The Mount of Holy Meditation, Tract · Chapter 7
Chap. 7.
Of ſet and ſolemn meditation, the definition and branches of it. Sect. 1.
Having ſpoken of rapt and occaſionall meditation, I ſhall in the next place treat of ſet and ſolemn meditation, and ſhall thus define it;
Meditation is a holy retirement of the ſoul,Definit. and a fixed exerciſe of the heart upon ſpirituall objects, that the heart may be affected with them, and bettered by them.
1. I ſay, it is a holy retirement of the ſoul:
A retirement from the world.
A retirement from our own paſſions.
Mens noſtra …d contem…anda inter…a nòn perdu…itur, niſi ab …is, quae exte…ùs implica…ur, ſtudioſè …ubtrahatur. Greg. Moral. …. 5. Nemo ad meditationem pervenit occupatus. Senec.1. A retirement from the world: Stars which have leaſt circuit are neareſt to the Pole, and men who leaſt perplex themſelves with worldly buſineſſe are neareſt to God: Devout Bernard confeſſeth, he learnt much of his Divinity under the trees of the Wood: When Elijah was in the wilderneſſe far from his own habitation, and the company of men, then the Angel ſpeaks unto him; when we are alone ſequeſtred from worldly cares and diſtractions, then God opens his mind unto us, and reveals many things to us, which he will not do, when he finds our hearts taken up with the cares and troubles of worldly buſineſſe; God is a Spirit, and therefore when we converſe with him, he requireth not only a bodily but alſo a ſpirituall retirement: Thus God call… Ezekiel Ezek. 3.22.into the plain, that he might there talk with him; and allures the Church into the wilderneſſe, that he might ſpeak unto her heart: Privacy (as one obſerveth) is the ſeat of contemplation, Brathwait Engl. Gent.though ſometimes made the recluſe of temptation; from which the Cell is no more exempted than the Court; but to a pious heart privacy is a great advantage to meditation; Mihi oppidum carcer; ſolitudo Paradiſus. Hier. Epiſt. ad Ruſtic. Eraſm. Tom. 5. de contemp. mundi.The City to me (ſaith Ierom) is a priſon, and ſolitarineſſe is a Paradiſe: Eraſmus hath written much concerning the liberty, tranquillity, and pleaſure of a retired life: and the Pſalmiſt bids us to commune with our own heart upon our bed, or within our chambers, as ſome tranſlate, and be ſtill, Pſal. 4.4. Be ſtill from the world, yet then muſt the heart be ſtirring towards God: they that ſail at Sea, to the end to attain to the land, they look more up to the Heaven than down to the Sea; carnall men are drowned in fleſhly delights and worldly cares, their hearts are not purged or elevated to converſe with God.
2. A retiring from our own paſſions: the heart muſt be ſetled and well compoſed, before it aſcend the hill of meditation; God requireth a ſpirit ſetled for ſo high a work; In quietneſſe and confidence ſhall be your ſtrength, If a man do not firſt diſcharge both himſelf and his mind from the burden that presseth her, removing from place to place will preſſe her the more; it is not enough for a man to have ſequeſtred himſelf from the concourſe of the people; a man muſt ſequeſter and recover himſelf from himſelf. Montaign Eſſayes. l. 1. c. 38.Iſa. 30.15▪ Be ſtill and know that I am the Lord, Pſal 46.10. We can never ſavingly know him, till our hearts be free from theſe perturbations: therefore when we come to meditate, we muſt as well retire from the perturbations of our hearts, as from the world: Waſps and Drones make more noiſe than the Bees, but make no honey, but waxe only; ſo they whoſe hearts are troubled and perplexed, are very unfit for ſo high an exerciſe of the ſoul: the ſhowers that fall gently make Corn and graſſe abound, but falling violently much endanger the Corn and meadows: it is not enough we are ſeperated from men, if we are entangled with our own paſſions; and indeed herein conſiſteth one of the moſt aſſured means of our ſpirituall improvement; therefore he that will meditate on holy objects, muſt call back his ſpirit very frequently into the preſence of God, and conſider what God doth, and what himſelf is doing crying out to God, O Lord why do I not alwayes look toward thee? Why doſt thou think on me ſo often, and I on thee ſo ſeldome; our proper place is to be with thee? Thrice happy is that ſoul, that can lift up himſelf to God, and can truly ſay, Lord thou art my dwelling place, my refuge, my ſhadow againſt all temptations; it is good for Chriſtians to retire frequently into the loneneſſe of their heart: yea when they are in company with others, for then thy heart may be alone with God: ſo ſaith David, I am continually with thee, Pſal. 73.23. I have ſet the Lord alwayes before mine eyes, Pſal. 16.8.
