talked with him Gen. 15.12 Chap. 17.3 came to him and he again discoursed familiarly with God 2. Isaac The son of the Promise a very contemplative man therefore 't is said Gen. 24.63 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Locutus est ore vel coâ—de cogitavit proprie significat submissa voce loqui utoâ—antes That Isaac went out to meditate in the field at even-tide The word signifies as well to Pray as Meditate 't is likely he did both in some solitary Walk where he conversed with his God The Chaldee translates it by praying but the Greek by exercising himself i. e. both in meditation and prayer And truly there is a near affinity betwixt these two sweet duties and 't is usual for a devout soul to fall out of the one into the other in its retirements Soliloquie in the heart helps to a colloquie with God Locus precibus ubique commodus maxime in solitudine ubi sensus de piis meditationibus minus a vocantur Pareus in loc But here observe Isaac's oratory which he had in the field which he used for more privacy There saith Pareus he continually poured out prayers to God and at this time more earnestly for the happy success of his servant a singular example of piety A place it was every way fit for prayer especially in solitude where the senses are less drawn off from pious meditations Some think he was returning from his devotions and then 't is worth noting What a speedy reward of his piety and effect of his prayers was granted Would all young men take the like course for a Wife they might meet seasonably with a Rebeckah in mercy 3. Jacob is a famous instance of this choice exercise few like him he was put to flee but they could not drive him from his God They had their meeting-places and intercourse where none saw particularly that remarkable time Gen. 32.24 Jacob was left alone And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day 'T is likely Jacob had sent his houshold away on purpose that he might wrestle with God alone I shall not dispute whether Jacob had any extraordinary natural strength of body I am sure he had abundance of spiritual strength of grace nor shall I take notice of the Hebrews subtil disputes concerning this man Hosea tells us it was an Angel yet withal he tells us That by his strength he had power with God Hos 12.3 4. Therefore this was God himself the creating Gen. 48.16 not a created Angel even Jesus Christ the Angel that redeemed him from all evil whom Malachi calls The Angel of the Covenant Mal. 3.1 It was God himself Elohim whom Jacob overcame in this stupendious monomachia or conflict But how did he thus prevail The Text saith with prayers and tears he wept and made supplication Now he had gotten God to a side as it were and none came to distract him or to part this strong and blessed duel he is resolved to stick to his hold and not let God go till he blessed him And good Jacob came off a Noble Conqueror and from that purchased the famous name of Israel Oh unequal matches Oh unparallel'd conquest The seemingly-adverse combatant was Jacobs only assistant and the conquered was the invincible Jehovah and no other seconds or spectators but the Infinite God and Worm Jacob. 4. Moses was a choice man of God whom the Scripture characterizeth as a non-such Deut. 34.10 There arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face And this intimate acquaintance was obtained maintained and exercised by this secret conversing with God How often do we find the Lord and his servant Moses together And none with them yea Moses only must come near and the rest must worship afar off Exod. 14.12 And what business have these familiar friends one with another Why sometimes the Lord speaks to Moses sometimes Moses speaks to God in secret prayer See both together in Exod. 32.9 10 11. A strange Scripture God and Moses had been conversing with each other in the mount fourty dayes God tells Moses the people had made them a molten calf and he was angry and would consume them and bids Moses let him alone as though Moses had bound the hands of omnipotency Nay then thinks Moses if my poor people be in this hazard since I am with God I 'le ply the throne of grace and improve my interest for them and then he falls closs to the work and besought the Lord his God and said At this time he alone stood in the gap Psal 106.25 and prevailed by his intercession to turn away Gods wrath from Israel Here was a work and this was the fruit of secret prayer 5. David the man after Gods own heart was a man much skilled in secret or closet meditations and prayers Hence some of his Psalms of Prayer and Praise were first composed in Caves Wildernesses and solitary places Psal 142. Title is Maschil of David a Prayer when he was in the Cave And this is for instruction to us so Maschil signifies Yea he purposely compiles the 102. Psal as a pattern to all that may be in his case that is solitary As a Pelican in the Wilderness an owl in the desart or a sparrow alone upon the house top v. 6 7. Then they are to pray as he did and to pour out their complaint before the Lord Yea upon a declaration of Gods covenant designs of mercy to David and his house the good man went either into some private room in his own house or into the Tent before the Ark and there set himself first to meditate then to pray for he did both as that Scripture clearly intimates 2 Sam. 7.17 27. And oh what memorable fruits of secret Prayer had David frequently Surely he