THE ART of DIVINE Meditation.
OR,
A
DISCOURSE OF THE Nature, Necessity, and Excellency thereof. With Motives to, and Rules for the better performance of that most
Important Christian Duty. IN SEVERAL SERMONS On
GEN. 24. 63.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the fields at the even-tide.
By EDMVND CALAMY, B. D.
late Minister of Aldermanbury,
IF the Heathen Moralist Plutarch could say,
Meditation is as it were the recovery of decaying knowledg; because as
forgetfulness seems to be the egress of knowledg, Meditation doth
restore a new memory instead of that which passeth away; and so preserve
knowledg, that it is in effect the same, in that, notwithstanding mutations, it
leaves something new, and like it self, resembling that which is Divine:
How may a Christian, endow'd with the true knowledg of God, say with the Psalmist
in the revival of it, Psal. 104. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet.
When he is alone, and hath no other companions to refresh himself with, then he
may (as Bishop Hall, who penn'd a part of his Meditations
under the solitary Hills of Ardenna) from a renewed mind, send forth
his active thoughts, those immediate rays of that Candle of the Lord
within him, to contemplate upon his Maker, Saviour, and Sanctifier, and reflect
upon himself, who is to survive the visible Creation, and so raise himself into
an Heaven upon earth, relish such sweetness as the carnal mind and
sensual heart, immersed in dreggy matter, and be-dull'd therewith, is never so
happy as to attain. The Author of this little Treatise, whose great
and pious soul was notably heavenliz'd by the frequent exercise of holy
Meditation, the very same who penn'd The Godly mans Ark, which
hath been often printed for the support of drooping Christians, amongst other
excellent discourses upon various subjects in the exercise of his Ministry with
great success, did from his own experience recommend this of Meditation,
whether ejaculatory and occasional, or solemn and deliberate.
I am not ignorant, that many other eminent Divines, persons of great worth and
honour, have already notably display'd the excellency and usefulness of this
way of thinking; yet perhaps this grave and famous Preacher in his day, hath in
a more easie method, and plain way, by his familiar expressions and resemblances,
suited to vulgar capacities, here help'd the real Christian, who would most
delight in the Duty, to put Meditation in practise, than any
who hath gone before him. No doubt, had this excellent person himself published
this discourse here presented to your view, you would have had it every way
more accurate, by the lopping off some superfluities, and amending of phrases, &c.
more proper for a Writer, than these of a Preacher to a
popular Auditory; yet such as it is, considering the Author in the Pulpit,
you'l find when you have read it through, it doth fully as much resemble Mr. Calamy
in his preaching at Aldermanbury, to your minds, as the Engraver
on the frontispiece hath represented his face to your eyes. I
dare say any of you who were his Auditors, will be abundantly satisfied, tho this piece be posthumous, yet it is genuine.
And seeing there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than
over ninety nine just persons which need no repentance, Luk. 15. 7. If
these practical Sermons, taken by the swift pen of a ready writer,
have such an influence upon any, as to bring them to the frequent and
beneficial practise of Meditation, which the Preacher of them
held necessary: None who prefer things before words, and
esteem real knowledg above elegancy of speech, as the general good
of mankind, beyond that of any particular Countrey, can justly think the Author
wrong'd; but rather that with Dr. Preston, Mr. Fenner, Mr. Hooker,
&c. (some of whose Works popularly deliver'd with plainness suited to the
capacities of their hearers, and taken but rudely from their mouths, did more
benefit Readers of meaner abilities, than those which whiles alive, they
themselves published with greater exactness) He is renown'd, when he hath by
this more diffusive good-work been any way instrumental to have God and the
things of heaven (where he now resides) more delightfully thought upon. As
judicious Calvin in his Epistle to the King of Swetheland
prefixed to his Commentary on the Minor Prophets, said he would not be
so morose a Censor of manners, as to obstruct the publishing of that
Commentary delivered in an extemporal kind of speaking, when design'd only for
his own private Oratory, not otherwise to have come abroad; only as 'twas pen'd
from his mouth by Budaeus, Crispin, and Ionvil, because he
said, he had long before learn'd not to serve the theater of the World: else,
he doth afterwards tell the Reader, that if in his other works which
he had written deliberately and succinctly with much more pains, he had met
with envious malignants, who did carp at and quarrel them, he might well
endeavour to suppress that work, taken by the aforesaid writers after him, as
it was freely utter'd to his own hearers for present use; yet when others
assured him, that it would be a loss (yea, injurious) to the Church, if not
printed as it was taken, rather than not at all; He thereupon having not time
nor strength to transcribe or amend it, readily permitted it to go to the
Press. And the Reformed Church hath since rejoyced in the benefit of
having it as it was published; yea, and to this day Divines who have made great
use of it since in their Commentaries, as well as others, to find the
true true meaning of the Holy Writ, have heartily blessed God for it. Yet as
Bishop Wilkins hath observ'd in his Epistle to the Real Character,
Foreigners in Short-Writing come far behind us here in England
(though it hath been now seventy years invented) where they admire the skill of
our Writers, and whither the Divines of other Nations frequently come and learn
our Language, chiefly to understand our Practical Sermons, many of
which have been only preserv'd in this way, You have this ('tis to be hoped
very useful) piece, taken well from the mouth of Mr.
Edmund Calamy.
1
Epigraph:
GEN. XXIV. 63.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide.
IT is not unknown unto you, I suppose, that there
are two things required by God of all those that would receive the
benefit of the Sacrament: the one is preparation before they
come; and the other is meditation when they are come. I have
made many and many a Sermon of Preparation, but I have made very few
of Meditation. Now the Sacrament is a meditating Ordinance, as I may
so express my self; it is an Ordinance for Meditation: and the great
work that we have to do at the Sacrament, is to meditate upon Christ crucified;
and therefore I shall crave leave to make you a few Sermons concerning this
rare and excellent Doctrine of Meditation; and for this purpose I have
chosen this Text: Wherein we have four Particulars.
2 1. We have the person that is here
spoken of, and that is Isaac, the godly child of godly Abraham.
2. What is here related of this person, he went out to meditate.
3. The place that he chose for his meditation,
and that was in the field, he went out into the field to meditate.
4. The time that he chose to meditate in, and that was the evening,
and Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide.
The great question for the meaning of this Text will be, what the subject of Isaac's Meditation
was? what did Isaac go out to meditate upon? now for this you must know there is a double meditation;
there is a meditation that is sinful and wicked; and there is
a meditation that is holy and godly.
1. There is a meditation that is sinful and wicked, and
that is when we meditate upon things that are wicked; of this you shall read, Psal.
36. 4. He deviseth mischief upon his bed. And Psal.
7. 14. Behold he travelleth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief.
There are wicked meditations as well as wicked conversations; and a man may go
to Hell for plotting wicked things, as well as for practising
wicked things. And therefore it is said, Prov. 12. 2. A man of wicked
devices will God 3 condemn. Not only a man of
wicked practises, but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. There is a
contemplative wickedness as well as an actual wickedness; and a man may go to
Hell for contemplative wickedness. As for example, there is a contemplative
murder, when a man doth delight in the thoughts of murdering his
brother; when the thought of revenge is pleasing. And there is a contemplative
adultery, when a man doth plot how to commit adultery, and delight in the
thought of adultery. Now Isaac's meditation certainly was not of
things that are wicked, he did not go out into the field to meditate upon vile
and wicked things.
2. There is a meditation that is holy and godly, and that is when
we meditate upon things that are holy and heavenly; and of this nature was the
meditation of Isaac, he went out into the field to meditate on the
works of God, and of the blessings and mercies of God; to meditate upon the
Heavenly Canaan, and upon his sins; and this appears, because the Hebrew
word that is here used for meditation, that is here translated meditation,
doth also signifie to pray; and therefore it is in your margent, And
Isaac went out to pray at eventide. It was a Religious work that Isaac
went out about; and you must know that Prayer and Meditation are very well
joined 4 together; Meditation is a preparation to Prayer, and Prayer is a fit
close for Meditation; and Isaac went out to meditate, to pray and to
meditate, and to meditate and pray. This Meditation was a holy and heavenly act
of Isaac. So then the Observation I shall gather is this:
Observ. That the meditation
of holy and heavenly things is a work that God requires at the hands of all
people. That God that requires you to pray,
requires you to meditate as well as pray; there are few Christians believe this
Doctrine, That God that requires you to hear Sermons, requires you
to meditate on the Sermons you hear.
1. God requires this of you that are young Gentlemen, and therefore
here you read of Isaac, that he went out to meditate. Now though it be
true that Isaac at this time was forty years old, yet in
those days to be of forty years was to be but a young man, for Isaac
lived an hundred and fourscore years; and therefore this is a notable
pattern for young Gentlemen, to imploy their time in godly and holy meditation.
2. This is a duty that God requires of Kings, of Nobles, and of
great persons; and therefore David, though he was a King, and had
a great deal of work and business, yet he saith of himself, Psal. 119. 15.
I will meditate 5 in thy precepts. v. 23. Princes also did sit and speak
against me, but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes. v. 48. I will
meditate in thy statutes.
3. This is a duty that God requires at the hands of Soldiers, and
Generals, and Captains, Iosh. 1. 8. there God speaks unto Ioshua, This
book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou maist observe to do according to all that is
written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou
shalt have good success.
4. It is a duty that God requires of all Learned
men, and of all that are Scholars, 1 Tim. 4. 15. Give attendance to
reading and exhortations, and meditate upon these things: give thy self wholly
unto them.
5. This is a duty that God requires of Women; and therefore it
is said of Mary, Luk. 2. 19. She kept all these sayings, and pondered them
in her heart. v. 51. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. That
is, she meditated upon them. In a word, it is a duty that God requires of all that look for Blessedness, Psal. 1. 1.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight
is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate day and night.
6
Now you must know there are two sorts of Divine meditation, there
is a sudden, short, occasional meditation of Heavenly things; and
there is a solemn, set, deliberate meditation. I shall crave leave to
speak something concerning the first sort of meditation, which I call sudden
and ejaculatory, extemporary and occasional meditation; and I shall shew
you three things concerning this.
1. I will shew you what this ejaculatory and extemporary meditation
of Divine things is, and the excellency of it.
2. I will give you some examples of it.
3. I will give you some motives to perswade you to the practise of
it.
1. I will discover to you what I mean by that I call occasional and
extemporary, sudden and ejaculatory meditation. Occasional meditation is
this, when a man takes an occasion by what he sees, or by what he
hears, or by what he tasts of; when he takes an occasion by any thing that is
sensitive, to raise up his thoughts to Heavenly meditation. Or take it thus,
Occasional meditation is when a man makes use of the Creature, as a footstool
to raise him up to God, as a ladder to Heaven; when a man upon the sudden makes
use of what he sees with his eyes, or hears with his ears, as a ladder to climb
to Heaven withal. You have a pattern of this, Psal. 8. 3, 4. When 7 I
considered thy heavens, the work of thy singers, the Moon, and the Stars, which
thou hast ordained, (mark what is his meditation of this) what is man
that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that
thou visitest him? Lord, what is man that thou shouldest make the Heaven,
the Sun, and the Moon, and the Stars for his sake? You must know,
that all the whole Creation is a picture of God; it is Gods Looking-glass,
wherein you may behold the God of Heaven and Earth; there is no Creature but it
hath the Image of God upon it; there is not the least spice of grace but you
that are spiritual may read God in it. ---It is the saying of a Heathen, Every
herb that you have in your Garden doth represent the Divinity, or nature
of God. There are two books that God hath given us Christians to know
him by, the book of the Scripture, and the book of the Creature;
now though the book of the Scripture be the better book of the two, and the
book of the Scripture will teach us more of God than the book of the Creature;
for the book of the Creature cannot teach us God in Christ, cannot teach us the
mystery of Redemption, nor the mystery of the Trinity; yet the book of the
Creature is a rare book, wherein a man may learn excellent things concerning
Heaven and heavenly things, excellent instructions. 8 I remember a story of a
godly man,
2. I will give you some examples of this occasional, sudden, extemporary
meditation of Divine things: First, I will give you Scripture
examples, Prov. 6. 6. there the wise man sends
the sluggard to the Pismire, Go to the Ant thou sluggard, consider her
ways, and be wise, which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her
meat in the summer. Here you see what a rare meditation a man may
have from the little Pismire, and how the sluggard is sent to behold the
Pismire, to be ashamed of his sluggishness; let the sight of that put thee in
mind of thy laziness. Ier. 8. 7. there God sends the unthankful Israelite to the Stork,
and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow: The stork
in the heaven knoweth her appointed time, and the turtle and the crane, and the
swallow observe the time of their coming. Here you have a sudden and
occasional 10 meditation from the Creatures of God, the Turtle, the Crane,
the Swallow, observe the time of their coming; the Stork at such a time of the year
goes out of the land, and at such a time of the year comes into the land; but
my people (there is the meditation) know not the judgments of the
Lord. And thus Christ sends the distrustful Christian to the fowls of
the air, and to the lillies of the
field, Mat. 6. 26. Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly
father feedeth them, (here is an occasional meditation) are you
not better than many sparrows? And why take you thought for raiment? consider
the lillies of the field how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin,
and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these. You have another example, Ioh. 4. where Christ discoursing with the Woman of
I have likewise read, that Mr. Eske, and Dr. Hall (who in
his Book of Meditation doth quote this example) were hearing a Consort
of Musick, and this holy Minister Mr. Eske being a very godly man, all
on a sudden was so strangely transported with the thoughts of the joys of
Heaven, that he said with a great deal of passion, What musick, Sirs, shall
there be in heaven! O the spiritual joy and melody that there we shall have!
There is a story of two Cardinals in the Council of Constance, that
riding abroad for 12 their Recreation, they saw a poor Countryman weeping,
and when they came to him, they askt him, Why he wept? saith he, Do
you see this Toad here that lies before me, God might have made me a Toad; I am
weeping because I never was sufficiently thankeful that God did not make me a Toad;
(you see this poor Country-man takes an occasion from the sight of the Toad to
raise up his heart in thankfulness to God) and these two Cardinals when they
heard him say so, they made use of the speech of St. Austin, The poor and
labouring men get to heaven, and we Scholars go down to hell with all our
learning. They were ashamed to see what a good use the Country-man made of
the sight of the Toad.
There is another story of a godly old man, that beholding a harlot
how curiously she trimmed her self to please her wicked lover, he falls
weeping, and being askt, Why he wept?
saith he, I weep to see this leud woman what care she takes to dress her
self to please her lover, and that I should never take so much care to dress my
soul to please my God.
I have read of Ignatius the Martyr, that when he heard the Clock
strike, he would have this meditation, Now
there is one hour more that I must answer for. I have read of Fulgentius
that rare Scholar, that when he came to Heathenish Rome, and saw the
Emperour 13 ride in Triumph, he brake out into this Exclamation, If there
be so much glory in Rome here upon earth, O what will be the glory of
Heaven!
I might be infinite in these stories; only I will give you one more, and
that is of a Heathen-man, Galen, famous for his skill in Physick;
when he was viewing the composure of mans body, and beholding the
curious workmanship of it, the story saith he fell to sing a Hymn to his
Creator, None but a God could make such a body; there must needs be a God
that hath wrought so curiously the members of mans body.
3. Give me leave to give you some Motives to perswade you to the practise
of this. It is in vain to hear my Discourses, unless you endeavour to put
them in practise. Now I will give you these Motives.
1. This way of meditation may be done at all times, this will not
hinder your calling; you that are poor men, and have not time for solemn
meditation on the week-day, that are labouring men, and cannot spare an hour
for solemn and deliberate meditation, you may make use of this sudden,
ejaculatory, occasional meditation, even when you are at your day-work; you may
make use of your day-work, of the things that you are working about,
to stir up your hearts to Heavenly 14 things; for there is nothing in the world
but a good Christian may make a Heavenly use of; and therefore there
is no body can say that he hath no leisure for this way of meditation.
2. This is a way of meditation, that a man may practise in all places, and in
all companies. A godly man once said unto me, I thank God I can be in
heaven when I am in the midst of the croud in
3. There is nothing more easie than this ejaculatory meditation
to you that are spiritual; deliberate and solemn meditation is very hard
and difficult; but this way of meditation is very easie; and the reason
is this, because there is no Creature of God but is a teacher of some good
thing; thou canst not behold a Spider but thou maist make some
good use of it; the Scripture doth make many rare uses of a Spider; a
wicked man may be lookt upon in a Spider, as in a glass; and the hope
of a wicked man is compared to a Spiders web; as a Spider puts his trust in his
web, and spends a great deal of pains in weaving his web, and when it is woven,
it is easily pull'd down, there is no stability in it; so a wicked man 15 puts
his trust in his hope of Heaven, which is as vain as a Spiders web. And the
Scripture tells you how by all the money a wicked man gets by unlawful means,
he doth but weave a Spiders web. That is a rare use the Prophet Isaiah
makes of the Spiders, which is one of the meanest of all the Creatures
of God; a Spider and a Toad, and a Viper, even the venomous Creatures, a man
may make rare use of, Isa. 59. 5, 6. They hatch
cockatrice eggs, and weave the Spiders web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth;
and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. Their webs shall not
become garments, neither shall they cover themselves
with their works. That man is a very bad Scholar that can spell nothing
out of ten hundred thousand books, for every Creature is as it were a
book to teach us some good thing; Now that man is but a very ill Scholar that
can make use of none of these books.
4. Herein lies the excellency of a
Christian, that he is able to spiritualize natural things: Herein lies the
wickedness of a wicked man, a wicked man doth naturalize spiritual things. But
herein lies the godliness of a godly man; a godly man doth spiritualize
natural things; a wicked man carnalizeth even spiritual things; when
he is at the Ordinances, at the very Sacrament, if he be not truly godly he
doth carnalize and naturalize even that spiritual 16 Ordinance of the
Sacrament; but a godly Christian is like a Heavenly Alchymist, that
can draw Heaven out of a Spider as it were, draw something of God out
of a Toad, Heavenly instructions out of a Toad, out of a Viper,
out of any Creature of God, much more out of the Heavens, Sun, Moon
and Stars. You wonder at the Chymist, when he can extract all
the four Elements out of a mixt body; much more excellent is that Christian
which can extract heaven out of every Creature of God, that can heavenlize
and spiritualize the Creatures of God. And let me tell you a little to amplifie
this motive;
1. Herein a true Christian exceeds the bruit beasts; the bruit
beasts can enjoy the Creature, but he cannot reflect upon the Creature; he
enjoys the good things of God, but he cannot behold God in these
things, he cannot improve them for God; but now a true Christian makes all
these things to be glasses to see God in, pictures to behold God in; the
Goodness of God, and the Wisdom of God; and he endeavours to receive spiritual
instruction by them.
2. Herein a child of God exceeds all wicked men; there is no wicked
man can use the Creatures spiritually, it is above his sphere; a
wicked man makes the Creatures a wall of separation between God and him, not a
glass 17 to see God; there is no wicked man useth the Creatures of God as a looking-glass
to behold God in, or as a footstool to raise him up to God, or a ladder
to climb to God by, this is proper only to a godly man.
5. Consider this, It is the greatest affront
you can offer to God, not to take spiritual notice of his creatures; not
to make a spiritual use of his Creatures. God hath put mankind upon the stage
of this world, and God hath made all the Creatures for mans use, and God hath
made man to be the tongue to praise him for all his Creatures; and if man doth
not praise him, God loseth the praise of all the whole Creation. God made all
the Creatures for man, and man to praise him for all the Creatures; which if
man neglect, God loseth the glory of the whole Creation; for how doth the Sun,
and the Moon, and the Stars praise God! The Prophet David
calls upon the Ice, and the Snow, and the Rain, and
all the Creatures of God, to praise God: How do they praise God? How doth the fire
and the water praise God? When we praise God for these things, then they
praise God when we use them for God, and draw Heavenly things, spiritual
instruction out of them; and when we do not do this, we offer the greatest
affront that can be offered to God in that kind, and
we deprive God of the glory of the whole Creation.
18 6. It is a soul-destroying sin not to
observe the works of God, and to make a good use of them. Psal. 28. 5. Because they regard not the works of the
Lord, nor the operation of his hand, he shall destroy them, and not build them
up. These are the six motives. Now in a word to put an end to
this Discourse, let me beseech and intreat you, that you would put this duty in
practise; let me tell you, Sirs, that though occasional, ejaculatory
meditation be but as a Parenthesis (as one very well saith) in
your worldly businesses; yet this Parenthesis is more worth than all
your worldly business; yea, it signifies more than all your worldly business.
As for example, (I will conclude my Discourse by giving you a little
help): When I rise in a morning; what an excellent thing were it for a
man to meditate of the great morning of the Resurrection, and that it
shall be as easie for men to rise out of the grave at the great
Resurrection, as it hath been for me this morning to arise out of my bed. And
when the Sun begins to arise, and we behold the Sun shining, what a
rare meditation is it to consider there will a day come wherein the Sun of
Righteousness shall come in the clouds, and all his holy Angels with him,
and all the Saints at that day shall shine as so many Suns in the
firmament. O what a glorious day will that be, when there shall be as many Suns
as 19 there are Saints! there shall be as
many Suns as there are Stars now in a bright shining night in
the Heaven. And when thou art going abroad, it would be very comely, spiritual
and useful to remember, that thou hast two companions always going
with thee, that is God and the Devil, (pardon me that I join
them together) thou hast thy judg and thy accuser to go with
thee; wheresoever thou walkest in the day time, one Devil or other is
always waiting upon thee, and God is always present with thee, who
will call thee to an account for all that thou dost; and the Devil scores up
all that thou dost, for to acaccuse thee afterward. And when thou walkest
abroad and seest a debauched wicked man, it is an excellent thing to have a meditation,
and to say, Blessed be God that hath made me to differ
from this man; if it had not been for the grace of God, I had been as
wicked as this man. And when thou meetest with a godly man, a man eminent for
godliness, Oh put up a prayer to God that he would make thee as godly;
and mourn that thou art not as godly as he. When thou meetest with a learned
man, or a wise man, or a beautiful creature, it is a very excellent meditation
to consider, if there be so much beauty, so much wisdom in the creature, O what
is there in God, who is the ocean of beauty! if
there be so much 20 comeliness, so much excellency here below, Oh what is there
above! It is a rare thing to use the creatures reflexively; it is
Idolatry to use the creature terminately; but the admirable, the
superlative excellency of a Christian is to use the
Creature reflexively; to reflect from the Creature to the Creator. So
likewise when thou art in thy Shop, and weighing thy Commodities,
would it not be an excellent meditation, to think there will a time
come, when God will weigh thee in a ballance, and weigh thy actions, and
weigh all that thou dost! And meditate on that Text, Prov. 11. 1.
A false ballance is an abomination to the Lord. And so likewise when
you walk in the fields, and behold the grass that grows, and
behold the flowers of the field, doth it not become you to meditate, that
all flesh is grass, and all the glory of the world is but the goodliness of the
grass; and all earthly things are but like the beauty of a flower? My
little Child that I love so much, is but like this flower, it is beautiful, but
it is but fading. And when thou seest a wicked man grow great by wicked ways,
would it not be a very comfortable thing to remember that Text, Fret not
thy self because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of
iniquity, for they shall be soon cut down as the grass, and wither as the green
herb. And you that are Merchants, 21 when you are upon the Exchange,
a short sudden ejaculation would not be hurtful, but helpful to you.
As for example, to remember that as you are Merchant-adventurers for
earthly things, so you are all Merchant-adventurers for heaven, and
your souls are in the midst of the Sea of this world; this world is like a Sea,
and your soul is here like a ship at Sea, and is in danger to be split upon the
rocks, in danger of pirates, and in danger of being lost. Your Ships
have not half so many dangers as your Souls have; the temptations of the Devil,
the allurements of the world, the corruptions of your own hearts. Now to
consider, as in the Exchange, what is become of such and such a Ship,
so to ask thy soul in what case is thy soul now, that is on the Sea of
this world; and then to go to the Ensuring-office, (you know you have
your Ensuring-offices, wherein you ensure your Ships at Sea) to get your souls
ensured by reconciliation with God; and by true faith, manifested by holiness
and righteousness, to get your souls assured, that they may come safe to the
haven of Happiness.
In a clear bright frosty Winter-night, when thou goest out and beholdest the
bespangled heaven, multitude of bright Stars, what a rare thing were
it to meditate, This glorious bespangled Firmament is but the stable
as it 22 were, but the out-houses of that Heaven where I am to go; it
is but the outward Court, but the Wash-house, as I may say; and if the Stable
and Out-houses be so glorious, Oh what is the inward palace! above the
spangled Heavens is my Fathers house, where I hope to live for ever with God,
and there my Christ is now interceding for me, and by the power of his Spirit
shall I be brought one day to that house; Oh when will that time come! when will my soul mount thorough these Heavens into the
heaven of Heavens! Now is not this comely for a Christian? will
not this heavenlize you, and spiritualize you? And then when you go to
bed at night, to remember, I have one day more to answer for;
to remember there will a last night come, after which there will be no
day but the Resurrection of all. Remember thy last night, thy concluding
night, the end of thy life.
But I have been over-long in this, a great deal more than I thought; but I
do it because here I shall put an end to this discourse of occasional
meditation.
There is a second sort of Meditation, and that is that that I call set,
solemn and deliberate; when a man sets apart an hour a day it may
be, sets a part some time, and goes into a private Closet, or a private Walk,
and 23 there doth solemnly and deliberately meditate of the things of
Heaven.
Now concerning this meditation, I shall handle by Gods assistance
these two Particulars:
1. I will shew you the nature of it.
2. I will shew you the necessity of it.
1. The nature of this duty, what this meditation is,
that I would press you to: I will describe it in two Particulars.
