The Saints Delight, To the reader
THE EPISTLE To the Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
THere are ſome exerciſes of Religion which ſtand only in a forme of godlineſse, when men draw neer with their mouth and honour God with their lips, and beſtow a little bodily exerciſe and attendance upon him, when in the mean time their hearts are farre from him, running after other objects, Iſaiah 29.13. Ezek. 33.31. Other duties there are which are more ſpiritual, and wherein the life and power of godlineſſe doth conſiſt. Among theſe, that of heavenly Meditation is one, when, (as the Apoſtle ſaith of the bleſſed Angels, 1 Pet. 1.12.) the heart deſires to look into the myſteries of ſalvation.
Ever ſince the fall of Adam, ſinful men have had the diſpoſition of Adam, to flie away, and to hide from the preſence of the Lord. Natural men are without God in the world, he is not in all their thoughts, they could be well enough content to have him ceaſe from before them, Eſay 30.11. He is every where elſe to be found, onelyonly ſhut out of the hearts of wicked men.
The heart never willingly fixeth on God, till he be the Treaſure of it; for where a mans treaſure is, there will his heart be alſo. It canot eaſily Meditate, but where it doth delight, Pſalme 119.97. Love is the weight of the ſoul, it readily moves to the object which it loves. Mary will not away from the empty Sepulchre, where a little before her Lord had lien. Every good man is of Davids minde, Pſalme 16.8. to ſet the Lord alwayes before him, that he may be in his feare all the day long.
There is nothing of a more unſtable and roving temper than the minde of man. Some have preſcribed the ſtudy of Mathematicks to fix the volatile agilitie thereof; but certainly the more ſerious, the more ſetled the ſoul is. Nothing therefore will ſo ballace and compoſe it, as true holineſſe, which doth of all other things make it the moſt ſerious, the moſt willing to acquaint it ſelf with God, that it may be at peace, Job 22.21. He is the Reſt of the ſoul. Inquietum eſt cor noſtrum donec requieſcat in te. The more it knows of him, the more deſirous it is to ſtay with him that it may know more. The more it taſteth of his favour, the more it longeth after his glory, as Moſes did, Exod. 33.17, 18. What the Philoſopher ſaith of all knowledge, is indeed true onelyonly of the knowledge of God and Chriſt, that it is quies intellectus. And therefore our Saviour calleth it eternal life, John 17.3. In which alone the ſoul doth Reſt.
Now one excellent meanes of fixing the heart on God, is meditation, whereby a man calls together All that is within him to bleſſe his name, Pſalme 103.1. Meditation is the wing of the ſoul which carrieth the affections thereof to things above; by this, as Moſes, it goeth up to the top of Piſgah to take a view of the promiſed land. It is as Clemens Alexandrinus ſaith of prayer, foreign, a converſing with God; as Chryſoſtome ſaith of faith, ſo may we of Meditation, foreign, It makes God, and Chriſt, and precepts, and promiſes ours, by giving us a fuller poſſeſſion of them. Hereby we hold faſt the things which we have learned, we awaken our faith, inflame our love, ſtrengthen our hope, revive our deſires, encreaſe our joys in God; we furniſh our hearts, and fill our mouthes with materials of prayer, we looſen our affections from the world, we praeacquaint our ſelves with thoſe glories which we yet but hope for, and get ſome knowledg of that love of Chriſt which paſſeth knowledge. Meditation is the palate of the ſoul wherby we taſte the goodneſſe of God; the eye of the ſoule whereby we view the beauties of holineſſe; that foreign and foreign, whereby our ſpiritual ſenſes are exerciſed, Acts 24.16. Heb. 5.14. it is the key to the wine-ſellar, to the banquetting houſe, to the garden of ſpices, which letteth us in unto him whom our ſoul loveth; it is the arme whereby we embrace the promiſes at a diſtance, and bring Chriſt and our ſouls together.
Though ſome learned men of former times have written ſome few things upon this ſubject, yet of our age, and in our language, I do not remember any who have purpoſely handled it, but our Chriſtian Seneca, the learned and Reverend Biſhop Hall, which being one ſmall tract in the midſt of a voluminous work, may haply not be in every mans hand to peruſe. The neceſſity, excellency, and uſefulneſſe of this Chriſtian duty, the Reverend Authour of this book hath elegantly deſcribed, which is therefore worthy the peruſal of ſuch as deſire to acquaint and furniſh themſelves with ſo excellent a part of Chriſtian skill, whereby Time may be redeemed and improved unto the prepoſſeſſion of Eternity. The Lord ſo fill us with the love of him, and with all the the fulneſſe of God; that we may be able continually to ſay, My heart is fixed O Lord, my heart is fixed, I will ſing and give praiſe
From my Study at Lawr. Jury, Nov. 7. 1657. Thine in the Lord Edw. Reynolds.
THE SAINTS SPIRITUAL DELIGHT.
PSAL. 1.2.
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord.