Christian Prayer and Fasting

Then rising up in holy reverence, meditate as thou art putting off thy clothes—

1. That the day is coming when thou must be barely unstript of all that thou hast in the world, as thou art now of thy clothes; thou hast, therefore, here but the use of all things, as a steward, for a time, and that upon accounts (Luke 16:2); whilst, therefore, thou art trusted with this stewardship be wise and faithful (Matthew 24:2).

2. When thou seest thy bed, let it put thee in mind of thy grave (Job 17:13), which is now the bed of Christ: for Christ, by laying his holy body to rest three days and three nights in the grave (Matthew 12:40), hath sanctified, and, as it were, warmed it for the bodies of his saints to rest and sleep in (1 Thessalonians 4:13), till the morning of the resurrection; so that now, unto the faithful, death is but a sweet sleep, and the grave but Christ’s bed, where their bodies rest and sleep in peace (Isaiah 57:2), until the joyful morning of the resurrection day shall dawn unto them (Isaiah 26:20).

Let, therefore, thy bed-clothes represent to thee the mould of the earth that shall cover thee; thy sheets, thy winding-sheet; thy sleep, thy death; thy waking, thy resurrection: and being laid down in thy bed, when thou perceivest sleep to approach, say, “I will lay me down and sleep in peace, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalms 4:8).

Thus religiously opening every morning thy heart, and shutting it up again every evening with the word of God and prayer, as it were with a lock and key; and so beginning the day with God’s worship, continuing it in his fear, and ending it in his favour, thou shalt be sure to find the blessing of God upon all thy day’s labours and good endeavours; and at night thou mayest assure thyself thou shalt sleep safely and sweetly in the arms of thy heavenly Father’s providence.

Thus far of the piety which every Christian, in private, ought to practise every day. Now followeth that which he, being a householder, must practise publicly with his family.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS