Vol 16 - THE THIRD EXERCISE.

THE THIRD EXERCISE.
Every Day spend half an hour, or some such time, in thinking of some good thing.
THIS Exercise is insisted on in this chapter, (1 Timothy 4:15) and in Psal. 1:2, and Php_4:8. I mention half an hour, because it is not easily to be conceived, how any meditation can be effectual, or do good to the soul, if men do not think it worth bestowing so much time at least upon it. And there is such great variety of spiritual objects, that every day we may fix upon a theme; and, with the day, change the subject of our, contemplation.
On SUNDAY, we may let our hearts dwell on the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven, and the glory of the world to come:Who they are, that.shall. enjoy it, and on what terms that crown may be obtained: The transcendency of that felicity, above all that the world can call rich, and beautiful, and glorious: How pleasant that life will be, free from hunger and thirst, and cold and nakedness; from all possibility of sin, and danger from death, and sorrow, and sadness; from anxiety, corruption, and perturbation; from changes, and sickness, and weakness, and infirmities; from fear, and storms, and tempests; from the assaults of the world, the flesh, and the Devil: How full of love and delight it will be: how sweetly the weary soul will rest in the bosom of everlasting mercy: How glorious a sight the New Jerusalem, will. be How reviving a spectacle, to behold the guard royal of angels, shining in robes of light; the noble army of,martyrs;the goodly fellowship of patriarchs, and prophets; and what is more, CHRIST, as man, glorified with his Father's glory, shining like the sun in his meridian lustre, and saying to his triumphant church, " Behold, you art fair, my love; you have ravished my heart! Who is' she that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb;. honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy tongue is like the smell of Lebanon."
As meditation and prayer are never so useful, as when they shine in conjunction; so this, as well as the following meditations, being seconded with holy aspirations, will have more effect upon the soul. Of these aspirations I shall give some patterns.
I. " O GOD! you most sweet, you most lovely object! How little do those glorified saints, who enjoy thee in the other world, regard our little pleasures and, satisfactions here! O that my soul were with those spirits of men made perfect! I see nothing in this valley of tears worth desiring. The beatitude to cpme is that which I long for. What are the glories of this world, to that glory which ere long s h a l l be revealed in us!, The magnificence of triumphs, the pomp' of princes, the curiosity of palaces, the beauty of the sun, the brightness of the moon, the glittering of the stars, the variety of flowers, the fragrancy of herbs,—what are all these to the joys at thy right hand! One day in thy courts is sweeter than a thousand here. There I shall behold the perfection of thy essence, the infinity of thy nature, the immensity of thy grandeur, the eternity of thy duration, the greatness of thy majesty, the stability of thy throne, the vast extent of thy wisdom, the abyss of thy judgments, the sweets of thy bounty, the tenderness of thy mercy, the severity of thy justice, the latitude of thy power, the charms of thy beauty, and the lustre of thy glory! O what a ravishing sight will this be! And shall I be afraid of encountering those enemies, that would keep me from seeing these wonderful objects These enemies are already conquered. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has already weakened their strength, which makes my victory more easy; therefore I will not despair. O You, who have promised that when the poor and needy want water, you the GOD of Israel wilt hear them; hear me from thy holy heaven, and encourage my soul to force her way through all difficulties. Give me lively apprehensions of that state. For want of those lively apprehensions, I work not, I move not, I press not forward, I act not like a person that is in good earnest; my endeavors are dull, and my attempts feeble. O write that bliss upon my mind, and engrave it on my soul; let the beams of it warm my spirit, so that no labor for heaven may seem hard, no commandment grievous, no exercise troublesome, no industry tedious, no pains too great, no journey too long; that I may not murmur, that I may not complain of difficulties, that I may not be weary, that I may not faint in my mind. It is not only a glorious garment, not only a magnificent house, not only a stately palace, that is promised me; but glory itself. What if I must curb my passions, and break through my sinful inclinations What if I must withdraw mine affections from the creature, and mortify my body What if I must submit my will to thy will, and pardon the greatest injuries What if I must give law to my tongue, prescribe limits to my thoughts, and put a restraint upon my foolish desires Is not the promised recompence encouragement enough O my GOD! You art my shield and exceeding great reward; and shall I be afraid to see thee Shall I tremble at the work you settest me Will not thy wages be infinitely beyond my labor How short will be my task, and how long my rest! How few will be the days I am to work in, and bow. durable my repose! O shine powerfully upon my soul, that I may be insatiable in my desires, and long to see thee, who art light itself, and in thy light may see light, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen."
