The saints everlasting rest

So much as thy understanding and affections are sincerely acted upon GOD, so much dost thou enjoy him: and this is the happy work of this meditation. So that you see here is somewhat more to be done, than barely to remember and think of heaven: as running, and such like labours, do not only stir a hand or foot, but strain and exercise the whole body; so doth meditation the whole soul.

As the whole was filled with sin before, so the whole must be filled with GOD now: as St. Paul saith of knowledge, and gifts, and faith to remove mountains, that if thou hast all these without love, thou art but as a sounding brass, or as a tinkling cym••l, so I may say of the exercise of these, if in this work of meditation, thou exercise knowledge, and gifts, and faith of miracles, and not love and joy, thou dost nothing; if thy meditation tends to fill thy note-book with notions and good sayings concerning GOD, and not thy heart with longings after him, and delight in ⟨p. 325⟩him, for aught I know thy book is as much a christian as thou.

I call this meditation set and solemn, to difference it from that which is occasional. As there is prayer which is solemn, when we set ourselves wholly to the duty; and prayer which is sudden and short, commonly called ejaculations, when a man in the midst of other business, doth send up some brief request to GOD: so also there is meditation solemn, when we apply ourselves only to that work; and there is meditation which is short and cursory, when in the midst of our business we have some good thoughts of GOD in our minds. And as solemn prayer is either first set, when a christian observing it as a standing duty, doth resolvedly practise it in a constant course; or secondly, occasional, when some unusual occasion doth put us upon it at a season extraordinary: so also meditation.