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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43573	Closet-prayer a Christian duty, or, A treatise upon Mat. VI, VI. tending to prove that worship of God in secret is the indispensible duty of all Christians ... together with a severe rebuke of Christians for their neglect of, or negligence in, the duty of closet-prayer, and many directions for the managing thereof ... / by O. Heywood.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1671 (1671)	Wing H1762; ESTC R24371	90,506	148

husbands wives apart Zech. 12.11 12. And of gracious souls to be like Doves of the valleys every one mourning for his iniquity Eze. 7.16 There must be joynt-Prayers and separated Prayers together and apart Let not Christians be content to find Christ in a Corner for themselves but let them do what they can that others also may enjoy him this was the frame of the Church or believing Soul Cant. 3.4 When she had found him I held him saith she and would not let him go until I had brought him into my Mothers house i. e. into more publick assemblies And truly Christians that man hath not found Christ at all that would not have all others to find him Oh thinks the Christian in his retirement that others did but feel and injoy what my soul hath sweet experience of would to God my Husband Wife Brother Father Child Neighbour would but try this course a while Oh what advantage would they get by it Though I eat these sweet morsels alone yet fain would I have others to partake with me In things of this world persons are apt to grudge others any benefit by what they have stoln from others a view but in spiritual advantages there 's no envy and if there be it proceeds not from Grace but from corrupt Nature the more grace the less envy and when envy is gone persons will be communicative Take away envy Tolle invidiam mea tua sunt tua mea and mine is thine and thine is mine true Grace or Charity is kind envieth not 1 Cor. 13.4 Now this I am perswading to that they that have found Christ would be so charitable to souls as to communicate the knowledge of him and the way to enjoy him unto others Thus doth Andrew come to Simon and Philip to Nathaniel and both of them were as a man finding a jewel and cannot contain overjoyed and cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found him We have found the Messias Joh. 1.41 45. And when the poor woman of Samaria had been privately conversing with Jesus down she threw at least left behind her her water-pot and all in haste went to the City and said to the men Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did Is not this the Christ John 4.28 29. Thus do you sirs promote and propagate this choice duty commend it unto others practice and so you may be instruments of good CHAP. VII Concerning the matter or words of Prayer SECT I. THere is one thing yet remains which it may be expected something should be spoken to and that is The matter in praying or words of Prayer Whether it be lawful or requisite to use a form or no Most judge Videas Ames Cas Cons lib. 4. c. 17. p. 190. that as forms are lawful so prescript words may be requisite to some young beginners in Religion and other Christians of weak parts that cannot express their desires to God in fit words to help their rudeness yet Christians ought to press after more growth and proficiency that they may lay aside those Crutches and arrive at that gift of Prayer that may be of singular use As for Closet-Prayer Practical Catech. pag. 277. Dr. Hammond doth assert it that every one may ask his own wants in what form of words he shall think fit And indeed all particular cases incident and variable can scarce be comprehended in one constant form besides in secret Prayer God doth not so much stand upon phrases or pat sentences as the workings of the heart in sighs and groans which are the best Rhetorick in his ears It 's inquired Whether we may use the Lords Prayer I answer we may use it as other prayers in Scripture but I conceive the principal end of it is not to be rehearsed every time we pray but an example platform or directory according to the contents whereof we must direct our prayers Therefore for the further help of young professors I shall briefly touch at the several branches of that admirable compendious rule of Prayer you have in Mat. 6. ver 9. to v. 14. And the rather because it may seem to refer chiefly though not only to Closet-devotion what I shall say to it may be a practical analysing of it in its several parts and branches 1. For the preface Our Father which art in Heaven You may thus make use of it Infinite and Eternal Majesty the Maker of Heaven and Earth who dwellest in the highest Heavens and in the lowest hearts who seest all things here below and art a God that hearest prayers I am a poor worm at thy foot-stool looking up to the Throne of thy Grace cast a Fatherly eye up on me and though I be by Nature a Child of wrath yet through Jesus Christ make me thy child by Grace and Adoption teach me to cry Abba Father with holy reverence and filial confidence raise my heart to Heaven beget in me Faith in thy promises love to my brethren and due apprehensions of thy Soveraign power and gracious condescention that praying by the help of thy Spirit in the name of thy Son I may obtain good at thy Fatherly