890 A Difcourfe of Divine Meditation. ~ 'ZJati-;;-;;;; Prophets have l11quire-;;::;;; Search~d diligent!}, who tropi;;;;;J;j;;;;Q,ace ~~;~1J,o•~;;.:;";0 ;;:;i~~=·tt:':. verfe 12 fpeakmg of the Myfiertesof theGofpel, The Now obferve, If the ~rophets who had the immediate Affillance of the Hol Ghofr, _J ,d make a fenous mqmry, and narrow fearch Into their own Propheties thfc they mtght come to }mow the meaning of them ; !hould not this encourag~ us to ~:~·~~;u;J;.~;ki~~: ;;;~·y0fm~~l~e ~y~~~~~J~~~ ~:l);ef1~y~"!e~i~~[ ~e~t::~ plauon. 2. Confider, as Meditation rloth open the Underfianding, and prefents Truth to the Bram, f~ ~~ ratfeth the Affecbons. Knowledge without Meditation to warm the Affecbons, IS hke the Glancmg of a Beam upon a Wave, it /ills it with a little Clanty, but it doth not heat it; fo when there are many Notions of Truth in the Brain, if Meditation doth not apply them to .the Heart, and fix them npon the Soul, the Affecbons have no warmth by them. Slight Vtfions make !hallow Impreffions. He that with a running Eye looks upon a Piece ofBroydery, dothnot fee theCuri"ouf. nefs ofthe Work, and therefore cloth not admire it. So when we with a running Eye look upon the Truths of the Gofpel, no wonder am· Affections are not raifed toPfal. 39• 3· ~~:r~r~h~~;neY,A~ f~::r~gW~SOnh:;ni~7thi~S m~e~~~~i':iufi~hi~at.:·~heM'tir~ to Burn. Thus Meditation enlightens the Undcrltanding, and Inflames the Affe&ons. . Secondly, It is the Great Inltrument whereby the Ordinances of the Gofpel become effectual to us. I 01all inltance in Three of them. t.· Prayer. 2. Hearing. l· Receiving the Lords-Supper. And you !hall fee what an eminent Advantage Meditation conveys to all thefe. r. For Prayer. Meditation before Prayer, is like the Tuning of an In!trument and fetting ofi~ for the Harmony. Meditation before Pr~yer doth mature our Conceptions, and Exerctfe• our defires. What's the Reafon that mPrayer there is fuch a flight Difcurrency m our Thoughts, that our Thoughts are hke dult m the wmd carried to and fro; but only for want ofMeditation? What's the reafon that our defires like an Arrow !hot by a Weak Bow do not reach the Mark? bur only this, we do not meditate before Prayer; He that would but Confider before he comes to Pray to tile pure Majelty of God, the thing that he is to Pray for, pardon of Sin, and the Life of Glory, how would this caufe his Prayers toafcend like Incenfe towards God? The great Reafon why-our Prayers are ineifectu~l, is becaufe we do not Meditate before m1. 5• ,. them. David exprelfeth Prayer, by Meditation; Gzve eAr to my words, 0 Lord, Confider my Meditation. . 2. For Hearing the word, the bene.fit _of _th~t exceedmgly depends upon Meditation. Before we hear the word MeditatiOn IS like the Plough which opens the Ground to receive the Seed, and after we have heard the Word it is like the Harrow which Covers the New fawn Seed in the Earth, that the Fowls of the Air may not Pick it up: Meditation is that which makes the word full of Life and Energy to our Souls. What's the reafon that the malt ofMen come to hear the Word as the Bealts did inro Noahs Ark, they came in unclean and they went out unclean I The reafon is becaufe they do not Meditate on the Truths they hear ;it is but )Ult like putting Many . into a Bag with Holes, j)refemly itf~lls out: So the Truths they hear Preached .are put into !hallo\v Neglect1ve Memones, and they do not draw them forth by Meditation,therefore hearing the Word is fa little effectual ; 'tis fatd M~ry Pondered theft things inber Heart. When Men are fick of the L~eotery Dtfeafe, (m whtch they do catl: for th theirmeatastheyreceiveit in) the Body cannot be nouri!hed, there cannot be thofe degrees of ltrength that others receive ; but when our meat is digelted, then it conveys Blood, Spirits and Strength to all the parts of the Body: hear!ng the Word is like Ingeltion, and when we Meditate upon the word that's dJgeltwn; and thts . digeltion of the Word by Meditauon produceth Warm Affectwns, Zeal~us Refolutions, and Holy Actions; and therefore if you de/ire to profit by Heanng of the Word, Meditate. . 3· For the Receiving t!JeSacrament, there you fl1all find that Meditation is necef. fary before we receive, and m rece1vr~g .. H~fore we recetve .the, great Dutr c.ommanded is Examination; now Exammatwn IS managed by this Duty of Medttauo~~
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