Begin with serious reflections upon the great goodness and tender mercies of God in our preservations from Satan's malice and mischiefs; what affrightments, in noises and appearances, in violence and harms, would he exercise, if he were let loose upon us! What other harms from wicked men, usually taking the advantage of the dark and still night, when all are at rest, besides harms from accidental occasions that we are liable to! There is also the great mercy of beds to lie on, rest without tossings, ease without torments, sleep without holding our eyes in awaking, having our sleep sweet, awaking with refreshing, having our formerly weary bodies and decayed spirits revived and cheered, and we ourselves under a new adaptation and fitness for the succeeding day's occasions. There should be also a stand and abode of thoughts upon anything in the night which is more signal and remarkable, that comes down from heaven as a brighter beam of favor to take the eye with, that is let down as a more peculiar hand to take up our thoughts to heaven by, that is sent as a more special love-token, stamped with more legible characters of the care and kindness of a God toward us.
When the night's past mercies have had some due reflections and musings, had a down-weight of improvement endeavored for warming and enlarging the heart toward our good God; if then it conveniently may be, nothing to the contrary interposing and that justly may hinder, the next thing then for the way of our thoughts should be to look forward to the day coming on, and the spiritual concernments of it; or if it then cannot at the present be, yet so soon as we can to set to and engage in this so useful meditation.
The more particular rules we may use for this daily meditation, are these following:
1. Meditation of setting up the master mark, the glorifying of the most high God.
2. Next unto it, meditation of eternal happiness in the enjoying of God.
3. Meditating then after it of the sure and adequate means for attaining them both.
And these are therefore to be meditated upon:
Meditating on, 1. Jesus Christ, the only way to the Father by His work of redemption.
Meditating on, 2. The Holy Spirit, the great applier of Christ and His redemption.
Meditating on, 3. The holy ordinances of God, the usual ways of the Spirit's coming to apply Christ by.
Meditating on, 4. The word of God, chiefly the promises of the gospel: these on God's part.
Meditating 5. On our part, by our use of the ordinances, and the word and promises, and that faith and holiness whereby we come to union and communion with God, glorify Him, and obtain salvation; faith as the instrument of receiving Christ, and both faith and holiness, or the graces of Christ, as our principles of life and power, to live unto God, and growing up to perfection against all opposition.
1. The first thing according to the rule of best wisdom, which lays the surest foundation in any course, is first to take into most serious consideration the supreme and chief end, and to act a fresh setting up before us that master mark and scope of the most high God, and the glorifying of Him, to be continued as we can through the whole course of the day.
Meditation of this glorifying God, for pure, lively, and highest advancings of it-- this is the soul's best operation, and runs most parallel to the perfect work of heaven. Heaven's higher acting is contemplation of the most blessed God, for the most transcendent exaltings of His glory: the rule of Scripture is to do all to the glory of God, 1 Corinthians 10:31. And this rule must therefore have its place and power here; therefore this daily meditation must take it in and set it up. It must be everyone's wisdom to bottom or day meditation, with the still eyeing of and aiming at the glorifying of the most high God. To begin with the fresh thoughts, and also the warmest frame of spirit, for furthering the supreme end, the glory of God, and with it, as fit to be annexed unto it, that which is wrapped up with it: our own eternal happiness.
In a watch, and diverse artificial motions, the evenness and expediteness of the motion is from evener or unevener, stronger or weaker drawing of the spring, the first mover. Thus is it in godliness, a Christian's motions are answerable to his eyeings more or less of the main end. Christians complain of their daily dead-heartedness and unevenness; it much arises from the so little or listless lockings at the main mark. Paul looked earnestly, and he pressed hard. In archery, those who eye the mark most earnestly and steadily hit the oftenest and fullest.. The wisest Christian is the most earnest, equal eyer of the main end. There be many particulars in this head, which according to prudence and leisure may have their seasons of ponderings.
The variety will produce delight, and set an edge upon the spirit, apt to grow heavy and weary. They are such as these: as the considerations of the most high God in all His infinite glories and perfections: His all-sufficiency, in His knowledge, wisdom, holiness, righteousness, and the rest but chiefly in His so infinite and unchangeable love, and riches of free grace: the infinite obligations eternally lying upon us, for glorifying and exalting of Him: the infinite excellences and fullness of the second Person, and His infinite love, in undertaking with His Father to redeem lost sinners: and the infinite love of the third Person, the Holy Spirit, the applier of redemption. Some most serious meditation of God, and glorifying Him, to give down into the heart a glowing heat and liveliness for all the following day is still fit in some measure to be practiced.
The next should be some serious musing on that next end, our own salvation and eternal happiness, further to be wrought out, to be our day labor, by the opportunity of a new begun day, a day which will bring us nearer to the ocean of eternity.
Nathanael Ranew
Solitude Improved By Divine Meditation, pp. 61-64
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