Reader, One thing more I have to say to thee; if thou wouldest know how to carry on this Duty constantly, as thou dost thy morning, and thy evening prayer; it were not amiss if every day, either morning, or evening, thou wouldst take some part of it at one time, and some part of it at another time, at least for some space of time together. I know some, that in a constant daily course carry on in secret those two necessary duties of meditation and prayer; what the subject matter of their meditation is, I am not very certain; only our experience can tell us, that be it heaven, or be it hell; be it sin, or be it grace, or be it what it will; if we be in exercise of the self-same subject either constantly, or frequently, we are apt to grow remiss, or cold, or formal; and the reason is, one thing tires quickly, unless that one be all: now that is Christ, for He is All, Col. 3.11. if then but once a day thou wouldst make this Jesus Christ thy subject to know, consider, desire, hope, believe, ⟨image 5⟩joy in, call upon, and conform unto, in his several respects of plotting, promising, performing thy redemption in his Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, Session, Intercession, and coming again; and that one of these particulars might be thy one days exercise, and so every day thou wouldest proceed from first to last, in thus looking unto Jesus, I suppose thou wouldst never tire thy self; and why so? O there is variety in this matter to be looked unto, and there is variety in the manner of looking on it. Ex. gr. one day thou mightst act thy knowing of Jesus in carrying on the great work of thy salvation in his Eternity; the next day thou mightest consider Jesus in that respect; and the next day thou mightst desire after Jesus in that respect; and the next day thou mightst hope in Jesus in that respect; and so on, till thou comest to the last day of the work; which (besides* the object handled at large in every period, in these very actings upon the object) would in all amount to the number of eighty one days. Now would not this variety delight? It is the observation of Mr. Lockyer, on Col. 1.16. that an holy soul cannot tire it self in the contemplation of Jesus: how much less can it tire it self in Looking unto Jesus, which is far more Comprehensive than contemplating of Jesus?
Reader, One thing more I have to say to thee; if thou wouldest know how to carry on this Duty constantly, as thou dost thy morning, and thy evening prayer; it were not amiss if every day, either morning, or evening, thou wouldst take some part of it at one time, and some part of it at another time, at least for some space of time together. I know some, that in a constant daily course carry on in secret those two necessary duties of meditation and prayer; what the subject matter of their meditation is, I am not very certain; only our experience can tell us, that be it heaven, or be it hell; be it sin, or be it grace, or be it what it will; if we be in exercise of the self-same subject either constantly, or frequently, we are apt to grow remiss, or cold, or formal; and the reason is, one thing tires quickly, unless that one be all: now that is Christ, for He is All, Col. 3.11. if then but once a day thou wouldst make this Jesus Christ thy subject to know, consider, desire, hope, believe, ⟨image 5⟩joy in, call upon, and conform unto, in his several respects of plotting, promising, performing thy redemption in his Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, Session, Intercession, and coming again; and that one of these particulars might be thy one dayes exercise, and so every day thou wouldest proceed from first to last, in thus looking unto Jesus, I suppose thou wouldst never tire thy self; and why so? O there is variety in this matter to be looked unto, and there is variety in the manner of looking on it. Ex. gr. one day thou mightst act thy knowing of Jesus in carrying on the great work of thy salvation in his Eternity; the next day thou mightest consider Jesus in that respect; and the next day thou mightst desire after Jesus in that respect; and the next day thou mightst hope in Jesus in that respect; and so on, till thou comest to the last day of the work; which (besides* the object handled at large in every period, in these very actings upon the object) would in all amount to the number of eighty one dayes. Now would not this variety delight? It is the observation of Mr. Lockyer, on Col. 1.16. that an holy soul cannot tire it self in the contemplation of Jesus: how much less can it tire it self in Looking unto Jesus, which is far more Comprehensive than contemplating of Jesus?
- *I suppose, the Reader will, at least, once read over the whole book; and then for this constant daily exercise, during eighty one days in a year, I leave the object in every period to be read, or not read, as he pleaseth; unless it may, in whole, or in part, conduce any thing to that one act of knowing Jesus in such or such a respect.I suppose, the Reader will, at least, once read over the whole book; and then for this constant dayly exercise, during eighty one dayes in a year, I leave the object in every period to be read, or not read, as he pleaseth; unless it may, in whole, or in part, conduce any thing to that one act of knowing Jesus in such or such a respect.
