superiour to others or contrary to the good of the persons or chastity or good name of others though it be but in secret corruption or secret working of heart still the Word of God doth oppose it in every thing the Pharisees forbad the outward act of uncleannesse but the Law of God forbids the impurity of the thoughts they make the Law like John Baptist who had a leathern girdle about his loins but the Gospel represents Christ to have a golden girdle about his Paps they represented only the first risings and motions of sin this makes the Saints mourn for the first conceptions of sin though they prove abortive saith Chrysostome Chrysost making them to pray with David to be purged and freed from secret sins and sinfull cogitations 4. Meditate upon the operativenesse of the Word it is not a dead letter but hath a quick power in it to work upon the heart the Spirit of God accompanies it making it active and mighty in operation as in the frame of a man's body under every vein there runs an artery full of spirits so under every vein of truth in the Word of God there is an artery of Spirit quickning searching cutting discovering condemning What 's the reason most mens spirits rise up against the Word it is because as the Elephant troubleth the waters before he drinketh that he may not see his ugly visage so the Word of God troubleth the mind of a sinner it terrifies his conscience making his sin appear very sinfull to him it makes a man a burden to himself these spectacles are too true for the sinners false eyes Ahab cannot endure to talk with Michajah nor meet with Elijah men can endure the generalities of the Word well enough but when it comes near them toucheth their Copyhold corrupt hearts run away from it because for want of serious meditation they are unacquainted with the spirituall nature of the Word of God Oh study I pray thee â—regor Moral saith Gregory and daily meditate on the words of thy Creatour and learn the mind of God in his Word that thou maist look up to eternall things for so much shall thy rest be the greater in Heaven by how much the more it hath been even now from the love of thy Creatour here on earth Sect. 3. Of meditating on Man The third subject of meditation is man his Creation his body his soul his priviledges his Creation his body his soul his priviledges Man cometh in the next place as a fit subject for our meditation and consideration man was the last of God's creatures as the end of his Creation all made for him and all represented in him the rest by his word commanding whereas his body by his hand-working and his soul by his breath-quickning became alive and here let us meditate first on man's Creation who is as Plato saith Plato the miracle of all miracles and as it were the soul of this world and you will see how every circumstance sheweth the Creatours goodnesse and man 's many obligations Let us begin with the meditation of man's body which is as one saith More 's demonstrat the pattern of the universall world 1. Meditate on the provision God made for man before he made him God sets up an house and furnisheth it then puts man into this house ready furnisht to his hand other things are but as essayes of God's power man the perfection Adam the last of all God's works and the Lord and soveraign over them under his soveraign Lord Heaven would have nothing wanting to man that he might wholly mind the things of Heaven 2. Meditate on God's proceeding hereunto the Father as it were calls a Councell God deliberateth upon the enterprize of this work and the Councell is held in the conclave of the most holy Trinity Let us make man Gen. 1.26 Adam is businesse for the whole Trinity all were imployed about this creature to the end that being created he might be wholly imployed about the service of God 3. Meditate on the form of man's body God hath neither made us to lye along on the earth as beasts â—truth Obserâ—at 36. Cent. 2. or stick on it as trees but by upright stature set our head to Heaven and our feet to the earth as one observeth Os homini sublime dedit coelumque videre Ovid. Jussit erectos ad sidera tollere vultus God with a lofty look did man endew And made him Heavens transcendent glory view God hath given us an upright stature not like other creatures that look downwards to the earth to teach us to look up to Heaven by holy meditations and to look up to the hills whence our salvation cometh our face is toward Heaven to teach us that our hearts should not be nuzzeling in the earth man hath one muscle in his eyes more than any other creature which may teach him still to look up toward Heaven 4. Meditate on the matter of man's Creation Ad coelestia magis rapiatur ad terrestria minùs capiatur Columella l. 5. c. 9. Ecce pulchrum lapidem putre cadaver tegentem Gasp. in Heraclito Homo bis creatus 1. Seminaliter seu causaliter 2. Formaliter seu visibiliter Aug. de Genes he was made of the dust of the earth so as howsoever we appear beautifull and amiable in the eye of man which is fixt only on the externall part yet when the oyl of our lamp is consumed and we reduced again to our first originall matter there will be left us no better Epitaph than this Behold here a spetious shrine covering a stinking corps