Christian Directions, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
How to begin the day with God.
I. AT thy first awaking in the morning, consecrate unto God the freshest of thy thoughts by lifting up thine heart to him in praises and thanksgivings for that comfortable rest and refreshment hee hath vouchsafed unto thee the night past. For had not the Lord been the more gracious unto thee, thou mightest have slept the sleep of death, yea, thou mightest have awaked with hell flames about thine ea…s: what cause therefore hast thou to blesse God, as for the mercies of the night, so for the renewing of his mercies with the day? And then heartily beg of God his direction, assistance, and blessing upon thy lawfull pains and endeavours that day.
II. Having thus consecrated thy first awaking unto God, by blessing him for the mercies of the night, and for adding another day to thy life, then steep thy thoughts in a serious meditation of God, and of some or other of his glorious Attributes, as
1 Of the infinite Purity of God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, i. e. Hab. 1. 13.with the least approbation; but hates all sin with a perfect hatred, as being contrary to his nature. A serious consideration whereof would, through Gods blessing, prove very effectual for the suppressing of those impure thoughts which are apt to arise from thy corrupt heart.
2 Of the almighty Power of God, whereby he is able to strengthen thee in all thy weaknesses, to support thee under all thy trials and temptations, to supply all thy wants, to deliver thee out of all thy dangers, to carry thee through all thy undertakings. In which respect the Apostle calleth Gods Power, a mighty Power, and an exceeding-greatnesse of Power, Ephes. 1. 19. A serious consideration whereof, cannot but stir thee up, as to flie unto God by Prayer in all thy wants, straights▪ and dangers, so to cast thy self upon him and his mighty Power, to rest and rely upon him for seasonable help, succour, and deliverance, who never faileth those who put their trust in him.
3 Of the Omnipresence of God, of his continual presence about thee, and with thee, wheresoever thou art, and whatsoever thou doest.Psal. 139. 3. For hee is about thy bed and thy path, and taketh notice of all thy actions, and when no man seeth thee, yet hee seeth thee before whose Tribunal thou must one day stand to give an account of all thy actions. Surely it would be a special preservative against sin, and a singular means to make thee watchful over all thy waies and actions, if thou didst seriously consider Gods All-seeing presence about thee.
4 Of the Omnisciency of God, his knowing of all things, even the secret thoughts of thine heart,foreign. and the inward inten…ions of thy mind, before whom all things are naked and unbowelled, as the Apostle speaketh. Not an ambitions, worldly, lustful thought in thine heart, but God is privy to it.Heb. 4. 13. And as the wise man speaketh, Hee will bring every secret thing into judgement.Eccles. 12. 14.
This, if it were seriously considered, how would it make thee watchful over thy very heart? and careful to suppress all wicked, lustful thoughts at their first rising? and to keep thee upright and sincere in what thou doest, especially in the duties of Gods worship and service, as knowing there is no dissembling before God.
III. Call to minde what sin it is whereunto thou findest thy self most propense, and with which thou art oftenest and easiliest overcome, as having least power to resist it; And every morning furnish thy self with the strongest Arguments thou canst against it, and then bring up thine heart to a firm resolution, as against that sin, so against the occasions and allurements thereunto. For it is not possible for thee to forbear any sin, to which thou hast a natural propensity, unless thou shun all the occasions and alluremen…s thereunto.
IV. Every morning exercise thy Faith in Jesus Christ, and thereby draw forth of his fulness grace sufficient for the day, and the duties thereof. To this end
1 Meditate of that fulness which is in Jesus Christ, for the thorow supply of all thy wants, needs, and necessities, as the Apostle expresseth in Col. 1. 19. It pleased the Father, that in Christ should all fulness dwell; Fulness of power, to strengthen us in all our weaknesses; fulness of wisdome, to direct us in all our doubts; yea, fulness of spirit, for the supply of his members with all needful, necessary graces.
