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A57058
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Of closet-prayer a sermon preach'd before the Queen at White-Hall, on Sunday, Aug. 27, 1693 / by Nathanael Resbury ...
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Resbury, Nathanael, 1643-1711.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing R1128; ESTC R10183
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13,639
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33
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this is that that seems chiefly the occasion of this Caution in the Text. Our Blessed Saviour drives plainly at it in both the Instances of Charity towards the Poor and Devotion towards God In the former we are not to do as the Hypocrites do to sound a Trumpet before us no not to let our left hand know what our right hand doth In the latter we are not to make it our business to pray standing in the synagogues or in the corners of the streets but when we pray to enter into our closets c. So that to follow the reason of this Duty as it is particularly grounded against Hypocrisie in the performance of our Worship toward God it will not be amiss to shew 1. That Hypocrisie where it is the only Design and Proposal in any part of Religion whatsoever does actually destroy the true and just end of the whole undertaking 2. That we cannot so effectually make out our Sincerity in any Acts of Divine Worship where they are only in publick and to be seen of men 1. That Hypocrisie where it is the only Design in any Act of Religion whatsoever does actually destroy the true and just end of the whole undertaking For First Such an one does not interest himself in any one Action or Performance of Real Religion His design only as he is an Hypocrite is to make a shew of doing that which he intends not Hence he borrows his name from the Stage-player whose Employment is to personate Men and Things that is to act their Persons whom they know themselves not to be in Things wherein they know they are not really concern'd Thus the Hypocrite in all his Actions that bear a show and semblance in Religion his design only is to act a part and not to be the Person or do the Action really which he seems to be or do Thus when such an one gives Alms he does but act the part of a truly charitable Man He does not give in pity and commiseration to the need of others he does not give in conscience toward God or in tenderness for that stamp and Image of God which he sees upon his needy Brother or from any such noble and generous Principle that Religion dictates But he gives that he may avoid the Reproach of a niggardly and penurious Man he gives that his Name may live after him and may swell in the mouths of others applauding him as great and generous or devout and religious c. and so while his design is only to personate the Man that is Religiously charitable he must needs as to himself destroy the true design and end of the Religious Act because he does not interest himself at all in it So in this Instance in my Text when the Hypocrite prays he only acts the part of the devout Man he is not concern'd in the Realities of Devotion because he designs nothing but that Men might apprehend him a zealous holy Man so that not really doing the Action he represents he loses the Privileges or Rewards of such an Action because the Action it self is not really perform'd by him Like the Actor upon the Stage though he personates the Majesty and Grandeur of a King the wise Dictates and Projects of the States-man the Valour and Conduct of the Noblest General yet does not he by any means receive the real Honours due to any of these Characters but merely the Applause of present Spectators and a little Stipend for Bread which is all he aimed at So our Saviour limits the Reward of this Actor to the Merits of the Performance v. 2 5. Verily I say unto you they have their reward All they propounded perhaps was the Applause of Men or establishing to themselves a present Interest and this they may attain But it is then only when a Man's Sincerity in Worship is discern'd by him that sees into the secrets of Hearts it is then only and they are such only that reap the proper Fruits of Religion because he that seeth them in secret will reward them openly Besides Secondly I may add Hypocrisie in any Acts of Worship towards God does offer so immediate an affront to the High and Holy One that it must needs destroy the true ends of that Devotion it dissembles For the Hypocrite in thus doing does either befool himself and think he can mock God as not discerning the inwards of his Mind and so robs him of the Glories of his Omniscience and Omnipresence or else he has those mean thoughts of God as easie enough to take up with the foppish shews and ostentations he makes and so robs him of the Honour of his infinite Holiness and Wisdom or else in a word plainly defies God that be he as holy or wise or discerning as he will yet the Man will not set his heart aright towards him Nor will make one step further in Religion than what mere outward Show and Ostentation will amount to Now there is enough in any of these Instances of Affront done to the Divine Majesty that may justly cut the Hypocrite off from all Pretensions to any good Reward for these pretended Acts of Devotion How daring a Sinner is the Hypocrite to think that either God does not see or if he does see will not concern himself or if God does see and will interest himself he cares not but if he can attain the present ends of his dissembling with the World and God he will run the hazard of all the rest No wonder that in the Holy Scriptures we find Hell mark'd out as the most proper and direct portion of the Hypocrite that whosoever is to be damn'd to purpose has his place assign'd there with the Hypocrite Matt. 24.51 The Lord of that servant shall come and shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrite there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth So that we see the reasonableness of this Duty of keeping up the Worship of God in secret and in our Closets where God only is privy to it that we may thereby avoid the Charge of Hypocrisie in our Profession when we see in what dangerous circumstances the Hypocrite stands toward God especially considering that without this custom of worshipping God in secret we cannot so well justify our Integrity by all other performances of publick Devotion which is the second Particular under this Head which I am now to make out 2. We cannot so effectually make out our Sincerity in any Acts of Devotion where they are only in publick and to be seen of men For in this conscientious usage chiefly we declare we have no Regard to any thing but a sense of our Duty toward God and the Zeal we have for Communion with himself and that in mere respect to the Obligation that lies upon us of rendring to God his just Worship therefore we retire from the eyes of Men to perform it where no other Motives seem'd to influence us but the Necessity or the Pleasure of the Duty We
