VIII. Of consideration, the instrument of this work; and what force it hath to move the soul
blessedly: so that the prize being so great, thy preparation should be answerable. There is none on earth that live such a life of joy and blessedness as those that are acquainted with this heavenly conversation. The joys of all other men are but like a child's play, a fool's laughter; as a dream of health to the sick, or as a fresh pasture to a hungry beast. It is he that trades at heaven that is the only gainer, and he that neglecteth it that is the only loser; and, therefore, how seriously should this work be done!
CHAP. VIII
Of Consideration, the Instrument of this Work; and what Force it hath to move the Soul SECT. I. Having showed thee how thou must set upon this work, I come now to direct thee in the work itself, and to show thee the way which thou must take to perform it. All this has been but to set the instrument (thy heart) in tune, and now we are come to the music itself; all this hath been but to get thee an appetite; it follows now that thou approach unto the feast; that thou sit down and take what is offered, and delight thy soul as with marrow and fatness. Whoever you are that are children of the kingdom, I have this message to you from the Lord: "Behold, the dinner is prepared; the oxen and fatlings are killed: come, for all things are now ready." (Matt. 22:4; Luke
14:17.) Heaven is before you; Christ is before you; the exceeding, eternal weight of glory is before you: come, therefore, and feed upon it. Do not make light of this invitation, (Matt. 22:5,) nor put off your own mercies with excuses, (Luke 14:18,) whatever thou art, rich or poor, though in alms-houses or hospitals, though in highways or hedges, my commission is, if possible, to compel you to come in:
"And blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God." (Luke 14:15.) The manna lieth about your tents; walk forth into the wilderness, gather it up, take it home, and feed upon it. So that the remaining work is only to direct you how to use your understandings for the warming of your affections, and to fire your hearts by the help
of your heads; and herein it will be necessary that I observe this method: First, To show you what instrument it is that you must work by. Secondly, Why, and how this way of working is like to succeed, and attain its end. Thirdly, What powers of the soul should here be acted, and what are the particular affections to be excited, and what objective considerations are necessary thereto, and in what order you should proceed. Fourthly, By what acts you must advance to the height of the work. Fifthly, What advantages you must take, and what helps you must use for the facilitating your success. Sixthly, In what particulars you must look narrowly to your hearts through the whole; and I will be the briefer in all, lest you should lose my meaning in a crowd of words, or your thoughts be carried from the work itself, by an over-long and tedious explication of it.
Sect. II. 1. The great instrument that this work is done by, is ratiocination, reasoning the case with yourselves, discourse of mind, cogitation, or thinking; or, if you will, call it consideration. I here suppose you to know the things to be considered, and therefore shall wholly pass over that meditation of students which tends only to speculation, or knowing. They are known truths that I persuade you to consider, for the grossly ignorant that know not the doctrine of everlasting life, are for the present incapable of this duty.
Man's soul, as it receives and retains the ideas or shapes of things, so hath it a power to choose out any of these deposited ideas, and draw them forth, and act upon them again and again; even as a sheep can fetch up his meat for rumination; or otherwise nothing would affect us but while the sense is receiving it, and so we should be somewhat below the brutes. This is the power that here you must use: to this choice of ideas or subjects for your cogitations, there must necessarily concur the act of the will, which indeed must go along in the whole work; for this must be a voluntary, not a forced cogitation: some men do consider whether they will or not, and are not able to turn away their own thoughts; so will God make the wicked consider of their sins, when he shall set them all in order before them. (Psal.
50:21, 22.) And so shall the damned consider of heaven, and of the
excellency of Christ whom they once despised, and of the eternal joys which they have foolishly lost. But this forced consideration is not that I mean, but that which thou dost willingly and purposely choose; but though the will be here requisite, yet still consideration is the instrument of the work.
Sect. III. 2. Next, let us see what force consideration hath for the moving the affections, and for the powerful imprinting of things in the heart.
Why, First, Consideration doth, as it were, open the door between the head and the heart; the understanding having received truths, lays them up in the memory; now, consideration is the conveyer of them from thence to the affections: there are few men of so weak understanding or memory, but they know and can remember that which would strangely work upon them, and make great alterations in their spirits, if they were not locked up in their brain, and if they could but convey them down to their hearts: now, this is the great work of consideration. O what rare men would they be, who have strong heads, and much learning, and knowledge, if the obstructions between the head and the heart were but opened, and their affections did but correspond to their understanding! Why, if they would but bestow as much time and pains in studying the goodness and the evil of things, as they bestow in studying the truth and falsehood of enunciations, it were the readiest way to obtain this: he is usually the best scholar, who hath the most quick, clear, and tenacious apprehension. He is the best scholar who hath the readiest passage from the ear to the brain; but he is the best Christian who hath the readiest passage from the brain to the heart; now, consideration is that on our parts that must open the passage, though the Spirit open as the principal cause: inconsiderate men are stupid and senseless.
Sect. IV. 2. Matters of great weight, which do nearly concern us, are aptest to work most effectually upon the heart; now, meditation draweth forth these working objects, and presents them to the affections in their worth and weight; the most delectable object doth
not please him that sees it not; nor doth the joyfullest news affect him that never hears it: now, consideration presents before us those objects that were as absent, and brings them to the eye and the ear of the soul. Are not Christ, and glory, think you, affecting objects?
