in a particular manner we would Meditate upon the Nature and Properties which God hath wrought in Beasts we might thence not only take good Instructions for the better preservation and sustenance of our Bodies but Lessons also to frame and perfect our Manners As for Instance Meditate on the Camel which then stoopeth and kneeleth when he shall be charged and thence learn the lesson of Humility Meditate on the Cock which giveth out of his own Mouth Meat to his Hens and exposeth himself to any danger to keep them safe and thence learn the Lessons of Liberality and care over our Families Meditate on the Bee which gets Honey out of the Flowers without any damage or injury done to them and thence learn to Gain by the use of anothers Goods without his hurt or prejudice Meditate on the one eyed Fish called vid. Fran. de Animal Ura Noscopos whose Eye so stands that it always looketh upwards and thence learn to fix your hearts upon things which are above Or upon the Goat which continually climbs up to high and eminent places and thence learn the same Lesson more perfectly From Meditation on such and the like Works of God Good and Learned Persons have much improved themselves and others by way of Application of them for Orators have us'd them to perswade and others also who have written well and Elegantly and God and Holy Men frequently instruct us by the Manners and Conditions of Beasts and lead us thereby to perfection and uprightness of Life for they advise us to be Prudent as Serpents and Innocent as Doves and Meek and Gentle as the Lamb and Strong and Constant as the Lyon Now to many other Examples of this kind I shall leave you to your own thoughts Thus we see what a large Field of Meditation all Mankind hath from what they see God hath done in the World But we must not bound our Meditations On what Christians should meditate here but consider that we are Christians and thereupon proceed in this Duty with care and circumspection for because we are thus called it behoves us to fix our thoughts chiefly on God's gracious Work in sending his Son into the World to Redeem those who Believe in him from the Bondage of Sin Death and Misery That God so loved the World that he Io. 3 16. gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life is such a glad Tyding which should never slip out of our memories Certainly there is much Benefit got by reflecting upon such loving Works of God for as the Flint is broken upon the Cushion so our Hearts which are hard and stony by customary sinning will hereby through God's Grace be broken and made tender and plyable to the observance of God's Laws Meditate upon Divinity cloathed in Humanity upon Life suffering Death upon Glory induring Shame upon the Beloved cast out to Misery upon Heaven Descending into Hell and then be silent if you can and if it be possible forbear to cry out who can resist such Love What frozen Heart cannot be thaw'd with such heat Who would not Fear such a Lord And who would not be Obedient to such a Father These are the admirable effects which are wrought in us by the Meditation on such a wonderful Work of God and therefore to fix our thoughts frequently upon this Object is not only the special Duty but the excellent priviledge of us who are called Christians And here Meletus that he might not surfeit his Hearers patience and hereby put the Medicine he us'd for their diligence in the prescrib'd Office in need of a Medicine it self he adjourn'd them to another time to hear the Report he was to make upon the next Object of Meditation CHAP. III. Meletus's Second Discourse of Meditation IN the next Congress he proceeded to declare that the Duty of Meditation was to be exercis'd upon our selves That is said he we must Think upon our Condition what we are and what we are like to be Whether we are what we profess Christians in reality and whether we declare our selves to be so by departing from Iniquity Now if by Meditation we discover what we are we shall soon know what we shall be if we so continue for Misery and Happiness everlasting will be the consequent of our Wicked or Pious Conversation as we Live so shall we Die and as we Die so shall we be Rewarded we must either be Goats or Sheep receive our Blessing or our Curse either be thrown down into outer Darkness or else enter into our Masters Ioy. Now the first Meditation in reference to our selves should be to know what the Condition of our Heart is for that is the special Gift which God requests of us And Prov. 23. since we should not give him we know not what something at adventure and not what we may be assured he will kindly accept and carefully Preserve and plentifully Reward We must fix our thoughts so as to examine what our Hearts are in themselves and then we shall know what our selves are and what God expects from us Now as no Member of the Body performs any Action of Spiritual Life wherein a Pulse from the Heart doth not Beat. So it is in the See