and cunning adversaries came to ensnare him in his words so that they thought it were impossible for him to say I or No to their Questions without extraordinary prejudice to himself yet he answered with such admirable wisedom and innocence that they went away ashamed of their folly Nay when Satan himself came and set upon him with his subtlest temptations that he could possibly finde out yet our Saviour without deliberation and study immediatly answered him so fully that he could not so much as reply but was fain to fly to another temptation and no marvell for he was the wisedom of the Father 3. Consider the wonderful and exceeding holiness of Christ when he was in the height of all his Agonies and Sufferings he abated not any thing of his love and confidence in God For his Sufferings did not make him forget or diminish any thing no not in the least circumstance of his graces or of any thing that the Law required at his hands To be so freely willing to have that Agony continue which was unspeakable and as the torments of Hell if his Father pleased was more then if those in Hell should freely submit to endure the torments they suffer The holinesse of those in heaven is not comparably so much greater then the weakest Saint on earth As the Holinesse of Christ was greater whilest he lived on earth then that of those in heaven Nay all the Saints on earth are fil'd from his fulnesse For he is the Fountain that conveys to his Saints as they are able to receive the infinite Ocean of the holinesse of the God-head No marvell that the Angels when they saw his glory cried out Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbaths 4 Consider that notwithstanding all these infinite Excellencies in Christ he thought it no robbery to be equall to the Father yet how exceedingly did he humble himself and how gracious was he The poorest man or woman in the world nay the greatest sinner that truly repented with what love did he receive them He was the Son of Righteousnesse from whom the Angels receive their glory and yet he disdains not to shine upon such dunghils as we are It is strange O my Soul to consider how willing Christ was to please every one only provided it was in things that were not for their hurt that desired them Many times nay most times when others were with him when he in respect of himself only would have done otherwise yet he did as their desires required Rom. 15.3 The Apostle saith even Christ pleased not himself many times when he was hungry If any came to him that needed Instruction or if he were sleepy and any came to him that needed consolation he would abstain from meat and sleep that he might do them good It is not so with great men but it was so with Christ who was the great God Affections and Resolutions 1. Admire the Excellencies of Christ O blessed Saviour thou art the chiefest of ten thousand Thou art altogether lovely Thou hast a Name above all Names that at thy Name every knee should bow Thou Lord art set at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly places Farre above all principality and power and might and dominion and every Name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come Thou art the brightness of thy Fathers Glory and the expresse Image of his Person Consider O my Soul what can these words mean Surely if God commanded all the Angels to worship him when he brought him into the world how much more should we for whom he hath done much more admire and adore him in Spirit and in Truth Be confounded and ashamed that thou art not more affected with these things Doubtlesse O my Soul It is not for want of excellency in Christ for he is the Lord of glory but for want of a clearer Faith in thee to behold his excellencies If the Scripture had not spoke the thousandth part of Christ as it doth how could thy thoughts have been lower of him then they are how could thy heart be more sencelesse It is a shame that every vanity should steal away our hearts from Christ much more abominable is it that our very sins that murthered him should ever prevail with us in the least Pray Blessed God 't is not in man by all his wisedom and industry to know or be affected with the Excellencies of Christ if thou dost not reveal them If I had a thousand worlds they were too small a price for so great a mercy O shew me thy self and thy Sonne and it sufficeth And now O my Soul are the Excellencies of Christ nothing unto us Do we indeed admire them Surely all is but meer words and vain thoughts if we do not strive as farre as we may to imitate him in those Excellencies for which we pretend to admire him Are we patient as he was meek humble holy who when he was reviled reviled not again c. We do but deceive our own souls in giving glorious titles and speaking high things of Christ and in the mean while not endeavour to transform into his Image It is impossible we should love him for his patience and holinesse and not love patience and holinesse not yet never care to practise and get them Therefore for the time to come the life of Christ shall be the example whereby I shall endeavour to frame mine And that I may the better do so I will reade over especially the New Testament and observe in every particular what Christ did how he spoke to his Friends to his Enemies how he demeaned himself in every action whether civil or natural or Religious how in all his Relations And when I have written them