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
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
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
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
do make The thirsty flocks that of their waters take Black Red and White and near the Crimson deep The Arabian Fountain maketh Crimson sheep Certainly Jesus Christ is such a Fountain in which whosoever bathes and of which whosoever drinks shall be changed into the same likeness 2 Cor. 3. 18. But why was our Lord Jesus so much Quest in private prayer why was he so often with God alone First 'T was to put a very high Answ 1 honour and value upon private prayer 't was to enhance and raise the price of this duty Men naturally are very apt and prone to have low and under-valuing thoughts of secret prayer But Christ by exercising himself so frequently in it hath put an everlasting honour and an inestimable value upon it But Secondly He was much in private prayer he was often with God alone that he might not be seen of men and that he might avoid all shews and appearances of ostentation and popular applause He that hath commanded us to abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. would not himself when he was in this world venture upon the least appearance of evil Christ was very shie of every thing that did but look like sin he was very shie of the very shew and shadow of pride or vain-glory Thirdly To avoid interruptions in the duty Secresie is no small advantage to the serious and lively carrying on of a private duty Interruptions and disturbances from without are often-times quench-coals to private prayer The best Christians do but bungle when they meet with interruptions in their private devotions Fourthly To set us such a blessed pattern and gracious example that we should never please nor content our selves with publick-prayers onely nor with family-prayers only but that we should also apply our selves to secret prayer to closet prayer Christ was not alwayes in publick nor alwayes in his family but he was often in private with God alone that by his own example he might encourage us to be often with God in secret and happy are they that tread in his steps and that write after his Copy Fifthly That he might approve himself to our understandings and consciences to be a most just and faithful High-Priest Christ was Heb. 2. 17. John 17. per totum wonderful faithful and careful in both parts of his Priestly Office viz Satisfaction and Intercession he was his Peoples only Spokesman Ah! how earnest how frequent was he in pouring out prayers and tears and sighes and groans for his people in secret when he was in this world Heb. 5. 7. And now he is in Heaven he is still a making Intercession for them Heb. 7. 25. Sixthly To convince us that his Father hears and observes our private prayers and bottles up all our secret tears and that he is not a stranger to our closet desires wrestlings breathings hungrings and thirstings Thirdly Consider that the ordinary exercising of your selves in secret prayer is that which will difference and distinguish you from hypocrites who do all they do to be seen of men Matth. 6. 1 2. Take heed that you do not your alms before men to be seen of them otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven Therefore when thou doest They say of the Nightingale that when she is solitary in the woods she is careless of her note but composes her self more quaintly and elegantly if she conceives there be any auditors or if she be near houses Just so 't is with hypocrites in religious duties thine alms do not sound a Trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the Synagogues and in the streets that they may have glory of men Verily I say unto you they have their reward Self is the only oyl that makes the Chariot-wheels of the hypocrite move in all religious concernments Vers 5. And when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for they love to stand praying in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men Verily I say unto you they have their reward Vers 16. Moreover when ye fast be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast Verily I say unto you they have their reward Thus you see that these hypocrites look more at men that at God in all their duties When they give alms the trumpet must sound when they pray it must be in the Synagogues and in the corner of the streets and when they fasted they disfigured their faces that they might appear unto men to fast Hypocrites live upon the praises and applauses of men Naturalists report of the Chelydonian stone that it will retain its vertue no longer than it is enclosed in gold So hypocrites will keep up their duties no longer than they are fed and encouraged and enclosed with the golden praises and applauses of men Hypocrites are like blazing Stars which so long as they are fed with Vapours shine as if they were fixed Stars but let the Vapours dry up and presently they vanish and disappear Closet duty speaks out most sincerity He prayes with a witness that prayes without a witness The more sincere the soul is the more in Closet duty the soul will be Job 31. 