come when all this wretched worldlines remoued I shall solace my selfe in my God Behold as the Hart brayeth for the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O GOD My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God Oh when shal I come and appeare before the presence of God Chap. 31. AFter this Wishing shall follow hūble Confession by iust order of nature For hauing bemoned our want and wished supplie not finding this hope in our selues we must needes acknowledge it to him of whom only we may both seek find wherin it is to bee duely obserued how the mind is by turnes depressed and lifted vp Being lifted vp with our Taste of ioy it is cast downe with Complaint lift vp with Wishes it is cast downe with Confession which order doeth best hold it in vre and iust temper and makes it more feeling of the cōfort which followes in the Conclusion This Confession must derogate all from our selues and ascribe all to God Thus I desire O Lord to bee right affected towards thee and thy glory I desire to come to thee but alas how weakly how heartlesly Thou knowest that I can neither come to thee nor desire to come but from thee It is Nature that holds me from thee this treacherous Nature fauors it selfe loues the world hates to thinke of a dissolution and chooses rather to dwell in this dungeon with continuall sorrow and complaint than to endure a parting although to liberty and ioy Alas Lord it is my misery that I loue my paine How long shall these vanities thus besot me It is thou onely that canst turne away mine eyes frō regarding these follies and my heart from affecting them Thou onely who as thou shalt one day receiue my soule into heauen so now before-hande canst fixe my soule vpon heauen and thee Chap. 32. AFter Confession naturally followes Petition earnestly requesting that at his handes which we acknowledge our selues vnable and none but GOD able to performe Oh carie it vp therefore thou that hast created and redeemed it carie it vp to thy glorie Oh let mee not alwayes bee thus dull and brutish Let not these scales of earthly affection alwayes dimme and blind mine eyes Oh thou that layedst clay vpon the blind mans eyes take away this clay from mine eyes wherewith alas they are so dawbed vp that they cannot see heauen Illuminate thē from aboue and in thy light let me see light Oh thou that hast prepared a place for my soule prepare my soule for that place prepare it with holinesse prepare it with desire and euen while it soiourneth on earth let it dwell in heauen with thee beholding euer the beauty of thy face the glory of thy Saints and of it selfe Chap. 33. AFter Petition shall followe the Enforcemēt of our request from argument and importunate obsecration wherin we must take heede of complementing in tearmes with God as knowing that hee will not be mocked by any fashionable forme of sute but requires holy and feeling intreatie How graciously hast thou proclaimed to the worlde that who-euer wants wisedom shal aske it of thee which neither deniest nor vpbraidest O Lord I want heauenly wisedome to conceiue aright of heauen I want it and aske it of thee giue me to aske it instantly and giue me according to thy promise abundantly Thou seest it is no strange fauour that I begge of thee no other than that which thou hast richly bestowed vpon all thy valiant Martyrs Confessors seruants from the beginning who neuer could haue so chearfully imbraced death and torment if through the middest of their flames and paine they had not seene their crowne of glorie The poore theefe of the Crosse had no sooner craued thy remembrance when thou camest to thy kingdome than thou promisedst to to take him with thee into heauen Presence was better to him than remembrance Behold now thou art in thy kingdome I am on earth remember thine vnworthy seruant and let my soule in conceit in affection in conuersation be this day for euer with thee in Paradise I see man walketh in a vaine shadow and disquieteth himself in vain they are pitifull pleasures hee enioyeth while he forgets thee I am as vaine make me more wise Oh let mee see heauen and I knowe I shall neuer ennie nor followe them My times are in thine hande I am no better than my fathers a stranger on earth As I speake of them so the next yea this generation shall speake of mee as one that was My life is a bubble a smoake a shadowe a thought I knowe it is no abiding in this thorow-fare Oh suffer me not so madde as while I passe on the waye I should forgette the ende It is that other life that I must trust to With thee it is that I shall continue Oh let mee not bee so foolish as to settle my selfe on what I must leaue and to neglect eternitie I haue seene enough of this earthe and yet I loue it too much Oh let mee see heauen another while and loue it so much more than the earth