pedigree from the dirt and are akin to clay One calls the body the blot of nature another calls it the Soul's beast a sack of dung worms-meat another calls it a prison a sepulchre and Paul calls it a body of vileness Now for a man to make so much adoe about the distempers of his body to excuse the neglects of his Soul is an evil made up of many evils But really Sir I am so ill and my body is so distempered and indisposed that I am not able to mind or meddle with the least things of the world Well if this be so then know that God hath on purpose knockt thee off from the things of this world that thou may'st look the more effectually after the things of another world The design of God in all the distempers that are upon thy body is to wind thee more off from thy worldly trade and to work thee to follow thine heavenly trade more close Many a man had never found the way to his Closet if God by bodily distempers had not turn'd him out of his shop his trade his business his all c. Well Christians remember this once for all if your indisposition to Closet-prayer doth really arise from bodily distempers then you may be confident that the Lord will pitty you much and bear with you much and kindly accept of a little You know how affectionately Parents and ingenious Masters doe carry it towards their children and servants when they are under bodyly distempers and indisposition and you may be confident that God will never carry it worse towards you than they doe towards them Ponder often upon that Ezek. 34. 4 16 21 22. vers But Sixthly and lastly I shall answer this Objection by way of distinction thus First There is a contracted indisposition to private prayer and there is an involuntary indisposition to private prayer there is a contracted indisposition and that is when a man by his wilful sinning against light knowledge conviction c. contracts that guilt that lyes as a load upon his Conscience Now guilt makes the Soul shye of God and the greater the guilt is the more shye the Soul is of drawing neer to God in a corner The Child that is sensibly under guilt hides himself as Adam did in the day from his Fathers Gen. 3. 7. 8. eye and at night he slips to bed to avoid either a chiding or a whipping from his Father Guilt makes a man fly from God and fly from Prayer 'T is a hard Job 11. 14 15. Jer. 20. 3 4. thing to look God in the face when guilt stares a man in the face Guilt makes a man a terrour to himself now when a man is a terrour to himself he is neither fit to live nor fit to die nor fit to pray When Poison gets into the body it works upon the spirits and it weakens the spirits and it endangers life and unfits and indisposes a man to all natural actions 't is so here when guilt lyes heavy upon the conscience it works upon the Soul it weakens the Soul it endangers the Soul and it doth wonderfully unfit and indispose the Soul to all holy actions Guilt fights against our Souls our Consciences 1 Pet. 2. 11. our Comforts our Duties yea and our very graces also There is nothing that wounds and lames our graces like guilt there is nothing that weakens and wasts our graces like guilt there is nothing that hinders the activity of our graces like guilt nor there is nothing that clouds our evidences of grace like guilt Look what water is to the fire that our sinnings are to our graces evidences and duties Guilt is like Prometheus Vulture that ever lyes gnawing 'T is better with Evagrius to lye on a Bed of straw with a good Conscience than to lye on a Bed of Downe with a guilty Conscience What the Probationer Disciple said to our Saviour Matth. 8. 19. Master I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest that a guilty Conscience saith to the sinner whithersoever thou goest I will follow thee If thou goest to a fast I will follow thee and fill thy mind with black and dismal apprehensions of God If thou goest to a feast I will follow thee and shew thee the Hand-writing on the Wall If thou goest abroad Dan. 5 5. I will follow thee and make thee afraid of every Leaf that wags thou shalt look upon every Bush as an armed man and upon every man as a Devil If thou stayest at home I will follow thee from room to room and fill thee with horrour and terrour If thou lyest down to rest I will follow thee with fearful dreams and tormenting apparitions If thou goest into thy Closet I will follow thee and make thy very Closet a Hell to hold thee It is storied of King Richard the third that after he had murthered his two Nephews in the Tower guilt lay so hard upon his Conscience that his sleeps were very unquiet for he would often leap out of his Bed in the dark and catching his sword in his hand which hung by his bed side he would goe distractedly about his Chamber seeking for the Traytor So Charls the ninth of France after he had made the streets of Paris run down with the blood of the Protestants he could seldome take any sound sleep nor could he endure to be awakened out of his sleep without musick Judge Morgan that passed the Sentence of Condemnation upon Jane Grey a virtuous Lady shortly after fell mad and in his raving cryed out continualy Take away the Lady Jane from me Take away the Lady Jane from me and in that horrour ended his wretched life James Abyes going to execution for Christ's sake as he went along he gave his money and his cloaths to one and another till he had given all away to his shirt whereupon one of the Sheriffs men fell a-scoffing and deriding of him and told him that he was a mad-man and an heretick and not to be believed but as soon as the good man was executed this wretch was struck mad and threw away his cloaths and cryed out that James Abyes was a good man and gone to Heaven but he was a wicked man and was damned and thus he continued crying out till his death Certainly he that derides or smites a man for walking according to the word of the Lord the Lord will first or last sosmite and wound that mans Conscience that all the Physitians in the world shall not heal it Now if thy indisposition to private prayer springs from contracted guilt upon thy Conscience then thy best way is speedily to renew thy Repentance and greatly to judge and humble thine own soul and so to act Faith afresh upon the blood of Christ both for pardoning mercy and for purging grace When a man is stung with Guilt 't is his highest wisdome in the world to look up to the Brazen Serpent and not to spend his time or create torments to
