his Holy Spirit the mighty Applyer of Christs Redemption draw efficaciously the weary sinner to the soul-easing Saviour works faith to come and rests on an all-sufficient Christ The first step in this great soul-concern must be labouring to divert the eye from a total or too much viewing of sin and Gods wrath and earnestly endeavour to be duely deeply possest of the infinite mercy love riches of free favour in Christ in whom he is placable and infinitely willing to shew mercy 1. Willing in that he hath in his abounding wisdom and prudence contrived the way of Reconciliation in Christ Eph. 1. 2. Willing in infinite love and riches of grace he appointed his own only Son anointed him with all fulness of grace sending him and causing him to work and procure Redemption perfectly in all respects and then in making the most free imaginable and possible proffer and tender of Salvation in Christ A discovery and tender in the exceeding great and precious promises promises that are as so many strong yernings and loud soundings of the bowels of a God to sinners promises most firmly fixt as being all the ingrost particulars and the golden clauses of the Covenant of Grace signed and sealed with the most precious blood of Christ and therefore ordered and in all things most sure The Promises and Covenant are by most highly demonstrating that hardly to be believed and trusted to by once awakened sinners that free rich love of God in Christ by demonstration of it the intendment is sirst to found and breed faith in weary heavy laden sinners and after to build it up and perfect it Meditation should first fix upon the promises of free justification and pardon of sin and as humbling arises not from a confused general apprehension of fin or many sins but distinct particular viewings of particular evils so comfortings and coming to relief must be by singling out and pondering the promises of mercy in particular As a drowning man that scapes by a taking hold on a particular thing hand or cord But the thing the greatest and highest for breeding and founding justifying faith is first pondering the infinitely all-amazing and adored free love of God the Father Joh. 3.10 1 Joh. 3.1 1. This is that so rich Mine out of which the most precious Corner-stone Christ himself was taken 2. For principally glorifving this riches of free grace the Earth for a Stage was set up to begin the discovery and revelation of it 3. The great Assize of the great day of Judgment is chiefly appointed for higher manifestation of it 4. And the highest Heaven with the state of Glory there is purposely founded and conferred on the Saints for the highest demonstration chiefly of free saving grace not Angels glorification but redeemed Saints glorifying is for free saving graces greatest glorifying and highest exalting Dwell here till largest apprehensions and highest admirations swallow up and drown all thy fears doubts and discouragements raising thy spirit up to hope trust and consolation But this so infinitely free love of the Father must be connected with most wishly viewing and most earnest pondering the highest proof and evidence of it in that greatest possible gift Gods own Son God in our Nature Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that c. Here after all thy black and sad thoughts and disquiets is the richest strongest and surest Cordial for a fainting heart A Christ in whom all fulness of wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption dwell That out of his own infinite love became man was in the form of a servant performed the whole Law pacified the wrath of God purchased perfect and eternal life by laying down his life a ransom 1. A Christ freely offered by God the Father Isa 55. Come and buy without money 2. Freely offering himself Joh. 7.37 If any man thirst let him come to me and drink 3. Freely offered and to be taken as the Bride and the Spirit say Come and drink of the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 This free grace must be applied by the promises of grace and pardon more especially and first Christ is not offered by God the Father and the Lord Christ offers not himself nor the Holy Spirit offers not neither draws to Christ but on the ground of the promise of forgiveness and salvation Nor can it be taken by man as a learned Divine expresses it but mediante promissione The promises particularly must be pondered duely often and often Ponder 1. The goodness of them they are good sweet indeed to a needy thirsty spirit Ponder 2. The sureness and firmness by a God that cannot lye Tit. 1. All yea and Amen in Christ 2 Cor. 1. Pvnder 3. The freeness of them Nothing so free as they that come only from a God only for his own Name sake Ponder 4. The seal of them in the rare and abundant examples recorded for encouragement of sinners of all sorts received to mercy So 1 Tim. 1.16 I saith the Apostle was received for a pattern to them that hereafter should believe to eternal life The promises must be pondered prayed often over as those which are for the wounded weary and heavy laden to breed faith not only to feed it but found and feed it also to begin and to build it up Never leave pondering the promises Gods love and Christs fulness offered in them until pondering comes to hope hope to thirsting thirsting to highest prizing prizing to selling all and buying the Pearl till thou comest to renouncing thy own righteousness thou casts thy self upon God in Christ by the promise first rested on promise leading to Christ first and to God by Christ and not only Christ for justification as thy Priest that purges guilt and makes atonement but as thy Prophet and King for light and holiness for a new heart a new principle a new wisdom and power a quickning power from Union and Communion with Christ Rom. 6. by the inhabitation and operation of his Spirit by faith that hand that receives all from Christ when by faith thou art justified and sanctified and receivest by influence from Christ a living principle Now thy heart is put upon the right hinge for rightly performing holy duties praying reading hearing the Word And now thou canst meditate aright in a holy and happy manner with wisdom and some skill choice of will complacency and constancy And now Meditation will prosper in thy hand Now as Davids blessed man thy delight will be in the Law of God and in that Law thou wilt meditate day and night I have been longer herein by much then was my intendment come we to the next Directions CHAP. X. Of Directions for Meditation respecting such as are young Christians newly converted OUr next Work after Directions to those that desire to successfully practise holy Meditation having formerly neglected it is to treat of the Directions for young Christians who are but entered upon their way how best to
Heaven do or as a perfect Artist that hath a perfect skill and hand at some Art or work The most of good Christians though they have true saving wisdom for the substance yet have little very little wisdom to understand their way little of this acquired habitual wisdom This is the reason of their being so frequently to seek so at a set and at a loss not knowing what to do The want now of this wisdom is from want of Meditation serious and frequent musing to frame and mould the mind into habitual wisdom and so increasing in wisdom daily That a Christian may be an Artist and have his Trade have head and hand adapted and readyed for it this must be by habit through custom and use There are these four special things excellent advantages in a habit among others 1. It lays in ability for doing 2. It induces facility in doing 3. It breeds delight and complacency with doing 4. It holds up evenness and constancy in doing A Scholar or an Apprentice put upon Employment for learning an Art or Mystery At the first he wants for the present the ability to act as an Antist a Logician a Philosopher or the like and so the facility pleasure and constancy cannot be come at because they are the higher steps or stories built upon the first that of ability But when by time he hath accustomed himself in a way he comes to an habitual knowledge and skill and that habit brings ability to do and with ability goes facility easiness to act in the art or way then with facility is pleasure and delight attending what we do with ease is pleasing Then what breeds Pleasures brings also constancy and doing with evenness and equality O how desirable is this wisdom in Christianity how highly is it to be contended for to have this wisdom this Art of going to Heaven of living to the living God to arrive at a doing with an improved wisdom a wisdom of superadded ability with a happy facility of acting a sweet delight in acting heavenward and a beauteous a glorious evenness and constancy Not to be and remain still weak in our Trade of godliness not be to seek so oft as not knowing our way in divers cases not to drive so hardly on not to be so dull and heavy nor yet so unevenly and brokenly to carry on our work but with all forenamed advantages to be daily still experienced to higher encouragements This is a grand end of Meditation to work up to habitual wisdom to help a Christian to excel in this soul Beauty of an exquisite Artist and Operatour for Heaven and Eternity CHAP. XXII Of the fifth End of Meditation to kindle and enflame the Affections 5. MEditation hath not only its excellent ends and uses relating to the understanding and mind but also is of singular use relating to the Affections Meditation is that which keeps alive the fire on the Altar and helps to make it burn It is that which both gathers the sticks the fuel and materials for keeping the fire from going out and that which kindles them blows upon them and makes them burn and flame up to Heaven In the Levitical Law the fire upon the Altar must never go out but it was kept burning by the Priests continual minding it If they had not minded that fire continually it would have gone out The fire in the holiest heart it must be kept in kept burning continually by Meditation and constant mindings Meditation is a great Heart-warmer it renews and encreases spiritual heats drives away dulness and dead heartedness brings a new life strength and vigour into the spirit when it faints and flags They say of the Loadstone that wonder in Nature when either by carelesness in keeping it or by some accident it loses its virtue yet by laying it some good space of time in the filings of Steel it will again recover its virtues when the spirit of a Christian by not looking well to it loses of its heavenly heat and liveliness the way of recovery is by laying it asteep in this so warming and quickning Meditation O how burning and flaming may we often observe the spirit of the holy Psalmist David in his acting of Meditation As Psal 39.3 My heart waxed hot within me and while I was musing the fire kindled or burned Musing made him hot yea burning hot at the heart Thus oft in the beginning of a Psalm we find his heart low and discouraged but as this Musing was acted and heightened his spirit grew hotter and at last flies all on a flame flies up to a very high pitch of heavenly heat O how do all the conscientious Practisers of Meditation ever and anon experience these happy heavenly heats and heart-enlargements Ah if all the Saints so glorious heart-quickenings were gathered together what a rich Chain of Pearls Pearls of rare Experiences would they make up of the heart-warming Efficacies of Meditation Meditation is a mighty Engine to kindle cooling hearts and make them flame in fervency The Rule of effecting a business especially entangled in difficulties is first as they say Removendo prohibens applicando promovens That is by removing the Obstacles first and then applying furtherances Meditation is instrumental to heart-warmings and quicknings First by making a grand inquest into the occasions of heart-coolings and helping to remove them Then secondly by stirring up to the efficacious means of warmth and quickening it s a rule among the Schoolmen that every Negative is founded in an Affirmative that is every not doing is founded in some positive act of doing something else And as to the like purpose we say in Philosophy The intention of one thing is the dis-intending of another Meditation makes an enquiry and thereby a discovery of that which hinders spiritual heat The extinguishing of fire and heat in Nature is either by casting on much water or smothering it by either throwing on much incombustible matter or hindering the airs openness and its free coming to it which choaks it or by withdrawing the Fuel upon which it feeds 1. Meditation finds heart-coolings to proceed from a giving way to and the present prevailing of some corruption or lust that like water quenches the fire They say that some rich spirits and rare extractions if taken in some acid or sour Liquor the sowr Liquor turns the edge of those spirits and frustrates their operation As cold clammy humours at the head of the Nerves or Sinews stop the course of the Animal spirits and occasion the Numm or dead Palsey Or as some cold Poison taken in quenches the vivifical heat and spirits endangers if not induces death So a corruption or sin let out and given way unto chills and cools and quenches the heart-heat and the longer yielded to the cooler will the affections grow A Sin given way unto damps the heart-warming Ordinances quenches the heart-warming spirit obstructs thy communion with a heart-quickening Christ Hoseah Whoredom and Wine and new Wine
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
at the great day before all the world shall bring forth the eager mindings of youth the toys vanities phansies and follies of youth set them all in order and then shew what the things of Heaven and happiness discovered and tendered are all the so rare and most inestimable things proffer'd in the Gospel together I say when all the trifles and vanities of youth and the bendings of the mind unto them wholly to them and all spiritual things in the Scriptures in their natures and heights of excellency and the not minding but refusing to mind them shall be laid together O what will be the unspeakable shame and confusion silence and stoppings of the mouths of mindless sinners O what to such as are snatcht away in their youth in the heights of their minding vanities and so fond refusals of meditating on spiritual things as not being at leisure yet as not thinking it proper and seasonable to be serious so soon Ah then if the case of youth mindless youth will be so sad at the great day when things shall appear as they are when an infinitely wise and righteous God will make every sin appear in its exceeding great sinfulness how now should it humble all for their youth regardlesness refusals to allow time for heavenly thoughts to let precious youth be so embezled If we mind not sins of youth God may soon make us to possess them Job 13.26 If we are truly humbled for them this may as it were spare God a labour save us that heart-smart in troubles and terrors which like gravel in the tender eye or smaller motes there may occasion great pain Those little things of youth and which by many are resolved into nothing or have a pardon of course Ah these sometimes God blows into the eye of conscience like clouds of dust that we may feel how great a weight of trouble how hot a Hell the least sin can bring upon us The least arrow in the Quiver of Gods wrath dipt in the least measure of its venom bred by the least sin can wound torment and drink up our spirits O therefore sadly sometimes let every one look over the time of youth which so long for intending vanities dis-intended and considered not things serious and spiritual but put them by Put them by as meer niceties and impertinencies yea as very burdens and yokes but chiefly having been called so oft upon by the Word without and the holy Spirits sweet motions together with the frequent calls of conscience within O the time of youth may for ever humble all cause us to look on it with great self-loathing and heart-breaking with fresh runnings of the spring of sorrow and shame for our follies and frowardness in refusal of returning and to cry out with the Psalmist Psal 25.7 Lord remember not the sins of my youth O give a free and full pardon for that fond time so wasted without consideration acted upon any spiritual concernment to any purpose but all lost CHAP. III. Another particular cause of humbling for so long neglect of Meditation 3. improvement FOR humbling greatly every Christian in that at the best and soonest we began so late this seriousness of thoughts this Duty of Meditation which challenges of all the very first consideration and pondering the very first buddings out and first blossomings of the considering power should begin with our spiritual concernments not letting it act blindly ignorantly evilly and impertinently but knowingly wisely and in a right manner the rule allows not taking the first step nor any other after wrong Ah how long hath it been how long have the best of Saints the soonest blossoming and ripen'd young Christians how long was it before consideration and meditation began in their hearts before the Scepter of Jesus Christ held forth in the Laws and Commands of Meditation was attended would be yielded to How long e're that any of our fond and froward spirits would cease their vanities and wildness follies and impertinencies of thoughts When wisdom in any one begins to act then consideration begins no hopes of young heads till they begin to put forth and act consideration then begin they to be wise or give hopes of a being hereafter wise when they prove considerate then begins that which is wisdom for thy self when thou comest to consider when thy spirit begins to beat the Golden path of Meditation Ah then let it humble us it was so long before the first and fundamental Meditation or Consideration before that first engaging the heart to seriousness and a due minding that initial and introductive considering for true turning to God with the whole heart Formerly in one of the grounds of this point we mentioned the necessity of consideration and pondering our unspeakable misery by sin and God's displeasure in order to conversion to God As all that are truly converted are truly humbled so all truly humbled and converted are made first truly serious and self-bethinking reduced to this Meditation of their inexpressibly miserable condition Conversion to God stands as it were on two feet comes about by a double inlet of a twofold Consideration or Meditation 1. A serious Meditation of now seen and felt unspeakable misery that load and burden of sin and Gods wrath laid on and this must be deep sink down into the soul and press it and soak through the soul in sorrowings in meltings in weariness of spirit and in willingness to be eased of the present pressure 2. Then a most serious Meditation and Pondering of the rich free grace of God the Father reconcilable in a full Saviour offer'd in a free firm Covenant and Promise of salvation to every sinner without exception These two great considerations are the foundations and inlets of the great heart-mutation and conversion Therefore these are of the greatest concernment of all other considerations yea these are such considerations that no other are to be reckon'd upon till they have been performed effectually Ah therefore how exceedingly should this humble all persons whatsoever for their former so long neglect of this introductive and fundamental consideration Hos 8.5 God crys out How long will it be e're they attain to innocency Ah how long was it with any with the very earliest self-bethinker before he used the eye of his mind in consideration Consideration to view not that was far off but that was of all others the nearest to see himself and himself also in his nearest concern of all others that eternal condition of his immortal soul Ah what an humbling charge should this bring up to every spirit to every bosom O how should it shame thee and me and every one to think how long it was before we began to do that might be called thinking before I once began to think to any purpose how long my thinking and considering power was meerly abused by me was both diverted and debased by a continual running like Water beside the Mill ravelling out like a golden Thread spoil'd as