33. Where do you read in all the Scripture that Pharaoh or Saul or Judas or Demas or Simon Magus or the Scribes and Pharisees did ever use to pour out their souls before the Lord in secret Secret prayer is not the Hypocrites ordinary walk his ordinary work or trade There is great cause to fear that his heart was never right with God whose whole devotion is spent among men or among many Or else our Saviour in drawing the hypocrites picture would never have made this to be the very cast of his countenance as he doth in Mat. 6. 5. 'T is very observable that Christ commands his Disciples that they should not be as the hypocrites 'T is one thing to be hypocrites and 't is another thing to be as the hypocrites Christ would not have his people to look like hypocrites nor to be like to hypocrites 'T is only sincerity that will enable a man to make a trade of private prayer In praying with many there are many things that may bribe and provoke a carnal heart as pride vain-glory love of applause or to get a name An hypocrite in all his duties trades more for a good name than for a good life for a good report than for a good conscience like Fidlers that are more careful in tuning their Instruments than in composing their lives But in private prayer there is no such trade to be driven But Fourthly Consider that in secret we may more freely and fully and safely unbosome our soules to God than we can in the presence of many or a few Hence the Husband is to mourn apart and the Wife apart Zech. 12. 12 13 14. not only to shew
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
brother front the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he will come and smite me and the Mother with the children or upon the children meaning he he will put all to death Some look upon the words to be a metaphor taken from Fowlers who kill and take away the young and the Dams together contrary to that old law Deut. 22. 6. Others say 't is a Phrase that doth most lively represent the tenderness of a mother who seeing her children in distress spares not her own body nor life to hazard the same for her childrens preservation by interposing See Hos 10. 14. her self even to be massacred together with and upon them When Jacob and all that was near and dear unto him were in eminent danger of being cut off by Esau and those men of blood that were with him he betakes himself to private prayer as his only City of refuge against the rage and malice of the mighty And so when Jeremiah was in a solitary and loathsome Dungeon Private prayer was his meat and drink it was his only City of refuge Jer. 33. 1 2 3. Moreover the word of Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time while he was yet shut up in the Court of the prison saying Thus saith the Lord the Maker thereof the Lord that formed it to establish it the Lord is his Name Call unto me and I will answer thee I will shew thee great and mighty or hidden things which thou knowest not When Jeremiah was in a lonesome loathsome Prison God encourages him by private prayer to seek for further discoveries and revelations of those choice and singular favours which in future times he purposed to confer upon his people So 2 Chron. 33. 11 12 13. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the Host of the King of Assyria which took Manasseh among the thorns and bound him with fetters or chains and carried him to Babylon And when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his Kingdome Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God When Manasseh was in fetters in his enemies country when he was stript of all his Princely glory and led captive into Babylon he betakes himself to Private prayer as his only City of refuge and by this means he prevailes with God for his restauration to his Crown and Kingdome Private prayer is a City of refuge that no power nor Policy no craft nor cruelty no violence nor force is ever able to surprize Though the joynt prayers of the People of God together were often obstructed and hindered in the times of the ten Persecutions yet they were never able to obstruct or hinder secret prayer Private prayer When men and Devils have done their worst every Christian will be able to maintain his Private trade with Heaven Private prayer will shelter a christian against all the National Domestical and Personal stormes and tempests that may threaten him When a man is lying upon a sick bed alone or when a man is in prison alone or when a man is with Job left upon the Dunghil alone or when a man is with John banished for the Testimony of Jesus into this or that Island alone O then private prayer will be his meat and drink his shelter his hiding place his Heaven When all other Trades faile this Trade of private Prayer will hold good But. Fourteenthly Consider that Jer. 16. 17. Job 34. 21. Prov. 5. 21. Jer. 32. 19. Rev. 2. 23. Lam. 3 56. God is omnipresent We cannot get into any blind hole or dark corner or secret place but the Lord hath an eye there the Lord will keep us company there Math. 6. 