affection than understanding: both lessons very needful, very profitable; but, for this age, especially the latter: for if there are some who have much zeal, little knowledge, there are more who have much knowledge, without zeal; and he who hath much skill and no affection, may do good to others by information of judgment, but shall never have thank either of his own heart or of God, who useth not to cast away his love on those, of whom he is only known, not loveď.

CHAPTER III.

Concerning Meditation extemporal.

Or extemporal meditation there may be much use, no rule; forasmuch as our conceits herein vary according to the infinite multitude of objects, and their divers manner of proffering themselves to the mind; as also for the suddenness of this act. Man is placed in this stage of the world to view the several natures and actions of the creature; to view them not idly, without his use, as they do him. God made all these for man, and man for his own sake. Both these purposes were lost, if man should let the creature pass carelessly by him, only seen, not thought upon. He only can make benefit of what he sees; which if he do not, it is all one as if he were blind or brute. Whence it is, that wise Solomon putteth the sluggard to school unto the ant, and our Saviour sendeth the distrustful to the lily of the field. Of this kind, was that meditation of the divine psalmist, who, upon the view of the glorious frame of the heavens, was led to wonder at the merciful respect God hath to so poor a creature as man. Thus our Saviour took occasion of the water fetched up solemnly to the altar from the well of Shilo on the day of the great hosannah, to meditate and discourse of the water of life. Thus holy and sweet Augustine, from occasion of the watercourse near to his lodging running among the pebbles, sometimes more silently, sometimes in a baser murmur, and sometimes in a shriller note, entered into the

thought and discourse of that excellent order which God hath settled in all these inferior things. Thus that learned and heavenly soul of our late Estye, when we sat together and heard a sweet concert of music, seemed upon this occasion carried up for the time before-hand to the place of his rest saying, not without some passion," What music may we think there is in heaven!" Thus, lastly, (for who knows not that examples of this kind are infinite?) that faithful and reverend Deering, when the sun shined on his face, now lying on his death-bed, fell into a sweet meditation of the glory of God and his approaching joy. The thoughts of this nature are not only lawful, but so behoveful, that we cannot omit them without neglect of God, his creatures, ourselves. The creatures are half lost, if we only employ them, not learn something of them; God is wronged, if his creatures be unregarded; ourselves most of all, if we read this great volume of the creatures, and take out no lesson for our instruction.

CHAPTER IV.

Cautions of extemporal Meditation.

WHEREIN yet caution is to be had, that our meditations be not either too far fetched or savouring of superstition. Far fetched I call those, which have not a fair and easy resemblance to the matter from whence they are raised; in which case our thoughts prove loose and heartless, making no memorable impression in the mind. They are superstitious, when we make choice of those grounds of meditation, which are forbidden us, as teachers of vanity: or employ our own devices, though well-grounded, to a use above their reach, making them, upon our own pleasures, not only furtherances, but parts of God's worship; in both which, our meditations degenerate and grow rather perilous to the soul. Whereto add, that the mind be not too much cloyed with too frequent iteration of the same thought; which at last breeds a weariness in ourselves, and an unpleasantness of that conceit, which, at the first

entertainment, promised much delight. Our nature is too ready to abuse familiarity in any kind, and it is with meditations, as with medicines, which with over-ordinary use lose their sovereignty, and fill, instead of purging. God hath not straitened us for matter, having given us the scope of the whole world; so that there is no creature, event, action, speech, which may not afford us new matter of meditation, and that which we are wont to say of fine wits, we may as truly affirm of the Christian heart, that it can make use of any thing. Wherefore as travellers in a foreign country make every sight a lesson, so ought we in this our pilgrimage. Thou seest the heaven rolling above thy head in a constant and unmoveable motion; the stars so overlooking one another, that the greatest shew little, the least greatest, all glorious; the air full of the bottles of rain, or fleeces of snow, or divers forms of fiery exhalations; the sea, under one uniform face, full of strange and monstrous shapes beneath: the earth so adorned with variety of plants, that thou canst not but tread on many at once with every foot, besides the store of creatures, that fly about it, walk upon it, live in it. Thou idle truant, dost thou learn nothing of so many masters? Hast thou so long read these capital letters of God's great book, and canst thou not yet spell one word of them? The brute creatures see the same things, with as clear, perhaps better eyes: if thine inward eyes see not their use, as well as thy bodily eyes their shape, I know not whether is more reasonable or less brutish.

