Nabals nature and practise answer to his name 1 Sam. 25. 25. Let not my Lord I pray thee regard this man of Belial even Nabal for as his name is so is he Nabal is his name and folly is with him Nabal signifies a fool a sot a Churle it notes one that is void of wisdome and goodness it signifieth one whose Mind Reason Judgment Understanding is withered and decayed Now if you look into the story you shall find that as face answers to face so Nabals nature and practise did Eccho and answer to his name And why then should not our natures and practises answer to our names also We are called the Lords secret ones his hidden ones and how highly therefore doth it concern us to be much with God in secret Why should their be any jarring or discord between our names and our practises It is observable that the practise and carriage of other Saints have been answerable to their names Isaac signifies laughter Gen. 18. and Isaac was a gracious son a dutiful son a son that kept clear of those abominations with which many of the Patriarchs had defiled themselves a son that proved matter of laughter to his Father and Mother all their dayes So Josiah signifies the fire of the Lord and his practise did answerto his name witness the pulling down of Jeroboams 1 King 13. 2. Altar and his burning of the Vessels that were made for Baal and his pulling down the Idolatrous Priests whom the Kings of 2 King 23. 4 21. Judah had set up and his burning the Grove at the brook Kidron and his stamping it to powder and his breaking down the houses of the Sodomites and his defiling of the high places where the Priests had burnt incense and his breaking in pieces the Images and cutting down the Groves and filling their places with the bones of men c. So Joshua signifies a Saviour and his practise was answerable to his name Though he could not save his people from their sins yet he often saved them from their sufferings Great and many were the deliverances the salvations that were instrumentally brought about by Joshua as all know that have read the book of Joshua So John signifies gracious and his practise was answerable to his name he was so gracious in his teachings and in his walkings that he gained favour in the very eyes of his enemies By all these Instances and by many more that might be given you see that other Saints practises have answered to their names And therefore let every one of us look that our practises do also answer to our names that as we are called the Lords secret ones so we may be much with God in secret that so there may be a blessed harmony between our names and our practises we may never repent another day that we have been called Gods secret ones his hidden ones but yet never made conscience of maintaining secret communion with God in our closets And thus you see that there are no less than Twenty arguments to perswade you to closet prayer and to maintain private communion with God in a Corner The use and Application of all follows Is it so that Closet Prayer or Private Prayer is such an indispensible duty that Christ himself hath laid upon all that are not willing to lye under the the woful brand of being hypocrites then this truth looks very sourely and sadly upon these five sorts of persons First It looks sourly and sadly upon all those that put off secret prayer private prayer till they are moved to it by the Spirit for by this sad delusion many have been kept from secret prayer many weeks many moneths O that I might not say many years Though it be a very fit season to Isa 62. 1. Psal 123. 1 2 Gal. 4. 6. pray when the Spirit moves us to pray yet 't is not the only season to pray He that makes Religion his business will pray as daily for daily grace as he doth pray daily for daily bread Luke 18. 1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end that men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint 1 Thes 5. 17. Pray without ceasing Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints Rom. 12. 12. Continuing instant in prayer The Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In every season as occasion and opportunity offers it self we must pray a Metaphor taken from hunting Dogs that never give over the game till they have got their prey A Christian must not only pray but hold on in prayer till he hath got the heavenly prize We are wanting alwayes and therefore we had need be praying alwayes The world is alwayes alluring and therefore we had need be alwayes a praying Satan is alwayes a tempting and therefore we had need be alwayes a praying and we are alwayes a sinning and therefore we had need be alwayes a praying and we are in dangers alwayes and therefore we had need be praying alwayes and we are dying alwayes and therefore 1 Cor. 15. 31 we had need be praying alwayes Mans whole life is but a lingring death man no sooner begins to live but he begins to die When one was ask't why he prayed six times a day he only gave this answer I must die I must die I must die Dying Christians had need be praying Christians and they that are alwayes a dying had need be alwayes a praying Certainly prayerless families are graceless families and prayerless persons are graceless persons It were better Jer. 10. 25. ten thousand times that we had never been born into the world than that we should go still-born out of the world But Secondly This truth looks sourly and sadly upon those that pray not at all neither in their Families nor in their closets Among all Gods Children there is not one possest with a dumb devil Prayerlesse persons are forsaken of God blinded by Satan hardned in sin every breath they draw liable to all temporal spiritual and eternal Judgements Prayer is that part of natural worship due to God which none will deny but stark Atheists Psal 14. 1. It is observable that amongst the That wicked men ought to pray and the grand objection against their prayers answered at large in my Treatise called The Crown and glory of Christianity from Page 326. to pag. 337. worst of men Turks and the worst of Turks the Moors it is a just exception against any witness by their Law that he hath not prayed six times in every natural day it being usual with them to pray six times a day 1. Before the day-break they pray for day 2. When it is day they give thanks for day 3. At noon they thank God for half the day past 4. After that they pray for a good Sun-set 5. And after that they thank God for the day past And
do defer Dan. 9. 19. not for thine own sake Look as there be two kinds of Antidotes against Poyson viz. hot and cold so there are two kinds of Antidotes against all the troubles of this life viz. fervent prayers and holy patience the one hot the other cold the one quickening and the other quenching and holy Daniel made use of them both Fervency to prayer is as the fire was to the spices in the Censor or as wings to the Bird or as oyl to the wheels and this Daniel found by experience God looks not for any James with horny knees through assiduity of prayer nor for any Bartholomew with a Century of prayers for the morning and as many for the evening but for fervency of spirit in prayer which alone carryes all with God Feeble prayers like weak pangs go over and never brings a mercy to the birth Cold prayers are still-born Children in whom the Father of spirits can take no pleasure Look as a painted man is no man and as painted fire is no fire so a cold prayer is no prayer Such prayers never win upon the heart of God that do not first warm our own hearts As a body without a soul much wood without fire a Bullet in a Gun without powder so are all prayers without fervency of Spirit Luther termes Prayer Bombarda Christianorum the Gun or Canon of Christians or the Christians Gun-shot The hottest springs send forth their waters by ebullitions Cold prayers make a smoak a smother Isa 1. 15. Ch. 65 5. in the eyes of God Lazy prayers never procure noble answers Lazy beggars may starve for all their begging Such as have a male in their flock and offer to the Lord a female Such as offer to the Lord the torn and the lame and the sick such as turn off God with their cold lazy sleepy and formal Mal. 1. 13 14. devotions are condemned cast and cursed by God David compares his prayers to incense and no incense was offered without Psal 141. 2. fire it was that that made the smoke of it to ascend 'T is only fervent prayer that hits the mark and that pierces the walls of heaven though like those of Gaza Isa 45. 2. made of Brass and Iron While the Child only whimpers and whines in the Cradle the Mother lets it alone but when once it sets up its note and cryes out right then she runs and takes it up So 't is with a Christian Psal 34. 6. This poor man cryed there is his fervency he cryed but it was silently and secretly in the presence of King Achish as Moses did at the Red-Sea and as Nehemiah did in the presence of the King of Persia and the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles here is his prevalency So Latimer plyed the Throne of grace with great fervency crying out Once again Lord once again restore the Gospel to England and God heard him Hudson the Martyr deserted at the Stake went from under his Chain and having prayed fervently he was comforted immediately and suffered valiantly I have read of one Giles of Bruxels a Dutch Martyr who was so fervent in his prayer kneeling by himself in some secret place of the Prison where he was that he seemed to forget himself and being called to his meat he neither heard nor saw who stood by him till he was lifted up by the armes and then he would speak gently to them as one awaked out of a Trance So Gregory Nazianzen speaking Paulin. Epist lib. 1. Epist 4. of his sister Gorgonia saith that in the vehemency of her prayer she came to a Religious impudency with God so as to threaten heaven and tell God that she would never depart from his Altar till she had her petition granted Let us make it our businesse to follow these noble examples as ever we would so Prince it in prayer as to prevail with God An importunate soul in prayer is like the poor beggar that prayes and knocks that prayes and waits that prayes and works that knocks and knits that begs and patches and will not stir from the door till he hath an alms Well Friends remember this God respects no more luke-warm prayers than he doth luke-warm persons and they are such that he hath threatned to spue out of his mouth Those prayers that are but lip-labour are lost-labour And therefore in all your Closet-prayers look to the fervency of your spirits My Seventh Advice and counsel is this Be constant as well as servent in Closet-prayer look that you hold on and hold out and that you persevere to the end in private prayer 1 Thes 5. 17. Pray without ceasing A man must alwayes pray habitually though not actually he must have his heart in a praying disposition in all estates and conditions Though closet-Closet-prayer may have an intermission yet it must never have a cessation Luke 18. 1. And he spake a Parable unto them to this end that men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint or as the Greek hath it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shrink back as sluggards in work or cowards in war closet-Closet-prayer is a fire like that on the Altar that was never to go out day nor Lev. 12. 6. night 1 Thes 3. 10. Night and day praying exceedingly Paul speaks like a man made up all of prayer like a man that minded nothing so much as prayer So Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance Calvin makes this difference between praying alwayes in the beginning of this Verse and praying with perseverance in the end of this Verse By praying alwayes saith he he exhorts us to pray in prosperity as well as in adversity and not to quit the duty of prayer in a prosperous estate because we are not driven to it by outward pressing necessities and miseries and by praying with perseverance he admonisheth us that we be not weary of the work but continue instant and constance in its performance though we have not presently what we pray for So that praying alwayes is opposed to a neglect of the Duty in its proper times and seasons and praying with perseverance is opposed to a fainting in our spirits in respect of this or that particular suit or request that we put up to God When God turns a deaf ear to our prayers we must not fret nor faint we must not be dismayed nor discouraged but we must hold up and hold on in the Duty of prayer with invincible patience courage and constancy as the Church did Lament 3. 8 44 55 56 57. compared Col. 4. 2. Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving We must be constant and instant in Closet-prayer we must wait upon it and lay all aside for it He that is only in his Closet by fits and starts will neither glorifie God nor advantage his own soul If we do not make a
6 7 8. So Luther perceiving the Cause of God and the work of Reformation to be greatly straitned and in danger he went into his Closet and never left wrestling with God till he had received a gracious answer from Heaven upon which he comes out of his closet to his friends leaping and triumphing with Vicimus vicimus we have overcome we have overcome in his mouth At which time it is observed that there came out a Proclamation from Charls the Fifth that none should be further molested for the Profession of the gospel At another time Luther being in private prayer for a sick friend of his who was very comfortable and useful to him had a particular answer for his recovery whereupon he was so confident that he sent word to his friend that he should certainly recover and so it fell out accordingly And so Latimer prayed with great zeale for three things 1. That Queen Elizabeth might come to the Crown 2. That he might seale the truth with his heart blood And 3. That the Gospel might be restored once again once again which he expressed with great vehemency of spirit All which three God heard him in Constantine commanded that his Effigies should be engraven not as other Emperours in their Armour leaning but as in a posture of prayer kneeling to manifest to the world that he won more by secret prayer than by open Battles Mr. Dod reports that when many good people had often sought the Lord in the behalf of a woman that was possessed with the Devil and yet could not prevaile at last they appointed a day for fasting and prayer at which time there came a poor woman to the chamber door where the exercise was begun and craved entrance but she being poor they would not admit her in upon that the poor woman kneeled down behind the door and sought God by prayer But she had not prayed long before the evil spirit raged roared and cried out in the possessed woman take away the old woman behind the doore for I must be gone take away the old woman behind the door for I must be gone And so by the old womans prayers behind the doore he was cast out Oh the prevalency of prayer behind the door And thus you see by all these great instances the great prevalency of private prayer Private prayer like Sauls sword and Jonathans Bow when duely qualified as to the person and act never returns empty it hits the marke it carries the day with God it pierceth the walls of Heaven though like those of Gaza made of brass and Iron Isa 45. 2. O who can express the powerfull oratory of private prayer c. Ninthly consider that secret duties are the most soul-enriching duties Look as secret meales make fat bodies so secret duties make fat souls and as secret Trades brings in great earthly riches so secret prayers makes many rich in spiritual blessings and in heavenly riches Private prayer is that privy key of heaven that unlocks all the Treasures of glory to the soule The best riches and the sweetest mercies God usually gives to his people when they are in their closets upon their knees Look as the warmth the Chickens find by close sitting under the Hens wings cherisheth them so are the graces of the Saints enlivened and cherished and strengthned by the sweet secret influences which their souls fall under when they are in their closet-communion with God Private prayer conscienciously performed is the privie key of heaven that hath unlocked such treasures and such secrets as hath past the skill of the cunningest Devil to find out Private prayer Midwifes the choicest mercies and the chiefest riches in upon us Certainly there are none so rich in gracious experiences as those that are most exercised in closet duties Ps 34. 6. This poor man cried saith David and the Lord saved him out of all his troubles David pointing to himself tells us that he cried that is silently and secretly as Moses did at the red sea and as Exod. 14. 15. Neh. 1. 11. 2. 4. Nehemiah did in the presence of the King of Persia and the Lord saved him out of all his troubles And O what additions were these deliverances to his experiences O my friends look as the tender dew that falls in the silent night makes the grass and herbs and flowers to flourish and grow more abundantly than great showrs of raine that fall in the day so secret prayer will more abundantly cause the sweet herbs of grace and holiness to grow and flourish in the soul than all those more open Publick and visible duties of Religion which too too often are mingled and mixt with the sun and wind of pride and hypocrisie Beloved you know that many times a Favourite at Court gets more by one secret motion by one private request to his Prince than a Trades-man or a Merchant gets in twenty years labour and paines c. So a Christian many times gets more by one secret motion by one private request to the King of Kings than many others doe by Trading long in the more publick Duties of Religion O Sirs remember that in private prayer we have a far greater advantage as to the exercise of our own gifts and graces and parts than we have in Publick for in Publick we only hear others exercise their parts and gifts c. in Publick duties we are more passive but in private duties we are more active Now the more our gifts and parts and graces are exercised the more they are strengthned and increased All acts strengthen habits The more sin is acted the more 't is strengthned And so 't is with our gifts and graces the more they are acted the more they are strengthned But Tenthly Take many things together All Christians have their secret Sins Psal 19. 12. Who can understand his errors cleanse thou me from secret faults Secret not only to other men but himself even such secret sins as grew from errours which he understood not 'T is incident to every man to erre and then to be ignorant of his errours Many sins I see in my self saith he and more there are which I cannot espy which I cannot find out nay I think saith he that every mans sins do arise beyond his accounts There is not the best the wisest nor the holiest man in the world that can give a full and entire list of his sins Who can understand his errors This interrogation hath the force of an affirmation Who can No man no not the most perfect and innocent man in the world O friends who can reckon up the secret sinfull imaginations the secret sinful inclinations or the secret pride the secret blasphemies the secret hypocrisies the secret Atheistical risings the secret murmurings the secret repinings the secret discontents the secret insolencies the secret filthynesses the secret unbelievings c. that God might every day charge upon his soul Should the best and holiest man on earth have
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
with Hannah thou can'st but weep out a prayer or with Moses stammer out a prayer or with Hezekiah chatter out a prayer yet do as well as thou can'st and thou shalt find acceptance with God 2 Cor. 8. 12. For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not The Publicans prayer had not much Rhetorick or eloquence in it God be merciful to me a sinner and yet God accepted it He Luke 18. 13. prayed much though he spake little and God did not turn a deafe ear upon him That God that once accepted a handfull of meale Lev. 2. 1 2. Chap. 6. 15. Luke 21 3. for a sacrifice and a gripe of Goats hair for an oblation and the poor widows two mites as if they had been two millions will certainly accept of what thou art able to do though thou dost fall short yea much short of what thou oughtest to doe Lord saith Luther thou commandest me to pray I cannot pray as I would yet I will obey for though my prayer be not acceptable yet thine own commandement is acceptable to thee If weak Christians would but put forth in prayer that little strength they have God would quickly renew their spiritual strength he would certainly carry them on from strength to strength he would Isa 49. 29 30 31. Psal 84. 7. still by secret assistances and secret influences help them on in their heavenly trade As a loving indulgent Father will take his little Child in his armes and carry him on in his way home ward when his strength begins to fail him and he can walk no further and the way proves dirty slippery or uneven So doth God by his Hos 11. 3. I taught Ephram also to go as a nurse doth the infant taking them by their arm When Gods poor Children come to a fowl way or a rough place he takes them up in his own arms and helps them over the quagmire of Crosses and the difficulties of duties and over all that straitness and narrowness and weakness oâ— spirit that doth attend them in their closet performances 'T is observable that when the King of Israel was to shoot the Arrow 2 Kings 13. 16. he did put his hand upon the Bow and Elisha did put his hand upon the Kings hand So when we go into our Closets we are to put up our hand and then the Spirit of God likewise will put his hand upon our hand he will put his strength to our strengâ—h or rather to our weakness Rom. 8. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities lifts with us or helpeth together The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly signifie such a help as when another man of strength and ability steppeth in to sustain the burden that lieth upon our shoulders be it a logg or a piece of timber setting his shoulders under it to lift up and bear part of it with us or to help us as the nurse helpeth her little child upholding it by the sleeve When a poor Christian sets himself to closet prayer or to mourn or to believe or to obey c. then the Spirit comes in with new help and new influences and new assistances and so carryes him on in all these noble services That child that doth but stammer at first in time will speak plainly and fluently O how many Christians are there that now can pray with much freedom liberty and fluency who at first could only sigh out a prayer or stammer out a prayer or weep out a prayer Thou saiest thou canst not pray but didst thou but stir up thy self to obey that command Matth. 6. 6. as well as thou canst thou dost not know but that a power may go forth with the command that may enable thee to act suitable to the command In Matth 9. 1 9. Christ bid the Palsie man rise and walk Take up thy bed and go unto thine house The Palsie man might have objected Alas I am carried by four I am not able to stir a limb much less to rise but least of all to take up my bed and walk c. Oh but he rouseth up himself as well as he could and a power went forth with the command that enabled him to do what was commanded So Matth. 12. 10 14 There was a poor man that had a withered hand and Christ commands him to stretch forth his hand he might have replied My hand is withered and if I might have as many worlds as there be men in the world to stretch it forth I could not stretch it forth yea if my very life if my very salvation did lie upon stretching forth my withered arm I could not stretch it forth Oh but he throws by all such plea's and complies with Christ's command as well as he could and a power went forth and healed his hand O sirs if you would but pray in your closets as well as you can you do not know but that such power and virtue might flow from Christ into your hearts as might carry you on in your closet duties beyond expectation even to admiration others have found it so and why not you why not you Well remember that God is no curious nor critical observer of the incongruous expressions that falls from his poor children when they are in their closet duties he is such a father as is very well pleased with the broken expressions and divine stammerings of his people when they are in a corner 'T is not a flood of words nor studied notions nor seraphical expressions nor elegant phrases in prayer that takes the ear or that delights the heart of God or that opens the gates of glory or that brings down the best of blessings upon the soul but uprightness holiness heavenlyness spiritualness and brokenness of heart these are the things that make a conquest upon God and that turns most to the souls account But Fifthly Thou sayst thou canst not pray but if thou art a child of God thou hast the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God is a Spirit of prayer and supplication That all the Children of God have the Spirit of God is most evident in the blessed Scriptures Take these for a taste Zach. 12. 10. I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication Psal 51. 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me Rom. 8. 15. Ye have received the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received not the Spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God 1 Thes 4. 8. Who hath given unto us his holy spirit 1 John 3. 2â— Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us Chap. 4. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath
Father While the child is in the womb it cannot cry but as soon as it is born it cries Whilst Paul did lie in the womb of his natural estate he could not pray but no sooner was he born of the spirit but the next news is Behold he prayeth Acts. 9. 11. Prayer is nothing but the turning of a mans inside outward before the Lord. The very soul of prayer lyes in the pouring out of a mans soul into the bosome of God Prayer is nothing but the breathing that out before the Lord that was first breath'd into us by the spirit of the Lord Prayer is nothing but a choice a free a sweet and familiar intercourse of the soul with God Certainly it is a great work of the Spirit to help the Saints to pray Gal. 4. 6. Because you are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba father God hath no still-born children The Gemination Abba Father notes fiduciall filial and vehement affection The first is an Pareus Hebrew or Syriack word the Second a Greek whereby is signified the union of the Hebrews and Grecians or the Jews and Gentiles in one Church Abba Father What is Abba say others in Hebrew Father and it is added because in Christ the corner stone both peoples are joyned alike becoming sons whence soever they come circumcision from one place whereupon Abba uncircumcision from another whereupon father is named The concord of the walls being the glory of the corner stone The word Abba say others signifies Father in the Syriack Tongue which the Apostle here retaineth because it is a word full of affection which young children retain almost in all Languages when they begin to speak And he adds the word Father not only to expound the same but also the better to express the eager movings and the earnest and vehement desires and singular affection of beleevers in their crying unto God even as Christ himself redoubled the Mark 14. 36. word Father to the same purpose when he was in his greatest distress This little word Father saith Luther lisped forth in prayer by a Child of God exceeds the eloquence of Demosthenes Cicero and all other so famed Orators in the World 'T is certain that the Spirit of God helps the Saints in all their communions with God viz. in their meditations of God in their reading and hearing of the Word of God in their communions one with another and in all their solemn addresses to God And as to this the Apostle gives us a most special instance in that Rom. 8. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered When we are to pray there is in us sometimes an infirmity of ignorance so that we know not what to pray for either in regard of the matter or the manner And there is in us at other times an infirmity of pride and conceitedness so that we cannot pray with that humility and lowliness of spirit as we should spiritual pride having fly-blown our prayers Sometimes there is in us an infirmity of deadness dullness drowsiness c. so that we cannot pray with that warmth heat life spirit and fervency as we should or as we would and at other times there is in us an infirmity of unbelief and slavish fears so that we cannot pray with that faith and holy boldness as becomes Children that draw near to a Throne of Grace to a Throne of Mercy c. But now the Spirit helps these infirmities by way of instruction prompting and teaching us what to pray for and how we should spell our lesson and by telling us as it were within what we should say and how we should sigh and groan and by rousing and quickening and stirring of us up to prayer and by his singular influence and choice assistance opening and enlarging our hearts in prayer and by his tuning the Strings of our affections he prepares us and fits us for the work of Supplication And therefore every one that derides the Spirit of prayer in the Saints saying these are the men and the women that pray by the Spirit blaspheme against the holy Spirit it being a main work of the Spirit to teach the Saints to pray and to help them in prayer Now all the Saints having the Spirit and the Spirit being a Spirit of prayer and supplication there is no reason in the world why a Saint should say I would pray in secret but I can't pray I can't pour out my soul nor my complaint before the Lord in a corner Sixthly and lastly Thou sayest thou canst not pray thou hast not the gifts and parts which others have But thou canst mannage thy callings thy worldly businesse as well as others and why then canst thou not pray as well as others Ah friends did you but love private prayer as well as you love the world and delight in private prayer as much as you delight in the world and were your hearts as much set upon closet prayer as they are set upon the world you would never say you could not pray yea you would quickly pray as well as others 't is not so much from want of ability to pray in secret that you don't pray in secret as 't is from want of a will a heart to pray in secret that you don't pray in secret Jacobs love to Rachel and Sechems love to Dina carried Gen. 29. ch 34. them through the greatest difficulties Were mens affections but strongly set upon private prayer they would quickly find abilities to pray He that sets his affections upon a Virgin though he be not learned nor eloquent will find words enough to let her know how his heart is taken with her The application is easie He in Seneca complained of a Thorn in his foot when his Lungs was rotten So many complain of want of ability to pray in their closets when their hearts are rotten Sirs do but get better hearts and then you will never say you can't pray 'T is one of the saddest sights in all the world to see men strongly parted and gifted for all worldly businesses to cry out that they can't pray that they have no ability to pour out their souls before the Lord in secret You have sufficient parts and gifts to tell men of your sins your wants your dangers your difficulties your mercies your deliverances your duties your crosses your losses your enjoyments your friends your foes and why then are you not ashamed to complain of your want of parts and gifts to tell those very things to God in a corner which you can tell to men even upon the house-top c. But Fourthly Some may further object and say God is very well acquainted with all our wants necessities straits tryals and there is no moving of him to bestow any favours upon us which he
James 5. 7 8. wait for the return of his ships and shall the Wife wait for the return of her Husband that is gone a long journey and shall not a Christian wait for the return of his prayers Noah patiently waited for the return of the Dove to the Ark with an Olive branch in his mouth So must you patiently wait for the return of your prayers When children shoot their Arrows they never mind where they fall but when prudent Archers shoot their Arrowes up into the aire they stand and watch where they fall You must deal by your prayers as prudent Archers do by their Arrowes Hab. 2. 1. I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the Tower and will watch to see what he will say unto me The Prophet in the former Chapter having been very earnest in his expostulations and very fervent in his supplications he gets now upon his Watch-Tower to see what becomes of his prayers he stands as a sentinel and watches as vigilantly and as carefully as a spy a scout earnestly longing to hear and see the event the issue and success of his prayers That Christian that in prayer hath one eye upon a divine precept and another upon a gracious promise that Christian will be sure to look after his prayers He that prayes and waits and waits and prayes shall Psal 40. 1 2 3 4. be sure to speed he shall never fail of rich returns He that can want as well as wait and he that can be contented that God is glorified though he be not gratified he that dares not antedate Gods promises but patiently wait for the accomplishment of them he may be confident that he shall have seasonable and suitable answers to all those prayers that he hath posted away to heaven Though God seldome comes at our time yet he never fails to come at his own time He that shall come will come Heb. 10. 37. and will not tarry The mercies of God are not styled the swift but the sure mercies of David He that makes as much Conscience to Isa 55. 3. look after his prayers as to pray he shall shortly clap his hands for joy and cry out with that blessed Mr. Glover Acts mon. Martyr He is come Austin he is come he is come Certainly there is little worth in that mans heart or in that mans prayers who keeps up a trade of prayer but never looks what becomes of his prayers When you are in your Closets marshal your prayers see that every prayer keeps his place and ground and when you come out of your closets then look up for an answer only take heed that you be not too hasty and hot with God Though mercy in the promise be yours yet the time of giving it out is the Lords and therefore you must wait as well as pray And thus much by way of counsel and advice for the better carrying on of closet-Closet-prayer I have now but one thing more to do before I shut up this discourse and that is to lay down some means rules or directions that may be of use to help you on in a faithful and conscientious discharge of this great duty viz. Closet-prayer And therefore thus First As ever you would give up your selves to private prayer Take heed of an idle and sloathful spirit If Adam in the state of Innocency must work and dress the Garden and if after his fall when he was Monarch of all the world he must yet labour why should any be idle or sloathful Idleness is a sin against the law of Creation God creating man to labour the idle person violates this Law of Creation for by his idleness he casts off the authority of his Creator who made him for labour Idleness is a contradiction to the August de Gen ad lit lib. 8. cap. 8. principles of our Creation Man in Innocency should have been freed from weariness but not from employment he was to dress the Garden by divine appoyntment And the Lord God took the man and put Gen. 2. 15. him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it All weariness in labour and all vexing tyring and tormenting labour came in by the fall In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat Gen. 3. 19. bread The bread of idleness is neither sweet nor sure An idle person shall suffer Pro. 19. 15. hunger saith Solomon An idle life an holy heart are far enough asunder By doing nothing saith the Heathen man men learn to do evil things It is easie slipping out of an idle life into an evil and wicked life yea an idle life is of it self evil for man was made to be active not to be idle The Cyclopes thought mans happiness did consist in nihil agendo in doing nothing But no excellent thing 1 Cor. 1. 17. Eph. 4. 28. 2 Thes 3. 10 12. can be the child of idleness Idleness is a mother sin a breeding sin 't is pulvinar diaboli the devils cushion on which he sits the devils anvile on which he frames very great and very many sins Look as Toads and Serpents breed most in standing waters so sin thrives most in idle persons Idleness is that which provokes the Lord to forsake mens bodies and the Devil to possess their souls No man hath less means to preserve his body and more temptations to infect his soul than an idle person O shake off sloth The sluggish Christian will be sleeping or idling or trifling when he should be in his closet a praying Sloth is the Green-sickness of the soul get it cured or 't will be your eternal bane Of all Devils 't is the idle Devil that keeps men most out of their Closets There is nothing that gives the devil so much advantage against us as idleness 'T was Hierom. ep 4. good counsel that Jerom gave to his friend Facito aliquid operis ut te semper Diabolus inveniat occupatum that when the Devil comes with a temptation you may answer him you are not at leasure It was the speech of Mr. Greenham sometimes a famous painful preacher of this nation that when the Devil tempted a poor soul she came to him for advice how she might resist the temptation and he gave her this answer Never be idle but be alwayes well employed for in my own experience I have found it when the Devil came to tempt me I told him that I was not at leasure to hearken to his temptations and by this means I resisted all his assaults Idleness is the hour of temptation and an idle person is the Devils Tennis-Ball tossed by him at his pleasure He that labours said the old Hermite is tempted but by one Devil but he that is idle is assaulted by all Cupid complained that he could never fasten upon the Muses because he could never find them idle The Fowler bends his bow and spreads his net for Birds when they are set not when
eight wayes p. 352 to p. 384. Six Arguments to prove that all Christians do not enjoy a like Communion with God in their Closets p. 356 to p. 363. Of Curiosity  Curiosity is a very great hinderance to Closet-prayer p. 410 to p. 418. E  Of Examples  We are bound to follow the best Examples p. 16 to p. 19. Christ's Example is for our imitation p. 22 23. Of Eternity  As ever you would keep close to Closet-Prayer be frequent in the consideration of Eternity p. 470 to the end Of Experiences  He that would keep close to Closet-Duties must keep a diary of his Closet-Experiences p. 453 to p. 457. F  Of a Friend or Friends  VVhat a Friend Christ is shewed in Ten particulars p. 76 77 78. H  Of Hypocrites  No Hypocrites make secret Prayer their ordinary trade or work p. 27. to p. 30. I  Of Idleness  Idleness is a very great hinderance to Closet-Prayer and therefore take heed of it p. 400 to p. 408. L  Of Love  He that would be much with God in his Closet must labour to Love Christ with a more enflamed Love p. 460 461 462. M  Eight special Meanes to help on that great Duty of Closet-Prayer from p. 451 to the end of the Book N  Of Neglecting Prayer  He that willingly Neglects private Prayer shall certainly be neglected in his Publick prayer p. 100 to p. 103. O  Objections  Object 1. We have much business upon our hands and we cannot spare time for Closet-Prayer c. Eight Answers are given to this Objection that it might never more have a resurrection p. 134 to p. 162. Object 2. Sir We grant that Closet-Prayer is an indispensable Duty that lyes upon the People of God but we are servants and have no time that we can call our own and our Masters businesse is such as will not allow us any time for private Prayer and therefore we hope we may be excused  Ten Answers are given to this Objection from p. 162. to p. 202. Object 3. O but we cannot pray alone we want those gifts and endowments which others have we are shut up and know not how to pour out our souls before God in a corner  Six Answers are given to this Objection from p. 202 to p. 251. Object 4. God is very well acquainted with all our wants necessities straits and tryals and there is no moving of him to bestow any favours upon us which he doth not intend to bestow upon us whether we pray in our Closets or no.  Four Answers are given to this Objection p. 251 to p. 257. Object 5. I would drive a private trade wtth God I would exercise my self in secret Prayer but I want a convenient place to retire into I want a private corner to unbosome my Soul to my Father in  Three Answers are given to this Objection p. 257 to p. 261. Object 6. VVe would be often in private with God we would give our selves up to Closet-Prayer but that we can no sooner shut our Closet-doores buâ— a multitude of infirmities weaknesses and vanities doe face us and rise up against us besiâ—es both our bodies and souls are under great indispositions and how then can we seek the face of God in a corner  Six Answers are given to this Objection from p. 261 to p. 297. Of Gods Omnipresence  God is Omnipresent p. 96 to p. 100. Oâ— Prayer  First Such are reproved that put off Private Prayer till they are moved to it by the Spirit p. 123 124 125. Secondly Such that pray not at all neither in their families nor in their Closets p. 125 126 127 Thirdly Such as are all for publick Prayer for going up to the Temple but never care to go into their Closets p. 127 128. Fourthly Such who in their Closets pray with a loud and clamorous voice p. 128 129. Five Arguments to redresse this evil p. 130 131 132 Fifthly Such are reproved that do all they can to hinder and discourage others from Private Prayer p. 232 133. Of the Promises  Eight considerable hints about the Promises p. 207 208 209. R  Of the Rod.  In seven particulars Afflictions resemble a Rod in the Epistle Dedicary  Twenty special Lessons we are to learn by the Rod in the Epistle Dedicatory  Of Rewards  Secret Duties shall have open Rewards p. 34 35. Of Resolutions  He that would be much in his Closet he must be a man of high through and fitted Resolutions p. 462 463 464 465. S  Of the Spirit  Seven Arguments to prove that all the Children of God have the Spirit of God p. 216 to p. 228. He that would keep close to Closet-Duties had need labour for a greater effusion of the Spirit p. 466 to p. 470. Of the Spirits Sealing  Ten special Sealing times of the Spirit p. 228 to p. 249. Of Secret Prayer  Secret Prayer is most enriching p. 67 to p. 70. Secret Prayer is a Christians meat and drink it is his chief City of refuge in times of Affliction and Persecution p. 91 to p. 96. Our neer and dear relations to God calls aloud for Secret Prayer p. 107 to p. 111. God hath set a special mark of favour and honour upon those that have Prayed in Secret p. 111 to p. 113. Satan is a great enemy to Secret Prayer p. 113 to p. 116. Five things we may infer from thence p. 116 117. See Closet-Prayer  Of Secret Sins  All Christians have their Secret Sins p. 70 to p. 73. Four Arguments to take heed of Secret Sins p. 421 to p. 451. Of Secrets  God reveales his Secrets only to his People p. 75 to p. 78. There are three sorts of divine Secrets that God reveals to his People p. 78 to p. 91. Of Gods Secret ones  The Saints are only the Lords Secret ones p. 117 to p. 123. T  The Text opened p. 1 to p. 6. Of the Times and of Time  The times wherein we live calls aloud for Secret Prayer p. 103 to p. 107. We must take heed of spending too much of our precious Time about the little things of Religion p. 408 409 410. About Redeeming of Time  Five Reasons why Servants should Redeem Time for Private Prayer from their sleep recreations or set meals c. p. 185 to p. 193. W  Of the World  A man that would exercise himself in Closet-Prayer must take heed of engaging himself in a crowd of Worldly businesses p. 418 to p. 421. FINIS