THE Privie Key OF HEAVEN OR Twenty Arguments for CLOSET-PRAYER IN A Select Discourse on that Subject With the resolution of several considerable Questions the main Objections also against Closet-Prayer are here answered Cautions propounded and the Point improved with several other things of no small importance in respect of the internal and eternal welfare of the Christian Reader Twenty special Lessons in the Epistle Dedicatory to some afflicted Friends that we are to learn by that severe rod the PESTILENCE that now rageth in the midst of us By THOMAS BROOKS Minister of the Gospel O my Dove that art in the clefts of the Rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance is lovely Cant. 2. 14. LONDON Printed for and are to be sold by John Hancock at the first shop in Popes-head Alley next to Cornhil 1665. TO My Worthy and Esteemed FRIENDS Mrs. Elizabeth Drinkwater Mrs. Susan Bell. Mrs. Hannah Bourne Mrs. Mary Taylor Mrs. Anne White Mrs. Elizabeth Juxon Mrs. Rebecah Juxon Mrs. Mary Baxter Mrs. Deborah Shepherd Mrs. Anne Clemons Mrs. Mary Sionior Mrs. Anne Snell Mrs. Anne Ellis Mrs. Margaret Cutlèr Mrs. Patience Cartwrigh Mrs. Mary Shaw Mrs. Phillip Garret Mrs. Margaret Winfield Mrs. Hannah Pippet Mrs. Mary Chanlor Mrs. Mary Scot. Mrs. Katherine Vsher with their Husbands c. All Happiness both here and hereafter Honoured and Beloved in our Dear Lord Jesus I HAVE crowded your names together in one Epistle not from any want of respect unto you for I owe to each of you more than an Epistle nor because you are in one particular Fellowship for so you are not but partly because the Lord hath made you one with himself in the Son of his love and partly because the Lord at several times and in several wayes hath exercised you all in the Furnace of Affliction and partly because this Epistle may reach you all and speak to you all when I cannot or when I may not or which is more when I am not Dear Friends many and great have been the breaches that the Lord hath made upon your persons upon your neer and dear Relations and upon your sweetest comforts and contentments There is not one of you but may truly say with Job He breaketh me with breach upon breach Job 16. 14. God hath chastised you all round with various Rods and O that the Lord would help you all to hear the Rod and him who hath appointed it Now that you may give me leave a little to open and apply to your particulars that Mic. 6. 9. The Lords voyce cryeth unto the City and the man of wisdom shall hear thy Name Hear ye the Rod and who hath appointed it The matter that I shall offer to your consideration from this Scripture will be not only of special concernment to your selves but also of high concernment to all sorts and ranks of men and women in this sad Day when the Sword devours on the one hand the Pestilence rageth on the other hand The Lords voice cryeth unto the City Tremelius turns it thus The voice of the Lord doth preach unto this City for what the matter is thy Name seeth Hear ye the Rod c. This City viz. Jerusalem and so consequently to all the Israelites for in this City all Offices and duties of godliness and humanity were more religiously performed or to be performed than in any other place because of the presence and majesty of God that was amongst them But thy Majesty seeth what wickedness is practised amongst them as is evident in the Verses following Cryeth The word is from Kara which signifies First To Cry aloud or to make a noise Isa 58. 1. Cry aloud there is Kara The word signifies to Cry so loud as that all may hear that have ears to hear Secondly The word signifies Openly to proclaim preach or publish a thing Exod. 33. 19. I will Proclaim the Name of the Lord before thee Here is the word Kara Thirdly The word signifies To Cry out Gen. 39. 15. I lifted up my voyce and cryed Here is Kara The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath nine other significations in Scripture but because they are not pertinent to what is in my eye I shall pass them by at this time And the man of Wisdom shall see thy name Vethushiia properly signifies Essence and therefore according to the Hebrew the words should be read thus And the man of Essence shall see thy Name c. that is he that is a man indeed he that is not a sot astock a stone Most men are men of folly and so not worthy of the name of men but as for such as are truly wise they shall see thy Name There is a great measure of spiritual Art of Holy and Heavenly Wisdome required both to enable a man to hear the voice of the Rod and to understand the language of the Rod This Wisdom is too high for a fool Prov. 24. 7. Shall see thy Name Now the Hebrew word here used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be better derived from Jare which signifies to feare than from Raah that signifies to see and so the words will run smoothly thus The man of wisdom or of essence shall fear thy Name considering that 't is majesty it self that cryeth and that he is immediately to deal with God himself and not with a poor weak mortal worm Hear ye the Rod. The word Hear is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shamang which signifies First To mark observe and attend to what is said Gen. 29. 33. The Lord hath heard that I was hated that is he hath marked it he hath observed it So here O mark the Rod O observe the Rod O attend to what is spoken by the Rod. Secondly The word signifies to understand what is spoken so Gen. 42. 23. They knew not that Joseph understood them In the Hebrew 'tis that Joseph heard them Now to hear the Rod is to understand what is spoken to us by the Rod. Thirdly The word signifies to believe a thing reported to be true so Exod. 6. 9. They hearkned not unto Moses that is they did not believe the report that Moses made Hear the Rod that is believe the report the Rod makes The Rod reports that of all evils Sin is the greatest evil and that of all bitters Sin is the greatest bitter O believe the report of the Rod. The Rod reports that God is angry that God is displeased Oh believe its report The Rod reports the creatures to be meer vanity and vexation of Spirit O believe its report The Rod reports our neerest and dearest comforts contentments and enjoyments to be mixt mutable and momentary O believe its report The Rod reports Sin to be vile and the world to be vain and Heaven to be glorious and Christ to be most precious O believe its report The Hebrew word hath three other significations but
