These selections of advice from Taylor’s extensive “Rule to spend each day religiously” are from our free booklet, Holy Living and Prayer: The Spiritual Guidance of Jeremy Taylor.
Suppose every day to be a day of business for your whole life is a race, and a battle; a merchandise, and a journey…
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…
At your opening your eyes, enter upon the day with some act of piety…
Before you go forth of your closet (i.e., place where you pray privately), after your prayers are done, set yourself down a little while, and consider who 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 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…
Before you go to bed, bethink yourself of the day past: if nothing extraordinary hath happened, your conscience is the sooner examined; but if you have had any difference or disagreeing with any one, or a great feast, or great company, or a great joy, or a great sorrow, then recollect yourself with the more diligence: ask pardon for what is amiss; give God thanks for what was good…
Thou shalt always rejoice in the evening, if thou dost spend the day virtuously.
Image: Jeremy Taylor from an 1847 edition of “The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living” (Source).
