sprinkled before the Mercy-Seat Now that blood typified Christ's satisfaction and the Cloud of Incense his Intercession Some of the learned think that Christ intercedes only by vertue of his merits others that 't is done only with his mouth I conjecture it may be done both wayes the rather because Christ hath a tongue as also a whole body but glorified in Heaven and is it likely that that mouth which pleaded so much for us on earth should be altogether silent for us in Heaven There is no coming to the Father John 14. 6. but by the Son Christ is the true Jacobs Ladder by which we must ascend to Heaven Joseph Gen. 43. you know commanded his Brethren that as ever they looked for any good from him or to see his face with joy that they should be sure to bring their Brother Benjamin along with them O Sirs as ever you would be prevalent with God as ever you would have sweet choice and comfortable returns from Heaven to all your Closet-prayers be sure that you bring your Elder Brother the Lord Jesus Christ in the arms of your faith be sure that you treat and trade with God only in the name of the Lord Jesus 'T is a notable speech that Luther hath upon the 130. Psalm Often Dulce nomen Christi and willingly saith he do I inculcate this that you should shut your eyes and your ears and say you know no God out of Christ none but he that was in the lap of Mary and sucked her breasts He meanes none out of him When you go to Closet-prayer look that you pray not in your own names but in the name of Christ and that you plead not in your own names but in the name of Christ and that you believe and hope not in your own names but in the name of Christ and that you look not to speed in your own names but in the name of Christ Col. 3. 17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Whatsoever we do we are to do it by the authority of Christ and through the assistance of Christ and in the name of Christ and for the sake and glory of Christ Christ's name is so precious and powerful with the Father that it will carry any suit obtain any request at his hands Jesus in the China Tongue signifies the rising Sun When a man writes the name of Jesus upon his Closet-prayers then he shall be sure to speed though God will not give a man a drop a sip a crum a crust for his own sake yet for Jesus sake he will give the best the choycest and the greatest blessings that heaven affords that name is still mighty and powerful prevalent and precious before the Lord. The prayers that were offered up with the incense upon the Altar were pleasing Rev. 8. 3. and came up with acceptance vers 4. Josephs Brethren were kindly used for Benjamins sake O Sirs all our duties and services are accepted of the Father not for their own sakes nor for our sakes but for Christ's sake There are no prayers that are either hard owned accepted regarded or rewarded but such as Christ puts his hand to If Christ doth not mingle his blood with our sacrifices our services they will be lost and never ascend as incense before the Lord. No coyn is currant that hath not Caesars stamp upon it nor no prayers goe currant in heaven that have not the stamp of Christ upon them There is nothing more pleasing to our heavenly Father than to use the mediation of his Son Such shall be sure to find most favour and to speed best in the Court of Heaven who still present themselves before the Father with Christ in their armes But My eleventh and last advice and counsel is this VVhen you come out of your closets narrowly watch what becomes of your private prayers look at what door in what way and by what hand the Lord shall please to give you an answer to the secret desires of your souls in a corner It hath been the custome of the people of God to look after their prayers to see what successe they have had to observe what entertainment they have found in heaven Psal 5. 3. My voyce shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up In the words you may observe two things First Davids posture in prayer Secondly His practise after prayer First His posture in prayer I will direct my prayer unto thee Secondly His practise after prayer And I will look up The Prophet in these words makes use of two military words First he would not only pray but martial up his prayers he would put them it battel-aray so much the Hebrew word Gnarach imports Secondly when he had done this then he would be as a spy upon his VVatch-Tower to see whether he prevailed whether he got the day or no and so much the Hebrew word Tsaphah imports When David had set his prayers his petitions in rank and file in good aray then he was resolved he would look abroad he would look about him to see at what door God would send in an answer of prayer He is either a fool or a mad-man he is either very weak or very wicked that prayes and prayes but never looks after his prayers that shootes many an Arrow towards Heaven but never minds where his Arrows a light Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints If David would have God to hearken to his prayers he must then hearken to what God will speak and upon this point it seemes he was fully resolved The Prophets prayer you have in the seaven first verses of this Psalm and his gracious resolution you have in the 8th verse I will hear what the God Lord will speak As if he had said Certainly it will not be long before the Lord will give me a gracious answer a seasonable and a suitable return to my present prayers Psal 130. 1 2 5 6. Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee O Lord. Lord hear my voyce let thine ears be attentive to the voyce of my supplications I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning Those that watch abroad in dangerous times and tedious weather look frequently after peep of day How doth the weary Sentinel that is wet with the rain of heaven or with the dew of the night wait and watch look and long for the morning light Now this was the frame and temper of Davids spirit when he came off from praying he falls a waiting for a gracious answer Shall the husbandman wait for the precious fruits of the earth and shall the Merchant-man
