The Saints Delight, Title page 1 – Dedication
THE SAINTS Delight. To which is annexed a TREATISE of MEDITATION.
By THOMAS WATSON, Miniſter of Stephens Walbrook in the City of LONDON.
Valida eſt ut mors dilectio Dei, ſicur mors violenter ſeparat animas à corpore, ita dilectio Dei violenter ſegregat hominem à mundano amore, Iſidor.
I will delight my ſelf in thy ſtatutes. Pſ. 119.16.
Imprimatur, EDM. CALAMY.
LONDON, Printed by T. R. & E.M. for Ralph Smith at the Bible in Corn-hill, near the Royal Exchange. 1657.
To his loving Friends, the Aldermen, the Eſquires, and the reſt of the Inhabitants of the Pariſh of Stephens Walbrook in the City of London.
Honoured, and Beloved,
MY hearts deſire for you is, that you may be ſaved. It hath been a long time in my thoughts after the many ſignal demonſtrations of your love to me, to ſhew my gratefulneſſe in a way of retaliation; Such as I have, give I you *Gratius venit quod facili quam quod plena manu datur Seneca.I do here Dedicate this Manual to you, as a ſtanding Teſtimonial of that real reſpect, and zealous affection which I bear towards you. The ſubject of it you will finde to be a Chriſtians delight *Nec ſine delectu nec intellectu Coſterus in Pſal. 1.and meditation in Gods Law. I have purpoſely for your ſakes laid down ſeveral heads, or particulars for your meditations to dilate and runne upon, as the attributes, the promiſes, the love of Chriſt, &c. If he who by often looking on a Ring with a deaths head, at laſt grew ſober, who knows but by often meditating on theſe things your hearts may be brought into a more ſerious and heavenly frame? Meditation is a holy kinde of uſury, it is putting out Sermons to uſe, which brings in no ſmall profit at the yeares end. Meditation is a duty which carries meat in the mouth of it; My ſoul ſhall be ſatisfied as with marrow and fatneſſe, while I meditate on thee, Pſalme 63.4, 5. There is little written (ſo farre as I know) upon this ſubject. Moſt Diſcourſes of this nature digreſſe into ejaculations. I have with the help of God cut out my way thorough the rock, not finding any path that others had gone in before me; ſo that I have not offered that to you which coſt me nothing; for the ſtile of it, it is plaine; but truth, when it is in the plaineſt dreſſe, is moſt comely. The ſtar ſhines brighteſt in its native luſtre. Divinity hath ſo much intrinſecal beauty, that it needs no art of wit or fancy to ſet it off. Who goes to embroyder a pearl? or paint over gold? this would but imbaſe and eclipſe it; It is a ſigne of a wanton Chriſtian to look moſt at the fringing and garniſhing of a Truth. I wiſh it be not the ſin of many in this City, they like the dreſſing, but loath the food. The blew flowers which grow among the corn, make a fine ſhew, and are pleaſing to the eye, yet are prejudicial to the Harveſt. Rhetorical flouriſhes may pleaſe the fancies of men, but I much queſtion whether they will not leſſen Chriſts ſpiritual barveſt at the end of the world. When men preach rather words than matter; they catch peoples ears, not their ſoules; they do but court, not convert. If the patients wound bleeds, nay rankles, it is better for him to have a deep inciſion made in the fleſh, than to binde it about with ſilk, or dreſs it with aromatick oyntments. True it is, Miniſters ought to cloath the truths they preach in decent expreſſions to preſerve them from contempt; (though they muſt come in plainneſſe of ſpeech, not in rudeneſſe of ſpeech.) But, let them take heed, leſt with their affected newcoynd phraſes, (unſutable to that gravity the Apoſtle ſpeaks of *Tit. 2.7) they adulterate and corrupt the ſimplicity of the Word, like ſome kind of ſauces and compounds which take away the natural taſte, and ſavour of the meat. As for you (my friends) I hope the Lord hath given, (at leaſt ſome of you) a ſpiritual pallate to relliſh and thirſt after, foreign, the ſincere milk of the Word, 1 Pet. 2.2. A ſavoury heart is for wholſome doctrine: How glad ſhould I be (dear friends) if I might either by preaching, or writing become ſavingly inſtrumental for your good, and before