The Art of Divine Meditation

by Edmund Calamy
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 Genesis 24:63.

And Isaac went out to meditate in the fields at the even-tide.

By EDMUND CALAMY, B. D. late Minister of Aldermanbury,

London.

LONDON: Printed for Tho. Parkhurst, and are to be sold at his shop
at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chapel,
and by I Collier, at the Bible on London bridge under the gate, 1680.

This text has been initially updated from EEBO-TCP by Project

Puritas (Logan West, with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf.)
www.puritansearch.org

Further revision and editing done by Monergism. Copyright

Monergism via universal text usage permission from the above.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

To the Christian Readers

Introduction - GEN. XXIV. 63

Two Sorts of Divine Meditation

Solemn and Deliberate Meditation

The Duty of Meditation

The Benefits of Meditation

Application of Meditation

Exhorations to Ministers

Six Particulars about this Doctrine of Meditation

Twelve Meditations During Sacramental-time

Six Properties of Divine Meditation

The Companions of Meditation

Two Cautions

The Materials of Meditation

Rules and Directions For the Better Practicing of Divine Meditation

The Life and Soul of Meditation

Rules for the Conclusion of All

To the Christian Readers.

If the Heathen Moralist Plutarch could say,

Meditation is as it were the recovery of decaying knowledge; because
as forgetfulness seems to be the egress of knowledge, Meditation
doth restore a new memory instead of that which passeth away; and
so preserve knowledge, that it is in effect the same, in that,
notwithstanding mutations, it leaves something new, and like itself,
resembling that which is Divine:

How may a Christian, endowed with the true knowledge 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 pen'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, Savior, 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-dulled 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 pen'd The Godly man's 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 honor, have
already notably displayed the excellency and usefulness of this way of
thinking; yet perhaps this grave and famous Preacher in his day,
hath in a more easy method, and plain way, by his familiar
expressions and resemblances, suited to vulgar capacities, here
helped the real Christian, who would most delight in the Duty, to put
Meditation in practice, 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 will 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, though 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 practice of Meditation, which the
Preacher of them held necessary: None who prefer things before
words, and esteem real knowledge above elegancy of speech, as the
general good of mankind, beyond that of any particular Country, can
justly think the Author wronged; but rather that with Dr. Preston,
Mr. Fenner, Mr. Hooker, &c. (some of whose Works popularly
delivered 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 renowned, 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 designed only for his own private
Oratory, not otherwise to have come abroad; only as 'twas penned
from his mouth by Budaeus, Crispin, and Ionvil, because he said, he
had long before learned 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 endeavor to suppress that work, taken by the aforesaid
writers after him, as it was freely uttered 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 rejoiced 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 observed 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
preserved in this way, You have this ('tis to be hoped very useful)
piece, taken well from the mouth of Mr.

Edmund Calamy.

INTRODUCTION.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide. -GEN.
XXIV. 63.

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 myself;
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.

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 practicing wicked
things. And therefore it is said, Prov. 12. 2. A man of wicked devices
will God condemn. Not only a man of wicked practices, 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 signify 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 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 employ 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 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, Josh. 1. 8. there God speaks unto Joshua,
This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest 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 thyself 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.

Two Sorts of Divine Meditation

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 show you three things concerning this.

1. I will show 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 persuade you to the practice 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 tastes of; when he takes an occasion
by anything 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 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 God's
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. I remember a story of a godly man,
Antony, that was driven into the Wilderness for Religion sake, and
having no book at all in the Wilderness, he was asked, How he could
spend his time? saith he, I have one book, and that is the book of the
Creation; and as long as I have this book I want no other book;
Speaking how much he could behold God in that book. And it is a
good saying of Tertullian, The same God is the God of nature that is
the God of grace. And it is the duty of a Christian to receive
instruction, and spiritual benefit from natural things as well as from
gracious and spiritual things, because there is the same God of
nature as of grace. The Creatures of God are a Divine Book in which
we may read the power of God, the goodness of God, the love of God,
the mercy and wisdom of God,— Rom. 1. 20. That that may be known
of God may be read in the Creature. Now the Creatures are but
Spectacles by which we are enabled to read these things concerning
God. I have read a story of a Painter, Hermogenes, he was a rare man
for that Art, and coming into a Painters shop, he sees a line drawn so
curiously, that he cries out, Surely Apelles hath been here; none but
Apelles could draw such a curious line. And as the story saith, he
went out of the shop, and never left till he had found out this Apelles,
that so he might come to the acquaintance of that man that had so
much skill. The application of this is most excellent, when you look
upon this Creature of God, and that Creature of God, you must needs
confess that none but a God could make such a glorious world;
digitus Dei est hic, here is the finger of God; and the consideration of
this, if you have anything of God in you, will make you to seek out
after this God, and to love this God, and honor this God.

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. Jer. 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 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 lilies 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 lilies 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, John. 4. where Christ discoursing
with the Woman of Samaria, and entreating some water from the
Woman, takes an occasion from the water of the Well to discourse of
the water of life. And John. 6. from the loaves Christ fed the people
withal, he takes an occasion to discourse of the bread of life, You
follow me for the loaves, saith Christ; but labor not for the meat that
perisheth, but labor for the meat that endureth forever. I am the
bread of life that came down from heaven. Christ takes occasion from
the natural bread to meditate on the bread of life, the bread of
heaven. To give you some other examples, I read in St. Austin, that
he had a water-course near his lodging, a great flowing down of
waters; and observing how sometimes the water went down silently,
sometimes made a great noise; from the consideration of the
different streaming of the water, he made a rare discourse of the
Order of Providence, the manner how God governs the World in
order. There was a Minister, Mr. Deering in Queen Elizabeth 's days,
a man of famous memory, in whose Life it is reported, that just when
he was a dying, the Sun shone upon him; and he takes occasion from
that most excellently to discourse of that Sun of Righteousness, of
the glory of heaven, of the happiness he was going to.