man is twice created saith St Augustine Seminally or causally Formally or visibly The first according to his soul the second according to his body man's body of earth doth represent whatsoever is between Heaven and earth yea the very Heavens themselves are figured all naturall causes contained and their severall effects produced therein The three Heavens are resembled by the body of man the lower serving for generation and nutriment are like the lowest Heaven within the compasse whereof the elements are found for as from them all beasts plants trees and other things have being receive nourishment growth motion and sense so of four humours there engendered all the members are made fed moved and augmented the same agreeing in nature and number with the elements and producing effects in all answerable to them the upper part which is the seat of the heart may be compared to the middle Heaven the eighth sphere wherein the Stars are fixt which holding one even and constant motion giveth light and life to the world beneath through its rayes and comfortable influences so the heart being still in motion preserveth the whole body in life and health by sending forth the vitall spirits dispersing themselves into all the parts by veins and arteries Lastly the head the highest part of the body and noblest seat of the soul where she acteth
heart therefore it is not enough to meditate but we must also meditate on the thing that is good and be constant in it Meditation saith one Fenner de meditat is a coursing of the heart like a blood-Hound's coursing a Hare in the snow making her to stop here and leap there and to go forward and backward hunting it out of every starting hole till it fix where it would have it Chap. 3. Of the difference between meditation and contemplation The work of meditation is to search after things that are hidden the work of contemplation is to admire things that are câ—nspicuâ—â— saith Hugo â—editationis â—st perserutaâ— occulta â—ontemplitioâ—is est admiâ—ari perspicua Huâ—o in lib. de â—rca mystica Mountagues â—ssayes Contemplation saith another is a clear intuition and a delightfuâ—l admiration of perspicuâ—us verities whereby the soul dâ—th not lightly tast but largely glut it self with spirituall delights it is a voluntary exile from the earth and an holy violence offered to Heaven it makes Heaven to stoop and earth to ascend to us it is an antepast of eternal felicity Contemplation is called by the Hebrews and Academicks a precious death Bodin de Repub l. 5. for that it draws the soul out of this earthly body clearly to behold heavenly things but meditation is an exercise more painfull and difficult in matters pertaining to God contemplation is more sweet to them that have had the exercise thereof Unio intellectus cum re intellectâ Contemplation is a work of our understanding after a sort uniting our wills to the will of God the Schools tell us there is an union of the understanding with the things understood meditation uniteth the heart to holy objects Psal 86.11 The sweetnesse of heavenly delights is not altogether in contemplation but also in an affectuous meditation the understanding doth not give sustenance to our souls but only prepareth the meat that our souls are fed withall but the understanding and the affections together do minister food to the soul Did ac Stella de contemp mundi part 2. White 's art of meditat there is no pleasant tast nor savour in preparing that which must be eaten but in eating â—f that which is prepared saith Stella Meditation saith one is the blowing up of the fire and contemplation is the flame of that fire Some are exercised only in the intellectuall part and not in the effectuall part of this work not labouring to have the love of God and holy objects kindled in their hearts but only to have curious speculations of the heavenly Majesty Contemplation is an outgoing power of the soul to heavenly things there is no seperation of the soul from the body before death so real but meditation makes use of all mediums whereby to gain Heaven that which leads us the safest way thither is the best nor is a Christian at any time nearer to his happinesse than when he is in the way that soonest leads him thither and were a man in the suburbs of Heaven if all his exercises and actions be not ordained for the love of God as well as to have the knowledge of him he may like Moses have a view of the promised Land as he had of the earthly Canaan but never enter in thereat Chap. 4. How study and meditation diffâ—â— Every trade and calling in the world requireth study in it and reason hath its proper work in every science and every Mechanick that seems most excluded from it hath his own discussive thoughts and studieth about the severall parts and branches of his profession and how he may bring every piece of work he takes in hand to its just perfection and more liberall professions think it their element but Divinity claims it as her property men of other callings are studious but they keep still within their limits and at their highest reach they go no higher than the earth Though Astronomers soar aloft and contemplate the nature of the Stars and Planets the course of the Sun and the revolutions of the