being that they are not proper to our purpose I shall pass them by The Rod. The Hebrew word Matte that is here rendred Rod hath these three significations First It denotes Power and strength Psal 2. 9. A Rod of Iron Secondly It denotes Rigid and harsh Government Isa 14. 5. The Lord hath broken the staffe or Rod of the wicked that is their rigorous and cruel Government Nebuchadnezzar sorely afflicted the Children of Judah he was a Rod that brake them in pieces and ruled over them with much rigour in Babilon Thirdly It denotes sore afflictions and heavy Judgements Psal 89. 32. I will visit your transgressions with a Rod. And thus you are to understand the word Rod in the Text. And him that hath appointed it 'T is God that appoints the Rod and ordaines it for the revenge of the quarrel of his Covenant The Hebrew word Jegnadah signifies properly to appoint or constitute 'T is God who appoints the Rod and who constitutes it to do what service he pleaseth 'T is God that hath not only a permissive but also an active hand in all the afflictions that come upon his People And let thus much suffice for the opening of the words Now though this choice Garden affords many sweet Flowers yet I shall only present you with one which is this viz. That all the Afflictions troubles and tryals c. that God layes upon his People are his Rod and that 't is their highest and greatest concernment to hear the voyce of the Rod and to take out those Lessons that God would have them learn by the Rod. For the opening and clearing up of this important Point I shall endeavour these two things First To shew you in what respects Afflictions are like unto a Rod. Secondly To shew you what those special Lessons are that you are to learn by the Rod. For the First In what respects are afflictions like unto a Rod I Answer In these seven respects Afflictions are like unto a Rod. First The Rod is never made use of but when no fair means will prevail with the Child 'T is so here God never takes up the Rod he never afflicts his People till he 2 Chron. 36. 15 ult Mat. 23. 37 38. hath tryed all fair wayes and means to humble them and reform them And when none of the offers of grace the tenders of mercy the wooings of Christ the strivings of the Spirit northe smart debates of Conscience will awaken them nor work upon them then God takes up the Rod and sometimes whips them till the blood comes But Secondly Parents choose what Rods they please to correct their Children with The Child shall not choose what Rod he pleaseth to be corrected with O no 'T is the prerogative of the Father to choose the Rod the Father may choose and use either a great Rod or a little Rod a long Rod or a short Rod a Rod made up of Rosemary branches or a Rod made up of green Birch 'T is so here God chooseth what Rod what Affliction he pleaseth to exercise his people with You Lev. 26. Deut. 28. Lament 3. 9 18. read in the Scripture of very many Rods but they are all of Gods choosing Amos 3. 6. Is there any evil in the City and hath not the Lord done it Though there be many Rods to be found in the City yet there is not one of them but is of Gods choosing Ruth 1. 13. It grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me vers 21. I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty why then call ye me Naomi seeing the Lord hath testified against me and the Almighty hath afflicted me Isa 45. 7. I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things Mic. 1. 12. For the inhabitants of Maroth waited carefully for good but evil came down from the Lord unto the Gates of Jerusalem David was whipt with many Rods Psal 39. 9. Job 1 but they were all of Gods own choosing And Job was whipt with many Rods but they were all of Gods own choosing But Thirdly Parents take no pleasure they take no delight to use the Rod. Every lash the Father gives the Child fetches blood from his own heart The Father corrects the Child and sighs over the Child he whips the Child and at the same time weeps over the Child Nothing goes more against the Parents heart nor against their hair than the bringing of their Children under the Rod of Correction 'T is so here Lament 3. 3. For he doth not afflict willingly or as the Hebrew runs he doth not afflict Millibbo from his heart nor grieve the Children of men You often read that he delights in mercy but Mich. 7. 15. where do you once read that he delights in severity or in dealing roughly with his People God very rarely takes 2 Chron. 36. 16. Jer. 5. 19. up the Rod but when our sins have put a force upon him 'T is grievous to God to be a grieving his People 't is a pain unto him to be a punishing of them Hos 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together My Justice saith God calls upon me to rain Hell out of Heaven upon thee as once I did upon Sodom and Gomorah but then Mercy interposeth her four several how 's how how how how how shall I give thee up God puts these four pathetical interrogations to himself because none else in Heaven or Earth could answer them The Prophet brings in God speaking after the manner of men who being provoked a thousand thousand wayes by the vanities and follies of their Children think to give them up to take their own courses and to look no more after them but then their bowels begin to work and their hearts begin to melt and they begin to interrogate themselves thus How shall we give up these Children for though they be disobedient Children yet they are Children how can we turn them out of doores how can we disown them how can we disinherit them for though they are rebellious Children yet they are Children c. Afflictions are called Gods work yea his strange work his Isa 28. 21. act yea his strange act as if God were out of his element when he is afflicting or chastising his People But. Fourthly The Rod is smarting grievous and troublesom and so are afflictions to our natures Heb. 12. 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous Flesh and blood startles and is troubled at the least trouble Affliction is a sort of Physick that makes most sick Some write that Tygres will grow mad and tear their own flesh Plutarch lib. de superstitionâ— and rend themselves in pieces
