condition of his creation for he was created to live and not to dye being made in the Image of God whereof immortality is a part and therefore it was directly concluded by one of the Councils that whosoever should say that Adam the first man was made mortal so that he should have dyed corporally whether he had sinned or not sinned that is that he should have gone out of the body not by the desert of sin but by the necessity of nature let him be accursed and God doth not make it the cause that Adam should dye because his body was made of the dust of the earth as the Pelagians falsely collect from Gen. 3.19 but becauss he had disobeyed the voice of God hearkning to the voice of his seducing wife Vid. Polan Syntagm Satan's Instrument to tempt him and so took and eat the forbidden fruit as appeareth vers 17. therefore he should dye and that which cometh afterward doth not declare the cause why he should dye but onely let him understand Lumb Sent. lib. 2. Distinct 9. that there was no impediment but that he might dye and that his body which was before onely mortale of that nature that it might dye he now by sin had made morti obnoxium subject and liable to death thus Paul tells us plainly that sin brought in death as the wages thereof Object It may be demanded seeing Jesus Christ hath abolished death and that by him we are reconciled to God to obtain eternal life how is it then that we are subject to death Resp. St. Austin answereth that heretofore death came and was by sin brought into the world but now death takes away our temporal life to the end we should cease from sin and that the meditation of our death doth keep us in our duty and so by Gods mercy the punishment of sin is become a shield against our sins Chrysostome censureth those wretches who fear death and fear not sin wherein they are insnared nor the unquenchable fire which gapeth for them to fear death is an evill more dreadfull than death it self Stella de contempt mundi A wise mans life is the meditation of death saith Stella Good reason it is that we should betimes meditate on death and think upon the freedome liberty life and immortality which ensue he giveth death a joyfull welcome who is before hand prepared for it Shall any man think that death doth not approach because he thinketh not of it or shall he think it draws nearer because he meditateth upon it Gerrard Meditat 43. Whether thou thinkest upon it or no saith one it hangeth alwayes over thy head life was lent unto thee not given thee as a freehold Verily the meditation of death is not irksome nor ought we to defer it from one year to another but on the contrary to think that nothing doth so much safeguard us in the midst of adversities and dangers as the meditation of death it is that which makes us sober in prosperity and ready prepared for all events death would be vanquished as soon as it should come if it were well thought on before it cometh and indeed he is unworthy of comfort in his death who in his whole life is forgetfull of death Guericus hearing those words out of Gen. 5. read in the Church And all the dayes that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years Drexel considerat de aeternit and he dyed and all the dayes of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years and he dyed and all the dayes of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years and he dyed c. Hearing I say these words read the very thoughts of death wrought so strongly upon him that he gave up himself wholly to a devout life that he might dye the death of the righteous and attain to eternal life I have read a story of one that gave a costly Ring to a young gallant with a death's head in it upon this condition that for some weeks he should spend one hour every day in looking and meditating upon it he took the Ring in wantonness but performed the condition with diligence but it pleased God after a frequent view and meditation thereof it wrought a notable change upon him so that he became an excellent Christian well were it if men of all ranks would frequently meditate on death and then by the grace of God they would finde a great change upon their lives Nil sic revocat a peccato quam frequens mortis meditatio August Nebrissens Dec. 2. lib. 3. cap. 1. there is nothing doth so effectually call a man back from sin as the frequent meditation of death Lewes the eleventh King of France did on his death-bed restore two Counties to the heirs of John King of Arragon to which before in his life time he would never condescend Cùm igitùr mortem nòn meditamur molestior vitae finis expectandus nobis est Diogenes in Epist ad Monemum Death is the clock by which we set our life in an order and the memory thereof doth restrain our immoderate love to worldly things did we frequently meditate on death we should finde a bitterness in those things which now seem sweet unto us the meditation hereof cleanseth the heart as a strainer cleanseth all the liquor that is poured into it A man is never more heavenly minded then when he meditateth on his own frailty Sicut cibis omnibus panis utilior est magis necessarius ita praestat omnibus operibus mortis cogitatio Climacus Grad 6. de discret and thinketh