in favour with God a man that art very pleasing and delightful to God God loves to lade the wings of private prayer with the sweetest choicest and chiefest blessings Ah how often hath God kissed a poor christian at the beginning of private prayer and spoke peace to him in the midst of private prayer and fill'd him with light and joy and assurance upon the close of private prayer And so Cornelius is highly commended and graciously rewarded upon the account of his private prayer Acts. 10. 1 2 3 4. There was a certain man in Cesarea called Cornelius a Centurion of the Band called the Italian Band a devout man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much Alms to the people and prayed to God alwayes He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth houre of the day an Angel of God coming in to him and saying unto him Cornelius And when he looked on him he was afraid and said what is it Lord and he said unto him thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God Vers 30. 31. And Cornelius said four dayes agoe I was fasting until this hour that is until about three a clock in the after-noon vers 3. and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house and behold a man stood before me in bright cloathing and said Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine Alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God Mark as he was praying in his house namely by himself alone a man in bright clothing that was an Angel in mans shape vers 3. appeared to him and said Cornelius thy prayer is heard he doth not mean only that prayer which he made when he fasted and humbled himself before the Lord vers 30. 31. but as vers 2 3 4. shews His prayers his prayers which he made alone for it seemes none else were with him then for he only saw that man in bright cloathing and to him alone the Angel addressed his present speech saying Cornelius thy prayers are heard vers 4 31. Here you see that Cornelius his private prayers are not only heard but kindly remembred and graciously accepted and gloriously rewarded Praying Cornelius is not only remembred by God but he is also visited sensibly and evidently by an Angel and assured that his private prayers and good deeds are an odour a sweet smel a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God And so when had Peter his Vision but when he was praying alone on the house-top Acts 10. 9 10 11 12 13. On the morrow as they went on their journey and drew nigh unto the City Peter went up unto the house-top to pray about the sxith hour And he became very hungry and would have eaten but while they made ready he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and a certain Vessel descending unto him as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air And there came a voice to him Rise Peter kill and eat When Peter was upon the house-top at prayer alone then he fell into a trance and then he saw Heaven opened and then he had his spirit raised his Mind clevated and all the Faculties of his soul filled with a Divine Revelation And so when Paâ—l was at prayer alone he saw in Acts 11 18. a Vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight Paul had not been long at private prayer before it was revealed to him that he was a chosen vessel before he was filled with the gifts Graces and Comforts of the Holy Ghost And when John was alone in the Isle of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ whither he was banished by Domitian a most cruel Emperor then he had a glorious Euseb l. 3. c. 18. Rev. 1. 9 ult Rev. 5. 1 to 9. sight of the Son of man and then the Lord discovered to him most deep and profound Mysteries both concerning the present and future state of the Church to the end of the world And when John was weeping in private prayer doubtless then the sealed book was opened to him So when Daniel was at private prayer God dispatches a heavenly messenger to him and his Errand was to open more clearly and fully the blessed Scripture to him Some comfortable encourraging knowledge this holy man Doctor Ames got his learning by privat prayer and so did Solomon his wisdom of God had attain'd unto before by his frequent and constant study in the word and this egges him on to private prayer and private prayer posts an Angel from heaven to give him a clearer and fuller light Private prayer is a Golden-key to unlock the mysteries of the word unto us The knowledge of many choice and blessed Truths are but the returns of private prayer The Word dwells most richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out of their hearts before God in their Closets When Bonaventure that seraphical Doctor as some call him was asked by Aquinas from what books and helps he derived such holy and divine expressions and contemplations He pointed to a