down I shall often peruse them and shall endeavour in every action that I do and word that I speak to remember if I can whether there be any parallel instance in the life of Christ if there be I shall make that my patern and do likewise but if there be none that I can think of then I would do that which in my conscience I think Christ would have done in like case For the Conclusion I refer you to the Directions and Instances of former Meditations The Conclusion of the whole I Found a great deal of difficulty in writing this small Treatise of Meditation not in the doctrinal or directory part because Christian experience and study are things by which that party is managed but in the setting down of instances and examples therein I found the difficulty to lie For Meditation is an harder work then to give Directions thereunto aand I have generally found it easier to study a day then to meditate an hour but of all the kindes of Meditation whereof Instances are set down in this Book I found the greatest difficulty in those of Solemne Occasionall Meditations they consisting for the most part of praier which the devout soul when it hath ended
methods fright the ignorant 1. This is the very method of those Meditations by which every one that is brought home to God is converted For the first thing in conversion is our being convinced of some Truths which conviction raiseth affections for if the truths of God end in conviction and go no further nay if they end in affections only and never come to resolutions of shunning evil and doing good conversion can never be perfected as for example One is convinced that he is a miserable undone wretch by reason of originall and actuall abomination Upon this conviction fear and sorrow are raised yet if these do not work in us a firm resolution of leaving those sinnes we are yet in our sinnes and unconverted 3. There are severall things for the concluding of Meditation as shall appear CHAP. V. Directions for the working of our hearts to be convinced of and affectedwith the presence of God 1. FOR being convinced of and affected with the presence of God it may thus be wrought 1. We are to consider that God is present every where as truly really and essentially as he is in heaven For God did not create heaven to confine him but to manifest his presence for the Heaven of Heavens are not able to contain him for God is neither included by nor excluded from any place and though Jacob saith Surely the Lord was in this place and I knew it not Gen. 28.16 yet we must not imagine that Jacob was ignorant of that truth but did not actually consider it but David in the 139. Psalm is clear in explaining and clearing up the omnipresence of God 2. We must consider that God doth more peculiarly observe his people while they are performing of heavenly duties whether it be while they are speaking unto him or he speaking unto them he doth then more especially observe the motion and frame of their hearts as when we are in any company we do more especially look upon and observe those to whom we speak or who speak to us yet this is to be understood not as if God did observe us more at one time then another in respect of Gods knowledge it self but thus that God is much more offended with us if our carriage and frame of heart be more irreverent and unholy in the time of prayer and Meditation then at such times as we are in the works of our particular calling 3. We may consider with our selves that Christ doth actually behold us especially in these duties of holinesse for it is not the distance of place that doth hin-Christs knowledge and exact observing of us Little did Nathanael think that Christ saw him under the Fig-tree Nathanael did not see Christ nor was he corporally present then yet Christ behold Nathanael when he praied so Christ beheld Steven before the heavens were opened and the opening of the heavens was not that thereby Christ might be enabled the better to behold Steven but that Steven might thereby be the better enabled to see that Christ looked on him without all controversie God knows and observes with what reverence faith love c. we pray for else our praiers would be in vain and our faith also vain for how could he give us according to our faith if he knew not how much our faith were If the inward frame of our hearts were not observed by him then an hypocrite that hath better expressions should get more by his prayers then a true Nathanael that hath a better heart 4. Suppose that thou hadst lived in Christs time or suppose that Christ were now in England consider with what joy reverence and confidence thou wouldest go to him for the pardon of thy sins or for any other mercy thou stoodst in need of Thou maist go so to him now his distance from thee in respect of corporall presence doth not make him lesse able to know thy wants or hear thy praiers nor his being now glorified makes him lesse willing to grant them then if he were bodily present in the room with thee in the form of a Servant as he was once at Jerusalem the glory of Christ doth not hinder his love and goodnesse for Chtist is the expresse image of his Father and God Attributes do not hinder one another The Majesty of God doth not set bounds unto his goodnesse and make that finite nor doth his goodnesse make his Majesty lesse glorious his goodnesse makes his Majesty more amiable and his Majesty makes his goodnesse more