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A26920 The duty of heavenly meditation reviewed by Richard Baxter at the invitation of Mr. Giles Firmin's exceptions in his book entituled, The real Christian. Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. 1671 (1671) Wing B1255; ESTC R3049 15,342 36

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Those that are not able to be much in serious solitary thoughtfulness without confusions and distracting suggestions and hurrying vexations thoughts must set themselves for the most part to those duties which are to be done in company by the help of others and must be very little in solitary duties For to them whose natural faculties are so diseased and weak it is no duty as being no means to do them the desired good But while they strive to do that which they are naturally unable to endure they will but confound and distract themselves and make themselves unable for those other duties which yet they are not utterly unfit for To such persons therefore instead of ordered well digested Meditations and much time spent in secret thoughtfulness it must suffice that they be brief in secret prayer and take up with such occasional abrupter Meditations as they are capable of and that they be the more in reading hearing conference Praying and praising God with others c. More such I omit I now add more particularly lest I should injure any 1. That I take it not to be the duty of a Minister to leave his necessary Study Preaching Prayer c. for this set Meditation 2. Nor for a Magistrate to leave his necessary work of Government for it 3. Nor for any man in an Active life to leave a necessary duty of his place for it 4. Nor for any weak persons to stretch their braines beyond their abilitie to do what they cannot do Greatest Duties must be preferred and men must endeavour prudently according to their capacity and power And God will have mercy and not sacrifice and would not have Religion crack our braines nor turn out our duties towards men or of our particular Callings But for all this I am of the same mind expressed in the Book which you find fault with 1. That Heavenly mindedness is essential to Holiness 2. That Heavenly thoughts or Meditations are much of the exercise of Heavenly mindedness 3. And that it is every mans duty to exercise his Thoughts or Meditations in the most clear methodical affecting practical way that his Abilities and opportunities consideratis considerandis will reach to For which useful Method I gave the best directions I could But I will not justifie my weakness nor deny that it is injurious to the Church of God nor deny the preheminence of my Brethrens understandings nor the greater usefulness of their labours And it is not unlikely that mine may have more faults that I discern which are soon discerned by more judicious men for whose correction I would not be unthankful II. And now I sh●ll tell you wherein I differ from you 1. It seemeth to me unrighteous dealing when you undertake in Print to save Christians from my Errours to overpass all the limitations before recited which I gave them and to carry it as if I had made that Manner which you except against to be all mens or most mens duty Yea not only by your preterition of my words but by your own to perswade the Reader that so indeed it was When you say pag. 314. This I see is the Meditation strongly urged upon Christians A duty very hard I am sure And if our salvation lie upon this being performed after this manner as this learned and Reverend Author hath set down then most Christians that I meet with forty to one and those whom I esteem good Christians must never come at Heaven but must to that dark place Did you not intimate in these words that I make it as necessary to salvation as these words import If so Truth and Candor should have prevailed with you to have left out all such passages You see I make it not so much as a duty to any that have not ability and conveniency much less that the mode is of necessity to salvation But yet I must add that our Salvation is not unconcerned in any of our duties though I will not say that our salvation lyeth on it so as we must else be damned What if I had given you a scheme of the admirably accurate Method of Prayer which is found in the Lords Prayer I would have said that the observation of this Method is a Duty and that our salvation is not unconcerned in that duty I would have said that all men should do their best to come up to that accurate Method in their Prayers But so as not to crack their brains nor hinder them in the Matter nor neglect any greater duty to do this But with moderate just endeavours according to their abilities and opportunities I would not have said that their salvation so lyeth on it that none that use not this method can be saved nor would I be so rough and curst as you speak to those that cannot use this Method as to deprive them of their comfort But I would tell them what is their Rule and pattern Even so do I in this case of Meditation 2. And I like not reducing the Rule to our impotent sinful natures nor to our crooked lives when our Hearts and lives should be measured by and reduced to the Rule I grant that not one of forty doth Pray in the Method of the Lords prayer no not of Godly People no nor Ministers no not in their studied Liturgies What then Is it therefore no duty because few perform it Were it not enough to have said that methodical set Meditation is a high pitch of duty which every weak Christian cannot ●each or which few can reach or that it is not so much as a duty to all as to the circumstances of Time c As I like not the Papists making Gods Law imperfect that they may make man perfect and sin Veniall or Vnivocally no sin so I as little like it in our selves to say that Duty is no Duty and so deny the perfection of the Law because that every one cannot reach it and few good people perform it God forbid I should deny all duty which few good people perform any more than justifie all sin which most or all good People commit 3. You say If I should humbly desire a Text or two from Holy Writ to prove that is the Meditation that God requireth of Christians if the Reverend Author will answer me it is a ridiculous question as he hath said in another case I must be silent Answ. The case which I call ridiculous you vainly silence seeing any understanding Reader at least of the Book you blame will see it They were ridiculous Sectaries Seekers and such like that I then had to do with If you or your most skilful Casuist whom you mention had called for a Text of Scripture to prove that we must pray twice a day in our families its like I should have given you more Reverent language though I had thought never the better of the Question nor do I think sure that you can judge it ever the less a duty because your Father used it not
