The Practice of Piety, Treatise · Part 5
How a private man must begin the morning with Piety.
AS soon as ever thou awakest in the Morning, keep the door of thy heart fast shut, that no earthly thought may enter, before that God be come in first: and let him (before all others) have the†Primitiae oris & cordi Deo off…r… dae. Amb in Psal. 119. first place therein. So all evil thoughts, either will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out: and the heart wil… more favour of piety and godliness all … day after. But if thy heart be not (at thy first waking) filled with some M…d…a…ions of God, and his Word; and d…ested like the *Exod. 27. 20, 21.lamp in thae Tabernacle, every morning and evening, with the Oyl Olive of God's Word; and perfumed with the sweet*Exod. 30. 6, 7. Incense of Prayer: Satan will attempt to fill it with worldly cares, or fleshly desires, so that it will grow unfit for the service of God all the day after, sending forth nothing but the stench of corrupt and lying words, and of rash and blasphemous Oaths.
Begin therefore every days work with God's Word and Prayer. And offer up unto God upon the Altar of a bPsal. 51. 17.contrite heart, the cRom 8. 22.groans of thy spirit, and the dHos. 13. 2.calves of thy lips, as thy morning sacrifice, and the first-fruits of the day: and as soon as thou awakest, say unto him thus.
A short Soliloquy, when one first wakes in the Morning.
MY Soul waiteth on thee,Psal. 130. 6. O Lord, more than the Morning Watch watcheth for the Morning.Psal. 67. 1. O God therefore be merciful unto me, and bless me, and cause thy face to shine upon me:Psal. 90. 14. fi…l me with th… Mercy this Morning, so shall I rejoyce and be glad all my days.
Meditations for the Morning.
Then Meditate,
1. HOw Almighty God can (in the Resurrection) as easily raise up thy b…dy out of he grave, from the sleep of death, as he hath this Morning wakened thee in thy bed out of the sleep of nature. At the dawning of which Resurrection day Christa2 Thes. 1. 10. shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and every one of the bodies of the bJude v. 14.thousands of his Saints (beingcPhil. 3. 21. fashioned like unto his glorious body) shall shine as bright as the dMat. 13. 43. 17. 2. Luke 9. 31.Sun. All the Angels shining likewise in their glory, the Body of Christ surpassing them all in splendor and glory; and the Godhead excelling it. If the rising of one Sun makes the Morning-Sky so glorious, what a bright-shining and glorious Morning will that be, when so many thousand thousands of Bodies, far brighter than the Sun, shall appear and accompany Christ as hi… glorious …ra…, coming to keep his general Sessions of eAct. 17. 31.Righteousness, and to judge the wickedf1 Cor. 6. 3. Angels, and allgJude v. 15. ungodly Men? and let not any transitory profit, pleasure, or vain glory of this day, cause thee to lose thy part and portion of the eternal bliss and glory of that Day, which is properly termed the Resurrection of the Just. Luke 14. 14.Beasts have bodily eyes to see the ordinary light of the day; but endeavour thou with the eyes of Faith, to fore-see the glorious light of that Day.
2. That thou knowest not how near the evil spirit (which night and day like a roaring Lion, 1 Per. 5. 8.walketh about seeking to devour thee) was unto thee whilst thou slept'st,Job. 1. 7. and wast not able to help thy self, and that thou knowest not what Mischief▪ he would have done to thee, had not God hJoh. 1. 10.hedged thee and thine, with hisiPsal. 121. 4. everwaking providence, and guarded thee with his holy and blessedkPsal. 34. 7. Gen. 32. 1, 2. 2 King. 6. 16. Angels.
3. If thou hearest the Cock crow, remember *Luke 22. 61, 62.P…ter to imitate him; and call to mind that Cock-crowing sound of the last Trumpet, which shall waken thee from the dead, and consider in what case thou wert, if it sounded now: and become such, as thou wouldst with to be then, lest at that day thou wilt wish that thou hadst never seen this; yea,bJer. 20. 14. Job 3. 1. curse the day of thy natural birth, for want of being cTit. 3. 5.new born by spiritual grace.†Galio canente suas Latro relinquit infidias, &c. Ambr. H…xam. l. 5. cap. 25. When the Cock crows, the Thief despairs of his hope, and gives over his nights enterprise: So the Devil ceaseth to tempt or attemp… any further, when he hears the devout Soul wakening her self with Morning-Prayer.
4. Remember that Almighty God is about thy bed,Psal. 139. 2, 3. and seeth thy down-lying and thy up-rising, understandeth thy thoughts, and is acquainted with all thy ways. Remember likewise, that his Holy Angels, who guarded and watched over thee all night, do also behold how thoudGen. 31. 55. & 32. 1, 2. wakest and risest. Do all things therefore as in the awful presence of God, and in the sight of his holyePs. 91. 5, … ▪ Acrs 12. 11 Angels.
5. As thou art putting on thine apparel, remember that they were first given as coverings of shame, being the filthy effect of sin; and that they were made but of the offails and excrements of dead Beasts Therefore, whether thou respect the stuff or the first institution thou hast so little cause to be proud of them, that thou hast great cause to be humbled at the sight and wearing of them: seeing the richest apparel are but fine covers of the foulest shame. Meditate rather, That as thine apparel serves to cover thy shame, and to fence thy body from cold: so thou shouldest be as careful to cover thy soul with thataMat. 22. 11. wedding-garment, which is thebRom. 13 14. righteousness of Christ, 1 Cor. 1. 30.and (because apprehended by our faith) called the righteousness of the Saints: Phil. 3. 9.Lest whilest we are richly apparalled in theRev. 19. 8. sight of Men, Eph. 4. 24.we be not found to walkcR…v. 16. 15. naked (so that all our filthiness be seen) in …he sight of God. But that with his righteousness (as with a Robe) we may cover our selves from perpetual shame; and shield our Souls from that fiery cold that will procure eternal weeping and gnashing of Teeth. Mat. 22. 13.And withal, consider how blessed a people were our Nation, if every silken suit did cover a sanctified Soul. And yet a Man would think, that on whom God bestowed most of these outward blessings, Luke 12. 48.of them he sh…uld receive greatest inward thanks. But if it prove otherwise, their reckoning will prove the heavier in the day of their accounts.
6. Consider, how God's Mercy is renewed unto thee every Morning, …am. 3. 23.in giving thee (as it were) a new life: …sal. 19. 5.and in causing the Sun after his uncessant Race, to rise again to give thee light. Let not then his glorious light burn in vain: but prevent rather (as often as thou canst) the Sun-rising, to give God thanks: and kneeling down at thy bed-side,Wis. 15. 20. salute him at the day-spring, with some devout Antelucanum, or Morning-Soliloqui: containing an humble confession of thy sins, the pardon of all thy faults, a thanksgiving for all his benefits, and a craving of his gracious protection to his Church, thy self, and all that do belong unto thee.