wonderfull So neither doth the exaltation of Christ cause him to abate any thing of his goodnesse unto his people but if any way his love be altered it is by being made more then it was and when Christ was upon earth you must have come to him by faith or you could obtain no mercy from him and by faith though he be in heaven you may obtain any mercy now You may consider any one or two or more of these considerations until your heart be so convinced of and affected with the presence of God that you may thereby be the better fitted for the carrying on the duty of Meditation more effectually CHAP. VI. Concerning the Preparatory Praier that is to be used before Meditation THE next Preparatory consideration is Praier and it is to be performed in these words or to like purpose Lord my designe in this duty of Meditation is not to be an hour sequestred from worldly employments for that were to be idle an hour and to encrease my sinnes not my graces but my businesse at this time is to be so convinced and affected with those spirituall Truths revealed in thy Word that I may fully resolve by thy strength and power to reform my life because I can neither understand the things that belong to my peace nor understanding them be convinced of the certainty and truth of them Nay Lord though my understanding be enlightened yet without thee mine affections cannot be enflamed I can neither know resolve nor perrform what is good without thee for from thee comes both the will and the deed of thy good pleasure I beseech thee Lord that thou wouldest give me thy grace to make conscience of performing this duty with my whole strength and not carelesly and perfunctorily And Lord do thou enlighten me with and convince me of thy Truths and so affect my heart with the love of holinesse and hatred of sinne c. that I may thereby be enabled fully firmly notwithstanding all the opposition that the flesh world or devil can make to run the waies of thy Commandements with joy and with speed and when thou hast wrought in me the will so to do give me also the deed and that I may not trust to the strength of my resolutions but to the continuall gracious assistance of thy Spirit for the performance of those things that through thee I shall resolve to do Holy and blessed God Christ hath sent me wishing me to come to thee in his Name for any mercies
Thine excellencies are too high for me Wisedome is too high for fools O that thou wouldst take me out of mine own hands and deliver me from my self and howsoever my heart is not importunate enough now I shall thank and praise thee to all Eternity if thou wilt make me thine Thou hast done as much to draw me with the cords of love even to wonder Lord do thou snatch me as a firebrand out of the fire if thou shouldst stay till I am willing without thy making me so I am lost For I shall never part with these painted vanities for all the glory in heaven except thou givest me the eye of faith to see it and a spiritual palat to rellish it Meditat. XXXVIII O Lord wilt thou let a poor sinner lie gasping out his last breath at thy feet and die in thine arms I have abundance of love for the world O that thou hadst it all I am sure I am not nor shall never be at quiet until thou hast it nor would I sleep until I am in thine arms of love My dearest God how comes it to passe that my heart cannot give it self to whom it will Had I a thousand worlds I would give all for thee that I might be thine O my soul why should we stand consulting and contriving what to do God is ten thousand times more then all things Why should we weight a Talent of Lead and a Feather together to see which is heaviest O Lord my soul hath chosen thee long ago I have abundance of experience of the truths of those things which I have beleeved I am thine and thou art my God Thou hast chosen me and I have chosen thee If I should be so vain at any time as to leave thee thou art the same and thy choice fails not Thou Lord which madst me chose thee whilest I had no experience of thy love wilt make me continue my choice Lord that any one should choose hell before thee It makes thee not to be lesse glorious Lord must my blasphemies praise thee I finde so much hell in my heart that it is not troubled in any proportionable measure that there is so much hell in it When I set apart an hour for Meditation and praier then I keep my heart somewhat close but at other times I am little careful to improve what I reade or heart to enflame my heart I had better not set an hour apart and give thee all the day by thinking alwaies of thee Lord I do now acknowledge for then I shall not but if thou shouldest leave me I should be too much given to blaspheme thee Nay blessed God let that never be Lord it shall never be When I consider the desperate hypocrisie of my heart I may every morning expect that thou shouldst give me up to a reprobate sense to commit sinne with greedinesse When I think of these things I pour out my soul within me to think with my self I shall lose my estate a little troubles me to think I shall lose such a friend it affects me more but to think I shall lose my God and become an Apostate that 's a hell unto me I have begged of thee as for my life that thou wouldst not leave me and now I beg O forsake me not utterly To have such a heart that will neither inflame my words nor be inflamed by them is that which hath not been so Lord except thou wilt follow