Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations, Frontispiece – To the reader
DIVINE MEDITATIONS AND HOLY CONTEMPLATIONS.
BY That reverend Divine R. Sibbes D. D. Master of Catherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher of Grayes Inne, LONDON.
LONDON Printed for Iohn Crooke and Richard Sergier in Pau… Chur… yard. 1638
DIVINE MEDITATIONS AND HOLY CONTEMPLATIONS.
BY That reverend Divine R. Sibbes D. D. Master of Catherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher of Grayes Inne in LONDON.
LONDON Printed by Tho. Cotes for Iohn Crooke and Richard Sergier and are to be sold at the signe of the Gray-hound in Pauls Church-yard. 1638.
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
COurteous Reader, thou hast here Meditation upon Meditation offered to thy consideration, as a helpe to thee when thou art privately alone.
As sweete spices yeeld small savour, untill they are beaten to powder, so the wonderfull workes of God are either, not at all, or very slightly smelt in the nostrils of man, who is of a dull sense, unlesse they be rubbed and chased in the minde, through a fervent affection, and singled out with a particuler view, like them which tell money, who looke not confusedly at the whole heape, but at the valew of every parcell: So then a true Christian must endeavour himselfe to deliver not in grosse, but by retaile the millions of Gods mercy to his soule, in secret thoughts, chewing the cud of every Circumstance, with continuall Contemplation. And as a thriftie Gardi ner, which is loath to see one Rose leafe to fall from the stalke without stilling; so the Christian soule is unwilling to passe, or to stifle the beds of spices in the Garden of Christ, without gathering some fruit, Cant. 6. which containe a mystery and hidden vertue, and our Champhire clusters in the Vineyards, of Engedie, Cant. 1. must bere solved into droppes, by the Still of Meditation, or else they may be noted for weedes in the Herball of men, which hath his full of all kindes, but some are slightly passed over, as the watery herbes of vanity, which grow on every wall of carnall mens hearts, and yeeldbut a slight taste how good the Lord is, or should be to their soules: It therefore behoveth us first to mind the tokens of his mercy and love, and afterwards for the helping os our weake digestion to champe and chew by an often revolution every part and parcell thereof before we let it downe into our stomackes, that by that meanes it may effectually nourish every veine and living artery of our soule, and fill them full with the pure blood of Christs body, the least drop wherof refresheth, & chereth the soule and body of him which is in a swound through his sinne, and maketh him apt to walke and talke, as one who is now living in Christ.
By this sweete Meditation, the soule taketh the key where all her evidences lie, and peruses the bills and articles of Covenant agreed and condescended unto, betweene God and man; there shee seeth the great grant and pardon of her sins, subscribed unto, by God himselfe, and sealed with the blood of Christ.
There hee beholdeth his unspeakable mercy to a prisoner condemned to die, without which at the last, in a desperate case he is led and haled unto execution, by the cursed crue of hellish furies.
Here she learneth how the holy land is intailed and retaileth by discourse, the descent from Adam, unto Abraham & his son Isaac, and so forward unto all the seede of the faithfull; by Meditation the soule prieth into the soule, and wit ha reciprocall judgement, examineth her selfe, and every faculty thereof, what she hath, what shee wanteth, where she dwelleth, where she removeth, and where shee shall be.
By this shee feeleth the pulses of Gods Spirit beating in her, the suggestions of Sathan, the corruptions of her owne affections, who like a cruell steppe-Dame mingleth poysons and pestilent things to murther the Spirit, to repell every good motion, and to be in the end the lamentable ruine of the whole man.
Here she standeth, as it were, with Saul upon the mountaines, beholding the combat betweene David and Goliah, botweene the Spirit, and the uncircumcised raging of the Flesh, the stratagems of Sathan, the bootlesse attempts of the world.
Here appeare her owne infirmities, her relapses into sinne, her selfe astoned by the buffets of Sathan, her Fort shrewdly battered by carnall and fleshly lusts, her Colours and prosession darkened and dimmed through the smoke of affliction, her faith hidden because of such massacres and and treasons, her hope banished with her mistrust, her selfe ho vering ready to take flight from the sinceritie of her profession.
Here she may discerne, as from the toppe of a Mast an armie comming, whose Captaine is the Spirit garded with all his graces; the bloody armes of Christ by him displaied, the Trum. pets sound, Sathan vanquished, the world conquered, the flesh subdued, the soule recvived, profession bettered, and each thing restored to his former integritie.
The consideration hereof made Isaac goe meditating in the evening, Gen. 24.
