Media: the middle things, in reference to the first and last things: or, The means, duties, ordinances, both secret, private and publike, for continuance and increase of a godly life, once begun, till we come to Heaven. Wherein are discovered many blessed medium's or duties, in their right method, manner and proceedings; that so a Christian (the spirit of Christ assisting) may walk on in the holy path, which leads from his new birth to everlasting life. / Drawn, for the most part, out of the most eminently pious, and learned writings of our native practical divines: with additionals of his own, by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amoundernes.

1. Relish.

O Eternity, whether of joys or woes!* 1.1 O that thou wert writ∣ten in a book, that thou wert graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! O that my heart were the book! that my Meditation were the iron pen and lead! and that this word Eter∣nity were so imprinted and ingraven in my heart, that I might still have it in my minde, when Pleasure fawneth, when Lust pro∣voketh, when the Flesh rebelleth, when the Spirit faileth! O Eternity, how is it I forgot thee! O my soul, be established, and say with David, My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:* 1.2 Set thy self in a sure place, and stand awhile; and standing, ad∣mire at this Eternity, which always stands, and never passeth away; and that thou mayest taste and relish, that thou mayest be affected and moved with this Eternity.

1. Consider the never-dying worm, and the everlasting fire: O the bitterness of this Eternity! there's a man in fire, and a worm at his heart; the fire burns him, and the worm bites him, yet neither of these make an end of him; there he roars, and yells, and howls, and cryes, O wo is me for ever! A man said I! alas, Broad is the way, and many there are that walk hell-ward: It were enough indeed to make all tremble, though there were but one amongst all the sons of Adam to suffer eternally, but

that Hell should enlarge her self,* 1.3 and open her mouth without mea∣sure, and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp should descend into it; that there should be millions of men of the same flesh and blood that I am, chained together in hell, where one roars, and another answers, and all bear the Burthen, Wo and alas for ever. In one nook of Hell there's a lamentable shreek, Wo for ever: in another corner far remote there's an∣other fearful shreek, Wo for ever; in all the corners of those smoky Vaults there's a cry, or an echo of this cry, For ever, for ever, for ever, for ever.—O my soul, how is it thou canst sleep in the night, or be merry in the day, whilest thou thinkest atten∣tively, or considerest throughly of this Meditation? less matters have sometimes bestraught men of their wits, and bereaved them of their lives.

2. Consider the Eternity of joys. O the sweetness of this Eternity! O blessed estate of Saints in the kingdom of heaven! O glory, not to be expressed, even by those who are glorified! there is that perpetual spring, which through the fresh and sweet breathings of the Spirit of God, shall flourish ever; there is time (if it be time) always after one sort, not distinguished into evening and morning, but continued with a simple Eternity. O Eternity of joys, worthy of continual songs of Saints and An∣gels to celebrate thy praise! O Eternity of joys! how should I extol thee, desire thee, love thee, and hate all this world for thee?

2. Complaint.

But alas, where is my fear, my trembling for that Eternity? my love, my longing after this Eternity? what little taste and savour have I of that bitterness, or this sweetness? My soul, what dulness and heaviness is this that hangs upon thee? How hath the world bewitched thee, and thou art become so carnal, so corporeal, so sensless of Spiritual things? Thy thoughts run after riches, and they are uncertain; thou art ambitious after honors, and they are slippery; thou art in love with pleasures, and their end is sudden, and there is bitterness in the end; thou art daily conversing with men, but death shall dissolve all knots of friendship with others. O preposterous care! what, all on the world? and now that Eternity is thy Meditation (on which thou shouldst taste largely, and be affected deeply) art thou now

all a mort? O what dulness, what drowziness, what security is this? if thou hast in thee any sparks of that heavenly fire, first breathed into thee by the Spirit of God; awake, awake, O my soul, away, away with this dull sensless security, and consider there's but a step betwixt thee and Eternity.

3. Wish.

O that I could finde this Eternity! that I could taste or re∣lish this Eternity! that I were fitted and prepared for Eternity! O that I were wise, that I understood this,* 1.4 that I considered my latter end! O that now while it is called to day, while it is the ac∣cepted time, and the day of salvation, I had a diligent and in∣tent eye upon this Eternity! O that I could still reason thus, What if I indure hunger and thirst, emptiness and injuries, sick∣ness and poverty? What if I were beaten with rods,* 1.5 or suffered shipwrack? what if I were stoned to death? all these are nothing to that Eternity of woes; on the contrary, What if I had Croesus riches, Solomons Wardrobe, Belshazzars Cup-board, Sampsons strength, Absoloms beauty? What if an Angel should take me up into an exceeding high mountain, and shew me all the Kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and say unto me, All these will I give thee? all these are nothing to Eternal glory: O when shall this day come, that I shall enter into these confines of Eternity, and solace my self in my God? As the Hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God: My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: O when shall I come and appear before God?

