my self What a miserable Wretch am I A thousand yea ten thousand times unhappy that have so fondly deceived my self Oh it had been well if I had never been Born SECT XXXIX A Meditation in putting off our Clothes to go to Bed 1. HEre consider that Clothes do not make nor mar a Man The Body ceaseth not to be a Body when the Clothes are put off that the Body may take its rest in a warm Bed So it is not the Body that makes a Man Animus cujusque quisque it is the Mind or Soul of Man that is the Man When the Body is laid aside in the Grave a Man doth not then cease to be but his Soul is then taking its rest in Heaven or tormented in Hell Death is not an Annihilation of a Man but only a Dissolution 2. Consider That as a Man unclothes himself before he goes to take his rest in his Bed so Death to a Godly Man is but an unclothing of him for Sleep and Rest And here meditate on the resemblances between Death and the unclothing of our selves for Sleep and Rest 1. Before a Man lays off his Clothes he doth ungirt himself he unbuttons and untieth his Garments that he may put them off Thus ordinarily before the Soul is unclothed of the Body God sendeth Sickness one Disease or other to ungirt and let loose the Body so nearly united to the Soul of Man Therefore St. Paul calls it a Dissolution I desire saith he to be dissolved Nisi se vinctum putaverat non optaverat dissolvi If he had not thought his Soul bound and girt to his Body he would not have desired to been dissolved Every Ach Pain and Sickness that God lays upon the Body is and ought to be a forewarning to thee that it is almost Bed-time It is death's Harbinger and God's Servant sent it may be to fetch and carry thee to thy Bed to thy place of Rest 2. A Man cannot take such sweet refreshment in his Clothes as when he is Unclothed So a Godly Man can never rest from his Labours whilst he is in the Body but he will be always burdened wearied and groaning in this Earthly Tabernacle he is born to Labour as the Sparks flie upward There is no hope of resting from Sin from Temptation from Trouble from Labours without and from Fears within till a Christian lays aside his Body the Garment of the Soul Death makes him to rest from all his Labours While the Soul is in the Body it is absent from the Lord the proper Rest of the Soul the Saints everlasting Habitation But Death carries Lazarus into Abraham's Bosom 3. When a Man puts off all his Clothes to go to his Bed he lies not down naked and uncovered but takes a Covering upon him Thus when the Soul leaves the Body it lays aside his Clothes yet lies not he without a Covering Man's Bed is his Grave and the Earth is his Covering A Pious Man may think upon his Burial in a Grave as a Chest or Coffer wherein his Body the Apparel of his Soul is laid up till the Morning of the Resurrection But a Wicked Man may think on it as a dark Prison reserving his Body as his Soul is reserved in Hell in chains of darkness until the Judgment of the great Day 4. When a Man puts off his Clothes he lays aside all his rich Ornaments with them Thus when the Soul lays aside the Body it lays aside also all a Man's Honours Preferments Riches Pleasures and whatsoever the vain Heart of Man prides himself in We came forth naked into the World and naked we shall return out of the World We came forth Naked which sheweth Men were not born to great Matters and Naked we shall return to shew the vanity of Men in looking after great Matters for when the Rich and the Honourable Man die they shall carry nothing away with them and their Glory shall not descend after them Psal 49.17 Oh consider what a lamentable thing it is for Men to lay aside these things at Death and to have no Ornament but the ugliness of Sin to appear before God in 5. Men put off their Clothes in hope after they have refreshed themselves with Sleep to put them on again So when the Soul lays aside her Body it is in hope of rising again of a Re-union of the Soul with the same Body which a Man did lay aside so to put off the Body as one that shall put it on again in a more glorious manner and never lay it aside more SECT XL. When you lie down in your Beds at Night HAving recounted the Mercies of the Day think on the dangers of the Night It is said of Thieves and Robbers that in the dark they dig through Houses which they have marked for themselves in the Day-time Job 24.16 The Word in the Original signifies to mark with a Seal as if they did put their Seal upon other Mens Houses for their own use Thieves set their Mark upon such Houses in the Day-time which they intend to Rob at Night Or as some expound it they observe the strength of the House the ways to it what Company is in the House and where they may with most facility and advantage break into it Houses are marked out in the Day and broken open in the Night many Houses also are fired in the Night and how helpless is Man amidst these Casualties and Dangers If he be asleep the Thief finds him bound to his hand and if Fire take his Chamber how ready is the Fire to consume him in his Bed At midnight the Lord smote all the First-born in the Land of Egypt from the First-born of