that he must shortly dye Let us herein take heed of the arrogance of the Stoicks and the vain confidence of the Epicures who never think on death but think they are in league with it perswading themselves it shall be easie for them to put by the blows of death and let us have no part in their effeminency Mons Goulart Viel who are affrighted at the very name of death not thinking that in death it self there is so much evil as in the solicitudes and fears with which many times in a day they kill themselves without any ease to their unbeleeving hearts Such meditations of death are foolish and unprofitable seeing as the Prophet tells us There is no man living that shall not see death and be able to save his life out of the hand of the grave Psal 89.90 Sect. 9. Of the fewness of them that shall be saved The ninth subject of meditation The small number of them that shall be saved In this Section the subject of our meditation shall be the small number of them that shall be saved Christ's flock in Scripture is called a little flock Luke 12.32 the number of the Elect is but small and by consequent there are but few that shall be saved Thus much one of the Fathers collecteth out of the destructions mentioned in the Old TeTestament August de verb.
I did it at such a time after confession of sin and sorrow for sin after I had renewed my Covenant against sin after some grace and strength received to resist sin these and such like aggravations will make a small sin to become exceeding sinfull Now the serious meditation of our sins is very profitable 1. It brings us to a true sight of our sins and makes us to hate sin so much the more and to groan under the burden of sin bringing us to Christ with a desire to be eased of its burden 2. Like Peters Cock it will be our awakener and bring us to weep bitterly it will wound our conscience and lead us to bitterness in spirit who by our sins have wounded so sweet a Saviour 3. It is a great advantage to humility that man cannot be proud that daily meditateth upon the nature and number of his sins 4. It makes us ply the Throne of Grace more earnestly wherein we shall finde matter enough to beg daily for the pardon of sin and matter of praise to God upon the meditation of many by-past sins remitted to us 5. It is the best salve against all our sores knowing we have no reason to complain of our sufferings when we meditate on the number and greatness of our sins and that we suffer justly because we suffer for our sins and so ought to kiss the rod and quietly to bear the indignation of the Lord because we have sinned against him Sect 6. Of the Sufferings and Death of Christ The next subject of meditation I shall treat of is The sixth sub of meditation the sufferings and death of Christ the Sufferings and Death of Christ who was wounded for our transgressions whose soul was made an offering for our sins The sufferings of Jesus began with his life he had enemies as soon as he had subjects when the wâ—se men were doing him homage at his Cradle Herod at the same time was conspiring his death he commits his safety to his flight and seeks a Sanctuary in Egypt passing his minority in a Country where his people had long before for four hundred and thirty years been in bondage his whole life varied little from his beginning he was not in security but while he was unknown he never was at rest but while he got his living by daily labour No sooner did this glorious Sun appear to the world but he was persecuted the Pharisees hate him for his Doctrine and envy him for his Miracles they plot his death when he had raised Lazarus from death to life and never cease till they bring him to his Cross and his Grave The matter of his sufferings were all the miseries whereunto the life of man was subject whether we mean pains of body or grief of heart and sorrows of minde he suffered them all in an extraordinary measure and manner as I have elsewhere more largely declared The ends of his sufferings wherein also I may include the form thereof sc his meritorious satisfaction for the sin of man may be discussed for had not the first Adam sinned the second Adam had not suffered and whatsoever he did by his active obedience or suffered by his passive obedience was to make up that rent and breach which was made by Adams transgression as Auâ—in tells us Nos in Adamo immortalitate malè usi ut moreremur Christus mortalitate benè usus est ut viveremus Aug. We all in the first Adam behaving our selves ill in a state of immortality forfeited it and became liable to eternal death therefore Christ the second Adam behaving himself well in a state of mortality recovered again for us and restored again to us thâ— right of eternal life Joh. 1.29 John Baptist calls him the Lamb of God that takes away the sinâ— of the world and Paul tells us how he was delivered to death for our sins Rom. 4.25 He was apprehended arraigned condemned and crucified that we might be acquitted pardoned and discharged the Death of Jesus Christ is the last testimony of his love his wounds are so many bleeding mouthes breathing forth his love unto us And this is very admirable his power was encreased by his death he was never more absolute than