Solitude Improved by Divine Meditation, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Of the Evidences of a due Meditation.
FOr the Evidences of a due and right Meditation, it muſt have the Nature, Properties, and Attendants of it; and therefore it is not to be taken up as a cuſtom, as a thing made to ſtop the mouth of a calling and urging conſcience, or a meer acting for Notions, a ſtudy and ſearch of Curioſity, to know Novelty, or to know much, and be able to hold diſcourſe with others.
But it muſt have a higher nature, purer ends, and be performed in another ſort, then an only wiſe or a learned man, yea then any formal Chriſtian can act or compaſs of himſelf.
And for the Characters of a right holy Meditation, there will be no need to fetch any other lights of diſcovery, but only to take up and hold thoſe to this intendment, which were opened in the diſcovery of the nature of divine Meditation.
1. As making it our real and high obedience to God, the ſoveraign Lord of our ſouls, and to the golden Scepter of his Word in that expreſs Law of his, laid upon the thinking power, and grounded upon the high and infinite obligations he hath on us, to impoſe this thought-tribute, and homage, a pure obedience to him, and doing his will herein.
He that meditates aright, hath been taught and learnt to obey God, to yield it to him as his due. I am under my God, ſaith the right Chriſtian, and infinitely obliged to all which he commands me. This among others, is one of his righteous and holy Laws, one great ſignification of his Royal will; I muſt not, will not deny it, diſpute it, or put it from me, but comply freely with it.
And this comes from that ſpring, that root which lyes at the bottom of the heart, that ſupereminent love to God (the holy hearts chief good) and the great ground of all right obedience.
Rom. 13.10. Love is the fulfilling of the Law, and ſo is it the fulfilling of this particular Law of holy Meditation, love to God, ſo infinitely excellent in himſelf, and who hath ſo unſpeakably loved the holy ſoul.
Therefore if it be the right and genuine obedience, it hath this high, this warm ſpring of love running in this channel, this of Meditation, an over-powering conſtraining love that breeds this thinking, this looking of the ſoul in Meditation.
O therefore try if this heavenly love hath firſt been planted in the ſoil of thy heart, if from a new heart circumciſed to love the Lord above all; that thence thou comeſt to love Meditation, becauſe thou loveſt the Law-giver firſt, who writes his Law, and writes this particular Law in thy heart by love to it, by making thee a lover of Meditation.
2. If Meditation be genuine and right, then is it from a choice of will, wrought up by the power of holy love ſubduing and mortifying carnal and formerly predominant unwillingneſs and ſtubbornneſs, reluctancy and refuſals of this work, and framing it to willingneſs, freeneſs, and fixedneſs of purpoſe to do it, and hold it, Pſal. 119.48. I will meditate, ſaith the holy Pſalmiſt; Meditation aroſe from reſolution, from a will fixed, and that aroſe from love acted, and working the will to reſolution. Therefore in the 97. verſe of this Pſalm, he ſpeaks it to God himſelf, O how love I thy law! and what fruit doth this noble root of love put forth? it is my meditation all the day: Meditation of the Law proceeds from love to the Law.
Love lay at the bottom, and that engaged the will into a firm reſolution to meditate. Never is the will freer, and its purpoſe firmer, then when love inclines and engages it. The higheſt and ſtrongeſt reſolutions that ever were taken up by any holy heart, were the rare products and ſweet fruits of heavenly love, love efficaciouſly exciting the will, winding it up to the top, and then fixing it faſt.
3. Where the work of Meditation is right, the aims and ends of it are pure, ſpiritual, and holy, it is carried beyond and above ſelf; it is an acting with ſelf-denying: ſelf is neither the total, nor the predominant ingredient in this undertaking.
That which Chriſt calls for, of denying a mans ſelf, Mark 8.34. in the extent of all Chriſtianity, muſt particularly be performed in this duty.
Self-ſeeking muſt not be uppermoſt, not the main intent or inducement: For this is the Sphere an unſound heart moves ever in.
The aim and end in the beſt natural man is never higher then ſelf, and no other really then ſelf, and that becauſe he chiefly loves himſelf.
But a right work muſt be aimed and acted above all to the living God. Therefore Zec. 7.5. God tells them their faſting was not right, becauſe they did it not to God; ſo is Meditation, or any other duty not right, if it be not to him, aimed above all at his Glory.
In this reſpect therefore, Religion is in Scripture called Godlineſs, becauſe it is a frame of ſpirit acting above all ſelf-ends and inferior reſpects, unto the living God above all.
