glorified by all his Saints to the highest in Of all imaginable places this this is the place this is Room this is a place so large as the hearts of the Saints can wish 3. As Heaven is the largest for capacity and quantity so is it the best place for quality and excellency 2 Cor. 12. It is called Paradise by that blessed Paul who was taken up thither to tell upon his return what a place it was Paradise mentioned Gen. 2.8 it was the best place that ever was on Earth it was the summary of all necessaries and delicacies for Adam in that perfect state his accommodations recreations and abundant delight fit therefore to resemble the place of glory by And so our Lord Christ thought when he calls it by this name of Paradise Luke 23.43 To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise The best place it was made because for the best Creature on Earth Luke 16. It is called Abraham's bosom Abraham in his time was the most eminent person living call'd the Father of the faithful No place for a Child can be so proper so desirable pleasing and contenting as the most loving tender Fathers Bosom O how a Child loves the Bosom O how desirous are the Children of Abraham to be in his Bosom In other places it is a place of glory riches of glory a Kingdom a Crown of glory an eternal weight of glory a state where there are Pleasures for evermore Rivers of pleasures joys and fullness of joy For every Saint the highest entertainments in all respects for the Senses 1. The Ear hath such ravishing Musick and melody as that best and greatest Consort of all the innumerable companies of Saints and Angels can make 2. For the Eye the Palace of Heaven is unspeakably beyond all places prospects and objects that Nature and Art could ever yield The persons of the Saints as to the numbers so innumerable must needs make up the rarest Train and shew as to their sorts and differences that ever Eye saw O what a ravishing sight must that be to see Enoch Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob and all the Holy Patriarchs Moses Samuel David and all the Holy Prophets Peter Paul John and all the Holy Apostles All the blessed and glorious Martyrs of Jesus Christ All his godly and serviceable painful and laborious Ministers All the precious Saints Kings and Governours and others that are recorded in the Bible And not only Men but holy Women Sarah Hannah Ruth Esther and others in the Old Testament the blessed Virgin and Elizabeth with the Women that followed Christ and ministred unto him Mary Magdalen Johanna Susanna Lydia Dorcas Priscilla among the Apostles helping them all the Disciples of Christ which believed in him with all the eminent godly lights in the Church after the Apostles and all the Saints in all after Ages to the worlds end And then for all this Train in their sorts and ranks as to their bodies to be so all over glorious to shine as the Sun and brightness of the Firmament for ever O what a shew and ravishing entertainment is here for the Eye But that which is the top and height and far surpassing all the other is that sweetest most ravishing sight of the most glorious body of Jesus Christ The highest beauty that ever Eye beheld or saw far out-shining all others as the Sun exceeds the Stars Ah here here will be a sight indeed Ah but then to behold him in his highest discoveries of his sweetest loveliest lookings and smilings on all his Saints with him and upon thee in particular To see his countenance compos'd and ordered purposely to beam forth in fullest Manifestations of surpassing sweetness of most intense affections towards his so dearly beloved Bride now present with him in the glorious Bed-Chamber to behold him and enjoy perfect communion with him 3. O but what entertainments are there as to the soul and spirit for the faculties of Vnderstanding Will and Affections how far transcending those of the Senses as the beatifical vision seeing God face to face with all intellectual satisfaction as to all the truths in the Word of God all Mysteries Prophecies and difficulties and whatsoever may conduce to the glorious happiness of the Saints satisfaction also as to the works and ways of God Creation and Providence all the Riddles and dark things so far made known as is needful Likewise as to the will and heart the beatifical fruition enjoying of God Father Son and Spirit and his infinite sweetness to all possible fullness and perfection Likewise all happy communion with Saints and Angels to all delight and pleasure And for all this both body and Soul are prepared strengthened elevated and enlarged to the utmost extensiveness As all imperfections and sins are utterly remov'd so all grace and holiness light and wisdom heat and flame of heart communicated and in a blessed reciprocation a mutual acting God the infinitely alsufficient communicating himself to the glorified to their utmost capacity and they reacting and putting forth their grace and holiness to their utmost ability O how unspeakably sweet and satiating must this continual intercourse be For the close of all let me think my self after a glorious and blessed Resurrection and absolution by Christ at the Judgment day freed utterly from all evil feeling likewise my compleat happiness coming on so fast in my now passage up to the place of glory and then instantly finding it finisht finisht on the first setting my foot as it were within the Gate of Heaven And now I think what a prepared and furnished place I am in What company of the Saints Angels and Jesus Christ also I have What fruition of the most blessed God what sense of the pleasures joys satisfactions and most ravishing sweetness under all security under that which superadded heightens and sweetens all the rest the Charter of inconceivable eternity Ah then let my frequent and intensest thinkings be not a looking down to Earth but up to Heaven breathing my soul up the Hill to this City of God in contemplating the Glories of it often let me walk this so pleasant walk Who will look and pore on a dark Dungeon that hath the Sun to behold who will that means to hit the mark look quite besides it who is it can go to Heaven that thinks most another way that hath a down-look as we say a Beasts Eye that hath no Muscle of elevation Ah such as look most will long most after labour most for it O therefore let my Eye every day be walking to and in this Paradise solace it self in taking a turn still there be walking in this upper Eye-walk by Meditation till I come to see God face to face till I look my self into this Heaven I look on I have now dispatcht this point of Occasional set Meditation as to the first branch Meditation of such things we our selves single out and set before us and take some special times for which were in these
take away the heart what is there spoken of a more total taking away the heart in evil men is true of a gradual taking away the heart the heat and liveliness in godly men 2. Meditation on due Enquiry finds heart-coolings to arise from Christians smothering their heat with heaping up businesses and troubles upon themselves launching too far into the Seas of worldly Affairs and over-carings The thorny ground had the word choaked by cares and affairs of this life what cares and business doth to the Word it doth to the hearts warmth can thou entangle thy self in the matters of the World and thou wilt cool apace The farther a man Travels from the Sun Northward the cooler he is Turn your face from Heaven to the World go far and you come to not only cool but freeze Or as she in the Roman story that out of a design to enrich her self contracted with the Enemy to betray the Castle for that which the Souldiers had on their left arm meaning their Golden Bracelets but the Souldiers instead of their Bracelets threw their Shields on her whereby she instead of being enriched was smothered To engage in a throng is the way to be smothered The world will smother thee if thou engagest too far it will still cool thy heart-heat make thee of a warm and lively a cool dead-hearted Christian There is a Fish call'd the Torpedo if you touch it with your bare leg or hand it presently nums that Limb that toucht it Touch with thy heart upon the world it will leave it num there 's no such way to keep in thy heat as to keep out the world avoid the danger of a Crowd of businesses and cares 3. Meditation upon searching discovers the decay of heat is from decay in heart-warming Ordinances where the Sun of Righteousness shines warm upon thee whereby the Soul-heat is both preserved and encreast Abatings of heavenly heat arise from drawing away the fuel of heavenly duties or thy own remissness and negligence in them If a man shall cast away his Cloaths leave his food and decline the means of preserving heat and life he must needs grow cold if he be not quickly kill'd If a man reads not meditates not prays not hears not or is negligent and formal herein he must needs like a dying man grow cold It much depends upon the lively performance of holy duties that you keep Heart-warm or that you decay in your fervour by carelesness in the means Meditation will mind you of this and put you upon mending it in time The Angel of the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2. forsook or left his first Love his Heart-heat and Christ intimates he had left off his first works 2. Meditation is instrumental to spiritual vivacity and warmth applicando promovens by helping to apply the things that recover and promote heat and liveliness I will name but two things in this 1. Meditation mightily helps here by being a great instrument of searching out applying and working home the Scriptures Heart-warming considerations such as the quickning Spirit the inditer of the Scriptures that knows what things are most proper and proportionate for recovering or increasing heat what he hath left upon record to use in this case As consideration is the first mover in the soul so warm considerations are the first warmers O what a latitude and fullness hath Meditation to fetch heart-warming considerations from If the Eye looks up to the Heavens what abundance of Heavenly bodies for conveyance of light and heat it soon discovers But if the eye of Meditation looks into the Scriptures what a prospect of various rare and glorious passages is there to be found of Considerations Like abundance of richest Spirits highest Cordials and preparations of all sorts in Artists Shops and Closets O what heart-warming considerations can Meditation fetch and apply from the infinitely blessed God his infinite Excellencies Eternal Love sweetness unspeakable of the sense of his Favour and the like Ah what heart-warming considerations from Jesus Christ to behold him and view him all over in all he is in his unexpressible Glories In all he hath done whereby he hath out done all that ever was or shall be done What warming considerations in respect of the Holy Spirit the grand and mighty applyer of Redemption by his habitation and operation What in respect of the Word the Precepts Promises Threatnings and Examples in it of sundry sorts all for our help and comfort What of the Covenant of Grace so sure and sweet What in respect of our selves souls state and all the great concerns of it in salvation Meditation can never want heart-warming considerations can bring stores of Arguments of all sorts and blow upon them to make the heart kindle and flame although it was chill and dead and never so low brought Lastly this Engine of heavenly Meditation produces heart-warmth and vivacity by taking thee out of the shade and cool and leading into the Sun-shine of Heart-warming Ordinances wherein the Sun of Righteousness arises and shines warm and his quickning spirit breathes warm upon thee Rev. 2.5 As a cure of cooling and decaying Love Christ counsels the Angel of that Church of Ephesus first to repent and then to do his first works Negligence in holy Duties omission of them or remisness in them introduced a cooling of his Love therefore what was lost by not doing must be recovered by such a doing as the first was that his first works done again might be a rekindler of his first Love Disuse of Exercise abates the natural heat and vigour but returning to it will again recover it Meditation when it finds the failure and defect will provoke and engage to the just Remedy and Relief I have now dispatcht at length this second End of Meditation its being for quickning the Affections The next follows CHAP. XXIII The End of Meditation in reference to the will MEditation as it is to be a helper to warm the affections so for a means to strengthen and fix the holy purposes and resolutions of the will It is not a wavering and weak purpose or a feeble resolution will serve for a foundation for building so high as Heaven for carrying on so great and hard a work as soul-saving The Scripture mentions cleaving to the Lord with purpose of heart Acts 11.23 Holy David often in the Psalms tells us of his will his purpose of heart and his heart was fixed Psal 119. and Psal 108.1 Meditation is singularly instrumental here 1. Of fixing and deeper rooting of the grand general purpose of pleasing and glorifying God and working out our own salvation 2. It 's greatly instrumental for corroboration and for strengthening the lesser Roots of derivative purposes that spring from the grand purpose that are the particular Abettors and Helpers of the main and general forementioned purpose In every holy heart there is planted at first conversion that fundamental and noble purpose of pleasing and glorifying God in all
and qualifications of heavenly Graces that was cold dead and altogether sinful and draws the glorious image of Christ upon the Soul He enlivens establishes enlarges and encourages and fills the Spirit with peace and joy unspeakable We act from his blowings on the Gardens of our hearts then the spices of Graces flow Cant. 4.16 The Wheels Ezek. 10.17 moved from the spirit in them so a Christian moves or not as the Spirit moves or not Every day and for every Duty in the day there is need of a new blowing of the Spirit that the Spices may flow new moving that the Wheels may move us We must neither grieve quench or resist the Holy Spirit Eph. 4.30 1 Thes 5.19 Act. 7.51 The Spirit who is our Helper and Applyer farther of Christ and receiving of his fulness If we will act wisely the Eye of the Soul by Meditation must daily be pondering the necessity of the Holy Spirits Influences stirrings up strengthenings and enlargements when we neglect and slight the Spirit and so want justly his help we must needs drive on heavily But when we mind him and have his assistance this wings the Soul and makes it to move strongly and nimbly to the main mark If the Question were askt what were the highest thoughts the mind can possibly think they would be such as these three following 1. That thought of the so infinite and all admired love of God the Father in giving freely his Son for Sinners 2. That thought of that infinite and all amazing love of God the Son in giving so freely himself for his Fathers Enemies 3. That thought of God the Holy Spirit 's infinite love astonishing love in so freely giving himself into such dunghill hellish hearts to make them his glorious Habitation his Palace and Solace to be the mighty heart-helper and Comforter This Spirit then must not be grieved by the least neglect but highly and constantly both honoured and cherished with our utmost thought-preciousness and earnestness that so thinkings may work up to liveliest lookings for him lookings to listenings for his knocking 's at the door of our Hearts listenings for ready lettings of him in and being let in we may give him the highest and freest Entertainments with yieldings of the fullest obedience unto him It is reported that formerly sometimes Travellers Sailing by the Coasts of Arabia the happy have had by the Winds blowing off the Land such rare rich smells and perfumes of the precious spices that without the Experience of it it is hardly credible Sometimes the Holy Spirit so blows on the Garden of a Christians heart that the Spices in such sort perfume it with Ravishments of Peace and Joy that are inexpressible and then it runs apace to the main mark Ah then it must be best to enter on the work of the day by an early and earnest eying of this glorious Helper the Holy Spirit who is sooner ready to lend us his helping hand then we are ready for it CHAP. VII Of the next particulars the incumbent Duties of the day 3. THE Ordinances of Christ are the next general things Meditation may fix on The Ordinances are our ways of communion with God the ways whereby God conveighs himself to us the King of Heavens high-ways of spiritual Commerce and Trade The Roads and Paths wherein the Holy Spirit walks and comes to apply himself to us and our ways in which we are to go forth and meet him apply our selves to him fix an heavenly intercourse and acquaintance with him The Winds blow from all the Quarters of Heaven and the Holy Spirit breaths and blows from all his heavenly Ordinances We may therein look for the breathings of the Spirit but we must not look for the Holy Spirit out of his own ways The Prerogative of the Spirit is not to be absolutely tied to Ordinances but our liberty is not to be loosed from them We are tied to the ways of Christ which are our warrantable ways for communion and waiting his Spirits comings and assistings The Eye of Meditation should act daily in such fresh and vigorous lookings on the Ordinances as may more highly commeid them raise their price represent them more lovely reduce us to more evenness in performance by finding them more easie and sweet in continued use and exercising our selves in them and induce still higher admirations by experiencing their help and efficacies The Ordinances of Christ have their high ratification in the Holy Scriptures for their power and efficacy The Saints in all Ages have given their great confirmation set their probatum est to every of them by millions of encouraging experiences When that Ordinances are more precious they are the more efficacious O let our Meditations daily scope be to make them more precious that they may prove more efficacious Like that eminent pattern that great Meditater David that high progress he made in Meditating of the ways of God set the Price higher made his heart warmer He Meditated and he valued more admired more and he acted more eminently and arrived at last at that pitch which hath left him on Record in the highest rank of Saints that ever lived The Ordinances therefore are most worthy our daily musing on as for their own excellency as the King of Heavens high Institutions so as the Holy Spirits walks wherein he comes to meet us and have communion with us and apply Christ more unto us CHAP. VIII Of Meditation on the Word of God and the Promises whereby the Spirit first is given and after works THE Word of God is that sure wisdom revealed unto us by God to lead us by his Counsel to Glory That only infallible Rule given us to walk by It is the Golden Scepter of Christ for the Subjects of his Kingdom to come and touch the top of The dear purchase of Jesus Christ for the only Rule of his Redeemed the breathing and dictate of the Holy Spirit the high product and that clearest shining forth of the brightest beams of Infinite Wisdom Truth Holiness Righteousness Mercy Free-Grace Love Power and all Glories and Perfections of the Author for the blessed Ends it is bestowed It is the excellent Instrument in the hand of the Spirit whereby he effects his great Soul-saving work whereby he brings about that work of wonder the applying of lost sinners to an All-sufficient Saviour first by effectual calling and then applies Christ more and more building them up more in him unto perfection If I look for the Spirits operation I must look for and apply my self to the help of that rare Tool and Instrument he operates by Think what an Engine it is what most admired glorious work he hath effected by it upon millions of blind Eyes hard Hearts Persons impotent Crippled in their Souls Dead in sins and trespasses at the dreadful distance from God of Haters and Enemies of him and all things leading to him enlightening them healing them and reconciling them to himself and his