2.Actus religionis, ſeu exercitium ſpirituale. Jer. Turner Serm. in Prov. 4.23. The ſecond branch of meditation is, that it is a fixed exerciſe of the heart upon ſpirituall objects.
1. It is an exerciſe of the heart.
2. A fixed exerciſe.
It is an exerciſe of the heart; therefore one defines it to be an act of Religion or ſpirituall exerciſe; it is an heart-imployment, therefore may well be called a ſpirituall exerciſe; not only bec…uſe the matter of meditation is alwaye… ſome ſpirituall thing, but alſo becauſe the act of meditation is a meer ſpirituall act, proceeding from the ſpirituall part of man, as being an act of the heart: other parts of man are taken up in other things; the eye in ſeeing, the ear in hearing, the hand in touching and working, the tongue in ſpeaking; the heart is only exerciſed in meditation; therefore Davids meditations are called the meditations of his heart, Pſal. 19. ult. My heart ſaith he, was inditing of a good matter, Pſal. 45.1. Meditation is the heart of devotion, the ſoul of piety, by which we ſound the depths of divine love, whereby we apply our ſelves really to God, and communicate much of his grace and comfort; it fills the heart with ſweet odours and ſpirituall refreſhings, that it reſembleth a pillar of ſmoak from Aromaticall wood, kindled with Myrrhe, and all the ſweet powders of the heavenly perfumer.
2. It is a fixt exerciſe of the heart; the heart muſt be fixt on God that will meditate upon him, Pſal. 57.1. Therefore when we begin this exerciſe, we muſt then reſolve that our minds ſhall not wander from him; we muſt lift up our hearts to God in the Heavens, Lam. 3… Pſal. 25.1. Chriſt was transfigured on a mountain, and often withdrew himſelf into a mountain to pray and meditate, not only for privacy, but to note unto us, that a man that will meet with God, muſt aſcend higher in his ſpirit. God was at the top of Jacob's ladder, where Angels were aſcending and deſcending: to this purpoſe Ambroſe ſaith, No man can ſee Jeſus, while he ſtandeth upon the earth: Zacheus could not ſee Jeſus till he climbed up a Sycamore-tree:Nemo poteſt videre Jeſum conſtitutus in terra. Ambroſ. the compoſition of our bodies is ſuch, as a man cannot look up to Heaven with one eye, and down to the earth with the other, to teach us to look up to Heaven fixedly with both.
Pliny Plin. Nat. Hiſt. l. 8. c. 3.reports ſtrange things of bruit beaſts; he ſaith, There was an Elephant not ſo capacious of inſtruction as the reſt of his fellows, to learn what was taught him by his Keeper; whereupon being oftentimes beaten for that ſtupidity of his, he was found in the night (after his manner) to be as it were conning and ſtudying thoſe feats, which he had been taught in the day: and Plutarch Plutarc. de ſolert. animal.tells of a Pye, that to learn certain tunes which ſhe heard Minſtrels play, waxed dumb many dayes after; at length upon a ſuddain, ſhe brake forth into t…e ſame tunes which thoſe Minſtrels had played before, to the aſtoniſhment of all that heard her. Meditation is that which in the old Law was ſignified by the chewing of the Cud: tranſient ſpeculation… of things do but little good, let in bu… little light, unleſſe we chew thē Cud, and exerciſe the mind about them: holy things are like unto leaven, to Corn, to rain; now unleſſe the leaven be put into, and by ſtirring and working, as it were incorporated into the dough, it cannot ſeaſon it; and though the Corn be ſown in abundance, yet if it meet not with apt ground, tilled and prepared, but fall among thorns, by the high-way ſide, or in ſtony places, it bringeth forth no fruit; and though the rain fall plentifully, yet if it light ou… hard and hilly Countreys, it is not received, it makes not ſuch places fruitfull; ſo fareth it with holy things: let a Miniſter beſtow never ſo much of the leaven of the Word, yet if the hearers hide it not in their hearts, like leaven i… the meal, it will never ſeaſon them and make them fit manchet for th… Lord's table: let never ſo much goo… ſeed be ſown, yet if it take not roo… downwards in our hearts, it will neve… bring forth fruit upwards in our lives let the words of God's meſſengers drop as the rain, and diſtill like the dew, or like the ſhowers upon the herbs and tender graſſe, yet if the heart receive it not, if it dwell not in the heart richly, it will profit us nothing: indeed it is almoſt as much to find our own heart in a duty, as to find God in it.
Sect. 2. Of the ends of ſolemn meditation.
The end of meditation is both to affect the heart with the objects on which we meditate, and that the heart may be made better thereby.