2 Beleeve that Christ is thus filled for the good of his Church and Members, that hee may communicate unto them of his fulness grace sufficient for the discharge of the duties both of their general and particular callings. For in Christ there is not onelyonly a fulness of abundance, Plenitudo abundantiae, & plenitudo redun. dan…ae.in regard whereof hee is sufficiently full in himself, but also a fulness of redundance, an overflowing fulness for the supply of all his members. In which respect wee are said Iohn 1. 16. Of his fulness to receive grace for grace, or, grace upon grace,foreign, i. e. Gratiam gratiae additam, vel gratiam gratiae cumulatam. one grace of the Spirit heaped upon another.
3 Cast thy self upon Christ and his fulness, resting and relying thereupon for supply of all thy wants, for strength to carry thee thorow all the duties both of thy general and particular calling; For by resting and relying upon the fulness that is in Jesus Christ, thou wilt draw forth thereof for thy comfort and support, and so make it thine own.
V. As thou art rising out of thy bed, take all occasions of holy and heavenly meditations,
To give you some hints.
1 When thou seest the nakedness of thy body, let that minde thee of thy sin, which caused thee first to be ashamed of it; For our first Parents before they had sinned, were not ashamed of their nakedness,Non quod iis sua auditas … set incognita, sed tu…pis nuditas nondum erat. August. de Civit. Dei. l. 14. cap. 17. as you have it, Gen. 2. 25. They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed, not because they did not know themselves to bee naked, but because there was in their nakedness nothing to be ashamed of, their bodies being more comely than any apparel could make them; But after our first Parents had sinned, then were they ashamed of their nakedness.
And how should the consideration thereof stir thee up earnestly to long after the Robe of Christs Righteousness, to be cloathed therewith, which will make thee lovely and amiable in the sight of God?
2 Let thy rising out of thy bed, minde thee, as of a resurrection from the death of sin, unto the life of grace here: so likewise of the resurrection of thy body out of the grave unto eternal life at the last day, when thou and every one of us must appear before the great Judge, to give an account of whatsoever wee have done here.
3 Let the light of the day minde thee of Jesus Christ, who is often in Scripture termed Light, yea the True Light.
4 When thou art putting on thine Apparel, let out thine heart in a serious Meditation of the Robe of Christs Righteousness, which alone can make thee amiable in the sight of God; And by Faith apply Christ and his Righteousness unto thy self, resting, and relying thereupon for the pardon and forgiveness of thy sins here, and for eternal salvation hereafter.
Having thus shewed thee how to begin the day with God, I shall adde a few Motives to quicken thee up to a conscionable use of these fore-mentioned directions.
1 This will be a special means to keep out worldly, wanton, and impure thoughts out of thine heart, so that either they will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out.
2 Hereby thine heart will be exceedingly fenced and guarded against all the suggestions of Sathan: for the heart being first possessed with the thoughts of God, it will keep out the suggestions of Sathan, who otherwise will not bee wanting to cast his hellish fire-brands into thy soul.
3 Good and holy thoughts first let into the heart of a Christian in the morning, will keep it in the better tune all the day after; so that the heart seasoned with heavenly meditations, or spiritual matter in the morning, will be the more savoury and spiritual all the day after.Qu… seme…est imbuta recens servabit od…rem Testa diu. For the heart retains all the day a tincture of its first thoughts in the morning. As a vessel retains the favour of the liquor first put into it.
Obj. Happily some will object, that to put in practice these rules and directions will take up too much time, even more than their Callings and imployments will afford.
Ans. 1. True it is, some mens Callings and Imployments doe not afford them so much time, as others doe, yet there is none but may find some time for spiritual and heavenly meditations, if it be but in their rising out of their beds, and putting on their cloaths.
2 If thou hast not time to put in practice all these directions, at least thou maist goe over some or other of them; yea I shall give thee this as my special advice, If thou art straightned in time, rather to fix upon one or two at one time, then in an overly and perfunctory manner to ramble over them all every morning.
Thus much of morning Meditation.