II. O most. happy, most blessed, and most glorious GOD! How can I reflect on the Rest of this day, without summoning my thoughts to survey the nobler Rest, whereof this present is but an, emblem! I have gone this day with the multitude to the house of GOD; but what, is this to the company I shall ere long meet in heaven, if I imitate them here Happy society! where is no chaff among the corn, no tares among the wheat, no thistles among the roses! Where all are children of "Gon, all are kings, all are saints, all are full of grace and glory, all are wise, all courteous, all affable, all adorned with celestial qualities! If I take such pleasure in the conversation of a wise man here, what delight shall I take in the company of the holiest souls, that want nothing, but abound in knowledge, in wisdom, and in sanctity! How do I admire men of great abilities here! In what admiration then will my soul be, when it shall converse with persons decked with the light of GOD’s glory; who know all things without reading, understand the greatest mysteries without studying, and comprehend the abstrusest things without labor whose memory never decays, who know without error, apprehend without doubting, understand with assurance, and perceive with the greatest evidence; who can resolve all difficulties, answer all questions, and think and, speak nothing but truth; whose minds know no darkness, whose understandings are free from clouds, and whose knowledge is eternal! How can they but know the deep things of Goss, when Goss is the glass in which they behold all mysteries! O my Gott, make me in love with that place, where I shall love thee perfectly, where I shall be eternally united to thee, where I cannot but love thee, cannot but embrace thee, and cannot but be ravished with thee for ever! If they who, running in a race, strive for the mastery, are temperate in all things, shall not I be so If they mortify themselves to gain a corruptible crown, shall not I do so to gain an incorruptible one What pains do ungodly sinners take to get to hell, and shall not I be at some to get to heaven O LoRD, let it never be said of me, that I valued thy heaven less than other men do the Devil's kingdom! You offerest me the honor of reigning with thee for ever; and, in order thereunto, requirest nothing of me, but to reign over myself on this side of heaven! You biddest me rule my lusts, and shall I indulge them You biddest me curb my vain desires, and shall I cherish them in my bosom You biddest me triumph over my flesh, and shall I set it on the throne You biddest me subdue my worldly inclinations, and shall I give them entertainment How great are the glories you intendest me! And shall I deprive myself of them, out of love to slavery and bondage O give me courage to command myself! My Lout), teach me so to rule my outward and inward man, that I may reign at last with thee for ever, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen."
On MONDAY, we may reflect on the Last Judgment How the LORD JESUS, notwithstanding the seeming delay, shall be ere long revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know not GOD, and obey not the Gospel of our LORD JESUS CHRIST! IIow the King of heaven will then sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him will be gathered all nations, and how he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats; how he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on the left; and say to them on his right hand, " Come ye blessed Of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world; " but to them on the left, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels:" How different men's apprehensions of GOD’s mercy and justice will be then, from what they are now: What amazement the careless world will be in then; how those men that spend their days in jollity, and brutish pleasures now, will then be forced into despair, and be ready to tear themselves, and call to rocks and mountains, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the LAMB: How all things then will look with another face: How the humble and self denying Christian, that is now the off scouring of the world, will then be exalted above all heavens, and seated on the same throne with the SON OF GOD; and how all those mighty nothings, that laugh now at the religious soul, will tremble in that day, like an aspenleaf; and wish that they had considered the things which belonged to their everlasting peace.
