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
which the Will must intend and make its free firm Choice of which the purposes of the Will must lye level to and make after as the proper and proportionate Marks and higher Tendencies CHAP. V. Of the Purposes for this I Shall name Five Particulars for this There must be 1. An aim and firm Purpose to make the Duty a Right Work to make sure it be made true 2. A free and full Purpose of a Wise Work to have it a Work of Spiritual Wisdom 3. A firm purpose for a vigorous and spirited performing 4. A strong purpose of watching and earnest striving against all Diversions and Interruptions 5. In a firm purpose of Vtmost endeavour of success and having the Right and Kindly End and Fruit of the Duty 1. A right Work 1. The Wills purpose and intendment must be to make the Duty of Meditation a Right Work to make sure it be made true and and sincere John 4.24 Not a Carcase a Painted piece without Soul and Substance a Formality without Power Not a meer work performed as it were to flatter God who looks for a Duty As they in Psal 78.86 are said to flatter God with their lips but their heart was not right with him We are ready to flatter him instead of Realities with our Modes of Meditation and Fashions of Thinkings with our Formalities without Realities and Truth and the work 's being sincere It must not be a flattering of God but a true pleasing him from being true it self It must not be a work dawbed over with the untempered Mortar of our own hearts self-deceitfulness setting up a thing to shew like it and be something near it only and putting thereby a Cheat upon our selves Nor make it a thing only to stop the mouth of our Consciences keep them from calling on and challenging of us but to design it strongly and firmly to purpose through God to proffer to and please him with a sincere Work Gen. 17.1 Walk before me and be sincere This must be understood certainly of every Walk and Path we go in Not a walk in some one way or divers and not all but in every walking sincerity must be a Property a Qualification design'd and firmly resolv'd and we must not be satisfied unless it be Right Meditating such as Scripture requires and Saints in Scripture practised yea that they told God himself that they performed Ps 119.23 And doubtless David durst not tell the Heart-searching God he Meditated if he had done it formally and hypocritically and not been sincere and upright in it Again It must be a wise work 2. The Intendment of the Will must be for making this Duty a Wise Work to make it a Work of Spiritual Wisdom The Apostle Ephes 5.15 says Be not fools but wise understanding what the will of the Lord is And 2 Tim. 3.14 there 's mention of wisdom to salvation And Prov. 9.12 Wisdom is called on for our selves 1. Wise in respect of God Certainly as Solomon did things of great Excellency to shew himself very wise so when the most High God's Honour is concern'd and when he will be present at our Performances and comes as it were purposely to them shall we present him with any foolish piece not design a wise work and be seen acting wisely 2. Wise in reference to our selves Should we not also strongly purpose to make this Duty a Wise Work a Work of sure Wisdom for our selves and lay it fully level to the grand mark of Eternal Salvation for our selves Solomon Prov. 17.21 saith The Father of a Fool shall have no joy so the Parent of a foolish acting will have no joy It is the Godly prudent acting whose Fruit is Peace and which issues in Heavenly joy O how sweet and comfortable is that Duty in which we have acted up to the Rule of sound Wisdom This is the Second Particular a Duty must be Purposed and Intended to be a Wise Work 3. A spirited and lively work There must be a firm and strong Purpose and Intendment for a vigorous and spirited a lively and warm Work Rom. 12.11 Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. In every Duty we must have a Purpose of striking fire of making the heart burning hot It must not be luke-warm in an indifferency that 's but lazy nor Blood-warm that 's but low But the Souls Purpose and Design must be for highest heat and fervency greatest vigour and activity As Artists in some High Operations endeavours the hottest Fire As warmest Preaching and warmest Hearing as the Disciples hearts burned within them when Christ opened the Scriptures Luke 24.32 And so warmest Reading and warmest Meditating David's heart while he mused the fire burned Psal 39.3 So when we Meditate we should intend a warm work to be very warm at the heart 4. A striving against all lets In a strong purpose of earnest striving against all lets and interruptions The whole work of a Christian here must not only be vigorous and sedulous but striving and contentious Luke 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait Gate Every single and particular Duty must bear a part of striving to enter in at the strait Gate For this is to be applied to every particular Duty though Christ speaks only in General bidding us strive Two things make up the Notion of striving 1. First Intension and Earnestness 2. Secondly Contention against Opposition When a man strives he acts earnestly and when he strives after or for a thing he strives also with that which is against him Striving is against something that letts or opposes In all Soul-work and peculiarly in this of Meditation the throng of Difficulties is great the Oppositions are many therefore the purposes and Resolutions of heart must be strong and high None ever carry on their work well Who are not first well resolved and still renew and link one firm purpose to another to hold on their course to the last 5. A purpose for the kindly issuing of Meditation The Will must purpose firmly to endeavour still the kindly issue and success of the Duty Look saith the Apostle John 2.8 ye lose not the things wrought who would set up at the Labour in Vain Christ's sweet Promise is Isa 65.23 The seed of the blessed of the Lord shall not labour in vain The way among others of having it performed is by grounding our endeavours in strong and rooted Resolutions for that running and pressing on and looking after our Duties doing until the work winds up and issues in the spiritual ends in the sweet success it is appointed unto such as encrease of Holiness and Grace and improvement of Communion with God Finis Coronat Opus Success sets the Crown on the head of the Work Resolve to get the Crown still set on the Head of every Duty that it shines in the glory of success These are the five special Branches this Root of Resolution should put forth these as so many precious corner-Stones should lye at the Bottom of