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
Music, 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 music,
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 their Recreation, they saw a poor Countryman
weeping, and when they came to him, they asked 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
thankful 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 laboring 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 herself to please her wicked lover, he falls
weeping, and being asked, Why he wept? saith he, I weep to see this
lewd woman what care she takes to dress herself 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 Emperor 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 Physic; when
he was viewing the composure of man's 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 man's
body.

3. Give me leave to give you some Motives to persuade you to the

practice of this. It is in vain to hear my Discourses, unless you
endeavor to put them in practice. 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 laboring 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 things; for there is nothing in
the world but a good Christian may make a Heavenly use of; and
therefore there is nobody can say that he hath no leisure for this
way of meditation.

2. This is a way of meditation, that a man may practice 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
crowd in Cheapside; in the midst of the noise I can have a
heavenly meditation. There is no place, no company, can hinder
thee from this occasional, sudden, ejaculatory meditation.
3. There is nothing more easy 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 easy; 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 mayest make some good use of it; the Scripture doth make
many rare uses of a Spider; a wicked man may be looked 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 pulled down, there is no stability in it; so a
wicked man 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 Ordinance of the Sacrament; but a
godly Christian is like a Heavenly Alchemist, 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 mixed 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 amplify this
motive;

1. Herein a true Christian exceeds the brute beasts; the brute 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
endeavors 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 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 man's 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.

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 entreat you,
that you would put this duty in practice; 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 easy 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
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
judge 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
accuse 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 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 balance, and weigh
thy actions, and weigh all that thou dost! And meditate on that Text,
Prov. 11. 1. A false balance 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 thyself 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, 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 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 forever 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.
 Solemn and Deliberate 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 there doth solemnly and deliberately meditate of the
things of Heaven.

Now concerning this meditation, I shall handle by God's assistance

these two Particulars:

1. I will show you the nature of it.

2. I will show 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 Be 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 Temple praying and fasting day and night.
To meditate, is to continue and fix ourselves and our hearts upon the
things we know; this meditation in Scripture is called a holy musing,
Psal. 39. 3. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing; to
meditate is to muse, or else it is to commune with our own hearts,
Psal. 4. Stand in awe and sin not: commune with your own heart
upon your bed, and be still. It is a communing, a consulting with our
own hearts; or if you will, it is a bethinking ourselves: so it is
expressed, 1 King. 8. 47. If they shall bethink themselves in the land
whither they were carried captive, and repent: The Hebrew word is,
if they shall bring back to their hearts, if they shall reflect upon
themselves; for meditation is a reflecting act of the soul, whereby the
soul is carried back to it self, and considers all the things that it
knows. Meditation is an inward act of the soul, a spiritual act,
whereby the soul doth recoil upon itself, and looks back upon itself,
and considers all the things that concern its everlasting happiness;
and if I be not mistaken, it is rarely typified under the Law two
manner of ways.

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, 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 thorough contemplation,
and a thorough 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 knowledge of things Divine, but a practical knowledge; 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 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 are never the holier for
their meditation; and the reason is, because they meditate on these
things merely 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 Butterfly will dwell upon the flower as well as the Be,
but the Butterfly 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 knowledge of God and Heaven, and more curious
expressions of Heaven, but it is the honest Christian, the plain-
hearted Christian, that meditates of God like the Be, 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 herself,
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, 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 itself, but it must
convey the meat it hath chewed (as the meat is conveyed from
 the stomach 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.

The Duty of Meditation

2. I come to show 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 practice this duty of meditation; there
are few that know how to practice it; but there are very few that make
conscience to practice 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
myself and you, give me leave to show you the great necessity of
practicing the duty of meditation; and I will show it two manner of
ways.

1. By considering the mischief that flows from the want of

practicing this duty.

2. By showing you the advantage and spiritual benefit that you

will gain by practicing this duty.

1. I shall show you the woeful inconveniences, and the intolerable

mischiefs that come from the want of practicing this duty of
meditation. I will bring them to two heads.

1. I will show you, that the want of practicing this duty is the cause of
all sin.
2. It is the cause of all punishment.

1. I will show you, that the want of practicing 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.
Jer. 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 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,
heedlessly, 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 humors, 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 is a disease that some men have, that
all the meat they eat goes thorough 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 thorough 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 plaster
to the wound, this plaster 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
plaster 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 knowledge, 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 Savior Christ speaks of: by the seed that was sown by the
high-way-side, is 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
anything. 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 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 threatenings of God make no more impression

upon our hearts, is for want of meditation. There are terrible
threatenings against sin in the word, but alas there are few people
affected with these threatenings. The threatenings of God in
Scripture are like the rattling 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 threatenings belong to us, as long as we continue in our
sins. Oh did a wicked man meditate solemnly upon the threatenings
of God, it would make his heart ache, 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, 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 Israel, Vers. 3. We have sinned with
our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly; our
fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt, they remembered not
the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the Sea, even at
the Red-sea. What is the reason they were so unthankful? it was
because they did not meditate on the mercies of God.