by howe much the things there are more worthy to be loued Oh God looke downe on thy wretched Pilgrim and teach mee to looke vp to thee and to see thy goodnesse in the land of the liuing Thou that boughtest heauen for me guide mee thither and for the price that it cost thee for thy loue and mercies sake in spight of all tentations enlighten thou my soule direct it crowne it Chap. 34. AFter this Enforcement doeth followe Confidence wherin the soule after many doubtfull and vnquiet bickerings gathers vp her forces and cheerefully rouzeth vp it selfe and like one of Dauids Worthies breaks through a whole armie of doubts and fetches comfort from the Well of life which though in some later yet in all is a sure reward from GOD of sincere Meditation Yea bee thou bolde O my soule and doe not meerely craue but challenge this fauour of God as that which hee owes thee Hee owes it thee because hee hath promised it and by his mercie hath made his gift his debt Faithfull is hee that hath promised which will also doe it Hath hee not giuen thee not onely his hand in the sweete hopes of the Gospell but his seale also in the Sacraments Yea besides promise hand seale hath hee not giuen thee a sure earnest of thy saluation in some weake but true graces Yet more hath hee not giuen thee besides Earnest possession while he that is the Trueth and Life saith Hee that beleeueth hath euerlasting life and hath passed from death to life Canst thou not then bee content to cast thy selfe vpon this blessed issue If God be faithfull I am glorious I haue thee already O my life God is faithfull and I doe beleeue who shall separate mee from the loue of Christ from my glorie with Christ who shall pull mee out of my heauen Goe to then and returne to thy rest O my
all deformed with the desolations of warre and turned into rude heapes or while it is euen now flaming with the fire of ciuill broiles they couet yet stil to liue in it preferring it to all other places of more peace and pleasure and shalt thou seeing nothing but peace and blessednes at home nothing but trouble abroad content thy selfe with a faint wish of thy dissolution If heauen were thy Iayle thou couldest but thinke of it vncomfortably Oh what affection can be worthy of such an home Chap. 27. LAstly if we can recall any pregnaÌ„t Testimonies of Scripture concerning our Theme those shall fitly conclude this part of our Meditation Of Scripture for that in these matters of God none but diuine authoritie can coÌ„mand assent and settle the conscience Witnesses of holy men may serue for colours but the ground must bee onely from God There it is saith the spirit of God which cannot deceiue thee that all teares shall be wip't from our eyes there shall bee no more death nor sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more paine yea there shall not onely be an end of sorrowes but an abundant recompence for the sorrowes of our life as hee that was rapt vp into the third heauen and there saw what cannot hee spoken speakes yet thus of what he saw I count that the afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory which shall bee shewed to vs It was shewed to him what should hereafter be shewed to vs and hee sawe that if all the world full of miseries were layed in one balance and the least glory of heauen in another those would bee incomparably light yea as that diuine Father that one dayes felicitie aboue were worth a thousand yeeres torment belowe what then can bee matched with the eternitie of such ioyes Oh how great therefore is thy goodnes O Lord which thou hast layd vp for them that feare thee and done to them that trust in thee before the sonnes of men Chap. 28. THE most difficult and knotty part of Meditation thus finished there remayneth that which is both more liuely and more easie to a good heart to bee wrought altogether by the affections which if our discourses reach not vnto they prooue vain and to no purpose That which followeth therefore is the very soule of Meditation whereto all that is past serueth but as an instrument A man is a man by his vnderstanding part but he is a Christian by his will and affections Seeing therefore that all our former labour of the braine is only to affect the heart after that the minde hath thus trauersed the point proposed throgh all the heads of reason it shall indeuour to find in the first place some feeling touch sweete rellish in that which it hath thus chewed which fruit through the blessing of God will voluntarily follow vpon a serious Meditation Dauid sayes Oh taste and see how sweete the Lord is In Meditation wee doe both see and taste but we see before we taste sight is of the vnderstanding taste of the affection Neither can we see but we must â—aste we can not knowe â—right but wee must needes bee affected Let the heart therefore