Modernized extract from Dr. Doddridges 1825 publication, ‘The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul”

How to Begin Our Day With God

Dedicate Your First Thoughts
Before rising out of bed, make it your first care to earnestly meditate a moment on God and his goodness.

• His goodness in defending us from the dangers of the past night by his invisible guardian providence.
•  His care in giving us soft and pleasant blessing, sleep by which our bodies renew their strength, and our minds become wonderfully refreshed.
• Meditate on his divine abundance which affords us warm, and perhaps decent apparel; and which causeth his sun to revisit us with his chearing rays.
• Reflect how many through the world spent the last night on wearisome beds of pain and sickness; others in distracting terrors of mind; others in noisy prisons; others in restless wanderings,  multitudes in hell.
• Meditate and stretch your waking thoughts as far as the morning of the resurrection day, when our bodies ( if we are God’s children ) will rise out of their beds of dust to an eternal day of happiness and glory.

Devotional Reading (12 Verses)
After we have darted up to heaven such pious thoughts as these ( mingled with devout praise and thankfulness) during the time of rising and dressing ourselves; it may then be very proper to begin the stated devotions of the morning, by reading about twelve  verses out of some part of seripture. When we are taking up the Bible for this purpose, it will be expedient to little short petition to heaven ; such as this: “ Lord , open mine eyes , that I may behold the wondrous things contained in your law.”

Meditation
Having done this, and the intended portion of Seripture being read, it is infinitely important to spend some time in meditating on what we have read; by this means we shall better remember it , and reap more benefit by
it .

Plan Our Day
Review the day before us; at least so far as we can foresee in general where and how it may be spent; and seriously reflect on these questions.

• How shall I employ myself for God this day?
• What business is to be done, and in what order?
• What opportunities may I expect either of doing or receiving good?
• What temptations am I likely to be assaulted with in any place, company  or circumstance, which may probably occur?
• In what in stances have I lately failed?
•  How shall I be safest for the future?

Pray
After we have put such queries as these to ourselves, we must shut up the exercise with prayer.

While praying, let us keep our hearts with all diligence, and earnestly check the first wanderings of thought. And when the duty is ended, let us immediately review it, and ask our own consciences, whether we have reason to conclude that we are accepted of God in it. For there is a way of going through these duties which our hearts will immediately tell us, it is impossible for God to approve.