Page images
PDF
EPUB

the will is satisfied, the affections are all love, and all joy, and they shall reign with God and Christ for ever and ever*.

Amen.

This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.

66

Regula quidem fidei, una omnino est, sola immobilis et irreformabilis, credendi scil. in unicum Deum Omnipotentem,

&c.

Hac lege fidei manente, cætera jam disciplinæ et conversationis admittunt novitatem correctionis, operante scil. et proficiente usque in finem gratiâ Dei":"

"The rule of faith is wholly one, unalterable, never to be mended, never changed; to wit, I believe in God, &c. This law of faith remaining,-in other things, you may increase and grow.

"Hæc est fides, quæ paucis verbis tenenda in symbolo novellis datur; quæ pauca verba fidelibus nota sunt: ut credendo subjugentur Deo, subjugati rectè vivant, rectè vivendo cor mundent, corde mundo quod credunt, intelligant":"

"This is the faith, which in few words is given to novices; these few words are known to all the faithful; that by believing they may be subject to God; by this subjection they may live well; by living well they may purify their hearts; and with pure hearts they may relish and understand what they do believe."

"Symbolum tessera est et signaculum, quo inter fideles, perfidosque secernitur":"

"This creed is the badge or cognizance, by which the faithful are discerned from unbelievers."

"Hujus catholici symboli brevis et perfecta confessio, quæ duodecim apostolorum totidem est signata sententiis, tam instructa est in munitione cœlesti, ut omnes hæreticorum opiniones solo possint gladio detruncari :"

"This short and perfect confession of this catholic creed, which was consigned by the sentences of twelve apostles, is so perfect a celestial armour, that all the opinions of heretics may by this alone, as with a sword, be cut in pieces."

a 1 Thess. iv. 17. Rev. xxi. 4. Tertull. de velandis Virgin. Max. Taurin, de Tradit. Symb.

Rev. xxii. 5. Matt. xxv. 34.

c S. Aug. de Fide et Symb.
e Leo M. ad Pulcheriam Aug.

AGENDA;

OR,

THINGS TO BE DONE.

Inscripta Christo pagina immortalis est;
Nec obsolescit ullus in cœlis apex.

Prudent. Egi tepávav. Hymn. 10.

The Diary; or, a Rule to spend each Day religiously.

SECT. I.

1. SUPPOSE every day to be a day of business; for your whole life is a race, and a battle, a merchandise, and a journey. Every day propound to yourself a rosary or a chaplet of good works, to present to God at night.

2. Rise as soon as your health and other occasions shall permit; but it is good to be as regular as you can, and as early. Remember, he that rises first to prayer, hath a more early title to a blessing; but he that changes night into day, labour into idleness, watchfulness to sleep, changes his hopes of blessing into a dream.

3. Never let any one think it an excuse to lie in bed, because he hath nothing to do when he is up; for whoever hath a soul, and hopes to save that soul, hath work enough to do to "make his calling and election sure," to serve God, and to pray, to read, and to meditate, to repent, and to amend, to do good to others, and to keep evil from themselves. And if thou hast little to do, thou oughtest to employ the more time in laying up for a greater crown of glory.

4. At your opening your eyes, enter upon the day with some act of piety:

1. Of thanksgiving for the preservation of you the night past.

2. Of the glorification of God for the works of the creation, or any thing for the honour of God. 5. When you first go off from your bed, solemnly and devoutly bow your head, and worship the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

6. When you are making ready, be as silent as you can, and spend that time in holy thoughts; there being no way left to redeem that time from loss, but by meditation, and short mental prayers. If you choose to speak, speak something of God's praises, of his goodness, his mercies, or his greatness ever resolving, that the first fruits of thy reason, and of all thy faculties, shall be presented to God, to sanctify the whole harvest of thy conversation.

7. Be not curious, nor careless in your habit, but always keep these measures:

1. Be not troublesome to thyself, or to others, by unhandsomeness or uncleanness.

2. Let it be according to your state and quality. 3. Make religion to be the difference of your habit, so as to be best attired upon holy or festival days. 8. In your dressing, let there be ejaculations fitted to the several actions of dressing: as, at washing your hands and face, pray God to cleanse your soul from sin; in putting on your clothes, pray him to clothe your soul with the righteousness of your Saviour: and so in all the rest.