one that will not stay when thou callest and overtake one that runs from thee when thou followest I am lost Well though I am sure my froward and carelesse carriage will justifie thy justice if thou condemn me and magnifie thy mercy if thou savest me Meditat. XXXIX Lord this day is thine own and by being thine is more mine I must now burn without coals about me The time hath been when if I had been cold and dull the Society expressions and examples of others in daies set apart to thee would have enflamed me Now the company I have is water and snow Woe is me that I am constrained to have mine habitation in the Tents of Kedar and yet Lord thou art never wanting Thou sendest forth thy beams of light and heat if I bring not clouds over mine own head I may have enough light from thee Lord when will these daies of sin be ended and the time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord come I come into thy presence but when I am come I am silent and deaf neither able to speak to thee nor hear the sweet whisperings of thy Spirit O that I had a heart to give my self unto thee or that thou wouldest take these poor longings of my soul for a gift and thereupon take possession of my soul My daies of leaping for joy to think of thee are gone and now my daies of sorrow to see mine own vilenesse are come My tears are now my meat and drink O that I had more of them so they were more spirituall I am a poor creature but thou art the rich God My poor heart why dost thou not speak art thou silent what saist thou Is not God a good God what rellish or sweetnesse is there in these words if thou dost not set to thy seal Lord to thy glory though not to my comfort be it spoken Thou hast been a good God to me but I have no comfort from this truth if I never rellish it yet if mine heart will be so wicked as not to acknowledge it yet my hand shall write that which shall witnesse for my God against my self Thou art good patient and mercifull unto me enough to make earth and heaven to wonder at thy goodnesse and my vilenesse ah my God my God must my words go beyond my thoughts of love to thee Lord thou art enough for heaven enough for thy self and art thou not enough for me Try O my Soul try thou wilt never trust before thou knowest this by experience thou knowest abundantly that the creature hath told thee It is not in me this thou knowest by experience and by faith thou knowest it is in God Well then lay all thy weight and strength upon him and none upon the creature Hold upon him with both hands or else thou wilt attribute the greatest failing unto God For as he that stands upon never so strong a place if he lean against a rotten wall he shall fall and one that is asleep when he fals will not know whether fail'd him and so if we do but leave to our own wisedom we shall haply think that God fails Lord I wait I long for thine appearance Thou art enough Lord I know not what to say I am undone without thee Lord I hear the poor fly oh how it flies up and down Now it is warmed and revived with the warmth of the Sunne yesterday it lay still as dead surely Lord if thou wilt shine upon my soul I should be active and chearfull in thy service No marvell heaven
more then to hear the same sinne reproved in publike yet he should as particularly apply it then though he had not in this respect so much reason to apply it as I have to apply these words to mine own soul For the Minister doth not nor can actually and particularly intend every one that is guilty of the sinnes he reproves for he knows not every particular person that is guilty of the sinne he reproves as God doth every one that reades his word Therefore let us take this and apply it to our selves as if God had sent these words written with his own hand to me in particular When it is said that the Scripture is written for our learning c. Rom. 15.4 I conceive the meaning is not only by way of sufficiency but by way of intention efficacy and decree in respect of his people that is not only that there is a sufficient matter in Scripture to instruct us but that God did intend and decree that this place of Scripture should instruct every particular one of his people that is instructed by it 3. And indeed what is the reason that I now reade these words and do now intend to meditate on them Is it not or certainly it ought to be that I should try whether I am such and whether I have such an heart and spirit as these words signifie and if I am not so much as I ought to be that I should humble my self and be as truly sensible and as much affected and much more then I am with those bodily infirmities that lies upon me and if so be there were a receit given me which I had a long time sought for and endeavoured to get being assured that if I had it it would cure me Surely I should not only reade it because I might be able to tell others what would cure such a disease or to enable my self to discourse of that matter but I should read it with abundance of joy and unquestionable resolution to take it Alas Lord why do I not reade thy Word so also where the unquestionable remedies of all spirituall diseases are set down Surely it is my seaselesnesse of the mischiefs of these spiritual distempers that makes me so little affected with grief for them and with joy that I have found out the remedies for them 4. Blessed God it is no more in my power to know thee by the strength of mine own abilities if