CHAPTER V..

Of Meditation deliberate wherein, I. the QUALITIES OF THE PERSON of whom is required, 1. that he be pure from his sins.

DELIBERATE meditation is that we chiefly enquire for; which both may be well guided, and will not be a little furthered, by precepts: part whereof the labours of others shall yield us, and part the plainest mistress, experience.

Wherein order requires of us, first, the Qualities of the Person fit for meditation, then the circumstances, manner, and proceedings of the work.

The hill of meditation may not be climbed with a profane foot; but as in the delivery of the law, so here, no beast may touch God's hill, lest he die. Only the pure of heart have promise to see God. Sin dimmeth and dazzleth the eye, that it cannot behold spiritual things. The guard of heavenly soldiers was about Elisha's servant before; he saw them not before through the scales of his infidelity. The soul must therefore be purged, ere it can profitably meditate. And as of old they were wont to search for and thrust out malefactors from the presence, ere they went to sacrifice, so must we our sins, ere we offer our thoughts to God. First, saith David, “I will wash my hands in innocency, then I will compass thine altar." Whereupon, not unfitly, did that worthy chancellor of Paris make the first stair of his ladder of contemplation, humble repentance. The cloth that is white, which is wont to be the colour of innocency, is capable of any dye; the black, of none other. Not that we require an absolute perfection, which, as it is incident. unto none, so, if it were, would exclude all need and use of meditation; but rather an honest sincerity of the heart, not willingly sinning, willingly repenting when we have sinned; which whoso finds in himself, let him not think any weakness a lawful bar to meditation. He who pleads this excuse, is like some simple man, who, being half starved with cold, refuseth to come near the fire, because he findeth not heat enough in himself.

CHAPTER VI.

2. That he be free from worldly Thoughts.

NEITHER may the soul that hopeth to profit by meditation, suffer itself, for the time, to be entangled with the world; which is all one as to come to God's flaming bush on the hill of visions, with our shoes on our feet. Thou Div.-No. XXXVII.

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seest the bird whose feathers are limed, unable to take her former flight; so are we unable, when our thoughts are clinged together by the world, to soar up to our heaven in meditation. The pair of brothers must leave their nets, if they will follow Christ; Elisha his oxen, if he will attend a prophet. It must be a free and a light mind, that can ascend this mount of contemplation, overcoming this height, this steepness. Cares are a heavy load; and uneasy these must be laid down at the bottom of this hill, if we ever look to attain the top. Thou art loaded with household cares; perhaps, public; I bid thee not cast them away. Even these have their season, which thou canst not omit without impiety. I bid thee lay them down at thy closet door, when thou attemptest this work. Let them in with thee, thou shalt find them troublesome companions, ever distracting thee from thy best errand. Thou wouldest think of heaven, thy barn comes in thy way, or perhaps thy account book, or thy coffers, or, it may be, thy mind is beforehand travelling upon the morrow's journey; so, while thou thinkest of many things, thou thinkest of nothing; while thou wouldst go many ways, thou standest still. And as in a crowd, while many press forward at once through one door, none proceedeth; so when variety of thoughts tumultuously throng in upon the mind, each proveth a bar to the other, and all a hinderance to him that entertains them.

CHAPTER VII.

3. That he be constant, and that in Time and Matter.

AND as our client of meditation must both be pure and free in undertaking this task, so also constant in continuing it; constant both in time and in matter; both in a set course and hour reserved for this work, and in a unwearied prosecution of it once begun. Those that meditate by snatches and uncertain fits, only when all other employments forsake them or when good motions are thrust upon them by necessity, let them never hope to