Mede on Prov. the 4. spiritual Man and the Actions of Grace that lives not which some Gracious v. 23. Motion from the Heart doth not quicken and therefore know by Tryal and Examination what that is Now according to Scripture Phrase the Heart of Man is of a large extent for 't is not only the principal inward part of all Life and the Fountain of Motion and Native Heat but it is the Principal and Original of all the faculties and of all the Because of this full description of the Heart the greek Inter preters give it many Names as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Animal and Vital Operations The seat of the Understanding Fancy Memory and Affections It is the spring from whence the Thoughts Discourses Imaginations Passions and Motions which are in Man flow and stream forth Besides it is the Treasury of Virtues and Sink of Vices and the place of all Habits So that the Heart signifies a sincere assent of Mind a serious purpose of Will a great force of Affections a large endeavour of Strength and Integrity and perfection of Mind Now when upon Meditation we thus know what our Hearts are and how they are differenc'd from double or rather half Hearts then we shall understand what that Duty and Obedience to God is which is hearty or perform'd with the whole Heart and which will be well pleasing to him for hence we learn that it must be true and sincere not feigned and hypocritical serious and solid and not in jest light and superficial diligent and efficacious not weak remiss and sloathful whole and full not concise lame and imperfect Now this knowledge is not only worth the obtaining but absolutely
necessary and therefore should engage us in the Meditation of it because it is the most proper means for that end And when we have fix'd our thoughts to this purpose then we should fix them upon the main thing requir'd in us as We are Christians And that is set down by our Lord and Master from whom we have our Names in the Phrase of being Born again and the necessity of it is added Io. 3. 3. to stir up our diligence in assuring our selves that we are in that Condition for except it be thus we shall not see ver 3. the Kingdom of God So that we must be New or Undone Creatures live in Grace or die in Sin And next to the Necessity if it we must Meditate upon the Excellency the superlative Excellency of that New State As that it makes us partakers of the Divine Nature that is Regenerate by the 2 Cor. 5. 17. Holy Ghost or indewed with new qualities of Righteousness and Holiness wherein we resemble God as Children do their Father bearing the Image of his Wisdom and Purity And also that hereby we become Kings and Priests unto God Kings because of the Victories which in that Condition we obtain against the Flesh the World and the Devil and Priests because then we offer up to God a pure Body and Holy Prayers and the Works of Piety and Mercy The next Object we should fix upon in reference to our selves is to know what we shall be or what kind of future Life we shall live And in order hereto it will highly concern us to Meditate on the four last things namely Death Iudgment Hell Heaven These last things well consider'd will make us always last and live in spight of Death it self Now as a previous motive to six our thoughts upon the first of these Objects DEATH Let us Note that the Regular Death performance hereof may cause our Sins to Dye before they be Old and thereby secure us from the full strength and force of them in our Hearts for 't is the Nature of Sin to be stronger and more fierce when Old than Young the wither'd and drooping Body proves a Medicine for Sin 's growth and flourishing for when the Fort or Outwork of the Soul is Dismantled by many Breaches made in it by Lust and Intemperance and from the frequent Detachments and fresh Supplies sent by Satan from those vicious Habits as from a well furnish'd Magazine which he hath laid up against it then Sin retires into the Castle of Mans Soul and there un tes his Forces and makes them stronger and what Ruines the out-Out-work that is the Body hath suffer'd doth but Alarm Satan's Industry to make the Castle the more Invincible for himself Now the frequent thoughts of Death may out-wit Satan and prevent this his Stratagem and this should stir us up to be exercis'd in that counterplot and employment and that this will herein prove successful we may be assur'd from hence namely that the Heavenly Arithmetick of Numbering our Days that we may apply our Hearts to Wisdom must be learned by Meditation Hereby we should often visit our Sepulchres and take a turn in our Tombs and Dress our selves up in our winding Sheets By this Art we may make Death our Natures grim Enemy our choice Friend and hereby learn an Acquaintance with it and procure its familiarity and even touch and stroke it and so abate much of its fierceness when of necessity and according to Heavens Statute Law it must and doth come Believe it Meditation