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
the word is necessary and so is this nor must the one justle out the other yea these secret duties help us to profit by publick Ordinances If dung be poured down on heaps in the field it doth no good it must be spread abroad before it make fruitful ground The plaister heals not except it be applyed so the Word must be spread on our hearts by serious and secret Meditation and Application or else it will never make our souls healthful and fruitful and then we must pray over it for the showers of divine grace to wash it and work it into our hearts Many Sermons are lost for want of souls taking them home to their Closets and turning them to Prayer I fear all will be little enough that Ministers can preach or write upon this theam I doubt still this work will be either totally neglected or negligently performed it s an hard work the spirit must travel in it and saith good Mr. Bains the Saints can indure better to hear an hour than to pray a quarter yea our trifling hearts will make any excuse to shift from this duty or shuffle it off nay though it be in exchange for another a sign the work is of God and tending much to the souls good or else Satan and our corrupt hearts would never so much hinder or oppose it Pâ—or Soul it may be thou lookest abroad and seest much wickedness committed holiness persecuted thy God dishonoured many things out of order thou wantest a capacity to bring a remedy I must therefore say to thee as it 's reported Albertus Crantzius said to â—…her when he began to oppose the Pope Frater vade in cellam die Miserere mei Deus Brother go into thy cell and say God be merciful unto me so say I. Alas thy interest and influence reacheth but a little way to mend a wicked world though thou must seek to perform as far as thy place and calling extends but go thy way to thy God in thy Closet bewail thy sins and the sins of others plead with God for thine own soul Busie thy self about thyself set all straight at home take heed of that which the poor Church complains of Cant. 1.6 They made me the keeper of the vinyards but mine own vinyard have I not kept Oh leave other things undone rather than this great matter that concerns the affairs of thine own soul Mr. Fox tells us of one Peter Moyce a German Martyr being called before the Synod at Dornick Acts mon. 2. vol. lib. 8. fol. 1â—2 they began to examine him in certain Articles of Religion to whom as he was about to answer boldly and expresly to every point they interrupting him bad him say in two words Yea or Nay Then said he If you will not suffer me to answer for my self in things of such importance send me to my Prison again among my Toads and Frogs which will not interrupt me while I talk with my Lord my God Oh Christian the time may come or is already when men may stop thy mouth and will not suffer thee to witness a good confession withdraw thy self from men and retire unto thy God who will make thee freely welcom to pour out thy soul to him in secret He 'l neither stop thy mouth nor stop his car he bids thee Open thy mouth wide Psal 81.10 And he tells thee His ear is open to thy cry Psal 34.15 That cast not ask such great things as he can and will give Only see thou beest a Child of God Naturalists tell of a precious Stone of an excellent vertue yet loseth all its efficacy when 't is put into a dead mans mouth so Prayer in the lips of a Saint or a righteous man availeth much but the Prayer of the wicked is not only ineffectual but abominable to God See to your states and then see that you pray aright for manner matter end many ask and receive not because they ask amiss Above all Soul in thy secret addresses to God take heed of a trifling spirit thou'lt find most ado with thy self herein our wanton spirits are loath to be pent up in the narrow room of a spiritual performance we love to take our liberty in ranging abroad to a thousand objects but Christian as thou lovest thy peace thy Soul thy God look to thy spirit in secret Prayer Do not trifle away thy time upon thy knees let not thy words freeze as they come from thee let no discouragements beat thee off the Woman of Canaan as one saith takes the Bullets that Christ shot at her and with an humble boldness of faith sends them back again in Prayer which indeed reach'd his heart and prevailed with God for mercy But I shall inlarge no more at present but refer thee to this small Treatise wherewith I have according to my poor talent laid before thee this great duty What effect it shall have I know not my God knows in whose hands the blessing of our endeavours lyes Get alone and pray over this Book and for the unworthy sinful Author as he desires to do for thee into whose hand this may come let our Prayers daily meet at the throne of Grace till our souls meet before the throne of God if thou receivest any good by this or any other work this poor