In his work on The Mount of holy meditation William Gearing (1625-1690) says
Chap. 8. Of the subject of Meditation. Sect. 1. Of meditation on the works of God.
I now proceed to discusse the subject-matter of meditation; and here I am launching into a great Ocean, but like the dogs of Nilus, I shall but lick and away.
The first subject of meditation is God's works of Creation; a fit matter for our serious meditations: I remember the dayes of old, saith David, I meditate on all thy works, I muse on the work of thy hands, Psal. 145.5. He looketh up to the Heavens, and considereth the work of God's fingers, meditating on all those works that were visible to the eye of man, Psal. 8.3 called elsewhere the work of his hands. Isa. 48.13. My hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the Heavens; it is for that they are of such excellency, as if they had been his handywork indeed, which yet were made by his word only, as Moses, and St John do declare, Gen. 1.6. Joh. 1.3. That great advancer of learning hath an excellent passage suitable hereunto. It is to be observed, saith he, that for any thing which appeareth in the History of the Crea∣tion, the confused masse and matter of Heaven and earth was made in a moment, and the order and disposition of that Chaos or mass was the work of six dayes; such a note of difference it pleased God to put upon the works of power, and the works of wisdome: wherewith concurreth, that in the former it is not set down that God said, Let there be Heaven and earth, as it is set down of the works following, but actually, that God made Heaven and earth, the one carrying the stile of a Manufaction, the other of a Law, Decree or Councell. It is not enough that we barely look on the works of God, but we must meditate upon them; for if we do no more than see them, the Oxe, the Bull, and the Horse, do as much as we. If we see nothing in the Heavens, saith a grave Divine, but that they are lightsome, and above our reach, the Horse and Mule see this as well as we; if we see nothing in the earth, but a place to walk in, or to take our rest upon it, the beasts and fouls see this as well as we; if we see nothing in our gorgeous apparell, but the pride of a goodly colour, the Peacock seeth that in his feathers; if in all our refreshment from the creatures we know nothing but the pleasure and sweetnesse of our sense, the Swine hath as great a share herein as we; if hear∣ing, seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling, be all the comfort we can find in the works of God, the dumb creatures have these senses more exquisite than we, and we have turned the hearts of men into the hearts of beasts, who with wisdome and reason can do nothing, and the words of the Prophet are fulfilled in us, Man being in honour understandeth not, and is like the beasts that perish, Psal. 49.20. therefore the sight of God's works must affect us more than so, else shall we be but as the beasts, and follow them.
Now you are to meditate how God brought forth all his works in the space of six dayes, before he finisht them; he did not create the world all at once, but took time for the Creation of it, to teach us to take speciall time duely and orderly to consider and meditate on the works of God: if he that could have made the Heavens and the earth, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and all crea∣tures, in a moment; yet it pleased him to take time for the creating of them; this should teach us to select some space of time for the meditation of them: we must not think it enough to look up∣on them at one view, but to passe from part to part, from one creature to ano∣ther, and in every creature to admire the workmanship, power, wisdome and goodnesse of the Creatour, as we are taught, Psal. 92.4, 5. Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy works, and I will triumph in the works of thy hands: O Lord how great are thy works, and thy thoughts are very deep: a bruitish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this; which Psalm as the Title tells us, was a meditation penned for the Sabbath day: therefore I say, God would spend six dayes about the Creation of the world, whereas he might have done it in an instant, and in a moment of time, to the end that we might the better meditate upon it from point to point, for which purpose he presently ordained the Sabbath: Thus Job 1:6 tells us, that we must not idly behold the work, but must magnifie the workman; Remember that thou magnifie his work which men behold; this we will do coming into the Shop of an excellent Artizan. The eternall power and Godhead is seen by the things that are made; but most of us have great cause to be ashamed, that we have spent so little time in meditating on the works of God; yea who can truly say, he hath spent so much time in meditating on God's works, as God spent in ma∣king them? How few are there that have set apart so much time ever since they were born, as (if it were all laid together) will make up six dayes one entire week? What a shame is it for man whom God made on purpose to view his works, and by them to glorifie him, not to spend so much time in meditating upon them, as God spent in making of them; therefore we have great cause to become more carefull and studious readers of this great Book of nature for time to come: There is a threefold Book into which a Christian is to make inspection,
The Book of nature, or of the creatures.
The Book of the Scriptures.
The Book of conscience.
The Book of the creatures hath a powerfull conviction; meditate upon it, and observe God's power, or thou art an Atheist.
The Book of the Scriptures hath a power of conversion; meditate on it, and learn the will of God out of it, so to serve him, or thou art an hypocrite.
The Book of conscience hath a pow∣er of accusation; meditate on it, or thou art an Infidel.
The Book of nature hath God spread wide open, and before us, that he that runs may read; Austin calls the world Gods Book in folio; every creature should be to us a page in this Book, and every part of a creature a line in this Book: How carefull should we be to take these things into our thoughts: our Saviour saith, Matth. 24.15. When ye shall see the abomination of desolation (spoken of by Daniel the Prophet) stand in the holy place, who so readeth, let him understand: So say I, let him that readeth in this great Book of nature, understand to what end these creatures were created, even to the end that we might view them, and in them glorifie the Creatour.
And seeing God hath not only acquainted us, in the grosse, what he did in generall, but hath condescended so far, as to tell us, what he did every day; what he did the first day, what he did the second day, &c. I dare boldly affirm, that it were very convenient and expedient every day to set apart some time on that day, to meditate on the works that were created on that day; it is as convenient a method, as any I can imagine, for it is following of God in the Creation this being considered, together with the dulnesse of our apprehensions, and how apt our thoughts are to turn aside to vain and unprofitable objects, the order will be found to be very necessary.