1. This holy meditation is a dwelling and abiding upon things that are
holy; it is not only a knowing of God, and a knowing of Christ, but it is
a dwelling upon the things we know; as the Bee that dwells and abides
upon the flower, to suck out all the sweetness that is in the flower; so
to meditate upon God and Christ, and the Sacrament, it is to dwell upon God,
and the Sacrament, to suck out all the sweetness we can in the things
we meditate upon. As we read of Anna, Luk. 2. 37. She continued in
the
1. By those beasts that did chew the cud; you shall read Lev.
11. of the clean beasts, and the unclean beasts; now the clean beasts were such
as did chew the cud, of those they were to eat: now the unclean beasts were
those that did not chew the cud: a meditating Christian is one that chews
the cud, that chews on the Truths of Jesus Christ, that doth not only hear
good things, but when he hath heard them, chews them over, ruminates upon them,
that so they may be fitter for digestion and concoction, and spiritual
improvement; an unclean Christian is one that doth not chew the cud, that doth
not ruminate, and ponder, 25 and bethink himself of the things of Heaven.
2. Another type of this rare grace of Meditation,
is that of the Beasts, Ezek. 1. that Ezekiel
saw, that had eyes within and without, Vers. 18. their
wings were full of eyes round about them. And so
likewise the Beasts Rev 4. 6. Round about the Throne were
four beasts full of eyes before and behind: A notable and a rare type of
Meditation; for meditation is nothing else but a looking thoroughly into the
things of God; a looking before and behind, as I may so speak; a
meditating Christian is a man full of eyes, that doth not only know God, but
sees much of God. There is another metaphor to express it, Psal.
119 59. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet
unto thy testimonies: The word in the Hebrew is taken from
Chapmen, that when they buy a commodity, they turn it over, and over, and over
again; they look all about it into every part of it. Meditation is a thorow contemplation, and a thorow consideration of
the things of God; a meditating Christian is full of eyes, full of heavenly
understanding.
2. It is an act of the heart as well as of the head; it is not only
a speculative knowledg of things Divine, but a practical
knowledg; it is not only an act of the intellect and understanding,
but of the will and affections; it is an affective grace as
well as an intellective 26 grace; and therefore it is said of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, She pondered all these sayings in her heart; she
did not only think of them with her head, but she pondered on them with her
heart; and you shall read, Deut. 4. 39. Know
therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart. A true meditation is
when a man doth so meditate of Christ as to get his heart inflamed
with the love of Christ; so meditate of the Truths of God, as to be transformed
into them; and so meditate of sin as to get his heart to hate sin; when it is
such a musing of God, as kindles a fire in the whole soul, as David
doth express it, Psal. 39. 3. While I was musing, the fire burnt: When
a man doth so contemplate on God, that his heart is
all on fire with the love of God; when a man doth so think on the Sacrament,
that his heart is all on a fire with a holy thirsting after the Sacrament. When
the heart is affected with the meditation of the head; and therefore David
saith, Psal. 104. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet; this is the
true meditation, when we do so meditate of God, as to taste a
sweetness in God; when meditation doth not rest in the intellectual
part, but flows into the will and affection, that the heart is all inflamed
with the things we meditate on. There are many great Scholars that
meditate much of God, and Christ, and Heaven, and yet they 27 are never the
holier for their meditation; and the reason is, because they meditate on these
things meerly to find out curious notions of God, and Christ, and Heaven, but
they do not meditate on these things to get their hearts affected, to
get Heavenly and Divine hearts; and therefore you shall see many Scholars as
undevout, and as unholy as other people, though they know more, and meditate
more. And I have found it by experience, that there are many poor
lay-people, that get more good by meditation than great Scholars; for the
great Scholar his meditation many times vanisheth into empty speculations,
and into notions and opinions; but the honest godly man his meditation is all
for practice; he meditates of sin to hate it, of the Sacrament
to hunger after it, of God to love him, of Christ to be
inflamed with a desire after him. And therefore he gets the more good many
times by meditation. The Butterflie will dwell upon the flower as well
as the Bee, but the Butterflie only sucks the flower that she
may paint her wings with it; she is not useful to make honey,
she doth not suck honey from the flower; so there are many Scholars,
many men that meditate much of the things of God to paint their wings, that is,
to get more knowledg of God and Heaven, and more curious expressions of Heaven,
but it is the honest 28 Christian, the plain-hearted Christian, that meditates
of God like the Bee, to suck out the sweetness of God; that meditates
on Christ so as to get his heart burning in love to Christ; this is the rare
grace of meditation. Meditation must enter into three doors, or else
it will never do you any good.
1. It must get into the door of the understanding, and there it is
seated, there is the proper place of meditation; but if it rest there, thou art
never the better for it.
2. It must get into the door of thy heart, and of thy affections;
and thou must never leave meditating till it get into
that door likewise.
3. The door of thy conversation; for thy meditation must not rest
in the affections; but it must likewise have influence into thy conversation,
to make thy conversation more holy; thou must so meditate of God as to walk as
God walks; and so to meditate of Christ as to prize him, and live in obedience
to him. A nurse that hath a nurse-child, will cut the meat, and will many
times chew the meat for the child, but she will not eat the
meat, but give it to the child; for if she should chew the meat and eat it up
her self, the child might starve for all her chewing of it, and preparing of
it; so it is with the grace of meditation. Meditation, while it is in
the understanding, 29 chews upon the things of God, and of Christ, and
of Heaven, but when the understanding hath chewed these things, it must not
devour all these things it self, but it must convey the meat it hath chewed (as
the meat is conveyed from the stomack into the liver, and then into the heart,
and then into all the other parts of the body) into the heart, and
into the will, and into the affections, and into the conversation.
This is the first, the admirable nature of this grace.
2. I come to shew you the necessity of it; and I do this the
rather, that I might provoke you all to the practice of it; for I am
very confident there are few people that do practise this duty of meditation;
there are few that know how to practise it; but there are very few
that make conscience to practise it; even you that make conscience to
praying twice a day in your family, seldom make conscience once a day
of meditation, nay once a week. And therefore that I might awaken my
self and you, give me leave to shew you the great necessity of
practising the duty of meditation; and I will shew it two manner of ways.
1. By considering the mischief that flows from the want of
practising this duty.
2. By shewing you the advantage and spiritual 30 benefit that you
will gain by practising this duty.
1. I shall shew you the woful inconveniences, and the intolerable
mischiefs that come from the want of practising this duty of meditation. I
will bring them to two heads.
1. I will shew you, that the want of practising this duty is the cause
of all sin.
2. It is the cause of all punishment.
1. I will shew you, that the want of practising this duty is the
cause of all sin: and I will instance in particulars.
1. The reason why people harden their hearts in sin, and do not
repent of their sins, but go on obstinately, is for want of meditation. Ier. 8. 6. I hearkened and heard, but they
spake not aright, no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, what have I
done? They did not repent, because they did not reflect upon what they
did; they did not bethink themselves, so the phrase is, If
any man bethink himself and repent, 1 King. 8. 47. they
did not say, I am undone by what I have done; I have lost God and Heaven by
what I have done; and if I do not repent, I am an undone creature for ever. No
man repented of his wickedness, because no man considered what he had done; for
did you consider the evil that is in sin, did you dwell and abide upon it, did
you commune with your own hearts, and seriously 31 consider what an evil and
bitter thing it is to sin against God, you durst not willingly sin against God;
but the reason why men go on rashly, heedlesly, obstinately in sin, is for want
of the meditation of the evil of sin.
2. The reason why all the Sermons we hear do us no more good, is for
want of Divine meditation; for it is with Sermons as it is with meat, it
is not the having of meat upon your table will feed you, but you must eat it;
and not only eat it, but concoct it, and digest it, or else your meat will do
you no good: So it is with Sermons, it is not the hearing Sermons will do you
good, but it is the concocting them, digesting them by meditation; the
pondering in your hearts what you hear, must do you good. And one
Sermon well digested, well meditated upon, is better
than twenty Sermons without meditation. As for example, a little meat
well digested will nourish a man more than a great deal of meat if it breed raw
humours, if it doth not digest; it is the digesting of meat nourisheth
a man: Now meditation is that that will digest all the Sermons you hear.
There are some men sick of a disease, that whatsoever they eat comes up
presently, the meat never doth them any good; so it is the custom of many of
you, you hear a Sermon, you go away, and never think of it afterward; this is
just like meat that you vomit up. There 32 is a disease that some men have,
that all the meat they eat goes thorow them, it never abides with
them; now this meat never nourisheth: so it is with the Sermons you hear, I am
sure on the week-day, and I am afraid the Sermons you hear on the Sabbath-day
go thorow you, you hear them, and hear them, and that is all you do;
but you never seek by meditation to root them in your hearts; and that is the
reason why you are so lean in grace, though you are so full fed with Sermons;
it is with Sermons as it is with a Plaister, if a man hath a wound in his body,
and lay a plaister to the wound, this plaister will never
heal him, unless it abide upon the wound; if a man takes it away as
soon as ever it is laid on, it will never do him any good; so it is with
Sermons: if when you have heard a Sermon, you never ponder and meditate
on it, it is just like a plaister put on, and then pulled off again;
and I am confident the great reason why we have so many lean hunger-starved
Christians, that are lean in knowledg, and lean in grace, though they hear
Sermon upon Sermon, (it may be on the Sabbath-day they will hear four or five
Sermons) is because they concoct and digest nothing; they never ponder
and meditate upon what they hear; and this is that that our Saviour Christ
speaks of: by the seed that was sown by the high-way-side, is 33 meant a man,
that hears the word, and never thinks of it after he hath heard it, but
suffereth the Devil to steal it out of his heart; as the husbandman that sows
the seed in the high-way, you know he never plows it, he never looks that that
should come to any thing. There are many of you, the Sermons you hear are like
the seed sown in the high-way, you never cover it by meditation, you
never think of it, when you have heard it; and that is the reason you get no more good by what you hear.
3. The reason why the promises of God do no more affect your hearts,
when the Saints of God taste no more sweetness in the promises, is because
you do not ponder and meditate upon them. It is with the Promises of the Gospel
as it is with a cordial, if a man doth not chew his cordial
but swallow it down whole, he will never taste any great sweetness, in it; the
way to taste the sweetness is to chew it; so the Promises of God are full of
Heavenly comfort, but you will never enjoy this comfort unless you chew them by
meditation. As it is with spices, unless they be bruised, they never
smell sweet; and as it is with a Pomander, unless you do rub
it, you will never smell the sweetness of it; no more will you ever taste the
Heavenly comfort that is in the Promises of the Gospel, unless you rub them,
unless 34 you bruise, unless you chew them by meditation. And the reason why
the Saints of God walk so uncomfortably all their lives long, is because they
do not chew these Promises.
4. The reason why the threatnings of God make no more impression upon
our hearts, is for want of meditation. There are
terrible threatnings against sin in the word, but alas there are few people
affected with these threatnings. The threatnings of God in Scripture are like
the ratling of hail upon the tiles, they make a great noise, but they make
no impression; and what is the reason? it is for want
of meditation; we do not lay them to heart, we do not consider that these
threatnings belong to us, as long as we continue in our sins. Oh did a wicked
man meditate solemnly upon the threatnings of God, it would make his heart ake,
especially when the spirit of bondage goes along with them.
5. The reason why the mercies of God do no more good upon us, is for want of meditation. There are many mercies
that all of us have received from God, many personal mercies, and many
family-mercies, and all these mercies are so many motives to service. Now what
is the reason the Saints of God bury the mercies of God in forgetfulness, and
are no more thankful for mercies? the reason is for
want of meditation, 35 Isa. 1. 2, 3. Hear, oh
heavens, and give ear, oh earth, for the Lord hath spoken: I have nourished and
brought up children, and they have rebelled against me; the ox knoweth his
owner, and the ass his masters crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth
not consider: That is the reason why they are so unthankful. It is with
the mercies of God as it is with the fire, if a man walks by the fire
and doth not sit at it, it will never heat him much; if he be a cold,
he must abide at the fire, or else he will never be hot; so it is not a slight
thought of the mercies of God that will affect your hearts, but it must be a
dwelling upon them by meditation, that will warm your hearts. Now because we do
not meditate upon these mercies, we do not solemnly consider the
mercies of God, therefore it is they do no more good upon our hearts, Psal.
106. there is a Psalm spent on purpose to set
out the unthankfulness of the people of
36 6. The reason why afflictions do work no
more upon us, and why we are never the better for the afflicting hand of God,
is for want of meditation: It is a rare Text, Eccles. 7. 14. In
the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider.
Times of affliction are times of meditation; and what must we
consider of in the day of adversity? we must consider who
it is that afflicts us, and why we are afflicted, and how we
shall do to have our afflictions sanctified; we must consider the meaning of
Gods rod, and how we may be taught by these afflictions spiritual things. Now
because we do not meditate upon God, and upon his
afflicting hand when we are afflicted, because we have slight heads under our
afflictions, therefore it is we get no more good by our afflictions. I have
observed many of us (the Lord pardon it unto us) as soon as ever we are
recovered from our afflictions, we forget God presently, we never
consider the mercies of God in recovering us, and then we return to our
old vomit again, for want of meditation.
7. The reason why the Providences of God take no more impression upon
our hearts, is for want of this grace of meditation:
The Providences of God are very mysterious, and God in the Government of the
World doth walk in the Clouds. And truly I am very confident, that which God
doth especially require of his children 37 in these days, is to meditate upon
his Providences, as well as upon his Ordinances; there are
many rare lessons to be learned from the consideration of the Providences of
God, the Providence of God toward England, and toward Scotland,
and toward the Ministry; God is now depriving you of Minister upon
Minister, many Ministers the Lord hath taken from you; God is, as I may so
speak, disburthening the Nation of this great burden of the Ministry, which is
a burden to a great many; God takes his Ministers up to Heaven. Now what is the
reason that the Providences of God of late years do no more good, though they
have been wonderful toward
8. What is the reason that the Saints of God are so distrustful of Gods
Providences? when they are ready presently to
sink, and to say 38 they are undone? It is for want of meditation; and
therefore Christ, Luk. 12. saith, Take no
thought what you shall eat, or what you shall put on; consider the ravens, for
they neither sow nor reap, which neither have store-house nor barn, and God
feedeth them; how much more are ye better than the fowls? Consider the lillies how they grow, they toil not, they spin not; and yet
I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these. Did you consider the lillies,
and the ravens, did you study the love of God to you, you would not
distrust him under any sad Providences. The reason why the Saints of God
are so full of unbelief, when they are in a low condition, is for want
of meditation; they do not consider the ravens, and the lillies,
they do not study the Promises that God hath made to his children in their
lowest condition.
9. The reason why the professors of Religion are so censorious of other
men, and so little censorious of themselves, why they judg every man, and
examine every man but themselves, (which is the condition of these days)
it is for want of meditation. Mat. 7. Iudg not that ye be not judged:
for with what judgment ye judg, ye shall be judged: and with what measure you
mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that
is in thy brothers eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thy own eye? 39
If men did reflect more upon themselves, they would censure themselves more,
and others less. And the reason why people are so rash in censuring,
is for want of self-reflection.
10. The reason why professors of Religion do offer the sacrifices of
fools to God, when they come to worship him; why they pray headily and
rashly, why they rush upon Ordinances without preparation, is for want of
meditation, Eccles. 5. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of
God, and be more ready to hear than to offer the sacrifices of fools, for they
consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God. Why do people rush upon
Sacraments without preparation, rush upon Sermons, rush upon Prayer, rush upon
holy Duties? why, they do not consider what they do.
11. What is the reason that people prepare no more for death? Because they do not consider the shortness of life.
They do not meditate of the vanity of this life, of the certainty and
uncertainty of death; and therefore it is said, Deut. 32. 29. Oh that they
were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter
end! Because men do not consider their latter end, therefore it is that
they are so unprepared for their latter end.
40 12. And lastly, What
is the reason that we come so unworthily to the Sacrament? and when we are there, we gaze up and down, and carry our
selves so unseemly at that Ordinance? what is the
reason that we lose all the fruit of that Ordinance, but meerly for want of
preparation before we come, and meditation when we are come? now
preparation cannot be without meditation; preparation includes meditation in
it.
2. The want of the practise of this duty is the cause of all punishment:
Isa. 12. 11. The whole land is laid desolate, because no man layeth it to
heart. Oh this is the cause of the sword that hath drunk so much blood in
this Nation, no man lays to heart the Judgments of the Lord,
therefore the land is become desolate. Psal.
28. 5. Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his
hand, he shall destroy them, and not build them up; because they do not
meditate of Gods works, therefore they Lord will destroy them. Nay, let me add that that is above all this, for God to give
a man over to a slight spirit, an unmeditating spirit, to a rashness and
slightness of spirit, is one of the greatest Judgments in the world. A man
of a slight head can never have a good heart; a slight hearted Christian
can never be a good Christian; he that thinks slightly of God, will speak
slightly of God; 41 and he that speaks slightly of God, will worship God
slightly; and he that slights God, God will slight him; now there cannot be a
more cursed frame of spirit, than to be given over to an unconsiderate frame of
spirit; an unconsiderate Christian is an inconsiderable Christian. Isa. 42. 24, 25. Who
gave Iacob for a spoil, and
And thus I have been somewhat long in setting out unto you the mischiefs
that flow from the want of the practise of the grace of Meditation; and I do
this to provoke you all to be humbled before God for the not practising this
duty, (for I am confident your consciences will tell you that you do not
practise it) and to convince you of the necessity of the 42 practising
of this duty, which is quite dead and buried in the world. That I may be Gods
instrument to stir you up to a conscientious practise of this duty of Heavenly
meditation,
2. I shall shew you the necessity of it from the benefits and advantages
that will come unto Christians by the conscientious practise of this duty;
and this I will shew in three Particulars.
1. It is a mighty help to the working and procuring of all grace.
2. It is a mighty help to preserve and increase grace.
3. It is a mighty help to arm us against the Devil and all his temptations.
1. Meditation when it is sanctified, is a mighty
help to the begetting of all grace; this I will shew in divers Particulars.
1. It is a mighty help to work in us repentance and reformation of life;
and therefore David saith, Psal. 119. 59. I thought on my ways,
and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I thought on my ways; that is, I
considered the evil of my ways, and what a bitter thing it is to sin against
God, what a dishonour I have brought upon God by my evil ways, and what a
scandal I have brought upon Religion. Ezek. 36.
31. Then shall you remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were
not good, and 43 shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities,
and for your abominations. A conscientious meditation of the evil of sin,
is a Divine hammer to break your hearts for sin, and from sin; for did you consider
the Majesty of God that is offended by the least sin; did you consider the
infinite wrath of God against sin; did you consider the affronts that are
offered to God by sin; that every sin is a dethroning of God, a robbing of God,
a striking through the name of God; did you consider the pollution
that is in sin, that sin makes you like the Devil; did you further consider the
mischief that sin brings upon us; sin deprives you of the Beatifical vision;
sin shuts you out of heaven; sin binds you over to everlasting burnings.
Again, did you consider the patience of God, and the goodness of
God towards you yet, notwithstanding all your sins, and what an unkind thing it
is to sin against so good a God; and did you further consider what Christ hath
done to purchase pardon for your sins, and how Christ hath shed his blood for
such wicked wretches as you are; did you sanctifiedly meditate upon
these things, it would mightily provoke you to repent of your sins,
and to turn unto God. And therefore you shall read concerning Peter,
after he had denied Christ, Mark 14. 72. The cock
crew, and 44 Peter called to mind the word Iesus said unto him, Before the cock
crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice; and when he thought thereon he wept.
The meaning of the Greek word is, When he
weighed the speech of Christ, when he thought what an unkind thing it was to
deny his dear Lord and Master, this made him weep; if he had not meditated of
the evil that he had committed, he had never wept. And what made the Prodigal
child return home to his father? you shall see the
reason, Luk. 15. 17. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired
servants of my father have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with
hunger! When he came to consider with himself, the misery that he
had brought upon himself, and that there were many servants in his fathers
house that had bread enough, I will arise (saith he) and go to my
father, and I will say, Father, I have sinned against heaven, (all this
was but his meditation, he did but thus think in his heart to do this) and
he arose and came to his Father.
2. Divine meditation is a mighty help to beget in us a love to God;
for as it is with a picture, that hath a curtain drawn over
it, though the picture be never so beautiful, you cannot see the beauty of
it till the curtain be drawn aside; to an unconsiderating, an unmeditating
Christian, God is as a picture with a curtain 45 drawn over it, he cannot see
the beauty of God, but meditation draws the curtain, and lets us in to
behold all the beauty that is in God; and he that beholds the beauty of God,
cannot but love God. As it is said of Socrates, he was so good a man
that all that knew him loved him; and if any man did not love him, it was
because they did not know him; much more may I say of God,
All that meditate in, and study God, cannot but love him. And
the reason why you do not love him, is because you do
not study and meditate on God: as it is said, 1 Ioh. 4. 8. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love: he that knoweth God,
loveth God. What is the reason the Saints in heaven love God so perfectly?
because they always behold his face, they see him,
they think on him. And did you meditate upon the excellency of God,
that God is altogether lovely, that all Excellencies are after an infinite
manner concentered in God, that there is nothing lovely in the Creature but it
is to be found infinitely in the Creator: Did you further consider all
the good things that God hath done for you; all the blessings and mercies that
you have received from God; did you not only think, but did you dwell upon
these thoughts, did you sit at this fire, it would kindle a mighty flame of Divine
love in your souls; therefore David saith, Psal. 39. 3. My 46
heart was hot within me; while I was musing the fire
burned. Psal. 104. 34. My meditation of him
shall be sweet. Did you meditate much of God, you
would taste a sweetness in God, that would be as a Loadstone to draw your
hearts to the love of God.
3. Divine meditation is a mighty help to work in us a fear of God, the
fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; now did you study the Majesty of
God, that God hath all men, all the Devils in a chain, and that God only can do
us hurt; and that no man can do us hurt but God must give him leave. Did you
study the Omnipotency of God, you would fear God, and fear him only:
as it is Isa. 51. 12, 13.
I, even I am he that comforteth you: who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid
of a man that shall die, and the son of man that shall be made as grass, and
forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid
the foundations of the earth! As if he should say, If
thou didst remember and think on the Lord thy God, who made the Heavens and the
Earth, and hath all things in his hand, Thou wouldest not fear a man that
shall die, &c. Jer. 10. 6, 7. first the Prophet breaks out into an admiration of God, Forasmuch
as there is none like unto thee, O Lord: thou art great, and thy name is great
in might: who would not fear thee, O King of Nations? for
to thee doth it appertain: 47 forasmuch as among all the wise men of the
Nations, and in all their Kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. The meditation
of God stirs up the Prophet to fear God, Ier. 5. 22. Fear ye not me, saith
the Lord? will you not tremble at my presence, which hath placed the sand for
the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass, though the
waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail: though they roar, yet
cannot they pass over it. Did we meditate much upon the power of
God, we would fear him, and stand in awe of him.
4. This Divine meditation is a mighty help to beget in us a love to
Iesus Christ; for Jesus Christ is a fountain sealed, a spring shut up, a
garden inclosed. Now you know no man is the better for a book sealed up, or a
treasure lockt up; to a careless Christian Christ is a fountain sealed, a
treasure lockt up; but meditation is the key that unlocks the treasury
of all the Excellencies of Christ, and opens the book to let us read all the
Excellencies that are in Christ. Meditation doth as it were open the fountain;
and did we study what Christ is, that he is the choicest of ten thousand, altogether
excellent, the brightness of his Fathers glory, and the express image of his
Person; and did we study the love of Christ to poor sinners, the height, the
depth, the length, the breadth of the love of God 48 toward us; did we study
how Christ became poor to make us rich, how he became a curse to free us from
the curse; how he was made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God
thorough him; did we bury our selves in this meditation; did you take half an
hour in a day to meditate on the Excellency of Christ, did you when you walk in
the fields meditate on the love of Christ, I am confident it would
beget in you a love to Christ.
5. Divine meditation is a mighty help to inable us
to believe and trust in God. To trust,
1. In his
2. In his Promises in all spiritual troubles.
1. It will help you to trust in his Providence when you are in any
streights: when all creature-helps fail, and you are ready to sink, then
meditation will raise your faith, and help you to trust in Gods Providence for
outward provision, Mat. 6. 25, &c. I say unto
you (saith Christ) take no thought for your life what you shall eat,
or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on; be
not solicitous for your outward provision. But how doth Christ argue? what way should we take, that we may not distrust God? saith he, Meditate upon the fowls of the air; behold the
fowls of the air for they sow not. v. 28. Why take you thought for
raiment, consider the lillies of the field how they grow, they toil not,
neither do 49 they spin, and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. The meditation of the lillies and the fowls of the air is a means to help us to
trust in the Lord in the day of our streights.
2. It will enable you to relye upon the promises for the good of your
souls. Did you when you read the promises of the Bible, chew
them, how sweet would they be; the reason why the Promises are not sweet to
you, is because you read them, but you do not chew them by meditating upon
them; if you did meditate upon them, they would be sweeter than the honey,
and the honey-comb, especially if you did join application with meditation. Abraham
was the Father of the Faithful, and he was strong in faith; and what made him
strong in faith? because he considered not
his own body now dead, neither the deadness of Sarah's womb, but he
considered the promise of
6. Divine meditation is a mighty help to beget in us a contempt of the
world, and all worldly things; for the world is like unto gilded copper,
it is an easie matter for a man to mistake gilded copper for true gold, unless
he considers what he takes; for if a man take gold without consideration,
he may quickly be cozened; there is a glittering excellency in the world, the
wealth and riches of it are glorious things to a carnal eye, but meditation of
the world will wash away all the paint that is upon the world; the studying
the vanity of the world, the nothingness of all earthly things, the
unsatisfiableness of them, and the perishing nature of them, this will take
away the glittering excellency that seems to be in 51 the world; and certainly
you would never be so covetous, and so worldly, and dote so much upon the world,
did you meditate upon the vanity of it, as you should do; this is the
course Solomon takes: the book of Eccles· is called, The
Book of the Preacher; and the subject of it is to wean us from
the love of the world. But what course doth Solomon take? Eccles. 1. 3. I gave my heart to seek and
search out by wisdom concerning all things done under heaven. His course
was to consider all the Creatures that were under the Heaven; I have seen, saith he, all the works that are done under the
Sun, and behold all is but vanity and vexation of spirit. After he had
meditated upon the world, he goes over the riches and the pleasures of the
world, and when he had reckoned them all, he concludes in Chap. 2. 11. Then
I looked on all the works my hand had wrought, and on the labour that I had
laboured to do, and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit. I gathered me
silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of Kings, and of the Provinces; I
got me men-singers, and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as
musical instruments, and that of all sorts; so I was great, and increased more
than all before me in Ierusalem; also my wisdom remained with me, and
whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them. And when he had looked
upon all these glorious 52 Excellencies, what was his Conclusion? Behold,
saith he, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit
under the Sun. Did we meditate much on the vanity of the world, we would not idolize it so much.
