Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A60343
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A discourse of closet (or secret) prayer from Matt. VI 6 first preached and now published at the request of those that heard it / by Samuel Slater.
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Slater, Samuel, d. 1704.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing S3960; ESTC R25761
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88,954
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200
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the little things which did speak the unsoundness of their hearts so what shall we think of them who spend all or the greatest part of their care and heat about those things which come not under any express command of the Divine Law They that are most curious about their Bodies are as it is to be feared most careless about their Souls they spend so much time at their Glass that they have none for the Bible they are so careful that a Pin be not stuck amiss in their Cloaths that they leave every thing amiss in their Hearts by the Garbs and unreasonable Dresses in which some sillily proud persons come into the Assemblies it is easie for Spectators to determine how they spent and profan'd the Morning of the Sabbath at home and we may apprehend and fear the same in the present case that those persons who are so much set for such things as this are at least very apt and prone to bestow none of their care about that which deserves most they are so much for the place that they forget and neglect the heart they are so thoughtful where they pray that they do not mind how they pray they are so set for a form they do not mind nay possibly they hate the Power But by the way letâ—me whisper this in the ear of these persons That the Altar will not Sanctify a corrupt thing If you bring dead formal lifeless Prayers though you offer them up in your Consecrated Churches nay at your adored Altars they will not come up with a sweet smelling favour and acceptance before God I would not have any body think that I do God forbid that I should say A Form of Prayer and Formality of Heart are inseparable Companions I do not doubt but meer formal Professors are most for forms but I dare not affirm that all those who make use of Forms are meer formal Professors I do not doubt but some looking upon Forms as lawful and out of modesty and an humble sense of the lowness of their own parts do make use of Forms when they pray with others and are conscientious in the use of them and they do accompany the Petitions Confessions and Thanksgivings contained in them with sincere affections and do meet with a gracious acceptance with God and do enjoy a communion with his Holy Majesty But this I will also be bold to say and if any be offended at it upon them be it That constant stated forms of Prayer and Formality are borderers upon one another they live at no such great distance but that they frequently yea commonly meet together in the same Service and in the same Persons And really I am of the mind that it stands them in hand who make use of forms to be very cautious and look warily to themselves lest they do even before they are aware fall into formality that indifferency and lukewarmness of Spirit which God cannot endure When in the forequoted Scripture the Woman of Samaria fell into discourse with Christ about the place of Worship whether it ought to be at Ierusalem or in that Mountain viz. Gerizim our Saviour did wisely and graciously take her off from that as a matter not so momentous as to deserve either her Enquiry or his Resolution and fell to acquainting her with directing her to and putting herâ— upon the Spirituality of that Worship which is to be performed as that which she and every one ought principally to attend unto because it is that which the heart of God is most for and upon which his pure eyes are chiefly set 4 Iohn 23 24. The hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth Spiritual Worship is most congruous and agreeable to God Childish Toys please Children who have no more wit outward Pomp and Ceremonies please vain men who have not so good hearts as they should but spiritual Worship is acceptable to that God who is himself a Spirit such Worshippers he seeks others he rejects when he finds them therefore you must be such if you would find favour or receive a Blessing And to shut up this particular I will only add That if men were once set as they should be for the spirituality of Worship they would not be so unreasonably eager as they are for nor so tetchy froward and contentious about Places Modes and Forms which can fetch their pedigree and original no higher than meer human Invention and Appointment Enough of that and it will be well if some persons do not think this a little too much VSE In the third and last branch of this Use of Reprehension my work will be to awaken rouze and startle to convince and bring those to judge and condemn themselves who live without secret Prayer I hear from some and I do more than partly believe it That there are many Professors and those too of some Name and Eminency who live under the dreadful guilt of this sinful omission and if there be some such how great may we suppose the total number to be of them who are this way chargeable tho' let them be never so many every one of them Man Woman and Child is known to that God who observes our down-lying and our up-rising and is acquainted with all our ways There are those that will come to publick Ordinances that they may not be counted Heathens nor suspected to be Papists which Party now blessed be God is under great infamy and reproach tho' not greater than they do deserve upon account of the very Principles of that cursed Religion which they have embraced and do profess Yea and they will attend upon those Ordinances which they think are most purely administred and also join themselves in Communion with those Churches which they look upon as being of the most Scriptural Constitution that so they may be reckoned among Christians of the highest Form and chiefest Rank yea and peradventure they will set up Family-duties they will call their Children and Servants together and all under their â—oof and Charge to seek the Lord lest upon a discontent or remove some-body within doors should tell tales by means whereof their reputation should be blasted and the truth of their Religion called in question by any of those to whom they are desirous yea ambitious of approving themselves But wretches as they are as for Prayer by themselves either in Chamber or in Closet or any where else they do lay it aside altogether God himself will be a swift Witness against them that He and they never so met together They find much other work and can do many other things when they are alone They can spend a great deal of time at the Glass viewing and dressing themselves they can tell their Money and read over their Bills and Bonds but as for Soul-searching
