The Mount of Holy Meditation, Title page – List of authors cited
THE MOUNT OF HOLY MEDITATION: OR A TREATISE Shewing the nature and kinds of Meditation; the ſubject matter and ends of it; the neceſſity of Meditation; together with the excellency and uſefulneſſe thereof. By William Gearing Miniſter of the Goſpel at Lymington in the County of Southampton.
Admiratio generat quaeſtionem, quaestio inveſtigationem, inveſtigatio inventionem; lectio ad cognoſcendam veritatem materiam miniſtrat; meditatio coaptat, oratio ſublevat, operatio componit; & contemplatio in i… exultat. Hugo in Meditat.
LONDON, Printed for Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleetſtreet, 1662.
To the Vertuous Gentlewoman Mrs Elizabeth Aſhe of Alſted, in the County of Kent; and to her Eldeſt and hopefull Son William Aſhe Eſquire.
THe great God needeth none of his creatures, nor any of their ſervices, all the ſervice he requireth of his people, tendeth to their own good, and is no way beneficiall to him; to think to add any thing to him, is to guild gold, or light a Candle at noon-day: God is eternall, and was everlaſtingly bleſſed, before one Angel was created to attend him, as now there be thouſands miniſtring unto him, and before there was one man formed on earth to praiſe him, and do him ſervice, as now there are variety of creatures to ſet forth his praiſe: God is infinitely above all advantages, which any of the ſervices of the ſons of men can afford unto him: a drop is more to the Ocean, than all the ſervices of men are to God: If God had needed the world, or any thing therein, he could have made it long before; but Himſelf is his own bleſſedneſse; he is fully ſatisfied in himſelf; it is eſſentiall to him to be infinitely happy; therefore as his being, ſo his bleſſedneſse is eſſentiall to him: he is foreign, ſelf-ſufficient, and infinitely happy in his own moſt glorious and tranſcendent excellencies. There is then in God enough to ſatisfie the ſouls of men and women; for if there be enough in him to ſatisfie himſelf, who is infinite, then who cannot think but there is enough in him, to ſatisfie all the finite capacities of poor mortals? the ſpring of all our wants ariſeth from our distance from God; and indeed there is no want can make us truly miſerable, but our want of enjoying God. We may caſt about us, thinking to help our ſelves in our ſtraits and exigences many wayes; but till we come to God, and feed upon his excellencies, our diſeaſe will never be cured.
The proper habitation of the ſoul is God himſelf; and none are ſo well houſed, as they that have God for their dwelling place; when God iS a man's habitation, there do the glorious Angels keep the door: happy is that ſoul that lodgeth in the boſome of his love; that ſeeth his face, and walketh in the light of his countenance; the more it is raiſed up above luſts and creature-comforts, the more taken up with the contemplation of the love of God, the more do the will and affections run out after him. Naturaliſts tell us, that the Bees hate all artificiall ſavours; ſo he that hath been at the fountain of life, and drunk a large draught of the river of his pleaſures, will not ſeek to quench his thirſt at any broken Ciſtern, that can hold no water. Our corrupt ſpirits think, that unleſs we can ſatisfie ſuch a luſt, enjoy ſuch a friend, and ſo much of creature-comforts, it will never be well with us; but theſe are but meer deluſions of the Devil; for a man that wanteth God, to be diſcontented for any externall thing, and to think to help himſelf by the creature, it is but to adde vanity to vanity, and in fine miſery to miſery: for when a man expecteth ſatisfaction, and findeth nothing leſs, his miſery is ſo much the more increaſed.