1. I ſay, one end of meditation is to affect the heart, it is very delightfull to thoſe that are converſant in it: he that hath changed his mind or opinion upon meditation never accuſeth her of tyranny; meditation is very perſwaſive, clearing our judgements, calming our paſſions, and gaining our conſent to that which is good; it far ſurpaſſeth eloquence, and like a Soveraign raigns without arms; it hath no need of our ears to win our hearts: by it ſelf it tranſmitteth it ſelf into the inmoſt receſſes of our ſouls; finds out reaſon in …er throne; carries more light into …he mind, and kindleth in the will a more fervent love to God,Qui audit mel eſſe dulce, & nòn guſtat, nomen mellis ſcit, gratiam & ſaporem neſcit: guſtate ergo, & videte quam ſuavis ſit. Dominus Bonavent. making a man in love with what he formerly hated. Meditation oppoſeth the charms of grace againſt the allurements of ſin▪ and ſo ſweet and powerfull is holy meditation, that it blots out all earthly cogitations; it ſets before the eyes of our ſouls ſuch taking and alluring objects, which are more prevalent than thoſe of ſin, and by theſe holy delights our hearts are raviſhed, and grace eaſily prevails againſt the corruptions of nature: theſe are the firſt fruits of thoſe everlaſting pleaſures the Saints ſhall reap in the Kingdome of Heaven, whereby thoſe that feed on God and his promiſes by holy meditation here, do taſt one part of that felicity which the bleſſed do feed upon in Heaven; this hath ever been very affecting to the Saints: My meditation of him, ſaith David, ſhall be ſweet, Pſal. 104.34. or my word of him ſhall be ſweet; it ſignifie… a word ſecretly ſpoken,Symonds fixed eye. as one obſerveth: the heart ſpeaks of God in meditation, and thoſe words are muſick in the ſoul; the word imports a ſweetneſſe with mixture, like compound ſpices or many flowers mixt together; ſuch variety of ſweetneſſe this meditation of God yeeldeth to him, whoſe mind is upon him, whoſe heart is toward him: the operation of the mind makes up a ſweet delight; there is more content in meditating on the love of God, more refreſhing to the heart, than wine can give to the body; his love is better than wine: We will remember thy l…ve more than wine, Cant. 1.2, 4. David tells us that the thoughts of God are precious, Pſal. 139.17. they are ſo to a heart that is in a right frame; and ſaith he, My ſoul is filled as with marrow and fatneſſe, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches, Pſal. 63.5.
MeditationMeditatio co… memoriae. is the rubbing up of the memory, and may not unfitly be called the whetſtone of memory; for even as a whetſtone or grindſtone addeth an edge to the Knife or other inſtrument which is whetted thereupon; ſo this ſharpeneth our memories, and gives us occaſion to call that to mind, which otherwiſe would have been forgotten; or it may be compared to the ſteel and ſtone of a Tinder-boxe, neither of which ſeverally will yeeld any fire, but being ſmitten together, the fire cometh forth incontinently; ſo fareth it with men that are of good capacities, that can conceive much at the inſtant, but remember little, becauſe they uſe not their memories, and exerciſe not themſelves in pious meditations: Meditation is the heart, life, and ſoul of remembrance, making whatſoever we read and hear to abide with us, and be our own, elſe it will away: meditation with (Philip's Page) muſt daily knock at the doors of our hearts, and cauſe us to call to mind what we have learnt, elſe by corruption we ſhall ſoon forget it; this made Periander King of Corinth to ſay, Meditatio totum. It is an undoubted maxime, that a thing be it never ſo good and excellent, yet it is not very deſireable of us, till it begit to affect our hearts, though it hath more charms than beauty, and more luſtre than outward glory, more invitations than ſecular profits; yet if it convey not pleaſure into the will, it knows not how to beget love unto it.
2. Meditation alſo bettereth the heart as well as affects it: It is ſaid that King Mythridates having found out Mythridate, he ſo ſtrengthened his body, that endeavouring to poiſon himſelf, to avoid the ſervitude of the Romans, he could by no means effect it: ſo whoſoever ſhall feed on holy objects by meditation, and uſe it frequently, ſhall ſo fortifie his heart, that it ſhall not be poiſoned with any evil affections.
Meditation is a heart-warming duty; ſtudy only warms the brains, but meditation warmeth the heart; therefore when holy truth falls upon a prepared heart, it hath a ſweet and ſtrong operation: Luther Luther. Melch. Ad in vit. Sta…confeſſeth, that having heard Staupicius a grave Divine to ſay, that that is kind repentance which begins from the love of God, ever after that time the practice of repentance was ſweeter to him: another ſpeech of his likewiſe did much affect Luther, viz. that in doubts of predeſtination we ſhould begin from the wounds of Chriſt, that is, from the ſenſe of God's love to us in Chriſt; therefore the warming of the brains in ſtudy, without the warming the heart by meditation, is but a dead and cold ſpeculation: ſerious meditation puts lively colours upon common truths, which operate ſtrongly upon the heart to make it better.