Heavens yet their speculation is not heavenly but earthly because it springeth only from a naturall power and leads to a naturall end but meditation is properly and only about things that concern our eternall welfare Study is the beating of the brains the work of the head meditation is a work of the heart a rouzing up of the heart and a fixing it upon its object Study is the work of the understanding meditation of the heart and affections the understanding oâ— man since the fall of Adam is of the samâ— nature with the earth it is fruitfull only in briars and thorns and thistles if the heart be not broken up by the Plough of meditation and tilled by the labour of this spirituall husbandry it is fertile only in errours and is delivered of nothing but doubts and scruples which rather fight against truth than defend it his ingeny serves him for no other end but to raise difficulties his light is alwayes mixt with darknesse and as if he were of the nature of Spiders extracts nothing from the first Maxims of Religion but that which doth perplex him Chap. 5. Of the gate of meditation This is nothing else but to propound to a man's self by imagination the matter or Subject whereon to meditate or wherein to exercise our thoughts as the objects of our imagination must be good so we must labour to present them as good and profitable to the soul this carries on the will after them with delight our affections are suitable to our imaginations and apprehensions oâ— the object affections raise the spirits the spirits raise the humours and so the whole man is moved thence it is if a thing be presented as evil to the imagination it works strongly upon us imaginary and conceited evils have the same effect as reall Jacob was as much affected with the imagination of Joseph's death as if he had been really dead in his house though fancy be but a frothy thing yet it produceth reall effects the force of imagination we see in other creatures Gen. 30.38 39. Jacob takes rods of green Poplar and of the Hasell and Chesnut-tree and pilled white strakes in them and made the white appear which was in the rods and set the rods before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs c. and the flocks conceived before the rods and brought forth Cattle ring-straked speckled and spotted Austin gives this very reason wherefore in Aegypt there is never wanting a white spotted Oxe Aug. de civit Dei l. 18. c. 5 which they call Apis and worship for a God Hypocratâ—s Hypocrates hath written a learned Discourse of the power of imagination the looking upon outward objects doth much affect the inward senses so that the imagination is made as it were like unto them Imagination is a strong conceit of the mind touching any thing whatsoever it be Perkins discourse of Witchcraft
Plutarc de solert animal tells of a Pye that to learn certain tunes which she heard Minstrels play waxed dumb many dayes after at length upon a suddain she brake forth into tâ—e same tunes which those Minstrels had played before to the astonishment of all that heard her Meditation is that which in the old Law was signified by the chewing of the Cud transient speculationâ— of things do but little good let in buâ— little light unlesse we chew theÌ„ Cud and exercise the mind about them holy things are like unto leaven to Corn to rain now unlesse the leaven be put into and by stirring and working as it were incorporated into the dough it cannot season it and though the Corn be sown in abundance yet if it meet not with apt ground tilled and prepared but fall among thorns by the high-way side or in stony places it bringeth forth no fruit and though the rain fall plentifully yet if it light ouâ— hard and hilly Countreys it is not received it makes not such places fruitfull so fareth it with holy things let a Minister bestow never so much of the leaven of the Word yet if the hearers hide it not in their hearts like leaven iâ— the meal it will never season them and make them fit manchet for thâ— Lord's table let never so much gooâ— seed be sown yet if it take not rooâ— downwards in our hearts it will neveâ— bring forth fruit upwards in our lives let the words of God's messengers drop as the rain and distill like the dew or like the showers upon the herbs and tender grasse yet if the heart receive it not if it dwell not in the heart richly it will profit us nothing indeed it is almost as much to find our own heart in a duty as to find God in it Sect. 2. Of the ends of solemn meditation The end of meditation is both to affect the heart with the objects on which we meditate and that the heart may be made better thereby 1. I say one end of meditation is to affect the heart it is very delightfull to those that are conversant in it he that hath changed his mind or opinion upon meditation never accuseth her of tyranny meditation is very perswasive clearing our judgements calming our passions and gaining our consent to that which is good it far surpasseth eloquence and like a Soveraign raigns without arms it hath no need of our ears to win our hearts by it self it transmitteth it self into the inmost recesses of our souls finds out reason in â—er throne carries more light into â—he mind and kindleth in the will a more