St Auguſtine tells us of three ſorts of men, that be not happy in this life: The firſt, he that enjoyeth not the thing he loveth, whether the thing he loveth be good or evil: The ſecond, he that enjoyeth what he loveth, but the thing that he enjoyeth is not good for him: The third, he that enjoyeth what is good for him, but he takes no delight nor comfort in it: To all theſe he anſwereth in a word; Primus cruciatur, ſecundus fallitur, tertius aegrotat; The firſt is diſquieted, ſaith he, vext and tormented, becauſe he hath not what he would have; he is not happy, becauſe he is diſquieted: The ſecond, (he that enjoyeth what he loveth, but the thing he enjoyeth is not good for him) ſuch a one is deceived and deluded with a ſhew of happineſſe; the thing is hurtfull to him, and therefore is not happy in his enjoyment: The third, he that poſſeſſeth what is good for him, but he loveth it not, he is ſick and diſtempered, his heart is very much out of frame: but he that enjoyeth God, hath that which is beſt for him, and poſſeſſeth him, and this is true happineſſe.
It is altogether impoſſible for man to be made happy, by any thing inferiour to himſelf: there is ſomething in man, ſuperiour to any earthly creature, viz. a reaſonable ſoul; and there is nothing in worldly honours, riches, &c. that is comparable to the ſubstance or faculties of man's intellectuall ſoul: therefore if man cannot find happineſſe in himſelf, it is in vain to ſeek it in any earthly and ſublunary thing; I mean true happineſs, and reall ſatisfaction. Man can never be happy, but by the poſſeſſion of ſomething more excellent than himſelf, and cannot poſſeſſe any true contentment, till he comes to the poſſeſſion of God. There is no one outward thing, that can relieve us in all our wants: meat nouriſheth us, but cloaths us not: our garments cover us, but feed us not: gold enricheth us, but defends us not from any danger: one good produceth but one ſingle advantage to us but thoſe that daily meditate upon God,Phil. 4.19. do find enough in him to ſatisfie all their deſires: he hath riches enough in himſelf to ſupply all our wants; and indeed ſuch is the capacity of man's heart, that none but an infinite God can fill it.
And now the deſign of this Treatiſe of Meditation (which I moſt humbly preſent unto you) is to lead us frequently to God, who leads us to Heaven; and what greater delight, than to be led to Heaven, by him that dwells there? our hearts are like a ſpring-lock that ſhut themſelves, but do not open to any thing that is good; therefore we muſt open them every day with the key of meditation: and as in naturall things, thoſe that be highest, and neareſt to the Heavens, are pureſt and cleareſt, and come neareſt to the nature thereof; as the Element of fire, and the upper region of the Air be more pure and free from groſs matter, than the middle and lower region, where the clouds and miſts be ingendred; ſo thoſe that draw near to God by holy meditation, and are frequent in this heavenly exerciſe, are pure from thoſe groſſe ſins, with which others pollute themſelves: otherwiſe men in high places may not unfitly be reſembled to the Planet Saturn, of whom Aſtronomers and Philoſophers tell us, that in ſphear and place he is neareſt to the Heavens, but in nature and quality moſt unlike them, and leaſt of all partaking of the influences of Heaven.
Let me beſeech you still to keep cloſe to God, and then the Lord will ſtick cloſe to you, and vouchſafe his preſence with you. Among all Rules of policy, theſe are the chiefeſt: to be faithfull and upright to the Lord; to aim at his glory; to be guided by his Spirit; and walk according to the rule of his Word; then may you be aſſured, that you are more ſafe under his protection, than any arm of fleſh can make you. I humbly crave your pardon for this my boldneſs; and that the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, may bleſs you with all ſpirituall bleſſings in heavenly things in Chriſt, is, and ſhall be the prayer of
Your moſt humble Servant in the Gospel WILLIAM GEARING. From my Study in Lymington. Sep 30. 1661.
INDEX RERƲM.
CHap. 1. The Porch or entrance into this Work. Text, Gen. 24.63. opened.
Chap. 2.
Sect. 1. Shewing that Meditation is a duty that concerneth perſons of all ranks, conditions and ages.
Sect. 2. That Meditation is conſtantly to be practiſed.
Chap. 3. How Meditation and Contemplation differ one from the other.
