Directions for the holy
spending of every day
Richard Baxter (1615-1691)
It somewhat tends to make a holy life more easy to us,
when we know the ordinary course and method of our duties, and everything
falls into its proper place; as it helps the farmer or tradesman to know the
ordinary course of his work, that he need not go out of it, unless in
extraordinary cases. Therefore I shall here give you some brief
directions for the holy spending of every day.
Direction 1. Proportion the time of your sleep aright,
(if it be in your power,) that you waste not your precious morning hours
sluggishly in your bed. Let the time of your sleep be rationally fitted to
your health and labor, and not sensually to your slothful pleasure. The
morning hours are the most precious of all the day, for all our duties;
especially those who are scanted of time, must take it then for prayer, if
possible, lest they have none at all.
Direction 2. Let God have your first awaking thoughts:
lift up your hearts to him reverently and thankfully for the rest of the
night past, and briefly cast yourselves upon him for the upcoming day; and
accustom yourselves so constantly to this, that your consciences may check
you, when common thoughts shall first intrude. It will be a great help
against the temptations that may else surprise you, and a holy engagement of
your hearts to God, for all the day.
Direction 3. Resolve, that pride and the fashions of the
times shall never tempt you into such a garb of attire, as will make you
long in dressing in the morning; but wear such clothing as is soon put on.
It is dear-bought 'decency' as they will needs call it, which must cost
every day an hour's or a quarter of an hour's time: I had rather go as the
wild Indians, than have those morning hours to answer for, as too many
ladies and other gallants have.
Direction 4. You may employ that time in some fruitful
meditation, or conference with those about you, as far as your necessary
occasions do give leave: as, to think or speak of the mercy of a night's
rest, and of your renewed time, and how many spent that night in hell, and
how many in prison, and how many in a colder, harder lodging, and how many
in grievous pain and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives, and
how many in distracting terrors of their minds; and how many souls that
night were called from their bodies, to appear before the awesome God. And
think how fast days and nights roll on! and how speedily your last night and
day will come! and observe what is lacking in the readiness of your soul for
such a time, and seek it presently without delay.
Direction 5. If more necessary duties call you not away,
let secret prayer by yourself alone, go before the common prayers of the
family; and delay it not causelessly, but if it may be, let it be first,
before any other work of the day. Yet be not formal and superstitious to
your hours, as if God had absolutely tied you to such a time: nor think it
your duty to pray once in secret, and once with the family every morning,
when more necessary duties call you off. That hour is best for one, which is
worst for another: to most, private prayer is most seasonable as soon as
they are up and clothed; to others some other hour may be more free and fit.
And those people that have not more necessary duties, may do well to pray at
all the opportunities before mentioned; but reading and meditation must be
allowed their time also; and the labors of your callings must be painfully
followed; and those who are not at liberty, or that have a necessity of
providing for their families, may not lawfully take so much time for prayer,
as some others may; especially the aged and weak that cannot follow a
calling, may take longer time.
And ministers, who have many souls to look after, and
public work to do, must take heed of neglecting any of this, that they may
be longer and oftener in private prayer. Always remember that when two
duties are at once before you, and one must be omitted, that you prefer that
which, all things considered, is the greatest; and understand what makes a
duty greatest. Usually that is greatest which tends to the greatest good;
yet sometimes that is greatest at that time which cannot be done at another
time, when others may. Praying, in itself considered, is better than
ploughing, or marketing, or conference; and yet these may be greater than it
in their proper seasons; because prayer may be done at another time, when
these cannot.
Direction 6. Let family worship be performed constantly
and seasonably, twice a day, at that hour which is freest in regard of
interruptions; not delaying it without just cause. But whenever it is
performed, be sure it be reverently, seriously, and spiritually done. Begin
with a brief invocation of God's name, and craving of his help and blessing
through Christ; and then read some part of the holy Scripture in order; and
either help the hearers to understand it and apply it, or if you are unable
for that, then read some profitable book to them for such ends; and sing a
psalm, (if there be enough to do it fitly,) and earnestly pour out your
souls in prayer. But if unavoidable occasions will not give way to all this,
do what you can, especially in prayer, and do the rest another time but
pretend not necessity against any duty, when it is but unwillingness or
negligence. The lively performance of family duties, is a principal means to
keep up the power and interest of godliness in the world; which all decays
when these grow dead, and slight, and formal.
Direction 7. Renew the actual intention and remembrance
of your ultimate end, when you set yourselves to your day's work, or set
upon any notable business in the world. Let HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written
upon your hearts in all that you do. Do no work which you cannot entitle God
to, and truly say he set you about; and do nothing in the world for any
other ultimate end, than to please, and glorify, and enjoy him. And remember
that whatever you do, must be done as a means to these, and as by one who is
going on to heaven. All your labor must be as the labor of a traveler, which
is all for his journey's end; and all your respect or affection to any place
or thing in your way, must be in respect to your attainment of the end; as a
traveler loves a good way, a good horse, a good inn, a dry cloak, or good
company; but nothing must be loved here, as your end or home. Lift up your
hearts to heaven and say, If this work and way did not tend there directly
or indirectly, it were no work or way for me. Whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31.