an Allegory they say that in these words there are two Allegories First the Chamber Door is the Sense Shut the Door that is say they thy Sense lest vain imaginations and worldly thoughts distract thy mind in praying Secondly The Door say they is our Mouth Shut thy Door that is thy Lips say they and let thy Prayer be like the Prayer of Hannah conceived in thy mind but not uttered with thy mouth 'T is usual with Papists and other monkish men that lye in wait to deceive to turn the blessed Scriptures into a Nose of Wax under pretence of Allegories and Mysteries Origen was a great admirer Euseb Eccl. Hist Lib. 6. chap. 8. of Allegories by the strength of his parts and wanton wit he turn'd most of the Scriptures into Allegories and by the just Judgement of God upon him he foolishly understood and absurdly applied that Matth. 19. 12. litterally Some have made themselves chaste for the Kingdom of Heaven and so gelded himself And indeed he might as well have pluck't out one of his eyes upon the same account because Christ saith It is better to go to Heaven with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into Hell fire Matth. 18. 9. In all Ages Hereticks have commonly defended their Heresies by translating of Scriptures into Allegories The Apostle speaks of such as denying the Resurrection of the body turn all the testimonies of the Resurrection into an Allegory meaning thereby only the spiritual Resurrection of the soul from sin of which sort was Hymeneus and Philetus who destroyed the faith of some saying the Resurrection was past already 2 Tim. 2. 17 18. And are there not many among us that turn the whole History of the Bible into an Allegory and that turn Christ and Sin and Death and the Soul and Hell and Heaven and all into an Allegory Many have and many do miserably pervert the Scriptures by turning them into vain and groundless Allegories Some wanton wits have expounded Paradise Philo Judaeus and others of a later date to be the Soul Man to be the Mind the Woman to be the Sense the Serpent to be Delight the Tree of knowledge of good and evil to be Wisdome and the rest of the Trees to be the Vertues and Endowments of the Mind O friends it is dangerous to bring in Allegories where the Scripture doth not clearly and plainly warrant them and to take those words Figuratively which should be taken properly The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in the Text rendred Closet hath only three most usual significations amongst Greek Authors First it may be taken for a secret Chamber or close and locked Parlour Secondly for a Safe or Cupbord to lay Victuals in Thirdly for a locked Chest or Cupbord wherein Treasure usually is reserved The best and most judicious Interpreters that I have cast mine eye upon both of a former and later date do all expound my Text of Private Prayer in retired places and with them I close And so the main Doctrine that I shall gather from the words is this That Closet-Prayer or Private-Prayer is an indispensible duty that Doct. Christ himself hath laid upon all that are not willing to lye under the woful brand of being Hypocrites I beseech you seriously to lay to heart these five things First If any Prayer be a duty then secret Prayer must needs be a duty for secret Prayer is as much Prayer as any other Prayer is Prayer and secret Prayer prepares and fits the soul for Family-Prayer and for Publick-Prayer Secret-Prayer sweetly enclines strongly disposes a Christian to all other religious duties and services Ergo. But Secondly If Secret Prayer be not an indispensible duty that lyes upon thee by what authority doth Conscience so upbraid thee and so accuse thee and so condemn thee and so terrifie thee as it often doth for the neglect of this duty But Thirdly Was it ever the way or method of God to promise again and again a reward an open reward for that work or service which himself never commanded Surely No. Now to this duty of Secret Prayer the Lord hath again and again promised an open reward Matth. 6. 6. 18. And therefore without all peradventure this is a duty incumbent upon all Christians Fourthly Our Saviour in the Text takes it for granted that every child of God will be frequent in praying to his heavenly Father and therefore he encourages them so much the more in the work of Secret Prayer When you Pray As if he had said I know you can as well hear without eares and live without food and fight without hands and walk without feet as you are able to live without Prayer And therefore when you go to wait on God or to give your heavenly Father a visit Enter into your Closet and shut your doors c. Fifthly If Closet Prayer be not an indispensible duty that Christ hath laid upon all his people why doth Satan so much oppose it why doth he so industriously and so unweariedly labour to discourage Christians in it to take off Christians from it Certainly Satan would never make such a fierce constant war as he doth upon private Prayer were it not a necessary duty a reall duty and a soul-enriching duty But more of this you will find in the following discourse and therefore let this touch suffice for the present c. Now these five things do very clearly and evidently demonstrate that secretly and solitarily to hold entercourse with God is the undoubted duty of every Christian But for a more full opening and confirmation of this great and important Point I shall lay down these Twenty Arguments or Considerations c. First The most eminent Saints both in the Old and New Testament have applied themselves to Private-Prayer Moses was alone in the Mount with God forty dayes and fourty nights Exod. 34. 28. So Abraham fills his mouth with Arguments and reasons the case out alone with God in Prayer to prevent Sodoms desolation and destruction and never leaves off pleading and praying till he had brought God down from fifty to ten Gen. 18. 22-32 and in Gen. 21. 33. you have Abraham again at his private prayers And Abraham planted a Grove in Beer-sheba and called there on the name of the Lord the everlasting God Why did Abraham plant a Grove but that he might have a most private place to pray and poure out his soul before the Lord in So Isaac Gen. 24. 63. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide The Hebrew word Lasuach that is here rendred Meditate signifies to pray as well as to meditate and so it is often used 'T is a comprehensive word that takes in both Prayer and Meditation So you shall find Jacob at his private-prayer Gen. 32. 24 25 26 27 28. And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day When Jacob was all alone and in a
dark night and when his joynts were out of joynt he so wrestles and weeps and weeps and wrestles in private Prayer that as a Prince at last he prevailes with God Hos 12. 3 4. So David Psal 55. 16 17. As for me I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voyce So Daniel was three times a day in private prayer Dan. 6. 10. Now when Daniel knew that the Writing was sign'd he went into his house and his Windows being open in his Chamber toward Jerusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime Daniel had accustomed himself to private prayer he went to his closet before he went to his publick employment and State affairs and at his return to dinner he turned first into his Chamber to serve his God and refresh his soul before he set down to feast his body and at the end of the day when he had dispatcht his business with men he made it his business to wait upon God in his Chamber So Jonah keeps up private prayer when he was in the Fishes belly yea when he was in the belly of Hell Jonah 2. 1 2 c. So we have Elias at prayer under the Juniper Tree 1 Kings 19. 4. So Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 13. Now Hannah she speaks in her heart only her lips moved but her voice was not heard The very soul of prayer lyes in the pouring out of the soul before God as Hannah did vers 15. Neither was Rebecah a stranger to this duty who upon the Babes strugling in her womb went to enquire of the Lord Gen. 25. 22. that is she went to some secret place to pray saith Calvin Musculus Mercer and others So Saul is no sooner converted but presently he falls upon private prayer Acts 9. 11. And the Lord said unto him arise and go into the street which is called Strait and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus for behold he prayeth Though he was a strict Pharisee yet he never prayed to purpose before nor never prayed in private before The Pharisees used to pray in the corners of the Streets and not in the corners of their houses And after his conversion he was frequently in private prayer as you may see by comparing of these Scriptures together Rom. 1. 9. Ephes 1. 15 16. 1 Phil. 3 4. 2 Tim. 1. 3. So Epaphras was a warm man in closet prayer Phil. 4. 12 13. So Cornelius had devoted himself to private prayer Acts 10. 2 4. And so Peter gets up to the house top to pray vers 9. On the morrow as they went on their journey and drew nigh unto the City Peter went up upon the house-top to pray about the sixth hour Peter got up upon the Leads not only to avoid destraction but that he might be the more secret in his private devotion Eusebius tells us of James called Justus that his knees were grown hard and brawny with kneeling so much in private prayer And Nazianzen reports of his Sister Gorgonia that her knees seemed to cleave to the earth by her often praying in private And Gregory saith of his Aunt Trucilla that her Elbows was as hard as horn by often leaning upon her Desk at private prayer I have read of a devout person who when the set time for his private devotion was come whatever company he was in he would break from them with this neat and handsome come off I have a friend that stayes for me Farewel And there was once a great Lady of this Land who would frequently withdraw from the company of Lords and Ladies of great quality who came to visit her rather than she would lose her set times of waiting upon God in her Closet she would as they call'd it rudely take her leave of them that so she might in private attend the Lord of Lords She would spare what time she could to express her favours civilities and courtesies among her Relations and Friends but she would never suffer them to rob God of his time nor her soul of that comfort and communion which she used to enjoy when she was with God in her Closet And indeed one hours communion with God in ones closet is to be preferr'd before the greatest and best company in the World And there was a child of a Christian Gentle-woman that was so given to prayer from its infancy that before it could well speak it would use to get alone and go to prayer and as it grew it was more frequent in prayer and retiring of it self from company and he would ask his Mother very strange questions far above the capacity of one of his years but at last when this child was but five years old and whipping of his top on a sudden he flung away his Scourge-stick and Top and ran to his Mother and with great joy said unto her Mother I must go to God will you go with me She answered My dear Child how dost thou know thou shalt go to God he answered God hath told me so for I love God and God loves me She answered Dear Child I must go when God pleaseth But why wilt thou not stay with me The Child answered I will not stay I must go to God And the Child did not live above a moneth after but never cared for play more but falling sick he would alwayes be saying that he must go to God he must go to God And thus sometimes out of the Mat. 21. 16. mouthes of Babes and Sucklings God hath perfected praise Certainly such persons will be ripe for Heaven betimes who begin betimes to seek God in a Closet in a Corner And Eusebius reports of Constantine the Emperour that every day he used to shut up himself in some secret place in his Palace and there on bended knees did make his devout Prayers and Soliloquies to God My God and I are good company said famous Dr. Sibbs A man whose soul is conversant with God in a Closer in a Hole behind the Door or in a Desart a Den a Dungeon shall find more real pleasure more choice delight and more full content than in the Pallace of a Prince By all these famous Instances you see that the People of God in all Ages have addicted themselves to private prayer O friends these pious examples should be very awakning very convincing and very encouraging to you Certainly 't is as much your duty as 't is your glory to follow these pious patterns that are now set before you Witness these following Scriptures Prov. 2. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the righteous 1 Cor. 11. 1. Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ Phil. 3. 17. Brethren be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an
ensample Phil. 4. 9. Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do and the God of peace shall be with you 1 Thess 1. 6. And ye became followers of us and of the Lord having received the word in much affliction Heb. 6. 12. That ye be not sloathful but followers of them who through faith and patience inher it the Promises So 2 Tim. 3. 10 11 12 14. Titus 2. 7. 'T was an excellent Law that the Ephesians made viz. That men should propound to themselves the best patterns and ever bear in mind some eminent man Bad men are wonderful in love with bad examples Jer. 44. 16 17. The Indian hearing Praecepto docent Exempla movent that his Ancestors were gone to Hell said That then he would go thither too Some men have a mind to go to hell for company-sake Oh that we were as much in love with the Examples of good men as others are in love with the examples of bad men and then we should be oftner in our closets than now we are Oh that our eyes were more fixed on the pious examples of all that have in them aliquid Christi any thing of Christ as Bucer spake Shall we love to look upon the Pictures of our Friends and shall we not love to look upon the pious examples of those that are the lively and lovely Picture of Christ The pious examples of others should be the looking-glasses by which we should dress our selves He is the best and wisest Christian that writes after the fairest Scripture Copy that imitates those Christians that are most eminent in grace and that have been most exercised in Closet-prayer and in the most secret duties of Religion Hierome having read the Life and Death of Hilarion one that lived most Christianly and died most comfortably folded up the Book saying Well Hilarion shall be the Champion that I will follow his good life shall be my example and his godly death my president 'T is brave to live and die by the examples of the most eminent Saints But Secondly consider when Christ was on earth he did much exercise himself in secret prayer he was often with God alone as you may see in these famous Scriptures Matth. 14. 23. And when he had sent the multitudes away he went up into a mountain apart to pray and when the evening was come he was there alone Christs choosing solitudes for private prayer doth not only hint to us the danger of distraction and deviation of thoughts in prayer but how necessary it is for us to choose the most convenient places we can for private prayers Our own fickleness and Satans restlesness calls upon us to get into such corners where we may most freely pour out our souls into the bosom of God Mark 1. 35. And in the morning rising up a great while before day he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed As the morning time is the fittest time for prayer so solitary places are the fittest places for prayer Mark 6. 46. And when he had sent them away he departed into a mountain to pray He that would pray to purpose had need be quiet when he is alone Luke 5. 16. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed Gr. He was departing and praying to give us to understand that he did thus often When Christ was neither exercised in teaching nor in working of miracles he was then very intent on private prayer Luke 6. 12. And it came to pass in those dayes that he went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God Did Christ spend whole nights in private prayer to save our souls and shall we think it much to spend an hour or two in the day for the furtherance of the internal and eternal welfare of our souls Luke 21. 37. And in the day time he was teaching in the Temple and at night he went out and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives Christ frequently joynes praying and preaching together and those whom Christ hath joyn'd together let no man presume to put asunder Luke 22. 39 41 44 45. And he came out and went as he was wont to the Mount of Olives and his Disciples also followed him And he was with-drawn from them about a stones cast and kneeled down and prayed And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood clotted or congealed blood falling down to the ground never was Garden watred before or since with blood as this was And when he rose up from prayer and was come to his disciples he found them sleeping for sorrow Ah what sad pieces of vanity are the best of men in an hour of trial and temptation These very men that a little before did stoutly professe and promise that they would never leave him nor forsake him and that they would to prison for Christ and die for Christ yet when the day of trial came they could nor so much as watch with him one hour they had neither eyes to see nor hands to wipe off Christs bloody sweat So John 6. 15 16 17. Thus you see by all these famous Instances that Christ was frequent in private prayer Oh that we would daily propound to our selves this noble pattern for our imitation and make it our business our work our heaven to write after this blessed Copy that Christ hath set us viz. To be much with God alone Certainly Christianity is nothing else but an imitation of the divine nature a reducing of a mans self to the Image of God in which he was created in righteousness and true holiness A Christians whole life should be nothing but a visible representation of Christ The Heathens had this notion amongst them as Lactantius reports That the wayes to honour their gods was to be like them Sure I am that the highest wayes of honouring Christ is to be like to Christ 1 John 2. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked Oh that this blessed Scripture might alwayes lye warm upon our hearts Christ is the Sun and all the watches of our lives should be set by the Dial of his motion Christ is a pattern of patterns his example should be to us in stead of a thousand examples 'T is not only our liberty but our duty and glory to follow Christ in all his moral vertues absolutely other patterns be imperfect and defective but Christ is a perfect pattern and of all his Children they are the happiest that come nearest to this perfect pattern Heliogabalus loved his Children the better for resembling him in sin But Christ loves his children the more for resembling him in sanctity I have read of some Springs that change the colour of the Cattel that drink of them into the colour of their own waters as Du Bartus sings Cerona Xanth and Cephisus
the soundness of their sorrow but also to shew their sincerity by their secresie they must mourn apart that their sins may not be disclosed nor discovered one to another Here they are severed to shew that they wept not for company sake but for their own particular sins by which they had pierced and crucified the Lord of glory In secret a Christian may descend into such particulars as in publick or before others he wil not he may not he ought not to mention Ah how many Christians are there who would blush and be ashamed to walk in the streets and to converse with sinners or saints should but those infirmities enormities and wickednesses be written in their fore-heads or known to others which they freely and fully lay open to God in secret There are many sins which many men have fallen into before conversion and since conversion which should they be known to the world would make themselves to stink and Religion to stink and their profession to stink in the nostrils of all that know them Yea should those weaknesses and wickednesses be published upon the house tops which many are guilty of before grace received or since grace received how would weak Christians be staggered young comers on in the wayes of God discouraged and many mouthes of blasphemy opened and many sinners hearts hardened against the Lord his wayes reproofs and the things of their own peace yea how would Satans banner be displayed and his kingdom strengthned and himself infinitely pleased and delighted 'T is an infinite mercy and condescention in God to lay a Law of restraint upon Satan who else would be the greatest Blab in all the world It would be mirth and musick to him to be still a laying open the follies and weaknesses of the Saints Ambrose brings in the Devil boasting against Christ and challenging Judas as his own He is not thine Lord Jesus he is mine his thoughts beat for me he eats with thee but is fed by me he takes bread from thee but mony from me he drinks with thee and sells thy blood to me There is not a sin that a Saint commits but Satan would trumpet it out to all the world if God would but give him leave No man that is in his right wits will lay open to every one his bodily infirmities weaknesses diseases ailments griefs c. but to some near relation or bosom friend or able Physitian So no man that is in his right wits will lay open to every one his soul-infirmities weaknesses diseases ailments griefs c. but to the Lord or to some particular person that is wise faithful and able to contribute something to his souls relief Should a Christian but lay open or rip up all his follies and vanities to the world how sadly would some deride him and scorn him and how severely and bitterly would others censure him and judge him c. When David was alone in the Cave then he poured out his complaint to God and shewed before him his trouble Psal 142. 2. And when Job was all alone then his eyes pour'd out tears to God Job 20. 16. There is no hazzard no danger in ripping up of all before God in a corner but there may be a great deal of hazzard and danger Eccl. 12. 14. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Rev. 22. 12. Heb. 10. 6. Psal 126. 5. Luk. 14. 14. Matth. 25. 34 37. in ripping up of all before men Fifthly Secret duties shall have open rewards Matth. 6. 6. And thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly So Vers 18. God will reward his people here in part hereafter in all perfection He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him in a corner They that sow in tears secretly shal reap in joy openly Private prayer shall be rewarded before men and Angels publickly How openly did God reward Daniel for his secret prayer Dan. 6. 10. 23 24 25 26 27 28. Mordecai privately discovered a plot of treason against the person of King Ahasuerus and he is rewarded openly Esther 2. 21 22 23. with Chap. 6. Darius before he came to the kingdom received privately a garment for a gift of one Syloson and when he came to be King he rewarded him openly with the command of his Country Samus God in the great Day will recompense his people before all the world for every secret prayer and secret tear and secret sigh and secret groan that hath come from his people God in the great day will declare to men and Angels how often his people have been in pouring out their souls before him in such and such holes corners and secret places and accordingly he will reward them Ah Christians did you really believe this and seriously dwell on this you would 1. Walk more thankfully 2. Work more chearfully 3. Suffer more patiently 4. Fight against the world the flesh and the devil more couragiously 5. Lay out your selves for God his interest and glory more freely 6. Live with what Providence hath cut out for your portion more quietly and contentedly And 7. You would be in private prayer more frequently more abundantly Sixthly Consider that God hath O Lord I never come to thee but by thee I never go from thee without thee Bern. usually let out himself most to his people when they have been in secret when they have been alone at the Throne of Grace Oh the sweet meltings the heavenly warmings the blessed cheerings the glorious manifestations and the choice communion with God that Christians have found when they have been alone with God in a corner in a closet behind the door When had Daniel that Vision comfortable Message that blessed News by the Angel that he was greatly beloved but when he was all alone at prayer Dan. 9. 20 21 22 23. And while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy Mountain of my God yea while I was speaking in prayer even the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the Vision at the beginning being caused to flie swiftly touched me about the time of the evening oblation And he informed me and talked with me and said O Daniel I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding At the beginning of thy supplications the commandement came forth and I am come to shew thee for thou art greatly beloved Therefore understand the matter and consider the Vision Whilst Daniel was at private prayer God by the Angel Gabriel reveales to him the secret of his Counsel concerning the Restauration of Jerusalem and the duration thereof even to the Messiah and whilst Daniel was at private prayer the Lord appears to him and in an extraordinary way assures him that he was a man greatly beloved or as the Hebrew Chumudoth hath it a man of desires that is a man whom Gods desires are towards a man singularly beloved of God and highly