6. And thy father which seeth in secret shall reward the openly So v. 18. there is not the darkest durtiest hole in the world into which a saint creeps but God hath a favourable eye there God never wants an eye to see our secret tears nor an eare to heare our secret cryes and groans nor a heart to grant our secret requests and therefore we ought to pour out our souls to him in secret Psal 38. 9. Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hide from thee Though our private desires are never so confused though our private requests are never so broken and though our private groanings are never so much hidden from men yet God eyes them all God records them all and God puts them all upon the file of heaven and will one day crown them with glorious answers and returns We cannot sigh out a prayer in secret but he sees us we cannot lift up our eyes to him at midnight but he observes us The eye that God hath upon his people when they are in secret is such a special tender eye of love as opens his ear his heart and his hand for their good 1 Pet. 3. 12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers or as the Greek hath it his ears are unto their prayers If their prayers are so faint that they cannot reach up as high as Heaven then God will bow the heavens God is totus oculus all eye and come down to their prayers Gods eye is upon every secret sigh every secret groan every secret tear and every secret desire and every secret pant of love and every secret breathing of soul and every secret melting and working of heart all which should encourage us to be much in secret duties in closet-services As a Christian is never out of the reach of Gods hand so he is never out of the view of Gods eye If a Christian cannot hide himself from the Sun which is Gods Minister of light how impossible will it be to hide himself from him whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun In every private duty a christian is stil under the eye of Gods omnisciency When we are in the darkest hole God hath windows into our breasts and observes all the secret actings of our inward man The 1 Tim. 2. 8. eye of God is not confined to this place or that to this company or that God hath an eye upon his people as well when they are alone as when they are among a multitude as well when they are in a corner as well as when they are in a croud Diana's Temple was burnt down when she was busie at Alexanders birth and could not be at two places together But God is present both in Paradise and in the wilderness both in the family and in the closet both in publick and in private at the same time God is an omnipresent God he is Non est ubi ubi non est Deus every where as he is included in no place so he is excluded from no place
Jer. 23. 24. Can any man hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Pro. 15. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good or contemplating the evil and the good as the Hebrew may be read Now to contemplate is more than simply to behold for contemplation addeth to a simple apprehension a deeper degree of knowledge entring into the very inside of a matter and so indeed doth God discern the very inward intentions of the heart and the most secret motions of the spirit God is an infinite and immense being whose center is every where and whose circumference is no where Now if our God be omnipresent then wheresoever we are our God is present with us if we are in prison alone with Joseph our God is present with us there or if we are in exile alone with David our God is present with us there or if we are alone in our closets our God is present with us there God seeth us in secret and therefore let us seek his face in secret Though Heaven be Gods Pallace yet it is not his prison But Fifteenthly He that willingly neglects private prayer shall certainly be neglected in his publick prayer he that will not call upon God in secret shall find by sad experience that God will neither hear him nor regard him in publick Want of private duties is the great reason why the hearts of many are so dead and dull so formal and carnal so barren and unfruitful under publick Ordinances O that Christians would seriously lay this to heart Certainly that man or womans heart is best in publick who is most frequent in private They make most yearnings in publick Ordinances that are most conscientiously exercised in closet duties No mans graces rises so high nor no mans experiences rises so high nor no mans communion with God rises so high nor no mans divine enjoyments rises so high nor no mans springs of comfort rises so high nor no mans hopes rises so high nor no mans parts and gifts rises so high c. as theirs do who conscientiously wait upon God in their Closets before they wait upon him in the Assembly of his people and who when they return from publick Ordinances retire into their Closets and look up to Heaven for a blessing upon the publick means 'T is certain that private duties fit the soul for publick ordinances He that makes conscience to wait upon God in private shall finde by experience that God will wonderfully blesse publick Mic. 2. 