Direction 7. Follow the labors of your calling carefully
and diligently. From hence will follow many blessings:
1. You will show that you are not sluggish, and servants
to your flesh, as those that cannot deny its ease; and you will further the
mortification of all fleshly lusts and desires, which are fed by ease and
idleness.
2. You will keep out idle thoughts from your mind, which
swarm in the minds of idle people.
3. You will escape the loss of precious time, which idle
people are daily guilty of.
4. You will be in a course of obedience to God, when the
slothful are in a constant sin of omission.
5. You may have the more time to spare for holy
exercises, if you follow your labor closely when you are at it; while idle
people can have no time for prayer or reading, because they lose it by
loitering at their work.
6. You may expect God's blessing for the comfortable
provision for yourselves and families, and to have to give to those who have
need, when the slothful are in need themselves, and cast by their poverty
into abundance of temptations, and have nothing to do good with.
7. And it will also tend to the health of your bodies,
which will make them the fitter for the service of your souls. Slothfulness
wastes time, and health, and estate, and wit, and grace, and all.
Direction 9. Be thoroughly acquainted with your
corruptions and temptations, and watch against them all the day; especially
the most dangerous sort of your corruptions, and those temptations which
your company or business will unavoidably lay before you. Be still watching
and working against the master sins of unbelief, hypocrisy,
selfishness, pride, sensuality, or flesh-pleasing, and the inordinate love
of earthly things. Take heed lest, under pretense of diligence in your
calling, you are drawn to earthly-mindedness, and excessive cares or
covetous designs for rising in the world.
If you are to trade or deal with others, take heed of
selfishness, which desires to obtain money from others, as much as you can
for yourselves and your own advantage; take heed of all that savors of
injustice or uncharitableness in all your dealings with others. If you
converse with vain talkers, be still provided against the temptation of
vanity of talk. If you converse with angry people, be still fortified
against their provocations. If you converse with wanton people, or such as
are tempting those of the other gender, maintain that modesty and necessary
distance and cleanness of speech which the laws of chastity require. If you
have servants that are still faulty, be so provided against the temptation,
that their faults may not make you faulty, and you may do nothing that is
unseemly or unjust, but only that which tends to their amendment. If you are
poor, be still provided against the temptations of poverty, that it brings
not upon you an evil far greater than itself. If you are rich, be most
diligent in fortifying your hearts against those more dangerous temptations
of riches, which very few escape. If you converse with flatterers or those
that much admire you, be fortified against swelling pride. If you converse
with those that despise and injure you, he fortified against impatient,
revengeful pride.
These works at first will be very difficult, while sin is
in any strength; but when you have got an habitual apprehension of the
poisonous danger of every one of these sins, and of the tendency of all
temptations, your hearts will readily and easily avoid them, without much
tiring, thoughtfulness, and care; even as a man will pass by a house
infected with the plague, or anything that would hurt him.
Direction 10. When you are alone in your labors, improve
the time in practical, fruitful (not speculative and barren) meditations;
especially in heart work and heaven work. Let your chief meditations be on
the infinite goodness and perfections of God, and the life of glory, which
in the love and praise of him, you must live forever; and next let Christ,
and the mysteries of grace in man's redemption, be the matter of your
thoughts; and next that your own hearts and lives. If you are able to manage
meditations methodically it will be best; but if you cannot do that, without
so much striving as will confound you, and distract you, and cast you into
melancholy, it is better let your meditations be more short and easy, like
ejaculatory prayers; but let them usually be operative to do some good upon
your hearts.
Direction 11. If you labor in company with others, be
provided with matter, skill, resolution, and zeal, to improve the time in
profitable conference, and to avoid diversions.
Direction 12. Whatever you are doing, in company or
alone, let the day be spent in the inward excitation and exercise of the
graces of the soul, as well as in external bodily duties. And to that end
know, that there is no external duty, but must have some internal grace to
animate it, or else it is unacceptable to God. When you are praying and
reading, there are the graces of faith, desire, love, repentance, etc. to be
exercised there. When you are alone, meditation may help to actuate any
grace as you find most needful. When you are conferring with others, you
must exercise love to them, and love to that truth about which you do
confer, and other graces as the subject shall require. When you are provoked
or under suffering, you have patience to exercise.
But especially it must be your principal daily business,
by the exercise of faith, to keep your hearts warm in the love of God and
your dear Redeemer, and in the hopes and delightful thoughts of heaven. As
the means are various and admit of deliberation and choice, because they are
to be used but as means, and not all at once, but sometimes one, and
sometimes another, when the end is still the same and past deliberation or
choice; so all those graces which are but means, must be used thus
variously, and with deliberation and choice; when the love of God and of
eternal life must be the constant tenor and constitution of the mind, as
being the final grace, which consists with the exercise of every other
mediate grace. Never take up with lip-labor or bodily exercise alone, nor
barren thoughts, unless your hearts be also employed in a course of duty,
and holy breathings after God, or motion towards him, or in the sincere
internal part of the duty which you perform to men. Justice and love are
graces which you must still exercise towards all that you have to deal with
in the world. Love is called the fulfilling of the law, Romans 13:10;
because the love of God and man is the soul of every outward duty, and a
cause that will bring forth these as its effects.
