Choice excerpts from Watson's "Treatise Concerning Meditation"
Meditation is a holy exercise of the mind whereby we bring the truths of God to remembrance, and seriously ponder upon them and apply them to ourselves. Meditation is the soul's retiring of itself, so that by a serious and solemn thinking upon God, the heart may be raised up to heavenly affections.
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Without meditation, the truth of God will not stay with us. The heart is hard, and the memory is slippery—and without meditation, all is lost! Meditation imprints and fastens a truth in the mind. As a hammer drives a nail to the head—so meditation drives a truth to the heart. Without meditation the Word preached or read may increase notion, but not affection.
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A Christian enters into meditation as a man enters into the hospital, that he may be healed. Meditation heals the soul of its deadness and earthliness.
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Meditation on Heaven would make us strive after heart purity, because only the pure in heart shall see God. Heaven will make amends for all. One hour in Heaven will make us forget all our sorrows! The sun dries up the water; just so, one beam of God's glorious face will dry up all our tears.
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Meditation on Hell would cause rejoicing in a child of God. Christ himself has felt the pains of Hell for you. The Lamb of God being roasted in the fire of God's wrath—by this burnt-offering the Lord is now appeased toward His people. Oh, how may the godly rejoice!
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It gives us a true account why there are so few godly Christians in the world—namely there are so few meditating Christians.
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The Scripture is a love-letter that the great God has written to us. We must not run it over in haste, but meditate upon God's wisdom in writing it, and His love in sending it to us.
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Meditation is a golden shield to beat back sin! Meditation makes the heart like wet tinder; it will not take the devil's fire.
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It is better to meditate on one sermon, than to hear five. Many complain that they do not profit from sermons; this may be the chief reason, because they do not chew the cud—they do not meditate on what they have heard.
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There is a sea of sin in us! Sin cleaves to us as leprosy! Meditation on this would be a means to pull down our pride.
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What a man delights in, his thoughts are running upon. He who delights in money, finds his mind taken up with it; therefore the covetous man is said to "mind earthly things". Just so, if there is a delight in the things of God, the mind will be musing upon them.
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Meditation without Scripture reading, is erroneous.
Scripture reading without meditation, is barren.
The bee sucks the flower and then works it into the hive, and so turns it into honey.
Just so, by reading we suck the flower of the Word. By meditation we work it into the hive of our mind, and so it turns to profit. The reason we come away so cold from the reading of the Word, is because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation!
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Meditation fits for prayer.
Prayer is the child of meditation.
We must seal up meditation with prayer.
Prayer fastens meditation upon the soul.
Prayer is tying a knot at the end of meditation so that it does not slip!
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Grace breeds delight in God, and delight breeds meditation. Meditation is a duty wherein consists the essentials of religion, and that nourishes the very life-blood of it. A godly Christian is a meditating Christian.
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Meditation is the palate of the soul, whereby we taste the goodness of God.
Meditation is the eye of the soul, whereby we view the beauties of holiness of God.
Meditation is the key to the wine cellar, to the banqueting house, and to the garden of spices that lets us in unto Him whom our soul loves!
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Meditation has a transforming power in it. The hearing of the Word may affect us, but the meditating upon it transforms us. Meditation stamps the impression of divine truths upon our hearts!
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Meditation on eternity would make us very serious in what we do. Meditation on eternity would make us value present worldly things as flitting and fading. He who thinks of eternity, will despise the passing pleasures of sin!
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Let meditation be reduced to practice .
Live out your meditation.
Meditation and practice, like two sisters, must go hand in hand.
The end of meditation is action.
Without this, we are like those Gnostics who had much knowledge, but were licentious in their lives.
When you have been meditating on sin—put your meditation to practice; give sin a bill of divorce.
Let your meditation be practical.
Meditation without practice will only increase a man's condemnation!
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He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he was noted for remarkably intense study. In 1646 he commenced a sixteen year pastorate at St. Stephen's, Walbrook. He showed strong Presbyterian views during the civil war, with, however, an attachment to the king, and in 1651 he was imprisoned briefly with some other ministers for his share in Christopher Love's plot to recall Charles II of England.
He was released on 30 June 1652, and was formally reinstated as vicar of St. Stephen's Walbrook. He obtained great fame and popularity as a preacher until the Restoration, when he was ejected for nonconformity. Not withstanding the rigor of the acts against dissenters, Watson continued to exercise his ministry privately as he found opportunity. Upon the Declaration of Indulgence in 1672 he obtained a license to preach at the great hall in Crosby House. After preaching there for several years, his health gave way, and he retired to Barnston, Essex, where he died suddenly while praying in secret. He was buried on 28 July 1686.
Thomas Watson was an English, non-conformist, Puritan preacher and author.
He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he was noted for remarkably intense study. In 1646 he commenced a sixteen year pastorate at St. Stephen's, Walbrook. He showed strong Presbyterian views during the civil war, with, however, an attachment to the king, and in 1651 he was imprisoned briefly with some other ministers for his share in Christopher Love's plot to recall Charles II of England.
He was released on 30 June 1652, and was formally reinstated as vicar of St. Stephen's Walbrook. He obtained great fame and popularity as a preacher until the Restoration, when he was ejected for nonconformity. Not withstanding the rigor of the acts against dissenters, Watson continued to exercise his ministry privately as he found opportunity. Upon the Declaration of Indulgence in 1672 he obtained a license to preach at the great hall in Crosby House. After preaching there for several years, his health gave way, and he retired to Barnston, Essex, where he died suddenly while praying in secret. He was buried on 28 July 1686.