troubles and disquiets They had a wisdom given them to find out a way they had a will a purpose and resolvedness fixt so as to overlook and overcome obstructions and lets from throngings of business and multitudes of still successively interposing diversions That holy David who had so many highly urging and pressing occasions as no man now whatsoever he be can have more yet he made his way continually through all the throngings of so high importancies and most urgent affairs he had a wisdom given to find a way and a will to resolve to Meditate and he did it daily Psal 119.48 He says he will meditate in Gods Statutes when he so determined certainly he did it not rashly and without consideration of his many occasions and weighty affairs and those great diversions which he might after meet with at home and abroad in Peace and War yet thus he resolves And Psal 119.97 he saith it and to the Lord himself that he did it and all the day first he saith he will then saith he doth meditate and saith it to the all-knowing God It therefore hence appears how feasable and practicable this Duty is notwithstanding cares business troubles of all sorts whatever from the world and living in it there is an attainable will 1. A godly heart may come to say I will may set an universal purpose of heart a firm purpose and a purpose of equal extent to the whole latitude of Gospel Duties and whatsoever the Word requires 2. And likewise he may have a latitude of wisdom to understand his way every way he is to walk Prov. 14.8 The wisdom of the wise is to understand his way Psal 119.98 Thou hast made me wiser than mine Enemies and 99. I have more understanding than my teachers There David discovers he had wisdom for his way and how he arrived at such a height of wisdom and directs us how to come by it 3. And as a Christian may come to say he will do such a required Duty and arrive at the wisdom of doing it so by grace he may come up to an answerable extensiveness of practice and performance walking in all the ways of the Lord as Zacharias and Elizabeth Luke 1.6 David oft professes his both universality as of his heart-purpose so of his practice as the 119. Psalm and others abundantly shew Yet first fixing our purpose in the strength of Christ then following after the wisdom of our way making it a grand scope to attain the wisdom the right and sure wisdom of our soul affairs to be Artists in Religion and then falling close to practise what we resolve and understand this with Christs help will make our work any work upon our hands to prove easie Prov. 8.9 They are all plain to him that understands easie the old Translation hath it we have a saying in Divinity Iter ad pietatem est intra ipsam pietatem the way to godliness is within godliness that is the way to learn it is to act it and the way to facilitate and make it easie is by exercising our selves still in it setting upon and keeping up the practice of it He that doth much in it fervently and frequently will come to perform with increasing facility Slack and listless doing slight and negligent performing may come to loathing and leaving end with the disadvantage of a far worse temper of heart-aversness than there was at the first Formality in Religion ends oft in falling first off from it and then falling out with it contrarily doing with care and fervency encreaseth spiritual strength and the encrease of strength makes the work more easie In using to do it earnestly we arrive at a doing easily O therefore let every one be highly encouraged to hold up our constancy in this excellent Duty to walk with an extensive and increasing evenness and equality in this so pleasant high road to Heaven both in daily Meditation in that for the entrance and that other for the ending of the day in also the occasional solemn Meditation that rare way of spiritual improvement in wisdom and heavenly warmth and in that way of Meditation by short and sudden ejaculations This threefold cord will draw strongly Heaven-ward will make thy soul go from strength to strength from warmth to warmth from pleasure to pleasure make thee keep upon the wing mount up aloft and not be weary by the successive varieties and the abundant sweetness flowing hereby into thy bosom and to winde up this instigation in a word 1. Is my heart dead at any time and listless how soon will Meditation quicken it and reduce it into activity 2. Is it barren and unfruitful alone or in company what rare rich matter can meditating bring in and spread over the barren soil of my spirit and make it soon put forth fruitfully 3. Is it chill and cold without wonted warmth and vivacity what fuel can it fetch to kindle a fire on this hearth fuel from Heaven and Earth from the Word and Works of God and all sorts of objects whatever spiritualizing them for my use what sparks can it strike what coals can it kindle and blow up into a flame to thaw my frozen heart 4. How high a preparative is Meditation to prayer to enrich it with choicest materials to enliven it and make it burning hot in holy fervency 5. How rare a dispositive to hearing the Word of Christ to open the everlasting doors of the heart to widen the heart for a letting in more freely of heavenly Truths and increasing the good hearts treasure to make us swift to hear to hear with the largest and liveliest affections readiest purpose most raised and fixed resolutions to receive and obey the Word in every thing most abundant readiness to be moulded into the form of Doctrine that shall be delivered 6. What an efficacious helper is Meditation to spiritual digestion and reducing divine Truths into sound and good nourishment which miscarry in others for want of due meditating And what a mighty assistant is it to holy Duties what is there performed wisely and with vigour unless directed and assisted by Meditation For to make the instigations more full we may look back to the ends of Meditation and the afterward grounds were given and enlarged upon which being many will be too long to repeat Two things only remain to finish this Improvement 1. The Evidences and Characters of a right and due Meditation 2. The Directions and Rules for the best managing of it CHAP. VIII Of the Evidences of a due Meditation FOr the Evidences of a due and right Meditation it must have the Nature Properties and Attendants of it and therefore it is not to be taken up as a custom as a thing made to stop the mouth of a calling and urging conscience or a meer acting for Notions a study and search of Curiosity to know Novelty or to know much and be able to hold discourse with others But it must have a higher nature purer
only in our selves but our own happiness must be aimed at for glorifying God by it We must aim at happiness and being in Heaven thereby to be in a most perfect state that we may attain the most perfect principle for the highest exalting of God Althugh in Heaven seeing more and tasting more and having the vessels of body and soul filled up with glory and happiness makes our state more glorious yet the end of that seeing tasting and all enjoyings there are to put us into a most perfect capacity highest heart-readiness and alacrity upon the most over-powring incentives to lift up to the utmost the glorious praises of God This then is a very considerable particular that besides glorifying God the supreme end aiming at our own salvatition must be more then for our selves We use to speak of several spiritual ends relating to our own spiritual good which we are allowed to set up and seek and strive after yet all these must have this reduction must all have this glory of God for their chief end The last end as hath been said gives the rules to all both subservient ways and ends Therefore in our examination let us take in all the spiritual ends before spoken of for heavenly light and larger knowledge for a spirit of wisdom to be wiser to salvation to be warmer at the heart melt off all incumbrances make up to Heaven better to fix our resolutions firmer strengthen our grand purpose of still walking with God to stablish our course and make straiter steps for our feet and to press harder to the mark Are our spirits acted to these aims and all those other Meditation is so excellently and usefully appointed to 2. Do we meditate in the right way of calling off our thoughts from impertinencies and diversions Do we set a strong guard upon our spirits and watch them diligently Do we act Meditation in bending our minds to it strive to act with all seriousness we can Do we act searching and pondering and keep up constancy of thoughts till we both bring our hearts to the heavenly temper and the duty to the kindly issue it should have and cannot be content with any thing but that a God who sees our actings will approve of CHAP. IX Of the Directions relating to Meditation First for such as would begin AFter some Characters given of a right Meditation I shall next speak of Directions or Rules to be observed about it The Rules must be suited to the several sorts of persons that will set upon this work or proceed in it with success 1. If it be a person who would enter upon this way being sensible of the sin of hitherto neglecting it and is now willing to be advised how to perform it Then consider it is no undertaking it or hope of doing it aright and holding on with constancy and to the spiritual advantages of it unless there be an endeavour after a right principle a living spring within to found and still feed a due performance of this spiritual work To undertake it without thou wilt find it too high and hard arrive at the best at a formal doing a slight and overly doing and in the end grow weary of it and cast it off and so return to it no more Therefore thy great intendment to which thou must bend thy self and whole soul which should not must not be given over until it be effected is to make sure of a new heart this will bring in a new power a new principle introduce a bent and inclination of spirit a love unto it a firm and abiding purpose a rooted resolution for doing it against all difficulty and opposition This will make the duty of Meditation easie and also sweet by the pleasure and advantages found in this heavenly way thou wilt be encouraged to hold on success will encourage thee that will sweeten the way to thee and help to stablish thee in it Though thou canst not change thy own heart and make it new lay in a new principle of Holiness but it must be God who gives the new heart Ezek. 36.26 27. And works the will and the deed of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.13 Yet as he calls thee to convert and in order to thy converting requires thee to consider and bethink thyself so is it thy necessary and important duty to consider and ponder deeply and frequently those things and in that manner order which are most effectual to that end which God uses to set home For by putting thy self into Gods prescribed way of seriously and frequently considering thou mayest meet with a help with God helping at last who helps them that seek him diligently and give not over striving That relation is remarkable of the bad Son whom his father dying calls to him and gets him to make this promise That every day he should for but one quarter of an hour meditate of some one thing or other what he would Accordingly he every day employs a quarter of an hour or some time in serious thinking But this at last most happily issues in serious considering his sinful state and a real converting to God at last Thus often it hath come to pass when persons have set themselves to consider as God in Scripture exhorts it hath ended in a true returning so the Prodigal is described Luke 15. So Ezek. 18. If thou art very desirous more particularly to be here directed what to do to obtain the right principle and thence the right way of acting this duty and others in the holy and spiritual required manner I must not engage far in so large a point yet if I exceed something it will I hope get pardon Only I shall mention some particulars more necessary for this so weighty a concern If really and in good earnest thou wilt engage strive to purpose for obtaining a sure principle of performing this or any duty aright a principle of Grace and Holiness a new heart and a new spirit 1. You must go about it with the greatest seriousness that ever thou canst and endeavour the firmest and strongest purpose for prosecuting it till thou hast attained it But then thou must see thy utter inability without Gods lending a hand to help thee in so high an undertaking It is thou must endeavour but God he must draw thee Joh. 6.44 No man can come to me unless the Father draw him Thou must strive for but God must give repentance 2 Tim. 2.25 If God will give repentance Jer. 31.18 Turn thou me and I shall be turned Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you Yet God must see us when he calls for returning to endeavour and strive and wait for his giving who works the will and the deed of his own good pleasure 2. Thou must resolve to sequester thy self at times at fit seasons from all diversions not suffering any thing then to interrupt thee thou must sit alone as Lam. 3.28 3. Do all thou possibly canst to be awakened
things or any other things in a holy manner unto spiritual and holy ends and improvements only 1. Here is the more general Nature founding it 2. The more peculiar Nature and particular Requisties finishing it 1. The more general Nature in a double Aspect The first looks up to Christ it is his Ordinance his Institution The second looks down to man it is his Obedience his Duty 2. Here is the particular Nature and Requisites Where first 1. The Object I will consider the Proper Object of this Meditation in two parts 1. Things spiritual and heavenly 2. Things though not in themselves spiritual yet in a spiritual manner lookt upon 2. The acting on it The acting on this Object by way of right pondering where many particulars will be opened 3. The Ends of this Meditation for only spiritual ends or the ends to be levell'd at must be spiritual and only holy 1. The more general Nature of Meditation we speak to It 's 1. Christs own Ordinance 2. And then mans Duty and Obedience It is Christs own Ordinance as those Scriptures fore-cited and many other which will be after-named prove Three things there are in an Ordinance of Christ which I shall speak of 1. The Rise and Original it is heavenly 2. The Nature it is spiritual and holy Yea 3. The use and end it is for a help 1. For the Rise and Original it is glorious and transcendent it comes as far as Heaven it is Heaven-born and bred It bears Christs Image and superscription Brings his Broad-seal and Commission it is one bright beam of Christs Sovereignty shining down upon us One holding out of his Golden Scepter for us to touch the top of it It comes with the King of Heavens Must it must be yielded to done as the strict and high Command of the great King of Saints given in Indispensible Necessity yea with the very same Cogency and Necessity that Praying Hearing the Word or any other most usually yielded to Duty doth Commonly as by our daily practice we prove it we lay not such stress upon Divine Meditation as we do upon other Scripture Institutions As if there were a less weight of Christs Regal Scepter in it As if it were not so current Coin of his but rather like some light Gold which we need not receive except we please Whereas this Duty of Meditation comes in Christs Name to every soul and with a Commission as full and firm as any other Gospel Command or Duty whatsoever 2. An Ordinance of Christ is holy Every Institution is a participation and carries a stamp and beam of God's glorious Holiness Not only of his Regal Authority but of his inconceivable Holiness and Purity The Holiness of God is that glorious Attribute of his whereby being free from all Impurity he wills and orders all things for his Name and Glory The holiness of an Ordinance is chiefly that by which it is laid and levelled full at the grand scope and mark of God's highest praise and honour It must be lookt on and represented to us as an Appointment for the most High God his Highest Interest All Religion is principally for living to the Living God Rom. 6.7 Heb. 9.14 All Ordinances are but the higher and more eminent ways given us for exalting him So many ascents and rising grounds whereby he may mount aloft and become more transcendently great and glorious If this be not the predominant Ingredient in our performances we are quite mistaken and so take his blessed name in vain This therefore being the chief thing this Ordinance of Meditation stands charged with must accordingly be minded and meant in it God's Institution of it First for his own highest Interest his intending it first for himself who so infinitely surpasses all Created Beings and their total Interests whatsoever they can amount unto This is the second Considerable an Ordinance is Holy chiefly instituted for lifting up God 3. An Ordinance is helpful for our heavenly help by Grace and the Lord's Condescension it is an Appointment and Institution for us For our chief Interest the High-way of our Souls help an Intendment and a Means to the main Mark of Happiness The singular way of our God's devising The sweet way of our great Prophets Teaching Christ's first setting me up a Light and therewith lending me his hand of help all Gospel Ordinances carry light and help with them The Scriptures call them ways Psal 119.3 They are Gods ways and they are also our ways They are first the King of Heaven's High-ways his Institutions and Appointments for us And they are our ways our High-ways to travel up to the City of God Heaven our ways to walk in to our chief Happiness I must look upon Christs Ordinances not as meer Impositions and significations of Christs Sovereignty not as Burdens and Tasks the products and effects of severity but such as are the Demonstrations of his Graciousness and Pity He sets me and shews me the way who justly might leave me to lose my way and to lose my self to lose both my Labour and Life Heaven and Happiness and that for ever These three forementioned Considerations ah what exteam need hath every one to give them the keenest edge to make Meditation more penetrative and powerful To both facilitate it to us and fortifie it in our Hearts Ah when we are to Meditate how do we still find our spirits all over-run and tainted with carnal and hellish Repugnancies and recoilings against it Rom. 7.21 how biassed and acted with strong diversions from it How sunk down suddenly in deadness and flatness in it How overcome with fainting fits and feebleness in it from the poysonous Fumes and dangerous Damps ascending out of the Hell of Corruption lying at the bottom of our spirits And how still abused by the frequencies of our hearts Deceitfulness and Miscarriages about it The more high holy and conducing any Ordinance of Christ is the more fearful and sad are the Demonstrations of the Enmity and Hell in our Hearts acting against it Domine Gehenna sum Lord I am Hell said that devout Meditator Ah what Floods what Seas of Considerations have we need of to quench these Hellish sparks that rise up in our Bosoms What need of all the Heavenly fire we can make and kindle to extinguish this Hellish Fire that so quickly burns and flames up As we see the Sun to extinguish the Fire on the Hearth Celestial Fire our Culinary Fire This may suffice for the first thing Meditation is an Ordinance of Christ To come to the Second it is our Incumbent Duty our Obedience to the great Law-giver Christ CHAP. III. Meditation our Duty our Obedience 2. Meditation our Duty MEditation is not only Christs Institution and Ordinance but every ones Incumbent Duty and Necessary Obedience not like the Free-will Offering a matter meerly arbitrary and as a dealing by way of courtesie Not for a Casting in as a Redundancy over and above all other Duties but is