Crucifix and said Iste est liber c. Prostrate in prayer at the feet of this Image my soul receiveth greater light from heaven than from all study and disputation Though this be a Monkish tradition superstitious Fiction yet some improvement may be made of it Certainly that Christian or that Minister that in private prayer lyes most at the feet of Jesus Christ he shall understand most of the mind of Christ in the Gospel and he shall have most of heaven and the things of his owne peace brought down into his heart There is no Service wherein christians have such a near familiar and friendly entercourse with God as in this of private prayer neither is there any Service wherein God doth more delight to make known his truth and faithfulness his grace and goodness his mercy and bounty his beauty and glory Bene orasse est bene studuisse Luther to poor Souls than this of private prayer Luther professeth That he profited more in the knowledge of the Scripture by private prayer in a short space than he did by study in a longer space As John by weeping in a corner got the sealed book opened Private prayer crownes God with the Honor and Glory that is due to his Name and God crowns private prayer with a discovery of those blessed weighty Truths to his servants that are a sealed book to others Certainly the soul usually enjoyes most communion with God Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus Never less alone than when alone said the Heathen And may not a Saint say so much more that hath communion with God Jer. 13. 1 2. in secret When a christian is
in a Wilderness which is a very solitary place then God delights to speak friendly comfortably to him Hos 2. 14. Behold I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak friendly or comfortably to her Or as the Hebrew hath it I will speak to her heart When I have her alone saith God in a solitary wilderness I will speak such things to her heart as shall exceedingly cheer her and comfort her and even make her heart leap and dance within her A Husband imparts his mind most freely and fully to his wife when she is alone and so doth Christ to the believing soul O the secret kisses the secret embraces the secret visits the secret whispers the secret chearings the secret sealings the secret discoveries c that God gives to his people when alone when in a hole when under the staires when behind the door when in a dungeon When Jeremiah Jer. 33. 1 2 3. was calling upon God alone in his dark dungeon he had great and wonderful things shew'd him that he knew not of Ambrose was wont to say I am never lesse alone than when I am all alone for then I can enjoy the presence of my God most freely fully and sweetly without interruption And 't was a most sweet and divine saying of Bernard O Saint knowest thou not saith he that thy Husband Christ is bashful and will not be familiar in company Retire thy self therefore by Prayer and Meditation into thy Closet or the Fields and there thou shalt have Christs embraces A Gentlewoman being at private prayer and meditation in her Parlour had such sweet choice and full enjoyments of God that she cried out Oh that I might ever enjoy this sweet communion with God c. Christ loves to embrace his Spouse not so much in the open street as in a closet And certainly the gracious soul hath never sweeter views of glory than when it is most out of the view of the world Wise men give their best their choisest and their richest gifts in secret and so doth Christ give his the best of the best when they are in a corner when they are all alone But as for such as cannot spare time to seek God in a Closet to serve him in secret they sufficiently manifest that they have little fellowship or friendship with God whom they so seldome come at Seventhly Consider the time of this life is the only time for private prayer Heaven will admit of no secret prayer In Heaven there will be no secret sins to trouble us nor no secret wants to pinch us nor no secret temptations to betray us nor no secret snares to entangle us nor no secret enemies to supplant us We had need live much in the practise of that duty here on earth that we shall never be exercised in after death Some duties that are incumbent upon us now as praising of God admiring of God exalting and lifting up of God joying and delighting in God c. will be for ever incumbent upon us in Heaven but this duty of private prayer we must take our leaves of when we come to lay our heads in the dust Eighthly Consider the great prevalency of secret prayer Private prayer is Porta Coeli Clavis Paradisi the Gate of Heaven a Key to let us into Paradise Oh the great things that private prayer hath done with God! Oh the Psal 31. 22 great mercies that have been obtained by private prayer And oh Psal 38. 8. the great threatnings that have been diverted by private prayer And oh the great judgements that have been removed by private prayer And oh the great judgements that have been prevented by private prayer I have read of a malitious woman who gave her self to the Devil provided that he would do a mischief to such a neighbour whom she mortally hated The Devil went again and again to do his errand but at last he returns and tells her that he could do no hurt to that man for when ever he came he found him either reading the Scriptures or at private prayer Private prayers pierces the Heavens and are commonly blest and loaded with gracious and glorious returns from thence Whilst Hezekiah was praying and weeping in private God sent the Prophet Isaiah to him to assure him that his prayer was heard and that his tears were seen and that he would add unto his dayes fifteen years So when Isaac was all alone meditating and praying Isa 38. 