X. By what actings of the soul to proceed in this work of heavenly contemplation
CHAP. X By what Actings of the Soul to proceed in this work of Heavenly Contemplation FOURTHLY, The fourth part of this directory is, to show yon how and by what acts you should advance on to the height of this work.
Sect. I. The first and main instrument of this work is, that cogitation, or consideration, which I before have opened, and which is to go along with us through the whole. But because mere cogitation, if it be not pressed home, will not so pierce and affect the heart; therefore we must here proceed to a second step, which is called soliloquy, which is nothing but a pleading the case with our own souls. As in preaching to others, the bare propounding and opening of truths and duties, doth seldom find that success as the lively application; so it is also in meditating and propounding truths to ourselves. The moving, pathetical pleadings with a sinner, will make him deeply affected with a common truth, which before, though he knew it, yet it never stirred him. What heart-meltings do we see under powerful application, when the naked explication did little move them? If any where there be a tender-hearted, affectionate people, it is likely, under such a moving, close-applying ministry. Why, thus must thou do in thy meditation to quicken thine own heart: enter into a serious debate with it: plead with it in the most moving and affecting language: urge it with the most weighty and powerful arguments: this soliloquy, or self-conference, hath been the practice of the holy men of God in all times: (Gen. 49:6; Judges 5:21; Psal. 16:2; and Jer.
4:19.) How doth David plead with his soul against its dejections, and argue it into a holy confidence and comfort! "Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou so disquieted within me? Trust in God, for I shall yet give him thanks, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psal. 42:5, 11, and 43:5.) So in Psal.
103:1, 2, &c. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits," &c. So doth he also end the Psalm, and so doth he begin and end Psal. 104; so Psal. 146:1; and 116:7, "Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." The like you may see in the meditations of holy men of latter times, as Austin,
Bernard, &c.: so that this is no new path which I persuade you to tread, but that which the saints have ever used in their meditation.
Sect. II. This soliloquy hath its several parts, and its due method wherein it should be managed. The parts of it are according to the several affections of the soul, and according to the several necessities thereof, according to the various arguments to be used, and according to the various ways of arguing. So that you see if I should attempt the full handling hereof, it would take up more time and room than I intend or can allow it. Only thus much in brief: As every good master and father of a family is a good preacher to his own family, so every good Christian is a good preacher to his own soul.
Soliloquy is a preaching to one's self; therefore the very same method which a minister should use in his preaching to others, should a Christian use in speaking to himself. Dost thou understand the best method for a public preacher? Dost thou know the right parts and order of a sermon; and which is the most effectual way of application? Why then I need to lay it open no further; thou understandest the method and parts of this soliloquy. Mark the most affecting, heart-melting minister; observe his course, both for matter and manner; set him as a pattern before thee for thy imitation; and the same way that he takes with the hearts of his people, do thou also take with thy own heart. Men are naturally addicted to imitation, especially of those whom they most affect and approve of: how near do some ministers come in their preaching to the imitation of others, whom they usually hear, and much reverence and value; so mayest thou in this duty of preaching to thy heart. Art thou not ready sometime when thou hearest a minister, to remember divers things which thou thinkest might be moving and pertinent, and to wish that he would have mentioned and pressed them on the hearers? Why,
remember those when thou art exhorting thyself, and press them on thy own heart as close as thou canst.
As, therefore, this is accounted the most familiar method in preaching, so it is for thee in meditating: First, Explain to thyself the subject on which thou dost meditate, both the terms and the subject matter; study the difficulties, till the doctrine is clear. Secondly, Then confirm thy faith in the belief of it, by the most clear, convincing scripture reasons. Thirdly, Then apply it according to its nature and thy necessity. As in the case we are upon, that there is a rest remaining for the people of God.
1. Consider of the useful consectaries, or conclusions, that thence arise, for the clearing and confirming of thy judgment, which is commonly called a use of information. Hero thou mayest press them also by other confirming arguments, and adjoin the confutation of the contrary errors.
