The Sacred Diary; Or, Select Meditations for Every Part of the Day

The Sacred Diary; Or, Select Meditations For Every Part Of The Day by William Gearing is a late 17th-century devotional manual structured as a day-by-day guide to piety. Originally published in 1688, it frames daily life as opportunities for spiritual growth through morning and evening devotions, meditation on Scripture, and constant readiness to do good. The text offers sections on waking, beginning the day, readings from the Bible, prayer, contrition, and the sanctification of time, along with practical directions for family worship, governance of speech and appetite, mortification of sin, and mindfulness of temptations. It emphasizes redeeming time, serving God in one’s calling, and maintaining reverent, disciplined conduct. The appendices extend these themes to Sabbath observance and the orderly sanctification of the Lord’s Day. Read as a guide to personal holiness, The Sacred Diary invites readers to cultivate a structured, prayerful, and purposeful daily life.