The Seven Days, Meditation 2
A MEDITATION VPONUPON THE LORDES ſecond dayes vvorke.
THE Heauens were created the ſeconde Daye. The worde foreign in the natiue language is taken frō the Waters, becauſe the Waters are there, and deſcende from thence. The Greeke worde foreign, Plato takes, as it were foreign, conſpicable, becauſe it is objected to the ſight of all men. The Latine Coelum, becauſe it is Coelatum, carued with goodlie Ornaments: and Firmamentum, from the ſureneſſe of it: and Expanſum, becauſe GOD hath ſpred it foorth as a Curtaine.Pſ. 104.2.
The Heauens hauehave three ſignifications in the Scriptures: Firſt, it is taken duplicate page duplicate page for the Aire, wherein the Fowles and Birdes doe flie:Mat. 6.26 Heauen hath three ſignificatiōs Secondlie, for the Firmament: And thirdlie, for the Seate of the Angels, and bleſſed Soules: Paradiſe: the Boſome of Abraham: the third Heauens, wherevnto the Apoſtle Paul was rauiſhed. Theſe three were made this day. God created a faire Theatre to himſelfe this daye, wherein there ſhould bee innumerable Quiriſters, neare vntounto his Throne, of pure Seraphims, and Cherubims, euerie one prouoking other to his prayſe, and ſaying, Holie, Revel. 4.8.holie, holie, LORD GOD Almightie, &c. And againe, there are infinite Aëriall Quiriſters, who fill the ears of men with their pleaſant Songs; by their example prouoking men to laude their Creatour. And there is a Parpane, and middle inter-ſtiſe, which is the ſole and grounde of his vpper Houſe, and the Roofe of his neather Houſe, to couer the Worlde, by an admirable manner.
I marke three thinges in the Creation of the Heauens:Thre things obſerued. Firſt, the order which GOD vſeth in the making of them: for ſeeing Man was to bee made of an Heauenlie Soule, and an Earthlie Bodie, and was to dwell in Heauen for euer, and on the Earth onlie for a little time; hee maketh the Heauen firſt,If Heauen was first made, then ſeeke it first. ſetting it aboue the Earth, and making Man to bow vpwardes, & looke vntounto it, (and not downward towards the Earth, as the Beaſts doe,) being the place of his abode, & perpetuall remaining. The conſideration wherof ſhould make vsus to vſe that ſame order in our actions, which God did in his.Albeit our bodies be on the Earth, let our hart bee in Heauen. Let vsus put Heauen in our heart, before the Earth: let vsus looke vntounto it, and hauehave our conuerſation in it: albeit our bodies be captiuate in the earth, let our hearts be in our owne Countrey, where wee ſhall dwell for euer.
Next, God grounded the Heauens vponupon the ſecond day, and perfected them vponupon the fourth day.God worketh by degrees. This is his common forme, both in his Spirituall works, and in his naturall: he worketh by degrees: he layeth the foundation of his benefit, and after he finiſheth it. Therfore, let vsus not haſten nor precipitate, but attend Gods will, who will perfect our earthly and heauenlie comfort in his owne time.
Laſt, yee ſee he bindeth vp the Cloudes in the Aire, that they cannot drowne the Earth; as he wardes the Seas by the ſands;By weake meanes God preſerueth man. to teach vsus, how God by theſe weake meanes doeth preſerue Mankinde. Which if he doe to his enemies, what ſhould his Elect Children looke for at his hands?
A PRAYER, VponUpon the LORDES ſecond Dayes Worke.
O Almightie GOD, Thou who created the Heauens the ſecond day, inſpire my ſoule, I beſeech three, with heauenlie Meditations: inlarge mine heart, and looſe my tongue to thy praiſe. Ouer-ſhadow mine heart with thy grace, as thou couereſt the Eearth with the Heauens, that I may conſider thy power and goodneſſe towards me in this thy workmanſhip.