this Building the better to bear it up These should be as so many great Arteries branching forth from the Heart to convey vital spirits into the body of this heavenly Duty of Meditation and keep it alive and warm and improvingly active CHAP. VI. Of the proper Objects of Divine Meditation FRom things of a remoter relation to the subject in hand I pass to such as are the nearer the more intrinsical and peculiar And here comes first to be handled the Matter or the Object of this Meditation When the wise King Solomon was to build the Temple first he is providing the rich and precious Materials then he proceeds to the framing and fitting of them and then to erecting and finishing that glorious Structure That which next is to be done is first to look out the Materials of our work and then the framing and finishing up is to follow The Materials or objective parts are far more rich and precious than those of Solomon's Temple They are as our Description of Meditation holds them forth either 1. Such as are more properly and purely spiritual and heavenly in their own Nature 2. Or things considered in a Spiritual way and to a Spiritual end and use It is not the Consideration of things as to their Entity or Being that is Metaphysical Metaphysicks treat of Entities of the meer Beings of things Of the first Being namely God and of secondary Beings derived from God the first Being It is not the Consideration of things as Rational the Rational respects things have one to another this is Logical Logick that considers respects of things as Causes Effects Subjects Adjuncts and the like It is not the Consideration of things in their particular Natures and Natural properties This Natural Philosophy Contemplates It is not the Consideration of things Civil Moral or Political these Moralists and States-men are exercised about Neither is it the consideration of particular Crafts and Trades this is Mechanical and but a work prudential and Humane not Divine But this Meditation hath Objects of a far higher Sphere and Rank things of a Divine and Theological Consideration Nay nor yet is it the meer Study of things Theological and Divine A man may be a Student in Divinity beat and busie his Brains about the high points and Mysteries in it may read and muse on Matters Divine and yet not be a Meditator such as we speak of not act Divine Meditation A man may act upon things as Notions and as matters of Knowledge or to make up an Universal knowing person he may act Contemplation for Curiosity for such an use as the Heathen man Aristotle made of reading Moses his first Chapter of Genesis whereof he passed his undue and heathenish censure that Moses affirms all but proves nothing he read first and then pondered and then censured But he acted not Meditation not that we speak of It was not a consideration of spiritual things as spiritual and for spiritual ends but only as wise man acts his thoughts upon things as New for New notions and improving Knowledge Many thus consider things Scriptural and Divine study them as we call it study Books of Divinity study things in the Scripture but they act not the Duty of Meditation They act upon things as Matters Intellectual and Rational not as Heavenly and Spiritual Act for Notion and Speculation and not for Holiness Act Curiosity not Christianity The right Meditater far transcends any meer Student he acts a more Noble part hath a more Noble and sublime manner of Operation Aristotles studying Moses Writings and David's Meditating in the Law of God how far do they differ So a Heathen's or a Mahometan's or a Jew 's or any such persons studying matters in the Bible differs greatly from Meditating in it Nay many Protestants are great Students in Divinity that never Meditated they dwell upon the study of it but touch not with the least of their fingers the hard work of holy Meditation But to return to our matter in hand and to speak to this subject of Meditation Formerly it was said that Spiritual things or things in a Spiritual and Heavenly manner considered are the proper and adequate Object of this Meditation And bere O how large and fair a prospect hath the Spiritual Eye to Expatiate and Recreate it self in The Infinitely Glorious and All-sufficient God the Father Son and Holy Spirit as the Scripture reveals The vast world the frame of Heaven above and Earth below with all the so innumerable things contained in them Their sundry Natures Properties and Vses with the so beauteous and various Excellencies of them The mighty Sustentations and Preservations of all things Created as to their Beings their Faculties and their Acts. The most wise righteous and holy Governing of them with a most steady and never erring hand unto their particular ends and with a most certain winding them all up ultimately in the Supream scope of the great Creator and Governour Then that peculiar Government of the rational Creatures Angels and Men The unspeakably sad full of some Angels and all Mankind The Recovery of some men and their Eternal Salvation by Christ the Redeemer God in our Nature Here here is matter of Meditation The great mystery of Godliness as 1 Tim. 3.16 And particularly the four last things as they are called namely Death Judgment Heaven and Hell Besides there is for Meditation the whole Book of boly Scriptures now compleat in the New Testament-times with the Ordinances of Christ and the Covenant of Grace And lastly the Meditation of that so great concern our own particular Estates how matters stand with us and are like to be with us to all Eternity which Eternity challenges and imposes on every person the greatest both intensions and frequencies of thoughts But though this be so great yet again what is there in all the vast circumference of the whole world I say what is there although never so small but by a wise and holy heart may be an Object improvable to an excellent use and end As the Art of Chymistry can extract rare and efficacious Remedies out of Dungs Putrefactions and Poysons That Soul must be a pitiful vain and barren piece that wants matter and mind to move and act fruitfully in so large a sphere and compass as Meditation hath It affords the whole latitude of all things properly spiritual And it comprises likewise all other things which in some respect or other wisdom can improve by this rare Art No Artist in any way of Operation with all his rare Instruments and efficacious Engines can operate more eminently than an Artist in this holy kind may do Of this the Scriptures give plentiful proof in the many Precedents left us in it for imitation So we see it in holy David in many of his Psalms besides them of the Word of God his greatest Subject of Meditation in those made of God's great works yea the works of his common Providence and Guidance as the
growing of the Grass and Herbs and Trees the singing of the Birds among their Branches in the waters the playing of the Leviathan the innumerable creeping things in the Seas and the going of the Ships in them as Psal 104. The wise Solomon hath his Meditation of the Horse-leach with her daughters Prov. 30.15 The Ant in her Industry Prov. 26.14 sending the Sluggard that turns on his Bed as the Door on the Hinges that often moves but never removes to her to learn Industry Prov. 6.6 Yea sometimes the most inconfidenable things the Scripture takes notice of for us to mind the Hairs on the head which all are numbred the Sands of the Sea which though so weak and small is thereby bridled The Dust of the Earth by Gods power as in a Measure comprehended Isa 40.12 And not only God's great works and high actings but the lowest actions of men and the meanest actings of the inferiour Creatures are in Scripture held forth as occasions for this Meditation as advantage grounds for the ascending of thoughts and raising up the Mind Heaven-ward All this pains taken by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures is to shew what a wise and fruitful spirit may extract by this holy Art of Meditation yea to teach us how constantly thought-busie we should keep our hearts like that wonder in Nature the so wise and laborious Bee still in gathering some Celestial sweetness from every Flower of Scripture or Providence or any other Object we stay upon CHAP. VII Of the Requisites for Meditation FRom the Object and Matter of Meditation we must next come upon the Requisites and Qualifications and the things contained in it and constituting of it Here by the way there were two sorts of Meditation mentioned 1. That which is set and more solemn 2. That which is short sudden and ejaculatory 1. The first that which more properly is called Meditation is that so frequently we have spoken of in the Scripture and mentioned in our Divinity-Books and in Discourses Meditation in the ordinary acceptation of the word taken for a work of time seriousness and solemness that must have a due proportion of Time Labour and Diligence to effect that upon the heart it is to be used for 2. There is that which is called Ejaculation sudden quick acting or ascending of the Soul to Heaven This is a holy spark flies up out of the heavenly Fire burning suddenly in the heart this is but Meditation rather more improperly so call'd Of this I shall speak something hereafter But that we are now to proceed upon is the Meditation more properly so call'd more set solemn Meditation a business of time and seriousness There are divers things I shall mention eight Particulars or Requisites for this Meditation There are eight Requisites I shall mention 1. There 's requisite a Holy Awe and Reverence a putting on a reverential frame of heart sutable to the holiness of the Duty 2. There is requisite a Retreat of the Thoughts calling off the mind from all its preceding excursions or engagings otherways 3. There 's requisite the setting of a strong Guard and so sure a Watch upon our slippery spirits as we are able to secure it against all diversions 4. Meditation as to the Form and Nature proper Notion and Essence consists in Application of the Mind and Thoughts and setting them upon the Subject or Matter intended to be considered 5. Meditation as to the Nature and Essence consists as in Application of the Mind to so in the intension and due seriousness of thinkings on a fit Object 6. In a diving and searohing of thoughts scanning for a best discovery 7. In a Commoration and due stay of the thoughts upon the work in hand without precipitation and undue hastening 8. It 's requisite there be an infusing and intermixing the life and beauties of such affections as are sutable and proper for the Duty 1. Meditation it must have the Dispositive and Preparation of Holy Awe and Reverence a still engaging the Spirit to and imposing upon it and framing of it unto all that holy Awe and highest Reverence which this so excellent Duty calls for both in the Entrance and over all the Performance I say Highest Reverence as that which is to be done in the so infinitely pure presence of a God a God whose eye is observing in a special manner our hearttemper not only in a Duty performed in his view but a temper presented and tendered to himself as an Homage and Honour As a way of Ingratiating our selves with him as a way and one of our sweetest ways of higher Intimacy and Communion with him The Spirit of a Creature perfect much less of a sinner it cannot have too strong an Infusion too deep a Tincture of holy Reverence This is the first Requisite a deep Tincture of holy Reverence contended to CHAP. VIII Of the second Requisite THE next Requisite is in sounding a Retreat of the Thoughts and calling off the Mind from all preingagements not only Evils and Vanities but all Business and Duties Nothing must detain the thoughts or divert the thoughts when we design and intend Meditation God complains of men when Bodies are brought and Hearts are left out well may he complain if we go about Meditation a Mind a Thought Exercise if we let the mind and thoughts be sent abroad and not called home The Philosophers say truly that intention can be only of one thing at one particular individual time Divinity tells us there must be no allowance of disintention neither a giving way to a seisure of Impertinencies to keep possession of the Mind that will keep off that which is incumbent and our present Duty David Psal 119.113 says he hated vain thoughts when they were Intruders when they crowded in much more as they were Excluders and crowded out good thoughts Therefore most of all when they obstructed and interposed at the time of his Meditation Therefore being so rare an Artist in Heavenly Meditation he still would shake out and empty the Vessel of his heart of other previous improper thoughts Do as Nehemiah when Tobijah had laid up his stuff in the Temple he throws it all out to make way for the proper Furniture Musing in this sort therefore must have its Preparative its stand and its retreat off and from all impertinent thoughts a making the Coast clear a setting the mind free disburdening and disclogging it Casting off all weights when we are to run this Race and mount up the Hill of Divine Contemplation Now is the time to call to by-thoughts to void the Room and leave it free for other thoughts to enter This is the Second Requisite a sounding a Retreat to the thoughts from all other things 3. When Meditation is to be performed there must be a strong Guard set a sure Watch kept upon all Avenues and Passages on all the Inlets and Out-lets of the heart As Jehoiada the Priest set a Guard round about the young King
when he was to be Crowned 2 Chr. 23.7 so when this Duty is endangered and ready to be hindred from having the Crown of a right performance set upon it The Scripture Rules impose Circumspection great Caution in all our Concernments but more peculiarly in things pertaining to God and his Worship Eccles 5.1 Take heed to thy foot c. so Take heed what you hear Aud Take heed how you hear So there must be heed and a great take heed how we Meditate The strongest Guard is little enough yea too deficient and weak for the holiest heart and the best exercised in this part of Godliness O how inconceivably evil is every heart in its leakings and runnings out in its rovings and wandrings in its slipperiness and inconstancies and likewise in its sinkings and fallings instead of keepings up in its heat and heavenly vivacity and keepings on in any evenness and equality No Sieve is more unapt to hold water no hand more unable to hold Sand or Oyl poured into it no bone which often hath been out of joint is more apt to dislocate and slip out of place than is the best heart to slip off rove and range from this Duty in Diversions and Admissions of Impertinencies When we are most serious and intent suddenly our carnal Spirits give us the slip and are gone Like the Bird if the Cage be but open Or the Prisoner if the Doors be not fast and watcht Or if the heart get not out in Diversions it falls flat in Deadness and sudden Coolings Like the Iron in forging no longer hot than the Workman keeps blowing like melted Metal which cools as it runs and is pouring forth This made David in the Psalms so often and earnestly to call for Quicknings from the sense of his frequent heart-coolings and sinkings The Acting of Meditation must not be going up a Hill of Ice where footing is both slippery and cold but like the going up the Burning Mount Etna where the footing if not firm yet is that which the Travellers as they say feel warm Or like Moses Going up the Mount to God which was steady and earnest till he came to the top Still a due Guard must be kept about our hearts in this so important soul affair An Intense care must be used and a holy fear against all Diversions all heart-sinkings and against all Disappointments also that we lofe not the real benefit and comfort of this work These three now Explained Particulars are as Requisites or Attendants of Meditation The next four are the special things wherein the Nature and Notion of it consists CHAP. IX Meditation in applying the Mind to a proper Object 4. MEditation stands in an Application and bringing the thinking power of the Soul upon the Object or Thing to be Meditated of Taking that Great Engine of the Spirit and setting it to act upon some fit subject The thinking faculty is a rare Endowment an Engine whereby the reasonable Creature can draw up and take in any Object and act or exercise it self about it for that use or end we aim at in our thinking In all Meditation there must be an Applying and Conjunction of the mind and the thing As Sensitive seeing must have some union virtual union with the thing seen so Intellectual seeing seeing by the Eye of the understanding must be by a bringing the thoughts upon that is to be thought upon The Scripture hath this Expression of setting the heart upon a thing Hag. 1.5 So it is in the Hebrew that which we Translate Consider your ways is put or set your hearts upon c. In Consideration or Musing there 's not only a taking of the heart and thoughts from foregoing minded Objects but a putting or setting it on some New thing setting that on there where it was not set before The sinful heart of it self will run any way upon Earthly things upon evil things or upon Impertinent and unseasonable things not come to or keep upon that it should intend and mind Therefore it must be taken as by strong hand and set upon spiritual things set on Musing and Meditation of heavenly things A carnal heart is like the Loadstone it cleaves to nothing but Steel or Iron and both of them easily unite but the heart must be of another property and act in a higher way And a good heart though it thinks too much Earth-ward runs often wrong yet it will set it self in its thinkings right on right Objects make it self and them to meet and unite Psal 119.112 David tells us how he did he inclined his heart to Gods Commandments both to keep them and to meditate on them He took and bent his heart as a thing bending too much to other things set his mind on Musing on it He found his Heart and the Law of God too far asunder and so would continue unless he brought them together and made them one If he had not brought his heart to the Word he had never Meditated The Object cannot apply it self to the Mind but the Mind must bring it self to the Object No Holy Duties will come to us we must come to them Many in a secret folly and sluggishness would have things do alone of themselves without their stirring or acting but they mistake 't is something like to Mahomet the Deceiver who once told the People that were met by his means to see him have a Mountain upon his call to remove and come unto him but when the Mountain would not come he boldly then tells them if the Mountain will not come to Mahomet Mahomet must or will go to the Mountain What he did attempt in pretence and act in impudence but was fain to go at last to the Mountain that would not come to him I say like to this we are ready to do in slothfulness we look that Duties should come to us that they do themselves and we do nothing But that which will not come to us we must go to it We must bring and set our hearts to this and all other Duties There must not be a letting the Mind lie still that so matter of Meditation may come to us and make us Meditate But we must bring and set our hearts to Objects of Meditation and make this Happy meeting of Excellent Objects and this excellent Musing power This is the more to be Contended for in that this work of Holy Meditating hath so many busie Adversaries but chiefly in the constant progress and carrying of it on Ah 't is extreamly against the grain of a natural heart to be broken off from its customary wildness wandrings and rangings of thoughts To cage up it self and become tame and tuned to serious Musings and Thinkings Heaven-ward In the best heart that sin that so easily besets us it will be ready quickly to interpose and cut off the Passages otherwise open O how the heart strives to beset and block up all Passages when we are beginning to enter on this Work