week now in the New Testament times changed to and called the first day of the week and the Lords-day 1. As to the rise nature ends and advantages the Sabbath in the Old Testament and the Lords-day in the New it is the best day that ever the world saw or shall be seen on this side Heaven 2. It was and is that day wherein the infinite Glories and Excellencies of a God have shined brighter and warmer on the spirits of men than in any other days beside namely his infinite Wisdom Power Love Goodness Mercy and Riches of free Grace 3. The Sabbath as some judge had its rise so early as in Paradise or when man was in state of innocency it must then be of very great Antiquity and a rarity of great worth And 4. Then it must be that only holy day which man in state of innocency had and possibly if he had stood should ever have had afterward 5. After the first institution it had the most glorious and tremendous promulgation and sanction such a delivery and ratification as no other Law except those that were spoken at the same time ever had namely by Gods so wonderful and most astonishing appearance on Mount Sinai in the sight of six hundred thousand persons There it was one of the ten words spoken by Gods own mouth by God first spoken in the ears of all that so prepared and awakened numerous multitude and after in the Mount was written with the finger of God written on the first Table of Stone before the six Commandments of the second Table This Commandment thus written was with the others reserved in the Golden Ark or Chest made purposely by Moses from Gods Command to keep the Tables and then by Gods Appointment was to be preserved in the glorious Tabernacle made by Moses and there it was to be with highest honour prefer'd to be kept in the Holy of Holies 6. Though some yield it not yet others judge the Sabbath had its change from the seventh to the first day of the week by the Lord of the Sabbath Christ himself or at least by his Apostles from his Authority 7. However it be changed yet it is lookt upon as grounded on that so amazing part of our Redemption Christs so glorious Resurrection on the third day after his Passion 8. The Sabbath formerly was the Old Testament Churches fixed time to behold as in a mirrour the glory of God the Creator his Eternal Godhead Power Wisdom Goodness and most glorious Excellencies in the so admirable frame of Heaven and Earth and the so various and curious pieces in it all most exquisitely wrought and finisht It was the peculiar time for setting up the Ladder of the Creatures by Contemplation to climb from Earth to Heaven with But now changed into the first day of the week it is the Christian Churches time for beholding as in a mirrour the glory more peculiarly of God the Redeemer now not in his Humiliation but in his appearing and begun Exaltation in that his glorious Resurrection from the dead that his concerned people might joy with highest and most heavenly rejoycing for this rising of the Sun of Righteousness to be under the warmest and most vivifical beams of his infinite love 9. Let me Meditate of this day as the time afforded for largest spiritual advantages no day being so eminent for me and my Soul as this day 10. Let me Meditate of this day as that happy season wherein the Ordinances of Christ do run in a fuller higher and stronger current More is offered me on this great soul-mart day than on other common Market-days other week-day opportunities it is the day whereby in some respects I have far better Ordinances the Publick in Communion with Christ in the midst among those that are gathered together in his Name And then by the Publick I have better advantages for the Private to perform them better Private Duties having a better time and better helps I must thereby be minded of my better performance 11. It is the eminent day of meeting with God in his upper walks of more solemn Ordinances 12. The day of days for our best speaking with our God and of highest familiarity with him 13. It 's the great time of our hearing from God and having him most eminently to speak to us There be no hearings from God like this days hearings no such voice no such efficacy can be expected as on this day 14. It is the day wherein God sits out and is most to be seen the great day of seeing Gods goings in the Sanctuary seeing his Power and his Glory No such day for this as the Lords own day Ps 63.2 15. A day of feeding more on the Feast of fat things full of Marrow Isa 25.6 Of being brought into the Kings Banquetting-House having the Banner of Christs love spread more amply over us than at other times it being the day wherein the highest flamings up of his unspeakable love appeared in that he not only died but rose again from the dead without which all his other labour and sufferings had been lost and our souls been also lost 1 Cor. 15. 16. It is a day dropt down from Heaven may serve to give a taste of the Sabbath and day kept there and to set a Copy for us here to write after in our holy restings and actings attended with heavenly refreshings God that made all things when he had finished his work he then rested on the seventh day and with his example of resting gave the precept of sanctifying the seventh day to the Church of the Old Testament And the Lord of the Sabbath Christ Jesus resting from his work and rising the first day of the week gives the Example and with the Example the Precept of resting and keeping holy the first day of the week to the Church of the New Testament as some think which therefore Rev. 1.10 they say is called the Lords day as the Ordinance of the Supper is called the Lords Supper as instituted by him 17. It is the day of resting the body from labour of respiteing the mind from worldly thoughts and cares and of refreshing the spirit with heavenly Manna which rains down now on this day more plentifully and with water of life that runs more abundantly in the pure Channels of holy Ordinances 18. Meditated on it should be as the season of the best reciprocations mutual actings between Earth and Heaven wherein the soul hath the advantage of acting higher and more vigorously to glorifie and please God Psal 24.5 and wherein God commands the blessing more and affords assistances more usually than on any other days as experiences prove 19. It s a time to come from sweeter and fuller communion with God in Christ whose blessed day it is to come with our faces shining and hearts flaming made better to be on Earth fitter to live in Heaven And hereupon 20. To leave upon the spirit a more eager longing fully to
is because lusts and sin have that Empress of thy heart thy love for as thy love is so are thy thinkings thou pretendest thou lovest God and with all thy heart but 't is no such thing that which hath the love most hath the eye most Vbi amor ibi oculus as the common saying is who ever could truly say they loved any person most and thought of that person least but of other things every day and hour more O consider this well how evil it is thou meditatest not by reason of thy reigning corruptions and lusts that will not let thee meditate and lusts have thy thoughts from having thy love 4. Why as to thy own frame of spirit is there a neglect of this holy Duty it is from sin reigning in the relishing part the palate of thy soul sin that takes away thy taste and makes godliness unsavoury Those that are after the flesh savour the things of the flesh Rom. 8.5 Ah not to meditate from such a sad cause from a not savouring the things of God! finding no sutableness no sweetness no pleasantness in spiritual things none in the Word and ways of God in the precious promises heavenly graces glorious priviledges given to the Children of God! none in an infinitely sweet and blessed God Father Son and Spirit none in the things above but all in the things below not because they have no savour or sweetness in them but because thy carnal heart hath no principle of savouring of them 5. Nay is it not from sin that lodges and breeds in thy bosom a hellish enmity against any thing is holy Rom. 8.7 The carnal mind is enmity to God and so against every thing that comes from God Ah but sinner this is the blackest thing in thine or any bosom this is the loathsomest thing in all the world 't is the chief feature and lineament in the face of Satan the most abominable part of Satans heart and the very worst thing in all Hell nothing is or will be more evil in Hell than their enmity boiling up and running over continually against God 6. But who is he that hath unhinged thy heart in respect of this Duty of Meditation that acts thee to this awkness and bars the door against it is it not Satan that dwells and rules within Satan that is thy souls implacable Enemy and the great adversary to this Meditation And what is his reason of hindering thee his grand reason but that he knows this to be the way of coming to a mans self and converting to God Of all such things that are dispositive and assisting to Conversion and Faith Satan is the grand enemy to this consideration and meditating of a mans spiritual condition if thou wilt do Satans will and gratifie him the best thou canst if thou wilt give him the best security of utter undoing thy self let him see and know thou wilt not consider and muse on thy souls concerns but look quite another way 7. Whither do thy thoughts sink and soak but into the base Earth and in the base things of it he that looks with his bodily eye if he looks not upward may look many other ways than downward right forward on the right or left hand but thy soul's eye if it look not to things above it looks downward to the things below Col. 3.5 the base dry earth drinks up all thy thoughts 8. When wilt thou begin to think to think to any purpose indeed when will that time be shall it be when thou art most timeless and heartless when thou hast least leisure least fitness bodily fitness and disposition of ease strength spirits and senses when thou hast least heart-fitness of desires and willingness which with time will wear away and be less The longer thou disusest thy self to good and setious thinkings the less fit and disposed thou wilt every way be and the more will vanity of thoughts grow upon thee dye thy mind into the grain Colour of habitual vanity the more will thy heart grow up and ripen in an aversness from all good thoughts harden and grow more sinfully and desperately set against seriousness all such meditating as is necessary to true repenting 9. Wilt thou defer thinking and considering till it be too late till time and the season of grace shall be no longer till life and soul and Heaven be irrecoverably loft Wilt thou lose this short time here till thou comest to an Eternity of time to think of thy neglects of thinking to muse when it will do no good when musing on thy not musing and meditating will turn into torturing and tormenting thee for ever Ah therefore now while it is call'd to day now while thinking may do thee good good to converting and saving ah now bemoan thy self and sad so sad dreadful and dangerous state never rest or be quiet till thou becomest a serious person one that useth his thinking power to the right end and in the right manner to meditate thy self home as the Prodigal did home to his Fathers house to be received with great joy 1. Consider therefore this is one part of wisdom indeed of wisdom for thy self when thy soul concerns have their allowance of due consideration 2. Never expect a cure of that worm that Wolf in thy breast of those gnawing grinding pains and terrours of conscience until thou by consideration come to convert and turn to God 3. Never wilt thou taste of peace of conscience joy that is unspeakable and full of glory until thy thoughtvanity be healed and thou becomest a seriously meditating person 1. Therefore begin at that first Meditation of thy unspeakable misery under sin Gods wrath for it death eternal awaiting thee and which by deaths soon coming may seize thee and seal thee up in it for ever 2. Labour that consideration may rightly issue in an awakening thee out of thy deep security in a contrition of Spirit and a right preparative humbling dashing thy pride and carnal confidence 1. To fear exceedingly for thy so great misery and danger by being under so great wrath of a God and the curse of his Law Act. 16.29 2. To sorrow and mourn deeply for this thy misery thy mirth and laughter being turned into heaviness Jam. 4.9 3. To despair of help in thy self see the insufficiency of thy own goodness and righteousness and of thy own ability of wisdom to devise will to chuse or any power of thine to save thee 4. To come from former carelesness and negligence to an earnest care and desire to be cased and delivered Act. 2.37 2. Then being weary and heavy-laden endeavour the second consideration of the way of relief and help 1. By pondering the infinite love of God his willingness to receive broken-hearted sinners to mercy pardon reconciliation adoption and full salvation 2. The fullness of Redemption in Christ freely offer'd to all 3. By pondering the Promises of salvation righteousness so perfect and glorious pardon so full of all graces and
Directions to old Christians pag. 360 Chap. 20. More Directions for setting Meditation on work pag. 363 Chap. 21. Of Meditation respecting those that are called Fathers pag. 369 Chap. 22. Of the particular management of Meditation of those called Fathers pag. 373 Chap. 23. The Conclusion exciting every one to a constant daily performance of this excellent duty of divine Meditation pag. 376 BY reason of the Authors absence from the Press several faults are escaped which the Reader is intreated to correct or candidly pass by SOLITUDE IMPROVED IN MEDITATIONS Upon DIVINE MEDITATION THat so noble Subject and necessary Duty of Divine Meditation I have now chosen by Christs assistance to speak of to you Of Meditation in general according to Scripture-latitude in the various Kinds and Considerations of it there exprest My Text therefore must not be one single Scripture for the total foundation of what I shall tender but the universal vote and passages asperst through the Bible some of which are these you may please to turn unto 1 Tim. 4.15 Meditate upon these things There Timothy and in him by way of proportion every person is commanded Meditation Psal 1.2 In that Law doth he meditate day and night If the blessed man doth so meditate then all who will be blessed must do the like And Psal 77.12 I will meditate on all thy works Both the word and works of God must be the godly mans meditation Psal 63.6 and Meditate on thee in the night-watches And Psal 104.34 My Meditation of him shall be sweet God must be meditated on and that Meditation should be sweet Obs From these and the like passages scattered over the Bible the Observation or Conclusion is this Pious Meditation is the Duty of every Christian or It is the high Institution of Christ and greatly Incumbent duty of Christians to exercise themselves much in holy Meditation A rare and soul-enriching way such as none know the sweetness and blessed Incomes of it but such who exercise themselves in it Philosophers tell us there would be no life or motion in the lower World if the Sun and Celestial Bodies stood still Physicians say if the Heart did not continually beat in the Body there would be no life and motion in the little World Man And Experience proves if there were no Springs or Weights in Watches and artificial Engines they could perform nothing What the Sun Moon and Stars are to life and motion here below what the Heart is to the Bodies life and moving and what the Springs and Weights are to Motions Artificial that in a high degree is Meditation to spiritual Life and Motion Of the various things tendred to us for truths this is the great Trier the Percolation and Refiner the Melioration and Improver Such things that come to us crude and raw become mellow and concocted by Meditation It is the Golden Scale to give Divine things their due weight The Souls Rare Limbeck to effect the highest Operations to extract the richest Spirits for Heart use Meditation is of that happy Influence it makes the Mind wise the Affections warm the Soul fat and flourishing and the Conversation greatly fruitful Psal 119. Who can but practise it continue it contend to larger improvements in this Heavenly Art that hath once experienced and fed upon the surpassing sweetness and refreshments the unspeakable solaces and ravishments both had and heightned in it To speak of it adequately I cannot it is such an attainment that none know the All of it Nothing but progress in the daily practice can help to comprehend it There is still a plus ultra a Going and a Knowing further I shall speak to four things only concerning Meditation 1. The Precedents upon the File of Scripture or some rare Examples of the Practice and but briefly 2. The Nature Ingredients Qualifications and the several sorts of Meditation and here I must be something large 3. The Grounds and supporting Reasons of it to manifest it 4. The diverse Improvements of it to divers sorts of persons First The Precedents on the Sacred File recorded Instances in Scripture There are among others four Instances which I shall single out four famous holy and eminent ones The first is that of the godly Patriarch Isaac Gen. 24.63 Isaac went out in the Evening to meditate God is a most free Agent as in all other actings so in conferring his Scripture Honours He honours whom he pleaseth and when and how he pleaseth He is bound to give no account of his matters And oft we see him in his Goings and Doings but cannot by searching find him out Job 11.7 Divine Soveraignty and Wisdom is pleased in the Scripture Records to fix the first honour of this practice of Meditation on holy Isaac Doubtless his so excellent Father holy Abraham did use to beat this path to Heaven who walkt so much with God Doubtless those other Patriarchs and Saints living before Abraham travelled much in this heavenly Road. Enoch for his walking with God so highly honoured was no stranger to this way Questionless it was one of his walks He certainly used to go to Heaven Mentally before he was translated Personally He used to ascend up by Meditation before his happy translation But Isaac is he who first is mentioned for acting this holy Meditating It may be he exceeded and excelled in this Heavenly Art and Practice and because it was a Duty performed privately and that was not known God would reward and honour him openly by making it known and that some hundreds of Years after by Moses his holy Pen. It 's probable there was something more than ordinary in it which occasioned this first Record of Meditation However this was the holy pleasure of God so to fix it to place it first on the File of godly Meditators Isaac is the first mentioned Meditator in Scripture Records Instance 2. The second which is the fullest to all intents and respects is that high and noble Precedent of holy David That man after Gods own heart among other reasons I believe for his beating so much this path to Heaven for the frequencies of his visits made this way He soon became a man of Great Troubles and Difquiets yet then in them he would resolutely cut out his way and keep his course of holy Meditation witness those many Psalms penned in and on occasions of his troubles and stiled his Meditations He after Sauls death is crowned King of Judah had his great multitudes of high Employments was a mighty Warriour and so must be exposed to highest hazards yet nothing in no time whatever should check or retard his course Though he had his Head full of Thoughts his Heart full of Troubles his Hands full of Work nothing should hinder him in this high Exercise of his so experienced sweet Meditation In Psal 1.2 He makes Meditation the Character of a blessed man To meditate in Gods Law day and night And what he makes a Rule for others he makes good
in his own Example Psal 119.97 O how love I thy Law it is my Meditation all the day there 's the practice of the first time the day and a full Example and Practice All the day And Psal 119.148 Mine Eyes prevent the Night-Watches to meditate in thy Word there 's the practice of the other time mentioned in the Character in Psal 1.2 Not a Watch set in the Night but he had his Meditation O most admirable frame of spirit A King and a daily Meditator and a night Meditator also It was not Family Business nor State Affairs not Wars Urgencies and Difficulties that so could crowd in and impose upon his thoughts but he would have his spiritual retreats his soul repasts in Meditation mount up to Heaven by it Trace we him with the Eye of duest Observation over the Book of Psalms the Psalms which are the choice and rare Records of his Exemplary this way actings we find most excellent Patterns of all sorts as for this holy Exercise Singular Meditations sometimes of the great Works of God as Psal 8. and Psal 19. and Psal 104. c. wherein the Fire kindles and flies up in the highest strains His heart like the most rare and exquisite Engine and Instrument produces-such raised and sublimated things that transcend sometimes all the strains of Rhetorick and Poetry in the world as some very learned men observe Sometime his Meditations and there they ply more as of nearer concernment are on the Word of God as Psal 19. and Psal 119. c. and what passages and praises hath he most high and sweet and savoury that what can be fuller and high for the nature and properties of it Sometimes the most blessed God himself is the high subject of his Meditating and what transcendencies of thoughts what Raptures and Ravishments what Instances of highest Soul transportings hath he this way recorded for us purposely to put us upon pursuit of the like Glimpses and Tastes by suitable first breathings and pantings after sweetest communion with him It is evident he was a grand Master in this Art of Meditation by the so exquisite pieces drawn to the life and reserved for use and imitation in the Book of Psalms 3. The third Pattern is that of the so wise Solomon in Ecclesiastes who gave his heart as he saith to seek and search and to know wisdom Eccl. 1.13 and v. 17. ch 2.12 Davids strain of Meditation proceeds principally on matters in themselves spiritual as God his Word and Ways and sometimes on the Works of God Solomons more upon things natural and the ways and works of men Eccl. 1.13 14. but to demonstrate the insufficiency of all things in the world and all the works of men to make up true happiness without the true fear of God and keeping his Commandments Eccl. 12.13 This is the sum and scope chiefly of that his Book that Book of most deep and great Considerations and excellently useful Meditations for all to obtain wisdom by It is of all the choicest piece of Scripture in this kind it sets us an accurate Copy of regular and fruitful Contemplation and Meditation of all things under the Sun which we should strive to imitate and write after Chap. 1.14 It is left us thereby to learn from him the so great Experimenter and Tryer the wisest and most exquisite weigher of all things and the Finder of their extream insufficiency and vanity To teach every person by this his so eminent and exemplary acting his successful searching to do in the like manner To infuse his spirit and lay it asteep strongly and deeply in this Meditation of Creature vanity and the vanity of all mens labours under the Sun Yea to sink this down to the bottom of the soul there to fix and root it self thence as by a most potent and predominant principle to work and act up to more weanedness from things of the world and to more wariness of our being ensnared by them The fourth rare Instance is of the female Sex That of the Blessed Virgin Mary Luke 2.19 But Mary kept all these sayings and pondered them in her heart This is the remarkable and special Example of Meditation mentioned that I know of in the New Testament We have none so punctual and plain which I can remember as this Some signal honour is hereby intended to this so Blessed Virgin to be so noted more than others in the Gospel Records and thereby held forth as a pattern and provocation to all after Ages The Scriptures silence as to other Saints practice in this Duty is not a Negative or an Exclusive of their doing it Because it is not said of every one they Pondered or Meditated we must not thence infer they did it not David in the first Psalm and second Verse saith the Blessed man meditates in the Law of God day and night He therefore makes it a necessary Duty and certain Character of every godly person in some sincere measure and constancy performing of it As the people of God are all taught wisdom to salvation so this peculiar wisdom this way of Meditation of the great concerns of Gods Kingdom and their most precious immortal Souls to give things of the highest importance their due and down weight their due and down weight in the Ballance of a holy Meditation CHAP. II. Of the Nature and Description of this solemn Meditation MEditation according to the usual Notion and Acceptation is taken for any serious or earnest thinking of any matter whatsoever for what end soever whether it be good or evil So Meditating is used in the Scripture not only in a good sense but in an evil sense So Psal But ordinarily it is taken in a good sense for a holy Mind Exercise or acting the thoughts in any seriousness upon any matter in a spiritual manner There is a double kind of Meditation 1. That which is more set and solemn when a man is serious in thinking of any thing for some spiritual end and so as to allow some due space of time for a right performance of it 2. There is that which is called Meditation of Ejaculation which though serious yet is more short and quick and sudden wherein the soul darts up to Heaven and makes a short visit thither I shall begin with the first that which more commonly is called Meditation The other shall follow in its due place Therefore having mentioned some Scripture Instances or Examples of Meditation as to the practice of it I shall come to handle the Nature and Description of the set and more solemn Meditation Here first I will endeavour to present you with the true Picture and Description of Meditation in some Scripture lineaments and proportions and afterward the Explication and peculiar handling of them I shall give you the Description in this manner It is that Ordinance of Christ and Obedience or Duty of a Christian whereby he acts his spirit into a right pondering of either heavenly and spiritual
