certainties. 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 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 thyself art. Amongst all which, whereon shouldest thou rather meditate, than of the life and glory of God's saints? A worthier employment thou canst never find, than to think upon that estate thou shalt once possess, and now desirest."

CHAPTER 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 preposterously. 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 incre

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

1. Degrees of Preparation.

think?

1 Question. What I{should think?

dible commendations of some practitioners, I doubt not but an ordinary reader will easily espy a double fault at the least, darkness and coincidence; that 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 require only a deep and firm consideration of the thing propounded; which will 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 must 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.

2 Excussion. A repelling of what I should not think.

2. Degrees of Proceeding in the Understanding.

4 Commemoration. An actual thinking upon the matter elected.

5 Consideration. {A redoubled commemoration of the same,

6 Attention.

....

7 Explanation...

8 Tractation.....

till it be fully known.

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

A clearing of the thing considered by similitudes.

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

10 Causation...

11 Rumination....

handled.

A confirmation of the estimation thus made. SA sad and serious meditation of all the for

mer, till it may work upon the affections. From hence to the degrees of affection.

CHAPTER 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 himself not necessarily tied to the prosecution of all those 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 will 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 text. 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 its example, that so what might seem obscure in the one,

may by the other be explained; and the same steps he seeth me take in this, he may accordingly tread in any other theme.

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Practice of Meditation, wherein, 1. we begin with some description of that we meditate of.

FIRST therefore it will be expedient to consider seriously what the thing is whereof we meditate.

"What then, O my soul, is the Life of the Saints, whereof thou studiest? Who are the saints, but those who having been weakly holy upon earth, are perfectly holy above? who, even on earth, were perfectly holy in their Saviour: now, are so in themselves? who, overcoming on earth, are truly canonized in heaven? What is their life, but that blessed estate above, wherein their glorified soul ath a full fruition of God?"

CHAPTER XIX.

2. An easy and voluntary Division of the Matter meditated.

THE nature whereof after we have thus shadowed out to ourselves by a description, not curious always and exactly framed according to the rules of art, but sufficient for our own conceit; the next is, if it shall seem needful or if the matter will bear or offer it, some easy and voluntary division, whereby our thoughts shall have more room made for them, and our proceeding shall be more distinct.

"There is a life of nature, when thou, my soul, dwellest in this body and informest thine earthly burden; there is a life of grace, when the Spirit of God dwells in thee; there is a life of glory, when, the body being united to

thee, both shall be united to God, or when, in the mean time, being separated from thy companion, thou enjoyest God alone. This life of thine therefore, as the other hath its ages, hath its statures; for it entereth upon its birth, when thou passeth out of thy body, and changest this earthly house for a heavenly; it enters into its full vigour, when, at the day of the common resurrection, thou resumest this thy companion, unlike to itself, like to thee, like to thy Saviour, immortal now and glorious. In this life there may be degrees, there can be no imperfection. If some be like the sky, others like the stars, yet all shine. If some sit at their Saviour's right-hand, others at his left, yet all are blessed. If some vessels hold more, all are full. None complaineth of want, none envieth him that hath more,"

CHAPER XX.

3. A Consideration of th Causes thereof, in all Kinds othem.

WHICH done, it shall beequisite for our more perfect understanding, and for theaying grounds of matter for our affection, to carry it thugh those other principal places and heads of reason, wth nature hath taught every man, both for knowledge an amplification: the first whereof are the causes of all sos.

"Whence is this et al life, but from him who only is eternal? who only is é fountain of life, yea, life itself? Who, but the same G that gives our temporal life, giveth also that eternal The Father bestoweth it, the Son meriteth it, the Holy (ost sealeth and applieth it. Expect it only from him, Ŏ soul, whose free election gave thee the first title to it, pe purchased by the blood of thy Saviour; for thou at not therefore be happy, because he saw that thou wdst be good; but therefore art thou good, because he hordained thou shalt be happy. He hath ordained the life; he hath given thee a Saviour to give this life unto e; faith, whereby thou mightest at