Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
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A57733
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The fire upon the altar. Or Divine meditations and essayes containing the substance of Christian religion
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Rowe, Cheyne.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing R2061A; ESTC R218415
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226,122
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405
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THE Fire upon the Altar OR DIVINE MEDITATIONS AND ESSAYES Containing the Substance of Christian Religion Not unto us O Lord Psalm 115. Optimos vitae dies Effluere prohibe Seneca Simile Eccl. 12. Multa tulit fecitque puer sudavit alsit Horat. LONDON Printed by T. S. and are to be sold by Abel Roper at the Sun against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-street 1679. Exod. 30. v. 7. And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet Incense every morning when he dresseth the Lamps he shall burn Incense upon it v. 8. And when Aaron lighteth the Lamps at even he shall burn Incense upon it a perpetual Incense befor e the Lord thorow out your generations TO THE READER Courteous Reader HAving conceived these Meditations for my own private Use according to my occasions and inclinations And finding satisfaction and benefit by them I committed them to Paper to the intent that by resort to them I might again excite in my mind the like sollace and pleasure which accordingly I have done and enjoyed Thereupon I communicated them to some of my near Relations and upon their request to the publick Not for any affectation that I have of popularity for my Genius is quite contrary to that Nor yet for any fond or overweening opinion of them or my self in comparison of others who have writ well and learnedly to the same purpose but yet for as much as I am perswaded to it and know that they are well intended and may be useful to many And those that have the Tongue of the Learned may from the weakness which they shall find in these take occasion to do better I adventure to come abroad The Subjects upon which they are writ do challenge thy most studious intention of mind when thou readest of them thence it is that I refuse to be censured upon any mans cursory reading though I know I cannot avoid it but upon a serious weighing and considering of the things writ and I may justly crave allowance for that they were not writ nor designed for the publick If any of the things herein contained shall seem to be a Treatise rather than Meditations know the reason to be this that when first they were writ they were divers of them short Meditations but for methods sake the same were afterwards put into some Order and so took the form of a Treatise or Essay Reader thou mayest take these labours of mine in good part because I seek nothing by the publication thereof but to be serviceable to God to my generation and to thee who am Thy Faithful Friend C. ROWE De Monte Higham ERRATA PAge 1. line last read acessit p. 2. l. 23. r. the extream p. 3. l. 19. r. is in my heart l. 29. r. thereof p. 5. l. 13. r. grow p. 6. l. 24. dele of p. 7. l. 16. dele then p. 10. l. 23. r. feedest p. 12. l. 21. r. his love p. 15. l. 25. r. read in all other duties p. 46. l. 26. r. beneficence p. 54. l. 13. read premisses p. 56. l. 29. r. bolls p. 58. l. 9. r. prescribed p. 84. l. 24. r. then we p. 88. l. 19. r. they p. 94. l. 21. put in the p. 99. l. 29. r. such as thus make use of it p. 115. l. 29. r. of p. 132. l. 11. r. bearest l. 13. r. pledges p. 163. l. 35. r. all things are p. 175. l. 16. r. is l. 28. r. give p. 198. l. 22. r. for which p. 200. l. 19. r. rejoyce p. 202. l. 30. r. tongues p. 221. l. 23. blot out I p. 231. l. 5. r. thy p. 234. l. 13. r. this p. 235. l. 25. put in those injuries which are done to our selves p. 332. l. 16. r. is p. 236. l. 1. put in do it constantly without intermissions a double minded man is unstable p. 241. blot out 1 and 2. lines and l. 25. read first love p. 250. l. 21. blot out comforts of the p. 256. l. last for estate r. labour p. 239. r. oculos p. 259. l. 8. r. flesh y. 267. l. 7. r. Spirit p. 270. l. 34. r. through p. 281. l. 26. r. sown p. 101. l. 5. r. of it p. 303. l. 15. r. we become p. 318. l. 11. r. good p. 315. l. 24. r. to do p. 339. l. 3. r. oculos p. 373. l. 5. r. deformed l. 15. r. spirits p. 375. l. 11. r. God p. 376. l. 28. r renew his strength p. 284. l. 30. r. beseech us to be reconciled THE FIRE upon the ALTAR OR Divine Meditations and Ejaculations Containing The Substance of Christian Religion The PREFACE Of Meditation Cor mundum crea in me Deus THE Heart is the fountain which sends forth and streams it self into words and actions and by those it is known whether it be good or evil He that purposeth a Regulation of his life and conversation must begin with this as the first mover preserve and watch this with most diligent care that there come no evil into it whereby it be disordered and so the whole stream be defiled and fouled sincerum est nisi vas quodcunque infundis accessit Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence Ne cures ea quae stultè miraris Horat. Think not on that which may tempt thee It may be compared to a Ship under sale whose Pilot must ever be watchful to look to his steerage lest he split upon Rocks or be swallowed up with Sands This Pilot is Reason Guided and Illuminated not by any Star Cynosura Helice nor other but from a higher Orb the Spirit of God which exerting it self in our actions and conversations is called Grace for the Love of God Humility Patience Charity Chastity and the rest as they are called the fruits of the Spirit are graces and beams of this light so looking to their original they are called the Spirit of Love Joy Peace c. And it is that which the true Light in the internal Horizon and the Fire wherewith Jesus Christ baptizeth the Regenerate Luke 3.16 Reason then in the soul of man must alwaies keep it self in action lest the affections wanting their Governour at the stern precipitate the soul upon Sylla on one side or Caribdys on the other either extreme of excess or of defect or else must steer a contrary course But if by continual Meditation on good things it sets before it self alwaies the place for which it is bound and the end of its creation and hath an eye to that luminary by which it guides its course and keeps on its course with a perpetual motion by every wind and gale without digressions by these means it may sale safely and may expect a safe and happy voyage and blessed be God there is no curtain drawn between us and the light as was to them under the Law What rash person is he that will undertake any work of difficulty or importance but will predmeitate the means opportunities and advantages whereby to effect it and often propound to himself both
