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■^5f^"lfip^ 
 
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 f 
 
 THX: 
 
 
 i«»' 
 
 SAINTS SPIRITUAL DELI&H 
 
 ?> 
 
 / 
 
 AXID 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOtTNT. 
 
 BY REV. THOMAS WATSON;, . 
 A.D. 1657. 
 
 PBESOOTT, CM.: 
 FBIKTED AT THE "EVANGELISES" OFFIOB:. 
 
 i¥»»*^"-"— " 
 
 1862. 
 
■^^^■■'^^^Wi 
 
 ( 
 
 < I 
 
 > 
 
 W' 
 
 *lp ♦ 
 
 K.B.— In this edition tlae obsolete expressions are eit&er omitted 
 0'£ altered for others of the same meaning. 
 
 m 
 
contents: 
 
 THE SAIOT'S SPIRITUAL DELIGHT. 
 
 The Epistle Dedicatory, -----.. 
 I Epistle to the Reader, ---.-.. 
 
 Chapter I. — Showing that Negative Goodness is but a 
 broken Title to Heaven, - - - - - 
 
 Chapter IL — What is meant by the Law of God; what by 
 Delight in the Law, and the Proposition resulting, 
 
 Chapter III. — "Whence the Saint's Spiritual Delight 
 spriu^eth, 
 
 Chapter IV. — Showing a characterislfeal Difference be- 
 tween a Child of God and a Hypocrite, - - - 
 
 Chapter "V. — Two Cases of Conscience resolved, 
 
 Chapter VI— Trial of a Christian's Delight in God, 
 
 Chapter VIL— A Persuasive to this holy delight in Re- 
 ligion, -_,. 
 
 Chapter VIII. — Showing how a Christian may arrive at 
 this Delight in God's Law, , , - , 
 
 T 
 12 
 
 15 
 
 18 
 19 
 
 20 
 22 
 24 
 
 27 
 
 - 33 
 
 €haptbb IX.— Holy Delight should cause Thankfubiess, - 33 
 
 A CHRISTIAK ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 Chapter I.— The opening of the Words, and the Proposi- 
 tion asserted, 35 
 
 Chaptsr n.— Showing the Nature of Meditation, - • 3*t 
 
cowTJiiJTa. 
 
 Chapter III.— t*roving Meditation to be a Duty, - 
 Chapter IV.— Showing how Meditation differs from Memory, 
 Chapter V.— Showing how Meditation differs from Study, 
 Chapter VI.— Showing the Subject of M«ditation, - 
 Chapter VII.— Showing the necessity of Meditation^ 
 Chapter VIIL— Showing the reason why there are so few 
 
 good Christians, ^ . - - ^ - - 
 Chapter IX.— A ]Keprbt)f to such as do not meditate in 
 
 God's Law, - - - - " ' " 
 
 Chapter X.— A holy^ersuasive to Meditation, 
 Chapter XI.— The Answering of Objections, - - - 
 Chapter XII.— Concerning occasicmal Meditations, - 
 Chapter XIII.— For the right timing of Meditation. 
 Chapter XIV.— How long Christians should be conversant 
 V : with this Duty, - ------- 
 
 Chapter XV.— ('oncerninor the Usefulness of Meditation, 
 Chapter XVI.— Setting forth the Excellency of Meditation, 
 Chapter X VII.— Containing Divine Motives to Meditation, 
 Chapter XVIIL— Prescribing Bules about Meditation, - 
 
 38 
 39 
 40 
 40 
 69' 
 
 711 
 
 71 
 72; 
 73. 
 
 76^ 
 
 78 
 
 81 
 82 
 87 
 87 
 90 
 
THE 
 
 ^ 40 
 
 - 40 
 
 - 69' 
 
 . 711 
 
 Q 
 
 - 71 
 
 - 72 
 
 - 73- 
 
 - 76 
 
 - 78 
 
 it 
 
 - 81 
 
 - 82 
 n, 87 
 D, 87 
 
 - 90 
 
 EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 TO 
 
 THY LOVING FRIENDS, 
 
 THE ALDERMEN, THE ESQUIRES, AND THE REST 
 OF THE INHABITANTS 
 
 OP THE 
 
 PARISH OF STEPHEN'S WALBROOK IN THF 
 CITY OF LONDON. ^ 
 
 Honoured, and Beloved, 
 Mr heart's desire for you is, that you may he saved It 
 
 in return; such as I hive eive ? v« ^ I H '"t '^'f *^S ""^ 
 this mania, to you, l^' ZlLrL^l^iJ^i; ,Z'"''\ 
 respect and zealous affection whic^ ^2.1^ 
 
 ::ttit die T-^ '^^ o.^tXuCrruT jx 
 
 _v«,i»^ 
 
Q tH* lil'ISTLE OEBICATOR*. 
 
 of it; »' My Houl sliall l.e sutisfied as with niairow and fatnerM». 
 while I raedttate on thee " Psal. Ixiii. 5, 6. 
 
 The™ls UlMe written, «ofar a. I know, upon this subject 
 MoHt diHCOurse. of this nature digiess into ejaca U,oi s I 
 bave w h ,he iielp of God, cut out my way ^^^^g^^ 
 r^k il^^llindinff any path that others had gone in b^Sfor^^ 
 r, rkr! h^ave n<>t ottered that to yon whi^b «C08t «e 
 "oihi:; F.. the style of it, Hi. plain ; l>»^tr"th^^wh.n^ 
 i. in tCa nl«in«st dress, is most comely, lue swt mtm» 
 "riX«r tTnHtive 'luBlre. Divinity hatU ,o mi<* .»^ 
 S«l beaut V that it nee<\8 i.o ait of wit of faucy to set rt 
 ^^itTgo^ to embroider a JK-arl? or p,int over goW» 
 tti8 wouM h.rieba8e n»d ecli,>8e if, .t ,8 as.gn ot » w»nto» 
 IhriXn to look .nost at the lVingi»g and m»^^^"f_ «J * 
 ? ,K I «i.l. il be not the siu of many in this city , thev 
 inilh. >• *'''T "j ,,"„,,. ,u„ food The blue flowers which 
 
 '''"' ^''±rt"ht^ 1 t i a fi - and are pleasing. t» 
 
 fhrerTe. a,rpreTudicial to the harvest Rhetorical 
 
 trilCfV-J'tttrn'^^^^^^^ 
 
 — • i^CittH tr;;:s:ntwoT„d ' I'z^^^y 
 
 ■''^"u w»ZIer for him to have a deep incision mad. m 
 K^hlVu^rbmd it about with silU. or dr^ *t ..^ 
 
 .postle speaks of, r^t^ '• 7^ ' y ^ kinds of sauces and eo^- 
 
 ""'tfll^b take away the natural taste and sawar «f tbe 
 pounds wbioh taKe » 3" , ^ ^ ^^ i^a hath given, 
 
 ■weat As fo'- yp". "y ~«al palate, to relish aud thirst 
 
 Vat le««t some of yo"'^ * ?P"™!'; \ pj. ij. 2. A savoury 
 
 Vr *he/nc.re milk of *e woid. 1 Pe.^.. 2^^^^ ^ ^^ ^ J, 
 
 fnend^ IT ^ _ S^^^^j for vour 20od, and before I die, 
 
 f. 
 
 igb* 
 
TIFB EPISTI.K DBDICATOKT, 
 
 help lo make up a happy marria)a:e iSetween Cliiist and you,. 
 2 Cor. xi. 2. I bleas God that I nee 8oin« of you walkiuj^ in 
 the truth, 2 John 4. when so many in the world are iimrch.- 
 Mij^c*|)afce townrds hell". Bui O that I might see im increase 
 of holiness among you, that more converts niigbt ho brought 
 in, and as so many jewels, make the crown of Christ sliine 
 the brighter ! Do not hearken to the- syren song* of tiW ^ 
 world : thesinft you commit in haste, you w\\\ repent at leiswre. 
 Sugared poisons go down pleasantly, but afterwards they 
 wring and torment the body. 
 
 Let me earnestly beseech yow to- puit » biil oi divorce - 
 iioto tbA hand of your sins; let not error gangrene, lust burn». 
 »ialiiee feoil, pride swell, iirtemperance overffow, covetousne» 
 root in aay of your souls. Puage out the old leaveu; aod,^. 
 M ever you expect to go to the new Jerusalem whet you die! 
 become new creatures while yoa live. 
 
 Rfist not mbaptfsmar prfvifcjsfes: all are not Israel! wfifolk" 
 «re of Israel, Rom. ix. 6. what is a man the better to have y^ 
 Christ's name upon him, if he still retain Satan's image I— ^ 
 What is he advantaged o have the oracles of God', and want. 
 Ik^ Spirit of God ? Think aot that an empty profession wittl 
 savcj; millions will be sf^nt to hell in Christ's livery. Matt. vii. • 
 22,— viii. 12. labour *o "know the grace of God iih^ 
 truth !" CoL i. 6. ^ ' 
 
 luch cost and charsres with yoi*. 
 'ot not God be a toser by you^ 
 of the people in ancient taines^ 
 upon the city of Rhodes; give' 
 me leave to. apply it to you: God hath rained down golde'i 
 showers upon you. What mercies h.-ith he onrichod you- 
 with ! what taUmts hath he intrueted- yoa with ! your estate 
 lis a talent,, yowr health (in these sickly times es})ecially) is » * 
 
 talent, 3foup saactuaiy blessings. are talents, every motion of 
 Mm^. Spfrit, every opportiaiity- ft>r heaven is a talent, and 
 nethmg more sure than that you will be called to an account 
 SDortly, Matt xxv. ],9, 20. Now it' you haveletyour talents; 
 Jie rusting, and done no good with them^ the hiding your- 
 feilents will not hide your sin ; expect a heavy doom. Thinfe 
 not these things imperii nenciea. Be not so evil, as to bet tcor 
 good to be advised.. 
 
 The Lord hat) 
 to bring you near 
 Pindar saith, it was 
 that Jupiter raiaed dovt. 
 
10' 
 
 TITE KPrSTLE DEBICATORt. 
 
 r confaHs !!iy8elf, with Ignatius: the l««3t of all thH 
 labour in God's vineyard, but thoi, > I am with yon iir 
 weakness, yet, as the apostle saith, ''in much trembling," t 
 Cor. ii. 3. I tremble to think how sad it wilj be, if any of 
 you shall' perish in these days of the gospel, though you 
 have beer placed under a trumpet, less shrill and powerful.. 
 It shall be my prayer fbr you all, that you may be fruit- 
 bearing trees, that when the great vine-dresser shall remove 
 you hence by death, he may transplant you into the celestial 
 paradise. 
 
 Be pleased to accept of these few notes which, some year* 
 since, you did seem to hear with much affection : I shall only 
 desire two things of yoit; that you would thoroughly peruse 
 them, and then copy them out in your daily practice. Get. 
 up into your tower of meditation, and Ibok often, n ith Mopes^ 
 upon : m who is invisible, Heb. xi. 27. But 1 win not hoi* 
 you any longer. I remember St. Paul in the closo of his 
 Epistle, craves the Thessalonians' prayers, 1 Thes. v. vi6. and 
 so shall I end my epistle begging a contribution of your 
 players for me, that the Lord would give me strength of 
 neaven to do t/he work of Heaven ; chat he would help me 
 to take heed- to myself and my doctrine ; that he- 
 would make me, not only faithful/ but successful in my 
 ministry among you: that so, "when the chief Shepherd' 
 shall appear I may receive a crown of glory which fadeth 
 not away,** I Pet. v. 4. I shall not further enlarge, unless in. 
 my affections towards you. 
 
 " Now the God of peace that brought again from the* 
 dead our Lord Jesus that great Shephevtl of the sheep* 
 through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you- 
 perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in ' ow 
 that which is well pleasing in his sight," Heb. xiii. 20, 21.. 
 vhich shall be the earnest prayer of him, who Is, 
 
 Your friend and servant, 
 for Jesus sake, 
 
 THOMAS WATSON. 
 
/ 
 
*' 
 
 :i 
 
 THE" 
 
 EFISTLE TO THE READEI?. 
 
 Christian Reader, 
 
 There are some exercises of reHgibn wBic^ stand' only in ai 
 form, of godlinesft, when- men (Jraw near with their mouth 
 and honour God' with their Kps^. and bestow a little bodily 
 exerciae and attendance upon him, when in the mean tinia' 
 their hearts are far from; him, runoing after other objects^ 
 Isa. xxix. 13; Ezek. xxxiii. 31. Other duties there are' 
 which are more spiritual, and wherein* the life and 
 power of godliness doth consist. Among these, that of 
 heavenly meditation* is one, when^ (as the apostle saith of the 
 blessed angels> 1 Pet. i. 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 fly away and to hide from ihe pre- 
 sence 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," Isa, 
 XXX. 11. He is every where else to be fi>und^ only shait out 
 of the h^rts of m icked m^^n. 
 
 The heart never willingly fixeth on God, ti4l' he be the 
 treasure of it; for where a man's treasure is, there will his 
 heart be alsoj Pt cannot easily meditate, but where it doth, 
 delight, Psal. cxix. 97. Love is the weight of the soul; il 
 readily moves to the object which it loves. Mary will not 
 away from the empty sepu]3hr3, where a little before her 
 Lord had' lain. EVery good man is of David's mind, Psal. 
 xvi. 8. to set the Lord always^ before hi in, thftt he- may be* 
 in his fear all the day long. 
 
 There is noihing of a more unstable and mving temper 
 than the rnind of man. Some have yjrescribed the study of' 
 mathematics to tix the voliatile agility thereof; but certainly 
 tiie mor6 serious, liie more settled, tlxe soul is., N.othingj, 
 
'¥kft EPIf^liK TO THE READER. 
 
 n 
 
 therefore, will so balance arid compose it, as ''^true fioline^ 
 
 'which doth of all other things make it the most serious, the 
 
 ,too8t willing "to acquaint itself with God, that it may be at 
 
 peace," Job xxii. 21. He is the rest of the soul. The mor^ 
 
 ^it knows of him, the more desirous it is to sUy witli 'hirti 
 
 ■that it may know more. The more it tasteth cf his favour, 
 
 ^aie more it lonojeth after his glory, as Moses did, Exod, 
 
 xxxiii. 17, 18. What the philosopher saith of allknowledge, 
 
 is indeed true only of the knowledge of God and Christ, 
 
 iihat 3t is quies intellectvs. And therefoie our SaviOu'r 
 
 calleth it eternal life, John xvii. 3. i., which alone the spiii 
 
 'doth rest 
 
 '"Now one excelletit Tneaos of fixing the heart on 'God, Ig 
 Meditation, whereby a man calls together "all that is within 
 *im to bless his narW;PsaJ.-ciii.4. Meditation is the wing 
 of the soul which carrieth the afteotioBs thereof to things 
 above. By this, as Moses, it goeth *up ^o th^ top of Pisgah 
 *o tftke a view of the promised land. It is, as Clemens 
 iAl^xandrinus saitli of prayer, a conversing- ^ith God; as 
 ^C&rysostom saith of faith* so may we of meditation. It 
 smakesiGod, and Christ, and precepts, and promises -ours, by 
 ,^v*ng *» a duller posses.v'ioii of them. Hereby we JhoJd last 
 the *ki«gs which we have learned ; we awaken our faitli, da- 
 Hame out love, strengthen our hope, revive our desires, in- 
 crease our joys in God; we furnish oui bo.irts, and fill our 
 <mouths with materials of prayer; we loosen our affections 
 from the world ; we acquaint oiwselves betf'orehand with those 
 glories which we yet but hope for, and get some knowledge 
 of that love of Christ which passeth knowledge. Meditation 
 is the palate of the soul whereby we taste the goodness of 
 God ; the eye of the soul whereby we view tiie beauties oF 
 holiness; whereby our spiritual senses are exercised. Acts 
 xxiv. 16; Heb. v. U. It is the key to the wine-cellar, to 
 the banqueting-house, to the garden of spices, which letteth 
 us in unto Him whom our soul loveth. It is the arm whereby 
 we embrace the pomises at a distance, and bring Christ and 
 our souls tofi^ether. 
 
 1 hoilU'h AOrnA \anvrvaA >»v^«-> r\i 
 
 o 
 
 
 ,.-:i.A-_ 
 
 •"•lib iAjat. 
 
 some few things upon this subject, yet of our age, and in 
 our language, I do uot remember any who have purposely 
 
M 
 
 THE EPISTLE TO THE RBAD81U 
 
 liandled it, but our christian Seneca, the learned and reverend 
 l)i8hop Hall, which benig one sraaJl tract in tlie midst of « 
 voluminoua work, may haply not bo in every man's hand to 
 peruse. The npcessity, excellency, and usefulness of this 
 christian duty, the reverend awihor «f this book hath elegantly 
 •described, which is therefore worthy the perusal of sirch as 
 •desire to acquaSnt and furnish themselves with so excellent a 
 j>art of chriataan skill, wliereby time may be redeemed and 
 improved unto the preposRessiom of eternity. The Iiord so 
 ifiU ns with the love of him, and with all the fulness 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." 
 
 Thine in the Lord, 
 
 EDW. REYNOLDS,* 
 I^rom my study at Lawr. Jury, 
 Nov. 7. 1657. 
 
 ♦ AfterwArdg bishop of Norwich, 
 
THE 
 
 SAINT'S SPIRITUAL DELIGHT^ 
 
 BUT HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OP THE LORD. 
 PSALMS I. 2. 
 
 Ohafter h-^Showing that Mgative Goodness is hut a 
 
 broken Title to Heaven, 
 
 h. «n 'm t ^"^ ""' *^^ CanticJes is called the Sonff of Souot 
 
 ble««du«« m the fmutispiece ; it be-ins wbVrJZ^lltl!!! 
 to end : ,t m.y well be Jm a Cbri«C's GuWe L 1 Z 
 ^covers the quicksands where the wicked sink down in Ir^T 
 
 religion, K,,t his delight is m the law of the Lord and in 
 h..s l»w d„th he i„<«iitate day and night." Every wo Jh«h 
 us emphasis; I begin with the first wSrf "But" ^TWs "Bnt" 
 
 dellri 5 ^''" " " **™ "^ "PP'^''"""- The ^odly man fa 
 ethmf/J,7 "*" "*^f'r' '■" *™« particulars. 1. "Hewalk- 
 
 Z h:j:ii?2:r'.:!f;i'i»"r''^ ■ ' i- 1' -ne of th::ot- 
 
 eth not ill the wa7 orsimri" "'h ''tT' ^^ " ?* """'i- 
 those who " shall not L»l 1 . ^"^ '." .""' ""'"^ «"""'« 
 
 .. " He^sit.rn':' ,^ r r "o? '^hf i;:::^"''"!:; I 
 
16 
 
 TMF SAINT S ai'IHTTUAL DELIGHT. 
 
 'M 
 
 be a cliair of state, he will not ^it in it, be knows it will prove 
 very uno.isy at lant 
 
 Tbo word Mtting im}>lies, 1. A habit in sin, — **Thou 
 Rjtte^t and Rpeakost ajjain^t thy brother,*' Psal. 1. 20. 2. 
 Sitting implies familiarity with sinners — •' 1 have not sat with 
 vnin parsons,'* Psal. xxvi. 4. that i^, I do not haunt tb«> 
 company. The i»'odly man shakes of!" all intimacy vnth the 
 wicked.* He nmy traffie with tliem, not associate: he may 
 be civil to them, as neighbours, but not twist into a ithtI of 
 friendshij) : diamonds and stones may lie together, but they 
 will not solder and cf ment. 
 
 11. The ginlly man is rleserilH?d by way of position, or 
 ruther opposition: *'But his del'ght is in the law of the 
 Lord.'* Frotn this word '*But" observe, that negative good* 
 ness is not snttieient to entitle us to hwiveu. To Y*e no scorner, 
 Ui giMOtl, but it is not enough. The^-e are some in the world 
 whose religion runs all ujiion negatives; they are not drunkards, 
 tliev are not sweanMs, and for thi^ they bless tlieinselves. 
 S*je how that pharlsee vapours, " God. 1 thank thee, that I 
 Ufa not as other men ju-e,extort>>iieris unjust, ad aitererH,"<kc. 
 liiike xviii, 11, Alas, the not being seandaltHL* will no more 
 roake a good christian than a cipher wiii mak#» a sum. The 
 gotiiy «»au goe* fu; 'er, ^ he sits not in the s«at of the 
 w^nWr; but hiv«i delight is in the law of the Lsird." We are 
 bW, n*>t only to ** ct^ase from evil, hut to do goo*!," PaaL 
 jcxxiv. 14. It will be a poor plea at htst. Lord, I kept my- 
 9^ from Wing sp<>tie<l witli gror=s sin ; I did no hurt. Bat 
 what good i^ there in th<e^l It is not enough for the ser- 
 vaet of the vin^vard, that he doth no hurt there, he d<Ah 
 nol breikk th^ treet^* or destroy the he<lges; if he doth not 
 wrork in the vinew^rd, he loseib hfe pay ; it i» n!*>t eeoogh for 
 us to s*v at lhe> la«t day. we have done bo hart, we haveliTed 
 is tto gross. sin; but what good have we done in th* vine- 
 tard? where is the grace we have g^>tren? If we omiiot 
 ipWw this* we shall kit* our pAV, ami mis*^ ot' >alv^i<>a. 
 
 Do* m>t content V'.Hirs^ves wiih the n«-garive part of reE- 
 |[to»; wratiT build tt etr hofe?- t-'r beaveu wpAxi this cf»eke<l 
 io«ii^ti^ti> they are given lo u«.' vctr. otjue cab char^ it ~ 
 with a«v t<?ul miscarriagesv and th^ise are th*iir Iett»» di 
 4eiK*« to *how ; to such jersoos I say tihree thing*. 
 
 .i^lbiSA.: 
 
NEGATIVE GOODNESS. |^ 
 
 1. You may not be outwarrlly bad, and yet not inwarrllv 
 good. YoM may be as far from' grace as from vice; though 
 none can say your eye ia black, yet your soul may be dved A 
 black. Though your liands be not working iniquity, your/ 
 heads may be plotting it. Though you do not hang out 
 your bush,* yet you may secretly vend your commoi^ity; a 
 tree may be full of vermin, yet the fair leaves may cover them 
 that they are not seen; so the fair leaves of civility may hide 
 you from the eye of man, but God sees :;he vermin of pride, 
 unbelief, covetousne,ss in your heart: ♦' Ye are they," saith 
 </hrist, ''that justify youi-selves before men, but God knows 
 your hearts" Luke xvi. 15. A mnn may not be morally 
 evil, yet not spiritually good. He may be free from gross 
 enormity, yet full of secret enmity against God; like the 
 snake, which though it \>e of a fine colour, yet hath its sting. 
 ^ 2. If you are only negatively good, God makes no reckon- 
 ing of you ; ymi aie as so many ciphers in God's arithmetic, 
 and he wntes down no ciphers in the book of life. Take a 
 piece of braas, though it be not such bad metal as le»id or iron, 
 yet not being so good as silver, there is little reckoning madtf 
 of It, It will not pass for current coin; though thou art not 
 profane, yet not being of the right metal, wanting thesiamp 
 of holiness upon thee, thou wilt never pass current, God 
 sJig.its thee, thou art but a brass christian. 
 : 3. A man may go to hell for not dohig good, as well as for 
 <lomgevil; he that bears not good/ruitis as fuel for hell, as- 
 uell as he that bears bad. "Every tree which beareth not 
 good truit, is hewn down and cast into the fire," Matt. iii. 10 
 One may as well die with not eating food, as with poison! 
 aground may be spoiled for want of good seed as well as with 
 having tares sown i., it; they that were not active in works 
 of chanty, were sadly sentenced; -Depart from me ye 
 cui^ed, Ac for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat," 
 Matt. XXV 44, 42. It is not said ye took away my meat 
 troin me, but, " v;e g;. ve me no meat." Why were thefoolish 
 virgms shut out? They had done no hurl, they had not 
 
 Mrt^'^xxr'^'T^r''-^''''^^'^ *'lr^ "<>^>'' -ith their lamps," 
 iUttLl. XXV. 6. I heir WMiifmo- /mI «rna *h.v j..j:„^— . .• ' . 
 
 • A plan ibrmerly adopted to invite customers, - 
 
 \: 
 
'i^ 
 
 / 
 
 
 If 
 
 THE saint's spiritual DELlOHt. 
 
 fore let not any man build Lis hope for heaven upon nega- 
 tives. This is building upon the sand ; the sand is bad to* 
 build on ; it will not cement ;J)ut suppose a man sliould finitfft- 
 a house upon it what i? the issue? the flood comes, namely, 
 persecution, and the force of this flood will drive away ihe 
 sand and make the house fall; and the wind blows*: the 
 breath 'of the Lord, as a mighty wind, will blow such a sandy 
 building into hell. Be afraid,' then, to lest in tlie negat=ive 
 part of religion; launch forth further, be eminentry holy. 
 So I come to the next words, but '* his delight is in the 
 law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and 
 night." 
 
 Ch. IL — What is meant hy the law of God, what 3y B^- 
 light in the Law, and the Proposition restdting. 
 
 The words give us a twofold description of a godly man* 
 
 Firat, he delights in God's law. 
 
 Secondly, he meditates in God's Jaw. 
 
 I begin with the first, " His delight in the law of it^ 
 Lord." The great God hath grafted the affection of delight 
 in every creature; it hath by the instinct of nature something 
 to delight itself in. Now the true saint, not by intuition, but 
 divine inspiration, makes the law of God his delight. This. 
 IS the badge of a christian, "His delight is in the law of the- 
 Ijord." A man may work in his trade, and not delight in it, 
 cither because of the difficulty of the work, or the smallness 
 of his wages; but a godly man serves God with delight; it 
 is bis meat and drink to do his will.. 
 
 For the explication of the words, it will be inquired, 
 1. What is meant by " the law of the Lord." This word, 
 ** Liw,'* may be taken either more strictly or more largel.Aiu 
 1 More strictly; — ^for the decalogue or ten comrnanQm*ent*L 
 2. More largely ; — for the whole written word of God ; — ^for 
 those tnith» which are deduced from the word, and concentre 
 in it; — ^for the whole business of religion which is the counter- 
 part of 6od*8 law, and agrees with it as the transcript with 
 the original. The word is a setting forth, and religion is a 
 showing forth of God's law. I shall take this wpid ia its fulJ 
 i^iiiau« itud eAieiit. 
 
WHENCE SPITITUAL DELIGHT ARISES* 
 
 r# 
 
 2. W hat 18 meant by delight in God»s law. The Hebreir 
 and Septuagmt both render it, his will is in the law of the 
 Lord; and that which is voluntary is delightful; a gracious 
 heart serves U.d from a principle of ingenionsness; he makes 
 tKKisJaw not only his task, but his recreation; upon thi» 
 scjiptu re-stock I shall graft this proposition. 
 