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 God's 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 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 England, Scotland, and Ireland, towards all
sorts of people? The reason why we are never the better by them, is
because we do not study the meaning of all these Providences, Isa.
57. 1. The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart, and
merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is
taken away from the evil to come. This is the reason why we get no
more good by the death of the godly, and by the Providences of God,
because we do not lay them to heart; we do not muse and study upon
them.

8. What is the reason that the Saints of God are so distrustful of

God's Providences? when they are ready presently to sink, and to say
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 storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them; how much
more are ye better than the fowls? Consider the lilies 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
lilies, 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
lilies, 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 judge
every man, and examine every man but themselves, (which is the
condition of these days) it is for want of meditation. Mat. 7. Judge
not that ye be not judged: for with what judgment ye judge, 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? 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 anything
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.

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
ourselves so unseemly at that Ordinance? what is the reason that we
lose all the fruit of that Ordinance, but merely 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 practice 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 God's 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; 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 Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the
Lord, he, against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in
his ways, neither were they obedient to his law. Therefore he hath
poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle,
and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it
burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. Here is the curse of curses,
not so much to be burnt, as not to know it; not so much to have the
wrath of God upon us, as not to lay it to heart; it is a sign of the
greatest fury of God, for a man to be given over to slightness of spirit;
when he is under the judgments of God not to regard and lay them to
heart.
And thus I have been somewhat long in setting out unto you the
mischiefs that flow from the want of the practice of the grace of
Meditation; and I do this to provoke you all to be humbled before
God for the not practicing this duty, (for I am confident your
consciences will tell you that you do not practice it) and to convince
you of the necessity of the practicing of this duty, which is quite dead
and buried in the world. That I may be God's instrument to stir you
up to a conscientious practice of this duty of Heavenly meditation,

The Benefits of Meditation

2. I shall show you the necessity of it from the benefits and
advantages that will come unto Christians by the conscientious
practice of this duty; and this I will show 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 show 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 dishonor 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 shall loath yourselves 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 Peter called to mind the
word Jesus 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 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 John. 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 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: 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

Jesus Christ; for Jesus Christ is a fountain sealed, a spring shut up, a
garden enclosed. Now you know no man is the better for a book
sealed up, or a treasure locked up; to a careless Christian Christ is a
fountain sealed, a treasure locked 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 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
ourselves 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 enable us to believe and trust

in God. To trust,

1. In his Providence in all outward straits.

2. In his Promises in all spiritual troubles.

1. It will help you to trust in his Providence when you are in any
straits: when all creature-helps fail, and you are ready to sink, then
meditation will raise your faith, and help you to trust in God's
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
lilies 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. The meditation of the lilies and the fowls of
the air is a means to help us to trust in the Lord in the day of our
straits.

2. It will enable you to rely 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 God,
Rom. 4. 19. And the reason why the Saints of God are so void of
comfort, and hang down their heads, and walk so disconsolately, is
because they consider the deadness of their own souls; they consider
their imperfections, but they do not meditate upon the promises, the
freeness and the riches of them, Mat. 16. 8. Which when Jesus
perceived, he said to them, Oh ye of little faith, why reason ye among
yourselves, because you have brought no bread? Here Christ
reproves them for want of faith; but how came they to want faith? Do
you not understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? and do ye not
remember the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many
baskets you took up? As if Christ should have said, If you had
meditated on my former miracles, you would never have doubted
this miracle; but because you do not remember what I have formerly
done, therefore it is that you are so full of unbelief. Now the way to
fill your souls with comfort is to meditate upon the Promises of God.

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 easy 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 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 labor that I had labored 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 Jerusalem; 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 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

thankfulness for the mercies and blessings we receive from God.
Certainly it is a great duty that lies upon us to be thankful for God's
mercies; now there is no way to stir you up to thankfulness 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 cries 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 God's mercies can
never be thankful for them; and the way to beget thankfulness is to
meditate on what God hath done for us.

8. Divine Meditation is a mighty help to beget in you a preferring of

God's house before your own house. It is the great sin of this age
wherein 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
Jeremiah saith, This is Zion 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 God's 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 ceiled
houses, and this house lie waste? It was the sin of the people of
Israel, that they neglected the building of God's 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 God's 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 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 God's 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 God's House. And
therefore he saith further, Hag. 2. 17. I smote you with blasting and
with mildew, and with hail in all the labors 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 Lord's 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 God's House be
settled. And did you meditate on these two Chapters, the first and
second Chapter of Haggai, it would by God's grace beget in you a
mighty zeal toward the settling of the House of God, and to prefer
that before the settling of your own house.