7. Divine Meditation is a mighty help to beget in us the grace of
thankefulness for the mercies and blessings we receive from God. Certainly
it is a great duty that lyes upon us to be thankful for Gods mercies; now there
is no way to stir you up to thankefulness so much as meditation upon
the mercies of God; for he that forgets the mercies of God, cannot be thankful
for them; and therefore mark the course that David takes, Psal. 8.
3. When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the Moon, the Stars,
which thou hast ordained; then he crys out, What
is man that thou art mindful of him! or the son of man
that thou visitest him! for thou hast made him a
little lower than the angels. When he considered what God had done for man,
then he admires the love of God to man, and breaks out into thankfulness.
Certainly a Christian forgetful of Gods mercies can never be thankful for them;
and the way to beget thankefulness is to meditate on what God hath
done for us.
8. Divine Meditation is a mighty help to beget in you a preferring of
Gods house before your own house. It is the great sin of this age wherein
53 we live, that every man studies to build his own house, and no man cares for
the house of the Lord: We may truly say as Ieremiah saith, This is
Sion whom no man regards; every man seeks his own interest, and no man
almost cares what becomes of Religion. There is a strange kind of lukewarmness
that is upon the spirits of all men in this age, that so men may grow great
themselves, they care not what becomes of the House of God: Now Divine Meditation
would make you prefer the building of Gods House before the building
of your own house. And for this purpose let me beseech you to read Hag.
1. 4. Is it time for you, Oh ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house
lye waste? It was the sin of the people of Israel, that they
neglected the building of Gods House, and every man strove to grow rich in his
own particular: Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, consider your
ways, (here the Prophet calleth them to consideration) ye have sown much,
but bring in little; ye eat, but you have not enough; ye drink but ye are not
filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm. And he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
What was the matter? because they did not build Gods
House, therefore God did not build their house: v. 7. Thus saith the Lord
of Hosts, consider your ways: ye looked for much, but lo it came to little: and
54 when you brought it home, I did blow upon it; why saith the Lord of Hosts,
because of my house that is waste, and ye run every man into his own house,
therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from
her fruit. God will never settle England, God will never settle
your houses, till you make conscience to build Gods House, and till
you have more zeal for the House of God than for your own houses; though you
may dream of peace and plenty, yet certainly the Lord will never build your
houses, until you build Gods House. And therefore he saith further, Hag. 2.
17. I smote you with blasting and with mildew, and with hail in all the labours
of your hands, yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord. Consider now from this
day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from
the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid; consider it, from
this day will I bless you. And certainly the world is much mistaken; the
way to build your own house, is to join together to settle Religion; God will
never prosper you, till Gods House be setled. And did you meditate on these two
Chapters, the first and second Chapter of Haggai, it would by Gods
grace beget in you a mighty zeal toward the setling of the House of God, and to
prefer that before the setling of your own house.
55 9. Divine Meditation will beget in us a keeping
of all the commandments of God. There is no Commandment of God but Divine
Meditation when it is sanctified, (I do not say otherwise) will work in us, and
inable us to keep: Deut. 4. 39, 40. Know
therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord is God in
heaven above, and upon the earth beneath there is none else; thou shalt keep
therefore his statutes, and his commandments. And David saith,
Psal. 119. 55. I have remembred thy name, Oh Lord, in the night, and have kept
thy Law.
2. Divine Meditation is not only a means to beget grace, but it
is a mighty help to preserve and increase grace. As the wood preserves the
fire; as the oil preserves the flame; as the water preserves the fish, so doth
meditation preserve your graces. It preserves every
grace, and it increaseth every grace; for Meditation is a Divine pair of
bellows to blow up the sparks of grace; when there is but a little fire,
meditation will kindle this fire more, and increase it; when you find your love
of God grows cold, meditate upon the love of God, and this will kindle the love
of God in your hearts; and when you find the fear of God to diminish in you,
meditate upon the power of God, that thy breath is in his hand, that he hath
thee in his hand; this will increase 56 the fear of God; and so when the love
of the world increaseth upon you, meditate upon the vanity and nothingness of
it, and this will decrease the love of the world.
3. Divine Meditation, as it is a means to beget grace, and to
increase grace, so it is a mighty means to arm and defend us against all the
temptations of the Devil, and against all his fiery darts. It is armour of
proof against the Devil and all his temptations. What made Moses
refuse the pleasure, treasures and honours of
And thus I have shewed you the great necessity of this grace of Meditation:
It remains now that I should come to the Application of this Doctrine.
If this duty of Divine Meditation be so necessary a duty, as you
have heard; then it reproves those Christians that are utterly unaccustomed,
and unacquainted with this duty; that receive mercies from God, but are never
the better for the mercies they do receive, for want of meditation, That do
not say in their hearts, let us fear that God that doth give us the former and
the latter rain, as it is, Ier. 5. 23. it
reproves those that are guilty of many sins, but do not repent for want of consideration,
because they do not say in their hearts what have I done? it reproves those
that meet with many losses and crosses in the world, but are never the better,
for their afflictions, because they do not consider what is the meaning of Gods
rod, and how they may get their afflictions sanctified; that read the blessed
Promises of the Gospel, but taste not the sweetness 59 of them for want of
meditation, for want of chewing them; in a word, that hear many Sermons, but
are never the better for the Sermons they hear, and all for want of this Divine
Meditation.
The mercies of God, and the promises of God, and the afflictions of God, and
the Sermons we hear, are like unto a Soveraign plaister, which though
it be never so good, if it be taken off the wound as soon as ever it is laid
on, it will never cure the wound, it is the abiding of the Plaister upon the
wound that cures it: So it is the dwelling upon the mercies we receive, the
chewing upon the Promises, the meditating upon the Sermons we hear, will do us
good. That man that hears a Sermon and forgets it as soon as he hath heard it,
will get no good by it; it is with Sermons and mercies as it is with meat, a
man may eat his meat and be never the more nourished if he do not digest it, if
he vomit it up as soon as he hath eaten it, or if his meat presently go through
him, it will do him no good; it is the digesting, the concocting of meat that
nourisheth a man; so there are thousands of people that hear Sermon upon
Sermon, and yet are never the more holy by what they hear, for want of
digesting the Sermons they hear by Divine Meditation: Now this want
of meditation is a sin, that I perswade my self most Christians are guilty
of, I 60 cannot exclude my self; there are few Christians that are convinced of
the necessity of this duty of Divine Meditation, few that practise
this duty; the great God hath exercised this Nation with variety of Providences
for these many years; we have been these eleven or twelve years in the fire of
affliction; we have met with unexpected changes and alterations, but where is
the man that lays to heart the Providences of God? where
is the man that studies what God is doing with this Nation? and how to get the Providences of God sanctified? We may say
of most of the Nation, as it is in Ier. 12. 11. The whole land is made
desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. There is no man considers
what is the meaning of Gods Providences, the variety and strangeness, and
wonderfulness of them. We are like unto those, Isa. 42. 24,
25. Who gave
1. The ignorant Christian, that knows not how to set about the work
of Meditation for want of matter to meditate upon; for meditation supposeth
knowledg, meditation is a dwelling upon that we know; and therefore the
ignorant Christian cannot be a meditating Christian; he that is ignorant of
God, cannot meditate of God; he that is ignorant of Christ crucified, cannot
meditate of Christ crucified; and this is one reason why so many Saints of God
are so barren in Sacramental meditation, because they know so little of Christ
crucified; the ignorance of God and Christ is not only a sin, but it is the
root of all sin. It is said, 1 Sam. 2. 12. of
the two Sons of old Eli, They were sons of Belial, and they knew not the
Lord. All sin is wrapt up in ignorance, as a child in swadling
clouts; as Toads and Serpents grow in dirty and dark Cellars, so doth all sin
grow where ignorance dwells. And therefore Chrysostome saith,
That ignorance is a deep hell. And one saith very
well, An ignorant Christian is the Devils shop,
wherein he forges all manner of wickedness.
2. There is the forgetful Christian: for meditation is a meditating
of what we know concerning God and Heaven, and the day of 62 Judgment; it is a
bringing of the things we know, unto our selves; and therefore a forgetful
Christian cannot be a meditating Christian; he that forgets the Mercies of God,
can never meditate on the Mercies of God: This sin of forgetfulness of
God, is a sin that the Children of Israel were very guilty of, Psal.
106. 7. The Prophet complains of them; our Fathers understood not thy wonders
in
3. I am to reprove the rash-headed Christian, that rushes upon
Duties, and upon Ordinances, and publick Offices, without consideration; that
comes rashly to the Sacrament, and kneels down rashly to his private and
publick devotion; that doth not consider before-hand when he comes to worship
the Lord our God; this I call the rash-headed Christian, we have many
such among us.
And there are four things worthy your observing, that may be said
of a rash-headed Christian.
He is a spiritual fool, and all the Sacraments he receives, and the
prayers he makes, they are the sacrifices of fools, as you have it excellently
set down, Eccles. 5. 1, 2. Keep thy foot when thou
goest to the house of God, and be more ready 64 to hear than to give the
sacrifices of fools, for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with
thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God, for
God is in heaven, and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few. Out
of which two verses I gather these two things.
1. That it is the duty of all Christians in all their addresses to God to
consider who this God is to whom they draw near; to consider their own
vileness, and Gods excellency; to consider that God is
in heaven and they are upon earth.
2. That whosoever doth rush upon Ordinances without consideration, he doth
offer up the sacrifice of fools, because he doth not consider that he doth
evil; when you come rashly to publick duties here upon the Sabbath-day, and you
come rashly to the Sacrament, and when you are hasty to utter words to God, you
come as so many spiritual fools.
2. A rash-headed Christian will many times speak that which he will
wish he had not spoken; and he will do that which he shall have cause to repent
of. We have many examples of the Saints of God, that
have paid dearly for their rash-speaking, and their rash-practising;
for this rashness is a sin that the Saints of God are very much subject to; we
read of Peter, 65 that he fell three times into this sin. Mat. 16.
22. there Christ told Peter, That he must be
crucified, and Peter began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord,
this shall not be unto thee. Peter spake very rashly; now Christ said unto
him, Get thee behind me, satan, thou art an
offence unto me. And Luk. 9. when Christ
was transfigured, then Peter began to utter a rash speech; saith Peter
to Christ, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three
tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias; not knowing
what he said: It was a rash speech; and especially, Luk. 22. when Christ told him that one of you shall betray me; saith
he very rashly, Master, though all betray thee, yet will not I betray thee.
But he spake rashly, not knowing the deceitfulness of his own
heart. We read of the two brethren, Iames and Iohn, that they
spake very rashly unto Christ, Luk. 9. 54. When his two disciples Iames and
Iohn saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down
from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did? but
he turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are
of. We read of Moses, that he spake unadvisedly with his lips,
and God was angry with him, Numb. 20. Shall we bring water for you out of he rock? he spake unadvisedly, and
the Lord was angry with him. Iephtha made a rash vow, 66 Whatsoever I see, I will offer in sacrifice.
He had cause to repent of that Vow. And that which I say of words, I
may say of deeds, the Saints of God have done many things in their
haste, that they have cause to repent of; David rashly gave away the
land of innocent Mephibosheth to his servant, 2 Sam. 16. 4. Ziba
came with a false accusation against his Master, and David rashly
without examining the cause, said, Thine are all that pertained unto
Mephibosheth: which was a very sinful and an unjust rash action of David;
he gave away all the estate of the Master to a cunning servant. And when he
came marching against Nabal, he spake rashly, and was acting rashly; As the Lord lives, saith he, I will
not leave one alive of the house of Nabal: and he came with his army
thinking to destroy all, if Abigail had not prevented him.
3. A rash-headed Christian will quickly run into error, and into
by-paths. As a man that runs hastily is very prone to stumble, so those
Christians that rush upon the profession of Religion, and rush upon publick
Offices and Ordinances, they are like to miscarry in them, and they are apt to
run into error: for a rash-headed Christian is led more by passion than
judgment; he is led more by affection than by reason. He is like a horse
without bridle, like a house without walls, a city without 67 gates; a city
without walls and doors is easily robbed: so a rash-headed Christian
is easily cozened of the truths of Christ.
4. A rash-headed Christian will never persevere and hold out to the
end; he that takes a profession of Religion upon him rashly, and doth not
consider before-hand what it will cost him, when this man meeteth with more
difficulty than he is aware of, he will apostatize and fall away. And therefore
it is the speech of our Saviour, Luk. 14. 28. Which of you intending to
build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost whether he hath
sufficient to finish it? What King going to make war against another King,
sitteth not down first and counteth whether he be able with ten thousand to
meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand. Let it not be
offensive to tell you, and let not your hearts rise against it, There are many
of this City took up the Presbyterian Perswasion, but they never
considered what they took, they took it as an opinion cried up, but as soon as
ever they found opposition they fell from it, because they never considered
what it was when they took it. Few men consider seriously what Religion is, and
what it is to be a real Saint, and a real professor of Religion; and therefore
as soon as ever persecution and trouble arise, they fall away for want of
meditation and consideration.
68 4. I am to reprove especially your slight-headed
Christians, that
cannot dwell long upon any thing that is good, that rove and wander from one
thing to another; this frame of spirit, if I be not mistaken, is quite opposite
to Religion. Do not think me censorious, for I must profess, I have been long
of this opinion, That a slight-headed Christian
cannot be a good Christian. Religion is a serious and solemn matter, it is
a business of eternity; and I read of Religious persons in Scripture,
that they are commended for their seriousness. It is said of the Virgin Mary,
Luk. 2. 19. All that heard it wondred at the things that were told them,
but she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. A Religious
Christian is a thoughtful pondering Christian, Luk. 1. 66. All
they that heard them, laid them up in their hearts,
saying, What manner of child shall this be! A true Saint of God is a
considering, thoughtful, serious Christian; therefore a slight-headed
Christian is but a slight Christian; for he that thinks slightly of God,
will serve him slightly, and speak slightly of him; a slight head produceth a
slight heart, and a slight life; if the thought of God and Christ make but
slight impression upon thy soul, thy expressions of God and Christ will be more
slight; he that thinks slightly of God, God will slight him; a slight-headed
Christian is 69 but a vain Christian, and all his Religion is but
vanity, but like a slight garment, or a slight house that any
wind blows down. The Lord give you to think of this.
Most Christians in the world are slight-headed Christians, that think slightly
of sin, of God, of Christ, of the day of Judgment. I,
but you will say unto me: Are all men that have slight heads, hypocrites?
A. I will give you a distinction, that I may not be
misunderstood. There is a double slightness of head, there is a slightness
of head that is a natural disease, when a man through the weakness of his
head cannot dwell long upon any thing, when he cannot think of worldly business
long, his head will not bear it; now thou maist be a true child of God
and have a weak head, that is not able to think long of any thing at
all. And there is a slightness of head that is a sinful slightness,
and that is, when a man can be serious upon the things of the world,
can dwell upon worldly businesses, but cannot dwell long upon the things of
heaven, cannot be serious about the things of his soul, but as soon as
ever he comes to prayer, he is slight; as soon as ever he comes to the
Sacrament, or any holy duty, then he hath slight thoughts of God, and
of Heaven, such an one was Gallio, Act. 18. when
he saw it was a matter of Religion, he cared for none of these things;
saith he, if it 70 were a matter of civil right, I would regard it;
but seeing it is matter of religion, look ye to it. And Pilate was a slight-headed
man, Ioh. 18. 38. Pilate saith unto him, what is truth? that was a good question; and when he had said this, he
went out again unto the Iews; he never looked for an answer: he had a slight
thought came into his mind that was good, but he went away, and never came
and desired Christ to give him answer. I beseech you to consider of it, a slight-headed
Christian can never be a good Christian. If the things of God do not make
impression upon your hearts, you will never be serious about the things of
eternity. These are the four sorts of Christians that are to be reproved
for want of meditation.
But I have another use of reproof. If those are to be reproved that
neglect this Divine duty of meditation, much more are those to be
reproved that meditate upon things that are wicked, instead of meditating
upon the things of Heaven. Here are two sorts I would speak a little
to, either those that meditate to do
evil, or those that meditate upon the evil they have done.
1. It reproves those that meditate to do evil: you shall read of
them, Psal. 36. 4. They devise mischief upon their bed. Jer. 18. 18. Then said they, come and let us devise
devices against Ieremiah. There are some men that plot how to do
evil, which is a double sin; it is one sin 71 to do evil, it is a
greater sin to plot to do evil; a man may go to hell for his sinful
plottings, and sinful contrivances, though they never come to light. Isa. 29. 5. Wo unto
them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in
the dark, and they say who seeth us, and who knoweth us? The Lord will
send us to hell for all our sinful contrivances, and vain projects,
though they prove abortive.
2. There are some that meditate upon the evil they have done; as an
old Adulterer will with delight tell stories of his youthful
wantonness, and an old wicked man will delight to tell tales of the
sins that he hath formerly committed; this is to act over your sins again in
Gods account; this is to lick up the old vomit; this is to sin anew. I would to
God you would consider of it; a man may go to hell for contemplative
wickedness, for spiritual wickedness, for heart-adultery, and heart-murder,
as well as for actual wickedness; a man may go to hell for thinking
evil, as well as for speaking evil, and doing evil; for God is a Spirit, and he
looks into the frame of your spirits; and he will send you to hell for the
inward lust of sin, as well as for the act of sin; and that man that repeats
over the sins of his youth with delight, this man acts them over again
in Gods account. But I will not spend more time in the use of reprehension.
72 But I come to that which I especially aim at, an
Vse of Exhortation, to beseech you all that you would subscribe to the
obedience of this Text, that you would conform your selves to this
Text, that you would accustom your selves to his most necessary and excellent,
and long neglected duty of Divine meditation. Let me with all earnestness
commend unto you the consciencious practise of this duty of Divine
Meditation, because it is an universal remedy against all sin; it
is a help to all goodness, it is a preservative of all
godliness, it is armour of proof against all the Devils temptations,
and the want of it is the cause of all iniquity, as you have
heard. Let me commend this to all sorts of Christians, If it be
necessary for you to reform your lives, it is necessary for you to meditate;
for what saith David? I considered my ways, and turned my feet unto thy
testimonies. What made Peter when he had denied Christ, repent
and weep bitterly for what he had done? the Text
saith, when he meditated upon what he had done, he went out and
wept bitterly; it was the meditation of his sin made him do so.
What is the reason that men repent no more of their sins? because
they do not meditate of the bitterness of them, Ier. 8. 6. No man
repenteth, because no man saith what have I done? If it be necessary for
you to love God, to trust in God, to contemn the world, it is necessary 73 for
you to practise this duty of meditation; what is the reason all the Sermons
you hear do you no more good? it
is for want of meditation, we do not meditate upon what we
hear. Let me commend this duty of meditation,
1. Unto all Ministers. There are four
things, saith Luther, make a Minister, reading, praying,
temptation and meditation. It is not reading makes a Scholar without
prayer, nor reading and prayer without temptation; how can he comfort others,
that was never tempted himself? and then meditation;
and therefore Paul perswadeth Timothy to be much in meditation,
1 Tim. 4. 15.
2. Let me commend this to great
persons, to Lords, and Earls, and Kings; David professeth of himself,
Psal. 119. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-watchings, that
I might meditate on thy word. v. 15. I will meditate on thy precepts. v.
23. Princes also did sit and speak against me, but thy servant did meditate in
thy statutes.
3. Let me commend this to you that are Captains and Soldiers, and men that
belong unto the C& Ioshua the great Captain-General of the people
of
4. Let me commend this to young Gentlemen, from the example of Isaac
in the Text, 74 that went out as his custom was, to meditate of God,
and the things of God. Isaac was heir to Abraham, who was a
very rich man; he was very rich in cattel, and very rich in silver and gold,
and Isaac was the heir of all he had; and at even-tide he went out and
walked in the fields, and meditated upon the things of God, meditated
upon the works of God, the things of Heaven.
5. Let me commend this to you that are Merchants, to you that are Tradesmen, that you would spare some time for meditation.
6. Let me commend this to all Women, according to the example of Hanna,
and the Virgin Mary, she kept all these things and pondered
them in her heart, Luk. 2. 19, 51. But his mother kept all these sayings in
her heart. Oh let me commend this to young maids when they are at
their work, that they would have some heavenly ejaculations, and meditation
of the works of God.
I remember I have read of Solon, who was a great Law-giver;
saith he, There are many good Laws made, but there wants one Law to teach
people how to practise all the other Laws, such a Law were worth making.
So give me leave to tell you, there are many excellent Sermons
preached in this Nation, in this City, never better preaching I dare say in London;
but there is one Sermon yet to preach, and that 75 is to teach you to
practise all the other Sermons. Now if I be not mistaken, this Sermon will
help you to practise all the Sermons you ever heard; for meditation is
nothing else but a concocting of the mercies of God, a digesting
of the Promises and the Sermons we hear; it is a Sermon to teach you to digest
all the Sermons that ever you have heard. Some men have a great appetite, but
have no digestion; I do not complain of you that are greedy to hear Sermons;
but let me tell you, if you have not a good digestion, your Sermons
will do no good; that which a man is eating half an hour, requires six or seven
hours to digest. I have heard of many men that eat too much, but I never heard
of any that digested too much; you that eat much and do not digest
it, that which you eat will turn to bad nourishment; therefore let me commend
this duty to you as one of the choicest duties of a
Christian.
Now because of the excellency of this
Subject, I shall desire to speak to six Particulars about this
Doctrine of Meditation.
1. The place where we are to meditate.
2. The time when we are to meditate.
3. The ingredients and properties of Divine Meditation.
4. The companions of it.
5. The materials of it.
76 6. Some helps to help us to the better
practise of this duty.
1. Concerning the place where we are to exercise this duty of Divine
Meditation; it is said of Isaac in my Text, that he went out
into the fields to meditate. I do not think that this example is
obligatory, that a man is always bound to go into the fields to
meditate: I read of David, Psal. 63. that he meditated
upon God when he was in his bed: v. 16. When I remembred thee upon my
bed, and meditated on thee in the night-watches. But this example doth
hold out thus much to us, that private and solitary places are the fittest
places for meditation; and as Christ saith, Mat.
6. 6. When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, (speaking of private
prayer) and when thou hast shut thy door, pray unto thy Father that is in
secret, and thy Father which seest in secret shall reward thee openly. So
do I say, When you would meditate solemnly of
Christ, or of Heaven, or of your sins, or of the Promises, you must enter into
your closets, or go into your gardens, or walk into the fields; you
must retire your selves into some private place. It is worth marking how the Evangelist
takes notice of this practise in Iesus Christ, Mat. 14. 23. He
sent the multitude away, and went up into a mountain apart to pray, and when
the evening was come he was there alone. Mark 1. 35. And in the
morning 77 rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a
solitary place, and there prayed. Mark 6. 46. He departed into a
mountain to pray, Luk. 6. 12. He went into a mountain to pray, and
continued all night in prayer to God. The Scripture makes mention of a
garden to which Christ did usually resort to pray, and this garden Christ did
often go unto, that when Iudas purposed to betray him, he knew where
to find him: Ioh. 18. 1. When Iesus had spoken those words, he went where
there was a garden, and Iudas which betrayed him knew the place, for Iesus
often times resorted thither with his disciples. And what did Christ go to
the garden for? he went there to pray: Luk. 22.
There was the place where he shed drops of blood, Mat. 26. There he went
to pray, and there he went to meditate; a garden famous for what
Christ did there. Now all this doth signifie thus much unto us, that in the
practise of this Divine duty of Meditation, we must retire our selves,
whether into a private garden, or into our closets, or whether into private
walks, into the fields. For if a Scholar cannot study in a croud, he
must retire to some private study, some private place; much more when
you would converse with God in the Mount, when you would meditate of those
glorious things of the other world, you must shut out the society of men,
that you may the more enjoy the society of 78 God. It is a rare saying
of Bernard, That the bridegroom will not
come to the meditating bride (speaking of Christ who is our bridegroom) but
when she is alone. And therefore it is said, Cant. 7. 11. Come my
beloved let us go forth into the fields, &c.
v. 12. there will I give thee my love.
God loves to visit his people when they are alone, meditating of the things
of Heaven.
But now I must acquaint you with two sorts of company, there are outward company, and there are inward
company; now when you meditate you must not only retire your selves
from outward company, but from inward company. It is an easie
matter to shut the doors of your closets, and to be there alone, but
it is a hard matter to shut out company from within, from your hearts
as well as from your closets. There are many men when they are alone in a
garden, or in the fields meditating, they are pestered with company
within, with worldly thoughts, with voluptuous thoughts, with vain
imaginations.
St. Ierome complains of himself, and he doth bewail it; saith he, When
I have been in the Wilderness alone, with wild beasts, and have had no company
but wild beasts, my thoughts have been at Rome, among the Ladies at
Rome, among the dances of Rome. And I have heard many Christians
complain (and it is one of the 79 greatest complaints we have) that when they
retire themselves to meditate of the Promises, or of Christs Passion, or of the
Joys of Heaven, they are then pestered and exceedingly troubled with worldly
business, with worldly thoughts; sometimes we are in our
Counting-houses, sometimes we are at our pleasures, at our sports. It is an
easie matter to thrust worldly company out of our closets, but a hard matter to
thrust worldly thoughts out of our hearts; and therefore when you
meditate you must do as Abraham did, Gen. 22. 5. And Abraham said to his young men, abide you here with the
ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship. So you must say to your
vain thoughts and worldly business, tarry here below, I will go up to the mount
and meditate; you must not only say to your worldly company, but to your vain
thoughts and imaginations, tarry here below. The Rabbins say,
though there were thousands of Sacrifices offered in the
Q. I but you will say unto me, How shall I keep my self from these
plagues of flies? how shall I keep my self that I may
shut out inward company when I go to the mount to meditate?
