conscience hath a power of accusation meditate on it or thou art an Infidel The Book of nature hath God spread wide open and before us Seculum speculum that he that runs may read Austin calls the world Gods Book in folio every creature should be to us a page in this Book and every part of a creature a line in this Book How carefull should we be to take these things into our thoughts our Saviour saith Matth. 24.15 When ye shall see the abomination of desolation spâ—ken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holy place who so readeth let him understand So say I let him that readeth in this great Book of nature understand to what end these creatures were created even to the end that we might view them and in them glorâ—fie the Creatour And seeing God hath not only acquainted us in the grosse what he diâ— in generall but hath condescended sâ— far as to tell us what he did eveâ— day what he did the first day whâ— he did the second day c. I daâ— boldly affirm that it were very convenient and expedient every day to â— apart some time on that day to meditate on the works that were created â— that day it is as convenient a method as any I can imagine for it is following of God in the Creation this being considered together with thâ— dulnesse of our apprehensions anâ— how apt our thoughts are to turn asidâ— to vain and unprofitable objects thâ— order will be found to be very necessary I shall give you a tast of such kinds meditations from one of the dayes oâ— the week the first day of the weeâ— called the Lord's day on this day seâ— apart some time to meditate on thâ— works that were on that day created first the works of the evening thâ— the works of the morning 1. The works of the evening as the â—reating that huge body of the Heavens when we see that vast body and how God stretcheth out the Heavens as a curtain the greatnesse of the Heavens â—hould teach us to meditate on the greatnesse of the infinite Jehovah if â—he Heavens do so far exceed our â—houghts how great then is he whom â—he Heaven of Heavens are not able to contain if the earth be so glorious as â—t is in the spring time how unspeakably glorious are the Heavens which far â—xceed the earth and here we may â—dmire his greatnesse who was able to â—et up such a rich canopy and covering over the earth and here also let us meditate on the unspeakable goodnesse of God to man that he hath made for man not only a rich dwelling here beâ—ow but also provideth for him a dwelling place in the Heavens there â—o sit down with him in his Throne Rev. 3.20 That man that is but dust and ashes a lump of earth here below â—hould be exalted to the highest place of the Creation this should check us or our folly in suffering the earth to â—teal away our hearts from God as if there were no greater happinesse to bâ— had than here below what stupiâ— creatures are we to spend more time iâ— getting a few white and red pieces oâ— earth than in getting a glorious possession of the Kingdome of Heaven foâ— the attainment whereof we shoulâ— think no time too much no pains toâ— great no affections too strong Furthermore bring your meditations to the earth created on the samâ— day also that which yeelded matteâ— and stuffe for the making of all creâ—tures here below consider that thâ— earth was a formlesse lump before Goâ— beautified and adorned it it was â— meer nothing Painters can draw 〈◊〉 pictures without colours Architectâ— raise no buildings without materials and if you take away Marble or Poâ—phiry from Engravers they can carâ— neither Images nor Statues Senault Treat 5. disc 8. It is oâ— God that actuateth nothing that formeth being out of a non-entity as one well â—teth the earth receiveth its being â— beauty and all it hath from God The meditation hereof should â— suffer us to let any thing in the earâ— to withdraw our hearts from God â— sore God made the earth it was nothing â—ilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is â—ot Prov. 23.5 Why should that which is noâ—hing draw away our hearts from God who is full of all perfection the earth â—lso at first was a confused masse of â—hings without form and void Rudis indigestaque moles Ovid. this â—hould draw out from us this meditatiâ—n to make us to consider that we â—hat are of the earth are altogether polâ—uted in sin lying in our bloud our â—ouls being all stained with sin and without any form of holinesse and â—ighteousnesse yea void of all the saâ—ing graces of Gods Spirit In me â—aith Paul that is in my flesh there â—welleth no good thing and as darknesse was then upon the face of the deeâ— so â—arknesse is upon the face of our souls â— man may see hear read but can â—ave no true discerning of spirituall â—hings till the day-Star arise in his â—eart for spirituall blindnesse is upon â—he face of his soul Here then is condemned the folly of â—hose that think ignorance the mother â—f devotion but while