896 A Di(cour(e of Divine Meditatiort. ;:::::;:::::::;;:-Meditate in a Methodical Wa;;:-iegin with thofe things \~hare La\~ Chap. S· then afcend higher, you will find a fenfible Advantage, by an orderly manage:nem ~of this Duty .; for this will be of fpecial ufe to confine our thoughts. When we run from one Obje8: to another without Order, we lofe the Benefit. As when there's a Crowd of Perfons prefs forward to go through one Door, all are hindred in their Progrefs: fo when our thoughts run from one Obje8: to another, we cannot proceed nor make fuch fenfible progrefs as otherwife we might do, one thought hinders another. He that intends to go feveral wayes, goes no way : fa he that lets the Eye of his Soul. run from one Obje8: to another without fixing, Iofeth the advantage of this Duty ; and therefore let us ufe an order and method in our thoughts. 2. Let your Meditation be as particular as you can, in reference to the Nature and Circumftances of the ObJe£1:. You know that particulars are affeB:ing, and therefore we fhould labour to have as Minute thoughts concerning every part of the Obje8: as we ~~; :h:~ f~:~~gu,:;:~~:;.c;~s~~~~f~h~[. ti~~~\::i~~d;fe~~~~'k~~~~-t;~~~~~~;: ritual, fame are Corporal. If you would Meditate upon the common Mercies of this Life, then take your Rife with David, from the very firft beginning of' your Being. MJ Subjlancewas not hid from thee, rvh.n I was made in Secret, and Curioufl.J wrot~ght in the loweJf parts ofthe Earth. Thine E7es didfee my SubJfame, yet bting imperfeCl, and in thy Book all my Members were written; (as an Artificer firft draws a Model, and then !~~t~~~Jd t~dt:;~c:g~:o~~~a~~~~~~· t:t b~~~f';:ism;r£~:~~.~t~~~e,:~a~lt~aC:~:ih~ provided T>vo Bottles of Milk for me before I could help my felf; and all my days Mercy and my Soul have been as Twins of the fame Age, and Day ; and then conlider the Mercies of Infancy, and Child·hood, and Youth, and Riper Years. And then think of the Mercies that refpe£1: the Day, and the Night; how Go9 is like a Pillar of Cloud, and Fire ·; and then divide thefe Temporal Mercies , fame refpe£1: the Eftate, fame the Name, and fame the Health. He that Jhall thus Meditate upon the Mercies ofGod, he will by experience find, that he needs an Eternal Life to be thankful for the Mercies of this Tempo'>\ Life. 3· Before you begin the work, let there be a ferious difchargc of all Worldly things; whenever we engage many Duty \VC are apt to look back, becaufe we don't leave ~~~r:,ar~~~~~~i~~lut'fo~erx~~~:~l~';?;~uo~e~~d~~!' :~r~ai~jf~ho~~~~~l t~ r:t~~~~r! between God and your Souls; this is the girding up of our minds, that fa we may not be hindered in our Race. 4· Beg the affillance ofthe Holy Spirit : He that is able to llop the Sun in its Flight, and to bound the Waters in their Courfe ; he is able to fix thy thoughts and to ftop their motion. S· Be careful to prevent or ftop the firft ExcurGon of thy thoughts. Many times our ~~~f11f~In~fs~rfo ~:e:~~~hebB~ft~i~:~li~~s.a~~~rfu~cldhb~e~~r~c~~n:n~er~naac~r~~~~ where there's a conftant Watch and Ward, Vagrants are fropt from entring, and hindred from Converfing there; fa if thy Soul Watch the firft motions of thy thoughts, ~~~oXat~;;~fJO~~~~:f~onn~ofuJ~:i~ d:0~~~nc~e f,fr;hv~~~~- aY ~ar~a~e O~i~fr ~'du:i~~; pore upon the thought, but rather proceed in thy Work. For here's the Devils Policy, ~h~~~f:na::feth~~::d~:~t~~~i~~ ~1l~ec~,~~: ~;t :~.i~~e~pca;tl;is :.fnd t~~r;Ju:~m'~i~ juftlike a Cryer in the Court that calls for Peace, and by his N oife makes more difrurbance. A Man that is bent to go a Journey, cloth not regard the l!arking of ~~~~~~~f,;t ~a~~~~~~~e'ae~~ftbdue;}l~~~:~~~~h~h~e~~~i~~s~0and0t~~~~~~v~~~~n":~~ difcharge of thy Work. S"ondly, How we may perform this Duty fa as to inflame and fire our affeB:ions : For that take thefe four Particulars. '· When thou daft Meditate upon a fubje8:, which is ofSpiritual concernment, let thy thoughts work upon it by way of Argument, and ferious Confideratwn both of the Caufes and of the EffeB:s ofthe Ob1e8:. As now fuppofe I were Meditating upon the Converfion ofa Sinner; here my thoughts fhould afcend to the Caufe of this Converfion; 'tis the SpiritofHolinefs, he that is able by his Power to raifefrom the Grave, is alone able to raifi: from the Power of Sin : And then we fhould defcend to the effe&s of things, for the cffeB:s are Interpreters of the Nature of their Caufes. As to In:ua;;~fe
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=