And this meditation may be watered with such aspirations as follow.
I. " Almighty Judge of the world, before whom all mankind must ere long appear; righteous art you in all thy ways, and holy in all thy works. If the righteous shall scarcely be saved, whereshall I, a poor sinner, appear I who have so long and so frequently neglected my duty, delayed my repentance, undervalued thy mercies, despised thy patience, and abused the riches of thy grace! O Lord! how watchful should I be over myself, if the terrors of the great day of account appeared to me in lively characters! O dreadful day, when I, a poor wretch, must stand before thy tribunal, and see myself surrounded with legions of Angels, all /expecting to hear what my sentence will be! This day I have frequently in my mouth; but O that my soul were more solemnly affected with the consideration of it! I should not then lead so easy and so soft a life; I should then spend more time in weeping and praying; I should then be afraid of defiling my soul with the least spot of sin. LORD JESUS! look upon me, and let me feel thy power in my soul. Come, LORD)! represent that day to my mind in all its terrors and circumstances, that I may make haste to enter into thy rest. The Judge is at the door; let me bring presents to Him that ought to be feared; and since no gift is so pleasing to thee, as a heart entirely devoted to thy service, O persuade me, O assist me, to mind the one thing necessary, and to choose the better part, which may never be taken away from me, for thy name's sake, for thy mercy's sake, and for thy merit's sake. Amen."
II. " O You omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent Being, who have appointed a day wherein you wilt judge the secrets of men's hearts, and all their words, and actions, and desires, by thy Gospel: I believe that this day will come,—a day when pure hearts will be esteemed more than eloquent speeches, and a good conscience will go farther than purses of gold. You, LORD, givest me frequent warnings of the approaches of this day. My conscience puts me in mind of it. The sicknesses and calamities, which you sendest upon me, tell me of it. O my Go), who art not tired with the prayers of thy servants, nor displeased with the importunities of thy children; it is the desire of my soul to be enlivened and awakened into such a sense of this approaching day, that today, while I hear thy voice, I may not harden my heart. I have delayed my serious care of happiness too long! O that mine eyes were fountains of tears, to weep for this neglect! I am sensible I must not trifle any longer. I must not defer a concern of such importance to another day. O my Gott, let me admire thy patience, that I have lived unto this hour; and accept of my sacrifice of the remainder of my days, which I humbly consecrate to thee, with faith and love in CiInisT JESUS. O let this future judgment overawe my careless soul, when I speak, when I think, when I follow my lawful calling, when I am in company, when I am alone, when I walk, when I sit, when I stand; and let me ever fear that Judge who has power to destroy both soul and body in hell, so that both my soul and body may be preserved from damnation, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen."
On TUESDAY, we may take GOD's various Mercies and Providences into serious consideration:—What preservations, what deliverances, we have met with, what care GOD has taken of us from time to time: How he has been with us, when we have gone through the water, and when we have passed through the fire, and has commanded the flames not to kindle upon us: How ready he has been to assist us in the fiery furnace: How miraculously he has appeared in our rescue: When the figtree has not blossomed, when there has been no fruit in the vine, when the "labor of the olive has ailed, and when all creaturecomforts have ceased, how often he has been our strength, our portion, our refuge, and our hidingplace: How beneficial such a. providence has been to us; what good we have got by such an, affliction; how excellent the designs of GOD are in the troubles he sends upon us; how much safer an afflicted condition is, than a prosperous one: How kind he has been, in causing us to be born in a Christian country, and educated in a religion free from gross errors: what a mercy his word, his Gospel, and all his laws and revelations are: What assistances, what comforts, what checks of conscience, what motions of GOD’s SPIRIT we have found; and how GOD has done more for us than we have been able to think, or to express. Even this speculation will turn to excellent nourishment, if joined with such ejaculations as these.