and must be performed as a Duty of indispensible necessity 1 Tim. 4.15 Psal 1.2 1. A Duty in reference to Christ Necessity in reference to Christ himself an Obedience to his Law a subjection to his Crown Imperial an homage and service due to him as the Sovereign Lord of our Souls and of that Meditating and pondering faculty he endowed them with Meditation is Jesus Christs Reservation in the great Gift and Grant of our Souls Thinking power He hath endowed us with that so Noble Faculty of minding and musing and also with a large Mind-Charter and liberty of thoughts for our own occasions and sober Recreatings in our Contemplations or Studies But yet 't is always provided that a holy Tribute out of the whole of our thoughts is still duly to be paid in and that as an acknowledgment both of holding our thinking faculty upon him Rom. 11.36 and our best way of employment of it and this to be done in the due seasons both Ordinary and Extraordinary The neglect of this Duty is a denying of his Right and Royalty over my thoughts and over that which is so eminent an Endowment of the Mind and given in to the Spirit by God for its chiefly Thinking of him that is so High and Allsufficient and the surpassing excellent things of God as being the Souls best acting Certainly thus the Saints in the Scripture acted highly upon this account of their paying in the Reserved dues of Christ their Leige Lord 1 Cor. 6.20 His Dues and their Duties moving strongly to act highly in this work and way 2. Duty to my self and my own Soul Concernments is another great Consideration here In all doing Duty there 's a doing my self right paying in to my own Soul its due Neglecting in any kind my Duty is a wronging my own soul Prov. 8.36 He that sins against me wrongs his own soul Performing it is a doing my Soul Right Yea holy Duties are the Highest doings of right to our Souls There 's no way of doing better to my self than going in the King of Heavens High-way His ways are my Souls best ways wherein I act best for my self and when I perform them in them in the best manner This leads me to the next particular the Requisites and the Ingredients of this Meditation considered as a holy Duty which are these next following CHAP. IV. Of the Requisites in Meditation THere are these three things I shall mention as the Requisites for holy Meditation as a Duty 1. That I call a Foundation or Preparative to it 2. Those things that are for the forming and framing it as to the parts and proportions 3. The things that finish it up 1. As to the Foundation or Preparative to it This must be laid above in Heaven by the Dispositive or Preparative work of fervent Prayer The foundation of this Soul Affair must be as a Learned man saith of the Foundation of the World The Foundation of the World he saith is the. Third Heaven which is of a constant incorruptible Nature of no pre-existent principles and so not liable as other things are to corruption and resolution and which as to the convex or outward superficies or the highest part is only bounded or terminated by its own limits or terms of Essence and Quantity but in its concave or bollow superficies or the lowest part contains all inferiour things and is fixt immoveable If the Foundation of the great World is laid by the Third Heaven the Foundation of this great Work of holy Meditation must be laid in Heaven laid by the Soul 's strong mounting up thither and fixing it self there by fervent Prayer as the great Preparative to this Meditation Fervent Prayer The word in the Hebrew used for Meditation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies also Prayer Prayer and Meditation being so near a kin and the one helping mutually the other 1. To begin with a bringing the Soul into the Glorious and Tremendous Presence of the Great God and under his so pure and all-seeing Eye 2. To act the Soul and lay it as it were asteep in self-abasings and humblings for its former miscarriages and failings in and present unfitness and indisposedness for what is now undertaking 3. To exercise fresh Self-denyings as to any sufficiency of ability to perform any thing herein acceptably and profitably 4. To act vigorous and strong recumbencies on Jesus Christ for his both Teachings and Touchings of our Spirits and upholdings likewise in the work 5. To procure and beget a warm temper in us such as may make the heart to Glow all the Duty over 2. As to the forming of the Duty in the Parts and Particulars of it 1. It must be bottom'd and rise from the Spring and Great Principle of Motion and Action which is the will in a both free choice and firm purpose A resolvedness and rooted purpose Thus David Psal 119.48 I will meditate in thy Statutes and verse 15. I will meditate in thy Precepts The evil heart saith I will not Meditate Satan saith so far as he can hinder you shall not And the prophane World saith you need not But the holy heart saith I will Meditate This is my free and firm purpose and nothing by Christs assistance shall divert me The Philosopher saith that in every virtuous action there must be a choice of Will it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be Elective come free from the Spring of the Will and run in Resolution otherwise it is not a virtuous Action The Scriptures for all Religious Actings call for Willingness Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy Power or as it is in the Hebrew A people of willingnesses thy people And in divers places call for Readiness in what we perform to God No work in the World can challenge that intense degree and share of Readiness and Freeness as Christs work and such ways as have a clear and lively Stamp of his Royal Will and Command No higher Character is given in Scripture of a Real Godliness than freest Choice of Will and Readiness To Chuse the good part Luke 10.42 To Chuse the things that please God Isa 56.4 and as in abundance of places is to be seen A Carnal heart acts from Carnal Wisdom and self-Interest or from Passion and self-biassing affection but not from pure freeness and deliberate Choice of Will That is not the Spring and rise of his Duties as it is in a good and holy heart A good heart acts from purpose a well and deep set purpose Acts 11.23 with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord. And Psal 119.106 I have sworn and I will perform c. So the Will for holy Duties must put forth in Purposes firm Purposes varieties of fresh Purposes Act all the still needful and conducing Purposes any Duty in any respect calls for There are many Rare and Rich Attendants and Properties Ingredients and Excellencies Divine and Heavenly Beauties appertaining to holy Duties
which the Will must intend and make its free firm Choice of which the purposes of the Will must lye level to and make after as the proper and proportionate Marks and higher Tendencies CHAP. V. Of the Purposes for this I Shall name Five Particulars for this There must be 1. An aim and firm Purpose to make the Duty a Right Work to make sure it be made true 2. A free and full Purpose of a Wise Work to have it a Work of Spiritual Wisdom 3. A firm purpose for a vigorous and spirited performing 4. A strong purpose of watching and earnest striving against all Diversions and Interruptions 5. In a firm purpose of Vtmost endeavour of success and having the Right and Kindly End and Fruit of the Duty 1. A right Work 1. The Wills purpose and intendment must be to make the Duty of Meditation a Right Work to make sure it be made true and and sincere John 4.24 Not a Carcase a Painted piece without Soul and Substance a Formality without Power Not a meer work performed as it were to flatter God who looks for a Duty As they in Psal 78.86 are said to flatter God with their lips but their heart was not right with him We are ready to flatter him instead of Realities with our Modes of Meditation and Fashions of Thinkings with our Formalities without Realities and Truth and the work 's being sincere It must not be a flattering of God but a true pleasing him from being true it self It must not be a work dawbed over with the untempered Mortar of our own hearts self-deceitfulness setting up a thing to shew like it and be something near it only and putting thereby a Cheat upon our selves Nor make it a thing only to stop the mouth of our Consciences keep them from calling on and challenging of us but to design it strongly and firmly to purpose through God to proffer to and please him with a sincere Work Gen. 17.1 Walk before me and be sincere This must be understood certainly of every Walk and Path we go in Not a walk in some one way or divers and not all but in every walking sincerity must be a Property a Qualification design'd and firmly resolv'd and we must not be satisfied unless it be Right Meditating such as Scripture requires and Saints in Scripture practised yea that they told God himself that they performed Ps 119.23 And doubtless David durst not tell the Heart-searching God he Meditated if he had done it formally and hypocritically and not been sincere and upright in it Again It must be a wise work 2. The Intendment of the Will must be for making this Duty a Wise Work to make it a Work of Spiritual Wisdom The Apostle Ephes 5.15 says Be not fools but wise understanding what the will of the Lord is And 2 Tim. 3.14 there 's mention of wisdom to salvation And Prov. 9.12 Wisdom is called on for our selves 1. Wise in respect of God Certainly as Solomon did things of great Excellency to shew himself very wise so when the most High God's Honour is concern'd and when he will be present at our Performances and comes as it were purposely to them shall we present him with any foolish piece not design a wise work and be seen acting wisely 2. Wise in reference to our selves Should we not also strongly purpose to make this Duty a Wise Work a Work of sure Wisdom for our selves and lay it fully level to the grand mark of Eternal Salvation for our selves Solomon Prov. 17.21 saith The Father of a Fool shall have no joy so the Parent of a foolish acting will have no joy It is the Godly prudent acting whose Fruit is Peace and which issues in Heavenly joy O how sweet and comfortable is that Duty in which we have acted up to the Rule of sound Wisdom This is the Second Particular a Duty must be Purposed and Intended to be a Wise Work 3. A spirited and lively work There must be a firm and strong Purpose and Intendment for a vigorous and spirited a lively and warm Work Rom. 12.11 Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. In every Duty we must have a Purpose of striking fire of making the heart burning hot It must not be luke-warm in an indifferency that 's but lazy nor Blood-warm that 's but low But the Souls Purpose and Design must be for highest heat and fervency greatest vigour and activity As Artists in some High Operations endeavours the hottest Fire As warmest Preaching and warmest Hearing as the Disciples hearts burned within them when Christ opened the Scriptures Luke 24.32 And so warmest Reading and warmest Meditating David's heart while he mused the fire burned Psal 39.3 So when we Meditate we should intend a warm work to be very warm at the heart 4. A striving against all lets In a strong purpose of earnest striving against all lets and interruptions The whole work of a Christian here must not only be vigorous and sedulous but striving and contentious Luke 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait Gate Every single and particular Duty must bear a part of striving to enter in at the strait Gate For this is to be applied to every particular Duty though Christ speaks only in General bidding us strive Two things make up the Notion of striving 1. First Intension and Earnestness 2. Secondly Contention against Opposition When a man strives he acts earnestly and when he strives after or for a thing he strives also with that which is against him Striving is against something that letts or opposes In all Soul-work and peculiarly in this of Meditation the throng of Difficulties is great the Oppositions are many therefore the purposes and Resolutions of heart must be strong and high None ever carry on their work well Who are not first well resolved and still renew and link one firm purpose to another to hold on their course to the last 5. A purpose for the kindly issuing of Meditation The Will must purpose firmly to endeavour still the kindly issue and success of the Duty Look saith the Apostle John 2.8 ye lose not the things wrought who would set up at the Labour in Vain Christ's sweet Promise is Isa 65.23 The seed of the blessed of the Lord shall not labour in vain The way among others of having it performed is by grounding our endeavours in strong and rooted Resolutions for that running and pressing on and looking after our Duties doing until the work winds up and issues in the spiritual ends in the sweet success it is appointed unto such as encrease of Holiness and Grace and improvement of Communion with God Finis Coronat Opus Success sets the Crown on the head of the Work Resolve to get the Crown still set on the Head of every Duty that it shines in the glory of success These are the five special Branches this Root of Resolution should put forth these as so many precious corner-Stones should lye at the Bottom of
a manner of Operation that nothing in the World the highest Objects of Sense Phansie or meer Natural Reason can act with that Complacency and Delight Solomon in his Ecclesiastes that rare Record of his so large and infallible Experience of all things for Pleasure and Delight tells us he found nothing so sweet and which he could act upon with that Delight as when he acted up in Meditation Eccl. 12.13 David oft expresses what joy he acted in this soul-engagement yea tells us as he did so he will delight himself in it and the Heavenly Objects of this Heavenly work Heavenly things and a heavenly heart meeting in Meditation will act and make the purest pleasure Meditation therefore must have this Attendant of Delight which like a flame like the Chariot of Elijah carries up the soul in musing into Heaven CHAP. XVII Some other particulars added in some special Scripture expressions BEsides these three Affections of strong Desire ardent Love and holy Delight that like Heat and Spirits conveyed from the Arteries arising in the heart into all the Body to adde to and compleat what we have in some measure exprest there are these Three or Four things I shall a little speak to 1. Meditation should be a work very savoury on the Palate of the Soul 2. It should be sweet and pleasing to it 3. It should be with satiety in it 4. With an Admiration as the Crown on the top of it 1. It should be performed not as a thing that is dis-relishing but savoury to the Spirit in the doing Rom. 8. Those that are after the Spirit savour the things of the Spirit There are some things are unsavoury in themselves others though savoury yet not savoury to some Palates The things of Heaven are none of them in no degree unsavoury in themselves Meditation is not so in it self but to a carnal Spirit it is one of the greatly unsavoury things greatly displeasing and disrellishing But to the Spiritual man it is not so but a work singularly savoury like Isaac's savoury meat like feeding at some noble Feast where a good stomack and a right Palate feed and savour still savour the delicacies and varieties successively every thing is savoury There are some things savoury as Nature yields them others and in great variety as Art reduces and orders them and accordingly there are very admirable diverfities of savoury things which have their degrees of savouriness What great varieties are there made by Art from the meanest food to the highest delicacies yet in the Gospel Feast of Fat things full of Marrow and Wine on the Lees well refined in the Feast of all heavenly varieties Meditation hath more unspeakably rare dainties than all that Nature or Art can yield 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen nor ear hath not heard what God hath prepared for them that love him Not the greatest of the greatest Princes not Solomons most Glorious reast not Assuerus his Royal Feast not any of the Persian or Roman Emperours so much spoken of in Histories could occasion a Feeding with such high savouriness as may be had in the rich and precious things Meditation hath to feed the Soul with Therefore O let Meditation be still most savoury let every spiritual thing be very savoury as there are more varieties of Objects and higher degrees of Excellency in them endeavour a sutable an extensive and an enereasing savouring As men at a Feast pass from the first Dishes to the after Dainties with a more eager feeding and better relishing This is the first thing As Meditation should be savoury the soul well relishing of it so likewise 2. It should be sweet This I further adde in that the Spirit of God is pleased to honour this pious expression of the Holy Prophet by recording it for us who after a most heavenly Torrent of Elegancy in expressing the surmounting Excellencies of God in the wonderful ways of his workings and governings says there in the close of Psalm 104.34 His Meditation of God should be sweet How sweet must Meditation be upon infinite sweetness and from whom all other sweetness Creature-sweetness Word and Ordinance-sweetness derives it self Psal 119.103 O how sweet is thy Word to my taste sweeter than Honey to my mouth This must be chiefly by Meditation It is that which presses and sucks out the rare sweetness in the Precepts so Holy and Righteous in the Promises so precious in the incour agements so high and in all the excellent things in the so perfect word of Christ He not only asserts the sweetness he found in Meditation but is transported with high Admiration And when he could not speak of it to the height and fulness then which is our usual manner when we are at a loss for expression in words of comprehensiveness to wrap up our selves in the elegancy and terms of an Interrogation and Admiration yet not contented with this way for fuller representing his experimented sweetness he takes up a comparison says sweeter than Honey which in that pure Air of that blessed Land of Canaan was the most surpassing sweet Honey in the World Yea in Psal 19.10 Sweeter than Honey and the distilling of the Honey-Comb which is the sweetest of all others But this was in holy Meditation that made the Honey melt in his mouth and give down its sweetness Meditation that drives the Hive drains the Honey and drops in the delicious sweetness into the Musing Spirit Lord teach us the way of this Heavenly Art and make this Honey drop and the Heavenly Manna of Divine Truths fall richly into our hearts This is the second particular 3. Meditation may and should be attended with an Heavenly and spiritual satiety Psal 63.5 My soul shall be satisfied as with Marrow and Fatness when I remember thee on my Bed and meditate on thee in the Night-watches His rare hours introduced and made returns of Heavenly satisfaction The largeness and excellency of it he sets out by a very sutable expression satisfied as with Marrow and Fatness which to the stomack yields the best satisfaction the speediest and sweetest the most large and lasting No food satiates better than Marrow and Fatness So Isa 25.6 7 c. The Gospel Feast is a Feast of Fat things full of Marrow There are the Fat things of a perfect righteousness applyed of a full pardon obtained of Reconciliation and Peace with God made John 1.12 and glorious Adoption conferred through Christ the Feast of the Feast together with the satisfaction of the blessed Image of Christ in the beauteous lineaments of Holiness and righteousness light and life of all Graces and Excellencies and all drawn to the life and wrought up by the Holy Spirits Inhabitation and Operation and arising from Believers happy Union and Communion with Jesus Christ and his fulness And likewise as a glorious superaddition that of Assurance of a most happy condition and of the unchangeable love of God and that blessed Hope of Eternal Life which strews