5. and treating with God for a good wife in the fields he meets Robckah So Jacob Gen. 32. 24 25 Gen. 24. 63 64. 26 27 28. And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him untill the breaking of the day And when he saw that he prevailed not against him he touched the hollow of his thigh and the hollow of Jacobs thigh was out of joynt as he wrestled with him And he said let me go for the day breaketh and he said I will not let thee goe except thou bless me And he said unto him what is thy name and he said Jacob. And he said thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel for as a Prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed In this Scripture we have an elegant description of a Duel fought between the Almighty and Jacob and in it there are these things most observable First We have the Combatants or Duellists Jacob and God who appeared in the shape or appearance of a man He that is here said to be a man was the Son of God in humane shape as it appeareth by the whole narration and by Hosea 12. 3 4 5. Now that this man that wrestled with Jacob was indeed God and not really man is most evident by these Reasons First Jacob desires a blessing from him Vers 26. Now it is Gods Prerogative royal to blesse and not angels nor mens Ergo. Secondly He calls him by the name of God thou hast power with God Vers 28. And saith Jacob I have seen God face to face Vers 30. Not that he saw the Majesty and Essence of God for no man can see the essential glory of God and live Exod. 33. 20 23. but he saw God more apparently more manifestly more gloriously than ever he had done before Some created shape some glimpse of glory Jacob saw whereby God was pleased for the present to testifie his more immediate presence but not himself Thirdly The same person that here Jacob wrestles with is he whom Jacob remembreth in his benediction as his deliverer from all evil Gen. 48. 16. 'T was that God that appeared to him at Bethel when he fled from the face of his Brother Gen. 35. 7. Ergo. Fourthly Jacob is reproved for his curious enquiring or asking after the Angels name vers 29. which is a clear argument or demonstration of his majesty and glory God being above all notion and Name God is a super substantial substance an understanding
But many will be ready to object and say We have much business upon our hands and we cannot spare time for private prayer we have so much to doe in our shops and in our ware-houses and abroad with others that we cannot spare time to waite upon the Lord in our Closets Now to this Objection I shall give these Eight Answers that this Objection may never have a resurrection more in any of your hearts First What are all those businesses that are upon your hands to those great businesses weighty affaires that did lye upon the hands of Abraham Isaac Jacob Moses David Daniel Elias Nehemiah See the first Consideration Peter Cornelius and yet you find all these worthies exercising themselves in Private prayers And the King is commanded every day to read some part of Gods word notwithstanding all his great and weighty imployments Deut. 17. 18 19 20. Now certainly Sirs your great businesses are little more than ciphers compared with theirs And if there were any on earth that might have pleaded an exemption from private prayer upon the account of business of much business of great business these might have done it but they were more honest and more noble than to neglect so choice a duty upon the account of much business these brave hearts made all their publick imployments stoop to private prayer they would never suffer their publick imployments to tread private prayer under foot But Secondly I answer no mens outward affaires did ever more prosper than theirs did who devoted themselves to private prayer notwithstanding their many and great worldly employments Witness the prosperity outward flourishing estates of Moses Abraham Isaac Jacob Nehemiah David Daniel and Cornelius these were much with God in their Closets and God blest their blessings to them how Gen. 22. 17 did their cups over flow what signall favours did God heape upon them and theirs No families have been so prospered protected and graced as theirs who have maintained secret communion with God in a Corner Private prayer 1 Chron. 11. 9. doth best expedite our temporal affairs he that prayes well in his Closet shall be sure to speed well in his Shop or at his Plough or 1 Tim. 4. 8. what-ever else he turns his hand unto 'T is true Abimelech was rich as well as Abraham and so was Laban rich as well as Jacob and Saul was a King as well as David and Julian was an Emperour as well as Constantine But 't was only Abraham Jacob David and Constantine who had their blessings blest unto them all the rest had their blessings curst unto them they had many Prov. 3. 33. Mal. 2. 2. good things but they had not the good will of him that dwelt in the Bush with what they had and therefore all their mercies were but bitter-sweets unto them Though all the sons of Jacob returned laden from Gen. 43. Aegypt with corn and money in their sacks yet Benjamin only had the silver cup in the mouth of his sack So though the men of the world have their Corn and their Money c. yet 't is only God's Benjamin's that have the silver Cup the Grace-Cup the Cup of blessing as the Apostle calls 1 Cor. 10. 