Answ. For that, you must do as Abraham
did, Gen. 15. 11. And when the fowls came down upon the carcass, Abraham
drove them away; so must you: when this company doth thrust upon you and
croud in, when your vain thoughts croud in, you must stir up all your
spiritual strength to drive them away; you must do as the high Priest
did, 2 Chron. 26. 20. when Vzziah the King would have offered
sacrifice, the Lord smote him with a 81 leprosie, and the high Priest took him
and thrust him out of the Temple though he was a King; so must you, when these roving
thoughts come upon you when you are in the Temple, or the mount of
meditation, you must thrust them out; that is, you must use all your
spiritual strength to thrust them out, and you must pray unto God as Moses
prayed, Exod. 8. that God would take away this plague of flies;
and do as Pharoah did, he sent for Moses, Oh pray, pray unto God
for me, that this swarm of flies may depart out of the land: Speak to thy
godly Ministers, thy godly friends to pray for thee, and do thou pray for thy
self, that the Lord would deliver thee from these noisome imaginations, and fancies,
and roving thoughts that do disturb you in the Worship of God, and in the
practise of this duty of Divine Meditation. So much
for the place where we are to meditate.
The 2d thing to speak to, is the time
when we are to meditate; it is said in the Text, And Isaac went out to
meditate in the eventide; it seems Isaac found the Evening to be
the fittest time for Meditation. Dr. Hall in his excellent Tract of Meditation, tells us out of his own experience,
that he found the evening-time to be the fittest time for Meditation.
And there is a learned Minister in that excellent Book of the Saints
Everlasting Rest, doth 82 likewise from his own
experience commend the eventide for the best and suitablest time for
Meditation; and he saith from the Sunsetting to the twi-light, and
sometimes in the night, when it is warm and clear. I will not lay clogs upon
any mans conscience; that which is seasonable for one, is unseasonable for
another; some mens tempers are fittest to meditate in the morning,
and some mens tempers are fittest to meditate in the evening.
Now there are four Propositions, four rules of Direction concerning the
time when I would have you to meditate.
1. It is the duty of all those that are not hindred by necessary
business, if it be possible to set apart some time every day for meditation,
whether it be morning, afternoon, or night: For Meditation is the
life and soul of all Christianity; it is that which makes you improve all the
Truths of Christian Religion, (you are but the Skeletons of Christians
without Meditation) it is as necessary as your daily bread; and as you feed
your bodies every day, so you ought to feed your souls every day with
meditating on your sins, or your Evidences for Heaven, or the everlasting
burnings of Hell, or of the day of Judgment, the great account you are to give
at that day, or of the joys of Heaven, or of the Promises, &c. We
are every day assaulted with the Devil, therefore we 83
should every day put on the armour of Divine Meditation, to consider
how to resist the wiles of the Devil; we are every day
subject to death, we are every day subject to sin, therefore we should every
day consider how to prepare our selves for death, and every day
consider how to resist sin. Meditation is nothing else but a conversing
with God, the souls colloquie with God; and it is fit we should every day walk
with God. Divine Meditation is nothing else but the souls
transmigration into heaven; the souls ascending up into Heaven; now it is
fit every day that we should have our conversation in Heaven. David
when he describes the blessed man, Psal. 1. 2. saith
he, His delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his law will he meditate
day and night. And he saith of himself, though he was a King, and had many
worldly businesses, the affairs of his Kingdom to hinder him, yet he saith, Psal.
119. 97. Oh how do I love thy law! it is my meditation
all the day. v. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-watches,
that I might meditate on thy word. There is the morning-time for Meditation, I prevent the dawning of the morning that I
might meditate in thy word. v. 15. I will delight my self in thy
statutes, and I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto all thy
ways. And Ioshua, that great General of the Army, though he was a
man surely of great imployments, yet God 84 doth lay an injunction upon him, Iosh.
1. 7, 8. The book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt
meditate therein day & night.
2. I will go higher yet, it is our duty to set a sufficient proportion
of time apart every day: Oh it is a hard matter to get our hearts in tune
for this duty; as it is with a Musician, he hath a great deal of time
to string, and to tune his Instrument before he can play; the best Christian is
like an Instrument unstrung, and untuned, he had need take a great deal of time
to get his heart in tune for Divine Meditation; the best Christian is
like wet wood, which will not burn, you know, without a great deal of blowing;
he had need to take a great deal of time to kindle a holy zeal in his heart to
God, to blow up the sparks of grace that are in him. If a man would fill a
Chest that is full of dirt, full of Gold, he must take time to empty
the Chest before he can fill it. By nature we are all full of
the world, full of the dirt of the world, full of vanity, full of carnal
creature-pleasure; now it is our duty first to take pains to empty the
Chest before we can fill it full of Heaven, full of God and Christ. Now I
propound this to you that have a great deal of spare time, especially you that
spend whole afternoons in idle visitings, and vain recreations, Oh that I could
perswade you to give God a visit every day, and to meditate of God and
of Christ, and your selves, and the recreations 85 of the other world; let me
perswade you that count it your happiness to live vainly, that you have not so
much work to do as other men have, to set some time apart; to go up
into the mount of God, to meditate of the things of the other world. And that I might provoke you, let me tell you thus much, it is
the greatest curse under heaven for God to give a man over to live an idle
life, to trifle away his days in vanity; and so it is reckoned, Psal.
78. 33. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity. Therefore it is spoken
as a curse; hearken to this you that idle away your time, there cannot be a
greater curse of God upon you, than to suffer you to idle away your time;
herein you idle away your salvation: this direction belongs to you
that are rich men, rich Merchants, that have whole Exchanges full of
business in your heads, to beseech you that you would contract your worldly
affairs into a narrower compass, that you may have time for the practise of
this rare duty of Meditation, which is the very life and soul of all duty.
And the reason why you are so lean and poor in grace, is for want of the
practise of this duty; be not always like Martha, troubled with this
and that business, but remember Maries choice, who chose the
better part in attending upon Christ's Ministry. I would have all rich men
every day think of that Text, Luk. 12. 20. Thou fool, this 86 night shall thy soul be taken from thee; and
what then will become of all thy possessions? I confess God doth not require
this at the hand of the daily labourer, or at the hands of servants
that are not masters of their own time, and those that are very poor and are
not able to set time apart for Meditation. But you may remember I gave you a distinction
between Ejaculatory Meditation, and solemn Meditation; a poor man when
he is at his work, may have a short Ejaculatory Meditation, though he
hath not time for this set and solemn meditation; when he is at his
work he may meditate upon the Promises, and of Heaven, and of
Hell, and of Death, and Iudgment, and the vanity
of the world. I have heard of a godly man was wont to say, I thank
God I can be in heaven in the midst of the croud of
3. The third Direction is this, The Sabbath-day especially is a
day wherein all sorts of people are to busie themselves in this excellent work
of Divine Meditation; this is a day wherein the labourer ceaseth from his
work, the Plowmans yoke is taken off, and the labouringman, and the serving man
have their rest; therefore it concerns all of us to spend some time every
Sabbath-day in Meditation, to meditate of the work of Creation, or Redemption;
87 for the Lords-day is so called, because Christ rose on that day,
and Christ set apart that day in memory of his Resurrection, in memory of his
Redemption; therefore this is thy work, Oh Christian, not only to come to the
publick Ordinances, not only to pray in thy family, but to set some time
apart for Divine Meditation; and the Lord forgive us this sin that we
have omitted this duty so long; Oh that I could be Gods instrument, that there
might be a resurrection of it, that you would make conscience of it every Sabbath-day;
as you make conscience of attending upon publick and private duties, so you
would put this as one of your Sabbath-day duties, for it is the very
Quintessence, the life and soul of all duty; the Sabbath-day is a type
of the eternal Sabbath which we shall keep for ever in Heaven; and shall not I
think of my eternal Sabbath upon the Sabbath? shall
not I be much in Heaven when I am keeping a rest upon earth, that represents my
eternal rest in Heaven? let us upon our day of
rest meditate much upon our eternal rest. Oh let us upon our Sabbath-day
meditate upon the everlasting Sabbath which we shall keep with God
Almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, for ever in Heaven.
4. And last Direction is this, That Sacrament-days are
especially to be meditating-days, to 88 be set apart for this great work of
Divine Meditation; it is the great end why Christ hath appointed the Sacrament,
to shew forth the Lords-death till he come; and saith Christ, Do this in
remembrance of me. There are two things make us worthy receivers
of the Sacrament, Preparation before we come, and Meditation
when we are come; and though thy Preparation be never so serious, yet
if thou dost not act aright in thy Meditation, as well as thou hast done in thy
Preparation, thou maist lose the benefit of the Sacrament. Now if any
should ask me, What are those things, you would have
us to meditate of, when we are come unto the Sacrament? or when we are at the Sacrament?
There are twelve Meditations which ought to take up our
Sacramental-time, which I call twelve common-place-heads: I do not say
we can meditate upon all of them at one Sacrament; but my design is to
give you matter sufficient, that you may sometimes meditate of one,
sometimes of another. I will but name them.
1. You must meditate of the great and wonderful love of God the Father
in giving Christ, not only to die for us upon the Cross, but in giving him
to be our food at the Sacrament; there was nothing moved God to give
Christ but pure love, and great love: For God so loved 89 the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son. So! how?
so infinitely, so inexpressibly; the love of God in
bestowing Christ is so great, that the Angels desire to look into it.
And you that are not affected with this love, I fear you have little
share in it. That is enough to take up one Sacrament.
2. You are to meditate at the Sacrament not only of the love of the Father
in giving of his Son, but of the love of Christ in giving himself. Ephes. 5. 2. Who loved us, and hath given himself
for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet smelling savour. As
God gave Christ, so Christ gave himself; as God gave himself as man, the
Godhead infused this will into the Manhood, that
Christ willingly laid down his life: Ioh. 10. 17, 18. Therefore doth my
Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it up again; no man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my self; I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it up; this commandment have I received of my Father. Now
the love of Christ in giving himself to be a curse for us, is a
love that passeth knowledg, yet it is a love that we must study to
know. It is a riddle, but such a riddle as the Apostle himself doth in
so many express words declare unto us, Ephes. 3. 19. That we may be able
to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and
length, and depth and heigth, 90 and to know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledg. Great is the love of Christ which passeth knowledg; great is the
love of Christ in dying for us, and being made sin for us, and being made a
curse for us.
3. We must meditate of the heinousness of sin; when we were all fallen
in Adam, we were ingulphed into such a bottomless abyss of
misery, that none but the blood of a God could deliver us; for there was an
infinite breach by sin between God and us; and this breach could never be made
up but by the blood of God. That is a rare meditation at the
Sacrament, to meditate of the heinousness of sin; when you see the bread
broken, it was sin that caused Christs body to be broken; and when you see the wine
poured out, it was sin caused Christs blood to be poured out; it was sin that
caused Christ to suffer so much.
4. You must meditate of the excellency of this Sacramental feast;
for the Sacrament is a commemorative Sacrifice, it is a commemoration of that
blessed Sacrifice that was offered on the Cross for our sins; and it is an obsignation
or sealing up all the benefits of our Redemption; and it is an exhibition of
Jesus Christ, it is a deed of gift of Christ; God goes about giving of Christ
to thee and me, and all that labour to come worthily. Oh! there
cannot be a greater feast, wherein Christ is the gift that is
bestowed; 91 Christ is the banquet, Christ and all his benefits.
5. You must meditate of your own unworthiness; O Lord I am not
worthy to pick up the crumbs that fall from thy Table; I am not worthy to eat
my daily bread, much less worthy to eat the Sacramental bread. Oh the thought
of this will make you say with Mephibosheth, What am I, a dead dog, that my
Lord and King should invite me to his table! What am
I, dust and ashes, sinful wretch, that the Lord Jesus should invite me to such
an Heavenly banquet!
6. You must meditate of your spiritual wants and necessities; what
grace dost thou want that thou maist get supplied? what
sin doth bear most sway in thee, that thou maist get it more mortified? Now the
more sensible you are of your spiritual wants, the more will your appetite be
quickned to this blessed feast.
7. You must meditate of the cursed condition of an unworthy receiver;
an unworthy receiver is a Christ-murderer, a soul-murderer, a body-murderer; he
is guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ; he eats and drinks down his
own damnation, he is guilty of bringing diseases; For this cause (that
is for unworthy coming to the Sacrament) many are sick, and many weak, and
many die.
92 8. I would have you meditate of the happy
condition of those that come worthily to the Sacrament; though you do not
bring a legal worthiness, yet if you have a Gospel-worthiness, God will accept
of you; and the bread that we break shall be the Communion of the Body of
Christ; and the cup of blessing which we bless, shall be the Communion of the
Blood of Christ to you; the communion of all the blessings of Heaven to thy
soul. It shall be the bread of the Lord to you, and the bread of life, and the
cup of Salvation unto you.
9. I would have you meditate sometimes of the Sacramental Elements;
when you see the bread, I would have you meditate of the analogy and
proportion between bread and the body of Christ; you know that bread is the
staff of life, so is Christ the staff of a Christian; bread is not for dead
folks but for living folks; bread doth not beget life, but increaseth and
strengthneth life; so the Sacrament is not for those that are dead in sin; the
Sacrament doth not beget Grace, but nourish and increase Grace. And then I
would have you consider the analogy between Wine and the Blood of
Christ; As Wine refresheth the spirit, and cheereth the heart, so the Blood of
Christ cheereth the soul of every worthy receiver.
93 10. I would have you meditate of the
Sacramental actions; for all the actions of the Minister at the Sacrament
are mystical, they all represent Christ; Christ is to be read by a
spiritual eye in every thing that is done by the Minister; the breaking
of the bread represents Christs body being broken upon the Cross for
our sins; and the pouring out the Wine, represents how Christs Blood
was poured out for us; and the giving of the Wine represents
how Christ is offered and tendered unto us; the taking of the bread
and wine represents how thou by faith takes Christ for thy everlasting comfort.
Every thing in the Sacrament is the object of Meditation; and it is a rare
thing for a Christian to make the Sacramental Elements to be his Bible;
when he is at the Sacrament, and when he finds his heart dull, to look at the
Elements, the breaking of bread, and pouring out of wine, which are all
spiritual helps to raise up thy heart unto Christ.
11. You must meditate of the Sacramental Promises; Christ Jesus
hath promised, Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you; do this
in remembrance of me; that is the Sacramental Promise, This is my
blood which is shed for you, do this in remembrance of me. Christ hath
promised that whensoever we do take this bread, and drink this cup worthily, he
94 will convey himself to us. Now we must feed upon this promise, and
come to the Sacrament in the strength of this promise; and he hath promised
that the cup of blessing, shall be the cup of the communion of the blood of
Christ, and the bread that is broken shall be the communion of the
body of Christ: Now we must meditate upon these Promises, and act faith
upon them.
12. When all this is done, I mean when thou hast received the Sacrament,
then thou must meditate what retribution to make unto Christ for this; you must
say as David doth, Psal. 116. 7. What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits toward me! Thou must say to thy soul, Oh how ought I
to love that Christ that hath loved me, and became a curse for me! how ought I to be willing to die for that Christ that hath
shed his blood for me! Oh what singular thing shall I do for that Christ that
hath become man, that hath left the Throne of Heaven, and hath taken my nature,
and hath given himself for me upon the Cross, unto me at the Sacrament! what great thing shall I return unto this God!
Oh that I were made up all of thankfulness! Oh that I could do something worthy
of this God! This must be your Meditation, and you must study to find out some
rare piece of service to do for this Christ, that hath done and 95 suffered so
much for you; and you must never leave meditating till you have found out some
singular thing. As for example, such an enemy hath done me wrong, I will
requite him in loving him the more; I will do him the more offices of love;
that is to walk worthy of Christ, who loved me when I was an enemy;
and then there is such a deed of charity, such a poor Christian his family is
undone; I will do this service for Christ, I will give him some proportionable
gift, some worthy gift, that his soul may bless God for me. Again, Christ Jesus
this day hath given me himself; he hath given me his body and blood; I will go
and be willing to die for him; I will say with Thomas, Come let us die for
him; I will be willing to suffer reproach for him, if he shall call me.
These are the Meditations wherein you are to spend your time when you are at
the Sacrament.
Now let me say but thus much, What rare Christians
would we be if from month to month we did thus spend our
Sacramental hours! surely great would be the benefit
and the fruit of it.
Thus I have done with the time when we are to meditate.
3. I am to speak of the properties and qualities of Divine
Meditation; in all holy duties it is not so much the doing of the duty 96
that God looks after, as the right manner of doing the duty: It is not the
hearing the Word will please God, unless we hear the word of God aright;
therefore Christ saith, take heed how you hear; it is not prayer that
will prevail with God, unless we pray after a right manner, unless we pray in
faith, with fervency and humility; so it is not the meditation of God and
Christ, and the Promises, will do us any good, unless we meditate after
the right manner, that God would have us to meditate.
Now I shall acquiant you with six properties of Divine
Meditation, for the right manner of performing it.
1. Divine Meditation must be often and frequent, Deut. 6. 7. there
God commands, Thou shall teach the words of the Law diligently unto thy
children, thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou lyest down, and when thou risest up. Josh. 1. 8. The book of the law shall not depart out of
thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night. Though he was a
great Commander, and had affairs of great concernment, yet God commands him to
meditate day and night in the Law of God. And David tells us of a
godly man, Psal. 1. 2. That he will delight himself in the law of God, and
in his law will he meditate day and night. 97 Psal.
119. 97, 98, 99. David professeth of himself, though he was a King,
and had many diversions, yet saith he, Oh
how do I love thy law! it is my meditation day and
night. Thou through thy commandments hath made me wiser than my enemies; for
they are ever with me, or, it is ever with me, speaking of the
Commandments of God; he had them always in his thoughts: I have more
understanding than all my teachers; for thy testimonies are my meditation.
Psal. 139. 8. When I awake, I am still with thee.
What is the meaning of that? that is by the meditation
of God; in the morning as soon as ever he awaked he begun the day with
Meditation, with some sweet pious thought of God. It is the duty of a
Christian, as you have heard, if it be possible, if his worldly occasions do
not necessarily hinder him, (there may, you know, be necessary avocations) to
spend some time every day in Divine Meditation. You that are Ladies,
men of great Estates, and have time, are to set some solemn time, some
solemn part of the day for Meditation; but all of us are to have Ejaculatory
Meditation, though it be in our worldly business.
There are three Reasons to perswade you to frequent Meditation.
1. Because the oftner you meditate of God, and Christ,
and Heaven, the more you will 98 know of God, and Christ, and Heaven;
and the more you will love God, and Christ; and the more earnestly you will
seek after the things of Heaven; for you must know, the things of Heaven are
like a beautiful Picture, the more you view them, the more will you admire
them, and seek after them to enjoy them. I have read a story of Necrasophus,
who was an excellent Painter, that viewing wistly a Picture, there
came a Country-man by, and seeing him view that Picture so wistly, he asked
him, Why do you look upon that Picture so much? saith the Painter to him, If you had my eyes, you would
never ask me this Question; if you knew the excellency of this Picture,
you would never ask me why I look so much upon it. The things of Heaven, the
things of God, the Promises of God, are most glorious and excellent things; and
the more you look into them, the more you will look into them; and the oftenr
you view these Pictures, the more you will admire them, and the more you will
view them. God, and Christ, and Heaven, are like unto a bottomless Mine of
treasure, the more you dig in this Mine, the more riches you will find in it;
they are like unto a sweet cordial, the more you chew them, the more
sweetness you will find in them. They are like an excellent garden in
the Spring-time, the oftner a man 99 goes into the garden, still he finds a new
flower, and another flower, and another flower; so the things of God, and
Christ, and the Promises, and Heaven, the more you walk in this garden, the
more flowers you will gather; you will have still new flowers to pick. And the
reason why the Saints of God love God no more, and prize Christ no more, and
seek no more after Heaven, is because they do not meditate more of God, and
Christ, and Heaven; the want of frequent meditation of them, is the
reason why we love them, and esteem them so little, and seek so little after
them.
The second Reason why we should frequently meditate upon
things Divine, is because the oftner we meditate of God and Christ, the
more near and intimate acquaintance we shall have with them; as you know Neighbours,
the oftner they visit one another, the more acquainted they come one with
another; and the seldomer they visit one another, the more estranged they are
one to another. Visitation breeds acquaintance; so the seldomer you think of
God and Christ, the more you are estranged from them, and the less acquaintance
you have with them; and the oftner you meditate of God, the more intimate
society you will have with him; as I have told you, Divine Meditation
is nothing else but a dwelling upon the things of God, a conversing 100 with
God and Christ, and the Promises, and it will be matter of rare comfort to a
child of God, when he lies upon his death-bed, and is going out of the world,
to consider, I am now going to a God that I am acquainted withal, that
I am not a stranger to: I am going to heaven, where I have been often in my
meditation. It is reported of Dr. Preston, when he was dying, he
used these words, Blessed be God though I
change my place, yet I shall not change my company; for I have walked with God
while I lived, and now I go to rest with God. A man that is often in meditation, is often in Heaven, often walking with
God and Christ, and the Promises; and when he dies, he goes to enjoy the
Promises, and to be and to live for ever with this Christ. It is a sad and a
disconsolate thing for a man when he comes to die, to think of God as a
stranger, to think of Heaven as a place where he hath never been, he hath
hardly had a thought of it all his life. I verily perswade my self, it is one
reason that the Saints of God are so unwilling to die, because they have no
more acquaintance with God in this life, they think of him as a stranger;
the more you are acquainted with God while you live, the more willing you will
be to die to go to him; for death to a child of God is nothing else but a
resting with God, with whom he walked while he 101 lived; to rest in the bosom
of God, in whose bosom he hath often been by holy meditation when he
was alive.
3. You must be often and frequent in the duty of Divine Meditation, by
often using it to make it more easie; there is great complaint of the
difficulty of this duty; it hath been often said to me, Sir, there is no
duty in the world so hard as Divine Meditation: and it is true, it is a
hard matter to keep the heart close in Meditation of Divine things; and
therefore you must accustom your selves to this duty, and use will make
perfectness, usus promptos facit; by often doing it, at last through
grace it will become easie. When a young youth is bound Prentice
to a Manual Trade, at first it seems very hard to learn his Trade, but by long
custom at last he is very expert in it. A man that is to go up a hill every
morning, at first he pants and breathes, and cannot get up the hill, within a
little while he can get up with ease; so this duty of Divine Meditation, though
it be exceeding difficult, because it is exceeding spiritual,
yet by often and frequent practising of it, through the assistance of
Gods Spirit, it will become at last very easie; whereas the seldomness of the
practice of this duty makes it difficult, and intermission of any thing makes
it very hard. A man that learns the Greek or Hebrew Tongues,
or 102 learn to speak French, if he intermit the speaking eleven
or twelve years, he will quickly forget to speak it; so long omission
of this duty is the reason why it is so difficult; would you but
resolve to practise it for one twelve month, you would find it at the twelve
months end an easie duty, through the help of God.
The second property is this, Divine Meditation must be solemn and
serious; though we must accustom our selves to this duty, yet we must take
heed of customariness and formality in the duty; formality in good
duty, is the dead fly that spoils the box of precious ointment; God hates a
formal Christian, he hates a formal prayer, a formal hearer of the word;
formality in Gods service is like the plague of locusts, of which you
read, Exod. 10. that did eat up all the green things in the land; formality
in good duties eats up all the beauty and all the comfort and benefit of a good
duty; there is nothing God hates more than formality in his service; therefore
you must take heed above all things of being formal in the practice of
this duty of Meditation; it must be solemn and serious, and you must
be very intent about it; slight thoughts of God will make but a slight
impression upon the affections; and he that thinks slightly of God, will serve
him 103 slightly, and love him slightly; he that thinks slightly of sin, will
slight sin; he that thinks slightly of God, God will slight him. And the reason
why we serve God with so little affection, and so little devotion and
reverence, is because we meditate slightly of God; for slight
thoughts of God work but a slight heart, and a slight
conversation. I will give you an instance or two of this
slight way of Meditation, Ioh. 6. you shall
read of certain men, that when Christ was preaching had a very good
ejaculation, ver. 34. Lord, (say they) evermore give us of this
bread; it was a sweet Meditation, but it was but a short, a slight
and formal one; for at the end of the Chapter these men forsook
Christ; it was not a solemn and serious Meditation, Ioh.
18. 38. you read of Pilate, Pilate saith unto him,
what is truth? here is a good question that arose from some
inward thought that he had; and when he had said this, he went out again, he
never thought of it more, he never tarried to hear an answer; but now
our care must be to be very solemn and serious in this work of Divine
Meditation; let me give you an example of Alexander the Great; a
Heathen man was offering Sacrifice to his God, the Priest
that held the Censor, the Chafing-dish, wherein the Incense was, there was a
spark of fire fell upon his hand, and he was so intent and 104 unwilling
to hinder the Sacrifice, that he suffered his hand rather to be burnt,
than he would intermit the Sacrifice; this shews how devout and intent this
Priest was, even in the service of the Heathenish God; and Chrysostome
tells a story of a Lady that being to make a precious ointment,
she calls in all her handmaids to help her; so saith he, when we
converse with God in any holy duty, we must call in all our handmaids, all our affections,
when we are making any holy ointment; the meaning is this, when you are
conversing with God by meditation, or conversing with Christ, or the
Promises, you must call in all your affections to assist you, you must
be very solemn and serious, and intent upon this work. And yet I must give you one
caution here, you must take heed you be not
over-intent; though you must be serious, you must not be over-serious.
I have heard a story of a godly Minister, Mr. Welsh, that was one day meditating
of eternity, and he was so serious in the thoughts of Eternity,
that he fell into a trance, into a swound, that they could hardly ever
recover life in him again, he was so swallowed up in that Meditation, he was
too serious; we must be serious, but not over-serious; we must do as
good travellers do, that will be careful not to over-ride their
horses, lest they tire; they will ride moderately, that so they may hold out
105 to their journeys end; so must we be serious, but we must be moderate, not
over-serious; we must remember we have a body of flesh, that is not able
to bear over-much seriousness, in these weighty Meditations of
Eternity, and God, and Christ, and Heaven.