upon the Cross spoyling Principalities and Powers this Sun never darted forth more rayes than when he was in an eclipse nor did the Lord Jesus ever more triumph over his enemies than when they upbraided him with his infirmities and made a mock of his sufferings then was it that he conceived the Church in his wounds giving his children life by his death and founding his Church with his blood His Church cost him much more pain and trouble than Eve did the first Adam his Spouse never broke his sleep Sicut dormientis Adae costa detrahitur ut conjux efficiatur ita Christo morienti de latere sanguis effunditur ut ecclesia construatur communicantes namque corpori sanguinis efficimur ecclesia Christi conjux August rising from his side without any pang or violence he awoke from his sleep into a Marriage with her that was a piece of himself but Jesus Christ laid down his life to give it to his Church his body was pained and his heart pierced to form his Bride this Spouse was to be sought for in the bowels of her Father yet even then did our Lord Jesus in his lowest abasement act like a Soveraign he pardoned Delinquents when himself was numbred among transgressours he gives eternal life when they bereft him of a temporal life he disposeth of an heavenly Kingdome when they disputed his Kingdome on earth he made his power appear in his weakness his glory in his shame his innocency in his execution his grandeur in his reproaches and now was the Son of man glorified upon the Cross making his innocency manifest at his death that to the confusion of the Jews the Judge that condemned him should plead his excuse that the Theeves that dyed with him should publish his Soveraignty that the Souldiers that nailed him to his Crosse should become his adorers yea that the Sunne the great eye of the world should hide his head and whole nature be in mourning for him lamenting his death who was the Prince and Lord of life and however Christ was accounted of yet the Robes of Kings are not to be compared with the rags of Christ nor the Thrones of Princes with the cross and thorns of our Saviour Joh. Wall Serm. in Heb. 9.12 upon which consideration one breaks forth into this meditation O Lord if thy shame be glorious what is thy glory how shall we be advanced by the strength of thy power that are so dignified by the weakness of thy sufferings 1. This may teach us in our meditations to distinguish between Christs sufferings and the sufferings of all Saints and Martyrs whatsoever for theirs were private and profited onely themselves but his were publick and the vertue thereof extended and redounded
is more than to touch him 1. Some say Resp. she believed the resurrection by seeing him therefore needed not this further confirmation by feeling but Thomas would not believe unlesse he both saw and felt Joh. 20.25 the rest are so affrighted that they know not what to make of it 2. Others say Marlorat ad loc he would not then be toucht of her to intimate to her that she came with too much a carnall mind to touch him a mind too low in regard of this glorious occasion Christ being now risen and glorified for his resurrection was the first degree of his glorification it did not satisfie her to answer Rabboni but she runs to him and claspeth him and clingeth about him as the affection of love did dictate to her but saith Christ Touch me not in â—uch a manner Dr Sibs Serm. on Ioh. 20.16 Vide B p Andrews Serm. in loc this is not a fit manâ—r for thee to touch me in now I â—m risen again She thought to conâ—erse with him in that familiar manner as she did while he was on earth when she powred ointment upon his head though he were the same person yet his condition was changed he was before in the state of abasement now in a state of glorification and that she must not touch him carnally Aretius ad loc nor any longer expect his bodily presence upon earth but follow him in her heart and affections to Heaven but touch him by the hand of faith when he was ascended to his Father as Austin saith Mitte fidem in coelum tetigisti Send up thy faith to Heaven and then thou touchest Christ Calv. ad loc 3. Others say it was not an absolute peremptory prohibition of touching him at all but only of immoderate embraceing for both she and other holy women afterwards took him and held him by the feet Mat. 28.9 Oh how glorious are the feet of the Lord of the Gospel 4. Cardinall Bellarmine Bellarm. hath a conceit that perhaps may be sound enough that it was not a perpetuall prohibition but only to be in forcâ— for the present time which he conjectureth from the reason for I am not yet ascended or ascending I am not yet leaving you but have yet many dayes wherein I am to be conversant with you during which you shall have time and leisure enough to touch me and therefore forbear now at this time and do that first which is most needfull Go to my brethren and tell them that I am risen and that I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God 1. The meditation on the Resurrection of Christ may teach us that Christ arose as a publick person and therefore all the faithfull shall rise again the Resurrection of Christ is a certain pledge of their resurrection as in the