that all diseases and sicknesses are limited by God in respect of the degrees to which they shall arise That God that sets bounds to the raging Sea and that saith unto it Thus far shalt thou go and no further that God sets bounds to all raging diseases and sicknesses and saith unto them thus far you shall go and no further He sets bounds to the Feaver he saith to it go and scorch and burn up such a body so much and no more and to the Dropsie go and drown such a body so much and no more and to the raging Pestilence go and weaken such a body so much and no more and to the Stone go and torment such a body so much and no more But Fifthly It is a very great point of Faith to believe that all diseases and sicknesses are limited by God as to their continuance God saith to one disease go hang upon such a man so many years to another go hang up such a man but a few years and to another go hang upon such a man but a year and to another go hang upon such a man but a few months and to another go hang upon such a man but a few weeks and to another go hang upon such a man but a few dayes and to another go hang upon such a man but a few hours c. and accordingly it cometh to pass But The eighth Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is to Gal. 5. 24. 1 Cor. 7. 29 30 31. Eccl. 1. 2. Prov. 23. 5. Jer. 45. 4 5 get more weaned and more mortified affections to all worldly comforts contentments and enjoyments A man never comes to experience so much of the emptiness the nothingness the uselesness the vanity the mutability the impotency the insufficiency and the uncertainty of all worldly comforts and enjoyments as when he comes to fall under the Rod. The constant cry of the Rod is Be dead to the profits pleasures honours and applauses of the world be dead to relations be dead to friends be dead to every thing below a living Jesus But The ninth Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is to get assurance of greater and better things than any this world doth afford That saying Heb. 10. 33 34. is as true as it is old viz. That the assurance of an eternal life is the life of this temporal life But having spoke so much of this particular in my Treatise on Assurance which is now in your hands I shall satisfie my self with this hint at present But The tenth Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is not to despise the Rod Heb. 12. 5. My Son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord. The Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is translated despise signifies the littling of a thing O do not little the Rod do not lessen it do not slight it do not make a tush at it do not set light by it do not say I will not regard it he that doth shews himself rather to be a Roman than a Christian Now because there is such a desperate aptness proness in many to make light of the Rod it will be your wisdom seriously to lay to heart these four particulars First That it is an immediate hand of God and therefore not to be despised 'T is a Am. 3. 6. Deut. 28. 58 59 60 61. sad and sinful thing to despise the mediate hand of God but 't is more sad and sinful to despise the immediate hand of God But Secondly 'T is a mighty hand of God 1 Pet. 5. 6. Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time Certainly Am. 4. 10. 11. Ez. 38. 22 23. that heart must be mightily wicked that dares despise the mighty hand of God But Thirdly 'T is an angry hand of God and therefore do not despise it Psal 90. 7. For we are consumed by thy anger and by thy wrath are we troubled Vers 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy Num. 16. 46. Ez. 33. 27 28. 29 Deut 29. 22. 23 24. 25 wrath Shall Devils tremble under his angry hand Yea shall they roar as the Sea under his 〈◊〉 wrathful hand as that Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports in that James 2. 19. And will you presume to despise his angry hand the Lord forbid but Fourthly and lastly Consider that it is a holy hand it is a just and righteous hand it is a faithful hand of God and therefore do not despise it Jer. 29. 17 18 19. Lev. 26. 25. Jer 14. 12 13 14. 15. 16 Psal 119. 75. I know O Lord that thy Judgmentt are right or righteousness and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me Vers 137. Righteous art thou O Lord and upright are thy Judgments Certainly none but unholy persons will be so impudent as to despise Gods holy hand Well The Eleventh Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is not to be discouraged under the Rod Heb. â—2 Nor Jer. 27. 13. 2 Sam. 24. 10 17. faint when thou art rebuked of him First It is a Rod in a fathers hand and therefore do not faint under it Secondly God will do much good by the Rod and therefore do not faint under the Rod. Thirdly You could not have been without the Rod and therefore do not faint under the Rod. Fourthly The Rod that is now upon is not according to the greatness of Gods anger nor according to to the greatness of his power nor according to the strictness of his Justice nor according to the demerits of your sins nor according to the malitious desires of Satan nor according to the designes plots and contrivances of wicked and unreasonable men nor according to the extensiveness of your fears for you have feared worse things than you feel nor according to that Rod that hath been upon the Primitive Saints nor according to that Rod that many thousands of the precious sons and daughters of Zion are under in other parts of the world and therefore do not faint under the Rod do not be discouraged under the Rod. Fifthly by fainting under the Rod you will gratifie Satan reproach religion render your selves unserviceable and make work for future Repentance and therefore do not faint under the Rod. But The Twelfth Lesson that you 2 Chron. 32. 25 26. Lev. 26. 40 41 42. Mic. 7. 9. Lam. 3. 30. Luke 21. 10. are to learn under the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is humbly to kiss the Rod and patiently quietly to lye under the Rod till the Lord shall either give you a gracious or a glorious deliverance from it What is the Rod and what is the raging Pestilence to the horrors of Conscience to the flames of hell or to an everlasting separation