Pharaoh c. unto the First-born of the Captive that was in the Dungeon and all the First-born of Cattel Exod. 12.29 It was in the Night that the Angel of the Lord went out and smote in the Camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand 2 Kings 19.35 Ishbosheth was slain at Noon upon his Bed but the Night hath been fatal unto many Acknowledg it a mercy that God affordeth you rest after Labour Man goeth forth unto his Work and to his Labour until the Evening Psal 104.23 for so or rightly he giveth his Beloved sleep Life and Strength would fail for want of Rest as for want of Food A good Christian may go to Bed without fear You shall find many Promises in Scripture about this Blessing Prov. 3.24 When thou liest down thou shalt not be afraid yea thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet Job 11.18 Thou shalt take thy rest in safety thou shalt lie down and none shall make thee afraid David saith Psal 3.5 I laid me down and slept I awaked for the Lord sustained me Psal 4.8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep for thou Lord makest me dwell in safety Every Member of Jesus Christ is secure through Faith in him The Shepherd wakes when others are
Liber cui Titulus The Sacred Diary c. Imprimatur George Thorp Rev mo in Christo P. D. Dom. Gulielmo Archiep. Can. a Sacris Domesticis Ex aedibus Lambethanis Julii 29. 1678. THE Sacred Diary OR SELECT MEDITATIONS FOR Every part of the Day and the Employments thereof WITH Directions to Persons of all Ranks for the holy spending every ordinary Day of the Week Propounded as Means to Facilitate a Pious Life and for the Spiritual Improvement of every Christian London Printed by J.D. for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1679. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY To the Right Worshipful Sir JOHN HOBART of Brickling in the County of NORFOLK Baronet AND TO WILLIAM WINDHAM of Felbridg in the same County Esq AND To the Vertuous Ladies their Wives Right Worshipful PLato accounted him not worthy the name of a Philosopher that studies not to know God Divines go farther and account him not worthy the Name of a Man that studies not to fear and serve him To do this is totum Hominis the whole of Man Parisiens totum Officii totum Conatus totum Faelicitatis In Scripture this Fear of the Lord is often called the beginning of Wisdom because an awful Reverence of the Divine Majesty in our Hearts makes us industriously careful to know his Will and to do it And these Phrases are frequently coupled together To fear the Lord and walk in his Ways Deut. 8.6 and Chap. 10.12 This holy Fear of God will make Men meek and humble and careful in all things to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing It will command our Thoughts bridle and govern our Tongues and regulate all our Actions This will quicken us to holy Devotion and reduce all our devotion to Practice In all Actions St. Bernard would have us put these three Queries An liceat an deceat an expediat Whether it be lawful whether it be that which becometh us to do whether it be expedient to be done All our actions in passing pass not away for every good Work is a grain of Seed for Eternal Life We should say with Xeuxes that famous Painter Aeternitati Pingo I Paint for Eternity It is very necessary for us to follow the Counsel of our Saviour and work whilst it is Day A long Night will shortly cover us with its shadow in which we shall neither have ability nor opportunity to Work Much Honoured in the Lord We have at this present many Books which eccho one another This Age is as fruitful in Words as barren in Works enclining to speak much to do nothing Yet in matters of Devotion one cannot say too much of that which we can never do enough I present you with this Sacred Diary I hope it may be useful to you to carry it in your Hands as the Clock which a great Prince wore in a Ring It strikes every Hour of the Day and agreeth with holy Scripture and Reason as Dials with the Sun By frequent reading it and doing what it directeth you shall the better know what this Treatise is For my part I should not have been so bold as to make an offering hereof unto you did I not perswade my self that you would have less regard to the Hand that presents it than to the Affection which renders me Sept. 18. 1679. Your Worships most Humble and Affectionate Servant in the Gospel W. Gearing TO THE READER THe Scripture calleth upon us to redeem Time Now to redeem Time is 1. To see that we cast none of it away in vain but use every minute of it as a most precious Thing and spend it wholly in the way of Duty 2. That we be not only doing good but doing the best good we are able c. 3. That we do the best things in the best manner and in the greatest measure and do as much good as possibly we can 4. That we watch for special Opportunities 5. That we presently take them when they fall and improve them when we take them 6. That we part with all that is to be parted with to save our Time 7. That we forecast the preventing of Impediments and the removal of our Clogs and the obtaining of all helps to expedition in Duty This is