Would not they work wonders upon the soul, if they were but clearly discovered; and strangely transport us, if our apprehensions were any whit answerable to their worth? Why, by consideration it is that they are presented to us: this is the prospective glass of the Christian, by which he can see from earth to heaven.
Sect. V. 3. As consideration draweth forth the weightiest objects, so it presenteth them in the most affecting way, and presseth them home with enforcing arguments. Man is a rational creature, and apt to be moved in a reasoning way; especially when reasons are evident and strong: now, consideration is a reasoning the case with a man's own heart, and what a multitude of reasons, both clear and weighty; are always at hand for to work upon the heart! When a believer would reason his heart to this heavenly work, how many arguments do offer themselves! From God, from the Redeemer, from every one of the divine attributes, from our former estate, from our present estate, from promises, from seals, from earnest, from the evil we now suffer, from the good we partake of, from hell, from heaven: every thing doth offer itself to promote our joy. Now, meditation is the hand to draw forth all these; as when you are weighing a thing in the balance, you lay on a little more, and a little more, till it weigh down; so if your affections do hang in a dull indifferency, why, due meditation will add reason after reason, till the scales do turn; or, as when you are buying any thing of necessity for your use, you bid a little more, and a little more, till at last you come to the seller's price; so when meditation is persuading you to joy, it will first bring one reason, and then another, till it have silenced all your distrust and sorrows, and your cause to rejoice lies plain before you. If another man's reasons will work so powerfully with us, though we are uncertain whether his heart do concur with his speeches, and whether his intention be to inform us, or deceive us; how much more should our own reasons work with us, when we are acquainted with the right intentions of
our own hearts! Nay, how much more rather should God's reasons work with us, which we are sure are neither fallacious in his intent, nor in themselves, seeing he did never yet deceive, nor was ever deceived! Why, now, meditation is but the reading over and repeating God's reasons to our hearts, and so disputing with ourselves in his arguments and terms. And is not this then likely to be a prevailing way? What reasons doth the prodigal plead with himself, why he should return to his Father's house! And as many and strong have we to plead with our affections, to persuade them to our Father's everlasting habitations. And by consideration it is that they must all be set a-work.
Sect. VI. 4. Meditation puts reason in its authority and preeminence.
It helpeth to deliver it from its captivity to the senses, and setteth it again upon the throne of the soul. When reason is silent, it is usually subject; for when it is asleep the senses domineer. Now, consideration awakeneth our reason from its sleep, till it rouse up itself, as Sampson, and break the bonds of sensuality wherewith it is fettered; and then, as a giant refreshed with wine, it bears down the delusions of the flesh before it. What strength can the lion put forth when he is asleep? What is the king more than another man, when he is once deposed from his throne and authority? When men have no better judge than the flesh, or when the joys of heaven go no further than their fantasies, no wonder if they work but as common things.
Sweet things to the eye, and beautiful things to the ear, will work no more than bitter and deformed; every thing worketh in its own place, and every sense hath its proper object. Now, it is spiritual reason, excited by meditation, and not the fantasy or fleshly sense, which must savour and judge of these superior joys. Consideration exalteth the objects of faith, and disgraceth comparatively the objects of sense. The most inconsiderate men are the most sensual men. It is too easy and ordinary to sin against knowledge; but against sober, strong, continued consideration, men do more seldom offend.
Sect. VII. 5. Meditation also putteth reason into his strength. Reason is at the strongest, when it is most in action. Now, meditation
produceth reason into act. Before, it was a standing water, which can move nothing else when itself moveth not, but now it is as the speedy stream which violently bears down all before it. Before, it was as the still and silent air, but now it is as the powerful motion of the wind, and overthrows the opposition of the flesh and the devil. Before, it was as the stones which lie still in the brook; but now, when meditation doth set it to work, it is as the stone out of David's sling, which smites the Goliah of our unbelief in the forehead. As wicked men continue wicked, not because they have not reason in the principle, but because they bring it not into act and use; so godly men are uncomfortable and sad, not because they have no causes to rejoice, nor because they have not reason to discern those causes, but because they let their reason and faith lie asleep, and do not labour to set them a-going, nor stir them up to action by this work of meditation. You know that our very dreams will deeply affect. What fears, what sorrows, what joy, will they stir up! How much more, then, would serious meditation affect us!
Sect. VIII. 6. Meditation can discontinue this discursive employment.
That may be accomplished by a weaker motion continued, which will not by a stronger at the first attempt. A plaster that is never so effectual to cure, must yet have time to do its work, and not be taken off as soon as it is on. Now, meditation doth hold the plaster to the sore: it holdeth reason and faith to their works, and bloweth the fire till it thoroughly burn. To run a few steps will not get a man heat, but walking an hour together may. So, though a sudden occasional thought of heaven will not raise our affections to any spiritual heat, yet meditation can continue our thoughts, and lengthen our walk till our hearts grow warm.
And thus you see what force meditation or consideration hath for the effecting of this great elevation of the soul, whereto I have told you it must be the instrument.