ANd first, the way of Meditating, I would recommend, conduces to keep the Soul from Idleness, and Employments worse than Idleness; for while a Man’s thoughts are busi’d about the present subjects of his Reflections, our Ghostly Adversary is discourag’d to attempt that Soul, which he sees already taken up, with something that is at least innocent, if not good. If I had not elsewhere display’d the Evil and Danger of Idleness, and represented it as a thing, which, though we should admit not to be in it self a sin, yet may easily prove a greater mischief than a very great one, by at once tempting the Tempter to tempt us, and exposing the empty Soul, like an uninhabited place, to the next Passion or Temptation that takes the opportunity to seize upon it: If (I say) I had not elsewhere discours’d at large against Idleness, I might here represent it as so formidable an Enemy, that it would appear alone a sufficient Motive to welcome our way of Meditation; That it banishes Idleness. He that is vers’d in making Reflections upon what occurs to him; He that (consequently) has the works of Nature, and the actions of Men, and almost every Casualty that falls under his Notice, to set his Thoughts on work, shall scarce want Themes to employ them on: And he that can (as it were) make the World vocal, by furnishing every Creature, and almost every occurrence, with a Tongue to entertain him with, and can make the little Accidents of his Life, and the very Flowers of his Garden, read him Lectures of Ethicks or Divinity; such a one, I say, shall scarce need to fly to the Tavern, or a worse place, to get a Drawer, or a Gamester (perhaps no better qualifi’d) to help him to get rid of his time, such a one will rather pity, than pursue those, who think it their Priviledge to spend their whole Life in Diversions from the main Business of it; and out of an unskilful, and ill govern’d self-love, are come to that pass, that they cannot endure to be with themselves. Such a one will not need to frequent the company of those Gamesters, that are sure to lose that, which all their winnings will never be able to buy, or to redeem, and expose themselves coldly to as many Casualties, as ev’n War could threaten; and voluntarily tempt those Passions, it is the Task of Wisdome to decline, and a Virtue to suppress; losing nothing but their time, without losing their Patience too, and commonly a great part of that Reverence and Submission they owe to him, of whom the Scripture tells us, (Prov. 16. 33) that ev’n of Lots themselves, the whole disposal is his. Nor will he need, for want of knowing what to do when he is alone, to make it his almost daily Employment, to make impertinent Visits, to unsanctify’d Companies, where sometimes he may lose his good Name, often his Innocence, oftner his Zeal, and always his Time.
And, as the Exercise, I would perswade, will help to keep us from Idleness, so will it, to preserve us from harbouring evil Thoughts, which there is no such way to keep out of the Soul, as to keep her taken up with good ones; as Husbandmen, to rid a piece of rank Land of Weeds, do often find it as effectual a Course to sow it with good Seed, as to cut them down, or burn them up. And indeed, the Thoughts of many a Person, are oftentimes so active, and restless, that something or other they must, and will perpetually be doing; and like unruly Souldiers, if you have not a care to employ them well, they will employ themselves ill.
Wherefore, when a Man hath once rendred this way of Thinking, familiar, sometimes the subject of his Meditation will lead him to Thoughts, and excite Affections, full of Serenity, and Joy, like those fair Mornings, where the cloudless Beams, and cherishing warmth of the Sun, inviting the Lark to aspire towards Heaven, make her at once mount, and sing; and when the Mind is rais’d to such a welcome and elevated state, to listen to an ordinary Temptation, a Man must forgo his Pleasure, as well as violate his Duty, and in the difference betwixt the Imployment that busies him, and that whereto he is sollicited to stoop, he will easily discern, that his Innocence will not be the onely thing that he would lose by so disadvantageous a Change; And sometimes too, whether or no the Imployment that busies his Thoughts, happen to be so delightful, it will however appear to be so considerable, that it will seasonably furnish him with that excellent Answer of Nehemiah, to those that would have diverted him from building of the Temple, to come to a Treaty with them, (Nehemiah 6. 3) I am doing a great Work, (and such indeed is the serving God, and the improving the Mind, whether we consider its Importance, or its Difficulty) so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? Which last Expression suits very well with the present case, since, when a pious Soul is once got upon the wing of Contemplation, she must descend and stoop to exchange her converse with Heavenly objects, for one with Earthly vanities, and much more must she debase and degrade her self, if the things she is tempted to, be Lusts, which she will thence clearly discern, to be as Low as the Hell they belong to, and deserve.
And as these Objects will afford Employment enough to our Reflector, so will the wholsome Instructions they will suggest, incline him to shun those ways of wasting his time, which they enable him easily to avoid: For I have observ’d this Difference, betwixt Ghostly dangers, and ordinary ones, that, whereas in Military hazards, those that are the most forward to thrust themselves into dangers, are commonly the best able to surmount them; they on the contrary, are wont to be the most fearful of Temptations, that are the most resolv’d, and best qualifi’d to resist them.
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