brother front the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he will come and smite me and the Mother with the children or upon the children meaning he he will put all to death Some look upon the words to be a metaphor taken from Fowlers who kill and take away the young and the Dams together contrary to that old law Deut. 22. 6. Others say 't is a Phrase that doth most lively represent the tenderness of a mother who seeing her children in distress spares not her own body nor life to hazard the same for her childrens preservation by interposing See Hos 10. 14. her self even to be massacred together with and upon them When Jacob and all that was near and dear unto him were in eminent danger of being cut off by Esau and those men of blood that were with him he betakes himself to private prayer as his only City of refuge against the rage and malice of the mighty And so when Jeremiah was in a solitary and loathsome Dungeon Private prayer was his meat and drink it was his only City of refuge Jer. 33. 1 2 3. Moreover the word of Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time while he was yet shut up in the Court of the prison saying Thus saith the Lord the Maker thereof the Lord that formed it to establish it the Lord is his Name Call unto me and I will answer thee I will shew thee great and mighty or hidden things which thou knowest not When Jeremiah was in a lonesome loathsome Prison God encourages him by private prayer to seek for further discoveries and revelations of those choice and singular favours which in future times he purposed to confer upon his people So 2 Chron. 33. 11 12 13. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the Host of the King of Assyria which took Manasseh among the thorns and bound him with fetters or chains and carried him to Babylon And when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his Kingdome Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God When Manasseh was in fetters in his enemies country when he was stript of all his Princely glory and led captive into Babylon he betakes himself to Private prayer as his only City of refuge and by this means he prevailes with God for his restauration to his Crown and Kingdome Private prayer is a City of refuge that no power nor Policy no craft nor cruelty no violence nor force is ever able to surprize Though the joynt prayers of the People of God together were often obstructed and hindered in the times of the ten Persecutions yet they were never able to obstruct or hinder secret prayer Private prayer When men and Devils have done their worst every Christian will be able to maintain his Private trade with Heaven Private prayer will shelter a christian against all the National Domestical and Personal stormes and tempests that may threaten him When a man is lying upon a sick bed alone or when a man is in prison alone or when a man is with Job left upon the Dunghil alone or when a man is with John banished for the Testimony of Jesus into this or that Island alone O then private prayer will be his meat and drink his shelter his hiding place his Heaven When all other Trades faile this Trade of private Prayer will hold good But. Fourteenthly Consider that Jer. 16. 17. Job 34. 21. Prov. 5. 21. Jer. 32. 19. Rev. 2. 23. Lam. 3 56. God is omnipresent We cannot get into any blind hole or dark corner or secret place but the Lord hath an eye there the Lord will keep us company there Math. 6. 6. And thy father which seeth in secret shall reward the openly So v. 18. there is not the darkest durtiest hole in the world into which a saint creeps but God hath a favourable eye there God never wants an eye to see our secret tears nor an eare to heare our secret cryes and groans nor a heart to grant our secret requests and therefore we ought to pour out our souls to him in secret Psal 38. 9. Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hide from thee Though our private desires are never so confused though our private requests are never so broken and though our private groanings are never so much hidden from men yet God eyes them all God records them all and God puts them all upon the file of heaven and will one day crown them with glorious answers and returns We cannot sigh out a prayer in secret but he sees us we cannot lift up our eyes to him at midnight but he observes us The eye that God hath upon his people when they are in secret is such a special tender eye of love as opens his ear his heart and his hand for their good 1 Pet. 3. 12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers or as the Greek hath it his ears are unto their prayers If their prayers are so faint that they cannot reach up as high as Heaven then God will bow the heavens God is totus oculus all eye and come down to their prayers Gods eye is upon every secret sigh every secret groan every secret tear and every secret desire and every secret pant of love and every secret breathing of soul and every secret melting and working of heart all which should encourage us to be much in secret duties in closet-services As a Christian is never out of the reach of Gods hand so he is never out of the view of Gods eye If a Christian cannot hide himself from the Sun which is Gods Minister of light how impossible will it be to hide himself from him whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun In every private duty a christian is stil under the eye of Gods omnisciency When we are in the darkest hole God hath windows into our breasts and observes all the secret actings of our inward man The 1 Tim. 2. 8. eye of God is not confined to this place or that to this company or that God hath an eye upon his people as well when they are alone as when they are among a multitude as well when they are in a corner as well as when they are in a croud Diana's Temple was burnt down when she was busie at Alexanders birth and could not be at two places together But God is present both in Paradise and in the wilderness both in the family and in the closet both in publick and in private at the same time God is an omnipresent God he is Non est ubi ubi non est Deus every where as he is included in no place so he is excluded from no place