hands Secondly for the Petitions 1. Petition Hallowed be thy Name Thus O my God I have dishonoured thee all my days by my ignorance pride hardness and unthankfulness and I am unapt and unable to glorifie thee but do thou glorifie thy self in my conversion and salvation help me to know and adore thee to make an high account of thy titles attributes ordinances to believe thy word admire thy works in mercy or judgment help me with spiritual thoughts becoming my holy profession with divine lips speaking good of thy Name and a suitable conversation to walk before the Lord Holy God destroy Atheism Ignorance Idolatry and Profaneness magnifie thy Name through the World and direct and dispose all things to the advancement of thy glory by thy over-ruling providence and thy infinite wisdom 2. Petition Thy Kingdom come Thus improve it Lord I must confess that by nature I am dead in sin and a bond-slave to the Prince of darkness who rules in my heart and leads me captive by ignorance errour disobedience but do thou by the power of thy grace cast out the strong man take possession of my heart sway thy blessed Scepter in me bring my whole man to obedience destroy Satans kingdom propagate the Gospel among all Nations purge thy house furnish thy Church with officers orders and pure ordinances make Kings nursing Fathers to it convert sinners confirm Saints comfort the sad hasten thy second coming to judgement and the blessed Kingdom of Glory 3. Petition Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Thus Holy Majestie I acknowledge my natural ignorance of thy will impotencie to obey it yea enmity and antipathy against it my best services are imperfect my spirit repining under thy hand and my will wilfully resisting grace and rushing into sin but Dear Lord

the duty of secret Prayer Although mental ejaculations are fit enough in both yet it 's not convenient to kneel down or use outward gestures of secret Prayer there 7. Closet-Prayer must be with all secrecy and solitariness In a Closet door shut As we must not blow a Trumpet when we give Alms so we must not hold out a flag when we go to wait on God in the Duty of Prayer It was carnal counsel the brethren of Christ gave him Joh. 7.4 Shew thy self to the World The reason is given v. 5. For neither did his brethren believe in him A sad sign of carnality 8. God alone is the proper object of our Prayers pray to thy Father As he is the object of our Faith so of Prayer For he alone can help therefore he is to be sought none else sees our state or can satisfie souls Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us 9. In all our addresses to God we must own God as our Father as having adopted us in Christ because his therefore ours I ascend saith Christ to my Father and your Father Joh. 20.17 Indeed by nature we were children of wrath but by grace children of his Love so that they may say as Isa 64.8 But now O Lord thou art our Father Oh plead and improve this relation 10. God is omnipresent Hinc omnipraesens est quia nullum est Ubi unde est exclusus neque alicubi est inclusus Ames Med. Theol. lib. 1. Cap. 4. 47. Thy Father which is in secret the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him 1 King 8.27 He filleth all places with his immense and infinite essence Heaven is his throne the Earth is his footstool he is excluded from no place included in none for he is without all limitation dimension or termination 11. God is omniscient Thy Father which seeth in secret The darkest night or secretest closet or most hidden thought of a reserved heart can neither hide or be hid from God's all-seeing eye Heb. 4.13 God beholds all things in Heaven and on Earth with one simple single act of his Understanding without composition discourse or representation of Species 12. Every believing Prayer hath a sure reward He will reward thee openly Not a good word to God or work for God shall be lost To him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward Prov. 11.18 And we know every right Prayer is a real seed Psal 126.6 And it will rise in a full and plentiful crop another day 13. The reward of secret Prayer shall be open and manifest They have already a reward and gift in secret Communion with God is an abundant recompence In keeping thy Commandements there is great reward Psal 19.11 But this is a praemium ante praemium reward before the reward the other shall be in Heaven before Angels and Men. 14. A Christians reward is from God Thy Father will reward thee Not men Scribes and Pharisees have their reward from men from men they expect it Saints expect their reward from God and God gives it them Men reward them evil for their good will and they expect no better If better come from men they own it as a gratuity sent from their Father It 's a principle of Religion to know and believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 And as God gives a reward so he is the reward of his Saints Gen. 15.1 Yea an exceeding great reward It can admit of no Hyperbole it cannot have a sufficient Emphasis to enjoy God is a reward sufficient in and for the service of God These Doctrines would afford large discourses but none of these are the subject I shall insist upon I shall raise one from the main scope of the Text which is this Doct. That Closet-Prayer is a Christian Duty Secret Prayer is an Evangelical