~86 A Di{Cour[e rif Divine Meditation. ~--;:;late to ' terni;y?lto!d you befor~;;p;:;;;~t pleadd;[,;;;ffion fro~ Chap. 1 • Duty, although his Imployments are very Numerous. Nay ~ o. A Multitude of Bufinefs is fo far from difmiffing theefi·om this l:Juty, that it ll>ould rather excite thee to It. For Argue thus, If my Alfms be many and various I have more need to Meditate upon the Law of God, that fo I may behave my felf therem With a clear and chearful Confcience; and therefore pretend not this, for this Will never avail thee at the !aft Day. Thirdly, Much lefs · can Spirit'ual Lazioefs, give us an Exemption from this Du. ty ; and this (in truth) is the great Caufc why men do not perform it. Vain men lye upon the Bed of Security, <s if Grace would drop out of the Clouds; as if Glory were the fruit of a few Verbal Prayers; this is the Temper of Worldly Men , ""· " · ,,but this will never Excufe you fr~m this Duty. If you do but confider that Hca. venIt felf IS the reward of the VIC1:onous, the 'VIOlent take it by force. If the Duty require Sweat and Pains, Remember that there is a Crown which is promifed as the Pr. z. '• :. ~:ffedr~t~~;fc·y t~~f~a~i ~!i1i;~rci~~ ~:~~·~e~;fi/}/t~i~~ ;fo,~h:U;~;do} cf1 1~e~~~~~ ij>end the Flower of their Time, the Vigour of their Alfecrions, tl>e Strength of their Bodies, and all in the fervice of Sin ; they toil like Horfes in the fervice of Sin ; and !hall they fpend more of their ftrength and time in that work which is the worft Drudgery, and when their wages is Eterna!Death, than youwilldoin the Work of God? Fourthly, Senfual Pleafure is another hinderance of this Duty ; the Pleafures' of the World difcompofe our Souls, and unfit our Bodies for the duties of Meditation. A 'voluptuous Man is like Water, which is a fluid Element, and frequent in motion; Who can fet a Seal upon Water? Now when thy Soul is drenched in Pleafures, it's made fluicl, and alwayes movi';lg and running, from one thing eo another, and this unfits thee. Oh remember tillS, the fweetnefs of Religion is incomparably more ~~~i~!~i~~~ ~~~fu~~fe~:e ~~~,~~ a ~{eh I~~~~:~o~0~~dG~~~c"."~;rJ~~"f, ~;~d~~~~ ~t his Soul, I lhould need no 'Argument to ~refs it upon him. You have heard the Nature of Meditation, that it is a Duty obliging all of us; Oh that I could perf\vade you to a ferjous and confcionable Exercife of it : Oh that every day you would Confecra~e fome time to Meditate on the Word. It:s an Exprelfion of Bellarmme before hiS !look, The .Aftent of the Mmd to God;_ wmmg to a Great Man, he 'tells him, The pretence of outward lmplOJmmts ~tnd the l:Ke, cannot excufe bim from this Duty; for no man can f:J thoo, I have fo much bujinef that 1 .cannot Eat or Sleep; much more let thy Soul (!Vht&h if t/Je better part) h.cvc jome no11rt(hment every Day. Be frequent in Occafio~al Meditation, and raife up thy Soul to God by it, and Remember ~he Scnpture IS a Comment ;>POD the Book of the Creature. ~·~dr~~n"fu~~~{,[:,';~ t:U: ~o;.;~fre"'n':e;;'d~~·~;oMcd~:~~t's ~~Y~~~~~ ~;k~f~~~ali~~ Progrcifes in the wayes of Chrifiianity, and our Souls drive like Pharaohs Chariots without Wheels ? but becaufe we do not Meditate. Why are we fo frequently va;')~~~~~a~yi!~£nb::;h~0f0~~n~r~~v~:~~:a~~d.other s make no fwifrer Progrefs, is this, becaufe they are not Serioufly and Confiantly and Confcionably every day doing fomethingin this Duty. CHAP.
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