Sugar drops unspeakable sweetness and satisfaction upon and into the holy heart 1 Pet. 1.8 These and sundry others are the fat things full of marrow and make up the Feast and are from the actings and industries of this happy way of Meditation As therefore the Heart is hungry and thirsty in continual Lingrings and Longings and never quiet Meditation must carry it to this royal Gospel Feast and thereby meet with a blessed fatisfaction not being contented with the sight of the Feast and the delicacies of it without attaining some happy satiety The Prophet Isaiah mentions one dreaming of eating but when he awakes his soul is hungry If we look not well to it Meditation may be but such an unprofitable thinking as when we have ended it we may miss of this satisfaction find our souls empty It must be still so managed that it prove a help and cure to my Soul 's inordinate lingerings and improve to a spiritual satisfaction Plutarch in his Morals tells of one Pythos who finding a rich Mine of Gold and out of his eager desire to have the Treasure in the Mine was so continually attending at the Mine that he neglected his comings home to his Meals To confute his covetous industry his Wife one day instead of providing him food prepared nothing but Golden Dishes with several sorts of Meats cast into the forms of sundry things edible but all of Gold whereby he could observe a curiosity of invention but was disappointed of feeding and satiety We must not in our Meditation content our selves with feeding the eye for curiosity but endeavour feeding the Soul unto satiety heavenly satiety Ah let my Spirit mind more a fullness of satisfaction than newness of Notion carry it from Head-work to Heart-work from bare speculation to rare and ravishing satisfaction This for the third particular Soul satiety 4. Admiration Let me to set the Crown on the head of the Duty adde one thing over and above let Meditation be carried up to admiration not only should we be affected but transported rapt up and ravisht with the beauties and transcendencies of heavenly things act Meditation to Admiration endeavour the highest pitch coming the nearest to the highest patterns the patterns of Saints and Angels in Heaven whose actings are the purest highest Extasies and Admirations Thus were these so excellent Artists in Meditation David an high acter of Admiration in Meditation as often we see it in the Psalms so in Ps 8.1 and the last Verse Ps 31.19 O how great is thy goodness c. Psal 104.24 O Lord how manifold are thy works c. And in other places Davids Meditation and Admiration were as his Harp well tuned and excellently played on in rarest airs and highest strains as the precious Gold and the curious burnishing or the richest Stone and the exquisitest polishing and setting of it So blessed Paul who was a great Artist in musing acted high in admiration his soul was very warm and flaming up in it It was as a Bird with a strong and long wing that soars and towers up aloft and gets out of sight Thus sundry of the Ancients as holy Austin Bernard and others of those who have recorded their rare hours of Meditations and Transportings of Admiration liftings out of themselves and liftings up to Heaven A precious Minister of Christ oft in his life time would wish he might die in the heavenly Exercise of singing a Psalm in which he used to be transported in Meditation and Admiration At length he had in singing a Psalm his holy wish dying in the performance whereby he was rapt up after his ravishment in the Duty into Heaven changing his place but not his work Another a man eminently learned and heavenly riding with a friend in his Coach he fell into a rare Contemplation and Discourse of the glory of Heaven and the beatifical vision in which he was so highly ravisht that within a short time he was suddenly taken from this Earth to take his possession of that Glory he had so before in Contemplation Thus I have weakly endeavoured some explication of this happy work of holy Meditation It must first be begun with fervent Prayer It must be founded in a purpose of 1. A right work 2. A wise work 3. A warm work 4. A strong purpose of earnest striving against all impediments 5. An endeavour of the kindly issue and success It must have likewise 1. Putting on a holy Reverence and Awe 2. A Retreat of thoughts from all other Objects than such as we are to muse on 3. A strong Guard must be set to keep off all diversions 4. A setting on the thoughts on the Object 5. A seriousness of thoughts 6. A searching of thoughts 7. And then a staying and dwelling of thoughts 8. An intermixing of heavenly affections 1. Desire 2. Love 3. Joy And Meditation should have 1. A savouriness 2. A sweetness 3. A satiety 4. Come up and be carried on with holy admiration There remains one thing more to be spoken of in the Description given of Meditation CHAP. XVIII Of the Ends of Meditation MEditation we described to be an institution of Christ and duty of a Christian wherein the Mind acts upon spiritual things or other things in a spiritual manner by a due considering of them and this to holy ends or spiritual uses only Now the Ends of Meditation are three Three great Ends of our Meditating 1. Such as refer to the most high God 2. Such as respect our selves 3. Such as relate to others 1. Such as refer to the most high God Meditation is to be the motion of the heavenly spirit Heavenward to carry it up to Heaven and keep it a time there A looking of the Eye of the mind and a lifting up of the heart a making a stay and taking a spiritual solace in Heaven with God All Duties we perform must be done to the living God Heb. 9.14 to serve the living God If otherwise our Duties are but dead works loathsome as dead Carkasses A living work must have for its supreme end the living God God that is the first and best must have the first aim and levelling to They say in Philosophy the last end must have the first intending The first looking at as the first ground and mover to any work And as they say in Opticks the peculiar Art that treats about the nature of seeing of Objects Quod primo radiat est primo visibile that which first irradiates sends forth that which through the Medium first conveys it self to the Eye This is first visible and that is light The first thing the Eye of Meditation should fix upon is that which is the light of lights and that is God who is all Light Beauty and Glory Meditation should be chiefly acted to see God and to aim at glorifying of God above all 1 Cor. 10.31 Whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God The Gentiles wise men and great Philosophers because their
Grace and the Degree of that Grace the Grace he doth Meditate the Degree day and night Thus much hereby must then be implyed that as it is to be performed often so it cannot well be performed by the Rule in this Scripture passage if every day in course there be not something done this way either more or less certainly we cannot give God and our souls concerns too much measure So Psalm 119. He tells us his daily practice to Meditate both in the day and night Now his Example being a King and under such varieties of important Affairs so many and so great as none can have more And if he had still such cares troubles and dangers attending might not these have excused to some abatement of his constancy but it did not This therefore leaves all sorts of persons without excuse none being able to alledge that which he could or not more urgencies of daily occasions There is no doubt that as it is a work lies upon every one so sure as the day returns and the fresh businesses of it so this Meditating of right doth challenge for it self some fit season and portion of the day being one of the great businesses for the Souls help As no Christian can plead exemption from this daily incumbency this daily soul affair so no good prudent Christian can conceive but he may find out in the revolution of the day some at least fit opportunity for serious Meditation Or if not in the day time the time of action and avocation yet in the night upon the Bed the time of rest and freedom What was said of that great Warriour Hannibal making his way into Italy over the high rocky Mountains the Alpes with Fire and Vinegar Hannibal will either find a way or make one and is said of Love It will creep if it cannot go a good heart will find or make its way over Mountains of Difficulties and Business to have Communion with Jesus Christ Cant. 3.1 2 3. Ah it is most sad if I can allow so many hours in the night for rest and sleep so many in the day for business and emergencies so many for eating and drinking so many for company and discourse yea so much time for pleasure play for trivial things next to nothing it may be for things worse than nothing for sins and lusts and that no part of the twenty four hours must be afforded for serious thinking thinking of things ten thousand times more momentous and concerning than the total sum of matters that sweep away and swallow up precious time so much The good Christian cannot but at least close with the eternal obligation of this duty And the wise and fruitful Christian cannot but yield some complyance with the practice of it and let this come in for its due share in the time of the day as one important business to be dispatcht and that must still contribute to the right making of it up and improvement of it After some evidence of the equity of this daily Duty I come to speak to the Nature and way of this Meditation This being of all other sorts the principal which therefore challenges a more distinct and careful handling If Christians very well understand not this way or fall very short of the due manner and order of it the work is neither so pleasant or successful as it might be and should be and questionless is to Christians such as are the great Artists herein such as have been well practised and experienced in it I shall therefore now endeavour to shew the Nature of it and something of a Method of due proceeding in it In general it is that daily exercise whereby we single out purposely some spiritual or useful matters to act the searchings and ponderings which according to our ability and opportunity of the day we can exercise for our spiritual advantage The Mind is a Spring alway running in thinkings a Wheel alway turning a Forge alway framing a Wing ever moving it is the most active busie nimble thing in all the world therefore hath the greatest need to be well lookt unto to be kept as Solomon saith Prov. 4.23 With all keeping keep thy heart to be guided with the best skill and care with the steadiest and stiffest rein like a Horse of highest metal ready to run away with his Rider it will run wildly away and carry the soul into vanity folly and self-mischieving Meditation is a spiritual rein and curb and the peculiar designed way to reduce rectifie and order it To bring the hearts thinking power into the highest subserviency the greatest usefulness to the main to the Souls grand interest Therefore there is a great necessity upon every good heart of daily and much Meditating CHAP. II. Of the manner and way of daily Meditation 1. EVery Christian is to awake with God in the morning Psal 139.13 as David when he awoke was ever with God at his awaking times in the night by thinking of God so chiefly when he awoke last when the night was past with all the dangers of it and the day dawned then the morning-star of Meditation arose in his heart The first work in the morning is to awake with God and the noble thinking faculty which upon awaking will instantly awake and begin to stir begin to act Let it be awakened into this sweet way of self entertainment by engaging of it in holy Meditation Look we that the heart be first of all seasoned sweetned and perfumed with heavenly thoughts 1. Begin we with serious reflections upon the great goodness and tender mercies of God in our preservations from Satans malice and mischiefs what affrightments in noises and appearances in violence and harms would he exercise if he were let loose upon us What other harms from wicked men usually taking the advantage of the dark and still night when all are at rest besides harms from accidental occasions that we are liable to There is also the great mercy of Beds to lie on rest without tossings ease without torments sleep without holding our Eyes in awaking having our sleep sweet awaking with refreshing having our formerly weary bodies and decayed spirits revived and cheared and we our selves under a new adaptation and fitness for the succeeding days occasions There should be also a stand and abode of thoughts upon any thing in the night which is more signal and remarkable that comes down from Heaven as a brighter beam of favour to take the Eye with that is let down as a more peculiar hand to take up our thoughts to Heaven by that is sent as a more special Love-token stampt with more legible Characters of the care and kindness of a God towards us 2. When the nights past mercies have had some due Reflections and Musings had a down-weight of improvement endeavoured for warming and enlarging the heart toward our good God If then it conveniently may be nothing to the contrary interposing and that justly may hinder the next thing
glowing heat and liveliness for all the following day is still fit in some measure to be practised 2. The next should be some serious musing on that next End our own salvation and Eternal bappiness farther to be wrought out to be our day labour by the opportunity of a new begun day a day which will bring us nearer to the Ocean of Eternity CHAP. IV. Of the next End Salvation NExt to the highest Gods interest must be mused seriously upon this great soul-interest Prov. 9.12 If thou art wise thou art wise for thy self 2 Tim. 3.1 Wisdom to salvation This because self is so near and dear and the immortal Soul so unspeakably precious the heart being once stampt with a spiritual high strong self-love will have a mighty influence of warmth abiding on the Spirit Here two things are to be attended and practised 1. Meditation of Salvation in a more general Notion and Consideration works little or nothing but the pondering of particulars in Salvation It is a Rule in Oratory and so in Preaching that for moving and drawing the affections generals and things in a confused manner spoken they hit not work not draw not It is the distinct seeing and viewing of particulars which moves and affects to purpose So Meditation to be effectual must particularize the things comprised in some sort in this happiness and salvation As that so blessed freedom from sin in the guilt in pardon and righteousness from the dominion of sin by power life image of Christ and holiness and the glorious priviledges of a Christian here and Everlasting Glory hereafter and such like 2. There 's another Rule among Oratours that things moving the Affections they do it either Magnitudine aut Praesentia by their greatness or excellency or by their presence or nearness As the greatness of a person or the presence of a person or the greatness of a good or evil or the nearness and presence of it 1. The greatness the surpassing greatness of Salvation as Scripture sets it forth Heb. 2. That so unspeakable deliverance from such a height breadth and length of Misery by sin and that inexpressible happiness by union with Jesus Christ The so great things of this glorious state should fall by our Meditation upon the Affections and daily like fire from Heaven kindle them greatly 2. Things move by their presence or nearness the remoter the Object is from the Faculty as the Objects of the External Senses as Seeing Hearing and the rest or the farther a thing is apprehended to be as any Place or Time or the like the less it affects But the presence or propinquity of a thing moves most as when a Poyson or dangerous thing is near or present as an Antidote or a help when near when Death or Deliverance is at hand when a Friend is present or the like this moves most So the way of Meditation here is by representing salvation as present or near 2 Cor. 6. 1 2 3. escaping Hell as now being put into possession of Heaven as now if I were now dying and my Soul sitting on my lips ready to take its flight as now if now the last Trump were sounding now Jesus Christ seen coming to Judgment now the Sentence of Absolution passing Let me thus season and strengthen Meditation by this kind of representation seeing it as near as present now acting now doing or now having and fully possessing this Salvation CHAP. V. Of the Means conducing to this chief End THE next thing in spiritual wisdom to be the Object of daily Meditation is to give as we can some allowance of serious thoughts of that which should be the due and adequate means conducing to the chief End of Eternal life with the glorifying of God as formerly we have mentioned 1. Christ the way Therefore the next thing being the highest and uppermost of all conducing Means to the Supream End the next thing I say to be the great Object of Meditation must be Jesus Christ our way to the Father and our highest way of glorifying him None comes to the Father saith Christ but by me John Initial coming to God by Faith to Justification Reconciliation and Union with God is by Christ All other after comings and glorifyings of God are still by Christ as also all salvation is treasured up in him so it must be the best way for our Meditations method to be daily acted in some measure upon our mighty Saviour our great and only way to our great and chief End so he calls himself the way John Here what a most glorious and delicious Object hath the Eye of Meditation Christ in Isa 65.1 calls Behold me behold me ah what a Spirit must that be that for such an infinite Beauty cannot afford one cast of the eye one wishly look in the whole compass of a day that can look every way freely fixedly and unweariedly but Christward The Spouse in the Canticles her Eye-walk was among the Excellencies and Beauties of her Beloved the Lord Christ his pure Colours White and Red his most rare features and exact proportions of every part his Head Locks Eyes Cheeks Lips Hands Legs and all his glorious perfections and then addes to fum up all that he is altogether lovely So lovely that her Eye affected her heart and so beloved that she fell sick of love Ah when a heart is strongly enflamed with a Love to Christ the eye will be acted in most wishly lookings upon Christ as the love grows the earnest lookings will grow Here then the Rule is to Meditate in some due measure on this Glorious Object so both infinitely excellent in himself and so mighty a Saviour unto us His infinite Riches and Preciousness in his Natures united in his Offices conferred in his graces fullness perfect performances most perfect Redemption his infinite love pity willingness to save lost Sinners The so great free offers of himself and giving himself to us applying his whole Redemption to us by his mighty operation in us Some singular seriousness and rigour of Meditation cannot but daily be due as that first and chief means to the chief End Christians that least look at Christ and least distinctly view him will make the slowest progress and such as study him most will have the easiest and most expedite coming up to the main Mark. CHAP. VI. Meditation of the Holy Spirit the Applier of Christ and his Redemption 2. SOme due proportion of Thoughts-seriousness is proper to be daily acted in reference to the mighty and only applyer of the work of Christs Redemption the holy Spirit and our great daily helper The Holy Spirit first comes to the Soul and person of a Christian applies Christ to him brings Christ into him makes him his Temple and an Habitation of God and Christ to dwell in the heart The Spirit comes inhabits sweeps and cleanses furnishes the heart with light that was darkness with truth that was errour and deceitfulness with power that was weakness life-warmth
Word and Ways CHAP. IX Of Meditation of the Spirits drawing to Christ by the Promises AS it is the Instrument in the Spirits hand and without which it would do nothing could not awaken humble and convert the Soul so it cannot either convert and bring in or confirm and build up without that most signal sweetest part the precious Promises and the Promises would do nothing out of the hand of the Holy Spirit and his efficacious managing of them The Grounds and Encouragements of all our drawings near to God through Christ by his Spirit in his Ordinances are the Promises of the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace Sinners must not draw nigh to God without his Warrant and Command first given But a Command will not be yielded to unless there be the encouragement of a promise of an acceptance and help in both the first and all other after approches to God Psal 119.49 Gen. 32.9 Exod. 34.6 Num. 14.18 And the Promises must be managed and ordered by the Holy Spirit else they will have no vigour or efficacy as to either initial application of Christ or to any farther and fuller application of him Ephes 1.13 The Spirit is called the Spirit of Promise as given by the Word of Promise Gal. 3.2 Received ye the Spirit by the c. 2 Cor. 3.38 The Gospel that is by the Promises of it is call'd the Ministration of the Spirit which is not only of the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit but the saving operations of it from its inhabitation It is called the Spirit of Promise as conveying and working all to us and in us by the Promise Christ and his Grace is not offered by God nor received by a Christian by any man I mean grown up person but by the offer of him in a Promise there is no immediate acting upon Christ for a first or after and fuller receiving of him but by the medium the way of an intervening Promise God holds forth and Faith sees it and takes Christ offer'd in the Promise Acts 10.43 To him give all the c. As the Spirits humbling is by his whetting and setting home by his art the threatnings of wrath and death Eternal so the comforts of the Spiritare by his setting home the promises of salvation And further supplies of Grace are by the promises through the co-operating of the Holy Spirit bringing us to receive farther of Christ his fulness by the promises that are Yea and Amen in him 2 Cor. 1.20 But all this farther operation of the Spirit and receiving more of the Grace of Christ it is by Meditation and pondering of the Promises Fresh receivings from Christ must be founded in fresh Meditation of the Promises The more intense and earnest the ponderings of the Promises of growth and encrease are the larger will your desires the more earnest your endeavours be after more of Christ Christians are sometimes in great haste to believe strongly but cannot reach it because they meditate on the Promises slenderly They make the best work of it who dwell and act most upon the promises that still Meditate from promise to promise By the Promises we are made partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Cleanse our selves from all pollution of Flesh and Spirit perfect holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 There be great varieties of precious promises for Justification Sanctification and the rest There is a transcendent Truth Goodness and Freeness in the Promises great and rich supplies made over to Believers by them But they will not give down their Milk without our due mindings and daily Meditatings on them Meditation must press out the Juice and sweetness gather the rare Honey that is upon these Flowers of precious Promises If Bones be full of Marrow it must be gotten out by pains and knocking The Promises so full of marrow and sweetness must yield it forth by Meditation Lay sound weight of Meditation on them to press out the Spirit and virtue in them If therefore a Christian would daily have his recourse to Christ if he daily would touch Christ so as to have virtue go out of him for healing and help in any kind bring your Eye to the hand of the Spirit and to the Promise which he must be expected to work your coming to Christ by and fresh receivings of Grace from Meditate well that you may speed well Let the promises mellow in thy heart by Meditation that thou mayst find how sweet they this way are CHAP. X. Of the next thing Meditation may best take in which is that on my part I am to perform 5. IF I would perform in the Day what is incumbent on me to be rightly done I must Meditate of the way where the Holy Spirit may meet and help me Meditate I must of my necessary putting my hand to the work of Christ and bearing his burden and the need I have of the Spirits lending his hand to help me who helps our infirmities I must eye the Rule of the Word by which the Spirit teaches me and the precious promises whereby he encourages me And in that all my conversation in the Day must be holy and heavenly comfortable and fruitful I must meditate of stirring up the grace given me to act by the help of the Spirit upon Christ and to him for working out my own salvation and the glorifying of God thereby This must be if I consider the living the life of Faith more peculiarly and exercising of likewise every Holy Grace the work of the day requires Therefore next my Meditation may be upon the Graces that in the Duties of the day are to be exercised for to be improved Without the exercising of these Graces all the conversation is carnal not spiritual all Duties are but dead carcasses and loathsom to God I must think how my daily course must be a living to the living God a living peculiarly to him that dyed for me and rose again and a living to the blessed Spirit that dwells and works in me and is my mighty helper Likewise I must consider it must be a living very exemplarily towards all men especially the godly that my light may shine before them to provoke and profit them all I can 1. Particularly I must Meditate of living the life of precious and glorious Faith the Grace of Graces Faith as to the whole word of God all the precepts promises threats and Recorded Examples acting more peculiarly Faith in the promises and by the promises on Jesus Christ acting more on his All-sufficiency to save and for receiving fresh strength and supplies for the Duties and Occasions of the day ensuing Likewise through Christ I should think of my access to the Father of trusting to Gods All-sufficiency his Wisdom Truth Righteousness Holiness Goodness Mercy Love Free Grace and all his infinite perfections with his providence preserving and governing all things to the least and toward my own self in particular in a most excellent wise holy and