Thou needeſt not the Heauens, O Lord, for before the Heauens were, thou waſt: the Heauen of Heauens cannot containe thee:1. King. 8.27. but thou madeſt them for me. Therefore, lift vp my minde, by a ſpirituall meditation, that with heart and minde I may ſeeke for thee in them, and louelove them for thee, who is in them. Thou dwelleſt in a light vnacceſſable: I cannot enter into thy Throne to ſee, but I proſtrate my ſoule, before the gates of thy grace, wrapped in the beggerſie clouts of my ſinne, and at thy commandement I knock.Long for Heauen, where thou mayest ſee God. Cant. 5.12. Caſt the crumms of thy merciemercy to me, that I faint not in this wilderneſſe: Looke with the eyes of the Doue out of thine holie Temple, Heare the voyce of my prayer, and gather my teares into thy Bottle; who am in a ſtrange countrey, and ſo long abſent from my Lord and Husband, who is now dwelling with thee. Looke foorth at the grates of thy Fathers window,Cantic. 2.9. O thou whom my ſoule loueth: and cure the griefe of mine heart, by thy gracious countenance. Should wee dwell ſundrie ſo fare, I here, thou in the heauens? haſten thy comming in the Cloudes, or haſten my departure, by death, that I may enjoye the ſight of him whome my ſoule loueth. O Lord, the Heauen is full of thy glorie, when thou commeſt out of thine Yourie Palaces,Pſal. 45.8. and out of the moſte holie places, and ſheweſt the ſignes of thy preſence amongſt thy Sainctes: then the foundations of the Heauens ſhake: then the innumerable legions of the Coeleſtiall Spirites rayſe vp their voyces,Pſal. 18.7. ſounding thy prayſes: they fill al thy Temple, & ſpeak words which cannot bee expreſſed. Thine holie Armie of twentie thouſand thouſandes of Angels,Revel. 7.4. & 9. and of euerie Tribe of Iſrael twelue thouſand, and of all the Nations vnderunder the Heauens, innumerable thouſandes. Their voyces are like the ſound of the Thunder,Rev. 14.2. or as the noyſe of manie Waters. O, our God, howe glorious art thou in thine holie Temple! O that Spirituall Muſicke, and the Harpes of God, wherevpon thy Sainctes doe play, both daye and night. The twentie and foure Elders,Rev. 7.14 & 15. and the reſt, who made their long Robes white in the bloode of the Lambe; thou leadeſt them to the pure Fountaines of Waters: thou haſt wyped away all teares from their eyes: They ſing, Prayſe, Glorie, and Wiſedome; Thankes, Honour, Power, and Might, bee vntounto our GOD for euermore. The foundation of that Citie is of precious Stones: The Iaſper, the Saphyr,Rev. 21.19 20.21 & 27 and the Emarald; the Topaz, and the Hiacinth. The twelue Gates, are twelue Pearles. The Streete of the Citie, is pure Golde, as ſhyning Glaſſe. There is none vncleane thing in that Citie: but thoſe who are written in the Lambes Booke of Life.
O that Water of Life,Rev. 22.1.2. cleare as Cryſtall, proceeding out of the Throne of God! There is the Tree of Life, which beareth twelue manner of Fruites, and rendereth Fruite euerie MonethMonth. O! that is the true Land of CANAAN,Exod. 3.17 which floweth with Milke and Honey, which is promiſed to the Elect Children. O, how bleſſed are thoſe who ſtand before thee, O Lord,1. king. 8.8 and heare thee, and ſee the beautie of thine Houſe! O, howe amiable are thy Tabernacles, O Lord God of Hoſtes! It is better to bee a Doorekeeper in thine Houſe, than to bee a Monarch of the whole Worlde.Pſal. 84.1 As the Hart brayeth after the Riuers of Waters,Pſal. 42.1. ſo doeth my ſoule pant after thee, my liuing Lord. O my GOD, when ſhall I appeare before thee in Sion? Nowe, my ſoule, returne vntounto thy reſt; for the Lord will pittie thee, and will deliuer thee from this Priſon, and from theſe wylde Beaſtes, which vexe thee on euerie ſide, and from ſinne, which daylie troubleth thee; and will bring thee to the ſight and fruition of the Eternall Ioye, which is in the Heauens.
O glorious GOD, I hauehave not yet ſeen the Heauēs, where th… Saints are, but in the myrrour of the Goſpell: But I ſee daylie theſe vi…ble creatures, and the Firmament,NOTA. If there be ſuch beauty in the outward part of the heauens, what is within? which are euen the workes of thine owne hand. Then, if there bee ſuch beautie in the outwarde partes of thy Palace, O LORD, what will wee looke for in thy Gabinet?
O my GOD! as often as I beholde theſe outward Heauens, then let mine heart & inward affections be mounted vp, by an holie deſire and meditation; that the eye of my ſoule may pierce thorow theſe thy viſible workes, euen to the companie of my Brethren, the Firſt-borne, and to that innumerable number of Angels and Sainctes.
Oh, bee thou my Guide, O my LORD, and bring mee through the perils of this Wilderneſſe, vntounto thine heauenlie Palace, euen for the merites and blood of IESVS CHRIST, thy well-beloued Sonne, our Sauiour.
AMEN.