So Heb. 9.14. To ſerve the living God; works not done to the living God, are dead works; a living work is aimed and level'd to the living God.
The end more particularly muſt be the glorifying God, 1 Cor. 10.31. Do all to the glory of God. If eating, drinking, and ſuch inferior things, then much more holy duties muſt be done to Gods glory.
There muſt be an inward powerful principle that can aim ſo highly, really, and an acting of that principle that God is actually glorified.
It is not enough to ſay we do, as many erringly affirm, they aim their duties, when they never had firſt that right principle of Holineſs wrought in their hearts. Without the principle of Holineſs it is impoſſible to have holy aimings, holy ends. It's impoſſible without an eye to ſee to level at a mark.
Whereſoever there's a right doing, there's a potent elevating principle, that ſets the ſpirit above the predominancy of ſelf-ſeeking, and acts it into a reality of God-exalting above all, that kindles and inflames the ſoul into an ardency of deſire, love, delight of glorifying God in every undertaking.
This is unſpeakably ſweet, and heart-gladding; nothing pleaſes a holy heart more then when the heart below can run in ſome degree parallel with the hearts of Saints and Angels above, in hallowing and advancing the higheſt God, and his Name.
Try we therefore if our meditating be a real acting up to the grand ſcope and higheſt end, the exalting of God, if his honour be indeed the preponderating inducement and greateſt ſoul-aim.
2. Happineſs and our own Salvation was the next aim formerly mentioned, happineſs propounded and declared in the Goſpel, and no other. To this next ſubordinate end muſt all the golden lines of holy duties tend, here they muſt center. Every right duty muſt be a real levelling at Goſpel-happineſs, that which God proffers, and Chriſt hath purchaſed.
If Meditation be right, it is a part of true wiſdom for our ſelves, Prov. 9.12. Wiſdom to ſalvation, as really aimed at it, as any markſman aime at his mark,
God, next to himſelf and his glory, allows and requires to look and ſeek, labour and ſtrive for eternal life and happineſs; and all our duties, as they are ſubſervient to his glory, ſo our own happineſs is complicate and wrapt up in it, yet not above it, or equal with it, but next under it. Accordingly therefore, in this duty, as in all others, our aim at happineſs muſt not be a meer ſelf-ſeeking, it muſt not terminate only in our ſelves; but our own happineſs muſt be aimed at for glorifying God by it.
We muſt aim at happineſs, and being in Heaven, thereby to be in a moſt perfect ſtate, that we may attain the moſt perfect principle for the higheſt exalting of God.
Althugh in Heaven, ſeeing more, and taſting more, and having the veſſels of body and ſoul filled up with glory and happineſs, makes our ſtate more glorious; yet the end of that ſeeing, taſting, and all enjoyings there, are to put us into a moſt perfect capacity, higheſt heart-readineſs, and alacrity, upon the moſt over-powring incentives to lift up to the utmoſt the glorious praiſes of God. This then is a very conſiderable particular, that beſides glorifying God, the ſupreme end, aiming at our own ſalvatition, muſt be more then for our ſelves.
We uſe to ſpeak of ſeveral ſpiritual ends relating to our own ſpiritual good, which we are allowed to ſet up, and ſeek, and ſtrive after; yet all theſe muſt have this reduction, muſt all have this glory of God for their chief end.
The laſt end, as hath been ſaid, gives the rules to all both ſubſervient ways and ends.
Therefore in our examination, let us take in all the ſpiritual ends before ſpoken of, for heavenly light and larger knowledge, for a ſpirit of wiſdom to be wiſer to ſalvation, to be warmer at the heart, melt off all incumbrances, make up to Heaven better, to fix our reſolutions firmer, ſtrengthen our grand purpoſe of ſtill walking with God, to ſtabliſh our courſe, and make ſtraiter ſteps for our feet, and to preſs harder to the mark. Are our ſpirits acted to theſe aims, and all thoſe other, Meditation is ſo excellently and uſefully appointed to?
2. Do we meditate in the right way of calling off our thoughts from impertinencies and diverſions?
Do we ſet a ſtrong guard upon our ſpirits, and watch them diligently?
Do we act Meditation in bending our minds to it, ſtrive to act with all ſeriouſneſs we can? Do we act ſearching and pondering, and keep up conſtancy of thoughts till we both bring our hearts to the heavenly temper, and the duty to the kindly iſſue it ſhould have, and cannot be content with any thing, but that a God who ſees our actings will approve of?