A guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helpes inabling & the reasons parswading vnto it ye impediments hindering ye practise of it, and the best meanes to remoue them whereunto are added diuers prayers and a treatise of carnall securitie by Iohn Douname Batcheler in Diuinitie and minister of Gods Word.

§. Sect. 7 Meditations fit for the night.

The other duty is meditation, in which we are to exercise our mindes after an holy and religious manner, when wee cannot, or list not to sleepe, and not suffer them to range and roue after idle or hurtfull vanities, which will not bring vnto vs any profit. The subiect matter of which our meditation may be diuers, according to our seueral occasions and estates. As first and principally we must call God to our remembrance, and medi∣tate on his sauing attributes, his infinite loue, mercy, goodnesse and boun∣ty towards vs, wherein holy Dauid tooke singular comfort and delight: My soule (saith he) shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse; and my * 1.1 mouth shall praise thee with ioyfull lips: when I remember thee vpon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night-watches. Secondly, we may make some part of the Word of God, the subiect of our meditation, as Dauid also did, whose * 1.2 eyes preuented the night-watches, that hee might meditate in Gods Word. The which he maketh a speciall note of a blessed man, that hee taketh such de∣light in the Law of God, that he meditateth therein day and night. And thus * 1.3 we may take occasion to thinke of the purity and perfection of the Law, what exact righteousnesse it requireth, and how farre wee come short of this perfection, that so we may be humbled in the sight of our owne cor∣ruptions and imperfections; or of the excellency of the Gospell, and of the gracious promises therein contained, applying them by a liuely faith vnto our selues, that our hearts thereby may be replenished, and euen ra∣uished with the sweet comforts of Gods holy Spirit, or of Gods mani∣fold blessings bestowed vpon vs, especially the day past, and the singular priuiledges which we haue through Iesus Christ; of which we shall haue occasion to speake more hereafter. Or finally, we may thinke of some texts of Scripture, which haue some similitude with our present estate. As that * 1.4 it is now high time to awake out of sleepe, for now is our saluation neerer then when we beleeued. The night is farre spent, the day is at hand; let vs therefore cast off the workes of darknesse, and let vs put on the armour of light: let vs walke ho∣nestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkennesse, not in chambering and wan∣tonnesse,

not in strife and enuying, &c. And againe, Awake thou that sleepest, and * 1.5 stand vp from the dead, and Christ shall giue thee light. But ye brethren are not * 1.6 in darkenesse, that the day of the Lord should ouertake you as a thiefe. Yee are all children of light, and the children of the day: wee are not of the night, nor of darknesse; therefore let vs not sleepe as doe others, but let vs watch and bee sober, &c. Finally, we may from present occasions haue good matter ministred vnto vs for our meditations; as from the terrour of darknesse, wee may thinke how much more fearefull is the spirituall darknesse of sinne, from which the Lord hath graciously deliuered vs, leauing innumerable others to liue and dye in it; and that horrible estate of the wicked, who are cast into vtter darknesse, vnto whom the light shall neuer appeare, nor the Sun of righteousnesse euer shine, to bring vnto them any ioy and comfort; and so take occasion of praising the Lord for freeing vs from these feares; and notwithstanding our vnworthinesse, for causing the light of truth and saluation to shine vnto vs rather then to them. So from our awa∣king out of sleepe, we may take occasion to thinke of our awaking out of the sleepe of death at the day of Iudgement; and from the crowing of the Cocke, of the lowd and shrill sound of the last Trumpet, whereby be∣ing raised from the dead, we shall be summoned to appeare before Gods Tribunall, to giue an account of all that we haue done in the flesh, either good or euill; that so night and day we may prepare our selues for Christs comming, and be still in readinesse to giue vp our reckonings. Finally, as we are not much to regard our dreames, in respect of any ghesse to bee made thereby of any future things; so are we not vtterly to neglect them in regard of other vses. For we may not onely by them ghesse at the tem∣perature of our bodies, and our naturall disposition in respect thereof, and vnto what sins we are most inclined; but also we may take occasion from them of good meditations; as to thinke of our owne frailty and corrup∣tion, when wee finde and feele that carnall concupiscence, euen in our sleepe, hath wrought in vs, and caused either such dreames as are wanton and lasciuious, or cholericke, prouoking vs to reuenge: and on the other side, to meditate on Gods mercy and goodnesse, if wee haue had any dreames that sauour of vertue and Religion, who by his Spirit hath san∣ctified our minds and hearts, which of themselues are not able naturally to thinke a good thought, or to conceiue a good desire.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 63. 6.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 119. 148.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 1. 2.
• * 1.4

  Rom. 13. 11, 12, 13.
• * 1.5

  Eph. 5. 14.
• * 1.6

  1. Thes. 5. 4, 5.