worm hath handed to thee ascribe nothing to the instrument but all to the agent and efficient our good God from whom comes every good and perfect gift disdains not the work for the plainness of the stile it was purposely put in this dress for the vulgars benefit and if it or my self be exposed to censure for that 't is welcom I write not to please learned Scholars but to profit plain Christians whose spiritual good I prefer above any credit to my self I am sure there is none due there being few of my brethren but they transcend me in parts and learning But by the grace of God I am what I am 1 Cor. 15.10 Nor is that grace altogether in vain for as it hath helped me in labours so he hath in some measure blessed my labours though I be nothing the least of Saints not meet to be called a Minister Did those that read my labours know me they would be ready to despise my undertakings this I speak because my former book hath found such good acceptance and this is so much desired And that no man think of me above what he knoweth to be in me my heart hath been near fainting through discouragements from my great weakness had I not been supported many a time with that word in 2 Cor. 4.7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the Power may be of God and not of Man Whence I gather that God can make use of weak unlearned sinful instruments to do great works and he can use persons of mean abilities to accomplish his glorious ends in converting souls as well as the profoundest Clerks or wisest men on
86 Sect. 2. 4 Duties consequent to it 87 1 Observe Gods appearance ibid. 2. Walk suitably 88 Sect. 3. 3 Wait for Returns 90 4 Communicate Experiments 91 CHAP. VII Sect. 1. Concerning matter or words of prayer 94 1 Lords-Prayer is paraphrased 95 Sect. 2. 2 Wherein an example propounded from Jacob Exod. 32.10 in ten particulars 98 CHAP. VIII Sect. 1. 4 Vse of Exhortation to Closet-prayer pressed by ten Expostulatory Arguments 103 Sect. 2. Objections answered as 1 I perform Family-duty Answ 110 2. I am a poor Labouring man Ans ibid. 3. I am a Servant and cannot Ans 111 4 I want a convenient place Ans 112 5 I know some Christians against it Ans 113 Sect. 3. 6 I find not my heart prepared Ans 114 7 I meet with temptations Ans 115 8 I get no good by it Ans 116 9 I want gifts for it Ans 117 10 'T is too much ado labour Ans 118 Sect. 4. Cases of conscience answered 1 What difference betwixt Saint and hypocrite 120 2 Whether may a man ingage by vow 121 3 How may we know communion with God 122 4 What must I do if I find no good ibid. The Whole concluded with Exhortation 124 MATTH 6.6 But thou when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly CHAP. I. SECT I. The Context cleared IN this excellent Sermon of our precious Saviour in the Mount we have both the Gospel clearly Propounded and the Law solidly expounded The corrupt and carnal Pharisees had degraded God's holy Law from its spiritual extent and regiment by their low and literal glosses but our Saviour restores it to its dignity and authority over hearts and consciences In this Chapter the best Preacher that ever opened his mouth doth admirably explain the Adjuncts Offices and Exercises of true Piety which are principally three Alms Prayer and Fasting to ver 19. Particularly concerning the Duty of Prayer there were two material destructive Faults which the Scribes and Pharisees were guilty of in that sweet and solemn Ordinance Those were 1. Hypocrisie 2. Battologie or vain-babling Jesus Christ rebukes and rectifies both 1. They were wont to perform their private devotions in publick places meerly for vain-glory to be seen of men as in the Synagogues or in the Streets ver 5. Now for the Disciples practice in this case he commands them to withdraw themselves out of the view of men into some solitary place and there perform that Duty where they are least exposed to the danger of ostentation ver 6. 2. Another fault that our Redeemer rebukes in the Duty of Prayer is vain Repetitions And though he only mention it here as the Heathens fault ver 7. yet certainly the Scribes and Pharisees might also be guilty of it for they are censured for their long Prayers Mat. 23.14 Yet upon different accounts Here the Heathens use vain repetitions that they may move God There the Scribes and Pharisees make long Prayers that they may deceive men and devour Widows houses This Text saith They think they shall be heard for their much speaking just as Baal's Priests 1 King 18.26 They called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon saying O Baal hear us they leapt upon the Altar and cryed aloud and cut themselves with knives and lancers till the blood gushed out upon them No doubt this was done to move their cruel god or rather stupid block to some pity and compassion Just as the frantick Papists do at this day in their self-tormenting penances But our God who is the searcher of hearts delights more in ardent affections than in either extension of the voice or multiplication of words or excruciating afflictions of the outward man Therefore our Saviour tells us that when we pray we come not to inform God of any thing he is ignorant of ver 8. