of Sin but when God shall appear like himself how shall those sins that men now make light of make them run mad with despair 3. Consider O my Soul that those excuses that now quiet thee will not serve at that day nay thou wilt be ashamed to own them 4. Consider how strict an account God will require of thee at that day if only thy grosser abominations that are odious in the sight of all men should be brought to judgement but the smallest sin that ever thou committest every idle word and every vam thought the very Grounds Manner and Ends of thy most holy performances shall then appear more dreadfully sinful then now the most crying sin that ever thou committest doth 5. Consider that every one o thy thoughts words and actions whether good or evil shall be brought to judgement even thy most secret and unknown Sins to thy self or others Consider O my Soul what shame and confusion will cover thee at that day dost thou not remember what at such and such a time thou didst in secret Suppose all those Sins that ever thou committest in private should be known to all in England or should be writ on thy forehead that all that saw thee might read them wouldest thou not be ashamed to come into any company but what is this â—o that which shall be at that day when all thy secret Sins shall be published before all Men Angels and God himself these are not inventions of men to terrifie thee but truths of God to reform thee 6. Consider how fully and â—â—â—rly thou shalt be convinced that day of thy Sins those with whom thou hast committed them will witness against thee thy dearst friends that thou had'st in the world must and will testifie against thee nay Satan that tempted thee to those sins and God that or bad thee those Sinnes nay â—ine own conscience which â—hen will as perfectly remember â—very Sin with its aggravating circumstances as if it were but â—hen committed will be a swift witness against thee this will be that worm that dies not a clamorous and a wounded Conscience are insupportable even in this life but neither are the clamours so loud nor the wounds so deep and pestilent as they will be 7. Consider the dreadful Sentence of Condemnation that God will pass upon the wicked viz. Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels Wicked men know not now what it is to depart from God but then they shall know for God before Men and Angels in fury poured out to bid them be gone and call them cursed wretches who knows the horrour oâ— it If the wrath of a King be as thâ— roaring of a Lion what will thâ— wrath of God be Consider further that word is Everlastiâ—â— Fire and Eternity How dreadâ— art thou further to have such miserable companions as Devils the Devil should appear to thee when thou art alone how could'st thou bear it 8. Consider the sweet Sentence that shall pass from the gracious mouth of Christ to his people viz. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world and how sweet will those words be when in the mid'st of all their fears and troubles the righteous shall hear the Sentence of absolution What abundance of comfort have the people of God when God manifesteth and gives them his loves even in this life and seals them to the day of Redemption and lets them see their names written in the Book of Life giving them full assurance that he is theirs and they are his but alas all those joyes may not be compared to these the testimony of our own conscience and the witnessing of the Spirit the manifestations of his love and the smiles of his countenance are not so clear so full so lasting as they shall then be no more to be compared to them then the light of the Sun is to that of a spark of fire For Christ to call us blessed is more then for all the world and for all the angels in heaven to call us so doubtless it did exceedingly affect Daniel when the Angel told him that he was greatly beloved Dan. 9. 23. If thou had'st a thousand worlds O my soul wouldest thou not give all for this that God would say so to thee Well if thou wilt be watchful over thy wayes live holily love and believe in Christ and repent the day will shortly come when Christ shall say that and much more Affections and Resolutions 1. Tremble O my soul when thou thinkest of these things Why art not thou exceedingly affected with the thought of them hast thou such a full assurance or is thy life such that thou needest not fear Was not Moses and John as holy as thou Was not John the beloved Disciple and Moses one with whom God spake face to face and yet they trembled O my soul it is much to be feared that it is Ignorance and infidelity not a Gospel-assurance that makes thee so senceless nay it is infallibly certain that whosoever lives wickedly and trembles not at the thought of judgement it proceeds from a conscience feared with a hot Iron 2. Admire and be astonisht at the miserable condition of all those that live without God in the World such are all they that repent not and believe not the Gospel 3. Examine and try thy self O my soul Let us judge our selves that we be not judged We may easily know what Questions shall be put to us that day we must be judged by the Word of God then let us judge our selves by it now do we indeed strive to enter in at the strait gate May that which we do in the service of God be truly called striving or no Can a faint prayer be called striving or no when every Temptation at the first assault overcomes thee and thou fightest not a stroake Is this striving Is