men remain in â—heir naturall blindnesse they can perâ—rm no pleasing service to God blind services may be acceptable to â— Prince of darknesse God made Heaven for himself principally the earth for us let us consider our condition by Creation affection disposition then shall we say with Abraham we are but earth dust and ashes Gen. 18.27 but they are abominable to the Father of lights ligâ— was the first thing that God maâ— in the Creation and when there wâ—â— light the earth lay for some dayes dead and senslesse lump and could nâ— so much as bring forth one grasse oâ— herb till the Spirit of God moved â— on the face of the waters so in â— new Creation when there is soâ— light wrought in the understandinâ— yet canst thou not bring forth one pleâ—sant fruit of holinesse till the Spirit God flutter over thee and by a divinâ— heat and warmth move and stir thâ— soul and enable thee to perform aâ—ceptable obedience to God 2. I come to the work of the moâ—ing then he created the light on thâ— first day of the week commanding tâ—â— light to shine out of darknesse now us set apart some time to meditate this excellent creature the light which the glory of God is greatly mâ—nifest there was nothing before â— utter darknesse then the Lord creaâ— the light without the Sun in wâ— the power of God is admirable should greatly wonder at midnight to see a great light to shine forth and expell the darknesse of the night this may lead us to this meditation that as God caused on this first day of the week light to arise and break out of darknesse so on this first day of the week also he caused his own Son the light of the world to arise out of
5. Nemo ad meditationem pervenit occupatus Senec. 1. A retirement from the world Stars which have least circuit are nearest to the Pole and men who least perplex themselves with worldly businesse are nearest to God Devout Bernard confesseth he learnt much of his Divinity under the trees of the Wood When Elijah was in the wildernesse far from his own habitation and the company of men then the Angel speaks unto him when we are alone sequestred from worldly cares and distractions then God opens his mind unto us and reveals many things to us which he will not do when he finds our hearts taken up with the cares and troubles of worldly businesse God is a Spirit and therefore when we converse with him he requireth not only a bodily but also a spirituall retirement Thus God callâ— Ezekiel Ezek. 3.22 into the plain that he might there talk with him and allures the Church into the wildernesse that he might speak unto her heart Privacy as one observeth is the seat of contemplation Brathwait Engl. Gent. though sometimes made the recluse of temptation from which the Cell is no more exempted than the Court but to a pious heart privacy is a great advantage to meditation Mihi oppidum carcer solitudo Paradisus Hier. Epist ad Rustic Erasm Tom. 5. de contemp mundi The City to me saith Ierom is a prison and solitarinesse is a Paradise Erasmus hath written much concerning the liberty tranquillity and pleasure of a retired life and the Psalmist bids us to commune with our own heart upon our bed or within our chambers as some translate and be still Psal 4.4 Be still from the world yet then must the heart be stirring towards God they that sail at Sea to the end to attain to the land they look more up to the Heaven than down to the Sea carnall men are drowned in fleshly delights and worldly cares their hearts are not purged or elevated to converse with God 2. A retiring from our own passions the heart must be setled and well composed before it ascend the hill of meditation God requireth a spirit setled for so high a work In quietnesse and confidence shall be your strength If a man do not first discharge both himself and his mind from the burden that presseth her removing from place to place will presse her the more it is not enough for a man to have sequestred himself from the concourse of the people a man must sequester and recover himself from himself Montaign Essayes l. 1. c. 38. Isa 30.15 Be still and know that I am the Lord Psal 46.10 We can never savingly know him till our hearts be free from these perturbations therefore when we come to meditate we must as well retire from the perturbations of our hearts as from the world Wasps and Drones make more noise than the Bees but make no honey but waxe only so they whose hearts are troubled and perplexed are very unfit for so high an exercise of the soul the showers that fall gently make Corn and grasse abound but falling violently much endanger the Corn and meadows it is not enough we are seperated from men if we are entangled with our own passions and indeed herein consisteth one of the most assured means of our spirituall improvement therefore he that will meditate on holy objects must call back his spirit very frequently into the presence of God and consider