in favour with God a man that art very pleasing and delightful to God God loves to lade the wings of private prayer with the sweetest choicest and chiefest blessings Ah how often hath God kissed a poor christian at the beginning of private prayer and spoke peace to him in the midst of private prayer and fill'd him with light and joy and assurance upon the close of private prayer And so Cornelius is highly commended and graciously rewarded upon the account of his private prayer Acts. 10. 1 2 3 4. There was a certain man in Cesarea called Cornelius a Centurion of the Band called the Italian Band a devout man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much Alms to the people and prayed to God alwayes He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth houre of the day an Angel of God coming in to him and saying unto him Cornelius And when he looked on him he was afraid and said what is it Lord and he said unto him thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God Vers 30. 31. And Cornelius said four dayes agoe I was fasting until this hour that is until about three a clock in the after-noon vers 3. and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house and behold a man stood before me in bright cloathing and said Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine Alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God Mark as he was praying in his house namely by himself alone a man in bright clothing that was an Angel in mans shape vers 3. appeared to him and said Cornelius thy prayer is heard he doth not mean only that prayer which he made when he fasted and humbled himself before the Lord vers 30. 31. but as vers 2 3 4. shews His prayers his prayers which he made alone for it seemes none else were with him then for he only saw that man in bright cloathing and to him alone the Angel addressed his present speech saying Cornelius thy prayers are heard vers 4 31. Here you see that Cornelius his private prayers are not only heard but kindly remembred and graciously accepted and gloriously rewarded Praying Cornelius is not only remembred by God but he is also visited sensibly and evidently by an Angel and assured that his private prayers and good deeds are an odour a sweet smel a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God And so when had Peter his Vision but when he was praying alone on the house-top Acts 10. 9 10 11 12 13. On the morrow as they went on their journey and drew nigh unto the City Peter went up unto the house-top to pray about the sxith hour And he became very hungry and would have eaten but while they made ready he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and a certain Vessel descending unto him as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air And there came a voice to him Rise Peter kill and eat When Peter was upon the house-top at prayer alone then he fell into a trance and then he saw Heaven opened and then he had his spirit raised his Mind clevated and all the Faculties of his soul filled with a Divine Revelation And so when Paâ—l was at prayer alone he saw in Acts 11 18. a Vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight Paul had not been long at private prayer before it was revealed to him that he was a chosen vessel before he was filled with the gifts Graces and Comforts of the Holy Ghost And when John was alone in the Isle of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ whither he was banished by Domitian a most cruel Emperor then he had a glorious Euseb l. 3. c. 18. Rev. 1. 9 ult Rev. 5. 1 to 9. sight of the Son of man and then the Lord discovered to him most deep and profound Mysteries both concerning the present and future state of the Church to the end of the world And when John was weeping in private prayer doubtless then the sealed book was opened to him So when Daniel was at private prayer God dispatches a heavenly messenger to him and his Errand was to open more clearly and fully the blessed Scripture to him Some comfortable encourraging knowledge this holy man Doctor Ames got his learning by privat prayer and so did Solomon his wisdom of God had attain'd unto before by his frequent and constant study in the word and this egges him on to private prayer and private prayer posts an Angel from heaven to give him a clearer and fuller light Private prayer is a Golden-key to unlock the mysteries of the word unto us The knowledge of many choice and blessed Truths are but the returns of private prayer The Word dwells most richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out of their hearts before God in their Closets When Bonaventure that seraphical Doctor as some call him was asked by Aquinas from what books and helps he derived such holy and divine expressions and contemplations He pointed to a Crucifix and said Iste est liber c. Prostrate in prayer at the feet of this Image my soul receiveth greater light from heaven than from all study and disputation Though this be a Monkish tradition superstitious Fiction yet some improvement may be made of it Certainly that Christian or that Minister that in private prayer lyes most at the feet of Jesus Christ he shall understand most of the mind of Christ in the Gospel and he shall have most of heaven and the things of his owne peace brought down into his heart There is no Service wherein christians have such a near familiar and friendly entercourse with God as in this of private prayer neither is there any Service wherein God doth more delight to make known his truth and faithfulness his grace and goodness his mercy and bounty his beauty and glory Bene orasse est bene studuisse Luther to poor Souls than this of private prayer Luther professeth That he profited more in the knowledge of the Scripture by private prayer in a short space than he did by study in a longer space As John by weeping in a corner got the sealed book opened Private prayer crownes God with the Honor and Glory that is due to his Name and God crowns private prayer with a discovery of those blessed weighty Truths to his servants that are a sealed book to others Certainly the soul usually enjoyes most communion with God Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus Never less alone than when alone said the Heathen And may not a Saint say so much more that hath communion with God Jer. 13. 1 2. in secret When a christian is
in a Wilderness which is a very solitary place then God delights to speak friendly comfortably to him Hos 2. 14. Behold I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak friendly or comfortably to her Or as the Hebrew hath it I will speak to her heart When I have her alone saith God in a solitary wilderness I will speak such things to her heart as shall exceedingly cheer her and comfort her and even make her heart leap and dance within her A Husband imparts his mind most freely and fully to his wife when she is alone and so doth Christ to the believing soul O the secret kisses the secret embraces the secret visits the secret whispers the secret chearings the secret sealings the secret discoveries c that God gives to his people when alone when in a hole when under the staires when behind the door when in a dungeon When Jeremiah Jer. 33. 1 2 3. was calling upon God alone in his dark dungeon he had great and wonderful things shew'd him that he knew not of Ambrose was wont to say I am never lesse alone than when I am all alone for then I can enjoy the presence of my God most freely fully and sweetly without interruption And 't was a most sweet and divine saying of Bernard O Saint knowest thou not saith he that thy Husband Christ is bashful and will not be familiar in company Retire thy self therefore by Prayer and Meditation into thy Closet or the Fields and there thou shalt have Christs embraces A Gentlewoman being at private prayer and meditation in her Parlour had such sweet choice and full enjoyments of God that she cried out Oh that I might ever enjoy this sweet communion with God c. Christ loves to embrace his Spouse not so much in the open street as in a closet And certainly the gracious soul hath never sweeter views of glory than when it is most out of the view of the world Wise men give their best their choisest and their richest gifts in secret and so doth Christ give his the best of the best when they are in a corner when they are all alone But as for such as cannot spare time to seek God in a Closet to serve him in secret they sufficiently manifest that they have little fellowship or friendship with God whom they so seldome come at Seventhly Consider the time of this life is the only time for private prayer Heaven will admit of no secret prayer In Heaven there will be no secret sins to trouble us nor no secret wants to pinch us nor no secret temptations to betray us nor no secret snares to entangle us nor no secret enemies to supplant us We had need live much in the practise of that duty here on earth that we shall never be exercised in after death Some duties that are incumbent upon us now as praising of God admiring of God exalting and lifting up of God joying and delighting in God c. will be for ever incumbent upon us in Heaven but this duty of private prayer we must take our leaves of when we come to lay our heads in the dust Eighthly Consider the great prevalency of secret prayer Private prayer is Porta Coeli Clavis Paradisi the Gate of Heaven a Key to let us into Paradise Oh the great things that private prayer hath done with God! Oh the Psal 31. 22 great mercies that have been obtained by private prayer And oh Psal 38. 8. the great threatnings that have been diverted by private prayer And oh the great judgements that have been removed by private prayer And oh the great judgements that have been prevented by private prayer I have read of a malitious woman who gave her self to the Devil provided that he would do a mischief to such a neighbour whom she mortally hated The Devil went again and again to do his errand but at last he returns and tells her that he could do no hurt to that man for when ever he came he found him either reading the Scriptures or at private prayer Private prayers pierces the Heavens and are commonly blest and loaded with gracious and glorious returns from thence Whilst Hezekiah was praying and weeping in private God sent the Prophet Isaiah to him to assure him that his prayer was heard and that his tears were seen and that he would add unto his dayes fifteen years So when Isaac was all alone meditating and praying Isa 38. 5. and treating with God for a good wife in the fields he meets Robckah So Jacob Gen. 32. 24 25 Gen. 24. 63 64. 26 27 28. And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him untill the breaking of the day And when he saw that he prevailed not against him he touched the hollow of his thigh and the hollow of Jacobs thigh was out of joynt as he wrestled with him And he said let me go for the day breaketh and he said I will not let thee goe except thou bless me And he said unto him what is thy name and he said Jacob. And he said thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel for as a Prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed In this Scripture we have an elegant description of a Duel fought between the Almighty and Jacob and in it there are these things most observable First We have the Combatants or Duellists Jacob and God who appeared in the shape or appearance of a man He that is here said to be a man was the Son of God in humane shape as it appeareth by the whole narration and by Hosea 12. 3 4 5. Now that this man that wrestled with Jacob was indeed God and not really man is most evident by these Reasons First Jacob desires a blessing from him Vers 26. Now it is Gods Prerogative royal to blesse and not angels nor mens Ergo. Secondly He calls him by the name of God thou hast power with God Vers 28. And saith Jacob I have seen God face to face Vers 30. Not that he saw the Majesty and Essence of God for no man can see the essential glory of God and live Exod. 33. 20 23. but he saw God more apparently more manifestly more gloriously than ever he had done before Some created shape some glimpse of glory Jacob saw whereby God was pleased for the present to testifie his more immediate presence but not himself Thirdly The same person that here Jacob wrestles with is he whom Jacob remembreth in his benediction as his deliverer from all evil Gen. 48. 16. 'T was that God that appeared to him at Bethel when he fled from the face of his Brother Gen. 35. 7. Ergo. Fourthly Jacob is reproved for his curious enquiring or asking after the Angels name vers 29. which is a clear argument or demonstration of his majesty and glory God being above all notion and Name God is a super substantial substance an understanding
and his prevailing by praying Prayers and tears are not only very pleasing to God but also very prevalent with God And thus you see that this great instance of Jacob speaks out aloud the prevalency of private prayer See another instance of this in David Psal 6. 6 8 9. I am weary groanings all the night make I my bed to swim I water my couch with my tears These are all excessive figurative speeches to set forth the greatness of his sorrow and the multitude of his tears David in his retirement makes the place of his sin viz. his Bed to be the place of his repentance David sins privately upon his bed and David mourns privately upon his bed Every place which we have polluted by sin we should sanctifie and water with our tears Vers 8. Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping As blood hath a voice and as the rod hath a voice so tears have a voice tears have tongues and tears can speak There is no noise to that that tears in secret make in the ears of God A prudent indulgent Father can better pick out the wants and necessities of his Children by their secret tears than by their loud complaints by their weeping than by their words and do you think that God can't do as much Tears are not alwayes Mutes Cry aloud saith one not with thy tongue but with thy eyes Lam. 2. 18. not with thy words but with thy tears for that is the prayer that maketh the most forcible entry into the ears of the great God of Heaven Penitent tears are undeniable Ambassadors that never return from the Throne of Grace without a gracious answer Tears are a kind of silent prayers which though they say nothing yet they obtain pardon and though they plead not a mans cause yet they obtain mercy at the hands of God As you see in that great instance of Peter who though he said nothing that we read of yet weeping bitterly he obtained mercy Mat. 26. 75. I have read of Augustine who coming as a Visitant to the house of a sick man he saw the room full of friends and kindred who were all silent yet all weeping the Wife sobbing the Children sighing the Kinsfolk lamenting all mourning whereupon Augustine uttered this short ejaculatory Prayer Lord What prayer dost thou hear if not these Vers 9. The Lord hath heard my supplication the Lord will receive my prayer God sometimes answers his people before they pray Isa 65. 24. And it shall come to passe that before they call I will answer And sometimes while they are praying so it follows in the same verse And while they are yet speaking I will hear So Isa 30. 19. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee And sometimes after they have prayed as the experiences of all Christians can testifie Sometimes God neither hears nor receives a prayer and this is the common case and lot of the wicked Prov. 1. 28. Job 27. 9. Isa 1. 15. Sometimes God hears the prayers of his people but doth not presently answer them as in that case of Paul 2 Cor. 12. 7 8 9. And sometimes God both hears and receives the prayers of his people as here he did Davids Now in this instance of David as in a glasse you may run and read the prevalency of private prayer and of secret tears You may take another instance of this in Jonah Jonah 2. 1 2 3 5 7 10. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fishes belly and said I cried by reason of my affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of Hell cried I and thou heardest my voice For thou had'st cast me into the deep into the midst of the seas and the floods compassed me about all thy billows and thy waves passed over me The waters compassed me about even to the soul the depth closed me round about the weeds were wrapt about my head When my soul fainted within me I remembred the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee into thy holy Temple And the Lord spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land When Jonah was all alone and in the midst of many dangers and deaths when he was in the Whales belly yea in the belly of Hell so called because horrid and hideous deep and dismal yet then private prayer fetches him from thence Let a mans dangers be never so many nor never so great yet secret prayer hath a certain omnipotency in it that wil deliver him out of them all In multiplied afflictions private prayer is most prevalent with God In the very midst of drowning secret prayer will keep both head and heart above water Upon Jonahs private prayer God sends forth his Mandamus and the Fish serves Jonah for a ship to sail safe to shore When the case is even desperate yet then private prayer can do much with God Private prayer is of that power that it can open the doors of Leviathan as you see in this great instance which yet is reckoned as a thing not feasible Job 41. 14. Another instance of the prevalency of private prayer you have in that 2 Kings 4. 32 33 34 35. And when Elisha was come into the house behold the child was dead and laid upon his bed He went in therefore and shut the door upon them twain and prayer unto the Lord. Privacy is a good help to fervency in prayer And he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth and his eyes upon his eyes and his hands upon his hands and he stretched himself upon the child and the flesh of the child waxed warm Then he returned and walked in the house to and fro and went up and stretched himself upon him and the child neesed seven times and the child opened his eyes Oh the power the prevalency the omnipotency of private prayer that raises the dead to Life And the same effect had the private prayer of Elijah in raising the widows Son of Zarephath to life 1 Kings 17. 18 ult The great prevalency of Moses his Private prayers you may read in the following Scriptures Num. 11. 1 2. And when the people complained it displeased the Lord and the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled and the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the Camp And the people cried unto Moses and when Moses prayed unto the Lord the fire was quenched Moses by private prayer rules and over-rules with God he was so potent with God in private prayer that he could have what he would of God So Num. 21. 7 8 9. Psal 106. 23. Exo. 32. 9 10 11 12 13 14. Exo. 14. 15 16 17. The same you may see in Nehemiah Neh. 1. 11. compared with Neh. 2. 4 5
but his secret sins every day written in his fore-head it would not only put him to a crimson blush but it would make him pull his hat over his eyes or cover his face with a double scarfe So 1 Kings 8. 38. What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man or by all thy people Israel which shall know every man the plague of his own heart c. Sin is the greatest plague in the world but never more dangerous than when it reaches the heart Now secret sins commonly ly nearest the Heart the Fountain from whence they take a quick immediate and continual supply Secret sins are as near to original Sin as the first droppings are to the spring head And as every secret sin lyes nearest the heart so every secret sin is the plague of the heart Now as secret diseases are not to be laid open to every one but only to the prudent Physitian So our secret sins which are the secret plagues the secret diseases of our souls are not to belaid open to every one but only to the Physitian of souls that is only able both to cure them and pardon them And as all Christians have their secret sins so all Christians have their secret temptations 2 Corin. 12. 8 9. And as they have their secret temptations so they have their secret wants Yea many times they have such particular and personal wants that there is not one in the congregation nor one in the family that hath the like And as they have their secret wants so they have their secret fears and secret snares and secret streights and secret troubles and secret doubts and secret jealousies c. And how do all these things call aloud upon every Christian to be frequent and constant in secret prayer Eleventhly Consider Christ is very much affected and delighted in the secret prayers of his people Cant. 2. 14. O my dove that art in the clefts of the Rock in the secret places of the staires let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely Christ observes his Spouse when she is in the clefts of the rock when she is gotten into a Corner a praying he looks upon her with singular delight and with special intimations of his love Nothing is more sweet delightful and welcome to Christ than the secret services of his people Their secret breathings are like lovely songs to him their Mal. 3. 4. secret prayers in the clefts of the rock or under the staires are as sweet incense to Jesus The Spouse retires to the secret places of the stairs not only for security but also for secrecy that so she might the more freely without suspition of hypocrisie pour out her soul into the bosome of her beloved The great delight that Parents take in the secret lispings and whisperings of their children is no delight to that which Christ takes in the secret prayers of his people And therefore as you would be friends and and furtherers of Christs delight be much in secret prayer Twelfthly Consider you are the only persons in all the world that God hath made choice of to reveale his secrets to John 15. 15. Henceforth I call you not servants for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father I have made known unto you Every thing that God the father had communicated to Christ as Mediator to be revealed to his servants he did make known to his disciples as to his bosome friends Christ loves his people as friends and he uses them as friends and he opens his heart to them as friends There is nothing in the heart of Christ that concerns the internal and eternal 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. John 1. 9. Rom. 16. 25. 1 Cor. 2. 7. Ephes 3. 3 4 9. welfare of his friends but he reveales it to them he reveales himself his love his eternal good-will the misteries of Faith and the secrets of his Covenant to his friends Christ loves not to entertaine his friends with things that are commonly and vulgarly knowne Christ will reveal the secrets of his mind the secrets of his love the secrets of his thoughts the secrets of his heart and the secrets of his purposes to all his bosome friends Sampson could not hide his mind his secrets from Dalilah Judg. 16. 15 16 17. though it cost him his life and do you think that Christ can hide his mind his secrets from them for whom he hath laid down his life surely no. O sirs Christ is 1. A universal friend 2. An omnipotent friend an Almighty friend He is no less than thirty times called Almighty in that book of Job he can do above all expressions and beyond all apprehensions 3. He is an omniscient friend 4. He is an omnipresent friend 5. He is an indeficient friend 6. He is an independant friend 7. He is an unchangable friend 8. He is a watchful friend 9. He is a tender and compassionate friend 10. He is a close and faithful friend And therefore he can't but open and unbosom himself to all his bosom friends To be reserved and close is against the very law of friendship Faithful friends are very free in imparting their thoughts their minds their secrets one to another A real friend accounts nothing worth knowing unless he makes it known to his friends He rips up his greatest and most inward secrets to his friends Job calls Job 19. 19. his friends inward friends or the men of his secrets All Christs friends are inward friends they are the men of his secrets Prov. 3. 32. His secrets are with the righteous that is his covenant and fatherly affection which is hid and secret from the world He that is righteous in secret where no man sees him he is the righteous man to whom God will communicate his closest secrets as to his dearest bosom friend It is only a bosom friend to whom we will unbosom our selves So Psal 25. 14. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Now there are three sorts of divine secrets First There are secrets of Providence Psal 107. ult Hos 14. 9. and these he reveals to the righteous and to them that fear him The Prophet Amos speaks of these secrets of Providence Amos 3. 7. Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the Prophets Micaiah knew the secret of the Lord touching Ahab which neither Zedekiah 1 King 2 4. nor any other of the false Prophets knew So Gen. 18. 17. And the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do The destruction of Sodom was a secret that lay in the bosom of God but Abraham being a bosom friend God communicates this secret to him Vers 19 20 21. Abraham was a Jam. 2. 23. friend a faithful friend a friend