this to fight a good fight and resisting unto blood Do we think that God at the day of Judgement will avouch this striving nay can your own Conscience think it so now Be not deceived God is not mocked 4. Pray O blessed God thou that art the great and just Judge of all men be pleased to fit and prepare me for that that that day may not come aâ— a thief in the night as to rob me of all my Comforts deal with me how it seemes good in thy eyes afflict me chastise me only let me be saved in the day of the Lord. 5. O my Soul Let us truly consider what we are to do and how we are to live that when others at that day shall call to the Hills and to the Mountains to fall upon them and to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb we may lift up our heads because our Salvation draweth near Well O my Soul I read in the Word of God that the neglecting to judge our selves and the judgeing of others are two Sins that will
A METHOD AND INSTRUCTIONS for the Art of Divine Meditation WITH Instances of the several Kindes of Solemne MEDITATION By Thomas White late Minister of Gods Word in London The second Edition London Printed for Tho. Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop at the Bible and three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers Chappel 1672. ERRATA PAge 1. Line the last Read made p. 4 l. 25. r. might be p. 8. l. 14. and 17. r. blessednesses l. 26. r. but blessed p. 9. l. 15. r. them l. 16. r. they p 17. l. 5. r. one 's p. 23. l. 11. r. Obj. p. 26. l. 4. r. of Christ. p. 31 l. 3. r. straining p. 33. l. 11. r. to be l. 15. r. body of p. 38 l. 20. r. he p 52 l. 6. r. to our l. 12. r. receipt p. 54. l. 20. r. this p. 57. l. 10 r. such a street p 69. l. 12. r. inability p. 73. l 10 r. too p. 74. l. 4. blot out every day l. 13. blot out of p. 77. l. 15 r. as I have l. 17 r. in p. 78. l. 16. r. affections p. 80 l. 21. r. matter p. 85. l. 2. blot out not p. 89. l 4 r. subject p. 91. l 7. r out of doubt p98 l. 3. blot out grace p. 100. l. 23. r. by my p. 102. l. 1. r. strange p. 106. l. 14. blot out hath p 110. l. 6. r. heart p. 112. l 13 r heart p 113 l 22 r. is it p. 114. l 11 r. Is I p 123 l 23 r God p 137 l 19 r she p 147 l 12 blot out not p 148 l 24 r It is not p 192 blot out no. p 228 l 18 blot out me p 232 l 19 r. here p 271 l 17 r tell p 274 l. 20 r thou who p. 275 for to r we should p 282 l 7 r world p 292 l 19 r soul p 299 l 15 r world p 4 of the conclusion l 7 r though p 5 l 18 r for this THE PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader OVR Active Souls can no more forbear to think then the Eye can chuse but see when it is Open and we being accountable to God for thoughts he being the searcher and judge of them it would be our wisdom and security to improve all means for the Spirituallizing of them 'T is charged upon no less penalty then damnation for Jerusalem to purge her self from vain thoughts The Meditating Mind is the beginner of all Goodness On the Sinners part it is the Rise of his Returning unto God Ezek. 18. 28. In Saints and Persons Converted it is the way to a Progressive Conversion and Renewing Repentance Psal. 119. 59. I considered my wayes and turned the more consideration the more conversion Mens bold and eager pursuite in Sin is greatly from want of consideration Jer. 8. 6. Even in a Nation when God intends to work Great Returnings he stirs up great bethinkings 1 King 8. 47. If they shall bethink themselves He minds them of considering to bring them to returning In Nature Rational the first Mover is the Mind by consideration In Grace the first mover is the Mind by Meditation Luke 15. 17. And when the Soul is returned to God Oh how sweet are the Meditations of him The sweetness thereof is better felt then exprest thereby the Christian doth improve his knowledge quicken his affections and excite practice He that hath the Grace and skill to be alwayes communing with God or his own Heart will never want Work or Company never need he complain of Solitariness or tedious Hours for there is no time wherein there is not some great business to be done between God and him Apious heart by meditation is least alone when most alone his God with him and he with God are good company He is doing the most and best business when he is imployed with his God about his own and other mens Soules It was the great Design of the Reverend and holy Author Mr. Tho. White at first in publishing this small Treatise to help Christians forward in this so advantagious and heavenly Duty A few Pages of Manuscript are inserted which he left behind him for that purpose if it came to be re-printed All that knew the Author honoured and loved him He was a Burning and Shining Light he was too Bright a Star to shine longer in the Terrestrial World God made use of him to turn many unto Righteousnesse and now he is gone to Shine in the Kingdome of his Father Reader If thou beest unskilful in the Duty of Meditation here thou mayest be directed If thou beest backward in Performance here thou may'st be quickned The Instances here given argue such a holy Heart in him that used them that it will be much thy own fault if they doe not make thy Heart who perusest them if it be bad good and if it be good better that it may doe so shall be the prayers of R. A. A METHOD OR INSTRUCTIONS for the Art of Divine Meditation Psal. 1 2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law he doth meditate day and night CHAP. I. An Introduction to the following Discourse