I. "O LORD! how wonderful are all thy works; in wisdom have you made them/all; the earth is full of thy riches! What a monument am I of thy mercy! How kind have you been to this miserable creature! How am I bound to magnify thy goodness! How: excellent, how vasty how diffusive is it! It is not confined to a day, nor restrained to a: place, nor limited. to an hour! From my cradle unto this moment I have been preserved by Thee; and:tasted how gracious you art.’ • You have carried. me on thy wings, as the eagle does her young. Through the various stages of my life, what miracles of Providence have mine eyes beheld! How has thy Providence been at work for me, while I have been asleep, while I have been thinking, and contriving something’ else,—even how to derogate from thy glory! Truly, LORD! thy mercy and patience ought to be my song in the house of my pilgrimage! This I have reason to boast of, to speak of, to meditate of, day and night; by that I subsist, by that I am supported, fed, maintained, and preserved from the hands of the Devil. O let thy mercy melt my heart! O let mercy prevail with me to give up myself to thee! Let mercy and goodness constrain me to love thee! Give me that generous temper, that noble spirit, that thy goodness may do more with me than threatenings, and hell, and everlasting torments. Let thy love oblige me to run in the way of thy commandments. Let these be greater motives with me to do thy will, than all the terrors of the burning lake. O let thy love be of such force in my soul, that I may not be able to resist its motions, but, by the strength of it, may hope, believe, endure, deny myself, and love and obey thee, to the end of my days, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen.'.
II. " Great Governor and Disposer of the world, you have promised, to them that love thee, so to order all things, that they shall all conspire to the good which you lust intended, and dost intend for me, by the various dispensations which mine eyes have seen. The various spiritual and temporal blessings that have been conferred upon me, what have they been, but motives to be enamoured with the Best of Beings. You knows, that if I depart from thee, or love any thing better than thee, I run away from mine own happiness; and therefore so many tokens and expressions of thy love are sent to me, to unite my heart to thee, to preserve me in thy fear, and to uphold my goings in thy paths. O wise, O gracious, O bountiful Master, kinder to me than I am to myself, let me find the good you designest for me in thy numberless blessings; let my heart grow stronger under thy favors, warmer in thy sunshine, and more fervent under these beams. The very afflictions you sendest me are intended for my good. I have found it, I have seen it, I have known it by experience. I have learned by afflictions that repentance, humility, submission, and fear of sinning, which I should never have learned by prosperity. When I have thought that great wrong was done me by the contempt, reproach, and trouble, which others have thrown upon me, you have let me see, that this was to make me reflect on the affronts and indignities which I have put upon thee, my best friend. O let me never mistrust thy Providence. Whatever befalls me, let me believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living, and let me not be disappointed of my hope, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen."
On WEDNESDAY we may take a view of our Death, and the hour of our departure out of this world:—How certain death is; how frail our lives; how soon this frame may be dissolved; how easy a, thing dispatches us: How the approaches of death have made the stoutest sinner tremble; how dreadful it will be to those, who have set their hearts upon the riches and pleasures of this world; and how wise a thing it is to prepare for it, before the evil days come: How joyful it will be, if it find us prepared for the stroke, and fitted for that life, into which we must enter when we quit this: How welcome death is to a holy soul; and how cheerfully a pious man can say; "LORD, now, lettest you thy servant depart in peace:" How upon our death there depends eternity: How foolish it is to slight grace and mercy, till death forces us to wish for them: How death will mar our beauty, deface our glory, and lay all our grandeur in the dust: How death is the birthday of a sincere believer, brings him into a new world, a world of joys, and endless satisfactions,—and is to, him an entrance into Paradise, and a door into the garden of Eden, where no good shall be absent, and no evil present. And even these thoughts will be more effectual, if the pious desires, which follow, be added.
