A Vindication of Godliness, Sermon 3 · Part 1 – Part 1
1. Directions for the Evening.
Every Evening before you ſleep, withdraw your ſelves from the World, and having ſet your hearts as in the preſence of God, charge them before God, to anſwer to theſe following Interrogatories.
1. Concerning your Duties.
Q. 1. Did not God find me on my bed, when he expected me on my knees?
2. Was there not more of Cuſtom and Faſhion, than of Conſcience and Affection, either in my ſecret or family Duties?
3. Had I any ſenſible Communion with God in my duties:
4. Have I not neglected, or been careleſs and overly in reading the Word and holy Meditation?
2. Concerning your Sins.
Q. 1. Do I live in nothing that I know to be a ſin?
2. Have I kept me from MINE Iniquity? What victory have I yet gotten over it?
3. Am I a mourner for mine own, and the ſins of the Land?
3. Concerning your Temptations.
Q. 1. Have I feared, watched againſt, and not run into temptation?
2. What temptations have I overcome this day?
3. Have I had a care of my Company?
4. Concerning your Heart.
Q. 1. Have I held mine heart in a ſerious, ſpiritual, gracious frame? have my calls to duty ever found me in a preparation to duty?
2. Hath the Lord been ever before mine eyes, and Eternity upon my heart?
3. Have I been much in holy Ejaculations?
4. Have I not given liberty to the workings of Pride, ſinful Anger, Diſcontent, or Impatience?
5. Have I made conſcience of evil thoughts?
5. Concerning Conſcience.
Q. 1. Hath my Conſcience neither been blind nor dumb, nor my heart deaf or headſtrong againſt it?
2. Have I done nothing againſt, nor with a doubting Conſcience?
3. Have I neither defiled mine own, nor wittingly ſcandalized my Brothers conſcience?
6. Concerning your Tongue.
Q. Have I bridled my Tongue?
2. Have I ſpoken evil of no man?
3. Hath the Law of the Lord been in my mouth, as I ſate in my houſe, or went by the way, as I was lying down, and riſing up?
7. Concerning your Talents.
Q. 1. Have I not waſted or vainly ſpent any part of my Eſtate? hath neither my pride had a ſhare, nor my Appetite more than its ſhare?
2. Have I not ſent Chriſt away without an Almes, when I had it by me?
3. Have I redeemed my time from
Needleſs Viſits.
Idle imaginations.
Fruitleſs Diſcourſe, and
Unneceſſary Sleep.
4. Have I not loſt an opportunity this day, of doing or receiving good? have I not neglected to exhort or reprove, when occaſion hath been given? and if I have been reproved, how have I born it?
8. Concerning your Tables.
Q. 1. Did I not ſit down, with no higher ends than a Beaſt, only to pleaſe my appetite? Did I eat and drink to the Glory of God?
2. Did I not eat or drink to exceſs?
3. Did I not riſe from the Table without letting fall any thing of God there?
4. Did I not mock God, when I pretended to crave a Bleſſing, or return Thanks?
9. Concerning your Calling.
Q. 1. Have I been ſerving the Lord this day, in my particular Calling?
2. Have I not been idle?
3. Have I not over-eagerly minded my earthly affairs?
4. Have I defrauded no man, wronged no man?
5. Have I dropped never a Lye, nor broken promiſe in all my dealings?
10. Concerning your Relations.
Q. Have I faithfully diſcharged and done nothing againſt my duty … Relations? Have I behaved my ſelf
Husband,
Wife,
As a Chriſtian
Parent,
Child,
Maſter,
Servant?
11. Concerning your carriage to thoſe Within.
Q. Have I carried my ſelf towards all Saints
1. Lovingly,
Delighting in them.
Bearing with them.
Covering their Infirmities.
2. Peaceably, not provoking them to Envy?
3. Profitably, provoking them to love and good works.
12. Concerning your carriage to thoſe Without.
Q Have I carried my ſelf to thoſe without,
1. Wiſely, that they have not been a ſnare to me, nor I through my fault become a prey to them?
2. Inoffenſively: Have I not been a ſtumbling block to them?
3. Courteouſly and compaſſionately, that I might the better win upon them?
3. Concerning Providences.
Q. 1. Have I diligently obſerved all the remarkable Providences of God towards me, eſpecially ſuch as have come in, as the returns of Prayer?
2. Have I been thankful for my daily mercies?
3. Have I born this dayes croſſes?
14. Concerning the uſe of your Liberty.
Q. Have I kept my ſelf far enough within my bounds?
In Sum,
Q. 1. What have I done, for God or my Soul this day? have I not loſt one day more?
2. Have I led, this day
A
Diligent
Watchful
Self-denying
Life.
Directions for the Morning.
1. If through neceſſity or careleſneſs, you have omitted the reading and weighing theſe Queſtions in the Evening, be ſure to do it now.
2. Ask thy ſelf. What Sins have I committed? What duties have I omitted? Againſt which of theſe Rules have I offended the day fore-going? And renew thy repentance, and double thy watch.
3. Examine whether God were firſt and laſt in thy Thoughts, Morning and Evening.
4. Be careful to ſet thine ends right for all the day.