Meditation on Mans Mortality, Title page – Dedication
A MEDITATION OF MANS MORTALITIE. CONTAINING AN Exposition of the Ninetieth PSALME.
By that Reuerend and Religious Seruant of GOD Mr WILLIAM BRADSHAVV, sometime Fellow of Sidney Colledge in CAMBIDGE.
Published since his decease by THOMAS GATAKER B. of D. and Pastor of ROTHERHITH.
LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Fulke Clifton, and are to be sold on New-fish streete hill vnderunder Saint Margrets Church. 1621.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND RELIGIOVS THE Lady GRACE DARCY, encrease of all Spirituall grace and true comfort here, with assurance of eternall glory and happinesse hereafter.
GOOD MADAME,
These holy and heauenly Meditations were by the Author of them at first conceived upon occasion of the decease of that Religious Gentleman, of blessed memory, your deare Father, under whose roofe hee then lived. Since which time it hath pleased God to giuegive you further occasion of Meditation in this kind, (not to mention the losse of the Author himselfe, which I well know, very feelingly affected you) by renting from you as it were the one halfe of your selfe, that worthy Knight, that was one flesh with you while he lived, and continueth one spirit with you notwithstanding his decease. It hath pleased God thus by sundry crosses successiuely to exercise his graces in you, and to preach that vntounto you by reall, and those domesticall, (I may well so call them) Sermons, that this Discourse and Treatise mainly tendeth unto. Neither ought it at all aProv. 3. 11, 17. Heb. 12. 5, 6.to dismay or discourage any of Gods Children, when they shall consider, how it pleaseth God to follow them with Crosses, either in this kinde, or any other. bLam. 3. 27. Heb. 12. 10.It is for our good, that we be trained up in the schoole of afflictions. The Spirit of God pronounceth them cIob 5. 17. Psal. 94. 12.blessed, that are corrected and instructed. And the very Heathen themselues hauehave held them dBias foreign. Infaelicem dicebat cum, qui infaelicitatē non tulisset. Laer. Nihil mihi videtur infaelicius eo, cui nihil unquam evenit aduersi. Demetrius Cynicus apud Senec. de provid. c. 3. Hinc Amasis Polycrati; foreign. Neminem unquam novi, aut fando audivi, qui non ad extremum funditus perierit, postres omnes prosperègestas. Herodot. hist. l. 3.unhappy, that had never tasted of any unhappinesse. Happy are wee that ever wee came into this Schoole, so be wee proue not truants in it, but cPsal. 119. 67, 71.come better out of it then wee came in. Now this how it may be effected, this blessed servant of God now with God, having long beene experienced, and well profited therein, doth from the Spirit of God speaking by Moses the Man of God, here manifest. In regard whereof I hauehave the rather made choice to addresse that to your LADIESHIP, which your wel-deserving both of the Author and his issue doth otherwise giuegive you good interest in, and a just title unto. And so wishing unto your selfe, and all other that shall make use of it, that benefit by it, that by the Author was at first entended in it; with thankfull acknowledgement of your great louelove and kindnesse shewed both to him while hee lived, and to his poore Widow and Fatherlesse ones since his decease, I take leaue, and rest
Your LADIESHIPS to be commanded in the Lord THO: GATAKER.
A MEDITATION OF MANS MORTALITIE.
A GODLY MEDITATION ON PSALME 90. A Prayer of Moses the Man of God.
THis Psalme is a Meditation of Mans Mortalitie: An Argument that all of vsus hauehave most feeling Occasions to thinke of, and to be affected withall.
This Meditation is conceiued in the forme of a Prayer, as is expressed in the Title; and is apparent by the Psalme it selfe: For the Prophet directeth his speech vntounto God; and therein teacheth vsus;
That our Meditations, and thoughts, and affections in and about this Argument, should be holy and religious, such as are fit to be presented to God himselfe.
And that in our Meditations hereof we should withdraw our selues into the presence of GOD; and as it were in a speciall manner make him acquainted with them: For this is a meanes to reape found and true comfort thereby.
The Author of this Meditation was Moses, as appeares also by the Title; Howsoeuer some vponupon no good ground suppose, that it was a Psalme of Dauid made in the person of Moses. And albeit it be not set downe or mentioned in any other of Moses his workes; yet that no whit hindreth, but that it may well be his, as all Circumstances in it doe well fit thereunto. Neither indeed had any man after Moses more cause to meditate on this Argument, and to be throughly affected therewith.
Now Moses the Author of it is here described to be the Man of God: that is, a speciall and more then ordinary Seruant of God. So that it is as if it had beene said; That famous and renowmed Seruant of God was in manner as followeth, affected with the consideration of Mans Mortalitie; and vponupon the same penned this Psalme, that other of Gods seruants might learne of him, how in like manner to be affected therewith.
Whence we learne:
1. That eueryevery true Seruant of God hath and euer shall hauehave iust cause to meditate of, and in most feeling manner to be affected with the consideration of this matter. Yea, the greater and more worthie Seruant of God one is, the more deeply will he be affected therewith.
2. That this is a part of our speciall seruice, wherein we shall shew our selues to be Men and Women of God in a speciall manner, to meditate seriously hereon, and to be affected herewith; As the neglect thereof is a speciall signe of one that is no Man of God.
3. That the Seruants of God herein had neede not onelyonly of generall Rules, but of speciall patterns and directions, how and in what manner to be hauehave themselues in this consideration; least on the one side they be swallowed vp in the gulph of despaire, or on the other side encouraged and hartned on to prophanenesse, making that cursed and damnable use thereof, that Epicures use to do, saying, Let vsus eate and drinke; for to morrow we shall Esai. 22. 13. 1 Cor. 15. 31.die: Let vsus be merrie while we may.
The Psalme it selfe consisteth of
1. A Preface.
2.
A Complaint.
A Petition.
IN the Preface, the Prophet prayseth God: and by praysing him laboureth to moove God the rather to hearken unto the Complaint and Petition, that afterwards he is to make.
And indeed this is a speciall meanes to make our Complaints to be regarded of God, and our Petitions graunted, when in the making of them, we shall bring hearts possessed with the louelove of God, and our mouths filled with his prayse.
For there is no true Child of God, be his soule neuer so deeply possest with sorrow and plunged in misery, but he shall finde Arguments of the prayse and glory of God in the very middest of his misery. Neither will God find mercy to be mooved with their Complaints, nor regard their Requests, that in the apprehension of their miseries hauehave no hearts to conceiue, or mouths to utter his prayse.
So that would we mooue the Lord to Compassion in our misery, and to graunt our requests? Let us in the first place stirre vp our hearts, to consider Gods goodnesse, and prayse, and to manifest the same in the middest of all Gods Iudgements; els it will nothing boote us to begge, or to complaine. Those therefore that in the sense of their misery, can finde no true and heartie matter to prayse and glorifie God, though they should rend the Heauen with their cryes, and beg and aske from morning to euening, yet cannot looke to receiue any comfortable answer at Gods hands. So that herein we should examine our hearts and affections. For looke with what measure of the louelove of God, and of the acknowledgement of his goodnesse they are replenished, in that measure may we hope that the Lord will hearken vntounto us.
The Prophet prayseth the Lord
1. For his goodnesse towardes his people.
2. For his worthinesse in himselfe.
IN the first he manifests his thankfull minde to God for his kindnesse passed; in the other his hope & confidence in God for the time to come.