)00 !.fattei for good Thou,ghtJ. ftian find for his thougbts in Jdi.1s Chrifi, who of G"d is madr! toru, n·ifdom) and rightt·oztfocjf, and fan. Uificativu, and redemption. 1 Cor. I· 30. For it plclljid the Fatlm· tbt i11 him jiJould aUfulmji frreU Col. y, 19· And therefore in him there is fu/ncfs of matter fer our mt::dltations; As Paul 'dttcr: mi11cd to l{?tow notbi~tg (or make oflentation of no other knowledge) but Cbrijl crHcifie.d, 1 Cor. 2 • 2 , So ifyour tbougbts lud nothing to work upon many years together, but Chrijl ,rucified, thty m£d not. lland fiill a moment for want of moll fuitable and delightful m:mer. The myilerie of rhe lncarlllltion alone, ma.y find you work to fearch and admire mauy agc.s ! But if thence you proceed t.P that ~orld _of ~onderful ma~ter which you may_fin~ in _his DoChinc_, Miracles, _<xampl~, futfcrings, temptauons,vH~lorJt:s, n[urHCbon,afcenfion ., and m h1s Kmgly,Propbetzcal and Przrjily Offices ; and in all the benefits which ~e harh purchafed for his flock, 0 what full and pleafant work is here for the daily thoughtJ of a believer ! The foul may dwell here with continual delight, till it fay with Paul, Gal. 2• 20. I am crucified with Chrijl; 1/evcrthclefi I lh·e: yet not T, but Chrijl /ivctb in me: and the .li[e n•hich I 1t9W live in the Jlifh, I live by the faith fl[ the Soit 1JfGod, who luved me and gave himfelf (or me. Therefore daily bow )'Ur i(•cet to the Father of our Lord ]<fu< Chrijl; of n•bom the whole family in Heaven and earth i.r named, that he wiiJ grant you accol'ding to tbc., !<-ichct of hit Glory, to be ftrengthned with might by-hit Spirit in the inner maff, tbat Chri(l mayd:rn.IJ m your hearts hy f.Jith, ttJtu being rooted and grounded in Love, yos' may be able to comprcbend witb aU S3int.r, wbat it the breadtb, and length, and depth, and heigln, and tok,_now the Love bfCbrijl 1:~hicb paf Dire/J. 6 • fctb /etowlcdge, tbat ye migbt be fiUed with aU tbt flllneji ofG,d, Ephe( 3· '4· to 20. 6 _The"holy §. 6. Direct. 6. Searcb the boly Scripturc.r, aitd acquaint yo1tr ftlvtt wrfl Witb the Orac/u of God, Scriptu~es. which al'e able _ to mak,.e )'OU wife unto falva_tion, and you wiO find ~bund. .mt m.11ter[ol' your tboughtr. If you cannot tir:d work enough for your rnmds, among all thofe btiJ!.btt and deptlu, tho(e exceUenciu and difficulticr, it is becaufe you never underfiood them, or never fet your hearts to fearch rhem. What myfierious Dod:rin's! how [ublime and heavenly, ~re there for you to meditate on as long as you live? What a perfect Law! a lyllem of precepts moll fpiritu.l and pure! What terrible threar– nings againfi offenders, art there to be: matter of your meditations ? What wonderful hiftories of Love and Mercy! What holy examples ! What a trea[ury of preciotu prumi[e1, on which lyeth our hope of life eternal' What full and free exprelfions of grace! What a joyful act of pardon and oblivion to penitent believing finners l In a word, the chara!Jer of our inhcrirancc, and t.he Law which we mull be governed and judged by, is there before us for our daily Meditation ! David that had much ll[s of it than we, [airh, 0 how I love thy Law ! it i1 my meditation aO the day! Pfal. I 19. 97· And God laid to Jojhua (I· 8. ) <fbit Book, of the Law (haU not depm out of tby mouth, but thou jhalt meditate, thel'ein day and night, that thou maift ob[erve to do according to aU that i.r writte1z therein. And Mofu commanded the Ifraelires, that theft wordt jhou!d he in their he.JJ'tl, aJJd th.zt they teach them diligently to their children , a1td talk of them when they fate i;r. their hozt[e1, and when they walJttd by the way, and when they lay donm, and rrben they roft up, and to write them on tbe pqfts of their hoztfu, and on their gatu, &c. that they might be lure ro remember them, Dtut. 6. 7· • Dire{!. 7• 9· 7· Dir<ct. 7• Know thy filf :veU at thou art the work of God, and iit thy filf thort wilt find 1- Our 1dv:s abtmd:Jnt matter for thy mcditatio11r. There thou hafi the natural Image ofGod to medJtarc on and .3s we are admire; even the noble faculries of thy tmderftanding· and free wiU, and executive power: And Gods work. thou hatl: his Moral or Spiritual Image to meditate on, if thou be not unregenerate: even thy holy Wifdom, TYiiJ and Power, or thy holy Light, and Love, and Power with promptitude for ~~~h~kif;;/if~ holy praCtice; and a~} in theVnity ~f holv Life. And there thou hafi his Relative Image to rnedi– of Sd{-i1,r.otare on ) even thy bemg I• The Lora or Owner: 2· The Ruler : 3- The Benefallor to the inferiour raw. creatures, and their End. 0 the world of myfieries which thou carriefl: continually about thee in Dire/J. 8. 8.0ur fins and nauts. that little room. What abundance of wonders are in thy body ! which is fiarfi,lJy and TPonderfuUy made! And the greater wonders in thy fo~<l rThou artthy fdf the clearell glafs that God isto be feen in under Heaven ! as thou art a man aud a Saint! And therefore the worthiefi matter for thy own M,ditations (except that holy Word, which is thy Rule, and the Holy Churcb which is but a coalition of many fuch ). What a Chame is it, that almofl all men do Live and dye [u,h {bangers to themfelves, as to be utterlY unacquainted with the innumerable excellencies and myfie– rits, which God hath laid up in them; and yet to let their thoughts run out upon vanities and toyes, and complain of their barrennds, and want of matter, to feed their becrer Med·i– tations? §. 8. Direct. 8. Be not aftrangtr to the man} fiitt, and wantt, and weaJtneffeJ of tby foul, l.fnd thJu nevtr needLjl to be empty of m:mer for thy meditationt. And though thefe tboztghtt be not the fweeteft, yet thy own folly hath made them nmffary. If thou be dangeroufly jicb,_, or but painfuVy fore, thou canfi fcarce forg<.t it: If poverty afflict thee with pinching wants, t~y Thoughrs are taken up with • · c.;ru and trouble day and night. If another wrong thee, thou canfi eafily thin"-. on it. And hall thou fO often wronged thy God and .Saviour, and [o unkindly vilified his mrrcy, and fa umhankfully fee light by faving Grace. and fo prefumptuoufiy and fccurc!y ventured on his wrath, and yet doll thou fiud a £carcity of matter for- thy meditations? Hall thou all the fins of thy youth, and ignorance ro think on, and all the fin• of thy railinefs and fCilfuality, anrl of thy negligence and floth, and of thy worldlinefs and Celli!hndS) ambition and pride, thy paffions and thy omilfions; and all rhy finful thoughtt and wordt, and yet arc thou fcanted of matter for thy thoughn? Dofi thou carry abour thet: {Uch a body ~fdeath? [o much fdti(hne[s, pride, worldlinefs, and cunaliry ; fo much ignorance, unhe– ,lief, averfu1ds 10 God, and backwardncfs to all that is fpiritual and holy; fo much palfion, and readinefs to
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