exercise Every child of God may and must perform the duty of Secret Prayer As a Christian must pray all manner of Prayer so in all places 1 Tim. 2.8 I will that men pray every where And if every where then in their Closets This divine Incense should perfume every room and should ascend to Heaven from Chambers as well as Churches Any place now is fit for a divine Oratory Psal 109.4 Psal 30. title God and a believing soul may meet in a corner a Saint should give himself to Prayer and dedicate his house to God he should as it were consecrate every room in his house to be a place of private devotion Abraham reared an altar to God wherever he came so must a Christian make every place where he can get closs to the duty a place of Prayer Mr. Mede hath undertaken to prove from Josh 24.26 That the Jews of old and Christians in Gospel-times had their Proseuchae or praying places which he thus describes as to the Jews of old Proseucha saith he Medes Diatribae pag. 279. was a plot of ground encompassed with a wall or some other like mound or inclosure and open above much like to our Courts the use properly for Prayer as the name Proseucha imports And these were without the Cities as Synagogues were within Of this as he thinks were those in Act. 21.31 and Luk. 6.12 Where Jesus Christ is said to continue all night 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Proseucha Dei in the place of Prayer or Proseucha of God Now although I shall say little of the Notion yet I cannot see how it will prove any relative holiness of places nor yet do I believe or find but that the Saints had other praying places as in houses and elsewhere as occasion was offered even in dwelling houses Act. 12.12 But as to this Duty of secret Prayer it must not be so narrowly confined but we may go to any Closet or private Room where our souls may meet with God And as one saith we shall not fail to find that the Grots and caves lye as open to the coelestial influences The life of Dr. Hammond in a letter p. 201. as the fairest and most beautiful Temples SECT IV. Instances of several in Scripture that used Closet-Prayer THe Doctrine needs no Explication but Confirmation which I shall do from Scripture-Instances and Reasons We have several Examples of Patriarchs Prophets Apostles that used this duty of solitary or secret prayer 1. Abraham The friend of God and Father of the faithful conversed much with his God alone particularly in this duty of Prayer Gen. 18.22 When the men i. e. the created Angels that seemed men were gone towards Sodom Abraham stood yet before the Lord or Jehovah i. e. Jesus Christ the Angel of the Covenant Standing is a praying posture therefore put for prayer hence Abraham drew near and pleaded with God for Sodom That was his errand to God at that time No doubt he had used this course frequently in other cases Hence arose that intimacy betwixt God and Abraham So that God

you leave any matters of the world tarrying for your attendance the thought of them will attend you and make you cut your duties short and run away before your hearts be warmed Therefore if it may be dispatch them however rid your hearts of them The Heathen left their shooes at the Temple-doors to shew that all earthly occasions and affections must be left behind when we go to God Let vain or busie thoughts have there no part Bring not thy Plow thy Plots thy Pleasures thither Christ purg'd his Temple so must thou thy heart All worldly thoughts are but thieves met together To couzen thee Herbert SECT II. Two more Preparatives to Secret Prayer 3. SEt your selves in Gods presence Although you be not within the view of any mortal creature yet the eternal God sees what you are a going about So saith the Text Your father sees in secret darkness or clossness hides not from him and 't is more that one God sees you than if all the men on earth gazed at you His eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun and he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity Heb. 1.13 Psal 26.6 Psal 66.18 therefore wash your hands in innocency before you compass his altar For if you regard iniquity in your heart God will not hear your prayer Therefore set the Lord always before you especially now you are setting your selves before the Lord if that Caveat was enough to beget reverence in an Heathen Cave spectat Cato Cato sees thee Oh what reverence would the sense of Gods omnipresence beget in thy heart if duly weighed Christians weight your spirits with such meditations as these God's eye is never off me I am daily walking in the Sun but now I am setting my self to pray in secret I come to appear before God in a special manner I may deceive men and my self but God will not be mocked I had need now engage my heart to approach unto God that 's the thing he looks for Oh for a spirit suitable to such a Majesty whom I come to worship Lord draw out my affections unite my heart excite my graces that my whole Soul may be carried after God Thus commit thy works to the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established Psal 37.5 Prov. 16.3 when thou art setting thy face towards a duty where thou art sure to meet Satan and carry with thee a corrupt deceitful heart let God know from thy mouth whither thou art going what thy fears are Never saith one doth the soul march in so good order as when