7. Ordinances to him My designe is not to set up one Ordinance of God above another nor to cause one ordinance of God to clash with another the publick wth the private or the private with the publick but that every Ordinance may have its proper place right The desires of my soul being to prize every Ordinance to praise every ordinance and to practise every Ordinance to improve every ordinance to blesse the Lord for every Ordinance But as ever you would see Psal 63. 1 2 3. the beauty and glory of God in his sanctuary as ever you would have publick Ordinances to be lovely and lively to your souls as ever you would have your drooping spirits revived and your languishing souls refreshed and your weak graces strengthned and your strong corruptions weakned under publick Ordinances be more careful conscientious in the performance of Closet duties O how strong in grace O how victorious over sin O how dead to the world O how alive to Christ O how fit to live O how prepared to die might many a Christian have been had they been but more frequent serious and conscientious in the discharge of Closet duties Not but that I think there is a truth in that saying of Bede the word Church being rightly understood viz. That he that comes not willingly to Church shall one day go unwillingly to Hell But Sixteenthly Consider the times wherein we live call aloud for secret prayer Hell seems to be broke loose and men turned into incarnate Devils Land-destroying and Soul-damning wickednesses walk up and down the streets with a Whores fore-head without the least check or controul Jer. 3. 3. Thou had'st a Whores fore-head thou refusest to be ashamed Jer. 6. 15. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination nay they were not at allashamed neither could they blush They had Curtius an heathen could say That he was an undone man that knoweth no shame sinned away shame instead of being ashamed of sin Custom in sin had quite banished all sence of sin and all shame for sin so that they would not suffer nature to draw her vail of blushing before their great abominations They were like to Caligula a wicked Emperor who used to say of himself That he loved nothing better in himself than that he could not be ashamed The same words are repeated in Chap. 8. 12. How applicable these Scriptures are to the present times I will leave the prudent reader to judge But what doth the Prophet do now they were as bold in sin and as shameless as so many harlots that you may see in Jer. 13. 17. But if ye will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places or secresies for your pride and mine eye shall weep sore Heb. weeping weep or shedding tears shed tears the doubling of the verb notes the bitter and grievous lamentation that he should make for them and run down with tears Now they were grown up to that heighth of sin and wickedness that they were above all shame and blushing now they were grown so proud so hardned so obstinate so rebellious so mad upon mischief that no mercies could melt them or allure them nor no threatnings nor judgements could any wayes terrifie them or stop them the Prophet goes into a corner he retires himself into the most secret places and there he weeps bitterly there he weeps as if he were resolved to drown himself in his own tears When the springs of sorrow rise high a Christian turns his back upon company and retires himself into places of greatest privacy that so he may the more freely and the more fully vent his sorrow and grief before the Lord. Ah England England what pride luxury lasciviousness licentiousness wantonness drunkenness cruelties injustice oppressions fornications adulteries falshoods hypocrisie bribery atheisme horrid blasphemies and hellish impieties are now to be found rampant in the midst of thee Ah England England how are the Lords Sabbaths profaned pure Ordinances despised Scriptures rejected the Spirit resisted and derided the righteous reviled wickedness countenanced and Christ many thousand times in a day by these cursed practises a fresh crucified Ah England England were our forefathers alive how sadly would they blush to see such a horrid degenerate posterity as is to be found in the midst of thee How is our forefathers hospitality converted into riot and luxury their frugallity into
