DIRECTIONS CONCERNING THE METHOD OF DAILY DEVOTIONS. As soon as ever you awake in the morning, strive, as earnestly as you can, to keep all worldly thoughts out of your mind, till you have presented the first-fruits of the day to God; which will be an excellent preparative to make you spend the rest of it the better: and at your first waking, or rising, offer up to God the following ejaculations. EJACULATIONS. Awake, O my soul, and sing praises to God. I laid me down, and slept, and rose up again; for the Lord sustained me. Glory be to Thee, O Lord, for watching over me this night. Lord, raise me up at the last day to life everlasting. When you have thus begun, suffer not, without some urgent necessity, any worldly thoughts to fill your heart, till you have paid your most solemn devotions also to Almighty God and therefore, while you are dressing yourself, exercise your mind in spiritual and religious meditations; consider to what temptations, business or company are that day most likely to lay you open; and arm yourself with resolutions against them: what occasions of doing service to God, or good to your neighbour, are that day most likely to offer themselves; and resolve to embrace them, and contrive how to improve them to the uttermost. As soon as you are ready, enter into your closet, and meekly kneeling on your knees, say the following prayer: A PREPARATORY PRAYER. PREVENT me, I beseech Thee, O Lord, in all my doings, with Thy most gracious inspirations: and trate your reason to Divine Revelation; and, in the midst of your reading, lift up your heart to God in some of these short ejaculations, according to the nature of the subject before you. EJACULATIONS. Lord, give me grace to obey this command: or, Lord, deliver me from this sin, or, this judgment: or, Glory be to Thee, O Lord, for this mercy: or, Lord, I believe and adore this mystery. Then read over the decad of the pious and affecting sentences prefixed to your daily devotions, and digest them well by meditation: after which, offer up to God your morning sacrifice of praise and prayer. Walk all the day in the fear of God; watch against every temptation; neglect no occasion of doing good; gladly embrace every opportunity of frequenting the public worship of God in His Church; and when in the evening you again retire into your closet, after having used the preparatory prayer, and read some portion of the Holy Scriptures, and the decad, as before directed, proceed to examine your heart. EXAMINATION. What sin, either of thought, word, or deed, you have that day committed? What opportunity of doing good you have omitted? What imperfections your religious duties are chargeable with? Whether you have wronged your neighbour in any thing? and, if you have, whether you are ready to make him restitution and reparation? Whether, if any man have wronged you, you are ready to forgive him, even as you desire that God, for Christ's sake, should forgive you? Consider also what mercies you have that day received? What deliverances either from dangerous. |