The Dangers of Neglecting Meditation # 1

The Dangers of Neglecting Meditation # 1

I shall show you the woeful troubles and the intolerable mischiefs which come from the lack of practicing this duty of meditation. I will show you that the lack of practicing this duty is the cause of all sin, and I will instance in particulars.

1. The reason why people harden their hearts in sin and go on obstinately - is for lack of meditation. "I hearkened and heard, but they spoke not aright: no man repented of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" (Jer. 8:6). They did not repent because they did not reflect upon what they did; they did not bethink themselves, so the phrase is: "If they shall bethink themselves - and repent" (1 Kings 8:47).

They did not say, "I am undone by what I have done; I have lost God and Heaven by what I have done; and if I do not repent, I am an undone creature forever." No man repented of his wickedness, because no man considered what he had done; for did you consider the evil that is in sin, did you dwell and abide upon it, did you commune with your own heart and seriously consider what an evil and bitter thing it is to sin against God, you dare not willingly sin against God. The reason why men go on rashly, heedlessly, obstinately in sin is for lack of the meditation of the evil of sin.

2. The reason why all the SERMONS we hear do us no more good, is or lack of divine meditation. For it is with sermons as it is with food - it is not having food upon your table that will feed you, but you must eat it. And you must not only eat it, but digest it - or else your food will do you no good.

So it is with sermons: it is not hearing sermons that will do you good, but digesting them by meditation. Pondering in your hearts what you hear, must do you good. One sermon well digested, well meditated upon - is better than twenty sermons without meditation! Now meditation is that which will digest all the sermons you hear. The custom of many of you: you hear a sermon, you go away, and never think of it afterward. This is the reason why you are so lean in grace - though you are so fully fed with sermons! I am confident the great reason why we have so many hunger-starved Christians who are lean in grace and lean in practice, though they hear sermon upon sermon - is because they digest nothing. They never ponder and meditate upon what they hear!

3. The reason why the PROMISES of God do no more affect your hearts, when the saints of God taste no more sweetness in the promises - is because you do not ponder and meditate upon them. It is with the promises of the gospel as it is with a candy - if a man does not chew his candy but swallow it down whole, he will never taste any great sweetness in it. The way to taste the sweetness is to chew it.

In the way way, the promises of God are full of heavenly comforts, but you will never enjoy their comfort unless you chew them by meditation. The reason why the saints of God walk so uncomfortably all their lives long, is because they do not chew these promises.

4. The reason why the THREATENINGS of God make no more impression upon our hearts, is for lack of meditation. There are terrible threatenings against sin in the Bible - but, alas, there are few people affected with these threatenings. The threatenings of God in Scripture are like the rattling of hail upon the roof - they make a great noise, but they make no impression. And what is the reason? It is for lack of meditation. We do not lay them to heart, we do not consider that these threatenings belong to us as long as we continue in our sins. Oh, if a wicked man meditates solemnly upon the threatenings of God, it would make his heart ache, especially when a sense of his sin goes along with them.

5. The reason why the MERCIES of God do no more good upon us is for lack of mediation. There are many mercies that all of us have received from God - many personal mercies and many family mercies - and all of these mercies are so many motives to service. Now, what is the reason the saints of God bury the mercies of God in forgetfulness, and are no more thankful for mercies? The reason is for lack of meditation: "Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, but Israel does not know, my people do not consider." (Isaiah 1:2-3).

That is the reason why they are so unthankful. It is with the mercies of God as it is with the fire: if a man walks by the fire and does not sit at it, it will never heat him much. If he is cold, he must abide at the fire, or else he will never be warmed.

In the same way, it is not a slight thought of the mercies of God that will affect your hearts, but it must be a dwelling upon them by meditation that will warm your hearts. Now, because we do not meditate upon these mercies, we do not solemnly consider the mercies of God; therefore it is that they do no more good upon our hearts.

There is a psalm which sets out the unthankfulness of the people of God: "We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses - and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea." (Psalm 106:6-7). What is the reason they were so unthankful? It was because they did not meditate on the mercies of God.

~Edmund Calamy~

(continued with # 2)