given us of his Spirit That all the Children of God have the Spirit of God may be further made evident by an induction of these seven particulars First They are all sanctified by the Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 11. Ye are sanctified by the Spirit of our God I do not say that they are all equally sanctified by the Spirit but I say they are all really sanctified by the Spirit Though all the servants of Christ have their Talents yet all have not Mat. 25. 15. their ten Talents nor all have not their five Talents nor all have not their two Talents some have only their one Talent Though Benjamins Mess was five times as much Gen. 43. 32 33 34. as his brethrens Mess yet every one of his brethren had their Mâ—ss so though some Christians have five times more measures of the Spirit and more measures of light of love of holiness of heavenly mindedness c. than others have yet every Christian hath some measures of the Spirit and some measures of grace and holiness c. Though some are Babes in Christ 1 Pet. 2. 2. 1 John 2. 12 13 14. and others are Children in Christ though some are young Men in Christ and others are old Men in Christ yet every one of them is John 3. 8. born of the Spirit of Christ Though none of the people of God in this life have the Spirit in perfection yet every one of them have so much of the Spirit as will bring him to salvation every Christian hath so much of the Spirit as will bring Christ and his Soul together and therefore without all peradventure every Christian hath so much of the Spirit as will at last bring Heaven and his Soul together Secondly They are all led by the Spirit Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Every Child of God hath a twofold Guide the Word without and the Spirit within Isa 30. 20 21. How the Spirit leads by the rule of the Word and how he leads Prov. 6. 22. Ephes 5. 9. to God and leads to Christ and leads to Truth and leads to Righteousness and leads to Holiness and leads to Happiness I shall not now undertake to shew Thirdly They are all upheld strengthned by the Spirit Ps 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit or underprop me or sustain me as the Hebrew hath it with thy free voluntary Spirit or as the Greek turns it with thy noble princely Spirit So Eph. 3. 16. To be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man By the inner man some understand the regenerate part of man others by the inner man do understand the soul with all its noble faculties and motions Take the words which way you will 't is certain that all the spiritual might and strength that a Christian hath he hath it from the holy Spirit Though the Spirit strengthens every Christian in the inner man yet I do not say that the Spirit strengthens every Christian alike in the inward man Some have stronger corruptions to subdue than others and more violent temptations to with-stand than others and greater difficulties to wrestle with than others and choicer mercies to improve than others and higher and harder duties of Religion to mannage than others and accordingly they are more strengthned in the inner man than others Fourthly They are all partakers of the first-fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. Our selves have the first-fruits of the Spirit which are but as a handful of corn in respect of the whole crop All the grace 2 Cor. 1. 22. and all the holiness which we have from the regenerating Spirit at first conversion is but a drop to that Sâ—a a mite to those Talents which we shall receive in the life to come Fifthly They are all taught by Isa 59. 21. the Spirit John 14. 26. The holy-Ghost whom the father will send in my name he shall teach you all things This promise primarily belongs to the Apostles Secondarily to all believers Though these words were spoken at first to the Apostles only yet they were not spoken of the Apostles only Isa 54. 13. In the words there are three things promised to the Apostles First Immediate illumination by the Spirit of God Secondly A full knowledge of all those truths belonging to their Apostolical office and that were necessary for them at that juncture of time Thirdly Absolute infallibility as to matter oâ— Doctrine There are also three things promised to all beleevers First Mediate illumination teaching truths by the Spirit of truth in the use of the meanes of grace Secondly Knowledge of all truth necessary to salvation Thirdly infallibility too so far forth as they adhere and keep close to the spirits teaching in the word Philo saith That the primitive Christians were called Tillers because as husbandmen till their fields and manure their grounds so did they teach their Families and nurture their Children and servants with good instructions O what choice teachings of the spirit were these primitive Christians under who made it so much their business their work to teach those that were under their charge So John 1. 2 27. But the 1 Thes 4. 9. 2 Cor. 3. 8. anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth Not that we know all things simply or that we need not a Ministry to teach and instruct us but he speaks comparatively you shall not be so helped by any instructions without the Spirit as with the Spirit The Spirit shall declare the truth as it is in Jesus more clearly more freely more particularly more certainly more universally more 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11 12. 1 Tim. 4. 1. John 16. 25 Isa 48 17. Eccl. 11. 5. effectually than any other is able to doe The Spirit this holy unction shall teach the Saints all things not all things knowable for that is impossible for finite creatures to attain unto Who knows the motions of the heavens the influences of the stars the nature of the creatures or how the bones doe grow in the womb of her that is with child who knowes the reason why the River Nilus should overflow in the summer when waters are at the lowest or why the load-stone should draw Iron to it or incline to the Pole-star Pliny tells us of one that spent Lib. 11. c. 9. eight and fifty years in learning out the nature of the Bee and yet had not fully attained to it How is it possible then for the wisest naturalist to enter into the deep things of God! Paul that learned his divinity among 1 Cor. 13. 9 10 11. the Angels and that had the holy-Ghost for his immediate teacher tells us plainly That he knew but in part and O then how little a part of that part do we know But the Spirit teacheth