 Doctrine. That a child of God, though he cannot serve 
 the Lorn pertectiy. yet he serves him willingly; his will is ia 
 tfielaw oftheLord;he isnot apressed soldier, buta volanieer; 
 by the beating of this pulse we may judge whether there be 
 spint»al hfe m us, or no. David professes that God's law 
 was h,s dehght, Psal. cxix. 77. He had his crown to delight 
 in, he had his music to cheer him, but the love he had to 
 God 8 law did drown all other delights ; as the joy of harvest 
 r 7^gf ,?^«?f 1« tbyoy of gleaning. « I ddight in the 
 
 2f2. Xhe Greek word is, J take pleasure ; the law of God is 
 J^^ recreation and it was a heart delight, it was in the inner 
 man; a wicked man may have joy in the face, 2 Cor. v 12. 
 Jike aoney-dew, that wet8 the leaf; but the wine of God^s. 
 bpint cheers the heart; Paul delighted in the iawjn the 
 Miner man. * 
 
 Ca IIL^ Whence the Saint" 8 Spiritual Delight apringetIL 
 
 ITie saint's delight in the law of God proceeds, 1. Fioni 
 soundness of judgment. The mind apprehends a beauty ia 
 God 8 law; now the judgment draws the affections, hke sa 
 iK»^y orbs, aft«r rt • '' the law of God is perfect." Psal. xix 
 7. It needs not be 'el^ed out with traditions. The Hebrew 
 word fo. pei-f^ct seems to .Jlude to a perfect, entire body, that 
 wants none of the members or lineaments; Goct's law must 
 B^e.l8^be perfect for it is able to make uh wise- to salvation, a 
 iim. in 1^ The Septuagint renders it, the law of God is 
 pum, I'fre feeauty that hath no stain, or wine th«t is clarified 
 andrefinc^. Thesoul that looks into this law, seeing so much 
 
 S.lthrr^^ 
 
 %Ut^ fW>mhe word:Hsetsoni;;^hel^;ir;|;X.S 
 
do 
 
 THE SAlNT^S SPIRITUAL DELIGHT. 
 
 2. This holy delight arises from the pvodominance of 
 grace. When grace comes with authority and mnjesty upon 
 the heart, it fills it with deh'i,'ljt. Naturally we have no de- 
 light in God; "Therefore they say unto God depart from 
 us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways," Job xxi. 
 li. nay, there is not only a dislike, hut an antipathy. Sin- 
 ners are called haters of G.»d, Rom i. SO, but when grace 
 comes into the heart, oh what a chanoe is th«^re I Grace pre- 
 ponderates, it files off the rebellion of the will, it makes a man 
 of another spirit, Num. xiv. 24. It turns the lion-like fierce- 
 ness into a dove-like sweetness, itchnnges hatred into delight; 
 grace puts a new bias into the will, it works a willingness 
 and cheerfulness in God's <4ervice. "Thv people shall be a 
 willing people in tlie day of thy power-" Psal. ex. 3. " 
 
 3. This holy delight in religion is from the sweettiess of 
 the end. Well may we with cheerfulness let down the net 
 of our endeavour when we have so excellent a draught. 
 Heaven at the end of duty causes delight in the way of 
 duty. 
 
 Ch. IV. — Shoioing a characteristical Difference between «» 
 Child of God and a Hypocrite. * 
 
 A discriminating difterence is shown between a child of 
 God and a hypocrite, the one serves God from a principle of 
 delight, the other doth r.ot. "The law of thv mouth is bet- 
 ter unto me than thousands of gold and silver," Psal. oxix. 72» 
 With what deliojht doth a covetous man tell over his thou- 
 sands! but God's law was better to Daviji than thousands; a. 
 child of God looks upon the service of God, not only as hisi 
 duty, but his privilege. A gracious heart loves every thing 
 that hath the stamp of God upon it. The wo*d is his de^ 
 light, — *'Thy worxls were found and I did eat them, and thy 
 word was unto me the joy and rejoieinnf of my heart," Jer* 
 XV. 16. The Sabbath is his ddioht — "If thou turn away 
 thv foot from doinaf thv pleasure on my holy day, aa<t 
 call the sabl>ath a delight," Isa. Iviii. 13. Prayer is tis de- 
 light — " I will make them jovful in my house oi' prayer," Isa.. 
 
 jvi= 7i Hearipo' is Ids delio'ht. " Who ar^^ thf'fif*- th—t ftv h.h 
 
 4ove8 to their windows? Isa. Ix. 8. The unicious soul flies 
 
tilE CHILD OF OOD AND THE HYPOC^ITK. Jt 
 
 R9 a flove to an ordinance, upon the wings of delight The 
 sacrament is his delight. On this day tire Lord makes -a 
 feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees^ of fat tblntrs 
 full of marmw> ofwii.es on ihe Jeeswell refiiud," Im. x\v e» 
 A ^crainenr day is a soid-fe«tivai dny; he.-e Christ takes the 
 jK>ui into his t>anqiietii.g-house, and "displays the banner of 
 jove over H, Cant. ii. 4. Here are heavenly delicacies set 
 before^ ns. Christ gives us his bodv and blood. Ihis is 
 angok food, ttii. is the heavenly nectar, here is a cup per- 
 fumed with thy divide nature; here is wine spiced with the 
 ove ot God. Ihe Jew. at tbeir fensfs poured ointment upon 
 their guests; hei<3 Christ jours the oil of gladness into the 
 heart. This i« the king's bath where We wash Ettd ai-e 
 cleansed of our leprosy: the withered soul, after the leceiv- 
 ing this blesse.l eucharist, halh been like a watered garden 
 Isa^lviii. 11, or like Eoyptian fields, after the overflovving of 
 u-u ^f''V^^ .'":'^ Nourishing; and do you wonder that, a 
 child of God delights in holy things ? he must needs be a vol- 
 unteer in religion. 
 
 But it i« not thus with a hypocrite; he may be forced to 
 dothat which IS good, but not to will that which id good 'he 
 doth not serve God with delight " Will he delight bimUlf 
 m the Almighty f Job xxvii. lo. That he hath none of hii 
 complacency and delight, appears thus, because h<i ee.ves 
 God grudgingly ; he brings his sacrifice with a wicked mind, 
 Prov. xxK 27. Such a one was Cain: it was long before he 
 brought his offering. Gen. iv. 3, it was not the first^Tfruits ; and 
 when he did bring it. it w.is grudgingly; it was not a fi^ 
 
 Tf I ^ Tl^' Pj^' ^''- ^ ^' ^' '' P''^^^'^'^ '^ ^a« tbe custom 
 of his fiithers family to sacrifice; and perhaps conscience 
 might check h.ni for forbearing so long; at last the offeHng 
 18 brought but how ? as a task rather tha>i a duty ; as a mulct 
 or fine .-ather than a sacrifice. Cain brought his ottering, but 
 not himself. What Seneca saith of a gift, I may say^of a 
 sacrifice-it IS not gold and silver makes a gift, but a wilHna 
 mind; if this be wanting, the gold is only parted with, not 
 given : so, it is not prayer and hearing makes a sacrifice, but 
 
 ■" ; -^-^o ."!:iiu. v^aiiiH was not an oiienng, but a tax: 
 
 not worship, but penance. ^ * 
 
32 
 
 -tu 
 
 :tT 
 
 THE SAINT*8 SPIRITUAL DELIOtm 
 
 Ch. V. — Two Cases of Conscience resolved* 
 
 But here are two caaes to be put. 
 Case 1. Whether » regenerate person nnay not serve God 
 with weariness? * *^ 
 
 Am. 1. Yes; bat this delight in God is not wholly ex- 
 tinct. This lafesitude and weariness in a child of God may 
 arise from the in-being of corruption, Rotn. vii. "24. It h 
 iy* from the grace that i8 in him, but the sin ; as Peter's 
 sinking on the water was not from his faith but his fear; yet 
 1 say atili a regenerate person's will is for God, Rom. vii. !&. 
 Paul found sometimes an indisposition to good, Rom. vii.2S» 
 jret at the same time he profesi^es a complacency in God, "I 
 <delight in the law of Goti, in the inner man," ver. 22. One 
 |iiay delight in music, or any r^ecr^eatioo, yet through wear!- 
 tiess of body be for the present dull and indisposed ; a chris- 
 t^ian may love God's law, though sometimes the clog of the 
 fiesh weighing him down, he finds his former vigour and 
 i^jfijity remitted. 
 
 Ant. 2. This faintness and weariness in a regenerate pei^ 
 #^n is not habitual ; it is not his constant tera{)er. When the 
 W^ter ebbs a while it is low water, but there soon a spring* 
 »de again; it is sometimes low waiter in a christians's S0^ 
 (|e finds an indisposition and irksomeness to that which is 
 good; but within a while there is a spring-tide of afiection, 
 jand the soul is carried full sail in holy duties. It is with $. 
 -christian as with a man who is distempei-ed ; when he is sick 
 jhe does not take that delight in his food as formerly ; nay, 
 •Bpmetimes the very sight of it ofiends, but when he is well 
 |le takes his meat again with delight and appetite; so, when 
 
 fie soul is distempered through sadness and melancholy, it 
 nds not such delight in the word an<l prayer as formeriy; 
 but when it returns to its healthful temper again, Qowithatli 
 ^e same delight and cheerfulness in God*8 &efvice as before. 
 Ans. 3. This weariness in a I'egenerate person is invotuiitr 
 tary; he is troubled at it; he doth not hug his disease, bUit 
 inoMrns under it. He is weary of his weariness. When he 
 
 ness ; he prays, weeps, wrestles, uses all meansto regain thi^t 
 alacrity in God's service which he was wont to have. David, 
 
TWO CAMBM OF 00N80WN0B MSOiTlr. Ji 
 
 When, h» chariot wheels were pulled off. add he did dH«. 
 heavily in r^|,g,.„, howoftdid l.e prny or q :iclllt^^^ 
 P«wl. cxix. 25, 37. 40 8R VViw...fv ''^ .\4"<^''«'"nflr grace f 
 
 of letbH>jfy «i.i„g „„ n.,„_ .hoy"ptvf;reive J, fh^''^'''* 
 
 delight to know Oo.r» WHvV'l^k , i Z '^"""^ " "'Cl 
 WM; but yet it ia D..t such H dul irhi Ti^ i' •^'?'."; S°^'* 
 
 *j.iie h, i. doi.g ,pi,t,Vth ; gf atrth^tr^"*"^ 
 
 thing «l«r; he ddighrm p^Tb"!^^^^ '\^''' "»»* 
 :?f Srfft-.he 10.A. ,tf than tCCte'of ^ "4''"' 55' "j"?.1f* 
 in h«,r.ng, but it i. not the epiWtu J,V ofZ J?!i''t''»5'< 
 •Wkt. in; not the S»v.,ur of k,i. wuL o n °'^' •" <'•- 
 the luMm. When he ^.LL .i?l F' '^ *^'""- "• K- bu* 
 
 1«m»y.^ther?::t hif^,^tMm1rrh-i''' » "«" 
 • man ahould go to an apothec«Tv"s T.n 7 'T''' « » 
 ^ the gildin/of U. not Z the'^e^ X' ^'l"!!^ «* 
 cnte gow to the word to see wli-f .miT.„ • • * ^*'« hypcM 
 i^hat my delight the i^l^ *?^t"- 'V" " '^"""-'^^ 
 w»rd aa on, oom«« i™ l^rZn t^lF'T'^ ™"'« «» "»' 
 to ».nell to. not « a oMd ^nt t.^th'' T"* "°T «»« ^^ 
 «hb ie rather curiosity thai' n^v «'"' j*"** ♦»'• nutri.nen,^ 
 «t to them a8 a very lo>e v *!^' f '^ ?""■" """"S "W* 
 v««* «.d can play i:rol:Z:iZu"''Kt' " "'-'^'^^^ 
 The prophet b<,ing eloquent, and havTn^t J" -• "/'"• '''*' 
 tfcey were much tok<»n with ir.„j^%^" P'«»>ng delivery;' 
 «* -at of m«.ioi but it w«^ nlTh "*• "f"*'^' '^ 'h«M< 
 they « well lil^. a, ZZTotlT"''^^"^ "" """""^ 
 eWp yet seasonable «,proo"roh..« . * ^''i'*.. " »'»'*■ 
 "■rhi* ia that whicti is likV lo Lr • ""'" *° '"- ""ditorv. 
 mJui^M-a- ^ „ __ ■ '" """" your souls. ir,.u l„»-- 
 
 «»«.U;Ui.not "the being ZS« 
 
 J- 
 
 / 
 
 «P m the word* of 
 
24 
 
 TIIR 8A1NT8 PPIRITCAL DSLIOHT. 
 
 /ailh," I Tim. iv. 6. which he minds: but the eloquence of 
 ppaech, the mrenesvs of notion, the quickness of fancy, the 
 smoothness of style: he strveH only to pluck from the tree 
 of knowledije. Alas, jK)or man, thou ma} e^t have tHe star- 
 Jight of knowledge, and yet it may be night in thy soul 
 
 y Oh. VI. — Trial of a Christian'' 8 Delight in Ood 
 
 Let this put ur upon a holy scrutiny and trial, whether 
 me have thifi delight in religion? It is life or death as we 
 Answer this. ' 
 
 Quest. Ho 7 may this spiritual delight be known? 
 
 Ans. 1. He th^t delights in God's law is often thinking 
 of it; wh&t n, man delights in, bis thoughts are still running 
 upon; he tdat delights in money, bio mind is taken up witk 
 it;'ther6fo/Q < he covetous man is paid to mind earthly thingi^ 
 Phil. iii. 19 **- ~ « there be a delight in the things of God, 
 the roind wi i be sltll musing upon them. Oh what a rare 
 treasure is the word of (^d ! it is tlie field whe>e the pearl of 
 price ie hid^ how precious are the prorai-^eft I they are the 
 conduit that holds the water of life; they are lik*^ those twe 
 olive branches, "which through the two golden pipes did 
 emptty .the golden oil out of themselves," Zech. iv. 12. Thesei' 
 seal up pardon, adoption, glory: '* Lord, by thepe things 
 men live,' ka. xxxviii. ^6. Where there is a delight in the 
 law of God, the miiwl is wholFy buried al>out it. « 
 
 2. If we delight in religion, there is nothing can 'keep ui* 
 irom it, but we shall be conversant in word, prayei*, sacra- 
 :?v»er/iB. He thst lovee gold will trade for it* The mercliant 
 will compass sea and land to make money his proselyte.-—* 
 Men will not be kept from their fairs. If there be a delight 
 s~ holy things, we shall not be detained from an ordinance^^ 
 ' T there « 'u are traflScking for salvation. If a man werei^ 
 nnngry he would not stay from the market for the aching <^ 
 his finger. The ordinances are a gospel maiket, and those 
 ?vho hunger and thirst aft righteousness, will not for eveir 
 •fi^ht occasion stay awav. " Lwas glad when they saij* 
 come let us go up to the house of the Lord," Psal. cxxii. 1. 
 fFhou who art glad when the devil helps thee with an excuse 
 f/> absent thvseJf from the house of the Lord^ srt ^far fmrnil 
 this holy delight. 
 
 W. 
 
 w 
 
m^ 
 
 i^'AH 4»: 
 
 ' » ' 'Aft ^afj ' J, 
 
 1 1. David, d«li" wl rG.J^r; .*'■" ^'"""•" ^•«'- *'i- 
 
 -w h«r Moved, could ..;. conl'i *Z Zt" Z''u^'"Xi 
 into most pntlietitui »■■ I ..„ i i ""' "'*'<«'> fi>»th 
 
 • his head i, «. thai S Si • &r Tir"*^-"^" ^•""'""W' 
 
 heart* wer« u,«,„ CJI.rUt ,„ad« hi, „7^1 T''? ''"f 1^'" ***«*• 
 
 dJaeounH,™ they were e' i f t. r ''* "'"''« .^"'"^t of tWr 
 
 Tbe pn,„itive /hri.tUnr l?o we^''^^^?""! "■"'• ""^ 
 
 ■i«.d apeak eo much „f |,e«rn a3 tl.t k"^^ '""* ^ <^' 
 
 ►<h>-n him. Words „7iZ I.Z T '" ?''* ''''' ki'-g^om 
 *hoH- what is i« "he hl« '"Jil'-'i'-K'"* of the mind, Oiey 
 like new wine, t wHI b«l\..Y""'"''"'?'^ " ^''"'"»' d«lif?l>( 
 P-al. xlv. 2. a man hat is r/.V^^''^" »"'"""' '"'o thyf- 
 ^ohn iii. 3i. Hecan hmn! T u 'P'^'"'"' "^ ""ee. , 
 , them .re ,bo« ITh" &£ I t^t.^r.^'^' '"' '^ 
 'M is full of gold, Mut xvii 2? « " J''" ^''' '» <he got- 
 ■tght in 0.d, "our .o.tue?wfllU Tk*'" "'*"' » » ^e- 
 writer," P«.| xlv l t) * • • ** ""* P«n of "ready 
 
 'in-o's hearto by Ala: i U' " T'P'"™ 'ouch-.tone to 2 
 e«J, because ihey art ',:!?ri ''°\''"'? """^ ^-"ght ,^ 
 .J-k not the Im^u^: oTcZ'. "'" " ""'"^ ''-"i ^"7 
 
 peasant fruirs. Cant. 4 vf Z^^T" :''«''« ''i™ of her 
 iwme, and full .,f the jutce .i'.t" ''''' '""'' » <=''P «<" «piced 
 of it. Cant viii. 2^llThJ^"^^'^■'''""*^'^ ^' mustirink 
 .t~n«th of his aLt^H ^he'cf' ' V" ,*^" ' »'"«^ ^im tSe 
 f«i- 37, if he hath antl'iim, . ?, 'f '"' ''""'"- M.tthew 
 'have i. %p„cri.^s^'. ,e". ^t wllT.h ' """'.'' <^""' «•"'" 
 ^theyofibrthat to the L,«l wh lch ..i^^ll .? •"" ""' -"^^ *■■"■; 
 
 ««« of th« soul," 18am Tm 7/"" '"' ""«'"'"& no pouring 
 
 i;«.s»» ■ **<«• C'-'in brought of thVfruir''^f''l'^ "° '^'' 'O »''«''• «« 
 ^B e - Ji lue rruit of the irronnH a^_ j.. . 
 
 ground. Gen. 
 
 IV. 9. 
 
•^2 
 
 THE SAINTS SPIRITUAL DELlQUt, 
 
 > 
 
 It is observable, the Holy Ghost doth not mention anything 
 that might commend, or set off Cain's sacrifice. When he 
 •comes to speak of Abel's, be se s an emphaaiis upon it, "Abel 
 tbrought of the first'in^ of hid fltjck, and of the fat thereof," 
 Ter. 4, but when he speaks of Cain, he only saith, "he 
 brought of the fnvi of tl:e ground." Some sorry thing, 
 peihaps, pulled out of a ditch. God who is best, will be 
 jierved with the best Doinitian would not have his statue 
 carved in wood or iron but in gold. God will have the lest 
 •of our best things, golden serv.ces. He who del^hts in God, 
 gives him tlie fat of the offering, Lev. iii. 3, the purest of his 
 fove, the hottest of his zeal ; and when he hath done all, he 
 grieves he can do no more, he blushes to see such an infinite 
 aisproportiou between Deity and duty. 
 
 5. He that delights in God, doth not much delight in 
 anything else. The world appears in an eclipse. Paul de- 
 lighted in the law of God, in the inner man, and how was 
 lie crucified to the world! Gal. vi. 14. It is not absolut^y 
 unlawful to delight in the things of the world, '^Thou shalt 
 rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath 
 ;given thee, Deut. xxvi. 11. None may better lake the com- 
 fort of these things than oeliever.s for they have the best right 
 .to them, they hold all in capite;* and they have the dew of 
 a blessing distilled. "Take two talents, said Naaman to 
 •Gehuzi," 2 Kings v. 23, so saith God to a believer, take two 
 talents, take thy outwaid comforts, and take my Jove w4th 
 with them; but the child len of God, though they are thank- 
 ful for outward mercies, which is the yearly rent they sit at, 
 yet they are not much taken wjth these things; they use 
 them only as a convenieney for their passage; they know they 
 need then . as a staff to wdk with, but when they shall sit 
 down in the kingdom of heaven, and rest theinseUes, th^ 
 jshall have no use of this Jacob's staff. Believers do not nmon 
 ©ass for thc39 things which are still passing, 1 John ii. 17,. 
 Their delight is chiefly in God and his law; and is it thus? 
 have we this low opinion of all undernioon coniforts? is the 
 price fallen? The astronome- sai'h, if it were possible for a 
 man to be lifted up as high as the moon, the earth would 
 
 ' By an authority which cannot be queRtioned. — A teatir^ 
 JUeld immedlAtely from the king. 
 
A PKR8CASIVE TO HOLY DSLiaHT. 
 
 2t 
 
 soera to hini but as a little point. If we could be lifted to. 
 heaven in our affections, all earthly delights would seem as 
 nothing. When the woman of Samaria had net with Christy 
 ^wn goes fhe pitcher, John iv. 28, she. leaves that behind. 
 He who. delights in G<.d, as haviriir ta-stfid the sveetnefs in 
 iMn, d?otb not much miad the pitcher, he Jeaves the world 
 behind. 
 
 «. True delight is constant. Hypocrites have their pnng^ 
 ot desire, and flashes of joy, which are soon over. The Jews 
 rejoiced m Jofm's light for a season, John v. S5. Unsound 
 hearts may delight in the law of the Lord for a season; but 
 they will quickly change their note, •' What a weariness is it 
 to serve the Lord !" True delight, Jike the fire of the altar, 
 Bever goes out ; affliction cannot extirpate it. « Trouble and 
 anguish have taken hoU on me, yet thy commandmeats «« 
 my delights." Psal cxix. 14a. 
 
 Ch. VIL—^ Persuasive to this holy Delight in Religion. 
 
 . Let me persuade Christians to labour for this holy delight. 
 Think^upon the text, "Let your delight be in the law of th* 
 
 «ilon i' ^Tc ^ ^""^ ^^'® ^'^"^'' ^"^^''^•e the exhortation. I 
 Shall Jay before you several weighty considerations. 
 
 light, as will appear m two things. There is in it, 1. Truth, 
 2 Goodness, l. Truth ; the law of God is a series of truth, 
 "fhy word IS true from the beoinuing," Psal. cxix .160 
 
 ti..H. r.r^'T'"*' ^'^ ^^' ^^^'^ ^'P'^ ^'y ^I'^'ch the (iod of 
 fanith hath s|K>ken to us. Here is i firm basis for faith 2 
 
 ItTlP'T ?^^'^^S^^-- ^-- ^-s. good sttnt^Bs!" 
 ;I ;L* A ..^ '^ ^'"'''^^ ^"^ goodness, the one Hequate 
 
 to the understanding, the other to the will. Now f.is S 
 
 pa"^"'^-^"^^ ^' '"^ '^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^"- forth in'nii 
 
 1. This blessed law of ^' d is a letter sent to us from 
 hea^ven, md.ted by the Holy Uiost.ai.d sealed.ith tL I'l'!!!? 
 ^ v.u.,st bee some passages in the letter; " As the bridu-' 
 
 thee. Isa. Ix.i, 6, and "1 will betroth thee unto mo forever 
 
 y 
 
28 
 
 M 
 
 TH» §AIirT*S SPIRITUAL DELIGHT^ 
 
 Wnil^ -^^o "^t' ^""^ ^° lovinp-kiTidnef^B, and in mercies," 
 T !ri ^- ^' 'i "''' ^^^'fcl'tfuJ re«din^ over ll.is letfer? V 
 n p , f ^^«J«w of G,.cl is a li^l.t " th.t shines in n c]«rk place," 
 wo- n '*•.?• '^;* """'■ r^'«-^t«' to .«"i«le 118 to Leaven; it 
 Nnl r ?. • '"" '^ T' ^'''^'" ^^ ^'^^'^^ ^'^'l»' P^- CJ^'^- 106. 
 tiioBe heatbens wl.o have not the knowledrre of God's Jaw 
 
 luJJy with l.w oralon, and AnMotle with his FvJlrfftms 
 crvmg out in hell: they that leave the li.ht^f fhe^w"^'; 
 ^IJowmg the h^htwiihin then., as .nme Wak, piefer tlw 
 Bhintng of the glow-woi m lelore the sun. ^ 
 
 Ktt ^•n?'V'''Jl ""^ r^"'!^ \' ^ '1''"'"''^ ^^«^« ^^ <^^e«s our S0Ul£h 
 «,^;.>. -'^ often looked at himrelf in this glass, and got 
 
 Zl J^r 1 oi " V^r'^\ '^'^ ^''''^'' I ^'' understanding - 
 tekes them away; it may he compared to the Javwwhiol^ 
 niT'J^^^ '^t ''"'"'"?'' Jooking-glasses, Exod. xxxviii. 8. 
 
 laver to wash m ; so the aw of God is a glass to show us our 
 faces, and a laver to wa.-h away our spots. 
 
 t.tJ^VZ ""^ ^"""^ ^"^"'^^'"^ ^*" '^ <^' evidences for 
 Heaven. Would we know whether we are heirs of the pro*^ 
 
 S^r.^'^'i 'i''";* nnmes are written in heaven, we mustfind^ 
 It m this aw hook :- He hath ehosen us to salvation through 
 
 r«l;ff''°' 2 T^^««-;'' 13. "We know that we hnvl 
 passed from death unto life, bc^au^e we love iU brethren,"' 
 
 ^idTncJr? *^ '^ ^^^ comf^itable reading over out 
 
 6. The law of God is a place of ammuni. on, out of whicf 
 we must fetch our spiritual artillery to fight against Salan. 
 It may be compared to the "Tower of David, builded for an 
 armourv, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers: all shields 
 
 fepnit, Eph VI. ] 7. It 18 ob.eiw;l)le when the devil tempted' 
 our baviour, 1 e ran to Scrip. nre tor armour. - it is written;" 
 three limes Cbr.st wounded the .er,er.t with this sword, 
 
 isaau. IV. 4, <tec. Is it not g^ood havino- nni. ov«Jr^»« -k^ 
 
 when the enemy is in the field ? " ^ 
 
X l^ittstASITB TO HOLY D<LI0HT. Jj^ 
 
 ■'■■■•• <%■ 
 
 6. The law of God if? our spintual niedicine-boolc, or book 
 of r^eiptfi. r>m] compares the Word of God to an Apothe- 
 carv 8 shoD which hath its panphHrmacon;* when, there fe 
 a^y djseaKe ar»owing in the pouI, here is a recipe to take. U 
 we #nt} ourverves dead in duty, here is a recipe, "Thy Word 
 hath qiwckened me," Psal. cxix. 50 ; if our hearts be harrl, 
 Sere is a recipe, " Is not my word as fire?" Jer. xxiii. 29. 
 Ibis 18 able to meU the rock into tenderness. If we ffrow 
 proud, here is a recipe, '« God resisteth ihe proud," I Fet. v. B. 
 It there be any fresh eruilt contracted, here we^have a sove- 
 roip medicine to t^ke, ''Sanctify tfiem throaarh thy truth.**- 
 John xvm. It. The law of God is bke a me<UcHial; gardfen, 
 ^slIT ""* "^^^ ""^^^ ^""^ ^*^^®*' *"^ ^^^^ to exper the poison. 
 