a due time for percolation and straining for a segregating and seperating of the finer parts from the Feculent and Dreggy And some things a longer space in a slow and constant Fire in the Operation or the cost and labour is lost Intensions for effecting things greatly beneficial and admirable are most freely allowed a larger proportion of time both for frequencies and Repetitions of Musing seriously But O how too ordinarily do the best of Saints fall short of the actings of Rare Artists in their higher Operations in their stands and abodes of thoughts for more curious Observations and ntellectual satisfactions Usually we are too hasty and eager to have Duties over The Soul is in pain till it be delivered of them In Meditation it is hard sometimes at least to take off the thoughts for it from preingagements of other thinkings and apply them to the duty But harder to become duly serious in acting in it harder yet to Dive and Ponder and hardest of all to hold up in an abode of thoughts and dwell long enough and after views to make reviews to re-act the same thinkings to taste things over and over when the freshness and newness is past when by long thinking the things before us seem old we are ready to grow dead and flat in a performance except we stir up our selves often in it It is hard to hold on and hold up unless we hold up a wakeful Eye a warm affection a strong and quick repeated Resolution yea and without often lifting up the Soul to Christ for fresh recruits of strength to hold on David that so excellent Artist in this way saith he will Meditate Psal 119. often saith he will Doubtless he not only said I will when he was to make his entrance into this hard work but likewise for continuance in it to keep up his heart from flaging till he well ended his work It is not the Digging into the Golden Mine but the Digging long that finds and fetches up the Treasure It is not the Diving into the Sea but staying longer that gets the greater quantities of Pearls To draw out the Golden Thread of Meditation to its due length till the spiritual ends be attained This is a rare and happy Artainment This is the Art but of the ends of Meditation we shall speak hereafter CHAP. XIII Of Affectionateness in Meditation or the life and lustre of it in the intermixings of sutable Affections THree things we proposed in treating of this Divine Meditation 1. The right Preparative to it fervent Prayer 2. The main Foundation of it in the free choice of the Will 1. To firmly purpose a right work that it be sincere 2. To purpose and intend a wise work 3. To design a warm work 4. To have it earnest against lets and oppositions 5. To have it a successful work 3. The Forming and Finishing of it For the Forthing and Constituting of it which is 1. By a Reverential frame of heart stir'd up answerable to the Duty 2. By first sounding a Retreat of the Thoughts from all other Objects 3. By setting a strong Guard upon our slippery Spirits Then as to the constituting the work 4. By setting the Thoughts on the Object 5. By seriousness in Thinking 6. By searching of Thoughts 7. By a staying and abode of Thoughts 8. For Finishing the work by intermixtures of the Life and Beauties of such Affections as are proper and sutable for the Duty It must be an affectionate acting warm and zealous lively and vigorous So David's Meditation Psal 39.3 while musing the Fire burned Not only it should be so eventually but by way of concomitancy when we Meditate with the Mind we should be warm at the Heart The fuel and fire of holy Affections must come to the offering up this Sacrifice There must be an Affectionate acting which brings the life and beauty into the body and face of the Duty They say Beauty must have these four things 1. Perfection or Intireness of parts no part wanting 2. Proportions due no part too great too little or unsutable And proportion of Colour White and Red in a just proportion 3. There must be Right Order of parts that nothing be misplaced 4. There must be spirit and vivacity appearing in the Face as a chief Ingredient or superaddition to all the rest as that which adds singular grace and lustre to all So besides the parts and chief lineaments there must be that which compleats the Beauty of Meditation Those things which are as not only the Beauteous Colours but the freshness liveliness and spirits aspersed and appearing over all the Face of this Rare Piece this Excellent Performance That as the Heart with its Diffusions of Heat and Spirits in a due proportion makes a comely graceful and lovely Colour which in Heart-Distempers Faintings and Sinkings disappear and vanish So the Holy Heart with its Diffusions of heavenly warmth and spirits heavenly affectionateness makes Meditation comely beauteous and lovely If Meditation be only Head-work and not Heart-work it is like a Picture without life like a Student that studies in a meer acting of Wisdom only The right and genuine Meditation is an affectionate thing as the Head acts the Heart glows The life veins of warm Affections run and disperse themselves through the whole Duty and give lustre to it This we may see in the Meditations of that great Artist in this kind in holy David you may see a beauty and excellency of Holy Affection mixt and interwoven like the Gold in the Tissue with the Silk and sparkling in his this-way-acting Affections appearing set as so many Rich Stones Rare Beauties and Glories among his various Musings There are Three sorts of Affections that shine gloriously in David's and other holy mens Meditations left upon Record in Scripture which needs must be patterns to provoke us to imitation 1. The Affection of Desire 2. Of Love 3. Of Delight I shall briefly dispatch them CHAP. XIV Of the First Affection Desire 1. THat Affection of Desire wound up and let out to pantings and longings Heaven-ward and being above in this Heavenly Exercise of Meditation David with his Meditating of God and his Word he tells us what longings and heart-pantings he had Psal 119.20 His Soul breaks for desire which he had to Gods Testimonies How was this to have the Book of the Law no it was to be exercised in it to an improving of Meditation on it Ps 1.2 Ah he could not Meditate enough act freely enough far enough The Commandment was so exceeding broad as he saith Psal 119.96 so very broad and his heart so narrow Sin so incompast and straitned him that his Soul breaks that he could have no larger thoughts Such an edge and eagerness of Affection such a large strong and vehement desire should be an attendant an assistant of Meditation one strong Feather impt and added to the Wing of Contemplation to make it mount up fast to Heaven Ah say Christian Lord
that my soul could Meditate still better flye farther mount higher be more upon the wing make sweeter and more happy discoveries and prove a greater proficient in this Heavenly way Meditate with desires and breakings of Soul to dart up the highest you can to Heaven and stay there CHAP. XV. Of the next Affection Love 2. THe next Affection which sends a Great Artery of vivifical Heat a glowing Heat into this Meditation is that of Heavenly Love Love to the Duty and the Excellent things to be Meditated upon Love is the great Heart Fire made to warm every holy service Ps 119.97 O how Love I thy Law it is my Meditation all the day Love led him into this pleasant soul walk of sweet Meditation and Love kept him company kept his heart warm in it The fulfilling of the Commandment is Love Rom. 13.10 and Love is the fulfilling of this Commandment of Meditating It is performed in Love This Heart vital Heat of Love must move to and in Meditation must glow through the whole work all the time of it Meditation is either of the infinite beauties of the most blessed God the infinite perfections and surpassing glories of his Essence and Attributes and of the Three Persons in that Essence or else of the precious Word or Works of God his general Providence and Government or his peculiar Governing of the reasonable Creatures especially that so stupendious work of Redemption by Christ and all those things which are reducible to his praise which must needs being so beauteous have their surpassing loveliness And therefore there is great reason to act love abundantly towards them To have Meditation still richly perfum'd with actings of burning love all over it O let Love ever come in and act its part in Meditation wherein the Souls Eye is not only glancing but wishly viewing the surpassing beauteous things of Heaven or such things as may lead up to Heaven Ah if I cannot ascend in a Flame of love yet let me in Meditation flye up in some sparks of Love If my heart cannot burn in the flame of Love let it keep warm upon the Embers of Love Let Love give it a spirit vigour and liveliness As Solomons Temple was inwardly all overlaid with Gold let this rare work of Contemplation be overlaid and inlaid with Love Cant. 3.10 as Solomons Chariot in the Canticles the midst of it paved with love so let this Chariot of Contemplation the midst of it be paved with Love This is the Second Affection Love CHAP. XVI Of the last Affection Delight 3. THE last Affection to make a threefold cord to draw up the heart in Meditation and that winds the work up higher and that is a great superadded Beauty and Glory is the Affection of Delight Joy and Pleasure Meditation must not be a dull sad and dispirited thing Not a driving like the Chariots of the Egyptians when their Wheels were taken off but like the Chariots of Aminadab Cant. 6.12 Make me like the Chariots of Aminadab that ran swiftly So let us pray Lord in Meditation make me like the Chariots of Aminadab that my swift running may evidence my Delight in Meditating Holy David makes Delight such an Ingredient or Assistant here that sometimes he calls this Exercise of Meditation by the Name of Delight Psal 119.16 speaking in the foregoing Verse of this Meditation I will Meditate in thy Precepts in the 16. verse I will Delight my self in thy Statutes which is the same with Meditation only with superadding the excellent qualification due Meditation should have This Name is given from this noble concomitant As Wisdoms ways are all paths of pleasantness so this path it hath its pleasantness and sweetness Contemplation hath its rare and most pleasant walks No Habitation hath such Rooms such Galleries within of pleasure Nor Gardens without with such Walks and Curiosities No Situation or Stand such Prospects and varieties of delightful Eye-Objects as Meditation enjoys All Objects that Nature or Art can present to the Eye are meer Shadows and Nothings in respect of the rich and rare Furniture the Eye of Meditation is provided with The Traveller whose fect and helps have carried him the farthest whose Eye and Observation hath viewed and taken in never so much variety and Curiosity that hath recreated ravisht and satiated it self never so largely with any of the most taking things the whole Worlds fullness comprises hath not cannot come neer to and compare with the transcendencies of purest highest Soul-refreshing ravishing Delights this high Operation and more sublime acting conveighs and gives in where the Object is spiritual the Eye Spiritual the heart holy and spiritual and the way of acting upon this Spiritual Object is Spiritual as every way or Ordinance of Christ is Or where the Object is excellent the faculty exercised on it is excellent the Medium or way of Applying the Faculty to the Object is Excellent There the Delight and Pleasure is most rare and excellent There are sundry sorts of pleasures There are sensitive pleasures of the external Senses as of Hearing Seeing Tasting and the like These are very various and very great too often too bewitching and besotting There are Phansie Imagination-pleasures I say the pleasures of Phansie which are rare and higher than those of the outward Senses Imagination and Phansie which is a quick sudden short and shallow apprehension of things it is not judgment that ponders but a sudden slight taking in and acting this is especially in some sorts of persons a very high Spring and strong Feeder of Delight or Pleasure of Pleasures that come like things fresh quick and spirited to the Body and Senses Phansies O how they perfume like richest scents please like briskest and most racy Wine Phansies though often very fond and vain yet are great insets of Delight 3. There are Intellectual Pleasures Rational Joys and Delights These are more high sublime and refined and therefore more sweet such as the Pleasures of understanding new rare Notions excellent Speculations and apprehensions of solid and precious Truths and the Minds Musings on them Tasting feeding on them this in it self is a more transcending Delight than the two former though Phansies weigh more with some yea though sensual Pleasures take most with abundance 4. But there are beyond the former namely those that are spiritual Pleasures Delights found and felt in a holy and spiritual Heart in one that hath a Principle far above Sense and Phansie and Natural Reason that a renewed Mind a Spiritual Understanding a Wisdom from above only reaches and relishes and these are best and sweetest when they are not only taken into the Soul by an act of apprehension and conceiving of them but when they pass into the more inward Room or Office of the Mind into the Judgment when they are there detained in Consideration and by Meditation give down their delicious sweetness like Grapes in the Wine-Press Meditation is such a Soul Engine such an instrument of such
speculations were not acted to the glory of God were vain imaginations Rom. 1. Whatsoever the aim be if the glory of God be not the real scope nay if it be not the master mark the work is miscarried and but a ravelling out of Time a losing of Labour Meditation must make sure of the right method and order of aiming the glory of God like the Sun in the Heavens that out-shines all other Lights below and above and that which is to be seen before and above all others so this must be eyed and aimed at likewise far before all other Three things to be eyed Ah we should eye 1. The Infinite Glories and Resplendencies of the Eternal and All-sufficient God 2. The infinite distances and heights he is in above us 3. And the infinite Obligations that ever lie upon us to exalt him beyond all As in the making of our whole man whereby he is total owner of us and proprietor in us And in our preserving whereby we are yet more highly bound And in the provisions for our Eternal happiness which is far beyond all the former Therefore there 's an absolute necessity of this Method and Order of still first aiming every Duty and Acting at this grand mark and then to make it the striving and pressing hard of our Spirits to it O that in my thinkings in the ascendings of my thoughts this glory of the great God may ever still ascend For no thoughts nor actings can truly ascend if they go not up to the blessed God and this glory of God if God goes not up higher in our thinkings they then go not higher than self and which is but indeed downward and not upward at all Nay 't is a worse descent than that also 't is Destruction and Hell-ward whatsoever is Self-ward and is not to the advanceing of the great God Meditation is not only to be acted to God as a Duty but as this Duty in its peculiarity and propriety as being a peculiar streight line to God as a singular way for our taking aim this high aim at exalting the praises of God Thus did that rare mark-man holy David as it is admirably conspicuous in the Psalms in Psal 103.12 In the very entrance he lays a strict a repeated command upon his Soul and all that is within him to bless and bless and praise God Yea not only lays his Meditation level to the mark but raises up his spirit to take the purest the fullest aim this both by a selecting and improving of spiritual reasons the strongest he could find and the most quickning Motives he could apply all that his heart might carry up in a heavenly flame the highest praises of God Thus you shall see him very frequently acting his Meditation up with the greatest fervour to this exalting highly of God Meditation is a peculiar visit made to the great God a Mind a Thought visit wherein as to a great friend the Soul as it were comes and saith to God Lord I come to see thee I now come purposely to see thee to spend some fit portion of time with thee and I come for that high Honour and Observance I am infinitely obliged to tender to thee Every Meditation is giving a fresh visit and thereby a new tender of highest Honour we own to this best of Friends This is the first end 2. The next end is our highly pleasing of God which by Meditation we are to intend God will be both obeyed and pleased with our respecting and acting of every appointed way Meditation is the best way the most pleasing way of thinking Col. 1.11 We are to walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing Therefore this must be performed to an intended pleasing a due serious thinking a pondering and dwelling of the thoughts upon heavenly things and chiefly upon the infinite Beauties and Excellencies of God who is the perfect Thought and Heart-knower the exquisite Searcher and Observer of Soul-actings But then most when purposely pleasing is designed This must very highly please him when we especially design pleasing with our most wishly eyings of him yea to intend the doing our best to please him and this O how should it greatly also please us David Psal 19. last v. prays for pleasing God Let the Meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer So it is not only to be prayed for but made the holy aim of Meditation with our utmost care Favourites to great Princes what industries do they use to please them especially that their thoughts offered in Counsels may be acceptable Thus how did Philotas who was Alexander the Great 's Favourite and Meeenas Augustus his Favourite and so among our selves divers But how near goes it to them if their Counsels please not as with Achitophel when his Counsel pleased not Absalom and on the contrary with Hushai when his Counsel pleased So when Hamans Counsel was rejected and how contrary with Mordecai when his Counsels were resented Pleasing of a Prince is a great encouragement But pleasing of a God is a sweet Soul Contentment it is most worthy striving after O how unspeakably sweet will the finding and feeling of this prove in thy heart when Meditation is performed purposely to please thy God when it runs in a pure stream when thy spirit reflecting on its actings in Meditating makes discovery of this holy aim of high pleasing the most high God As the Scripture commands pleasing the Saints are peculiarly commended and greatly honoured for it As with wise and well bred people obliging and pleasing in good things great pleasing is a great praise As Abel Enoch and others from this character of pleasing God It is a heavenly ambition to earnestly design pleasing as in all others so in this walking with God in Meditation CHAP. XIX Meditation respecting our selves 2. AS there should be such aims relating to the great God so Meditation must have its advantageous aims respecting our selves 1. The Grand Scope and End of our own happiness 2. All other Subservient and Excellent Ends. 1. The grand End of our own happiness and working out our own salvation is the next spiritual end that Meditation as a mighty Engine should set on going to effect It should be sure to be ordered up and duly aimed at acted according to the aptitude and fitness of any way in it to further this important end Musing and right Meditation hath a most rare tendency and helpfullness as to the working out salvation As it is a sanctified means on Gods part so it must be an earnestly employed help on our part We must Meditate ever so that it may help on salvation we must mean it and level it sure not any way deceive our selves but take the best and surest aim Salvation challenges the best eying the fullest steadiest strongest aiming of every way and help Soul happiness must not have slender aims we cannot have aimings too serious and intense Let my aimings
here have the keenest edge of seriousness be elevated the highest made the firmest and the most extensive Let them take in universally whatsoever may most instigate to and quicken in this high operation proportionate it to this working out salvation the so great Gospel Salvation Thus did the prodigal who represents the Returning sinner when sensible first of his unspeakable misery and thence apprehensive of the great obtainable Felicity the so glorious Gospel salvation never did he so act any thinking made such warm work of it as now In like manner the Jaylor Acts 16. having such a dreadful awakening from sense of a lost condition O what a pondering of Salvation was that from a heart so warm'd and edg'd when Extremity of Misery hath the deepest sense Meditation of Salvation and Recovery hath the highest seriousness What can have such a thinking as when one thinks for life and that eternal Let Meditation take in 1. Those Considerations that are most awakening that unspeakable misery comes upon us by sins so innumerable As contracting on the person such horrid guilt and conveying into the heart such hellish filth Every sin with the aggravations contracting a debt to Divine Justice and that entered into God debt Book which we never can pay or get paiâ— without a surety but must bring destruction in Eternal fire 3. Then weigh the great uncertainty of life and how certain death casts every one upon an Eternal state unavoidably upon inconceivable Eternity 4. Then must be weighed the Mighty Enemies and multitudes of hinderances lying in the way of escaping 2. Next come the Considerations that are the most highly encouraging to strive to enter in at the strait Gate such as the Scriptures fullness supplies O how great and prevalent are those in the Gospel to wise and warm us to strengthen and heighten Meditation As Eternal life which in the believing heart is already begun with sure promise of carrying it on to perfection by our yet co-working with the holy Spirit of Christ working in all his which we must do continually Phil. 2.12 Work out your own salvation c. What may I say of conjunction with God by union with Christ by Faith of Communion with Christ in justification and pardon of sin a most glorious righteousness reconciliation adoption with a sure title to Heaven and the glorious graces of Christ his image holiness wisdom life power peace passing understanding joy unspeakable with establishment growth in grace victory over all Enemies Ah what wishly lookings should we exercise daily at this so great salvation and the transcendencies and perfections of it and at last such an outlet of all evils such an inlet of all good such a Crown of Glory with all the inconceivable Excellencies of it and the perfect fruition and vision of God for ever I have been longer on this than was my purpose yet shall crave leave for one thing more and that which is after all momentous cousiderations besides the greatest of strongest influence and efficacy that is the vastness inconceivable vastness of Eternity Not Eternity meerly in the abstract only considered in it self but in reference to misery or felicity I say to all other inducements adde Eternity hang on this great weight of Eternity of Misery and Felicity Endeavour with thy utmost Art and Industry by all resemblances to have che liveliest and most operative representations of it Breathe thy soul often by healthful exercise here breathe thy soul frequently up this