The End which is twofold 1. Subordinate and that is the certainty of our salvation 2. Ultimate and that is the praise of his glory Sixthly The Time how long this seal and earnest shall thus assure us and that is till we have the compleat possession of what it is an earnest To prevent mistakes and disputes about the Sealings of the Spirit on the one hand and to support comfort and encourage the poor people of God on the other hand let me briefly hint at the Spirits â—pecial sealing times As First Conversion times are often the Spirits sealing times Luke 15. 22 23. Upon the Prodigals return the fatted Calf is killed and the best Robe is put upon his back and the Ring is put upon his hand and shooes on his feet Some by the Robe understand the Royalty of Adam others the Righteousness of Christ And by the Ring some understand the pledges of Gods love Rings being given as pledges of love and by the Ring others understand the seal of Gods holy Spirit men useing to seal with their Rings Among the Romans the Ring was an ensigne of vertue honour and nobility whereby they that wore them were distinguished from the common people I think the main thing intended by the Robe and the Ring is to shew us that God sometimes upon the sinners conversion and returning to him is graciously pleased to give him some choice manifestations of his gracious pleasure and good-will and to seal up to him his everlasting love and favour And hence it comes to pass that some that are but babes in Christ are 1 Pet. 2. 2 3. 1. John 2. 12 13 14. Acts 9. 3 4 5 6. so diligent and active in religious duties and so consciencious and dexterous in the exercise of their Graces At first conversion God helps some of his people to read their own names written in legible letters in the Book of Life No sooner are some converted but the Spirit stamps his seale upon them Secondly Beleeving times are sealing times Ephes 1. 13. When they were in the very exercise of their faith when they were acting Rom. 15. 1 Pet. 1. 8. of their faith for so much the Original imports the Spirit came and sealed them up to the day of redemption He that honours Christ by frequent actings of faith on him him will Christ honour by setting his seal and mark upon him Thirdly Humbling times mourning times are sealing times When a holy man was askt which were the joyfullest dayes the comfortablest dayes that ever he enjoyed he answered his mourning dayes His mourning dayes were his joyfullest dayes and therefore he cried out O give me my mourning dayes give me my mourning dayes for they were my joyfullest dayes Those were dayes wherein God sealed up his everlasting love to his soul Job 22. 29. Isa 29. 19. When the Prodigal had greatly humbled himself before his father then the best Robe and the Ring were put upon him Luke 15. 17 24. There are none that long for the sealings of the Spirit like humble souls nor none set so high a price upon the sealings of the Spirit as humble souls nor none make so choice an improvement of the sealings of the Spirit as humble souls And therefore when mens hearts are humble and low the Spirit comes and sets the privy seal of heaven upon them Fourthly Sin-killing sin-mortifying sin-subduing times are the Spirits sealing times Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written that no man knowes saving he that receiveth it God will give to the victorious Christian a secret love-token whereby his soul may rest assured of the unspeakable love of God and of its freedom from condemnation White stones were of very great use among the Romans and among the Athenians and served to acquit the accused in Courts of Justice When Malefactors were accused arraigned and condemned in their Courts they gave them a Black stone in token of condemnation but when they were acquitted they gave them White stones in token of absolution And to this practise the holy Ghost seems to allude He that is victorious over Isa 56. 5. his lusts shall have a new Name that is better than the names of sons and daughters and he shall have the pardon of his sins writ in fair letters upon the white stone so that he may run and read his absolution The victorious Christian shall 1 John 1. 