the true redemption of Time according to the judgment of a Reverend Divine And indeed the consideration of the shortness of our time in this World should hasten us in the Work and Service of God I must work the Works of him that sent me saith our Saviour whilst it is Day the Night cometh when no Man can work John 9.4 I have but a short Day the time of this Life to do the Work which my Father hath sent me to finish here upon the Earth and now I must hasten it for the time is at hand I shall shortly be delivered into the hands of Sinners to be Crucified When the Master of the Vineyard saw some standing idle at the eleventh hour he checketh them for it Why stand ye here all the day idle Do ye not know that it is but one hour to Night eleven parts of your Life are already gone there is but one of twelve remaining Is it not a shame for you yet to be idle How ought ye now to hasten when but the twelfth part of your short Life yet remaineth A great part of this short Life is taken up in that manner that little of it is well spent All the time of our Life till the time of our Conversion may be laid by as no Time or Life to us And after our effectual calling sleeping takes a large part of our time eating and drinking another part and far more of it is spent in doing nothing or in doing that which is evil Let a Man be as frugal and as thrifty of his Time as he can yet much of his Life will go this way In our old Age many weaknesses draw on and when we would do good we are disabled by Age and Sickness We are long ere we begin to do the Work of God and are soon weary of well-doing Our Glass is almost run before we begin to live indeed and at the entry of our Spiritual Life we begin to die by Infirmity So that by a just survey of our time we shall easily find that God who craveth the Tithe of our Substance scarcely getteth the hundredth part of our Time and that of those who best spend their time Consider we the greatness of the Work that every Christian hath to do in this short time How great a work is it to get a broken Heart our Hearts being naturally hearts of Stone How great a task to get an established assurance of the Love of God we having such evil Hearts of unbelief How great a work to get forward and grow in Grace our Hearts being so full of corruption eating out and wasting the strength of Grace so inclined to Back-sliding and Declining having so many things to press down so many weights
thee out of the Grave in the morning of the Resurrection from the sleep and bed of death as he hath awakened thee in thy Bed and raised thee up in health and safety this Morning When the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the Voice of the Arch-Angel and the Trump of God the sound of this Trumpet shall be heard over all parts of the World and with this Trumpet shall he summon all Nations to come to the general Judgement This is that fearful Voice whereof Saint Hierom speaketh saying Whether I eat or drink or whatsoever I do I seem always to hear that Voice sounding in mine Ears Arise ye Dead and come to Judgment Oh! Who shall appeal from this Summons Who shall be able to avoid this Judgment Whose Heart shall not quake and tremble at the sound of this terrible Voice This Voice shall take from death all her Spoils and cause her to restore again all that she hath taken from the World The Sea shall give up the Dead which are in it and Death and Hell deliver up the Dead which are in them Rev. 20.13 Think with thy self O Christian when thou art rising out of thy Bed what a wonderful sight that shall be to see the Sea and the Earth bring forth in all parts such variety of Bodies and to behold so many huge Armies rising out of their Beds of death and darkness and so many sorts of diversities of Nations and People gathered and assembled together To see the most mighty Princes and most puissant Potentates of the Earth raised out of their Tombs and appearing with another manner of habit and behaviour and with other kind of thoughts much differing from those that they had in this Life Think then with thy self that all the Children of Adam shall meet together every one to give up an account of his own Life and to be judged according to his Works yet shall there be a great difference between the Just and the Unjust at the day of Resurrection Some shall rise to everlasting Life and Glory and some to Shame and everlasting Contempt Dan. 12.2 Consider what a joyful meeting there will be of the Souls and Bodies of the Just at the general Resurrection With what joy shall the Soul then embrace the Body And as it were say thus unto it O my Body and faithful Companion that hast holden me in obtaining this glorious Crown that hast so often Fasted Watched and Prayed that hast suffered with me the necessities of Poverty the cross of Afflictions the reproaches and contradictions of reviling Tongues How often hast thou stript thy self of thine own Raiment to cloth the Naked How often hast thou denied thy self renounced thine own right and title being unwilling to break Peace and be at Variance with thy Neighbour Wherefore it is meet that thou shouldst now be partaker