fervent love to God Qui audit mel esse dulce nòn gustat nomen mellis scit gratiam saporem nescit gustate ergo videte quam suavis sit Dominus Bonavent making a man in love with what he formerly hated Meditation opposeth the charms of grace against the allurements of sin and so sweet and powerfull is holy meditation that it blots out all earthly cogitations it sets before the eyes of our souls such taking and alluring objects which are more prevalent than those of sin and by these holy delights our hearts are ravished and grace easily prevails against the corruptions of nature these are the first fruits of those everlasting pleasures the Saints shall reap in the Kingdome of Heaven whereby those that feed on God and his promises by holy meditation here do tast one part of that felicity which the blessed do feed upon in Heaven this hath ever been very affecting to the Saints My meditation of him saith David shall be sweet Psal 104.34 or my word of him shall be sweet it signifieâ— a word secretly spoken Symonds fixed eye as one observeth the heart speaks of God in meditation and those words are musick in the soul the word imports a sweetnesse with mixture like compound spices or many flowers mixt together such variety of sweetnesse this meditation of God yeeldeth to him whose mind is upon him whose heart is toward him the operation of the mind makes up a sweet delight there is more content in meditating on the love of God more refreshing to the heart than wine can give to the body his love is better than wine We will remember thy lâ—ve more than wine Cant. 1.2 4. David tells us that the thoughts of God are precious Psal 139.17 they are so to a heart that is in a right frame and saith he My soul is filled as with marrow and fatnesse when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches Psal 63.5 Meditation Meditatio coâ— memoriae is the rubbing up of the memory and may not unfitly be called the whetstone of memory for even as a whetstone or grindstone addeth an edge to the Knife or other instrument which is whetted thereupon so this sharpeneth our memories and gives us occasion to call that to mind which otherwise would have been forgotten or it may be compared to the steel and stone of a Tinder-boxe neither of which severally will yeeld any fire but being smitten together the fire cometh forth incontinently so fareth it with men that are of good capacities that can conceive much at the instant but remember little because they use not their memories and exercise not themselves in pious meditations Meditation is the heart life and soul of remembrance making whatsoever we read and hear to abide with us and be our own else it will away meditation with Philip's Page must daily knock at the doors of our hearts and cause us to call to mind what we have learnt else by corruption we shall soon forget it this made Periander King of Corinth to say Meditatio totum It is an undoubted maxime that a thing be it never so good and excellent yet it is not very desireable of us till it begit to affect our hearts though it hath more charms than beauty and more lustre than outward glory more invitations than secular profits yet if it convey not pleasure into the will it knows not how to beget love unto it 2. Meditation also bettereth the heart as well as affects it It is said that King Mythridates having found out Mythridate he so strengthened his body that endeavouring to poison himself to avoid the servitude of the Romans he could by no means effect it so whosoever shall feed on holy objects by meditation and use it frequently shall so fortifie his heart that it shall not be poisoned with any evil affections Meditation is a heart-warming duty study only warms the brains but meditation warmeth the heart therefore when holy truth falls upon a prepared heart it hath a sweet and strong operation Luther Luther Melch. Ad in vit Staâ— confesseth that having heard Staupicius a grave Divine to say that that is kind repentance which begins from the love of God ever after that time the practice of repentance was sweeter to him another speech of his
likewise did much affect Luther viz. that in doubts of predestination we should begin from the wounds of Christ that is from the sense of God's love to us in Christ therefore the warming of the brains in study without the warming the heart by meditation is but a dead and cold speculation serious meditation puts lively colours upon common truths which operate strongly upon the heart to make it better Chap. 8. Of the subject of Meditation Sect. 1. Of meditaâ—ion on the works of God I now proceed to discusse the subject-matter of meditation first subject â—editation works of 〈◊〉 and here I am launching into a great Ocean but like the dogs of Nilus I shall but lick and away The first subject of meditation is God's works of Creation a fit matter for our serious meditations I remember the dayes of old saith David I meditate on all thy works I muse on the work of thy hands Psal 145.5 He looketh up to the Heavens and considereth the work of God's fingers meditating on all those works that were visible to the eye of man â—al 102.25 Psal 8.3 called elsewhere the work of his hands Isa 48.13 My hand hath laid the foundation