The Mount of Holy Meditation, Tract · Chapter 9 – Chapter 10
Chap. 9. Of timing our Meditations in the beſt manner.
1. It is good to begin every year with holy meditations: men uſually handſell the year with ſome newyears gifts; let us look higher, even to God: certainly this is our beſt newyears gift, to give a heart to God, fraught with heavenly meditations. To this purpoſe, ſuch meditations as theſe are uſefull; namely, to try one year by another; whether grace thrive or decay in us; to ſee according to our years, what progreſſe we have made in the way to Heaven; if for every year of our life, we are paſſed a ſtation of the wilderneſſe of this world, to the heavenly Canaan; if as our outward man decayes, our inner man be renewed day by day: it is of great advantage to Chriſtians, to begin the year with ſuch meditations; and better it is to fill our minds with theſe, than our bellies with dainty food: this work of meditation is a part of our yearly Rent to be paid to God: every new year we renew the leaſe of our lives again of God; and therefore pious meditations are a task anſwerable to ſuch a time: the new man in the beginning of the newyear, is to meditate on his over year ſins, and heartily bewail them, and repent of them; to meditate on the renewing his Covenant with God for new obedience; and according to the work of grace in him, to ſtrengthen his communion with God.
2. It is good alſo to begin every day with meditation: In the morning ſow thy ſeed, Eccleſ. 11.6.Pſal. 130.6. David's meditations did prevent the morning watch; his ſoul was flying to Heaven before the Sun was up, or the morning got out of its bed: and ſaith he, Pſal. 139.18. When I awake, I am ſtill with thee: to which Ambroſe Ambroſ. in Pſal. 36. It is good to ſet our ſouls in order every morning, perfuming our spirits with ſome holy meditations. Dr Sibs.alluding, ſaith, Let a devoted spirit prevent the morning, that it may be enlightned by Chriſt, before the earth be illuminated by the riſing of the Sun. We bend our heart to God in the morning, when we lift our heart to God, and give him our firſt thoughts and affections; then ſhall he fill us with his mercies in the morning, that we may rejoyce all the day long.Cicer. Tuſc. quaeſt. l. 4. Demoſthenes was troubled, that a Smith ſhould be at his Anvil, before himſelf could be at his Study; much more ſhould it grieve us to be prevented by them.
Seaſon your minds in the morning with ſuch meditations as theſe:
1. Meditate on the great favour which God hath vouchſafed to thee the night paſt; and if thou haſt not remembred God upon thy bed; nor thy reins inſtructed thee in the night ſeaſon; and if God hath not been in all thy thoughts, think of humbling thy ſelf before him, and crave his pardon.
2. In the morning meditate thus with thy ſelf: this day is given me to give all diligence, to make my calling and election ſure; to obtain eternall life; to take a firm reſolution to imploy my whole life to that purpoſe; and to think ſeriouſly of the reckoning I muſt give to God.
3. Meditate upon what affairs thou maiſt meet with the day following, as helps or hindrances to thee in God's ſervice: uſe the beſt means offered to promote thy ſervice of God; and think how thou maiſt carefully reſiſt, and overcome whatever is contrary to God's glory, and thy ſalvation.
4. Meditate how unable thou art to perform any pious reſolutions, be they either to ſhun the evil, or do the thing that is good; and offer up thy heart in the morning, with all thy holy purpoſes, to the heavenly Majeſty, praying him to take it and them into his gracious protection.
5. Think with thy ſelf every morning: this day for ought that I know, may be my laſt day; how ought I then ſo to ſpend this day, as though death were preſently to arreſt me. By theſe or the like morning meditations, all that ſhall be done the day after, may be bedewed with the bleſſing of Heaven.
As in the morning you are to take a ſpirituall repaſt by meditation; ſo in the evening 'tis neceſſary to take a devout and ſpirituall collation. Iſaac in my Text went out in the evening to meditate: One adviſeth, that meditation be our key to open the morning, and our lock to cloſe the evening withall. Get a little leiſure after all your wordly imployments, to call up your ſpirits to the conſideration of ſome holy object, which thou maiſt preſent to thy ſelf ſimply, by an inward caſt of thy thought, kindling the fire of meditation in thy heart, by a few holy inſpirations and ejaculations to the Lord, either in repeating, what thou haſt beſt reliſhed in thy morning meditations, or by ſome other as thou beſt likeſt.
Now ſuch meditations as theſe in the evening, before our going to bed, may not be unprofitable.
1. To meditate on God's great goodneſſe, in preſerving thee the day before, from many troops of dangers, that lay in ambuſcado againſt thee.
2. To meditate and examine thy ſelf, how thou haſt carried thy ſelf in every part of the day; which to do the more eaſily, you are to conſider with whom, and in what imployments you have been buſied.
3. If a man hath done any good, to think of praiſing God for it; if any ill, in thought, word, or deed, to be humbled, and ask pardon for it, with a reſolution carefully to amend it.