temptations and snares of its spiritual enemy and its own frailty and inbred corruptions she bestirreth her self till she hath gotten strength to vanquish her spiritual enemy which having obtained she rejoyceth with joy unspeakable and glorious in Christ and is satisfied and enjoyeth her self more than in the things of pleasure or profit or any other worldly enjoyment and sings praises to God for giving such strength and assistance whereby it is able to overcome All which matters are the meditations of the gracious soul which seeks Gods face evermore And these be the means by which it endeavours to be prepared for every good work Although the gracious soul hath in a great measure conquered the corruptions of nature and is sure of its salvation and God doth say to it I am thy salvation yet is she not satisfied quiet at rest or contented unless she enjoy her Beloved in a close communion sollacing her self with him in reading his word praying and meditating of him and praising him The Spouse knew her Beloved was hers and she his but was not satisfied unless she might lay him all night as a bundle of myrrh between her breasts The enjoyment of his person the kisses of his mouth and his favours and new pledges of his love is that which satisfieth her The Flaggons and the Apples are the things which stay her and comfort her and she must and will have them and will not be satisfied without them because she is sick of love and as Lovers use to do so she museth and meditates in the night of the favours she hath received and also designs and contrives which way to obtain them again because she remembers them more than wine for they refreshed her more and were more sweet to her taste and for desire of these she is often melancholly though she be sure of her interest in him that her Beloved is hers as she was when she run seeking him about the City for his coming to her door at such an hour of the night and his sollicitations and addresses to be let in and the difficulties which he went through to come to her though the weather favoured not all shewed her love but this enflamed her love the more so that she would not be satisfied without the enjoyment of his person and all other favours that Lovers have to bestow and can desire She must sit under his shadow with delight and eat that fruit of his which is pleasant to her taste and be brought into his banquetting house and repose her self in his arms because she admires him in all things and in all his parts she sees such ravishing perfection that she will not enjoy her self at all unless she may see his countenance hear his voice or embrace him in her arms and in her bosom in which enjoyments she is fully taken up as well waking as sleeping for though she sleep her heart waketh This fire never goeth out but is alwaies burning upon her heart as that upon the Altar was which was the type of this and so must it also be with those who profess to be and are his servants and peculiar people And they shall also be endeared to Christ their Beloved and he will see all loveliness in them as his Spouse his Garden inclosed his Sister his Beloved his Friend he will delight frequently to come into into his Garden and gather his pleasant fruits flowers and spices drink of the wine of the Pomegranate pressed eat his honey-comb with his honey and he will be found of his Beloved in the duties of reading meditation prayer and the holy Supper which is his banquet which he giveth her But she gets many a kiss from him in fervent prayer and meditation And when she hath found him she will not let him go she holds him fast in her arms and hangs about him But if she is but in pursuit of him her heart is warmed with his love by such impressions as she will not loose till she enjoy him All which enjoyments of the heavenly soul are the operations of the holy Spirit and the graces of God working in the heart whose conversation is in Heaven by heavenly meditation of the things of God and keeping in those meditations which otherwise the world would justle out if she should not be as a garden enclosed as a fountain sealed that is as if he should say springing waters that admit nothing to pollute or defile them or to disturb or muddy them And the inclosure of this garden signifieth that fence of watchfulness in this duty whereby those things are kept out which would crop off those pleasant plants and rich spices there growing for the use service and delight of her Beloved and are for him preserved guarded and secured This duty is often enjoyned as a most necessary part of Divine Worship and pressed with very large promises and by the experience of all the Saints of God found to be the most available means for the avoiding of that sin which doth so easily beset us and for getting and improving of every grace For reading God's word without thus retaining God in their thoughts is little available no more is prayer for we find there be many who have frequently both read and heard it who still remain unconverted from the errours of their waies and do neither live upon it or by it nor endeavour to come up to it nor to be changed from what they are by nature nor retain it in the love of it So we see that there are many that fast and pray and preach too and yet are not cleansed from sin however they are pure in their own sight and say Stand off for I am holier than thou Wherefore the wise man exhorts to be swifter to hear rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools And a type of this was that ceremonial Law that those beasts that did not chew the cud should be unclean and not to be sacrificed And for want of this the word preached to men often slips out of their minds their worldly affairs that take up their thoughts give them no time to fasten the word in their hearts so as to take root and bring forth fruit but like the seed sowed on stony ground or thorny ground or that falls by the way it comes to no perfection Hence it is that the Lord commanded the Israelites Jos 1.8 Let not this Book of the Law depart out of thy mouth but meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success The Apostle Paul Phil. 4.8 and 9. saith Think on these things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me and the God of peace shall be with you Psal 107.17 The loving kindness of the Lord endureth for ever to them which think upon his commandments to do them Isa 12.3 With joy shall ye draw