 7. The law of God is a divine treasury to enrich us; here 
 are the nches of knowledgre, and the riches of assurance to 
 6e found. Col. n. 2. In this law of God are scattered manui 
 miths, a» precious diamonds toarTorn the hidden man of the^ 
 heart David' to^k the law of Go.1 as his he.itiige, Psaln* 
 
 »L .;• Jn J. ^'^^'^ """»® ^» hi^l ^^« true pearl; hei%i 
 we dig till we find heaven. 
 
 8. The law of God i,« our cordial in fainting times; and 
 1 18 a strong cordial; - That we mi,i>bt have a strong conso- 
 lation, Ileb. vi. 18. Those are strong consolations indeed 
 that can sweeten affliction, that can. turn water into wme. 
 Tr '!2"^.^-^^iP^^ t^« fi«»7 tiial. "This is my comfo,* in 
 niv affliction, ^r thy word 1 ath quickened me," Psafe e*,x. 
 50 The comforts of the world are weak consolations; a 
 mm hath comfort ,n health, but 'et sickness come, where iff 
 his confYfort then ? he hatb eomfort in an estate,, but let? 
 poveilv come, where-is his comfoit then ? These are weak 
 consolations they cannot bear up against trouble; but the 
 comfr>rts of tl.e word ai^ strong conn^Iations, thev can sweeten ' 
 the waters of Marah. Let sickne.s come, the comforts of 
 
 WiTii'"''" '*"''^^"^*'"^P''''^ '^'^ "♦^^ inhabitant of the 
 te^sbalim.t.ay I am sick," I^a. xxxiii. 24. Let death 
 
 sting? 1 Cor. XV. 55. And is it not comfortable to havi 
 =«uu a u,6u.cin« iymg by, as can expel the venom of death!' 
 A book containing an account of remedies for all dl8eai<< 
 
30 
 
 THE SAINT a SPIltlTUAL DKLIGHT. 
 
 9. The law of God is manna; a beatenly niftTina tbaf 
 suits iUelf to every christian 8 palate. WJiat doth the pouk 
 desire? is it quickening? strengthening? he may find all in 
 this Wanna. 
 
 II. Delight in religion crowns^ all, onr services. Therefore 
 D&vid counsels his son Solomon; not only to serve God, but 
 
 to serve him' "with a willing mind/' 1 Chron^ xxviii. 9. 
 
 Itelight m duty is better than duty itself; as it is warse for a 
 man tod- light in sin than to commit i% because there is 
 more of the will in the sin: so delioht in duty is to be pre- 
 ferred before duty: *' CHi how love I thy law!" Psal. cxix.. 
 9»7. It is not how much we do, buD how much we love; 
 hypocrites may obey Gofs law, but th«* saints love his law^ 
 this carries away the garland'.. 
 
 III. Delight in spiritual things evidences grace;: it is » 
 sijsrn we have received the spirit of adoption-. An ingenuous^ 
 child delights to obey his father; he that is born of God is 
 ennobled by gracci and acts from a principle of ingenuous- 
 ness; grace alters the bias of tl)e heart, and makes it of un- 
 willing, willing. The spirit of grace is ^jailed a free spin^ 
 Psal. li. 12, not only because it works freely, but because it 
 makes the heart free and cheerful in obedience; a gracious 
 liea»t does not act by pure constraint,. but by free consent 
 
 IV. Delight in religion will make the bilsine-^sof religion 
 more easy to us. Delight makes every thing easy; there is- 
 nothinghardtoa willing mind; delight turns religion into- 
 recreation ; it is like fire to the sacrifice, like ol to the wheeK. 
 like wind to the sails it carries us full sail in duty. He that 
 delights m God's way, will never complain of the rugged- 
 ness of the way; a child who is going to his father's liouse, 
 does not complain of a bad way. A christian is going to- 
 heaven in the way of duty; every prayer, eveiy sacrament,, 
 he is a step nearer his Father's house; sirelv he is so full of 
 joy that he is going home, that he will not complain of a- 
 bad way. Get then this lioly delight Belove'l, we have- 
 not many miles to go, death wiWtshoi ten our way, let delio-ht 
 sweeten it *' 
 
 ; V. Ml the duties in relijrion are for our crood. We shaUi 
 have the benefit; "If thou be wise, thou slialt be wise foj 
 thyself," Prov. ix. 12. God hath twisted his glory and our 
 
▲ PJERaUASlVK TO HOLY OELIQHT. 
 
 31 
 
 Tia that' 
 the ^ouk 
 1(1 all in 
 
 herefore 
 M, but 
 111. 9. — 
 rse for a 
 there is 
 be pre- 
 il. cxix.. 
 e love;. 
 lis law^ 
 
 it fs a 
 fenuoua 
 God i». 
 enuous- 
 of iin- 
 spirit^ 
 ause it 
 T8ciou» 
 'ent 
 eli^on 
 here is 
 >n into- 
 wheels^, 
 U that 
 
 ijouBe, 
 in^ to- 
 a moil t,. 
 full of 
 ri of a 
 J have- 
 lelight 
 
 B nhaik 
 ise fof 
 id our 
 
 aood together. "I gave them my statutes, -^hkh. if a man 
 do, he shall even hve in them," Ezek. xx. li. There is 
 nothiojEf the Loid requires, but it tends to self-preservation. 
 Ood bids us read his word, and why« this word is his will 
 And testament wjjei-ein he makes over a fair estate to be set- 
 tW upon us, CoJ. i. 12. " And this is the promise that he 
 liath promised us, even eternal life," 1 John ii. 25. He bids 
 'tis pray, and this dutj' carriea meat in the mouth of it ; "This 
 is the confidence we have In Him, that if we ask anything 
 according to his will, he heareth us," 1 John v. 14. Ask 
 ■what you will, he wHI sign your petitions. If you had a 
 friend who should sfiy. Come to me when you will, I will 
 furnish you with money, would you not delight to visit that 
 •fi-iend ? God will give to more than half the kingdom, and 
 shall we not delight in prayer? God bids us believe, end 
 'there is a honey-comb to be found in this precept, '« Believe, 
 and you shall be saved." Salvation is the crown that is set 
 upon the head of faith. Well'inay the apostle say, «*His 
 ♦oonmandm nts ai-e not grievous." then, if religion be so 
 beneficial, if there be such gold to be dug out of this mine, 
 it may make us delight la the ways of God. What will 
 •tempt, if not self-interest? 
 
 VI. How did Chrii«t delight in the work of our redemp- 
 lion ! « =Lo, I come, I delight to do thy will, G my God," 
 Psal. xl. 7, 8. It is by expositors agreed that 'it is spoken 
 mystically of Christ; when he came into the world to sacri- 
 fice his life for m, it was a free-will offering. "I liave a 
 baptism to be baptized with," Luke xii. 60. Christ wag io 
 be, as it were, baptized in his own blood, and iiow did he 
 thii-si for that tifnel ** How am I straitened till it beaccom- 
 plishec^ I" Did Christ so delight in the work of our redemp- 
 tion, and shall not we delight in his service? Did he suffer 
 -willingly, and do we pray unwillingly ? Did he so cheerfully 
 Jay down his life for us, and Hhall not we give H,p our lives to 
 »him? Certainly if any thing could make Christ repent f 
 shedding his blocd, it would be this, to Fee Christians come 
 •offm hardly in duty, bringing it rather as a penance than a 
 sacrifice. 
 
 VII. Delight in God's service makes us resemble the 
 jangeis in heaven. They serve God with cheerfulness; as 
 
»«>»«» God speaks the word th«r »~ .„i,-.- ^^ '•^'« 
 ., How are they ravished wiihA ,.*?»» ".""bitious to ober.— 
 
 ...would make ua likeThem here^f^' «»««'■<; spiritual delight 
 .» to be like ,he devilHu the delT? ^'^^ ''y '""rtrafnt. 
 ..» agaiD8t Aeir will, they yiJd «^1" '"' "^^^ <^' >»" it 
 .vice which tt,n^ ott wUh A^Ko-LT"'* ohedience; but E«r- 
 ?re pray for, that >■ So^wftt l"r '"*'• '^''» '" »»•«' 
 
 •c. Ja5%it ^offer:''-T;-'' - -- •™^*^ 
 
 jeotodo«ot<:loyortir«C^^,',,Kr'"' '""' n-ntual ofc- 
 Jawof Ood, Mill the mm^e Ifcht w-TT* ^''y '"" «'« 
 aspect ©avid Bright sTy? the wSrl f «'';, ^"'' "' «"» 
 
 . With the woNl of God. H«Zt hath """ .".""*' «"«t 
 -found the word aad ^.t^Z^'^T^ J-^n'^h. 
 •doyed with k; therensuoh JZ. .^y- *«• "»« Dot be 
 
 «hri8t,«i«rie8 W^'Wd eZl *".'" "•*> "^^'^ tkat . 
 , John vi. 34. There itt .1 7'"™'"* g»^ nie this bread," 
 
 6od. that the soCriTh fo thTt r-tT"""'""*^" "^'^ 
 
 .0 that whati „owfZi,„Lte™ r'n" » "'"*^* """^ 
 
 < in God, doth not comnlaJ, E 1,!^? !*' ' ^« "'« ^ehghts 
 
 rather too little: h™r2i " ?" P"""'' of God. but 
 
 to take in more of^C heav.„r*'^f **"! ^"^ "^ »•« «>«« 
 
 time '^he„he.sh»ilWdZlS„'^"* f/. '<1«' f<»' ">«* 
 61es««l vision «f <j,^ ^'^^'^ '""«'""'S »"m8elf m the sweet and 
 
 .Our delighting in G:^Cdlki'ht:*n?'r ^ '"' ''^ 
 •when we begin to «av « Wh«. . '^*''i^'" 'n ™i l>ut 
 
 Urd, Mai. 1^13. G^'a jf !'"""'«'»""««« '« "" to se„; the 
 
 «ck of such services VbetduS'a^ "h T' ''^ '^ ^^•«'' 
 
 «re a burden to God and wLf r .7 " ^'"'^^° "> "s. "ley 
 
 .WW a man is „ea"^J "o?'! Ilill'-riirl'! r'^-J"-' 
 
 «^ viiio quiciien deiight in God's service, *' "^*"'" " ^"' '^ 
 
BOLT DEtlOHT S!intT,.n c*tI»R THANCTm.Nl.(,8. 
 
 .13 
 
 ■Cb. VllI—SAoioinff how a Christian may arrive at thi, 
 
 Delight in God's Zuw. 
 
 For the attaining this ble«ea delight it- the law of God. 
 
 -tlir.^ things are leqiiixite. "• 
 
 pirection I Set a liigh estimate npon the worai What 
 
 goM, wi.l delight HI It; w« are apt, through a princiole of 
 atheism, to entertain slight thoulhts of ?eli<rion Sfo« 
 our affecfon, are so slight. David priced Gof.'.Xt^ 
 a-h,gh rate; "Mo|j to l,e desired are they than goW W 
 than mneh fine," Ps„l. xix. 10. and hence irew threnfll^ 
 
 Psaf'c^ix H ' "' ^'"' <''^"«^' ™y-lf mthyttatut-. 
 
 j.i-^w^™^^"- "T"*"''"' ^^'^'' «" earthly heart will uot 
 ■dehght ,n 8p,r,tual mysteries; the earth putl out the -fire^ 
 
 ^tasted that the Lord is' graciou^'' Wet. ii^'^^Vt^^^i 
 enough to h.ar a sermon, Imt you must taste a sermon • it t 
 ■not enough to read a promise, hut you must .aste a m^ J" 
 
 *1JI be to you "the joy and rejoiciiig of ymir ieart," Jet. 
 
 ^1, ^'r\^™. woBid delight fn the Jaw of God. puree out 
 <iedel,gUofsi«; sin will poison this spiritual deS W 
 you would hive God's law sweet, let not " wicSl ^ 
 sweet ,n your mouth." Job xx. 12. When sin ilyour b«t 
 ■aei), Cirut will he your delight ' 
 
 Ch. VL-^Holy Delight should cause Thankfulness, 
 
 ^^ tV^ wdf/I^!iTts^G"Jttt 
 should ^. ^b-; to^^- ^srwS/r \>Z.W^' '<!:.«-' 
 
 so should „^^t'"T*"'"S"*''.'^'" "'<"•« than' their offering- 
 should a Ohnsfan say, Lord, when there are so man^ 
 
& 
 
 THE saint's spiritual DELIGHT. 
 
 pki soldiere, who am I, that I should offer so mUMy f 
 Who am I, that I nhouJd have thy free Spirit, and should 
 serve thee ratlier em of choice than c^usf mint ? It is a i? reat 
 blessing to have this .promptitude and alacrity in Gtxl's pci^ 
 vjoa; delight animates to duty ^ «ow we act to purpose in 
 freligion. Christians are never drawn so powerfully and 
 sweetly, as when the diaia of delight is f.istene<l U> their 
 Jjart. Without this all is lost^ ow praying and hearing is 
 ^aterspHt upon the ground: itioaesbothits l>eaiity and 
 wward. Then bless God, Christian, who hath oiled the 
 ifheels of thy soul wfth delight, and now thou canst " rua 
 and npt be weary." For thy comfort, l»© assured thou shalt 
 
 ?k 7*°i *"^ *^^"^ ^^y *'®**'*^ ^^ ^*^»^''«' "i>«i'gfat thyself in' 
 tj>« Lord, and he shall ^ive the« the deshes of thine heart." 
 inuil zxxvil 4. 
 
CHKISTIAN ON THE MOUNT; 
 
 OB, 
 
 A TREATISE 
 
 OONCERNINO 
 
 meditatiojn: 
 
 ^ND IK HIS LAW DOTH HE MEDITATE 
 
 PSALMS I. 2. 
 
 DAT AKD inrOHT. 
 
 l^w doth ho meditate dayTX^ht""""**"- "^»*» 
 
 and which nourishes tte veivTe-hL^rf ^"^ °' ■^'''gi"". 
 Palmist may show how TucV t ^ *'* "' ."°<^ "'«"'« 
 "nd inured to this blessed ^"rk - ^l^- ""."" ^ habituated 
 "In hi, law doth heStelJl. '"^'^."^'T' ^^ ""yoius, 
 
 D 
 
 <'»7'«dnigh't,th;Z.m-;\r 
 
z^ 
 
 A CIIRIBTIAN ON TliK MOUNT. 
 
 •quptntly, lie i^ much conversant in the duty. It is a com* 
 *nand of Ood to pr.iy without ce.'winjr, I Thess. v. 17. The 
 nit^aning is, not that we should be always praying, as the 
 Biichitcs lield, but tliat we should every day sot soirie time 
 .apart for praver; so Dru^ius and others interpret it We 
 read in the old law of the conti inal sacriftee. Numb, xxv'iii 
 24iTiot that the people of Israel did nothing else but sacrifice, 
 but because they had their stated hours; every morning ftnd 
 evening they offered, tL'^refore it was called the continual 
 Raerifice, thus the godly man is said to meditate day and night, 
 that \.% he is often at this work, he is no stranger to meJitap- 
 
 tirtn. 
 
 Doctrine. The proposition that results out of the text is 
 this, that a 'j,ood christian is a meditating christian. "I will 
 meditate in thy precepts," Ps. cxix 15. " Meditate upon 
 1 hese things," 1 '"tim. iv. 1 5. Meditation is the chewing upon 
 the truths we have heard : the beasts in the old law that did 
 not chew tlio cud, were unclean; the christian that doth not 
 l)y meditation chew the cud, is to be accounted unclean. 
 Meditation is like the watering of the seed, it makes the fruits 
 =of grace flourish. 
 
 For the illustration of tlie point, tliere are several things 
 .to be discussed. 
 
 1. I shall show you what meditation is. 
 
 2. That meditation is a duty. 
 
 3. /The difference between meditation and memory. 
 
 4. The difference between meditation and study. 
 
 5. The subject of meditation. 
 
 6. The necessity of meditation. 
 
 Ch. II. — Showi7ig the Nature of Meditation. 
 
 If it be inquired what meditation is, I answer, meditatioa 
 3s the soul's retiring by itself, that by a serious and so'emU 
 thinking upon God, the heart may be raised up to heavenly- 
 affections. This description hath three branches 
 , 1. Meditation is the soul's retiri.^g by it«*eH^; a christian, 
 wiien he goes to meditate, must lock up himself from t^e 
 world, ihe w0ri»X spoils meuitatiou ; '^^nFist went «.peirii 
 iBtto tke mq Wt to pray," Mattxiv. 23. so, go apart when you 
 
TH« WATUHl OF MEDITATIOW. $f 
 
 »» to tncditnte; "iMac went out to meditate in the fleM " 
 
 Cn- ""• ^l «*1»«'"«'-'«l «"<! retired himself tb-th* 
 might tajce a walk with God by meditation 77^1. , . 
 
 jn.i„d to^ee Christ, and he got^or^nhe c;ow^'^':f S'.'iri 
 
 Wore, «-d cKmbed up into a^camore-tree to ^^him,"^?, 
 
 .rowd of worldly business ; we mustdUupMe r;^^^^^ 
 4,redne« of meditation, and the. « we shall LetbelT ,fr« 
 pect of heaven. The world's music will either pUtoL^^ 
 distract „8m our meditations. When a mofe"s ZuZZ 
 eye. It hmders the sight; when worldly tho«Vh,8*^m,i 
 are got mtothe mind, which is the eye of theTl^ 7tZ^^, 
 look up 80 steadfastly to heaven by contemplaS Th 
 •fore, as when Abraham went to sirifice " he l«ft K' *"" 
 and the aa, at thebottomof the^hiH," G«n xx f 6 ^'T' 
 a Christ an is going up the hill of m;dita,^;n, he ahouid W 
 a 1 secular cares at the bottom of the hill, thrt h« 1 i^ 
 alone. a„d take a turn in heaven. If th" V n^ of th. l^ 
 «re full of lime, she cannot fly : meditation Tt^^ i*'!.^ 
 -ul; when a christian is beLT^lZZ^^^eZnltt 
 to God upon this wing. St. Bernard when he 08^ tS^ 
 church door, used to say. Stay here all my woridirtLou^hL 
 ^t I may converse with God in the temple; Sir t^^tZ" 
 self. lam gomg now to meditate. O all yeVa^nTho^Lt ^ 
 'behmd, come not near ! When thcnlJtl: """"P*' slay 
 ^f meditation, take heed trew^r d doth n^ JS'f'T""'"'!? 
 throw thee aown from the top of this Intda Vh^' ^? 
 
 Sn'stt-f; Tjr-''"' '^ *-^' '-^ -^ A:at 
 thinL'gXrG'Ke"^^::^c.ritrT 
 
 upon the object, a steeping thrthoTo^hte Ca'rnfl X" ^"^ 
 
;9I§ 4 . CHRISTIAN ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 '«iviii. 1. In meditation there rausl be a staying of ihm 
 tiif^uglits upon the object; a man that rides post through a 
 town or village, niindfi nothing; but an artist or limner that 
 is loolting on a curious piece., views the whole draught and 
 
 Eortrniture of it, he observes i\M symmetry and proportion^ 
 e minds every shadow and colour. A carnal, flitting chris- 
 tian is like the traveller, his thoughts ride post, he minds nor 
 thing of God ; a wise chi istian is like the artist, he views with. 
 seriousness, and ponders the things of religion; "But Mary 
 kept all tbeso things, and pondeietl them in heart." Lukeii. 10, 
 3. The next thing in meditation, is, the raising of the 
 heart to holy affections. A christian entera into meditation, 
 as a m;m enters into the bath, that he may be healed. Medita- 
 tion heals the soul of its deadness and earthlinesa; but mom 
 •of this afterwards* 
 
 Ch. m.^-Provinr; Meditation to he a JOuiy. 
 
 Meditation is the duty of every christian, and there is no- 
 'disputing our duty. Meditation is a duty, 1. Imposed. 
 2. Opposed. . ; »ii> 
 
 1. Meditation is a duty imposed; it is not arbitrary. The 
 same God who hath bid us believe, hath bid us meditate; 
 ** Tliis book of the Jaw shall not depart out of my mouth,, but 
 thou shalt nicuitate therein day and night," Josh. i. 8. These 
 words, though sjiokon to the person of Joshua, yet they con- 
 <cern every one,; as the promise niadeto Joshua concerned aU 
 
 believers, Jo's!!, i. 5, 'lompared with Heb. xiiii 6, so this pre- 
 iCept made to the person of Joshua, thou shalt meditate in thia 
 book of the law, takes in all christians. 
 
 It is the pajt of a hypocrite to enlarge the promise, and 
 ito straiten the piecept ; thou shalt meditate in this book of the: 
 law ; the word thou is indefiufte, and reaches every chiistian;;:, 
 as God's word directs, so his will must enforce obedienca "t 
 
 2. Meditation is a duty opposed. We may conclude -it 
 is a good duty, because it is against the stream of corrupt 
 natme; fis was said, "You may know that Religion is rigbft 
 which Nero persecutes;" so you may know that is a good 
 
 JV i 1 • 1 i1 1 1 ^„ fWT -1 11 /. 1 . _ 11 r 
 
 Qiiiy 'ivnifTi tuo iieari; Opposes, we snan uuu iirtiuiaiiv >», 
 .•^^•nnge averseness from meditaition. We are swift to hea^^^ 
 
HOW MEDITATION DIFFERS FROM MEMoIir. 
 
 fll 
 
 ■3^' 
 
 ere is nO' 
 
 .UlcttlV '«, 
 
 but slow tainerlftate. To tlii»k of tlie world, if it wore aW 
 day long, is delightful ; but as for lioly meditiitioii, how dotH 
 the heart wrantrle and quarrel with this duty; it is doin^r of 
 penance; now truly, there needs no othor reaston to j.rove a 
 duty to be good, than the reluctance of a cainal heart. To 
 instance in the duty of sdf-donial; " Lota man deny himself," 
 Matt. xvi. 24. Self-denial is as necessary as heaven, but what 
 disputes are raised in the heart ao^Minst it! What! to denv 
 my reason, and become a fool that I may be wise , iifiy, not 
 only to deny my reason, but my righteoiisnss! WhatT to 
 cast it overboard, and swim to heaven upon the plank of 
 Christ's merits! This ^a such a duty that the heart doth 
 naturally oppose, and enter its dissent against. This is an 
 argument to prove the duty of seJf-denial good'; just so it i** 
 with this duty of meditation; the secret antipathy the heart 
 hath against it, shows it to be good; aad t> *s h reasoa 
 enough tn enforce meditation. 
 
 ■ wiij 
 
 Ch. IV. — Showing how Meditation differs from Memory. 
 
 The memory, a glorious faculty, which Ar;i,cotle calls the-* 
 ioul s scribe, sits and pens all things that are done. What- 
 soever we read or hear, the memory registers; therefore, God 
 doth all his works of wouder that they may be had in re- 
 membrance. There seem: to- be some analogy and resem- 
 blance betweet) meditMion and memory. But I conceive 
 there is a double difference. 
 
 ^ K The meditation of a ♦' ' ig hath more sweetness in it 
 than the bare remembrance, the memory is the chest or 
 cupboard to lock up a truth, meditation is the palate to feed 
 on It; the memoiy is like the ark in which the manna wa» 
 laid upi meditation is like Israel's eating of manna. When: 
 David began to meditate on God, it was '* sweet to him a». 
 marrow," Psal. Ixiii. 5, 6, There is as much diffei-ence be- 
 tween a truth remembered, and a truth meditated on, as- 
 between a conlial in a glass, and a cordial diunk down. 
 -■^ 2. The remembrance of a truth without the sisiious medi- 
 ation of it, will but create matter of sorrow another day. 
 Y^^'-- euiniori can it oe io a man when he comes to die, to- 
 tthink that he remembered many excellent mUious aboot 
 
li^ 
 
 40 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 Christ, but never Lad the grace so to meditate oq them, as tb» 
 be transformed into them f A sermon remembered, but not. 
 meditated on, will only serve to increase our condemnation.. 
 
 GmY.^Shomnff how Meditation differs from Study, 
 
 The student's life looks like meditation^ but doth vary 
 from it Meditation and study differ three ways. 
 
 1. They differ in their nature. Study is a work of the- 
 brain, meditation of the heart; study sets the invention on 
 work, meditation sets the affection on work. 
 
 2. They differ in their design. -The design of study is 
 notion, the design of meditation is piety : the design of study 
 is the finding out of a truth ; the design of meditation is the> 
 spiritual improvement of a truth ; the on© searcheth for the' 
 vein of gold, the other, digs out the gold. 
 
 3. They differ in the issue and result. Study leaves a. 
 man never a whit the better; it is like a winter sun that hath 
 little warmth and influence: meditation leaves one in a more. 
 
 , holy franoe; it melts the heart when it is ftozen, and matea^ 
 it drop into tears of love. 
 
 Ch. VI. — Showing the Subject of Meditation. 
 
 The fourth particular to be discussed is the subject-matter 
 of meditation; what a Christian should meditate upon. T 
 am now entered on a large field, but I shall only glance at 
 things ; I shall but do as the disciples, pluck some eai-s of com. 
 as I pass along. 
 
 Some may say, Alas, I am so barren I know not what 
 to meditate upon. To hel^ Christians therefore in this blessed 
 work, I shall show you some choice select matter for medi- 
 tatioa There are fifteen things in the law of God which w© 
 should principally meditate upon. 
 
 First Meditate on God's attributes. The attributes of^ 
 God are the several beams by which the divine nature shinea. 
 forth to us; and there are six special attributes which WQ- 
 .fhould fix our meditations upon. 
 
 I. Meditate upon God's Omniscience. His eye is conti- 
 nuaiiy upon us;, he hath a windf w opens into the conscience j; 
 
THBT soBjEcrr OF mbditation; 
 
 ^ 
 
 •Hi- tHoaghts are unveiled before him. He can tell the words* 
 we speak "in our bed-chamber," 2 Kings vi. 12. He is de- 
 scribed with seven eyes, to show his Omniscience,. Rev. v. 6, 
 "Thou nwnberest my steps," Job xiv. 16-. The^ Hebrew 
 word signifies to take an exact account. God is said to* 
 number our steps, when he makes a eurious and critical ob- 
 servation of our actions* God sets do^ n every passage of our 
 lives, and keeps as it were a day-book of all we do, and enters- 
 k down iuto the book. Meditate much on this Omniscience. 
 The meditation of God's Omniscience would have thesft; 
 effects. 
 