with me of this my Glory as thou hast been my companion in all my Labours and Sufferings Think also with thy self of the grievous and woful meeting of the Souls and Bodies of the Wicked at the day of their Resurrection The Soul of such an one shall then say to his vile Body O cursed Body the cause of my woe and misery Now I take thee no more for my Companion but mine Enemy Now art thou no more my Helper but my Persecutor O cursed Taste how dearly now do I pay for thy delicates and delights O stinking Flesh how have I by yielding to thy Lusts and Pleasures plunged my self into these endless Torments Is this the Body that scarce must touch the Ground that would not endure the Wind to blow upon it that Body which I spent so much time in Dressing and Adorning it Is this the Flesh which I so often glutted and pampered Were these the delights of this Body for which I cast away my self Was it for this stinking Dung-hill that I have lost for ever the Kingdom of Heaven O ye infernal Furies rise up now against me and tear me in pieces Cursed be the day of my unfortunate Birth seeing for a few short Pleasures I must suffer everlasting Torments These and other more desperate words thou mayst think Christian Reader shall the miserable Soul speak unto that Body which she loved so exceedingly in this Transitory Life I will set down the words of a Devout Man in this kind Tell me O miserable Soul why dost thou now so much abhor that thing which heretofore thou lovedst so well Is not this Flesh thy dearly beloved Is not this thy Belly which thou madest thy God Is not this the Face which thou didst keep so charily from Wind and Sun Is not this the Visage which thou didst paint with so many Artificial Colours Are not these the Arms and Fingers which glistered with Rings of Gold Bracelets and Diamonds Is not this the Body for whose sake search was made both by Sea and Land to furnish a Table for it with all dilicate and dainty Dishes To have a soft and stately Bed to procure curious and sumptuous Garments Who hath now so changed thine Affections who hath now made thy Body to appear so horrible and deformed which before seemed so amiable and beautiful Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no power Rev. 20.6 SECT IX When thou art sluggish and loth to rise out of thy Bed in the Morning THink then with thy self O Christian that thou hearest the Voice of Christ calling to thee as sometimes to his Spoufe Cant. 2.10 Rise up my Love my fair One and come away Consider what Saint Paul saith to the Romans Rom. 13.11 It is high time to awake out of sleep Awake unto Righteousness and sin not 1 Cor. 15.34 It is not enough that ye affect Righteousness and to have the Heart bent toward it in some sort but you must awake to it as Mens Spirits are fresh and renewed and made more quick and active when they awake out of sleep awaken and quicken your Souls to Righteousness and Holiness as if you were to begin the work again that so your Spirits may be fresh and your Hearts active and lively in the Service of God See how David stirreth up himself Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early Awake Psaltery and Harp Doth David speak to these dead Instruments Doth he not rather speak to his own Affections that they might be awakned and quickned to make Melody to the Lord in his Heart whilst he played with his Hand upon the Psaltery and Harp He knew the Harp though never so well tuned and managed would make but dull and flat Musick in the Ears of the Living God if the Heart were not tuned and the Affections stirred up and quickned Raise up thy Heart to God and the love of the World will little prevail with it the more able shalt thou be to discern the excellency of Heavenly Things This is a special Help against Temptation
doth cast any stain upon us we may thereby discern it and judg of it By the Law cometh the knowledg of sin saith the Apostle Rom. 3.20 viz. 1. Generally because it makes us to know what Sin is 2. Particularly because it makes us to know how far forth we are guilty of it But when the eye of our Judgment or the eye of our Affection is blinded or dimmed though we stare at our Spots and Blemishes yet we do not espie them Therefore we must earnestly beg of God that the veil that lieth upon our Minds may be taken away that when we come to look into this Glass we may clearly see what it will shew us and represent unto us Whosoever looks into this Glass it will represent unto him the true Image that he carrieth and not delude his Eye with any false shadow We must not labour to see our Corruptions by the Glass of the Word but when we see them to reform them In Exod. 38.8 We read of a Laver that Moses made of the Looking-glasses that the Israelitish Women brought unto him to be set into the Tabernacle Devout and Religious Women were content to bestow those Glasses by which they were wont to dress their Bodies toward the making of an Instrument whereby through Faith they might sanctifie their Souls This Laver served the Priests both to look in and to wash in It was clear that they might see themselves in it and if they had nay Foulness about them