The whole duty of divine meditation described in all its various parts and branches : with meditations on several places of scripture / by the author of The whole duty of man.
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Title
The whole duty of divine meditation described in all its various parts and branches : with meditations on several places of scripture / by the author of The whole duty of man.
Author
Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.
Publication
London :: Printed for John Back ...,
1694.
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Subject terms
Meditation -- Christianity.
Christian life.
Devotional exercises.
Cite this Item
"The whole duty of divine meditation described in all its various parts and branches : with meditations on several places of scripture / by the author of The whole duty of man." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A23773.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 2, 2024.
Pages
MED. XII. Of Humility.
1 Pet. v. 5.
Be ye cloathed with humi∣lity;
for God resisteth the proud, and
giveth grace to the humble.
IF thou do'st but seriously consider
the miserable State of Mankind,
thou wilt easily shun the Temptations
of an arrogant Spirit. Man, the Lord
of all Below,
though he assumes to
himself that Pride of Heart, yet he is
Vile in his Ingress, Miserable in his
descriptionPage 87
Progress, and Lamentable in his E∣gress:
He is often assaulted, and pro∣voked
by Satan's Temptations: He is
allured by Delights and Pleasures, cast
down by Tribulations, entangl'd by
Accusations, disrobed of Vertues, and
ensnar'd into evil Habits and Customs.
Why then art thou proud, O Earth and
Ashes? Eccles. 10. 9. VVhat wast
thou in thy Conception, but sinful
Corruption? VVhat in thy Life, but
a Lump of Flesh? And what after
Death, but Food for VVorms? If
there be any spark of Goodness in thee,
it is not thy own, but the Almighty's,
who is the only Donor of it.
II. THOU can'st claim nothing pe∣culiar
to thy self, but Sin which ac∣company'd
thee into the VVorld; and
therefore▪ if Divine Omnipotence hath
inspired into thee any measure of His
heavenly Grace, give Him the Glory
to whom it is most due. If thou wilt
be Christ's Disciple, observe His Do∣ctrine:
Learn of me, for I am meek and
lowly of heart, Mat. 11. 29. And he
that observes this Lesson, will at length
attain to be a Proficient in the School
of Humility. Our Saviour, the Pat∣tern
descriptionPage 88
of Humility, stiles Himself, the
Lilly of the Vallies, Cant. 2. 1. Infer∣ring,
That He is the most imbellish'd
of all Flowers; and springs forth, not
in the mountainous and lofty proud
Hearts, but in the low Vallies of the
contrite and humble Spirits.
III. AND the Royal Psalmist tells
ye, God dwelleth on high, and yet he be∣holdeth
the things that are humble, both
in heaven and earth, Psal. 113. 5. If
we contemplate with our selves, we
may soon come to this result, That
we cannot approach unto that Great
Being, unless we tread in the Paths
of Humility; for he that appears vile
in his own Eyes, is valuable in the Eyes
of the Almighty. VVeakness and
Frailty is entail'd upon Humanity,
and none can pretend to boast of such
an Imbecillity. The twenty four Elders,
(Rev. 4. 4.) cast down their Crowns be∣fore
the Throne, (ver. 10.) and render
unto God all praise and glory. And the
Seraphims cover their faces, before the
face of the most Highest, Isa. 6. 2. VVhat
then should Man do, who is the vilest of
all Creatures, the worst of Sinners, and
so unthankful to his Creator.
descriptionPage 89
IV. CHRIST, the Everlasting Son
of God the Father, wonderfully
descended from Heaven in great Hu∣mility,
and miraculously condescended
to take our frail Nature upon Him,
and stooped so low as to be crucified
for us: And what should poor Mor∣tality
answer for so high an Indul∣gence,
who is gone so far astray from
his Maker? Behold, thou aspiring
Soul, with what wonderful Humility
thy Saviour hath allayed thy Pride!
And do'st thou still swell with Ambi∣tion?
By the Path of Humility, and
his bitter Death and Passion, Christ
entered into his Glory, Luk. 24. 26. And
dost thou imagine ever to reach Hea∣ven-Gates,
by wallowing in the haughty
way of Pride: Lucifer, for his Am∣bition,
was expell'd Heaven; and our
First Parents, for Diabolical Pride,
was cast out of Paradise: And dost
thou think to arrive at Eternal Hap∣piness
through a Sea of Pride?
V. OH, let us rather demean our
selves, with an humble jesus, to wash
the Feet of others, than to seek ambi∣tiously,
with Satan, for the highest
Place. Let us humble our selves under
descriptionPage 90
the Mighty Hand of God, in this Life
present, that we may be exalted, in
due time, in the Life to come. Fix
not thy Heart upon what thou hast,
but consider seriously what thou want∣est.
Mourn for those Graces that are
absent, rather than extoll those Ver∣tues
thou hast acquired. Conceal,
with all humility, what good Qualifi∣cations
thou do'st enjoy; but confess
those Sins thou daily committest.
VI. AS Fire is preserv'd by covering
with Ashes, so Charity is secur'd un∣der
the Guard of Humility. Pride is
the Seminary, Parent and Nurse to all
Sins: Exercise therefore thy Vigilance
and Care against any Elevation, lest
by the precipice of thy Folly thou be
cast headlong into the deep abyss of
Sin and Misery. And now having con∣sider'd
the Detestableness of this Sin of
Pride, and the Amiableness of this
Virtue of Humility, let us earnestly
endeavour to abandon the one, and
embrace the other; and with all San∣ctity,
invoke the God of all Spirits to
infuse into us his heavenly Grace, that
this Tumour of Pride may be asswag'd
in us; that his Meekness and Humi∣lity
descriptionPage 91
may be our perfect Pattern to
guide us in this Life, and conduct us
to the Life to come.
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