felt the sweetness of it both in his soul and body in his spiritual estate and political affairs Therefore he commends it to all Psal 4. Commune with your own heart upon your bed or in your bed-chamber and there also offer the sacrifices of righteousness And put your trust in the Lord ver 4.5 SECT V. Five more Instances produced 6. ANother example from Scripture of the performance of this duty of secret prayer is the famous man of God Elijah who wrought many miracles and was mighty in prayer for so the Apostle James testifies of him Chap. 5 17 18. that he could shut and open Heaven he had as it were got the Key of the Clouds to open the windows of Heaven that it might rain or not rain according to his word But how came he by this power Why certainly he had great acquaintance with his God in secret Take one instance what his practice was 1 King 17.19 to ver 24. It is the memorable History of raising the Widow womans dead Son It was a great undertaking none but God could raise the dead God is to be implored by earnest Prayer no
CHAP. II. The Reasons to prove that Closet-Prayer is a Christian-Duty SECT I. The first Reason of the Point ALl the Reasons that I shall make use of at this time for the proof of this Doctrine and clearing secret Prayer to be a duty shall be fetcht out of the Text and they are these 4. Rea. 1. The conveniency of privacy for Prayer 2. The Relation betwixt God and a Saint 3. Gods Omniscience seeing in secret 4. Gods Munificence rewarding 1. The great conveniency there is in privacy for Prayer and the good providence of God bestowing upon us private Rooms which implicitly call us to the performance of that duty For there is in retirement a great advantage for the managing of any work of wisdom Prov. 18.1 Through desire a man having separated himself seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom i. e. He that is really studious of true Piety will voluntarily sequester himself to prosecute it This was anciently the well-meaning design of a Monastick life which since hath been wofully abused But yet certainly there is a very great advantage in solitariness for carrying on a religious business Take only two at present which are advantages particularly referring to this duty of Prayer whereunto secrecy contributes 1. Self-expostulations and self-abasing gestures and expressions when a Christian in Prayer finds his heart hard dead dull distracted or any way out of order he may in secret make a pause and begin to commune with his own heart examine the matter lament the cause chide his untoward heart and charge his wanton spirit to keep close to his God in duty Thus David Why art thou cast down O my soul Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early My soul wait thou upon God Nothing more familiar in the Psalms than such intercisions and diversions from the work in hand to raise up the heart to an higher tune in Prayer and Praises And this may be of singular use for by such heart-reasonings and debates a Saint may wind up his spirit and get better prepared for the remaining part of the exercise Now such a work as this would not be so seasonable and convenient when others joyn in the duty So also for bodily postures sometimes for an evidence of greater humiliation a Christian finds it requisite to prostrate himself before the Lord And use such gestures as would not be fit in the sight of others therefore Closet-Prayer is very necessary where a Christian may use his discretion as God shall direct him for the humbling quickning raising and melting of his heart before the Lord alone That 's the first advantage 2. It is a wonderful help against distraction When we are as it were out of the noise of the world we are then fitter for attendance upon God The affairs discourses troubles and confusions of a family if within hearing are a great hindrance to the duties of Meditation and Prayer Experience testifies this a man cannot study or cast accounts in a croud or throng of People When we are intent upon any business how little a noise diverts us It may be this was the reason why that hospitable Gentlewoman in 2 King 4.10 would have a Chamber built for her welcom-guest the Prophet Elisha yea built upon the wall for she might judge him to be a contemplative man and though she might have lodging-rooms in her house yet she might look upon that at a little distance as more commodious for his devotions and meditations as being out of the noise of houshold-business and hurryings An active fancy quickly closeth with any diversion in our attendance upon God Therefore ought we to study to attend upon the Lord without distraction When Abraham went to worship in the Mount he left his servants below in the valley lest they should obstruct his communion with God When Moses was to go up unto the Lord though Aaron Nadab and Abihu and the seventy Elders went further than the People yet the Text saith They should worship afar off but saith God Moses alone shall come near the Lord Exod. 24.1 2. Observe it when Moses had parted with his company and was alone then he should come near the Lord common professors worship not God at all acceptably sincere Saints worshipping God with others are comparatively far off but souls in a corner or Closet are admitted to come near God and have sweet intimacy with him as I shall shew anon Yet mistake me not not as though I preferred secret Prayer alone before publick Prayer with others for