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position and practice. One, (Gerson,) sitting with the face turned up to heaven-ward; according to the precept of the philosopher, who taught him, that by sitting and resting, the mind gathereth wisdom another, (Guliel. Paris.) leaning to some rest, towards the left side, for the greater quieting of the heart: a third, (Dionys. Carthus.) standing with the eyes lift up to heaven; but shut, for fear of distractions. But, of all other, methinketh, Isaac's choice the best, who meditated walking. In this, let every man be his own master; so be, we use that frame of body, that may both testify reverence; and, in some cases, help to stir up further devotion: which also must needs be varied, according to the matter of our meditation. If we think of our sins, Ahab's soft pace, the publican's dejected eyes, and his hand beating his breast, are most seasonable: if of the joys of heaven, Stephen's countenance fixed above, and David's hands lift up on high, are most fitting. In all which, the body, as it is the instrument and vassal of the soul, so will easily follow the affections thereof; and, in truth, then is our devotion most kindly, when the body is thus commanded his service by the spirit; and not suffered to go before it, and, by his forwardness, to provoke his master to emulation.

CHAP. XII.

III. Of the MATTER and SUBJECT of our meditation.

Now time and order call us from these circumstances, to the Matter and Subject of meditation: which must be divine and spiritual; not evil, nor worldly. Oh, the carnal and unprofitable thoughts of men! We all meditate: one, how to do ill to others; another, how to do some earthly good to himself: another, to hurt himself, under a colour of good; as how to accomplish his lewd desires, the fulfilling whereof proveth the bane of the soul; how he may sin unseen, and go to hell with the least noise of the world. Or, per haps, some better minds bend their thoughts upon the search of natural things; the motions of every heaven, and of every star; the reason and course of the ebbing and flowing of the sea; the manifold kinds of simples that grow out of the earth, and creatures that creep upon it, with all their strange qualities and operations: or, perhaps, the several forms of government and rules of state take up their busy heads: so that, while they would be acquainted with the whole world, they are strangers at home; and, while they seek to know all other things, they remain unknown of themselves. The God that made them, the vileness of their nature, the danger of their sins, the multitude of their imperfections, the Saviour that bought them, the heaven that he bought for them, are, in the mean time, as unknown, as unregarded, as if they were not. Thus do foolish children spend their time and labour, in turning over leaves to look for painted babes; not at all respecting the solid matter under their hands. We fools, when will we be wise; and, turning our eyes from vanity, with that sweet Singer of Israel, make God's statutes our song and meditation in the house of our pilgrimage?

Earthly things proffer themselves with importunity: heavenly things must with importunity be sued to. Those, if they were not so little worth, would not be so forward; and, being forward, need not any meditation to solicit them: these, by how much more hard they are to entreat, by so much more precious they are being obtained; and, therefore, worthier our endeavour. As then we cannot go amiss, so long as we keep ourselves in the track of divinity; while the soul is taken up with the thoughts either of the Deity in his essence and persons, (sparingly yet in this point, and more in faith and admiration than enquiry,) or of his attributes, his justice, power, wisdom, mercy, truth; or of his works, in the creation, preservation, government of all things; dccording to the Psalmist, I will meditate of the beauty of thy glorious Majesty, and thy wonderful works: so, most directly in our way, and best fitting our exercise of meditation, are those matters in divinity, which can most of all work compunction in the heart, and most stir us up to devotion. Of which kind, are the meditations concerning Christ Jesus our Mediator, his incarnation, miracles, life, passion, burial, resurrection, ascension, intercession, the benefit of our redemption, the certainty of our election, the graces and proceeding of our sanctification, our glorious estate in paradise lost in our first parents, our present vileness, our inclination to sin, our several actual offences, the temptations and sleights of evil angels, the use of the sacraments, nature and practice of faith and repentance, the miseries of our life with the frailty of it, the certainty and uncertainty of our death, the glory of God's Saints above, the awfulness of Judgment, the terrors of hell, and the rest of this quality: wherein, both it is fit to have variety, for that even the strongest stomach doth not always delight in one dish; and yet so to change, that our choice may be free from wildness and inconstancy.

CHAP. XIII.

IV. The ORDER of the work itself.

Now, after that we have thus orderly suited the person and his qualities, with the due circumstances of time, place, disposition of body, and, substance of the matter discussed, I know not what can remain, besides the main business itself, and the manner and degrees of our prosecution thereof; which, above all other, calleth for an intentive reader, and resolute practice. Wherein, that we may avoid all niceness and obscurity, since we strive to profit, we will give direction for the Entrance, Proceeding, Conclusion of

this divine work.

CHAP. XIV.

1. The ENTRANCE into the work :-(1.) The common entrance, which is Prayer.

A GOODLY building must shew some magnificence in the gate and great personages have seemly ushers to go before them; who, by their uncovered heads, command reverence and way.

Even very poets of old had wout, before their ballads, to implore

the aid of their gods: and the heathen Romans entered not upon any public civil business, without a solemn apprecation of good success: how much less should a Christian dare to undertake a spiritual work of such importance, not having craved the assistance of his God? which, methinks, is no less, than to profess he could do well without God's leave. When we think evil, it is from our selves; when good, from God. As Prayer is our speech to God, so is each good meditation, according to Bernard, God's speech to the heart: the heart must speak to God, that God may speak to it. Prayer, therefore, and Meditation are as those famous twins in the story, or as two loving turtles; whereof, separate one, the other languisheth: prayer maketh way for meditation; meditation giveth matter, strength, and life to our prayers: by which, as all other things are sanctified to us, so we are sanctified to all holy things. This is as some royal eunuch, to perfume and dress our souls, that they may be fit to converse with the King of Heaven. But the prayer that leadeth in meditation would not be long; requiring rather, that the extension and length should be put into the vigour and fervency of it for that is not here intended to be the principal business, but an introduction to another; and no otherwise, than as a portal to this building of meditation. The matter whereof shall be, that the course of our meditation may be guided aright and blessed; that all distractions may be avoided; our judg ment enlightened, our inventions quickened, our wills rectified, our affections whetted to heavenly things, our hearts enlarged to God-ward, our devotion enkindled: so that we may find our corruptions abated, our graces thriven, our souls and lives every way bettered by this exercise.