first conceiue and feele in it self the Sweetnesse or bitternesse of the matter meditated which is neuer done without some passion nor expressed without some hearty exclamation Oh blessed estate of the Saints O glorie not to bee expressed euen by those which are glorified O incomprchensible saluation What sauour hath this earth to thee Who can regarde the worlde that beleeueth thee Who can thinke of thee and not bee rauished with woonder and desire Who can hope for thee and not reioyce Who can knowe thee and not bee swallowed vp with admiration at the mercie of him that bestowes thee O blessednesse worthy of Christs blood to purchase thee worthie of the continuall songs of Saints and Angels to celebrate thee Howe should I magnifie thee Howe should I long for thee how should I hate all this world for thee Chap. 29. AFter this Taste shall followe a Complaint wherin the heart bewayleth to it selfe his owne pouerty dulnesse and imperfection chiding and abasing it selfe in respect of his wants and indisposition wherein Humiliation truly goes before glory For the more we are cast downe in our conceit the higher shall GOD lift vs vp at the ende of this exercise in spirituall reioicing But alas where is my loue where is my longing where art thou O my soule what heauinesse hath ouertaken thee Howe hath the worlde bewitched and possessed thee that thou art become so carelesse of thine home so senselesse of spiritual delights so fond vpon these vanities Doest thou doubt whether there bee an heauen or whether thou haue a God and a Sauiour there O farre bee froÌ„ thee this Atheisme farre bee from thee the least thought of such desperate impiety Wo were thee if thou beleeuedst not But O thou of little faith doest thou beleeue there is happinesse and happinesse for thee and desirest it not and delightest not in it Alas how weake and vnbeleeuing is thy beleefe how cold and faint are thy desires Tel me what such goodly entertainemeÌ„t hast thou met withall here on earth that was worthy to withdraw thee froÌ„ these heauenly ioyes what pleasure in it euer gaue thee contentment or what cause of dislike findest thou aboue Oh no my soule it is onely thy miserable drowzinesse only thy securitie The world the world hath besotted thee hath vndone thee with carelesnesse Alas if thy delight bee so colde What difference is there in thee froÌ„ an ignorant HeatheÌ„ that doubts of another life yea froÌ„ an Epicure that denies it Artthou a christian or art thou none If thou be what thou professest away with this dul and senselesse worldlinesse away with this earthly vnchearfulnesse shake off at last this profane and godlesse securitie that hath thus long weighed thee downe froÌ„ mounting vp to thy ioies Looke vp to thy GOD and to thy crowne and say with confidence O Lord I haue wayted for thy saluation Chap. 30. AFter this CoÌ„plaint must succeede an harty passionate Wish of the soule which ariseth clearely from the two former degrees For that which a man hath found sweete and comfortable complaines that hee still wants hee cannot but wish to enioy O Lord that I could waite and long for thy saluation Oh that I could minde the things aboue that as I am a stranger in deed so I could be also in affectioÌ„ Oh that mine eyes like the eyes of thy first Martyr could by the light of faith see but a glimpse of heauen Oh that my heart could bee rapt vp thither in desire How should I trample vpoÌ„ these poore vanities of the earth How willingly should I indure all sorrowes all torments how scornefully should I passe by all pleasures how should I be in trauel of my dissolution Oh when shall that blessed day
quench those riuers of brimstone that feede this flame where there is no intermission of complaints no breathing from paine and after millions of yeeres no possibility of comfort And if the rod wherewith thou chastisest thy children O Lord euen in this life be so smart and galling that they haue been brought downe to the brim of despaire and in the bitternesse of their soule haue intreated death to release them What shal I think of their plagues in whose righteous confusion thou insultest and sayest Aha I wil auenge me of mine enemies Euen that thou shalt not bee thus miserable O my soule is some kind of happines but that thou shalt bee as happie as the reprobate are miserable how worthy is it of more estimation than thy selfe is capable of Chap. 25. AFterthis oppositiō the mind shall make cōparison of the matter meditated with what may neerest resemble it and shall illustrate it with fittest similitudes which giue no small light to the vnderstanding nor lesse force to the affection Wonder then O my soule as much as thou canst at this glory and in comparison thereof contemne this earth which now thou treadest vpon whose ioyes if they were perfect are