A Book wherein the Lives of the most Eminent Saints were written would be the delight of Saints to read Yet to read of the wonderful discoveries God hath mad of himself to dying Saints to hear the wonderful things that such Souls filled with extasies of Love and Joy do speak is sweet as the honey and the honey combe it seemes to realize Heaven unto us To hear a dying Saint just as entring into Heaven saying blessed be God I am arrived safe to glory The gates of Heaven stand wide open for me and Christ stands with stretched out Arms to receive me blessed be God for free Grace blessed be God for Jesus Christ. To hear another ás he was on his sick bed expounding Rom. 8. he stopped and said what light is this I see They about him said it is the Sunshine nay said he it is my Saviours shine I doubt not but you all see this Light but I feel a light within me which no one of you all can know and turning himself to the Minister that Preached his Funeral Sermon he said this night I dye and speak this from me I speak it confidently that God dealeth familiarly with man I feel his Mercy I see his Majesty Whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knâ—weth I see things that are unutterable and with many â—â—â—h like speeches he ended his life So it is no less delightful to heâ— the ravishing speeches of Martyrs crying out with clapping of hands saying O you Papists you talk of Miracles here is a Miracle I feel no more pain in the midst of these tormâ—nts then if I was upon a bed of Roses Another though in desertion to that very time yet when come to the Stake he cryed out O he is come he is come whom my
soul loved Yet to have an opportunity to hear one of the 〈◊〉 Saint in the World in their sâ—â—ret addresses unto God is not less desireable then the former when Saints pray with others they refrain from several expressions for fear of scandal either of pride or hypocrisie There is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that liberty of speech in secret which is not lawful if possible to be uttered except by a Soul in secret when no one heareth but God alone To hear a poor soul in desertion bemoaning it self like Ephraim to hear it fetch such sighs and groans for one glympse of Gods smiling countenance such sighs and groanes I say as never any one yet heard the sorrowfullest in the world fetch for the loss of a dying or new dead friend or child or Husband nay such groanes as never any in the agonies of death or in the midst of the greatest torments ever fetched O how you would be affected to hear such sighs and such groanes as some of the people of God fetch and such sighs they have Rom. 8. 26. they might and were actually expressed if indulgent Parents had them when they dyed or men in torment had any equal to them But the Holy Ghost saith that he helpeth the infirmities of his people with sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed To hear a man sigh as if his heart would break because he could not enjoy the ordinances of God Oh how would it make one say alass alass I was never thus affected because I could not enjoy the Ordinances of God 1. Oh how would it have affâ—cted you could you have heard David in his secret addresses unto God See how affectionately he speaketh in the 119. Psalm and the 20th verse My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy Judgment at all times This was no strain of Rhetorick David would not lye to the holy Ghost and tel God his heart was ready to break if it was not for he well knew God knew his heart nay for this to be constant when ever he thought of such things then for his very soul to break gives a sufficient testimony to the truth of what I have asserted Doubtless hypocrites cannot in their actings of love or joy come up to the real affections of some of Gods people I say therefore to hear the expressions of Gods people in their secret addresses unto God their love-sick pangs in their extasies of joy were worth our hearing for they would wonderfully affect This very thing is done in the book of Psalms where we have David writing his secret devotions for abundance of the Psalms are Davids secret addresses unto God upon severall occasions as by the titles of several of his Psalms doth appear CHAP. 2. A short explanation of the words together with some short Observations upon the same BEcause the first Verse is part of the description of the blessed man and an Introductory also to the following words I shall speak something to them The words of the first verse are far more emphatical then they are rendred in our English Translarion For indeed our English Dialect will not bear to be translated exactly according to the Hebrew but as near as it can be take it thus O blessed is the man or he man i. e. whoever he be rich or poor noble or ignoble that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornfu But his will is in the Law of the Lord or of Jehovah and in his Law he doth meditate in the day and by the night Give me leave to gather up the Pearles that lye in the way to the Text. Let me a little consider the greatness and excellency of the righteous mans blessedness He is blessed 2. He is blessedness made up o' blessedness blessed in his body blessed in his soul blessed in health blessed in sickness blessed in every state and condition 3. He is blessedness blessed in the highest degree For the plural number is sometimes put for the Superlative or else blessedness signifieth all manner of blessednesses