2. Proceed then to consider of the duties which do appear to be such from the doctrine in hand, which is commonly called a use of instruction, as also the reprehension of the contrary vices.
3. Then proceed to question, and try thyself, how thou hast valued this glory of the saints; how thou hast loved it; and how thou hast laid out thyself to obtain it. This is called a use of examination. Here thou mayest also make use of discovering signs, drawn from the nature, properties, effects, adjuncts, &c.
4. So far as this trial hath discovered thy neglect, and other sins against this rest, proceed to the reprehension and censuring of thyself; chide thy heart for its omissions and commissions, and do it sharply till it feel the smart; as Peter preached reproof to his hearers, till they were pricked to the heart and cried out: and as a father or master will chide the child till it begin to cry and be sensible of the fault; so do thou in chiding thy own heart: this is called a use of reproof. Here also it will be very necessary that thou bring forth all
the aggravating circumstances of the sin, that thy heart may feel it in its weight and bitterness; and if thy heart do evade or deny the sin, convince it by producing the several discoveries.
5. So far as thou discoverest that thou hast been faithful in the duty, turn it to encouragement to thyself, and to thanks to God; where thou mayest consider of the several aggravations of the mercy of the Spirit's enabling thee thereto.
6. So, as it respects thy duty for the future, consider how thou mayest improve this comfortable doctrine, which must be by strong and effectual persuasion with thy heart. First, By way of dehortation from the fore-mentioned sins. Secondly, By way of exhortation to the several duties. And these are either, first, internal, or secondly, external. First, therefore, admonish thy heart of its own inward neglects and contempts; Secondly, And then of the neglects and trespasses in thy practice against this blessed state of rest. Set home these several admonitions to the quick; take thy heart as to the brink of the bottomless pit; force it to look in, threaten thyself with the threatenings of the word; tell it of the torments that it draweth upon itself; tell it what joys it is madly rejecting; force it to promise thee to do so no more, and that not with a cold and heartless promise, but earnestly with most solemn asseverations and engagements.
Secondly, The next and last is, to drive on thy soul to those positive duties, which are required of thee in relation to this rest: as First, To the inward duties of thy heart, and there First, To be diligent in making sure of this rest: Secondly, To rejoice in the expectation of it: this is called a use of consolation. It is to be furthered by first laying open the excellency of the state; and secondly, the certainty of it in itself; and thirdly, our own interest in it; by clearing and proving all these, and confuting all saddening objections that may be brought against them: Thirdly, so also for the provoking of love, of hope, and all other the affections in the way before more largely opened.
And, Secondly, Press on thy heart also to all outward duties that are to be performed in thy way to rest, whether in worship or in civil
conversation, whether public or private, ordinary or extraordinary: this is commonly called a use of exhortation. Here bring in all quickening considerations, either those that may drive thee, or those that may draw; which work by fear, or which work by desire; these are commonly called motives; but above all, be sure that thou follow them home; ask thy heart what it can say against the duty; Is there weight in them, or is there not? And then, what it can say against the duty, Is it necessary; is it comfortable; or is it not? When thou hast silenced thy heart, and brought it to a stand, then drive it further, and urge it to a promise, as suppose it were to the duty of meditation, which we are speaking of; force thyself beyond these lazy purposes; resolve on the duty before thou stir; enter into a solemn covenant to be faithful; let not thy heart go, till it have, without all halting and reservations, flatly promised thee, that it will fall to the work; write down this promise, show it to thy heart the next time it loiters; then study also the helps and means, the hinderances and directions, that concern thy duty. And this is in brief the exercise of this soliloquy, or the preaching of heaven to thy heart.
Sect. III. Object. But perhaps thou wilt say, Every man cannot understand this method; this is for ministers and learned men; every man is not able to play the preacher. I answer thee, First, There is not that ability required to this, as is to the work of public preaching: here thy thoughts may serve the turn, but there must be also the decent ornaments of language: here is needful but an honest, understanding heart, but there must be a good pronunciation, and a voluble tongue: here if thou miss of the method, thou mayest make up that in one piece of application which thou hast neglected in another: but there thy failings are injurious to many, and a scandal and disgrace to the work of God. Thou knowest what will fit thy own heart, and what arguments take best with thy own affections; but thou art not so well acquainted with the dispositions of others.