Hill of Eternity whatsoever thou meditatest on let still this be one Object entertained in thy serious thoughts this vast Eternity Let this have its due time 2. Holy Meditation hath besides the former several other excellent ends to be aimed at and improved to As Artificers do with their Gold beat it out sometimes to its utmost ductility and extensiveness Improve this Gold of precious heavenly Objects beat them out to the utmost by this Hammer this art of Divine Meditation The Art of Medtiation will like Solomons Temple overlaid with Gold overlay thy heart with Christs pure Gold and make it rich and glorious Ah therefore Christian act up thy Meditation to these precious ends and chiefly lay a mighty stress upon that so momentous thing Eternity of Son Misery or Felicity So I have at last dispatcht these first things CHAP. XX. Of the partieular Ends of Meditation in respect of our selves THere be various Ends of Meditation respecting our selves I shall mention among others these seven particular Ends relating to our own spiritual advantage 1. For a principal improver of saving Knowledge 2. For to make our Knowledge Clear and Distinct 3. To found a Rich Treasury of Truths and make them sure 4. And to be an introducer of habitual wisdom an acquired habit of wisdom to the first given wisdom in heart renovation 5. For a Kindler of Heavenly Fire and Flame in the heart 6. For a Mighty Corroborater of holy purpose 7. To be a constant quickner of the Christian course 1. Meditation is for a Principal Improver of saving and heavenly Knowledge To set as it were more Lights on the Golden Table in the Temple of the holy heart to repleuish the Golden Candlestick with more and better Lights and glorious burning Lamps to yield clearer light in the dark heart Psal 119.97 98 99. I am wiser than my Enemies for thy Commandments are ever with me that 's in Meditation continually as v. 97. Thy Law it is my Meditation continually or all the day v. 99. I have more understanding than all my Teachers for thy Testimonies are my Meditation and v. 100. I understand more than the Ancients c. Here 's an assertion in a kind of gradation of the successfulness of his holy Meditation namely understanding wisdom and excelling in them Wiser than his Enemies yea than his Teachers yea than the Ancients that have had longest time largest opportunities for greatest Knowledge and highest wisdom Meditation is the ground inlet and improver of Knowledge It is not the great and much reading makes the Scholar but the studying and pondering that is read It is not the reading much that makes the knowing Christian but the meditating on what is read Reading without Meditation is like swallowing much meat without due chewing that makes a lean man so this makes a lean mind Many read and hear Much but understand little because they bring themselves so little under this Ordinance of Meditation If thou wouldest be right excellent in Knowledge be rich in it and of a higher stature in wisdom than others as David was strive to write after his rare Copy in abundant Meditating 2. Meditation is to make Knowledge clear and distinct The Apostle Phil. 1.9 mentions love its abounding in Knowledge and Judgment and in other places we have mention of discerning and judging As to matter of Learning in Arts and Sciences they have the most clear and distinct heads have their Notions most methodical distinct and most mellow who
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
righteous manner to the salvation of his people destruction of his Enemies and his own Glory 2. I may Meditate at least sometimes of the other soul-beauties of heavenly Graces as of that grand rare grace of Love holy Love that which is the fullfilling of the Law the great Breeder and Feeder of all Obedience Love which daily as a Fire must be blown up and made to burn afresh in the heart and enliven the daily course Ah what a Christian may do by keeping his heart hot and burning in Love 3. Joy Meditating of living the life of heavenly peace and joy rejoycing in the Lord alway Not living the life of sadness and pensiveness most unbecoming an Heir of Eternal Glory 4. Hope Meditate also I may of heavenly Hope which makes not ashamed Rom. 5.5 Heb. 6.19 An Anchor sure and firm to ride out all storms And of all the Graces as of holy Fear Humility Meekness Patience Contentedness Zeal Courage Constancy all the Chain of Graces mentioned in 2 Pet. 1.5 and other places The whole days actings should be considered so as not to be a complication of vanities follies and careless walkings but a shewing forth and shining in the glorious beams of heavenly Graces and Excellencies 5. Meditate daily I should of the spiritual dangers I am surrounded with by spiritual Enemies That principal and Arch-Enemy the Flesh that sin which is connatural to me dwells in me Rom. 7. and so easily besets me Heb. 12.1 that is alway present and too prevalent the Fountain and Forge of all other sins the Heart Touch-wood and Tinder for temptation The ground out of which all the stinking and poysonous weeds of Lust grow up and that ground and foundation of the deepest tincture and grain Colour of all soul-defiling Habits and customary sins that so enslave and lead a sinner captive 2. Of that so potent Adversary Satan his subtlety and depths vigilancy and unwearied diligence whetted by implacable and improving malice 1 Pet. 5.8 3. The World that Bait for Satans Hook and great Engine whereby he acts by the many sweet Allurements on the one hand and Determents on the other hand These I must every day watch and war with Therefore I must daily consider my helpers God the Father Son and Holy Spirit 2 Cor. 8.9 Eph. 6.13 The Armour of God I must put on for every part and my fighting in the strength of Christ by whom I may be made more than Conquerour Rom. 8.37 And for the last general there must be Meditation of the unspeakable preciousness of time running on without possibility of a stand or least stay With the Frailty of life Psal 39.4 with the uncertainty of it and the certainty of death and unavoidableness of that which will cast me upon Eternity These are the more general things among which my Meditation may take its walks and upon which my seriousness may daily sit down to make its spiritual advantage by I must adde now things more particular CHAP. XI Of some Particulars to be added to the former Generals THere are some things in particular I may adde which may help to direct and quicken a Christian in his daily course 1. For the Scripture I daily read or hear to endeavour some thoughts which may help to higher quickenings and heart-enlargings by farther fresh ponderings of the surpassing Excellencies and mighty Efficacies of the Scripture to think of a required higher rising estimation more inflamed affections of Love Joy Hope Longing and the rest seen and so observably conspicuous in the Saints in Scripture to light our Candle by their flame And the more rooted resolution I should take up and engage in to be more by my looking into the Glass of the Word transformed into the image of it 1 Cor. 3.18 Of Faith in the Word I should farther think of that Faith I am necessarily to act in the truth and certainty and usefulness of the Word I now am to be exercised in and of my mixing of Faith more abundantly with it Heb. 4.2 As to any Doctrine Precept Promise Threatning or Examples and whatever is there related for my use Of Wisdom I should think also of the Wisdom which that I read requires in selecting that out is most conducible is my proper portion and best fitting my souls condition As Samuel at his Feast set forth something peculiar for Saul 1 Sam. 9.23 24. Joseph caused to be prepared for his Brother Benjamin Gen. 43.34 God will now be seen if wisdom be used to hold forth a peculiar prepared portion Some Eye-salve to annoint mine Eyes Rev. 3.18 some rich Balm to heal some sore some corrosive to eat out some proud flesh some Cordial for a strengthener and chearer some piece of spiritual treasure to enrich me some rare Jewel for ornament wanting to me something there is now in my hand for my now spiritual advantage if I can see it and see it I may by that which must be the Auxiliary and constant Assistant of my reading if I would meet with a due profiting which is my conscientious and careful pondering weighing and weighing this pure Gold stored up in Christs rich Treasury to make me rich Reading brings me Meat Meditation brings forth the sweetness Reading brings the Coals to the Wood Meditation makes the flame Reading brings me the Sword of the Word Meditation whets it Reading barely proves pouring water into a Sieve Meditation is putting Gold into a Treasury the former lets the Water out the latter locks the Gold up O let me read much but let me also Meditate much that Meditation and Reading may be commensurate my Souls digestion proportioned to its Reception its taking in by Reading let me Read and Meditate that I may not have a meagre lean soul like them that have an eager appetite and a weak digestion but that it may be fat and well-liking by this good digestion of due Meditation 2. Some lively and vigorous Meditation should be daily performed in reference to private Prayer I say for assistance and furtherance of secret Closet-Prayer that so important and sweet Soul-Exercise 1. Of that importancy and concernment that the main stress both of the whole work and likewise of the hearts after warmth and life in the day lies greatly on it 2. Of that heavenly sweetness that it is the chief way of our private familiarity with God 3. Of that excellency that it is our only way of private speaking unto the great God of having the high honour and favour of whispering in his ear access in private to his bosom and bowels and the chief way of procuring his private Signet and Seal of blessed assurance of happiness The way it is of the souls freshest freest and most elevated actings such as oft-times praying in company must not cannot bear and the way of strong high Exercise of sundry Graces 1. It sends private Embassies daily to the King of Heaven by Faith 2. It carries up daily the soul to Heaven in a
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
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
of it therefore he must know it and it must be true Rom. 2.2 The Judgment of God is according to truth and the Word of truth whereby he will judge 5. Take in also the recorded demonstrations of it such as God discovered foretold and after came to pass setting a seal to this infallible truth Hazael 2 King 8.19 was by Revelation from God told it by Elisha and with much seeming abhorrence disclaim'd it yet instantly is confuted and had his mouth stopt The Apostles were told of their forsaking Christ and Peter of his denying of him which he would not believe Mar. 14.50 yet within a very little time appeared Scripture Records of the hearts great deceitfulness are left us to conclude and confirm us herein But O how hard is it to see to believe against our selves Our own great frequencies of Experiences the very instances out of the Nurseries of our own hearts the evil Plants that put forth fresh continually of their fruits deceitfulness prove it to our faces if we make Observations of them as we ought to do O there 's not one day if we are watchful but is full of sad instances from Morning to Night At all times we may find our hearts ready to commit cheats upon our selves and in soul concerns as to our spiritual Estates O what grand deceits are we too apt to have therein As particularly in respect of God how ready to think erroneously of him as to his omniscience truth holiness righteousness mercy free Grace power and providence and such like As the self condemned Drunkard Deut. 29.19 says I shall have peace though I adde drunkenness to thirst And he in the 50. Psalm v. 21. Thou saidst I was like to thee so the best are out of predominant corruption very ready to commit great mistakes and deceits in respect of their own sins graces the things of God and things of the world there 's no end of naming excellent Treatises are written of this hearts deceitfulness 2. Meditation should proceed to the unspeakable sadness of this heart Temper every one should cry out with the holy Apostle Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this deceitful heart out of the hands of this Deceiver so great and so near gotten so far within me and that will be a cursed inmate so long as this House of the Body stands and will not out utterly whatsoever hard usage it finds O how sad is it to have such a self-betraying companion so deeply rooted within me To have in my own Bosom such a continual Forge and Fountain acting and running in so violent Tydes high Spring-Tydes ever and anon carrying me down to that I must so sadly bewail and smart under 3. The attendants and consequences of this heart deceitfulness should greatly be pondered as to be so fooled by my self by trusting my self Prov. 28.26 He that trusts his own heart is a Fool May I not trust my own heart without having such a Character and Brand upon me O then what a Fool have I been and that Millions of Millions of times O how great a Fool exceeding often in suffering so notorious Cheats to be put upon me such a Lust or Corruption to clap a Biass on my Heart and Fool lead me lead me so far so deep into the dirt so far from home from Heaven from God from peace comfort hope and heart of returning How many and many ways have I been a fool yea and still am daily most unwise he that is so easily and ordinarily unwise must be a fool to purpose Whosoever shall be but twice or thrice cheated by the same person and not beware will be accounted no wise man but for a sinner to be not twice or thrice cheated but thousands of times by the same deceitful heart cheated with the saddest saddest imaginable deceits must be unwise indeed O how sad is it that we cannot by all experiences take heed of this deceitful heart I can take heed of every one better than my self it may be I scarce will trust any body in worldly affairs but my self that is worse than any without me that I will trust and so be deceived O let me often think what trusting my own heart is and needs must come unto I had need think well of the foolish Builder Mat. 7.26 that built his house upon the sand grounded his hopes of salvation on a false bottom and of the wise Builder who built his house on a Rock by real building by precious Faith on Christ And let me likewise meditate often on the ten Virgins the foolish deceived with a Lamp of outward profession only and the wise that with their Lamps provided Oyl of Grace a heart right-renovation 4. Meditate first on the heart-knower Against heart deceitfulness let me as the sure way look up continually to the only perfect heart-knower to beg most earnestly his help to shew me my hearts deceitfulness Secondly on Christ my wisdom Let me mind this well that Christ only must be my wisdom 1 Cor. 1.31 my teacher whom I must apply and rest on peculiarly for his wisdom and teachings daily to extricate and carry me out of the Labyrinths and many secret windings of my so deceitful spirit Thirdly on the Spirit my helper And must consider the mighty helper the Holy Spirit to help me against my self-deceivings Rom. 8.26 He helps our infirmities and he helps against this infirmity of being so ready to be cheated Christ by his Spirit he can and will deliver me if I trust upon him he hath given me his Word Fourthly the Word I must meditate on the Word there are the sure Rules and ways revealed to shew how to undeceive my self The Word Heb 4.12 is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart if I make it my Exercise to meditate in the Word of Christ he by his Spirit with the Word will teach and help me if I obey it I have endeavoured a little this being so important a concernment to help our Meditation in it and those that believe and fear their hearts deceivings most will ever speed best those that trust their hearts most will smart most CHAP. XVII Of divers other things for solemn and set Meditation 6. SOlemn and serious Meditation a very great and diligent consideration I should often act in reference to that arch Enemy without namely the Devil who though he be an Enemy without yet gains and maintains all he can a correspondency with corruption within me Satan I must consider as fallen from God and so from his primitive station and happiness into damnation and Hell fallen out implacably with God and for his sake with his best Creature on Earth man Out of his implacable hatred his aim is to drown men in the same Perdition and Hell with himself 1 Pet. 5.8 He seeks whom he may devour Rev. 2.24 he hath his deceits depths methods and arts of both tempting and troubling 2 Cor. 2.11 And
1. Let me first begin with the meritorious cause of it That which Heathens knew not Nature saw not Philosophy and Learning could not find out nor reach only holy Scripture tells me and shews it to be that most black inlet sin Rom. 5.12 Death entred into the world by sin and v. 17. By one mans offence death reigned not only entred but reigned hath mastered and will master all sinners Sin that greatest evil in the world sin the only contrariety to the living God that gave life to man at first and ever since sin that only injury to the blessed God bred and brought death the greatest misery to man here sin that provoked God to pass the sentence sin occasioning the vindictive cause the Justice of God to let in death death with the consequences of it that would follow without a Mediator that Adam knew not of Death so considered is the way of the very deepest revenge a God can take But then this black part of it bodily death without that blacker Train of Hell and Eternity in it is that which must challenge a very great proportion of ponderings 2. Let me look at not only the rise of it and the bare wrath occasioning the inflicting it but that so fixt and irreversible sentence that like the Law of the Medes and Persians cannot be broken Heb. 9.27 It 's appointed for all the universality of sin hath given death an universal sting and the Statute of Heaven hath impowered Death's Extensiveness over all and set a seal of irrevocableness to it as to all men Therefore it is appointed I must think particularly for me whatever I am or do or can in utmost possibility do I must not once think of making an escape from it Yea let me consider as I must die so the very Year Moneth Day Hour and Moment is immutably fixt and can never be altered Job 14.5 the place also where the means whereby the manner how all circumstances about it are unchangeably determined 3. But how material is that particular of the uncertainty of the time and manner to me that 's a reservation and secret kept in the Lord 's own breast not possibly to be exactly known before without it be revealed as Christ of the Great Day of Judgment saith Mat. 24.36 Of that day and hour knoweth no man And Verse 42. Ye know not what hour your Lord will come And 44. In such an hour you think not your Lord comes so the two latter may be applyed to this of death when he calls for an accompt of our Stewardships and Talents and passes particular and personal Judgment 3. Let me pass next to the Meditation serious pondering of the nature of it and that great dreadfulness of that most terrible of terribles that King of terrours Job 18.14 Here that I may duly look on it let me look up for a God to teach me as to number my days Ps 90. so to be wise to consider my latter end to do that hard work overcome that difficulty of looking Death-watd Nature abhors the thinking of it Corruption all it can opposes it but Grace must bring and fix earnestly and often the Eye upon it familiarize death to me let me then Eye my dissolution the parting of the two nearest dearest friends the Soul 's taking its sad farewel of its former dwelling it s going going in an instant out of the Body and then that which Death doth as an Enemy to all former Life concerns and as an entrance upon an Eternal Condition 1. As an Enemy to all enjoyments how sweet soever Pleasures all now quenched Honours now all dasht Riches and Estate now all lost Power now utterly ceast 2. An Enemy to all Relations Friends Acquaintance now must I shake hands with all nearest and dearest the sweetest and most helpful Relations 3. An Enemy to all Imployments necessary or pleasurable no Work no Business no Invention after it 4. An Enemy to all Opportunities and Means of Grace never to read the Bible more never to hear one Sermon more never to receive the Lords Supper more never to make one Prayer the shortest of one of the fewest words more and then also when thou art just launching into the length of vast Eternity But now must be Prayerless and totally helpless yea now thy Souls condition becomes becalmed and thou canst not obtain one gale of the Holy Spirit to blow upon thee and help move thee in any measure 5. It s an Enemy quickly to the curious frame and so exquisite building of thy body with all its parts and members made with such adaptations and sutableness whatever with all the Tempers Qualities Offices Abilities and Actings of it An Enemy likewise to all the senses seeing hearing the two disciplinary with feeling tasting smelling the so likewise necessary 6. It is an Enemy and Destroyer of all comliness and beauty form and shape And all these former by being the Enemy and Destroyer of that thy so sweet and precious life by making that Jewel drop out of the Cabinet of the Body or rather driving forth thy immortal and invaluable soul bringing with it a Writ of forcible entrance coming with an Execution to turn out that old inhabitant of the body securing it from regaining possession making it stand empty and thence exposing the body to rot ruine turn to dust and expose it to Oblivion as if it had never been But then upon thy Souls thus leaving thy Body immediately and instantly it is cast upon a state of Eternity of Misery if thou wert not in Christ or felicity if found and dying in him When Life ends Eternity begins O this all amazing Eternity this so vast and inconceivable Eternity no way to be exprest or set forth no way to be understood or known a Glass that is ever running a Chain that is ever lengthening who can number the Sands of this Glass who can reckon the links of this Chain of Eternity without stop or period bound or end O let me be ever musing of this Ever have it so full in my Eye while I have time this moment of time here that it may wind up and leave me in possession of most happy Eternity But to affect my spirit aright and be wise in the due managing of this Meditation of dreadful Death let me look to and ponder the Scripture Commands for remembring and considering my latter end and the Arguments strongly inducing to it How frequently and earnestly is it urged upon all O let me lay the weight and stress of them close to my heart not suffering it to put by the thoughts of death how awk and averse soever my carnal spirit is towards it Let me therefore not only muse on the sentence the peremptory and irrevocable sentence passed upon all in general and so upon my self in particular but on it as ready to be executed this hour yea this moment for ought I or any in the world can tell Ah let me say to my self the