 1. It would be as a curb to* cheek, and restrain us fronki 
 sin. Will the- thief steal when the judge looks on ?. 
 
 2. Tho meditation of God's omniscience would be a good 
 means to make the heart sincere. Gvd hath set a window at. 
 every man's breast: ♦'-Doth not he see- all my w^s?" Job- 
 xxxi. 4. If I harbour proud, malicious thoughts, if I look at 
 my own interest more than Christ's, if I dissemble in my re- 
 pentance, the God of heaven- takes notice- The meditation 
 of this omniscience would make a Christian sincere^ both ia. 
 his actions and aims. One cannot be a hypocrite, but he- 
 must be a fooli 
 
 II. Meditate on the holiness of Goil. Holiness is the- 
 embroidered robe God wears; it is the glory of the Godhead^ 
 "Glorious in holiness," Exod. xu. 11, it is the most orient 
 pearl of the crown of heaven.. God is the exemplar and 
 pattern of holiness. It is primarily and origiiially in God as* 
 %ht in the sun ; you may as well separate weight, from lead,,. 
 «r heat from fire, as holiness from the divine nature. God's^ 
 holiness is that whereby his heart riseth against any sin, as- 
 being most diametrically opposite to his essence: ''Thou art, 
 of purer eyes than to behold iniqwily^' Hab. i. 13. Meditate: 
 much on. this attribute. 
 
 The meditation of God's holiriess would havethip effect;, 
 it would be a means to transform us into th^timilitude apd 
 likeness of God. God never loves us till fm- are like hi nl.. 
 While, by meditation, we are looking upon^he heaffis ot 
 holiness, which are gloriously trajisparent ia Gotl, we shall 
 flfrow like him- and Im* holv «« h** i»4 " ' "" " 
 
 J 
 
 VIrxK 
 
 V\£kati ta 
 
 ^KuuLiiui. thing, PsaL ex. a. It puts a kind of angelical 
 
^ 
 
 A OHUISTIAN ON THE MOUNT, 
 
 brightness upon us; it is the only coin that will pass curi*ent 
 in heaven. By frequent meditation on this attribute, we are 
 chaniTed into God's imagr.. 
 
 ill. Meditate on the wisdom of God. He is called "the 
 only wise God," 1 Tim. i. 17. His wisdom :hinos forth in 
 the works of providence; he sits at the helm, guiding all 
 things regularly and harmoniously; he brings ligfit out of 
 darkness;, he can strike a straight stroke with a crooked stick;, 
 be can make use of the injustice of men to do that whicli is 
 j«8t; he is infinitely wise; he bieaks us by afflictions, and 
 upon these bi'oken pieces of the ship, brings us safe to shore- 
 Meditate on the wisdom of God. 
 
 The meditation of GodV wisdom would sweetly calm our 
 hearts. 1. When we see things go cross in public, the wise 
 God holds the reins of government in his hand ; and let who* 
 will rule, God overrules; he knows how to turn all to good; 
 lals work will be beautiful in its season.. 2. When things go 
 il^ with us in our private concerns, the meditation of God's^ 
 wisdom would rock our hearts quiet. The wise God hath 
 set me in this condition, and whether health or sickness^ 
 wisdom will order it for the best. God will make a meJicine 
 of poison; all things shall be useful to me; either the Lord 
 will expel some sin, or exercise some grace. The meditation 
 of this would silerce murmuring. V 
 
 IV. Meditate on the power of God. This power is visible 
 IB the creation. " He hangs the earth upon nothing," Job 
 xxvi. 7. What cannot that God do who can create; nothing 
 can stand before a creating power; he needs no pre-existeut 
 matter to work upon ; he needs no instruments to work with^ 
 he can work without tools; he it is before whom the angels 
 veil their faces, and the kings of the earth cast their crowns. 
 He it is that " remov( the earth out of her place," Job ix. 6. 
 An earthquake makes the earth tiemble up'on her pillars; 
 but God can shake it out of its place. God can with a v.ord 
 unpin the wheeE and break the axletree of the creation. He 
 can suspend n^itoiral apents, stop tlie lion's mouth, cause the- 
 sun tq^. stand stdl, ..inite the fire not burn. Xerxes, the Per- 
 sian monar^, tbi'ew fetters into the sea, as if he would have- 
 
 <*the winds and sea obey him," Matt. viii. 27. If he speak 
 
THE SUBJECT OF MEDITATIOX. 
 
 itSi 
 
 the word, an army of stare nppear, Judg. v. 20. If lie'ataiQ& 
 with Ill's foot, a host of aug is are presently in battle arrajr; 
 if he lift up an ensign, and doth but hiss," his very eneraifjs 
 shall be up in arms to revenge his quarrel, Isa. v. 26. Who 
 would piovoke this God ! «'It is a fearful thing to fall into 
 ■tho hands of the livir.cr God," Heb. x. 31 ; as a lion "he teare 
 4n pieces the adversaries," Psal. 1. 22. O meditate on this 
 power of God ! 
 
 The meditation of God's power would be a gi-eat stAy io 
 faith. A Christian's faith may anchor safely upon the rock 
 of God's power. It was Samson's riddle, " Out of the strong 
 came forth sweetnpss," Judg. xiv. U. While we are medi- 
 stating on the power of God, out of this strong comes forth 
 sweetness. Is the churca of God low ? he can"'* create Jeru- 
 salem a praise," Isa. Ixv. 18. Is thy corruption strong'? 
 God can break the head of this leviathan. Is the heart 'bard, 
 is there a stone there ? God can dissolve it. " The Almighty 
 makes my heart soft," Job xxiii. 16; faith triumphs it the 
 'power of God : out of this strong comes forth sweemess. 
 Abraham meditating on God's power, did not stagger througt 
 Mu M,, Rom. iv. 20. He knew God could perform *fiitt 
 promise, even contrary to the usual course of nature. 
 
 ^. Meditate uj^on the mercy of God. Mercy is an innate 
 disposition in God to do good, as the sun hath an innate prc^- 
 perty to shine: '' Thou Lord art good, and ready to forgive, 
 and plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon thee," Psal'. 
 Ixxxvi. 5. God's mercy is so sweet, that it mtikes all Ws* 
 other attrd)utes sweet. Holiness without mercy, and justice 
 without mercy, were dretulful. Though the children of God 
 are under some clouds of affliction, yet the sun of mei-cy 'is 
 never quite out of sight. God's justice reaches to the cioads:; 
 his mercy reaches above the clouds. How slow is God to 
 anger! He was 1<, .oer in destroying Jericho, than in making 
 the world: he made tlie world in six days; but he was seven 
 days m demol ishing the walls of Jericho. How many ward- 
 ing pieces did God shoot against Jerusalem, before he shot 
 oft his destroying piece! Justice goes a foot-pace, Gen. 
 xviii. 21, mercy hath wii.gs, Psal. Ivii. 1; the sword of ius- 
 
 out and whets it ag-ainst a nation. 
 
 'draws 
 
 !'U»lJ9 
 
 
 SI' 
 
 Pi 
 
 justice la 
 
M 
 
 A CHRIBTIAN ON THS MOUNT. 
 
 I 
 
 
 4ike tlie widow's oil, which ran a while, and ceased, 2 Kings 
 iv. 6. God's mercy is like Aaron's oil, which rested not on 
 •his head, but ran down to the skirts of his garment, Psalm 
 cxxxiii. 2. So the golden oil of <jod's mercy doth not rest 
 upon the head of a good pai'ent, but is poured on his chil- 
 dren, and so runs down, " to the third and fourth generation," 
 .«ven the bordei-s of a rehgious seed. Oft«n meditate upon 
 the mercy of Go(^i. 
 
 The meditation of mercy would be a -powerful loadstone 
 jto draw sinners to God by repentance, Rom ii. 4. It would 
 ibe as a cork to the ret to keep the heart from sinking in 
 •despair. Behold a city of refuge to fly to ; '• God is the 
 Father of mercies," 2 Cor^ i. a, mercy doth as naturally issue 
 from him, as the cWld from the parent. God " delights in 
 tnercy," Micah vii. 18. Mercy finds oirt the worst sinner; 
 mercy comes not only witJi salvation in its hand, but with 
 heahng under its wings. 
 
 The meditation of God's mercy -would melt a sinner int© 
 4«ar8. A prisoner reading a pardon sent him from the king, 
 fell a weepSng, and burst out into these words; "A pardofi 
 h&th done that which death coufld not do; it hath made my 
 iieart relent" 
 
 il. Meditate upon the truth -of Gad. Mercy makes the 
 ■promise, and truth performs it: "I will not«ufFer my faith- 
 .fulness to fail," Psfd. Ixxxix. SS. God can as well (leuy him- 
 self as his word. He is "ahundant in truth,"" Exod. xxxiv. 
 •6, What is that ? If God hath made a promise of ..lercy 
 to his people, he will be so ,far from conaing short of his word, 
 that he will ha better -than his word. God often doth moi e 
 than he hath said, never less; he often shoots beyond the 
 mark of the promise he ihath set, never short of it. He 13 
 •abundant in truth. God -may sometimes delay a promise, 
 lie will not deny it. The promise may lie a long time as 
 •seed hid under ground ; but it is all the while ripening. Tli« 
 promise of Israel's deliverance lay four hundred and thiity 
 years hid under ground ; but when t^he iime was come, the 
 j)romif5e did not go a day beyond its reckoning, Exod. xii. 
 41. " The strength of Israel will not lie," 1 Sam. xv. 29. — 
 
 ?Kmr\ri .^^^/^ f\Tl 4" Vi i 
 
 ^nifVi 
 
 .f a^A 
 
 Xhe-raeditatioii of God's truth would, J. Be a pillar ^oif 
 
TUE BtTBJECT OF MEDTTATTOX, i* 
 
 «t,r>port for faith. The world hau^ npon God'« now«r «t,^ 
 faith hnnfTs upon his trnih o '^Pi ' j™. P^^e^ and 
 trnfh wnnTri 1 . ^' -^^^® meditation of God's 
 
 piv»n,se,, are of no use or co„,fbrt to u.. till tbeyarel*^i^t 
 •ed upon. For as (he roses hansincr i„ the ^aiXn rJT J^^ 
 
 fireT^he'"""'"^'' ■^"'' "■«'■• ^^' -t^'ifS J :^,f C 
 ■« tl,! oseftlTe'Tnirrr' " ••-^-g-'--. bUftl,ew^tS 
 
 «,,edir;he'LT';:r;;rs^^^^^ 
 
 It 18 pounded and beaten, smells sweetest M^HW' 
 
 its hkMn^^ "'«.<l'tet.on we ,11. out that spiritual gold "hicf 
 rTched ct:^^'''■i "'," r"-™i«^' «''<1 -"o we comets be e»^ 
 
 B™n hid£: t^„n it^'ThJ: "" '"TfT'^ ^'''"« ""' ''^ 
 
 2 Pp( ; i wi !u "'^y "'■'^ '^*"«' precious promises. 
 
 Tirtue^ appear, a:,'? th'^ k" ''''''''"' l-y-^ditatiou.tLn tbS 
 +wl fn ? '.''°'' ''^'""s Pi-^cious indeed. There a»« 
 
 thj.e sorta of pro™,seB, which we could chiefly ™S^* 
 
 « T „.^ u xi-'^ ,7 ^"' out meditate on his nrohiN«- 
 
 .onguMl to blot o„l, ,s a metaphor alludinir to a merchant 
 ^tl: t'" ^" *'"'"'?'• •"■■''>» r^i'^ Wni, blots L the deb, and 
 |.ves h,m an acquittance. So saith God, I will blot out 
 
 u^ie. the conn,.3ior;si;f ^on;:; -r^ :^IZ ^iS^ 
 
_^„»- *«»♦•»»«!*<*«» 
 
 » 
 
 X 0HRlSrlA5 ON TBB Mua«T. 
 
 and « my life draw nigb to the graved' Ixxxvm. 9. No, im 
 the Hebrew iti», "I au. Wotting out thy tmnsgresR.on.. I 
 lave taken my pen. and am crossing out tty score. Oh, urt 
 may the «n»er say, there is no reason Sod shonld do thw 
 L me. WeU, '-ut acta of grace do not go by reason : I w^ 
 blot out thy sins -for my name's eake." Oh, but sa.th tbe 
 sinner Will not the Lord call my sin« i^amt« remembrance? 
 So! hi promiseth an act of oblivion ; I will not upbra,d thee 
 wi°h thy sins, or sue thee with a bond that is cancelled, *; I 
 ^ni Amemter thy .ins no morel" Here is a sweet promise 
 to imitate upon ; it is a hive full of the hotiey of the g^^^ 
 .II Meditate upon promises of sanctification. Iheearti 
 18 not so apt to be ovei^own with weeds and thorns, aa the 
 W i? to be overgrown with hists. now, «od hath mad. 
 nZypromises of healing, Hos. xiv. 4, and purging, Jet 
 3 3 promises of sending his Spirit, Isa. xlw. 3 which^ 
 ToHto si^nclifying nature, is compared sometimes to water 
 T^hioh cleansithlie vessel; sometimes to wind ^^'oh » *• 
 In to winnow and purify the air; sometimes to fire, which 
 doth refine the metak' Meditate dften on that promise. 
 * Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as 
 *now " Isa. i. 18. Scarlet is so deep a dye, that all the art 
 of man cannot take it out; but behold here a promise, God 
 ^"C tCsoul a whitening: he will make of a scarlet ein- 
 ^ra milk white saint. By virtue of this i«fining and _con. 
 Tmt ng w«k, a christian'is made partaker of the, divin. 
 Sw?2 Pet. i. 4, he hath a fitness to Tiave communion with 
 Sod for ever. Meditate much on this promise. 
 
 III. Meditate upon yi^mises of remuneration ' Th. 
 heeven of rest," Heb. |v. 9. ''Tbebe>Ujfical sight of God 
 Matt V 8 The glorious mansions, John xiv. 2. Meaita- 
 tion on these pronSses will kaep us from faintmg under our 
 
 ^"TWrd.°MXtato upon flie love of Christ. Oh«st is fuU 
 of love, as he is of merit What was it but love, that he 
 Bhould sTve us, and not the angels? Among the rant.es of 
 Ihe loaStone this is not the least, that leaving, the gold and 
 pearHtshouM draw iron to it, whichis. ba»erkindof meta^; 
 ?,^.r." t ni.ri»t should leave the angels, those more noble 
 ^irit^'^tie gold" and pearl, and draw ^mankind to him, how 
 
THE SUBJECT OF MEDITATION. 47 
 
 the Father bears to cV t \\ . '"^'^' ^ ^"^'^ ^s Ga.| 
 
 equality: '' A^".^ f' :^: il^ll^^^::^ ^ 'I-'ity, t 
 
 }ou," John XV q Air ' I ' '"^' "* ^^^^'^ I loved 
 char,„«l through .hich Z ^cSZ^^ Tl '«•" "" 
 
 w.se, not many noble 1.,e el rei"'i'"^t- "aa "l''';L"'^';:; 
 
 liiw, Ood passed l,y the lion ] .kI , '*?• ^" '■''« oW 
 
 for saerificl: that UoT.hZd •/' ?"^''' ""'' '"^^ "'^'^ove 
 parts, and that the lo o e , a"e Innf.''',^ °^^'''^ '""^ 
 the depth of divine lo^e r 1 ^Aow f^""''Vf' '."P"" ">««. oh 
 Christ! .' It is strong as den i," Car r'-''^" V^' '<'^« °^ 
 take away his hte, no^t hit 'an^Twi .^h t' .^'^'•"""Jt'ht 
 q..ench that divine flame of love o „',,■,,''?' """""y 
 church had her infirmiiles, her sh^^p "'"'^ '"^ "^^^ 
 
 though blacked andsnllied vlf J ; ? ' """' ''■ 2- ^at 
 -e the faith, and ove,T: be' i i '" 'fe:„ ^'^'■^'- ^'^ 
 ander while there was a «^», n.V" f' ! " ''" ^r-w Alex- 
 his finger upon thL'rOhrri '.%'":• '''"'' ''i'" """> 
 upon the scars of the sa nts he '^^v t' thf " '"T^ 
 pearls for every speck of dirt A V """ ""*J«' away his 
 of Christ the., o,rstui,endn;. ^ ' "''"" '"'^'^ '^s love 
 excite or draw forth hiriove' He'dir"'' "7'''"=^ "' « »<> 
 
 we were worthy; but bv lov:',,^. „ i '",' " "* t'«a»"se 
 
 How immutab/e s Cbrilt' ove " '. r, '"•"'^' ','^ ""-^''y- "• 
 he loved then, to the em," iX\i '"';'? '"■«', '''^ -»' 
 letters of -wld engraven unon PK,^?'' i " ■'■'"'"* «'■« ''■'e 
 
 med out:; Medilate m„?h";,o^^ ,t:'yS--t l- 
 The senous meditation of the love of Chit' 
 I. Would make us love him aoain ,, V ^ 
 
 We and h.-: he:!^; ,r "4^ 1^1 hb, .7''' -' ^'"'-'» 
 
 lA. Ihe ineditnt on of Ohi.i«r« \..-r \ 
 
 to flow «ifh f...... f... L ^^"f*^" '/^.^e uonl.l cause oui-ev^ 
 
 ^.ou,d^ag^t';.-wrr^;rri^:d^:^^^ 
 
^1 A CHKlSriAN ON THE MOrVt^ 
 
 „a vinegar to .noU [ 0^^;^^J^,^ J ^..kindn.Bs offereu 
 heart into njouimricr,!' i» ''- pi rist'w love to bmv 
 
 Christ couUl ''«"y 1""' "t: " r.-p.te.' went. out, and wept 
 Christ, this made bis oyes watw . ^«=lel^.o 
 
 *"'%'{ ''l^emeditttiln'of Christ's love wo,dd make «« love; 
 
 111. V' t'1 fV>ri.t showed love to bis enemies. We 
 
 oar enemies. Jesus ( h.mt «^^^^^«;" „ ^. ,,,«. 3^._ 
 
 read of "the five hckino- up «''«"'":*'• \,„|_ f;, fi^e to dry 
 
 It is usual for -f «; l;;.^;:^!^;,':,,^ ;tXableofb»n,inR, 
 up and con.-..mc 'he -'^ - « h.ch ^'« W^^.^, ^,,^„. ^j,, 
 
 this was inr.acnlou9! Such a "^"^"^"L t„ „ork upon; 
 
 ,„vo did buiu where '''-« ^LTof d C -Lies; the' five 
 w>tbVng but sm and «'"""'>■?*,,,,,,« ^^ter of their sins. 
 of his love did consuTT,., a,^ '■^\"' i,^^"^;^',^ ,,hero." He 
 
 He fayed for to «'f "'?■ ".^ \f J° *Those who gave 
 .hed^eai-sfov those .^lio ed h ,s U^od i ^.^ ^^^J^ ^ 
 Wm gall and vmegar to f "'k- *« ««n g ^^^^ ^ ^^^ .^ 
 *ink. The medrtation h, me wou ^^^^ ^ .^ ^^ 
 
 rcr"a:^^thrgrett"rn he taught christians wa^ 
 
 entire and ;™'"".'^ble his Im^ .s Joh^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^ 
 
 « wait with patience ' " »'« f f^f yj^„ot forsake his people 
 He is love. 1 John iv «--^.^'>^, ^^^ „,, ^is last farewell, 
 oyer long. «« ™^^>^ J ^\ b« ^one awhile from us. bpt m 
 Micah V". 19- Th^ ^';; J ^ ai£ji„„ „f Christ's love, may 
 d„e time it 'f ™- , /;^i„,„ ^f this Sun of right^ousnes. 
 „ake «\^tt,e while and he that shall come will come." 
 H!b.' IbI. He il tmth l-fo- ^^ »!«» «»»« ' '"' '^ '""^ 
 tbe/efore ne ^ili couie. . ^ , - 
 
 fourth. Meditate upon sm ^ ;„ j^^^^ a.to 
 
 I. Meditate on the gmlt of sm. we aie m ^ 
 
THE SUBJECT OF MEDITATION. 49 
 
 a common head or root; and he smni„g. we become .uiltv 
 m wJiom all have sunetl " Rom v lo \ . .^7"*^ g""^}' , 
 
 nature is disseinmat<><) to .i, X " .' • " P°'""'" "* '>'» 
 
 the heart i,s .potC K^.^^- sf"! ""'T " '*'""'*'• 
 
 actions be ,„„r? If th.. t;:;:; i ' b„ „'«:: r .-r" "': 
 }-'. Who- hau," .rut, ;rrr li;;r'Lta'f r-";^ 
 
 the mind darkness thVt r"*^"''^ S''"'« comes: in 
 
 hardness in tbcwi ,ttl,l r""^ «l'l>|.e,ine»s ; i„ the I.eart 
 foot, to the c own o L h l":,' "•'■"'" "'" ~'« °'' '''« 
 wounds and iZiJ .M I ?*;"'.', "^'^™ '» "''soundness; b„t 
 
 .inaerbefiltiiec,",;-:-: 'i,''':tu^ ^Z^l 'iV' '^ ^ 
 shape. Also what !« «... I., , i i • 1" " ''"'''' '" '"»n's 
 
 ency of thi sin ^^ '"^ " 'l" '""' ''* '""«'■'' '« the adher- 
 
 be cast off ' A n?.n m- v ' ■ ' 1 ■"!" '''^"' "'" ""' «'"'"'' 
 body, as tbe sin o't; ^^r . "'"' "''"'"' ""■^'"' ^^in of his 
 
 ineditate on til -onf ; ' ^ • "'" o '""' *'" ''"""'• » "ften 
 « drop whererf i awf ;;' " • "'"• ^/'T ^"'"'"^ ''^ «l'«t ,,oison, 
 «»d ma&Z ;,t7ha^ n'l"" \^''»'« ««'*•' '"^« venomous 
 
 .-nkindf MedTtr e o r'VrS th""*' Pr":"" "" 
 sin would make the nhnnes of ^ ri, „ til- ^ '""•^"'"■"" of 
 
 «hieh kee,« i, ™ , (hviv '' ™'''" "' ''^" " '■'••"" "P«" f""'. ' 
 
 damning tdnV l , f V"'" '' "'". °" '/ -i'-«iin?, buta 
 :^ .1. . ,* "'"";?•. -It l-^ not onlv a snot ir. tlu. A..... k... 
 
 •n tne heart. 8in be 
 
 Dra 
 
 tmvHu.s iiiiothe devil's hand 
 
 rJlci U 
 
 CO, writer all l^j, Jaws u| blood. 8iu bind 
 
 .s, w, 
 
 a 
 
 8 US over to , \^ 
 
t?,' 
 
 10 
 
 X OURIBTIAN on TUB MOU5T. 
 
 wmth of God, and then what are a)! our earthly enjoym«nlB 
 hut like Daniaris'8 hanquets, with a sword hangings over \\he 
 liead i S'm hrings forth the " roll written with curses" 
 Hgainst the sinner, Zech. v. and it is a *• flying roll," ver. 2. 
 it comes swiftly, if mercy doth not f top it. '* Ye are carsed 
 with a cuisu," Mai. iii. 9. Thus it is till the entail of ihh 
 eurse l»o cut off by Christ. meditate upon this curse due 
 lo sin. 
 
 The meditation of this curse would make us afraid, 1, 
 Of retaining sin. When Micah had vstolen his motherV 
 money, an 1 heard her curse him, he dui-pt not keep it any 
 longer, but restores it, Jndg. xvii. 2. He was afraid of hi» 
 mother's curse; what then is God's curpe! 2. The medita- 
 tion of Lhid curse would make us afraid of cn<ertaining sin* 
 We would not willinoly entertain one in our house, who had 
 I ho plague. Sin brings a curse along with it, which is the* 
 plague of God that clenvea to a sinner. Sin is like the water 
 of jealousy, vrljich made "the belly to swell, and the thigh 
 to ro<," N;iinb. V. 22. The meditation of this would make 
 us fly from sin. While we sit under the shadow of this 
 bramble, lire will come out of the bramble eternally to devour 
 \}.-, ifudg. ix. 15. 
 
 Fifth. Meditate upon the vanity of the creature. Whep^ 
 you have lifted out tlje finest flour that the creature dc^b 
 ?.iTord, you will And something efther to dissatisfy, or nauseate- 
 The best wine hath its froth, the sweetest rose its pricklfei^ 
 and the purest comforts their dregs; the creature caun»t b* 
 ?!aid to be full, unles? of vanity ; as a bladder may be filled 
 with wind. "In the fulnei^s of his sufticiency he shall be in* 
 straits," Job xx 22. * They who think to find happiness h«re»; 
 are sure to be deceived. Meditate on *his vanitv. The woild' 
 is like a looking-glass which represer ^at face which is uoti 
 really in it. 
 
 I. The meditation of this varn'ty would be like the digging- 
 about the roots of a tree, to loosen it fiom the earth ; it woukfe 
 much loosen our hearts from the world, and be an exeeUent . 
 prehervative against a surfeit. Let a Christian think tIrOft' 
 
 whole earth were changed into a globe of gold, it could, aoi 
 SI I my heart 
 
THE SI.BJKCT OF MKUITATION. ,j 
 
 "Whu-h I fetch fron, the^isJ™,' ' "^ , ^1*'" ^ ''^^ "'« 'ife 
 When a , mn finds tL hi. if^ "■"" "«'»l'«"slible t.eas,„T 
 
 the creat,.,^ to be (.« a mil ? ""'»<;*«; «o «b«n we find 
 ««tch hold on Chris tbe^l"'?';*'''^'''''" ll^ '«"•> «« "ball 
 
 •Id in iU nature; ft ifthe^^Zr'^ fTP ^"""" "'■ ^^i 
 h the apiritual enamel and^Tl "it ' '/?'"' '"• »• Gf«<» 
 ^--^ signature and en'™W of tj ?f .^T'' ''"^ 
 foth not )c«e it, coJou? t f ,lh "'^ *^''*'- ^«« 
 'longerwe keep it, the 1« L u" -f ', """xli'y. that the 
 2. A, grace is%rJoL in L 2 f, ''T^'-''' ■'"'" S'<"7- 
 God, 88 a rich diamond L,^! ,1 T*"* "* P'«='OM «o 
 thou weit precious in ,„v tit ,t ,h .' "'*t "*^'- '''• "8i"«« 
 I»«. xliii. 4. The mhZ ZT' "'•' ''*" ^'*''" honourable," 
 
 «de8 is but lumber. The^Z/tf •'*'""'' "" *''« ^o''* >«■ 
 golden cabinet where ti^v7h7}^rTJ' "'"' ''^"*'*" ■'» «<" 
 
 wa, called L phoe.i; oK„^" ■«.'''<« MeM.«3th^o„, who 
 -eye is a soul bespan^d w.U ^^'^^ .u** '' "«t"o"« in God'» 
 the world worthy of bin -f^^^^' ""'.'"' ''•'''' "»' thi"k 
 ''or,},,,'' Heb. xl S8 Tb,,-,hrecZ "'n r''*? ^^-^ ""' 
 home so f.st, because H,», ? "^ ™"^ 'o'' his lieopic- 
 
 "The rightiur^Tmore ^LXlr.P'l •"' '"'* '" *«3 
 xii. 26. * excellent than bis neighbour," Pro.. . 
 
 allth^ng^eL'^thereari?''''-'^; '■' '""'' » *"«™ee„dency above 
 
 answ 
 
 j^ "v^ "^ii^ui in our ovf^a ua «...!. 1 . -^ • ., "• 
 
 Meauiy; " money ansu'pra oil IV-"" ^»''^' " ^^ '^"*^ mirrci 
 
 '« f ^^an gojd. gold draws the heart, fmn. k 
 
 .... fS*'" 
 
 heart from God 
 
JJ A OIlBrsTIAK ON ItlE Mr.t KT. 
 
 gmce .IrBws tl,o h.mt l<> Gml. OoUl aolh but onncl. the 
 mortal i>ait: ei.:™ llie nmielical. (JolJ reriKh.th, It et. i. / , 
 
 Those a e nalure's ,,n,l,.. fiilt» «"■! P'";"'','''^'',,'^'^'"'',,^ 
 f -ir to look u,,on. I •- gi"™ ...eels. 1 lia.l .ather l,o Uo y 
 t a., eloquent' A heart full ..f g-c .« e.ler "-» » J'"- 
 full of notions. Gifts commend no man to (.o.l. )t i« uoi 
 "e "a. .^ of the apple «e esteem, though of a vermihon 
 •olour. l.ul the ftuit.' We judge >iot the letter of a horse o. 
 his Itappinss and ovna.nenLs unless he have go<x mettte. 
 What He the tnost glorious parts, if there '«' '""/"^ ""^ 
 „f grace in tlie heart ? (ilfts may be best,.«^d upon one tor 
 the good of others; but grace is besto«ed tor a mans own 
 ete.il advantage. Go.l may send a»«y /^P'f,'f=« "''» 
 uifts, as Abraham did the sons of the concubines, ('«»•'"';•«' 
 Int ho entails the inheritance only upon grace. O, otten 
 meditate upon the excellency ot gract ! ' '. 
 