they might also wash themselves with the Water that ran out of it Such a Vessel is God's Word it is a Looking-Glass wherein we may see our Selves and our own Corruptions in it but a Laver too to wash our selves in it Wherewithal shall a young Man cleanse his way The answer is By taking heed thereunto according to thy Word If you are Persons of Quality you may employ some one about you to read a Chapter in the Bible whilst you are dâ—essing you Or the time may be employed by you in some profitable Meditation or godly Conference with those about you as far as your necessary occasions do permit And when you Deck your selves with Jewels and rich Ornaments take heed of being proud of them or setting your Hearts upon them beware of vain Affectation in wearing them and of wasting your Estates upon them For no Persons are to bring Poverty upon themselves and their Children to make themselves fine All your Ornaments are but as marks of your Sin and Misery And as a Footman who wears a gaudy Livery makes but his Servility more visible so those that trim themselves finest make but their Shame more publique Let Men and Women use what Art they can to excuse their Vanity they cannot deny but that their most gaudy Apparel are the spoils of Beasts that their Ornaments are sought for in the bottom of the Sea or in the bowels of the Earth What is the matter whereof so many different Silks are made but the Drivel of Worms and the Sepulchre which those little Animals make unto themselves when they die What is Purple which was wont to be the Badg of Soveraignty but the Blood of certain Fishes What are Pearls but the Warts of certain Shell-fish and the thickest part of the Fome of the Sea which could not be turned into its substance What are Diamonds and Rubies but Water congealed within Rocks And what is Gold which Men disguise into so many Shapes which is sought for with so much Labour gotten many times so Unjustly and kept with so much Care but the Excrement of the most barren Soyl to which the Fire gives Lustre and humane errour Valuation And what is the finest Linnen wherewith multitudes of People are so much covered and wherein the greatest part of their Vanity consists but a kind of Herb and Grass which grows up and flourisheth in the Fields withereth and dieth in a short time which passeth through Womens hands which is wetted with their Spittle turned with the Spindle stretcht upon the Loom wrought with the Shuttle whitened in the Dew and at last cut out into several sorts of things wherewith the Bodies of Men and Women are adorned Must not that Man or Woman have lost their judgment that shall be proud of such Trifles I deny not but it is lawful for some Persons to wear Ornaments for we may not only wear that which serves for a covering to the Body but also that which may adorn it For as all may wear Clothes to hide their Shame and Nakedness so some may wear Robes and Ornaments to shew their State and Greatness But their Adorning must not be so much that outward adorning of plaiting the Hair and of wearing of Gold and of putting on of Apparrel as the hidden Man of the Heart Yet in times of great Calamity and Afflictions even great Persons must lay aside their Ornaments when the Wrath and Displeasure of God is broken out against a Land or People So the Lord said unto the People of Israel Put off now your Ornaments that I may know what to do with you Exod. 33.5 At such times we should rather appear in Rags than in Silks with Dust upon our Heads and Sackcloth about our Loins than with Ornaments upon our Backs and Chains of Pearl about our Necks SECT XII Of our Dedicating the Morning unto God GOD commanded the Children of Israel Exod. 23.19 The first of the First-fruits of the Land thou shalt bring into the House of the Lord. God would not only have the First-fruits but the first of the First-fruits if there were any ripe sooner than other God called for them Which instructeth us that we must not only give God the First-fruits of the Day but the earliest time in the Morning which is the First of the First-fruits of the Day This was the practice of holy Job in the behalf of his Children He sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the Morning and offered Burnt-Offerings according to the number of them all Job 1.5 6. As it is God's due so it is our Duty to dedicate the Morning the first and best of every Day to God Psal 5.3 David saith unto God My voice shalt thou hear in the Morning in the Morning will I direct my Prayer to thee and will look up As the Morning is a good friend to the Muses so it is a great friend to the Graces as the Morning is the best studying time so I judg the Morning to be the best Praying time So Bildad speaks unto Job Chap. 8.5 If thou wouldst seek unto God betimes In strictness of Translation it may thus be rendred If thou wouldst seek unto God in the Morning or If thou wouldst morning God be with him early in the Morning which is the first part or beginning of the Day then pour out thy Heart unto God in Prayer It was an ancient Course to seek God early in the Morning And the very Heathens by the light of Nature took