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 enable 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 remembered 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
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 armor of
proof against the Devil and all his temptations. What made Moses
refuse the pleasure, treasures and honors of Egypt? for Moses when
he was of age, a young man, and fit to enjoy the pleasures of Egypt,
he chose rather to suffer affliction than to enjoy the pleasures of sin;
he refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh 's Daughter: What made
him do all this? Because he had respect to the recompense of reward,
and he beheld him that was invisible; he meditated upon the reward
he should have in Heaven; he knew the pleasures of Heaven were
better than the pleasures of Pharaoh 's Court; and he knew the
treasures he should have in Heaven were better than the treasures he
should have in Egyyt; and therefore he chose rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season: He knew he could not enjoy both, and he had an eye to
the recompense of reward, he saw him that was invisible; and this
made him do all this; he could never have done this without this
Divine grace of Meditation. And what made Joseph refuse to lie with
his Mistress, when he might have been preferred by lying with her,
and had secrecy and security? why he meditated, How can I do this
and sin against God? He thought of God, and he would not do it; it
was meditation that made him refuse it. What made the Saints of old
receive joyfully the spoiling of their goods? Heb. 10. 34. They took
joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that they
had in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Because they
knew, that is, they considered that they had in Heaven an enduring
substance, an eternal reward, they should have better riches there;
they considered that, and that made them lose their outward estates;
they looked for a better estate in Heaven. Bishop Hooper, when he
was going to Martyrdom, overnight he discoursed and reasoned with
himself; saith he, When I think of the fire, I begin to be afraid, for I
fear that fire will burn: but when I think of the fire of hell, the fear of
eternal fire makes me willing to endure a temporary fire. Saith he
again, When I think of the loss of life, I begin to be afraid; I know life
is precious; and when I meditate upon these outward enjoyments,
outward preferments, I seem unwilling to be burnt; but when I
meditate of the joys of Heaven, and the preferments that I shall have
there, this makes me willing to go through fire, to go through
Martyrdom to Heaven. It was meditation of Heaven, and the joys of
Heaven that made the Martyrs come so willingly to the stake, and
embrace it as a bride doth her bridegroom.

Application of Meditation
And thus I have shown 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,
Jer. 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
God's rod, and how they may get their afflictions sanctified; that read
the blessed Promises of the Gospel, but taste not the sweetness 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 Sovereign plaster,
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 persuade myself most Christians are guilty
of, I cannot exclude myself; there are few Christians that are
convinced of the necessity of this duty of Divine Meditation, few that
practice 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 God's
Providences, the variety and strangeness, and wonderfulness of
them. We are like unto those, Isa. 42. 24, 25. Who gave Israel to the
spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom
we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were
they obedient to his law, therefore he hath poured upon him the fury
of his anger, and the strength of battle, and it hath set him on fire
round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, but he laid it not to
heart. We have been burning, and burning, and consuming, but no
man lays it to heart; this is the great sin of this Nation, the Lord
humble us. There are four sorts of Christians that are here to be
reproved for the want of the grace of Divine Meditation.

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 knowledge, 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
wrapped up in ignorance, as a child in swaddling clouts; as Toads
and Serpents grow in dirty and dark Cellars, so doth all sin grow
where ignorance dwells. And therefore Chrysostom 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
Judgment; it is a bringing of the things we know, unto ourselves; 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 Egypt, they
remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at
the Sea, even at the red Sea, v. 13. they soon forgot his works, v. 31.
They forgot God their Savior, which had done great things in Egypt;
therefore he said, that he would destroy them. The forgetfulness of
God, and the mercies of God, is made the root of all sin, as well as the
ignorance of God. Judge. 3. 7. The children of Israel did evil in the
sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, therefore they did
evil in the sight of the Lord. And therefore God lays a charge upon
the children of Israel, that when they came into the land of Canaan,
and should have the fullness of all outward blessings, Deut. 8. 11.
Beware (saith he) that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not
keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes,
which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten, and art
full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein: v. 14. Then thy
heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God. You that forget
the mercies of God, God will forget to be merciful unto you; and you
that do not remember what good things God hath done for you, God
will take order that you shall have no good things to remember. The
good Thief on the Cross when he was dying, his great request to
Christ was, Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
It is the great desire of all Saints that God would remember them in
mercy; but certainly you that forget the mercies of God, God will
forget to be merciful unto you.

3. I am to reprove the rash-headed Christian, that rushes upon

Duties, and upon Ordinances, and public Offices, without
consideration; that comes rashly to the Sacrament, and kneels down
rashly to his private and public devotion; that doth not consider
beforehand 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 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 anything
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 God's 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 public 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-practicing;
for this rashness is a sin that the Saints of God are very much subject
to; we read of Peter, 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 offense 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, James and John, that they spake
very rashly unto Christ, Luk. 9. 54. When his two disciples James
and John 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. Jephtha made a rash vow, 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
public 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 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 beforehand 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 Savior, 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 Persuasion, 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.

5. I am to reprove especially your slight-headed Christians, that

cannot dwell long upon anything 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 wondered 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 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 anything, when he cannot think of worldly
business long, his head will not bear it; now thou mayest be a true
child of God and have a weak head, that is not able to think long of
anything 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 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, John. 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 Jews; 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 Jeremiah. There are
some men that plot how to do evil, which is a double sin; it is one sin
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. Woe 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 God's
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 God's account. But I will not spend
more time in the use of reprehension.

But I come to that which I especially aim at, an Use of Exhortation,

to beseech you all that you would subscribe to the obedience of this
Text, that you would conform yourselves to this Text, that you would
accustom yourselves to his most necessary and excellent, and long
neglected duty of Divine meditation. Let me with all earnestness
commend unto you the conscientious practice 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 armor 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, Jer. 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 for you to practice 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,

Exhorations to Ministers
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
persuadeth Timothy to be much in meditation, 1 Tim. 4. 15.

2. Let me commend this to great persons, to Lord's, 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& Joshua the great Captain-General of
the people of Israel, is commanded by God to meditate in the Law of
God day and night, Josh. 1. 8.

4. Let me commend this to young Gentlemen, from the example of

Isaac in the Text, 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 cattle, 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 practice 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
is to teach you to practice all the other Sermons. Now if I be not
mistaken, this Sermon will help you to practice 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.
 Six Particulars about this Doctrine of
Meditation
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.