Warrant for my death at this very instant may be sealing and immediately in a moment put in Execution Ah therefore should I not still daily represent and realize to my heart my own particular coming Death represent it by those frequent Examples the hand of Death brings and sets full before my face to force my Observation The deaths of both strangers to me and familiars with me of near Neighbours dear Friends sweetest Relations bereaving me it may be of the Father that begat me the Mother that bare me the Children of my bowels the Wife of my bosom or the Husband that was my guide and stay or some other very comfortable Relation and so the comfort of any such Relation ceases All Relations are broken by this Bond-breaker this Tie-dissolver Death When I see these thus called away and must be my Relations no more should not I hear my self call'd upon to come away shortly it may be after them O but with these near warnings without me let me take those nearer warnings upon me and within me inevitably still seizing me Let me take those many successive summons given for my own personal change Ah how many are those joggings the hand of Death daily gives me for my awakening into that serious pondering of that death I either seldom or slightly mind How many strokes may I observe Death daily gives at the Root of the Tree making as it were the Chips flye in my face making me smart by Pains Aches Weakness Craziness Failings and Fallings of the spirits and strength and increase of Infirmities by all declaring he is making at me And how many pieces of my house of Clay may I see crumbling and mouldring away now one and then another After the morning of my Age my Sun soon gets up higher soon it is noon afternoon and night with me How soon is the Sun at the height with any in the bright and warm beams of bodily beauty and strength but how impossible is it for to say effectually to it Sun stand thou still and go not down for the least moment How soon appear one way or other the tendencies to death in and upon us Decay in Beauty and Comliness Sometimes yea ordinarily when we are in the Flower presently the Beauty and Comliness begins to blast The best and fairest Face as to the pure White and Red soon either becomes paler or higher coloured after grows darker and deader still one way or other worse As to the feature and curious shape of Face and whole Body soon that likewise changes either by a contraction in leanness and thinness or by an extension in corpulency and grossness Both the curious and rare Colours and Features change warning us of tendency to the last great coming change Or sometimes an intimation is given by the Grinders of our food whereby we live by the decayings still of the Teeth the Teeth which are absolutely the hardest and strongest things about us these so soon decaying as it is in most plainly it demonstrates that the softer and weaker things in and about us and so the whole frame will go at last By this the soon decaying of the bardest pieces Death seems to set his black mark on us we have his mark in the mouth and by their decayings and rottings we touch as it were these his warnings continually with our Tongues thence to mind us of what change is coming For when the Teeth fail the Grinders and Meat Preparers made to fit meat for the stomach this causes the stomach to act less perfectly and on its failing in degree all the dependencies must needs fail in their Offices But if these-Deaths Marks begin not so in some yet how do we find generally some other marks of decay set upon us If Death come not early yet how soon upon most doth he set his mark most observably on the very top of our Houses of Clay bringing forth gray Hairs on the highest part the Head and turning them whiter every day Making the Almond Tree to flourish as Solomon elegantly in Eccl. 12. And in how many Elegancies doth there the Wise man discover and represent rarely the decays of the Body in old age all as demonstrations of Deaths being continually busie about us both to prepare and reduce us to his possession What varieties of warnings are given us in the impairings of this or that Member or of several parts of the Body by sometimes Sores Imposthumes Fistulas Gangrens and parts corrupting shewing a coming dissolution How many mortal Diseases besides others shaking the Houses of our frail Bodies I say incurable Diseases whereby we are told that Death hath us now fast in his hand If not so yet what warnings otherwise are given in the senses beginning to fail as our Sight growing dimmer Hearing duller and in the rest And as in the parts more common so in the noble and principal parts in the Liver Heart Head and others these not performing so perfectly their Offices whence the spirits strength and motion are impaired the Flesh wastes the Skin wrinkles Memory and Vnderstanding likewise decay and appearances of death come all the Body over what are all the forementioned and concurrent decays but a being Death-smitten a coming out full of the Tokens of Death What are all these successions of decays but so many added links of that great Chain Death holds in his hand and draws us to him by All Messengers that have the sound of their Masters feet Death behind them O how exceeding gracious is God in his Multiplications and Connexions of warnings who might smite every Sinner without any notice of death given Therefore as a piece of highest wisdom let me strive to represent the possible suddenness of Deaths sad coming upon me and this by all the ways and inducements I can apply The Examples such as are in Scripture of Abels death Lot's Wife Nadab and Abihu Vzzah Amnon Abner Ananias and Sapphira Herod and others And in History and Experience of so many and so various ways suddenly snatcht away Not a Year or some small portion of time but it furnishes with fresh Examples What hath befallen others may befall me I have no security against sudden death but wheresoever and in whatever time death may seize me If I Travel a Thief may kill me my Horse may throw and kill me the Coach or Carriage I pass in may ruine me on the Water I may there be drowned on the Land and when I am passing in the Streets some casualty may dispatch me at home by some mischance or sudden distemper something at the Table Fire Bed or other place within or without doors some Imposthume Palsey Apoplexy kills or some venomous inward vapour may strike me to the heart Multitudes of Experiences we continually have If not suddenly Death seizes but is a stroke with warning either shorter or longer yet it comes at last in the way and at a time or hour I just know not My best way therefore
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
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
King of Glories Garden for thy walk and sweet refreshings Travelling abroad to see sundry Countries Towns Cities and the great varieties of Objects there is counted a rare sight a great pleasure and contentment Travelling with the Eye of Reason amongst the great mysteries and rare secrets of Nature and by searching curious exquisite searching to make new strange discoveries of Natures implanted excellencies the makings and framings so admirable the properties and efficacies so strange and amazing in so many sorts of things This travelling in these close walks these hidden ways ending in new rare and useful experiences is a very singular pleasure to many but peculiarly to elevated and refined parts and wits But travelling with a spiritual eye among spiritual holy and heavenly Objects and to see this whole prospect take a view of all the varieties of heavenly beauties and glories meeting us in our walk this is a ravishing solace indeed beyond all others as far as Diamonds transcend the dirt or the glorious lights of Heaven do clods of Earth or Dunghils In Psal 119.14 15 16. the Psalmist tells what in Meditation-walks he met with more solace than in all riches of which he had so great abundance a Kingdom of his own and the rich spoils of other Kingdoms also Carnal and sensual persons study sometimes and act great curiosity to heighten and enlarge pleasures and to find out new rare pleasures not tasted before Oft they are at a loss and discomposed for a not having some new pleasures as being cloyed with the old But here is a way for a heavenly spirit of unwearied walking of ever tasting larger pleasures Of ever finding fresh and higher more pure more permanent pleasures such pleasures that enlarge the heart and then enlarge themselves in it such pleasures that come fuller fresher sweeter in and then there fix and dwell Joh. 15.11 Our Saviour tells us of a full joy and of a remaining joy who can tell you such happy tidings where else any such joy is to be both felt and fixt But in such ways where Jesus Christ the water of life springs forth and flows the Saints meet with it drink of it abundantly meditate to drink meditate and drink They meditate and in their walking meet with rare rich things surpassing sweet Psal 104.34 David faith his Meditation of God was sweet certainly it was so and he means unspeakably sweet meditation on the word and works of God were abundantly sweet O how sweet must meditation of God himself be Meditation brings in and gives down sweeter and more surpassing pleasures than all earthly carnal things can so much beyond them as Manna from Heaven is beyond basest bread meanest fare as the Wine of Christ's miraculous making beyond the water it was made of Three things especially make pleasures excellent 1. When the pleasurable things are rich and excellent as Nature yields them as rare fruits rich spices and the like 2. When they are rare and excellent as Art redutes them as Art meliorates and perfects them 3. When they have a right and curious an exquisite receiver and perceiver As when purest Fountain Waters are fetcht fresh in a pure clean Vessel and have a curious Taster Or as the richest Grape by the best art is made into Wine put into the best Cask and hath best ordering and then comes to an exquisite Palate Or some excellent Flesh or Fish is by the best art prepared and by the exquisitely right and curious Taster diseerned 1. Meditation it hath those kinds of Objects which in their own Nature are most transeendent purest Springs and Rivers of Water of life the things most soul-satiating and unspeakably delighting the most glorious God the unsearchable riches of Christ the holy Spirit the great Helper and Comforter the pure and perfect Word the precious promises heavenly Ordinances glorious Grace and eternal happiness These are in themselves most excellent and therefore the highest ground for our Meditations walk for solace and pleasure and he highest 2. They have the most excellent means of preparing and fitting them for a right taste the Art and skill of the blessed Spirit 2 Pet. 1.21 Prov. 8.9 by his fitting them and ordering them to the best sutableness for us both for our minds and hearts understandings to know them wills and affections to close with them They are made plain and perspicuous perswasive and operative they have a suitableness conferr'd by an infinite wisdom of a God that knows how best to deliver them as he hath done it in the Scriptures 3. They have the best ways of receiving and perceiving namely the highest kind of wisdom a rectified and elevated understanding with a stamp and rare principle of spiritual judgment 1 Cor. 2.7 and heavenly mindedness discerning and savouring of spiritual things in allowing and approving of them 1 Cor. 1.15 He that is spiritual discerneth Phil. 1.1 Approve things that are excellent So the Will and Affections they receive and have the excellent principle of relishing and savouring spiritual things in chusing and complacency in love and joy O how I love thy Law Psal 119.97 Thy Testimonies are the joy and rejoycing of my heart Psal 119.111 This is from the principle of Grace that gives in an ability of relishing the sweet and savoury things of Heaven But when all these concur as it is in a holy heart and in reference to it the pleasure is most surpassing far beyond others where the nature of the pleasures is lower the preparation lower and the receiver and faculty of tasting of either outward or inward sense or of a meer natural and carnal heart in its best wisdom and moral excellencies is far lower Meditation is the rare way to soul-solaces and sweetest pleasures as bringing in the most excellent delicacies and stirring up the holy heart to act its principles in the Mind Will and Affections of tasting and relishing them and so to have let in the sweet pleasures and refreshments of them The rarest hours and richest soul Banquets have been prepared and come to usually by this way of Meditation when the spirit goes up to Heaven by holy Contemplation Heaven comes down to us by rich Consolation Heavenly comforts meet us balf way fill us brim full and sometimes to such runnings over as we know not how to bear up under the glorious fulness of them Never doth any sensualist or any sinner in his way taste of such pleasures Prov. Meddles not with Saints joy It is not possible that sensual and brutish pleasures should be such as intellectual nor intellectual in meerly sinful spirits such as spiritual and heavenly Meditation being a spiritual operation acts higher returns the purest highest and most ravishing pleasures Let the Saints Experience give in evidence and if sinners try upon heart changing and elevating Grace they then will find that no sensual nor any pleasures of most raised Fancies or highest notions can hold proportion with spiritual pleasures let into the heart and tasted
from this Divine Meditation There are many other high advantages I may add as particularly 1. As for brightening and clearing of knowledge this was mentioned on a former occasion 2. Meditation serves for improving the judgment the most judicious Christians are such as meditate most Persons of a short spirit whose thoughts are not full length not well sized where thoughts touch as a perfect round thing on a perfect plain as lightening passes through the Air and stays no time Not like the Sun that not only shines but stays that staying of his light makes the best discoveries of things so when things are stayed and have fuller length of time this is the way to be a judicious Christian to attain a spirit of judgment the shorter you think the shorter will you be of a judiciousness in the things of Heaven 3. Meditation keeps up and improves an awakened and tender conscience as bringing in more plenty of light and acting it more upon the spirit acting stronger reflections deeper searchings fuller discoveries in respect of the frame of the spirit within and the conversation without They that study themselves most will be most awakened to greater sensibleness care and fear and set the strongest watches upon their deceitful hearts 4. Meditation makes a Christian keep up his actirity and liveliness the best actings are bottom'd on the heart put best in frame by raised elevated and most spiritualized thoughts It is greatly conducing to greatest growth souls if we would have them fat and flourishing Psal 92. have the Garden of Graces and the Beds of Spices flourish and flow forth they must have as the other helps of heavenly Ordinances so the hand of a constant Meditation to water them he that best orders the first Wheel the first Mover will have all the following move more regularly and exactly The spiritual disadvantages must needs be great where holy Meditation is neglected and never used or but seldom or slightly used The advantages may be the rule of judging the disadvantages but I shall in particular mention some of the spiritual disadvantages and then come to the improvement of all that hath been said 1. The first disadvantage and that is a prejudice to purpose a total neglect of Meditation or an usual doing it slightly and formally not seriously and diligently is a great and principal ground of mens abiding in a state of vanity a living wholly to no purpose but utterly besides the grand end that man was made for that supream end the infinitely wise God the maker of man and thereby the total and absolute proprietor in and owner of his all and that end of living to God and glorifying him vanity I say in a wholly missing his end and chief mark For who can take aim at any mark that eyes it not or looks not earnestly and evenly at it that either looks quite another way or looks with a regardless eye at the best The blessed Apostle tells us he lookt with another eye Phil. 3.13 with an eye that lookt not off or lookt easily but the best mark had the best aim he lookt for life The Scripture calls a sinner a vain man Jam. 2.20 for his living besides his main end ever in every thing missing that chief end which rises from being wanting in aiming right and that want of aiming is for want of minding Never can aiming which is an act of the Will intending is an act of the Will aiming is the intending of a mark never can aiming be right unless considering or meditating be right be due and earnest with evenness and constancy That heart which comes not to be reduced to minding its chief end will miss it utterly at last The reason why there is so much vanity in the best is partly yea greatly upon this little minding this slight uneven and seldom looking wishly and well at the main mark of God and happiness 2. Disadvantage sinful security a sleepy soul state and heart hardning a sinking and decaying in godliness is grounded much upon disuse of meditating especially Meditation of review and self-reflections Jer. 8.6 No man repented every one rusheth into his course Not considering bottoms both sinners and Saints security and growings worse If faln asleep if falling and in a declining state awakening and recovery must be by self-bethinking 1 King 9.47 No wise man but hath need of frequent reviews and weighings again over and over of the best of his doings much more of the Errata the Errors of them 3. Givings way to evil and vain thoughts will follow your neglect of good thoughts The mind will be ever busie if not in good then in that is evil giving way to vain thoughts is very dangerous men by giving way to vain thoughts provoke God to leave them to give them up to a walking in the vanity of their minds Ephes 4.17 and at last as to a customary vanity of mind God may give them up to judicial dis-relishing and abhorring holy things and the thinkings of them and so perish in them O let therefore the good hand of my God so stay up and act my weak and warping spirit with the strongest and most efficacious Reasons and inducements in this so greatly important and necessary so sweet and blessed an Ordinance this heavenly meditation that I may ever prove a better Artist in it a better Christian by it Having now dispatcht the reasons and grounds of this so great and necessary Duty of Divine Meditation with those things which concern the nature and several ways or sorts of it I must now come to the fourth and last propounded particular namely the right improvement of the Doctrine or assertion of the necessity on all to meditate upon heavenly and spiritual things to exercise themselves in this so concerning advantageous and blessed business CHAP. I. Of the improvement of the Doctrine of Meditation by way first of instruction THis being so concerning a work and having so strong an influence upon the whole course of Christianity let us now endeavour to beat out this Gold extend it and make it appliable to the state and condition of all sorts of persons in all the useful ways we can 1. Inference Then if Meditation on spiritual things and earthly in a spiritual manner in such seriousness searchings and dwellings of the thoughts upon them for such high and holy ends is so needful for all Christians to exercise Instruction 1. It serves then to hold forth a light of instruction to all that own the Lord Christ the Golden Scepter of his Word and the obligation laid so indispensibly on them to see how they are call'd upon to own and observe it to tread and walk continually in this sweet and pleasant path this so righteous and good way Divers there are who call themselves Christians and would be counted good if not so good as any which yet lead a life of inadvertency and quite overlooking of it mind not this Meditation as if it concern'd them