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him But we pray that our own hearts may be affected and that we may have the condition of acceptance And for the rectifying of this abuse of vain babling in Prayer Christ propounds and presents to us an exact draught and compendious platform of Prayer in that which is commonly called The Lords Prayer not as though men should say only those words and no more for then the Apostles had failed in praying in other terms but that this might be a directory for Prayer So that every thing we ask Ut aliter orare quam docuit non Ignorantia sola est sed Culpa Cyp. serm ad orat Domin pag. 408. should be reducible to some of those heads mentioned in this perfect platform So that as Cyprian saith To pray otherwayes than he hath taught either as to the manner or substance of the matter 't is not only ignorance but an offence and indeed we cannot expect to be heard except we ask as well according to Christs mind as in his name But this is not the subject I have chosen to insist upon That which falls under our present cognizance from this Text is The modification of Prayer with respect to the circumstance of privacy solitariness or retirement The Text holds forth the warrant for and manner of carrying on the great work of Closet-Prayer a copious Subject a precious Duty In which are 1 The Place for it a Closet 2 The clossness of the place Door-shut 3 The object of the worship Thy Father 4 The Arguments to inforce thy Duty 1 Gods omniscience he sees 2 His munificence will reward SECT II. The words opened FOr a more distinct opening of the words according to the parts before-mentioned consider 1. What is meant by a Closet here Some understand and interpret it not literally but mystically making an Allegory of it as though it did import interiorem cordis recessum the inner recesses or motions of the heart but though that be a truth and duty That we must pray in the closet of the heart yet I humbly conceive that is not the proper meaning of this place for we need not interpret this plain word in such a borrowed sense since multitudes of Scriptures are so express for worshipping God with the heart Besides that is not suitable to the scope of the place which opposeth self-retirement to the Pharisaical modes of devotion Leigh in Crit. Sac. in verb. The word then is to be literally taken and in general imports any secret place where a thing is laid up Mat. 24.26 Luk. 12.3 particularly it signifies a Safe or Cupboard to lay victuals in or a locked Chest wherein a treasure is usually reserved or it s taken as indeed here and oft elsewhere for a closs or secret chamber a withdrawing-room Quemvis locum occultum notat Par. retiring-place where a person is not seen or heard nor yet is disturbed in his devotions by any noise or
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
tears and groanings in secret Oh sirs if others sins draw you not to secret Prayer let your own which may afford matter of abundant grief in your Closets and retirement 8. Would you not prevent and circumvent wicked mens secret plots Be sure then you undermine them by secret Prayer The Devil and the Pope have many closs and conclave consultations to undermine the Protestant Religion and to root out the name of Israel from under Heaven they are working under ground to do us mischief we have seen by the light of London's flames their hellish devices in their dark vaults Wicked men lye in wait secretly as a Lion in his den to catch the poor and murder the innocent Psal 10. Psal 64.1 2 4 5. 8 9. And now what course is to be taken for preventing these horrid designs Alas we have no other remedy but the ancient Christians weapons Prayers and Tears these may break their nets and blunt their weapons good Jeremiah knew not that they had devised devices against him but he reveals his cause to God in prayer and then God shews him their doings and prevents their attempts Jer. 11.18 19 20. Saints Closet-prayers may break wicked mens Closet-plots Fall closs then to this great duty 9. Would you not be condemned by the Heathens Chamber-Idolatry Oh then do you perform Chamber and Closet-Duties They had their Divos penetrales or Penates their Houshold-gods and Closet-images they had their opertanea and tenebrosa sacra their covered vailed and mysterious exercises in secret places And the Jews borrowed several mystical rites of the Heathens hence we read in Ezek. 8.12 of Chambers of imagery as the Papists at this day have their Crucifixes their petty-Chamber Closet deities where they drop their Beads and do homage to their Idols and shall these in their