1. Such as refer to the Most High God.
2. Such as respect ourselves.
3. Such as relate to others.
1. Such as refer to the Most High God. Meditation is to be the motion of the heavenly spirit heavenward; to carry it up to heaven and keep it a time there: a looking of the eye of the mind, and a lifting up of the heart, a making a stay, and taking a spiritual solace in heaven with God.
All duties we perform must be done to the living God, "to serve the living God," Hebrews 9:14. If otherwise, our duties are but dead works, loathsome as dead carcasses. A living work must have for its supreme end the living God.
God, that is the first and best, must have the first aim and leveling to.
They say in philosophy, the last end must have the first intending, the first looking at, as the first ground and mover to any work. And as they say in optics in treating about the nature of seeing of objects, that which first irradiates sends forth that which through the medium first conveys itself to the eye: this is first visible, and that is light. The first thing the eye of meditation should fix upon is that which is the Light of lights, and that is God, Who is all light, beauty, and glory. Meditation should be chiefly acted to see God, and to aim at glorifying of God above all: "Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God," 1 Corinthians 10:31.
The Gentiles, wise men, and great philosophers, because their speculations were not acted to the glory of God, were vain imaginations: see Romans 1.
Whatsoever the aim be, if the glory of God be not the real scope, nay, if it be not the master mark, the work is miscarried, and but a raveling out of time, a losing of labor. Meditation must make sure of the right method and order of aiming at the glory of God, like the sun in the heavens that outshines all other lights below and above, and that which is to be seen before, and above all others; so this must be eyed and aimed at likewise, far before all other.
Three things to be eyed:
1. The infinite glories and resplendencies of the eternal and all-sufficient God;
2. The infinite distances and heights he is in above us;
3. The infinite obligations that ever lie upon us, to exalt Him beyond all.
As in the making of our whole man, whereby He is total owner of us and proprietor in us. And in our preserving, whereby we are yet more highly bound. And in the provision for our eternal happiness, which is far beyond all the former.
Therefore there is an absolute necessity of this method and order, of still first aiming every duty and acting at this grand mark; and then to make it the striving and pressing hard of our spirits to it. Oh, that in my thinkings, in the ascendings of my thoughts, this glory of the great God may ever still ascend. For no thoughts nor actings can truly ascend if they go not up to the blessed God and this glroy of God: if God goes not up higher in our thinkings, they then go not higher than self, and which is but indeed downward, and not upward at all. Nay, it is a worse descent than that also: it is destruction and hell-ward whatsoever is self-ward and is not to the advancing of the great God. Meditation is not only to be acted to God as a duty, but as this duty, in its peculiarity and propriety, as being a peculiar straight line to God, as a singular way for our taking aim, this high aim, at exalting the praises of God.
Thus did that rare marksman, holy David, as it is admirably conspicuous in the Psalms. In Psalm 103:1-2, in the very entrance he lays a strict, a repeated command, upon his soul and all that is within him to bless, and bless, and praise God: yea, not only lays his meditation level to the mark, but raises up his spirit to take the purest, the fullest aim- this both by a selecting and improving of spiritual reasons, the strongest he could find, and the most quickening motives he could apply, all that his heart might carry up (in a heavenly fame) the highest praises of God. Thus you shall see him very frequently acting his meditation up with the greatest fervor to this exalting highly of God.
Meditation is a peculiar visit made to the great God- a mind, a thought visit, wherein, as to a great friend, the soul, as it were, comes and says to God, "Lord, I come to see you, I now come purposely to see you, to spend some fit portion of time with you, and I come for that high honor and observance I am infinitely obliged to tender to you." Every meditation is giving a fresh visit, and thereby a new tender of highest honor we owe to this best of friends.
The next end is our highly pleasing of God, which by meditation we are to intend. God will be both obeyed and pleased with our respecting and acting of every appointed way; meditation is the best way, the most pleasing, a due serious thinking, a pondering and dwelling of the thoughts upon heavenly things, and chiefly upon the infinite beauties and excellences of God, who is the perfect thought- and heart-knower, the exquisite searcher and observer of soul actings.. And then most, when purposely pleasing is designed: this must very highly please Him when we especially design pleasing, with our most wishly eyeings of Him, yea, to intend the doing our best to please Him; and this, oh, how should it greatly also please us! David, in Psalm 19:14, prays for pleasing God: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." So it is not only to be prayed for, but made the holy aim of meditation with our utmost care. What industries do the favorites to great princes use to please them, especially that their thoughts offered in counsels may be acceptable! Thus, how did Philotas act, who was the favorite of Alexander the Great; and Maecenas, the favorite of Augustus; and so diverse among ourselves! But how near goes it to them if their counsels please not! As with Ahithophel, when his counsel pleased not Absalom; and on the contrary with Hushai, when his counsel pleased. So when Haraan's counsel was rejected; and how contrary with Mordecai, when his counsels were adopted! Pleasing of a prince is a great encouragement, but pleasing of a God is a sweet soul contentment; it is most worthy striving after. Oh, how unspeakably sweet will the finding and feeling of this prove in your heart when meditation is performed purposely to please your God- when it runs in pure stream, when your spirit, reflecting on its actings in meditating, makes discovery of this holy aim of high pleasing the Most High God! As the Scripture commands pleasing, the saints are peculiarly commended and greatly honored for it. As with wise and well-bred people (obliging and pleasing in good things), great pleasing is a great praise. As Abel, Enoch, and others, from this character of pleasing God. It is a heavenly ambition ti earnestly design pleasing; as in all others, so in this walking with God in meditation.
Nathanael Ranew
Solitude Improved by Divine Meditation, pp. 38-41
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