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
out of thy deep security so long and so dangerously rested in Eph. 5. Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead c. For this thou must gather all awakening considerations the Scrpitures furnish thee with concerning the inconceivable misery every sinner is in But consider things spoken in general in Scripture and not brought and set home on thy self in particular will not work to an awakening Neither will thy saying and acknowledging thy sinfulness and misery in general serve Generals humble not Generals hit not home A single Arrow or Bullet will not serve against a whole flock of fowls but scattering shot must be used Take therefore all the warmest considerations thou canst and heap them as coals of fire on thy own head bring them home to thy own heart to melt down thy frozen frame of sinful security Do all thou canst by the light of the Scripture and beg beg most earnestly the light of the Holy Spirit to convince thee of thy extreme misery It is he Joh. 16.9 That convinces of sin and misery Endeavour to thy utmost to rightly found this work by most industrious striving to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin Rom. 7. the abounding evil in it Rom. 5. And do this by fullest possible pondering the great transcending evil of the lesser sins or such as are comparatively small and we count not great see it in examples as Vzzas dying by an immediate stroke for but touching once the Ark 1 Chro. 13.10 The Bethshemites for an only looking but into the Ark fifty thousand and seventy persons were slain by an hand from Heaven 1 Sam. 6.19 Adam and all his posterity with him were undone by his eating of a fruit because forbidden which in the nature was no immortal thing as idolatry murder c. but sinful by a peculiar precept of tryal broken Yea if Adam when he was the representative of all had sinned the least imaginable sin in one commission sin'd in one sinful one vain thought it had been his own and all his succeeding posterities ruine nay in the least omission Though there be many sorts of sins with sundry measures and aggravations yet there 's none so small but is crimen laesae majestatis infinitae is high Treason against an infinite Majesty This is a grand intent of God in the whole Bible and in also his punitive Providences to demonstrate Gods heart in his dislike and loathing all sin that it might blot out our mistakes and reduce us stamp our judgments and hearts with a suitable impression a sense of all sin or whatsoever is but near to it Therefore among others that 's very remarkable Num. 6.9 10 11. The Nazarite not only by purposely touching a dead body or coming to it was unclean But if any dyed suddenly by him he was to bring his sin-offering and burnt-offering to make atonement which was to manifest by the Type the purity God requires and his distaste of any the least likeness or nearness to any defilement of sin Dwell and dive deep as ever thou canst into the abounding sinfulness of every the least sin Thence reason and ponder with thy self what is thy unspeakable misery that art guilty of a whole life-time sins such an innumerable company of sins in thoughts affectings purposings speakings doings in acts ways habits and all thy heart evil that hath ever dwelt in thee And if thou wilt overlook them and not consider them thou shalt be judged one day for them all To methodize this grand Inquiry and Soul-search and to have the kindly issue in a due awakening strive to avoid all confusion of thoughts and to do it distinctly and in the best affecting manner thou canst Rules of Art are not here necessary to be used but the way of thy best skill by Gods assisting thou canst take to set an edge and give more efficacy to this undertaking thou mayst single out first that sin or lust which dares and pinches thy spirit most touch first where thou art tenderest and sorest on that which items thee most flashes fullest like Lightning in thy face makes thy heart oftenest ake It 's the counsel of some great Divines to pitch upon some gross sin first seek ease first where thou art disquieted most or that is likely to give the first blow The Scriptures set sinners to consider their doings especially their ways which are continued doings These should more humble than meer particular acts but both acts and ways should be viewed as they can be recalled and brought to mind and then put all into the scale to make down weight and contribute to fuller awaking But above all sinning any or divers sins into ways and then walking these ways into wonts those worst defilings and soul-enslavings of cursed habits such as habits of sensualness and intemperance habitual covetousness and worldliness habitual pride and presumption self-exalting self-seeking habitual vanity of thinkings and such like These great chains thou art bound with and enslaved by Tit. 3.3 Serving divers lusts Lusts served are sins formed into habits These old rooted soul-diseases these heart-gangrenes should well be eyed and much awaken thee O it 's sad to find thy self going to Hell in a custom and by a habit binding thee and haling thee thither To all as highest aggravations add the consideration of that sin of thy Nature that emptiness and deprivation of all spiritual life power image of God and his glory conjunction and communion with God and all happiness with cursed inclinedness to all the sin in kinds and aggravations that the whole World Hell and all ever acted or can act for ever And that blackest piece of Hell dropt into thy heart the worst very worst thing in Satans heart that enmity and borrid repugnancy crossness and contrariety to all the extensiveness and dimensions of whatsoever is good is holy and righteous yea that highest monstrosity and transcendency of impiety enmity to that God that gave at first and ever keeps up thy being and which is the height of that height the utmost venom Hell could hatch and heart can breed that horrid enmity to the very Being of God himself Before Grace no guilty sinner but wishes God were not and if he could would dethrone and destroy God utterly And above all yet intimated take in the superabounding sins against the Gospel neglectings and refusings of the only remedy and relief of an undone soul which is the greatest possible soul-wronging Prov. 8.36 wisdom affirms it Sinning against me saith Wisdom he wrongs his own soul All sin wrongs but the meaning is more he wrongs with the greatest possible wrong the highest can be done to refuse Christs Salvation And which is yet far exceeding all self-wronging there sin so touches the very apple of God eye strikes so provokingly at his very heart and dashes down his most darling design the utmost and highest that he ever went or will go the highest exalting of the riches of infinite free Love and
free Grace I have heard by a good Hand that one of the Dukes of Muscovy while he stood talking with a poor Peasant of the Country pitcht a Spear he held in his hand upon the poor mans naked foot there digging with the point of the Spear into it and the slave for so they are generally durst not complain O! Gospel-sins dig not into the foot or hand or eye of a God if I may so speak but into his heart and the very top and crown of it Every sin against the Gospel kicks so at the very bowels of God so dishonours him in that his tenderest upper interest as nothing can higher offend and therefore not expose to deeper danger For farther help take the Book of Conscience thy Souls Register and God Remembrancer Look over all the black Items there on the File that it will certainly one day produce and set before thy face For yet surer assistance take the perfect Rule and Glass of the Law and Word of Christ therewith duely comparing thy life and frame of heart that by the Laws coming sin may the more abound O but the Law not only discovers guilt but denounces a most dreadful curse Gal. 3.10 Cursed be every one that continues not in all things written in the Law to do them And as the Law so the Gospel curses with a more dreadful curse for not obeying it in true coming to Christ by Faith O what a curse must this then be to be accursed first for original corruption in all the hellish wickedness of it And then to he cursed for all thy innumerable actual trangressions Accursed for the first act of sinning Accursed for the next act And for every new sin to have a new sentence be under a new curse For every every evil thought every evil affection purpose word work every commission every omission every day for all the sins of it to be accursed from the beginning to the end of it Really by the curse to be separated to evil bound over to death eternal in Hell How should this startle and awaken thee O but there 's yet that is more dreadful to be continually for sin under the hot displeasure and abiding wrath of a God Psal 7.11 God is angry with the wicked every day Joh. 3.36 He that believeth not the wrath of God abideth on him This God so angry for sin how infinitely able is he to take revenge and how resolved is he unless thou turn to him O what is that death eternal that Hell provided to punish sinners How frail is thy life by which thou art kept from falling into the Lake of fire and brimstone How certain is thy death and how uncertain is thy dying time It may come in a moment and then thou art cast upon eternal ruine Consider thy sins after commission grow not less wear not out are not less dangerous Sin is the same for substance though thy sense of them be less we greatly deceive our selves herein as if sin the longer after commission were less but the guilt of sin is the same the defilement the same the curse against them is in the same force the wrath displeasure and resolution of God to revenge them full out the very same and Gods remembrance of them is ever the same Hos 7.2 I remember all their wickedness and how is that They are before my face If they are not before thy face as God can set them yet they are before his face Psal 50.21.51.9 that is seen and remembred as a thing set full in a mans eye and his eye full on them I have been too bold in thus enlarging O 't is hard to awake from the deep sleep of sin But this must be endeavoured all thou canst and God he is to be entreated to help and do this for thee There must be an awakening by conviction really and undeniably seeing and acknowledging thy most woful condition Conviction in the understanding must end in contrition and a working down to the affections In a fourfold affection answering a fourfold distemper 1. Upon Fear 2. Sorrow 3. Despair 4. Desire and care to be eased 1. To tame presumptuous boldness and confidence in thy coming to fear that for all thy sin and danger feared not As it is said in that particular case Jer. 36.24 Though so great sinners and so severely threatned yet were they not afraid but burnt the Roll. To say we have sinned is not enough there must be real pungent fear Acts 2.37 pricked at the heart on sight of the sin of killing Christ a real and deep fear to a wounding piercing the heart and thick skin of security hindering the feeling of a woful state coming to be as really sensible as thou dost in assured and great danger Act. 16.29 the Jaylor came trembling God by his Spirit the spirit of bondage works this fear Rom. 8.15 2. There must be a dashing the usually carnal jollity and mirth Jam. 4.9 Let your laughter be turned into mourning and joy into heaviness this all the Scripture calls for A man condemned to dye a cruel death if perswaded he must dye will not laugh and be merry but mourn That mirth used at other times is not to be used now 3. To dash the deceiving usual carnal hopes which are the house built upon the sand Hopes of salvation on no true bottom but fond phansie meer imagination There must be despair as to all worthiness and ability in a mans self or any creature or in God and Christ hoped as many do in a false way Deut. 29. Psal 50. Acts 2.37 What shall we do implies as I take it beside other things despair of what formerly they hoped and trusted on 4. To curb and cure carelesness and a not desiring any other condition than their present or an only cold as it is in many and a fluctuating desire there must an edge be set upon desire an earnest great desire to be eased of the trouble and burden of sin and Gods wrath Acts 16.29 What shall I do and Acts 2.37 What shall we do implies an earnest desire to be eased And accordingly there must be an applying thy self to all the ways thou knowest and going to others that can advise thee Praying especially oft and as earnestly as thou canst Confessing and bewailing greatly thy present condition Upon being truly awakened and thence made really sensible of thy so woful state weary and heavy laden After the first dispositive Meditation and the impressions made on thy heart through the Lords help then a second Meditation must next be mightily intended and diligently followed Meditation on the means and manner of using them for getting out of thy so sad estate and coming to a safe and happy As he Acts 16. What shall I do to be saved Here must be laid at the bottom of this work that so necessary consideration That none can help himself and attain the mercy of a God in a meritorious Saviour unless God the Father by
order their right principle received to their best advantage in this way of Meditation 1. Here as the Rule of learned Physicians is in curing of diseases that universals are first to be intended So first your Rule is to enter and engage your selves into that great Road and most ordinary work incumbent of daily Meditation herein to contend and strive after an habitual holy frame to habit thy self as thou art able to the right daily Meditation 1. Habit and accustom thy self to the mornings Meditation in awaking so still with God in serious thinkings of and admirings his goodness and mercy in the night past Begin to accustom thy self to first looking up to God and that most seriously and earnestly that so near as may be God ever may be the first in thy thoughts Psal 139. When I awake I am ever with thee And Psal 5.1 3. Give ear unto my meditation In the morning O Lord will I direct or set in order as the word properly signifies and look up He awaked into Meditation and acted that Meditation in lifting up his heart in praying To improve holy thoughts and holy desires Gods being ever the first in our thoughts on awaking is certainly more his due and proper right than any other things in the world It is also the very best thought-bestowing the best laying out our precious thoughts for our own profit best as to the help and furtherance of grace best for fresh incomes of sweet peace When first we act Heaven-ward we act freest and freshest when the spirit acts upward before lusts and corruptions are stirring before Satan begins to interpose and before the world comes in to us to hang on its weights upon our hearts It is far more acceptable to the Majesty of the high God to have the first visit and homage likewise more beneficial to our selves to get the start of other things to give our hearts first a heavenly seasoning The vessel will be the sweeter and retain an after better savouriness for the coming day when this is well and seriously done Visit God early and he will visit us early This awaking will occasion the Holy Spirits awaking and blowing on the garden of thy heart for the spices to flow 2. Come then to that Meditation relating to the duties of the succeeding day this then must be well attended for making a good entrance into this new course of Meditation 1. Here to strive after the true wisdom of this way to be an Artist in some measure a wife Meditater At the first we cannot be too wise nor understand too well a way new begun Nor never can we here be so wise for doing any part of our spiritual work but we may learn more 2. To have a due temper of warmth fervour and vivacity this must be minded Rom. 12.11 Fervent in spirit To begin a course dully act easily and not earnestly this wrongs thee much it hinders the otherwise obtainable faeility of doing with that rare sweetness attending a holy seriousness and the rich improvement of the main stock that stock of grace given for increasing A habit comes not up by remiss actings but by earnest actings Cold water cannot be made boiling hot and kept so by adding luke-warm water but water very hot Easie actings will disintend and abate the habit where attained and hinder the attaining where aimed at Easie endeavours will setle in a spiritual laziness set up at a formality but equal and earnest will itroduce a strong habit and high Get the habitual fervency by daily actings of heat and being fervent in every doing So when the Apostle urges fervency of spirit he means a fervency in all serving the Lord at all times 3. As you must do this in reference to daily Meditation in the general way of it so habit and accustom thy self to meditating of thy chief and supreme end To a due and earnest meditating of God and glorifying him for this gives the Laws and Rules to all thy course If the question were What is the best thought arising any time in any heart it is that which is of God the glorifying of him The purest highest thoughts of a God exalting him must needs excel all other thoughts more than the Sun excels all candles or least lights whatsoever Use thy thoughts with David and other holy men of God to bear strongly and act ardently upon this This lays the foundation daily deeper of thy self-denying Mark 8.34 that so hard and tough work Self would not rise up and float so high in any good heart if glorifying the infinitely better God were more meditated daily upon and had its more due and down weight in the scales of the Christians thoughts had more serious musing upon 4. Habit thy self gain upon thy self as to serious daily Meditation on the next end and scope thy own eternal happiness and salvation Let not this so momentous concern want its weight in thy daily meditating let it have still some at least serious pondering and this not only at thy first entrance upon this way of daily meditating then when thy fears and feelings of wrath remain fresh in memory But here is the Art and frame to be endeavoured to grow up in more habitual seriousness of musing on this great salvation This was the blessed Apostles way he not only at first when Christ humbled him began it to meditate how to be saved but eyed it daily accustomed himself into serious more serious minding it Phil. 3.13 I forget things behind and press to the mark He kept his constant aiming and aimed better still more fully and therefore the act being stronger the habit must be more intended The habit of meditating here should not sink and be in a consumption decline and grow weaker or but keep up alive but it should root deeper put forth stronger shoot up higher to the mark Salvation should have quicker and more lively impressions on us like the natural motion though slack at first yet quick at last That 's more natural and genuine which grows still stronger like rich wine more strong and spirit by keeping close 5. Contend to habiting thy self to ponder those particular means making up to the grand ends of glorifying God and thy happiness in enjoyment of him for ever Namely 1. Accustom thy self to as high and transporting thoughts of Jesus Christ his fulness of grace freely offered and thy daily putting him on more and growing up in him And this by Meditation of the precious Promises and the Faith whereby thou must through them receive from Christ and live by it 2. So accustom thy self daily to Meditation of the Holy Spirits dwelling and operating in every good heart without whose assistance thou canst not perform any good therefore must not be neglected grieved quenched resisted but prayed for and cherished earnestly expected and highly entertained 3. Accustom thy self to some seriousness of thoughts of the Ordinances of Christ the ways of our Communion with God we
