I Am in the next place to exhort Christians to this so necessary ⟨p. 204⟩duty of Meditation. If ever there were a duty I would press upon you with more earnestness & zeal, it should be this, because so much of the vitals and spirits of Religion lies in it. The plant may as well bear fruit without watering, the meat may as well nourish without digesting, as we can fructify in holiness without Meditation. God provides the meat, Ministers can but cook and dress it for you, Meditation must make the concoction; for want of this you may cry out as the Prophet, Isa. 24.16. My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me. Oh let me persuade such as fear God, seriously to set upon this duty. If you have formerly neglected it, bewail your neglect, and now begin to make conscience of it: Lock up your selves with God (at least once a day) by holy Meditation ⟨p. 206⟩Ascend this Hill, and when you are gotten to the top of it, you shall see a fair prospect, Christ and heaven before you. Let me put you in mind of that sweet saying of Bernard, *O Saint knowest thou not that thy husband Christ is bashful and will not be familiar in company? retire thy self by meditation into the closet, or the field and there thou shalt have Christs embraces. Cant. 7.11, 12. Come my Beloved, let us go forth, into the field, there will I give thee my loves, O that I might invite Christians to this rare duty. Why is it, that you do not Meditate in Gods Law? Let me expostulate the case with you: what is the Reason? My thinks I hear some say, we are indeed convinced of the necessity of the duty, but alas there are many things that hinder. There are ⟨p. 207⟩two great objections lye in the way, I shall remove them, and then hope the better to persuade to this duty.
I Am in the next place to exhort Christians to this so necessary ⟨p. 204⟩duty of Meditation. If ever there were a duty I would press upon you with more earnestness & zeal, it should be this, because so much of the vitals and spirits of Religion lies in it. The plant may as well bear fruit without watering, the meat may as well nourish without digesting, as we can fructifie in holinesse without Meditation. God provides the meat, Ministers can but cook and dresse it for you, Meditation must make the concoction; for want of this you may cry out as the Prophet, Isa. 24.16. My leanness, my leanness, wo unto me. Oh let me perswade such as fear God, seriously to set upon this duty. If you have formerly neglected it, bewail your neglect, and now begin to make conscience of it: Lock up your selves with God (at least once a day) by holy Meditation ⟨p. 206⟩Ascend this Hill, and when you are gotten to the top of it, you shall see a fair prospect, Christ and heaven before you. Let me put you in minde of that sweet saying of Bernard, *O Saint knowest thou not that thy husband Christ is bashfull and will not be familiar in company? retire thy self by meditation into the closet, or the field and there thou shalt have Christs embraces. Cant. 7.11, 12. Come my Beloved, let us go forth, into the field, there will I give thee my loves, O that I might invite Christians to this rare duty. Why is it, that you do not Meditate in Gods Law? Let me expostulate the case with you: what is the Reason? My thinks I hear some say, we are indeed convinced of the necessity of the duty, but alas there are many things that hinder. There are ⟨p. 207⟩two great objections lye in the way, I shall remove them, and then hope the better to perswade to this duty.
- *O sancta anima, fuge publi cum, fuge domesticos, an nescis te verecundum habere sponsum, & qui nequaquam suam velit tibi indulgere praesentiam, praesentibus caeteris: Ber: serm. 40. in Can.