is a very great enemy to secret prayer Secret prayer is a scourge a hell to Satan every secret prayer adds to the Devils torment and every secret sigh adds to his torment and every secret groan adds to his torment every secret tear adds to his torment When a child of God is on his knees in his secret addresses There is no one thing that many hundred Christians have more sadly lamented and bewailed as many saithful Ministers can witness than the sad interruptions that they have met with from Satan when they have been with God alone in a room in a corner O! how often have they been scared affrighted and amazed by noyses strange apparitions at least to their fancies when they have been alone with God in a corner to God O the strange thoughts the earthly thoughts the wandring thoughts the distracted thoughts the hideous thoughts the blasphemous thoughts that Satan often injects into his soul and all to wean him from secret prayer and to weary him of secret prayer Sometimes he tells the soul that 't is in vain to seek God in secret and at other times he tells the soul 't is too late to seek God in secret for the door of mercy is shut and there is no hope no help for the soul Sometimes he tells the soul that 't is enough to seek God in Publick and at other times he tells the soul that 't is but a precise trick to seek the Lord in private Sometimes he tells the soul that 't is not elected and therefore all his secret prayers shall be rejected and at other times he tells the soul that 't is sealed up unto the day of wrath and therefore secret prayer can never reverse that seal and all this to dishearten and discourage a poor Christian in his secret retirements Sometimes Satan will object to a poor Christian the greatness of his sins at other times he will object against a Christian the greatness of his unworthyness Sometimes he will object against a Christian his want of grace and at other times he will object against a Christian his want of gifts to manage such a duty as it should be managed Sometimes he will object against a Christian his former streightnedness in secret prayer and at other times he will object against a Christian the smal yearnings that he makes of secret prayer and all to work the soule out of love with secret prayer yea to work the soul to loath secret prayer so deadly an enemy is Satan to secret prayer O the strange fears fancies and conceits that Satan often raises in the spirits of Christian when they are alone with God in a corner and all to work them to cast off private prayer 'T is none of Satans least designes to interrupt a Christian in his private trade with God Satan watches all a Christians motions so that he cannot turn into his closet nor creep into any hole to converse privately with his God but he followes him hard at heels will be stil injecting one thing or another into the soul or else objecting one thing or another against the soul A Christian is as well able to tell the stars of Heaven and to number the sands of the sea as he is able to number up the several devices and slights that Satan uses to obstruct the souls private addresses to God Now from that great opposition that Satan makes against private prayer a Christian may safely conclude these five things First The excellency of private prayer Certainly If it were not an excellent thing for a man to be in secret with God Satan would never make such head against it Secondly The necessity of this duty The more necessary any duty is to the internal and eternal welfare of a Christian the more Satan will bestir himself to blunt a Christians Spirit in that duty Thirdly The utility or profit that attends a conscientious discharge of this duty Where we are like to gain most there Satan loves to oppose most Fourthly The prevalency of private prayer If there were not a kind of an omnipotency in it if it were not able to doe wonders in heaven and wonders on earth and wonders in the hearts and lives and wayes of men Satan would never have such an akeing tooth against it as he hath Fifthly That God is highly honoured by this duty or else Satan would never be so greatly enraged against it This is certaine The more Glory God hath from any service we do the more Satan will strive by all his wiles and slights to take us either off from that service or so to interrupt us in that service that God may have no honour nor we no good nor himself no hurt by our private retirements But in the Twentieth and last place consider that you are only the Lords secret ones his hidden ones and therefore if you do not apply your selves to private prayer and to your secret retirements that you may enjoy God in a corner none will 'T is only Gods hidden ones his secret ones that are spirited principled and prepared to waite on God in secret Exod. 19. 5. Then shall ye be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people The Hebrew word Segullah signifieth Gods special Jewels Gods proper ones or Gods secret ones that he keeps in store for himself and for his own special service and use Princes lock up with their own hands in secret their most precious and costly Jewels and so doth God his Psal 135. 4. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure or for his secret Gem. Psal 83. 3. They have taken craftie counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones or thy secret ones so called partly because God hides them in the secret of his Tabernacle partly because God sets Psal 31. 20. as high a value upon them as men do upon their hidden treasure their secret treasure yea he makes more reckoning of them than he doth of all the world besides And so the world shall know when God shall arise to revenge the wrongs and injuries that hath been done to his secret ones Neither are there any on earth that knowes so much of the secrets of his love of the secrets of his counsels of the secrets of his purposes of the secrets of his heart as his secret ones do Neither are there any in all the world that are under those secret influences those secret assistances those secret incomes those secret anointings of the Spirit as his secret ones are under And therefore no wonder if God calls them again and gain and again his secret ones Now what can be more comely or more desireable than to see their natures and their practices to answer to their names They are the Lords secret ones his hidden ones and therefore how highly doth it concern them to be much with God in secret and to hide themselves with God in a corner Shall
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
God and out of a due regard to the internal and eternal welfare of their own souls shall every day redeem an hours time from their sleep or sports or feedings to spend with God in secret they shall find by experience that the Lord will make a few hours sleep sweeter and better than many hours sleep to them and their outward sports shall be made up with inward delights and for their common bread God will feed them with that bread that came down from heaven Sirs was not Christ The Evangelist applies these words to Christ Mat. 12. 15 16 17 18. his Fathers servant Isa 4â— 1. Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect or choice one in whom my soul delighteth or is well pleased I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles Christ is called Gods servant in regard of his humane nature and in regard of his office of Mediatorship and did not he redeem time from his natural rest rather than he would omit private prayer Mark 1. 35. And in the morning rising up a great while before day he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed Christ spent the day in preaching in healing the sick in working of miracles and rather than these noble works should shut out private prayer he rises a great while before day that he might have some time to wrestle with his Father in secret So Luke 6. 12. And it came to pass in those dayes that he went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God O sirs did Christ spend whole nights in private prayer for the salvation of your souls and will you think it much to redeem an hours time from your natural rest to seek and to serve him in a corner and to make sure the things of your everlasting peace The redeeming of time for private prayer is the redeeming of a precious treasure which if once lost can never fully be recovered again If riches should make themselves wings and fly away they may return again as they did to Job or if credit and honour and worldly greatness and renown should fly away they may return again as they did to Nebuchadnezzar If success and famous victories and conquests should make themselves wings and fly away they may return again as they did to many of the Roman Conquerors and others But if Sophocles Phocilides c. time whom the Poets paint with wings to shew the volubility and swiftness of it fly from us it will never more return unto us A great Lady of this Land on Queen Elizabeth her dying bed cried out Call time again call time again a world of wealth for an inch of time but time past was never nor could never be recall'd The Aegyptians drew the picture of Time with three heads The First was of a greedy Wolf gaping for time past because it hath ravenously devoured even the memory of so many things past recalling The Second Of a crowned Lyon roaring for time present because it hath the principality of all action for which it calls aloud And the Third was of a deceitful Dog fawning for time to come because it feedes fond men with many flattering hopes to their eternal undoing O that all this might prevail with servants to redeem time for private prayer And if my counsel might take place I should rather advise servants to redeem some time for private prayer from their sleep or lawful recreations or set meales c. than to spend in private prayer that time which their masters call their time especially if their Masters be unconverted and in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity and that for these five Reasons First Because this may be a means to prevent much Sin on the Masters side Masters that are in their unregenerate estate are very apt to storm and take on and let fly against God and Christ and Religion profession c. When they see their servants spend that time in private prayer or in any oother religious excercise which according to their understanding is their time and ought to be wholly spent in following their businesses Now gracious servants should have that honourable respect and that tender affection and that Christian compassion to their Masters souls as to do to the utmost all that lyes in them to prevent their Masters from contracting guilt upon their souls or from Jude 22 23. making work for repentance for hell or for the Physitian of souls The Persians the Turks and many Indians are so compassionate that they erect Hospitals not only for lame and diseased Men but also for Birds Beasts Dogs that are either aged starved or hurt O then what tender compassions should gracious servants exercise towards their Masters souls which are Jewels more worth then heaven and earth But Secondly Because this may be a means to convince the Judgments and Consciences of their Masters that there is some worth some excellency some sweetness c. to be found in private prayer and in other closet duties for when Masters shall observe their servants to redeem time for closet duties from their very sleep recreations dinner suppers they will be ready to conclude that certainly there is more worth more goodness more sweetness more excellency more glory more gain in closet duties than ever they have understood felt or experienced c. and that there very poor servants are better and more righteous than themselves Sotomen reports that the devout life of a poore Captive Christian woman made a King all his Family imbrace the Faith of Jesus Christ Good works convince more than Miracles themselves I have read of one Pachomius a souldier under Constantine the Emperor how that his Army being almost starved for want of necessary provision he came to a city of Christians and they of their own charity relieved them speedily and freely he wondering at their free and noble charity enquired what kind of people they were whom he saw so bountiful it was answered that they were Christians whose profession it is to hurt no man and do good to every man hereupon Pachomius convinced of the excellency of this Religion threw away his Arms and became a Christian a Saint Look as Husbands sometimes 1 Pet. 3. 1 2. are won by the conversation of their wives without the word so Masters may sometimes be won by the gracious carriage and conversation of their servants without the word The servants redeeming of time for private duties upon the hardest and severest tearms may be so blest to the Master that it may issue in his conviction conversion and salvation There is a may-be for it and a very may-be should be a sufficient encouragement for every gracious servant to do all he can to save the soul of his Master from going down into the infernal Pit But Thirdly Because the servants redeeming of time from his sleep recreations meals for
private prayer will most clearly and abundantly evidence the singular love the great delight and the high esteem that he hath of private prayer We say those children love their books well and delight much in learning who will be at their books when others are gone to their beds and who will be at their books before others can get out of their beds Certainly they love private prayer well and they delight much in closet communion with God who will be a praying when others are a sleeping and who will be addressing their souls before God in a corner before their mistress is a dressing of her self at the Glass or their fellow-servants a dressing themselves in the shop But Fourthly Because the servants redeeming of time for private prayer from his sleep set meales recreations c. may be of most use to other fellow servants both to awaken them and to convince them that the things of Religion are of the greatest and highest importance and that there is no trade for pleasure or profit to that private Trade that is driven between God and a mans own soul and also to keep them from trifling or fooling away of that time which is truly and properly their Masters time and by the Royal law of heaven ought to be spent solely and wholly in their service business For what ingenious servant is there in the world but will argue thus I see that such and such of my fellow servants will redeem time for private prayer and for other closet services from their very sleep meales recreations c. rather than they will borrow or make bold with that time which my Master saith is his c. and why then should I be so foolish so bruitish so mad to trifle or idle or play or toy away that time wnich should be spent in my masters service and for my masters advantage But Fifthly and lastly Because the servants redeeming of time for private prayer from his Sleep his Meales his Recreations c. cannot but be infinitely pleasing to God and that which will afford him most comfort when he comes to die The more any poor heart acts contrary to flesh and blood the more he pleases God the more any poor heart denyes himself the more he pleases God the more any poor heart acts against the streame of sinful examples the more he pleases God the more difficulties and discouragements a poor heart meets with in the discharg of his duty the more love he shewes to God and the more love a poor heart shewes to God the more he pleases God Jer. 2. 2 3. Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying thus saith the Lord I remember thee the kindness of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after me in the wilderness in a Land that was not sown Israel was holiness unto the Lord and the first fruits of his increase all that devour him shall offend evil shall come upon them saith the Lord. God was very highly pleased and greatly delighted with the singular love and choice affections of his people towards him when they followed after him and kept close to him in that tedious and uncouth passage through the waste howling wilderness How all these things do comport with that poor pious servant that redeemes time for private prayer upon the hardest termes imaginable I shall leave the ingenious Reader to judge And certainly upon a dying bed no tongue can express nor heart conceive but he that feeles it the unspeakable comfort that closet duties will afford to him that hath been exercised in them upon those hard termes that are under present consideration But Ninthly I answer If thou art a gracious servant then the near and dear relations that is between God and thee and the choice priviledges John 8. 32 33 36. that thou art interested in calls aloud for private prayer As thou art thy Masters servant so thou art the Lords free-man 1 Cor. 7. 22 23. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lords free-man Likewise also he that is called being free is Christs servant Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men Either when they command you things forbidden by Christ or forbid you things commanded by Christ or when they would exercise a dominion over your faith or a lord-ship over your consciences Suffer not your selves in spiritual things to be brought into such bondage by any men or Masters in the world as not to use that freedom Gal. 5. 1. Col. 2. 20. Gal. 2. 4. and liberty that Christ hath purchased for you with his dearest blood No servants are to serve their masters in opposition to Christ nor no servants are to serve their masters as spiritual masters Nor no servants are to serve their masters as supream masters but as subordinate masters Ephes 6. 5 6 7. And as every gracious servant is the Lords free-man so every gracious servant is the Lords friend Isa 41. 8. James 2. 23. John 15. 13 14 15. And as every gracious servant is the Lords friend so every gracious servant is the Lords son Gal. 4. 5 6. Rom. 8. 16. And as every gracious servant is the Lords son so every gracious servant is the Lords spouse Hos 2. 19 20. 2 Cor. 11. 2. And now I appeal to the consciences of all that have tasted that the Lord is gracious whether the near and dear relations that is between the Lord and pious servants doth not call aloud upon them to take all opportunities and advantages that possibly they can to pour out their souls before the Lord in secret and to acquaint him in a corner with all their secret wants weaknesses wishes c. And as gracious servants are thus nearly and dearly related to God so gracious servants are very highly priviledged by God Gracious servants are as much freed from the reign of sin the dominion of sin and the damnatory Rom. 6. 14. power of sin as gracious masters are Gracious servants are as Rom. 8. 1. much freed from hell from the curse of the Law and from the wrath of God as their gracious masters are Gracious servants are Gal. 3. 13. as much adopted as much reconciled as much pardoned as much justified and as much redeemed as their gracious masters are Gracious servants are as much heirs 1 Thes 1. 10. Col. 3. 11. Gal. 5. 6. Rom. 8. 17. Gal. 6. 14. 1 Pet. 2. 9. heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ as their gracious masters are Gracious servants are as much a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people called out of darkness into his marvelous light as their gracicious masters are And therefore they being all alike interested in all these great and glorious priviledges which belong to Saints as Saints they are without all peradventure alike obliged and engaged to all those duties which lies upon Saints as Saints among which private prayer