16 it for their portion O sirs as ever you would prosper and flourish in the world as ever you would have your water turn'd into wine your temporal mercies into spiritual benefits be much with God in your closets But Thirdly I answer 'T is ten to one but that the objecter every day fools away or trifles away or idles away or sins away one hour in a day and why then should he object the want of time There are none that toyle and moyle and busie themselves most in their worldly imployments but doe Myrmecides a famous Artist spent more time in making a Bee than an unskilful workman would do to build a house Plutarch spend an houre or more in a day to little or no purpose either in gazing about or in dallying or toying or dourting or in telling of stories or in busying themselves in other mens matters or in idle visits or in smoaking the Pipe c. And why then should not these men redeem an hours time in a day for private prayer out of that time which they usually spend so vainly and idly can you notwithstanding all your great worldly imployments find an hour in the day to catch flyes in as Domitian the Emperour did and to play the fool in and cannot you find an hour in the day to wait on God in your closets There were three special faults whereof Cato professed himself to have seriously repented one was passing by water when he might have gone by land another was trusting a secret in a womans bosome but the main was spending an hour unprofirably This heathen will one day rise up in Judgment against them who notwithstanding their great imployments spend many hours in a week unprofitably and yet cry out with the Duke of Alva that they have so much to do on earth that they have no time to look up to heaven 'T was a base and sordid spirit in that King Sardanapalus who spent much of his time amongst women in spinning and carding which should have been spent in Ruling and governing his Kingdome So 't is a base sordid spirit in any to spend any of their time in toying and trifling and then to cry out that they have so much business to do in the World that they have no time for closet-prayer they have no time to serve God nor to save their own precious and immortal souls But Fourthly I answer No man dares plead this objection before the Lord Jesus in the great day of account And why then should any man be so childish foolish so â—ccl 11. 9. Rom 14. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 10. ignorant impudent to plead that before men which is not pleadable before the Judgment seat of Christ O sirs as you love your souls and as you would be happy for ever never put off your own consciences nor others with any plea's arguments or objections now that you dare not own and stand by when you shall lye upon a dying bed and when you shall appear before the whole court of heaven c. In the great day of account when the secrets of all hearts shall be made manifest and God shall call men to a reckoning before Angels Men and Devils for the neglect of private prayer all giulty persons will be found speechless there will not be a man or woman found that shall dare to stand up and say Lord I would have waited upon thee in my closet but that I had so much business to do in the world that I had no time to enjoy secret communion with thee in a Corner 'T is the greatest wisdom in the world to plead nothing by way of excusein this our day that we dare not plead in the great day But.
his own soul by perpetual poring upon his guilt When Guilt upon the Conscience works a man to water the earth with tears to make Heaven ring with his groans then it works kindly When the sence of Guilt drives a man to God to Duty to the Throne of Grace then it will not be long night with that man He that thinks to shift off Private Prayer under the pretence of Guilt doth but in that increase his own Guilt Neglect of Duty will never get Guilt off the Conscience But then there is an involuntary indisposition to private prayer as in a sick man who would work and walk but cannot being hindered by his disease or as it is with a man that hath a great chain on his leg he would very fain walk or get away but his chain hinders him Now if your indisposition to private prayer be an involuntary indisposition then God will in mercy in course both pardon it remove it Secondly There is a total indisposition to private prayer there is a partial indisposition to private prayer A total indisposition to private prayer is when a man hath no Jer. 4. 22. Chap. 44. 17 18 19. mind at all to private prayer nor no will at all to private prayer nor no love at all to private prayer nor no delight nor no heart at all to private prayer now where this frame of heart is there all is naught very naught stark naught A partial indisposition to private prayer is when a man hath some will to private prayer though not such a will as once he had and some mind to private prayer though not such a mind as once he had and some affections to private prayer though not such warm and burning affections as once he had Now if your indisposition to private prayer be total then you must wait upon the Lord in all his appointments for a changed nature and for union with Christ but if your indisposition to private prayer be only partial then the Lord will certainly pardon it and in the very use of holy means in time remove it But Thirdly and lastly there is a transient accidental occasional or fleeting indisposition to private prayer and there is a customary a constant or permanent indisposition to private prayer Now a transient accidental occasional or fleeting indisposition to that which is good may be found upon the best of Saints as you may see in Moses Exod. 4. 