of it before is the best Receit to heal the anguish and sharpness of Death when it doth come and after our Thoughts have taken some Turns in the Charnel House let them come forth and by Meditation mount up to the place of Iudgment And there fix we our Minds upon the Righteous Iudge and the Glorious Tribunal and the Various Qualities and Postures of the Prisoners some smiling with their Pardons in their Hands and called by their Loving Master and Saviour from the Bar and plac'd at his Right Hand Others pale and ghastly and trembling under the terrours of a guilty Conscience and Seated on the Left Hand to be thrown down into a Prison of Eternal Darkness Meditate on the never Dying Worm that is bred in that Prison and there will fix his Venemous Teeth and Torment the Conscience for ever How to go through Hell to Heaven is a Road well known to those who have examined all the Passages which lead thither and are resolved upon that Iourney mauger all the dangers and frightful Objects and cruel usage which lye in the way to hinder them supposing it much better hereby to be scared to Happiness then to slide down delightfully to Misery we all know that the most dreadful State of those which are in Hell is express'd by Fire because it is the most terrible Element and the Meditation hereof may cause us through God's Grace to use all the proper means whereby we may escape it and that it may not be the Portion of our Cup. Now after such black and frightful thoughts which are as the Rod rather to keep us in awe and order than to assright and hurt us Let us Meditate on Heaven and this Heaven Object when duely entered upon will be so delightsome and delicious to our Souls that with the Spouse in the Canticles 2. Cap 5. they will crave whole Flaggons of it and drink so deep till they be inebriated with its sweetness For there all the precious and gracious Promises in God's Holy Word shall be fully accomplish'd and perform'd to them and what Draught can be more sweet and comfortable So that 't is our Recreation and Pleasure as well as our Obligation and Duty to Meditate on Heaven And that we may not be discourag'd from fixing our thoughts upon this Object because of the vast extent of it or surfeit them with the variety of those Delicacies which it affords For Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor can Man's Heart conceive what they are Let us set this Breviate or Epitomy of it before us and Meditate thereon Namely on the Incomparable and Incomprehensible Excellency of the Place of the unexpressible Ioys laid up in that place of the Fatness of that House of the innumerable Rivers of pleasure which glide along those Banks of the Transcendent Glory that fills every part of the Noble and Seraphical Quiristers which there attend of the Ravishing Anthems which are there heard and of the Vision of God himself which is Eternal Happiness And here Meletus looking about him and perceiving by the chearful aspects and diligent attention of his Hearers that their Ears were not yet satiated with his Lecture he went on to shew them some unquestionable Reasons why they should perform this Pious Office of Meditation and to what end and for what profit they should be so employ'd And the first Reason was because there is nothing more truly
their last end will be thus qualified for there be many intermediate Ends of Vice which have not in them any appearance or symptoms of Death but of some good as Gain Sweetness Pleasure Honour but the last end will be deadly 'T is true the Wanton acts that he may have Pleasure and not Shame and Disease and the Thief robs to get Gain but the last end follows these which are intermediate and that is Death nay Deaths for it is Spiritual and Eternal And this will be found true in every vicious Course that wicked Men approve of and take to be vertuous because pleasing to their carnal Appetites for since the keeping of Gods Commands are recompenced with a double Reward of this Life and a better 't will follow that the breaking of them may be recompenced with a double Death and indeed in one and the same Vice not only a double Death but a manifold way of Destruction may be found as shall appear as we proceed The Holy Scriptures Seal to us the Truth of this Proposition for they say That the way of the wicked shall perish Psal. 1. 7. and if a Man wont turn from the Folly of his false Imaginations God will whet his Sword and bend his Bow and make it ready and prepare for him the Instruments of Death and ordain his Arrows against Psal. 137. 14. him St Iames says Sin bringeth forth Death the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thence the Apostles meaning is that Sin goes with Cap. 1. 