I The Art ofVi'Uine Medi;ation. A gracerorhefcarchcr of it, none altke fruitful\ to rhis;_ which bein_g by God fmClified to himfelfe, and robe fanClified by us tO God, 1~ pr!VIIe.dged wtrh bleffinJ)S above others :for the pl<nrifull inftruClion of that Day ftm~th t11ee. up to thts athon, an_d filh thee with mmer;and the zeal of thy pubhke fcrvtee _warmerh :hy heart to thiS other bufineffeofdevotion. No Manna fe\Lro thelfraehres on rhetr Sabbath; our fpiriruaii_Ma0na fallerh ~n ours, '?oft frequent: if r_ho~ woul~e_ft h,v~ a full foule, gather as it falls, gather 11 by heanng, re~dmg, med1rauon: fpmtuall 1dleneffe IS a fault rhis DJy, perhaps nor lelfe then bod1ly worke. c >I A P. X I. .. B NEither is there leffe variety in the Sire and gdl:ureof the body 1 the due corn. pofedneffe whereof is no little advantage to thisexorcife; even mour fpeecb to God,we obfcrve not alwaies one and the famepofirion;fomerimes we fall . grove\ing on our faces; fomerimes we bow our knees: fomerimes ftand o~ our fee.r; fometimes we hfr up our hands, fomet1mes caft downe onr eyes. God IS a Sp1nr, who therefore being a fcvcre obferver ofrhc difpofirion of rhe foule, is nor fcrupu. lous for the body; requiring not fo much, that the gcfture thereof thould be uniforme,asrcvercnr. No marvel\ therefore thoughin this all our teachers of Meditation have cornmended feverall pofirions ofbody, according to their difpolition and pradicc. * One, fitting with the face turned up to heaven-ward, according to rhe C precept 0fthe philofophcr, who taught him,tbat by fitting and rdl:ing, the mind garhereth wifdome.• Another,lcauing to fome Rdl:,towards the lefr fidc,for the greater quieting of the heart, • A third, fl:anding with the eyes lifr up to Heaven, but thut, for £care ofdifl:raaions. But ofall other (me thinkcth) !{:.m choice the bell:, who meditated walking. In this let every man be his ownc mall:er 1 fo be we ufc that frameof body that may both tcfiifie reverence and in fomc cafes hclpe to ll:irre up further devotion ; which alfo mull: ne<ds be varied according to thematter ofour Meditation. Ifwe think ofour finncs, IAh•bs [oft p~fe, the Publicans dejetled eyes, and his hand beating his brell:, arc moll: fcafonable.Ifofthe joyes ofheaven,Sttvtns countenance fixed above, and D•vids hands life up on high, arc moll: fitting. Inall which, the body, as ic is the inftrument and vafi"all ofthe lou!e, fo will ca.fily follow D the atfeClions thereof1 and in cruth then is our devotion moft kindly, when the body is thus commanded his fcrvice by che Spirit, and not fuff<red to goc before it, and by hisforwardnetfc to provoke his mafier to emulation. CHAP. XII. NO IV time and order call us from thefe circumll:ances,to the matter & fubjeCl ofMeditation : which muft be Divine and Spiriruall; not evil\, nor worldly. . 0 the Carnall and unprofitable thoughts ofmen IWe all meditate; onc,how to doc1ll to others; another, how to doe lome earthly good to himfclfc: another, to hurt himfelfc, under a colour ofgood, as how to accomplith his lewd dcfircs, the E fulfilhng _whereof proverb the banc ofrhe foule; how he mayfinnc un(cenc, and gO:t to he 11 with thcleaft notfc ofthe world. Or perhaps,fomc better mindes bend their thoughts upon the fearch of natural\ things; the motions of every heaven, and of eyery ftarre;tl~e realon and courfe ofthe ebbing and flowing ofthe Sea;the manifold kmds offimples that grow our ofthe earth, and creatures that creep: upon it . with all their ftrange qualities, and op:rations. Or perhaps, the feverall formes'of govern~enr, an? rules ofStare rake up their bufie heads: fo that while they would be acquatnrcd with the whole world,they are !\rangers at home, and while they feek to know all other things, tbey remainc unknownc ofrhemfelves. The God that made them, the vilendfc ot their nature, the danoer oftheir finnes the multitude oftheir im~crfeClions, the Saviour that bought th;'m, the Heaven that he bought for them, arc 1n the meanc:tune as unknowne, as unrcgarded, as if chcy were nm. K 3 Thus IOI Ofthe Sire aAd gdlur; of thcboJy. •Gu.ilitl.l'arif. •nt,ltJf.CtU~ thu[. Ofthematttt :and(uhjc.!t of ourMediu ti-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=