as God delights in the joint prayers of his People so a soul may enjoy God in communion of Saints and is ordinarily more carryed out to God than in private according to the helps and advantages he hath with others yet when the heart is in frame there is usually more intimacy exprest betwixt God and the Christian in secret than with others Yet further mistake not not as though solitariness free'd us from all distractions iâ— we take our hearts with us we shall have a principle of diversion and need neither noise nor visible objects to hinder us from God And this those that have magnified solitariness most have found by sad experience and left upon record Take an instance Locus secretus eligitur quia solus Dei judicio â—eâ—unia suut agenda singularem inspectorem adjutoremque Deum volunt haec habere câ—…tamina neque in agon bus aliquibus periculosus militatur Propâ—er hoc Solitudo carent arbitris Eremus assentaterum satellitio vacua à jejunanâ—e Christo el gitur ut non cum carne sanguine sed cum spiritualibus nequiâ—iis dimicâ—tur amotis minorum occasionibus homo cum Diabolo colluctetur soli sint in palastra Christus Antichristus Spiritus Antispiritus Neque putet homo se evasisse pericula cum in eremum venerit quia quanto saltilius tanto difficilius à Teâ—tatore invaditur qui cogitationum foribus assilens omnia virtutum germina in ipso ortu strangulare molitur Cyp. De jejun teâ—tat Christi Prope init pag. 300 301. Verum siberius anima expedita obviat impugnanti ubi compedes impedimentorum defueriat aspectus irritamenta non noveriat Securiorque est congressus ubi singuâ—a non vellicant dimicante nec inebriant animum lenocinio voluptatum vid. plur Cyprian speaking of Christs fasting and being tempted in the Wilderness chusing that place for its secrecy because saith he Fastings are to be observed so as God alone may be Judge and in such contests as these we are to call on God alone as spectator and helper And shews notably the danger of vain-glory and advantages of secrecy yet adds Let not a man imagine he hath escaped all dangers when he comes into a Wilderness or solitary place because he is invaded by the tempter so much the more difficulty because more subtily who sitting before the doors of the thoughts seeks to strangle all the buds of vertue
all one Spirit as well as all one Father And is not this a Spirit of Grace and Supplication And is it not that which on all occasions draws the Soul to its Father 'T is said of Paul when newly converted Behold he prayeth Act. 9.11 Others do not see it but I know it there he is in a corner sighing and seeking me Go Ananias enquire for him he is now one of you a real Convert for Behold he prayeth A Soul praying in secret is worthy observation there 's an Ecce put upon it Behold he prayeth And why should we that pretend to be Saints be unlike our brethren 3. Are you not herein unlike your selves in former times When God did at first work upon your hearts did you not then run to God in a corner Did you not set your selves intently to the duty of secret Prayer How often did God find you by your selves sighing sorrowing weeping bleeding breathing after God pouring out your hearts like water before the face of the Lord And your heavenly Father pitied you spoke very kindly to you wiped off your tears cheared your hearts heard your prayers and made those dayes of grief times of love Oh the sweet embraces that then were betwixt your souls and God Have you forgotten such a Chamber Such a Closet such a Barn such a Wood Where you sometimes walkt and meditated sometimes fell prostrate and wept before the Lord till you had no more power to weep If you have forgotten those blessed days your God hath not He remembers thee the kindness of thy youth the love of thine spousals when thou wentest after him in a solitary Wilderness Jer. 2.2 Canst not thou remember the day when thou wouldst rather have been with thy God in a private Room than upon a Princes Throne Yea thou thoughtest thou wast to do nothing else but cry and pray in secret thou wast at it every day yea many times a in day How comes it to pass that there 's such a change That thou dost so rarely go to visit thy old friend in a Corner Is he changed Is he not so good and kind as he was wont to be Hast thou found any fault in God Or art not thou blame-worthy What 's become of thy ancient Spirit of Prayer Why dost thou forget thy sweetest wrestling-place Why dost thou not inquire for these good old wayes of communion with thy God SECT III. Saints neglects further reproved 4. LEt me further expostulate with Gods Children that are rarely exercised in this duty of Secret-Prayer Do you not deprive your selves of many sweet refreshments Have not your souls had sweet experience of ravishing incomes in secret duties How many pleasant morsels have you eaten alone Have not these stolen waters been sweet And would they not be so again if you would open the same sluice Oh what hints of love might your souls have that no creature would know of Secret influences are conveyed to souls in secret duties these you block up by neglect Ah sirs Are the consolations of God small to you Is communion with God of no worth Why are you so unwilling to take pains to go to your Father Especially when you know he hath a kindness for you Have you ever lost by such duties Will not your gains infinitely countervail your pains Ask those that use it most they will tell you it is the