Chap. 4. How Study and Meditation differ.
Chap. 5. Of the Gate of Meditation.
Chap. 6. Of the kinds of Meditation; and firſt of rapt Meditation.
Chap. 7.
Sect. 1. Of ſet and ſolemn Meditation; the definition and branches of it.
Sect 2. Of the ends of ſolemn Meditation.
Chap. 8. Of the ſubject of Meditation.
Sect. 1. Of meditation on the Works of God.
Sect. 2. Of meditating on the Word of God.
Sect. 3. Of meditating on Man; his Creation, his body, his ſoul, his priviledges.
Sect. 4. Of meditation on the fall of Adam.
Sect. 5. Of the nature of ſin, the number of our ſins, with the aggravations of them.
Sect. 6. Of the ſufferings and death of Chriſt.
Sect. 7. Of meditation on the Reſurrection of Chriſt.
Sect. 8. Of meditation on Death.
Sect. 9. Of the fewneſſe of them that ſhall be ſaved.
Sect. 10. Of meditation on Hell.
Sect. 11. Of meditation on the glory of Heaven.
Chap. 9. Of timing our Meditations in the beſt manner.
Chap. 10. An Exhortation to the practice of Meditation; ſhewing alſo the neceſſity thereof.
Chap. 11. Objections againſt ſetting about the work of Meditation, anſwered.
Chap. 12. Setting down the Rules about Meditation.
Chap. 13. Of the excellency and uſefulneſſe of Meditation.
Chap. 14. The Motives to Meditation.
The Authors cited in this Treatiſe.
A
AMbroſius.
Bp Andrews.
Anſelm.
Aquila.
Aretius.
Aquinas.
Ariſtotle.
Arias Montanus.
Auguſtine.
Ainſworth.
B
Ball.
Sr Francis Bacon.
Bp Babington.
Beza.
Bellarmine.
Bernard.
Boetius.
Bodinus.
Brathwait.
Bonaventure.
C
Cauſin.
Calvin.
Caſſius Severus.
Climacus.
Chaldeus.
Caſſiodorus.
Charron.
Cicero.
Chryſoſtome.
Columella.
Clemens Alexand.
Chytraeus.
Cyril.
Concil. Melevit.
D
Dearing.
Downham.
Diogenes.
Drexelius.
E
Eraſmus.
Euſeb. Emyſſen.
F
Fenner.
Fulgentius.
Dr Fulk.
G
Gasp. in Heracl.
Gaul.
Goulart.
Genevenſ.
Gerrard.
Gerſon.
Gregor.
Gualter.
Gloſſe.
H
Bp Hall.
Hebr.
Hippolit.
Hieronym.
Hoord.
Sam. Hieron.
Hugo.
Hpyocrates.
I
Ioſephus.
…tal.
Junius.
Iſidor. Peluſ.
K
Kempis.
L
Lorinus.
Lumb. Sent.
Luther.
Lyranus.
Leo.
M
Macarius.
Martial.
Marc. Herem.
Marlorat.
Melch. Adam.
Minut. Faelix.
Moller
More's Demonſtr.
Mountague.
Muſculus.
Montaign.
N
Gr. Nazianz.
Nebriſſens.
O
Onkelus.
Ovid.
P
Pet. Mart.
Perkins.
Plato.
Plinius.
Philo Jud.
Plutarch.
Bp Pilkington.
Philips.
Polan. Synt.
Prosper.
Priorw.
Q
Quintil.
S
Seneca.
Dr Sibs.
Senault.
Sozomen.
Stiles.
Strong.
Struther.
Suetonius.
Suidas.
Symmachus.
Symonds.
Stella.
T
Tertullian.
Theodoret.
Toſtatus.
Turner
V
Jac. de Valent.
Vatablus.
Vega.
W
Wall.
White.
Woodward.
THE MOUNT OF Holy Meditation.
Geneſis 24.63.
And Iſaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide.