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ORDINARY ACTIONS OF THE DAY.

Of Reading Good Books, or Hearing the Word of God.

Let not a day pass without employing at least one quarter of an hour in reading some spiritual book; and a more considerablo time on Sundays and Holydays; advise with your director what books may be most proper, and endeavour to procure them for yourself and family.

Begin your reading by an humble invocation of the Holy Ghost, that you may profit by it; read leisurely and attentively, so as to let the lessons which you read have time to make pro­per impressions upon you, and to sink deep into your heart. Pause awhile upon such places as touch you most: and from time to time excite affections and resolutions in your soul, suitable to the subject which you are reading.

Look upon it, that as when you are praying, you are speak­ing to God, so when you are reading or hearing his word, he is speaking to you. As then you desire he should hear you when you speak to him, so take you care to hearken faithfully to him when he speaks to you: and lay up carefully in your heart the seed of his divine word, that it may not be picked up by the fowls of the air, your infernal foes, or carelessly trodden under your feet.

Hear the word of God as often as you have an opportunity: call upon God in the beginning, and purify your souls as much as you can from all vain curiosity: mind not the eloquence or action of the preacher, but attend to the truths which he de­livers; do not say within yourself, how well does this or that suit with this or that person; but consider what suits with yourself, and lay it up in your mind for the rule of your com­portment for the time to come.

After reading or hearing the word of God, give thanks to his divine Majesty for the instructions he has given you therein; single out some one or more particular points for your practice that very day, and beg of God that he would imprint them in your soul, that you may remember them, and put them in execution. Remember that the word of God heard and read, and not put in practice, will one day rise in judgment against

you.

If you are master or mistress of a family, see that those under your charge want not the advantage of frequent reading or hearing what is good. It is a care which your great Master expects from you.

Take care to banish from yourself and family all lewd and irreligious books and such as may be of dangerous conse­quence, either to faith or morals; as romances, play- books, novels, fortune- books,& c. It is not to be imagined what harm young people especially receive from such books.