I. " O You, in whose hand is the power of life and death, who art immortal, invisible, and blessed for evermore I Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, you art God: from everlasting to everlasting you art HE. I am a frail, dying creature; and though I carry an immortal soul about me, yet the vessel, in which that glorious guest. abides, will soon decay, and turn to dust; and how soon, I know not. I admire thy wisdom in concealing the day and hour of my death from me; I am sensible that it is done to hasten my repentance, to keep me from adding sin to sin, to restrain me from the vanities of this world, to make me think of a better, and to secure that happy life which shall be after death! And O that. my death might be ever before me! How great are the things that depend upon it!—two great eternities, whereof one of them will certainly fall to my share! O let my death be my daily meditation; that I may prevent my everlasting death! What a miserable creature should I be, if my soul should leave this body, to go into a more dismal prison, from whence there is no returning! O make me wise; O let me understand what preparation is necessary for that hour; teach me to undervalue the world, and to mind the things which are above, that when I come to die, I may die with joy, and cheerfully resign my soul into the hands of my Creator. Let lust, and pride, and anger, die in me, before I die; that they may not endanger my soul after death. Let me converse with death more; that I may die to sin more, and live more to Him that died for me. Let the thoughts of death mortify in me whatever is offensive to thy holiness. In all my actions, let me remember my latter end; that my death may be my gain, and my departure out of this world an entrance into a better, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen."
II. " O GOD, to whom belong the issues of life and death! Naked came I from my mother's womb, naked shall I return thither. What is my life but a vapour, which appears for a while, and then vanishes away! What should make me enamored with this life At the best, it is a warfare; within are tumults, without are fightings. I am in a continual state of war here with temptations to covetousness, passion, pride, ambition, or carnal lusts; with allurements of the world; or with suggestions of the Devil: when one sin is beaten away, another rises; the discontents and vexations, the troubles and the disappointments, which I meet with, are innumerable. And can I delight to dwell in such a valley of tears, surrounded with so many snares, encompassed with so many dangers Should not this make me desirous to be gone O my GOD, make me willing to leave this world! Take away from me the fear of death. Why should I fear, when my great. Master has overcome this King of Terrors I will follow my REDEEMER; I will conform to his example I will tread in his steps; this is my resolution, this the firm purpose of my soul! And why should I doubt of his assisting me! Why should not I be confident, that my death will be a passage from mortality to immortality, from corruption to incorruption, from trouble and misery to rest and tranquility Death is the way to the kingdom of heaven. I cannot inherit it, except I die. Do I long for that kingdom, and shall I be afraid of the way that leads to it I must die. O Jas us! let me die contentedly. Let death be my choice. Let me embrace it in preference to this miserable life, that after death I may live with thee for ever. Amen."
On FRIDAY, we may cast our eyes upon the Passion and Death of CHRIST:—How he was mocked, derided, crowned with thorns, and crucified, to purchase an eternal redemption for us: What a wonderful love it was to suffer all this for enemies, that they might be reconciled to. Go]): What a dreadful spectacle it was, to see infinite, majesty humbled, infinite beauty defaced, infinite happiness, tormented, and eternity dying, and dropping into the grave: What patience, what meekness, what submission, what gentleness he expressed under all those injuries, in’ order to show us an example, and to oblige us to follow his steps! How heavy the burden of our sins was, that could make the SON OF GOD cry out, " My GOD, My GOD, why host you forsaken me:" What a mighty motive his love is, to love him fervently; and how inexcusable that man makes himself, who believes this love, and yet will not be persuaded by it to obey and conform to CHRIST’s will:
How mysterious this love is, that the sinner should. transgress, and the righteous be punished for him; that the innocent should suffer for the guilty, the judge for the malefactor, the master for the servant, GOD for man: What ingratitude it must be, to trample on the blood of CHRIST, or put hint to open shame again, or to make light of salvation, when GOD has purchased it at so dear a rate: How by his death we live, by his stripes we are healed, by his wounds we are cured, by his reproaches we are advanced to glory, and by his being made a curse for us, we escape the curse of the Law How we have all the reason in the world to count all things dross and dung in comparison of Him; to delight in him, to love him, to prefer him before the world, and to follow the LAMB, whithersoever he goes.