 The musing on the beauty of grace would, _ 
 
 I Make us f.dl in love «ith it. He that medtlates on 
 the «orth of a diamond, grows in love with it. Damascen 
 calls the graces . f the n^nii the very characters a,,d .mp.es 
 sions of the divi: •< nature. Grace ,s that flower of delight. 
 which, like the vir,e in the p,-,rable, "cheers the heart of God 
 
 ""TTbl 2:;. '^;n of tl,e excellccy of grace would make 
 m earnest in tl v purM.il aft.^r it. We dig for gold in the 
 mine w. labou, tor it iu the furnace: did we me.litat« on 
 e >:.orth of ,-r.„e. we would dig in the rame of orcl,nance« 
 for it; what lab- or .tnd wrestling in F«3 «'; > /^.f ^»»''} P ' 
 on a modest bo Iness, and not Like a d^"'"!' . ," ^h",' «'^ 
 thou give me,"«Mlh Abraham, "^^eemt.- I go childless Gen. 
 T^ So wonl 1 the soi.l say, Lord, what wilt thou give me. 
 seeing I go g.Hceless; who will give me to drink of the 
 "water of the nmU of life!' ^ ,, 
 
 III The .ediiation of the excelloncy of grace wouH 
 make lis ende ^our to be instrumental to convey _gra_ce^ to 
 nthars Is eiv -e so traiiscendentiy precious, Huu uiiv„ ^ = 
 : 1 whowSts grace? that 1 ^lightbe a -eans *"«<;»- 
 vev this treasureluto his soul! I have read ol a neb Flor- 
 
 
Tiirc strnjKCT op MKrnT\Tro?f. 
 
 HI 
 
 roM 
 
 a.Kl UHe,l t h«»e w„r,|s u, (hen,, "It im.cl. roioic.ll, ml now 
 «pon m.y .lem ,l,e,l, ,i,..,t 1 .,|„.|1 |e. , ,,.,. aij >voalt),y:" bu* 
 a i;a,«nu «„,l,,tu.„ kI,„„|,| |,„ ,,„|,„r to convey sanotitv, Mt 
 Lo may say, O iny ..hiMrcM., it rej.iaHl, ,„e that I shall leave 
 
 ^,""/;;r".T-. '^'^"'"''"■to "«« H^at, bef,-e I .lie, I „halJ see 
 Jesus Clinst liv.j m yon. 
 
 » „„^''™""'- ^I'-'l"^''" »l"»' thy spiiitual estate. Enter into 
 mo< u'l '""''""^",'" "",'!'" •"'""'•f >■.....• sou!.; while yoi, a™ 
 
 1 gieat work hes at h<,ino. It was Solomon's ulvico "know 
 
 ' tlie»tateolthv flock" Pi'ov vvv;; o^i "","'"™> «"<''' 
 
 T. f f-,T",''-- **"; "■"" "'■ '^" '"'•■'lif'tion. men a.-e like 
 travellers .k,ll..,l „, other countries, h„t i«rorant of their own^ 
 «o they ki.ovv other thui^s. but know not how it goes with 
 their souls wheth«r they are in a ^.oo,l or bad state! There 
 ^LtZ !"■ ^^ '"''^' 'r''"'^''""' ""'"' "i^hin themselves. 
 Ihei, souk ''"''"°"'' ^^ '" ''"" ""''''''"*' "P''° ""« '***« <^ 
 l>v /■ .^f'fyS"!"!'"''^- Men are loth to lo,.k into their hearts 
 
 fc Tt ""' '"■'■ !''"•'; "'"'"''' «"-• """ '^hi^l' "O"!-' trouble 
 mtuJi '"'' " "; '''«"?fl'- Most a:-o herein like trajes- 
 
 nto ;L- r'e "?''^' "' """' '" ""-"■■• '^*''-"«'' «'•« lotii t" look 
 
 ow- b, ;.''l u',"* "'''"'7'' ''■~-' ''''y ^''°"" find '.heir estate 
 J! ;.. 1 t , ,"' ""'.'«"'-''• «'"'•'■ i"lo thy heart bymedi- 
 
 wUI ti t "" "'^"•" ";"''' '"" "'" ''"^'^ '*■ ^"'■^y^' ; vet they 
 
 » I Uke t her s|„„tua est^tj. upon trust, withotft any" survey- 
 
 .1 8- They are conhaent their case is good, Provf xiv. 16. 
 
 lonJt '\i '";' 'r h '■^''^""''} "*■' '""' ""^ *'°"fi'l«"«« i« l">t 
 
 a ,|,s, jet how coMhdeut were they! "Thev came knock- 
 
 ns, It was a peremptory knock, they aoubted not of aHijiit- 
 
 tjiBce. so many are not sure of their sabation, bu> secure: 
 
 they presunie all ,s well, never seriously meditating whethej 
 
 u Uiinstian, meditate about thvsoui: 
 
 S-:rlTc; XJU ui liOo. 
 
 see Inm the case stands between God an<l thee D 
 chants; cast up thy estate, that thou 
 
 o as met- 
 ma}' est see what thou 
 
A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 jirt -worth ; see if tliou art ric}i lowardb (rod, Luke xii. 21, 
 Meditate about three tbingfi. 1. About thy <lel>t8: see if thy 
 ^ebts be paid or not; that is, thy si us pardoned: see if thei-e 
 be no aa-reuTs, no tin i-u thy soul .unie])ented of. 2. Meditate 
 •sfboutthj \N.ili.: see if thy will be iiutde yet. Hast thou re- 
 %r>ed ui).ali the inteiest in tliy^elf? Ha^ thou given up 
 *by Jw-e to (^od ■ Hast thou given up thy will ? This is to 
 make thy will: meditate about" the wjII; make thy spiritual 
 will in .;he time of iiealth. If thou putlest off the making ofv 
 «hy will tiJil d^ath, it may be -inv^did-; perhaps God will not 
 accept of thy soul then. 3. Meditate about thy endencea. 
 These evidences ai:e the graces of the Spirit; see whether thott 
 liast any evid^nc^. What desii^s h^tst thou after Ohristl 
 wiiat <&ath f me v^'he^her thei'« be mo flaw m thj evi<lences; 
 iW* l3jy ^mises tniel dost thou as well desire heavenly prin- 
 ciples,, as lieaveidy |)riv41eg«sl nieditat'e seiiously upolk 
 jyour evidefices! 
 
 .'"" To sift^our hearts thtis by meditation, is v^ry neecBsary. 
 If we find our estate is not sound, the mistake is discovered, 
 and the danger prevented: if it be sound, we shall have tbfe 
 eomfortof at. What gladness was it to Hezekiah, when he 
 <;oi'Jd saj, -"Ren member now., O Lord, how I have walkod be- 
 ifore thee in trath, and with a perfect heart, and have dona 
 that which as good in thy sight," L^^aiah xxxviii. -3. So, what 
 unspeakable com-foit will it be, wlien a Christian, upon a 
 tJerious meditation and review of his spivit^jal condiiion, caa 
 Kay, I have something to show for heaven; "I know 1 am 
 massed from death to lite," 1 John iii. 14, and, as a holy man 
 Snce said, "1 am Christ's, and the devil hath nothing to do 
 ivith me." 
 
 Eighth. Meditate wpon the small number of them that 
 shall be saved. ^* But tew are chosen," Matt. xx. 1^ ; among 
 the 5TiillioDR in -Rome, there are but lew senato's; an<l among 
 ithe swarms f^ people in t-he world, there are \mi few beiievera, 
 ^'e read of four sorts of ground in the paial)!e, and but one 
 
 food ground, Matt. xiii. How few in the world know Ch:i&t.I 
 ow lew believe in him ! Who hath believed our report:? 
 Ifiajiii. 1, How few strike sail to Christ's sceptre! Luks 
 ^ix. 14. The heathen idolaters and Mahomet ns possess al- 
 iDOSt all Asia and Africa^ 'n raanv parts of the world th« 
 
TFIK 8UBJKCT OF MKDITATIOiT. 
 
 dW i8 worshipped ; Satan takes up most climates anrlWrta!'^ 
 Hw many tonnal.sts ave there in the world ! "havtnla^" 
 of gKilmess," 2 Tim. iii. 5; like wool that .eceivera shS 
 tincture, not a deep dye, who.e religion is a pam, whif * 
 storm of persecution will wash ou, not an en«,win; Tl e^ ' 
 look l,ke Christ's doves, b.t are *,he serpen,! bZd tC 
 hate God's nnage, like the panther, that'^ates tUploA 
 
 be s£e1'*"T.'!''"^1f "■"" T'" ""'"^•'^'- "' ">«™ tl'«t'«l>»tt ■ 
 oe saved. Ihe meditation of this, would, 1. Keo» us from 
 
 mai'dnnar hIous' with the nud.itude. •' Thou l,Ko foW 
 
 • J«ult,tude," Exod. xxiii. 2. The multit^d tuX "l^:: 
 
 wrong: most mei, walk "after the course of tl.e»™W " vT 
 
 times. Ihey „u,rch after the prince of the air: The m,X 
 tat,on of ,\u. would „,ake us turn out of theconvmon, r^' 
 
 2 Me. htatmn on the fewness of them th.U shallhe W 
 would make us w,dk tremblin.rly. Few find the w».. ^^ 
 when they have found i,, few Jk i„, thjwa;' tSU",* 
 of ths would work holy fear, Beh. iv. 1; not, * d3w 
 
 saints of God hove had. Austin saitll of himself, he-knocke » 
 
 With Ze % T 1 1T "'■,"*'' '"■'"^- '^^« f-n' S* 
 
 with hope. llie Lord tJtkes pleasure in them that fear hi.,> 
 in th„,.ethat hope in hi,, ,„erly,- Psal. e.vKn: Ir a'.^w> 
 
 lilt:;'jr"^" "'" ^'^"" '^^"■^■'^ ""^ hope... beeau^ ' 
 
 saved !f^n''lf "' ""Z'"*/'™" '"""f'«'- of , hem that shalfbe 
 saved, wou.d be a whetstone to in,lH,stry. It would nut us 
 upon working, out our salvation ; if there'areKo few 11X2 
 be crovvned, ,t wouM ,„„ke us the swiRer in the race TWa 
 Bieammon wouW be an alarm to- sleepy Christians. 
 ♦*,;„".•'■ *^'r''"'."«."l'-'" filial apostacy. Think what a 8«» 
 finish T T" ■■'" '" f '''*"' '"^"'* "'«' ""' '« "We t«> 
 
 I^i'^i ri' 1 "'f.\'^<^'i. 'l>""h grew wicked, and all, hi*. 
 
 01 the leaf: how many are fallen to da.iniable heresias! 2 Pofc. 
 LVk ^^^ l'^'''^*' ser.onslv on that scri,,ture, "It is imposeibl,* 
 mJMoi^ vvao were once enii^rhtened, and have tasted of Oj* 
 
 ^' 
 
n 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOUNT, 
 
 5«* 
 
 t. 
 
 heavenly gift, Hiid wei-e made partakers of tlie Holy Ghost. 
 and have lasted the ^ood word of God, a\id the powers of 
 the world to come, if they shtdl fall away, to rene>v them;' 
 again unto repentance," Heb. vi. 4, 5, rt. A man n^iy be' 
 enlightened, and that from a doul.le lam])^-tho woid and 
 Spirit; but these beams though they aie irracUating, yet are 
 not penetrating. It is possible he may have a iMJ-te of the 
 heavenly gift; he may tfiste but not concoct; as one saith, #^ 
 cook ma/ taste the meat he diesseth, but not be nourished'' 
 by it. this taste may wot only illuminate, but refresh; it 
 jriay carry some sweetness in it, there may be a kind of de-. 
 light in spiritual things: thus far a man may go and yet fall 
 away finally. Now this will be very sad, it being such ^ 
 God-aifronting, and Christ-reproaching sin; '• Know therefore^' 
 it is an evil and bitter thing that thou hast forsaken the 
 Jjord " Jer. ii. 19. Meditate upon final relaj)se8. * 
 
 Meditation u])on a{)0stacy would make us earnest in 
 prayer to God. 1. For soundness of lieait, " Make my heart 
 pound in thy statutes," Psal cxix. 80. Lord, let me not be 
 an alchemy Christian ; work a thoiough work of grace upor> 
 me; though T am not washed peifectly, let me be washe<^ 
 thoroughly, Psal, li. 2. 'J'hat which beoins in hypocrisy, 
 ends in apostacy. 2. Meditation nj)on the final falling away 
 of hypocrites w'ould make us earnest in ])iHyei- for perseverx 
 ance. "Hold up my goings in thy ]>aths that my footstejw 
 plip not," Psal. xvii. 5. Lord, hold iiie up that I may hold 
 out. Tlion hast f<et the crown at the end of the lace, let me 
 run the race, that I may wear the crown; it was Eeza*s 
 prayer, and let it be ours, Lord ])eifect what thou hast begun 
 in me, that I way not suflei' shipwreck when I am ahnost at 
 the haven. 
 
 Tenth. Meditate upon death. We say we must all die, 
 but who is he that meditates seriously upon it? Meditate, 
 1. On the certainty of death; " it is aj^jioinled for all once tQ 
 die," Heb. ix. 27. Tiiere is a statute out. 2. Meditate upon 
 the proximity of death ; it is near to \is.— -We are almost set-, 
 ting our feet upon the dark entry of death. The poets 
 
 ■ i\niiitA<1 fiiiia witii vvinoK' it not, O'llv lidws DOst. but tlit^. and 
 
 carries us upon its wings. The lace is s)iort between the 
 cradle and Xhe, grave: the scnteu'-e of death lb ah end y passed j 
 
 
 Din 
 
'to A,st thou sl,«lt relm-,,." Gen. iii. 19; so that our life fe 
 tut a short ropn-eval fr,,m cTeatli which i givinte 1 to a oon 
 l^omn'erf ,nan ; " Mine ..e is a. „othin.," pf x^xif 5 . Z' 
 f . were possible t,M..keson,ethi„,, out of noSng,' our fe' 
 
 5 less than nolh.n,o:, reolmner] with eternity. 3. Vcd tlw 
 ..on the uncertainty „f the fnie. We have no lea'e M. 
 ft ay he t, ,.m„.| o,rt at the next ),our; there are so ,nam ^at^ 
 altK*, tha ,t « a „o«der if life he not cut <>({ by rtiuelv 
 death. How soon ,„ay God .eat us a lease of Wment f 
 
 mm a pillow <jf d,>wn, to-morrow we may be lafd unon » 
 p-llow of dust. To-day the sern.on bell go^s, to-n-mZour 
 P««flniar b»ll ™,y go, 4, Think serionsfy, that to d e V^ 
 h. Hrt once done, and after death there is notbingt he donif 
 
 the giave If thou leavest thy work at death half done tiera 
 «. no ftn,sh,n^ it fn the ffrave ; " There is no worfr, nordevrr 
 nor w,.,doni ,n the grave whither thon ^oe,t," Ecd ix m 
 If » Kan.ao« surrender at the first summons, there is mercy ' 
 
 W stoimed, here is no mercy then. Now it is a dayofsraea. 
 death I then there is no mercy. There is nothi'ng to liedone 
 brought to Bi hylon, was a tombstone: think often of vour 
 
 ^:^:ij'' '"""'^'' ''" '-^' -"'^ -^x *»- ar 
 
 ,^;ride' "^^^f ''■••'■'"' "P""/''^^''' "'ouW P""' down the plumes of 
 motd? T "" T I"" ''"'' »»""«ted ; shall du.t and^shesba 
 Pioud ? Thou hast a jra.sy body, Isa. xl. 6. and shall shortly 
 
 shall diei like men," ver. 7 ; ye are dying gods. ^ 
 
 2.^ Meditation upon death would be a means to give a 
 r'if.r?."!."' T- There is no stronger antidote a^i„«t 
 -:m. =«ui .^usuti, tnaii neyuent meditation upon death: am 
 
 MjlMTr'"*^' ^"- '"-"""•r" "I'^y l'« <'yi"g; what if death 
 should take me domg the devil's work, would it not tend ait 
 
58 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOCNT. 
 
 1 
 
 to him to receive double pay? cuny the thouirlits of death 
 as a table-b<. >k always about thee, and when sir tempts, pull 
 out this tabfe-book, and read m it, ami you shall see sni will 
 vanish. We should look ui)on sin in two glasses, the g^a8& 
 of Christ's blood, and the glass of death. ^ 
 
 3. Meditation upon death would be a bridle fer intem- 
 perance; shall I i)aini)er that body which must lie down in 
 the house of rotteirness ? Oui Saviour at a feast breaks iorth 
 into mention of his burial, Matt, xxvi, 12. Feeding upon the 
 thoughts of death would be a» excellent preservative againat 
 <r suffeit. 
 
 4. Meditation upon de-ath would make us husband time 
 I)etter, and crowd up much woik hi h httle room. Many 
 meet in taverns to drive away time; the apostle bids us re- 
 deem it; "Redeeming the time," Eph. v. 16. Our life 
 should be hke jewels; though little in bulk, yet great m 
 worth. Some die young, yet with grey hairs upon them; 
 we must be like gi-ass of the iield, useful; not like grass of 
 the house top, which withers before it be grown up, Psal. 
 cxxix. 6. To live and not be serviceable, is not hte but 
 
 time. . . . 
 
 5. Meditation upon death would make us lay in provision 
 a<rainst such a time. It would spur us on in the pumut 
 after holiness. Death is the great plunderer, it will shortly 
 plunder us of all our outside comforts; our feathersof beauty 
 and honour must be laid in the dust, but death cannot plun- 
 der us of our graces. The commouwealth of Venice, in 
 their armoury have this inscription, " Happy is he that in 
 time of peace thinks of war." He that ofieii meditates on 
 death, will make preparation against its coming. 
 
 Eleventh. Meditate on the day of judgment. " Crod 
 hath appointed a dav in whi- h he will jud.ce the worid."-- 
 Acte xvii. 31. Meditate, 1. Upon the solemnity of this trial. 
 The trumpet shall sound to summon all the world before the 
 judcre, 1 Thess. iv. 16. and Jesus Christ shall " come in the 
 glory of his Father, with all his holy angels," Matt. x\a. 27. 
 2. Meditate upon the universality of this trial; "We must 
 all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," 2 Cor. v^ 10. 
 Kings and nobles, all must come to the bar, tliere is au a^ 
 emption. 1 have read of a wicked king, who on his death- 
 
»"' 
 
 tHB S0BJKCT OF UTEDrTATlOir, 
 
 the world m righteousness," Act. xv i S^' Ti willjudge 
 bribes taken in this court- n,. .^l,,- " , , ^'""■* »''« "* 
 Tbebans pictured the ('uH^^iT "''! P''"=" ''«'•«• TI.9 
 blind, thathernithnofr ;'"'' ""'' *'"'*'"* ^anda; 
 that tbev mi/t la^f nVl^lrC S^ irJl':"-^ ""'^ 
 
 Borlii, h„ b^br^d ::ith ' erT'r|-/^°'''^»'''*' 
 exactness of the trial- it Jii k„ "ed'tata upon th» 
 
 thoroughly purge hsfloor.^MatUilTo-'rr'' "»« ""^ 
 »in, kit Christ's fan will dkcvi V- i ^'■„''?^* §^™»' <>'' « 
 
 lie toi^etheiv ^ ^ ^ together, but they shali not 
 
 medi Jion of i^M^t L ^ '^"■"' ? ''' '^""^ ''"'" ""' 
 day, Amos vi. 3 tZv reZTot'l Tl ^'''"" ,"'"■" '^^ «'" 
 th„„der-stor™ the/ST'-^it '':['.:' ltd ',boT"^ 
 the>r cannons, that the s»„„d of^.Uei, beiU '.nd tbfrotinf 
 of then- cannons might drowii the noise of ITth a ^ 
 the devil deligbte me^n with the ,m. 'rf I't ^""thrt'.r 
 Boise of this should drown the noise of the 11,^^ • I ""* 
 «nd make them forget the ^^!^Tu^]:^'t^^^'^ 
 men are gurlty, thei-efore they do not lo.e ,„ S JT 
 
 assizes. When Paul preache<I of in.l.m.e ,, Pel x tl M^/ 
 ApfiB Yvi'ir OK. I I, 1 I 1 jit'ii^nmiii fej IX trembled 
 
 Acts XXIV 2.5, he had a bad conscience: Jos-phus tells .r^^f- 
 Felix, that he was a wicked man: ihe woin-r, thai i;, !. -5 
 hnn (Drusilla hy name) he had er.tioeT w . from 1^ T"" 
 W. .,„,1 „hen he heard of Ju.lgment, hriCluTremblinT 
 Sfu-,^'!f> y""' ,™«J.'^=''« "I'O" this last and solemn I.^f 
 TTXiiis. uuiuns are tiiinkjug how they Riav o-et riohf*^ 1^7"' ' 
 betbmk oui^lves how we m^ abid„ tl^ day ofchri.t wlp^^ 
 
00 
 
 A CHKiaxiAN ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 Meditation on the day of judgment, 1. Would malce ns' 
 scan all our actions; Christ will coiiie with his fan and his 
 sieve: will this aclion of mine abide the test at that great day f 
 
 2. Meditation on the last day would make na labour to' 
 approve our hearts to (iod, the great judge and umpire of 
 the world. It is no matter what men think of us^ but what 
 18 our Judgt/s opinion of us? to him we must stand or hilL 
 The meditation of (he day of judgment would make us en- 
 deavour to be like Moses who was fair to God, as the original 
 hath it, Acts vii. 20. The galaxr, or milky way, as the 
 astronomers call it, is a bright circle in the heavens contain- 
 ing many slnrs, but thev are so small that they have noname^ 
 nor are they taken cognizan.io of by the astronomers. G4ve. 
 me leave to apply it; j)ossibly others may take no notice of" 
 us; we are so small a.' to have no naine in the world, yet if 
 we are true stars, atid cnn ap}>rove our hearts to God, weshalt 
 hold up our heads with boldness, when we come to stand 
 before our Judo-e. 
 
 3. Meditati^.n on the day of judgment would make us^ 
 labour after an interest in Christ. 'There is no standinir 
 Before Christ, but by being m Christ. If Christ be thine^ 
 then ail is well; no matter what is charged, if all be dis- 
 charged, Rom. viii. 38, 34. There is no way i the world 
 to stand in the day of judgment, but by making a party; 
 make Christ thy friend, and then thy Judge will be thy ad- 
 vocate, 1 John ii. 1. 
 
 4. Meditation on tlie day of judgment would make Chris- 
 tians less censorious; they would not reprobate others so fast;, 
 who art thou that judgest another? dost thou take Chrisfs 
 sceptre into thy hand? darest thou sit in judgment upon thy 
 brother? perhaps when the critical day coines, he may be 
 found gold, and thou chatf. It is true, Ave may judge men's 
 way, but not their persons, Rom. xiv. 10; but why d'ost thou 
 judge thy brother? we shall all stand before the iudement- 
 seat of Christ. ■ ^ 
 
 6. Meditation on the day of judgment would yield much 
 comfort to a Christian, and that in two cases. 
 
 (1.) In case of wealmess of grace; a poor Christian when 
 he sees his grace so defective, is readv to be disconi>.,aAd. hnt 
 U the day of judgment, if Christ find but a drachni'of sin- 
 
THE SUBJECT OF MEDITATIOW. 
 
 ^■•►S 
 
 eeiitj-, it shall be accepted ; if thine be true eold tho..<^ i, 
 n.ay l« light. Christ will put hi. „,en-ts into fhe 'scKnd 
 rnak« -t pass current. If thou hast no sin of allowanc^ thou 
 Shalt have grams of allowance. I may allude to that pf^Ze 
 
 ?r:;Sn-sha?fau'rhef '"' "" '''"" "' ''^'' "<" '"« '-' 
 (2.) In ci.se of censures and slanders. The saints za 
 kw through strange report, 2 Cor. vi. 8. There is no walk- 
 ing m the world now-a-day.s let us tread n«ver so warily, 
 without catching some specks of dirt. John Baptist's head 
 W a charger IS a con.mon dish in this age, it ie ordinarv to 
 bnng in a saint beheaded of his good nan,;; b^t It tlTJda^ 
 Of judgment. CWstwill unload his people of all ther c^um^ 
 «ies and reproaches; he will at that d .y wash his suouse ^ 
 «h,te, that she Jail not only be guil.Ls but ^0^^^ 
 black spo s of reproach shall be taken away, " he will ulent 
 Vs «l...rch gWiLs, not having spo. or wrL'kle," Eplfrry 
 Twelfth, Meditate upon bell. ^ 
 
 1. Meditate upon ti.e p.in of loss; "and the door was 
 »buV' Matt. XXV, 10. To have Christ's face veiled ove/,and 
 a^perpetual eehpse and midnight in the soul; to be casi out 
 ^ bQds presence in whose presence is fulness of ioy this 
 doth aggravate and e.nbitter the condition of the danined; it 
 i9 like mingling gall with woimwood. 
 