thou dost not menifest thy self and thy truths unto me then it is for me to see the Sunne without the Sunne therefore Lord do thou take off the Veil that is upon my heart and understanding and that which is upon thy Truths I reade in thy word that my blessed Saviour did rejoyce in spirit and give thee thanks because thou didst hide thy Truths from those that were wise and prudent and reveal them unto babes O that I were of the number of those babes to whom thou wouldest reveal thy Truths Lord give me a powerfull spirituall experimental knowledge of the Truths that are included in these words 5. And holy and blessed Father If thou wilt be pleased to let me know thy minde in thy Word though thy commands should be never so crosse to my corruptions my base corruptions which have hindred me from a world of joys grace and communion with thee which if it had not been for them I might had long ago I will do it by the power of thy might Lordforbid that I should be so wicked as to enquire of thee the Lord which I do or should do as often as I reade the Scripture as we reade the Jews did desire the Prophet Jeremiah to enquire of thee for them though they were resolved before-hand what to do Yet they said they would do whatever thou shouldest command whether it were good or evil Oh that I had at least a heart to resolve to serve thee If I must want let me want riches health liberty rather then grace Rather let me want strength then want a will to serve thee I had as good sinne unwillingly as to do what thou commandest unwillingly Lord give me truth in the inward parts 6. Those things that lie plain in these words is that those that are of a poor and contrite spirit that tremble at the Word of God are highly esteemed of him So that poverty of spirit and contrition of spirit and trembling at the Word of God are the three things that are here so highly commended and prized by God 7. But now let us seriously consider whether we are thus qualified Am I poor in spirit Those that are so have low thoughts of themselves and are not troubled that others have low thoughts of them too They like reproofs better then praises They do not murmure under afflictions but rather wonder they are no more afflicted Is it thus with us 8. Lord If there be any thing of poverty of spirit in me if I take reproofs well or afflictions in any measure patiently certain it is it is not at all from my self I was born with as proud a heart as any and certain I am that I did not change mine own heart Thou takest away the stony heart we do not give thee it 9. But alas Lord I am far from being poor in spirit in any measure according to that which thou in thy Word requirest My passion and the boylings of my heart my loving to be called Rabbi and to be esteemed by others and many other distempers and corruptions of that nature which I have daily to struggle withal evidently prove the pride of my heart nay and the afflictions that thou laiest upon me plainly show what the corruption is that thou intendest especially to cure by the Medicine ofttimes one may know what the disease is and Lord it is in vain if there were no other end in it then to manifest my distempers to thee for me to confesse the secret pride of mine heart the strange windings turnings depths and strange and new Monsters of pride and hypocrisie that I might daily discover in my self Alas Lord thou knowest these altogether and since thou dost so what cause have I to wonder that thou shouldst shine upon such a dunghill as I am But Lord thou that only canst cure me of this pride and hypocrisie of heart for my praiers cannot nay though I consider and am convinced of the desperate wickednesse of mine own heart the vilenesse of my nature the abominations of my life yet these cannot work without thee as a Plaister though it be never so excellent laid on the wounds of a dead man it draws not it heals not so are all considerations and convictions to a dead heart 2. But alas what is there in me whereof I should in any measure pride my self For others to have good thoughts of me is no very strange thing for so they had of the Scribes and Pharisees but for one that knows the basenesse of his own heart the carnal grounds
so generally neglected by the peo-ple of God Ans It hath been practised by the people of God both in Scripture as is proved and it is evident that the Psalmes of David are frequently nothing but Meditations though not in this method and by many in our daies 2. It being a private Closet-duty the omission nor performance of it could be taken notice of and so the omission of it could not be reproved nor performance observed 3. The Directions and Instructions for Meditation have been generally very abstruse and intricate CHAP. III. Preparatory Directions concerning some Circumstances belonging to Meditation 1. FOR the place that must be private remote from company and noise Isaac went into the fields our Saviour into a garden and David wisheth us to enter into our Chamber and be still Psa 4.4 and our Saviour bids us enter into our Closet and shut the door the place must be such as must be remote from noise and company or any thing which might distract us in the duty and such a place that we may not be interrupted or forced to break off before the duty be ended it must be also private and remote from the observation of others so that we may neither be heard nor seen because there are