3. Divine Meditation must not only be notional and speculative, but
practical and affectionate; therefore consideration and meditation are not
only acts of the head, but acts of the heart, Deut. 4.
39. Know therefore this day and consider it in thy heart. There are
three doors, as I may so speak, that Meditation must get into, or
else it is of no use.
1. It must get into the understanding, that must ponder
the things of Heaven; but it must not tarry there: But,
2. It must get into the door of the heart and affections to stir them
up; for the understanding must be as a Divine pair of Bellows to kindle a
Divine fire in the heart and affections, and to inflame and raise them up, as David
saith, Psal. 39. While I was musing the fire burned; we must so muse
upon God and Christ, that our affections may as it
were burn within us, as the Disciples hearts burnt within them,
while Christ was speaking.
3. It must get into the door of the conversation; that is, we must so
meditate of Christ as 106 to live according to the life of Christ; and so
to meditate of God as to obey the Commands of God. And unless your Meditation
get into these three doors, it is of no use; the understanding
to the heart and affections is like the nurse to the
child; you know the office of the nurse is to prepare
meat for the child, to chew and cut it, that the child
may eat it; so the work of the understanding is to prepare Divine
Truths for the heart and affections, that the heart may close
with them, and eat and digest them; but if the nurse should eat the
meat she chews, and give nothing to the child, the child may starve for all the
nurse; so though the understanding doth chew never such glorious
Truths, if it doth not convey them to the heart and affections,
it is of no use; there is many a man spends his time in Meditation, as a Butterflye
feeds upon the flower, sucks the flower, not to be fruitful and useful,
but meerly to paint her wings; so he studies and ponders of
Divine things meerly to paint his wings, to get curious language of God and
Christ, and curious notions of sin, and the promises, but because he
doth not convey them into his heart and affections, he is never the holier, never
the better for his Meditation; but true Meditation is this, when we so meditate
of Christ as to find vertue coming out of Christ to cure the bloody issue 107
of our sins; to meditate of him so as to be transformed into him; when we so meditate
of God, as to love God, and desire after God, and rejoice
in God, and live according to the Commands of God; when we so meditate
of sin as to hate and abhor it, and turn from it; so meditate of the promises
as to close with them, when by frequent musing of God there is a holy fire
of Divine love kindled towards God; as it is in Psal. 104. 34. My
meditation of him shall be sweet. When we so meditate on God, as it gets
into our affections to sweeten the thoughts of God unto our souls, then the meditation
of God is sweet; this is the reason why many times an honest plain-hearted
Christian finds more benefit by the practise of this Divine Meditation
than a great Scholar; for a great Scholar will meditate to
find out some glorious expressions, some curious notions. As a man
that reads a book meerly for the fine language, and a man
that hears a Sermon meerly to feast his ears, because of the eloquence
of the Sermon, and goes home never the holier, never the better; but
now the honest plain-hearted Christian meditates of the things of
Heaven, that he may be made the more heavenly; he meditates of God that he may love
and fear him more; he meditates of Christ, that he may prize
him more; he meditates of sin, that he may hate it more; and of the
Promises 108 that he may love them more; though he cannot find out
these curious notions that a Scholar doth, yet his heart is more affected many
times than the heart of a greater Scholar, if he be not godly.
Divine Meditation is of no use unless it be practical
and affectionative.
4. Property is this, Divine Meditation must be particular and
applicative; for generals will not work at all; the Philosopher
saith, that fire in general doth not burn; it is this fire that burns; a sword
in general doth not cut, it is this sword cuts; so confused meditation of
heaven, God and Christ, will do you little good; but if ever you would get good
by the practise of meditation, you must come down to particulars;
and you must so meditate of Christ, as to apply Christ to thy soul;
and so meditate of Heaven, as to apply Heaven to thy soul; this is
mine, this is my portion, Christ is my portion, he is Iehovah my
righteousness. Nam quid est Deus, si non est meus?
What am I the better for Heaven, or for Christ, if they be not mine? what comfort can I have to meditate of Christ, if I have no
interest in him, if I cannot apply him? what
comfort can I have to meditate of Heaven, if I have no right to Heaven; I
meditate of a place that doth not belong to me. Therefore the greatest part of
Meditation is Application; 109 you must apply the things you meditate
of, to your own particular, and that man that in his meditation of
Christ can say with Thomas, My God and my Lord, is of all men the
happiest; blessed is that man that can say, my God and my Lord.
There are four things that work mightily upon the heart, Necessity
and Excellency, Propriety and Perpetuity; the heart is much
taken with things that are excellent, especially when they are necessary;
especially if I have a propriety in them, and this propriety be perpetual;
and thrice happy is that man that can say all these four concerning
God and Christ; that when he meditates of the excellency of God, and
Christ, and Heaven, and the necessity of enjoying them; when he can
add a propriety, all these are mine, God is my God, Christ is my
righteousness, and Heaven is my inheritance, and my inheritance for ever.
Oh this man is in Heaven already, that can make this application
upon Scripture-grounds. And therefore be sure in the practise of this duty,
your meditation be applicative; though a medicine be never so
soveraign, it doth you no good unless you apply it; the water in the
fountain will never do you good, unless it be brought to you by a
cistern, conveyed to you some way or other; so the meditation of 110 God, Christ
and Heaven, will little avail, unless you make application; and this
is especially to be used at the Sacrament; the work you are to do at
the Sacrament is meditation, and in all Sacramental
meditation you must be sure to join application; when you meditate of the
breaking of the bread, of the body of Christ that was broken for you, you must apply
it, it was broken for me; and when you see the wine poured out, you
must meditate of the blood of Christ, that was poured out upon the Cross, you
must make application by faith, that is the great act of faith, This blood was
poured out for me, this body was broken for me, and now God
offers Christ, God gives Christ to me, there is the sweetness in the
Sacrament.
The fifth Property, Divine Meditation must be calm and quiet;
there are many well affected Christians that in the practise of this duty, will
force themselves too much; this is proper to young beginners, that when they
meditate of their sins, will force themselves into tears; and
when they meditate of Christ will force themselves into joy; it is
ordinary when young Christians meditate, because they cannot find their
affections wrought upon, they will use violence to their affections,
and force out tears or joy, according to the nature 111 of the thing they
meditate upon; just like the man, Act. 3. 7, 8. the lame man
that was cured; as soon as ever Peter took him by the hand and lift
him up, immediately his feet and ancle-bones received strength, and he leaping
up, stood and walked, and entred with him into the Temple; the poor man never
walked in all his life, he was lame from his mothers womb; as soon as ever he
found his legs, he fell a leaping presently; he did not leap afterwards, but
walked ordinarily as other men; but he was so overjoyed, that he forced himself
to a kind of leaping; so there are many Christians that when they first set
upon this duty, because they find their hearts very dead and dull, therefore
they will offer violence to their affections, and force themselves to tears or
joy. But you must not do this, the best way is to wait in the practise of
meditation for the coming down of God; to wait for the consolation of
6. And lastly, This Divine Meditation must be persevereing; you
must persevere in this duty, though you cannot at first find the
benefit and comfort that you expect. There are many Christians that have set
upon this work of Meditation, and finding it too hard and difficult, and
meeting with so much opposition in their hearts, wandering thoughts, and
abundance of spiritual distempers, they have been discouraged, and laid it
aside, which certainly they ought not to have done. I have read
of the Leopard, when it looks after his prey, when 113 it looks after
his prey, when it hath a beast in view, that it would prey upon the
manner of its hunting, is to take three or four great skips, and if it
cannot take the beast in three or four skips, then it leaves it, it is
so furious and hasty. So there is many a poor Christian skips into the
duty of Meditation, as it were, by taking three or four leaps, and
sees he cannot compass it, he cannot find the benefit and comfort he would, and
therefore he lays it aside; this is a great fault: you must
wait upon God, as I said in the former, you must continue and persevere,
and go on in this duty: And I have four arguments to perswade you
to persevere in this duty.
1. From the necessity of this duty; it is a duty absolutely
necessary, as I have told you; it is the life of all other duties; prayer will
do you no good unless it be joined with meditation, Oratio sine,
meditatione est arida, saith Bernard, Prayer without Meditation
is dry, and luke warm, and cold; and the reason why our prayers are like so
many dead carcases of prayers, is because we do not join meditation
with prayer: sermons do us no good without meditation. Meditation is
the life of all Religion, and that which puts life into all other
duties. It is of great necessity, and therefore you must not be
weary of well-doing, you 114 must persevere, for there is no
grace crowned without perseverance.
2. Consider the excellency of this
duty, it is the souls transmigration to Heaven, the souls transfiguration,
the souls going up to Heaven to converse with God and Christ, and the things of
eternity; it is a rare duty, as necessary as your daily bread; and
certainly God conveys much of himself in the practise of this duty. As Iesus
Christ when he was in the Mount, was transfigured, and his face shined
like the Sun. So certainly you that are much in the mount of
meditation, you that often go up to meditate of God and Christ, and Heaven,
and sin, your faces will shine, you will be taller than other
Christians in grace by the head.
3. Study the mischiefs that come by the want of practising this duty;
it is not eating meat that nourisheth you, but the digesting of it;
meat may be set before a man, and he may eat a great deal, but if he doth not
digest it, he will never be nourished. Meditation is a digesting of
all the things of God; it is not the hearing a Sermon doth you good, but the meditating
on what you hear; if a man hath a plaister and lays it to his sore, and
take it off as soon as he hath laid it on, it will do no good at all; so when
you hear a Sermon, if you forget it as soon as ever you have heard 115 it, if
you do not chew, meditate and ponder upon what you hear, you will never
get any good. As the beast that chewed not the cud was an unclean beast,
so the unmeditating Christian is an unclean Christian. The
reason why we have so many lean kine, pardon my expression, that
devour the fat, and are never the fatter; I mean so many lean Christians that
devour hundreds of Sermons, that will hear three or four a day, and are never
the beetter, never the fatter; what is the reason of this, because it
comes in at one ear, and goes out at the other, one Sermon justles out another;
but they never meditate, ponder and consider what they hear, that is
the reason why you are so lean in grace. You know there are many hours required
to digest a little meat eaten in a little while; so a man should be many hours
digesting a Sermon that he hears in one hour. God and Christ are like a picture
that hath a curtain drawn over it; now a man will never judg of the
picture till the curtain be withdrawn; Meditation is nothing else but the taking
aside the curtain, and viewing of God. To an unmeditating Christian God is
like the Sun in a cloud; to an unconsidering Christian Christ is like a jewel
in a leathern purse; now meditation opens the purse, and takes out the
jewel, and looks upon it; Meditation draws aside the curtain, 116 and views
God, and beholds the glorious things of God.
4. Consider, that by persevering in this duty it will at last grow
easie; it is I confess a very up-hill duty, a very spiritual Heavenly
duty; but as a man that every day goes up a hill, though at first it be very
difficult, he blows and pants as if his soul would go out of him, but by persevering
in it he can go up the hill without pain or weariness; so though it be
an up-hill, a hard duty, yet if you that have time, as many of you have, would
but set about this work and persevere in it, and labour that your
Meditation be applicative and affectionative; let me assure
you, you would quickly conquer the difficulty by the help of God; let a man be
to kindle a fire, if the wood be wet he must blow, and continue
blowing, and at last he will conquer it; if he fling away the bellows he
will never make the fire burn: but he must continue blowing till he
hath extracted the moisture, and conquered the wood; so when you go to meditate
of God, and Christ, of the Promises, of Heaven, of your sins, though you find
your hearts dead and dull, and full of vain roving thoughts, and you are
mightily out of tune, and much discouraged, you must go on blowing
still, you must blow, and blow, and blow, and at last the fire will kindle, the
great God of 117 Heaven and earth will come in and help you.
Thus I have done with the third particular, the properties of Divine
Meditation.
4. I must speak to the companions of Meditation. There are two
companions you must always join with it, or at least ordinarily.
I am sure that one you must always join, one is reading, the other
is praying.
1. You must join prayer with your meditation; and therefore here in
my Text the same word that signifies to meditate in
the Hebrew, signifies to pray: And Isaac went out to meditate;
the word in the Hebrew is, He went out to pray or to meditate;
and therefore in the Margent it is put; And Isaac went out to pray.
And in the old Translation it is, And
Isaac went out to pray; and in the new Translation it is, He went out
to meditate. The same Hebrew word that signifies to meditate, signifies to pray, to teach us,
that we must always join meditation and prayer together. As
for example, when you meditate of your sins, you must put up a prayer
to God, that you may so meditate of your sins as to get your hearts humbled
for them; and when you meditate of Heaven, you must join prayer with your
meditation, and lift up a prayer that the Lord would help you so to meditate of
Heaven, as to make you fit for Heaven, when I say prayer, I do not
mean a set formal prayer, but a short 118 prayer; when you go
up the hill of Meditation, you must not set your selves at prayer, but
only join short prayer, beseeching God that he would bless it unto
you: Luk. 9. 29. when Christ went up to prayer, while he was
praying, his countenance was changed, he was transfigured; and Cornelius
while he was a praying, the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him; he
had glorious appearances while he was praying, Act. 10. when we go up
to the hill to meditate and to pray, to pray and meditate,
we shall be sure to meet with apparitions from God, with glorious
transfigurations; it is a rare saying of Bernard, Meditation without prayer
is infertilis, barren and lukewarm; prayer without meditation is arida,
dry. And as one saith very well, writing of Meditation, The reason
why the prayers of many of the Saints of God are but carcases of prayer, is
because they do not join meditation and prayer. And the reason why their
meditation is no more powerful, is because they do not
join prayer with their meditation; for meditation without
prayer is altogether useless and unprofitable; you must not meditate in your
own strength.
2. You must join reading with your meditation; understand me
aright, I propound this to weak Christians that want a stock of
knowledg; there are some Christians that are a 119 Walking-library, they are
Books themselves, they need not a Book to help them to meditate.
But you that are weak Christians, my advice is
this, that you would join reading with your meditation. As for
example, would you meditate of Christ? go and take the
Bible, and read the History of his Passion; and when thou
readest any thing remarkable, lay thy book aside, and meditate
seriously of that passage. As for example, when thou comest to read of
Christ sweating drops of blood; that Christ in a cold Winter night upon
the cold ground for thy sake should shed drops of blood: lay thy book
aside, and meditate of these drops of blood; Oh the wrath of God
that he then suffered! and so when thou comest to read
what Christ suffered upon the Cross, when he cried out, My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me! lay aside thy Book, and
meditate of the love of Christ, that was forsaken for thy sake, in regard of outward
comfort, I mean not in regard of union; He was forsaken that thou
maist not be forsaken. So likewise, wouldest thou meditate on the Promises?
if thou be a weak Christian, take a Book that
treats of the Promises, and when thou readest any Promise that is
suitable to thee, lay the Book aside and meditate of that Promise till
thy heart be affected with it, and labour that it may take impression
upon thy soul. Saith Bernard, Long 120 reading without meditation, never
made a good Scholar, it is always barren. And Meditation without reading
leads many a weak Christian over to error. And
therefore when you set a time apart for Meditation, join prayer and reading
with your meditation.
Now here I must give you two Cautions.
1. You must not read much, lest it hinder you meditation; as you
must not be large in prayer, that it may not hinder your
meditation, so you must not be large in reading when you go to
meditate; for prayer and reading are in order to meditation.
2. When you are at the Sacrament, you must lay aside all reading;
you must meditate at the Sacrament without reading; the
reason is, because Christ at the Sacrament preacheth to the eye. And
our Sacramental Elements are our Sacramental Bible; every
action of the Minister is mystical and spiritual; the breaking of the bread,
and the pouring out of the wine is spiritual; Christ Jesus is represented in
all that is done at the Sacrament. And therefore when you begin to be drawn
dry, as I may so speak, and you know not what to meditate on, you must instead
of reading, look upon the Elements, it is a sanctified way to quicken
you to holiness; and you must look upon them with a spiritual eye,
with an understanding 121 eye, as knowing what those Elements
signifie, and the sight of the Elements will suggest matter of meditation. This
I speak because I see many weak Christians, and I believe they do it
upon honest Principles, not being able to hold out in meditation, to keep
themselves from wandring thoughts, read in the Bible; this in it self
is not sinful; but this is not sutable nor proper; for
certainly the proper way of meditation at the Sacrament is to be raised up in
the Sacramental Elements, the Sacramental actions, the
Sacramental promises; and therefore thou must make the whole
Sacramental frame and carriage to be thy Bible at the Sacrament, and
learn to be raised up by that to Heavenly Meditation.
The fifth Particular in order, is the Materials of Meditation; and
here I am to shew you what are those Divine Truths that we are to
meditate upon; this is a subject of large comprehension; for the truth
is, there is no divine object, but it doth deserve our serious
meditation. Give me leave to make you a Common-place-book of Divine
Meditation; I will lay down some heads of Divinity, that a
Christian ought to spend his life in, meditating upon, sometimes upon one
of them, sometimes upon another of them: as for example, he that would
avoid all sin, and thrive in all godliness, 122 must meditate
frequently and seriously of Death, of Iudgment, of Heaven
and Hell; these are called quatuor Novissima, the four last
things.
1. You must meditate of death; now I will not shew you how
you should go about to meditate of death, but I will give you some
heads to help you.
1. You must meditate of the certainty of death; there is nothing so certain as that thou must die.
2. You must meditate of the uncertainty of death; there is nothing
so uncertain as the time when we must die; death comes certainly,
and death comes uncertainly, death comes suddenly; there is no Almanack
can tell you when your death shall come; your Almanacks will tell you
when the next Eclypse of the Sun and Moon will be, but they will not tell you
when the eclypse of your lives shall be. And death comes irresistibly,
it comes like pain upon a woman in travel, it comes like an armed Giant, that will not be resisted when it comes.
3. You must meditate concerning your fitness for death; whether
thou hast got thy graces, thy evidences ready for death; whether thou art a
wise Virgin, or a foolish Virgin? whether thou hast
got oyl into thy lamp, or no?
123 4. You must meditate concerning death, how
you may so live as to be above the hurt of death, that death might be an
out-let to all misery, and an in-let to all happiness.
5. You must meditate how to live in continual expectation of, and
continual preparation for death.
6. You must especially meditate how to be free from the slavish fear of
death; there are many of Gods children that live all their lives long under
the bondage of the fear of death; and it is the excellency of a Christian
to meditate how to be above the hurt and fear of death, and for that purpose
you must look upon death with Scripture-spectacles, you must look upon
death as the going from the prison of this life, to the palace of Heaven, as
disarmed by Christ, as perfumed by Christ, as a Serpent without a sting, as a
passage to eternal life.
Thus you see how you must meditate of Death.
2. You must meditate of the day of Iudgment.
1. You must meditate of the terribleness of the day
of Judgment; it is called the terror of the Lord, 2 Cor. 5. 11. It is
called by the ancient Fathers, the great and terrible day of Iudgment;
In which Iesus Christ will come in 124 flaming
fire to render vengeonce upon all those that know him not.
2. You must meditate of the great assizes that will be kept at that day,
in which all the men, and women, and children, that ever have lived since Adam's
time to the end of the world, shall all appear before the Tribunal-seat of
Jesus Christ.
3. You must meditate of the great account you are to give to God at that
day, the strict, the exact, the particular account; it is a day in which
we must answer for all our idle words, for all our idle thoughts, in which all
our secret sins shall be made manifest.
4. You must meditate of the great separation that shall be made at that
day, when the goats shall be placed on the left hand, and the sheep
on the right hand, there will be a perfect separation. In this life goats and
sheep are mingled together, but at that day there will not be one sheep on the
left, nor one goat on the right hand.
5. You must meditate of the happy condition of a child of God at that
great and terrible day of Iudgment; it shall be a day of his Coronation,
in which he shall be crowned with glory and immortality; it shall be a day of
salvation to him.
6. You must meditate of the cursed condition of an ungodly man at the
day of Iudgment; 125 it shall be a day of perdition and everlasting
destruction to him.
3. You must meditate of Heaven.
1. You must meditate of the joys of Heaven; that are so
great, that eye never saw, nor ear heard, nor ever can it enter into the heart
of man to conceive the greatness of them.
2. You must meditate sometimes of the Beatifical Vision, of the
blessed sight of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and of the happiness that
that soul shall enjoy that is admitted to that blessed sight; for because God
is infinitely perfect, and all perfection is in God, whosoever is admitted to
the sight of God, beholds and enjoys all things in God.
3. You must meditate of the perfection of the happiness of Heaven.
4. You must meditate of the perpetuity of the happiness of Heaven;
there you shall have fulness of joy, and pleasures at the right hand of God for
evermore.
5. You must meditate of your fitness for heaven, whether you are
made meet and fit to partake of that glorious inheritance: you must meditate
whether God hath sent Heaven down into thee; for no man shall ever go up to
Heaven, but Heaven must first come down to him; you must meditate whether 126
that Christ that hath prepared Heaven for thee, hath prepared thee for Heaven.
6. You must meditate what you must do, that you may be meet to go
to Heaven, how you may lead your lives so that you may be sure at last to
obtain Heavens eternity.
4. You must meditate of Hell; as Bernard saith, you
must go often down into hell by your meditation while you live, and you
shall be sure not to go down to hell when you die. Descendamus vivenles, &
non descendemus morientes, as Chrysostome saith excellently; if
the not thinking of Hell would free you from Hell, I would never have you think
of hell; but whether you think of it or no, Hell-fire burns, and
your not thinking of it will bring you thither. And the reason why so many
go to Hell when they die, is because they do
not think of Hell while they live.
1. You must study the punishment of loss; what a cursed thing it is
to be excluded from the presence of God for ever and ever; that is one great
part of hell to be shut out of Heaven, to be shut out from the Beatifical
Vision, from the glorious presence of God and Christ, and the Saints of
God.
2. You must study poenam census, the punishment of sense; for the
damned are not only shut out of Heaven, but they endure endless, easless
torments; you must meditate of the hell-worm, 127 and the hell-fire; the
Scripture speaks of a hell-fire, and a hell-worm, and of the eternity of the
hell-fire, and the eternity of the hell-worm, Mat. 9. 44, 46. Where the worm never dieth, and the fire never goeth out.
What is meant by this worm? nothing else but
the gnawing of an awakened conscience. Oh think of this hell-worm, and
this hell-fire, that you may never come to be so miserable as to be
made partakers of it. These are the first four things.
In the next place to give you some more; he that would thrive in all
godliness, and avoid all sin, must meditate often of God, of Christ,
of the Holy Ghost, and of himself.
1. He must meditate of God, and that is a rare subject of
meditation. David saith, Psal. 104. 34. My meditation of God
shall be sweet.
1. Sometimes you must meditate of the Attributes of God, of his Eternity,
a God from everlasting to everlasting. You must meditate of
his unchangeableness, a God in whom there is no shadow of turning.
You must meditate of his Omnipresence, a God that fills Heaven and
earth with his presence. Of his Essence; you must meditate of his Omnipotence;
a God that is able to do all things, nothing is impossible with God. You must
meditate of his Omniscience; 128 a God that knows all things, to whom
all things are naked. You must meditate of his Simplicity, and the
perfection of his nature; of his all-sufficiency, and his self-sufficiency;
here is a sea of matter. What rare Christians should we be, if we did often, and often meditate on these things, instead of meditating
on vanities and follies?
2. You must meditate of the works of God; of the work of Creation,
of the glorious fabrick of Heaven and Earth, and you must meditate of the work
of Redemption, that glorious work of God in sending Jesus Christ into
the world; this meditation is that which swallows up the Angels and Saints in
Heaven. You must meditate of the wonderful love of God in giving
Christ to become a curse for us. You must meditate of the incomparable goodness
of God in giving the Son of his love, his natural Son, to die for his adopted
Sons.
3. You must meditate in what relation you stand towards God,
whether you stand in a Covenant-relation to God or no? whether you stand reconciled to God or no? whether God be your reconciled Father in Christ, or no?
2. You must meditate upon Christ.
1. You must meditate of the Divine Nature of Christ, he is God from
everlasting, he is coequal, coessential, coeternal
with his Father.
129 2. You must meditate of the humane nature
of Christ, of God manifested in the flesh, of God made man, the union of
two Natures into one Person.
3. You must meditate of the Offices of Christ, of the Kingly
office, the Priestly office, the Prophetical office of
Christ; but more especially you must meditate of the Life, the Death,
the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Intercession of
Christ.
1. You must meditate of the Life of Christ, and examine, whether thy
life be answerable to his life? if thou dost not
live as Christ lived, thou shalt have no benefit in Christs Death and Passion:
thou must meditate of Christs life, to follow the example of his life.
2. You must meditate of his Death, that is
a rare meditation to prepare you for the Sacrament.
1. You must meditate what Christ suffered, what he suffered when he
was in the Garden, when he sweat drops of blood, and prayed, Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Oh the bloody agony that
Christ was then in! And then you must meditate what Christ suffered when he was
upon the Cross, when he cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? When there was darkness for three hours together upon the face 130 of
the earth; when there was darkness without, and darkness within
too; when there was a withdrawing the light of Gods countenance from Christ.
You must meditate what Christ suffered in Pilates Hall, when he was whipt,
scourged, buffeted. Oh what love to Christ would this kindle in your
hearts, if you had serious meditation of these things.
2. You must meditate for whom Christ suffered all these things; for
us when we were his enemies, us wretched damned creatures; not the blessed
Angels, but us, us sinful men.
3. You must meditate who he was that suffered all this, even Jesus
Christ the eternal Son of God.
4. You must consider with what love he suffered all this, infinite
love, the height, and depth, and length, and breadth, of the love of God in
suffering all this for us.
5. You must consider what interest you have in Christ crucified? whether Christ was crucified effectually for thee, or no?
3. You must study the Resurrection of Christ.
4. You must study the Ascension of Christ.
5. You must study the Intercession of Christ; the sitting of Christ
at the right hand of God the Father, where he lives for ever to make
Intercession for you.
131 3. You must meditate of the Holy Ghost;
and there are rare things to fill up your thoughts.
1. You must meditate of the Divine nature of the Holy Ghost, that
the Holy Ghost is the third person in the Trinity, that the Holy Ghost
is God blessed for ever.