4. Confession.

I desire Lord, but alas, how weakly, how dully, how heart∣lesly? I am not able, Not sufficient of my self,* 1.6 to think any thing as of my self, but my sufficiency is of God: It is nature that pulls me from this holy Meditation; nature favors it self, loves the world, abhors death and Eternity in another world: It is my misery that I dote on nothing, or on sin, that's worse then nothing: How long shall these vanities thus besot me?* 1.7 How long shall these vain thoughts lodge within me? Why Lord? there is no strength in me, I can neither will nor do;* 1.8 It is thou onely must work in me both to will and to do (both to meditate on, and to prepare for Eternity) of thy good will and pleasure.

5. Petition.

To thee, Lord, I make my moan, to thee I tender my humble Petition, and pour out my soul: O give me a taste and relish of this Eternity; O give me this water, that I need thirst no more; O give me such a taste or relish of this water, that it may be in me a well of water, springing up into eternal life: O inflame my soul with a love of these thoughts, with a longing desire after this Eternity of joys: O let me not always be thus dull and brutish, but thou that hast prepared Eternity for me, prepare my soul for Eternity; teach me so to carry on this earth, that I be not shut out of those eternal Mansions in Heaven; give me repentance for sin, that I be not thrown into those Eternal woes in Hell; open my eyes that I may see, draw aside this vail, that I may know what Eternity is; give me so to live, as one that labors for Eternity, contend for Eternity, suffers for Eternity; let me never be so foolish as to settle my self on vanity, and to neglect this Eternity that never shall have end.

6. Confidence.

Behold, O my soul, and do not meerly crave, but challenge this favor of God, as that which he owes thee; he owes it, be∣cause he hath promised it, and by his mercy he hath made his gift his debt:* 1.9 Is there not a promise made, Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound, they shall walk in the light of thy counte∣nence, O Lord: and is it not an experience tryed, I sate down un∣der his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste: O what is this but the taste of Eternity? what is this but a glimpse of unspeakable joy? press on, O my soul, and do not onely believe a taste, but a hearty draught of Eternity; these tastes are but earnests, but there is a promise of everlasting fruition:* 1.10 Hath he not given thee his word for Eternal life, for an Eternal inheritance, for everlasting righteousness, for an inhe∣ritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away? Awake, arise, O my soul, and lay hold on the promises of this blessed Eternity; be not dismaid by reason of thy unworthiness, for the promise is of Grace, freely offered, and freely given to them that be unworthy in their own eyes: Christ hath purchased righ∣teousness and everlasting life, believe in him, and live to all Eternity. O my soul, why art thou dull and sluggish, where∣fore dost thou not put forth thy self to embrace and receive this

promise of Eternity? Gods promises are ever certain, never less, but rather more in accomplishment then in tender; why dost thou not cast thy self upon this blessed issue,* 1.11 If God be merciful, I am eternally happy? It is the sure promise of God, That he that believeth hath Eternal life; therefore if I believe, I am already a free denizon in the new Jerusalem; Eternity of joys is already reserved for me: Why Lord, I believe, come glo∣ry, come Eternity, come and welcom glorious Eternity, eternal glory.

Conclusion.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath been bene∣ficial unto thee:* 1.12 O the incomprehensible love and favors of the Lord! Was it ever found that any King or Potentate should adopt the blinde, the lame, the deaf, the dumb, to succeed him in his Inheritance? and shall such a one as I (the vilest, the worst of sinners) inherit everlasting life, a crown that never withereth, a durable treasure, which can never fade: O what shall I give unto the Lord for this Eternity? My soul, rejoyce thou in the Lord, and bless his holy name: Now begin that Alleluiah on earth, which in Heaven thou shalt sing more sweet∣ly to all Eternity, Alleluiah! and again Alleluiah! Amen, Alleluiah!

And now (O my soul) give up thy self to God, and repose thy self wholly on thy Maker and Redeemer; wait patiently on him, for the full possession of this Eternity, and walk chear∣fully in the way that he leads thee thereunto: Say at the part∣ing of this Meditation, O Lord, O Eternity it self, O thou First and Last, Alpha and Omega, without beginning, and without all end, I recommend my soul, my ways to thee; take me to thy keeping, and prepare me for Eternity, through Christ thy onely Son, my onely Savior. Psal. 16. beginning at Verse 7. ad finem.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iob 19.23, 24.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 57.7.
• * 1.3

  Isa. 5.14.
• * 1.4

  Deut. 32.29. 2 Cor. 6.2.
• * 1.5

  2 Cor. 11.23, 25.
• * 1.6

  2 Cor. 3.5.
• * 1.7

  Ier. 4.14.
• * 1.8

  Phil. 2.13.
• * 1.9

  Psal. 89.15. Can. 2.3.
• * 1.10

  Iohn 3.16. Heb. 9.15. Dan. 9.24. 1 Pet. 1.4.
• * 1.11

  Iohn 3.36.
• * 1.12

  Psal. 116.7.