WHAT IS MEDITATION?
THE LOVELY CITY OF GOD
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* HOW EASY A THING IS IT FOR A MAN TO PUT OFF FROM HIM ALL TURBULENT ADVENTITIOUS IMAGINATIONS, AND PRESENTLY TO BE IN PERFECT REST AND TRANQUILLITY!
* THINK THYSELF FIT AND WORTHY TO SPEAK, OR TO DO ANYTHING THAT IS ACCORDING TO NATURE, AND LET NOT THE REPROACH, OR REPORT OF SOME THAT MAY ENSURE UPON IT, EVER DETER THEE. IF IT BE RIGHT AND HONEST TO BE SPOKEN OR DONE, UNDERVALUE NOT THYSELF SO MUCH, AS TO BE DISCOURAGED FROM IT. AS FOR THEM, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN RATIONAL OVER-RULING PART, AND THEIR OWN PROPER INCLINATION , WHICH THOU MUST NOT STAND AND LOOK ABOUT TO TAKE NOTICE OF, BUT GO ON STRAIGHT, WHITHER BOTH THINE OWN PARTICULAR, AND THE COMMON NATURE DO LEAD THEE, AND THE WAY OF BOTH THESE, IS BUT ONE.
* I CONTINUE MY COURSE BY ACTIONS ACCORDING TO NATURE, UNTIL I FALL AND CASE, BREATHING OUT MYLAST BREATH INTO THAT AIR, BY WHICH CONTINUALLY BREATHENED IN I DID LIVE, AND FALLING UPON THAT EARTH, OUT OF WHOSE GIFTS AND FRUITS MY FATHER GATHERED HIS SEED, MY MOTHER HER BLOOD, AND MY NURSE HER MILK, OUT OF WHICH FOR SO MANY YEARS I HAVE BEEN PROVIDED, BOTH OF MEAT AND DRINK. AND LASTLY, WHICH BEARETH ME THAT TREAD UPON IT , AND BEARTETH WITH ME THAT SO MANY WAYS DO ABUSE IT, OR SO FREELY MAKE US OF IT, SO MANY WAYS TO SO MANY ENDS.
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* NO MAN CAN ADMIRE THEE FOR THY SHARP ACUTE LANGUAGE, SUCH IS THY NATURAL DISABILITY THAT WAY. BE IT SO, YET THERE BE MANY OTHER GOOD THINGS, FOR THE WANT OF WHICH THOU CANST NOT PLEAD THE WANT OR NATURAL ABILITY. LET THEM BE SEEN IN THEE, WHICH DEPEND WHOLLY FROM THEE, SINCERITY, GRAVITY, LABORIOUSNESS, CONTEMPT OF PLEASURES, BE NOT QUERULOUS, BE CONTENT WITH LITTLE, BE KIND, BE FREE, AVOID ALL SUPERFLUITY, ALL VAIN PRATTLING, BE MAGNANIMOUS. DOES NOT THOU PERCEIVE, HOW MANY THINGS THERE BE, WHICH NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PRETENCE OF NATURAL INDISPOSITION AND UNFITNESS, THOU MIGHTEST HAVE PERFORMED AND EXHIBITED, AND YET THOU DOES VALUNTARILY CONTINUE DROOPING DOWNWARDS? OR WILT THOU SAY.
*NOT TO WANDER OF THE WAY, BUT UPON EVERY MOTION AND DESIRE, TO PERFORM THAT WHICH IS JUST, AND EVER TO BE CAREFUL TO ATTAIN TO THE TRUE NATURAL APPREHENSION OF EVERY FANCY, THAT PRESENTS ITSELF.
* WHATSOEVER IS EXPEDIENT UNTO THEE, O WORLD, IS EXPEDIENT UNTO ME, NOTHING CAN EITHER BE UNSEASONABLE UNTO ME, OR OUT OF DATE, WHICH UNTO THEE IS SEASONABLE. WHATSOEVER THY SEASONS BEAR, SHALL EVER BY ME BE ESTEEMED AS HAPPY FRUIT, AND INCREASE. O NATURE! FROM THEE ARE ALL THIBGS, IN THEE ALL THINGS SUBSIST, AND TO THEE ALL TEND. COULD HE SAY OF ATHENS, THOU LOVELY CITY OF CECROPS, AND SHALT NOT THOU SAY OF THE WORLD, THOU LOVELY CITY OF GOD?