Direction 13. Keep up a high esteem of time; and be every
day more careful that you lose none of your time, than you are that you lose
none of your gold or silver. If vain recreations, dressings, feastings, idle
talk, unprofitable company, or sleep—are temptations to rob you of any of
your time, accordingly heighten your watchfulness and firm resolutions
against them. Do not be more careful to escape thieves and robbers—than to
escape that person, or action, or course of life, which would rob you of any
of your time. And for the redeeming of time, especially see, not only that
you be never idle, but also that you be doing the greatest good that you can
do, and prefer not a less before a greater good.
Direction 14. Eat and drink with temperance and
thankfulness; for health, and not for unprofitable pleasure. Most carefully
avoid excess. Never please your appetite in food or drink, when it tends to
the detriment of your health. God calls us to deny our unnecessary, sensual
delights, and use the body so as it may be most serviceable to the soul and
him. "Eat at a proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness."
Ecclesiastes 10:17
Take heed of intemperance and excess. Let your diet
incline rather to the coarser than the finer sort, and to the cheaper than
the costly sort, and to sparing abstinence than to fullness. I would advise
rich men especially, to write in great letters on the walls of their
dining-rooms or parlors these verses: "Sodom's sins were pride, laziness,
and gluttony, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door." Ezekiel
16:49. "There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed and who
lived each day in luxury. . . Remember that in your lifetime you received
your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted
here and you are in agony!" Luke 16:19, 25.
Paul wept when he mentioned those "whose end is
destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame,
who mind earthly things, being enemies to the cross," Phil. 3:18, 19. O live
not after the flesh, lest you die! Romans 8:13; Gal. 6:8; 5:21, 23, 24.
Direction 15. If any temptation prevails against you, and
you fall into any sin, presently lament it, and confess it to God; and rise
by a true and thorough repentance, immediately without delay. Spare not the
flesh, and daub not over the breach, and do not by excuses palliate the
sore, but speedily rise, whatever it cost; for it will certainly cost you
more to remain impenitent. And for your besetting sins, make not too light
of them, but confess them, and daily strive against them; and examine what
strength you get against them, and do not aggravate them by impenitence and
contempt.
Direction 16. Every day look to the special duties of
your several relations: whether you are husbands, wives, parents, children,
masters, servants, pastors, people, magistrates, subjects; remember that
every relation has its special duty, and its advantage for the doing of some
good; and that God requires your faithfulness in these, as well as in any
other duty. And that in these a man's sincerity or hypocrisy is usually more
tried, than in any other parts of our lives.
Direction 17. In the evening return to the worshiping of
God, in the family and in secret, as was directed for the morning. And do
all with seriousness, as in the sight of God, and in the sense of your
necessities; and make it your delight to receive instructions from the holy
Scripture, and praise God, and call upon his name through Christ.
Direction 18. If you have any extraordinary impediments
one day to hinder you in your duty to God and man, make it up by diligence
the next; and if you have any extraordinary helps, make use of them, and let
them not slip away.
Direction 19. Before you betake yourselves to sleep, it
is ordinarily a safe and needful course, to take a review of the actions and
mercies of the past day; that you may be specially thankful for all special
mercies, and humbled for your sins; and may renew your repentance and
resolutions for obedience; and may examine yourselves, whether your souls
grew better or worse; and whether sin or grace increased; and whether you
are any better prepared for sufferings and death.
But yet waste not too much time in the ordinary accounts
of your life, as those that neglect their duty while they are examining
themselves how they perform it, and perplexing themselves with the long
perusal of their ordinary infirmities. But by a general (yet sincere)
repentance, bewail your unavoidable daily failings, and have recourse to
Christ for a daily pardon and renewed grace. And in case of extraordinary
sins or mercies, be sure to be extraordinarily humbled or thankful. Some
think it best to keep a daily catalogue or journal of their sins and
mercies. If you do so, be not too particular in the enumeration of those
that are the matter of every day's return; for it will be but a temptation
to waste your time, and neglect greater duty, and to make you grow customary
and senseless of such sins and mercies, when the same come to be recited
over and over from day to day.
But let the common mercies be more generally recorded,
and the common sins generally confessed (yet neither of them therefore
slighted); and let the extraordinary mercies, and greater sins, have a more
particular observation. And yet remember, that sins and mercies, which it is
not fit that others be acquainted with, are more safe committed to memory
than to writing: and methinks, a well humbled and a thankful heart should
not easily let the memory of them slip.
Direction 20. When you compose yourselves to sleep, again
commit yourselves to God through Christ, and crave his protection, and close
up the day with some holy exercise of faith and love. And if you one who
lies awake in the night, let your meditations be holy, and exercised upon
subjects which are profitable to your souls.
I have briefly laid together these twenty directions for
the right spending of every day, that those who need them, may at least get
these few engraved on their minds, and make them the daily practice of their
lives; which if you will sincerely do, you cannot conceive how much it will
conduce to the holiness, fruitfulness, and quietness of your lives, and to
your peaceful and comfortable death.