A Directory of Life by Samuel Rutherford

Some helps for a more exact and close walking with God, framed by a directory of life.

1. That hours of the day, more or less, be given to read God’s Word, and to prayer, preferring it to the greatest affairs and employments of the man’s calling though ye spend the shortest time therein; and let the first fruits of the morning thoughts smell of such religious duties as excluding all else till they have taken possession.
2. In the midst of worldly employments some thoughts of sin, judgment, death, eternity, and God’s free love would be; with a word or two of prayer to God, or, at least, by ejaculation.
3. Not to grudge howbeit ye come from prayer without sense, or downcasting, or sense of guiltiness, but let such sharpen your appetite for another hearing, and not resting on what is done.
4. That the Lord’s Day from morning till night be spent always in private or public worship, even to the taking account of smallest thoughts, it being set apart from the rest of the days of the week for the Lord’s worship only, as not being lawful to have our own thoughts.
5. That wandering and idle thoughts be observed and avoided as being the harbingers of unsavoury speeches, the ushers to profane actions.
6. Beware of wandering of heart in private and public prayer to God; as in private to make your hearts go alongst with your tongues, so in public with hearty joining, as if ye felt the present necessity pressing you to it; and join in praises with a feeling heart proceeding from a principle of love, to exalt His glory.
7. That all discovered and revealed sins that are against the conscience be eschewed as most dangerous preparatives to hardness of heart; and still to be governed by conscience, not it by thee.
8. That in dealing with men our faith and truth in covenants, in trafficking, sincerity, conscience of idle words, and our lying be regarded; and our carriage such, as they shall speak honourably of our sweet Master; not in any wise wronging our profession, but carrying a life answerable to the outward shew, and that not in appearance but in effect we may be Christians indeed.
9. To haunt and frequent the company of those most with whom the soul may be most benefited, and cast off all discourses to gather spiritual uses, striving to edify one another in mutual confidence, cherishing heavenly thoughts, sympathising with the sufferings of our mother the Church, and in all our prayers to hold up her condition, and the condition one of another.
10. To eschew the company of the profane and of such as are without, except that it be to the bringing them into the knowledge of Christ by convincing their judgments, and in no wise abstaining to reprehend their erroneous vices, as choosing rather to incur their wrath than God’s glory to suffer in the least measure; and better thou suffer vindicating His cause than that thou be guilty by participating in dishonouring sin: for what thou sufferest in that, thou sufferest as a member of Christ.
11. Not to content thyself with morning and evening reading of God’s Word and sacrifices of prayer: but what is read or heard by any of God’s people to digest by meditation and to turn it over in praises oft-times a day, as occasion shall proffer, not sparing thy most important affairs.
12. Every night to call thy thoughts, words, and actions to a strict account. See wherein thou hast omitted, gone back, stood still, or come short, and making, with sorrow, promise and purpose to amend what hath been amiss, that it being thy sole practice it may possess thy night-dreams, and waken with a desire to pray and praise.
13. In afflictions or crosses, either upon body or mind or friends, thou may oft study submission in acknowledging nothing to fall out by accident, but by an over-ruling Providence, and gather sweetness out of bitterest portions, as serving to make thee more heavenward, and not to trail, but bear, Christ’s cross cheerfully.
14. To eschew passion, hatred, desire of revenge, even of such as persecute the truth; for we often mix our zeal with our wild-fire; carrying charitable thoughts of those that are without: not being a slave, but commanding thy passion, and let it most out against thine own corruption.
15. Daily trying thy growth in grace, which if thou see not grow daily sensibly yet by this (trial) thou must find (growth) insensibly, otherwise doubt thyself. For as standing water corrupteth, so grace not growing must decay, and so thou come short of thy mark.
16. When idle thoughts enter thy heart suppress them quickly, for they are like the thief that will open the door to the rest to break in till they be the strong man, and then fall to action which cannot be so easily resisted. So that it is best to smother it in the birth before it come to its infancy, and far more before they come to full strength that hardly they can be rooted up.
17. Not to content thyself with flashes of good resolutions before or after the Sacrament, or in the heat of public or private ordinances, which are suddenly choked, which are like the seed among the corn, by spending their life in their birth. Neither be discouraged with the clouds of God’s absence but rather judge thyself which occasioneth it, still lying patiently, not idly, under the cloud, till He break forth with the beams of His countenance to enlighten thy deserted but not rejected condition.
18. If possibly thou canst write every thought of the day both good and bad, and that thou mayest make more conscience of them, summon them before thee at night to be censured according to their demerits, persuading thyself to be so strictly examined before God’s tribunal in the day of the Lord.
19. Not to let Idol-self have such a reigning power in thee, but rather discourt with it that Christ may take possession: for to be less thine own is to be more His, which obligeth thee to study more, mortification and the new man.
20. To strive against doubting, and if thou want feeling of faith to complain bitterly for the want of it, and seek out where the sin lieth that hindereth it. And use all means whereby thou can get the Lord’s countenance, and no less to entertain it.