of the earth and my right hand hath spanned the Heavens it is for that they are of such excellency as if they had been his handywork indeed which yet were made by his word only as Moses and St John do declare Gen. 1.6 Joh. 1.3 That great advancer of learning hath an excellent passage suitable hereunto Sr Francis Bâ—con's advancâ—ment of learâ—ing l. 1. p. 27 It is to be observed saith he that for any thing which appeareth in the History of the Creation the confused masse and matter of Heaven and earth was made in a moment and the order and disposition of that Chaos or mass was the work of six dayes such a note of difference it pleased God to put upon the works of power and the works of wisdome wherewith concurreth that in the former it is not set down that God said Let there be Heaven and earth as it is set down of the works following but actually that God made Heaven and earth the one carrying the stile of a Manufaction the other of a Law Decree or Councell It is not enough that we barely look on the works of God but we must meditate upon them for if we do no more than see them the Oxe the Bull and the Horse do as much as we If we see nothing in the Heavens Dearing Heb. Lect. 5. c. 1. vers 10. saith a grave Divine but that they are lightsome and above our reach the Horse and Mule see this as well as we if we see nothing in the earth but a place to walk in or to take our rest upon it the beasts and fouls see this as well as we if we see nothing in our gorgeous apparell but the pride of a goodly colour the Peacock seeth that in his feathers if in all our refreshment from the creatures we know nothing but the pleasure and sweetnesse of our sense the Swine hath as great a share herein as we if hearing seeing smelling tasting feeling be all the comfort we can find in the works of God the dumb creatures have these senses more exquisite than we and we have turned the hearts of men into the hearts of beasts who with wisdome and reason can do nothing â— Isidor â—usiot l. 2. â—st 135. and the words of the Prophet are fulfilled in us Man being in honour understandeth not and is like the beasts that perish Psal 49.20 therefore the sight of God's works must affect us more than so else shall we be but as the beasts and follow them Now you are to meditate how God brought forth all his works in the space of six dayes before he finisht them he did not create the world all at once but took time for the Creation of it to teach us to take speciall time duely and orderly to consider and meditate on the works of God if he that could have made the Heavens and the earth the Sun Moon and Stars and all creatures in a moment yet it pleased him to take time for the creating of them this should teach us to select some space of time for the meditation of them we must not think it enough to look upon them at one view but to passe from part to part from one creature to another and in every creature to admire the workmanship power wisdome and goodnesse of the Creatour as we are taught Psal 92.4 5. Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy works and I will triumph in the works of thy hands O Lord how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deep a bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this which Psalm as the Title tells us was a meditation penned for the Sabbath day therefore I say God would spend six dayes about the Creation of the world whereas he might have done it in an instant and in a moment of time to the end that we might the better meditate upon it from point to point for which purpose he presently ordained the Sabbath Thus Job Job 36.24 tells us that we must not idly behold the work â—upellex orâ—ata hominem â—guit munâ—us Deum â—inut Faelix â—ctav but must magnifie the workman Remember that thou magnifie his work which men behold this we will do coming into the Shop of an excellent Artizan The eternall power and Godhead is seen by the things that are made but most of us have great cause to be ashamed that we have spent so little time in meditating on the works of God yea who can truly say he hath spent so much time in meditating on God's works as God spent in making them how few are there that have set apart so much time ever since they were born as if it were all laid together will make up six dayes one entire week what a shame is it for man whom God made on purpose to view his works â—ria sunt geâ—era meditatiâ—num unum â— creaturis â—num in Scriâ—turis unum â—n moribus â—rimum surgit ex admiratione secundum ex lectione â—ertium ex circumspectione Hug. medit and by them to glorifie him not to spend so much time in meditating upon them as God spent in making of them therefore we have great cause to become more carefull and studious readers of this great Book of nature for time to come There is a threefold Book into which a Christian is to make inspection The Book of nature or of the creatures The Book of the Scriptures The Book of conscience The Book of the creatures hath a powerfull conviction meditate upon it and observe God's power or thou art an Atheist The Book of the Scriptures hath a power of conversion meditate on it and learn the will of God out of it so to serve him or thou art an hypocrite The Book of