 11,^ Meditate upon the pain of sense; the Photinians hoJd 
 there IS no hell, but thej speak in a dream; «'The wicked 
 Bha 1 be turned into hell." Psal. ix. l7. And here meditate 
 on two things, 
 
 1. The place of hell. 2. The company. 
 
 1. Meditate on the phice of hell. It i. called "a place of 
 
 h^i^r :'or.^:nt! ^^^- ''- ''-'- ^--^ ^^-^ ^'-^^ -1^-% - 
 
 (1.) Fire, Rev. xx. 15. It is called a lake of burning 
 fire, Austin, Peter Loml>ard, Giegory the Great, say, thil 
 fire of hell ,s a mHtenai lire, thougl, they say it is infinitely 
 potter than any culmary fire; that is but painted fire to this, 
 1 wish none of us may know what kiu'l /^f «..^ u ;„. u... r 
 rather think the fire ^of hell is partly luateriaJ.' and mrtlj 
 •piritual ; the material fire is to work upon th» body, tli 
 
«# 
 
 A OHKISTIAN ON THK MOUNT. 
 
 II 
 
 spiritual to torture the soul. This is the wrath of God, which 
 is both fire and LcIIowh; " Who knoweth the i)ower of thine 
 anger?" Psal. xc. ] I. 
 
 But it ma}' bo objected, If there be any material fire in 
 lielj, it will consume the bodies there. I answer, It .shall burn 
 without corisunn'njr, as Moses' bush did, Exod. iii. 2. The 
 power o( (lod siltncetli all disputes. If God, by his infinite 
 power, could make the fire of the three children not to con- 
 sume, cannot he niake the rue of hell burn and not consume? 
 Austin tells of a str.inrre salt in Sicily, which, if it be put iii 
 the file, swims: that God who can make shH, contrary to it« 
 nature, swim in the tire, can make the bodies of the damned 
 not consume in the fire. 
 
 (2.) The worm, Mark xh. 44. " Where the worm never 
 diea" Homer, in his Odyssey, feigns, that Tiiius's liver was 
 gnawn by two vultures in hell. This never-dying worm, 
 which Christ speaks of, is the gnawing of a guilty conscience. 
 Melancthon calls it a hellish" fury ; they that will not hear 
 conscience preaching, shall feel conscience gnawing; and so 
 great is the extremity of these two, tue fire which burns, and 
 the worm which bites, ^bat there will follow ''gnashing of 
 teeth," Matt. viii. 12; the damned will gnash their teeth for- 
 horror and anguish. That must needs l)e sad cheer, as 
 Latimer saith, whore weeping is sfM-ved in for the first course, 
 aud gnashing of teetli for the second; to endure this will be 
 intolerable, to avoid it will be impossible. 
 
 2. Meditate of the company in hell, the devil and his. 
 angels, Matt. xxv. 41. Job complains he was a companion 
 to owls, chap. xxx. 29. What will it be to be a eompanioQ 
 to devils! Consider, 1. Their ghastly deformity; they make- 
 hell look blacker. 2. Their deadly antij-kathy ; they are fi red^ 
 with rage against maid<ind; first they become tempters, then' 
 tormeiitois. 
 
 Meditate much on Iioll. Let us go into hell by contem=- 
 plation, that we may not go into hell by condemnation. How 
 restless is the condition of the danmed ! The ancients feign 
 of Eudymion, that he got leave of Jupiter always to sleep. 
 What would the damned in hell give for such a' license ! ia 
 tiieir pains is neither intermission nor mitigation. 
 
 8«riou8 medittition on hell, would mak« us. 
 
 
THS SrBJKCT OK MWOITATION. 
 
 ft 
 
 
 1. Fear sin aa hell. Sin is bell's fuel. Sin, like SamsonV 
 
 foxes, Judir. XV. 5 
 
 carries (levouiinrr fire in the tail of it. 
 
 2. Meditation on hdl would can 
 
 e n^joiciniT in a child of 
 
 God. The saint's fear of hell is like liio two MaryS' fear, 
 '*'Thej departed from the sepulchre with fear a.i.l great joy," 
 Matt, xxviii. 8. A believer may fetr to think of the place of 
 ♦.orment, but rejoice to think he shall not come into ihis 
 place. When a man stands upon a hioh rock, he trembles 
 •to look down into the sea, ytt he rejoiceth I hat he is not 
 .there struggling with the waves. A child of God, when he 
 thinks of heU, rejoiceth with tremhiing. A prison is not 
 made for the king's sons to be put in^ A great naturalist 
 -observes, that nothing will so soon quench .fire as salt and 
 blood. Whether it he so or not, sure I am, the salt bnnish 
 •tears of repentance, and the blood of Christ, will quench the 
 ^re of hell to a believer. Christ himself hath felt the paing 
 'Of hell for you. The Lamb' of God being roasted in the fire 
 •of GoO'i? wi-ath, by this burnt-ofteiing the Lord is now ap- 
 peased towards his people. how may the godly rejoice! 
 "There is no condemnation to them that aie in Christ," 'Rotd. 
 yiii. 1. When the Son of God was in the furnace, Dan. 
 111. 25, the fire did the three childrciii no hurt; so Chiist be- 
 ing for a time in the fiery furnace of God's wrath, that fire 
 can do a believer no hurt The saints fiave the garment of 
 •Christ's righteousness upon them, and the fire of hell can 
 never singe this garment. 
 
 Thirteenth. Meditate upon heaven. From the mount of 
 •meditation, as from Mount Nebo, we mnv take a view and 
 •prospect of the land of promise. (Christ hath taken posses- 
 fiion of heaven in the name of all believers; "Whither the 
 forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus," Heb. vi. 20. Heaven 
 *nust needs be a glorious city, which hath God lx)th for its 
 builder and inhabitant. Heaven is the extract and quint- 
 -^ssence of all blessedness. Tiiere the saints shall have their 
 wish. Austin wished that he inight have seen three things 
 before he d^ed, Rome in its glory, Paul in ihe pulpit, and 
 Christ in the flesh. But the saintii shall see a better sight; 
 they shall see, not Rome, but heaven in its dory; thev shall 
 -^-w i .lui, iioi iii ujf? puipiT, iiui on me tiiione, and shaji sit 
 ^ith him ; they shall see Christ's flesh, not veile<l over with 
 
I 
 
 "^ A OHRISTJAK ON 11)11 MOCMT. 
 
 intlrmitfes and disgraces, but in its apjritual embroiderv- n«t 
 a cruc,fie<l but a glorified body. ThovlluTl "bebo7d' th! 
 
 Tv 28 R /'• h^'-'ve" "('..,1 will b., all iS all," 1 Cor 
 
 fco'j, iiov. 1 1. 21. Qiimlus Curtius writes of cue who was 
 d.gg.ng m h,s garden, and on a Bu.lden was made kTnt 3 
 « purple ga„„ent, ricbly embroidered withS Z„Zt 
 
 tekon from his labouring work, and set at tbe right hand of 
 Go<l hay,„g the crown of righteousness upon hif heai 
 
 Meditate often on this Jerusalem abovf 
 
 Meditation on heaven would 
 
 our siuilsirh'^t'^'"''''f'' "'f'^'''"''*- ^' '">"^^ P"t »P«™ to 
 ^Sluggish hearts, and make us "abound in the work of 
 
 ?^;r T."! "-'"'"'"bourisnot i„ vain in the Lord"" 
 
 our nee i.,^ .„ "*5'" ''^ ^'^'^ """''• "»' binder us in 
 our laee, but cause us to run the tasior- ti,;o „, : u» IJ 
 
 add wings to duty. ' ""' "<"S*" "O"'^ 
 
 purit- wlnl^" r,*;""?" ^'".'''' ""''"' "^ *t"^« "f'^^ heart 
 punty, because only the "pure „ heart shall see God," Matt. 
 
 t'anspa^nt o?;-. ""■ ''' '""" ''"' "^^ "P°" » ^'"g'" 
 3, Meuitatio.i on heaven would be a pillar of sunnort 
 under our sutteivgs; heaven will make amend for all X« 
 Ws abode m i;eaven will make us forget all our sorrow' 
 ^n dry" ;:„",i;,.tr ■■' °- "-> «*■ ^^^'s gWiouIZ 
 
 have'comrS- ,^''•^1*' "" '•"""'*y- ««■"« "^ "'« «"«i«"t. 
 is evervTl T"^ ^ '^Z" intellectual sphere, whose centre 
 Idlv f« » H ' 1 • f '-''""/«'■«"'•« "owbere. Eternity to the 
 
 fnidit wlS ,7 "h """■ "•■ .^""-^"i"?' »d to the wicked 
 « night which hath no smi-risiiig. Klernitv is S gulf which 
 
 t^r^ Mat": "'^l' ^"■7''?"8'''- Meditate on l.a Sc ,> 
 Jtiie, Matt XXV. 46. " And these shall go away into eveV^ 
 lasting punishment, but the nVhteou, ,-n,.?i;f!l7!."'!° ^™' 
 i. JHeditate upon eternal >umshment The brtter cup 
 
MB SDlMKOt 0» MlurtiTIOm 
 
 
 """>. WI,o„ vo \" ,t I,''''?" '''■°l'l''"« »P0» « wicked 
 
 *ri.h,«„Hci.,,.,„, . '„f '• "■ '"'*'« P^f' "■« ''o-nJ'ofaU 
 *he heart: a the u-^ f 1^ , '""'''I- ^'^'^ ""^^ «"«' breaks 
 
 fied soul shaJl be for 2^^ 7'!; ' '"•" !'" "'*'"•"'■ The glori- 
 heaven, " We shai; hi J "l'?' ?'''"''' ""'''^^ heaven £ be 
 tor.„e„ts in this wo i<l tn """k!"' '^™'*'«'' «»/ pains and 
 
 would mther be an^a™Z .f • ° ''V''*""*'' ''«»^«''. *« 
 with the Lord i^voffr.fi •"*"•'' ' •*"' this word, ever 
 
 land of glory fa':t:;{,reSir:'re "^'^^ "p "■« ««^- 
 
 Med,fc.tio„ on eternity would , M f "^ '"*"'"y- 
 what we do. Zeuxe. beiiltd wl^ft' "' '"■^, '*™"' '" 
 « picture, an we-H r J^;, 7 ' T ''^ "^s so long about 
 an irreversible :<..!ii^SXlC^ri; '''" ''^-|hte of 
 and ilea,' m for eteinity ' ""''^ "'"''« "» Pray 
 
 «t.t'u,S''t' flitt."/.::'™;/; ""''^™^''« - o-nook p„^ 
 
 that hathVte™fty fijt ;'vi;'';:°- 7^"': '' 'he world to &n 
 point, which, as th^nuS ti •l''"' '^-^ ""''"'^' P"' "^ » 
 t:^^ of eternity ^^£;^^2:X^%. t 
 
 it m their 8iJks, but wl.^f w fi , . ^^''^ they ruffle 
 
 there is such a rh .t' , jtv' C iTl'^' ^' ^^'^^ «» 
 reckon wuh .UJ hi eJ.e;^ir'''^* "'^ ^^'^ '''"^ ^°^"g^ ^« 
 . .^»ft«erjt]i. Meditate nnnn .r^n.. ._....■_. ^. _ 
 
 J '-'I uieUICatlOll 18 VOUI* CxnM'iam'.x^ T i 
 
 i-eceipts. ''^ expei lences. Look over your 
 
I) 
 
 ee 
 
 A CHHlSTIATf 0T» THB MOCXT. 
 
 L Hath not Gad provi< 
 
 led lil'enflly for ycm, ancl voncb- 
 
 flafe<l jou thuKe mercies w 
 
 liich ll«' Intli ilt-nie.! to othei-fl, vvliO 
 
 are hotter tli.iii you ? IL-rc i^^ an expen.Mico, 
 
 " The (ioil who 
 
 iiath fea me nil my auys," G.o. xlviii. 15. 'H.ou never 
 feedest. but nercy carves for thee; th.>u neN-er goest to bed, 
 
 haws the curtain, Hid <*ets a .i^uar* 
 
 k; (,'X( 
 
 hut rnercv < 
 
 ■ahout thee. Wl^atever tliou hast is ou 
 
 free i^race. Here ia an experience to meditate Up< 
 
 I of aniiels 
 
 t of t) 
 
 •liequer 
 
 of 
 
 )n. 
 
 il Hath not God prevented many dMiiixers 
 
 ^ ^ ^ hath he not 
 
 iiept^watcir arid wani" ainnrt' you ? I . What teiiii^^u-al daJi- 
 Wrfl hath God screened off? thy neighbour* lion^e on hre, 
 tnd it hatli not kindled in thy dwelling. Another infected, 
 thou art free; l>ehoia the oolden feathers of protection cover- 
 ma thee, 2. What spiritual dangers hath God prevented! 
 wh€«i ®thei^ have been poisoned with error, tlum hiist bee* 
 f>resen'e.L God hath sounded a retreat to thee; thou ha^ 
 Lard '^ a voice behind theeu saying, Thi^ is the way, wdk im 
 it " Isa XXX 21. When thou hast enlisted thyself, and takea 
 1.ay on* the devil's side, that God should "pluck thee as a 
 brand out of the fire," that he should turn thy beart and 
 now thou espousest Christ's quarrel against sin. liehold 
 preveuLing grace! Here is an experience to meditate upon, 
 HI. Hath not God spared you a long time? whence is it 
 that others are struck dead in the act of sin, as Ananias and 
 Sapphira, Acts v. 5, 10; and you are preserved as a monu- 
 ment of patience? Here is an experience. G()d hath doM 
 more for you than for the angels; he never waited for their 
 *epentance, but lie hath waited for you year after year, isa. 
 :xxx 18 Therefore " will the Lord wait that he may be 
 cracious." He hath not only knocked at your heart in the 
 .ministry of the woid, but He hath waited at the door. How 
 Jone hath his Spirit striven with you! like an importunate 
 suitor, that hath many denials, yet will not give over the suit. 
 Methinks I see iustice with a sword in its hand ready to 
 strike, and mercv'steps in for the sinner, " Lord, have patience 
 Tvith him a while longer." Methinks I hear the angds say 
 U) God, as the king of Israel once said to the prophet Ehsha, 
 •'•Shall I smite them? shall I smite them?" 2 Kings vi. 2L 
 So methinks I >iear the nngels say. Shall we take ou me aew 
 ^i such a drunkard, swearer, blasphemer? and mercy seemi 
 
 
THE SUBJECT OF MEDITATiOiT. 
 
 to answer as th 
 
 (§t 
 
 Luk 
 
 :« xui. 8. See if lie will 
 
 ievine-dr^Ber,-<Lot him alone thf 
 
 ence worth meditali 
 rainbow; th 
 
 lepcnt. Is not her 
 
 year, 
 
 "e an exper»- 
 
 ; the rain how is a I 
 
 It, that justice hath hmi like tl 
 that It hath not siiot tl 
 
 n;. upon? Mercy turns jns,iee IX 
 
 )ow inrlee.], hut hafh 
 
 patience to read 
 
 »« rainbow 
 'GO to death. Her 
 
 -ce to rea<f over and M.<.<li„te upon 
 Iv. Bath t.ot (;od of>..M :' 
 
 w 
 •e 
 
 ithout 
 
 no arrow ia 
 
 a r 
 
 arrow 
 'eceint 
 
 of 
 
 '^'d an Jeho«haphat. - 1 ha 
 
 0' «ncl 
 
 armv," 2 CI 
 
 \ «i lust, and thou hast 
 
 ve no inicrht airainsf 
 
 XX. 12, then God hatli 
 
 B' 
 
 t^ivat 
 
 a'"y forces- «'hl« .V.'.. I 1 , "'■'^'" co/nein vvitn auxih- 
 
 hath Li^Hhe.' „f ,M:.;f '■-" -«i™"';" ^'-" "'"^ 
 thyself verv .i„Ht -.J, i " "HMcy, «,.,| th„„ |,a,t fonn.i 
 
 would make yo,/ Xfe t , •'; ''^'^-"""''«'-' «hon h» 
 fiction, or God', „„, "i.^ T , " y"'"' gn,ce« were buta 
 
 .you -have not t^ foS I v t , ! rT'^''' ■ ^""'' ^ ""* '^'^^■ 
 tept tfie ijarriao,^ of vo,,r l,J , ''l''*';V' '*• ""'' "^^ hath- 
 have e„te,-;i. nJe ira« .v -^ '^'' ''" "«->' *'«« "oulci 
 Vr. Have ''^^ ';,''«,«''P«''enc« 'o ,nedit„te upon. 
 
 ibusly reslored you. «r,d re,;,wc..i yot re n"/, tf 1 '""''"i"- 
 way oot you writ., tl,.,t wrifi,,.. Jhid, fwt I r 1 ""£"5^ 
 
 and w:s rer-overed ofTdr4knl"T ^"^^'^'> mok 
 
 thou^rht the HUM of vour life was quK; set L i> ,t r '^ ?' 
 ^bis Bun return back many deo-rL. He f i'st.tn "^"'^' 
 for medilation to feed u.Km Wl. In 'f «" «>^'penence. 
 
 prisoned, your foot aken'ff ^'''". ''^^^ ^«^« ^'"J- 
 
 WV.n .L" "L.,"*^^ ^^K"" .^" ^'^^ «»'i^«' -^H- 1 tbe Lord h»fh 
 
 ....^ awaru, nay, Jialii made those to break it wh^ «,""'" 
 
 « often revolv, ,u „.iud our «.perience. !% Tmaa bl^ 
 
• J i 0HE1STIAN ON THE MOUNT, 
 
 medicinal .•eceipts oy hiin, he would be often looking ov« 
 Zm You tlit have r»re receipts of .neicy by you, Be often. 
 by meditation, looking over your receijiK 
 
 Meditation on our experiences woHkl. ,. , p„j v^.v 
 
 1 Raise us to thai.kfulness. Considering tbgt God hath 
 «t a hedte of providence about us, he bath strewed our way 
 :lh r^sel this'would ,nake us take the harp and v,o! and 
 ..raise the Lord, and not only prmse, but recoro, 1 Ch.on xvu 
 'i The medit«;ne christian keeps a register or chronicle of 
 God's me™?e that the niemoiy of then, doth not decay 
 G^ would have the manna Ue ,t in the ^rk ,nany bundr^ 
 ,rrs7hat the remembiance of that n,.r,.cle inight be pre- 
 iT4d; a inedi,Hting soul takes care that the spiritual mann, 
 
 of an experience be kept safe. v,„..fo 
 
 i Meditation on ourexpeiiences would engage our bear * 
 
 to God in obedience. Meicy would be a needle to sew u to 
 him^ We would cry out as Bernnvd "I bMv.- Lord, two 
 mU^ a soul and a body, and I give then, both to ihee. , 
 '^ 3 Mentation on our experiences won d .erve to co.vinc* 
 us that God is no hard master; wo nught bring m .mr ex, 
 "p:rienCas a sufficient co„fu,ation of that shinder Whe» 
 Ve have been falling, hath not God taken us by the hand f 
 rwhen I said iry foot slippeth, thv goodness, O Lord, heU 
 Lr^m" P J xciv 18. How often hath God held our head 
 rndLrtwherwe have been fainting! and is he a bard «as, 
 Cs Is there any master besides God who will walt^upon ln» 
 Irvants? Chrstiaus, summon in your experiences. What 
 S* have you had ! Psal. xix. It, what inward serenity 
 Ind peace, whicf, neither the world can give, nor death can 
 XCa^ ! A christian's own experiences may plead fot 
 God against mich ns d.;sire rather t- censure bis ways, than to 
 try them, and to cavil a,, them, than to walk m thein. 
 
 ^ 4. Meditation on our experiences would make us con -, 
 munioative to others. We should be willing to tell our c .,1- 
 dren atKlac4Uainta„ce " what God h.M, ,lonef.r o.ir soids 
 Psa xliv. 1 At such a time we were brought low, and Go4 
 Ssed us; at such a time in desertiou, and God Drought a 
 proiiiiBe to renieinbmnce wiiicu uiw^.v .« .■."".•.- 
 
 ♦ fertjuisites ^nd presents given W servuRtf , 
 
 

 *KfH WKCESSITY OF MJSDITATIOW. 
 
 C& Vll.—S/iowm</ the necessify of Meditation 
 in- it.. The word is a Ipfi^r f f j ^^ '^'^"^^^ meditate' 
 
 g-iii8,i^prK IV. 11, 12, and must t hev for the work r,f nu -7 
 be nmh unto death Phil W -^o *u . . • • ^^^^ ^t Chmt 
 
 only speculation, or meditation that God aira» «T ^ " 
 
 v^i-.k"" ^f ^7^ i-^editation the truths of God will not stav^ 
 
 ing ot letters i„ gold or marble, whi.h .„.,„" ."""""flfY- 
 «ii our preaoinng to you is but like wrkinginsa'nd 'like no,r 
 mg waur ,nto a sieve, like tUrowing a Lr upon' a crpt^ 
 
1& 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON tiHB MOCNt. 
 
 !• 
 
 r 
 
 wkich fflides off and does not stay. Reading and hearing 
 without meditation is like weak physic which will not work; 
 want of meditation hath made so many sermons in this age- 
 to miscarry. , ,. . . , .,^ 
 2 Without meditation the truths which we knovy will 
 never affect our hearts; "These words which I command the'3 
 this day shall be in thine he.«irt." Deut. vi. 6. How (^an the 
 word be in the heart, unless it be wrought in by meditation t 
 as a hammer drives a nail to the head, so meditation drives 
 a truth to the heart. It is not the t iking in of tood, but the 
 itoni'^ch's concocting it, which makes it turn to blood and 
 spirits;, so it is not the taking in of a truth at the ear, but the 
 meditating, on it, whicii is the concoction of it in the mind, 
 makes it nourish. Without meditation the word pveached 
 may increase notion, not affection. There is as much differ- ■ 
 en<;e between the knowledge of a truth and the meditation 
 en a truth, as there is between the hght ot a torch, and the 
 light of the sun. Set up a lamp or torch m the garden, and 
 it hath no inriuence : the sun hath a sweet influence, it niakea 
 the plants grow, and the herbs flourish: so ^^l^^^^f g^^ ;"f 
 Kke a torch lighted in the understi.nding, which hath little 
 or no influence, it makes not a man the better; but meehta- 
 tion is like the ./ ini ng of the sun, it operates upon the affec- 
 tions, it warms tne heart and makes it more holy. Medita- 
 tion gives life to a truth. There are many truths that he aa 
 it were, in the heart dead, which when we meditate upon, they 
 begin to have life and heat in them. Meditation on a truth 
 is like rubbing a man in a swoon ; it fetcheth life, it is 
 meditation makes a christian. 
 
 Ill Without meditation we make ourselves guilty ot 
 slighting God and his word If a man lets a thing he by, 
 and never minds it, it is a sign he slights it: God's word is 
 the book of life; not to meditate in it, is to undervalue it it 
 a king puts forth an edict or proclamation, and the subjects 
 never mind it, it is a slighting of the kings authority God 
 Buts forth his law as a royal edict; if we do no. meduate m 
 it, it is a slighting his autliority, and what doth this amount 
 to Iftss than a contempt done to the Divine majesty. 
 
Wilt tHEltE ABE SO FEW GOOD CHRISTIANS. ft 
 
 €h. YllL-^Showinff the reason why there are so few good 
 
 Christians. 
 
 Wse T. Infoimatfon. It gives us a true account why 
 tBere are &o few good chiistians in the world ; liamely, be- 
 eaufie there are so few meditating christians: wo have many 
 .that have bibk ears, they are swift to hear, but slow Uj medi- 
 tate. Thr» daty is grown aJmoat out of fashion :. people am 
 so much m the shop that they are seldom on the mount 
 with €rod. Wher« is the nieditating christian ? Diogenes,. 
 in a full market, was seeking up and down, and being asked' 
 what lie sought for, saith, fseek for a man, that was to say, 
 a wise^man, a pliilosopher: among the crcwd of proiWsors, I 
 might search for a christian, namely, a meditating christian-. 
 Where is he that meditates on sin, hell, eternity, 'the recom- 
 pense of reward; that takes a prospect of heaven every day? 
 wkerefsthe medi^ Ming christian? It is to be lamented m 
 ©nr tfnies, that so many who go under th« name of professoi*, 
 Lave banished good discourse fiom their tables, and medita- 
 tion from their closets. Surely the hand of Joa) is in 
 this! 
 
 The devil is an enemy to meditation; he cares not hpw 
 much j^opleread and hear, nor how little they meditate ; he 
 iiows ihat meditation is a means to compose the heart, and 
 bring it into a gracious frame: now the devil is against that. 
 Sataa is conteni that you should be hearing and pi»ying 
 ehristiaos, so that ye be not meditating christians; he caa 
 stand your small shot, provided you do not put in this bullet. 
 
 Ob. IX. — A Reproof to such as 
 
 God's law. 
 
 do not meditate in 
 
 Use 2. Of reproof. It serves to reprove those who medi- 
 tate indeed, but not in the law of God : they turn all their 
 meditations the wron.^ way; like a man that lets forth the 
 water of his mill, which should grind his corn, into the high- 
 way, where it doth no good : so there are many who let out 
 tJheir meditations upon other fruitless things which are nn 
 "Wiiy bfneficial to their souls. 
 
 1. The farmer meditates on his acres of (and, not upon 
 
ta 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THB MOUNT, 
 
 his soul : his meditation is iiow he may improve a barren 
 piece of ground, not how he may improve a barren mind: he 
 will not let his ground lie fallow, but he lets his heart lie 
 fallow : there is no spiritual culture, not one seed of grace 
 sown there. 
 
 2. The physician meditates upon his receipts, but seldom 
 on those receipts wiiich the gospel prescribes for his salva- 
 tion, — faith and repentance. Commonly the devil is phy- 
 sician to the physician, having given him such stupifying 
 physic, that for the most part he dies of a lethargy. 
 
 3. The lawyer meditates upon the common law, but as 
 for God's law he seldoria meditates in it either day or night. 
 The lawyer while he is meditatitig on his client^s evidences, 
 often forgets his own. Most of this robe have their spiri- 
 tual evidences to seek, when they should have them to show. 
 
 4. The tradesman is for the most part meditating upon 
 his wares and drugs : his study is how he may increase his 
 estate, and make th*j ten talents a hundred. He is **eum» 
 bered about many things;" he doth not meditate ia the book 
 of God's law, but io his account-book day and night. At 
 the long run you will see these were fruitless meditations; 
 you will find that you are but golden beggars, and have got 
 but the fool's purchase when you die, Luke xii. 20. 
 
 6. There is another sort that meditate only upon mischiefj 
 ♦* who devise iniquity,'' Mic. ii. 1, they meditate how to de- 
 fi»nie and to defraud ; ** they make the ephab small, and the 
 shekel great," Anvos viii. 5. The ephah was a measui*e used 
 in buying, the shekel a weight used in selKng ; they know how 
 to collude and sophisticate. Christians who should support, 
 too often supplant one another. And how many meditate 
 revenge ! it is sweet to them as dropping honey, as Homer 
 speaks, " Their hearts shall meditate terror," Isa. xxxiii. 1 8. 
 The sinner is a felon to himself, and God will make him a 
 terror to himself, Jer. xx. 4. 
 
