Nearer DireEtions for ejfeEttlal Meditation. 9· 20 • DireCt. 6. Next labour to perceive the. weight of ev_cry _thing yrm tb~Jtk. on, be it Goo~ or Direti. 6. Evit : Aud 10 that end be fi 1 re, that God and Etermty be talzm 1n, ~n every Medt~atum, and all thmg_.r j;tdJ!,cd of as 1 hey ftand related toGod, and to_y.rmr Eter~al ]late ; whJCh only c,;n gzve ~ore _the true e)ft· mate and {enfe ofGood and Evil : There will _{till the Lzfe and Soul~ ~nd power be w:mttng z_n your moft tx;dlent Meditation!, fitrthcr than God i-1 iJt them, and they _arl! Dt~Ut~· When you meditate_on any Scripture-truth) think of it as a beam from the Eternal L1ght; md1tcd by the Holy Ghofi_, to lead men by obedience to felicity : Behold it with reverence as a Letter_ or Meffo~ge fent from ~eaven.: and as a thing of grand importance to yeur fouls. When you mednate of any Grace, thmk O? It as a part of the Image of God, implanted and actuated by the Holy Ghofi, to advance \he foul mto communion with God, and prepare it for him. When you me~ttate on any Dttty~ remember who cornmandeth it, and whom you are chiefly to refpe6t in Y?ur obedience; an~ ~hat Will be .the end ~f obeying or difobcying. When you IT!editare on any h~, rc~c:rn?er tha~ It IS. the defacmg or p_ri– vation of Gods image, and the rebell that rifeth up agamfi: hun m all hts attu?ute~, to depofe lum from the Government of the foul and of the world; and forcfce the End to wh1ch 1t tendeth. Take in God, if you would feel Life and Power in all that you meditate on. . . . 9· 21· DireCt. 7· Let J'Ottr ordinary Meditation~ b~ on. the Great and Neuffary tbmgs; and ~hrn'b._ D:reU. 7• /rfs freqmntly on the lrfs Neceffary maturt. Meditation 1S but a means ro a fuuher c:nd : It tS to work fomc good upon the foul: Ufe therefore thofe fi1bjecrs which are mofi powtrful and fit to work it. Great truths will do greaof works upon the heart. They are ufualty. the fitreft. and moll pafi comroverfie and doubt; There is more weight, and fubfiance, .and power m one Arttcle o! the Crud, or one Petition in the Lords Prayer, or one Commandment m the Dec;;logue, to benefit the foul, than in abundance of the controverted opinions which men have trou~lcd t,hemfel~es and othe~s with in all ages. As one purfe of Gold, will buy more than a great quant1ty of Farthtngs. Meditating on Great and weighty truths, makes Great and weight,y Chrijtiam. And meditating inordinate.. ly rm ligbt and controverted opinions, makes light, ~pinionative, contcntioJH profeffors. Little things may have tlteir time and place, but it mufi be but little time and the laft place : except when God roakcth any little tbing to be · the matter of our lawful calling and employment, (as all the common matters of the world are little ) ! And then they may have a Jarger proportion of our time , though fl:ill they mufi have the lowejl place in our ejiimation and in our bearu. 9· 22• Dire{}. 8. TYhen ever you are caUcd to meditate oH any fmaUer trutb or thin7., fie that you Di.rel1. g, ta~e it not ar [tparatcd from the greater , but jfiU behold it as conHexed to them , and plamed and growing i1t them, and receiving their life a1zd beauty from them ; fo that yozt may ftill preferve the life and intereft of the grcatefi matters in )•our hearts , and may not mortifie the leaft, and turn it into a deceit or idol. We arc to climb upwards, and not todc:fcend downwards : and therefore we begin at the body of the Tree, and fo pafs up to the few and greats}! boughs; and thence to the f"maUer nzmurosn branches, which as they are hard to be di(cerned, nttmbred and remembred, fo are they not all jlrong cnougb to bear M; but are titred rather to be loob$d on, than tr(JtUm and refted on: But jf you take them not as growing from the greater boughs) but cut them off, they Iofe their lift, and beam)•, ar.d fruitfulntfs. If all the Controverfiu in_the Church had been managed, with due honour and prefervation of Holine[s, Charity, 'Unity, Petzce, and greater truths; and if all the circumftantia/J in Religion had been ordered with a falvo, and due regard, and jufi: fubfcrviency to the power and fpiritu.zlity of holy Worfhip , the Chrifiian world would have had a1ore Life, and jlrcngt!J, and fruitjit!mfs , and kfs imagery , unholy ludicrous complement, and hypocrijic. • §. 2 3. Direl:t. 9· L<t the rnd and order of your mrditatiom be firft for the [etling of your jud"ementi v· l1 a~td next for the_ rtfolving and [etling of your will; , and t~irdly for the rtforming and bet~eri1ttof you; Jrt ' 9• lzvn; mtd but ut the /~~ttrtiJ place after all thefe f or the raijing of' )rour holy paffions or lsvely faihttT ; which 11'/tt/l havt b~tt its proper room and place. But indeed where fome of thcfe are done' already, th~y may beJi•ppofed, and we may proceed to that which·is yet to do. As if you know what is fin and duty but do it not, your meditation muft be, not t0 make you know what you knew not, but tirfi. to confider well of what yoll know, and fet the powerful truth before you ; and then Jabour hereby to bring your wills to a fixed Refo1ution of obedience : But if it be a Truth whofe principal ufe is on the WiUand Ajfc[iiOJu (ana d>raw up the heart to the Love of God, ,by the meditating on his attraC:hve excellencies) tben the moll pains mufi there be taken. Qf which fee Chap. 3· Dire/J. 11. 9· 24· Direct. IO· Turn your cogitation! often into Joliloquier; methodically and earneftly preacbi 11 g Diret:i. 10 , to your own hearts, as you would do on that {rtbjell to olherJ' if it wtre to [ave their fosdJ.' As this wjl) keep you in order, from rambling and running t;mt, and will alfo find you continual matter·or this fee (For method is a wo_nderful help both to i~vention, me~or~ and delight)_ fo it will brit:~g things the third_pm foonefl to your affeCtions: An earnefi pleadmg of convmcmg reafons Wit-h our oWn Hearts is a ofiflmySa, 1 zts 1 powe~ful way r_o make the tire burn, and to ki?d.le defire, [e_a~, love., hatre4~ repenting.~, ]ham;, for- :!:uy.more row, JOJ, 1 refolutzo1t, or any ,good effect. ComnUtonr, uybrazdm~s,.exp_gJfulati.ons, reprehenfionJ, and f'lf-perfwafims !)"lay be very p9werful : w~en ~dull way of b,are thml(!ng IS but hke aduUway of preachzng, WJthout any lively apphcauon, whrch httle fins the hearers. Learn purpofely of tHe livcliefi Books you read, and of the beH and liveliefi Preachers you·hear, to preach to your hearts and ufe it orderly; and you will find it a moll powe~ful way of meditating. '
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