The Epistle To The Reader
THE
EPISTLE TO THE READER
Christian Reader, There are some exercises of religion which stand only in a form of godliness — when men draw near with their mouth and honour God with their lips, and bestow a little bodily exercise and attendance upon him — yet in the meantime their hearts are far from him, running after other objects, Isa 29.13; Eze 33.31. There are other duties which are more spiritual, and in which the life and power of godliness consist. Among these is heavenly meditation, when (as the apostle says of the blessed angels, 1Pet 1.12.) the heart desires to look into the mysteries of salvation.
Ever since the fall of Adam, sinful men have had the disposition of Adam to fly away, and to hide from the presence of the Lord. Natural men are without God in the world: he is not in all their thoughts; they could be well enough content to have him "cease from before them," Isa 30.11. He is to be found everywhere else — only shut out of the hearts of wicked men. The heart never willingly fixes on God, till he is the treasure of it; for where a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also (Luk 12.34). It cannot easily meditate, except where it delights, Psa 119.97. Love is the weight of the soul; it readily moves to the object which it loves. Mary will not move from the empty sepulchre where her Lord had lain, a little before. Every good man is of David's mind, Psa 16.8,9 to set the Lord always before him, that he may be in his fear all the day long.
There is nothing of a more unstable and roving temper than the mind of man. Some have prescribed the study of mathematics to stabilize the volatile agility of it; but certainly the more serious the soul is, the more settled it is. Nothing, therefore, will so balance and compose it, as true holiness, which of all other things makes it the most serious, the most willing "to acquaint itself with God, that it may be at peace," Job 22.21. He is the soul's rest. The more it knows of him, the more desirous it is to stay with him, that it may know
more. The more it tastes of his favour, the more it longs after his glory, as Moses did, Exo 33.17, 18. What the philosopher says about all knowledge is indeed true only of the knowledge of God and Christ: that it is quies intellectus, quiet understanding. And therefore our Saviour calls knowledge of God "eternal life," Joh 17.3, in which alone the soul rests.
Now, one excellent means of fixing the heart on God, is meditation, whereby a man calls together "all that is within him to bless His name," Psa 103.1. Meditation is the wing of the soul which carries its affections to things above. By this, as with Moses, it goes up to the top of Pisgah to take a view of the promised land. It is, as Clemens
Alexandrinus says of prayer, a conversing with God. As Chrysostom says of faith, so may we say of meditation: it makes God, and Christ, and precepts, and promises ours, by giving us a fuller possession of them. Hereby we hold fast the things which we have learned; we awaken our faith, inflame our love, strengthen our hope, revive our desires, increase our joys in God; we furnish our hearts, and fill our mouths with materials of prayer; we loosen our affections from the world; we acquaint ourselves beforehand with those glories which we yet only hope for, and get some knowledge of that love of Christ which passes knowledge. Meditation is the palate of the soul whereby we taste the goodness of God — the eye of the soul whereby we view the beauties of holiness; whereby our spiritual senses are exercised,
Act 24.16; Heb 5.14.10 It is the key to the wine-cellar, to the banqueting-house, to the garden of spices, which lets us in to Him whom our soul loves. It is the arm whereby we embrace the promises at a distance, and bring Christ and our souls together.
Though some learned men of former times have written a few things on this subject, yet from our age, and in our language, I do not remember any who have purposely handled it, except our Christian
Seneca: the learned and reverend bishop Hall. His one small tract in the midst of a voluminous work may perhaps not be in every man's hand to peruse. The reverend author of this book has elegantly described the necessity, excellence, and usefulness of this Christian duty. It is therefore worthy of the perusal of those who desire to
acquaint and furnish themselves with so excellent a part of Christian skill, whereby time may be redeemed and improved for the prepossession of eternity. May the Lord so fill us with the love of Him, and with all the fulness of God, that we may be able to continually say, "My heart is fixed O Lord, my heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise."
Yours in the Lord,
EDW. REYNOLDS.11