divers gestures and expressions which are not convenient for any one but God and ones own soul to be privy to Which of those places you finde to be most advantagious to you in the matters of Meditation you may choose 2. For the Time when The best is in the morning 1. Because it is the first-fruits of the day and the first-fruits being holy all the rest are sanctified 2. Because our thoughts being then not soyled with worldly businesse will not be so subject to be distracted 3. Because the body it self is more serene then after meals and this duty needs an empty stomack not only because the head will be more clear and fit for Meditation but also because many passages of Meditation require so much intention of the minde and servency of affection that they do hinder digestion 4. Because that it being in the morning will have an influence upon the whole day but this is not an universall rule for we reade that Isaac went forth in the evening to meditate Gen. 24.63 and in case the subject of your Meditation be a Sermon then if it may be the best time is immediatly after the hearing of it before your affections cool or your memory fail you 2. For the how long considering the parts of Meditation are so many viz. preparation considerations affections resolutions c. and none of them are to be past slightly over for affections are not quickly raised nor are we to cease blowing the fire as soon as ever it begin to flame until it be well kindled half an hour may be thought to be the least for beginners and an hour for those that are versed in this duty But there are two rules in this particular especially to be observed 1. That as we ought not to leave off our praiers before that temper and frame of heart is wrought which is sutable to the matter of our prayers viz. we should not leave off the confession of sinne till our hearts are made sensible of and humble for our sinnes nor should we leave off our praises until our hearts are filled with holy admirings and adorings of God and inflamed with his love So the end of Meditation being affections and resolutions we should not leave off until those are wrought 2. As in private prayer so long as we finde our hearts enlarged by the pourings of the Spirit of Supplication upon us we are not to leave off unlesse by our continuance in that duty we must omit another duty to which we were more particularly obliged at that time So in Meditation as long as we finde the heart affected we are to continue it But this Caution must be given that in such enlargements we must not continue them longer generally then while they come freely and without much straining and compulsion for that honey that comes freely of it self from the comb is pure but that which is forced by heat and pressure is not so well rellished but this Caution is for extraordinary enlargements for if the heart be dead we must use all means to awaken it But as fire must be blown till it be well kindled but afterwards blowing hinders the boyling of any thing that is set over it So when once our hearts are inflamed and enlarged with holy affections in an extraordinary manner 't is but a hinderance to our affections to return to the Meditation of those Points that raised them CHAP. IV. Rules for the Subject The Division of and Reasons for this Method of Meditation 1. BY no means let it be Controversie for that will turn Meditation into Study 2. Nor nice speculations for they be saplesse without nourishment besides being so light they float in the brain having no weight to sink them down into the heart and indeed were they there they have nothing in them to affect the heart withall 3. Let the Subject of Meditation be the plainest powerfullest and usefullest Truths of God as death hell heaven judgement mercies of God our own sinnes the Love and Sufferings of Christ c. 4. Let the Subject of your Meditation be that that is most sutable to your spirituall wants as in the time of desertion meditate most of the love and mercies of God c. Rules for Meditation it self they are of three sorts 1. Preparatory 2. For the body of the duty 3. For the Conclusion Two things by way of preparation besides the choice of the Subject the first is to be convinced of and to be affected with the presence of God The second is praier for assistance from God 2. For the body of Meditation it self it consists of three parts The first I call Consideration which is nothing but the convincing our hearts of severall Truths that belong to that Subject whereof we meditate As as if the subject of our Meditation be death the considerations may go thus alas O my Soul how and when and where we shall die we know not generally men die sooner then they expect and certain it is whensoever that hour comes we must bid adieu to honours pleasures riches friends and at last our own bodies c. The second part is affections whether it be love of God or Christ or spirituall things despising of the world admiring of God or any other spiritual affection The third part are Resolutions to doe this or that or leave this or that Now that this is the most proper and genuine way of Meditation appears by this 1. Because it is not artificiall and such as requires Learning as those Directions are which wish us to consider the efficient finall formall materiall cause of death the adjuncts concomitants c. which though they may somewhat help the learned yet such hard words and artificial