Heaven taken by storm - Watson - III - Chapter 6

Required reading
Heaven taken by storm by Thomas Watson (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 6 (Offering violence by meditation).

My summary
Today Watson gives us another way a Christian may do violence to himself: meditation.

After defining meditation, Watson tells us to provoke ourselves to meditation because meditation is opposed by:
(i) flesh and blood;
(ii) Satan.

Next Watson gives us some matters for serious meditation:
(i) the corruption of our nature;
(ii) the death and passion of Christ;
(iii) our evidences for heaven;
(iv) the uncertainty of all earthly comforts;
(v) God's severity against sin;
(vi) eternal life.

Then Watson teaches us to meditate because meditation:
(i) makes the Word preached to profit;
(ii) quickens the affections;
(iii) has a transforming power in it;
(iv) produces reformation.

What grabbed me
Great chapter.

I liked the encouragement to meditate on the vanity of the world's pleasures: 'Meditate upon the uncertainty of all sublunary comforts. Creature-delights have their flux and reflux. How oft doth the sun of worldly pomp and grandeur goes down at noon. Xerxes was forced to fly away in a small vessel, who but a little before wanted sea-room for his navy. We say everything is mutable; but who meditates upon it? The world is resembled to 'a sea of glass mingled with fire' Rev. xv. 2. Glass is slippery; it has no sure footing; and glass mingled with fire is subject to consume. -- All creatures are fluid and uncertain, and cannot be made to fix. What is become of the glory of Athens, the pomp of Troy? 1 John ii.17. 'The world passeth away:' It slides away as a ship in full sail. How quickly doeth the scene alter? and a low ebb succeed a high tide? There's no trusting to anything. Health may turn to sickness; friends may die; riches may take wings.'

Through meditation, we can see through the charms of the world.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 7 (Offering violence by self-examination).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.