doth not intend to bestow upon us whether we pray in our closets or no and therefore to what purpose do you presse secret prayer so hard upon us c. To this Objection I shall give these Answers First That this Objection lyes as strong against Family Prayer and Publick Prayer as it doth against Private Prayer God knows all thy wants and necessities all thy straits and tryals c. and therefore what needest thou pray in thy Family what needest thou attend Publick Prayers in the Communion of Saints There is no wringing of any mercy out of the hands of Heaven which God doth not intend to bestow This Objection faces all kind of Prayer and fights against all kinds of Prayer But Secondly I answer That Private Prayer is that piece of Divine Worship and Adoration 't is a part of that homage which we owe to God upon the account of a Divine Command as I have already proved Now all Objections must bow before the face of Divine Commands As Josephs Brethren bowed before him Or as King Ahasuerus Gen. 42. 6. Esth 3. 2. his servants bowed before Haman Indeed every Objection that is formed up against a Divine Command should fall before it as Dagon fell before the Ark or as Goliah fell before David He that casts off Private Prayer under any pretence whatsoever he casts off the Dominion of God the Authority of God and this may be as much as a mans life and soul is worth But Thirdly I answer Though Prayer be not the ground the cause of obtaining favours and mercies from God yet 't is the means 't is the Silver Channel 't is the Golden Pipe through which the Lord is Isa 55. 6. Jam. 1. 5. Isa 62. 7. Psal 22. 24. pleased to convey to his people all temporal Spiritual and eternal favours Ezek 36. from the 26. verse to the 37. verse of that Chapter God promises to give them the cream the choycest the sweetest of all spiritual eternal and temporal blessings but mark verse 37. I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them Though God be very prompt and ready to bestow upon his people the best and the greatest of blessings yet the will by prayer be sought unto for the actual enjoyment of them He that hath no heart to pray for a mercy he needs he hath no ground to believe that ever God will give him the mercy he needs There is no receiving without asking no finding without seeking no opening without knocking The threefold promise annexed to the threefold precept in Matth. 7. 7. should encourage all Christians to be instant fervent and constant in prayer The proud beggar gets nothing of men and the dumb sinner gets nothing of God As there is no mercy too great for God to give so there is no mercy too little for us to crave Certainly that man hath little worth in him that thinks any mercy not worth a seeking But Fourthly and lastly I answer Every Christian should labour to enjoy his mercies in mercy he should labour to have his blessings blest unto him he should labour Gen. 22. 17. to have the good-will of him that dwelt in the bush with all he hath Now this is an everlasting truth a maxim to live and die with that whatsoever mercy comes not in upon the wing of prayer is not given in mercy O how sweet is that mercy that comes flying in upon the wing of prayer How sweet was that water to Sampson which streamed to him in the channel of private prayer Judg. 15. 19. he called the name of it En-hakkore the Well of him that prayed Sampson prayed as for life and that water that was handed to him was as sweet as life Every mercy that is gathered by the hand of prayer is as sweet as the Rose of Sharon But Can. 2. 1. that mercy that comes not in at the door of prayer comes not in at the right door and that mercy that comes not in at the right door will do a man no good such mercies will make themselves wings and fly from us Every Christian should Pro. 23. 5. narrowly look that all his mercies 1 Tim. 4. 4 5. are sanctified mercies now every mercy is sanctified by the word prayer Prayer prepares and fits us for mercy and mercy for us 'T is Prayer that gives us a right and holy use of all our mercies Such mercies are but great miseries that come not in upon the wing of prayer Prayerless mens mercies are all given in wrath Psal 76. 23 32. Yea their blessings are curst unto them Prov. 3. 33. Mal. 2. 2. Look as every sacrifice was to be seasoned with salt so every mercy is to be sanctified by prayer Look as Gold sometimes is laid not only upon cloath and silks but also upon Silver it self So Prayer is that Golden duty that must be laid not only upon all our natural and civil actions as eating drinking buying selling c. but also upon all our Silver duties upon all our most religious and spiritual performances as hearing reading meditating conference church-fellowship breaking of bread c. Certainly prayer is very necessary to make every providence and every ordinance and every mercy to be a blessing to us Every mercy that comes in upon the wing of private prayer is a double mercy 't is a great-bellied mercy 't is a mercy that hath many mereies in the womb of it Happy is that Christian that can lay his hand upon every mercy that he enjoyes and say of them all as once Hannah said of her Samuel 1 Sam. 1. 27. For this child I prayed and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him But Fifthly Some may further object and say I would drive a private trade with God I would exercise my self in secret prayer but I want a convenient place to retire into I want a private corner to unbosome my soul to my Father in c. To this Objection I shall give these three short Answers First I suppose this Objection concernes but a few Christians in our dayes That God that hath given a Christ to Believers doth commonly give them a convenient corner Rom. 8. 32. to enjoy private communion with himself in Most Christians I am afraid do rather want a heart for private prayer than a convenient place for private prayer What men set their hearts upon they will find time and place to effect it whether it be good or whether it be evil whether it concerns temporals or spirituals whether it concerns this world or another world this life or a better life If most men would but get better hearts they would quickly find or make convenient places for private prayer He who hath an inflamed love to God will certainly find out a corner to enjoy secret communion with God True lovers will find out corners to enjoy one another in How many men are there that
can easily find out private places for their dogs to lye in and their swine to sleep in and their horses to stand in and their oxen to feed in c. who can't find out a private place to seek the face of God in But did these men but love their God or their souls or private prayer or eternity as well or better than their beasts they would not be such bruiâ—es but that they would quickly find out a hole a corner to wait upon the Lord in But Secondly I Answer If a Christian be on the top of the house with Peter he may pray there or if he be walking in the field with Isaac he may pray there or if he be on the mountain with Christ he may pray there or if he be behind the door with Paul he may pray there or if he be waiting at table with Nehemiah he may secretly pray there or if he be in a wood he may pray there as the primitive Christians in times of persecution did or if he be behind a tree he may pray there or if he be by the Sea side he may pray there as the Apostles did 'T was a choice saying of Austin Every Saint is Gods Temple saith he and he that carryes his temple about him may go to prayer when he pleaseth Some Saints have never had so much of heaven brought down into their hearts as when they have been with God in a corner O the secret manifestations of divine love the secret kisses the secret embraces the secret influences the secret communion with God that many a precious Christian hath had in the most solitary places it may be behind the door or behind the wall or behind the hedge or behind the arbour or behind the tree or behind the rock or behind the bush c. But Thirdly and lastly didst thou never in thy unregenerate estate make use of all thy wits and parts and utmost endeavours to find out convenient seasons and secret corners and solitary places to sin in and to dishonour thy God in and to undoe thine owne and others souls in yes I remember with shame and blushing that 't was so with me when I was dead in Eph. 2. 1 2 3. trespasses and sins and walked according to the course of this world O how much then doth it concern thee in thy renewed sanctified and raised estate to make use of all thy wits and parts and utmost endeavours to find out the fittest seasons and the most secret corners and solitary places thou canst to honour thy God in and to seek the welfare of thine owne and others souls in O that men were but as serious studious and industrious to find out convenient seasons secret places to please and serve and glorifie the Lord in as they have been serious studious and industrious to find out convenient seasons and secret places to displease and grieve the Spirit of the Lord in But Sixthly and lastly others may further object and say we would be often in private with God we would give our selves up to closet prayer but that we can no sooner shut our closet doors but a multitude of infirmities weaknesses and vanities doe face us and rise up against us our hearts being full of distempers and follies and our bodies say some are under great indispositions and our souls say others are under present indispositions and how then can we seek the face of God in a corner how can we wrestle with God in our closets c. Now to this Objâ—ction I shall give these six Answers 1. Iâ— these kinds of reasonings or arguings were sufficient to shut private prayer out of doores where lives that man or woman that husband or wife that father or child that master or servant that Psa 40. 12. Psal 51. 5. Rom. 7. 15 24. Psal 130. 3. 1 Cor. 4. 4. 2 Chr. 6. 36. Phil. 3. 12. would ever bè found in the practise of that duty Where is there a person under heaven whose heart is not full of infirmities weaknesses follies and vanities and whose body and soul is not too often indisposed to closet duties 1 Kings 8. 46. If they sin against thee for there is no man that sinneth not c. Eccl. Grace in this life is like Gold in the ore full of mixture 7. 20. For there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Job 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an uncleane not one Job 9. 30 31. If I wash my self with Snow-water and make my hands never so clean Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch and mine owne cloaths shall abhor me Job 9. 20. If I justifie my self my owne mouth shall condemne me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Psal 143. 2. And enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified James 3. 2. For in many things we offend all 1 John 1. 8. If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Such that affirme that men may be fully perfect in this life or without sin in this life they do affirme that which is expresly contrary to the Scriptures last cited and to the universal experience of all Saints who daily feel and lament over that body of sin and death that they bare about with them yea they do affirme that which is quite contrary to the very state or constitution of all the Saints in this life In every Saint the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit lusteth against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other so that they cannot do the things Gal. 5. 17. that they would In every good Eph. 4. 22 23 24. man there are two men the old man and the new the one must be daily put on and the other daily put off All Saints have a law in their members rebelling against the law of their minds so that the Rom. 7. 23. 15. comp good that they would doe they do not and the evil that they would not do that they do They have two contrary principles in them from whence proceeds two manner of actions motions and inclinations continually opposite one to another hence it is that there is a continual combat in them like the strugling of the Twins in Rebecah's womb An absolute perfection is peculiar to the triumphant state of Gods Elect in Heaven Heaven is the onely priviledged place where no unclean thing can Rev. 23. 21 enter in that 's the only place where neither sin nor Satan shall ever get footing Such as dream of an absolute perfection in this life do confound and jumble heaven Heb. 12. 22 23. and earth together the state of the Church militant with the state of the Church Triumphant which are certainly distinct both in
his Commission that he can hardly forbear murmuring Must we bring water out of the Rock Mark Num. 12. 3. that word must we O how is the meekest man in all the world transported into passion anger unbelief and hurried into sad indecencies yet there was not a man on earth whose prayers were so powerful and prevalent with God as Moses his were Psal 106. 23. Exod 32. 9 -15. Chap. 33. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. Exod. 14. 13 14 15 16 c. So King Asa was a man full of infirmitities and weaknesses he relyes on the King of Syria and 2 Chron. 16. 7 13. on the Lord he is very impatient and under a great rage upon the Seers reproof He imprisons the Seer he oppressed some of the people or as the Hebrew hath it He crushed or he trampled upon some of the people at the same time And being greatly diseased in his feet he sought to the Physitians and not to the Lord and yet this mans prayer was wonderful prevalent with God 2 Chron. 14. 11 12 13 14 15. The Saints infirmities can never Psal 50. 15. Isa 30. 19. Ch. 65. 24. make void those gracious promises by which God stands engaged to hearken to the prayers of his people Gods hearing of our prayers doth not depend upon sanctification but upon Christ's intercession not upon what we are in our selves but upon what we are in the Lord Jesus both our persons and our prayers are acceptable in the beloved Ephes 1. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 5. When God hears our prayers 't is neither for our own sakes nor yet for our prayers sake but 't is for his own sake and his sons sake and his glory sake and his promise sake c. Certainly God will never cast off his people for their infirmities First 'T is the glory of a man to Pro. 19. 11. passe by infirmities O how much more then must it be the glory of God to pass by the infirmities of his people Secondly Saints are children and what father will cast off his children for their infirmities and Psal 103. 13. 14. 1 Cor. 12. 27. weaknesses Thirdly Saints are members of Christ's body and what man will cut off a member because of a scab or wart that is upon it What man will cut off his Nose saith Luther because there is some filth in it Fourthly Saints are Christ's purchase they are his possession Ephes 1. 22 23. 1 Cor. 6. u't Ch. 7. 23 1 Pet. 13. 18 19 20. his inheritance Now what man is there that will cast away or cast off his purchase his possession his inheritance because of thorns bushes or bryars that grow upon it Fifthly Saints are in a marriage Hos 2 19 20. covenant with God Now what husband is there that will cast off his wife for her failings and infirmities So long as a man is in covenant with God his infirmities can't cut him off from Gods mercy and grace Now 't is certain a man may have very many infirmities upon him and yet not break his covenant with God for no sin breaks a mans covenant with God but such as unties the marriage knot As in other marriages every offence or infirmity doth not disanul the marriage union it i◠only the breach of the marriage vow viz. adultery that untyes the marriage knot So here 't is only those sins which breaks the covenant which unties the marriage knot between God and the Soul 1. When men freely subject to any lust as a new master Or 2. When men take another husband Isa 28 15. 18. and this men doe when they enter into a league with sin or the world eh … they make a new covenant with hell and deach Now from these mischiefs God secures his chosen ones In a word If God should cast off his people for their infirmities then none of the sons or daughters of Adam could be saved For there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccl. 7. 20. Now if God will not cast off his people for their infirmities then certainly he will not cast off the prayers of his people because of those invincible infirmities that hang upon them and therefore our infirmities should not discourage us or take us off from Closet-prayer or from any other Duties of Religion But Fourthly I answer The more infirmities and weaknesses hang upon us the more cause have we to keep close and constant to our Closet duties If grace be weake The omission of good diet breeds diieases the omission of private prayer will make it weaker Look as he that will not eat will certainly grow weaker and weaker So he that will not pray in his c … et will certainly grow weaker and weaker If corruptions be strong the neglect of private prayer will make them stronger The more the remedy is neglected the more the disease is strengthned Whatsoever the distempers of a mans heart be they will never be abated but augmented by the omission of private prayer The more bodily infirmities hang upon us the more need we have of the Physitian and so the more sinful infirmities hang upon our souls the more need we have of private prayer All sinful omissions will make work for repentance for hell or for the Physitian of souls Sinful omissions lead to sinful commissions as you may see in the Angels that fell from heaven to hell and in Adams fall in Paradise Origen going to comfort and encourage a martyr that was to be tormented was himself apprehended by the Officers and constrained either to offer to the Idols or to have his body abused by a Black amore that was ready for that purpose of which hard choice to save his life he bowed unto the Idol but afterwards making a sad confession of his foul fact he said That he went forth that morning before he had been with God in his Closet and so peremptorily concludes that his neglect of Prayer was the cause of his falling into that great sin The neglect of one day of one duty of one hour would undoe us for ever if we had not an Advocate 1 John 2. 1 2. with the father Those years those months those weeks those days those hours that are not filled up with God with Christ with grace with duty will certainly be filled up with vanity and folly All omissions of duty will more and more unfit the soul for duty A Key thrown by gathers rust A Pump not used will be hardly got to go And Armour not used will be hardly made bright c. Look as sinful commissions will stab the Soul so sinful omissions will starve the Soul Such as live Isa 24. 16. Job 16. 8. in the neglect of private prayer may well cry out Our leanness our leanness And therefore away with all these plea's and reasonings about infirmities and weaknesses and indispositions address your selves to Closet-prayer But Fifthly I
his own soul by perpetual poring upon his guilt When Guilt upon the Conscience works a man to water the earth with tears to make Heaven ring with his groans then it works kindly When the sence of Guilt drives a man to God to Duty to the Throne of Grace then it will not be long night with that man He that thinks to shift off Private Prayer under the pretence of Guilt doth but in that increase his own Guilt Neglect of Duty will never get Guilt off the Conscience But then there is an involuntary indisposition to private prayer as in a sick man who would work and walk but cannot being hindered by his disease or as it is with a man that hath a great chain on his leg he would very fain walk or get away but his chain hinders him Now if your indisposition to private prayer be an involuntary indisposition then God will in mercy in course both pardon it remove it Secondly There is a total indisposition to private prayer there is a partial indisposition to private prayer A total indisposition to private prayer is when a man hath no Jer. 4. 22. Chap. 44. 17 18 19. mind at all to private prayer nor no will at all to private prayer nor no love at all to private prayer nor no delight nor no heart at all to private prayer now where this frame of heart is there all is naught very naught stark naught A partial indisposition to private prayer is when a man hath some will to private prayer though not such a will as once he had and some mind to private prayer though not such a mind as once he had and some affections to private prayer though not such warm and burning affections as once he had Now if your indisposition to private prayer be total then you must wait upon the Lord in all his appointments for a changed nature and for union with Christ but if your indisposition to private prayer be only partial then the Lord will certainly pardon it and in the very use of holy means in time remove it But Thirdly and lastly there is a transient accidental occasional or fleeting indisposition to private prayer and there is a customary a constant or permanent indisposition to private prayer Now a transient accidental occasional or fleeting indisposition to that which is good may be found upon the best of Saints as you may see in Moses Exod. 4. 10 11 12 13 14. and in Jeremiah Jer. 1. 5 6 7 8 17 18. 19. and Chap. 20. 9. and in Jonah chap. 1 and in David Psal 39. 2 3. Now if this be the indisposition that thou art under then thou mayest be confident that it will certainly work off by degrees Isa 65. 2. Jer. 9. 3. as theirs did that I have last cited But then there is a customary a constant or permanent indisposition to private prayer and to all other holy Duties of Religion Now if this be the indisposition that thou art under then I may safely conclude that thou art in the very gall of bitternesse and in Acts 8. 21 22 23. the bond of iniquity and thy work lyes not in complaining of thy indisposition but in repenting and believing and in labouring for a change of thy heart and state for till thy heart thy state be changed thou wilt remain for ever indisposed both to Closet-Prayer and to all other Duties of Religion and godlinesse To see a sinner sailing Hell-ward with Wind and Tide on his side to alter his course and Tack about for Heaven to see the earthly man become heavenly the carnal man become spiritual the proud man become humble the vain man become serious to see a sinner move contrary to himself in the wayes of Christ and holiness is as strange as to see the earth fly upward or the Bowl run contrary to its own Byass and yet a divine power of God upon the Soul can effect it and this must be effected before the sinner will be graciously inclined and sincerely disposed to Closet-prayer And let thus much suffice by way of Answer to this Objection also Now for the better management of this great Duty viz. Closet-prayer I beseech you take my advice and counsel in these 11. following particulars First Be frequent in Closet-prayer and not now and then only He will never make any yearnings of Closet-prayer that is not frequent in Closet-prayer Now that this Counsel may stick Consider First Other eminent Servants of the Lord have been frequent in this blessed work Nehem. 1. 6. Let thine earnow be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear the Prayer of thy Servant which I pray before thee day and night So Daniel he kneeled Dan. 6. 10 upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did before time So David My voyce shalt thou hear in the morning and in the evening will Psal 5. 3. I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up So Psal 88. 13. But unto thee have I cryed O Lord and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee So Psal 119. 147. I prevented the Psal 119. 164. dawning of the morning and cryed unto the Lord. So Psal 55. 17. Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud Yea he Exod. 29 38 39. Numb 28. 3. Mat. 6. 11. was Vir orationis for his frequency in it Psal 109. 4. For my love they are my adversaries But I give my self unto prayer Or as the Hebrew may be read But I am a man of prayer Of Carolus Magnus it was said Carolus plus cum Deo quam hominibus loquitur that he spake more with God than with men Secondly Consider the blessed Scripture doth not only enjoyn this Duty but it requires frequency in it also Luke 18. 1. 1 Thes 5. 17. Col. 4. 2. In the former part of this discourse I have given light into these Scriptures and therefore the bare citing of them must now suffice Thirdly Christ was frequent in Private Prayer as you may easily see by comparing of these Scriptures together Mark 1. 35. Mat. 14. 23. Luke 22. 39. John 18. 2. In my second Argument for Private Prayer you may see these Scriptures opened and amplified But Fourthly Consider that you have the examples of the very worst of men in this case Papists are frequent in their private Devotions And the Mahometans what occasion soever they have either by profit or pleasure to divert them will yet pray five times every day Yea the very Heathens sacrificed to Hercules morning and evening upon the great Altar at Rome Now shall blind nature do more than grace But Fifthly Consider you cannot have too frequent Communion with God you cannot have too frequent intercourse with Jesus you cannot have your hearts too frequently filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory and with that peace that passes understanding you cannot have heaven too frequently brought
