The Mount of Holy Meditation, Tract · Chapter 1
Chap. I. The porch or entrance into this Work.
AFter the death of Sarah, Abraham feeling himſelf wholly broken with old age, and ready to go the way of all the earth, reſolved to ſeek a match for Iſaac his ſon; and for that end he calleth the ſteward of his houſe, and moſt faithfull ſervant, and having commanded him to lay his hand on his thigh, he conjured him by the Name of Jehovah, to ſeek a Wife for his Son in the Land of Haran; which being done, this wiſe Nuntio began his journey in order to the fulfilling his Maſter's commands; and departing from Beerſheba, he went directly to Meſopotamia, carrying with him ten large Camels laden with the choiceſt things that the houſe of Abraham could afford: In ſhort time he arriveth at the City of Nahor, ver. 10. meditating with himſelf of the readieſt means for the expedition of what had been given him in charge; and firſt he repaireth to a place without the City, where women in their turns uſed to draw water, there reſting his Camels, waiting upon God's providence for the opportunity he deſired; during which expectation he powreth out his requeſt to God, begging him propitiouſly to favour the deſigns of his Maſter; which he had ſcarce ended when Rebeckah appeared with an earthen pitcher under her arm to draw water; of whom no ſooner had Eliezer deſired a little drink, but Rebeckah preſently aſſented, doing all that which charity and curteſie required ſhould be done to a ſtranger: Eliezer ſeriouſly weigheth all the actions of Rebeckah, as being one in whom he was to diſcern the footſteps of God's conduct concerning his Maſter and his Maſter's Son.—This prudent Embaſſadour having preſented ſome ear-rings and bracelets to Rebeckah, takes occaſion to inform himſelf of the conveniences that were in her Fathers houſe for himſelf and thoſe that were with him, together with his Camels; and being well inſtructed of the alliances of the Damſell, and being aſtoniſhed that all ſhould fall out ſo ſoon and ſo even with his deſires; throwes hsmſelf on the ground to render thanks to God, adoring his inexpreſſible goodneſſe to his Maſter: Rebeckah haſtens to her Parents, to let them know what had hapned; which her Brother Laban underſtanding, he repaireth immediatly to the well from whence Rebeckah came; & finding Eliezer, he earneſtly entreated him to follow him to his Father's houſe; and having brought him thither, he gave hay and ſtraw to his Camels, and water to waſh his feet, and the feet of thoſe that were with him; and meat being ſet before him, as a truſty ſervant, he is more carefull to fulfill his Maſter's buſineſſe, than to fill his own belly; then he openeth his Commiſſion which he had from his Maſter, and declareth the artifices himſelf had uſed to bring this buſineſſe to good effect, labouring thereby to know the will of God that Rebeckah ſhould be a Wife to Iſaac; then orderly and exactly he declareth, how his Maſter was bleſt by God, and honoured by men, that he was rich and wealthy, and that Iſaac was heir to all his ſubſtance: the ſilence of Rebeckah teſtified her conſent thereunto; and B…thuel and Laban readily yeelded to the diſpoſition of didine providence: at length the promiſe of marriage being given on both ſides; Eliezer brings forth Jewels of ſilver and Jewels of gold, and of raiment, and preſenteth them to Rebeckah, and giveth to her Mother and Brother pretious things; and after a little time ſpent in doing thoſe duties which honour & nature required, Rebeckah takes leave of her parents and kinred, and gets up upon the Camels, and with Eliezer and the men that were with him, advanceth with the beſt ſpeed that could be made, to arrive at Abraham's houſe: Iſaac, who was alwaies in expectation, firſt receiveth the news of Rebeckah's arrivall: Abraham's ſervant praies by the way when he went out, and praies and meditates at the end of his journey, and Iſaac praies and meditates as they come home: And Iſaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide; and he lifted up his eyes, and behold the Camels were coming.
Iſaac goes out to meditate, and to meet with God, and there he meets with God and Rebeckah too, and Iſaac receiving her, brings her into the ſame Tent, which Sarah had while ſhe lived, and immediately the marriage of Iſaac with Rebeckah was accompliſhed according to the decree of Heaven and the deſires of Abraham. But to return to the words of my Text: in them you have divers Circumſtances conſiderable:
1. The name of the perſon [Iſaac.]
2. His work [meditation.]
3. His preparedneſſe to it [he went out.
4. The place where [into the field.]
5. The time when [at eventide.]
1. For the perſon, it was Iſaac, a child that came by miracle into the world; one that was the joy of his aged parents; he that was a child of tears and deſires, and now become an object of raviſhing joy; the lively picture of Abraham and Sarahs vertues, in whoſe ſeed all the Nations of the earth ſhould be bleſſed.