what God doth and what himself is doing crying out to God O Lord why do I not alwayes look toward thee Why dost thou think on me so often and I on thee so seldome our proper place is to be with thee Thrice happy is that soul that can lift up himself to God and can truly say Lord thou art my dwelling place my refuge my shadow against all temptations it is good for Christians to retire frequently into the lonenesse of their heart yea when they are in company with others for then thy heart may be alone with God so saith David I am continually with thee Psal 73.23 I have set the Lord alwayes before mine eyes Psal 16.8 2. Actus religionis seu exercitium spirituale Jer. Turner Serm. in Prov. 4.23 The second branch of meditation is that it is a fixed exercise of the heart upon spirituall objects 1. It is an exercise of the heart 2. A fixed exercise It is an exercise of the heart therefore one defines it to be an act of Religion or spirituall exercise it is an heart-imployment therefore may well be called a spirituall exercise not only becâ—use the matter of meditation is alwayeâ— some spirituall thing but also because the act of meditation is a meer spirituall act proceeding from the spirituall part of man as being an act of the heart other parts of man are taken up in other things the eye in seeing the ear in hearing the hand in touching and working the tongue in speaking the heart is only exercised in meditation therefore Davids meditations are called the meditations of his heart Psal 19. ult My heart saith he was inditing of a good matter Psal 45.1 Meditation is the heart of devotion the soul of piety by which we sound the depths of divine love whereby we apply our selves really to God and communicate much of his grace and comfort it fills the heart with sweet odours and spirituall refreshings that it resembleth a pillar of smoak from Aromaticall wood kindled with Myrrhe and all the sweet powders of the heavenly perfumer 2. It is a fixt exercise of the heart the heart must be fixt on God that will meditate upon him Psal 57.1 Therefore when we begin this exercise we must then resolve that our minds shall not wander from him we must lift up our hearts to God in the Heavens Lam. 3â— Psal 25.1 Christ was transfigured on a mountain and often withdrew himself into a mountain to pray and meditate not only for privacy but to note unto us that a man that will meet with God must ascend higher in his spirit God was at the top of Jacob's ladder where Angels were ascending and descending to this purpose Ambrose saith No man can see Jesus while he standeth upon the earth Zacheus could not see Jesus till he climbed up a Sycamore-tree Nemo potest videre Jesum constitutus in terra Ambros the composition of our bodies is such as a man cannot look up to Heaven with one eye and down to the earth with the other to teach us to look up to Heaven fixedly with both Pliny Plin. Nat. Hist l. 8. c. 3. reports strange things of bruit beasts he saith There was an Elephant not so capacious of instruction as the rest of his fellows to learn what was taught him by his Keeper whereupon being oftentimes beaten for that stupidity of his he was found in the night after his manner to be as it were conning and studying those feats which he had been taught in the day and Plutarch
degustabis and let this meditation chear the Saints of God how little soever they are in the worlds eye that one day they shall sit upon Thrones though now they lye among the Pots and like Job upon the dunghill yet one day they shall be gathered with Princes with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords therefore we should not think our selves Citizens of the world as the Heathen Philosophers did but Burgesses of Heaven as all the faithfull have done as Paul professeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our City-like conversation is in Heavâ—n Phil. 3.20 and then let us cry out Quousque Domine How long Lord make hast make no long tarrying Lord thou hast been the strength and food of all that travell by the way Cibus viatorum salus beatorum Fulgent so be now the Crown and glory of all that are come to the end of their way Chap. 9. Of timing our Meditations in the best manner 1. It is good to begin every year with holy meditations men usually handsell the year with some new-years gifts let us look higher even to God certainly this is our best newyears gift to give a heart to God fraught with heavenly meditations To this purpose such meditations as these are usefull namely to try one year by another whether grace thrive or decay in us to see according to our years what progresse we have made in the way to Heaven if for every year of our life we are passed a station of the wildernesse of this world to the heavenly Canaan if as our outward man decayes our inner man be renewed day by day it is of great advantage to Christians to begin the year with such