sweetest time they spend Yea cannot your own experience attest it Did you ever lose your labour when you set your selves about the work in good earnest Hath not this closs and privy trading with God brought in much spiritual profit Beloved friends you little consider the good you miss of for want of performing this excellent duty But that 's not all 5. Do you not by neglect of secret prayer expose your selves to many sad temptations Watching and Prayer are singular helps against temptation Mat. 26.41 I have heard that Satan hath openly professed that he hath watched when some of Gods children have gone out without Closet-Prayer and that day he hath gotten great advantage against them sometimes by tripping up their heels and casting them down from their excellency into some gross iniquity sometimes tormenting their hearts with blasphemous or soul-perplexing injections Sometimes God hath left them to fall into some afflictive snare laid by this subtil Fowler which hath cost them many bitter pangs all this and much more hath been the fruit of such neglects Christians Have you not found this too true by sad experience When you have gone abroad without calling on God hath not God secretly withdrawn from you Hath not Satan obtained his designs upon you Have not your hearts been growing out of frame Some lust increasing grace decaying and your souls at the brink of some astonishing fall When you have gone out in the morning without a good breakfast with God Have you not been apt to gather wind and vanity to the prejudice of your souls health If you ingage not God by Prayer to go with you What security have you for that day If God leave you the Devil may do what he list with you and hamper you in a thousand snares and sins 6. Doth not your neglect of secret Prayer argue little love to God Or delight to be in his Company When persons have a dear affection to each other they love to be together Love delights in union and communion Yea when persons love intirely they withdraw from other company that they may injoy each other with more indeared familiarity the presence of a third mixeth the streams of Communication and mars their intimate communion And if you did passionately love the Lord would you not withdraw from others that your souls might injoy some fresh and refreshing intercourse with your best Beloved How can you say you love him when you have no mind of his company If you did indeed love him Cant. 3.5 you would hold him and not let him go Amor meus pondus meum until you had with the Spouse brought him into the Chambers of intimate communion and solitary recesses Love is the weight of the soul and draws it to the object beloved If your hearts were ravisht with him you would take more pleasure in conversing with him you would bless God for an opportunity of injoying him But this strangeness speaks a great defect in this noble grace And would you be esteemed such as love not God What a sad thing is it to be low and scant in love to God under such strong engagements to love Poor soul have not those silken silver cords of love which have been cast about thee drawn thee nearer and bound thee faster to thy God than thus Have not such bellows and incentives kindled and increased thy spark of love into a flame Lament thy sin and shame thy self before thy God for this decay of love and dangerous neglect 7. Do not you by these omissions declare your selves ingrateful to the grace of God It 's Gods
Redeemer find a soul upon its knees before the Lord Oh the hearty welcom it will give unto its God! This is the time he waited for he was got into a corner was sighing for his sins pleading for mercy breathing after grace and panting for glory and behold what a quick return doth his God make Even while he is speaking and praying the Lord doth send a guard of Angels to conduct the soul into eternal Mansions where God and the soul shall part no more Blessed for ever happy is that soul whom its Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Now consider of it Whether state would you be found in And do not you know his Coming may be sudden and unexpected Would you be found under neglect or in the faithful performance of a duty Would you not be carried from your Closet-devotion to eternal communion with God Oh then take our Lord's most wholsom counsel Take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is Mark 13.33 I might here challenge Christians also not only for their neglect of but careless performance of this duty of Closet-prayer with what sorry shifts do we put off God How hard dead unbelieving distracted are our hearts in secret God takes much pleasure in Adverbs it pleaseth not God that a duty be done except it be well done Many satisfie their own consciences that they have prayed but consider not how they prayed there 's a curse on such as do the work of God negligently Jer. 48.13 Mal. 1.14 and that have in their flock a male and offer to the Lord a corrupt thing And it 's a fearful thing to get a curse upon our knees when we come for a blessing Look to it God takes notice how you pray the Devil stands under your Closet-window and heareth what you say to God in secret all the while studying how he may commence a suit against you for your duty Like those that come to Sermons to carp or catch at what the Preacher saith or as one saith like a cunning opponent in the Schools while his adversary is busie reading his position he is studying