temporal spiritual and eternal if riches be a blessing he shall have them if poverty be a blessing he shall have that for sometimes poverty is a blessing sometimes riches whatsoever is a blessing he shall have 4. A Saint is not only blessed blessed even to admiration It is brought in here with an interjection or note of admiration O! blessedness is the man 5. Saints admire the Saints blessedness and it is no small matter will make the Saints admire The glory and happiness of the world they despise which the men of the world admire at and they despise the happiness of the Saints 6. See the goodness of God he gives the Saints happiness beyond their understanding f God should send the Saints a book as large as Heaven and bid us write down what we would have we should be losers by the bargain for the happiness and blessedness of Saints putteth the Saints to a stand and makes them silent for admiration is Silentium intellectus When the understanding perceiveth that there is more in the object then it is able to comprehend it leaves off making notions of the subject it then falleth to admiring of it The Platonists say of God that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 visibile invisible by reason of his excellency and abundance of light God may be praised well by many words but better by few and best of all by none but by silence admiration and extasies of love and indefatigable desire after everlasting enjoyments of him So I say of the blessedness of Saints surely as Adam in his best estate was altogether vanity Psal. 39. So the Saint the man whosoever he be is in his lowest condition altogether blessed I shall pass by the gradation of the words as walk stand sit counsel way seat wicked sinner scornful though one may observe by the way one groweth wicked by degrees but I forbear yet this I shall observe from the coherence of these words with the former viz. That negative divinity damneth thousands is is Luthers expression though we must first cease to do evil before we can do good yet it is not enough so cease to do evil but we must also do good for as sins of commission poyson the soul so sins of omission starve the soul. From that his will is in the law of Jehovah we may observe that we should have no will of our own the Law of God should be our will if you would know the will of a Saint you may find it in Gods Law Saints will is the transcript of the Law written by the finger of God Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts saith God and write in their hearts if any would know what a Saint will do in such or such a case you need not go to ask him but see what God commandeth he willeth nothing but what
spark would have been a flame God is not wanting unto us but we are wanting unto our selves and him After these are performed there remain three Duties more 1. We are to remember what Vows and promises we have made and it is very usefull to write down all the Vows as thou makest them in a Book because that we shall else be subject to forget the Vow or the time or conditions upon which we made it And it is good to have a Book to keep a Register of things in it besides a Diary which I have spoken of and given Rules for in a Manuel Entituled A Directory to Christian perfection 1. Let one head be for which you are to leave some leaves for Vows under which you must write down all your Vows or Resolutions as you make them or Spiritual promises for Christians and such like The Second must be for the mercies of God Eminent deliverances and also answers of Prayers These are to be set down with all pertinent Circumstances that may any way encrease the mercy The third head should be for grosser failings which were good to be writ down not in Letters at length that every one may read them but in Characters known only to our selves there are other things which because I do not now speak purposely of that business I omit The second thing after Meditation is ended is to remember what passages in our Meditation did most affect us and as it were to lay them up in our thoughts that frequntly we may in the rest of the day think of them As when we walk in a Garden we content not our selves with enjoying the fragrancy of the flowers while we are there but if we may have leave we often gather a Nosegay to smell of the rest of the day In this business of Meditation do thou likewise The third duty after Meditation is by degrees warily and unwillingly to go out of the presence of God to wordly employments Do not go from the presence of God â—â— a bird out of the Snare with joy and with speed And thou must go also watchfully and warily from such Employments as one that carries some precious liquor in a shallow broad brittle dish he looks to his way to the Dish and liquor that is in it lest by holding of it awry by falls or stumblings he should spill the one or break the other So must thou be watchful over thy wayes else the grace that God hath powred into thy heart in this duty will be spilt To rush into holy Duties or out of them argues two great undervaluing of the things of God CHAP. XIV Of the Duty and General Rules for Meditating upon Scripture THere are three great Designs the people of God have in reading of the Holy Scripture 1. To be very ready and conversant in the holy Writ that so upon all occasion whether it be for direction or answering of a temptation We may not be to seek and to the end it is necessary that we read some Chapters in the bible every