2 Meditation is a duty opposed. §2We may conclude it is a good duty, because it is against the stream of corrupt nature; as he said, you may know that Religion is right which Nero persecutes; so you may know that is a good duty which the heart opposeth. We shall find naturally a strange averseness from meditation. We are swift to hear, but slow to meditate. To think of the world, if it were all day long, is delightful, but as for holy meditation, how doth the heart wrangle and quarrel with this duty! ⟨p. 68⟩It is doing of penance; now truly, there needs no other reason to prove a duty to be good, than the reluctancy of a carnal heart. To instance in the duty of self-denial. Let a man deny himself, Mat. 16.24. self denial is as necessary as heaven, but what disputes are raised in the heart against it? What to deny my reason, and become a fool, that I may be wise; nay, not only to deny my reason, but my righteousness? What, to cast it over-board, and swim to heaven upon the plank of Christs merits? this is such a duty that the heart doth naturally oppose and enter its dissent against. This is an argument to prove the duty of self-denial good; just so it is with this duty of meditation; the secret antipathy the heart hath against it, shows it to be good; and this is reason enough to enforce meditation.
2 Meditation is a duty opposed. §2We may conclude it is a good duty, because it is against the stream of corrupt nature; as he said, you may know that Religion is right which Nero persecutes; so you may know that is a good duty which the heart opposeth. We shall finde naturally a strange aversenesse from meditation. We are swift to heare, but slow to meditate. To think of the world, if it were all day long, is delightful, but as for holy meditation, how doth the heart wrangle and quarrel with this duty! ⟨p. 68⟩It is doing of pennance; now truly, there needs no other reason to prove a duty to be good, than the reluctancy of a carnal heart. To instance in the duty of self-denial. Let a man deny himself, Mat. 16.24. selfdenial is as necessary as heaven, but what disputes are raised in the heart against it? What to deny my reason, and become a fool, that I may be wise; nay, not only to deny my reason, but my righteousnesse? What, to cast it over-board, and swim to heaven upon the plank of Christs merits? this is such a duty that the heart doth naturally oppose and enter its dissent against. This is an argument to prove the duty of self-denial good; just so it is with this duty of meditation; the secret antipathy the heart hath against it, shews it to be good; and this is reason enough to enforce meditation.