 Ch. X. — A holy persuasive to meditation. 
 
 Use 3. Of exhortation. I am in the next place to exfaoif 
 ^Viriatiane t/> thip. so nei^isErv duty of meditstios^ If 613^6? 
 tkere be * duty I would press upon you with more earn€«t- 
 
 . 
 
 ] 
 r 
 a 
 I 
 
 K 
 
THE ANSWBEINO OF OBJKCTIONg. 7g 
 
 nm and zeal, it should be this, because so much of the vitai^ 
 
 fni '^Tk ^i ''^'^'^" ^''' '" ''' The plant may as well b^ 
 fruit wifcho > wateriug, the meat may^as wellnoumh withoii 
 
 teZn ^f.'"" ^'''''''y "^ ^^''"^«« ^i^^«"^ meditation, 
 ioi you. Meditation must make the concoction : for want of 
 thm jou may cry out with the prophet, ''My leanness, my 
 
 such HB fear God, seriously to set about this duty. If you 
 ^ave formerly neglected it, bewail your neglecf, and now 
 begin tx) make conscience of it. Lock up fouiilves w'll 
 God, at lea^t once a day, by holy meditation. Ascend tht 
 hill, and When you are arrived at the top of it, you shall see 
 ate prospect, Christ and heaven before^ you.' \et me pi 
 
 17 Z'T '"^ ^^^^ '^""^ '^>'^"^ ^^ ^«»-"ard, '*0 saint, 
 ^uw^^t thou not that thy husband Christ is bashful, and 
 will not be familiar m company, retire thyself by meditation 
 into thecoset or tlae fiekl, aad there thou shalt have Christ'^ 
 
 fij rX •I.^t"""' ^'" '^'^"^^'' ^^* "« SO forth mto he 
 field, theie wdi I give thee my loves," Cant, vii M, 12. Q 
 
 tliat 1 could persuade christians to this rare duty ! Why is. 
 
 It that you do not ir^^ditate in God's law? let me expostulate 
 
 the case with you ; what is the reason I Methiuks I hZ 
 
 8ome say We are indeed convinced of the necessity of th^ 
 
 ,<Juty, but alas thei-e are manj things that hinder Ther* 
 
 are two great objections that lie in the way: I shall removT 
 
 them,, and then hoi>e.th« better to pei-suade to this du*ty. 
 
 ^^•^l'— The Ansivermg of Objections, 
 
 Ohj. 1. I have so much business in the world that I have, 
 no lime to inedit^ite. 
 
 ^ Answer. The world indeed isa great enemy to meditation. 
 It 18 easy to lose one's purse in a crowd of worldly employ- 
 ments. It is ea.My to lose all the thoughts of God. So lonff 
 as the heart is aa exchange, I do not expect that it shouW 
 be a temple • but, to answer the objection , hast thou so- 
 wiwch busmess that thou cuist no tim^ f«>r me.Hb^^-v^a ^ i? 
 SnO'^^%''"^' ^y the by, a thing fit only for idle hoi«^ 
 .Wh*t r m'tm to meditate ! What k the bu§itte6s of ihf 
 
u 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 life but meditation ? God never sent us into the world tog«t 
 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, namely, holy medita- 
 tion. Now, hast thou no time to meditate ? just as if a hus- 
 bandman should say, truly he hath so much business that he 
 hath no time to plough or sow ! Why, what is his occupa- 
 tion but ploughing and sowing? What a madness is it to 
 hear christians say they h^ve no time to meditate ! What is 
 the business of their lives but meditation ? O take heed, lest 
 by growing rich you grow worth nothing at la&t. 1 ike heed 
 that God doth not sue out the statute of bankrupt against 
 you, and you be disgraced befoie men and aiigels. No time 
 for meditation ! you shall observe that others i former ages 
 have had as much business as you, and public affairs to look 
 after, yet they were called upon to meditate; "Thoi shaft 
 meditate in this book of the law," Josh. i. 8. Joshua might 
 bive pleaded an excuse; he was a soldier, a commander, and 
 the care of marshalling his army lay chiefly upon him, yet 
 this must not take him off from religion; Joshua m st medi- 
 tate in the book of God's law. God never intended that the 
 great business of religion should give way to a shop or farm; 
 or that a pai-ticular calling should jostle out the general. 
 
 Obj, 2. But this duty of meditation is hard. ^ To ^^ttime 
 apart every day to get the heart into a meditating frame is 
 very difficult. Gerson i-eports of himself, that he was some- 
 times three or four hours before he could work his heart into 
 a spiritual frame. 
 
 Ans, Doth this hinder? To this I shall give a threefold 
 
 reply. 
 
 1. The price that God hath set heaven at is labour; our 
 salvation cost Christ blood, it may well cost us labour. <'The 
 kingdom of heaven sufters violence," Matt xi. 12. It is as a 
 garrison that holds out, and the'duties of religion are the tak- 
 (ug it by storm. A good christian must offer violence to 
 himself; though not to self natural, yet to self sinful. Self 
 U nothing but the flesh, Gal. v. 17, as Basil, Jerome, Theo- 
 phylact, and Chroysostom, do all expound it. The flesh cries 
 mi for ftase, it is a libertine ; it is loth to take pains, loth la 
 
 . 
 
, 
 
 THI ANSWERING OF OBJECTIONS. 76 
 
 prj, to repent, loth to put its neck under Christ's yoke. Now 
 a chrmtmn must hate himself; no man ever yet ha e^l h^ 
 own flesh Eph v. 29, yes, in his sense he mus.tte h^, oX 
 flesh, "the Justs of the fle.h," R„m. viii. 13. He must ofler 
 v,o ence to himself by mcUficatlon, and mediladon Say not 
 It '"hard to meditate, is it not harder to lie in hell ? ^ 
 
 i. We do not argue so in other thinm. Riches are hard 
 ^ffi."T ^^/' '^''t''^ I "ill -^ «ti" a>Hl ^e witho t hem :n^ 
 
 wwi I/^ "" '•"*" T"" ""' ^P^"'' """J f>« «P«»t for that 
 which IS more precious than the gold of Ophir ? by medita- 
 tion we suck out the quintessence of a promise. ^ 
 
 d. 1 hough while we are at ftret entering upon meditation 
 
 anHZ^t '"Ph ^:^ ""r °"f "« ''^^ "n.e'i^S.Ttt^wrt 
 Wvv T? 1. '"" ••>"'.''* "' "^« ^'•'t P»"i°e on niay seem 
 heavy but when once it is on it becomes eajy; it is not a 
 
 of how ''"'%*''«»"«««>• thoi art to ma According to that 
 11 I TH; ^f "^d-'-'tion of thee shall be sweeV Psa). 
 CIV. ,14. The poets say, the top of Olvmpus was alwavs 
 quie and serene: it is hard climbing up the rX hUUf 
 mednation, but when we are got up !o L to; th'ere °I 
 
 &„ r^'P*""' ?,"*^u^' '*'"" ««'"«'™e^ think ourselves 
 even m heaven. By holy meditation the soul doth as it 
 
 bieakfast is better than his dinner. When a Christian is 
 «pon the mount of meditation, he is like Peter on the mount 
 when Chnst was transfigured. Matt. xvii. 4, he cries oul 
 "Lord, ,t ,s good to be here:" he is loth to go down the 
 
 dtr;,h: f ff ^r '''^''r *° '"'^ '•«'•• ^^^'^ bidden mi^na 
 
 80 A wT' **;'! """' '"'" '""*«' ""^ ^t'« ''™'» of God's 
 ftpiiit! When Christ was alone in the wilderness, then the 
 
 ange came to comfort him; when the soul is alone in hor^ 
 
 meditations and ejaculations, then not an angel, but God'. 
 
 reetswTh^l",?'"?^ *° ''"'"^-' ''™- A Christian that 
 
 *k„* *u " I'i" "^'" """~^ ^'''^"^ F*^'*''^''*^'*' «PHiKiinff beauties 
 that the world can afford. No wonder David fpent thi 
 wbote day m meditation, PM cxix. 97. Nay. as if the % 
 
 < 
 
% 
 
 rj^ A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOtOT. 
 
 liftd -been too little, he borrows a part of the ni^^bt too^ 
 **Wben I rememLer thee upon my be/l,and .r.Jitateoa the* 
 in the night watches," Psal. Ixiii. 6. When others were 
 sleeping, fiavid wa. meditating. He who m given much to 
 Ldiulon, .hall, with Samson, fiad a honeycomb mh^ 
 •dtity: therefore let not the difficulty discourage, ihe plea 
 santness will infinitely countervail the pains. 
 
 Havincr removed these two objections oa t. of tfhe^ay 1^ 
 Bie again levive the exhortation to " meditate in God s aw 
 «aay and night." And tl^re are two sorts of meditation 
 <which I would peisuade t6. 
 
 Cb. XII. Concerning occasional Meditatioia. 
 
 1. Occasional, and 2. Deliberate. , „ o^*, 
 
 1. Occasional meditations; such as are tafc^m itp on aiiy 
 «udden occa^io«. There is hardly anything doth occur, biij 
 we may presently raise some meditation upon : as a gool 
 herbalist doth extract the sf^dt^ and quintessence out of 
 •every herb, so a Christian may from every emergence and 
 occurrence extract matter of meditation. A graciou. heart, 
 like fire, turns all objects into fuel for .fieditatian. I shaU 
 re you some instances. When you look up to the heave«8, 
 Ld L thevn richly embroidered with light, you may rai«e 
 this meditation: If the footstool be so glorious, what is the 
 throne where God himself sits? When you see the firma- 
 iSeTbespano-led with stars, think what is Christ the bright 
 Morning StSr! Rev. xxii. 16. Monica, Austin's moiher, 
 Zl| one day, and seeing the sun s>-ne mised h.s medv 
 tation : ! if the «un be so bright, what i. the ligh of God a 
 .pre^^^^^^^^^ When you hear music that a.lights the senses, 
 presently raise this meditation : What mu.ic like a good con- 
 Lence; thi. is the bird of paradise within, whose chirping 
 inelody doth enchant and ravi.h the soul with joy ; he that 
 Sith this music all day, may take David's pillow at mght 
 Td say with that sweet singer, " I will lay me down m p^c. 
 tnd sleep," Psal. iv. 8. How blessed is he who can imf 
 r _ Ti • y--^^ ' Whan xron are dressinsr your- 
 
 selves in the morning, awaken yo"'' "'"'^ '•»''"»•/ *'"i'^t 5 
 m. have I been dressing the hidden maa of tU« UwM 
 
COlfCERNlSa OCCASIONAL MEDITATIONS. 
 
 W 
 
 1 Pet. 111. 4 ; have I looked at my face in the glass of God% 
 Word ? I have put on my clothes, but have 1 pat on CLnstI 
 It 18 reported of Panibo, that seeino- a gentlewoman dressing 
 herself all the mornino: by he; ^hiQs, he fell a-weeping: O, 
 sajth he, this woman hath spent the morning in dressing her 
 body, and 1 somntimes spend scarce an hour in dressing my 
 sor.l ! When you sit down to dinner, let your meditation feed 
 upon this first course, Mow blessed are they who shall en* 
 bread in the kingdom of God ! What a royal feast will that 
 be which hath (iod for the founder! What a love-feaat 
 where none shall be admitted but friends! 
 
 When you gM to bed at i.ight, imagine thus: Siiortly I 
 
 , shall put off the earthly clothes of my bodv, and make my 
 
 bed m the grave. When you see the judge going to the 
 
 assizes, and hear the trumpet blow, think wiVh yourselves, ag 
 
 Jerome did, that you are heaiing that shrill trumpet aound- 
 
 vii' '" -^^^"^ ^^'^' *'^"®® y^ ^^^^'^^ '^"^ ^^"^^ ^o judgment" 
 ^ When you see a poor man going in the streets, raise thia 
 meditation : Here is a walking picture of Christ, " He had no 
 J>lace where to lay His head," Matt viii. 20. My Saviour 
 w?"^^ poor, that I through his poverty might be madencH., 
 When you go to church, think thus: I am now going to 
 heai- God speak, Jet me not stop my ear; if I refuse to b^ar 
 him spealiing in his word, I shall next hear him speukingia 
 his wrath, Psal. ii. 5. When you walk abroad in your 
 orchard, and see the plants bearing and the herbs flouriehifig, 
 tbink bow pleasing a sight it is to God to see a thriving 
 Christian ; how beautifni'are the trees of righteousness when 
 they are hung full of fruit, Phil. i. 11, when they abound in 
 faith, humility, knowledge! When you pluck a rosebud ia 
 your ganlen, raise this contempbition : How lovel}- are the 
 early puttings forth of u'race ! God prizeth a Christian in 
 the bud, he likes the bloomings of youth rather than the 
 sheddings of old Mge. When you eat a grape from the tree, 
 think of Christ the true vine; how precious is the blood of 
 that grape! such lare clusters grow tliere, that the angels 
 themselves delight to taste of them. It is said of Austin, 
 that he was much in these extempore meditations. A oriu'i- 
 -ous heart, lilse the philosopher's stone, turns all into gold. Ifc 
 is atilJing-tirae all the year with a Christian; h« stiJiefcU out 
 
 1^ 
 
78 
 
 A CHRIBTIAN ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 heavenly meiHtations from earthly occurrences. As the curi- 
 ous alcbymist, when several metals are mingled together, can 
 by his ^kill extract the i^old and silver from the baser metals; 
 flo a Christian, by a divine alchymy, can extract golden 
 meditations from the various objects he beholds. Indeed it 
 argues a spiritual heart, to turn everything to a spiritual use ; 
 and we have Christ's own example for these occasional medi- 
 tations, John iv. 7, 10, 18, 14. While he sat on Jacob's 
 well, he presently meditates on that, and breaks forth into a 
 most excellent discourse concerning the water of life. So 
 much for occasional meditations. 
 
 2. Be exhorted to deliberate meditations, which are the 
 chief. Set some time apart every day, that you may, in a 
 serious and solemn manner, converse with God in the mount. 
 A godly man is a man set apart, Psal. iv. 3, as God set^^ him 
 apart by election, so he sets himself apart by meditation. 
 
 Ch. XIII. — For the right tiruing of Meditation. 
 
 Quest. 1. What is the fittest time for meditation ? 
 
 Arts, For the timing of it, it is hard to prescribe, because 
 of men's various callings and employments. But, if I may 
 freely speak my thoughts, the morning is the fittest time for 
 meditation. The best lime to converse with God is, when 
 we may be most private; that is, before worldly occasions 
 stand knocking as so many suitors at the door to be let in : 
 the morning is, as it were, the cream of the day ; let the cream 
 be taken off, and let God have it. In the distilling of strong 
 water, the first water that is drawn frot\i the still is moi-e full 
 of spirits, the second drawing is weaker; so the fiist medita- 
 tions that are stilled from the mind in a morning are t^ . best, 
 and we shall find them to be most full of life and spirits. 
 The morn-ngis the golden hour. God loved the first-fruits; 
 «<The first of the first-fruits thou sh«lt bring into the house 
 of the Lord," Exod. xxiii. 1 9. Let God have the first-fruits 
 of the day ; the first of our thourbts niust be set upon heaven. 
 The student takes the morning for his study. The usurer 
 gets up in the morning and looks over his books of account. 
 A nu,.:a*i"n Trs'iR^- hpfTin with God in the morninof. David 
 was with God before break of day; "I prevented the dawn- 
 ing of the morning," Psal. cxix. 14T, 
 
RIGHT TIMINO OF MiSDITATIOW. 
 
 70 
 
 Quest. 2. But why the moiiing for meditation? 
 Ans.l. BecHuse in the morning the mind is fittest for 
 holy duties; a Christian is most himself then. What weary 
 devotion will there he at ni,£:ht when a man is quite tired out 
 with the busiiiess of the day ! he will be fitter to sleep than 
 to meditate. The morning is the queen of the dav; then the 
 fancy is quickest, the memory strongest, the spirits freshest, 
 the organ of the body most disposed, having been recruited 
 by sleep. It is a sure rule, then is the best ti le to serve 
 (iod, when we find ourselves most in tune. In the morning 
 the heart is like a viol strung and put in tune, and then S 
 makes the sweetest inelodv. 
 
 2. The morning thoughts stay longest with us the day 
 atter; the wool takes the first dye best, and it is not easily 
 worn out. When the mind receives the impression of ^ood 
 thoughts m the morning, it holds this sacred dye the better; 
 and, like a colour in grain, it will not easily be lost. The 
 heart keeps the relish of^morning meditations, as a vessel 
 mat receives a tincture and savour of the wine that is first 
 put into it; or as a che.st of sweet linen, that keeps the scent 
 a great hile after. Perfume thy mind with heavenly 
 thoughts m the morning, and it will not lose its spiritual 
 tragrancy Wind up thy heart towards heaven in the begin- 
 ning of the da), and it will go the better all the day after. 
 It IS with receiving thoughts into the mind, as it is with m- 
 ceivmg guests, into an inn: the first guests that come fill the 
 best rooms m the Jiouse; if others come after, worse rooms 
 will serve them- so, when the mind entertains holy raedita- 
 tions tor Its morning-gueMs, if afterwards earthly thouirhts 
 come, they are put into some of the worst rooms, they lodffe 
 lowest 111 the affections. I'he best rooms are taken up in the 
 morning for Christ He that loseth his heart in the morn- 
 ing in the world, will hardly find it again all the day afteftri 
 3. It IS a part ot that solemn respect and honour we ffive 
 to Orod, to let him have the first thoughts of the day we 
 give persons of qunlity the precedency, we let them take* the 
 first place. It we honour God, whose name is reverend and 
 holy, we shall let the thoughts of God take place of all otJ.er. 
 vf ueu inr woiia iiatfa the first of our thoughts, it is a sign 
 the world lies uppermost, we love it moat. The first thing a 
 
A| ▲ CHEIBTUi^ ON THB MOUNT. 
 
 covetous man meditates on in the inorning, is his money ; a 
 •iffn his ffold lies rearost to his heart. O Christians, «et God 
 have your morninff meditations I It displeases God to have 
 the worlil served before him. Suppose a king and a j ■ ^ 
 were to di.ie in the same room, and to sit at two t-*t.ie it 
 the yeoman should have bis meat brDUglit up, and • vea 
 
 first, the kinff might well be displeased, and look ^v »• 
 
 » contempt done to his person. When the world sb... be 
 served first, all our morning thoughts attending ir *. ^ the 
 Lord shall be put off with the dregs of the day, vvi.en our 
 thoughts begin to run low, is not this a contempt done to 
 
 the God of a lory. ^ n ^ r ., 
 
 4. Equity requires it. God deserves the first of oui 
 thought*. We had a being in his thoughts before we had a 
 being; he thought upon us -before the foundations of the 
 world," Eph. i. 4. Before we fell, he was ta.nkmg how to 
 raise us. We had the norning of his thoughts O ! what 
 thoughts of free grace, what thoughts of peace hath he ha4 
 towards us! we have takon up his^boughts from etenutv . if 
 we have had some of God's first thoughts, well may he have 
 
 our first thoughts. , , ^ 
 
 6. This is to imitate the pattern of the saints. Job lose 
 early in the morning, and offered, Job i. 6. David when he 
 awaked was with God, Psal. cxxxix. 18- and indeed this is 
 the way to have a morning blessing. -In the "corning the 
 4ew fell." Exod. xvi. 13. The dew of a blessing falls ea.ly , 
 BOW we are nkeliest to have God's company. If y^"^^";^ 
 meet with a friend, you go betimes in the mormng before he 
 be gone out. We read that the Holy Ghost came down upon 
 the apostles, Acts ii. 3. \ and it was in the i?J-'-«^"g' ^^'f^^^ 
 be gathered from Peter's sermon, vei-. 15, it was but th^ 
 third hour of the day." The morning is tbo time for fruittui- 
 iie.ss,"In the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish, 
 I^xvii. 11. By mSruing meditation we make the seed of 
 
 firrace to flourish. . -i-t. *.• 
 
 ^ I would not by this wholly exclude evening meditation. 
 Isaac went out to meditate in the even-tide, Gen. xxiv 63. 
 When business is over, and everything calm, it is good to take 
 H turn with God in the evening. God had uis eveniD^ ^v^ 
 l^Z weU as his morning, Ex. xxix. 39. As the cream ii 
 
 
THK SUBJECT or MKDITATIOir. 
 
 ft 
 
 
 caseg, tne evening meditation doth well. 
 
 thon U.? r" ""f ]"'"' ''*'" •''« '"•S'ncy of businew, that 
 
 we want of the ,„„nmtf with uvening meditation. 
 
 },3 * "'«.e™i"n!r; for somelime,, there is a .rrtaler 
 
 lllTl' . . "<" "«Kl«=-;t nuHitution at »„eh a time. Who 
 iZn ^'"■.'\'"''y}"> •> q-oiiching the Spirit! Do not dlive 
 
 rmvirdT ; h'"" " ■^.'^^".'«'f''«- B»t I «»?. if I may cast 
 in my verdict, the iiioriimg ,8 to he preferred. As the flower 
 
 of It 12 "'""'" '" '^ '■'°™'"S """'"' - 'he sweet K 
 
 Ch. XlV.-^JIow lojig Christians should he conversant with 
 
 this Duty. 
 
 Quest. 2. But how long should I meditate? 
 Ans M we consider how much of our t4me is given to 
 the world, It ,8 hard if we ciuuot give God at le/wt one half 
 
 Srji^T'i^wir'- i f^^^ r^y '^y '^^ ^^^ a ^*«««-al rule. 
 Meditate till thou findest thy heart grow warm in this duty. 
 
 hv fhJ^^'l ^TY 'M*^:^'r ^^ ^^^^ long he should stand 
 by the fire ? Surely, ti^l he be thoroughly warm, and made 
 
 fit for his work So, Christian, thy heart is cold; never a 
 
 day, no, not the hoitest day in summer, but it freezeth there. 
 
 ^ow stand at the fire of meditation tilJ thou findest thy attee- 
 
 tions warmed, and thou art made more fit for spiritual ser- 
 
 vice David mused till his heart waxed hot within him, 
 
 l-sal. xxxix. 3. I will conclude this with that excellent say- 
 
 ing of Be.-nard, "Lord I will never come away from thee 
 
 Without thee." Let th.s be a Christianas resolution not Z 
 
 leave otr h,s meditations of God till he find sornethinr. of God 
 
 '^f^^7l^Zr^tl '''-' ''''' ^^"^- ''^ -- 
 
 • Deaire, ardour, forc«. 
 
*r 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOCNT. 
 
 i%. XY.— Concerning the usefulness of Meditation, 
 
 Having answered these questions, I shall next show the 
 benefit and usefiihiehs of meditation. ^ 
 
 I know not any duty that brings in greater income and 
 revenue than this. It is reported of Thaios, that he left the 
 affairs of state to become a contemi)latinoj philosopher. O . 
 did we know the advantage which is gained by this duty, we 
 would often- retire tVom the noi.^e and hurry of the world, 
 that we might give ourselves tO/ meditation. 
 
 The benefits of meditation appeal s in seven particulars :-- 
 
 1. Meditation is an excellent means to profit by the Word. 
 Readmg may luring a truth into the head; meditntion brings 
 it into the heart. ^Bettpr meditate on one sermon than hear 
 five. I observe many put up their bills in our congregations, 
 Mid complain that they cannot profit; may not this be tha 
 chief reason, because they chew nut the cud, they do not 
 meditate on what they have heard. If an angel should come 
 from heaven, and preach to men, nay, if Jesus Christ himseft 
 were their preacher, they would never profit without medita- 
 tion. It is the settling of the milk that makes it turn to 
 cream; and it is the settling of a truth in tlie mind, that 
 makes it turn to spiritual aliment. The bee sucks the fl:ower, 
 and then v -.s it in the hive, and makes honey of it: the 
 hearing of a tiuth preached is the sucking of a fiower ; there 
 must be a working it in the hive of the heart by meditation^, 
 before it will turn to honey. There is a disease in cliddrea 
 called the rickets, when they have great heads, but therf* 
 lower parts are small and thrive not. I wish many of the 
 professors in London have not the spiritual rickets, they have 
 feTeat heads, much knowledge, but yet they thrive not m 
 ffodiiTiess, their heart is taint, their feet feeble, they wa.k not 
 vigorously in the wavs of God ; and the cause of this disease 
 is, the want of meditation. Illumination without meditation 
 makes us no bettei than devils. Satan is an angel of light, 
 
 yet black enough. . i ^i •* 
 
 II. Meditativn doth make the heart serious, and then it 
 is ever best. Meditation doth ballast the heart: when the 
 «hip is ballasted, it is not so soon overturned by the wind; 
 au4 when the heart is baiiastea vviiu meaiu»tioii, iw i-. h-ti; — - 
 
 I 
 
 
THE USEFULNESS OF MEDITATION*. 
 
 8.t 
 
 I 
 
 
 soon overturned with vanity. Borne Christians have h'ght 
 hearts, ♦* his prophets are light." Zeph. iii. 4. A hght Chris- 
 tian wiJl be blown iuto any opinion or vice; you may bfovv a 
 feather any way: theie are many fuiiihery Christians; the 
 devil no sooner comes witli a temptation, but they are ready 
 to take fire. Now meditation makes the heart serious, and 
 God saith of a serious Chtistian, as David of Goliath's sword, 
 "there is jone liko that, give it me." Meditation consohdh.ia 
 aChri.*i;n. Solid gold is best; the solid Christian is the 
 only metal that will pass current with God. The more seri- 
 ous the heart grows, the more spiritual; and the more spiri- 
 tual, the more it resembles the Father of spirits. When a 
 man is serious, he is fittest for employment. TJie serious 
 Christian is fittest for service, and it is meditation brings the 
 heart into this blessed frajiie. 
 
 III. Meditation is the bellows of the affections. Medita- 
 tion hatcheth good affections, as the hen hev young ones^ by 
 sitting on them. We light affection at this fire of meditation ; 
 " While I was musing the fire burned," Psal. xxxix. 3. David 
 was meditating on mortality, and see how his heart wJis 
 affected yvith it, ver. 4. " Lord, make me to ki»ow mine end 
 and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how 
 frail I am." The reason our affections are so chill and cold 
 in spiritual things, is, because we do not warm ourselves more 
 at the fire of meditation. Illumination makes us shining 
 lamps; meditation makes us burning lamps. What is it to 
 know Chi-ist by speculation, and not by affection ! It is the 
 proper work of meditation to excite and blow np holy pas- 
 sions. What sparklings of love in such a soul ! When Da^id 
 had meditated on God's law, he could not fail to love it, « O 
 how love I thy law ! it is my meditation all the day," Psal. 
 cxix 97. When tlie spouse had by meditation viewed those 
 singular beauties in h r beloved, white and ruddy, Cant, v., 
 she grew sick of love, ver. 8. Galeatius Caraccialus, that 
 famous marquis of Vicf>, who had been engaged much in the 
 e4>ntemplation of Christ, breaks out into a holy pathos. Let 
 their money peiish wiih ihem, who esteem all the gold in the 
 world worth one hour's communion with Jesus Christ! 
 