but short and if they were long are imperfect One day when thou art aboue looking downe from the height of thy glory and seeing the sons of men creeping like so many Ants on this mole-hill of earth thou shalt thinke Alas how basely I once liued was yonder silly dungeon the place I so loued and was so loath to leaue Thinke so now before-hand and since of heauē thou canst not yet account of the earth as it is worthy How hartlesse and irkesome are yee O yee best earthly pleasures if ye be matched with the least of those aboue Howe vile are you O ye sumptuous buildings of kings euen if all the entrailes of the earth had agreed to enrich you in compason of this frame not made with hands It is not so hie aboue the earth in distance of place as in worth and maiestie we may see the face of heauen from the heart of the earth but from the neerest part of the earth who can see the least glory of heauen The three disciples on mount Tabor sawe but a glimpse of this glory shining vpon the face of their Sauiour and yet being rauished with the sight cryed out Master It is good being here and thinking of building of three Tabernacles for Christ Moses Elias could haue been content themselues to haue lien without shelter so they might alwaies haue enioyed that sight Alas how could earthly Tabernacles haue fitted those heuēly bodies They knewe what they sawe what they said they knew not Lo these 3. disciples were not trāsfigured yet how deeply they were affected euē with the glory of others how happy shal wee be when our selues shal be changed into glorious and shall haue Tabernacles not of our own making but prepared for vs by God and yet not Tabernacles but eternal mansions Moses sawe God but a while and shined How shal we shine that shal behold his face for euer What greater honour is there than in Souereignty what greater pleasure than in feasting This life is both a kingdome and a feast A kingdome He that ouercomes shall rule the nations and shall sit with me in my Throne O blessed promotion Oh large dominion and royall seate to which Salomons throne of yuory was not worthy to become a footestoole A feast Blessed are they that are called to the Marriage supper of the Lambe Feastes haue more than necessitie of prouision more than ordinary diet but marriage-feasts yet more than common abundance But the marriage-feast of the Sonne of God to his blessed spouse the Church must so farre exceed in all heauenly munificence and varietie as the persons are of greater State and Maiestie There is new wine pure Manna and all manner of spirituall dainties and with the continuall cheare a sweete and aunswerable welcome while the bridegrome louingly cheares vs vp Eate O Friends drinke make you merrie O welbeloued yea There shalt thou be my soule not a guest but how vnworthy soeuer the Bride her selfe whom hee hath euerlastingly espoused to himselfe in truth and righteousnesse The contract is passed here belowe the mariage is cōsummate aboue and solēnized with a perpetual feast So that now thou mayest safely say My welbeloued is mine and I am his Wherefore hearken O my soule and consider and incline thine eare forget also thine owne people and thy fathers house thy supposed home of this world so shall the King haue pleasure in thy beauty for hee is thy Lord and worship thou him Chap. 26. THE verie Names and Titles of the matter cōsidered yeeld no small store to our Meditation which being commonly so imposed that they secretly comprehend the nature of the thing which they represent are not vnworthy of our discourse What neede I seeke these resemblances whē the very name of life implieth sweetnesse to men on earth euen to them which confesse to liue with some discontentment Surely the light is a pleasant thing and it is good to the eyes to see the Sunne yet when Temporall is added to Life I know not how this additiō detracteth somthing and doth greatly abate the pleasure of life for those which ioy to thinke of Life grieue to thinke it but Temporall So vexing is the ende of that whose continuance was delightfull But nowe when there is an addition aboue Time of Eternitie it makes life so much more sweete as it is more lasting and lasting infinitelie what can it giue lesse than an infinite contentment Oh dying and false life which wee enioy here and scarce a shadowe and counterfeit of that other What is more esteemed than glory which is so precious to men of spirit that it makes them prodigall of their blood proud of their wounds carelesse of themselues and yet alas how pent and how fading is this glory affected with such dangers and deaths hardly after all Trophees and monuments either knowen to the next sea or suruiuing him that dyes for it It is true glorie to triumph in heauen where is neither enuie nor forgetfulnesse What is more deare to vs than our Countrey which the worthy and faithfull Patriotes of all times haue respected aboue their parēts their children their liues counting it onely happie to liue in it and to die for it The banisht man pines for the want of it the trauailer digests all the tediousnesse of his way all the sorrowes of an ill iourney in the only hope of home forgetting all his forraine miseries when hee feeles his owne smoake Where is our Countrey but aboue Thence thou camest O my soule thither thou art going in a short but weary pilorimage O miserable men if wee account our selues at home in our pilgrimage if in our iourney we long not for home Doest thou see men so in loue with their natiue soyle that euen when it is