to confute it and oh what advantage do we often give Satan to trip us and take us tardy What occasion do we afford him to accuse us to God and to our selves while we have our filthy garments on us Yea remissness in our duties brings decay in grace Tradesmen may go behind hand by being careless in their dealings as well as by being much out of their shops Alas what sad decay is in our souls for want of closs and constant communion with God We have very perverse hearts we have much ado with them when we would do good evil is present it is our great sin we are so much out of order even upon our knees Satan sends his imps to haunt and torment ment us he jogs our hand when we are to write a Letter to Heaven in our prayers so that we can scarce make sense of what we present to God Our thoughts are unfixed ranging abroad like a Spaniel to a thousand objects so that sometimes we have lost our selves and know not where we are Oh let us lament our vain and trifling spirits in secret duties and turn us unto God for help as a Servant when the child he tends is troublesom and will not be ruled by him calls out to the Father to come to him who no sooner speaks the word but all is whist with him our God can set in order our unruly spirits only he will be called upon by earnest Prayer Thus much for this use CHAP. V. The Third Vse is of Instruction SECT I. MY next and main work is to help us in the duty of Closet-Prayer by propounding some helps and rules for our direction which I shall reduce to these four heads viz. 1. Preparatives to it 2. Essentials in it 3. Circumstances about it 4. Consequences upon it 1. Look to your State and standing If you be not real Saints you are not fit for this spiritual duty Your Relation must be changed by converting grace Hence the Text saith Pray to thy Father See then that God be your Father in Jesus Christ else you cannot truly cry Abba Father If we must be reconciled to our Brother before we offer our gift much more to God for how can two walk together except they be agreed I deny not but a carnal soul should retire himself into a corner examine his state fall down on his knees and beg converting and pardoning grace and thus they must acquaint themselves with God that they may come before him for unsound unconverted sinners have no right as children to call to the King of Heaven though as creatures they may and must seek unto God yet they worship afar off 'T is the gracious Christian only that prayeth acceptably wicked mens prayers are abomination an hypocrite shall not come before him John 13.16 And indeed till you be real Saints you 'l have no mind to buckle close to this duty truth of grace will capacitate you for secret approaches to God strength of grace will elevate you to God and evidence of sincerity will make you come boldly to the Throne of Grace Therefore try your state inquire what relation you have to God or else expect no familiarity with him God will not take the wicked by the hand to lead them into these Chambers of communion the throne of iniquity hath no fellowship with him Our Lord Jesus marrieth none but Widows that are divorced from all other Husbands and he opens his heart to none but his betrothed Spouse her he leads into a solitary place and speaks to her heart Oh sirs come over clearly to God by closing with Christ renounce your selves get united to him and then come and welcom to enjoy communion with him in Closet-Prayer 2. Dispatch other things off your hearts and hands Let not your earthly occasions intrude into your Closet-Exercises Say to the cares and affairs of the world as Abraham to his Servants Stay there while I go and worship the Lord yonder Or as Nehemiah in another case I am doing a great work and I cannot come down to you So do thou say I have appointed other times and seasons for attending worldly businesses let me alone with my God every thing is beautiful in its season Communion with God is as much as I can attend at once I must not be diverted by other objects the business I am about is of the greatest importance I must consult how I may attend upon the Lord without distraction and worldly matters have distracted me in God's service and have cost me many a tear therefore get away from me Why should the work of the Lord cease Why should I be hindred from my God What can you afford me that can be worth one hours communion with my God Thus do you actually renounce the world for you cannot mind two things at once And observe it If
the more diligent he is to hinder the performance but must Satan be gratified rather than God glorified or thy soul edified Wilt thou give way to him Resist the devil and he will flee from thee think not thou canst perform a flesh-displeasing duty when Satan is quiet and doth not molest he will be busie to tempt when thou art going to thy God this is no new thing he will jog thy hand when thou art writing thy letter to thy Friend in Heaven think not to be more exempted than even thy Saviour himself he was set upon by the Devil in his solitary recesses in the wildernesse and oh the horrible nature of those temptations Mat. 4. When Joshua the High-Priest prayed Satan stood at his right hand to resist him but the issue was good God rebuk'd him Zech. 3.1 2. And thus he will do for thee he will tread Satan under thy feet and make thee a conqueror only when thou art annoyed with this foul spirit turn to thy God leave not thy work let not Satan take