4. So to end the day in holy duties, that by our morning exerciſe, we may open the windows of our ſouls to the Sun of righteouſneſſe, and going to take ſuch reſt as is neceſſary for us, we ſhut them up againſt the Prince of darkneſſe.
Meditation is alſo a good night companion. David would remember God upon his bed, and meditate on him in the night watches, Pſal. 63.6. Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy Word, Pſal. 119.148. The night, ſaith Chryſoſtome, Chryſoſt. ad popul. Antioch. Hom. 42.was not made to this purpoſe, that we ſhould ſleep all the time, and lye lolling on our beds; the manuary Trades, and Horſekeepers, and Merchants, can witneſſe as much unto us▪ Riſe thou at midnight as doth the Church; mark the motion of the Stars, the deep ſilence of all things then being, their reſt they then enjoy, and admire the providence of God above; then is thy ſoul more pure, more light and ſubtil, more lofty and quick; the very darkneſſe it ſelf, and that great ſilence may induce thee to much contemplation: and ſaith he further; Look toward the City, and thou ſhalt hear no noiſe at all; caſt thine eye on thine houſe, and all thy family ſhall ſeem as if they lay in their graves or ſepulchres; all this may ſtir thee up to high and heavenly meditations: and ſaith the ſame Father elſewhere;Chryſoſt. in Gen. Hom. 30. In the night no body is troubleſome to us; then have we a great tranquillity of our thoughts, when our buſineſſes are not troubleſome, when there is none that can hinder us from having acceſſe to God, when our mind knittin… it ſelf together, is able diligently to mak… reference of all to the Phyſitian of ſouls. I ſhall not preſcribe which of theſe is the fitteſt time for meditation, but to me the morning ſeemeth to be the fitteſt; but no time comes amiſſe to a prepared heart.
Chap. 10. An Exhortation to Meditation; ſhewing alſo the neceſſity thereof.
Let me now exhort you to ſet about, and to be frequent in this neceſſary duty of meditation: Be often retiring your ſelves to God, and breathing after him: queſtion him daily about thy ſalvation: give him thy heart: lift up thy ſoul to God: caſt thine inward eyes on his mercies; give him thy hand as a little Child doth to his Father, that he may lead thee and guid thee: plant him in thy heart, that God may be in all thy th…ughts: make many motions in thy ſoul after him: from every thing in the world, may be preſented many pious meditations, and profitable diſcourſes: unhappy are they that uſe …he creatures in turning them to ſin, and happy they that turn them to the meditation of God, and his goodneſſe. This exerciſe of meditation is very neceſſary:
1. Becauſe much of the work of holy devotion conſiſteth in it: it is that which may ſtand in ſtead of many other things, but the lack of this can hardly be ſupplied by any other means; for without this, reſt is but idleneſſe, pain taking but vexation.
2. Meditation is neceſſary to beat down the fleſh, and to keep the ſenſuall appetite in ſubjection to the Law of the Spirit. It is a great miſchief, ſaith Auſtin, to enjoy thoſe things we ſhould but uſe, and but uſe thoſe things we ſhould enjoy; we ſhould enjoy spirituall things, and but uſe corporall, which when the uſe is turned into enjoying, our reaſonable ſoul is turned into a bruitiſh and beaſt-like ſoul.
Animae viaticum eſt meditatio. Bern.3. Meditation is neceſſary to concoct the Word of God in our minds: There are ſome that feel ſome tenderneſſe of ſpirit, that will weep at a Sermon, that one would think their hearts full of devotion; but when it comes to the triall, we find that as the ſudden ſhowers in the heat of Summer, falling in great drops enter not, but bring forth Toadſtools or Muſhromps; ſo theſe tears falling on a vitious heart, a heart not mollified by conſtant meditation, the Word works not upon it, but becomes unprofitable: meditation ſoftens the heart, and fits it for any holy impreſſion. This made David cry out, O Lord, how ſweet are thy words unto my taſt; they are ſweeter than honey, and the honeycomb: and certainly the leaſt comforts of the Word, wrought in the heart by holy meditation, are more worth than the moſt pleaſing recreations in the world; they that have taſted of them, hold all other conſolations to be but gall and wormwood in compariſon of them. Oh that now I could perſwade men to this neceſſary duty of meditation: withdraw your ſelves from your worldly affairs at leaſt once a day, for the exerciſe of meditation. O holy ſoul, ſaith Bernard, O ſancta anima, fuge publicum, fuge domeſticos, an neſcis te verecundum habere ſponſum, &c. Bern.ſhun publick places, and the company of thoſe of thy houſhold; knoweſt thou not that Jeſus Chriſt thy Husband is baſhfull, and will not be familiar in company: Come my beloved, let us go forth into the field, there will I give thee my loves, Cant. 7.11.