then sixthly and lastly they pray for a good night after their day Certainly these very Moors will one day rise in judgement against them who cast off prayer who live in a total neglect of prayer who suffer so many Suns and Moons to rise and set upon their heads without any solemn calling upon God I have read of a man who being sick and afraid of death fell to his prayers and to move God to hear him told him That he was no common beggar and that he had never troubled him with his prayers before Heil Mic. p. 376. and if he would but hear him at that time he would never trouble him again This world is full of such prophane blasphemous atheistical wretches But Thirdly This truth looks very sourly and sadly upon such who are all for publick prayer but never regard private prayer who are â—ll for going up to the Temple but never care for going into their Closets This is most palpable hypocrisie for a man to be very zealous for publick prayer but very cold and careless as to private prayer He that pretends conscience in the one and makes no conscience of the other is an hypocrite in grain Matth. 23. 5. Matth. 6. 1 2 5. And the Devil knowes well enough how to make his markets of all such hypocrites that are all for the prayers of the Church but perfect Gallio's as to private prayer Acts 18. 17. Such as perform all their private devotion in the Church but not in the Chamber do put too great a slight upon the authority of Christ who saith When thou prayest enter into thy Chamber he doth not say when thou prayest Go to the Church but when thou prayest go into thy Chamber But Fourthly This truth looks sadly and sourly upon such who in their Closets pray with a loud clamorous voice A Christian should shut both the door of his Closet and the door of his Lips so close that none should hear without what he saith within Enter into thy Closet saith Christ and when thou hast shut thy door pray But what need a man shut his Closet door if he may pray with a clamorous voice if he make such a noise as all in the street or all in the house may hear him The Hen when she lays her Eggs gets into a hole a corner but then she makes such a noise with her cackling that she tells all in the house where she is and about what she is Such Christians that in their Closets do imitate the Hen do rather pray to be seen heard and observed by men than out of any noble design to glorifie God or to pour out their souls before him that seeth in secret Sometimes children when they are vext or afraid of the rod will run behind the door or get into a dark hole and there they will lye crying and sighing and sobbing that all the house may know where they are O 't is a childish thing so to cry and sigh and sob in our Closets as to tell all in the house where we are and about what work we are Well Christians for an effectual redress of this evil frequently and seriously consider of these five things First That God seeth in secret Secondly That God hath a quick ear and is taken more with the voice of the heart than he is with the clamour of the mouth God can easily hear the most secret breathings of thy soul God is more curious in observing the messages delivered by the heart than he is those that are only delivered by the mouth He that prays aloud in private seems to tell others that God doth not understand the secret desires and thoughts and workings of his peoples hearts Thirdly 'T is not meet 't is not convenient nor expedient that any should be acquainted with our secret prayers but God and our own souls Now 't is as much our duty to look to what is expedient as 't is 2 Cor. 8. 10 Chap. 12. 1. to look to what is lawful 1 Cor. 6. 12. All things are lawful unto me but all things are not expedient So Chap. 10. 23. All things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient all things are lawful for me but all things edifie not Now 't is so far from being expedient that 't is very high folly for men to lay open their secret infirmities unto others that will rather deride them than lift up a prayer for them Fourthly Loud prayers may be a hinderance and disturbance to others that may be busied near us in some Religious or Civil exercises Fifthly and lastly Hannah prayed and yet spoke never a word her heart was full but her voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1. 11. Moses prayes and cries and yet le ts fall never a word Exod. 14. 15. And the Lord said unto Moses wherefore cryest thou unto me Moses did not cry with any audible voice but with inward sighs and secret breathings and wrestlings of soul and these inward and secret cries which made no noise carried the day with God for Moses is heard and answered and his people are delivered O the prevalency of those prayers that make no noise in the ears of others Fifthly and lastly This truth looks sourly and sadly upon those that do all they can to hinder and discourage others from this duty of duties Private prayer and that either by deriding or vilifying of the duty or else by denying of it to be a duty or else by their daily neglect of this duty or else by denying them that are under them time and opportunity for the discharge of this duty In Matth. 23. 13. You have a woe pronounced against those that will neither goe to Heaven themselves nor suffer others to goe that are willing to enter into an everlasting rest And so I say woe to those Parents and woe to those Husbands and woe to these Masters and Mistrises that will neither pray in their closets themselves nor suffer their children nor their wives nor their servants to pour out their souls before the Lord in a corner O Sirs how will you answer this to your consciences when you shall lye upon a dying bed and how will you answer it to the Judge of all the world when you shall stand before a Judgment seat Certainly all their sins and all their neglects and all their spiritual losses that might have been prevented by their secret prayers by their closet communion with God will one day be charg'd upon your accounts And O that you were all so wise as to lay these things so to heart that you may never hinder any that are under your care or charge from private prayer any more But Secondly This may serve to exhort us to keep close to our Closets to be frequent and constant in Private prayer to be often with God in a corner The 20 Considerations already laid down may serve as so many motives to provoke your hearts to this noble and necessary duty Objection