10 11 12 13 14. and in Jeremiah Jer. 1. 5 6 7 8 17 18. 19. and Chap. 20. 9. and in Jonah chap. 1 and in David Psal 39. 2 3. Now if this be the indisposition that thou art under then thou mayest be confident that it will certainly work off by degrees Isa 65. 2. Jer. 9. 3. as theirs did that I have last cited But then there is a customary a constant or permanent indisposition to private prayer and to all other holy Duties of Religion Now if this be the indisposition that thou art under then I may safely conclude that thou art in the very gall of bitternesse and in Acts 8. 21 22 23. the bond of iniquity and thy work lyes not in complaining of thy indisposition but in repenting and believing and in labouring for a change of thy heart and state for till thy heart thy state be changed thou wilt remain for ever indisposed both to Closet-Prayer and to all other Duties of Religion and godlinesse To see a sinner sailing Hell-ward with Wind and Tide on his side to alter his course and Tack about for Heaven to see the earthly man become heavenly the carnal man become spiritual the proud man become humble the vain man become serious to see a sinner move contrary to himself in the wayes of Christ and holiness is as strange as to see the earth fly upward or the Bowl run contrary to its own Byass and yet a divine power of God upon the Soul can effect it and this must be effected before the sinner will be graciously inclined and sincerely disposed to Closet-prayer And let thus much suffice by way of Answer to this Objection also Now for the better management of this great Duty viz. Closet-prayer I beseech you take my advice and counsel in these 11. following particulars First Be frequent in Closet-prayer and not now and then only He will never make any yearnings of Closet-prayer that is not frequent in Closet-prayer Now that this Counsel may stick Consider First Other eminent Servants of the Lord have been frequent in this blessed work Nehem. 1. 6. Let thine earnow be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear the Prayer of thy Servant which I pray before thee day and night So Daniel he kneeled Dan. 6. 10 upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did before time So David My voyce shalt thou hear in the morning and in the evening will Psal 5. 3. I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up So Psal 88. 13. But unto thee have I cryed O Lord and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee So Psal 119. 147. I prevented the Psal 119. 164. dawning of the morning and cryed unto the Lord. So Psal 55. 17. Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud Yea he Exod. 29 38 39. Numb 28. 3. Mat. 6. 11. was Vir orationis for his frequency in it Psal 109. 4. For my love they are my adversaries But I give my self unto prayer Or as the Hebrew may be read But I am a man of prayer Of Carolus Magnus it was said Carolus plus cum Deo quam hominibus loquitur that he spake more with God than with men Secondly Consider the blessed Scripture doth not only enjoyn this Duty but it requires frequency in it also Luke 18. 1. 1 Thes 5. 17. Col. 4. 2. In the former part of this discourse I have given light into these Scriptures and therefore the bare citing of them must now suffice Thirdly Christ was frequent in Private Prayer as you may easily see by comparing of these Scriptures together Mark 1. 35. Mat. 14. 23. Luke 22. 39. John 18. 2. In my second Argument for Private Prayer you may see these Scriptures opened and amplified But Fourthly Consider that you have the examples of the very worst of men in this case Papists are frequent in their private Devotions And the Mahometans what occasion soever they have either by profit or pleasure to divert them will yet pray five times every day Yea the very Heathens sacrificed to Hercules morning and evening upon the great Altar at Rome Now shall blind nature do more than grace But Fifthly Consider you cannot have too frequent Communion with God you cannot have too frequent intercourse with Jesus you cannot have your hearts too frequently filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory and with that peace that passes understanding you cannot have heaven too frequently brought
things of God He that affects to read the Revelations of John more than his plain Epistles or Daniels prophesies more than Davids Psalms and is more busie about reconciling difficult Scriptures than he is about mortifying of unruly lusts or that is set more upon vain speculations than upon things that make most for edification he is not the man that is cut out for Closet-prayer Such as affect sublime notions obscure expressions and are men of abstracted conceits are but a company of wise fools that will never take any delight to be with God in a corner Had many men spent but half that time in secret prayer that they have spent in seeking after the Phylosophers Stone how happy might they have been O how holy how happy how heavenly how humble how wise how knowing might many men have been had they spent but half that time in Closet-prayer that they have spent in searching after those things that are hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3. 