The Mount of Holy Meditation, Tract · Chapter 5
Chap. 5. Of the gate of meditation.
This is nothing elſe but to propound to a man's ſelf by imagination the matter or Subject whereon to meditate, or wherein to exerciſe our thoughts; as the objects of our imagination muſt be good, ſo we muſt labour to preſent them as good and profitable to the ſoul▪ this carries on the will after them with delight; our affections are ſuitable to our imaginations and apprehenſions o… the object; affections raiſe the ſpirits, the ſpirits raiſe the humours, and ſo the whole man is moved; thence it is, if a thing be preſented as evil to the imagination, it works ſtrongly upon us; imaginary and conceited evils have the ſame effect as reall: Jacob was as much affected with the imagination of Joſeph's death, as if he had been really dead in his houſe, though fancy be but a frothy thing, yet it produceth reall effects; the force of imagination we ſee in other creatures:Gen. 30.38, 39. Jacob takes rods of green Poplar, and of the Haſell, and Cheſnut-tree, and pilled white ſtrakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods, and ſet the rods before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs, &c. and the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth Cattle ring-ſtraked, ſpeckled, and ſpotted. Auſtin gives this very reaſon wherefore in Aegypt there is never wanting a white ſpotted Oxe,Aug. de civit. Dei. l. 18. c. 5 which they call Apis, and worſhip for a God: Hypocrat…s Hypocrates.hath written a learned Diſcourſe of the power of imagination; the looking upon outward objects doth much affect the inward ſenſes, ſo that the imagination is made as it were like unto them: Imagination is a ſtrong conceit of the mind touching any thing whatſoever it be,Perkins diſcourſe of Witchcraft. and by reaſon of the communion that is between body and ſoul being together, it is (as one obſerveth) of great force to work diverſly within the man that imagineth:
Hence it is that Papiſts and ſuperſtitious perſons are full of cruelty, becauſe ſuperſtitious devices are the brats of man's imagination; like Nebuchadnezzar's golden image,Dr Sibs ſouls conflict. wherein he pleaſed himſelf ſo, that to have uniformity in adoring the ſame, he compelled all under pain of death to fall down before it: therefore that our imaginations may do us no injury, we muſt propound and preſent reall and ſubſtantiall things unto them; as the true excellency and abaſement of the ſoul, the true and falſe riches, the true happineſſe and reall miſery of the ſoul; if falſe objects are preſented to them, falſe conceits will ariſe therefrom, and falſe meditations and diſcourſes will ariſe within us: as the taking in wholeſome food expells flatuous diſtempers out of our bodies, ſo when ſerious objects are preſented to the ſoul, when the mind feeds on nouriſhing truths, it is a way to expell windy fancies and vain imaginations.
If thou wilt meditate of Chriſt on the Croſſe, imagine thy ſelf to be on Mount Calvary, and to ſee all that he did and ſaid in his paſſions and ſufferings, in that manner that the Evangeliſts have ſet down, for by ſuch imaginations we incloſe our ſpirits within the bounds of the myſteries whereon we meditate, and keep them from roving excurſions, for there is nothing ſo wandring as imagination, it is like to Theramenez Shooe, fit for all feet, it is as the matters are that are preſented to it. Philo the Jew ſaith,Philo Jud. the uſuall practice of the faithfull (who lived in Alexandria, and made their moſt holy meditations on the Scriptures) was, that they tyed themſelves to the terms of the Hebrew Alphabet, and ſo paſſed into the moſt ſpirituall ſenſe, there to ſee and underſtand the verities which were in a manner veiled:Ogni medaglia ha il ſuo riverſcio, Ital Every outſide hath his inſide, ſaith the Italian Proverb: meditations thus formed, do pour good motions into the will, and holy affections into the ſoul; as the love of Go… and our brethren; longing after Heaven and eternall happineſſe; the imitation of the life of Chriſt; rejoycing in God and his mercies; an admiration of his wonderfull works; a fear of offending God; the conſideration o… Heaven and Hell; the laſt judgement, an hatred of all ſin; a confidence in God's goodneſſe; a confuſion at the thoughts of a miſpent life: in theſe and the like, our ſpirits are to be dilated and poured forth as much as ma… be.