Section 1

Rule 1. When you go to meditate be very serious in the work. Let there be a deep impression upon your soul, and that you may be serious in meditation do these two things: 1. get yourself into a posture of holy reverence. Overawe your heart with the thoughts of God and the incomprehensibleness of his majesty. When you are at the work of meditation remember you are now to deal with God. If an Angel from heaven did appoint to meet you at such an hour, would you not address yourself with all seriousness and solemnness to meet him? Behold a greater than an angel is here. The God of glory is present. He has an eye upon you, he sees the carriage of your heart when you are alone. Think with yourself (O Christian) when you are going to meditate, you are now to deal with him in private before whom the Angels adore, and the Devils tremble. Think with yourself you are now in his presence before whom you must shortly stand and all the world with you to receive their doom. You must be removed and how soon you know not, from the closet to the tribunal.

2. That your heart may be serious in meditation labor to possess your thoughts with the solemnity and greatness of the work you are now going about. As David said concerning his building a house for God, the work is great, 1 Chronicles 29.1, so it may be said of meditation, the work is great and we need to gather and rally together all the powers of the soul to the work. If you were to set about a business wherein your life was concerned, how serious would you be in the thoughts of it? In the business of meditation your soul is concerned; eternity depends upon it. If you neglect or are slight in it you run a hazard of your salvation. If Archimedes was so serious in drawing his mathematical line, that he did not mind the sacking of the city, O how serious should a Christian be when he is drawing a line for eternity. When you are going to meditate you are going about the greatest work in the world.