it puts it self under the conduct of God and never is it so awful as when it sets it self under the eye of God Gen. 17.1 I am God Almighty walk before me and be thou perfect When you sensibly discern you are kneeling before God will not this make you perfect sincere and grow holier If you think God be not in your Closets what do you go to pray there for And if you know he sees you there why do you not think so and set your selves as in his presence The child will stand demurely before his Father the Scholar before his Master and so will the gracious Soul before God in duty if sensible of his presence 4. Muster up your thoughts and wayes Our thoughts and affections are like the strings of an Instrument out of tune and therefore we must take some pains to wind and skrue them up This is that which Zophar adviseth to Job 11.13 to prepare the heart and then stretch forth the hands And for this end it would not be amiss when you come into a private room to pray in secret first to read some portion of Scripture which may be of use to compose your spirits and like David's harp to Saul drive away your wild imaginations yea the word read may afford you suitable matter of prayer to God More particularly let me add one experienced Help which is this When you are addressing your selves to God in secret Prayer endeavour to fix your thoughts upon some particular subject to inlarge upon there 's no question but you have sometimes one special errand to God sometimes another if you observe your condition well be sure to mind that whether it be to confess some predominant sin to beg pardon of it power against it You may have in your eye some grace that you need more than ordinarily and see your weakness and defect therein c. Now do not satisfie your selves in running out into generals only but set your selves to plead the cause of your souls in that very case which you have found out by serious inquiry would most ingage you at that time to go to God about expatiate principally upon that subject And this I conceive to be a taking to our selves words which the Holy Ghost directeth us to Hos 14.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verbum res negotium Vid. Buxt lex in Prayer not a form of such and such phrases but some special subject matter to speak to our God about the word in Hebrew imports so much Now an intent and earnest pursuit of such a special subject at the Throne of Grace is of use in these two respects 1. You will find it an help against distractions wandrings withdrawings from God when you purposely set your selves to mind one thing you 'l be more intent upon it and lay out more pains about it than when you allow your selves liberty in variety of matter When the stream runs one way Vis unita fortior 't is stronger than dispersed into several channels so when the Christian unites his strength to plead with God about a particular business he is usually more warm and affectionate and so less subject to distraction 2. It will help you to enlarge your selves in spreading particular cases before the Lord in pat and proper expressions even before others as you have a call and opportunity and this is that which is called the gift of Prayer which is of singular use when a person can particularly and pathetically lay open a condition plead with God improve promises and rationally expostulate even with the Almighty about a spiritual or temporal concernment This holy Art is got by a frequency in secret Prayer and particular pleading for a mans own soul This is the last preparatory think before-hand what business you have to God in a peculiar manner and drive that nail as it were to the head you cannot think to speak of all things to God at one time but take that which is of present emergent use and importance and set your selves to inlarge upon that follow that home till you feel your hearts be warmed and affected and so have some tokens for good that God will return a sensible answer You 'l say Must we thus prepare our selves before every duty of secret Prayer we have not time for it I shall answer this in the words of my dear and reverend Father Angier His

inform my mind conquer my will order my affections sweetly to comply with thy mind teach me to do thy will in obedience make me content with thy will concerning me in every providence beget in me those heavenly dispositions that are in the glorious Angels and glorified Saints that with humility chearfulnesse diligence and faithfulnesse zeal sincerity and constancy I may be actively and passively at thy dispose 4. For that Petition Give us this day our daily bread Say in this manner Heavenly Father I must confess that by my wretched apostacie in Adam I have lost my right to every morsel of bread and deserve not to breath in thy air or tread on thy earth my sin hath put a curse and sting into every comfort I can obtain nothing by my industrie yet am prone to desire get and use thy mercies unlawfully thy blessing is only the staff of my bread help me to wait on thy providence in a moderate use of lawful means give me a competencie of outward comforts thy blessing in the use thereof and contentment therewith and above all a right thereto in Christ and prevent needlesse cares and sensual delights 5. As to that petition Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debters Thus plead