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← ExitCenturies of Meditations

The Second Century

12

Entering thus far into the nature of the sun, we may see a little Heaven in the creatures. And yet we shall say less of the rest in particular: tho’ every one in its place be as excellent as it: and this without these cannot be sustained. Were all the earth filthy mires, or devouring quicksands, firm land would be an unspeakable treasure. Were it all beaten gold it would be of no value. It is a treasure therefore of far greater value to a noble spirit than if the globe of the earth were all gold. A noble spirit being only that which can survey it all, and comprehend its uses. The air is better being a living miracle as it now is than if it were crammed and filled with crowns and sceptres. The mountains are better than solid diamonds, and those things which scarcity maketh jewels (when you enjoy these) are yours in their places. Why should you not render thanks to God for them all? You are the Adam or the Eve that enjoy them. Why should you not exult and triumph in His love who hath done so great things for you? Why should you not rejoice and sing His praises? Learn to enjoy what you have first, and covet more if you can afterwards..

13

Could the seas serve you were you alone more than now they do? Why do you not render thanks for them? They serve you better than if you were in them: everything serving you best in its proper place Alone you were lord over all: and bound to admire His eternal love who raised you out of nothing into this glorious world which He created for you. To see infinite goodness, wisdom and power making the heavens and the earth, the seas, the air, the sun and stars! What wonder, what joy, what glory, what triumph, what delight should this afford! It is more yours than if you had been made alone.

14

The Sun is but a little spark of His infinite love: the Sea is but one drop of His goodness. But what flames of love ought that spark to kindle in your soul: what seas of affection ought to flow for that drop in your bosom! The heavens are the canopy, and the earth is the footstool of your throne: who reign in communion with God: or at least are called so to do. How lively should His divine goodness appear unto you; how continually should it rest upon you; how deeply should it be impressed in you! Verily its impressions ought to be so deep, as to be always remaining, always felt, always admired, always seen and rejoiced in. You are never truly great till all the world is yours: and the goodness of your Donor so much your joy, that you think upon it all day long. Which King David the Royal Man well understood, when he said: My lips shall be filled with Thy praise, and Thy honor all the day. I will make mention of Thy loving kindness in Thy Holy Temple.

15

The world serves you, as in serving those cattle which you feed upon, so in serving those men, that build and plough, and plant, and govern for you. It serves you in those that pray and adore, and praise for you, that fill the world with beauty and virtue; that are made to love and ~~honour you,~~ honour, to please and advance you with all the services that the art of man can devise. So that you are alone in the world, though there are millions in it beside. You are alone to enjoy and rejoice in all, being the adequate object of His eternal love, and the end of all. Thus the world serves to promote and advance you.

16

Those services are so great, that when you enter into them, they are ample fields and territories of joy though on the outside they seem so contemptible, that they promise nothing. The magnified pleasures of this corrupted world, are like the Egyptian Temples in old time, that were Magnifica in frontispicio Ridicula in penetrali: They have a Royal frontispiece, but are ridiculous when you come in. These hidden pleasures, because they are great, common, and simple, are not understood.

17

Besides these immediate pleasures here beneath, there are many sublime and celestial services which the world doth do. It is a glorious mirror wherein you may see the verity of all religion: enjoy the remainders of Paradise, and talk with the Deity. Apply yourself vigorously to the enjoyment of it, for in it you shall see the face of God, and by enjoying it, be wholly converted to Him.

18

You shall be glorified, you shall live in communion with Him, you shall ascend into the Throne of the highest Heavens; you shall be satisfied, you shall be made greater than the Heavens, you shall be like Him, when you enjoy the world as He doth; you shall converse with His wisdom, goodness, and power above all worlds, and therefore shall know Him. To know Whom is a sublime thing; for it is Life Eternal.

19

They that quarrel at the manner of God’s revealing Himself are troubled because He is invisible. Yet is it expedient that He should be so: for whatsoever is visible is a body; whatsoever is a body excludeth other things out of the place where itself is. If God therefore being infinite were visible He would make it impossible for anything to have a being. Besides, bulk as such in itself is dead. Whatsoever is visible is so in like manner. That which inspireth bulk with motion, life, and sense is invisible; and in itself distinct from the bulk which it inspireth. Were God therefore pure bulk, He could neither move, nor will, nor desire anything; but being invisible; He leaveth room for and effecteth all things. He filleth nothing with a bodily presence, but includeth all. He is pure Life, Knowledge, and Desire, from which all things flow: pure Wisdom, Goodness, and Love to which all things return.

20

Hence we may know the reason why God appeareth not in a visible manner, is because He is invisible. They who are angry with the Deity for not showing Himself to their bodily eyes are not displeased with the manner of revelation, but that He is such a God as He is. But though He is invisible, yet say they, He may assume a body, and make Himself visible therein. We ask them therefore what kind of body they desire, for if He should take upon Himself a visible body, that body must represent some of His perfections. What perfections then would they have that body to express? If His infinity, that body then must be infinite. Upon which the same absurdity would follow as before, for being infinite it would exclude all Being beside out of place. If His Eternity, that cannot by a body be represented. Neither is any sense able to judge of infinity or eternity. For if He should represent Himself by an infinite wall; sight being too short might apprehend itself defective, and be assured that it could not apprehend the ends of that wall; but whether it had ends, which itself was not able to discern, it could not be satisfied, Would you therefore have it to express some other of His perfections; as particularly that of His beauty? Beauty being a thing consisting of variety, that body could not be one simple being, but must be sweetly tempered of a manifold and delightful mixture of figures and colours: ~~and be~~ some such thing as Ezekiel saw in his vision. For uniform beauty the Sun is the most delightful, yet is not the Sun the most delightful thing that is possible. A body more beautiful than it may be made. Suppose therefore the most beautiful that is possible were created. What would follow? Being a silent and quiet object of the eye, would be no more noted than if it had not a being, The most beautiful object being always present, grows common and despised. Even as a picture is at first admired, but at length no more regarded than the bare wall. Since therefore the most beautiful thing that is possible, being always continued, would grow into contempt; how do we know, but the world is that body, which the Deity hath assumed to manifest His Beauty and by which He maketh Himself as visible, as it is possible He should?

96.Psalm 71:8 (in the Authorised Version “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day”) joined to Psalm 71:16, “I will make mention of thy righteousness”, and to Psalm 48:9, where God’s lovingkindness is remembered in His temple. Traherne quotes freely, as often. David is the Royal Man as king and psalmist; the Psalms return at length in the Third Century.

97.A term of the schools. The adequate object of a power is the whole of what answers to it, as everything visible is the adequate object of sight. To call each soul the adequate object of God’s love is to say that His love is spent wholly on each, not shared out among many.

98.Latin, “magnificent in the front, ridiculous in the inner shrine”, which Traherne turns into English at once. The picture is Clement of Alexandria’s (Paedagogus III.2). The Egyptian temples gleam with gold, paintings and gems, but whoever enters the sanctuary to see the god finds “a cat, or a crocodile, or a serpent”. The Latin wording itself has not been traced to a source.

99.To converse with is to have familiar dealings with, to live in company with, not merely to talk (see Key Words, converse). The promises of the meditation echo Scripture, “we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2) and, at its close, John 17:3, “this is life eternal, that they might know thee”.

100.Ezekiel 1:4-28, the prophet’s vision by the river Chebar of a fiery cloud, four living creatures, wheels with rims full of eyes, a sapphire throne and a rainbow, “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” (1:28). It is a beauty made of many figures and colours, as Traherne’s argument requires.