Fifthly I answer That 't is our 'T is said of blessed Pooper that he was spare of diet spare of words and sparest of Time duty to redeem time from all our secular businesses for private prayer All sorts of Christians whether bond or free rich or poor high 〈◊〉 low superiours or inferiours are expresly charged by God to redeem time for prayer for private prayer as well as for other holy exercises Col. 4. 2 3. Continue inprayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving withal praying also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds But here some may Object and say we have so much business to do in the world that we have no time for prayer The Apostle answers this Objection in Vers 5. Walk in wisdom towards them that are without redeeming the time So Ephes 5. 16. Redeeming the time because the dayes are evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or buying out or gaining the time The words are a metaphor taken from Merchants who prefer the least profit that may be gained before their pleasures or delights closely following their business whilst the markets are at best A Merchant when he comes to a â—art or Fair takes the first season and opportunity of buying his commodities he puts it not off to the hazard of an evening or to the next morning in hopes to have a better bargain but he improves the present season and buyes before the Market is over Others carry the words thus Purchase at any rate all occasions and opportunities of doing good that so ye may thereby in some sort redeem that precious Jewel of Time which you have formerly lost As Travellers that have loytered by the way or staid long at their Inn when they find night coming upon them they mend their pace and go as many miles in an hour as they did before in many Though time let slip is physically irrecoverable yet in a moral consideration it is accounted as regained when men double their care diligence and endeavours to redeem it The best Christian is he that is the greatest momopolizer of time for private prayer No Christian to him that redeems time from his worldly occasions and his lawful comforts and recreations to be with God in his Closet David having tasted of the sweetness goodness and graciousness of God cannot keep his bed but will borrow some time from his sleep that he might take some turns in Paradise and pour out his soul in prayer and Psal 63. 6. praises when no eye was open to see him nor no ear open to hear him but all were asleep round about him Psal 119. 62. At midnight will I arise to give thanks unto thee Vers 147. I have prevented the dawning of the morning and cried David was up and at private prayer before day-break David was no sluggish Christian no sloathful Christian no lazy Christian he used to be in his closet when others were sleeping in their beds So Vers 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-watches that I might meditate in thy word So Psal 130. 6. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning Look as the weary Sentinel in a dark cold wet night waits and peeps and peeps and waits for the appearance of the morning so David did wait and peep and peep and wait for the first and fittest season to pour out his soul before God in a corner David would never suffer his worldly business to justle out holy exercises he would often borrow time from the world for private prayer but he would never borrow time from private prayer to bestow it upon the world Mr. Bradford the Martyr counted that hour lost wherein he did not some good either with his pen tongue or purse Ignatius when he heard a Clock strike would use to say Now I have one hour more to answer for So the Primitive Christians would redeem some time from their sleep that they might be with God in their Closets as Clemens observes Clemens And I have read of Theodosius the Emperour that after the variety Nicephorus of worldly imployments relating to his civil affaires in the day time were over how he was wont to consecratethe greatest part of the night to the studying of the Scriptures and private prayer to which purpose he had a Lamp so artificially made that it supplied it self with oyl that so he might no way be interrupted in his private retirements That Time ought to be redeemed is a lesson that hath been taught by the very Heathens themselves 'T was the saying of Pittacus one of the seven wise men Know time lose not a minute And so Theophrastus used to say That Time is of precious cost And so Seneca Time is the only thing saith he that we can innocently be covetous of and yet there is nothing of which many are more lavishly and profusely prodigal And Chresius a Sophister or Byzantium in the time of Hadrianus the Emperour he was much given to Wine yet he alwayes counted time so precious that when he had mis-spent his time all the day he would redeem it at night When Titus Vespatian who revenged Christs blood on Jerusalem returned Victor to Rome remembring Suetonius one night as he sate at supper with his friends that he had done no good that day he uttered this memorable and praise-worthy Apothegme Amici diem perdidi My friends I have lost a day Chilo one of the seven Sages being asked what was the hardest thing in the world to be done answered To use and employ a mans time well Cato held That an account must be given not only of our labour but also of our leisure And Aelian gives this testimony of the Lacedemonians That they were hugely covetous of their time spending it all about necessary things and suffering no Citizen either to be idle or play And saith another We trifle with that which is most precious and throw away that which is our greatest interest to redeem Certainly these Heathens will tise in Judgment not only against Domitian the Roman Emperour who spent much of his time in killing of flyes nor only against Archimedes who spent his time in drawing lines on the ground when Syracuse was taken nor against Artaxerxes who spent his time in in making hafts for knives nor only against Solyman the great Turk who spent his time in making notches of horn for bows nor only against Eroâ—â—s a Macedonian king who spent his time in making of Lanthorns nor only against Harcatus the king of Parthia who spent his time in catching of Moles But also against many Professors who in stead of redeeming of precious time do trifle and fool away much of their precious time at the Glass the Combe the Lute the Viol the Pipe or at vain sports and foolish pastimes or by idle jestings immoderate