first fruits all the rest were sanctified so by Christ all the harvest of the faithfull is consecrated to a joyfull resurrection 1 Cor. 15.20 Hence Christ is said to be the first begotten from the dead because he is the cause of the resurrection of all the faithfull Joh. 11.25 Col 1.18 That God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ doth testifie to all the children of God that the guilt of their sins is taken away for if there had been any sin that Christ had not satisfied for he should have lyen in the grave to this day 1 Cor. 15.17 3. That the vertue and power of our Regeneration in this life cometh from the power and vertue of Christ's Resurrection Eph. 4.8 10. This confuteth the Socinians that hold Christs Resurrection onely exemplary and the Pelagians that say we have power to raise our selves therefore every one of us should labour to know the vertue of his Resurrection by an experimental and practical knowledge according to that of the Apostle Phil. 3.8 10. and because we cannot have this knowledge of our selves let us pray to the Lord to give it us Eph. 1.19 1. Let us labour to know the power of God in raising up Christ from the dead our faith and hope is grounded upon the power of God 1 Pet. 1.21 that raised him from the dead that therefore he will bestow all good things upon us And here we must consider the will of God for his power is effectual when it is according to his will Joh. 6.39 40. God hath promised to be our God and to bestow all good upon us thus considering of the power of God as it is an effectual and working power joyned with his will it is a means whereby our faith and hope cometh to be in God 2. Let us meditate on the goodness of God in raising Christ from the dead we call him our Father and Almighty Father for otherwise if we consider the power of God without his goodness it will make us to flye from him rather than to trust in him this goodness of God is manifest in that God raised him up and gave him glory and all for us and our glory Sect. 8. Of meditation on Death The next subject of our meditations is is Death The eighth subject of meditation is death Life and Death are common accidents to all living creatures saith Aristotle God made not death but death crept and entred into world through the envy of Satan and man's disobedience If God had made death he would not with tears have bewayled dead Lazarus whom therefore he restored to life that the Devil might see it is but lost labour with rage to pursue the children of God to take them out of the world forasmuch as those whom men may deem utterly lost and destroyed do live unto God The meditation of Death belongeth to all sorts of persons seeing it is appointed to all men once to dye and that by reason of sin Rom. 6.23 Obj. The Pelagians say That Adam should and must have dyed though he had not sinned even by the necessity of nature and by the condition of his creation being made of corruptible or mutable matter and with a mortal body Resp I answer That as some things are mutable which nevertheless shall never be changed as the good Angels might have fallen as the evil did before they were confirmed so there may be something mortal which yee for all that need not dye for as the * Mortale duplicitèr vocatur viz. vel quod naturae necessitate mori oportet vel quod peccati merito mori potest Quod quicunque dixerit Adam primum hominem mortalem factum ita ut siâ—è peccaret sive nòn peccaret moreretur in corpore hoc est de corpore exiret non peccati merito ed neessitate naturae Anathema sit Concil Melevit cap. 1. Learned have observed A thing may be called mortal two wayes either that which must dye by the necessity of nature or that which may dye by the desert of sin For the first Adam's body was not so mortal that it must have dyed by
yet are poor ambitious persons that are passionate for glory and yet are despicable but every one that loves me finds me I am with him that seeks for me his love makes me present in his soul as soon as he longs for me I am in his embraces Rule 3 Let not your hearts be overcharged with worldly cares they are great hindrances to us in heavenly meditation The Angels have care of our preservation As in a race one Charet hindreth another in the way stopping the path even so earthâ—y cogitations hinder heavenly when they have gotten the start Macarius Ita sarcina seculi veluti somno assoler dulcitèr premebar cogitationes quibus meditabar in te similes erant conatibus expergisci volentium qui tamèn superati soporis altitudine remerguntur August and endeavour it diligently yet are they not perplex't about it for their care proceeds from charity carking cares about the things of the world trouble a man's reason and judgement so that he cannot meditate on God as he ought the Wasps and Drones make more noise than the Bees but make no honey but waxe only I was overwhelmed with worldly cares as with a deep sleep saith Austin and the meditations I lifted up to Heaven were like the vain endeavours of men striving to awake who beaten down with the weight of drowsinesse fall asleep again at the very instant they awake It is impossible he should be heavenly minded that dotes upon earth or have any