down into your hearts nor you cannot have your hearts too frequently carried up to heaven and therefore you cannot be too frequent in Closet-prayer But Sixthly Consider that you are under frequent wants and frequent sins and frequent snares and frequent 1 Pet. 5. 8. Job 1. 7. temptations and frequent allurements and frequent tryals and frequent cares and frequent feares and frequent favours and therefore you had need be frequent with God in your Closets But Seventhly Consider you are the favourites of heaven you are greatly beloved you are highly honoured you are exceedingly esteemed and valued in the Court of the Most High and remember that the Petitions of many weak Christians and of many benighted Christians and of many tempted Christians and of many clouded Christians and of many staggering Christians and of many doubting Christians and of many bewildred Christians and of many fainting Christians c. are put into your hands for a quick and speedy dispatch to the Throne of Grace so that you had need be frequent in your Closets and improve your interest in heaven or else many of these poor hearts may be wronged betrayed and prejudiced by your neglect Such as are Favourites in Princes Courts if they are active diligent careful and watchful they may doe much good for others they may come as often as they please into their Princes presence and with Queen Esther have Esth 8. for asking what they please both for themselves and others Esth 7. O what a world of good may such doe for others that are Gods Favourites if they would be but frequent with God in their Closets O Sirs If you have not that love that regard that pitty that compassion to your own souls as you should have yet O let not others suffer by your neglect of private prayer O let not Zion suffer O let not any particular Saint suffer by your being found seldom in your Closets Certainly It might have gone better with the Churches of Christ and with the concernments of Christ and with many of the poor people of Christ if most Christians had been more frequent with God in their Closets But Eighthly and lastly Consider that this liberty to approach nigh Sanguis Christi clavis Coeli to God in your Closets cost Christ his dearest blood Ephes 2. 13. Heb. 10. 20. Now he that is not frequent with God in his Closet tells all about him that he sets no great value upon that liberty that Christ hath purchased with his blood The incomparable the unparalel'd 1 Pet. 1. 19. price which Christ hath paid down upon the nail above sixteen hundred years agoe that we might have liberty and free access to his Father in your Closets argues very strongly yea irrefragably the superlative excellency of that liberty O therefore let us improve to purpose this blessed purchase of our Lord Jesus by being frequent with God in our closets 'T is disputed by some whether one drop of Christs blood was sufficient for the pardon of our sins and redemption of our souls My intention is not to dispute but to offer a few things to your Consideration First It must be granted that One little drop of Christ's blood is more worth than heaven and earth Luther by reason of the hypostatical union a drop of Christ's blood was of an inestimable worth and excellency and the value of his passion is to be measured by the dignity of his person But Secondly a proportion was to be observed betwixt the punishment due to men and that which What is the blood of the Grape or the blood of a son an only son to the blood of a Saviour was suffered for man that his sufferings might be satisfactory two things were necessary Poenae gravitas as well as personae dignitas That the least drop of Christ's blood was not sufficient for the redemption of our souls may thus appear First If it were then the Circumcision of Christ was enough for there was a drop if not many drops of blood shed Secondly Then his being Crown'd with a crown of Thorns was sufficient for it is most probable that they drew blood-from him Thirdly Then all Christ's sufferings besides were superfluous and vain Fourthly Then God was unjust and unrighteous to take more than was due to his justice But for any man to affirm that God hath taken beyond what was his just due is high blasphemy Fifthly Then Christ was weak and imprudent to pay more than he needed for what need was there of his dearest heart blood if a drop from his hand would have saved our souls Let School-men fancie what they please 't is certain that not one dram of that bitter Cup that Christ drunk off could be abated in order to his Fathers full satisfaction and mans eternal redemption Christ hath given under his own hand that it was necessary that he should suffer many things Mark 8. 3. Luke 24. 26. O Sirs shall Christ shed not only a few drops of blood but his very heart blood to purchase you a freedom and liberty to be as often in your Closets with his Father as you please and will you only now and then give God a visit in private the Lord forbid My Second Advise and counsel is this Take the fittest seasons and opportunities that possibly you can for Closet-prayer Many take unfit seasons for private prayer which do more obstruct the importunity of the soul in prayer than all the suggestions and instigations of Satan As First When the body is drowsie Cant. 3. 1. and sleepy this is a very unfit season for closet-prayer Take heed of laying cushions of sloath under your knees or pillows of idlenesse under your elbows or of mixing nods with your petitions or of being drowsily devoted when you draw neer to God in your closets Secondly When a mans head and heart is filled with worldly 1 Cor. 7. 35. Ezek. 33. 31. cares and distractions this is a very unfit season for closet-prayer When Dinah must needs be gadding abroad to see fashions Shechem Prince of that country meets with her and forces her virginity So when our hearts Dinah-like must needs be a roving and gadding abroad after the things of the world then Satan the Prince of the air usually seizes upon us commits a rape upon our souls and either leads us off from prayer or else he doth so distract us in prayer that it were better not to have prayed at all than to have offered the sacrifice of foolish and distracted prayer I have read a story how that one offered to give his horse to his fellow upon condition he would but say the Lords Prayer and think upon nothing but God the proffer was accepted and he began Our Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name But I must have the bridle too said he no nor the Horse neither said the other for thou hast lost both already The application is easie Certainly the most free
and lively seasons for Closet-prayer is the mornings before a mans spirit be blunted or cooled deadned damped or flatted by worldly businesses A man should speak with God in his Closet before he speaks with his worldly affairs and occasions A man should say to all his worldly businesseg as Abraham said unto his young men when he went to offer up his only Isaac abide you here and I will goe yonder and worship and then return to you again He that will attend Closet-prayer without distraction or disturbance must not first slip out of the world into his Closet but he must first slip into his Closet before he be compassed about with a crowd of worldly employments It was a Precept of Pythagoras that when we enter into the Temple to worship God we must not so much as speak or think of any worldly business least we make Gods service an idle perfunctory and lazy recreation The same I may say of Closet-prayer Jerome complains very much of his distractions dulness and indisposedness to prayer and chides himself thus What dost thou think that Jonah prayed thus when he was in the Whales belly or Daniel when he was among the Lyons or the Thief when he was upon the Cross Thirdly When men or women are under rash and passionate 1 Tim. 2. 8. distempers for when passions are up holy affections are down and this is a very unfit season for Closet-prayer for such prayers will never reach Gods eare which do not first warm our own hearts In the Muscovy Churches if the Minister mistake in reading or stammer in pronouncing his words or speak any word that is not well heard the hearers doe very much blame him and are ready to take the book from him as unworthy to read therein And certainly God is no less offended with the giddy rash passionate precipitate and inconsiderate prayers of those who without a deliberate understanding do send their petitions to heaven in post-hast Solomons advice is worthy of all commendation and acceptation Be not Eccl. 5 2. rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God Or as the Hebrew may be read Let not thy heart through hast be so troubled or disturbed as to tumble over and throw out words without wisdome or premeditation Good men are apt many times to be too hasty rash and unadvised in their prayers complaints and deprecations Psal 31. 2. 2 Psal 116. 11 Job 10. 1 2 3. Jer. 18. 15. 18. Jon. 4. 2 3 4. Matth. 20. 20 21. witness David Job Jeremiah Jonah and the Disciples No Christian to him that doth wisely seriously weigh over his prayers and praises before he pours out his soul before the Lord. He never repents of his requests who first duly deliberates what to request but he that blurts out whatsoever lyes uppermost and that brings into the presence of God his rash raw tumultuary and indigested petitions confessions complaints c. he doth but provoke God he doth but brawl with God instead of praying to him or wrestling with him Suiters at Court observe their fittest times and seasons of begging they commonly take that very nick of time when they have the King in a good mood and so seldome or never come off but with good success Sometimes God strongly enclines the heart to Closet-prayer sometimes he brings the heart before hand into a praying frame sometimes both body and soul are more enlivened quickned raised and divinely enflamed than at other times sometimes Conscience is more stirring working and tender c. O now strike while the Iron is hot O now lay hold on all such blessed opportunities by applying of thy self to private prayer O Sirs can you take your fittest times seasons and opportunities for plowing and sowing and reaping and buying and selling and eating and drinking and marrying c. And can't you as well take your fittest times and seasons to seek the Lord in your Closets Must the best God be put off with the least and worst of your time the Lord forbid Neglect not the seasons of grace slip not your opportunities for Closet-prayer thousands have lost their seasons and their souls together My Third Advice and counsel is this Be marvelous careful that you do not perform Closet Duties meerly to still your Consciences you must perform them out of Conscience but you must not perform them only to quiet Conscience Some have such a light set up in their understandings that they cannot omit An ill Conscience saith Austin is like a scolding wife a man saith he that hath an ill Conscience he cares not to be at at home he cares not to look into his own soul but loves to be abroad Closet-prayer but Conscience is upon their backs Conscience is still upbraiding and disquieting of them and therefore they are afraid to neglect Closet-prayer least Conscience should question arraign and condemn them for their neglects Sometimes when men have greatly sinned against the Lord Conscience becomes impatient and is still accusing condemning and terrifying of them and now in these Agonies they will run to their Closets and cry and pray and mourn and confess and bitterly bewail their transgressions but all this is only to quiet their Consciences and sometimes they find upon their performances of Closet-duties that their Consciences are a little allayed and quieted and for this very end and purpose do they take up closet-Closet-prayer as a charm to allay their Consciences and when the storm is over and their Consciences quieted then they lay aside Closet-prayer as the Monk did the net when the fish was caught and are ready to transgresse again O Sirs take heed of this for this is but plain hypocrisie and will be bitternesse in the end He that performs Closet-prayer only to bribe his Conscience that it may not be clamorous or to stop the mouth of Conscience that it may not accuse him for sin he will at length venture upon such a trade such a course of sinning against Conscience as will certainly turn his troubled Conscience into a seared Conscience And a seared Conscience is like a sleepy Lyon when 2 Tim. 4. 2. he awakes he roars and tears his prey in pieces and so will a seared Conscience when 't is awakened roar and tear the secure sinner in pieces When Dionysius Conscience was awakened he was so troubled with fear and horrour of Conscience that not daring to trust his best friends with a razor he used to singe his beard with burning coals as Cicero reports All the mercy that a seared a benummed Conscience doth afford the sinner when it doth most befriend him when it deals most seemingly kind with him is this that it will not cut that it may kill it will not convince that it may confound it will not accuse that it may condemn it will spare the sinner a while that it may torment him for ever it will spare him here that it may gnaw
beast in Sacrifice to the gods but when the beast was opened it was without a heart which the South-sayers looked upon as an ill omen 'T is a sad omen that thou wilt rather provoke the Lord than prevail with him who art habitually heartlesse in thy Closet-duties Of the heart God seemeth to say to us as Joseph did to his Brethren concerning Benjamin Ye shall not see my face without it It was the speech of blessed Bradford that he would never leave a Duty till he had brought his heart into the frame of the duty he would not leave confession of sin till his heart was broken for sin he would not leave petitioning for grace till his heart was quickened and enlivened in a hopeful expectation of more grace he would not leave gratulation till his heart was enlarged with the sence of the mercies he enjoyed and quickened in the return of praise My sixth advice and counsel is this Be fervent be warm be importunate with God in all your Closet-duties and performances James 5. 17. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much or as the Greek hath it the working prayer that is such working 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayer as sets the wholeman on work as sets all the faculties of the soul and all the graces in the Psal 55. 1. Psal 61. 1. Psal 64. 1. Psal 88. 1 13. Psal 119. 164. Jon. 2. 1 2. Joel 2. 13. Psal 119. 145 147. Psal 119. 20. soul at work the word signifies such a working as notes the liveliest activity that can be Certainly all those usual phrases of crying wrestling and striving with God which are scattered up and down in Scripture do strongly argue that holy importunity and sacred violence that the Saints of old have expressed in their addresses to God Fervency feathers the wings of prayer and makes them fly the swifter to Heaven An Arrow if it be drawn up but a little way flyes not far but if it be drawn up to the head it will fly far and pierce deeply So fervent Qui timide rogat docet negare saith the Philosopher prayer flyes as high as Heaven and will certainly bring down blessings from thence Cold prayers bespeak a denyal but fervent prayers offer a sacred violence both to heaven and earth Look as in a painted fire there is no heat so in a cold prayer there is no heat no warmth no omnipotency no devotion no blessing Cold prayers are like Arrows without heads as swords without edges as Birds without wings they pierce not they cut not they fly not up to heaven Such prayers as have no heavenly fire in them do alwayes freez before they reach as high as heaven But fervent prayer is very prevalent with God Acts 12. 5. Peter therefore was kept in prison but prayer was made without ceasing The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies instant prayer earnest prayer stretched-out prayer prayer stretched-out upon the tenters as it were These gracious souls did in prayer strain and stretch themselves as men do that are running in a race they prayed with all the strength of their souls and with all the fervency of their spirits and accordingly they carryed the day with God as you may see in the following verses So Acts 26. 7. Vnto which promise our Twelve Tribes instantly serving God day and night or rather as the Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a stretched-out manner serving God day and night These Twelve Tribes or the godly Jews of the Twelve Tribes of Israel stretched out their hearts their affections their graces to the utmost in prayer In all your private retirements do as the Twelve Tribes did Rom. 12. 11. Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies seething hot God loves to see his people zealous and warm in his service Without fervency of spirit no service finds acceptance in heaven God is a pure act and he loves that his people should be lively and active in his service vers 12. Continuing instant in prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continuing with all your might in prayer 'T is a Metaphor from hunting dogs that will never give over the game till they have got it Rom. 15. 30. That ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strive mightily strive as Championsstrive even to an Agony as the word imports 'T is a military word and notes such fervent wrestling or striving as is for life and death Col. 4. 12. Alwayes labouring fervently for you in prayer The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is here used signifies to strive or wrestle as those do that strive for mastery it notes the vehemency and fervour of Epaphras his prayers for the Colossians Look as the wrestlers do bend and writhe and stretch and strain every joynt of their bodies that they may be victorious so Epaphras did bend writh and stretch strain every joynt of his soul if I may so speak that he might be victorious with God upon the Colossians account So when Jacob was with God alone ah how earnest Gen. 32. 24 27. Hos 12. 4 5. and fervent was he in his wrestlings with God! he wrestles and weeps and weeps and wrestles he tugs hard with God he holds his hold and he will not let God go till as a Prince he had prevailed with him Fervent prayer is the Souls contention the Souls strugling with God it is a sweating work it is the sweat and blood of the soul it s a laying out to the uttermost all the strength and powers of the Soul He that would gain victory over God in private prayer must strain every string of his heart he must in beseeching God besiedge him and so get the better of him he must be like importunate beggars that will not be put off with frowns or silence or sad answers Those that would be masters of their requests must like the importunate Widdow press God so far as to put him to an holy blush as I may say with reverence They must with an holy impudence as Basil speaks make God ashamed to look them in the face if he should deny the importunity of theirs souls Had Abraham had a little more Dor. Don. Fol. p. 522. Gen. 18. 22 23. of this impudence saith one when he made suit for Sodom it might have done well Abraham brought down the price to ten righteous and there his modesty staid him had he gone lower God only knows what might have been done for God went not away saith the Text till he had left communing with Abraham that is till Abraham had no more to say to God Abraham left over asking before God left over granting he left over praying before God left over bating and so Sodom was lost O the heavenly fire the holy fervency that was in Daniels closet-Closet-prayer O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and
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