 IV. Meditation fits for holy duties. The musician fir^t 
 
 t>|ltE hlft ITlRtmmijnf in f1tn/^ ««^ aV.^,^ 1^^ .^ !...,« « 1-is'- • 
 
$4 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON THE MOtTNTr 
 
 meditation tunes the heart, and then it is fit for any holy 
 service. As the sails to the ship, so is meditation to duty, it 
 carries on the soul more swiftly, ^ 
 
 1. Meditation tits for hearing. When the ground is 
 softened by meditation, then it is tit for the plough and the 
 seed; wb-n the heart is softened by meditation, then is a fit 
 time for thp seed of the Word to be sown. 
 
 2. Meditation fit- for prayer. Prayer is the spiritual pulse 
 of the £Oul, by which it beats strongly after God. There is 
 no hving without prayer. A man cannot live, unless he 
 takes breath; no more can the soul, unless it breathes out its 
 desires to God. Prayer ushers in mercy, and prayer sancti- 
 fies mercy, 1 Tim, iv. 5, it makes mere; to be mercy. Prayer 
 hath pf'wer over God, Hos. xii. 4. Prayer comes with letters 
 of mandamus to heaven. Isa. xlv. 1 1 . Pi'a} er is the spiritual 
 leech, that sucks the poison of sin out of the soul. What a 
 blessed (shall I sav dutv or) privilege is prayer ! Now medi- 
 tation is a help to' prayer; Gerson calls it the nurse of prayer. 
 Meditation is like the oil to the lamp ; the lamp of prayer will 
 soon go out, unless meditation cherish and support it. Medr- 
 tation and prayer are like two turtles; if you separate one 
 the other dies. A cunning angler observes the time and 
 season when the fish bite best, and then he throws in his 
 angle: when the heart is warmed by meditation, then is the 
 best season to throw in the angle of prayer, and fish for 
 mercy. After Isaac had been in the field meditating, he was 
 fit for prayer when he came home. When the gun is full of 
 powder, it is fittef^t to discharge. So when the mind is full of 
 good thoughts, a christian is fittest by prayer to discharge; 
 thenhe^nds up whole vollies of sighs and groans to heaven. 
 Meditation hath a double benefit in it, it pours in, and r ours 
 out: first it pours good thoughts into the mind, and then it 
 pours out those thoughts again in prayer. Med^'- Hon first 
 furnishes with matter to pray, and then it furnis)j..> vvth a 
 heart to pray Psal. xxxix. 3. '* I was imsinr';' ^aith David, 
 and the very next words are a prayer, " T or<' make me to 
 know my end;" and, '• I muse on the works : Iiy hands, I 
 stretch forth my hands to thee;" Psal cxl'.ii. 5. a, the .^iusmgof 
 hm head ma<le way forthestretching foi thof his h? n^^i .n prayer. 
 When Christ was upon the mount, then he praye'l : so when 
 
 5 
 
 i 
 1 
 1 
 r 
 
 t 
 
 P 
 
m m 
 
 ) 
 
 HEDITATIOW. B^ 
 
 tbe soul is upon the mount of meditation, then it is in tune fur 
 prayer. Prayer is the child of meditation : meditation leads 
 tUe van, and prayer brings up the rear. 
 ^ 3. Meditation fiis foi li4:tmHiation. When David had 
 been contemplating the works of creation, their splendour 
 hannony, motion, influence, he lets tlie plumes of pride fall' 
 and begms to have self-abasing thoughts, " When I consider 
 
 ^hich thou bast ordameJ, What is man that thou art mind- 
 ful of him !" Psal. viii. 3, 4. 
 
 ^ V. Meditation is a strong antidote against sin. Most sin 
 isconim.tred for want c^ med^ ration.? men .a ;hroS 
 though tlesness and passion. V-oukl they be so brutishJy 
 sensual as they are, f they di-l seriously n/editate what S 
 Would bey take this viper in their hand, if they did but con- 
 sider be ore of the sting ? Sin puts a worm into conscien^^ 
 
 thTl^T ^t- ' ?'■: '''' ''^' ^'^^ »-» meditate oTthit 
 that atter all then- dainty dishe., death will bring in the 
 
 reckonmg, and that they must pay the reckoning in hell, they 
 would say as David, in another sense, " Let me not eat of 
 
 o^'inT't-?^"'- 1'- f- /^^ '^^^'^ appleTatlfatL: 
 co.e in ,t D.d men think of this, surely it would put them 
 
 nto a cold sw^.t, and be as the angel's drawn swo d to ^. 
 fnght th.m. Meditation is a golden shield to beat l>ack sil 
 When Jos-^ph s mistre-ss templed him to wickedness, mediU- 
 tion preserved him, -How shall [ do this great wickedness 
 and sm aga^nst Go.! ?" Me litation makes the heart 1 ke wet 
 tmder, it will not take the de\ fl's fire. 
 
 VI. Meditaiion -s a cure of co\ etousness. The covetoua 
 
 dowu to an huA. yu, l,e uoralnps gmven mwe;cxi in his coin 
 
 ItL? I ."mong the .t:m, the earth would .ee.nas 
 medm,t on ho. m M worldly things disappear and soe.n 
 
 ^:ta^fr "'"t^- ■ "' "'"' ""' '^"^ "' "'em >vhieh men of 
 BrLn^f w, P " ^f ' .""" ''" ^"«'' ""d heaven k hi* 
 
 S*H. I 1 """ ^'u'^?'"' ^ ■"'■'y ""'"^^ 'o withrever- 
 fuue. " ri.fe aweli«in nn Unvh u^ i 1 1, .i i • „ ,« , . .. 
 
 '£»""> *"" ^'"iiiWivi/U UiujSeil to ottuuicf 
 
6i 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON ''- 
 
 .. gN THE MOUNT. 
 
 
 the things done on the earth," Psal. cxiii. 5, 6. The chris- 
 tian that dwelleth on high by meditation, accounts it a hum- 
 bling and abnsiiig of himself to look down upon the earth, 
 and behold the tilings done in this lower region. Saint Paul, 
 whose meditations were sublime and soraphical, looked at 
 things which were not seen, 2 Cor. iv. 18. How did he trample 
 upon the world ! how did he »corn it! "1 am crucified to the 
 "world," Gal. vi. 14, as if he had said, it is too much below 
 me to mind it. He who is catching at a crown, will not fish 
 for gudgeons, as Clec^patra once said to Mark Antony. A 
 christian who is ejcvated by holy meditation, will not set his 
 heart wliere bis feet should be, upon the earth. 
 
 Yll. Holy meditation banishes vain and sinful thought; 
 it purifies the fancy ; '• How long shall vain thoughts 
 lodge within thee," Jer. iv. 14. The mind is the shop or 
 workhouse where sin is first framed. Sin begins at the 
 thoughts. The thoughts are the first plotters and contrivers 
 of evil. The mind and f?ncy is a stage where sin is firet 
 acted ; the malicious man acts over sin in his thoughts, he con- 
 contemplates revenge. The impure person acts over con- 
 cupiscence in his thoughts, he contemplates lust. The Lord 
 humbles us for our contemplative wickedness, ** If thou hast 
 
 'ghtevil, lay thy hand upon thy mouth," Prov. xxx. 32. 
 '".' much sin do men commit in the chamber of their ira- 
 v.^ *ation! Now meditating in God's law would be a good 
 means to banish these sinful thoughts. If David had carried 
 the book of the law about him, and meditated in it, he had 
 not looked ou Bnthsheba with a l.jscivious eye, 2 Sam. xi. 2. 
 Holy meditation would have quenched that wild-fire of lust. 
 The word of God is pure, Psal. cxix. 140, not only subjec- 
 tive, hut eflective. It is not only pure in itself, but it makes 
 them pure that meditate in it. Chiist \vhipped the buyei's 
 and sellers out of the temple, John ii. 15. Holy meditation 
 would whip out idle -ind vagrant the- j^^h' , and not sutler 
 them to lodge in the mind. What is the j^ison the angels in 
 heaven have not a \'ain thought ? They ha^ e asight of God, 
 their eye is never off him. If the eye of the soul were fixed 
 on God by meditation, how would vain impure thoughts 
 vanish I As when that woman, Judg. ix. 53, was in the 
 tower, and Abimelech came near to tha town to eutor it, »h« 
 
DIVINE MOTIVES TO MEDITATIOW. ^If 
 
 . and sinful tho^^h Tol. 'eon^ no if toT? ' "' "*""*'''"'' 
 this tower throw a raill-.t>,'e umn , "? T '""^ f''°" 
 
 And th„, ,0.. have .en '^1^^;':;:^^^"'' '"-• 
 
 Cyprian, asthenn.ory'Zietv r> '^"',',"'-' ^^'Y^^on,, 
 «ith what word, .hai r eti' f„rr"'n; "'^'''P''''""^^' 
 done excellently; bnt "thn,, L! . .^"""' ''"*'«» ^ave 
 tionisafriend totheara.e! ;f> ' ""''" ""•" ^edita- 
 I n-ay call it. in Basflfe^pr;, on tC ""'''*'' "'tP'^'"''''*""- 
 graces are locked up: and with Tl» IT"''^ f''"'^ "" "»» 
 and por.^1 by which'^^e e te. n Ji^fZ ^'^f'' '^V-^ ^""^ 
 spirits are raised and heiJbteLdVl-^ . '^ i ?^ "'«<)'tation the 
 Meditation doth sweetfin fjol h'"'^ •"' ''"?'^"<^' <■'•«"'«• 
 heaven before our time M.tKT '^"PP'''^^' *' P'"' us in 
 together, 1 John iii 2 *^'''"^"'~ ' '""'g« «od andthesoul 
 
 see tt^^'tirbif^ iff t?; t;''^? ^'r ''^ -'"•<"• *^^ 
 
 ascend paradise; H is the sit, f'" 'f'i''"' ^^^ "hich they 
 land of promise and it brS, ^^ '"k' t'"*'^ 'o search thi 
 is the dove they se"d „ afd ft l'"'^ ''^^^P^^ ''■"' >'! *' 
 peace in its mouth; b« Iho el teir'^f''" "''''' ^''"'^ ''^ 
 save they that tast« it » The^vrii 7 '"®^' '""i«y is, 
 
 to experinced chrl.t a„s, w,>ot l":"'^;,'^"*''"'^'*'''' ^'^'''^ 
 be better felt tha.. express-^d • '^"™'"''' o<'itmay 
 
 Toexriteall to this panchreiinn* /„ii ■ 
 
 lent, I had almost ,ai,l a'n,,et X du'ty, le metv" do"'' '''''''• 
 divine motr ^s to mprlitati^^ i i -^ '^\me Jay aownsome 
 
 could revive t^.^d'T^trg ZiJ^/^^ '''-'' ^ ^ '^ ^ 
 
 Ch. XViI._6'o«<a;„;«^ *:„•„, ^„i;^^^ ^^ Meditation. 
 _ _^Motii,e i. Meditation doth <li,«criminate and .»......„„•.. 
 
 » -an ; o^ ii„„ he may take a measure of his hea"rt7 whetW 
 • Universal remsdy, precious for all. ■ 
 
i$d 
 
 A CHRISTIAN ON T' 
 
 MOINT. 
 
 \t be good or bad ; let rae allude to that; " For aa he thinketli 
 in his heart, so is he," Prov. xxiii. 7, as the iiiedit?'tioii is, 
 such is the man. Meditation is the tou-hstone of a oUnstian ; 
 it shows what metal he is made of. It is a .sj'uiiu;ii index; 
 the index shows what is in tlie book, so meditatuMi shows 
 ivhat is in the heart. If jill a man's nie<:litati^ us are how 
 he may get power against fcin, how he may gi'ow in grace, 
 how he may have more conimunio:! with God, ihis shows 
 what is in his heart; the frame of liis heart is spiritual; by 
 the beating of this puUe, judL>'e of th^i health of thy souL It 
 18 the characier of a godly man; he fears God, "and thinks 
 of his name," Mai. iii. 16. Whereas if the thoughts are taken 
 up with pride and lust, as are the thoughts, sucdi is the heart; 
 <* their thoughts are thoughts of ini<|uity," Isa. lix. 7. When 
 Tain sinful thouorhts come, men make much of thern, they 
 make room for them, they shall diet and lodge with them; 
 if a good thought chance to come into their mind, it is soon 
 turned out of doors, as an uuwelcome guest. What need 
 Vfe further witness? this argues much unsoundness of heart; 
 let this provoke to holy meditation. 
 
 Motive 2. The thoughts of God, as they bring delight 
 "wilh them, so they leave peace behind : those are the best 
 Lours which are spent with God. Conscience, as the bee, 
 gives honey ; it will notgrieveus when wecometo die, that we 
 jiave spent our tiuie in lioly soliloquies and (ejaculations. But 
 what honour will the sinner have, when he shall a&k eonscience 
 the question, as Joram did Jehu. 2 Kings ix. 22. Is it peace, 
 conscience, is it peace? and conscience shall say as Jehu, 
 *' What peace, so lono- as the whoredoms of thy mother 
 Jezebel, and her witchci-afts are so many ?" Oh how sad will 
 it be with a man at such a lime! Christians, us you tender 
 ^our peace, "meditate in God's law day and night." 
 
 This duty of meditation being regiected, the heart will 
 Tun wild, it wi'l'not be a vineyard, but a wilderness. 
 
 Motive 3. Meditation keeps the heart in a good decorum. 
 It plucks up the weeds of sin, it pritnea the luxuriant branches, 
 it waters the flowers of grace, it sweeps *^ll the walks in the 
 heart, that Christ may walk there with delight. For want 
 
 _^/> 1 I_ „ - Ti i* J^l - 1 J- T-- 1-1-- i-I- - -I J»_ ^,^1,1 
 
 mjl iiOiv iii&MliRljlOU IQe neHFt lies i'i'^i'- bJiU rijijg^j^citu 3 iiCi"-.i, 
 
 Prov. xxiv. 31, all overgrown with thorns and briers, unCi«aa 
 
 ) 
 
DTVTNK MOtrVEB TO MBDITATIQW, 
 
 89 
 
 ) 
 
 CI 
 
 rthly thoughts. It is rather the devirs hogstye, than 
 :irJ8t's garden. It is like a house fulJeu to ruin, fit only for 
 "UncJean spirits to inhabit. 
 
 Motive 4. The fruitlesness of all other meditations. One 
 man ky« out his thoughts about laying up; his meditations 
 'are -how to raise himself in the world, and when he hath ar- 
 rived at an estate, often Go 1 blows upon it, Ha^, i 9 His 
 ^a.e 18 for his child, and perhaps God takes it away; or if it 
 lives It proves a cross. Another meditates how to satisfy his 
 ambition, "Honour me before the people," 1 Sam. xv. 30. 
 Alas, what 18 honour but a meteor in the air; a torch lio-hted 
 by the breath of people, with the least puff blown outl'^how 
 many hye to see their names buried before them ! When 
 this sun IS in the meridian, it doth soon set in a cloud. 
 
 11ms fruitless are those meditations which do not centre 
 HponGod. It 18 but to carry dust against the wind. But 
 •especially at death; then a man sees all those thoughts which 
 were not spent upon God to be fruitless, ''In tteil >;er7 div 
 his thoughts perish " Psal. cxlvi. 4. I may allude to it i 
 this sense; all worldly, vain thoughts in that day of death 
 |eri8b, andjeora« to nothing.: what good will the whole globe 
 
 «Mi:ih6irrth<Hight.smimpertiiteneieswill but be the more dis- 
 '^uiet«d; It will cut them to the heart to think how they have 
 apun a fooPs thread. A Scythian captain havino-, for a 
 fraught of water, yielded up the city, cried out, Wlmt have 
 1 ost ? what have I betrayed ? So will it be with that man 
 r'" ^e comes to die who hath spent all his meditations 
 ^ron the world ; he will say what have I lost? what have I 
 betrHved? 1 have lost heaven, I have betrayed my seul And 
 Should not the consideration of this fix our minds upon the 
 thoughts of God and gloiy ? All other ineditationsare fruit- 
 less; like a piece of ground which hath much cost laid out 
 upon It, but it Yields no crop. 
 
 Motive 5. Holy mediiation is not lost. God hath a pen 
 to write down all our good thoughts, "A book of remem- 
 Van^w.. written for the.n that thought upon his name,'^' 
 ^^.21\±.''?^}^ ^!' --L ^e'«Ws, so all our 
 rotim'""^ ''''''''''" '" ^'* ^''''^'" ^^^^ ^®"* ^^^ closet de- 
 
80 
 
 A CHRiaxrAW ON TBI MOTJITT. 
 
 Motive 6. The sixth motive is in the text, namely, the 
 hlessednesfi affixed to the meditatinjs: chnstian, " Blessed is 
 the man," A;c. ver. 1. Say not it is hard to meditate. What 
 think you of blessedness? Lycurgus could draw the Lacede- 
 monians to anything by rewards. If men can meditate with 
 delight on that which will make them curaed, shall not we 
 meditate on that which will make ns blessed ? nay, in the 
 Hebrew it is in the plural, blessednesses; we shall have one 
 bles>8edneBs upon another. 
 
 Motive 7. Lastly, delightful meditation in Grod's law is 
 the best way for a man to prosper in his estate. " This book 
 of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt 
 meditnte therein for there thou shalt make thy way prosper- 
 ous," Josh. i. 8. I leave this to their consideration who are 
 desirous to thrive in the world ; and let this serve for a 
 motive to meditation. 
 
 The next thing remaining, is, to lay down some rules about 
 meditation. 
 
 Ch. XVIII. — Prescribing rules about Meditation. 
 
 Ruh 1. When thou goest to meditate be very senous 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 thyself into a posture of holy reverence. 
 Overawe thy heart with the thoughts of God, and the 
 incomprehensibleness of his majesty. When thou art at the 
 worlt of meditation, remember thou art now to deal with God. 
 If an angel from heaven did appoint to meet thee at such an 
 hour, wouldst thou not address thyself with all seriousness 
 and solemnity tD meet liim ? Behold a greater than 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 thyself, O christian! when thou art going 
 to meditate, that thou art now to deal with him in 
 private whom the angels adore, and before whom the devila 
 tremble. Think with thyself, that thou art now in his pre- 
 sence before whom thou must shortly stand, and all the world 
 with thoe, to receive their doom. Thou must be i-emoved, 
 find how soon thou kiioweat uot, irom iiie CiOSCi. sG ••«$ 
 tribunal. 
 
 V 
 
RULES FOR MEDITATIOW. 
 
 1^ 
 
 2. That thy heart may be serious in meditation laboni. 
 to pos«<»s thy thoughte with the solemnity and S^rf 
 the work thou art now eoine about As n.Jt T^ 
 cejning his building a ho^.se'^or Go!i. •^iJ'Z^ iTtL7« 
 1 Chron. xx.x. 1, «, ,t may be said of mediution thf^rt 
 
 powers of the soul to the work. If thou wert to set about ! 
 tusmess wherein thy life were concerned, how serious wouWa? 
 thou l>e m the thoughts of it! I„ the busine^ " Ced^?Mkf,^ 
 thy soul IS concerned; eternity depends uZni^lfth™" 
 
 pi1S;rnr,:i::lhTrr'j.^:H 
 
 fore.:rnrvV'r 1" ?,''^'«'-' »« -hen be i^ ^L^l^Tli^, 
 
 gTiS^t thri:xr in^z^tr"'"^' '^- - 
 
 fi:^n t^l'frz'r"'!''^^-. "Ti- book of the 
 
 reading/; 1 TimTv 13 Thi^wT' " <^i*« "'t^o^lance to 
 
 ♦k„^:i.J»* 1 !^""S aoth furnish with matter- it i>. 
 rLnX ^v ?• '' "'".''""'' "^ '"editalion. ReadTng heC <^ 
 out leading will be erroneous. Natundly (he mind is d«fil«,l 
 
 :r;:;re,,i;tL"^'-li:r:;-:r- 
 
 .s a strange UtopiH in thi fancies ofTme men thev^k! 
 
 resurrection nv I, ^ S"d.lucees' opinion, tb.it there is no 
 
 the antinomiat'^pirn'lb^t thf -'^'^''T ""^ '»"" '' "^ 
 pei^n, mistakes ^Sp e and In T ^■"' '",? J?'''*'*"! 
 this, he at last falls i,,^08™MLT^^ u* is meditating on 
 
 ! , . : '"'" scandal. Thus the mind ».«.-;-~ i.:j 
 
 « W.V.S pnncpies. and liking that for a trmh whichlf not 
 
 • Coining. ^ 
 
Jjn A oaiUSTIAir OK THE MOOBt. 
 
 the meditation roust needs be erroneous, and a man at lut 
 SlTbell »po„ a mistake; therefore be sure yon r^ b^ 
 fore you meditate, that you may say, .t is yit en. Med tato 
 ifnothinK but what vou believ to be a truth ; beheve nothmg 
 ;^be a "uth, but-what can show i.s letters of credence trom 
 L Wo d Observe this rule, let reading u.her ,n m«l.Uv- 
 •^n- ^Un^ without meditation is untru.tiul; meditation 
 
 '^^XrAlt^:X.be ™l>3ec.. of mediUtion ; thM , 
 
 fjCVom' :neru^i;?o trer:'Xia":ht| 
 Kleo'utSersome o'ne bead .at "time. «h,ch yon w,B 
 meclitate upon.. Too ranch variety distracts One t.utli 
 S^V^trby raeditatiou will most kiiully >f^^^ 
 A man ihat is to shoot, sets up one mark tl, .t be a"'>8 z^' '^ 
 Wt wb nthou ..tto shoot thy mind >^:-'>^fX \l 
 mediriio; set one thing ^for. thee ^ ... hou ..^ 
 
 ^;f-.^.. nn the tiassion of Chnst, let that UKG up »'i «-"/ 
 
 Xd 2i 5 S* bi. ~».. "I-- """' 7t r>b'J^ 
 
 '^r.'T'-t ET:S';»::i". «b..,^^ 
 
 O my soul! dost thou lo^<.M.^^_^ ^_^ ^^^^ ^^.^.^^ branch.^ 
 '^kting"n«*'°^«''''^''<'""^*'' b-» medit««n^U,o...h. 
 
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 »tJt«S fOR ttEt>ttATIOI<r. 
 
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 paces of the Spin, put a quer;., my suul ! art thou adorned 
 as the bride of Ch ; ml with this chair, of ..gar! « ^la^itl • 
 certificate for be.ve,, ready? will not th^erhe^V'! 
 *hcn thou ,hpuMst have them to .hoi^ ^ Thus si ;.W L 
 Cbr«ti«i., m h,s retir.,m«„ts, parl.y often with lii, h« r 
 
 For want of this examination, meditation doth evaporate 
 and come to nothing. For want of examination jo3 wTlh 
 meditation, many are strange™ to their own hearte' thouJh 
 they hve known to otbe™. they die unknown TthimselvfB 
 Meditation is bke a perspcclive o-laas hv ^hi^ ">«meene8. 
 
 '° VI "r^. T' "^^''^^ •« «piriM^: ''"""' " 
 
 r^Jtr ,?' "P meditation with prayer; pray over vonr 
 
 pirvtnt''dSt7rj\vf;TaHr£'^^^^^^^ 
 
 those loly meditadoos i. y..r m'^^i'.dTf et thaUhe L o7r 
 
 and lukewarinneirbr H „ """«■ '"• " ' ''"''"' '^Pi^"*' 
 ).»pof tbo^rary,"L:t"sbS™£"''''" ""^^ "^ ^ '"« 
 
 pn.cf£ t/otr tu7i'' 'I'tif "'^''^'"' •>« -^""=-1'° 
 fn this book, tbit Vo"; aye:^oCn-e o K'"^"'*"'''""' 
 
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 W^i h4~ii. "-jr.^.""."'' .'^ "«"L« '° obedience Uhev m™* 
 ... ^^^- .^„ ^,^^ ,^j_^ ^^^ ^^ meditatidii'fc 
 
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 A chuistian on the mount.. 
 
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 action. We must not o»3v meditate in God's law but walk; 
 in his law, Deut. xxviii. 9.' Without this we are like thos*. 
 gnostics, of whom- EpiLhanius complains, iliex had inucb^ 
 inowledge, .but were in their lives licentious. Chnstian* 
 mast be like the sun, which doth not only send f^j^ieat, 
 but goes it« circuit round th^jM^iilifc It is not enou^ 
 the affections be heat^^l by iMUt4*fon,,biit we mus^Q. 
 circuit too; that is, move reguiarlyfutl^ sphere of qljjdie 
 After warming at the fire of i^j^ntion'r^ mhsthet(b^(m^^ 
 work MeditMtion is tlie life of jeligi^and gjctice is ihs 
 life of meditaiion. It is said^o-^^ie ^nour ^^^^^en, 
 that he liyed over his own %mon3. ^o a good ^ri^an 
 must live over his own medigfions. i ^ 
 
 For instance : 1 . When }^ have b% meditatiiiffS^ sm,, 
 which, for its bilt^rnoss, is co^ared t(^/r|ipes of gaH^its 
 damnableness, to poison of as]|^md y>u begm to b|_r^ a. 
 holy indignation against sin,^^b^'putVui. medit^oM m, 
 pritico, Sive sin a bill of divorce; ^^^H^^^^y b^ in; % 
 hand, put it far away, and Jfe^ot wicWa^ss dwell in thy 
 
 tftbernacles," job xi. 14. ^n^' "^.t ^O /• *i, 
 
 2 When you have beeu^raedibiting ^ the grace^J^f tne 
 Spirit, let the verdure an4 1»>^< tha^-graces be Wi irj 
 you; live these graces; ineditaW-that^j^ riiav obskye and 
 do." It was St. Paul's counsl^ Ti^hy,." Exer^ thy- 
 wlf unto godliness," 1 Tim. i^.- 'MecTt^tion and ^r^cticS 
 are like a pair of compasses; the one j>art of tlie <J™P»8s 
 fixeth upon the centre, and i£'e other v^vt goes roOWl the 
 circumference: a Christian by " leditatioir-Sxeth ^mM^<^ ^s 
 the centre, «nd by practice gu^ound the circum ^ of 
 the commandments. A man^ wh^ bath let his thouj^l^ rim 
 out upon riches, will not only^J^ve them m the no|^^but 
 will endeavour to get riches. \ ' 
 
 That this rule iiiay be wm observed, consider, Ij^ ib 
 odIv the practical part of religion will make a raaiClxIeJsfed. 
 
 2 If when vou have meditated in God's law, you do not 
 obey his law, you will come short of them who ha\e come 
 
 short of heaverf. •• \ , . 
 
 |. Meditation without practice will increase a mans con- 
 
 ^jiininktion.^ *; .' • ***" 
 
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