Secondly, I answer further, Every man is bound to be skilful in the Scriptures as well as ministers: kings, and magistrates; (Deut. 17:18–
20; Josh. 1:8;) and the people also. (Deut. 6:6–8.) Do you think, if you did as is there commanded, write it upon thy heart, lay them up
in thy soul, bind them upon thy hand, and between thine eyes, meditate on them day and night: I say, if you did thus, would you not quickly understand as much as this? (See Psal. 1:3; Deut. 11:18, and 6:6–8.) Doth not God command thee to teach them diligently to thy children; and to talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up? And if thou must be skilled to teach thy children, much more to teach thyself; and if thou canst talk of them to others, why not also to thine own heart? Certainly, our unskilfulness and disability, both in a methodical and lively teaching of our families, and of ourselves, is for the most part merely through our own negligence, and a sin for which we have no excuse: you that learn the skill of your trades and sciences, might learn this also, if you were but willing and painful.
And so I have done with this particular of soliloquy.
Sect. IV. 2. Another step to arise by in our contemplation, is, from this speaking to ourselves, to speak to God: prayer is not such a stranger to this duty, but that ejaculatory requests may be intermixed or added, and that as a very part of the duty itself. How oft doth
David intermix these in his psalms, sometime pleading with his soul, and sometime with God, and that in the same psalm, and in the next verses? The apostle bids us speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns; and no doubt we may also speak to God in them; this keeps the soul in mind of the divine presence, it tends also exceedingly to quicken and raise it: so that as God is the highest object of our thoughts, so our viewing of him, and our speaking to him, and pleading with him, doth more elevate the soul, and actuate the affections, than any other part of meditation can do. Men that are careless of their carriage and speeches among children and idiots, will be sober and serious with princes or grave men; so, though while we do but plead the case with ourselves, we are careless and unaffected, yet when we turn our speech to God, it may strike us with awfulness; and the holiness and majesty of him whom we speak to, may cause both the matter and words to pierce the deeper. Isaac went forth to pray, the former translation saith; to meditate, saith the latter; the Hebrew verb, saith
Paræus in loc., signifieth both ad orandum et meditandum. The men of God, both former and latter, who have left their meditations on record for our view, have thus intermixed soliloquy and prayer; sometime speaking to their own hearts, and sometime turning their speech to God: and though this may seem an indifferent thing, yet I conceive it very suitable and necessary, and that it is the highest step that we can advance to in the work.
Object. But why then is it not as good to take up with prayer alone, and to save all this tedious work that you prescribe us?
Answ. 1. They are several duties, and therefore must be performed both. Secondly, We have need of one as well as the other, and therefore shall wrong ourselves in the neglecting of either. Thirdly,
The mixture, as in music, doth more affect; the one helps on, and puts life into the other. Fourthly, It is not the right order to begin at the top, therefore meditation and speaking to ourselves, should go before prayer, or speaking to God; want of this, makes prayer with most to have little more than the name of prayer, and men to speak as lightly and as stupidly to the dreadful God, as if it were to one of their companions, and with far less reverence and affection than they would speak to an angel, if he should appear to them, yea, or to a judge or prince, if they were speaking for their lives: and consequently their success and answers are often like their prayers.
Oh! speaking to the God of heaven in prayer, is a weightier duty than most are aware of.
Sect. V. The ancients had a custom, by apostrophes and prosopopœias, to speak, as it were, to angels and saints departed, which, as it was used by them, I take to be lawful; but what they spoke in rhetorical figures, was interpreted by the succeeding ages to he spoken in strict propriety; and doctrinal conclusions for praying to saints and angels were raised from their speeches; therefore I will omit that course, which is so little necessary, and so subject to scandalize the less judicious readers.