The Saints Delight, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. The anſwering of Objections.
Object. 1. I Have ſo much buſineſs in the world, that I have no time to Meditate.
Anſw. The World indeed is a great enemy to Meditation. 'Tis eaſie to loſe ones purſe in a croud, and in a croud of worldly employments, 'tis eaſy to loſe all the thoughts of God. So long as the heart is an Exchange, I do not expect it ſhould be a Temple; but to anſwer the objection. Haſt thou ſo much buſineſs that thou haſt no time for Meditation? as if Religion were but by the bye, a thing fit only for idle hours: What? no time to Meditate! What is the buſineſs of thy life but Meditation? God never ſent us into the world to get riches (I ſpeak not againſt labour in a calling) but I ſay this is not the end of our coming hither. The errand God ſent us into the world about is ſalvation, and that we may attain the end we muſt uſe the means, viz. Holy Meditation, Now haſt thou no time to Meditate? juſt as if a huſband-man ſhould ſay truly he hath ſo much buſineſs that he hath no time to plough or ſow; why, what is his occupation but plowing and ſowing? what a madneſs is it to hear Chriſtians ſay they have no time to Meditate? What is the buſineſs of their lives but Meditation? Oh take heed leſt by growing rich, you grow worth nothing at laſt. Take heed that God doth not ſue out the Statute of Bankerupt againſt you, and you be diſgraced before men and Angels: no time for Meditation? you ſhall obſerve that others in former ages have had as much buſineſs as you, and publick affairs to look after, yet they were called upon to Meditate. Joſhua 1.8. Thou ſhalt Meditate in this book of the Law. Joſhua might have pleaded an excuſe, he was a Souldier, a Commander, and the care of marſhalling his army lay chiefly upon him, yet this muſt not take him off from Religion, Joſhua muſt Meditate in the book of Gods law. God never intended, That the great buſineſs of Religion ſhould give way to a ſhop or farm, or that a particular calling ſhould juſtle out the General.
2. Obj. But this duty of Meditation is hard. To ſet time apart every day to get the heart into a Meditating frame is very difficult; Gerſon reports of himſelf, that he was ſometimes three or four houres before he could work his heart into a ſpiritual frame.
Anſw. Doth this hinder? To this I ſhall give a threefold Reply.
1. The price that God hath ſet heaven at is labor; our ſalvation coſt Chriſt bloud, it may well coſt us ſweat *Plurimi mollitie quadam animi …e fugiun ſudorem quem ſtbi in pere quendâ faelicitate imaginantur, malunt brevi huius vitae curriculo ſuis indulge…e…up…inibus & a eam futurerum ſubive, quam lab… rem ſuſciper. & porteà vitam praeſtolari aeternam. Marcell. armamentarij ſcientiſ: lib. 2.The Kingdome of heaven ſuffers violence, Matth. 11, 12. It is as a garriſon that holds out, and the duties of Religion, are the taking it by ſtorm: a good Chriſtian muſt offer violence to himſelfe, (though not ſelf natural, yet ſelf-ſinful.) Self is nothing but the fleſh, *Gal. 5.17.as Baſil, Hierom, Theophylact, and Chryſostome, do all expound it. The fleſh cries out for eaſe, 'tis a Libertine; Tis loath to take pains, loath to pray, to repent, loath to put its neck under Chriſts yoak, now a Chriſtian muſt hate himſelf, no man ever yet hated his own fleſh, Epheſ. 5.29. yes, in this ſence he muſt hate his ownfleſh, The lusts of the fleſh *Rom. 8.13.. He muſt offer violence to himſelf by mortification and Meditation; ſay not it is hard to meditate, *foreign? Chryſoſt.is it not harder to ly in Hell?
2. We do not argue ſo in other things: Riches are hard to come by, therefore I will ſit ſtill and be without them; no difficulty is the whet-ſtone of induſtry. How will men venture for gold, and ſhall we not ſpend and be ſpent for that which is more precious then the gold of Ophir? By Meditation we ſuck out the quinteſſenſe of a promiſe.
3. Though while we are firſt entring upon Meditation it may ſeem hard, yet when once we are entred it is ſweet and pleaſant. Chriſts yoak at the firſt putting on may ſeem heavy, but when once it is on it becoms eaſy. Tis not a yoak but a Crown. Lord (ſaith Austin) the more I Meditate on thee, the ſweeter thou art to me *Quanto magis in te meditor, tanto es mihi dulcior & amabilior, de lectant me bona tùa, puro mentis intuitu, & dulciſſime pii amoris affectu, Aug. Tom. 9.. According to that of holy David, My Meditation of the ſhall be ſweet, Pſal. 104.34. The Poets ſay the top of Olympus was always quiet, and ſerene *Olympi cacumen ſemper quie tum.: Tis hard climbing up the rocky Hill of Meditation, but when we are got up to the top there is a pleaſant proſpect, and we ſhall ſometimes think our ſelves even in heaven *Contemplationis pluma nos ſublevat, at…ue inde divinâ dulcedine ád coelum erigimur. Bonaventure.. By holy Meditation the ſoul doth as it were breakfaſt with God every morning; and to be ſure his breakfaſt is better then his dinner. When a Chriſtian is upon the mount of Meditation he is like Peter on the mount when Chriſt was transfigured, Mat. 17. he cries out, bonum est eſſe hic, Lord, tis good to be here: he is loath to go down the mount again. If you come to him and tell him of a purchaſe, he thinks you bid him to his loſs: what bidden manna doth the ſoul taſt now? how ſweet are the viſits of Gods ſpirit? when Chriſt was alone in the wilderneſs then the Angel came to comfort him; when the ſoul is alone in holy Meditations and ejaculations, then not an angel but Gods own ſpirit doth come to comfort him: a Chriſtian that meets with God in the mount would not exchange his hours of Meditation for the moſt orient pearls or ſparkling beauties that the world can afford. No wonder David ſpent the whole day in Meditation *Homo meditabundus.Pſa. 119.97. Nay as if the day had been too little, he borrows a part of the night too, Pſalm. 63.6. when I remember thee upon my bed, and Meditate on thee in the nightwatches. When others were ſleeping, David was Meditating. He who is given much to Meditation ſhall with Sampſon find an honey comb in this duty. therefore let not the difficulty diſcourage *Virtus maximè nitet in arduo.. The pleaſantneſs will infinitely countervail the pains.
Having removed theſe two objections out of the way, let me again revive the exhortation to Meditate in Gods law day and night. And there are two ſorts of Meditation which I would perſwade to.