which yet I think you were not obliged to have so far told the world But why did you not candidly recite those reasonings by which in that place I manifested the question to be ridiculous Nay doth not your saying that if I do but say It is ridiculous you must be silent imply that I do but barely say so I will not injure the Reader by the tedious recitation of my words But to your self I may say I suppose you are not for Veronius new way of arguing from express Texts of Scripture containing both propositions If you are I referr you to Vedelius his Rationale Theolog. but specially to Dalleus de fidei ex Script demonst Part. 1. Cap. 10 11 12 13. 1. To prove Meditation or frequent Meditation day and night a duty is needless You confess it 2. To prove Methodical Meditation a duty to them that have Ability and opportunity it sufficeth to cite 1 Cor. 14.26.40 Let all things be done to edifying and in Order that is Right order not Wrong and that is Method But whether this or that Method be really true and most orderly and edifying you need not the words of Scripture to tell you That Cogitationes judicia verba rebus sunt aptanda that the Verity of Judgement and Speech lyeth in their Congruity to things are points known by the Light of Reason and you should not call for a Text to prove them The Light of nature is not contemptible The Law of Nature is Gods Law If Scrip●ure had never spoke it yet by the Law of Nature it had been a duty to do all things in Order and to Edifying What is Orderly the Nature of the subject meditated on with the end will declare Preaching is the expressing of those thoughts to others which by meditation we exercise for our selves Therefore if it may be known what is Orderly Preaching by the agreeableness of the expressions to the matter in order to the true End then so it may be in Meditation which is a Preaching to our selves Therefore that Explication and Confirmation should go before Application that Examination should be furthered by Signes that Reproof should be furthered by Aggravations of sin that Exhortation should be furthered by Motives that Practice should be helped by Directions the nature of the thing doth prove And you may as well call for a Text of Scripture for most points in Metaphysicks or Physicks or Logick as for these Meditation should be done in Order to Edification But Order to Edification in them that have Ability and Opportunity requireth that Vnderstanding go first application after and that the application intended be furthered with convenient helps as aforesaid Therefore Meditation should be done in this order c. The Major is found in Nature and Scripture The Minor is a naturally-known truth exemplified throughout the Scripture which is written in that Method and in all Theological writings And yet must you have a Text for the Conclusion As for Family Prayer I have by me a long Disputation which I think fully proveth it to be a duty and to most Christian families twice a day But if the Law of nature must make up neither Major nor Minor but you must have the Conclusion in express Texts of Scripture its like if you saw it you would not be satisfied with it But it satisfyeth me as very full proof But so that there also I believe not that there are no exceptions Or that no family may have business so urgent as to exempt them from this as a duty or that all families are bound t● the same hours or the same proportion of time I will not tell you that it is ridiculous to ask what Text of Scripture maketh it a mans duty to give meat to his family twice a day with the other instances which I laid down But if those ridicula capita that then thus pleaded against family Prayer did ask me the same question again I would tell them so And I would think this argument might prove a Divine obligation God requireth us to give food to our Families if we are able and have opportunity as oft as is for the benefit or necessity of their natures But it is for the benefit and necessity of their natures to have food twice a day ordinarily and as to most persons Therefore God requireth us to give food to most families and ordinarily twice a day Or suppose I put in but once at least if you think I cannot prove the twice I am not now determining whether famil● prayer must be as oft but whether this arguing be faulty for want of a Conclusion in the words of a Text of Scripture I think that Scripture is so admirably suited to the Nature of things that the farr greatest part of its precepts are found also in the true Law of nature And that even most of the Gospel precepts may be called supposing the History and Doctrine Lex naturae lapsae reparandae a Law suited to Natures reparation 4. But I am utterly ignorant of your meaning when you say that they that can Meditate thus ten hours c. are the happier men and have great cause to bless God for such a mercy Either you take it to be a Duty to such men to any men or no duty If you take it to be their or any mens duty then 1. You would not call for a Text of Scripture to prove it a duty 2. Nor you would not pretend to differ from me For I know your Candour abhorreth calumny And therefore notwithstanding your forementioned unhandsome intimations I suppose it is none of your purpose to perswade your Reader that I make it a duty for all men and you only for some For as your Piety and your friendship satisfie me that you have no such intent so I know you would discern it to be against the interest of your own reputation which would suffer when the contrary is seen in my writings Therefore I cannot understand whether you take it to be any mans duty And if not then you seem to hold the Popish doctrine of Evangelical Councils of perfection and of works of supererrogation or perfection which are no duties Which yet I will not believe you hold till I needs must And therefore having no third exposition of your words I must leave them all as unintelligible to me If you should say that my Limitations are not in the same Book the Saints Rest where the Duty is described I should answer 1. That is not so They are in the same 2. He that confuteth a man twenty years after his Writings are published is obliged to take notice of what he hath written since Else if a man reform or correct his own Writings it will signifie nothing but others are obliged to do it still as supposing it undone 3. And this Book of yours is not in the same Volume as my supposed Errour is Therefore if my own will not serve turn because they are not the