this spring of self and sinful interest is more apt to owse out of my heart and make a breach in the Banks that Christ by his grace hath made there That particular evil which is so strong stirring and striving to carry me down the stream and keep me under I was upright saith the Prophet Psal 18.23 before him and kept my self from mine iniquity that sin which had been of peculiar prevalence and would be so again the sin that had special edge and eagerness too oft appearing and endeavouring it attempting to make its escape from his watch his heart-keeping and appear in act and power There is some corruption or evil in every spirit which like some rank weed in the Garden is still putting up or ready to put forth like some leak in a Vessel ready to run out by it This needs a special minding and considering sutable to its dangerousness as that which will be a thorn in the Foot hinder our going work disquiet dash our confidence before God and weaken our hands from our work I must peculiarly consider this daily that it get not at any time ground of me but that I gain upon it more that I watch it fight it look that this Gangreen spread not run not up to my heart but that I stop and kill it Minding it duly will provoke to endeavour a right course for the just cure and sound healing of it Meditation may be also of what other evils are busie in my bosom what are stirring most what are getting any ground and what are losing it 2. What graces I want or have most need of to enable me more to lift up the Name of Christ sweeten my spirit with peace ease my course and render me more serviceable to others Every day I should well attend to what Gospel Ornaments and Jewels I ought to put on and wear before others to make my conversation shine Col. 3.12 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7. Pliny reports of Poppaea the Wife of the Roman Emperour Nero that when she was to go abroad she still would be deckt and adorn'd with such abundance and varieties of most precious Stones and Jewels as it dazled the eyes of the Beholders And I have read of a like manner of the Mogul or great Emperour in the East-Indies who if on some special times he sits out to be seen by the Common people he puts on such great numbers of Diamonds Carbuncles Rubies and other glistering and glorious Jewels as they cannot without great admiration behold him yea can hardly by reason of the Suns shining and reflections discern his face the glory of the Jewels is so great Christians must consider their putting on and wearing the rich Ornaments and Jewels of heavenly graces to shine gloriously in them and take the Eyes of all that behold them with the discoveries of the Soul inward Beauties of Faith Love Hope Joy Fear Humility Meekness Patience Contentedness heavenly mindedness and rest to the glory of Christ in whose beams of Beauty and Glory they ever should shine 3. When holy David in his course of Meditation after matters of his private concernment closes so ordinarily the whole Meditation with that grand interest of Zion the Churches case may not this be then a Rule to our Meditation for a high demonstration of our publick spiritedness our constant mindings of that superlative and transcendent interest of God in this world the glory of his great Name in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the people given to him their peace prosperity and glory and the disappointments of all their Enemies Designs which also is an Article in their Heavenly Jointure Some other particulars might farther be mentioned to be taken in by Meditation such as matters of our callings and daily converse in varieties of Companies and Friends and how to be right Christian in them excell in improving them to their proper uses and ends for the glory of God 4. Meditation for review of the work of the day There remains but one thing more to be added namely in the close of the day should be or is fit to be that Meditation of review or that overlooking of matters in the foregoing day to make a happy closing it up by a fresh humbling our selves and returning to God and acting new Recumbencies on his free rich grace in Christ by the precious promises to sweeten our lying down 5. And in the Night season that great time with David and others of the Saints When I awake let me be ever with God and my Meditation of him sweet Psal 139. Psal 104. The sum of that hath been mentioned about daily Meditation is 1. To enter the Duty at our awaking with Reflections on the matters of the Night past the preservations and comforts especially of that time 2. To look forward to the incumbencies of the coming day and how best to redeem it by Endeavour 1. To act a fresh setting up the supreme end of glorifying God 2. To have a serious musing on the next end my own Eternal Happiness 3. Then to mind the proportionate means to the mark or end I aim at 1. Therefore first to look wishly at the fullness of Christ freely offered as the way to God and happiness 2. To Meditate on our mighty helper the Holy Spirit the great Applyer of Redemption 3. Meditations on the Ordinances of Christ the walks and ways the Holy Spirit comes in and applies Christ to the Soul by 4. Meditation of the Word and Promises which the Spirit in the Ordinances useth as the peculiar instruments of drawing the heart to Christ and of applying him daily more 5. Meditation of the several Graces to be continually on the occasions requiring exercised and improved 6. Meditation of our spiritual Enemies the Flesh within Satan and the World without More particularly 1. Meditating in reference to reading the Holy Scripture with those graces I am to exercise in my Reading 2. The Meditation private Prayer calls for if I pray before reading or when I can and am any time in the day to pray privately 3. Meditation of what is the chief grace I am defective in or the peculiar blessing I want at present 4. Meditation of the grand interest of God as relating to his Church in the world 5. The Meditation of review or self-examination in reference to things of the day past These heads I have mentioned not to impose on any as to matter or method absolutely but to propose some things which if not alway necessary yet that may be performed in some degree as ability and opportunity admits Divers of the particulars if daily Meditation be judged necessary by us I am sure then they inust be judged necessary for such as daily will observe it CHAP. XIV Of the Sabbath and Lords day THere now remains but one thing more to be added to what hath been said concerning daily Meditation namely the Meditation relating to that eminent day of God first the seventh day of the
these acted with the purest enmity keenest malice utmost vigilancy and unwearied diligence He hath the higher ground of us by far as being a Spirit and of the highest rank of Creatures as to his Nature and Essence and is thereby most wise and strong and agile He is immortal never can dye nor in any sort decay as we and other creatures decay in strength senses and exercising of our souls faculties understanding memory and others as he is never dying nor in the least decaying so he hath been is and ever will be to the worlds end trying and tempting Trying and practising upon the innumerable sorts of persons of all Sexes all Ages that are capable in the least degree to be tempted of all ranks conditions relations in all places whatsoever through the vast inhabited earth Job 1.7 He also enlarges his experiences puts still fresh on his file improves continually his arts of deceiving and doth he not grow more bold raging and busie as his time grows shorter Rev. 12.12 Pondered well it should be that 't is not one single Devil to tempt us but there are Legions very many of them and they are all one huge Army of Devils under one great Head The Devil and his Angels Mat. 25.41 Rev. 12.7 His Angels are his assistants which constantly and exactly comply and co-operate with him The Devils never are divided do not jar and act against each other but are all of one interest of destroying Souls and accordingly do harmoniously contend Oft in Scripture mention is made of Satan and the Devil as if he were a single one But this may be to shew their unanimity and unity The Scripture hath sufficiently warned us and related his attempts and prevailings as first upon Adam and Eve in their state of innocency and perfection yet he then though they knew not only their own happiness but all their posterities though never so numerous lay at the stake he then by his Artifices and subtlety prevailed After that upon the second man that ever was upon the deceived Parents first born Cain therefore 1 Joh. 3.12 Cain is said to be of the wicked one and on sundry other wicked all along still the current of time Yea prevailed he often hath upon the very best Saints that ever the world had Job David Peter and others Job 3.1 c. 2 Sam. 24.1 Mat. 26.3 he forbears none Therefore it is very much to be considered and how he is to be watched and warred with and the Armour of proof is to be duly minded and the putting of it on Ephes 6.13 He that hath conquered him the Lord Jesus and that hath conquered him for his members this glorious conquest must be meditated upon as the strongest Cordial in the case and way of taking it the Promise with the way of acting by the Promise Praying and other Ordinances given for our help this need be often a great Meditation 7. That Enemy the World should have its due Meditation Its allurements on the one side its oppositions on the other I must meditate on the diversities of baits the latitudes of Pleasures heights of Honour heaps of Wealth 1 Joh. 2.15 Friends Relations Company Converse Cares Business and all my Lets Diversions Entanglements of all the evils in Troubles Forcings Frauds Plottings and all ways of ensnaring and ruining me Also the World in so many respects being suited either to my natural inclination or my customary readiness for closing with it or otherwise to my fears and cowardise softness and fickleness weakness and weariness to withstand or overcome it Yet I must consider how the Saints have overcome the world by acting as Moses and others their self-denyal looking to the recompence of reward looking to him that is invisible and especially to Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith and by Faith and Patience both enduring and gloriously overcoming 8. Sometimes I may very fruitfully meditate on the wants and weakness of my Grace begun in some measure 2 Pet. 1.5 it s often ebbings and flowings its stops and stands A little progress at the best my so carnal heart makes also of the extream need I have of continual stirring up and exercising Faith Love Hope Fear and other Graces thereby to grow stronger and put forth vigorously on all occasions minding also the helps I have in Christs holy Ordinances encouragements in the precious promises and supplies by the blessed Spirits operations out of the so great fulness of Christ 9. Oft I should apply my seriousness to that so concerning particular the continual and fast running out of the golden sands of my time and special seasons for working out of my salvation The time is short faith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.29 Psal 39.5 Behold thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth Seasons past can never be recall'd seasons present cannot be stopt from running out Opportunity is the greatest Talent as the saying is as that whereby we employ all other Talents Therefore we are so often earnestly call'd upon for redeeming time as Eph. 5.16 Redeeming the time Eccl. 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might for there is no work in the Grave c. Though time and seasons as the course of the Heavens may be made to stop if the Sun as in Joshua's time should miraculously stand still Jos 10.13 or as in Hezekiah's time go back Isa â— 8 yet mens particular time then did not go back or stand still so our particular time of life cannot go back or stand still Job 9.25 and 14.1 2. and ver 5. Life every moment shortens and is melting down into its appointed period Life is a thing of the greatest contingency and uncertainty there is no Ensurance Office set up for it It passes swiftly without pause or stop this the Scripture both minds us greatly of and furnishes us with rare precedents of the Saints serious and moving Meditations about it O let me then look on them and do likewise I let me use and improve the patterns purposely there recorded to help and quicken my forgetful dead spirit I next come to speak of the four last things as they commonly are called Death Judgment Hell and Heaven CHAP. XVIII Meditation of Death THE uncertainty of life last mentioned leads me to the subject next akin to it that so considerable and consequential point of Mortality Death and Dissolution O that here I could be the highest Artist to speak most fitly and movingly to this subject Death or at least to do something which might prove effectual to some such proper and proportionate way of directing and quickning this so necessary and useful Meditation This is the great momentous and most highly concerning thing the end and winding up of life and all affairs and matters relating to it and that which casts me and determines my condition for all Eternity in woe or happiness Let me therefore endeavour the best I can at all times to improve my thinkings of it
is to frequently in my thoughts put my self into the condition of a present dying How it must be with me let me look on my self how certainly without flattery I am prepared to dye If I have a Christ in my bosom the Love of God assured and can dye in the Lord 2 Cor. 13.5 dye in Faith and look Death in the face boldly resign up my soul freely into Christs hands these make for this Agony the highest Cordial these furnish me with Armour of proof against this Enemy But let me then look on my self as having no means farther to preserve me all Physick Art and Experiences withdrawing their usual help Friends standing about me pitying lamenting me but not able to evidence more than their kind wishes and I my self perceiving Deaths summons sent me as to King Hezekiah but without expecting any Messenger after to be sent with better News Prayers now and all such means also reversed and proving labours lost I now feeling my decays and hastening away my disquiets and pains encreasing strength failing spirits sinking heat turned into chillness Cramps contractions of Nerves and limbs following breath shortening speech faultring heart pangs and agonies now multiplying the whole frame of the body shaking the Hands snatching Eye-strings as they say breaking and after many deep heavy sighings and groanings the Soul comes forth with gaspings and sitting upon my quivering lips upon the last gasp takes its nimble flight leaves its old habitation to rottenness and corruption and launches forth into an everlasting new condition Lord teach me so to number my days see how frail I am Psal 90.12 Psal 39.1 let me so often realize this dying to my self in most serious Meditation put my self into this condition of Deaths coming and acting his part his utmost on me that I may both familiarize and facilitate this so dreadful and difficult work that I may be greatly desirous to be dissolved and be thereby with Christ which is best of all O that I may perform this last work best which that I may and make that great Enemy my great Friend my Losses greatest Gain let me still mind Christ's healing this bitter water making it sweet making this Deaths-day better than the Births-day let my thoughts be on the Sting's pulling out that it cannot hurt if I am Christ's Death is ours if we are Christ's and for our most high advantages as being the great outlet of all evil and misery I now shall sin no more be tempted and ensnared no more the World shall now be corruptions bait and Satans Hook no more Satan shall never throw at me any fiery dart more God will never desert me hide his face from me more All Miseries Crosses Losses Poverty Shame Pain Sickness Weakness Weariness Faintness Hunger Thirst Cold Nakedness Labour Toil Cares Fears Sorrows and Disquiets and whatsoever of this lifes Evils can be named is at an Eternal end And Death becomes the great inlet of all good to flow in most abundantly a passage to Heaven to be possest of a Crown of Glory to enjoy the innumerable company of Saints and Angels to be with Christ and seeing God face to face and fulness of felicity for evermore CHAP. XIX Of Judgment after death ON the sad parting of those two dearest friends Soul and Body comes instantly the doom and sentence Heb. 9.27 the particular Judgment of the person to pass and be put in execution to an Eternal Estate either of Happiness or Misery immediately as to the immortal Soul and afterward at the General Resurrection of Body and Soul in Conjunction This therefore little foregoing Day of Judgment upon which by the Bodies mortality and necessity of dying and the Souls immortality and necessity of not dying every person comes to be stated in eternal misery or happiness unavoidably is a point of most high consequence to be well considered deeply weighed often dwelt upon in our most prudent improvements of retiredness A very great frequency and repetition of our best thoughts and serious ponderings must be the Tribute of this concern this vertical point this Judgment which casts the scales and makes full weight for misery or felicity for ever For as the tree falls so it lies as Death leaves Judgment this particular Judgment finds us dooms us irreversibly there is no bringing a Writ of Errour no Appeal to be made no pardon now the Judge will give no petition he will receive no stay of proceedings can in the least be granted or lookt for on any ground This to every particulat person in some respect is his great day of Judgment this disposes and dispatches this secures and keeps me for the great general Assize and Judgment this is the Foundation that will be the Superstructure this is secret that is solemn this for a private execution that for one in open view of all But this Judgment particular strikes the first stroke of utter undoing or lends the first hand of help to an eternal saving and without which the great Judgment doth not proceed Ah then well may I afford this Judgment a great frequency largeness seriousness of thoughts which launches the Ship of my Soul into the Ocean of Eternity which lets my Soul either presently to sink into the Bottomless Pit purposely sends it thither casts it into the Lake of Everlasting Fire or sends it into Abrahams bosom into the harbour of eternal happiness and enters this Jewel into the Cabinet of Heaven Ah how unspeakably considerable is this particular Judgment The very moment of my death that is uncertain and the very next moment after death comes certain Judgment irresistably and irrecoverably and determines our state of Eternity CHAP. XX. Of the general Judgment Day BUT then particular Judgment foregoing this is but the foundation and introduction of the following The private and partial execution on the Soul separate from the Body shall have a publick and most solemn both manifestation and consummation with it 1. This day among other ends is reserved for the so great and glorious manifestation of the infinite holiness and righteousness grace and mercy wrath and severity and other Attributes of God never in this world having their so full discovery as now by the intendment and most wise contrivance of a God they shall have before Angels and Saints Devils and wicked men The Judgment-day Rom. 2.5 is called the day of the Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God of that righteousness that so great and glorious Attribute so little understood less considered so much questioned and cavil'd at the highest declaration and fullest Revelation that ever was shall be then made and seen by all So the rest of Gods Attributes shall obtain their meridian height and shine forth in their most perfect resplendencies Therefore it needs must be a very great day when it is so intended purposely to be the greatest day that ever was or can be 2. It is also purposely constituted for the highest glory of Jesus