I die, might help to make up an happy match between Chriſt and you *2 Cor. 11.2.: I bleſſe God that I ſee ſome of you walking in the truth; 2 John 4.when ſo many in the world are marching apace towards hell. But O that I might ſee an encreaſe of holineſſe among you, that more converts might be brought in, and as ſo many jewels make the Crown of Christ ſhine the brighter; do not hearken to the Syrene ſongs of the world; the ſins you commit in haſt, you will repent at leaſure; ſugred poiſons go down pleaſantly, but afterwards they wring and torment the bowels. Let me earneſtly beſeech you to put a bill of divorce into the hand of your ſins; let not Error gangrene, luſt burn, malice boyle, pride ſwell, intemperance overflow, covetouſneſſe root in any of your ſouls. Purge out the old leaven; and as ever you expect to go to the new Jeruſalem, when you die, become new creatures while you live; Reſt not in baptiſmal priviledges: all are not Iſrael which are of Iſrael *Rom. 9.6; what is a man the better to have Chriſts Name upon him, and Satans image? What is he advantaged to have the Oracles of God, and want the Spirit of God? Think not that an empty profeſſion will ſave; millions will be ſent to hell in Chriſts livery *Mat. 7.22, Matth. 8.12. Oh labour to know the grace of God in truth *Col. 1.6. The Lord hath been at much coſt and charges with you to bring you near to himſelf; let not God be a looſer by you. Pindar ſaith, it was an opinion of the people in ancient times, that Jupiter rain'd down gold upon the City of Rhodes: Give me leave to apply it to you, God hath rain'd down golden ſhowers upon you. What mercies hath he enrich'd you with? what talents hath he entruſted you with? your eſtate is a talent, your health (in theſe ſickly times eſpecially) is a talent, your Sanctuary-bleſſings are talents, every motion of the Spirit, every opportunity for heaven is a talent, and nothing more ſure than that you will be called to an account ſhortly *Marth. 25 19, 20; now if you have let your talents lie ruſting, and done no good with them, the hiding your talents will not hide your ſin, expect an heavy doome. Think not theſe things impertinencies. Be not ſo evil, as to be too good to be adviſed. I confeſſe my felf with Ignatius, the leaſt of all that labour in Gods vineyard, but though I am with you in weakneſſe, yet as the Apoſtle ſaith, in much trembling *1 Cor. 2.3. I tremble to think how ſad it will be, if any of you ſhall periſh in theſe dayes of the Goſpel, though you have been plac'd under a trumpet, leſſe ſhrill and powerful. It ſhall be my prayer for you all, that you may be fruit-bearing trees, that when the great Vinedreſſer ſhall remove you hence by death, he may tranſplant you into the coeleſtial Paradiſe.
Be pleaſed to accept of theſe few notes which (ſome years ſince) you did ſeeme to hear with much affection: I ſhall only deſire two things of you, that you would thoroughly peruſe them, and then copy them out in your daily practiſe. Get up into your Tower of Meditation, and look often with Moſes upon him, who is inviſible *Heb. 11.27. But I will not hold you any longer; I remember Saint Paul in the cloſe of his Epiſtle, craves the Theſſalonians prayers *1 Theſ. 5.25, and ſo ſhall I end my Epiſtle begging a contribution of your prayers for me, that the Lord would give me the ſtrength of heaven to do the work of heaven *foreign. Ignat. Epiſt.; that he would help me to take heed to my ſelf and my doctrine, that he would make me, not only faithful, but ſucceſſeful in my Miniſtry among you: that ſo, when the chiefe Shepheard ſhall appear, I may receive a Crown of glory which fadeth not away *1 Pet. 5.4.: I ſhall not further enlarge, unleſſe in my affections towards you.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jeſus that great Shepherd of the ſheep through the blood of the everlaſting Covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his wil, working in you that which is wel-pleaſing in his ſight, *Heb. 13.20, 21.which ſhall be the earneſt prayer of him who is,
Your friend, and ſervant for Jeſus ſake THOMAS WATSON.