Who can reflect on all this, and not think himself obliged to address the Son OF GOD in such pious thoughts as these.
I. " Great SAVIOR of the world, who wast wounded for my transgressions, and bruised for my sins! You art that immaculate LAMB, who for sinners, enemies, and condemned creatures, gayest thy back to the smiter, and sufferedst thyself to be beaten, crowned with thorns, mocked, derided, and inhumanly abused;—a love fitter to be admired in silence, than praised with imperfect expressions! How freely didst you part with thy blood, to save my life, and to procure my safety! Never was blood spilt upon such an account or if there were, never was such precious blood spilt as thine was, blood which drives away Devils, invites Angels, cleanses souls, purifies the tabernacle, washes the whole world, and opens the gate of heaven! Who can be so irreligious as not to be pricked at the heart with the thoughts of thy passion Who can be so arrogant, or proud, as not to be humbled with the sight O let thy cross have such an effect upon me, that I may crucify my flesh with all its lusts and passions! Let thy love to thine enemies prevail with me to do good to them that hate me. Let thy patience under reproaches oblige me to be silent under calumnies. Let thy love to my soul wound my heart, that I may long for thee, breathe after thee, as my greatest comfort, think of nothing so much as of thee, value nothing so much as thee, and delight in nothing so much as in thee; for you have done for me beyond expectation, beyond imagination, more than father and mother ever did, more than my dearest friends ever did, more than mortal man can do. O chain my heart to thine, and let nothing separate me from thy love; but be you mine, and let me be thine, and dwell with thee for ever. Amen."
II. " O JESUS! who have led captivity captive, spoiled principalities and powers, made a show of them openly, and triumphed over them; how powerful; was thy death, how victorious thy cross, how potent were thy agonies, how effectual thy sufferings! Thy cross is my conquest. At that Devils tremble; and they who are not afraid of splendid palaces, are afraid of the tree on which thy sacred body was stretched out. How shall sin reign any longer in my body, after such compassion Shall not I blush, after such mercy, to offend that friend who died for me Shall I reward evil for good, or dare to act against thee any more, who host conquered my greatest enemies for me They would have swallowed me up quick; but you tamest to my rescue, and wouldest not let me perish by their fury. I can plead no more that sin, the Devils or the world, are not conquerable, for thou. halt made them so. They have lost their power, and a poor, Christian can make even Devils flee away. O let the world be for ever crucified to me, and me unto the world. Let me not be afraid of affliction, when my Lord and Master has endured so much for me. I hope to share in the glories of thy crown; O let me not be ashamed to bear thy cross. O' blessed JESUS who art a guide: to the blind, a way to the erring soul, a staff to the lame, a comforter to the poor, a harbor to the tossed with tempests, a counsellor to the perplexed, wisdom to the foolish, the glory of Martyrs, the joy of Angels, the foundation of the Church, the physician of the sick, meat to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, and clothes to the naked;—be you all this to me; let thy cross supply all my wants, and in. this. let me glory and rejoice day and night; that being crucified with thee here, I may be glorified with thee hereafter. Amen."
Such Exercises as these keep the soul awake; and thus roused, it cannot be surprised into a lethargy. The foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-46 :) neglected these meditations, and that made them slumber and sleep. Such daily meditations keep the soul in readiness to obey her great Master's call, in case he should summon her to judgment. They feed and strengthen her, as much as meat and drink do the body.