6. Some helps to help us to the better practice 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 remembered 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 yourselves into some private
place. It is worth marking how the Evangelist takes notice of this
practice in Jesus 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 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 Judas purposed to betray him, he knew
where to find him: John. 18. 1. When Jesus had spoken those words,
he went where there was a garden, and Judas which betrayed him
knew the place, for Jesus 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 signify
thus much unto us, that in the practice of this Divine duty of
Meditation, we must retire ourselves, 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 crowd, 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 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 easy 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. Jerome 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 greatest
complaints we have) that when they retire themselves to meditate of
the Promises, or of Christ's 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 easy 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 Temple
in a year, yet there was never any fly seen in the Temple, which was
certainly a Miracle. Happy is that Christian that can do Temple-
work, without being pestered with these spiritual flies, with vain and
roving thoughts. Oh how happy were it if we could come to the house
of God, and that there might be no flies there, no vain imaginations
to disturb us in our worship. I read Exod. 8. of a plague of flies, and
that plague of flies was one of the greatest plagues that Pharaoh had;
for when he was to eat his meat, the flies got into his mouth; when he
was to drink his drink, the flies filled his cup, so that he could neither
eat nor drink; and these swarms of flies corrupted the land; v. 24. it
is called a grievous swarm of flies. Now these swarms of flies may be
compared to our roving wandering thoughts when we are about the
service of God; these flies corrupt the best box of Ointment, they
spoil our prayers and our meditation. But you shall read, in Goshen
there was no plague of flies; Oh happy you that are not plagued with
these swarms of flies, when you are in the service of God.

Q. I but you will say unto me, How shall I keep myself from these
plagues of flies? how shall I keep myself 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 crowd in,
when your vain thoughts crowd 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 Uzziah the King would have offered sacrifice,
the Lord smote him with a leprosy, 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 Pharaoh 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 thyself, 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 practice of this duty of Divine Meditation. So much for the
place where we are to meditate.

The 2nd 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 likewise from his own experience
commend the eventide for the best and suitablest time for
Meditation; and he saith from the Sunsetting to the twilight, and
sometimes in the night, when it is warm and clear. I will not lay clogs
upon any man's conscience; that which is seasonable for one, is
unseasonable for another; some men's tempers are fittest to meditate
in the morning, and some men's 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 hindered 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 should every day put on the
armor 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 ourselves
for death, and every day consider how to resist sin. Meditation is
nothing else but a conversing with God, the souls colloquy 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 myself
in thy statutes, and I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect
unto all thy ways. And Joshua, that great General of the Army,
though he was a man surely of great employments, yet God doth lay
an injunction upon him, Josh. 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 persuade you
to give God a visit every day, and to meditate of God and of Christ,
and yourselves, and the recreations of the other world; let me
persuade 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 practice 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 practice of this duty; be not always like Martha, troubled with
this and that business, but remember Mary's 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 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 laborer, 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 Judgment,
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 crowd of
Cheapside, I can meditate on the Rest I shall have in the other world.

3. The third Direction is this, The Sabbath-day especially is a day

wherein all sorts of people are to busy themselves in this excellent
work of Divine Meditation; this is a day wherein the laborer ceaseth
from his work, the Plowmans yoke is taken off, and the labouring
man, 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; for the Lord's-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
public 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 God's
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 public 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 forever 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, forever in Heaven.

4. And last Direction is this, That Sacrament-days are especially to be

meditating-days, to be set apart for this great work of Divine
Meditation; it is the great end why Christ hath appointed the
Sacrament, to show forth the Lord's-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 mayest 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?

Twelve Meditations During Sacramental-

time
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 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 savor. 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: John. 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 myself; 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 knowledge, 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 height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge. Great is the love of Christ which passeth knowledge;
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 Christ's body
to be broken; and when you see the wine poured out, it was sin
caused Christ's 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
labor to come worthily. Oh! there cannot be a greater feast, wherein
Christ is the gift that is bestowed; 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 a Heavenly
banquet!

6. You must meditate of your spiritual wants and necessities; what

grace dost thou want that thou mayest get supplied? what sin doth
bear most sway in thee, that thou mayest get it more mortified? Now
the more sensible you are of your spiritual wants, the more will your
appetite be quickened 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.

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 strengtheneth 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.

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 everything
that is done by the Minister; the breaking of the bread represents
Christ's body being broken upon the Cross for our sins; and the
pouring out the Wine, represents how Christ's 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.
Everything 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 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 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 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.

Six Properties of Divine Meditation

Now I shall acquaint 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 liest 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. 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 persuade you to frequent Meditation.

1. Because the oftener you meditate of God, and Christ, and

Heaven, the more you will 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 oftener 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 oftener a man 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.

2. The second Reason why we should frequently meditate upon

things Divine, is because the oftener we meditate of God and
Christ, the more near and intimate acquaintance we shall have
with them; as you know Neighbors, the oftener 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
oftener 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 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 forever 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
persuade myself, 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 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 easy; 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 yourselves to this duty, and use will make perfectness,
usus promptos facit; by often doing it, at last through grace it
will become easy. 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 practicing of it, through the assistance of God's Spirit, it
will become at last very easy; whereas the seldomness of the
practice of this duty makes it difficult, and intermission of
anything makes it very hard. A man that learns the Greek or
Hebrew Tongues, or 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 practice it for one twelve
month, you would find it at the twelve months end an easy duty,
through the help of God.