2. You must meditate of the Office of the Holy Ghost; it
is the office of the third Person in the Trinity to bring us into the
possession of all the Father hath decreed,
and the Son hath purchased; to make us partakers of the decree of the Father,
and the purchase of the Son.
3. You must study the Divine motions of the holy
Spirit; and we must meditate how often we have quenched the Spirit of Christ,
how often we have resisted these motions, how often we have imbraced these
motions.
4. You must meditate of the grace of the Spirit, (this will open a
door to a great deal of excellent matter) you must meditate of the grace of faith,
the grace of repentance, the grace of love to God, and
Christ, and thy neighbour; the grace of fear of God, and the grace of humility;
that is, you must meditate whether your faith be a right faith, or no; whether
it be the faith of a Simon Magus, or the faith of a Simon Peter;
whether it be an Historical faith only, or a justifying faith; 132 and whether
your repentance be a true repentance or no; and whether your love to Christ be
a true love, or a counterfeit love.
4. You must meditate of your selves.
1. You must meditate of the fourfold state of man; man may be
considered in a fourfold state:
1. Either in the state of innocency, as he was before the fall, a spotless
picture of God; that is a rare meditation: study the happiness of man
before he fell, when he was made after Gods own image.
2. The state of man when fallen, when corrupted: study the cursed
condition of man in his natural condition.
3. The estate of man when restored by Christ, when regenerated,
when renew'd, when made a picture of God.
4. The estate of man in Heaven.
1. What thou wert in Adam.
2. What thou art when fallen.
3. What thou art in Christ.
4. What thou shalt be in Heaven.
You must meditate of your sins, of your good duties, of
your evidences, and of your comforts.
1. You must meditate of your sins, that is a large field to walk
in; you must meditate of the sins you have committed against God, of
your sins of omission, of your sins of commission; 133 your
sins against the Law, your sins against the Gospel, your
Sermon-sins, your Sacrament-sins, your spiritual sins, your fleshly sins. You
must meditate of sin to be humbled for it, that
is a rare meditation to fit you for the Sacrament. And oh
that we had hearts seriously to meditate of our sins.
2. You must meditate of your good duties, that is how many good duties we
omit, how many good duties we sinfully perform; whether we perform duties so as
to please God in the performance of them.
3. You must meditate of your Evidences for Heaven, whether they are
right or no; whether you have gotten Tribunal-proof assurance for Heaven;
whether thy Evidences for Heaven are death-enduring; whether they will hold out
at the day of Judgment.
4. You must meditate of your comforts; whether those comforts that
you have, be the consolations of the Spirit, or the delusions of the
Devil. There are many men will tell you that they have comforts, but their
comforts are Diabolical delusions, not Divine
consolations.
You must meditate of the frailty of your body, the immortality
of your soul, the dependance you have upon God,
and the advantage God hath you at.
134 1. The frailty of your body; the body
of man is made of dust, and will quickly crumble to dust; it is an earthly
Tabernacle that is easily dissolved. What a rare thing will it be to take
the Scripture, and study all the comparisons to which the life of man is
compared? to set out the shortness of it, it is compared to grass,
to hay, to stubble, to dry stubble, to a dry
leaf, to a swift post, to a vapour, to a hands-breadth;
meditate of the frailty of thy vile body, that will quickly go down to the
house of rottenness.
2. Meditate of the immortality of thy soul, thy precious soul,
which is a picture of God, made by God, and made for God. There is no
man but hath a heavenly tapour within him, which can never be blown
out; there is no man but he hath that within him that he cannot kill
himself; there is no man but he hath that within him that must live
for ever as blessed as an Angel, or as cursed as a Devil. Meditate upon
the dependance you have upon God. Oh this will keep thee humble,
and make thee comply with Gods will; thou dependest upon God for thy being,
thy well-being, thy eternal being; thou dependest upon God
every minute, thou livest by Gods upholding thee; study the dependance thou
hast upon God for thy soul, thy body, thy wise, thy children, thy all.
135 4. Meditate of the advantage God hath thee
at. God hath all the world between his hands, as
the Prophet saith; and he can easily crush us, as we do a moth; as we
are creatures he can annihilate us if he please; and as we are sinners
he can throw us into hell if he please. Study the relations in which
God hath placed thee; study thy calling, thy company, thy heart.
1. Study thy relations in which God hath placed thee; there is none
of us all but we are under many relations; art thou a Minister, art
thou a Magistrate, art thou a Father, art thou a Master?
study the duties of every relation; study how to
honour God in every relation; study to keep a good conscience in every
relation.
2. Study thy calling; how to honour God in thy calling, how to keep
a good conscience in thy calling; how to keep thy self unspotted from the sins
of thy calling, for there is no calling but hath some sin or other
attending it. Oh meditate, that thy Shop do
not destroy thy soul; meditate to keep a good conscience in thy Shop;
that thou dost not lose in thy own house what thou gainest in Gods
house.
3. Study thy company, what company to keep, that is a great matter;
for I know a man by his company more than any thing whatsoever; I mean
by the company he useth to 136 keep. Study to keep a good
conscience in all company, study to keep thy self from the sins of thy company.
4. Study thy heart: meditate often of thine own heart, the
deceitfulness of thy heart; the heart is deceitful above all things,
it is the greatest cheater in the world; and there are thousands whose hearts
do cozen them into Hell; thy heart will tell thee thou lovest God when thou
dost not love him at all; that thou art upright, when thou art an hypocrite.
Study thy Thoughts, thy Affections, thy Words,
and thy Actions.
1. Meditate of thy Thoughts, the vanity of thy thoughts,
the vileness of thy thoughts, the Hell, shall I say, that is in thy
thoughts; if all the thoughts that we think were written upon our foreheads,
how would we be ashamed that the world should see us. Oh meditate of thy covetous
thoughts, of thy lustful thoughts, thy vile and vain thoughts, to be
humbled for them.
2. Meditate of thy Affections: God doth especially look to our
affections; he hates any service that is not mixed with affection.
There are several Affections; meditate of thy love, whether
thou lovest God or the world 137 most. Meditate where thy love is, whether thou
servest God out of love; whether the world doth not lye nearer thy heart than
Christ; Meditate of thy desire, whether thou hast larger desires
after the creature than after God; Meditate of thy joy, whether thou
dost not delight more in vanity than in Christ Jesus; And meditate of
thy sorrow, whether thou dost not mourn more for outward losses than
for thy sins? Meditate of thy anger, whether thy anger be rightly
placed; And meditate of thy trust and hopes,
whether thou dost, trust in God at all times.
3. You must meditate of your Words; Oh what a world of sin is in
our tongues! and if we would meditate of the
sins of our tongues, Oh what a black catalogue would there be! the tongue is a world of iniquity, set on fire
of hell, saith the Apostle Iames.
4. Meditate of thy Actions, whether thy actions be agreeable to the will of God or no, how thou behavest thy
self towards God, and towards thy neighbour.
Meditate of the sinfulness of sin, the vanity of the
world, the length of eternity, and the excellency of the Gospel.
1. Meditate of the sinfulness of sin; sin is the greatest evil in
the world, it is a greater 138 evil than banishment, than death, than Hell it
self; meditate of the intrinsecal and extrinsecal evil of sin.
2. Meditate of the vanity of the creature: all earthly things are
vain, they are vanity of vanity, and vexation of spirit; they are all
unsatisfying and unprofitable; what will all the world do you good when you are
sick, when you are ready to die.
3. Meditate of the length of eternity; Oh eternity! eternity! that we studied thee
more! that we thought more of thee! Study the difference
between time and eternity; for Time is nothing else but an
intersection between two Eternities; before there was time, there was eternity;
and when time shall be no more, there shall be eternity. Time
in comparison of Eternity is no more than a Thatcht-house in comparison of all
the houses in the world; than a drop of water in comparison of the Ocean.
4. Study the excellency of the Gospel;
Oh meditate of the glorious Gospel of Christ, and what a priviledg it
is to enjoy the Gospel; and meditate whether thy life be answerable to the
Gospel; whether thou that hast lived so long under the Gospel, hast lived a
life conformable to the Gospel.
Study the Commandments of God, the 139 Threatnings of God,
the Promises of God, and the Ordinances of God.
1. Study the Commandments of God; whether thou keepest them, or no;
to be humbled for not keeping them, to labour to keep them better.
2. Study the Threatnings of God, and stand in awe of them, and fear
them.
3. Study the Promises of God, the glorious, the precious Promises,
the freeness of the Promises, the fulness of the Promises,
the infallibleness of the Promises; there is no condition a child of
God can be in, but there is some promise or other to comfort him; the universality
of the tender of the Promises, thy interest in the Promises, whether
the Promises of the Gospel belong to thee, or no
4. Study the Ordinances of God, that is, study how to come prepared
to Ordinances, how to manage Ordinances so, that Gods name may be
honoured by them. And there are four Ordinances that you must meditate
of.
1. You must meditate of the Ordinance of Prayer; you must study the
excellency of Prayer, the efficacy of Prayer;
you must study to get the gift of Prayer, to get the grace of
Prayer. Study how to pray in the Holy Ghost; how to pray with faith, with
fervency, with repentance.
140 2. You must meditate of the Ordinance of
reading the Word; that is an Ordinance of God, and you must study to read
the Word with reverence and godly fear, to read the Word as Gods Word,
to read the Word in a different way than you read any other Book whatsoever.
3. You must meditate of the Ordinance of hearing the Word; study
the right art of hearing the Word; so to hear the Word as to be transformed
into what you hear; to be trained up to Heaven by what you hear; so to
hear the Word as Gods Word, with an universal resignation of thy will to what
thou hearest.
4. The Ordinance of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper; Oh meditate
much of this Ordinance.
I have told you several Heads of Meditation for the Sacrament.
Study the errors of the times, the Iudgments of God upon
the Nation, the changes God hath made in this Nation, and the mercies
of God.
1. Study the errors of the times, labour to get preservatives
against them; it is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation; there is
a great Apostacy from the Truths of Christ 141 among many Professors of
Religion; you shall hardly go into a family but you shall find some or other be-lepered
with error. Here is thy work, O Christian, to study the errors of the
times, what to do, to get antidotes and preservatives against Anabaptism,
against Socinianism, against Anti-sabbatarianism, against Anti-scripturism,
against those that deny the Divinity of Christ, and the Divinity of the Holy
Ghost; to get Spiritual armour, to be able to resist all the errors of these
times. It is a great shame, and oh that you would be humbled for it, that one
erroneous person can speak more for the defence of his error than twenty
Orthodox Christians are able to speak for the Truth, for want of studying antidotes
and preservatives against the errors of the times.
2. Study the Iudgments of God that have been for these many years
upon England, Scotland, and Ireland; the hand of God is gone
out against these three Nations, and the Lord hath laid us desolate,
and the sword hath drunk a great deal of blood, and no man lays it to heart.
Now let us meditate of Gods great Iudgments upon this land, that we may know the meaning of Gods rod, and we may
know how to get all these Judgments sanctified unto us.
142 3. Meditate of the great changes that
God hath made in this Nation; we have been tossed from one condition to
another, from one way of Government to another. Study all the changes and
alterations that God hath made by his permitting-Providence: Oh what a shame is
it that we should meditate no more of Gods ways and dealings, to know the
meaning of God in all these alterations and changes, and what the language
of God is; and what use we should make of them, and how we should keep
a good conscience, and keep close to our Principles, and how
we should honour God under all our changes.
4. You must meditate of the several passages of Gods Providence towards
us; there is no man or woman here but hath had rare experience of
Gods Providence, either in the place of thy dwelling, that God should
pitch thy dwelling under such a Minister; or in the manner of thy Marriage,
or the Providence of God at such a time, under such a sickness; it is
our duty to take special notice of the Providence of God, in raising thee up a friend,
in helping thee at such a time. For want of Meditation we lose all the benefit
of the passages of Gods Providence, and God loseth all his glory.
5. You must meditate of the mercies of God, of National
mercies, Family mercies, 143 Personal mercies, mercies to thy
soul, mercies to thy body, preventing mercies, following
mercies; what a Catalogue would here be, if you would keep a daily account of
the mercies of God!
The sixth thing is to lay down Rules and Directions for
the better practising of this most excellent and necessary
duty of Divine Meditation; and indeed this is the chief of all: there is no
Christian but he will confess it is a very difficult duty to dwell upon the
thoughts of Heaven, and Heavenly things. Divine Meditation is an up-hill duty;
and the reason why it is so difficult; is because it is so excellent. Difficilia
quae pulchra, the more excellent any duty is, the more difficult it is.
And another reason why it is so difficult, is because
it is so contrary to corrupt nature; now the more contrary any duty is to
corrupt nature, the more excellent it is. The difficulty of the duty should not
so much discourage us, as the excellency of the duty
should quicken us. Now that I may help you against the difficulty of this duty,
I shall lay down three sorts of rules.
1. Rules for the right qualifying of the person that is to meditate.
2. Rules for the right ordering the Subjects upon which he is to
meditate.
144 3. Rules for the right
meditation upon these Subjects.
I. I shall lay down Rules and Directions for the right qualifying and
ordering the person that is to practise this Divine duty of Meditation; and for
that purpose I shall give you in these Rules.
1. Convince thy soul of the absolute necessity of Divine Meditation; I have
shewed it is a duty expresly commanded by God, a duty required of all sorts of
persons, of Kings, of Generals of Armies, of young Gentlemen, of Women, of
Ministers; David, Ioshua, young Isaac in my Text practised
this duty; and many Women, and many holy men. Let me add, that this very duty
is the life and soul of all Christianity; you are but carcasses of Christians
if you be not acquainted with it; it is as impossible to live without a soul,
as it is to be a good Christian without Divine Meditation. As it is impossible
for a man to be nourished by meat if he want digestion and concoction; so it is
impossible for a man to be nourished in grace, if he neglect the duty of Divine
Meditation; for Divine Meditation is the spiritual concoction and digestion of
all holy things, and all holy duties. As a man without concoction, I mean
without a faculty of digestion and concoction, so is a Christian without the
practise of Divine Meditation.
145 2. Convince your souls (and the Lord convince
you) of the great benefits and advantages that are obtained by a conscientious
practise of Divine Meditation; as I have shewed, Divine Meditation is a mighty
help to the begetting grace, and increasing grace.
1. It is a mighty help to the begetting repentance; as David saith,
Psal. 119. 59. I considered my ways, and turned my feet unto thy
testimonies. It was the consideration of the evil of his ways, that made David
turn his feet to Gods Testimonies. And it is said of Peter, Mark 14.
72. When he thought thereon, he wept; what made Peter repent?
the meditation of the unkindness of the sin he
committed against Christ. And what made the Prodigal child come home to his
father? Luk. 15. 17. When he came to
himself he considered, and said, how many hired servants of my fathers, have
bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger? It was consideration
that made the Prodigal child come home to his father; he considered how much
bread there was in his fathers house, and he ready to starve.
2. Divine Meditation is a mighty help to the love of God; for to an
inconsiderate Christian God is as a picture with a curtain drawn over it, but
consideration takes away the curtain, unveils God to a man, and shews 146 him
all the beauty and excellency that is in God; and it is like a fiery furnace to
kindle a Divine fire of love in the soul of every Christian.
3. It is a mighty help to beget in us the fear of God; Oh did you
meditate much of the power of God, and the goodness of God, and the
forgivenesses that are in God, Oh you would fear God for his goodness, and for
his greatness; the reason why we love God no more, is because we think of God
no more, study God no more.
4. It would be a mighty help to the love of Christ; for Christ
Jesus to an unmeditating Christian is like a book that is sealed, like a
treasure that is lockt up; but Meditation opens this book, unlocks this
treasure; and that man that solemnly meditates of the excellency and love of
Christ, cannot but love Christ.
5. It is a mighty help to the contempt of the world; for the world is like
gilded Copper, there is a glittering excellency in it, but meditation of the
vanity of the world will wash off all the gilt, the whorish paint, the
glittering excellency that is in the world; a man that looks upon the world a
far off, sees nothing in it but excellency; but when you come to meditate of
the vanity of the world, and all worldly things, meditation will 147 make you
contemn the world, and all worldly things.
3. Consider the unconceivable and unexpressible mischiefs that come upon a
Christian for want of Divine Meditation. What is the reason why men go on in
their sins without repentance? it is for want of
Meditation. Ier. 8. 6. No man repenteth,
because no man saith what have I done? What is the reason the Word of God
takes no more impression upon your hearts, and there is no more good done by
Preaching? it is because you do not meditate upon what
you hear; as a plaister that is put to a wound, if it be pluckt off as soon as
it is put on, it will never do you good; so if a Sermon be forgotten as soon as
it is heard, it will never profit you. And what is the reason that the mercies
of God do no more good, that men are no more thankful for mercies, and no more
fruitful under mercies? because they do not consider
their mercies? come from God, Hos. 2. 8. She did
not know (that is, she did not consider) that I gave her corn, and
wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold which they prepared for Baal.
They would not have prepared their silver and gold for Baal, had they
considered that God gave it, but they would have served God with it; that is
the reason why you are so proud of your mercies, and sin against God 148 with
your mercies, because you do not meditate that the Lord hath given you all the
mercies you have; and what is the reason men get no more good by afflictions? because they do not consider why God afflicts them; what is
the meaning of Gods rod, and how they might get their afflictions sanctified:
the want of the practice of Divine Meditation is the cause of all punishment,
as well as of all sin, Ier. 12. 11. All the whole land is made desolute,
because no man lays it to heart.
4. If you would be rightly qualified for Divine Meditation, labour to get a sufficient furniture of spiritual knowledg; for the reason
why this duty is so difficult, and why men cannot continue long at it, is for
want of sufficient matter to meditate upon. For as I shewed you, Meditation is
a dwelling, a musing, an abiding upon the things we know of God, or Christ, or
the Promises; it is an unlocking of the treasure of knowledg concerning God,
and Christ, and Heaven; and he that hath not a good stock of knowledg of
Christ, or the Promises, can never continue long to meditate upon Christ, or
the Promises; if ever you would be a good Practitioner of this duty of Divine
Meditation, you must labour to be instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven, as the
Phrase is, Mat. 13. 42. Every Scribe which is instructed unto the
5. If ever you would be a good Practitioner in the School of Divine
Meditation, you must labour to get a serious spirit; for a slight-headed
Christian, can never be a good meditating Christian; a slight-headed and a
slight-hearted Christian, that cannot dwell upon things, but rove from one
thing to another, cannot be a good Christian; pardon my words, I speak them
upon much deliberation: for Religion is a serious matter, it is a business of
eternity, and therefore it requires a serious Christian; and if ever you would
practise this duty that I am preaching of, if ever you would go up to the mount
of Meditation 150 to converse with God there, you must labour to be of a
serious spirit, as those were, Luk. 1. 66. And all they that heard him,
laid it up in their hearts; they did not slight what they heard, but laid
it up in their hearts, Luk. 2. 19. But Mary kept all these sayings, and
pondered them in her heart. Luk. 2. 51. But
his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. A good Christian is a
pondering, a serious Christian.
There is a fourfold frame of spirit that cannot stand with true Christianity,
nor with the practice of this duty that I am preaching of,
and the Lord help you against them.
1. A slight frame of spirit; that man that thinks slightly of God, will love
him but slightly, and serve him but slightly; slight thoughts of God will make
but slight impressions upon the heart, and slight impressions upon the life.
Slight thoughts of God will have but slight affections to God; for if my
apprehensions be slight, my affections and my actions will be slight; for my
affections and actions follow my apprehension. Therefore a slight frame of
spirit is a very sad frame of spirit.
2. As there is a slight, so there is a trifling frame of spirit; when a man
thinks of the things of Heaven as trifles; when a man trifles way a Sacrament,
trifles away a Sermon, 151 trifles away a Prayer, as thousands of you do. Oh it
is a sad thing for a man to be serious in trifles, and to trifle in serious
things! I cannot tell which is the worst, though I
think rather the second is the worst. That is a sad thing when a man looks upon
Sabbaths, and Sacraments, and Ministers, and Ministry, and all the holy things
of God as trifles; such an one was Gallio, when he saw it was a matter
of Religion, he cared for none of these things, he looked upon them as trifles.
A trifling frame of spirit cannot consist with true Christianity.
3. There is a watry frame of spirit; there are some men, tell them
of their sins, and they will yield to you, and confess their sins, and promise
amendment; and there are many, while they are at a Sermon, the Sermon takes
impression upon them, but they are of a watry spirit, nothing will abide upon
them. As a man that flings a stone into the water, it will make one circle, and
another circle, and another circle, a great many circles, but there is no abiding
of them, they are quickly gone; so there are some men, their hearts will melt
at a Sermon, or a Sacrament, but they are of a watry spirit, nothing will abide
upon them. Take a stone and fling it at a feather-bed, the stone will make a
great dint in it, but this dint will not abide; though the feather-bed 152
yield to the stone, yet there is no remaining of the impression; so, many a man
is of a yielding spirit, that nothing will fix.
4. A rash inconsiderate frame of spirit cannot stand with true Christianity;
when a man rusheth upon good duties, and upon Offices, Church-offices, and
State-offices, without any deliberation, Meditation, or preparation; when a man
prays rashly, comes to the Sacrament rashly, headily, hand over head, as we
say; this man is a spiritual fool, and all his holy duties are the sacrifices
of fools, Eccles. 5. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house
of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifices of fools, for
they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not
thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God. A rash spirited man that
prays headily, and comes to holy duties headily and inconsiderately, this man
catcheth many a fall: as a man that runs hastily will quickly stumble; so a man
that is spiritually rash, will run into many spiritual evils. As a man that is
rash in his calling will quickly out-run himself, so he that is rash in holy
duties will quickly run into a thousand mischiefs; as Peter was so
rash when he said to Christ, Though all men forsake thee, yet will not I.
He was over rash, but it cost him dear. So it was a rash act of David,
when he went to kill Nabal, and if 153 Abigail had not
hindred him, he had murdered him. And when he gave the land to Mephibosheth's
servant, it was a rash act.
Consider, I beseech you, these four Particulars; these frames of
spirit will never make you good Christians, never fit you for the practise of
this rare duty of Divine Meditation; but you must pray unto God that
he would give you a solemn and serious spirit, if ever you would be rightly
qualified to go up to the mount of Divine Meditation.
The sixth Rule is this, Labour for the love of Heaven, and
Heavenly things; the reason why people find it so difficult to meditate
upon Heavenly things, is for want of love to them; for if you did love Christ,
I need not perswade you to meditate of God; I need not perswade a covetous man
to meditate of his money; a man that loves the world, you need not perswade him
to meditate of the world; or a man that is voluptuous, to meditate upon his
pleasures, his love to his pleasures will force him to think of them; a man
that is ambitious, you need not perswade him to think of honour and preferment,
but the love that he hath to preferment, will force him to think of it. So, did
you love God, Christ, Heavenly things, you would be much in the meditation of
them. And the reason why you meditate no more of them,
is because 154 you love them no more, Psal. 119. 97. Oh how do I love thy
law! what then? it
is my meditation all the day. What made David meditate all the
day upon the Law of God? because he loved it, Psal. 1.
7. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he
meditate day and night. A man that is deep in love with a woman, you need
not bid him think of that woman. Where the love is, there the soul is. Oh, did
you delight in the things of Heaven, I need not lay down rules to
perswade you to the practise of it; the very love would be a loadstone; love is
a loadstone of Meditation; and he that loves good things will think of them: Cogitatione
crebra, cogitatione longa, cogitatione profunda; that is, very often, very
long, and very deep; a man that is deep in love, is deep in meditation of the
party he loves.
The seventh Rule, Labour to get an interest in Heavenly things;
labour by Scripture-evidences to make out thy interest in Heavenly things; what
comfort can that man have of meditating of Heaven, that doth not know he hath a
right to Heaven? what comfort can that man have of
meditating of Christ, that doth not know that Christ is his? what
comfort can that man have in meditation of God, that looks upon God as his
enemy. It is interest 155 that will facilitate Divine Meditation; a
man that hath an interest in an inheritance, will often think of it; if he hath
a thousand pound a year that is his own, he is often thinking how to improve
it, and enjoy it; but if he hath no title or right to it, alas he will not
think of it, what doth he care for it: It is your interest in the things of
Heaven, that will raise your meditation of them; and as long as you have no
assurance of a title to Heaven, you will never heartily meditate of it; you may
know it by rote and by form, but you will never heartily meditate of it, till
you know it to be your inheritance; and you will never heartily meditate of the
Promises, till you know you have a title to them, that they are Promises made
to you.
The eighth Rule is this, Labour to get a heart disengaged and
disintangled from the world; a man that is dead and buried in the world,
it is in vain to perswade him to go up the mount of Meditation; a bird that is
in a Lime-twig, it is in vain to bid that bird fly, alas poor bird she
is intangled in the Lime-twig; a man that is intangled in the lime-twigs
of the world, it is in vain to bid this man mount up in Meditation. The love of
the world is like the plague of flies that Pharoah had in Egypt,
he could not eat a bit of meat, but the 156 flies got into his meat, and got
into his drink; so a man that is up to the ears in the world, cannot pray,
cannot hear a Sermon, and cannot receive the Sacrament, but this plague of
flies comes there; the thoughts of the world is at the Sacrament with him, in
Prayer with him, on the Sabbath-day with him. The love of the world (pray pardon
me in this expression) is just like a familiar spirit; for indeed I
cannot speak too much against it; a Witch, that hath a familiar spirit, it will
go along with her wheresoever she goes; when she hath once entertained it, she can
never be rid of it, but the Devil will haunt her; so the love of the world is
an invisible Devil, and will haunt you wheresoever you go; if you go to the
Sacrament, there the Devil will haunt you; if you go to the mount of
Meditation, the Devil and the world will be there; if you go to pray, there the
Devil will be. And you that are in these lime-twigs, it is in vain to preach to
you the Doctrine of Divine Meditation; and therefore let me speak to
you as God did to Moses, Put the shooes off thy feet, for the place whereon
thou stands is holy ground: So do I say, if ever you would be qualified
for this duty of Divine Meditation, put the shooes off your feet. You
must labour to be mortified to the world, and worldly things; you must
labour to get a Heavenly 157 frame of spirit; it is in vain to perswade a
worldly man to meditate of Heavenly things, I do but beat the air; for such as
the heart is, such will the man be; if the heart be lustful, the man will
meditate of lustful things, and act lustful things; if the heart be worldly,
the man will be worldly; such as thy heart is, such is thy thoughts, such are
thy affections, such are thy actions; and till thy heart be Heavenly, thou
canst never be a fit practitioner of this duty; and therefore labour for a Heavenly
heart.
