Select Meditations

Written in the context of the unstable political and ecclesiastical situation after Charles II's Restoration in 1660, this autobiographical and historical work of the well-loved mystic and poet, Thomas Traherne, explores the vocation of minister through self-scrutiny and theological speculation. Considering how to reconcile these reflections with the difficult political choices required in tumultuous times, Traherne ponders his "Diseas" of "too much openness and proneness" while calling out many ministers for their ignorant zealotry, which he believed threatened the precarious unity of the national church. Revising the erratic punctuation but maintaining the quirky spellings, this new edition of the truly original spiritual exploration contains a wealth of insightful observations and wisdom.

Thomas Traherne was a minister and the author of The Ceremonial Law, Christian Ethicks, Commentaries of Heaven, Inducements to Retiredness, The Kingdom of God, Roman Forgeries, Seeds of Eternity, and A Sober View of Dr Twisse His Consideration. Julia Smith is the author of many articles on Thomas Traherne. She is responsible, with Laetitia Yeandle, for the discovery of several of Traherne's manuscripts.