day three or four Chapters every day will read over the Bible once in a year The next Design and end that the people of God have in reading of the Bible is that they may understand it The first had need be done with all serious attention but this with much more And so I come to the third end of a Saints reading the Word of which is that when he hath read it he may meditate upon it this is the most necessary and useful Design of our reading the Scripture which is to be done with the greatest seriousness of mind as possibly can be But as all Scripture is not equally suited to this end so neither can we think at all times to be in a fit frame and temper to perform this duty we can go but slowly on in this way and were every verse in the Bible a fit Subject matter for our Meditation our life were far too short to Meditate it over or the third part of it That this Meditating upon Scripture is a duty needeth no more proof then this to wit that the Psalmist puts it as a necessary Ingredient into the Character of a blessed man viz. that he is one that meditateth in the Law of the Lord day and night in the 1. Psalm and the 2. verse If thou didst never Meditate I do not say according to the Method that I have set down upon the Word of God thou art an accursed Creaturre There are but a few who think this to be true or are perswaded that this Duty of Meditation is so Indispensibly necessary or at least that live accordingly Let us look a little into the holy Scripture and see the practise of the Saints David the holiest man for his affections that we read of and you shall find him very frequent nay indeed daily exercised in this duty Psal. 63. 6. 77. 12. 119. 15 23 48 78 79 99 146. by this means he saith he got more wisdom then those who one would think are most likely to get wisdom for first Malice maketh a man very wise to do mischief it is no wonder for the Divel helpeth such in their wicked devises Secondly Those who are aged are generally wise men for VVisdom is with the Aged And then Thirdly Tutors are wiser then their Pupils yet David went far beyond them all which wisdom he attained unto by being much in Meditation upon the Scripture as he telleth us in his 119. Psal. ver 98 99 100 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser then my enemies for they are ever with me nay further he saith in the 99. ver I have more understanding then all my Teachers how got he that wisdom Why it was by making Gods Testimonies his meditation and then he understood more then the Ancients because I keep thy Precepts as he speaketh in the 100. vers Joshua a King not withstanding his great and important Affairs being the Monarch of the Jews yet he was commanded continually to Meditate upon Scripture The Book of the Law was not to depart out of his mouth but he was therein to Meditate day and night as you may read more at large in the 1 Ch. of Jos. v. 8. I have observed in other kinds of Solemn meditation So is this there is little of learninng required for performance of it as Joshua was but a servant to Moses and so not likely to be so learned a man and David a man the most conversant in meditation and that with the best success that we do read of yet he was but a Shepheard and afterwards a Souldier employments which require much Learning to make a make a man capable of As for the Rules and Direction of this Duty they differ as to the main not much from those I have hereafter given for solemn Meditation upon some particular Points of Religion As for the preparatory acts they are the same in both We are to consider seriously with
O my Soul how comes it to pass that we thought of these things no sooner 'T is a strange thing that our hearts and the world should so far deceive us that we should prefer every trifling thing before that which concerns us more then ten thousand worlds we have served the world which was not made but to serve us 1. Abhor thy life past Well I am resolved to leave you ye vain and sinful pleasures I will no longer dote upon you you have but too long bewitcht my soul. I might have had a thousand holy thoughts and prayers and Treasures of Alms laid up for Eternity which I am sure I should not have repented of when I come to die and you vanities have took up my time and stole away my heart and thoughts from these things Well I have enough of you I have done with you for the rest of my strength and dayes I will give unto my God 3. Turn thy self to God and say Blessed God wilt thou accept of the service of a poor wretch that hath spent so much of his time and strength upon base lusts vanities Nay surely Lord If thou wilt accept of such a wretch as I am such a heart such love such service as I have I will give to thee and for the time to come thou shalt be the very joy of my Soul and the deliciousness of my thoughts and dost thou indeed entreat and importune me to be reconciled how wonderful is thy Mercy that notwithstanding I provok't thee hitherto daily to thy face yet that thou shouldest follow after me to embrace me whereas what could be expected but that thou shouldest pursue me to destroy me Resolutions Well by the blessing of God I am resolved that though heretofore I have spent whole dayes in such and such like recreations which at best are but vanities for this moneth I will either not use such and such recreations at all or at least spend no more time any day in them then I do in Prayer and Meditation and I hope one day the Lord will work in me such a heavenly