904 A Di[cour(e of Divine Me.ditatiort.- ~~er upon his inheritance by deg~ees--;hlsthought;-and hi~i-;;;;;r;;;u~ Chap. 9· and as Harbingers to take up thole Manfions of GlorJ. So that as we read concerning ~the Angel that appeared to Mano•h in the Book of Judges, he afcendcd up in the Flame of the Sacrifice : fo it is wirh a Chriftian, his Meditation cloth enkindle his affetlions, and then he afcends up in the Flame of his affetlions unto God. Such a Chriftian when he comes to Dye,changcth his place but not his Company;for l1e was in Heaven, when he was upon Ear1h.The drfcharge of this Duty would caufe in our Souls a Lower Heaven, and therefore you fhould perlorm it with the greater Care. Confider What is the Heaven of Angels ? 'fis this, they alwayes beiJOid the Face of :hei; Heavenly Father; the conftant and fteady Contemplation of God is the Heaven of Angels. Now Meditation is that Duty whereby we Contemplate God. I confefs there is this difference, while we are upon Earth, we look upon God with an unfteady Eye, as a Man that holds an Optick Glafs with a Pallie Hand; he looks upon the Stars ; but the Glafs is held fo unfteady, that he cannot fully and fixedly look upon them , So we dilfer in degree of fruition, but not in the fubftance. The Soul that bath converfcd with God, and frequently walked with him, it will be no ftrange thing for him to Dye ; for he bath been dead to the World before, his Soul bath been in Heaven in reference to his defires, before it comesto Heaven in refenmce to its own Subftance. To finifh all, as you would defire to hove real and folid Arguments of the change of your State ; fo be ferious and very ftritl in the Difcharge of Meditation. The Old Nature like a Root is alwayes Produtlive of Carnal thoughts : the Devil is the Tiller and Husbandman of the Old Heart, and he makes thofc fruits that grow of themfclves, to be more Produtlivc.But now if thy Nature be changed, there is a Spiritual feed conveyed into thy Soul, and the influences of Heaven f11ould make you fruitful : and as you de fire that, be ftritl in this Duty. Although the Beams ol the Sun touch the Earth, yet the Body of the Sun is fixed in its own Orb and Sphere: So let this be the frar:ne of your Souls, although you muft convcrfe with the World, yet let your thoughts, your defires, your Joycs, your affeaions be with God in Heaven, while thefe external Commerces you muft have with the World, declare you to be on the Earth. ---------------·------- cHAP. IX. The Foregoing Rules exemplified in a Meditation on the 'Suffirings of Chrifl. THAT which I dcfign in the !aft place, is to reduce thofe Rules which I gave for Meditation to praaice upon this Subjetl, 'Ill~. The Sufferings of Chrift. And Firft one Rule I laid down was to be as P.rtirular as you can, in reference to the Nature and Circumftances of the Objetl you Meditate upon. Accordingly, Firfi, Lay down a draught of Chrift's Sufferings, and prefcnt that to your felves : He that fhall Trace the Story of Chrift from the Cradle to the Crofs, will find it to be a continual Crucifixion, His Life was a paffive Atlion, his Death an atlive Paffion. But I fhall confine my felf more particularly to that which was tbe Coronis and the mofi eminent part ofhis Suffi:rings, and therefore for the more particular fetting this before you. ~: ~~!1~;~~~~~~J~~r;~~v~~r~~ ~~~~;i!hic~ ~~':"! h~:~~1l\art of his Sufferings. For the lirft ofthefc, that which refpetled his Body, the Scripture takes Notice of three eminent Circumllances which belong to that. The IgnominJ, Curfe, MifirJ of it. 1, The IgnominJ of his Crucifixion: And if you look into the Scripture, you fhall find he was fcorned in every one of his Offices. As he was a K;ing, fo he was Sce~ter'd with a Reed, and Crowned with Thornes. .As be was a Prophet, fo they blrn~:
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