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
horrid and unnatural and will render the case so dangerous and dubious Yea may I not have self let loose upon self my own heart to worry it self my bosom opened the Book of my conscience held open before me and my eye held to a looking continually into it seeing my sins set all in order before me making me a magor missabib fear round about a terrour to my self And to all may not my God plunge me into the depths of dissertion set himself against me let all his waves pass over me let me see and feel nothing but his wrath and Hell that I who would not meditate as I should shall now nothing but meditate as I would not meditate nothing but terrour O therefore to prevent all this or whatsoever may befall me on carelesness and neglect O let me call to mind my former times my former tastes and sweet solaces had in my walking up this bill of Meditation those rare hours sweet enlargements strong consolations happy and encouraging experiences I had when I kept up my vigour and constancy as in others so in this blessed way and exercise of holy Meditation and being greatly humbled let me keep closer to and walk with an evener foot in this heavenly path CHAP. VI. A perswasion to all such who never accustomed themselves to this work of Meditation IF Meditation be so necessary a Duty let this then prevail with every one that hitherto hath done nothing in it as yet or that which hath been to no purpose O that this sin can be laid to thy souls charge that yet thou art to begin to meditate of the great things of thy God and thy own soul That thou shouldest have so rare a power in thy soul of thinking and meditating a power also that is so active and busie continually and yet never employed aright so great a Talent entrusted for use and either hid up in a Napkin or wasted and ravelled out in vanities impertinencies and wickedness 1. Seriously I beseech thee consider thou canst be no good Christian no truly godly person whatsoever thou or others think of thee that hast been and art no complier but a refuser in this particular Ah this strikes thee home to the heart dashes quite thy confidence and hopes grounded on thy calling thy self a Christian That clear passage proves it undeniably Psal 1.2 The blessed man meditates in the Law of God day and night The least that this place can hold forth must be a doing this duty in a course and way he that is a blessed man is not only one that pretends to Religion but practiseth and uses Meditation hath an inward delight in the Law of God and from delight in it meditates on it in a constancy and ordinariness not acts a now and then bare thinking when others mention it Ministers preach on it or in the reading of it to think of it then when it cannot well be avoided but a serious and purposely meditating a keeping up a conscientious and complacent constancy in it If therefore continual Meditation of the Law of God his Word and the Excellencies in it be the character of a godly person think well of it and thy own condition flatter not thy self with that kind of false godliness which falls short of the true character of true blessedness 2. Consider thou canst be no true subject of Jesus Christ that doest not submit to this Law of Christ this Meditation It is in Scripture made one of the imperial Laws of the King of the Church who gives every subject of his this charge lays this command indispensibly and repeats it frequently records the examples of the Saints who practised it diligently as David and others therefore thou disownest this Law thou disownest the Law-giver Christ and so he takes it 3. Ah then what is it that reigns in thy heart that sits in the throne and sways but the Tyrant sin sin that hath dominion over thee sin that is the great obstruction and hinders thee sin that is the great Biass of diversion that draws thee quite another way 1. It is meerly the vanity of thy mind in which thou walkest that keeps thee from walking this way 2. It is thy sinful folly the wise in heart will muse and consider and most consider things of the most concernment what is it which hath made all the spiritual fools but sin The Scripture fool is the sinner and wherein is the folly seen more than in not considering things most considerable 3. Thy not meditating it is from the tydes and currents of unmortified lusts lusts in dominion and reign lusts that ingross thy thinkings lusts that engage and set thy thoughts on work and intend them In every predominant lust there is a predominant scope and tendency an end and aim that gives the rules and laws as therefore the lusts aim lies so all the thoughts and seriousness are levell'd as the lust-aims and marks are so are the mindings If lusts of sensuality riot drunkenness uncleanness and voluptuousness if these or any of these be predominant all the strength of the mind and its musings run out at that leak that passage If covetousness and worldly mindedness be predominant all the studyings and thinkings run down and are carried away by that outlet If pride vain-glory and affectation of honour bear sway then the thoughts and contrivances act up all that way climb up that Hill Thy serving lusts and pleasures being inslaved by them is the ground of thy thoughts subserviency to them they set up an exclusive of good thoughts shut the door against all godly seriousness turn the Engine of the thinking power into an instrument and forge for themselves to act a sinful seriousness to farther only the satisfying of them I have read in Pliny that the Romans attempting a discovery of some more unknown places of Africa could not proceed and succeed in it by reason of the innumerable sorts of Serpents and poysonous creatures which filled the Country Thy heart is like that Country full of dangerous lusts which over-run it there is the true reason why thou wilt not canst not meditate because the predominant lusts in it engross and enslave the whole thinking power lusts rule thy lookings thy hearts sinfulness hath seised thy seriousness sweeps all thoughts in to it self and service One lust shares now one proportion of thoughts another lust goes away with another part and so among them all who take their turns in thy heart they gather up and appropriate all thy seriousness and vigour of thoughts all that are to any purpose all other thinkings are so short slight seldom acted in comparison that they amount to nothing millions of them make no more than motes in the Sun would contribute to make a Mountain because there 's commonly nothing of seriousness in them when they are acted toward things spiritual they are but smoke or chaff that flies away And consider why lusts have thy thoughts so enslaved to them it