The ninth Rule is this, Be not discouraged though you find a
difficulty in the beginning, of practising this duty, but accustom thy self to
it: Custom will make perfectness; usus promptus facit; Custom
will make it an easie thing; as an Apprentice that is newly bound to his
Master, finds his Trade very hard at first, but afterwards by custom, when he
hath been a year or two at it, then it is very easie; so at the first you will
find it very hard to meditate of Christ, to abide and dwell long at it; but let
me assure you, accustom your selves to it, and you will find it very easie
through Gods mercy. Have you not known many a man and woman that hath been by
the Physician prescribed to walk up a hill every day, at the first he finds it
very hard, he is not able to do it, but within a month or two
it begins to 158 be easie, and they that before could not go up the hill
without resting almost twenty times, now they can go up without resting at all.
Oh the hill of Meditation is hard for us to climb, that are so full of the
world, so full of vanity and folly; but if you did accustom your selves to
climb up this hill, by often doing of it, you would find it very easie.
The tenth and last Rule is this, Do all these things by power
derived from Iesus Christ; I do not think that it is in your power to do
these things, but I know there is power in Christ, and Christ will give you
power, as the Apostle saith, Phil. 4. 13. I am able to do all things
through Christ, that strengtheneth me. Go to Christ
for a Heavenly heart, for a serious spirit, to kindle in thee a love to
Heavenly things, to shew thee thy interest in Heavenly things; for if thou
didst know thy interest in them, thou wouldest often think of them; or if thou
didst love them, thou wouldest often think of them; or if thou hadst a Heavenly
heart, thou wouldest often think of them. Oh therefore go to Christ,
and whatsoever you ask in the name of Christ, it shall be given unto you.
2. I am to set down Rules for the right ordering the materials, the
subjects that we are to 159 meditate upon. And here I shall give you in
these four Rules.
I. Be sure that in the beginning, till you come to be acquainted with
this duty, you pick out easie subjects to meditate upon; there are some
subjects that are very abstruse, and sublime, and difficult; it is a hard
matter for a weak Christian to spend an hour in the meditation of the ineffable
and great mystery of the Trinity, or in the meditation of the Hypostatical
Vnion of the two Natures of Christ in one Person, or in the meditation of
the Mystical Union between Christ and a Christian. And therefore my advice is, that in the beginning of the practice of this rare duty,
you would pick out easie subjects to meditate upon. As for example, I
should think that it were an easie thing to spend an hour in meditating upon
the Attributes of God, to meditate of Gods Omnipotence, and
Gods Omniscience, and Gods Omnipresence, and the All-sufficiency
of God, the Everlastingness of God, the Eternity of God, the Perfections
that are in God, and so to meditate upon the works of God, the work of
Creation, to meditate what God made the first, second, third, fourth,
fifth, sixth day; to meditate on the goodness and mercy of God in creating the
great fabrick of Heaven and Earth; and to meditate of the work of Redemption,
to meditate of Iesus Christ, of the 160 Divine and humane nature of
Christ. I should conceive it were an easie thing, especially to you that love
Christ, to spend a great deal of time in meditation of the love of God in sending
Christ to become man, and of the love of Christ, the mysery of love, the
miracle of love in God becoming man, and to meditate of the life of Christ, and
the death of Christ; what Christ suffered in the Garden when he sweat drops of
blood; and what he suffered upon the Cross, when he cried out, My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me. Of the love of Christ that died for us,
and of the persons for whom Christ died; for us when we were sinners: and of
the patience and humility of Christ whilst he was dying for us; and to meditate
of the Resurrection of Christ, the Ascension of Christ, and the Offices of
Christ, the Kingly, Priestly, and Prophetical Office; and to meditate of our
interest in Christ, and how we should do to walk worthy of Christ. I conceive
there are few that truly fear God, that are so little
furnished with spiritual knowledg, but are able to spend an hour in meditating
upon these things. I might add another meditation, and that is the meditation
of Heaven; who is there that hath any thing of Heaven in him,
that cannot spend an hour in meditating?
161 1. Of the happiness of
Heaven in general. It is a place where we shall have such joys that
eye never saw, nor ear heard, nor ever entred into the heart of man to
conceive; it is a place where we shall be crowned with three Crowns, a Crown of
Life, a Crown of Glory, a Crown of Righteousness. It
is an inheritance that hath three Properties, which any understanding Christian
may spend many years in thinking of, An inheritance immortal, undefiled, and
that never fadeth away.
2. To meditate of the happiness of Heaven in particular; as for
example, who is there of such a low form of grace, that cannot spend time to
meditate of the Beatifical Vision! what a
happiness it will be in Heaven to see God face to face! for
God is an universal Good, all good is in God; God is all happiness, and
therefore he that is admitted to see God, sees all happiness in God. And then
to meditate of the sight of Christ; what a rare thing will it be for a poor
soul to live for ever in Heaven with Jesus Christ, and to behold his face! to be with the Lord Christ! And then to meditate of the
company that we shall have in Heaven, to be present with Angels and Archangels,
with all the Patriarchs, and with all the holy men of God that ever have been.
And then to meditate of the place it self; Heaven is the Paradise of God, it is
the Throne 162 of God, it is the first building, the highest building, the
largest building, the best building, of the Creation of God. And then to meditate
of the perpetuity of those joys: who cannot spend a little time in meditating
of the eternity of the joys of Heaven, not only the perfection but the
perpetuity of them! and then to meditate of thy interest in these joys, whether
thou be'st a person qualified to go to Heaven; and then to meditate how thou
maist do to get to be qualified to go to that holy place, in which no unclean
person shall ever enter. That is the first Rule.
2. I would have you use variety in your Meditation. I would not
have you always dwell upon one subject; the strongest stomack will loath to eat
always of one dish; and therefore I gave you in several particulars to meditate
upon; I gave you a large field to walk in; and I did this the rather, that so
you might have matter enough, you might not be drawn dry for want of subjects;
that you might sometimes pick one flower, and then another flower, and then
another flower; Variety will much delight a Christian. And truly I would fain
have this duty not be a burden to any, but a delight to all. Sometimes I would
have you meditate of the vanity of the world, and sometimes of death, of the
certainty and uncertainty of death; 163 and how to be fit for death. Sometimes
I would have you meditate of the day of Judgment,
sometimes of Hell, sometimes of Heaven, sometimes of the sinfulness of sin,
sometimes of the love of Christ. So I would have you walk in the
The third Rule is this, Be sure to pick out such subjects to
meditate upon especially, which do most of all work compunction in the heart,
that do most of all stir up holiness, and provoke you to godliness and piety.
Of this kind is the meditation of the Incarnation of Christ, the
Meditation of the Life and Death, and Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. It
is a meditation, if the Lord bless it, that will
mightily provoke you to holiness, and to piety, and to thankfulness; so the
meditation of death is a sin-mortifying meditation; and so the meditation of
Heaven, and the day of Judgment, these are soul-sanctifying meditations. So
likewise the meditation of the vanity of the world, and the sinfulness of sin;
I would have you pick out soul-awakening, and soul-sanctifying subjects to
meditate upon; there are some men, and not a few of those, that spend many
hours in meditating when the Iews shall be converted, and in finding
out the time when the great slaughter 164 and massacre of the two Witnesses
spoken of in Rev. 11. shall happen; and in studying out the meaning of
the Prophecy of Daniel, and the Revelations; to know whether
there shall be a Personal Reign of Christ a thousand years upon earth,
and when that shall happen. Now you shall observe that these men are very barren
in devotion, that ravel out all their thoughts and meditations in finding out
the secrets of God, such things as God hath kept secret unto himself;
these men are very barren and dry in practical Divinity. I have read a story of
a man that studied the Critical Questions of School-divinity so long, that
he forgat to say his prayers, he could not pray. And you shall find, that
those that empty all their strength and ability in studying speculations and
notions, are very barren in matters of practice; and therefore my counsel is,
that you would especially pick out subjects that will help you to be weaned
from the world, to walk humbly with God, that will kindle a holy fire of love
in your souls to Christ, and will make you more like unto Christ, and more conformable
to his death and resurrection. It is true, a great understanding, and an
acute wit, will make a learned man, but it is
the holy life that makes a good man.
4. Pick and chuse out such subjects especially to meditate upon, that
are most seasonable to thy 165 condition, most suitable to thy relation,
and to that estate in which God hath set you; for these will most affect the
heart. As for example, to give you three or four
instances.
1. Suppose thou art a man troubled in mind, exceedingly dejected;
thou art ready to despair, because thou art a great sinner, and thou thinkest
God will not be merciful unto thee; and thou art afraid left Christ hath
forsaken thee: Now I would have thee pick out such a subject to meditate upon,
that will suit thy condition. I would have thee go and meditate of the willingness
of Christ to receive poor sinners; not only the ability, but the
willingness of Christ to pardon all that come unto to him; Iesus Christ
is not only able, but he is willing to pardon a penitent sinner, one that comes
to him for life; he is more willing to pardon us, than we can be to
ask pardon. If thou be'st willing to leave thy sins, Christ is more willing to receive
thee, than thou canst be to be received; Jesus Christ would never have
took such a journey from heaven to earth, if he had not been
very willing to save poor sinners. He is so willing to save you if you come to
him, as that he came unsent for; the Patient did not send for the Physician,
but the Physician came of his own accord from Heaven; The Son of man is
come to seek and save that which is lost, Mat. 18. 11. therefore
166 he must needs be-willing. For a Physician to take such a journey, and to
come of his own accord; and when he came here, and saw he could not
cure his Patient but by his own death, the Physician dies to cure
the Patient; the Physician makes a bath, a medicine of
his own blood to cure his Patient; this did Christ: and therefore he was very
willing to receive you; if he had not been willing to save sinners, he could
never have provided such Gospel-Ordinances. And then again, he must
needs be willing, for he hath sworn if any man come
unto him, he will receive him: If any man come to me, I will in no wise
cast him out. He hath engaged himself with promise; and Christ must be a
lyar, (I speak it with a great deal of reverence) if you should come to him and
he refuse you; and when he was here upon earth, he complains of nothing but
that men would not come unto him: You will not come unto me that
you might have life. He never complained of the greatness, or the
naughtiness of their diseases; he cured the diseases of all that came unto him;
but all his complaining was, that they would not
come unto him. Now did you go into your Closets, and meditate upon these
things, and pray unto God to bless the meditation of these things, would not
this cure your troubled Consciences?
167 2. And again, you that are troubled in
conscience, meditate of the Promises of God; and not only those Promises
that are made, to those that have grace, but meditate of the Promises that God
hath made, to give grace. Study the Promises God hath made not only to give
pardon to them that repent, but the Promises God hath made to give repentance
to those that ask it. God hath not only promised to give pardon to those that
believe and repent, but God hath promised to give repentance, Act. 5.
31. and God hath promised to give faith, Phil.
1. 29. God hath not only promised pardon to a broken heart, but he hath
promised to give a broken heart, Ezek. 36. 26. Now do you go into your
Closets and meditate of these things; they would be very refreshing to you. And
then again,
3. Suppose thou art in outward want, the Lord hath blasted thy estate,
thou hast lost all thy estate, and art like Job upon the dunghill,
thou art driven it may be to beg thy bread; thou art now a poor man not
worth an half-peny; thou wert a rich man, the Lord hath blown upon all thou
hast; this is a sad condition! now I would have such
an one spend a great deal of time in meditating of the wonderful Providences of
God towards his poor children; consider how God feeds the fowls of the
air, and the ravens, how God provides for the 168 lillies. I would have him
read Mat. 6. from the 24th verse to the end of that Chapter; Consider
(saith Christ) the lillies and the fowls of the air, how God provides for
them; and therefore be not distracted in thy heart, take no thought what
thou shalt eat, and what thou shalt drink, &c. but study the
Providence of God. And then meditate of the Promises that God hath made unto
his children, to give them whatsoever shall be necessary for them. I would have
such people as are low in estate, read the Bible, and pick out all the Promises
that God hath made to those that want, that fear his name; God hath promised
the young Lions shall lack and suffer hunger, but they that fear the Lord
shall want nothing that is good. The Lord will give grace and glory, and no
good thing will he with-hold from them that walk
uprightly. And I will never leave you nor forsake you. Gather up all the
Promises God hath made to believers when they are poor, and have lost all.
4. Art thou sick, like to lose thy husband, or thy own own life? then pick out seasonable meditations, seasonable subjects;
go and meditate of death, meditate how Christ hath taken away the sting of
death. Meditate how death is a gate to let us into everlasting life;
how death is an out-let to all misery, and an inlet to all
happiness; that death is the best 169 friend that thou hast, next to Jesus Christ.
5. Suppose thou art to receive the Sacrament, what must thou do a
little before thou receivest it? I would have you every Month before you come
to the Sacrament, spend one hour or two in meditating of the Sacrament,
of the nature of it, the necessity of coming; meditate whether
thou be'st a worthy receiver; and what thou must do that thou maist be a
worthy receiver; meditate of thy sins, thy graces, thy
spiritual wants. Let me commend this to you every Sacrament, and never
forget it; meditate to find out thy sins, to be humbled for them; meditate to
know whether thou hast any grace in truth, and to get it increased; and
meditate of thy spiritual wants what they are, to get them supplied.
What a rare deal of matter is here contained in these three particulars,
to find out thy sins by the glass of the Law? by taking the Law of God, and
examining thy life, and the Law together, that would cost thee many an hour;
and then to get thy heart humbled for these sins, and to confess them, and to
have grace to forsake them. And then to examine thy Graces, whether
thou hast truth of grace; whether thy grace be meerly counterfeit, and
a shadow of grace; and if thou hast truth of grace, how to get it increased by
the Sacrament; and then to meditate what thou wantest, 170 and what thou
wouldest have from Christ, and to get that supplied.
The third thing is, to set down Rules and Directions for the right
ordering of our meditation upon these subjects. And here I will lay you down
Rules to direct you how to meditate, rules to help you how to begin, and then
how to go on, and proceed to hold out an hour in meditation, for the better
progress in it; and then rules how you shall finish and conclude this excellent
duty of Meditation.
1. Rules to teach you how to begin and enter upon this excellent work of
Meditation; and here I will lay down six rules for your first entrance.
1. Be sure that you pick out a fit place to meditate in; you know Isaac
went out into the field to meditate; and I have shewed you, that this example
doth not oblige us always to go into the field, but it obligeth us to retire to
some secret place, whether it be thy Closer, or the fields.
2. When thou enterest upon this work, be sure to get a fit time, pick
out a seasonable time; Isaac picks out the evening, and thou
maist pick out the morning if thou pleasest, (thou art not obliged
punctually to this example) or thou maist pick out the afternoon; but
thou must be sure to pick out that time that is the 171 fittest time; you that
are great persons have time enough; you to whom the Lord hath given wealth; I
shewed the poor man how he should husband his time. We have all time enough on
the Lords-day to busie our selves with the work of Meditation,
it is a Sabbath-days work, as you have heard.
3. You must be sure of a fit subject, you must
not have your subject to seek, when you begin to meditate; meditate of a
soul-awakening, a soul-refreshing subject.
4. When you have your place and your time, and your subject,
(these three are proper to the beginning of this work) then I would advise you
to set your selves as in Gods presence; though no eye sees you, yet consider
the great God sees you, and especially when you are meditating of Divine
things; for you must know, that meditation of Divine things is a conversing
with God. When you meditate of Heaven, you converse with Heaven, and the glory
of Heaven, it is the souls transmigration to Heaven, it is the souls
transfiguration; and therefore I would have you set your selves as in Gods
presence; and this will overawe you, and make you serious; the consideration of
the presence of God, will prepare you for every holy duty; & so
consequently for this holy duty; it is a rare preservative against all sin; as Ioseph
said to his Mistris, 172 How can I do this evil and sin against my God?
though no body saw him, yet he knew God saw him, Gen.
39. 10. And it is a rare encouragement to all godliness, Psal. 119. 168. I
have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies, (why so?) for all my ways be before thee. Therefore whensoever you go into your
Orchards, or Gardens, or your Closets, to set apart an hour in Divine
Meditation, I would have you do as David did, Psal. 16. 8. I have
set the Lord always before me.
5. I would have you always begin with prayer; now I do not mean to
begin with a solemn set long prayer, but I would have you begin with a short
ejaculation; I would have you pray unto God to enlighten your understandings,
to quicken your devotion, to warm your affections, and so to bless that hour
unto you, that by the meditation of holy things you may be made more holy, you
may have your lusts more mortified, and your graces more increased, you may be
the more mortified to the world, and the vanity of it, and lifted up to Heaven,
and the things of Heaven. And therefore in the Hebrew the same word
that signifies to meditate, signifies to pray,
and as it is said in my Text, Isaac went out to meditate, you shall
find it in the Margent, Isaac went out to pray. Meditation must always
be joined with Prayer. Isaac 173 went out to pray and meditate, to
meditate and pray; saith Bernard, Meditation without prayer, is barren and
unfruitful. Therefore I I would have you begin with a short prayer.
6. I would have you keep your hearts with all keeping, Prov. 4. 23.
have a care in the entrance of thy heart, pray unto
God to keep out inward company. You know I told you of a twofold company, of an
outward company, and inward company; pray unto God not only to keep out outward
company, but inward company; that is, to keep out vain, and worldly, and
distracting thoughts. A man may easily drive out outward company, he may easily
be alone; but it it a hard matter to drive away inward company, thy vain
worldly and distracting thoughts. I would have you say to the world when you go
up to meditate of Heaven, or of Grace, or of God, as Christ said to his
Disciples, Mat. 26. 36. Sit you here while I go yonder and pray. So I
would have you say to the world and all worldly thoughts, Tarry you here while
I go into my Closet to meditate of the things of God, and Heaven, to meet with
God in Heavenly things. And I would have you say as Abraham did to his
servants, Gen. 22. 5. He said unto the young men, abide you here with the
asse, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship. Tarry
you here below while I go up to the 174 Mount of God. Now I know this is a hard
matter, I am not ignorant of it, to drive away this plague of flies
that pester our best duties; and therefore we must do as the Priest did to King
Vzziah, he would needs offer Incense, and the Priest hindred him, and
the Lord plagued Vzziah, and the leprosie appeared in his forehead, and the
Priest came and thrust him out of the Temple. So I would have you do when
you go to your Closets to meditate, your vain thoughts will croud into the
Temple of your hearts; I would have you do as these Priest did, thrust out
these vain thoughts out of the temple of your hearts, or rather pray unto
God to do it; for alas, it is above our power to get free from distracting
thoughts in this duty; pray unto the Lord, who is the heart-maker, that he
would be the heart-preparer; for when you go to meditate, God looks especially
at your hearts, and if your hearts be full fraught with lustful, vain, worldly,
carnal, covetous thoughts, he scorns all your service. Now do not mistake me, I
mean if you willingly yield to this; if you strive against it, God will accept
of it; let it be thy work, (that is my rule) to keep thy heart with all
keeping, when thou beginnest this work. And labour to get thy heart
disengaged and disintangled from worldly things. So much for
the beginning, and 175 of the six Rules to direct you in the entrance
upon this work.
2. I will lay down Rules for the better proceeding in this work;
for this you must know, there are two faculties of the soul that must
always be set on work in the practice of Divine Meditation; the one is
the Understanding, the other is the heart and affections; for Divine
Meditation is not only an act of the head, but of the heart;
and true Meditation must not only be intellectual and notional, but practical
and affectionative. The work of the Understanding is to blow up and increase,
to kindle and inflame the love of God and Christ in the heart; the
Understanding, to the heart and affections must be as the nurse to the child,
as the nurse cuts the meat and, many times chews it, and prepares it for the
child to eat, so doth the Understanding by Divine Truths, it prepares them for
the affections; and the heart to close with them, to eat them, and digest them,
and to turn them into a holy conversation. These are the two faculties we must
set on work; and you never meditate aright, unless the affection be raised as well as the understanding; and therefore both heart
and head are the parts that must be exercised in the practice of the
duty of Divine Meditation. Now the work of the head or understanding
is serious consideration 176 of the Truths we come to meditate upon; the work
of the heart is increase of devotion and holiness by these Meditations. Now I
will speak to both, I will give you Rules to help the intellectual
part, your contemplation of Divine things, and Rules to help the
affectionative part.
1. I will give you Rules for the helping the understanding, to chew and
prepare the things you meditate upon, for the heart and affections.
Now here I must tell you I shall be somewhat difficult and hard to be
understood, this is the knottiest and difficultest part of Meditation; and
therefore learned men that write of this subject, that labour to teach the art
of Divine Meditation, do give in nine common-place-heads, as
so many several ways of the enlarging the understanding in the consideration of
the Truths that they meditate upon.
1. They would have you describe the thing you meditate upon.
2. They would have you divide and distribute the thing you meditate upon.
3. They would have you consider the causes of the thing you meditate upon.
4. The fruits and effects.
5. The adjuncts, qualities and properties.
6. The opposites and the contraries to it.
7. The comparisons to which it is compared.
177 8. The titles that are given
to the thing of which you meditate.
9. All the Scripture-testimonies that may be brought concerning the thing
you are to meditate upon.
Now there are nine common-place-heads, and these I fear are very
difficult; but that I might help you a little, I will give you an example, I
will go over these Logical heads: only I will preface thus
much, That it is not the intent of these learned men that we should be
over-curious in prosecuting all these Logical heads, for the end of
Meditation is not to practise Logick, but to kindle devotion; and
there are many subjects that will not admit of all these nine. When I
meditate of God, I cannot shew any cause of God, and I cannot make any
comparison to compare God to; but the meaning of those learned men is this,
that we should not rack and torture our understandings to pursue all these
heads of reasons, but we should pick out so many of them as are most suitable
to the subjects we are meditating upon. As for example, Suppose I would go into my Closet, and meditate of the
sinfulness of sin, then I would go over all these nine heads; and by
going over them, you will understand the use of them. I would meditate of the sinfulness
of sin, that so I might get my heart to hate it more, that so I might
study 178 to be more mortified to it, to mourn for it. Now for this purpose,
that I might enlarge my intellectual part of consideration,
1. I will begin with the description of sin, and I will say thus to
my soul, when I am alone: Oh my soul! why shouldest
not thou hate and abhor sin? is not sin the breach of
the holy law of God? and doth it not therefore deserve
eternal damnation? is not sin a walking contrary unto
God? and certainly that man that walks contrary to
God, walks contrary to Heaven, and contrary to his own happiness. Is not sin
most opposite to the greatest good, and therefore must needs
be the greatest evil? and why then should not sin have
the greatest sorrow? why should not I hate sin above
all things, if it be the greatest evil?
2. I would proceed to the distribution of sin; and thus I would say
to my soul: Oh my soul! how art thou be-leper'd with
sin! how art thou all over bespread with iniquity!
thou art guilty of the first sin that ever was committed in the world, of Adam's
eating the forbidden fruit; that sin was jusdy thine by imputation: For in
him (saith the Apostle) we all sinned, Rom. 5. 12. And thou wilt
never be free from the guilt of the imputation of Adam's sin, till
thou be by faith made partaker of the imputation of Christs righteousness.
179 Thou art guilty, Oh my soul, not only of Adam's sin by imputation,
but of Original sin by propagation; thou wert conceived in
sin, and thou art born in iniquity; thou hast a nature which thou carriest
about with thee, which makes thee prone to all sin, and indisposed to all good;
thou hast a nature that defiles all thy holy duties, and thou art guilty of
many actual transgressions, of heart-sins, of lip-sins, of life-sins, of sins
of omission; how many good duties have I omitted! of
sins of commission, how many evil actions have I committed! and thou art guilty
of sins against the Law, and sins against the Gospel; (then
would I reckon up soms sins) and then thou art guilty of fleshly, and outward,
and visible sins; and thou art especially, Oh my soul, guilty of inward,
spiritual and invisible sins, of heart-adultery, though not outward adultery;
of heart-murder, of heart-idolatry, of pride, vain-glory, hypocrisie,
self-seeking. There is the second head, the division of sin.
3. I would come to the third head, and consider the original and
cause of sin; and I would say thus: Oh my soul! surely
God is not the author of all these sins that I am guilty of; it is the greatest
blasphemy in the world to charge God with our sins; God cannot be the author of
that of which he is the 180 punisher. Iudas did not betray Christ,
because it was determined he should do it, but it was out of covetousness;
and the brethren of Iudah did not fell Ioseph because it was decreed
they should do it, but out of envy. Oh! it is my wicked heart that is the root
of all my sin; it is not the Devil that is the original of my sin, for
the Devil cannot force me to sin; the Devil perswades me to
sin, tempts me to sin, but he cannot compel me to sin; sin came into the world
by Adam's disobedience, Rom. 5. 12. By one man sin came into the
world. And my wicked heart is the root of all my sin: Oh my soul! why shouldest not thou abhor thy self because of thy sin.
4. I would have you consider the cursed fruits and effects of sin;
and I would say thus: Oh my soul! be thou humbled for thy sins; Oh lye in the
dust because of thy sin; for it is sin that is the cause of all evil, both Temporal,
Spiritual and Eternal; sin brings spiritual, temporal, and
eternal curses; it was sin put devilishness into the Angels,
and made the Angels in Heaven to become Devils in Hell; it was sin that brought
the flood upon the old world; it was sin that turned Heaven into Hell,
and made God rain down fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorah;
it is sin that kindles the fire in Hell; the fire of Hell would go out
were it not for sin; sin is worse than Hell, 181 because it
is the cause of Hell; and I would meditate thus: Surely sin is more
opposite to God than Hell, for God is the author of Hell, God made Hell for
sinners, but God is not the author of sin; and therefore, Oh my soul, do thou
hate sin more than affliction, nay more than Hell it self.
