Winter Meditations, To the reader
TO THE READER,
IT is one of the Heavenly Counſels of Aged Pard to Young T…oth…, which reacheth to all Miniſters and Chriſtians in all Ages.
[1 Tim. 4.7.] Exerciſe thy ſelf unto Godlineſs. Now that is done by a frequent practice of thoſe Duties, which have a Tendency to the promoting of the Power of Godlineſs, in our ſelves and others; and which through the Bleſſing of God, will not fail to attain that End: amongſt which there are none more uſeful than Meditation, Self-Examination and Secret Prayer: Theſe are not only Enjoyned by the Word, but Confirmed by the Experience of all the Saints, bearing witneſs to this great Truth, that there is no maintaining the Life and Power of Godlineſs without a diligent practice and frequent Exerciſe of the fore named Holy Duties; and therefore any Contribution of help towards any of theſe, and in particular that of Meditation, deſerveth a thankful acceptance from all the People of God.
The Object of Meditation [God revealing himſelf in his Word and Works] is of a large Extent; the particularizing of ſome of the Works of God in Creation and Providence, conſidered with the adjunct of Time wherein they do Exiſt, and Expreſſing what the Word ſays of thoſe Works in their Times and Seaſons, is of ſingular uſe to ſix the Volatile and Voluble Mind of Man unto profitable Medications with Application to our ſelves: as a Godly Man once ſaid, Shew me any C…cture, and I will ſh…w thee God.
The Works of God in their general Nature, and ſpecial kinds, are the proper Subject of Natural Philoſophy; for Phyſica eſt Ars bene Naturandi; Natura eſ…res nata e… p…is: Principiuns eſt Materiale & Formale; i.e. the Material and Formal Cauſes do conſtitute the Nature, and make up the Eſſence of every Creature of God in it ſelf conſidered: but the ſame Creatures & Works conſidered in relation to the Supream Efficient and Final Cauſe, as they are from God as their Firſt Cauſe, and for God as their Laſt End, ſo they belong to Theology, and ſo the Holy Scripture doth abundantly treat of them, ſhewing Gods Efficiency running through, and influencing all Second and Subordinate Cauſes, and entring into every Effect: and then the ſame Efficiency preſerving the Being and Power of Working in all the Creatures, & directing all their Motions thorough all & above all their next interior Ends, to God himſelf as the laſt End of all; Hence every Creature hath its Exiſtence and Operations, as it is Ens a prime ad Primum; and thus the Holy Scriptures do every where proclaim God as the Firſt and the Laſt, Iſa. 44.1. Rev. 1. in relation to all the Creatures; for of him, and through him, and to him are all things, unto whom be Glory for ever, Amen. Rom. 11.36.
It is further obſervable, the Scripture doth not only treat of the Works of God themſelves, but of the Circumſtance of Time; not meerly as Time is Fluxus Nunc, or duratio rerum, but as its under a Divine Predetermination of the Seaſons of Ti…e wherein every Creature doth Exiſt, and every Event ſhall come to paſs; and therefore it informs us, Acts 17.26. That, God hath determined the Times appointed before, and that, Eccleſ. 3.1. To every thing there is a Seaſon, and a time to every purpoſe under Heaven; and the Pſalmiſt ſpeaking to God, ſays, Pſal. 74.16, 17. Thou haſt made the Summer and the Winter, the Day is thine and the night alſo is thine: and Moſes the Man of God tells us that Seed time, and Harveſt, Summer and Winter, and Day and Night ſhall not ceaſe, until the end of the World, Gen. 8. laſt. In all which Expreſſions we are to underſtand, the Works of God that are done, and the Events of Providence that come to paſs in the Appointed Times and Seaſons of the Year; as now, In the Winter-time, Job 37.6, 7. God ſeals up the hand of every man, that all men may know his Work. In the Spring time he Renews the Face of the Earth, Pſal. 104.30. and revives all the Creatures. In the Summer time he Cloaths the Earth in its beſt Array, and gives the Fruitful Seaſons; Mat. 6.30. Acts 14.17. and then in the Autumn he Crowns the Year with his Goodneſs, Pſal. 65.11. and brings in the Joy of the Harveſt, Iſa. 9.3. Nay the Pſalmiſt further informs us, that Day unto Day uttereth Speech, and Night unto Night ſheweth Knowledge, Pſal. 19.2. implying the various paſſages of Providence in every day and night of all the Seaſons of the Year, are ſuch as give Inſtruction to us in the Knowledg of the God who Made all, and Rules all, and will Judge us all at the Laſt Day, when all the Works of Creation & Providence ſhall come to an end, & when Time (that was Concreated with them) ſhall be no more: then God himſelf ſhall be all in all, 1 Cor. 15.28. World without End.
Now in all the forementioned reſpects, this preſent pious and ingenious Treatiſe doth recommend it ſelf to every Intelligent Reader, as a ſingular & ſeaſonable help to Improve the time of the Wintor Seaſon in ſuch an Exerciſe of Godlineſs, as directeth us how to obſerve the Works of God therein, & to acknowledge God in them, & by comparing the Word and Works of God together to have ſuitable (either ſett or occaſional) Meditations on the Wiſdom & Power, the Greatneſs & Goodneſs of God, and this with Application to our ſelves, and our own Duties, ſo as to raiſe our hearts and affections to the Fear and Love & Service of that God, who is God over all bleſſed for ever more. Upon which Ground I cannot forbear wiſhing that the Reverend Author of this, would do the like in relation to the other three Seaſons of the Year; being aſſured that the Holy Scriptures are as rich in furniſhing Materials for Spiritual Meditations on the Works of God proper to the Spring, the Summer and the Autumn, as well as to the Wintertime.
And truly, I cannot but give thanks to God, and Congratulate our New-England, that He hath Raiſed up ſuch a Learned, Pious, and Ingenuous Perſon amongſt the Miniſters of our Third Generation, and hath poured out his Spirit upon him, and hath Enabled him not only to an Exemplary Diligence in the Work of the Miniſtry both publickly and privately amongſt his Own People with great Succeſs; but alſo to Write ſo many Uſeful Treatiſes on ſeveral Subjects, relating to the great Concernments of the Souls of all men, and of the State of Religion amongſt us at this day; which I doubt not but they have been, are and will be acceptable and profitable to the good people of this Generation, and thoſe that ſhall ſucceed.
Finally, my hearts deſire and Prayer to God is; that he would graciouſly preſerve the Life and Health of this his Laborious and Faithful Servant, and give him to be Strong in the Grace that is in Chriſt Jeſus, and Enable him to Write many more ſuch Uſeful treatiſes as he hath done already, for the Glory of God and good of the Souls of men, and that the Bleſſing of Heaven may go along with this preſent Work, and make it Effectual to attain the good Ends thereof.
Salem Octob. 5. 1693. John Higginſon