Nearer 1JireEtiom for elfcEtr~al Medit4tio;z. 'DiitU. 11· §.25. Dirc:d. II· 'Izmzyortr mcditationstifu:n into tjaculatory pr.z)•trsand add,-cffu unto God: FiJr that will lzttp ;ou reverent, feriottJ and awak._r, and make 610 tbe more powerjitl , becaufe tbe more Di– vine. When you meditate on linl turn fomttimes to God by penitent lamcnration, and fay, Lord wl1at s. Wt'ttch a1~d rcbcUW<lJ I to entertain fuch a;t enemy of tbine inro my heart? and for -nuhing tfl offend tbu, 011d vrolate thy Laws! 0 pardo11, 0 clean[e mt,OJlrmgthcn me ! Co11qucr and cajl (jHt tbiJ odi– ous enemy of thee and me. So when you. are feeking to (Xcire or exercifc any grace, fend up a fCr– vent rfqueU to God ro 01ew hisLove and power upon thy dead and fluggifh heart, and to be the prin– cipal agent in a work which is fo much his own. Prayer is a mofl holy duty, in which the tUul hath fo nearly to do with God, that if there be any holy fc:rioufnefs in the hearr, i~ will be thus excited : A dull and wandring mind will bear Come reverence to God ; aud therefore intcrefs him in all. Dire!J. 12• .9\ 26.· J?ir: ct. 12· Let every medit.2tian be tu:dcrta~n i~ a bumb~e [cnfe of thy. own inf~!fi.cienc)•, wnh a belzevm,g dcpcndauce on th)• H(ad ai4d S.1v1our, to gulde .1nd qulckfn thre by bH holy Spmt, and lo cover the i'ifirmitiu of thy holiejf thoughu. Whatever good is written upon our hearrs, mun be written by the Spirit of the living God; and this tru.jt we mull have tiJrougb Chrijf to GJdwar4: 110t tbat we are Jiifficiem of our fllver to tbink._ any thing at of our ftlvts: but our Jitfficicncy MufG;;d. 2 Cor. 3· 3,4, 5· . How heavily will all go ou, or rather how certainly (hall we labour in vain, and catt off all, 1f Chrill call us off: and leave us to our fdves? Think not that your life and lhength is radically in your [elves : Go to bim by renewed aCl:s of f.;ith, by whom you mutt be quickncd. DirtiJ. 13• §. 27· Direll. '3· Let not your holy tboughtJ be fo {<lrLm as to ketp you ftrange to the matter of your meditation!, nor fo jhort as to be gone before yott bave m.1dt any thing of it. Now and then a curfory thought, will not acquaint the foul with God, nor bring it to a habic and tempcramem of holinefs. Whereas char which you think on frtquently and ferioufly, as your bufinefs and dclighr, will become the nutriment and 1utJtrt of your fouls: As the air which we daily breathe in, and the food which we daily live upon, do.rh to our bodies. And you will find that as tt{e will breed skiU and ftrmgth, fo it will eau[~ fuch acquainta11ce and familiarity, as will vr:.r.y much tend to tht fmit and comfort ofthe work. Whereas they that only caH now and then a look at God and holinds, or are fildom and jl;ort in holy thoughts, do lofc fo quickly the little which they get, that it makes no great alteration on them. Dirc{l. 14· 9· 28. DireCt. 14. Yet do not ovtr·du iJt point of violence ur lmgtb; but carry on the work fm~ ccrely according to tbe abilities of your minds and bodiu ; lefl f!.Oint. beyo11d youf jlrengtb, )'Oit cr.:zz.e your brains, and difcomp,{e your mind1, and difoble yt•ttr [elves t Q dJ a1ry thing at all. Though we ;ca~ot tjfimati1'tly love God too much, yet is it poffible to think of him with lOO much p.Jjficm, or too lol/,k at once: B(caufe it may be more than the Spirits and brain can bear: And if once they be O\•erfiraincd, if thc,y break nor, like a Lute-firing fcrewed too high, they will be like a ]egg rhat is out of joint, that can pain you, but not bear you. While rhe foul rideth on fo lame or dull aHorfe, aS the body is, it muit not go the pace which it defiretb, bur which the body c.m btllr ; or elfC it may quickly be di[mounted, or like one that riderh on a tired Horfe: It is not the Horfc that g9eth at firfi with chating heat, and violence, which will travel bell : But you mull: put on in the pace that you arc able: to hold our. You little know how lamenrJ.ble and ditirc!fcd a cafe you wjJJ be in, or how great an advantage the Tempter bath, if once he do but tire you by over·doing ! Vircli. IS· 9· 29· Direct. 1 5· Ch'o.fe not unnecilf.trily (if ordit1a-lily the bittcrcjl or moft tmple,jfam fubje[is fl}r yo1tr mcdit~thn, lcjt yJU mak$ it J!.Yow a burden to )rou; but dn:cU mojlon tbe jireu dclight[ttltho:tght.t of the infinite Love flj'God revealed by Chrijl, and the eternAl glury purchJjed by him, and the rvonder[~tl help1 and mcrcics i~t the W.l)• As it is the Gr'ljpel which Chriils Minille1s mutl preach w others, 10 ic is the Glfpel which in your Meditatiom, you mufi preach moll: to your felves. Its . Love and Plta– [ure which you mull principally endeavour to excite : And you mull do ic by contemplating .;miablenrfi and felicity, the objects of lou and pleafitrc. For the thougbu of terror, and wrath, and mifery, arc unfit tO ftir up thtfc : Though to the 1mconuerzed, dull, jicure, prefumptuom, or jfn– fual finner, fuch thoughts are very ncceffary to awake him: and prepare him for the thoughts of lo11e and pepce. It is the principal pap of this art, to keC'p olf lo.ztbi11g aud tJVtr[nrfs, and ro keep up - readinefs and delight. t • ' Dirdl. 16. ~· 30· Direct. 16. TYhm J'ou are in compatl)', let out tbe fmit of J3Hr fecret meditaJiiJm, in f;of.y cdijji 11 g difoourfr. Gather not for your [elves only, but that you may communicatt to others. The: / good s~ribe injlrutltd to tbe'Kiugdom- ofGed, mull bring fortb out of hi1 trtfljitre thi~tgJ new J~td old, · Matth. 13. 52. That is Good which dath good: God is cornmunic.:ative; :md the ~t:H men are likefr to him: Nay, a fluent difcour{i:: fometimes is a great inHruder to our felves, and bringeth thofe things into our minds with clcarne(~, which long meditation would not have done: F"or one thing leadeth in another ; and in a warm difcourfe the Spirits are excited , and the underilanding and memory are eng:~.ged to a clofe attention ; fo that jufi in the fpeaking, we have oft~rimes fuch a {Udden appearance of fon;:~e truth, wh'ich before we took no notice ot~ that we tind it is no finall additiOI\ to our knowledge, which comes in this way. As fotne find tHat vucal pr~y~r dot? more excite them,~nd keep the mind from 1 v..-udrin'g,than meer mental prayer doth: fo fre.e d1fcou~fe IS but .a vocal mediration: And what mans Jboughts are not more guilty of dilOrder, vagaucli and mterrupu– bns, than hif difcour[e is ?
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