The second property is this, Divine Meditation must be solemn and

serious; though we must accustom ourselves 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 God's 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 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, John. 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, John. 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
unwilling to hinder the Sacrifice, that he suffered his hand rather to
be burnt, than he would intermit the Sacrifice; this shows how
devout and intent this Priest was, even in the service of the
Heathenish God; and Chrysostom 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 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 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
merely to paint her wings; so he studies and ponders of Divine things
merely 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 virtue coming out of Christ to cure
the bloody issue 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 practice 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 merely for the fine language, and
a man that hears a Sermon merely 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 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 practice 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 Jehovah
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; 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 forever. Oh this man is in Heaven already, that can make
this application upon Scripture-grounds. And therefore be sure in
the practice of this duty, your meditation be applicative; though a
medicine be never so sovereign, 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 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 practice 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 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 entered 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
practice of meditation for the coming down of God; to wait for the
consolation of Israel, as it is said of Simeon, Luk. 2. 25. There was
one Simeon a man in Jerusalem, who was just and devout, waiting
for the consolation of Israel. So must we in the use of this blessed
duty wait upon God for Divine comfort; and while we are waiting,
God will come in, Isa. 30. 18. Blessed are all they that wait upon the
Lord. ver. ult. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles. You must
continue waiting, and be assured the Lord whom you seek will come
in, and you shall find your hearts melted if you go on in a calm, quiet,
waiting posture. As Bernard, who was a man much accustomed to
this duty of meditation, when he went to meditate and pray, he found
his heart at first very dull; at last the visitations of the Almighty came
upon him, and he felt his heart warm, he had the appearances of the
Lord to his soul, that he cried out rara hora, brevis mora, it comes
but seldom (but sometimes it comes, blessed be God), it tarries too
short a while; Oh that it would continue; wait upon God in the
practice of Divine Meditation, and you shall find the elapses of the
Holy Ghost, the Visitations of God coming upon your souls, and
filling you full of Heavenly comfort.

6. And lastly, This Divine Meditation must be persevering; 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 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
persuade 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 carcasses 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 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 practice of this duty. As Jesus 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 practicing 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 plaster 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 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 better, 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 judge 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, and views God, and
beholds the glorious things of God.

4. Consider, that by persevering in this duty it will at last grow easy;

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 labor 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
Heaven and earth will come in and help you.
Thus I have done with the third particular, the properties of Divine
Meditation.

The Companions of 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 prayer; when
you go up the hill of Meditation, you must not set yourselves 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 carcasses 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
knowledge; there are some Christians that are a 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 anything 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 mayest 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 labor
that it may take impression upon thy soul. Saith Bernard, Long
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.

Two Cautions
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 eye, as knowing
what those Elements signify, 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 wandering
thoughts, read in the Bible; this in itself is not sinful; but this is not
suitable 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 Materials of Meditation

The fifth Particular in order, is the Materials of Meditation; and here
I am to show 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, must meditate
frequently and seriously of Death, of Judgment, of Heaven and Hell;
these are called quatuor Novissima, the four last things.

1. You must meditate of death; now I will not show 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 Almanac can tell you when your death shall come;
your Almanacs will tell you when the next Eclipse of the Sun and
Moon will be, but they will not tell you when the eclipse 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
oil into thy lamp, or no?

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 God's 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 Judgment.

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 Judgment; In
which Jesus Christ will come in flaming fire to render vengeance
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 Judgment; 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 Judgment; 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 fullness 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 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 Chrysostom 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 forever 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, easeless torments; you must meditate of the hell-worm,
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; 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 fabric 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.

2. You must meditate of the human 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 Christ's Death and Passion: thou must
meditate of Christ's 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 of the earth; when there was darkness without, and
darkness within too; when there was a withdrawing the light of
God's countenance from Christ. You must meditate what Christ
suffered in Pilate's 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 forever to make
Intercession for you.

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 forever.

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
embraced 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 neighbor; 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; 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 yourselves.

1. You must meditate of the fourfold state of man; man may be

considered in a fourfold state:

1. Either in the state of innocence, 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 God's
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 renewed, 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; 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 dependence you have upon God, and the advantage
God hath you at.

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 vapor, 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 vapor 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 forever as blessed as an Angel, or as
cursed as a Devil. Meditate upon the dependence you have upon
God. Oh this will keep thee humble, and make thee comply with
God's will; thou dependest upon God for thy being, thy well-
being, thy eternal being; thou dependest upon God every
minute, thou livest by God's upholding thee; study the
dependence thou hast upon God for thy soul, thy body, thy wise,
thy children, thy all.

3. 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 honor God in every relation; study to
keep a good conscience in every relation.

2. Study thy calling; how to honor God in thy calling, how to keep a
good conscience in thy calling; how to keep thyself 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 God's house.

3. Study thy company, what company to keep, that is a great matter;

for I know a man by his company more than anything whatsoever; I
mean by the company he useth to keep. Study to keep a good
conscience in all company, study to keep thyself 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 most. Meditate where thy love is,
whether thou servest God out of love; whether the world doth
not lie 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 James.

4. Meditate of thy Actions, whether thy actions be agreeable to

the will of God or no, how thou behavest thyself towards God,
and towards thy neighbor.

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 evil than banishment, than death, than Hell
itself; meditate of the intrinsical and extrinsical 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 Thatch-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 privilege 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 Threatenings 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 labor to
keep them better.