I shall give you a tast of such kinds meditations, from one of the dayes of the week, the first day of the week called the Lord's day: on this day set apart some time to meditate on the works that were on that day created first, the works of the evening, the works of the morning.
1. The works of the evening; as the creating that huge body of the Heavens: when we see that vast body, and how God stretcheth out the Heavens as a curtain; the greatnesse of the Heavens should teach us to meditate on the greatnesse of the infinite Jehovah: if the Heavens do so far exceed our thoughts, how great then is he whom the Heaven of Heavens are not able to contain: if the earth be so glorious (as it is in the spring time) how unspeakably glorious are the Heavens which far exceed the earth; and here we may admire his greatnesse, who was able to set up such a rich canopy and covering over the earth; and here also let us meditate on the unspeakable goodnesse of God to man, that he hath made for man not only a rich dwelling here below, but also provideth for him a dwelling place in the Heavens, there to sit down with him in his Throne, Rev. 3.20. That man that is but dust and ashes, a lump of earth here below, should be exalted to the highest place of the Creation: this should check us or our folly, in suffering the earth to steal away our hearts from God, as if there were no greater happinesse to be had than here below: what stupid creatures are we to spend more time in getting a few white and red pieces of earth, than in getting a glorious possession of the Kingdome of Heaven, for the attainment whereof we should think no time too much, no pains too great, no affections too strong.
Furthermore, bring your meditations to the earth, created on the same day also, that which yeelded matter and stuffe for the making of all creatures here below: consider, that the earth was a formlesse lump before God beautified and adorned it, it was a meer nothing: Painters can draw pictures without colours; Architects raise no buildings without materials and if you take away Marble or Porphiry from Engravers, they can carve neither Images nor Statues. It is only God that actuateth nothing, that formeth being out of a non-entity, as one well saith: the earth receiveth its being, beauty, and all it hath from God.
The meditation hereof should not suffer us to let any thing in the ears to withdraw our hearts from God: sore God made the earth it was nothing; wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? Why should that which is nothing draw away our hearts from God who is full of all perfection; the earth also at first was a confused masse of things, without form, and void: this should draw out from us this meditation; to make us to consider, that we that are of the earth are altogether polluted in sin, lying in our bloud, our souls being all stained with sin, and without any form of holinesse and righteousnesse, yea void of all the saving graces of Gods Spirit: In me, saith Paul, that is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing: and as darknesse was then upon the face of the deep, so darknesse is upon the face of our souls; a man may see, hear, read, but can have no true discerning of spirituall things, till the day-Star arise in his heart, for spirituall blindnesse is upon the face of his soul.
Here then is condemned the folly of those that think ignorance the mother of devotion; but while men remain in their naturall blindnesse, they can perform no pleasing service to God; blind services may be acceptable to the Prince of darknesse, but they are abominable to the Father of lights: light was the first thing that God made in the Creation; and when there was light, the earth lay for some dayes dead and senslesse lump, and could not so much as bring forth one grasse or herb, till the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters: so in a new Creation, when there is no light wrought in the understanding yet canst thou not bring forth one pleasant fruit of holinesse, till the Spirit of God flutter over thee, and by a divine heat and warmth move and stir thy soul, and enable thee to perform acceptable obedience to God.
2. I come to the work of the morning: then he created the light on the first day of the week, commanding the light to shine out of darknesse; now us set apart some time to meditate this excellent creature, the light, which the glory of God is greatly manifest: there was nothing before the utter darknesse; then the Lord creatrd the light without the Sun, in that the power of God is admirable; should greatly wonder at midnight to see a great light to shine forth, and expell the darknesse of the night: this may lead us to this meditation; that as God caused on this first day of the week light to arise, and break out of darknesse; so on this first day of the week also, he caused his own Son the light of the world, to arise out of the grave of darknesse, who shined through many dark thoughts and apprehensions, into the hearts of his disconsolate Disciples; for his own Disciples did then begin to doubt; We trusted, said they, that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel, Luk. 24.21. Here also we may meditate on the excellency of heavenly knowledge; that wisdome excelleth folly, even as light excelleth darknesse: Light is comfortable, and sweet it is to behold the light of the Sun, Eccl. 11.7. Darknesse makes men sad and timerous: so wisdome makes a man's face to shine, but ignorance is uncomfortable: light manifesteth things as they are, but darknesse hides them: light distinguisheth one thing from another, darknesse confounds things all alike: so knowledge gives us a right discerning of things, but ignorance overwhelms us with horrour and amazement: light directs a man in his way, but darknesse misguids him: so wisdome shews us the true way, whereas the ignorant wander in by-paths, and fall into the bottomlesse pit.
I shall conclude this Section, with that meditation of Austin, Heaven and earth, saith he, and all things therein contained, do make a continuall cry round about me, that I should love thee; O Lord they shew thy worthynesse, and declare thy bounty; such a world; such Heavens; such an Ocean; such an earth; such earthly creatures; insensible; sensible, reasonable; and all wonderfully framed Lord how mighty, how wonderfull, how wise art thou that madest them, and therefore worthy our love; and being thus made thus to blesse, to continue, to encrease, to multiply them: yea more, to fill us with them; and therefore thy bounty, thy super abundant bounty must needs make us to love thee.