For religion must not only be the garment of your soul, to invest it all over; but it must be also as the fringes to every of your actions, that something of religion appear in every one of them, besides the innocence of all of them.

9. As soon as you are dressed with the first preparation of your clothes, that you can decently do it, kneel and say the Lord's Prayer; then rise from your knees, and do what is necessary for you in order to your further dressing, or affairs of the house, which is speedily to be done; and then finish your dressing, according to the foregoing rules.

10. When you are dressed, retire yourself to your closet; and go to your usual devotions, which it is good that, at the first prayers, they were divided into seven actions of piety: 1. An act of adoration.

[blocks in formation]

2. Of thanksgiving.
3. Of oblation.

4. Of confession.

5. Of petition.

6. Of intercession.

7. Of meditation, or serious, deliberate, useful reading of the Holy Scriptures.

11. I advise that your reading should be governed by these measures2:

1. Let it be not of the whole Bible in order, but for your devotion use the New Testament, and such portions of the Old as contain the precepts of holy life.

2. The historical, and less useful part, let it be read at such other times which you have of leisure from your domestic employments.

3. Those portions of Scripture which you use in your prayers, let them not be long. A chapter at once, no more; but then what time you can afford, spend it in thinking and meditating upon the holy precepts which you read.

4. Be sure to meditate so long, till you make some act of piety upon the occasion of what you meditate; either that you get some new arguments against a sin, or some new encouragements to virtue ; some spiritual strength and advantage, or else some act of prayer to God, or glorification of him.

5. I advise that you would read your chapter in the midst of your prayers in the morning, if they be divided according to the number of the former actions; because little interruptions will be apt to make your prayers less tedious, and yourself more attent upon them. But if you find any other way more agreeing to your spirit and disposition, use your liberty without scruple. 12. Before you go forth of your closet, after your prayers are done, sit yourself down a little while, and consider what you are to do that day, what matter of business is like to employ you, or to tempt you; and take particular resolution against that, whether it be matter of wrangling, or anger, or covetousness, or vain courtship, or feasting: and when you enter upon it, remember upon what you resolved in your

8 οὐκ ἔστι τίνα σωθῆναι μὴ συνεχῶς ἀναγνώσεως ἀπολαύοντα πνευματικῆς. S. Chrysost. Homil. S. de Lazaro.

closet. If you are likely to have nothing extraordinary that day, a general recommendation of the affairs of that day to God in your prayers, will be sufficient; but if there be any thing foreseen that is not usual, be sure to be armed for it, by a hearty, though a short prayer, and an earnest, prudent resolution beforehand: and then watch when the thing comes.

13. Whosoever hath children or servants, let him or her take care, that all the children and servants of the family say their prayers before they begin their work; the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments, with the short verse at the end of every commandment, which the church uses; and the creed is a very good office for them, if they be not fitted for more regular offices. And to these also it were good that some proper prayer were apportioned, and they taught it. It were well if they would serve themselves of this form set down at the end of this Diary.

14. Then go about the affairs of your house, and proper employment, ever avoiding idleness, or too much earnestness of affection upon the things of the world: do your business prudently, temperately, diligently, humbly, charitably.

15. Let there be no idle person in or about your family, or beggars, or unemployed servants, but find them all work and meat; call upon them carefully; reprove them without reproaches, or fierce railings. Be a master, or a mistress, and a friend to them, and exact of them to be faithful and diligent.

16. In your servants, suffer any offence against yourself, rather than against God; endure not that they should swear, or lie, or steal, or be wanton, or curse each other, or be railers, or slanderers, or tell-tales, and sowers of dissension in the family, or amongst neighbours.

17. In all your intercourse with your neighbours in the day, let your affairs be wholly matter of business or civility, and always managed with justice and charity; never let it be matter of curiosity or inquiry into the actions of others; always without censuring or rash judgment, without backbiting, slandering, or detraction: do it not yourself, neither converse with them that do. He or she that loves talebearers, shall never be beloved, or be innocent.

18. Before dinner and supper, as often as it is convenient, or can be had, let the public prayers of the church, or some parts of them, be said publicly in the family, and let as

« PreviousContinue »