soule make vse of that heauen wherin thou art and be happie Thus we haue found that our MeditatioÌ„ like the winde gathers strengthin proceeding and as naturall bodies the neerer they come to their places moue with more celerity so doeth the soule in this course of meditation to the vnspeakeable benefite of it selfe Chap. 35. THe Conclusion remaineth wherin we must aduise like as Physicians doe in their sweats and exercise that wee cease not ouer-suddenly but leaue off by little and little The mind may not bee suffered to fall headlong from this height but must also descend by degrees The first whereof After our Confidence shall be an hearty Gratulation and thankesgiuing For as man naturally cannot bee miserable but he must complaine and craue remedie so the good heart cannot finde it selfe happie and not be thankefull and this thankefulnesse which it feeles and expresses makes it yet more good and affects it more What shall I then doe to thee for this mercie Othou Sauiour of men What should I render to my Lord for all his benefites Alas what can I giue thee which is not thine owne before Oh that I could giue thee but all thine Thou giuest mee to drinke of this cuppe of saluation I will therefore take the cuppe of saluation and call vpon the name of the Lord Praise thou the Lorde o my soule and all that is within mee praise his holy name And since here thou beginnest thine heauen begin here also that ioyfull song of thankes-giuing which there thou shalt sing more sweetly and neuer ende Chap. 36. AFter this Thankesgiuing shall followe a faithful recommendation of our selues to God wherein the soule doth chearfully giue vp it selfe and repose it selfe wholly vpon her Maker and Redeemer committing her selfe to him in all her wayes submitting her selfe to him in all his wayes resoluing in all things to glorifie him and to walke worthy of her high glorious calling Both which later shal bee done as I haue euer found with much life and comfort if for the full conclusion wee shall lift vp our heart and voyce to God in singing some Versicle of Dauids diuine Psalmes answerable to our disposition and matter whereby the heart closes vp it selfe with much sweetenesse and contentment This course of Meditation thus heartily obserued let him that practises it tell we whether he find not that his soule which at the beginning of this exercise did but creepe and grouell vpon earth doe not now in the Conclusion soare aloft in heauen being before aloofe off doe not now find it selfe neere to God yea with him and in him Chap. 37. THus haue I endeuoured right Worshipfull Sir according to my slender faculty to prescribe a Methode of Meditation Not vpon so strict tearmes of Necessitie that whosoeuer goeth not my way erreth Diuers paths leade oft-times to the same end and euery man aboundeth in his owne sense If experience and custome hath made another forme familiar to any man I forbid it not as that learned Father sayde of his Tralation Let him vse his owne not contemne mine If any man bee to chuse and beginne let him practise mine till he meete with a better Master If an other course may be better I am sure this is good Neither is it to be suffered that like as fantasticall men while they doubt what fashion'd sute they should we are put on nothing so that wee Christians shuld neglect the matter of this worthy businesse while we nicely stand vpon the forme thereof Wherein giue mee leaue to complain with iust sorrowe and shame that if there bee any Christian duetie whose omission is notoriously shameful and preiudicial to the soules of professors it is this of Meditation This is the very end God hath giuen vs our soules we misse-spend them if we vse them not thus How lamentable is it that wee so imploy them as if our facultie of discourse serued for nothing but our earthly prouision as if our reasonable and Christian mindes were appointed for the slaues and drudges of this bodie onely to bee the Caters and Cookes of our appetite The worlde filles vs yea cloyes vs we finde our selues worke enough to thinke What haue I yet Howe may I gette