caught up to meet and see the Lord Jesus their Saviour and now the glorious Judge coming to consummate their happiness in soul and body together to die no more and to meet with all the Saints and Angels come from Heaven and to be for ever with the Lord never to be from him again 5. But others that were wicked and now raised with the other black Troop that were in Hell and now have their Souls united to their bodies All shall be brought before Christ the Judge according to the opinion of some sitting on a high Throne in the Air the Saints and Angels all attending about him 9. For the manner of these proceedings alluding to the manner of mens Judicatures as Revelations Chapter 20. 1. All persons small and great are brought and stand before God that is Christ God and man 2. The Books are opened the Book of Gods Omniscience and the Books of mens hearts and consciences not in an imperfect state of ignorance and forgetfulness but fully prepared for their work of answering at the Tribunal and Bar of Christ 3. It is a judging men according to their works for that hath been done in the body good or evil Eccl. 12.16 And a judging every secret thing of mens hearts Rom. 2.16 Some conceive that seeing there will be the Revelation of the righteous judgment of God Rom. 2. therefore it will have a long time to judge the cause of every person in all particulars that so the righteousness of the judgment and sentence of Christ with the Execution of it may fully appear and none to have any least objection against it But others think there will not be so particular a discovery and tryal of all things relating to the Saints but a more general one However Christians must be diligent to be found of Christ without spot and blameless as 2 Pet. 3.14 10. When the cases of all have been tryed and made to appear the Sheep having been separate from the Goats and set at Christs right hand the Goats on the left the sentence then passes that most comfortable sentence for the Sheep the Righteous now so judged by the heart-knowing and most just Judge Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you And that terrible sentence on the Goats now openly convicted Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels To which the Saints and Angels all give their full approbation as also to the doom upon the Devils 11. Upon which the most righteous execution follows of both the sentences for the righteous and against the wicked ones To make all this obtain a more efficacious impression daily on my spirit let me strive to represent this Day as now come that I hear the Trump sound see the dead rise the living all changed in a moment looking up I see Christ coming in the Clouds with great glory Angels and Saints all attending him Christ placed on the Throne of Judgment all persons convented before him and my self among the rest my case tryed my works words thoughts and all my secrets judged and my state for all Etemity determined and now when the World is all on Fire the wicked sent into that everlasting destruction the righteous going with Christ into Heaven and everlasting happiness what my own particular condition is like to be If I can come before Christ the all-knowing Judge with confidence and exceeding joy shall be absolved and hear that joyful sentence Come thou blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for thee CHAP. XXI Of Meditation of Hell and Death Eternal therein THE very naming of Death is dreadful Death Eternal is much more dreadful but a being in Hell the worst place possible is most dreadful of all Hell though in the meer mentioning it makes such a jarr upon the spirit of any though the least touching on it by a but glancing thought the least touch be like the needles sharp point to the Apple of the Eye so acute a pain and smart yet must the Eye of the soul by Meditation not only touch it but take it close to it but dwell upon it Death natural in the but very thought hath a very high attending regret we cannot endure to look deathward but O how greatly unwilling to look in the least this sad way destruction-ward Hell-ward toward death Eternal The first is tasting Gall but the second is a drinking Poyson The one hath a deep attending reluctancy the other a double died antipathy It 's the harshest task for a sinner it 's a hard for a Saint to fix willingly and dwell in Meditation on so sad and dreadful a subject as Hell is yet is it that which must be done and by a holy wise spirit may be both confidently and advantageously done The best Christian on earth will lose nothing by sometimes looking into Hell and fixing the thoughts there No man ever yet fled from Hell but first fixt his thoughts in some proportion on it No man will flye fast enough from this Pit of perdition this Lake of Fire if he do not oft look towards it and keep his Eye upon it Hell and Death Eternal are set down in Scripture for both evil and good mens flying but this cannot be compast without frequencies of earnest ponderings and meditatings For a right proceeding in this Meditation 1. Let me first look to that which is my infallible rule the testimony of that God who founded Hell and laid the corner stone of it who first threatned and prepared this Prison this Pit of destruction who knows all the large dimensions of it all things in and about it and cannot nor will not in the least deceive us in it He hath given us his Word to tell us and that under his own hand in great numbers and varieties of passages that we cannot rationally conceive he would so do mention and give it so many times under his own hand were there no such thing no local Hell and second Death Eternal My way therefore as a good Christian is to look up gather Scripture passages passage after passage all over the Book of God as I find this asserted in them O shall my lives time ravel out without any redeeming it as to this particular of giving due down weight of thoughts frequent serious thoughts as opportunity can be had of Death Eternal in Hell I must not only say there is a Hell I must not only give it for granted as most persons do but I must be concluded under the Scripture Authority See it and say it upon due perswasion upon clear demonstration demonstration on conclusive argumentation Arguments chosen as so many Arrows taken out of Christs Quiver the Scriptures levell'd right flying round up to the mark and hitting full my unbelieving and recoiling averse spirit making it fall down under this weighty truth reducing it through Christs help to a firm and operative belief yea so to assent to and ponder this so high
make much use of this short way of Meditation when he often could not go the other larger way As he was frequent in his sudden short prayings so must he be much in short sudden meditatings which were the ground commonly of his prayings The Psalms shew his frequent using this short way of meditation and praying Thus Psal 15. a Psalm of but five verses So Psal 127. a Psalm of five verses and Psal 125. the like and Psal 123. hath a Meditation of four verses Psal 131. is a Meditation of three verses and Psal 117. is a Meditation of but two verses yet the spirit of God is pleas'd to have it recorded Many other Psalms we have very short that were his quick Meditations left all for teaching us to do likewise looking on his example This Meditation though of shorter time yet so far as we can must have its Regulation and Governance 1. It should so near as we can have its stamp and ingredient of holy reverence All thoughts of holy things must not be how sudden soever acts of rashness and over-haste without heed and fear the name of a glorious God is upon every Ordinance that must not be taken in vain 2. It should be the product and issue of holy lingering after God and communion with him from a thirsting for God to taste a little when we cannot have fuller draughts of him 3. It should be the glance of a spiritual Eye looking from love being enamoured with God and Christ and heavenly things Not a looking from Custom and an use to satisfie conscience calling for something may look like a Duty but from the strength and predominancy of the fire of heavenly love Psal 119.97 O how love I thy Law it s my Meditation all the day As other so this sort of Meditation must have a rise from love Love breeds longing and looking it introduces a pleasure in a looking though but a glancing of the Eye on the surpassing beauty and loveliness of God and Jesus Christ and the glorious things of Heaven Ah how excellent is this frame of spirit how sweet and pleasant is it to have the Eye often on these so rare beauties from being as the Spouse in the Canticles both really and deeply in love 4. It should be aim'd and levell'd at the right mark pleasing and glorifying God and for communion farther with him that he may see how the pulse of our Souls beats how the Eye looks how we act and how our hearts make still their holy escapes from the crowd and obstructings of occasions to give him a friendly spiritual visit to let him see the fervour of our love by endeavours so oft as we can to do him homage and honour As when we would shew our high respect and honour to any person we make the more frequent visits when we cannot make long stay So here when throngs of indispensable occasions hinder the set and larger engagements in Meditation make we it up in shorter visits in often thinkings short visits rightly aim'd bring sweet peace Let it not be therefore so hasty as we observe some Children call'd to go to a place that run without their errand to act without aim right aiming the end lays the foundation of a Dutys excellency O let my spirit if I cannot think and dwell long upon heavenly things through weakness let it make up the defect by thinking often Let the dartings upward be the livelier and thicker like a Golden Chain which is very long though the Links be very little O let me trade drive a quick trade with littles Light gains make a heavy purse little frequent tradings will gain me much here This short often acting up will make my heart keep still open to Heaven keep the path-way thither beaten plain easie and so make it pleasant for my spirit to walk in make this Meditation highly sweet a rare refreshing The frequencies of thinkings heaven-ward will have this threefold advantage these three excellent fruits 1. Frequencies of heavenly thoughts will breed and cherish an habitual heavenly mindedness unto that primitive Grace that habit of regenerating Grace which brings a tendency and bent of soul making it incline heavenward it will superadde an habitual heavenly mindedness a heart peculiarly and powerfully ready and active heavenward As an Artist which hath not only reason first to dispose him fit him for his Trade but the peculiar habit a head and hand for it to understand and act as an Artist 2. The frequencies of heavenly will thereby be an exclusive and thruster out of earthly thoughts the right way of a compendious cure It 's not the way so much to stand watching and striving to drive them away to be on the defensive barely but to be on the positive in acting good thoughts that will keep out bad As if Wine first fills the Vessel there is no room for Water if a Treasury be full of Gold there is no room for rubbish 3. This frequent short darting upward will end with leaving an after sweetness upon the palate of the spirit short when heavenly will be sweet as every crum of Sugar leaves some sweetness on the palate every drop of pure live honey a delicious after relish so this short Meditation The Manna that dewed down upon the Israelites Camp lay like small Coriander seeds which they gathered ground and made their Bread of which had a rare rellish This sort of Meditation may gather still some little seeds of heavenly Manna soul-Bread with new fresh delicious sweetness following The heavenly minded person may as the manner of some is go ever with some rich tasted and sented thing in the mouth Whensoever cares and diversions press hard hang heavy draw strongly greatly disquiet and weary thy spirit here is an out-let an escape a rare way of interposition and soul easing diversion yea of a short though sweet and heavenly solace It may be lookt on as a shadow a resemblance of the blessed Apostles sudden carrying into the third Heaven Instantly thou this way art above though presently below again This is far surpassing all the sensual and sinful pleasures in the world These short tastes by giving our worldly occasions the slip and mounting up to Heaven These short visits made there these spiritual short applications made to Heaven to the blessed God to Jesus Christ for communion with him and the Father have more sweet pure powerful and heart elevating joy than is possible to be had in any carnal or earthly things They at the highest brightest and sweetest have something to top dim and embitter them Prov. 14.13 Even in c. But every way of godliness is a path of pleasantness and sweetness which none know but such as try it I now have through Christs assistance finisht this last way of Meditation sudden and ejaculatory and so the whole nature and several kinds of Meditation with such things as are comprised in it according to my slender ability and the opportunity I
failing is hurt and failing it self As when failing of sence or motion in an Hand or Leg it 's num or cannot stir this is from the cold clammy humors lying at and obstructing the heads of those Nerves that did convey motive or sensitive spirits to that part is num or motionless Now Meditation is a head or rise of motions spiritual Reasons and Arguments are as the Nerves that convey and stir up heat spirit and motion into holy performances This is one very great cause holy Duties are no more lively and warm the cure must be in removing the obstructions opening the spring-head of Meditation making that run fresh and full in such considerations as may warm and quicken The wisdom of Christians therefore is to take as we said that great Artists way the holy Psalmist that acted godliness so eminently and among others upon this eminent acting still of Meditation he tells how he prayed day and night and how he still praised and highly rendred his thanksgivings and blessings and he tells you how he meditated day and night And he tells you his Meditation assisted and contributed as Psal 5. He tells you his Prayer was his Meditation because assisted quickened and prepared by Meditation If Christians would use to Meditate more carefully and constantly it would help to keep up better the vigour of Prayer so would it likewise keep life and warmth in all other holy duties No Christians are warmer at the heart and livelier in holy services than those who meditate most but never expect the one without the other Keep this Fountain open and still running this is the water to drive the Mill the Wind that moves the sails the spring in the Watch that carries all the Wheels and keeps them going I speak as to that is to be done on our part otherwise God does all in all 5. Meditation is necessary to be an exclusive and keeper out of evil and vain thoughts and to dislodge them naturally all the imaginations of the heart are evil and only evil continually Gen. 6.5 Vain thoughts lodge and repose as in a Bed in a carnal heart Jer. 4.14 How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee Ephes 4.17 Walking in the vanity of your minds The way and walk is in the vanity of the mind To dislodge these lodgers and shut them out is by accustoming and exercising the mind to good thoughts to be the excluders of bad thoughts The Learned Sir Francis Bacon observes as the cures of bodily diseases are by applying things contrary to them so the defects of the mind are helpt by contrary studies Poetry makes men witty History wise the Mathematicks subtil Natural Philosophy deep Moral Philosophy grave Logick and Rhetorick able to contend these Arts help the defects of Nature by working contrary habits proper for the cure of those defects So in spiritual distempers and defects there are sutable cures and remedies by applyings and actings of the contraries So Rom. 8.13 If ye mortifie the deeds of the body by the spirit All sins particular sins are mortifi'd by those Graces are contrary to those sins so distrust is mortified by holy trusting passion and wrath by godly meekness Pride by Humility worldly affections by heavenly affections still acted and so evil thoughts by good roving wandring and wild imaginations by Godly Consideration and Meditation which accustoming our selves unto will work off customary vain and wandring thoughts a holy principle of Meditation the sinful principle of evil thinkings It is not so much the striving and tugging against corruptions to keep them down though we must both watch and war against them but the acting of the contrary Grace that best relieves us to strive after a bare suppressing of sin and of evil thoughts in particular comes to little This is a kind of being only upon the defensive for an observing and marking the risings and stirrings of corruption and sins it may be with a good measure of grief and reluctancy but this is rather a telling and reckoning the evil thoughts and stirrings and lying expos'd still to fresh assaults leaving corruptions opportunity to return so oft as they will than to abate and suppress them It can do little unless we go this way to work The best and nearest way to dislodge and exclude evil thoughts is by lodging and acting good thoughts in this way this ordinance of Meditation which will keep us God keeps us when we keep his and our way The way when they come as we should against evil thoughts act detestation but withal act diversion act not detestation alone but diversion Let thy heart both turn inwardly against them and turn also from them by turning upon something is both spiritual and seasonable So soon as the Poyson of evil thoughts would infect take the antidote the best preservative of diversion to and acting of good and holy thoughts the art of diversion is better than meer acting still of striving and opposition Yea Secondly Meditation is to be exercised not only as an exclusive of bad thoughts but for an introductive of good thoughts good thoughts in a way for an arriving at habitual heavenly mindedness for an introductive of heavenly mindedness where there was formerly a walking in the vanity of the mind Gen. 6.5 All the thoughts of the heart evil continually customarily habitually evil for I say an introductive to heavenly mindedness and likewise for an improver of heavenly mindedness daily In handling the Explication of the description of Meditation when the ends of it were mentioned among other ends this was one Meditation must be performed to be a moulder and framer of habitual heavenly wisdom making the spirit of a Christian habitually wise so I adde now Meditation is to be performed to introduce and after that improve an habitual heavenly mindedness It is not only incumbent on thee to shut out evil thoughts and endeavour good thoughts to take up the old lodgings of the evil and so thrust and keep them out but thou must by Meditation by constant using it endeavour habitual heavenly mindedness In all truly gracious hearts a principle that inclines that introduces a bent and tendency of soul heaven-ward but this at the first is a tender bud it is but weak and inclines weakly acts feebly in comparison of after time when it 's grown and strengthened by exercise when we exercise and use to meditate this dips and dyes the spirit into the tincture and Grain Colour of habitual heavenly mindedness Though the first fundamental inclination and bent of spirit heaven-ward must be sought till it be found the carnal earthly mindedness changed into heavenly yet this if we were never so assured of it must not satisfie here no Christian must set up But to the now first principle and the fundamental habit obtained this superadded acquired habit should be this second grand endeavour and intension first to have the spiritual habit the new fundamental heart-tendency then to have this inclination