2. Study the Threatenings 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 fullness 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
God's name may be honored 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.
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 God's 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 God's Word, with an universal
resignation of thy will to what thou hearest.

4. The Ordinance of the Sacrament of the Lord's-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 Judgments 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, labor to get preservatives against

them; it is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation; there
is a great Apostasy from the Truths of Christ 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 armor, 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 defense 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 Judgments 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 God's great
Judgments upon this land, that we may know the meaning of
God's rod, and we may know how to get all these Judgments
sanctified unto us.

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 God's 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 honor God under all our changes.

4. You must meditate of the several passages of God's

Providence towards us; there is no man or woman here but hath
had rare experience of God's 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 God's Providence, and God
loseth all his glory.

5. You must meditate of the mercies of God, of National mercies,

Family mercies, 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!
 Rules and Directions For the Better
Practicing of Divine Meditation
The sixth thing is to lay down Rules and Directions for the better
practicing 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.

3. Rules for the right meditation upon these Subjects.

1. I shall lay down Rules and Directions for the right qualifying and
ordering the person that is to practice 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 shown it is a duty expressly 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,
 Joshua, young Isaac in my Text practiced 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 practice of Divine
Meditation.

2. Convince your souls (and the Lord convince you) of the great
benefits and advantages that are obtained by a conscientious
practice of Divine Meditation; as I have shown, 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 God's 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 shows 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 locked 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 make you contemn the world, and all
worldly things.

3. Consider the inconceivable and inexpressible 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 plaster that is put to a wound, if it be plucked 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 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 God's 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, labor to get

a sufficient furniture of spiritual knowledge; 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 shown 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 knowledge concerning God, and Christ, and Heaven; and
he that hath not a good stock of knowledge 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 labor to be instructed unto the
Kingdom of Heaven, as the Phrase is, Mat. 13. 42. Every Scribe which
is instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven, is like unto a man which
is a householder, that brings out of his treasure things old and new.
You must be acquainted with things both new and old, and
instructed in the things of the Kingdom of God, and you must be men
in understanding, 1 Cor. 14. 20. Brethren, be not children in
understanding: howbeit, in malice be ye children, but in
understanding be men. A babe in understanding cannot be long in
meditation; but you must be babes in malice, but in understanding
men of ripe age. You had need have a great deal of knowledge that
would be Practitioners to purpose of this excellent duty of Divine
Meditation, you must grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

5. If ever you would be a good Practitioner in the School of Divine

Meditation, you must labor 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 practice this duty that I am
preaching of, if ever you would go up to the mount of Meditation to
converse with God there, you must labor 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, 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 watery 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 watery 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 watery 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 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
anything 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 Abigail had not hindered 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 practice 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, Labor 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 persuade you to meditate of God; I need not
persuade a covetous man to meditate of his money; a man that loves
the world, you need not persuade 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 persuade him to think of honor 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 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 persuade you to the practice 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, Labor to get an interest in Heavenly things; labor

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 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, Labor to get a heart disengaged and

disentangled from the world; a man that is dead and buried in the
world, it is in vain to persuade 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 entangled in the Lime-twig; a man that is entangled 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
Pharaoh had in Egypt, he could not eat a bit of meat, but the 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 shoes 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 shoes off your feet. You must labor to be
mortified to the world, and worldly things; you must labor to get a
Heavenly frame of spirit; it is in vain to persuade 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 labor for a Heavenly heart.

The ninth Rule is this, Be not discouraged though you find a

difficulty in the beginning, of practicing this duty, but accustom
thyself to it: Custom will make perfectness; usus promptus facit;
Custom will make it an easy 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 easy;
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 yourselves to it,
and you will find it very easy through God's 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 be
easy, 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 yourselves
to climb up this hill, by often doing of it, you would find it very easy.

The tenth and last Rule is this, Do all these things by power derived
from Jesus 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 show 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 meditate upon. And here I shall give you in
these four Rules.
1. Be sure that in the beginning, till you come to be acquainted with
this duty, you pick out easy 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 Union 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 easy
subjects to meditate upon. As for example, I should think that it were
an easy thing to spend an hour in meditating upon the Attributes of
God, to meditate of God's Omnipotence, and God's Omniscience, and
God's 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 fabric of Heaven and Earth; and to meditate of the
work of Redemption, to meditate of Jesus Christ, of the Divine and
human nature of Christ. I should conceive it were an easy 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 misery 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
knowledge, 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 anything of Heaven in him, that
cannot spend an hour in meditating?

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 entered
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 forever 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 itself; Heaven is the Paradise
of God, it is the Throne 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 beest a person
qualified to go to Heaven; and then to meditate how thou mayest 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 stomach 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; 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 garden of Divine Meditation, from flower to flower,
that you may take the more delight and content in. it.

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 Jews shall be converted, and in finding out the
time when the great slaughter 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 forgot 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 choose out such subjects especially to meditate upon,

that are most seasonable to thy 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; Jesus 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
beest 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 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 liar, (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?

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-penny; 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 lilies. I would have him read Mat. 6. from the 24th verse to
the end of that Chapter; Consider (saith Christ) the lilies 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 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 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 beest a worthy receiver; and what thou must do that
thou mayest 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 merely 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,
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 shown 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
mayest pick out the morning if thou pleasest, (thou art not
obliged punctually to this example) or thou mayest pick out the
afternoon; but thou must be sure to pick out that time that is the
fittest time; you that are great persons have time enough; you to
whom the Lord hath given wealth; I shown the poor man how he
should husband his time. We have all time enough on the
Lord's-day to busy ourselves 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 yourselves as in God's 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 yourselves as in God's 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 Joseph said to his Mistress, How can I do this evil and
sin against my God? though nobody 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
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 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 Uzziah, he would needs offer Incense, and the Priest
hindered him, and the Lord plagued Uzziah, and the leprosy
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 crowd 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 labor to get thy heart disengaged and
disentangled from worldly things. So much for the beginning,
and 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 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
labor 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.