more What must I lay out What shall I leaue for posterity How may I preuent the wrong of mine aduersarie how may I returne it What answeres shall I make to such allegations What entertainement shall I giue to such friends What courses shall I take in such suits In what pastimes shall I spend this day in what the next What aduantage shall I reape by this practise what losse What was sayd answered replied done followed Goodly thoughts and fitte for Spirituall mindes Say there were no other worlde how could wee spend our cares otherwise Vnto this only neglect let mee ascribe the commonnesse of that Laodicean temper of men or if that bee worse of the dead coldnesse which hath striken the hearts of many hauing left them nothing but the bodies of men and visors of Christians to this onely They haue not meditated It is not more impossible to liue without an heart than to bee deuout without Meditation Woulde GOD therefore my words could be in this as the wise man sayes the wordes of the wise are like vnto Goades in the sides of euery Reader to quicken him vp out of this dull and lazy security to a chearfull practise of this Diuine MeditatioÌ„ Let him curse mee vpon his death-bed if looking backe from thence to the bestowing of his former times hee acknowledge not these houres placed the most happily in his whole life if he then wish not he had worne out more daies in so profitable and heauenly a worke DEO SOLI GLORIA The benefit vses of Meditation Which are vniuersall to al Christians and not to bee appropriated to some professions The description and kinds of Meditation Concerning Meditation Extemporall Cautions of Extemporal Meditation Of MeditatioÌ„ Deliberate Wherein first The qualities of the person Of whom is required First that he be pure from his sinnes Secondly that he be free from worldly thoughts Thirdly that he be constant and that First In his set Tymes Secondly that he be Constant in the CoÌ„tinuance * Sauing our iust quarrel against him for the Councel of Constance Of the Circumstances of Meditation And therin First Of the place Secondly of the Time Of the Site and gesture of the body * Gerson ** Guliel Paris * Dionys Carthus Of the matter Subiect of our meditation The order of the worke it selfe The EntraÌ„ce into the worke 1. The coÌ„mon entrance which is Prayer Particular proper entrance into the matter which is in our choice thereof The proceeding of our meditation And therin a Methode allowed by some authors reiected by vs. The scale of Meditation of an Author ancient but namelesse * Degrees of Preparation 1. Question What I thinke should think 2. Excussion A repelling of what I should not thinke 3. Choice or Election Of what most necessary expedient comely * Degrees of proceeding in the vnderstanding 4. Commemoration An actual thinking vpon the matter elected 5 Conseleration A redoubled Commemoration of the same till it be fully knowen 6. Attention A fixed and earnest coÌ„sideratioÌ„ wherby it is fastened in the mind 7 Explanation A cleering of the thing considered by similitudes 8 Tractation An extending the thing considered to other points where all questions of doubt are discussed 9. Diindication An estimation of the worth of the thing thus handled 10. Consâ—tion A confirmation of the estimation thus made 11. Rumination A sad and serious Meditation of all the former till it may worke vpon the affections From hence to the degrees of affection Premonitions concerning our proceeding in the first part of Meditation The practise of Meditation wherin First wee begin with some description of that we meditate of Secondly followes an easie voluntary diuision of the matter meditated 3. A consideration of the causes therof in al kinds of them 4. The Consid of the Fruits Effects 5. ConsideratioÌ„ of the Subiect wherin or wherabout it is 6. Consid of the Appendances and Qualities of it 7. Of that which is Diuers froÌ„ it or Contrary to it 8. Of coÌ„parisons and similitudes whereby it may bee most fitly set forth 9. The Titles and Names of the thing coÌ„sidered 10. CoÌ„sid of fit testimonies of Scripture concerning our Theme Of our second part of Meditation which is in the affections Wherin is required a Taste and rellish of what we haue thought vpon Secondly a CoÌ„plaint bewailing our wants and vntowardnes Thirdly an harty wish of the soule for what it coÌ„plaineth to want 4. An huÌ„ble Confession of our disability to effect what we wish 5. An earnest PetitioÌ„ for that which wee confesse to want 6. A vehement enforcement of our Petiuon 7. A chearfull Confidence of obtaining what wee haue requested enforced The Conclus of our Meditation in what order it must be First with Thankesgiuing Secondly with Recommendation of our soules and wayes to God An Epilogue Reproouing the neglect Exhorting to the vse of Meditation