 Chap. 2. Another Improvement of the duty of Meditation pag. 245 Chap. 3. An Improvement by way of Humiliation unto those that have begun this work of Meditation so late pag. 249 Chap. 4. A Reproof to those that are yet to begin this work of Meditation pag. 252 Chap. 5. A Reproof for negligence in this Duty after experiencing the benefit and sweetness of it pag. 263 Chap. 6. A perswasion to all such who never yet used Meditation pag. 270 Chap. 7. An Exhortation to the Godly to take heed of neglecting this duty of Meditation pag. 278 Chap. 8. Of the Evidences of Meditation pag. 290 Chap. 9. Directions relating to Meditation pag. 296 Chap. 10. Directions to young Christians newly converted pag. 312 Chap. 11. Further Directions to young Christians in some particular cases pag. 318 Chap. 12. Of Meditation respecting weakness ro imperfection of Grace pag. 325 Chap. 13. Of Meditation in respect of stirring and prevailing corruptions pag. 322 Chap. 14. Of Meditation respecting Assaults from Satan pag. 331 Chap. 15. Some Directions for Occasional Meditation pag. 342 Chap. 16. Directions for Ejaculatory Meditation pag. 344 Chap. 17. Directions for strong Christians pag. 347 Chap. 18. More particular Directions pag. 351 Chap. 19. More