Christians, is your Reason a Talent, or not If it be not, then it is no gift of GOD; if no gift of GOD, why do you thank him, why do you praise him for it If it be, why should not you give GOD his own again with usury If it be a talent, must not you give an account of it in the last day Are you capable of thinking of such things as these; and will not your LORD ask you, whether you have made that use of your reason which he intended it for Shall you give an account of your riches, and honor, and time, and opportunities, and liberty, and give no account of your reason Will it serve your turn, do you. think, to say, that you have employed it about the world Is the world a fit object to engross so noble a faculty Shall the meanest thing, which is no more than dross and dung in the sight of GOD, employ that power which is capable of fixing upon the noblest Being Would you have the ALMIGHTY SO unwise, or weak, or improvident, as not to demand of you an account of his goods,—what you have done with them, whether you have traded with them, and whether you have been active in your Master's business' Your reason was given you to trade with for heaven; it was given you to help you to steer your vessel steadily through the boisterous sea of the; world; and will you make, no other use of it, but to think how your lusts may be gratified, how your carnal ease may be advanced, and how you may live in mirth and jollity
You complain of ignorance. How should you increase in knowledge, if you will not meditate How should your understanding be enlightened, if you will not make use of this candle' How can you but sit in darkness, if you refuse this torch of heaven By this GOD would teach you, by this the would instruct you, by this he would communicate himself to you; but if you will not, whose fault is it Whom can you blame How inexcusable do you make yourselves This would drive away the mists and clouds, that dwell upon your reason: but if you love darkness better than light, no marvel if your deeds be evil. It is with your souls in this case, as it is with your bodies, shut your eyes, and you cannot see; so here, keep out such meditations as these, and you will not perceive the things of GOD.
Never complain of want of fervency for the future, while you are does to let in such meditations into your minds. Fervency does not come from nothing; it must have some root, some foundation, some’ fuel, some action to give it life and being: and meditation is this root, and this foundation: This is it that must warm you: this is it that must fill your souls with hallowed flames. Keep out this, and you keep out the sun; shut the window against these beams, and you will freeze, and shake with cold. This must make the ways' of GOD easy to you: this must make them pleasant, sweet, and amiable: this gives them charms; or rather discovers them to you: this strews the way with pearls, which make the soul enamored with it; and thus it flies to heaven.
THE PRAYER.
O You, whose wisdom cannot by searching be found out, who have made me a rational creature, and given me power to think of all thy wondrous works: what excellent objects dost you set before me, objects to delight and edify my soul! O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! O that my soul might ever dwell beside those still waters! O teach me the art of meditation. Give me a large and apprehensive mind. Awaken my slumbering soul. Encourage it to fix upon adequate objects. My soul is a spirit: O let it delight in things agreeable to its nature. Since my mind must be busy about something, let it be employed in things that make for its everlasting peace. O how fickle are my thoughts, and how inconstant my contemplations! How soon, and how easily, is my mind drawn away from spiritual things! To thee I flee; O hide me, save me! ’Let my treasure be in heaven, that my heart may be there also. O spiritualize my affections, that they may delight to be where you art. Let spiritual objects become amiable and charming in my eyes. Did I love them, I should think of ahem: were they dear and precious to me, how could I forbear contemplating them O let their beauty appear to me! Take away the veil from my face, which hinders me from seeing Him that is altogether lovely. Incline mine heart to thy testimonies. Anoint mine eyes with eye salve, that I may see greater loveliness in things that are not seen, than in those which are seen: My understanding is dark, O. enlighten it. Clarify it with thy beams. Let me hate vain thoughts; but thy law let me love.’ O let me not grudge the time that I spend in meditation. Assure me, that this is balsam to my soul, and that by these means the lines will fall to me in pleasant places, and I shall have a goodly heritage. The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting; O give me understanding, and I shall live. There is beauty, there is satisfaction, there is life, in spiritual objects. O let' me find them sweeter than honey unto my taste. Discover those riches to me; that I may look upon them, and despise the treasures of Egypt. These are deceitful things these allure indeed, but afford no lasting comfort. O give me a sight of that wealth; which is not liable to corruption: I' shall find. it in the mysteries of the Gospel. Thou hast said, " The pure in heart shall see GOD." O purify my "soul from fleshly lusts which war against it, that I may see and discern what you have laid up for them that fear thee "and, seeing it, may long after an eternal fruition of the light of thy countenance, through JESUS CHRIST our Loin. Amen.