it Lord I am wofully guilty of original and actual sin and am thereby a debter to divine justice I owe millions and cannot pay the least farthing therefore deserve to be cast into the dark dungeon of eternal torments but dear Lord thou hast found a ransome who stands in man's stead to be surety for him O accept me in thy beloved Son Jesus Christ wash away my sins in his blood cloath my naked soul with his glorious robes give me saving faith to embrace him upon his own terms free my soul from guilt and punishment of sin pardon my daily failings and seal an acquittance in my conscience which tells me I do freely forgive all offences against my self 6. The last petition And lead us not into temptation but deliver from evil you may render thus Lord it were righteous with thee to leave me to be assaulted and conquered by Satan my souls cruel enemie my heart is growing wanton proud and careless apt to thrust my self into temptations but unable to resist or overcome them thou maist justly bring me into occasions and leave me to my self therein but oh my God keep my soul from being tempted or assist me in the hour of temptation or recover me out of my foils and falls sanctifie my slips make my standing surer in thy strength tread Satan under my feet conquer the world for me crucifie me unto the world subdue my flesh within and in due time take my soul above all sins and snares into thine immediate presence And then shut up all with such like words as these on that conclusion For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever Amen Oh my God I am unworthy thou shouldst grant my petitions for any thing in my self all my arguments in Prayer and grounds of acceptance I fetch from thy self Thou hast a Kingdom of Grace and Throne of Grace from whence thou hearest prayers and dispensest blessings all the Power is in thine hands to give and forgive to kill or make alive and the Glory shall be thine if thou hear my Prayer and blessed be my God for all my mercies I ascribe to thee and thee alone eternal soveraigntie omnipotencie and glorious excellencie which as I desire all may be given to God so I am humbly emboldened by Faith to rest upon thy power and promise that in due time thou wilt hear my requests And as a token of that my desire and confidence my soul doth eccho forth Amen Even so be it Thus I have given you an hint from the Lords-Prayer of directions for the matter of our prayers I shall but propound another Scripture-Instance concerning Arguments in Prayer Sect. II. An example from Jacob of pleading with God GOD would have his people converse with him in a r●tional way and Gods children have made use of many pleas in Prayer which they have produced in vehement Expostulations as we may find sprinkled up and down in Scripture as Moses Nehemiah Ezra and Daniel in their approaches to God and above all David through the book of Psalms is exceeding full this way But I shall pass by the rest and fix only upon one Scripture-instance and the rather because it was a secret or solitary prayer of which we are now speaking and there are notable Pleas therein which may possibly suit our condition therefore I shall briefly touch the parts of it and recommend it to our imitation It is that of good Jacob who was trained up in this holy Art of wrestling with God in Gen. 32.9 10 11 12. His plea's there may be reduced to these ten Heads 1. He makes use of suitable Titles of God he calls him Lord or Jehovah which denotes Gods self-existence and giving Being or existence to the promises in first making them and then making them good Thus do you Sirs raise in your hearts suitable apprehensions of God and let your expressions be answerable tell God he is an infinite omniscient omnipotent Majesty able to do beyond what you can ask or think and that you neither need nor desire any more than what his almighty power can effect tell him if All-sufficiency cannot supply you you are content to go unsped but you question neither his hand nor heart you are sure he both can and will help his Children in their need he will make good with his hand what he hath spoken with his mouth for he is Jehovah 2. He pleads Covenant-relation to God O God of my Father Abraham and God of my Father Isaac and so my God! this is an admirable plea if God own a soul in a Covenant-relation he will certainly do it good though his grace be free yet when God hath chosen a soul to be his he hath as it were ingaged himself to own it now he hath laid his truth to pledge Thus then a soul may plead Lord thou hast been my Fathers God and wilt thou not be my God And wilt thou be my God and with-hold such a mercy from me My Ancestors found grace in thy sight and obtained those very good things I am craving and am not I under the very same Covenant with them Are not promises the same Is there not the same Mediator Lord I come to thee in a Covenant-relation for a Covenant-mercy and wilt thou deny me 3. He pleads a warrant for his undertaking appealing to God that he was in his way saying The Lord which saidst unto me Return unto thy Country Oh with what incouragement may the soul plead for assistance and protection that is in Gods way and work according to his own appointment Thus then plead Lord hast not thou set me about this work Hast thou not given me a charge to do what I do Have I not a plain