The Spiritual Chemist, Meditations · Meditation 19
Meditation XIX. VponUpon a Greek Accent.
ACcents are by the Hebrews aptly called Sapores, Taſtes, or Savors, becauſe that Speech, or Words, without the obſervance of them, are like Jobs White of an Egg, without Salt, inſipid, and unpleaſant. In the Greek they derive their name from the due tenor, or tuning of words; and in that Tongue words are not pronounced according to the long or ſhort vowels, but according to the accent ſet upon them, which directs the riſe or fall, the length or brevity of their pronunciation; now, what accents are in the Greek to words, that methinks circumſtances are to ſins, which, as ſo many Moral accents do fitly ſerve to ſhew their juſt and certain dimenſions, and teach us aright to diſcern how great or ſmall they be: and he, that without reſpect had unto them, doth judge of the bigneſs of ſins, is like to erre as much as a Man that ſhould take upon him, without Mathematical Inſtruments, to give exactly the greatneſs of the Heavenly Bodies, and to pronounce of Altitudes, Diſtances, Aſſpects, and other appearances, by the ſcantling of the Eye: Is not this the Scripture way to ſet out Sin, by the Place, Time, Continuance in it, and repetitions of it? doth not God thus accent Iſraels ſins by the place in which they were done? they provoked him at the Red-Sea, where they ſaw the mighty workes of his power, in making the deep to be their path to Canaan, and the Aegyptians Grave. They tempted him in the Wilderneſs, where their Food, Drink, Clothes, were all made up of Miracles; the Clouds yielding them Meat, the dry Rock Water, and their Garments not waxing old. Dot… he not aggravate them, by the long ſpace of their continuance in them, in ſaying, that they grieved him fourty years? doth he not number the times of their Reiterated, Murmurings and Rebellions, and make it as a ground for his Juſtice to deſtroy them? Neceſſary therefore it is, that in the duty of Self-examination, and reviewes of the Book of Conſcience, we do not only read over the naked Facts which have been done by us, but that we look into thoſe Apices peccati, little dots and tittles, which are ſet upon the heads of many ſins (the Circumſtances I mean with which they were committed) or elſe we ſhall never read that book aright, or learn to know what ſins are great, or what ſmall. The Fact and the Circumſtance are both noted in the Journals of Conſcience, though they be not haply equally legible; and he that is truly peni…ent will make it a chief part of his work to find out one as well as the other, as being the beſt meanes both to get the heart broken for ſin, and from ſin. What ſhame? what fear? what carefulneſs? what revenge will a ſerious ſight of the ſeveral aggravations that meet in the perpretation of a ſin move and ſtir up in the heart of a ſinner? will he not ſay, what a beaſt am I to …in thus againſt ſo clear light? to break ſo often my own vowes, to defer ſo long my Repentance and Riſing again? what revenge ſhall I now take of my ſelf to witneſs my Indignation? what carefulneſs ſhall I exerciſe to evidence the truth of my return? what diligence ſhall I uſe to redeem my loſt time, who have joyned the Morning of the Task, and the Evening of the day together? Theſe, and ſuch like thoughts, will ſin, when it is Read as it is Written, and Accented, in the Conſcience produce. But a general …nowledg and ſight of it, without ſuch particularities, will neither m…ke nor leave any impreſſions but what are both ſlight and confuſed. Do thou therefore, holy God, teach me to underſtand the errors of my wayes aright, and by the light of thy ſpirit make me to ſee that Circumſtances in ſins are not Motes, but Beames, and greatly intend their guilt, if not their bulke; That ſo I may mourn for thoſe ſins which Carnal Men conceive to be but ſo many black nothings; and abhor my ſelf for thoſe Corruptions in which they indulge themſelves.