Of Closet-Prayer A SERMON Preach'd before the QUEEN AT WHITE-HALL On SVNDAY Aug. 27. 1693. By Nathanael Resbury D. D. Rector of S. Paul-Shadwell and Chaplain in Ordinary to Their MAJESTIES Published by Her Majesty's Special Command LONDON Printed by T. W. for Tho. Bennet at the Half-Moon in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1693. A SERMON Preach'd before the QUEEN MATTH vi 6. But thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth thee in secret shall reward thee openly THese words are part of our Saviour's Discourses in the Mount wherein he is cautioning his Followers of those usual Schemes of Hypocrisie by which the Pharisees had made themselves so remarkable of these he gives a twofold Instance that of disposing their Alms and Charity which they were wont to perform with sound of trumpet or open Ostentation to the World of what they were a doing v. 2. and that of praying in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of Men. In opposition to which he directs his Disciples to affect at least so much of Privacy in all Religious Acts as may make it evident their design is chiefly to approve themselves before God who sees the heart and values the act from the inward intention and design only When thou dost alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth c. v. 4. and when thou prayest enter into thy closet It was a frequent Observation our Saviour had made elsewhere of the horrid Hypocrisie of the Scribes and Pharisees and Chief among the Jews in his time against which he denounces so many several Woes Mat. 23.25 27. and so on He does it in this Chapter both as to their Alms and their Devotions My Text is concern'd with their Hypocrisie in all their Acts of pretended Devotion v. 5. When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men wherein we may take notice of the posture and the places they chose to pray in in both which they might be most seen their posture standing the place the Synagogues and corners of the streets As to their posture of standing at their Prayers We must not suppose this was unwarrantable in it self because it was much in use both with the Jews and Christians of old Insomuch that the very Phrase sometimes in Scripture for praying in publick Solemnities is that of standing before the Lord from whence that Jewish Expression Sine stationibus non subsisteret Mundus The World could not subsist without the standings or Prayers of the Church And the Christians in the first Ages had their certain seasons wherein they perform'd their publick Services of the Church standing whence that term of their Stationary Days Quum publicis stationibus Vota sua persolvit Ecclesia When the Church perform'd her Offices of Prayer by publick Stations or standing So that this posture is not reflected on as unwarrantable in it self but as chosen by the Hypocrites of that Age that they might be the better seen at their Devotions Then for the place they not only chose the Synagogues but stood in the chief corners of the streets In triviis as the Latine has it Probably in places where three or four streets met together where Passengers in each of those streets might discern and reverence their plausible Holiness Verily saith our Saviour they have their reward That is they have what they aim'd at and much good may it do ' em But what good can this poor Recompence do them when they shall come to be approv'd or condemn'd by him who knows the insides of things and values them accordingly But thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet c. That which I shall pursue from these words shall be this to lay before you the expediency and reasonableness of secret or closet-Prayer If you wou'd approve your selves to God indeed you must be frequent in your privatest Retirements for Prayer The Caution in my Text directs not only to enter into our closets but when we are there to shut our doors about us Before I proceed to the Argument it may not be amiss briefly to premise that as this Caâ—â—ion in the Text does by no means exclude the great duty incumbent upon us both as to the Worship of God in publick and also that in our Families so though this direction strictly mentions that of entering into our closets and shutting our doors and praying to God in secret it does not so far necessitate our privacy in this Action that we are bound to take all imaginable care that no one in the World should know or suspect we do it No it may sometimes be of use that others should understand our practice in this kind that they by our example might learn and be encourag'd to do the same How often may the Parent 's or the Master 's known and observ'd Custom of secret Prayer instil a Principle into the Minds of those that are under them and that are desirous to imitate them that they also take up the same way and from thence habituate themselves to those Exercises of Religion which become a future ground of their own retir'd Intimacies and Acquaintance with God All the design of this place is That Men shou'd not take up with a formal and pompous shew of Religion in the Acts of it that they should not court the Eye and Observation of the World in all they do of this kind and make it their only design to be seen of men but that they should delight themselves in those Exercises of Religion that are less observ'd by Men wherein God and their own Consciences are the chief Parties and betwixt these only it appears that we are in earnest In pursuing therefore this Subject I shall do these two things I. Shew upon what accounts this part of Divine Worship in our most private and secret Retirements becomes so reasonable and necessary a Duty II. What ought to be our Carriage and Behaviour toward God in these our Secrecies of Prayer Which last may serve for Application of the former I. Upon what accounts this part of Divine Worship in our most private and secret Retirements becomes so reasonable and necessary a Duty And this may be argued from these three or four Heads 1. This mainly avoids the Charge of Hypocrisie in our Profession or Acts of Devotion 2. We have herein the greater liberty of particularizing our Wants before God 3. We may with greater collection of Mind and Thoughts serve God in these our private Retirements 4. This special Promise in the Text That God that seeth us in secret himself will reward us openly will appear of great Moment 1. This Custom of worshipping God in secret mainly avoids the Charge of Hypocrisie in our Profession or Acts of Devotion And