* EITHER THIS WORLD IS A KOSMOZ OR A COMELY PIECE, BECAUSE ALL DISPOSED AND GOVERNED BY CERTAIN ORDER. OR IF IT BE A MIXTURE, THOUGH CONFUSED, YET STILL IT IS A COMELY PIECE. FOR IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IN THEE THERE SHOULD BE ANY BEAUTY AT ALL, AND THAT IN THE WHOLE WORLD THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING BUT DISORDER AND CONFUSION? AND ALL THINGS IN IT TOO, BY NATURAL DIFFERENT PROPERTIES ONE FROM ANOTHER DIFFERENCED AND DISTINGUISHED, AND YET ALL THROUGH DIFFUSED, AND BY NATURAL SYMPATHY, ONE TO ANOTHER UNITED, AS THEY ARE?
* A BLACK OR MALIGN DISPOSITION, AN EFFEMINATE DISPOSITION, AN HARD INEXORABLE DISPOSITION, A WILD INHUMAN DISPOSITION, A SHEEPISH DISPOSITION, A CHILDISH DISPOSITION, A BLOCKISH, A FALSE, A SCURRIL, A FRAUDULENT, A TYNANICAL, WHAT THEN? IF HE BE A STRANGER IN THE WORLD, THAT KNOWS NOT THE THINGS THAT ARE IN IT, WHY NOT HE A STRANGER AS WELL, THAT WONDERS AT THE THINGS THAT ARE DONE IN IT?
* HE IS A TRUE FUGITIVE, THAT FLIES FROM REASON, BY WHICH MEN ARE SOCIABLE. HE IS BLIND, WHO CANNOT SEE WITH THE EYES OF HIS UNDERSTANDING. HE IS POOR, THAT STANDS IN NEED OF ANOTHER, AND HATH NOT IN HIMSELF ALL THINGS NEEDFUL FOR THIS LIFE. HE IS AN APOSTEME OF THE WORLD, WHO BY BEING DISCONNECTED WITH THOSE THINGS THAT HAPPEN UNTO HIM IN THE WORLD, DOTH AS IT WERE APOSTATISE, AND SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM COMMON NATURE'S RATIONAL ADMINISTRATION. FOR THE SAME NATURE IT IS THAT BRINGS THIS UNTO THEE, WHATSOEVER IT BE,THAT FIRST BROUGHT THEE INTO THE WORLD. HE RAISES SEDITION IN THE CITY, WHO BY IRRATIONAL ACTIONS WITHDRAWS HIS OWN SOUL FROM THAT ONE AND COMMON SOUL OF ALL RATIONAL CREATURES.
* THERE IS, WHO WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A COAT, AND THERE IS, WHO WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A BOOK, DOTH PUT PHILOSOPHY IN PRACTICE, I AM HALF NAKED, NEITHER HAVE I BREAD TO EAT, AND YET I DEPART NOT FROM REASON, SAITH ONE. BUT I SAY, I WANT THE FOOD OF GOOD TEACHING, AND INSTRUCTIONS, AND YET I DEPART NOT FROM REASON.
* WHT ARE AND PROFESSION WHATSOEVER THOU HAST LEARNED, ENDEAVOUR TO AFFECT IT, AND COMFORT THYSELF IN IT, AND PASS THE REMAINDER OF THY LIFE AS ONE WHO FROM HIS WHOLE HEART COMMITS HIMSELF AND WHATSOEVER BELONGS UNOT HIM, UNTO THE GODS, AND AS FOR MEN, CARRY NOT THYSELF EITHER TYRANNICALLY OR SERVILELY TOWARDS ANY.
* CONSIDER IN MY MIND, FOR EXAMPLE'S SAKE, THE TIMES OF VESPASIAN, THOU SHALT SEE BUT THE SAME THINGS, SOME MARRYING, SOME BRINGING UP CHILDREN, SOME SICK, SOME DYING, SOME FIGHTING, SOME FEASTING, SOME MERCHANDISING, SOME TILLING, SOME FLATTERING, SOME BOASTING, SOME SUSPECTING, SOME UNDERMINING, SOME WISHING TO DIE, SOME FRETTING AND MURMURING AT THEIR PRESENT ESTATE, SOME WOOING, SOME HOARDING, SOME SEEKING AFTER MAGISTRACIES, AND SOME AFTER KINGDOMS. AND IS NOT THAT THEIR AGE QUITE OVER, AND ENDED?
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