passionate longings for Heaven who is strongly wedded to the things of this world Spend not too much of your time Rule 4 in recreations It is necessary sometimes that we recreate both our bodies and spirits as to walk abroad to take the air to entertain our company with some pleasant discourses to ring to play on some instrument these are recreations so innocent that to use them well needs nothing but discretion that gives to every thing its order time place and measure but here we must beware of excesse for if we imploy too much time therein it is no more a recreation but an occupation that neither recreates the body nor the spirits but rather dulls and distracts them and above all take heed of setting your affections on any of them for let our recreations be never so lawfull it is vitious to set our affections on any of them to long after them to study on them or vex our selves about them there are some recreations indeed that as they are commonly used tend to much evil there is as Physitians say of Mushromps a quality of poison in them though never so well cooked they are spungious and full of pores and easily draw any infection to them and if Serpents be about them they take poison from them so such recreations are very dangerous they divide the spirit from pious meditations cool charity and awaken in the soul many sorts of ill cogitations Therefore when you are in the use of any recreations labour to wind up thy heart to Heaven use some godly meditations think how thy time passeth away and death draws on see how it calleth thee to his dance where the musick shall be elegies and lamentations that thou shalt make but one step from life to death When thou goest to meditate fix Rule 5 not thy thoughts on many things at once Cogitatio vaga incessa semper hùc illùe divertit Hugo in lib. de Area mysticâ variety of thoughts are like many men in a crowd or throng where all are stopt and none can get out variety of meats if the stomack be good do alwayes offend it if weak it overthrows it fill not thy soul with the thoughts of many things at once for these will trouble and distract thee a soul that feels it self much purged from evil humours hath a great appetite after spirituall things and as half famished the thoughts run upon many exercises of piety at once and this is a good sign to have so good an appetite but thou must look how thou canst digestall that thou desirest to eat take every thing therefore in order and feed on them moderately that thou maist digest them and not be cloyed with them Rule 6 Let examination and meditation go hand in hand together without examination meditation will be ineffectuall as for instance when thou hast been meditating of the graces of God's Spirit examine whether those graces are seated in thy heart meditate on the beauty of heavenly graces make comparison between graces and vices in themselves contrary what sweetnesse in meeknesse in regard of revenge in humility in regard of pride in charity in regard of envy and all the graces have this to be admired in them that they affect the soul with incomparable delight and comfort after they are practised whereas the vices leave us distracted and ill entreated and as for vices they that enjoy them in part are never content and they that have them in abundance are much discontented but as for graces they that have the smallest measures of them yet have they content and so more and more as they do encrease When thou meditatest on sin examine how stands thy heart affected towards sin hast thou a resolution in the strength of Christ never to commit any sin hast thou any inclination to small sins or any affection to any of them When thou meditatest on God's Commandements examine thy heart doth it find them to be good sweet and amiable and agreeable as he that hath an exquisite tast and good stomack loveth good food and refuseth the bad Examine how thy heart stands affected to spirituall exercises dost thou love them or are they tedious to thee do they distast thee to which of them dost thou find thy self more or lesse inclined to hear God's Word or to discourse about it to pray to meditate to fly up to Heaven c. and what in all these is thy heart against and if thou find any of these to which thou art not inclined examine whence this distast ariseth and what is the cause thereof Examine what is thy heart toward God himself is it a delight to thee to think on him dost thou feel a particular tast of his love dost thou delight in meditating on his power his goodnesse and mercy if the thoughts of God do come into thy mind in the midst of businesse and worldly imployments when it cometh dost thou give place thereto doth it settle in thy heart dost thou perceive thy heart to lean that way and in some measure to prefer it before any other thing dost thou love to speak to God and of God is his honour and glory dearer to thee than all other things dost thou love his children and the glory and beauty of his worship and Ordinances for want of this examination meditation doth often come to nothing Rule 7 Both begin and end this exercise of meditation with prayer Meditation without reading is erronious without prayer unfruitfull saith Bernard