heightened ripened and corroborated by habit attain'd upon frequencies and constancies of practice and using this heavenly meditating This David the excellent example of actings in this high-way to Heaven God says of him when he was very young when Samuel came to annoint him he was one whose heart he lookt on as being principled with piety and real holiness he had a heart inclined set for God and things heavenly but he acted holiness exercised himself in it and in this particular way of Meditation till it ripened and arrived at habitual meditation from holding up a constancy in it This may be gathered from the character he gives of a godly man and from his own still practice Psal 1.2 In the Law of the Lord he meditates day and night when a man begins to be godly hath the principle this will incline him to begin this godliness this meditation But then godly wisdom teaches to practise it for to use meditating to get a hand at this rare work to come to an habitual heavenly mindedness So David that was so wise so excellently wise as Psal 119.98 99. he had acted the fundamental principle Psal 119.112 He inclined his heart to keep all the Commandments alway and he exercised meditation to babitual heavenly mindedness for he tells us Psal 119.97 Psal 63.6 he meditated all the day meditated in the night watches when he still awoke he was ever with God He gets the habitual heavenly mindedness and then it was easie and by being sound easie it was withal his delight Meditation at first the burden and yoke of heavenly Meditation lying on the weak shoulders of the new Convert with only his new principle of grace begun is a hard and heavy work though the spirit be willing yet to perform it is weak But when this work is carried on and daily practised then by custom and habit an acquired habit then it is easie then 't is the great soul-solace and delight David's habitual beavenly mindedness was the rare product and issue of his meditation he found it so and therefore followed the faster Therefore this ought to be a grand intendment A heavenly mindedness when 't is habitual when it is corroborated and of a young tender Plant is grown to be a Tree of strength and yet is growing more this is a rare excellency and gloriously sweet attainment a heavenly minded man how excellent is such a one generally in all mens tyes This makes a Christian still with God have his way above his conversation in Heaven Psal 139.18 Phil. 3.20 feed on Manna fill with peace and joy overflow and abound in singular fruitfulness towards others Out of the abundance of heart-heavenliness the mouth speaks and the whole conversation shines in an exemplary walking Therefore the heart must be meditating upon heavenly things that it still may be framing and fixing bigher in habitual thinkings Meditate thy self into heavenly mindedness that so blessed and glorious frame To conclude this third Reason Therefore the Scripture holds forth Meditation in several sorts 1. Daily doing it in course 2. Then occasional meditating as a superaddition 3. And that of ejaculation or short and more sudden darting up the thoughts to Heav'n to come in as an Auxiliary supply when the other Meditation more solemn and set cannot be used Ejaculations may oft interpose in our course This is a wedge may be driven in enter the throng and crowd of occasions when matters lie before us as tough and knotty pieces of wood when they will not give way to meditation at large but hinder it this wedge may and will ever enter if we apply it to keep up the constancy of heavenly mindedness Ah how should my spirit bless abundantly that God who hath so fully provided for a lying open of 〈◊〉 way to Heaven that my soul may mount up 〈◊〉 so frequently and be either detained above by 〈◊〉 Contemplation or at least to touch at Heaven by 〈…〉 CHAP. XXIX Of the fourth ground that supports this Duty of Meditation 4. THE fourth and last ground to support this weighty work of holy Meditation is the consideration of the great advantages or disadvantages arising from the careful performance or careless neglect of it Every Ordinance of Christ hath holy advantages attending it those who use them aright daily experience how good it is to walk in the King of Heaven's high-ways 1. The first I shall name is that so glorious advantage of improving our communion and acquainunce with God Job 22.21 1 Joh. 1.3 No communion we can expect much less can we improve it out of the use of holy Ordinances whereby we draw neer to God and God to us Although God himself be not so tyed to these ways but he may come to us when and how he pleaseth yet we are tyed to Gods Ordinances as our ways of acquaintance with him and when in a holy manner we draw neer to God he hath promised to command the blessing to us Psal 133.5 Psal 24.5 He shall c. Meditation being then his Ordinance it is a way of communion a singular way of acting our spirits towards him of acting our minds and thoughts in a way of reference to him either more directly or less sometimes Meditation is acted on his infinite excellencies in seeing his infinite beauty and loveliness admiring and glorifying him and by this Contemplation we come to an improvement of our knowledge to understand more of him an enlargement of affections encouragement of our wills chusings of him and aimings at his glorifying and exalting excciting and stirring up the Graces of Faith for stronger recumbencies on his All-sufficiency love to cleave more humility to stoop and submit more patience to endure more willingly and other Graces to act higher in their spheres and ranks by all in the ways of exercising them to own him and have him more to be our God Meditation helps to move and carry the soul and all that is of it and in it towards God And when we act upon him open the doors of our hearts to him Rev. 3.20 God he comes in and manifests himself in his Grace Quicknings Supportings Comforts he sups with us as Rev. 3.20 and we sup with him he is pleased and delighted with our Graces exercised towards him and we sup with him in his manifestations of himself to us in his helpings of us gladding and chearing our spirits ravishing our hearts with the tastes of his love CHAP. XXX Of solace and spiritual pleasure another end of Meditation 2. AS it is a way of singular communion with God so it is for a heavenly walk of great soul-solace and delight a path of pleasantness to walk turn and recreate thy spirit in as Solomon Prov. 3.17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness all her ways all the particular paths in those ways and therefore this way and it is made purposely by Christ for his people to walk and turn in One of the stately large high walks in the
say'st thou wretched sinner is not this charge all this indictment in every particular true witnessed and proved to thy face Do not I the heart-knowing Judge know it is every tittle true and doth not thy own heart thy own bosom the Book of thy conscience shew it to be true cannot but yield it so Ah true true it is Lord all in every tittle most true I cannot deny it nor will contend to justifie or excuse my self in the least 7. Then sinner thou acknowledgest thy self by all that hath been shewn and proved to thy face and by thy own confession of all that thou art guilty what sayst thou therefore to the whole charge Guilty or not Guilty Guilty guilty Lord What hast thou then to alleage why sentence of condemnation should not pass upon thee Ah Mercy mercy Lord I beg mercy I have only mercy to entreat O pity pity mercy I most humbly crave No no it is now no time for mercy for any pity time was when thou livedst under the free ten-of it but now time 's past now go thou cursed wretch that wouldst never consider never meditate go thou foolish sinner thou lazy slothful sinner that wouldst not take the pains and dis-ease thy self so far as to engage in a little thought-labour go thou stubborn stout-hearted sinner that wouldst not stoop to take up this easie yoke this light burden of being sometimes rightly serious of a now and then some few minutes time meditating and pondering matters spiritual and eternal but only worldly carnal and perishing matters these these were the things had all thy mindings all thy seriousness and earnestness and thy constancies of thoughts go therefore thou foolish lazy stubborn sinner into that place which is prepared for all such as thou art Take him away bind him hand and foot cast him into utter darkness Most just just and righteous is it Lord cry all the Bench of Saints and Angels full evidence and his own confession there is that he would not obey this righteous Law would not use his thinking power to think of thee Lord Jesus nor the things of thy Kingdom nay he would not bethink himself think of his immortal souls highest concerns but minded wholly other things than the main O 't is most righteous righteous Lord that thou hast judged thus When the sentence is thus pronounced by the mouth of Jesus Christ the Judge when all that innumerable company of Saints and Angels have unanimously not one dissenting approved the righteousness of the whole proceeding and just doom and sentence what then presently follows but driving away from the face of Christ dragging and haling to the place of Execution thrusting into the pit of darkness a filling up with scalding wrath brim full and a sealing up in that woful place and state for ever and for ever Ah then thou that art and hast never never been serious in minding the main concerns of thy immortal soul serious in every thing rather than therein O look look to it before it be too late Ah never be quiet till thy spirit comes to this happy attainment comes to fix and setle in seriousness of daily meditating in walking this way with evenness and constancy and so make it easie and sweet Ah never be content till from mindlesness and disuse of thinking thy thoughts the right way acting the seriousness of them upon things that challenge it most till thou comest to thy self as Luke 15.17 comest to humble thy self greatly to say with deepest sorrow self-abhorring and shame O what have I done what have I been how many years have I run out void of all due consideration how many and many millions of steps have I taken in the great Road of vanity of thoughts Ah how near am I come to the end of my days or how near may my end for ought I know be and so for want of thinking and meditating I may perish for ever Ah at how low arate have I set my precious soul set my body my whole person my hopes my God his Christ his Spirit his Grace Heaven happiness all my high concerns that never thought them worth a thought or a few thoughts in this way this holy way of Meditation never weighed them so in the Ballance unless to find them too light outweighed by every worldly every bodily and carnal concern O unwise silly wretch that I have all this time been that I should deal thus by my self be so cruel and so heedless the foolishest adventurer the most idle sluggard to live in a lothness to be at the pains of a sometimes meditating and thinking though the gains be or might be beyond all thoughts Ah now therefore now now if it be not too late by the Lords help I will begin to bethink my self now I will set my self to do my utmost now to make haste and use all the means I possibly can to repent and reform that I may be recover'd from my vanity of mind and conversation and at last be wise unto salvation CHAP. V. Of being humbled for negligence in this Duty of Meditation after experiencing the fruit and sweetness of it ANother improvement of this Doctrine is for due humbling of all such who after experiencing the success and sweetness of heavenly Meditation both that first soul-seriousness into which they were drawn drawn by the Holy Spirit in effectual vocation and grounding their so happy conversion to God and believing in Christ and then likewise after their usual and daily exercising holy Meditation that whence they have had so sweet Communion with God those rare hours wherein they have been wrapt up with that blessed Apostle into the third Heaven and tasted of those glorious and soul-ravishing pleasures and joys that are unspeakable Ah Christian to experience so often the surpassing sweetness of this happy way this path and walk to Heaven and tread it no more 1. To fail so frequently in that so needful daily Meditation do it so little or so slenderly 2. To take so seldom into that path of Occasional set and solemn Meditation that also of so great advantage large incomes of light and wisdom warmth and quickening strength and encouragings 3. And to act no oftner that so easie quick and expedite ejaculatory meditating whereby thy soul may give incumbrances and overcharging business the slip take breath ease it self mount up to Heaven make a short visit and return refresht quickened and enlarged A Student never does himself such wrong as when he reads much and muses little for then he either receives in or retains nothing or cannot manage his Notions We never order and dispatch Affairs worse than when we Meditate least And so a Christian never loses more labour does his soul-affairs worse than when he muses not and warms not himself by this exercise of Meditation Divers profess a faculty and ability as in Sciences and ways of Learning in Mysteries and ways of Trading and Dealing yet are but slender proficients
cares they strive to come in businesses and multiplicity of affairs sudden emergencies and sundry things that may attempt to interpose and these if our watch and guard be not the stronger and stricter will miscarry the Duty Yea sometimes one Duty may drive out another often we let holy duties interfere and cross each other hearing praying and the rest sometimes there 's hastening from one to another sometimes letting one detain us so long that others are cut short and so helps are turned in part into hindrances opportunities for some Duties into obstructions to others when godly prudence allows every thing its season and due proportion of time The external hindrances to Meditation are many from common business and things of this life and we often create our own hindrances by our sloth and imprudence not carefully redeeming and wisely ordering our times and opportunities Ah then my soul if Meditation be so high so hard as to its spiritual nature and hath withal such Enemies and oppositions look to it then I must the more cautiously but not less resolutely perform it The Moralists say that difficulty is cos virtutis the incentive and heightener of magnanimity to a great and heroick spirit nothing must be so great as to outlook it and discourage it The greater and braver fish swim against the stream the noble Christian by difficulty and opposition is caution'd but not cowed out If there were nothing to set against and weigh with the former cautions and arguments from Enemies and opposition if no high inducements and advantageous arguments to put into the scale of perswasion to weigh against such as fill the scale of diswasion it then might the more reverse and turn the edge of thy courage yet arguments from evil and mischief in many cases are sufficient alone the danger of an armed Enemies approaching as in Jacob's case the danger of deadly poyson prepared for thee or infection coming very nigh thee is enough But we have encouragements and those in full measure pressed down and running over As Elisha to his servant discouraged when encompast in Dothan we have moe with us than against us What if there be a principle of flesh that makes opposition yet thy principle of spirit and grace is a real ground of hope and help If thy grace Christian be true though but a grain of mustard-seed it will live and hold and act and grow act into endeavour and striving till it overcomes A principle will help thee 1. Consider a principle introduces an inclination a bent and tendency of heart against the inclination and contrary tendency of corruption Psal 119.112 and it 's a principle must live and the contrary carnal principle must die Rom. 6.11 Reckon your selves dead unto sin but alive unto God Sin as to the purchase of Christ is dead in the Saints totally and it is dead in the habit and root initially and in part in respect of the communicated and inherent grace of Christ which upon union with Christ begins the death of sin in mortification Rom. 6. 2. A principle besides inclination and tendency introduces power and ability as the Flesh hath its power so the spirit and grace hath its contrary power 3. A principle introduces facility though the Flesh makes Duties hard yet the Spirit is ready and makes godliness easie 4. A principle introduces delight and complacency the Flesh acts reluctancy the Spirit delight and pleasure Psal 119.47 5. A principle works holding on and constancy Gal. 5. as the Flesh lusts against the Spirit so the Spirit against the Flesh Psal 119.12 last part of the verse not only begins but holds on a principle will help you to hold on for God will hold that on Phil. 1.6 He that hath begun a good work in you will finish it to the day of Christ 6. A principle is blest by the using of it with progress and growth the flesh that shall decrease and waste but the grain of Mustard-seed shall grow to a great tree Math. 13.32 7. A principle shall be crown'd by contending and striving with glorious conquest and victory the Spirit wars against the Flesh and it conquers in the issue by its still warring judgment is brought forth to victory Rom. 8.37 Ah never be discouraged for any thing within be very sensible of sin within and the stirrings of it but sink not under the sight of it take thou encouragement Christian to fight it and to subdue it if thy hearts badness appear its backwardness and crossness to any Duty know you can get nothing by giving way but by going on and striving and use this herein as thy rule wear out thy own backwardness to and weariness in a Duty by doing it in a resolved constancy wear out the indisposition to duty by doing that Duty and doing it fervently 2. What if Satan be such an Enemy yet have we not more and stronger with us than him we have the holy Spirit that helps to pray and he will help us to meditate If he sees we are labouring to get up the Mount in Meditation he will give us his hand to help us up if Satan and all Hell be against us in this or any other Duty he will be for us yea Father Son and Spirit are and will be all assistants to us Do we not use to say God came in at such a time in such a Duty He delights to see how the pulse of thy spirit beats heavenward how the eye of thy soul looks upward how it fixes its looks of heavenly love upon him he delights to help up thy heart in its holy Meditation to help it tower up to Heaven to taste of those surmounting glorious delicacies prepared for his beloveds entertainment and highest solace What others in their exemplary carelesness hold forth what their mindlesness is they use must not have any impression of discouragement or prove to us any impediment It is no staying till we can take every one along with us in our journey to Heaven Neither must the example of any the highest the greatest the richest the wisest and learnedest the nearest related the dearest affected nor any under any consideration whatever have that ill influence upon us either to discourage or divert us weaken our hands or hinder our making straight steps in this blessed path of meditating diligently upon heavenly things Neither let the cares and pleasures business and affairs of this world hinder this soul great affair of serious Meditation in the seasons of it The Saints of Christ in all ages have found a way to this duty as well as others and that through the throng and multiplicity of crowding and justling occasions As it is said of our Lord Christ in Luk. 4.30 when they of Nazareth angry with him thrust him out of the City and would have cast him down headlong he passing through the midst of them goes his way the Saints of Christ have made their way passing through the midst of businesses and emergencies
ends and be performed in another sort then an only wise or a learned man yea then any formal Christian can act or compass of himself And for the Characters of a right holy Meditation there will be no need to fetch any other lights of discovery but only to take up and hold those to this intendment which were opened in the discovery of the nature of divine Meditation 1. As making it our real and high obedience to God the soveraign Lord of our souls and to the golden Scepter of his Word in that express Law of his laid upon the thinking power and grounded upon the high and infinite obligations he hath on us to impose this thought-tribute and homage a pure obedience to him and doing his will herein He that meditates aright hath been taught and learnt to obey God to yield it to him as his due I am under my God saith the right Christian and infinitely obliged to all which he commands me This among others is one of his righteous and holy Laws one great signification of his Royal will I must not will not deny it dispute it or put it from me but comply freely with it And this comes from that spring that root which lyes at the bottom of the heart that supereminent love to God the holy hearts chief good and the great ground of all right obedience Rom. 13.10 Love is the fulfilling of the Law and so is it the fulfilling of this particular Law of holy Meditation love to God so infinitely excellent in himself and who hath so unspeakably loved the holy soul Therefore if it be the right and genuine obedience it hath this high this warm spring of love running in this channel this of Meditation an over-powering constraining love that breeds this thinking this looking of the soul in Meditation O therefore try if this heavenly love hath first been planted in the soil of thy heart if from a new heart circumcised to love the Lord above all that thence thou comest to love Meditation because thou lovest the Law-giver first who writes his Law and writes this particular Law in thy heart by love to it by making thee a lover of Meditation 2. If Meditation be genuine and right then is it from a choice of will wrought up by the power of holy love subduing and mortifying carnal and formerly predominant unwillingness and stubbornness reluctancy and refusals of this work and framing it to willingness freeness and fixedness of purpose to do it and hold it Psal 119.48 I will meditate saith the holy Psalmist Meditation arose from resolution from a will fixed and that arose from love acted and working the will to resolution Therefore in the 97. verse of this Psalm he speaks it to God himself O how love I thy law and what fruit doth this noble root of love put forth it is my meditation all the day Meditation of the Law proceeds from love to the Law Love lay at the bottom and that engaged the will into a firm resolution to meditate Never is the will freer and its purpose firmer then when love inclines and engages it The highest and strongest resolutions that ever were taken up by any holy heart were the rare products and sweet fruits of heavenly love love efficaciously exciting the will winding it up to the top and then fixing it fast 3. Where the work of Meditation is right the aims and ends of it are pure spiritual and holy it is carried beyond and above self it is an acting with self-denying self is neither the total nor the predominant ingredient in this undertaking That which Christ calls for of denying a mans self Mark 8.34 in the extent of all Christianity must particularly be performed in this duty Self seeking must not be uppermost not the main intent or inducement For this is the Sphere an unsound heart moves ever in The aim and end in the best natural man is never higher then self and no other really then self and that because he chiefly loves himself But a right work must be aimed and acted above all to the living God Therefore Zec. 7.5 God tells them their fasting was not right because they did it not to God so is Meditation or any other duty not right if it be not to him aimed above all at his Glory In this respect therefore Religion is in Scripture called Godliness because it is a frame of spirit acting above all self-ends and inferior respects unto the living God above all So Heb. 9.14 To serve the living God works not done to the living God are dead works a living work is aimed and level'd to the living God The end more particularly must be the glorifying God 1 Cor. 10.31 Do all to the glory of God If eating drinking and such inferior things then much more holy duties must be done to Gods glory There must be an inward powerful principle that can aim so highly really and an acting of that principle that God is actually glorified It is not enough to say we do as many erringly affirm they aim their duties when they never had first that right principle of Holiness wrought in their hearts Without the principle of Holiness it is impossible to have holy aimings holy ends It 's impossible without an eye to see to level at a mark Wheresoever there 's a right doing there 's a potent elevating principle that sets the spirit above the predominancy of self-seeking and acts it into a reality of God-exalting above all that kindles and inflames the soul into an ardency of desire love delight of glorifying God in every undertaking This is unspeakably sweet and heart-gladding nothing pleases a holy heart more then when the heart below can run in some degree parallel with the hearts of Saints and Angels above in hallowing and advancing the highest God and his Name Try we therefore if our meditating be a real acting up to the grand scope and highest end the exalting of God if his honour be indeed the preponderating inducement and greatest soul-aim 2. Happiness and our own Salvation was the next aim formerly mentioned happiness propounded and declared in the Gospel and no other To this next subordinate end must all the golden lines of holy duties tend here they must center Every right duty must be a real levelling at Gospel-happiness that which God proffers and Christ hath purchased If Meditation be right it is a part of true wisdom for our selves Prov. 9.12 Wisdom to salvation as really aimed at it as any marksman aime at his mark God next to himself and his glory allows and requires to look and seek labour and strive for eternal life and happiness and all our duties as they are subservient to his glory so our own happiness is complicate and wrapt up in it yet not above it or equal with it but next under it Accordingly therefore in this duty as in all others our aim at happiness must not be a meer self-seeking it must not terminate