frame of Spirit that Prayer and Meditation shall be in stead of a thousand recreations David was of that temper for he saith that he will go to God his exceeding joy and that the Law of God was dearer to him then thousands of Gold and Silver and that his heart was ready to break for the very desires and longings that he had after God O my Soul that will be a rare time when it shall be thus with us Why should David love â—od more then we â—e forgave David much but he hath forgiven us more wâ—ll O my soul if thou wilt pray hard and follow hard after God thou little knowest what he will doe for thee and the joyes that he hath laid up for them that love him even in this world are unspeakable and glorious Conclusion 1. Pray Lord thou knowest the deceitfulness of my heart the strength of my corruptions and the multitude of Snares and Temptations which encompass me on every side especially when I am in worldly employments in company thou knowest how subject holy flames are to go out therefore be thou pleased by the holy breathings of thy Spirit to keep these holy fervours of love from being quench't 'T is not the strength of my resolutions that can enable me to resist temptations if I am not kept by the mighty power of thee my God I am lost 2. Praise God blessed be thou O God for an heavenly Motion or Desire that hath been wrought in me thou might'st have suffered me as thou dost thousands I have provoked thee as much as they never to be convinced of or affected with these Truths 't is thy wonderful Mercy that thou didst make me for such a blessed end as the enjoyment of thy self and much greater Mercy that thou hast let me know so much but most of all that thou hast given me a heart to desire and endeavour after it Bless the Lord O my Soul 3. Acknowledge thy failings alas Lord whatsoever is wrought in me that 's good had been far greater but that I am green wood to the sparks of thy love Lord pardon the iniquity of my holy services My highest and most inflamed thoughts of thee are unworthy of thee It is well that I have thee to love whom I need not fear loving too much After the Meditation is ended 1. Think with thy self which of these Truths or what passage of this Meditation did most warm thy heart and affect thee and fix it and treasure it up in thy thoughts keeping it as it were a Nosegay in thy hand to smell unto all the day 2. Set down this that thou hast resolved to spend no more time in such a Recreation then thou shalt spend in Prayer and Meditation 3. Go unwillingly from this duty and do not rush into worldly businesses but look to thy heart which is a slippery deceitful thing Meditat. II. Of the Mercies of God 1. BE convinced of and affected with the presence of God 2. Pray beg of God that he would put such considerations and thoughts into thy heart that thou maist be so convinced of and affected with his goodness that thou maï'st love praise and serve him Considerations 1. Consider how much thou art engaged to God for bodily Mercies he hath given thee thy senses sight hearing and other parts of thy body It thou did'st want thy sight what woulst thou give for it if thou wast Emperour of the world How many thousand pound wouldst thou give A Diamond is not therefore worth no more then 6 d because a poor man can give no more if thou shouldst reckon up what thy hands feet health liberty were worth to what a vast Sum would they arise Thou hast all these things from God thou hast not them from thy Parents they know not before thou wert born whether thou shouldest be Male a Female thou maâ—'st say to God as David did In thy Book were all my members written 2. Consider what faculties of Soul God hath given thee What a miserable condition are mad men in those that are born Natural Fools Thou art well and thousands are sick thou hast plenty when thousands beg their bread 3. Consider what spirituality of Mercies God hath given thee how many thousand poor ignorant Heathens are there which never heard of God and of Christ who were born and bread where the Gospel is not preached but worship the Devil but thou dwellest in the Sunshine and under the droppings of the Gospel and are not these great Mercies and unvaluable If thou dost not value them it argues so much the greater goodness in God to bestow them upon thee nay hath not God made thee to know him he hath not only given thee the light of the Gospel but eyes to behold it 4. Consider the greatness of God why should he look after thee nay why doth he not destroy thee Thou art but a
besides I very well know as I said before that the Spiritual expressions between God and ones own Soul in secret are forgotten almost as soon as ended It is very unlikely that any should remember then ten years after as the most of these are I thought good to give an account of this matter lest I should be thought to have that holy frame of heart which many of the expressions in these Meditations argues that he had that used them and arrogate to my self that which is farre from me If any shall be offended at the brevity and shortnesse of my Directions of this great and weighty businesse of Meditation I shall onely say thus much as to that 1. That I am not willing to overcharge or affright New Beginners for for such I do very much intend this Treatise with too great a Number of Particulars 2. I would not have this swell above the bigness of a Manual for I have often observed that when one hath perswaded some to buy some Book and told them it hath