A77360:741
Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation
Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation. : Gods return to the soul, or nation; together with his preventing mercy. : Delivered in ten sermons, (viz.) 1. Christs personal excellencies, the object of our love. 2. Christ crucified, the object of our faith. 3. The new covenant of grace opened. 4. Christ the mediator of the new covenant. 5. The way and spirit of the new covenant, or New Testament. 6. The blood of sprinkling. 7. The sweetness and profitableness of divine meditation. 8. The work and way of this meditation. 9. Gods return to the soul and nation. 10. Preventing mercy. / By W.B.
London: printed for N. Ranew, 1667
Sermons › Sermon 7: The Sweetness and Profitableness of Divine Meditation. SERM. VII.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
How may it appear, that it is a sweet thing for a gracious soul, to meditate on God: It will appear to you by divers Arguments.
First, It is a sweet thing for a good and gracious man, to meditate on God, and the things of God, because it is natural to him. Natural works are pleasant works: It is a tedious and an irksome thing to row against the stream of Nature; but Natural works are pleasing works. Now as it is a natural thing for a worldly man, to think and meditate on the world, and the things thereof; so it is natural to a gracious man, to think and meditate on God, and the things of God. I pray, What is the reason, that wicked men take so much delight in thinking, and meditating, and musing, on their sins and sinful ways, but because sin is natural unto them: Why, a good man being made partaker of a Divine nature, 'tis natural to him therefore to think on God, and the ways and things of God; and therefore pleasant, therefore sweet.
First, It is a sweet thing for a good and gracious man, to meditate on God, and the things of God, because it is natural to him. Natural works are pleasant works: It is a tedious and an irksome thing to row against the stream of Nature; but Natural works are pleasing works. Now as it is a natural thing for a worldly man, to think and meditate on the world, and the things thereof; so it is natural to a gracious man, to think and meditate on God, and the things of God. I pray, What is the reason, that wicked men take so much delight in thinking, and meditating, and musing, on their sins and sinful wayes, but because sin is natural unto them: Why, a good man being made partaker of a Divine nature, 'tis natural to him therefore to think on God, and the wayes and things of God; and therefore pleasant, therefore sweet.
But secondly, As it is natural to a gracious man to think on God, and the things of God, so 'tis suitable to him. As 'tis a natural work, so 'tis a suitable work: suitable things are pleasant; the more suitable any