[Jan. 3d, 1859.]
I. There is a relation of truth to the human mind, analogous to that of light to vision, or of sensible objects to the senses. This applies to truth in general, and to religious truth, or things of the Spirit; to the spiritual understanding, i.e., to the understanding when illuminated by the Spirit.
-
There is the power of perception. Light is powerless for the purpose of vision when there is no organ of vision. The same is true of sound. So without reason there is no apprehension of truth, and without spiritual understanding, no perception of the things of the Spirit.
-
But where there are the organs, there is no sight or hearing, unless there is light or sound. So there is no exercise of the understanding and none of the religious life without truth. Nothing can be substituted for light or sound, and nothing can be substituted for truth.
-
The same visible object, or the same sound affects different persons differently. So the same truth affects different minds differently. The cause in both cases is subjective.
-
Where the percipient is the same the effect depends on the character of the light or sound; so the effect of error, on any given man, is different from the effect of truth.
-
The same object of sense may be the object of attention under different aspects and for different purposes. If we look on a picture to criticise it, to decide on the accuracy of the drawing, or the style of the coloring, or the disposition of the lights and shades, then we experience no æsthetic effect. So if truth is contemplated with the eye of a critic or philosopher, it produces no religious impression. Meditation is not, therefore, simply continuous attention.
-
The senses can be indefinitely improved by cultivation. So the faculty of spiritual discernment and the consequent spirituality of mind is increased by meditation.
-
The effect produced by sensible objects is either from oftenrepeated acts of perception, or by long-continued contemplation. So in spiritual things, the thoughts of God, of Christ, of eternity, which are constantly floating through the mind produce a constant effect, but this is no adequate substitute for long-continued meditation.
-
Although the cases are thus analogous, yet the one is natural and the other is supernatural. For the knowledge which we seek and need is of the nature of a revelation. Paul prays that the Father of glory would give the Ephesians the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of himself. (1:17.) From this two important inferences follow. First, that meditation is a waiting for the manifestation of the truth. We cannot force ourselves by any act of attention into the discovery of its divine glory. We must humbly, prayerfully wait for the revelation. Second, this revelation being to the spiritual sense, through the understanding, it never takes place except when the truth is before the mind. That is, the supernatural supervenes on the natural, and in the use of the natural means. Hence it is vain to expect these spiritual disclosures unless we meditate.
II. The importance of this subject is manifest, 1. From the nature of the case, as presented above. 2. From the example of the people of God in all ages.
III. The difficulties in the way are, 1. Natural. 1st. The difficulty of fixing the mind on any subject. 2d. The difficulty of discarding other objects from the mind. These difficulties are to be counteracted by natural means, i.e., by practice and by the aids to continued thought, such as articulate utterances, reading, prayer. 2. Spiritual. 1st. Disinclination arising from worldliness and sin. 2d. The weakness of our faith or principle of spiritual life. There is a great difference between meditative, recluse Christians, and active Christians. There should be a combination of the two elements as in Paul.
← 198. Meditation as a Means of Grace · Contents · 200. The Sabbath →