have no other means for it and the walks wherein the Spirit comes 4. Use to cast a wishly eye on all such conducing things formerly mentioned as thou canst have opportunity 5. Look to well enter into and fix upon the Meditation daily examination of review looking over matters of the day and if hindered at any time help it by after-industry I say the Meditation of Review in the close of the day to see and judge thy self as to thy hearts frame and thy carriage in the time of the day This at the first is like the working with an Awkhand this must not be slubbered over slightly done But being harsh and unpleasant work at first thou must so manage it in care and constancy that thou mayst gain a hand at it it may become easie and pleasant Suarez a Jesuit says of himself that his times of self-reflection and examining his conscience for matters of the day were the sweetest part of all the day Thy Rule must be to perform this work so as it proves easier and sweeter and thereby thou improvest in it The more impartial and sincere you are in it the sweeter you will find it The more accurate and exquisite your inquiries and heart-searchings are and the more impartial towards your self the sweeter peace the higher boldness and confidence will thy heart be filled with For this brings in the clearer evidence of thy sincerity thy impartiality Nothing perfumes the spirit of a Christian with sweeter peace and more heavenly joy than a clear discovery of the hearts uprightness and integrity which by searching our hearts and impartially judging them we attain As Psal 26.1 2. David prays Judge me O Lord for I have walkt in mine integrity And Psal 139.23 Search me and see if any way of wickedness be in me This came from his own first impartial searching and finding his sincerity Vsual and diligent self-searching brings in and keeps up a setled peace and confidence by a mans being daily more assured of sincerity and heart-uprightness Be careful therefore and diligent in this self-searching CHAP. XI Of the Directions for particular Cases of young Christians how they should do therein BEsides these more general things last mentioned I must next come to the Rules of Meditation as to thy particular case and condition Here that thy Meditation must pitch upon will be either 1. The Case of thy assurance either wanting and not yet attained or else weak and feeble 2. It must be something relating to sanctification thy weak grace and many imperfections here the purging of thy heart from divers evils subduing of new rising and stirring corruptions some particular sin that haunts and troubles thee some temptation which follows thee some cross or affliction lying heavy upon thee or any other particulars wherein thou art concerned here to meditate how to have help the best and speediest 1. That is a principal point of wisdom to study and ponder the case of thy peace and assurance of Gods love and favour if not yet obtained or but enjoyed in a small measure accompanied with divers doubts and fears to meditate how best thou mayst come to assurance and be strong and stablisht in it How to have thy good condition made out to thee and thy fears discouragements and doubts may seatter and be driven away Here thou must be willing to take pains and resolve to exercise very humble patient waiting Psal 27.14 Wait on the Lord be of good courage he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Psal 130.4 There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait 6. My soul waits more than they that watch for the morning I say humble patient waiting until by frequent ponderings and searchings thou art replenisht with such a furniture and treasury of Scripture-grounds Gospel reasons and inducements and these so full and clear as thy heart now changed by the gracious help of the Holy Ghost who assures by the Gospel-promises arrives at the skill and wisdom as to be able to answer thy own cavilling doubting spirit and to repel the false reasons that Satan uses to hinder thy peace and assurance Assurance is chiefly bottomed on our sanctification assured So Divines say assurance of Election Justification Perseverance and Glorisication cannot be without assurance of Sanctification this being the ground of our assurance in the other four In particular thou must labour to draw forth out of the sure Word of Christ the infallible Characters clear descriptions and evidences of the new creature and of sincerity of grace then meditate and ponder so duely upon these sure evidences and right Scripture-descriptions given of the new Creature and sincerity of grace as to come to as clear and distinct an understanding of what is held forth to thee as thou canst I pass divers things might be mentioned and shall touch on the following 1. As that change and renewing of the mind and judgment which in respect of sin is to have it out of measure sinful Rom. 7.13 The greatest evil in all the world as that only contrariety and emnity to the greatest good namely the infinitely blessed God his insinite holiness and purity and all his so infinitely glorious Attributes yea his very Being with his Soveraignty and Government all his most holy righteous and good Laws and Word the signification and demonstration of his Soveraignty over us and of his will concerning us Hereby likewise manifesting the extreme injuriousness and unrighteousness in sin in regard of God whom upon infinite and indispensible obligations we are engaged perfectly to obey And as the abounding sinfulness of sin must be seen so as the judgment disallows all known sin the very least so there must be an universal liking and an allowance of all good of all known Truths and all known Duties Truths as revealed by God and to be believed by us and Duties commanded by God and to be performed by us 2. In seeing the fulness 1 Pet. 2.7 of beauty and excellency with the mightiness of Christ to save in all respects all that come to God by him by faith with the vanity of all earthly things to make us happy and the excellency of Grace Holiness Faith Love and the other required heavenly graces and soul-abilities and beauties above all other endowments This is the first part the first right change of the mind and judgment 1 Cor. 2. Whereas the natural man knows not the things of God nor can he because they are spiritually discerned 2. The next part of the new Creature is that change and new heavenly frame of that noble faculty the will Rom. 7.18 To will is present Oft in the Psalms David mentions his will his choice his curpose his firm and rooted resolution Psal 119.8 I will keep thy statutes Vers 30. I have chosen the way of truth Vers 106. I have sworn and will perform to keep thy righteous judgments Isa 56.4 That abuse
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
not of the lower forms but above them To learn the Horn-book or Primmer and keep there learn no further cannot become a grown man A Christian beyond a Babe must feed above a Babe a younger one feed on strong meat must meditate higher of growing in grace mortifying corruptions which are rising up overcoming temptations when they assault come it may be thick and fierce Afflictions that may charge smartly and all such lessons which Scholars of a higher form in Christs School are usually set to learn and take forth These thou must make thy study thy peculiar Meditation for finding out the best way of proceeding in these duties The young weak Christians Christ sets not them so high and hard tasks at their first entrance into his School Joh. 16.12 I have many things to say but ye cannot bear them now Higher matters of knowledge harder matters of practice but stronger Christians must have stronger meat and stronger exercise also than Children and Novices And this for Christs higher glory the stronger Christians greater improvement and encouragement This must be thy now-way of Meditation how to act higher in thy now higher rank In a word that thy knowledge wisdom strength courage all thy graces may be felt more vigorous and improving be more evident and shining and Christ in them for his glorifying 2. Meditation let it be managed for the best thou canst as to all particular cases and there ply most where thou hast most pressing need Thus David and other holy ones of God endeavoured the exercise of Meditation to that particular case which then concerned them to beat out their best way of help as oft in the Psalms and other places Psal 23. Psal 52. of Doeg Psal 63. Psal 77. Psal 142. Particular cases had their particular Meditations as the titles of these Psalms or their matter shews In a particular case thou now it may be art put upon something new to thee here Meditation should be used and continued for and until a right and sure way be discovered for thy best help the true and sure Scripture-way the Saints have gone and found relief in As what Abraham in his tryals did what Jacob what Job what David what many others in the Old and New Testament did our blessed Lord his Apostles and Followers did As in cases of diseases dangers troubles a wise man will study the right means and manner how to be helpt Thus in all cases especially new tasks tryals troubles and dangers Meditation should be exercised according to the Scripture-directions and exples left us If the very particular case or kind of difficulty be not to be found in Scripture then you must by your Meditation gather your direction by the Rule of Proportion Look what was like it look if there be not the same in kind yet what is to be found as high and great not inferior to thy case if not higher 1. Thy particular case it may be is some prevailing corruption or that which stirs and much troubles thee which Christ suffers thee to be disquieted by sometimes overcome with to shew thee what is in thy heart to humble thee and what need thou hast of his Spirit and Grace to help thee Thus it was with Job David Jeremy and others 2. Some buffeting it may be of Satan 2 Cor. 12.7 Paul had it so it may be thy temptation is high it may be horrid against God unnatural against others against thy self This Christ in his wisdom permits for learning thee to be a good Champion for him and to experience his succouring and supporting of thee 3. Or it may be some sore and sharp affliction some sudden surprisal which must add to it as a quicker fire to refine thee the better 4. It may be the case of desertion God withdrawing hiding his face leaving thee in the dark as was Davids case Psal 51.12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation of Asaph Psal 77.7 Will the Lord cast off for ever Psal 88. Hemans case Look out and weigh what in these cases the Saints did and beat out thy way so well as thou canst CHAP. XX. Divers farther Rules OTher Particulars yet may be added to the former as 1. Thy setting Meditation on work for wisdom in that great concern of keeping thy heart with all diligence Prov. 4.23 The Art of Heart-keeping one of the greatest skills therefore for the attaining it must have great study to be in some degree a Master in this Art and be better in it 1. Meditation to learn thought-government Other lessons formerly took thee up more than keeping thy heart than governing thy thoughts which among other means must be by 1. Considering the excellency of the thinking faculty in it self 2. The uses it is for 3. The poyson of sin that hath gotten up to thy head and is occasioning such vain and vile thoughts such wildness rovings inconstancies and readiness to multiply and fix upon either bad or by-things 4. The necessity of reducing them dislodging them those vain and vile imaginations Jer. 4.14 How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee saith God to the Jews They should neither lodge as in wicked men neither enter or stay in a good heart 5. There should be a coming to have and improve in thee an habitual heavenly mindedness Strong Christians must have a power and rule over their thoughts and not be satisfied without it in some sort remembring Gods pure omniscient eye upon all the thoughts Rom. 2.16 and his judging hereafter of them at the great day 6. Thoughts are the souls inlet into the affections and will the rise of willing and affecting and through them of acting and doing They are very quick and nimble yet can be very deep intense and serious great reason therefore thou hast to study to meditate to contend to the due regulation of them 2. Thy Meditation must engage in that hard lesson the way of ruling thy spirit as to the affections pondering and beating out how to govern them Among the Heathens the Philosophers and wise men had very rare Rules and excellent Sayings about the right ordering the affections But while they beat the bush they lost the bird They had not the Word of God they knew not Christ nor sanctifying Grace whereby the wisdom and only right principles of governing these so unruly affections can be attained and they tamed and tuned 1. The task is how to take them off where they are misplaced and set them on right objects off the things below and upon the things above where they are both rectified and elevated and truly enobled 2. As how to take them off wrong objects so to take them down when they are too hot high violent eager to turn their edge 3. To stir them up and make them move that either would not move or but slowly move lazily and not with that due earnest and expedite quick motion when they ought to do it These comprise the whole Irregularity of the affections
Christian is a person of great excellency it is very highly extolled in the Scripture This David though not presently yet attained in time as Psal 119.99 100. I have more understanding then all my teachers I have more wisdom then the ancients 3. To have the richest treasury of heavenly truths the fullest stores of precious experiences Meditation is the greater gatherer of them and the improver of them on all occasions It becometh not a Christian of long standing to be poor and unfurnished of holy experiences The Psalmist we may see drawing forth his experiences and telling them to others Psal 3.4 5. I cryed and he heard Psal 18. almost all the Psalm he puts all the pearls of deliverances experiences that way on one silken thread of this one Psalm together So Asaph Psal 77.6 I call to remembrance my song in the night what joy he formerly felt though now he wanted it Thus oft the Saints in Scripture The Apostle 2 Cor. 1.10 Who hath delivered and doth he had his experiences ready 4. More peculiarly your great exercise which others cannot so well reach is to be much implied in the deepest Mysteries the highest points of Faith and the hardest matters of practice I mean not so much such sorts of difficulties in Divinity those which great skill in the Tongues and Arts will require and that must have long time much study which the necessary occasions of very many cannot admit and are not necessary for every man to understand But such higher matters of godliness as may more Jude 20. edifie you in your holy faith increase your obedience to a more fruitful and exact walking Eph. 5.15 See ye walk circumspectly accurately or exactly the word is thus the higher contemplations of the Nature of God his Attributes and Titles the Works of God Creation and Providence his wise righteous and holy Administrations and Government 1. Government in the whole world and all things in particular in it to the least circumstance the falling of a hair from the head 2. Government and that so rare and admirable towards the rational creatures but most observable astonishing towards his Church and his dear Saints This as some of our Divines say of Gods Government of the world and matters in it is to be one of the great Meditations of Christians that are by the Apostle called Fathers who having obtained formerly much acquaintance with other truths of more necessary use for their then rank and standing now are to busie themselves in these high Mysteries for furthering Faith and Godliness The Mysteries in the two Books of Scripture and Nature are the two Tropicks or Lines between which thy Meditation should move and bound run its course and keep within this compass which is useful and safe In sum let thy Meditation be improved all thou canst for the setting up of the main mark for the fullest aiming at it the hardest pressing toward it with all contendings for an excellency of wisdom eminency of holiness exemplariness of conversation and exact walking together with all industriousness after that peace which passes all understanding joy unspeakable and full of glory the establishings and heightning of them with longings and hastnings after that appearing of the Lord and crying Come Lord Jesus come quickly Conclusion Now this so highly important duty of holy Meditation having been as to the nature kinds necessity and excellency so fully discovered and demonstrated the great sinfulness of neglecting it evinced the dangers following the neglect manifested the practice with such high inducements and powerful Scripture-arguments urged home and the way respecting all sorts of persons in so many Rules and Directions cleared Application general Then all who know these things are utterly inexcusable that know these so greatly necessary things and will not comply with the careful practice of them Ah! therefore let every one most earnestly beg it of God to write this his Law of holy Meditation in his heart to give the right wisdom to understand the way of it the firm purpose and resolution constantly to perform it yea the practice of it with sweetest solace and highest delight Let me say to my soul Necessity is laid upon me It is an Imperial Law of the great King of Heaven if I do it not great guilt will be contracted great wrath of a God will be kindled my soul will deeply be wronged If I have not act not good thoughts my heart will act evil thoughts will fill with evil thoughts will fix and habit it self in them be quite over-run with them I shall have a spirit stained deeply dyed into habitual vanity of mind yea I may be given up to judicial penal vanity of thoughts It may be to terrifying and most affrighting thoughts That I which would not be brought to think of the threatnings of a just God and his terrible Curses That would not meditate of that greatest of evils sin of my heart and life-sins shall have all my sins set in order before me held and kept staring me continually in the face That I who would not meditate of the most blessed God his Christs fulness his Spirits sweetness his Heaven and everlasting Happiness shall now have represented to my thoughts and be made to see Satan Hell and eternal Death continually before me Yea to be under such amazements and terrours to be so haunted and followed that at last it may be insupportable and quite overwhelm me O therefore let me not so sin against my own soul and for ever undo my self by wilful or heedless neglecting this duty which lies so indispensibly upon me and may be so advantageous to me O how many are continually guilty of self-destroying for want of a timely self-bethinking By a slighter thinking for want of serious thinking By a too short thinking for want of the necessary allowance of time and space for thinking By a too seldom thinking and not using due frequency of thinking By acting meer phansie and imagination and not wise consideration Adams first state was good yet mutable but it was not a sin or imperfection to be mutable And though this mutability of his will was a ground of his fall yet it was his incogitancy was the first blamable cause he fell by acting sudden too hasty imagination and not due consideration he considered not all things to be considered Thus ever since the falls of sinners are generally more by incogitancy haste and hurries of fancy and imagination want of consideration though there be sins also of deliberation not precipitations but presumptions When God reduces a sinner he brings him from swaying phansie and carelesness to considerateness Ezek. 18.28 Because he considers and turns he breaks the reeden Scepter of phansie and inconsideration and brings in and sets up the golden Scepter of wise consideration So Acts 2. Men and brethren what shall we do Acts 16.30 Sirs what must I do to be saved But O what pity is it that any soul should perish for want of