15. Child of Death And this shall be made evident in several Instances That the end of Heresie is Death tho this Assertion the end of Adultery Sins are them up upon one the spiritual Death in it self a numerous for it doth not 〈◊〉 Greatness like a 〈◊〉 for many but because the Soul every fresh Heresie like a 〈◊〉 gives it a stab and 〈◊〉 it far more then once Brutus did Caesars shirt Now one Instrument it makes use of to destroy Mans Soul is by killing the Truth which is its Food and Sustenance for that being gone his Soul can no more subsist than the Body can without Meat and Drink But besides these Metaphorical Deaths which Heresies produce the Death of the Body and that more signal than ordinary hath through Gods just Iudgment followed them For Simon Magus who called himself a God could not by his Magical Power get to Heaven but the attempting of it by flight cost him a Fall which cost Euseb. Eccl. H. B. 5. c. 16. him his Life Such a corporal Death besel Theodotus the Montanist and Sorcerer Manes the Founder of the Maniches Socrat. B. 1. C. 22. undertook by Sorcery to heal the King of Persia's Son but instead thereof kill'd him and thereupon was taken and flaid alive his Skin fill'd with Chaff and hang'd at the Gates of his City Arius Socrat. B. 1. C. 38. did vent his Excrements and Life together Olympus an 〈◊〉 Bishop as he Bained himself at Carthage and blasphemed the ever Blessed Trinity was suddenly smitten from Heaven with three Darts and burned 〈◊〉 Cyrinus the Heretical Bishop of Calcedon from Socrat. B. 6. C. 19. a small accidental hurt of his Foot suffered much Misery he first lost both his Feet and then his Life Once more Severus the Heretical Bishop of Antioch had his Tongue pulled out by the Command of the Emperour Iustin Evagr. Eccl. H. A. D. 517. because he reviled the Orthodox Council of Calcedon and Preach'd railing Sermons Thus Heresie the Calenture Plague and Poyson of our Souls winds up fatal Bottoms for us and procures not only one but many ways of Death 2. As for those Carnal ways of Pleasure and Delight and of worldly Gain and Profit which deceive most Persons many of them as Murder Rebellion Sodomy Thieft and others are the High Roads to Capital Punishents and many instead of finding Riches and Content from them have been put off with an Ax or an Halter Yet if the eye of the Law cannot spy them or they escape the Execution of it yet Death will not be so baffled or deluded for if they run from one yet another Death will overtake and Arrest them tho' they run from the Corporal yet the spiritual Death will draw its Bow and fix its Dart in them Tho' they live to the World yet they are dead to Grace walking Carcasses living in Tombs and Sepulchres having putrid and rotten Souls And in good earnest such a living Death was accounted no Contradiction even amongst the Heathens for Persons who ran-counter to Philosophical Rules and whose Actions seemed wise only thro' the Medium of their sensitive Appetites were by them esteemed Dead and no better than rotten and stinking Carcasses Now to avoid this Soul Death the better sort of Heathens have physick'd themselves by mortifying their Bodies for they supposing that corporeal Pleasures were as great Murderers as Syrens who sang Persons into their fatal Embraces did prescribe a moral Purge and a strong one too called by the Pythagoreans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was a whipping Lecture for beating down those Motions which rose up against Reason and begot in the Body a downey softness and did flide them down into the Gulph of iniquity and they unstitched their Souls from too much sticking to bodily Delights and then proposed to them the love of Vertue and heavenly Matters The Stoicks used the same Medicine against this kind of Soul Death or Hectic of Vertue for their Doctors or great Philosophers prescrib'd their Schollars things severe and laborious for some were willing to be bound and others that their Bodies should smart with Rods and Whips How sad and lamentable his Condition is who through counterfeit Knowledge and false Wisdom hath brought his Soul into the Snares of Death may appear because in this Case it is stripp'd stark naked of all Grace and Vertue and it being thus swept and garnished the Devil enters in and takes Possession of it as of a Tenement of his own thus forfeited to him and there Commands as a most cruel and bloody Tyrant and is not this Condition sad Should we see a Person all naked bowed down and sadled and whipt into a full Career by the Devil thro' Church-Yards and over Vaults and Monuments of dry Bodies and Rottenness we would be much affected with the hideous condition of this Person and account it superlative Misery and in Anticipation of Hell it self Yet such is every one who through his own Glass looks well and at the same time is Domineer'd over by his carnal Appetite for he 's possessed and at the Command of Satan and is taken out and Rid up and down by him where he pleaseth And could this be made appear to his Senses it would horribly affright and make him break his Glass through which such a prodigious Monster did look fair and lovely But because this sort of Death is one of a subtle Nature