16. But Fourthly Take heed of engageing your selves in a crowd of worldly businesses Many have so much to do on earth that they have no time to look up to Heaven As much earth puts out the fire so much worldly business puts out the fire of heavenly affections Look as the earth swallowed up Korah Dathan and Abiram so much Num. 22. 32 worldly business swallows up so much precious time that many men have no leasure to be with God in their Closets this business is to be done and that business cannot be omitted and t'other necessary occasion must be attended so that I have no leasure to step out of my shop into my Closet saith Phil. 3. 19. the earthly minded man thus a crowd of worldly businesses crowds Closet-prayer quite out of doors Many drive so great a trade in their shops that their private trade to Heaven is quite laid by There is nothing that hath kept men more from Christ and Closet-prayer than the shop the Exchange the Farm and the Oxen Luke 14. 16. 22. c. The Stars which have least circuit are neerest the Pole and men that are least perplexed with worldly businesses are commonly neerest to God to Christ to Heaven and so the fitter for Closet-prayer 'T is sad when men grasp so much business that they can have no leasure for Communion with God in a corner The noise is such in a mill as hinders all private intercourse between man and man and so a multitude of worldly businesses make such a noise as that it hinders all private entercourse between God and the soul If a man of much business should now and then slide into his Closet yet his head and his heart will be so filled and distracted with the thoughts of his employments that God shall have little of him but his bodily presence or at most but bodily presence or at most but bodily exercise 1 Tim. 4. 8. which profits little If Christ blamed Martha for the multitude of her domestical employments Luke 10. 40 41 42. though they were undertaken for the immediate service and entertainment of himself because they hindred her in her soul-concernments Oh how will he one day blame all those who by running themselves into a crowd of worldly businesses do cut themselves off from all opportunities of pouring out their souls before him in secret But Fifthly Take heed of secret sins There is no greater hinderance to secret prayer in all the world than secret sins and therefore stand upon your watch and arme your selves with all your might against them There is an Antipathy betwixt secret sinning and secret praying partly from guilt which makes the soul shy of coming under Gods secret eye and partly from those fears doubts disputes and disorders that secret siâ—â— raise in the heart Light is not more opposite to darkness Christ to Belial nor Heaven to Hell than secret prayer is to secret sins and therefore what ever you do look that you keep clear of secret sins To that purpose consider these four things First That God is privy to our most secret sins his eye is as much upon secret sins as it is upon open Psal 139. 1 2 3 4. Jer. 13. 27. Chap. 29. 23. Psal 39. 1. 1 Kings 20. 39. Jer. 20. 20 Job 10. 12. sins Psal 90. 8. Thou host set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance God hath an eye upon our inmost evils he seeth all that is done in the dark Jer. 23. 24. Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Prov. 15. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good To say that God doth not see the most secret sins of the children of men is not only derogatory to his omniscience but also to his mercy for how can God pardon those sins which he doth not see to be sins There is no cloud nor curtain nor moment of darkness that can stand betwixt the eyes of God and the wayes of men Prov. 5. 21. The wayes of men are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings In this Scripture Solomon mainly speaks of the wayes of the Adulterer which usually are plotted with the most cunning secrecy yet God seeth all those wayes Look as no boldness can exempt the Adulterer from the justice of God so no secrecy can hide him from the eye of God Though men labour to hide their wayes from others and from themselves yet 't is but labour in vain to endeavour to hide them from God Men that labour to hide God from themselves can never hide themselves from God I have read that Paphnutius converted Thais and Ephron two famous Strumpets from uncleanness only with this Argument That God seeth all things in the dark when the doors are fast the windows shut and the curtains drawn Heb. 4. 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened anotamized even to the eyes of him with whom we have to do 'T is an allusion to the Priests under the Law who when they killed a beast all things that were within the beast were laid open and naked before the Priest that he might see what was sound and what was corrupted Though evil be done out of the eye of all the world yet it is naked and manifest in his sight with whom we have to do Those sins which lye closest and are most secretly lurking in the heart are as obvious and odious to God as those that are most fairly written upon a mans forehead God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all eye so that he sees all the most secret turnings and windings of our hearts Our most secret sins are as plainly seen by him as any thing can be by us at noon-day Psalm 139. 11 12 If I say surely the darkness shall