A96109:323
The saints delight. To which is annexed a treatise of meditation
The saints delight. To which is annexed a treatise of meditation. / By Thomas Watson, minister of Stephens Walbrook in the city of London. Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy.
London: printed by T.R. & E.M. for Ralph Smith, 1657
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Treatise › Chapter 17: Containing divine motives to meditation.
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.
Et stult us labor est ineptiarum — Martial.
Thus fruitless are those meditations which do not centre upon God. 'Tis but portare pulverem ⟨p. 256⟩contra ventum, as Hierome speaks. But especially at death, then a man sees all those thoughts, which were not spent upon God to be fruitless, Psalm 146.4. In that very day his thoughts perish. I may allude to it in this sense; all worldly, vain thoughts, in that day of death perish, and come to nothing: What good will the whole globe of the world do at such a time? Those who have ravelled out their thoughts in impertinences will but be the more disquieted, it will cut them to the heart to think how they have spun a fools thread. A Scythian Captain, having for a Draught of water, yielded up the City, cryed out, quid perdidi, quid prodidi? What have I lost? What have I betrayed? So will it be with that man, when he comes to dye, who hath spent ⟨p. 257⟩all his meditations upon the world, he will say, what have I lost, what have I betrayed? I have lost heaven, I have betrayed my soul. And should not the consideration of this fix our minds upon the thoughts of God and glory? All other meditations are fruitless; like a piece of ground which hath much cost laid out upon it but it yields no crop.
Thus fruitless are those meditations which do not center upon God. 'Tis but portare pulverem ⟨p. 256⟩contra ventum, as Hierome speaks. But especially at death, then a man sees all those thoughts, which were not spent upon God to be fruitless, Psalm 146.4. In that very day his thoughts perish. I may allude to it in this sence; all worldly, vain thoughts, in that day of death perish, and come to nothing: What good will the whole globe of the world do at such a time? Those who have ravelled out their thoughts in impertinencies will but be the more disquieted, it will cut them to the heart to think how they have spun a fools thread. A Scythian Captain, having for a Draught of water, yielded up the City, cryed out, quid perdidi, quid prodidi? What have I lost? What have I betrayed? So will it be with that man, when he comes to dye, who hath spent