5. I would proceed to consider the adjuncts and properties of sin in general, and of my sin in particular; and I would thus
meditate upon this common-place head: Oh that the Lord would work in
my heart a further abhorrency of all sin! Oh that sin might be more loathed;
for sin is of a defiling nature, of a destructive nature; sin is of a defiling
nature, it defiles my person, it defiles my Sacraments, my Prayers, the Sermons
I hear; it makes me like a dog, like a swine, nay it makes me
like a Devil; I have chosen twelve, and one of you is a Devil. Sin
makes you nasty and loathsome in Gods sight; sin defiles your civil actions, The plowing of a wicked man is sin; sin
defiles the land in which you live, Ezek. 14. The land is defiled by your
idolatry; sin defiles the whole Creation. Oh my soul! wilt
thou make a sport of that which defiles the whole Creation? And then I would
say, sin is of a destructive nature, it destroys the body, it destroys the soul
for evermore. And then I would consider 182 the properties of my sin
in particular; I would say thus: Oh my soul! how great
is thy guilt! I have sinned not only against God, but against light; my sins
have bloody aggravations, I have sinned against the heart-blood-mercy of Jesus
Christ. I have sinned against many Sacrament-vows that I have made; I have
sinned against knowledg, against conscience.
6. I would consider the opposites to the thing I meditate on; what is
opposite to sin? why Grace; Then I would meditate of
the excellency of Grace; and I would say, Oh my soul! how
beautiful is that soul that is endued with Grace! sin
makes me like a Devil, sin stamps the Devils image upon my soul, but Grace
makes me Gods picture; Grace is the portraiture of the Holy Ghost; Grace
ennobles the soul, it legitimates the soul, it elevates the soul. Oh the beauty
of a soul enriched with grace! Oh the Heavenly excellency
of a gracious soul! Now by how much Grace is more excellent, by so much is sin
more odious, for sin destroys Grace.
7. I would consider the comparisons to which sin is compared; and I would
say thus, Oh my soul! wilt thou not abhor sin? sin is compared to bruises, sores, putrefaction, a leprosie,
a plague, the excrements of a man. And it is called in Scripture an abominable
183 thing; it is compared to the filth under a mans
nails, and to the putrefactions of sores; and the dung, the excrements of man;
and wilt thou love that which is loathsom to God? shall
sin be so abominable in the sight of God, and shall it not be so in my sight?
8. I would consider the titles that are given to sin; and I would say thus,
Sin is called a robbing of God, Mal. 3. shall
I rob God of his glory by my sin? Oh! God forbid. Sin is called an injury
to God; shall I injure my Saviour by my sins? It is called a striking
thorough the name of God, so the Hebrew word signifies, which we
translate to swear; it is a Deicidium, the killing, the murdering of
God; and Oh my soul! wilt thou do as much as in thee
lies to murder thy Saviour, to crucifie Christ afresh by thy sins?
9. I would consider all that the Scripture saith concerning sin; I would
consider the wrath of God against sin, I would consider all the Threatnings
of God against sin; and especially I would study what Christ suffered to free
us from sin, and I would behold the odiousness of sin upon Christ's
Cross; sin made Christ sweat drops of blood, and shall it not make me shed
tears? Sin made Christ cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
and shall it not make me cry out, Oh miserable man
that I am! who shall deliver me from this 184 body of
sin? And then I would consider what hope there is of pardon through Christ,
and what promises there are made of pardon.
Thus I have cut out a pattern, and gone over these nine heads; and
you will say here is work for many hours to that Christian that is of a mean
capacity, that is able in some measure to go over these; here you see what a
rich furniture you have by going over these Logical helps; and as I
have done concerning sin, so may you do concerning the Sacrament; and when you
meditate of Heaven, you may go over these heads, and consider the description
of Heaven, and the distribution of it, and the causes, and the effects, and the
opposites, and the comparisons, and this will furnish you with intellectual
matter. Now because these Logical heads are somewhat difficult, I will
give you some plainer rules, for helping ordinary Christians, those
that are babes in the school of Grace, and are not able to enlarge their
thoughts upon any subject; I will give you briefly five easie Rules to help you
to enlarge your thoughts upon what subjects you chuse to meditate on.
1. You must consider what the Scripture saith of the subject you
would spend an hour in meditation about; as for example, would 185 you meditate
of the Promises? do you want matter to
furnish you? take the Bible, and consider what the Scripture saith concerning the
preciousness of the Promises, the freeness, the riches, the infallibleness of
the Promises, the universality of the tender of the Promises, the variety of
the Promises; consider what the Scripture saith of Promises to Grace, and
promises of Grace; consider all the many rare and admirable Promises that are
in the Word of God, and pick out some choice of them to meditate on. So
likewise would you meditate of the Sacrament? take your Bible and consider what
you have read concerning the Sacrament, the nature of it, and the excellency of
it, the excellency of the Feast, and the end why God hath appointed the
Sacrament, and the way and means by which you may come to be prepared, and made
fit to be worthy, receivers; and consider the danger of coming unworthily, and
the happiness of coming worthily. But if this be too hard, I will give you an
easie help.
2. Consider what Sermons you have heard of that subject you would meditate
upon, and labour to recollect the heads of any Sermon you have heard, and make
use of them to help you to enlarge your thoughts in meditation. As for example,
I have made many Sermons 186 of late upon the Promises, any of those Sermons
would furnish you with matter enough for Meditation upon the Promises; I have
made many Sermons upon the week-day to set out the happiness of Heaven; and
many Sermons I have preached lately of the Divine Attributes of God, which is a
rare subject to meditate upon. If you would meditate of the Attributes of God,
you must labour to recollect what you have heard of this subject, and
that would furnish you with matter. So would you meditate of Heaven, or of any
thing that you find too hard to enlarge your selves about? take
the help of Sermons that you have heard; or if that be too hard for you, let me
propound a third.
The third way that is easier than both these: Take a book that
treats of the subject you would meditate upon; there is no Divine
Subject but there is some book or other that doth treat of it; there are
many books that treat of the four last things, which are four rare
materials of Meditation, the Quatuor Novissima, Death and Hell, and
the day of Judgment and Heaven; and there are many books that treat of the
preciousness of the Promises, the sinfulness of sin, the excellency of Christ,
and the Sacrament. Now if thou findest thou art barren in Meditation, 187 and
knowest not how to spend an hour in meditating upon any of these Subjects, take
one of these books before thee. Now I do not mean you should read these books,
but only pick out some choice things, and then muse
and meditate what these books will suggest unto you.
4. Let me add another Rule, Be sure always in your meditation, to join
application; be sure to join examination, and application, and contemplation,
and consideration; this is a rule of great concernment to the
weakest of Christians. As for example, would you meditate of sin, of the sinfulness
of sin? be sure to draw down your meditation to application, make
application to thy own soul, and consider whether thy sins are pardoned; not only
consider the grievousness of sin in general, for general contemplation of
things, though never so excellent, will not work upon the soul; I hardly ever
heard of a man that was converted by Generals; it is the particular
application that works upon the heart and affections; Nathan,
as long as he told David of his sin in a Parabolical way, David
was not wrought upon; he was fain at last to tell him, Thou art the man;
then David confesseth his sin; you shall seldom hear a general Sermon
do good, it is the particular application that 188 works upon peoples
hearts. And therefore in all your exercise of Divine Meditation, be
sure to draw down things to particulars: As for example, wouldst thou
meditate of Heaven? apply it to thy soul, and
ask thy soul, Am I fit and meet to go to that place? have
I a Heavenly disposition? have I Heavenly
qualifications? am I one of those whose names
are written in Heaven? is that my inheritance? is that my house? This will exceedingly affect you, it will
make your Meditation to be very useful, and very powerful; and so when you
meditate of death, still draw down to examination, Am
I fit for death? will death be an happy hour to me? am I one of those that shall enjoy God after death?
The fifth Rule is this, Be
sure always in your meditation to consider the means how to obtain what you
meditate upon, if it be good; and the means to shun it, if it be evil. The
means to get what you meditate upon, if it be good: if you meditate of Heaven,
then consider the means how to enjoy that blessed inheritance; and if you
meditate of the Promises, consider how you shall do that by which you may be
heirs of all these Promises; and on the contrary, if you meditate of evil
things, what means there are to be used to shun these evil things; if you would
meditate of sin, what must I do to 189 avoid sin, that I may be unpoluted and
undefiled, that I may get my sins pardoned, and my soul purged; and when you
meditate of Hell, what shall I do to escape those everlasting burnings? these are the five helps to weak Christians.
6. You to whom the Lord hath given understanding, I would have you fly
to those nine common-place-heads: if you be able study the cause of the
thing you meditate upon, the effects and the properties, and
the distribution and description, &c. and this I am sure
will furnish you with rare matter, with abundance of materials of meditation;
that man that is pleased to put these things in practice, will find his heart
will never want matter to meditate upon.
So much for the Intellectual part of Meditation, which
is the knotty and difficult part.
2. Now I come to that which is the easiest part of Meditation, I mean easie
to understand, but not easie to practice; I come to that which is the best part
of Meditation, the very life and soul of Meditation, and that is to help you to
get your affections warmed and heated by the things you meditate upon; for the
work of the understanding is nothing else but to be as a Divine pair of
bellows, to 190 kindle and inflame the heart and affections; the work of
the understanding is to chew and prepare matter, to help the
affections. Now then I am to give you some directions and helps for
the affectionative part, to get your affections warmed and heated, so as to
stir up piety and devotion in your souls: Now for the working
upon your affections, learned men that write upon this subject,
propound six common-place-heads, as so many ways to raise the
affections, and to get them so excited as to increase grace and holiness
in the soul.
1. You must labour to get a relish and a savour of the things you meditate
upon.
2. You must complain before God for the want of that relish.
3. You must wish you had a supply of what you want of this relish and taste
of the things you meditate on.
4. You must confess your inability, as of your selves to do this.
5. You must petition to God for help.
6. You must confidently believe God will help you.
191 Here are six helps for the affectionative part of
Meditation; now that you may know the use of these helps, I shall
crave leave to go over them all by way of instance; I have given you
an instance concerning the sinfulness of sin, I went over nine
common-place heads, and shewed you how you should enlarge in every
particular about the sinfulness of sin; now I will proceed further in
this instance, and shew you how you should make use of these Particulars,
to get your affections raised and warmed, and stirred up to more
holiness. After that I have traversed all the heads of reason, and
have considered the description, the distribution, cause and effects of sin,
now I come to the work of the affections. And here,
1. I will labour to get my heart affected with the bitterness of sin, I will
labour to taste the bitterness of it, and to get my heart in a mourning frame;
and I will thus say to my self, Oh my soul, is sin so odious to God,
that no sacrifice but the sacrifice of the blood of God can appease Gods wrath?
and shall it not be odious to me? was
sin so displeasing unto God, and so defiling to the soul, that no bath
but a bath of Christs blood can wash away the stain of it? and shall I make a mock of that sin that cost the
blood of Christ? was 192 sin a burden to
Christ? and shall it not be a burden to me? Thus I
would reason with my self, Did sin make Christ shed drops
of blood, and shall it not make me shed a few tears? Did Christ
cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, for our sins, I
mean for our sins he took upon him? and shall I make a
sport of sin? shall I make a mock of sin? Doth David
complain, That his sins was a burden too
heavy for him to bear. And doth Paul cry out, Oh wretched man
that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of sin?
And shall not sin be bitter to me? shall not I mourn
that I have sinned against so gracious a God, so merciful a Redeemer, so holy a
Sanctifier?
2. I would proceed to the second, and begin to complain of the hardness of
my heart, and of my unaffectedness with the sins I am guilty of; and I would
thus say to my soul, Oh my soul! how is it that thou
canst mourn for any outward loss, if thou losest but a child, though it may be
thou hast half a score? if thou losest but one of
them, thou canst mourn immoderately; if thou losest thy wife, thy husband, any
part of thy estate, thou canst mourn too much; but thou hast not one tear for
thy sins? how is it, Oh my soul, that thou shouldest
be thus hard-hearted, and unaffected with thy sins? Is not sin Deicidium?
is not 193 sin a murdering of God in as much as in us
lies; is not sin animaecidium, that which slays the soul? is not sin a dethroning of God, a robbing
of God, an injuring of God? how is it then
that I am no more affected with my sin? how is it that
after so many Sermons, so many Sacraments, so many years being in the
3. I would proceed to stir up my affections to a passionate wish;
and I would say to my soul thus, Oh that my heart were more soft; Oh that I
could mourn with a godly mourning, not with a legal mourning, but with a
mourning that is out of love to God. Oh that I could mourn with repentance unto
life, with a Gospel-sorrow for all my sins of omission, 194 commission, my
Sacrament-sins, my family-sins, my Closet-sins, the sins of my youth, the sins
of my riper age, for all my unkindness against my God: Oh that my head were
waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I could mourn day and night for
my sins, and the sins of the times, and the sins of the place wherein I live:
Oh that rivers of tears would run down my eyes, because I have sinned against
my God! Thus would I wish, and passionately express my self, that so I might
get my heart raised up: Oh that the Lord would pour
down the spirit of mourning upon me.
4. I would make an humble confession of my own
inability, to mourn; and I would say thus, O Lord! thou knowest it is not
in man to direct his own ways, it is not in man to guide his own steps; I know,
Oh Lord, that I am not able of my self to think a good thought; it is easier
for me to cleave a rock in pieces, than to cleave my rocky heart by my own
strength; there must be an Almighty power to get my heart to be soft;
for my heart, Oh Lord, is harder than the nether milstone, and I cannot soften
it; I would mourn that I cannot mourn, that I have not power; I can do nothing
without power derived from Jesus Christ.
195 5. I would go to supplication after
confession, and I would petition to God for strength; and I would say, Oh
Lord! thou that hast promised to take away my heart of
stone, and give me a heart of flesh; hast thou not promised to work all my
works in me, and for me? hast thou not promised to
subdue my iniquities? Micah
7. 19. hast thou not promised that Sin
shall not have dominion over me? this is the
promise,
6. I would encourage my self by faith in a confident hope and trust in God,
that the Lord will hear my prayer, and give me strength 196 against my
corruptions, and supply me with help in all my necessities; and I would say
thus, Oh Lord, thou hast promised that whatsoever I ask in the name of Christ,
shall be granted unto me; blessed God! I ask this day in the name of Christ
pardon of Sin, and power against Sin, and a broken heart for Sin, and from Sin;
I ask repentance unto Salvation; thou hast promised to give it, I believe thou
wilt give it; I believe, Lord, help my unbelief. And then I would say
to my soul, why art thou disquieted, Oh my soul? why
art thou cast down? why art thou troubled? still trust in God, depend upon God, he is my help, he is my
joy, in him will I put my trust.
Thus I have gone over these Six Heads, I
have given you one instance. Now I would have you know, whatsoever I have said
of Sin, I can go over of any Subject whatsoever; suppose I would
meditate of Heaven, after I have meditated of the joys and excellencies
of Heaven, and all those particulars in the Intellectual part; then,
to work upon my affections, I would labour to get my heart affected with the joys
of Heaven, and then I would complain that I am no more affected with those
joys, and with the Beatifical Vision, and the rare company that I shall there
enjoys; and 197 then I would passionately wish, Oh that my heart were more
heavenly; Oh that I could taste more of those everlasting joys, that the Lord
would come down and heavenlize me, and then I would confess my inability of my
self, and I would supplicate for help, and I would confidently believe that the
Lord will send down heaven into my heart, and the joys of it, before I come
thither.
That which I say of the sinfulness of sin, you may make use of in
all other Subjects that you meditate upon. So much
for the Rules and Directions, for the better helping you to proceed
and go on in the duty of Meditation.
3. Now there remains only some Rules for the conclusion of all. When thou
hast begun and entred upon this duty, and made a progress in it, when thou
comest to make a conclusion, shut up thy Meditation of Divine things with
thankfulness, with resolution, and with recommendation of thy soul to God.
1. I say, conclude with thankefulness; lift up thy heart to God,
and bless his name that hath enlarged thy soul, and enabled thee to spend an
hour in meditation of holy things; especially if you find your hearts affected
with what you meditate upon, if you have 198 gotten from the intellectual
part into the affectionative; if you have gotten your souls raised up. As for
example, if you have been meditating of Heaven, and you find a Heavenly
frame wrought in you, you find a desire to be with the Lord, and you find
some assurance that your name is written there, and some manifestations of God
to your souls, Oh then close up all with an Hallelujah, Blessed be the Lord
for the assistance of this hour. So likewise, have you been meditating of
Sin, and find at the conclusion, that thy heart is somewhat soft, and doth
begin to mourn for thy Sin, and thou art troubled that thou hast offended thy
God; and the Lord hath wrought in thee some confidence, some spiritual
assurance that thy Sins shall be mortified, and that the Lord will keep thee
that thy sin shall not have dominion over thee? then
conclude with a Hallelujah, lift up thy heart, and bless the Lord for
his assistance. I might likewise add, when thou hast been meditating on the Promises,
or of Death, whatsoever the Subject thou art meditating upon
is, if the Lord hath wrought thee to have a heart above the fear of death,
by meditating of death, and thou hast learned to be willing and ready to die;
Oh bless the Lord for his assistance.
199 2. I would have you close with a resolution
of heart, to spend thy life as becomes one that hath
been meditating of holy and heavenly things. As for example, I have been
meditating of the Promises, I will shut up my Meditation with resolution,
by the grace of God, to live more upon the Promises than ever I have done;
I have lived too much upon the Creature, but now I will live more upon God, and
his Promises; I will close up with a resolution, by the power of my
God, to study my interest in the Promises more, and suck out the sweetness of
them more; and to be more acquainted with the freeness, and the fulness, and
riches, and preciousness of them. And so would you meditate of Heaven?
I would conclude with a resolution, that I would
labour to live more heavenly, and walk as becometh one that looks to live with
Christ for ever in Heaven. You must know these spiritual resolutions
are spiritualia vincula obedientiae, they are
spiritual bonds to tye the soul fast to God. As the beast was
tyed to the horns of the Altar in the old Law, that was to be sacrificed; so
these blessed vows and resolutions are heavenly cords to tye the soul
faster to God; and that is the reason every why Sacrament we renew our vows
and resolutions; as God renews his engagements to us, so do we
renew our engagements 200 to God every Sacrament. Now I would have you
close up your Meditation by binding your souls faster to God, in a holy
resolution; Divine resolution is the spiritual hedg of the soul (saith
one) to keep the soul from breaking out into ungodly courses.
3. Shut up all with a short commendation of thy self, thy body, thy
soul, thy wife, thy children, (if thou hast any) thy estate, all
that thou hast, recommend them unto thy God; shut up all with a sweet
resignation of thy self, and all thy affairs, and all thy ways; As David
saith, Commit your ways unto the Lord; commit your selves and your
affairs, all that you are, all that you have, into the hands of the Lord, as a
faithful Creator, and a merciful Redeemer. I would have you close up all with a
committing, and a submitting; committing thy ways unto God, submitting unto
God in all his ways; purposing to live to his glory, and to walk worthy of
that heavenly calling to which thou art called. And thus I have put an end to
this subject of Divine Meditation. Now what remains but to perswade you to the
practise of these things? That which a learned man who hath written a Tract
called, The art of Divine Meditation,
closeth his Book withal, let me close this with: saith he, 201
Oh that my words were as so many gourds to quicken up the dead, and dull, and
drousie hearts of Christians, to a conscientious practice of this excellent
duty of Divine Meditation!
It is a strange speech that he useth! saith he,
I will give any man leave to curse me upon his death-bed, if he doth not then
acknowledg, that those hours that he hath spent in Divine Meditation, have been
the best hours that he hath spent in all his life; if he doth not then confess
he is sorrowful that he spent no more hours in so blessed a work.
Sure I am, when you lye upon your death-bed, this will be your comfort:
Lord, I have been often in Heaven in Meditation, and now I am going to that place
that I am acquainted withal: Oh my God! I have been often with thee in the
Mount, I have been often meditating of thee: Oh my blessed Saviour! thou art no stranger to me; I have been often meditating of
Christ. Oh what comfort will this be to you when you lye upon your death-beds!
I will not say, curse me if you do not find this true; but I will say, this is as sure as the Word of God is true, you will find
it so.
There are four things I will conclude this Discourse withal.
202 1. I would humbly beseech you, that you would
mourn before God that you have lived so many years in the School of Christ, and
have been no more acquainted with this duty of Divine Meditation: I believe
there are very many that have been long standers in Christ's School, that never
yet practised this duty of Divine Meditation, that never were half an hour
together in the Mount of God solemnly and seriously. Now I beseech you, mourn
before the Lord, that we have been no more acquainted with this blessed and
heavenly duty.
2. Let us mourn before the Lord that we have misplaced our meditation;
for the heart of man is restless, it is like the weight of a Clock, that will
never leave going down as long as it is wound up; the heart of man will always
be meditating of something or other; like mill-stones, if they once grind, they
will grind one another; the heart of man will always be grinding, always
musing, always meditating on something or other: Now mourn before God heartily,
and go into your Closets and bemoan it, that you have ground chaff to
your immortal souls all your 203 lives long; that you have spent your days in
meditating what to eat, and what to drink, and what to be clothed withal, and
how to grow rich, and how to manage your trading, and your calling, how to
thrive in the world, how to get such preferments; you have been meditating all
your lives long upon vain things, and have not meditated upon the things of
eternity, those things that do most concern you; you have been meditating
upon trifles, upon things that will not profit at the hour of death, and forgot
to meditate of those things that are of eternal concernment; our Saviour Christ
complains of those men, Mat. 6. Take no thought for your lives, what you
shall eat, and what you shall drink, nor for your body what you shall put on;
as if he should say, why do you spend all your time in taking thought of
eating, and drinking, and clothing, and outward things? Which of you
(saith he) can by taking thought add one cubit to your stature? All
your musing and meditating of them is vain. Can a Dwarf by thinking he is a
Dwarf, make himself taller? it is not all your musing
and your meditating of these outward things, I mean your inordinate meditating,
will advantage you. I grant Tradesmen must have time to meditate of worldly things;
I will not lay heavier burdens than 204 the Scripture doth lay; but when you
ravel away all your time in meditating upon earthly things, and never are
serious in the Meditation of heavenly things, this I would have you mourn for;
you that are old people, and have been many years professors of Religion, Oh
mourn that you have wasted your intellectual faculty, that you have
wasted that glorious faculty of soul, your understanding, in such vain
and trifling things; nay, are there not some that do not only meditate of vain
things, but spend many hours in meditating on vile things? that
devise mischief upon their beds, and meditate how to cozen their neighbours,
how to be revenged upon their neighbour, how to do mischief, how to compass
about their wicked designs? are there not some that
meditate to do evil, and rejoice in the meditation of evil when they have done
it? Many old men meditate with joy of their youthful vanities, and wickedness
committed in their youth, they chew over their wicked ways with delight, which
we call contemplative wickedness. Oh let us bewail and bemoan it
before God, that we have squandered away our immortal souls, by exercising the
glorious faculty of the understanding in such poor trifling things, it
may be lustful, revengeful, vile, wicked thoughts; either in doing that which
205 is evil, or in meditating on the evil we have done; instead of mourning for
it, rejoicing in it.
3. I would perswade you to study the necessity, the excellency, the
usefulness, and profitableness of Divine Meditation; let me tell you for
the conclusion, this duty is not only a duty, but the quintessence
and marrow of all other duties; there is no duty will take impression upon
your souls without the practise of this duty; it is the very life and soul of Christianity,
without which a Christian is but the carcass of a Christian. I have shewed, that the want of Divine Meditation is the cause of
all sin, and all punishment; I have shewed you, that the practise of Meditation
will help to beget Grace, and increase Grace, and resist the Devil and all his
temptations.
4. Let me perswade you all, that you would put this duty in practise;
especially you that are rich people, Gentlemen, Merchants, and others; you that
have estates, you that are Gentlemen, may spare time from your sports; and you
that are rich Merchants and others, may take time from your outward occasions:
O let me intreat you that you would take some spare-time every day, to go up to
the 206 Mount of God, to meditate of some of those Subjects that I have
propounded to you, whether it be Death, or Hell, or Heaven,
or Iudgment, or Sin, or Christ, or God, or
the vanity of the world, whatsoever the Subject is, that is
holy and heavenly. I will not lay burdens upon you, I know there may be such
occasions that you cannot; but ordinarily that you would as often as you can,
make conscience to accustom your selves to this necessary and long-neglected
duty of Divine Meditation.
Let me tell you, you would be tall Christians in grace if you did accustom
your selves to this duty; the reason why you are such Dwarfs in Christianity,
and so unacquainted with God, and the Promises, and Christ, and Heaven, is for
the want of the practice of this duty; this is the reason why you creep upon
the ground, and are so poor in Grace, and so lean in Religion. Therefore let me
intreat you, especially you whose happiness is that you need not work every day
to provide for your families; the Lord hath given you an estate, and you may
spare time; Oh let it not be said at the day of Iudgment, that you
lost Heaven for the want of the practising this duty of Divine
Meditation!
207 And then you that are poor people, and cannot find time; you
that are Servants and Apprentices, that have not time,
remember what I said concerning Occasional Meditation, I shewed you
how you might meditate when you were about your worldly business;
there is no lawful calling that a man can be in, but if he hath a heavenly
heart he may heavenlize that calling, he may take occasion
(as Christ takes occasion to heavenlize his Discourse from outward things) to
raise Heavenly Discourse; when thou art at work, thou maist be by Divine
Meditation in Heaven. But let me perswade you all on the Sabbath-day,
(though you have not time on the week-day for set, solemn Meditation; yet then
you have time for occasional Meditation, for on the Sabbath all your
work ceaseth) that is the day that God hath set a part for publick
service, and private Meditation; Meditation on the work of Creation,
and the work of Redemption; it is a great work we are to do upon the day
of our rest, to meditate of our Eternal Rest in Heaven; therefore
let me perswade you to spend some time on the Sabbath-day upon
Meditation, but especially on the Sacrament-days. There are Twelve
Meditations I propounded to meditate on upon 208 the Sacrament, and I
chose this Subject to help you with Sacramental Meditation;
it hath pleased God to carry me out further in the handling of it than ever I
thought.
The Lord give a Blessing to it.
FINIS.
Courtesy of: Truth and Way Ministries
http://truthandway.org