7. have assurance of the full discharge of all his sins he shall have a clear evidence of his Justification and a blessed assurance of his eternal Election all which are hidden and mysterious things to all but those that have experienced and tasted what these sweet meats of Heaven mean Among the Romans there were solemn feasts held in honour of those that were victorious in their sacred Games Now those that were to be admitted to those Feasts were wont to have their names written on white shels and white stones and by these Tickets they were admitted Now some think the holy Ghost alludes to this practise and so would hint to us a privy mark whereby victorious Christians may be known and admitted as bidden guests to the heavenly banquet of the hidden Manna according to Rev. 19. 9. O sirs when predominate lusts are brought under when bosom sins lye slain in the soul then the Spirit comes and seals up love and life and glory to the soul Fifthly Suffering times are sealing times Act. 7. 55 56 59 60. Rev. 1. 9 10. 2 Cor. 4. 15 16 17. The primitive Christians found Acts 5. 40 41 42. Psal 71. 20 21. Psal 94. 19. Rev. 1. 9 10. them so and the suffering Saints in theÌ„ Marian dayes found them so When the Furnace is seven times hotter than ordinary the Spirit of the Lord comes and seals up a mans pardon in his bosom and his peace with God and his title to heaven When the world frowns most then God smiles most when the world puts their iron chains upon the Saints legs then God puts his golden chains about the Saints necks when the world puts a bitter cup into one hand then the Lord puts a cup of consolation into the other hand when the world cries out Crucifiè them crucifie them then commonly they hear that sweet voice from heaven These are my beloved ones in whom I am well pleased Blessed Bradford looked upon his sufferings as an evidence to him that he was in the right way to heaven And saith Ignatius It is better for me to be a Martyr than to be a Monarch Sixthly Self-denying times are the Spirits sealing times Matth. 19. 27 28 29. First There is sinful self which takes in a mans lusts Secondly There is natural self which takes in a mans arts parts gifts with Reason Thirdly There is religious self which takes in all a mans religious duties and services whether ordinary or
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
him hereafter it will not strike till it be too late for the sinner to ward off the blow O cruel mercy to observe the sin and let alone the sinner till the gates of mercy be shut upon him and hell stands gaping to devour him Gen. 4. 7. Sin lyeth at the door The Hebrew word Robets signifies to lye down or couch like some wild beast at the mouth of his cave as if he were asleep but indeed watcheth and waketh and is ready Amama quotes Tarnovius who mentions a sort of men that brought in an opinion which he calls a new-Gospel that if a man perform the external duties of Religion viz. if he go to the Church hear the word pray c. it was sufficient to salvation to fly at all that come neer it O Sirs sin is rather couchant than dormant it sleeps dogs sleep that it may take the sinner at the greater advantage and fly the more furiously in his face But My Fourth Advice and counsel is this Take heed of resting upon Closet-duties take heed of trusting in Closet-duties Noahs Dove made use of her wings but she did not trust in her wings but in the Arke So you must make use of Closet-duties but you must not trust in your Closet-duties but in Jesus of whom the Ark was but a Type There are many that go a round of duties as mill-horses go their round in a mill and rest upon them when they have done using the means as mediators and so fall short of Christ and heaven at once Closet-duties rested in will as eternally undo a man as the greatest and foulest enormities open wickedness slayes her thousands but a secret resting upon duties slayes her ten thousands Multitudes bleed inwardly of this disease die for ever Open prophaneness is the broad dirty way that leads to hell but Closet-duties rested in is a sure way though a cleaner way to hell Prophane persons and formal professors shall meet at last in one hell Ah Christians do not make Closet-duties your money least you and your money perish together The Phenix gathers sweet odoriferous sticks in Arabia together and then blows them with her wings and burns her self with them so doe many shining professors burn themselves by resting in their duties and services You know in Noah's flood all that were not in the Ark though they climbed up the tallest Trees and the highest mountains and hills yet were really drowned so let men climb up to this duty and that yet if they don't get into Christ they will be really damned 'T is not thy Closet but thy Christ that must save thee If a man be not interested in Christ he may perish with Our Father in his mouth 'T is as natural to a man to rest in his duties as 't is for him to rest in his bed This was Bernards temptation who being a little assisted in duty could stroak his own head with bene fecisti Bernarde O Bernard this was gallantly done now cheer up thy self Ah how apt is man when he hath been a little assisted heated melted enlarged c. in a way of duty to goe away and stroak himself Isa 50 ult and blesse himself and hug himself and warm himself with the sparks with the fire of his own kindling Adam was to win life and wear Gen. 2. 