This caused Hezekiah to mourne like a Dove, and chatter like a Pye in his heart, in deepe silence, Esa. 58.
This forced David to meditate in the morning, nay, all the day long, Psal. 63. and 119. 148. ver. as also by night in secret thoughts, Psal. 16.
This caused Paul to give Timothy this lesson to meditate, 1 Tim. 4. And God himselfe commanded Ioshua when hee was elected Governor, that hee should meditate upon the Law of Moses both day and night, to the end hee might performe the things written therein, Ioshu 1.
And Moses addeth this clause teaching the whole Law from God himselfe These words must remaine in thy heart, thou must meditate upon them, both at home and abroad, when thou goest to bed, and when thou risest in the morning, Deut. 6.
This meditation is not a passion of melancholy, nor a fit of fiery love, nor covetous care, nor senselesse dumps, but a serious act of the Spirit in the inwards of the soule, whose object is spirituall, whose affection is a provoked appetite to practise holy things, a kindling in us of the love of God, a zeale towards his truth, a healing our benummed hearts, according to that speech of the Prophet, My heart did waxe hot within me, and fire did kindle in my meditations, Psal. 39. Tho want whereof caused Adam to fall, yea and all the earth into utter desolation, for there is no man considereth deepely in his heart, Ier. 12. If Caine had considered the curse of God, and his heavie hand against that grievous and crying sinne, he would not have slaine his owne brother; if Pharaoh would have set his heart to ponder of the mighty hand of God, by the plagves already past, hee should have prevented those which followed, and have foreslowed his haste in making pursuite with the destruction of himselfe and his whole Army.
If Nadad and Abihu had regarded the fire they put in their Censers, they might have beene safe from the fire of heaven.
To conclude, the want of meditation hath beene the cause of so many fearefull events, strange massacres, and tragicall deaths, which have from time to time pursued the drowsie heart, and carelesse minde; and in these our dayes is the butchery of all the mischiefes which have already chanced unto our Countrimen; for whilst Gods judgements are masked, and not presented to the view of the minde, by the serious worke of the same, though they are keene and sharpe, it being sheathed, they seeme dull, and of no edge unto us, which causeth us to pricke up the feathers of pride and insolency, and to make no reckoning of the fearefull and finall rekoning, which most assu redly must be made, will wee, nill wee before Gods Tribunall. Hence it commeth to passe that our English Gentlewomen doe brave it with such out-landish manners, as though they could dash God out of
countenance, or roist it in heaven as they carve it here, so that thousands are carried to hell out of their sweete perfumed chambers, where they thought to have lived, and are snatched presently from their pleasant and odoriferous Arbours, daintie dishes, and silken company to take up their roome in the dungeon and lake of hell, which burneth perpetually with fire and brimstone.
And for the want of this, Gods children goe limping in their knowledge, and carrie the fire of zeale in a flintie heart, which unlesse it be hammered, will not yeeld a sparke to warme and cheere their benummed and frozen affections towards the worship and service of God, and the heartie embracing of his truth.
By this Gods Workes of Creation are slipped over, even from the Cedar, to the Hyssope that groweth on the wall.
The Sunne, the Moone, the Starres, shine without admiration, the sea and the earth, the foules, fishes, beasts, and man himselfe, are all esteemed as common matters in Nature; thus God worketh those strange creatures, without that glory performed which is due, and his children receive not that comfort by the secret meditation of Gods creation as they might. Hence it proceedeth that they are often in their dumps, fearing, as though they enjoyed not the light; whereas if they would meditate and judge aright of their estates, they might finde theey are the Sons of God, & heires of that rich kingdome most apparantly knowne, and established in heaven, and shall suddenly possesse the same, even then most likely, when their flesh thinketh it farthest off; as the Heire being within a monethmonth of his age, maketh such a reckoning of his lands, that no carefull distresse can trouble him; but this consideration being partly through Sathans, and partly through their owne dulnesse and over-stupidnesse, they fare like men in aswound, and as it were bereaved of the very life of the Spirit, staggering under the burthen of affliction, stammering in their godly profession, and cleaving sometimes unto the world; through this they carry Christs promises like comforts in a boxe, or as the Chirurgion his salves in his bosome.
Meditation applieth, Meditation healeth, Medditation instructeth; if thou lovest wisedome and blessednesse, meditate in the Law of the Lord day and night, and so make use of these meditations to quicken thee up to duty, and to sweeten thy heart in thy way to the heavenly Ierusalem, Farewell.
E. C.