his own heart Look as the holy Spirit is not always a teaching Spirit nor always a leading Spirit nor always a comforting Spirit nor alwayes a sealing Spirit nor alwayes a witnessing Spirit nor alwayes an assuring Spirit to any of the Saints so he is not alwayes a supplicating Spirit in any of the Saints When he is grieved vexed quenched provoked he may suspend his gracious influences and deny the soul his assistance and what can a Christian then say or do But Secondly I answer Thou canst not pray but canst thou not sigh nor groan neither there may be the spirit of Adoption in sighs and groans as well as in vocal prayer Rom. 8. 26. The force the vertue the efficacie the excellency of prayer doth not consist in the number and flourish of words but in the supernatural motions of the spirit in sighs and groans and pangs and strong affections of heart that are unspeakable and unutterable Certainly the very soul of prayer lyes in the pouring out of a mans soul before the Lord though it be but in sighs groans and tears 1 Sam. 1. 13 19. One sigh and groan from a broken heart is better pleasing to God than all humane eloquence But Thirdly I answer Beg of God to teach thee to pray O beg the holy spirit that is a spirit of prayer God hath promised his holy spirit to them that ask it Luk. 11. 13. If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that ask him Ezek. 36. 26 27. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will takeaway the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and doe them Ezek. 11. 19. And I will give them one heart I will put a new Spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh Zech. 12. 10. I will pour upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication Now Gracious promises are Gods bonds and he loves to see his people put them in suit God expects Isa 62. 6 7. Isa 42. 25 26. that we should be his Remembrancers and that we should pray over his promises When he had promised great things to his people concerning Justification Sanctification Preservation he subjoynes Yet I will for this be enquired of by Ezek. 36. 37. the house of Israel to doe it God looks that we should spread his gracious promises before him as Hezekiah Isa 37. 14. did Seanacheribs letter God is never better pleased than when his people importune him in his own words and urge him with arguments taken from his owne promises Though God be a very affectionate father and a very liberal father yet he is not a prodigal father for he will never throw away his mercies on such as will not stoutly and humbly plead out his promises with him God loves to take state upon him and will be sought unto both for his giving in of mercies and for his making good of precious promises Thou sayest thou can'st not pray why can'st thou not goe into a corner and spread the Promises last cited before the Lord and tell him how much it concernes his honour glory as well as thy own internal eternal good to make good those gracious promises that he hath made concerning his giving of his Spirit to them that ask him and his putting his Spirit within them and his pouring out a Spirit of grace and supplication upon them We read of Tamar that when Gen. 38. 18 25. Judah her father-in-law lay with her she took as a pledge his signet bracelets and staffe and afterwards when she was in great distress and ready to be burnt as an Harlot she then brought out her staff and signet and Bracelets and said by the man whose these are am I with child and thereby she saved her life The promises are as so many rich Mines they are as so many choice flowers of paradise they are the food life and strength of the soul They are as a staffe to support the soul and they are as a signet and Bracelets to adorne the soul and to enrich the soul and therefore poor sinners should bring them forth and lay them before the Lord and urge God with them there being no way on earth to save a mans soule and to prevent a burning in Hell like this Concerning precious promises let me give you these eight hints First that they are truly propounded stated by God Mark 10. 30. Secondly That they shall certainly be performed 2 Cor. 1. 20. they being all made in and thorow Christ they are made first to Christ and then to all that have union and communion with him Sirtorius saith Plutarch paid what he promised with fair words but so doth not God Men many times say and unsay they often eate their words as soon as they have spoken them but God will never eat the words that are gone out of his mouth Isa 46. 10 11. My counsel shall stand and I will doe all my pleasure yea I have spoken it I will also bring it to pass I have purposed it I will also doe it Thirdly That they all issue from free grace from special love Hos 14. 4. from divine goodness Fourthly That they are all as Jer. 31. 3. unchangable as he is that made them Fifthly That they are all bottomed and Mal. 3. 6. founded upon the truth faithfulness and all sufficiency of God Sixthly That they are pledges and pawnes of great things that Heb. 13. 5. God will doe for his people in time Seventhly That they are most Heb. 6. 12. sure and certain evidences of divine favour and a declaration of the Num. 23. 19. heart and good will of God to his poor people Eighthly That they are the price of Christs blood Now how should all these things encourage poor souls to be still a pressing of God with his promises But Fourthly You say you cannot pray c. O that you would leave off objecting and fall upon praying If you cannot pray as you would nor as you should pray as well as you can Josephs brethren stood so long dallying delaying and trifling out the time that having a Journey to goe to buy corn they might have bought and returned twice before they went and bought once When Eliah called Elizeus he goes about the bush 1 Kings 19. 20. and he must needs goe bid his father and mother farewel before he could follow the Prophet O friends take heed of dallying delaying trifling going about the bush when you should be a faling upon the work of prayer What though
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