CHAP. XV.

(2.) Particular and proper entrance into the matter, which is in our Choice thereof.

SUCH is the common entrance into this work. There is another yet, more particular and proper; wherein the mind, recollecting itself, maketh Choice of that Theme or Matter, whereupon it will bestow itself for the present: settling itself on that, which it hath chosen which is done by an inward inquisition made into our heart, of what we both do and should think upon; rejecting what is unexpedient and unprofitable. In both which, the soul, like unto some noble hawk, lets pass the crows, and larks, and such other worthless birds that cross her way, and stoopeth upon a fowl of price, worthy of her flight: after this manner.

"What wilt thou muse upon, O my soul? Thou seest how little it availeth thee to wander and rove about in uncertainties. thou findest how little favour there is in these earthly things, wherewith thou hast wearied thyself. Trouble not thyself any longer, with Martha, about the many and needless thoughts of the world: none but heavenly things can afford thee comfort. Up then, my soul, and mind those things, that are above; whence thyselfart: amongst

all which, wherein shouldest thou rather meditate, than of the life and glory of God's Saints? A worthier employment thou canst never rind, than to think upon that estate, thou shalt once possess, and now desirest.”

CHAP. XVI.

2. The PROCEEDING of our meditation:--and, therein, a Method allowed by some Authors rejected by us.

HITHERTO the entrance. After which, our meditation must Proceed in due order; not troubledly; not presposterously. It begins in the understanding, endeth in the affection: it begins in the brain, descends to the heart begins on earth, ascends to heaven: not suddenly; but, by certain stairs and degrees, till we come to the highest.

I have found a subtle Scale of Meditation, admired by some professors of this art, above all other human devices; and far preferred by them to the best directions of Origen, Austin, Bernard, Hugo, Bonaventure, Gerson, and whosoever hath been reputed of greatest perfection in this skill. The several stairs whereof, lest I should seem to defraud my reader through envy, I would willingly describe, were it not that I feared to scare him rather with the danger of obscurity, from venturing further upon this so worthy a business: yet, lest any man perhaps might complain of an unknown loss, my margin shall find room for that, which I hold too knotty for my text. In all which, after the incredible commendations of some practitioners, I doubt not but an ordinary reader will easily espy a double fault, at the least, Darkness and Coincidence; that

*The Scale of Meditation of an Author, ancient, but nameless.

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2. Degrees of Proceeding in the Understanding.

4 Commemoration. An actual thinking upon the matter elected.

5 Consideration.{ A redoubled commemoration of the same, till it be fully

6 Attention.

known.

A fixed and earnest consideration, whereby it is fastened in the mind.

7 Explanation....... A clearing of the thing considered by similitudes.

8 Tractation.......

An extending the thing considered to other points, where all questions of doubts are discussed.

9 Dijudication. An estimation of the worth of the thing thus handled. 10 Causation....... A confirmation of the estimation thus made.

11 Rumination.... work upon the affections. A sad and serious meditation of all the former, till it may

From hence to the degrees of affection.

they are both too obscurely delivered, and that divers of them fall into other, not without some vain superfluity. For this part therefore, which concerneth the understanding, I would rather to require only a deep and firm Consideration of the thing propounded: which shall be done, if we follow it in our discourse, through all or the principal of those places, which natural reason doth afford us. Wherein, let no man plead ignorance, or fear difficulty: we are all, thus far, born logicians; neither is there, in this, so much need of skill, as of industry. In which course yet, we may not be too curious; in a precise search of every place and argument, without omission of any, though to be fetched in with racking the invention: for as the mind, if it go loose and without rule, roves to no purpose; so, if it be too much fettered with the gieves of strict regularity, moveth nothing at all.

CHAP. XVII.

Premonitions concerning our proceeding in the FIRST PART of Meditation.

ERE I enter, therefore, into any particular tractation, there are three things, whereof I would premonish my reader, concerning this first part, which is in the understanding.

First, that I desire not to bind every man to the same uniform proceeding in this part. Practice and custom may, perhaps, have taught other courses, more familiar, and not less direct. If then we can, by any other method, work in our hearts so deep an apprehension of the matter meditated, as it may duly stir the affections, it is that only we require.

Secondly, that whosoever applieth himself to this direction, think him not necessarily tied to the prosecution of all these logical places, which he findeth in the sequel of our treatise; so as his meditation should be lame and imperfect without the whole number: for there are some themes, which will not bear all these, as when we meditate of God, there is no room for Causes or Comparisons; and others yield them with such difficulty, that their search interrupteth the chief work intended. It shall be sufficient, if we take the most pregnant, and most voluntary.

Thirdly, that when we stick in the disposition of any of the places following (as if, meditating of Sin, I cannot readily meet with the Material and Formal Causes, or the Appendances of it) we rack not our minds too much with the enquiry thereof; which were to strive more for logic, than devotion: but, without too much disturbance of our thoughts, quietly pass over to the next. If we break our teeth with the shell, we shall find small pleasure in the kernel.

Now, then, for that my only fear is, lest this part of my discourse shall seem over-perplexed unto the unlearned reader, I will, in this whole process, second my rule with his example; that so, what might seem obscure in the one, may by the other be ex

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