2. The work of Iſaac, to meditate: the Chaldee renders it to pray; Hierom expounds the Hebrew word Suach, to ſpeak in prayer,foreign Orare. Chald. ad Orandum, Onkelus. foreign Hebr. viz. with muttering and whiſpering, the words not being fully and diſtinctly uttered; as 1 Sam. 1.16. Hannah ſaith; I have ſpoken out of the multitude of my grief,Loqui in oratione ſubmiſſe quaſi muſſando loqui. Hieron. foreign, Symmach. foreign, Aquii. Sive ſecum ut meditabundi faciunt. Vatablus. foreign, exerceri, meditari, Lorinus. whenas ſhe ſpake in her heart, onelyonly her lips moved. Symmachus renders it, to ſpeak, as if he went out into the field to ſpeak with his ſervants about ſome worldly buſineſſe: Aquila, to ſpeak with himſelf, as thoſe do that are about to meditate. The Greeks render it by a word that ſignifieth ſometime the exerciſe of the body, ſometime the exerciſe of the mind; but chiefly it denoteth the exerciſe of the mind, I will meditate in thy precepts, ſaith David, Pſal. 119.15. The greek renders it foreign, In mandatis ſuis exercebor; In Scripturis eſt continua quaedam exercitatio; & meditari idem eſt, quod continuò exercitati. Suidas. Exiit in campum à domeſticis curis abalienare. Ambroſ. de Iſaac. c. 1. De rerum naturalium contemplatione praeſertim caeleſtium. Toſtat. & Lyran. Gaules votiu. ſpecul.I will exerciſe my ſelf in thy Commandements. Ambroſe renders the words of my Text thus; he went out in the field to ſequeſter himſelf from worldly cares and buſineſſes; and moſt probable it is, that Iſaac went out into the field to contemplate of things naturall, and eſpecially of heavenly things. We may conceive that Iſaac went out to meditate what good he had done that day, what evill avoided, what dangers eſcaped, what ſinnes committed, what good he had omitted, what grace and bleſſings he had received; or as one noteth, what a promiſe God had made, what a wife his father had provided, what a journey his ſervant had undergone, the time when he departed, and when alſo he would return: and while his thoughts and meditations had foreſeen them, his eyes are upon them; he lifted up his eyes, and behold the Camels were coming.
3. Conſider his preparedneſſe to it; he went out to meditate: The Scripture ſets out the intenſeneſſe of a man's ſpirit upon ſome ſerious buſineſſe, by the phraſe of going out: The ſower went out to ſow his ſeed, Luk. 8.5. So Chriſt ſaid to the people concerning John Baptiſt; What went ye out in the wilderneſſe for to ſee? Luk. 7.24. So Iſaac went out to meditate; he did not ſet upon ſo pious a work without ſerious preparation, and when he goes out in the field he makes it his buſineſſe to meditate, he comes out with a ſpirit bent like a bow, ready furniſht for this heavenly exerciſe.
4. The place, in the field.] He withdraws himſelf into a ſolitude for devout retirement; his ſpirit being enlarged, could not confine himſelf within the covert of a narrow tent, therefore he goes out into the field, a place advantagious for the work of meditation,Grata eſt ſolitudo meditantibus, & ipſa deambulatio admodùm juvat animum meditationibus deditum. Muſcul. ad loc. where he might caſt his eyes on various objects, and behold therein the wiſedom, power, and providence of God: Solitude is gratefull to thoſe that meditate, and field-walks are very refreſhing to the mind given to meditation.
5. The time when Iſaac went out to meditate; at the eventide, when the day had well nigh run her courſe, when the affairs for his calling were for that day diſpatched;Egreſſus veſperi propter commoditatem refrigerationis, quae poſt diurnum aeſtum illis in locis omnium ſolet eſſe gratiſſima. Idem. he is not ſo tired with worldly buſineſſes, as to make himſelf unfit for holy exerciſes, but in the evening of the day, and at the end of his outward imployment, he cometh to an higher imployment, his ſpirit is ripe for pious thoughts and heavenly meditations; the active and the contemplative life go together.