thee off duty then he hath attained his end fall closer to the work consider fasting and prayer cast out the devil Matt. 26.4 Eph 6.18 watching and prayer are preservatives from infection yea Prayer it self is a chief piece of a Christians Armour if you be beat off this you are routed this ingageth God for you without this you are but like other men and the Philistin will put out your eyes lead you captive and make sport of you stick close to this what ever you do though all the devils in hell roar upon you yet run to your God in Prayer they are sluggards or cowards that say there 's a Lion in the way when they are called out to hard service or difficult duty nay rather say as he once in an arduous undertaking Here 's a work fit for the spirit of an Alexander so here 's a duty that becomes a Christian to manage By your God you may run through a Troop and leap over a Wall But more of that anon 8. Obj. But I get no good by Closet-Prayer I have used it so long and still my heart is as cold hard dead as ever I will give over now Answ Is not this too like the language of those that say It is in vain to serve God Mal. 3.14 And are you like those Atheists that think Prayer is to no purpose I hope not You think it doth good to some but not to you Well what 's the reason Is it not because you do not pray aright Therefore search your selves see how you prayed mourn over your defects and mend the matter It 's true one who sees the Well dry breaks or throws away his Pitcher but Is God a barren wilderness Is it not good for you to draw near to God Were they ever ashamed that waited on him Hast not thou sometimes found benefit by secret Prayer God is good to the soul that seeks him try again you will not lose your labour be not weary of well-doing in due time you shall reap if you faint not let not your hands hang down let not your knees grow feeble the Text tells you your Father that sees in secret will reward you openly and dare you not trust him beyond sense and experience There may be more advantage by this dutie than you are aware of you shall not yet know the profit you have by secret Prayer you must keep on in a patient continuance in well-doing and not give over till you receive a full reward but oh take heed of giving over prayer because you think you want present profiâ— You cannot do Satan greater service or your souls more prejudice But more of this anon 9. Obj. But I am weak in parts and know not what to say Fain I would but alas I cannot open my wants to God in Prayer I want gifts abilities Answ I am glad to hear thee thus complain thou art fitter for praying when thou canst lie under the sense of thy inabilitie to pray that 's an useful disposition in dutie But thou saist thou canst not pray then I 'll tell thee what to do Go thy waies alone and fall down upon thy knees and plainly tell the Lord thou canst not pray and intreat him to help thee by his blessed Spirit which he hath promised to them that ask it tell the Lord that thou canst not think a good thought or speak a good word without that blessed Spirit but it shall help thine infirmities and teach thee what to say oh beg hard for that holy Spirit and then let some means be used to get matter of Prayer you know it consists of confession of sin petition for good things deprecation of evil and thanksgiving for mercies Well then sit down and think with thy self what sins thou art guilty of original or actual of omission or commission this is too too fruitful a subject take them home tell God of them by ingenious confession Then bethink thy self what thou wantest at the hands of God as Pardon Grace Peace Heaven and begg these consider also what thou art afraid of as guilt strength effects of sin Gods wrath Satans malice and desire the Lord to prevent and remove these for Christ's sake And lastly recollect what mercies thou hast had from God and reckon them up to God with expressions of thankfulness Do this with plainness and seriousness heed not so much for exact method or fine phrases the gilt of the key makes it not open the door a jot the better and a Prayer doth not work upon God any rather because of the neat language therein but unbosome thy self plainly and seriously before thy God and thou shalt find present assistance and acceptance and future inlargement and incouragement Be honest though never so homely in Prayer 10. Obj. But I like not this stir it 's an hard and difficult work I would rather do any thing than this my spirit is wonderful averse to it say what you will it will not down with me to make all this ado in Closet-Prayer it 's pretty fair if I can keep up such duties as Church and Family require Answ This is the pleading of flesh and blood this is the bottom of the former objections I expected this all along if the tongue speak not thus the heart doth let a duty be pressed never so home a carnal heart will make some evasions though the mouth be stopped yet a cavilling heart will have something to say against a spiritual duty And if it cannot be mad with reason it grows mad without reason and against Scripture 'T is easier to bring arguments to convince the judgement than to draw the will and affections to a through obedience But soul wilt thou plead for Baal Wilt thou take the devils part and yield to carnal reason or wilt thou baulk any divine commands to gratifie a lazie humour or a base lust God forbid methinks if thou canst not obey as thou ought'st yet