been but a small price it hath been almost as strong a Motive the smallness of the price as the goodness of the Book and I would not be willing that both these Motives should be wanting to the buying of this Book As for the plainnesse of the Sâ—ile or Matter I shall thus excuse it if it ought to be excused I wrote this for the meanest and ignorantest sort of Christians that they might buy and understand it that they might buy it I have made it a Manaul that they might understand it I have made it plain and spoke to them in their own Language and to the Learned I say if any such shall read this Treatise Indocti rapiunt coelum and though I highly prize Learning yet I know that as to Prayer and Meditation and all other acts of Devotion wherein we keep a strict Communion with God and watch over our own Souls and experimental knowledge and acquaintance with and inflamed affections towards God will more avail us then all the Learning in the VVorld and doubtless it is not generally Ignorance in those that live under Ordinances but the Non-improvement of the Truths we know that will undo us if we do but improve these plain Truths viz that God is that there will be a Day of Judgement that we must die that we ought to love God with all our Heart with all our Soul with all our Mind with all our Strength that we should do as we would be done to I say if we did but improve these into practice we should attain to more holiness then if we knew a thousand times more and left those Truths as generally men do by them as things forgotten I doe very much think that the Truths of Religion have been spun into too fine a Thred of late dayes and some have observed that fewer have been converted of late years then formerly when fundamentals have been Plainly Powerfully and Practically prest upon the Conscience it is an Errour to think that Notions so they be Spiritual cannot be two accute or Speculative I have one thing to entreat of the Christian Reader and it was one end of publinging this Treatise that I might with it publish thâ—se my desires The thing that I am to request of you will neither be charge nor trouble It is your frequent serious servent Prayers that I desire of you I know it is used too much as a Complement among Christians to desire prayers of their Christian friends and they are too often Superficially promised and too seldom conscienciously performed Nor would I have thee whosoever thou art that fearest God account this my Request a thing of course and that it is at thy Liberty to grant it or no for suppose a poor Distressed Man overwhelmed almost swallowed up with the sense of his Miseries and wants should with Tears and strong importunities beg relief of thee Dost thou think it were an Arbitrary thing when it was in thy power to relieve him or not Mightest thou not justly expect that the next time thou wentest to pour out thy Soul before God that he should keep by him the denial that thou gavest that poor man and give it thee when thou in the distressed thoughts of thy heart makest thy prayer to him and dost thou think that the Lord will hold thee guiltless when one whose afflictions are many Corruptions strong Temptations to undergo shall in the anguish and bitterness of his Spirit desire thy prayers and thou refuse or neglect Consider whether at the day of Judgment thou wilt have any sufficient excuse to plead I have sometimes thought that the Bills that have publickly been put up for the prayers of the Congregation have been too little regarded it may be they have been too customarily and formally put up it may be â—o but it is not good for us to be Judges of evil thoughts little do we know what Terrours and Fears and Anguishes of Spirit overwhelm them while they are so little regarded by us O that we were sensible of others afflictions and sorrows whether spiritual or Temporal as they themselves are and as we would have them to be of ours were our Souls in their Souls stead And if the Lord should so by his providence order it as to bring us into those straits which we saw our brother in and would not afford him so much as our Prayers may we not justly expect that the next time that we our selves are in streights our consciences should take up a Parable and Taunting Proverb against us and say as Josephs brethren did we are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is all this distress come upon us And that which I would desire thee to beg of God for me is That he would give me sincerely to aim at his Glory in all my actions but especially those that belong to my Ministry that I might not be as a broken vessel and that he would give me greater Discoveries of and love to himself and the Lord Jesus Christ and that he would give me gifts and strength and wisdom opportunity and a heart to serve him and mercies suitable to my wants that my afflictions may be sanctified my Temptations conquered and my Corruptions mortified One thing more I am to request of thee that is to do what I know is too much neglected by my self and I fear by others Thou art to pray for a blessing upon thy self when thou readest this Treatise and that God would make it a blessing unto others also into whose hands it shall come I desire you that you would help me with your prayers in this particular When we do but take our ordinary daily bread we crave a blessing how much more when we doe things that concern our eternal good When we take a Book to that end Spiritually to benefit by it do we