 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 practice Logic, but to kindle devotion; and there
are many subjects that will not admit of all these nine. When I
meditate of God, I cannot show 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 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 justly 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 Christ's righteousness. 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 some 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, hypocrisy, 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 punisher. Judas did not betray
Christ, because it was determined he should do it, but it was out of
covetousness; and the brethren of Judah did not fell Joseph 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
persuades 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 thyself 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 lie 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 Gomorrah; 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, 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
itself.

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 God's 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 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 knowledge, 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 God's 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 leprosy, a plague, the excrements of
a man. And it is called in Scripture an abominable thing; it is
compared to the filth under a man's nails, and to the putrefactions of
sores; and the dung, the excrements of man; and wilt thou love that
which is loathsome 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 Savior 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 Savior, to
crucify 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
Threatenings 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
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
easy Rules to help you to enlarge your thoughts upon what subjects
you choose 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 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 easy help.

2. Consider what Sermons you have heard of that subject you would
meditate upon, and labor 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
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 labor 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.

3. 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, 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 works upon people's 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?

5. 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 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.

The Life and Soul of Meditation

2. Now I come to that which is the easiest part of Meditation, I mean
easy to understand, but not easy 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 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 labor to get a relish and a savor 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.

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
shown you how you should enlarge in every particular about the
sinfulness of sin; now I will proceed further in this instance, and
show 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 labor to get my heart affected with the bitterness of sin, I

will labor to taste the bitterness of it, and to get my heart in a
mourning frame; and I will thus say to myself, Oh my soul, is sin
so odious to God, that no sacrifice but the sacrifice of the blood
of God can appease God's 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 Christ's blood can wash away the stain
of it? and shall I make a mock of that sin that cost the blood of
Christ? was 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 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
School of Christ, after so many mercies received from God, so
many afflictions the Lord hath inflicted upon me, yet my heart
should be so hard, and so flinty, and so stony? I can easily hate
my enemy too soon, which I should not do, but Sin that is my
greatest enemy I cannot hate that, which I should hate most of
all! I must love my outward enemy, but God bids me hate my
Sin; God doth not bid me love the Devil, or the works of the
Devil; I can hate that which I should love, but I cannot hate that
which I should hate, I cannot hate my Sin.
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, 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 myself,
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 myself 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 millstone, 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.

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, Rom. 6. now Lord,
thou hast promised these things, I beseech thee perform these
Promises; thou God of Truth, make good thy word, take away
 my heart of stone, and give me to mourn for my great
abominations; and work this work in me and for me; and
subdue my iniquities, and let not Sin have dominion over me;
rather give me over to the dominion of men: though I would not
be a slave to men, yet I had rather be a slave to all the men in the
world, yea a slave to the Turk, than a slave to the Devil; rather be
a Galley-slave than a Devils-slave; of all slavery, Lord, deliver me
from soul-slavery. And thus I would supplicate and petition; and
when I have done all this,

6. I would encourage myself by faith in a confident hope and

trust in God, that the Lord will hear my prayer, and give me
strength 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 labor 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 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 myself, 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.

Rules for the Conclusion of All

3. Now there remains only some Rules for the conclusion of all.
When thou hast begun and entered 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 thankfulness; 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
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.

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 fullness, and
riches, and preciousness of them. And so would you meditate of
Heaven? I would conclude with a resolution, that I would labor
to live more heavenly, and walk as becometh one that looks to
live with Christ forever in Heaven. You must know these
spiritual resolutions are spiritualia vincula obedientiae, they are
spiritual bonds to tie the soul fast to God. As the beast was tied
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 tie
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 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 hedge of the soul
 (saith one) to keep the soul from breaking out into ungodly
courses.

3. Shut up all with a short commendation of thyself, 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 thyself, and all thy affairs, and all thy
ways; As David saith, Commit your ways unto the Lord; commit
yourselves 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 persuade you to the practice 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,

Oh that my words were as so many gourds to quicken up the dead,

and dull, and drowsy 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 acknowledge, 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 lie 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 Savior! thou art no stranger to me; I have
been often meditating of Christ. Oh what comfort will this be to you
when you lie 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.

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 practiced 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 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 Savior 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 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 neighbors, how to be revenged
upon their neighbor, 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 is evil, or in meditating on the evil we have
done; instead of mourning for it, rejoicing in it.
 3. I would persuade 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 practice 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 shown, that the
want of Divine Meditation is the cause of all sin, and all
punishment; I have shown you, that the practice of Meditation
will help to beget Grace, and increase Grace, and resist the Devil
and all his temptations.

4. Let me persuade you all, that you would put this duty in
practice; 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 entreat you that you would take some spare-
time every day, to go up to the 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 Judgment, 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 yourselves 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 entreat
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 Judgment,
that you lost Heaven for the want of the practicing this duty of Divine
Meditation!

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 shown 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 mayest be by
Divine Meditation in Heaven. But let me persuade 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 public 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 persuade 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 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.

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The Art of Divine Meditation by Edmund Calamy, Copyright © 2023

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