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THE DIARY,

OR

A RULE TO SPEND EACH DAY RELIGIOUSLY.

SECTION I.

1. SUPPOSE every day to be a day of business: for your whole life is such, a race, and a battle, a merchandize, and a journey. Every day propound to yourself an oblation of faith, and of good works, to present to God at night.

2. Rise as soon as your health and other occasions shall permit; but be as regular as you can, and as early. Remember, he that rises first to prayer hath a more early title to a blessing. But he that changes night into day, labor into idleness, watchfulness into sleep, changes his hopes of blessing into a dream.

3. Let not any one think it an excuse to lie in bed, because he hath nothing to do when he is up: for whoever hath a soul, and hopes to save that soul, hath work enough to do to make his calling and election sure, to serve God and to pray, to read and to meditate, to repent and to amend, to do good to others, and to keep evil from themselves. And if thou hast little to do, thou oughtest to employ

the more time in laying up for a greater crown of glory.

4. At your opening your eyes, enter upon the day with some act of piety; first, Of thanksgiving for the preservation of you the night past; and second, Of the glorification of God for the works of the creation, for his dispensations of wisdom and mercy to all the world, and for his glorious perfections.

5. When you first leave your bed, solemnly and devoutly bow your head, and worship the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

6. When making yourself ready, be as silent as you can, and spend that time in holy thoughts; there being no better way conveniently to redeem that time from loss, than by meditation and short mental prayers. If you choose to speak, speak something of God's praises, of his goodness, his mercies, or his greatness. Ever resolving that the first fruits of thy reason, and of all thy faculties, shall be presented to God, to sanctify the whole harvest of thy conversation.

7. Be not curious, nor careless, in your habit, but always keep these measures.

First, Be not troublesome to thyself or to others by unhandsomeness, or uncleanness, or peculiarity. Second, Let it be according to your state and quality, but rather under than above your condition.

Third, Make religion to be the difference of your habit, so as to be best attired upon holy days.

8. While dressing, let there be ejaculations fitted to the several actions of dressing: as at washing your hands and face, pray God to cleanse your soul from sin; in putting on your clothes, pray him to clothe your soul with the righteousness of your Saviour; and so in all the rest. For religion must not only be the garment of your soul, to invest it all over; but it must be also as the fringes to your various actions, that something of religion appear in every one of them, besides the innocence of all of them.

9. Then kneel and say the Lord's prayer; and rising from your knees, do what is necessary in order to your farther dressing, or affairs of the house speedily; and then finish your dressing according to the foregoing rules.

10. Retire to your closet, and go to your usual devotions. It is good that the first prayers were divided into seven actions of piety.

First, An act of adoration. Second, Of thanksgiving. Third, Of oblation. Fourth, Of confession. Fifth, Of petition. Sixth, Of intercession. Seventh, Of meditation, or serious, deliberate, useful reading of the Holy Scriptures.

11. Your reading should be governed by these

measures.

First, Let it not be of the whole Bible in order, but for your devotion use the New Testament, and such portions of it, and of the Old, as contain the precepts of holy life.

Second, The historical and less practical part, let it be read at such other times as leisure from your domestic employments will afford.

Third, Those portions of Scripture which you use in your prayers, let them not be longer than a chapter at once. But what farther time you can afford, spend it in thinking and meditating upon the holy precepts which you read.

Fourth, Be sure to meditate until you graft some act of piety upon the occasion of what you meditate either that you get some new arguments against a sin, or some new encouragements to virtue; some spiritual strength and advantage, or else some act of prayer to God, or glorification of him.

12. Before you go forth of your closet, set yourself down a little while, and consider what you are to do that day, what matter or business is like to employ you or to tempt you; and take particular resolution against that, whether it be matter of wrangling, or anger, or covetousness, or vain courtship, or feasting; and when you enter upon it, remember upon what you resolved in your closet. If you are likely to have nothing extraordinary that day, a general recommendation of the affairs of that day to God in your prayers will be sufficient: but if there be any thing foreseen that is not usual, be sure to be armed for it by a hearty, though a short prayer, and an earnest prudent resolution before-hand, and then watch when the thing comes.

Upon the occurrence during the day, of any unforseen danger, or perplexing duty, if you can not retire for prayer, immediately in silence lift your heart to God for grace.

13. Take care that all the children and servants of the family say their prayers before they begin their work. The Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, with the short verse at the end of every commandment which the Church uses, and the Creed, is a very good office for them. To these it is proper that some suitable prayer be added, and they taught to use it devoutly.

14. Then go about the affairs of your house and proper employment, ever avoiding idleness, or too much earnestness of affection upon the things of the world. Do your business prudently, diligently, humbly, charitably, devoutly.

15. Let there be no idle person in or about your family, but find them all work and meat, according to their station, call upon them carefully, reprove them without reproaches or fierce railings. Be a master or a mistress, and a friend to them, and exact of them to be faithful and diligent, to God, to you, and their fellow men.

16. In your servants and children suffer any offence against yourself rather than against God; endure not that they should swear, or lie, or steal, or be wanton, or curse each other, or be railers, or slanderers, or tell-tales, or sowers of dissension in the family, or amongst neighbors.

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