the things which please Gods own description of a gracious frame of spirit by a gracious choice Contrary a sinful unconverted heart is described by thusing things that are sinful and provoking I say the change of the will is a high evidence of sincerity a chusing of God for our God chusing of Christ his offered grace above all him to our Righteousness and Justification our Wisdom our Sanctification so coming to taking of trusting on him is an act of the will in chusing him a chusing the holy ways of God universally Psal 119. Respect to all thy commandments This not so much in knowing as purpose of heart for keeping all To add but one thing more The new Creature is principally seen in a new will and a new will in a new aim altering utterly that old sinful carnal aim of carnal self and satisfying of it sinfully aiming at only or chiefly self and satisfying self in worldly and carnal things This Idol Self the grand aim is taken down is no more the souls Master-mark that gave all the Laws made every thing serve to it and end in it eyeing of self chiefly aiming at seeking and striving most for self is changed and there 's a new Master-aim a new mark to which it designs and principally drives at God and his glory serving and pleasing him This evidently appears in the Saints in Scripture They exalt God called such as seek God serve God live to God to Christ Psal 22.26 Psal 24.6 This the generation of them that seek him and deny themselves Rom. 6.11 Alive unto God 2 Cor. 5.15 Live not to themselves but to him that dyed for them 1. Universal allowance of all known good in the mind 2. Universal abhorrence of all known evil chusing all good and an universal purpose of will to please God in all things are the things the sincerity of them stands of those two noble faculties renewed 3. A real change of the corrupt carnal and disorderly movings of the affections to a making them holy and heavenly to setting them on the things above and taking them off really the things below from their usual sway rule violent running to carnal and earthly things and from their customary and predominant deadness flatness and remissness to and in spiritual and heavenly things A change really upon the great and leading affection love the great weight that carries all Amor meus est pondus meum as the devout Ancient said My souls love is my souls weight the strong biass that still leads it Hence arise the other holy affections they are acted from love desire delight sorrow fear hatred of all known evil Psal 97.10 Ye that love the Lord hate evil Psal 119.104 I hate every false way A Character it is of a wicked man he abhors not evil Psal 36.4 But a holy heart when it comes even new out of the furnace is new cast new made it 's stampt with predominant love to God and his ways and with new self-loathing and sin-abhorring Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you Vers 36. Then shall ye remember your evil ways and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations I shall add no more particulars The truth and sincerity of this whole work wrought first in thee really and then known must be the ground for evidencing of thy assurance which must be done by comparing the pattern of the new Creature described in the infallible Word of Christ and the copy of it drawn in thy heart Such serious searching and due meditating with praying and other ordinances must be on thy part thou must 2 Pet. 1.10 Give all diligence to make thy calling and election sure But withal there must be a due consideration and praying for the evidencing and sealing Spirit of Christ the Comforter and diligent still attending upon those ways and means of grace the Holy Spirit uses to come and seal and comfort in I know other things might be mentioned especially in a purposely handling this Doctrine of Assurance The manner of Gods working in such as are effectually drawn to Christ differs in circumstances and in the sensible perceivings of it accordingly as God pleases to work and assurance as the Spirit pleases is given in a different way But trying by this change upon the heart in a renewing the mind subduing and turning that great wheel of the soul the refractory and stubborn will changing the main aim from self and the creature to God in Christ Really plucking up the affections rooted in the earth and finding them set upon things above an evident change and turning the grand affection of love out of its old channel and a placing it upon God his Word ways and people the Saints above all other things when these things freely given thee of God and by the Spirit of God received are made known to be in thee 1 Cor. 2.12 this is a right assurance O pray pray for this sealing and assuring Spirit this will help thee against the fears doubts deceits of thy own heart and Satans methods and clear up thy good condition to thee This assurance attained the next Meditation must be of the best ways of keeping and preserving it which must be endeavoured yea of thy growing up to the riches and fulness of assurance to a Plerophory as it is called The preserving of assurance and growing up in it 2 Pet. 1.10 must be by care and diligence used about it and used for exacter walking in all Christs ways Endeavours of mortifying thy corruptions combating with Satan and the world and getting victory Rev. 2.17 To him that overcometh I will give him a white stone with a new name The white stone is thy Justification the new name is Adoption of Sons both assured upon victory obtained There must be a tender care of obedience to and compliance with the Holy Spirit and of not grieving of it Eph. 4.30 Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption If thou wouldst have the Holy Spirit a sealing Spirit thou must not be a Griever of that Spirit by any ordinary neglectings and ilightings of it or by contrary walkings to it wilful and presumptuous evils especially provoke and grieve and will hinder assurance Psal 85.8 God will speak peace to his Saints but let them not turn again to folly This in David Psal 51.8 Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones thou hast broken may rejoyce Some Saints by their falls have felt it long it may be ever after as great bruises in the body Others upon care and fruitfulness have kept their peace and assurance long it may be to the last CHAP. XII Of the next Meditation namely how weak and imperfect thy Grace is THis is a Meditation very necessary for making thee very humble greatly fearful and careful and highly to provoke thee to contend to a growth and strength of grace to be rooted and stablisht daily
Christians and most establisht in their way have always need of more establishing as to their graces and frame of heart so to their duties and whole course of godliness There must be an earnest care and striving as you have begun and practised so to be stablished Not to begin and then draw back nor yield to do with a weakness weariness and unevenness but here to say as David oft O God my heart is fixed I will meditate Meditation is neavenly but hard in it self comes off sometimes harder The best heart is a slippery piece that sometimes not only flags and falls low but sometimes also fails the purpose within and the practice without may have their stops and faltrings The Watch may want a winding up There may be failure in the practice from a failing in the purpose a fit of dying away may come upon thee if there be not a constant care of stability A good mans heart must be like Solomons Temple with the two Pillars set up in it Jacin and Booz establishment and strength 2. As thou must endeavour establishment so strive for improvement Growth is necessary both in Graces and Duties as the Scripture shews 1. There must be care to improve in the Art and skill of holy Meditation To understand thy way better Prov. 14.8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way not only with an initial understanding it but a progressive understanding of it Not only to know in the same degree and to be always alike at the last as at the first but to understand far better As the wise Artificer that contents not himself with the same measure of skill in his way but to be a better Artist proceed to a perfection If a Christian be trading for Heaven in good earnest he will strive every way to excel Not like a Bungler that does in a poor pitiful manner just to live and no more but as an Artist and man of ingenuity to live plentifully I must study how to study better to comprehend the whole wisdom of my way to live more fruitfully to others serviceably to God comfortably to my own bosom Not to only just so much skill as will serve to get creeping but for flying to Heaven 2. To learn how to kindle a fire in my heart and do my work warmer Strive to more affectionate Meditation To have things have a quicker passage from the head to the heart That the spiritual things meditated on come sooner to my heart kindle it quickly and make me all on fire Bom. 12.11 Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. It is not to be taken only for real fervency but growth He would not have them no warmer and fervent at last than at first So Meditation should heap hotter coals upon thee make thy fire a flame This by Meditations applying warmer and more heart quickning reasons and arguments We call motives reasons for doing a thing a duty of Religion Incentives Meditation should strike fire and blow it up into a flame Strive to have Meditation more heart-warming not only to have it more notional but cordial not only a shining but a burning light as it was said of John Baptist That 's Meditation to purpose when the head moves the heart brings in light and heat also The Moon-light is pleasant but the Suns is best because chiefly it is with vivifical heat it is the worlds warmer Therefore see search in Meditation for such things and manage them in such a manner as may warm thee at the heart most make thee daily warmer 1. Warmer in that grand affection that strong spring of spiritual operation Love love to the work of Meditation love to heavenly and spiritual things the lovely beauteous and glorious things which Meditation brings and sets before thee to highly treat and entertain thee Principally most inflamed love to the highest beauty and glory for whom most peculiarly that best affection the best piece of thy heart was made the most blessed God Father Son and Holy Spirit 2. Warmer in ardency of desire to keep in and improve in this heavenly way of Meditation Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the desire it hath to thy judgments which soul-breaking was for looking into them by reading reading for meditating to present and supply new heavenly matter that he might exercise himself there by Meditation know Gods will and be better affected more resolved and enlarged That desire so earnest was greatly among others to be at that his rare mind-exercise of Meditation the best way of thinking that possibly can be none like this this had this holy mans chief heart-workings nothing had that share of constant seriousness here were his longings to breathe his soul up this hill he grudg'd the time that gave stop or interruptions to this best thought-work 3. Warmer should Meditation be as to delight and complacency to not only burn and be fervent in love and desire but to flame up in joy and delight more generally men like a fire best when it flames The holy Prophet Psal 119.47 I will delight my self in thy Commandments Meditation in the word is the holy hearts walk of pleasure a broad large walk Psal 119.96 Thy Commandment is exceeding broad so our new Translation exceeding large so the old We so far live a duty as we act delight When David saith he will delight he meant not the mixture of a meer drop or smallest spark of delight should be stirred up but a great yea growing delight Delight in Meditation should not only live and have a being some moving but should thrive and grow As every Ordinance should prove a still greater pleasure So Meditation should prove a more refreshing soul-eye walk an ascent from delight to delight to higher delight till we come to the top in ravishments and highest attending admirations CHAP. XVIII Directions more particular 1. WHatever thou meditatest upon let it not be only an intuition or dying a thing or a meer recognition or remembrance Or if divers things come before thee let not thy work be a bare enumeration or as it were a telling them over to be able to say I have thought of such and such things in particular but let it be a review with something that new is with some new considerations as thou art able Something fresh which may bring the better savouriness and sweeter relish that may set a better edge and quicken things more upon thee Meditation though it be not for feeding phansie with curiosities yet should be so ordered as to season and sweeten suit and prepare things to more spiritual delight and to a larger perceiving of that extensive and abounding savouriness and excellency in holy things Every Meditation should endeavour a more exquisite preparation better still reducing things that we ponder both to spiritual advantages with spiritual pleasure accompanying To do this most easily and effectually our way is to improve and quicken Meditation by our gathering up the graciously afforded varieties of Scripture-passages
a little thinking Shall I suffer my self to be of that simple sort and to be carried away in that crowd to utter ruine If I neuer yet walkt in this heavenly thought-way the greater reason I have to hasten into it But if I have tasted tryed and found the surpassing sweetness and advantages of it have I not high encouragement to make a farther progress still in it And if by long beating this path I have largely experienced the most abundant pleasantness and sweetness have I not then greatest inducement to go on the more both evenly and earnestly Ah! then my soul consider with thy self the liberties the latitudes the pleasures and satieties which thy eye may still expatiate and recreate it self in by this rare Art of Divine Meditation Look to thy ways thy eye-ways their varieties and excellencies which are so many and of that transcendency that there never were nor can be any so various and spacious of that delicacy beauty and glory The wise and holy heart hath far the advantage of all the great Scholars and Artists all the highest Nobles and Princes he hath better walks and rarer eye-entertainments in his happy way of Meditation Ah! then my soul how canst thou in the least sort be slothful and backward to this so pleasant performance and soul-enriching way this so easie ascent to Heaven by the paths and steps purposely made thee to mount up thither See what plenties of rare provisions are made to entertain and take up thy thoughts What multitudes of fittest objects What sweet and precious things lie full before thee to give thee a full employment at all times and with a very great variety to be a preventive of weariness and cloying and introduce a more fulness of satiety and delight Thou hast that great Book of the whole Creation all the several most stupendious and glorious Works of God to take and look over all the guilded leaves and there to meditate on wonder after wonder Thou mayst carry thy eye over all the Earth full of Gods Riches descend into the bowels of it meet with all the hid Treasures and Rarities lockt up in the Makers rich Cabinet there below Thou mayst go upon the so large extended Waters through the paths of the Seas see the things of excellency in the one and other Thence thou mayst ascend up the steps and stories of the Air and Firmament the glorious Heaven beyond it with the so glorious Lights of such astonishing magnitudes and motions orders and influences Thence then mount up thou mayst to the highest Heaven that most holy place the Worlds most glorious piece and fabrick that Palace of the King of Glory with all his so glorious Retinue and Attendants of millions of millions of most happy Saints and Angels O what an ample provision is this for my spirits particular help and solace my eye-accommodation and recreation Yea how unspeakably gracious must I have declared my God to be towards me had I only been favoured with the ten thousand part of the things my Meditation can recreate it self upon Ah! but my soul thou hast more graciously afforded thee by thy God another book that richest Treasure of most infallible necessary and saving Truths there may I most highly meditate and satiate my self with that highest Mystery of godliness all the wonders concurring and meeting to make it up and among them that most especially of the so astonishing so all-amazing Mystery of God manifested in the flesh The very highest thought-walk given for a created Nature to take its most ravishing solace in Not only for sinners redeemed by the Lord of Glory but those of that uppermost rank of Nature that never needed a Saviour from sin yet being mutable creatures might all have fallen But in Christ their Head being given in their election to him and thence preserved by him These blessed Angels have this Mystery of Godliness this Lord of Glory Jesus Christ their Head of continuation of happiness the most transcendent object of their highest contemplation and admiration O what an account then shall I render to my God if I do not design and endeavour Meditation in some good degree proportionate and answering the so inconceivable eye-obligation and engagement herein lying on me But O my soul this is not all thou hast yet another Book besides that of the Creature and the other of Scripture the book of thy own self state and heart wherein with singular advantage thou mayst constantly busie thy thoughts most seriously And if thou art Christs Temple knowest his dwelling in thee thou mayst find it like the so glorious Temple of Solomon built of costly stones of spiritual excellencies over-laid with that pure gold of inward Holiness and Sanctification throughout Having in it that fire of heavenly love descended on it burning in it the Altar for offering thy self by Christ in thee a whole burnt-offering the golden Altar Christ for the perfuming of all thy services to ascend as Incense up to God and be pleasing most sweet and acceptable with him There you may find the golden Lamps with the seven glorious lights the Lord of light thy wisdom making thee light and shining in heavenly knowledge and wisdom Nay there may be found the golden Ark with the Testimony the Law by the finger of Christ written on the fleshly tables of thy heart and the Mercy-seat or Propitiatory whereby thou art made to God a friend by Christ who is the Propitiation residing in the Temple the hidden man of thy heart the Cherubims of glory cover thee and thy whole man made the Temple of the Holy Ghost dwelling and working in thee O what precious matter of Meditation may thy own glorious state and the beauties of Graces and Holiness the new creature formed in thee after the image of Christ and the Spirit of life and power to the highest praise of the infinite love of the most blessed God afford thee even that God who in riches of free grace hath thought upon and from all Eternity chosen thee to be a vessel of glory and honour O how many and many rare objects as have been formerly exprest are given and set before thee to improve Meditation upon And to and above all if there be not enough large enough high enough sweet enough and satisfying thou hast to search and dive farther into the infinite power of the All-sufficient God especially his infinite loveliness and sweetness to take thy highest solace fullest satisfaction in Ah! then my soul lift up to the utmost thy self in most glorious praises unto thy God who hath appointed such a way as this of heavenly Meditation to hedge in thy thoughts wildness and wandrings to help up thy thought otherwise earthliness Bless him with all that is within thee for vouchsafing and sanctifying so happy a way for thy both thought-imployment and improvement Bless him with all heart-enlargements thou canst for making thee so spacious and large walks Most highly rejoyce in him who hath afforded thee so transcending pleasant and delightful walks for thy thoughts to take their happy turns in Say unto thy God O what is man that thou art so mindful of him so mindful of that silly mind of man as to prepare and fit for him such blessed mind-walks and these in so great variety of excellency spiritual excellency for such pure pleasure and ravishing delight O then my soul never deny the doing of this work never defer the doing to a better time when time is now O be not heartless and listless dead and dull not uneven and inconstant in the fervent performance of it O daily contend to higher excellency in this heavenly Art to have the wings of thy spirit longer and stronger to soar a higher pitch to take a more nimble flight and make larger returns of blessed advantages in peace joy satisfactions of ravishments and highest raptures of spirit and by this assent of holy Meditation mount up still higher and higher till thou touchest Heaven it self till contemplation ends in vision and fruition of the most infinitely glorious God himself Vision is accompanied with plenary and most perfect satisfaction perfect happiness for ever To which most unspeakably glorious God the most infinitely highest Beauty and Excellency for the eye by contemplation to act and dwell upon the Father chiefly in his infinite riches of free Grace the Son in his infinite fulness of Redemption the Holy Spirit in his most glorious Inhabitation and Application of that Redemption be Honour Glory and everlasting Praises of Saints and Angels for ever Amen Soli Deo gloria FINIS