meditations and better it is to fill our minds with these than our bellies with dainty food this work of meditation is a part of our yearly Rent to be paid to God every new year we renew the lease of our lives again of God and therefore pious meditations are a task answerable to such a time the new man in the beginning of the new-year is to meditate on his over year sins and heartily bewail them and repent of them to meditate on the renewing his Covenant with God for new obedience and according to the work of grace in him to strengthen his communion with God 2. It is good also to begin every day with meditation In the morning sow thy seed Eccles 11.6 Psal 130.6 David's meditations did prevent the morning watch his soul was flying to Heaven before the Sun was up or the morning got out of its bed and saith he Psal 139.18 When I awake I am still with thee to which Ambrose Ambros in Psal 36. It is good to set our souls in order every morning perfuming our spirits with some holy meditations Dr Sibs alluding saith Let a devoted spirit prevent the morning that it may be enlightned by Christ before the earth be illuminated by the rising of the Sun We bend our heart to God in the morning when we lift our heart to God and give him our first thoughts and affections then shall he fill us with his mercies in the morning that we may rejoyce all the day long Cicer. Tusc quaest l. 4. Demosthenes was troubled that a Smith should be at his Anvil before himself could be at his Study much more should it grieve us to be prevented by them Season your minds in the morning with such meditations as these 1. Meditate on the great favour which God hath vouchsafed to thee the night past and if thou hast not remembred God upon thy bed nor thy reins instructed thee in the night season and if God hath not been in all thy thoughts think of humbling thy self before him and crave his pardon 2. In the morning meditate thus with thy self this day is given me to give all diligence to make my calling and election sure to obtain eternall life to take a firm resolution to imploy my whole life to that purpose and to think seriously of the reckoning I must give to God 3. Meditate upon what affairs thou maist meet with the day following as helps or hindrances to thee in God's service use the best means offered to promote thy service of God and think how thou maist carefully resist and overcome whatever is contrary to God's glory and thy salvation 4. Meditate how unable thou art to perform any pious resolutions be they either to shun the evil or do the thing that is good and offer up thy heart in the morning with all thy holy purposes to the heavenly Majesty praying him to take it and them into his gracious protection 5. Think with thy self every morning this day for ought that I know may be my last day how ought I then so to spend this day as though death were presently to arrest me By these or the like morning meditations all that shall be done the day after may be bedewed with the blessing of Heaven As in the morning you are to take a spirituall repast by meditation so in the evening 't is necessary to take a devout and spirituall collation Isaac in my Text went out in the evening to meditate One adviseth that meditation be our key to open the morning and our lock to close the evening withall Get a little leisure after all your wordly imployments to call up your spirits to the consideration of some holy object which thou maist present to thy self simply by an inward cast of thy thought kindling the fire of meditation in thy heart by a few holy inspirations and ejaculations to the Lord either in repeating what thou hast best relished in thy morning meditations or by some other as thou best likest Now such meditations as these in the evening before our going to bed may not be unprofitable 1. To meditate on God's great goodnesse in preserving thee the day before from many troops of dangers that lay in ambuscado against thee 2. To meditate and examine thy self how thou hast carried thy self in every part of the day which to do the more easily you are to consider with whom and in what imployments you have been busied 3. If a man hath done any good to think of praising God for it if any ill in thought word or deed to be humbled and ask pardon for it with a resolution carefully to amend it 4. So to end the day in holy duties that by our morning exercise we may open the windows of our souls to the Sun of righteousnesse and going to take such rest as is necessary for us we shut them up against the Prince of darknesse Meditation is also a good night companion David would remember God upon his bed and meditate on him in the night watches Psal 63.6 Mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy Word Psal 119.148 The night saith Chrysostome Chrysost ad popul Antioch Hom. 42. was not made to this purpose that we should sleep all the time and lye lolling on