blind superstition condemn our irreligion Shall it be said of a devout Philosopher that in so many years he spoke more with the gods than with men And shall it be said of any of us that God even the true God is not in all our thoughts or so little in our lips at least in secret solemn addresses to him Let not poor ignorant Papists out-strip us in devotion Since there is such vast difference 10. Would you not be suitable to Gods dispensations When the Lord our God puts us to silence and into solitary places he expects that we should visit him there Cant. 2.14 Oh my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret place of the stairs i. e. in an afflicted persecuted and desolate condition Let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice i. e. in the duties of Prayer praise and Gospel-Ordinances For then was her voice sweet and countenance comely when they are cast out then doth God expect and entertain them And this advantage have Gods children had by privacy into which they were cast as we heard before of Jeremiah Chap. 15.15 So the afflicted Church Lam. 3.28 29. When she sitteth alone in solitariness then she putteth her mouth in the dust in fasting and prayer and so a particular person as there Now a man is at leisure for it While persons have their full imployment or enjoyments they are too busie but when persons are taken off other wayes 't is time to retire themselves and retreat to God The less comfort persons find in publick Ordinances the more serious must they be in Closet-performances that the loss may be supplied some way SECT II. Several Objections Answered T Is strange if our carnal hearts and cavilling spirits have not something to say against this difficult duty I shall therefore mention what Objections I can foresee may be made and briefly answer them 1. Obj. We pray in our families and is not that enough What needs all this ado Answ 1. This Objection cannot be made by all some have no Families to pray with but if thou dost pray in thy family 't is well there 's many graceless heads and prayerless houses Of which it may be said The fear of God is not in this place Oh the wrath that shall be poured out on such Families But suppose thou dost Family-prayer is one thing and Closet-prayer is another and let me tell thee God never made one duty to supersede another you must not justle out one work because you are bound to perform another Every thing is beautiful in its place and season Gods Commandments are exceeding broad and take in a great compass of duties You must worship God in your Houses that exempts you not from worshipping God in your Closets no more than in the publick Assemblies There 's equal commands for all necessity of all neglect any at your peril Besides I told you a Child of God hath a secret errand to his Father that it is not fit his family should know of and upon this account God hath appointed Closet-Prayer as tendering the credit of his people that they might not discover their spiritual nakedness to any but to that God who knows their secrets and will keep their counsel And I must tell thee Soul thou art very little sensible of thy spiritual state or wants if thou have nothing to say to God that thou wouldst not have others to hear 2. Obj. But I am a poor man and busie in my calling and cannot take so much time in Closet-Prayer I have other occasions Answ Friend hast thou any greater business than the affairs of thy soul let thy calling stand still rather than thy soul should be damned Cursed be those occasions that eat out Religion But consider you may follow both Callings if you be observant our general and particular callings must not interfere Clean creatures divided the hoof considerate Christians are such as rightly proportion works to their particular seasons A chief part of David's Arithmetick of numbring daies was in that which we call Division to cast the account of this our short life so as to divide the little total sum thereof into the several portions of time due for performing every duty in The hand-maid may not thrust out the Mistress nor the Shop have all and Chamber none of our time You are flat Atheists if you think Praying will hinder your work No no Nobis pietate peculâ—a Câ—escunt Mant. it blesseth and expediteth temporal affairs We use to say Meat and Mattins hinder no work Canst thou not get time for eating sleeping Yea dost thou not spend as much time in idleness and vain discourse as would be required every day for this duty If thou hadst an honest heart thou wouldst redeem time from thy meat or sleep or recreations for Prayer rather than neglect a duty or damn thy soul The truth is we complain we want time but we waste time There 's not the poorest Labourer but he mis-spends more time than Prayer-time comes to And why should any water be left off when there 's little enough in the channel to turn the Mill for or towards our