Chapter 3: Proving Meditation to Be a Duty

Meditation is a duty lying upon every Christian, and there is no disputing our duty. Meditation is a duty, 1. Imposed. 2. Opposed.

1. Meditation is a duty imposed; It is not arbitrary; there is a jus divinum in it. The same God who hath bid us believe, hath bid us meditate, Joshua 1:8. This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night. These words, though spoken to the person of Joshua, yet they concern every one; as the promise made to Joshua concerned all believers, Joshua 1:5 compared with Hebrews 13:5. So this precept made to the person of Joshua, thou shalt meditate in this book of the Law, takes in all Christians; it is the part of an hypocrite to enlarge the promise, and to straiten the precept. Thou shalt meditate in this book of the Law; the word Thou, is indefinite, and reaches every Christian; As God's Word does direct, so His will must enforce obedience.

2. Meditation is a duty opposed. We may conclude it is a good duty, because it is against the stream of corrupt nature; as he said, you may know that Religion is right which Nero persecutes; so you may know that is a good duty which the heart opposes. We shall find naturally a strange averseness from meditation. We are swift to hear, but slow to meditate. To think of the world, if it were all day long, is delightful, but as for holy meditation, how does the heart wrangle and quarrel with this duty! It is doing of penance; now truly, there needs no other reason to prove a duty to be good, than the reluctance of a carnal heart. To instance in the duty of self-denial. Let a man deny himself, Matthew 16:24. self-denial is as necessary as heaven, but what disputes are raised in the heart against it? What? to deny my reason, and become a fool, that I may be wise; nay, not only to deny my reason, but my righteousness? What, to cast it overboard, and swim to heaven upon the plank of Christ's merits? This is such a duty that the heart does naturally oppose and enter its dissent against. This is an argument to prove the duty of self-denial good; just so it is with this duty of meditation; the secret antipathy the heart has against it, shows it to be good; and this is reason enough to enforce meditation.