Miscellaneous Pieces

by John Bunyan

OF THE LORD’S-DAYS, SERMONS, AND WEEK-DAYS.

Have a special care to sanctify the Lord’s-day; for as thou keepest it, so will it be with thee all the week long.

Make the Lord’s-day the market for thy soul; let the whole day be spent in prayer, repetitions, or meditations; lay aside the affairs of the other parts of the week; let the sermon thou hast heard be converted into prayer: shall God allow thee six days, and wilt thou not afford him one?

In the church, be careful to serve God; for thou art in his eyes, and not in man’s.

Thou mayst hear sermons often, and do well in practising what thou hearest; but thou must not expect to be told in a pulpit all that thou oughtest to do, but be studious in reading the Scriptures, and other good books; what thou hearest may be forgotten, but what thou readest may better be retained.

Forsake not the public worship of God, lest God forsake thee; not only in public, but in private.

On the week-day, when thou risest in the morning, consider, 1. Thou must die; 2. Thou mayst die that minute; 3. What will become of thy soul. Pray often. At night consider, 1. What sins thou hast committed; 2. How often thou hast prayed; 3. What hath thy mind been bent upon; 4. What hath been thy dealing; 5. What thy conversation; 6. If thou callest to mind the errors of the day, sleep not without a confession to God, and a hope of pardon. Thus, every morning and evening make up thy account with Almighty God, and thy reckoning will be the less at last.