and thy countenance is comely When she is most retired and absconded Christ loves both to see her and hear her tho' she be Sun-burnt with Persecution and sooted with Infirmities yet her Countenance is comely in the eye of Christ because there he seeth his own and his Father's Image and tho' her Prayers be broken and as the chatterings of a Crane yet the voice is sweet in the ear of Christ because it is the language of his own Spirit And although our Lord spake this to his Spouse the Church yet it may be applied to particular Christians who are Parts and Members of the Church and may take the comfort of it to themselves When Elijah was as you heard and we noted before under the Juniper-Tree God was pleased to come and join himself to him and would have from his own mouth an account of his Case and the reason of his withdrawing himself What dost thou here Elijah what was it that brought thee hither and what is it that thou wouldst have of me Know O holy Soul thou standest in the same relation to God and hast the same interest in him and maist promise thy self the same kindness God will not think it too much for his Majesty to come to thee alone when desired and when he comes to bring with him a blessing for thee though thou takest none here to back thee hast not a Friend on Earth to join in the Suit yet do thou go and state thine own case draw up thy Petition and present it unto God with an hand of faith setting the name of Christ to it and God will presently add his fiat his Amen though it may be the answer shall not presently be given in to thee yet the grant shall be past in Heaven thy Father will say Be it unto this soul even as it will Nay he will not only give the thing if it be good for thee but more too and while thou askest like a Child he will answer thee like a God A most gracious assurance hereof you have in the words of the Text from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself who is the faithful and true witness Thy father which seeth in secreâ— shall reward thee openly He sees the sincerity of thy heart and the importunity of thy desires he seeth how thou labourest at the Oar and what pains thou hast taken and with what great wrestlings thou hast wrestled and having seen he will reward the work is done and the reward is to come So then if thou wilt believe Christ thou shalt not lose thy labour thou shalt not have pangs and throws of Soul and after all bring forth nothing but wind never did any one Holy Prayer fall short of Heaven and drop by the way the great God is not wont to set his Children about any unprofitable work Paul I am sure was of that mind when he said in 1. Cor. 15. last Be stedfast immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. As their grievous sufferings turn them to a very good account so shall all their holy actions There is never an appointment of duty for them but it carrieth in its Bowels a design of Mercy He saith not to the seed of Iacob seek ye my face in vain the preparing and engaging of their hearts to pray speaks his readiness and resolution to incline his ear to hear When he bids them open their mouths it is that he might fill them He would not have them give a knock at his door to no purpose but hath promised when they do it shall be opened to them and when he opens his door he will open his heart and hand too and not send them away empty When he bids them seek it is in order to their finding and that which they find shall be worth their while and pay them for all the pains they took to be sure they shall not have cause to complain as those that sit down losers and have a disappointment of their expectations Nay further our Saviour tell us that he will reward us openly He will not be ashamed that the World should see how he useth his Servants they shall see there is a reward for the Righteous and though the Devil was a Fool in going about to charge rotten sordid designs and a mercenary selfishness upon Iob yet he himself was forced to acknowledg that Iob did not serve God 〈◊〉 nought He will reward thee openly both here and hereafter before Angels and Men as you have compassed his Altar with your Supplications so will he compass you about with Favour and with Songs he will make it manifest he will convince his enemies a foolish wicked and ungrateful World of all the hard speeches which they had spoken against him they themselves shall see it false That it is a vain thing to serve God he will by his liberal rewards given them extort from them this acknowledgment That the Lord is good to them that wait upon him and to the soul that seeks him especially it shall be thus at the last and great day which will be the day of recompences the day in which God will make up his Iewels and set them not in Gold but in Glory Then as you have it in Mal. 3. 18. yea then indeed shall ye discern between the righteous and the wicked betweem him that serveth God and him that serveth him not between him that seeketh God and him that seeketh him not between him that prayeth and him that prayeth not Then there shall be an apparent and manifest difference the stone-blind World those that are wickedly wilfully blind shall see it to their vexation and torment These are the motives by which I did design and do hope to work upon your hearts these the Silken Cords of a Man the Rational Arguments with which I would alluâ—e and draw you to the conscientious chearful performance of this excellent necessary and Soul-chearing Soul-fattening Duty of Secret-Prayer and oh that I might hear you have been wrought upon by them and prevailed with Now that you might do this work well and not fail as to the right management of it and so not miss and fall short of those singular benefits and advantages which come by it I shall afford you what assistance I judge needful in the case and in silence passing over those Directions which refer to Prayer in general I shall give you up some that do particularly concern and relate to Secret-Prayer they are these I beseech you mind and Practise them First Make thy secret approaches to God with the greatest solemnity of Spirit that thou canst though thou goest in the multitude of mercies and with faith in Christ and with hope of finding Grace yet be sure that in his fear thou worship toward his Holy Temple though thou art alone and without any here to be an eye-witness do thou draw nigh unto him with as great an â—we