sanctified by us to God, is privileged with blessings above others, for the plentiful instructiou of that day stirreth thee up to this action and fills thee with matter and the zeal of thy public service warmeth thy heart to this other business of devotion. No manna fell to the Israelites on their sabbath our spiritual manna falleth on ours most frequent. If thou wouldest have a full soul, gather as it falls gather it by hearing, reading, meditation. Spiritual idleness is a fault this day, perhaps not less than bodily

work.

CHAPTER XI.

3. Of the Site and Gesture of the Body.

NEITHER is there less variety in the site and gesture of the body, the due composedness whereof is no little advantage to this exercise. Even in our speech to God, we observe not always one and the same position. Sometimes we fall grovelling on our faces, sometimes we bow our knees, sometimes stand on our feet, sometimes we lift up our hands, sometimes cast down our eyes. God is a spirit, who therefore, being a severe observer of the disposition of the soul, is not scrupulous for the body, requiring not so much that the gesture thereof should be uniform, as reverent. No marvel therefore that in this all our teachers of meditation have commended several positions of body, according to their disposition 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 in its service by the spirit, and not suffered to go before it, and, by its forwardness, to provoke its master to emulation.

CHAPTER 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. O 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 eolour 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, perhaps, 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 who made them, the vileness of their nature, the danger of their sins, the multitude of their imperfections, the

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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 tó. 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; according 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.

CHAPTER 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.

CHAPTER 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 wont, 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 ourselves; 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 medita

tion 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 should 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 judgment 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.

CHAPTER 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 inexpedient 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 un