The Saints Delight, Treatise · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Preſcribing rules about meditation.
SECT. I.
Rule. 1 WHen thou goeſt to meditate be very ſerious in the work. Let there be a deep impreſſion upon thy ſoul, and that thou mayeſt be ſerious in meditation do theſe two things: 1. get thy ſelf into a poſture of holy reverence. Overaw thy heart with the thoughts of God and the incomprehenſibleneſs of his majeſty. When thou art at the work of meditation remēber thou art now to deal with God. If an Angel from heaven did appoint to meet thee at ſuch an hour, wouldeſt thou not addreſs thy ſelf with all ſeriouſneſs and ſolemneſs to meet him? Behold a greater then an angel is here. The God of glory is preſent. He hath an eye upon thee, he ſees the carriage of thy heart when thou art alone. Think with thy ſelf (O Chriſtian) when thou art going to meditate, thou art now to deal with him in private before whom the Angels adore, and the Divels tremble. Think with thy ſelf thou art now in his preſence before whom thou muſt ſhortly ſtand and all the world with thee to receive their doom. Thou muſt be removed and how ſoon thou knoweſt not, from the cloſet to the tribunal.
2. That thy heart may be ſerious in meditation labour to poſſeſs thy thoughts with the ſolemnity and greatneſs of the work thou art now going about. As David ſaid concerning his building a houſe for God, the work is great, 1 Chron. 29.1. ſo it may be ſaid of meditation, the work is great and we had need gather and rally together all the powers of the ſoul to the work. If thou wert to ſet about a buſineſs wherein thy life were concerned, how ſerious wouldeſt thou be in the thoughts of it: in the buſineſs of meditation thy ſoul is concerned; eternity depends upon it; if thou neglecteſt or art ſlight in it thou runneſt an hazzard of thy ſalvation. If Archimedes was ſo ſerious in drawing his mathematical line, that he minded not the ſacking of the city, O how ſerious ſhould a Chriſtian be when he is drawing a line for eternity. When thou art going to meditate thou art going about the greateſt work in the world.
SECT II.
Rule. 2 2. Read before you meditate, Joſh. 1.8. This book of the law ſhall not depart out of thy mouth but thou ſhalt meditate in it. The law muſt be in Joſhuas mouth. He was firſt to read and then meditate. Give attendance to reading. 1. Tim. 4.13. Then it follows, meditate on theſe things verſe. 15. reading doth furniſh with matter Lectio primò occurrit, et data materia mittit nos ad meditationem. Bernard.. it is the oyl that feeds the lamp of meditation. reading helps to rectifie meditation. Austin ſaith well, that meditation without reading will be erroneous *Meditatio ſine lectione erronea. Aug.. naturally the mind is defiled as well as the conſcience. Titus. 1.15. the mind will be minting thoughts, and how many untruths doth it mint? Therefore firſt read in the book of the law and then meditate; be ſure your meditations be grounded upon Scripture. There is a ſtrange Ʋtopia in the fancies of ſome men, they take thoſe for true principles which are falſe, and if they miſtake their principles they muſt needs be wrong in their meditations. He that is of the Saduces opinion that there is no reſurrection, he miſtakes a principle. Now while he is meditating on this he is at laſt carried to direct atheiſm. He that is of the Antinomians opinion that there is no law to a juſtified perſon, miſtakes a principle, and while he is meditating on this he at laſt falls into ſcandal. Thus the mind having laid in wrong principles, and taking that for a truth which is not, the meditation muſt needs be erroneous, and a man at laſt goes to hell upon a miſtake; Therefore be ſure you read before you meditate, that you may ſay, it is written. Meditate on nothing but what you believe to be a truth, believe nothing to be a truth, but what can ſhew its Letters of credence from the Word; obſerve this rule, let reading uſher in meditation: Reading without meditation is unfruitful, Meditation without reading is dangerous.
SECT. III.