things of God He that affects to read the Revelations of John more than his plain Epistles or Daniels prophesies more than Davids Psalms and is more busie about reconciling difficult Scriptures than he is about mortifying of unruly lusts or that is set more upon vain speculations than upon things that make most for edification he is not the man that is cut out for Closet-prayer Such as affect sublime notions obscure expressions and are men of abstracted conceits are but a company of wise fools that will never take any delight to be with God in a corner Had many men spent but half that time in secret prayer that they have spent in seeking after the Phylosophers Stone how happy might they have been O how holy how happy how heavenly how humble how wise how knowing might many men have been had they spent but half that time in Closet-prayer that they have spent in searching after those things that are hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3. 16. But Fourthly Take heed of engageing your selves in a crowd of worldly businesses Many have so much to do on earth that they have no time to look up to Heaven As much earth puts out the fire so much worldly business puts out the fire of heavenly affections Look as the earth swallowed up Korah Dathan and Abiram so much Num. 22. 32 worldly business swallows up so much precious time that many men have no leasure to be with God in their Closets this business is to be done and that business cannot be omitted and t'other necessary occasion must be attended so that I have no leasure to step out of my shop into my Closet saith Phil. 3. 19. the earthly minded man thus a crowd of worldly businesses crowds Closet-prayer quite out of doors Many drive so great a trade in their shops that their private trade to Heaven is quite laid by There is nothing that hath kept men more from Christ and Closet-prayer than the shop the Exchange the Farm and the Oxen Luke 14. 16. 22. c. The Stars which have least circuit are neerest the Pole and men that are least perplexed with worldly businesses are commonly neerest to God to Christ to Heaven and so the fitter for Closet-prayer 'T is sad when men grasp so much business that they can have no leasure for Communion with God in a corner The noise is such in a mill as hinders all private intercourse between man and man and so a multitude of worldly businesses make such a noise as that it hinders all private entercourse between God and the soul If a man of much business should now and then slide into his Closet yet his head and his heart will be so filled and distracted with the thoughts of his employments that God shall have little of him but his bodily presence or at most but bodily presence or at most but bodily exercise 1 Tim. 4. 8. which profits little If Christ blamed Martha for the multitude of her domestical employments Luke 10. 40 41 42. though they were undertaken for the immediate service and entertainment of himself because they hindred her in her soul-concernments Oh how will he one day blame all those who by running themselves into a crowd of worldly businesses do cut themselves off from all opportunities of pouring out their souls before him in secret But Fifthly Take heed of secret sins There is no greater hinderance to secret prayer in all the world than secret sins and therefore stand upon your watch and arme your selves with all your might against them There is an Antipathy betwixt secret sinning and secret praying partly from guilt which makes the soul shy of coming under Gods secret eye and partly from those fears doubts disputes and disorders that secret siâ—â— raise in the heart Light is not more opposite to darkness Christ to Belial nor Heaven to Hell than secret prayer is to secret sins and therefore what ever you do look that you keep clear of secret sins To that purpose consider these four things First That God is privy to our most secret sins his eye is as much upon secret sins as it is upon open Psal 139. 1 2 3 4. Jer. 13. 27. Chap. 29. 23. Psal 39. 1. 1 Kings 20. 39. Jer. 20. 20 Job 10. 12. sins Psal 90. 8. Thou host set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance God hath an eye upon our inmost evils he seeth all that is done in the dark Jer. 23. 24. Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Prov. 15. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good To say that God doth not see the most secret sins of the children of men is not only derogatory to his omniscience but also to his mercy for how can God pardon those sins which he doth not see to be sins There is no cloud nor curtain nor moment of darkness that can stand betwixt the eyes of God and the wayes of men Prov. 5. 21. The wayes of men are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings In this Scripture Solomon mainly speaks of the wayes of the Adulterer which usually are plotted with the most cunning secrecy yet God seeth all those wayes Look as no boldness can exempt the Adulterer from the justice of God so no secrecy can hide him from the eye of God Though men labour to hide their wayes from others and from themselves yet 't is but labour in vain to endeavour to hide them from God Men that labour to hide God from themselves can never hide themselves from God I have read that Paphnutius converted Thais and Ephron two famous Strumpets from uncleanness only with this Argument That God seeth all things in the dark when the doors are fast the windows shut and the curtains drawn Heb. 4. 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened anotamized even to the eyes of him with whom we have to do 'T is an allusion to the Priests under the Law who when they killed a beast all things that were within the beast were laid open and naked before the Priest that he might see what was sound and what was corrupted Though evil be done out of the eye of all the world yet it is naked and manifest in his sight with whom we have to do Those sins which lye closest and are most secretly lurking in the heart are as obvious and odious to God as those that are most fairly written upon a mans forehead God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all eye so that he sees all the most secret turnings and windings of our hearts Our most secret sins are as plainly seen by him as any thing can be by us at noon-day Psalm 139. 11 12 If I say surely the darkness shall
outside of the house then help runs in then help on all hands is ready He that sins in secret debars himself of all publick Remedy and takes great pains to damn his soul in a corner and to go to Hell in the dark But Secondly Secret sins will make way for publick sins He that makes no Conscience of sinning in the secret Chamber will e're long with Absolom be ready to spread a Tent upon the top of the 2 King 16. 21 22 house and to go in to his Concubines in the sight of all Israel Such as have made no Conscience of stealing a few pins or pence or a few shillings in private have in time come to be so bold as to take a purse on the road at high-noon The Cockatrice must be crushed in the Egge else it will soon become a Serpent The very thought of sin if not thought on will break forth into action action into custom custom into habit and then both body and soul are irrecoverably lost to all eternity If Satan can but wound our heel as the Poets feign of Achilles he will make a hard shift but he will send death from the heel to the heart If this subtile Serpent can but wriggle in his tayl by an ill thought he will soon get in his head by a worse action Hence it is that Christ calls hatred murder and a wanton eye adultery Secret hatred often issues in upon murder and secret wanton glances of the eye do often issue in visible adultery If Ammon be sick with the sinful conceptions of incestuous lust how will his soul be in pain and travail till he hath brought forth And how many are there that in secret have taken now and then but one Cup more than enough who now may be seen at high-noon reeling against every Post Look as secret diseases in the body if not cured will in time openly break forth so secret sins in the soul if not pardoned and purged will in time be openly revealed Covetousness was Judas his secret sin and no sooner doth an occasion or a temptation present it self but he is very ready and forward to betray and sell his Lord and Master for thirty pieces of Silver before all the world Lust having conceived brings forth sin and James 1. 15. that thus First Sin hath its conception and that 's delight and then its formation and that 's design and then its birth and that 's action and then its growth and that 's custome and then its end and that 's damnation But Thirdly Secret sinning puts far more respect fear upon men than upon God Thou wilt be unjust in secret and wanton in secret and unclean in secret and treacherous in secret c. and why but because thou art afraid that such or such men should know it or that such and such Friends should know it or that such and such Relations should know it Ah poor wretch art thou afraid of the eye of a man of a man that shall Isa 51. 12. dye and of the Son of man which shall be made as Grass and yet not tremble under his eye whose eyes are as a flame of fire sharp and terrible such as pierce into the inward Rev. 1. 14. Heb. 4. 13. parts Ah how full of atheisme is that mans heart that tacitly saith If my sins be but hid from the eyes of the world I do not care though the Lord knows them though the Lord strictly observes them though the Lord sets a mark a Memorandum upon them What is this O Man but to brave it out with God and to tempt him and provoke him to to his very face who is Light and in whom there is no darkness at all Ah sinner sinner can man 1 John 1. 5 6. damn thee can man dis-inherit thee can man fill thy Conscience with horrors and terrors can man make thy life a very Hell can man bar the gates of Glory against thee can man speak thee into the Grave by a word of his mouth and after all can man cast thee into endless easeless and remediless torments O no can God do all this O yes why then doth not thy heart stand more in awe of the eye of the great God than it doth of the eye of a poor weak mortal man I have insisted the longer on this particular because there is not any one thing in all the world that doth more hinder secret Communion with God and secret prayer than secret sins And Oh that you would all make it your great business to watch against secret sins and to pray against secret sins and to mourn over secret sins and deeply to judge and condemn your selves for secret sins and carefully and Conscientiously to shun and avoid all occasions and provocations that may be as fuel to secret sins Certainly there are no men or women that are so sincere and serious in Closet-prayer or that are so frequent so fervent so constant in Closet-prayer or that are so delightful so resolulute so undaunted or so unwearied in Closet-prayer as those that keep themselves most cleer and free from secret sins For a Close remember this That though secret sins are in some respects more dangerous than other sins are yet in three respects they are not so bad nor so dangerous as other sins are First In that they do not so scandalize Religion as open sins do Secondly In that they do not shame grieve and wound the hearts of the Saints as open sins do Thirdly In that they are not so infectious to others nor such provocations to others to sin against the Lord as open sins are And thus you may see what those things are that you must carefully take heeed of as ever you would adict your selves to Closet-prayer And as you must take heed of these five things So there are several other things that you must carefully and conscienciously apply your selves to as ever you would be found faithful and constant in this great duty viz. Closet-prayer Now they are these First Lament greatly and mourn bitterly over the neglect of this choice Duty He that doth not make Conscience of mourning over the neglect of this Duty will never make Conscience of performing this Duty O that Jer. 9. 1. your heads were waters and your eyes a Fountain of tears that you might weep day and night for the great neglect of Closet-prayer He that mourns most for the neglect of this Duty will be found most in the practise of this Duty He that makes most Conscience to accuse arraign and condemn himself for neglecting Closet-prayer he will make most Conscience of giving himself up to Closet-prayer 'T is said of Adam that he turned his face towards the Garden of Eden and from his heart bitterly lamented his great fall O that you would turn your faces towards your Closets and bitterly lament your rare going into them But Secondly Habituate your selves accustom your selves to Closet-prayer Make private prayer
another Hence t is that on the one hand he works some to cry up publick Prayers in opposition to secret Prayer and one the other hand he works others to cry up private Duties in opposition to all publick Duties whereas all Christians stand oblieged by God so to manage one sort of Duties as not to shut out another sort of Duties Every Christian must find time and room for every Duty incumbent upon him But Fifthly Love Christ with a more enflamed love O strengthen your love to Christ and your love to Closet-duties Lovers love Can 7. 10 11 12. much to be alone to be in a corner together Certainly the more any man loves the Lord Jesus the more he will delight to be with Christ in a corner There was a great deal of love between Jonathan 1 Sam. 18. 19. chap. 20. com and David and according to their love so was their private converse their secret communion one with another they were alwayes best when in the Field together or when in a corner together or when behind the door together or when lockt up together and just so it would be with you did you but love the Lord Jesus Christ with a more raised and a more enflamed love you would be alwayes best when you were most with Christ in a corner Divine Love is like a rod of Myrtle which as Pliny reports makes the traveller that carries it in his hand so lively and cheerful that he never faints or grows weary Ah Friends did you but love the Lord Jesus with a more strong with a more raised love you would never faint in Closet-duties nor you would never grow weary of Closet-duties Look as the Israelites removed their Tents from Mithcah to Hashmonah from sweetness Num. 23. 39. to swiftness as the words import So the sweetness of Divine Love will make a man move swiftly on in a way of Closet-duties Divine Love will make all Closet-duties more easie to the Soul and more pleasant and delightful to the Soul and therefore do all you can to strengthen your love to Christ and your love to Closet-work It was observed among the Primitive Christians that they were so full of love one to another that they could be acquainted one with another as well in half an hour as in half a year O Sirs If your hearts were but more full of love to Christ and Closet-duties you would quickly be better acquainted with them you would quickly know what secret communion with Christ behind the door means But Sixthly Be highly throughly and fixedly resolved in the strength of Christ to keep close to closet-duties in the face of all difficulties and discouragements that you may Psal 44. 17 18 19 20 meet withal A man of no resolution or of weak resolution will be won with a Nut and lost with an Apple Satan and the world and carnal relations and your own hearts will cast in many things to discourage you and take you off from Closet-prayer but be ye nobly and firmly resolved to keep close to your Closet let the World the Flesh and the Devil doe and say what they can Daniel was a man of an invincible resolution rather than he would om it praying in his Chamber he would be cast into the Den of Lyons Of all the Duties of Religion Satan is the most deadly enemy to this of secret Prayer partly because Secret prayer spoiles him in his most secret designs plots and contrivances against the Soul and partly because secret prayer is so musical and delightful to God and partly because secret prayer is of such rare use and advantage to the Soul and partly because it layes not the soul of open to pride vain glory and worldly applause as prayer in the Synagogue doth and therefore he had rather that a man should pray a thousand times in the Synagogues or in the corner of the streets or behind a Pillar than that he should pray once in his Closet and therefore you had need to steel your hearts with holy courage and resolution that what ever suggestions temptations oppositions or objections you may encounter with that yet you will keep close to closet-Closet-prayer There is not any better Bulwark in the day or battel than an heroick resolution of heart before the day of battel Sanctified resolutions doe exceedingly weaken and discourage Satan in his assaults they doe greatly daunt and dishearten him in all his undertakings against the Soul That man will never long be quiet in his Closet who is not stedfastly resolved to seek the Lord in a corner though all the powers of darkness should make head against him O Sir Divine fortitude holy resolutions will make you like a Wall of Brass that no Arrows can pierce they will make you like Armour of proof that no shot can hurt they will make you like that Angel Mat. 28. 2. that rolled away the Stone from before the door of the Sepulchre they will either enable you to remove the greatest Mountaines of opposition that lye between you and Closet prayer or else they will enable you to step over them Lather was a man of great resolution and a man that spent much time in Closet-prayer And such another was Nehemiah who met with so much opposition that had he not been steeled by a strong and obstinate resolution he could never have rebuilded the Temple but would have sunk in the midst of his work Now he was a man for private prayer as I have shewen in the beginning of this Treatise Who more resolute than David who more for secret prayer than David the same I might say of Paul Basil and many others who have been famous in their Generations O Sirs Sanctified Resolutions for Closet-prayer will chain you faster to Closet-prayer than ever Vlisses his resolutions did chain him to the mast of the ship 'T was a noble resolution that kept Ruth close to her mother when her sister Orpah only complements her kisses her and takes her leave of her Be but nobly resolved Ruth 1. 10 20. for Closet-prayer and then you will keep close to it when others only court it and take their leaves of it In the Salentine Country there is mention made of a Lake that is still brim full if you put in never so much it never runs over if you draw out never so much it is still full The resolution of every Christian for Closet-prayer Plin. Hist l. 2. c. 103. should be like this Lake still brim full Tide life tide death come honour or reproach come loss or gain come liberty or bonds come what can come the true bred Christian must be fully and constantly resolved to keep close to his Closet But Seventhly Labour for a greater effusion of the Holy Spirit for the greater measure any man hath of the Spirit of God the more that man will delight to be with God in secret Zech. 12. 10. And I will pour upon the House
Oh what is it then to be kept in torments and everlasting darkness I am here in my own house upon a soft bed in the dark kept from sleep but one night but to lye in flames and endless misery how dreadful must that needs be These and such like meditations were the happy means of this young mans conversion I have read a notable Story of one Theodorus a Christian young man in Egypt who when there was a great deal of feasting mirth and musick in his Fathers house withdrew himself from all the company and being got alone he thus thought with with himself Here is content and delight enough for the flesh I may have what I desire but how long will this last this will not hold out long then falling down upon his knees before the Lord in secret he said O Lord my heart is open unto thee I indeed know not what to ask but only this Lord let me not dye eternally O Lord thou knowest I love thee O let me live eternally to praise thee If there be any way or means on earth to bring us upon our knees before God in secret it is the serious and solemn thoughts of Eternity O that the fear of Eternity might fall upon all your souls O that you would all seriously consider that after a short time is expired you must all enter upon an eternal estate O consider that Eternity is an infinite endless bottomless gulph which no line can fathom no time can reach no age can extend to no tongue can expresse it is a duration alwayes present a being alwayes in being its Vnum perpetuum hodie one perpetual day which shall never see light O Sirs this is and must be for a lamentation viz. that Eternity is a thing that most men never think of or else very slenderly a snatch and away as Dogs are said to lap and away at the River Nâ—lus But as ever you would have your hearts chained to your closets and to closet-duties as the men of Tyrus chained their God Apollo to a post that they might be sure of him then seriously and frequently ponder upon Eternity and with those fourty valiant Martyrs be still a crying out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Basil 40. Martyr Eternity Eternity Mr. VVood after some holy discourse fell a musing and cryed out before all present for neer half a quarter of an hour together for ever for ever for ever Austins Prayer was Hack me hew me burn me here but spare me heareafter spare me hereafter Certainly if Christians would but spend one quarter of an hour every day in the solemn thoughts of Eternity it would make them more in love with Closet-prayer than ever yea it would make them more fearful of omitting Closet-prayer than ever and more careful and Conscientious in the discharg of all Closet-Duties than ever And thus according to my weak measure I have given out all that at present the Lord hath graciously given in to my poor soul concerning this most necessary most glorious and most useful point of points viz. Closet-prayer I shall by assisting grace follow this poor piece with my prayers that it may be so blest from on high as that it may work mightily to the internal and eternal welfare both of Reader Hearer and Writer FINIS ERRATA In the Epistle Dedicatory neer the middle for for are r. are for corrosives for appropiating r. appropriating In the 3. Lesson for Mow r. Now. In the 7. Lesson for hang up r. hang upon p. 21. l. 28. read thus p. â—0 l. 28. read Paul p. 98. l. 26. dele as well p. 99. r. in the marg Deus p. 149. l. 2. dele must p. 126. l. 7. r. lyes p. 168. l. 16. r. decree for degree p. 170 l. 4. r. evade p. 175 l. 20. r. Solomon p. 189. l. ult r. adressing p. 190. l. 14. r. or for for p. 209. l. utl r. and. p. 224 l. 18. r. drink l. 22. r. affliction p. 254. l 7. r. he for the. p. 298. l. 22. r. cum p. 357. l. 8. r. Marquess for Martyr p. 371. l. 28. r. a very for every A TABLE Containing The Chief Heads of this BOOK Of Afflictions  THat Afflictions refemble a Rod in Seven Particulars you may see in the Epistle Dedicatory  Of Allegories  Of Allegories p. 1. to 19. Of the Blood of Christ  That the least drop of Christs Blood was not sâ—fficient for the redemption of our Souls is made good by five Arguments p. 303 304 305. C  Doct. That Closet-Prayer or private prayer is an indispensable duty that Christ himself hath laid upon all that are not willing to lye under the woful brand of being Hypocrites p. 6. Five Arguments to prove Closet-Prayer to be a Duty p. 6. to p. 8. The most eminent Saint in all Ages have applied themselves to Closet-Prayer p. 8 to p. 19. We may more freely fully and safely unbosome our souls to God in our Closets than we can in the presence of many or a few p. 30 to p. 34. Christians enjoy most of God in their Closets p. 36 to p. 46. The time of this life is our only time for Closet-Prayer p. 46 47. The prevalency of Closet-Prayer p. 47. to p. 67. See Secret  Rules to be observed in Closet-Prayer  First Be frequent in Closet-Prayer and that upon eight grounds p. 297 to p. 30â— Secondly Take fit seasons and oppâ—rtuâ—ities for Closet Prayer Three unfit seasons for Closet Prayer are hinted at p. 305. to 311. Thirdly Look that you do not perform Closet-Duties meerly to still your Consciences p. 312 to p. 315. Fourthly Take heed of resting upon Closet-Duties p. 315 to p. 322. Fifthly Labour to bring your hearts into all your Closet-Prayers p. 322 to p. 328. Sixthly Be servent be warm be importunate with God in all your Closet-performances p. 328. to p. 339. Seventhly Be constant in Closet-Prayer hold on and hold out in Closet-prayer p. 339 to p. 347. Eighthly In all your Closet Prayers thirst and long after Communion with God p. 347 to p. 384. Ninthly In all your Closet-Duties look that your ends be right p. 384 to p. 387. Tenthly Be sure that you offer all your closet-Closet-Prayers in Christ's name and his alone p. 387 to p. 393. Eleventhly When you come out of your Closets narrowly watch what becomes of your Closet-Prayers p. 393 to p. 399. Of Christ  Christ was much in Secret Prayer p. 19 to 24. Six Arguments why Christ was so much in Secret Prayer p. 24 to p. 27. Christ was very much affected and delighted in the Secret Prayers of his people p. 73 to p. 75. What a friend Christ is shewed in Ten particulars p. 76 77 78. Of Combates  The Combate between the Allmigh and Jacob opened in Six particulars p. 49 to p. 58. Of Communion with God  Quest How shall a man know when he hath real Communion with God in his Closet or no Answered