Rule. 3 3. DO not multiply the ſubject of meditation; that is, meditate not on too many things at once; like the bird that hops from one bough to another, and ſtaies no where, ſingle out rather ſome one head at a time, which you will meditate upon. Pluribus intentus minor est ad ſingula ſenſus. Too much variety diſtracts *Varietas diſtrabit animum. Sen.One truth driven home by meditation will moſt kindly affect the heart; a man that is to ſhoot, ſets up one mark, That he aims at, to hit. When thou art to ſhoot thy minde above the world by meditation, ſet one thing before thee to hit; if thou art to meditate on the paſſion of Chriſt, let that take up all thy thoughts; If upon death, confine thy thoughts to that: One ſubject at a time is enough. Martha while ſhe was cumbred about many things, neglected the One thing; ſo while our meditations are taken up about many things, we loſe that One Thing which ſhould affect our hearts, and do us more good *Claou… cla…um pellit.. Drive but one wedge of Meditation at a time, but be ſure you drive it home to the heart. Thoſe who aim at a whole flock of birds hit none; Several Medicines applied together, the one hinders the virtue of the other, whereas a ſingle medicine might do good.
SECT. IV.
To Meditation join Examination. Rule. 4 When you have been meditating on any ſpirituall ſubject, put a query to thy ſoul, and though it be ſhort let it be ſerious. O my ſoul, is it thus with thee or no? when thou haſt been meditating about the fear of God, that it is the beginning of Wiſdome *Prov. 1.7., Put a query, O my ſoul, Is this fear planted in thy heart? Thou art almoſt come to the end of thy daies, Art thou yet come to the beginning of Wiſdom? When thou haſt been meditating on Chriſt, his Virtues, his Privileges; put a query, O my ſoul, Doſt thou love him who is ſo Lovely *Cant. 5. ult., and art thou ingrafted into him? Art thou a living branch of this living vine? When thou haſt been meditating upon the Graces of the Spirit; put a query, O my ſoul, art thou adorned, as the Bride of Chriſt with this chain of Pearl? Haſt thou thy Certificate for heaven ready? Will not thy Graces be to ſeek when thou ſhouldſt have them to ſhew? Thus ſhould a Chriſtian, in his retirements, parly often with his heart.
For want of this Examination Meditation doth evaporate, and come to nothing. For want of Examination joined with Meditation, many are ſtrangers to their own hearts; though they live known to others, they dye unknown to themſelves. Meditation is like a perſpective glaſs by which we contemplate heavenly objects, but Self-examination is like a looking glaſs, by which we ſee into our own ſouls and can judge how it is with us. Meditation joined with Examination is like the Sun on the Dial, which ſhews how the day goes, it ſhews us how our hearts ſtand affected to Spiritual Things.
SECT. V.
Rule. 5 Shut up meditation with prayer *Oratio ſine meditatione tepida; meditatio ſine …ratione infrugifera. Bern. de ſcala clauſtrali.; Pray over your meditations. Prayer ſanctifies every thing; without prayer they are but unhallowed meditations; Prayer faſtens meditation upon the Soul; Prayer is a tying a knot at the end of meditation that it doth not ſlip; Pray that God will keep thoſe holy meditations in your mind for ever, that the ſavour of them may abide upon your hearts, 1 Chron. 29.18. O Lord God of Abraham, Iſaac, and of Iſrael our Fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of thy people. So let us pray, that when we have been muſing of heavenly things, and our hearts have waxed hot within us*, we may not cool into a ſinful tepidneſs and lukewarmneſs, but that our affections may be as the lamp of the Sanctuary alwaies burning.
SECT. VI.
Rule. 6 The laſt Rule is, Let meditation be reduced to practiſe; live over your Meditation, Joſh. 1.8. Thou ſhalt Meditate in this book, that thou mayest obſerve to do according to all that is written therein. Meditation and practiſe like two ſiſters muſt go hand inhand. Caſſian ſaith that the contemplative life cānot beperfected without the practick. Caſſian Collat. 19.We read that the angels had wings, & hands under their wings, Ezek. 1.8. It may be an Hieroglyphical Embleme of this truth; Chriſtians muſt not onelyonly fly upon the wing of Meditation, but they muſt be active in obedience, they muſt have hands under their wings. The end of Meditation is action. We muſt not only Meditate in Gods law but walk in his law. Deuter. 28.9. Without this we are like thoſe Gnosticks of whom Epiphanius complaines, they had much knowledge, but were in their lives licentious. Chriſtians muſt be like the Sun, which doth not only ſend forth heat, but goes its circuit round the world; 'tis not enough that the affections be heated by meditation, but we muſt go our circuit too, that is, move regularly in the ſphere of obedience. After warming at the fire of Meditation, we muſt be fitter for work. Meditation is the life of Religion, and practice is the life of meditation. 'Tis ſaid in the Honour of Nazianzen, fecit quae docuit, he lived over his own Sermons. So a good Chriſtian muſt live over his own meditations.
For inſtance; Firſt, When you have been meditating of Sin, which for its bitterneſs is compared to Grapes of Gall, for its damnableneſs to poiſon of aſps; and you begin to burn in an holy indignation againſt ſin, now put your meditations in practiſe, Give ſin a Bill of Divorce, Job 11.14. If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away, and let not wickedneſs dwell in thy Tabernacles.
2. When you have been meditating of the Graces of the ſpirit, let the verdure and luſtre of theſe graces be ſeen in you: live theſe graces; meditate, that you may obſerve and do; 'Twas St. Pauls counſel to Timothy; 1 Tim. 4.7. exerciſe thy ſelf to Godlineſs. Meditation and practiſe are like a pair of Compaſſes, the one part of the compaſs fixeth upon the center, and the other part goes round the circumference; a Chriſtian by meditation fixeth upon God as the Center, and by practice goes round the circumference of the Commandements; A man who hath let his thoughts run out upon riches, will not onelyonly have them in the notion, but will endeavor to get riches; Let your meditations be practical; when you have been meditating upon a promiſe, live upon a promiſe; when you have been meditating of a good conſcience, never leave till you can ſay as Paul, Herein I exerciſe my ſelf to have a good conſcience, Acts 24.16. *Meditatie ſine exercitio ſimilis eſt lyrae taciturnae.Beloved, here lies the very eſſence of Religion.
That this rule may be well obſerved, Conſider,
1. It is onelyonly the practical part of Religion will make a man bleſſed. Meditation is a beautiful flower, but as Rachel ſaid to her husband, Give me children or I dye, Gen. 30. 1. So if Meditation be barren, and doth not bring forth the childe of obedience, it will dye and come to nothing.
2. If when you have meditated in Gods law, you do not obey his Law, you will come ſhort of them who have come ſhort of heaven. 'Tis ſaid of Herod foreign, Mark 6.20. He did many things; he was in many things a practicer of Johns Miniſtery: They who meditate in Gods Law, and obſerve not to do, are not ſo good as Herod, nay, they are no better then the Devil, he knows much, but ſtill he is a Devil.
3. Meditation without practiſe, will encreaſe a mans condemnation. If a Father writes a Letter to his ſon, and the ſon ſhall read over this Letter, and ſtudy on it, yet not obſerve to do as his Father writes, this would be an aggravation of his fault, and would but provoke his father ſo much the more againſt him. Thus when we have meditated upon the Evil of ſin, and the beauty of holineſs, yet we do not eſchew the one, nor eſpouſe the other, it will but incenſe the divine Majeſty ſo much the more againſt us, and we ſhall be beaten with many stripes.
FINIS.
AN APPENDIX to the FORMER DISCOURSE upon Pſalm. 139.18. verſe. When I awake I am ſtill with thee.
By THOMAS WATSON Miniſter of Stephens Walbrook in the city of London.
foreign. Macar. from. 11.
For where your treaſure is there will your heart be alſo, Mat. 6.21.
LONDON, Printed by J.T. for Ralph Smith at the Bible in Corn-hill. 1657.