2. it he was to be saved by his doings Doe this and live Hence it is that Acts 2. 37. Chap. 16. 30. all his posterity are so prone to seek for salvation by doing What shall we do to be saved and good Master Mark 10. 17 20. what shall I doe that I may inherit eternal life Like Father like Son But if our own duties or doings were sufficient to save us to what purpose did Christ leave his Fathers bosome and lay down his dearest life c. Closet-duties rested in may pacifie Conscience for a time but this will not alwayes hold When Ephraim saw his sickness and Hos 5. 13. Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb yet could they not heal him nor cure him of his wound If we rest on Closet-duties or on any thing else on this side Christ we shall find them as weak as the Assyrian or as Jareb we shall find to our cost that they can't help us nor heal us they can't comfort us nor cure us of our wounds As creatures so duties were never true to any that have trusted in them When the Israelites were in great Judg. 10. 14. distresse the Lord bids them go and cry unto the gods which they had chosen and let them deliver you saith God in the time of your tribulation O Sirs if when you are under distresse of Conscience or lying upon a dying Bed God should say to you go to your Closet-prayers and performances that you have made and rested in go to your Closet-tears that you have shed and rested in and let them save you and deliver you Oh what miserable saviours and comforters would they be unto you Look what the Ark of God was to the Phylistins that Closet-duties 1 Sam. 5. are to Satan he trembles every time he sees a poor sinner go into his Closet and come out of his Closet resting and glorying in Jesus and not in his duties but when he sees a poor creature confide in his Closet-duties and rest upon his Closet-duties then he rejoyceth then he claps his hands and sings ahah so would I have it Orest not on any thing on this side Jesus Christ say to your graces say to your duties say to your holiness you are not my Saviour you are not my Mediator and therefore you are not to be trusted to you are not to be rested in 'T is my duty to perform Closet-duties but 't is my sin to rely upon them or to put confidence in them do them I must but glory in them I must not He that rests in his Closet-duties he makes a saviour of his Closet-duties Let all your Closet-duties lead you to Jesus and leave you more in communion Heb. 7. 25. with him and in dependance upon him and then thrice happy will you be Let all thy Closet-prayers and tears thy Closet-fastings and meltings be a Star to guide thee to Jesus a Jacobs I adder by which thou mayest ascend into the bosome of Eternal Loves and then thou art safe for ever Ah 't is sad to think how most men have forgotten their resting place as the Lord complains My Jer. 50. 6. people have been like lost sheep their Shepheards have caused them to go astray and have turned them away to the Mountains they have gone from mountain to hill and forgotten their resting place Ah how many poor souls are there that wander from mountain to hill from one duty to another and here they will rest and there they will rest and all on this side their resting place O Sirs 't is God himself that is your
as the Greek article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he Elaphos doth manifest now in the females the passions of thirst are more strong as the naturalists observe By this David discovers what a vehement and inflamed thirst there was in his Soul after communion with God And as nothing could satisfie the hunted Hart but the water brooks so nothing could satisfie his soul but the enjoyments of God Psal 43. 4. Then will I go unto the Altar of God unto God my exceeding joy The altar of God is here put for the worship of God now it was not barely the Worship of God but communion with God in his Worship that was David'e exceeding joy Psal 63. 1 2 O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my Soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Davids soul did not thirst after a Crown a Kingdom or any worldly greatnesse or glory but after a choise and sweet enjoyment of God in his wildernesse estate Never did any Woman with Child long more after this or that than Davids Soul did long to enjoy sensible communion with God in the midst of all his sorrows and sufferings Psal 84. 2. My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord My heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God By the Courts of the Lord we are to understand the ordinances now these without communion with God would never satisfie Davids Soul I commend that speech of Bernard Nanquam abs te absque te recedo I never come to thee but by thee Bern. epist 116. I never come from thee without thee When ever you go into your Closets press hard after real and sensible Communion with God that so you may come out of your Closets with some shines of God upon your spirits as Moses came down from the Mount with his Exod. 34. 29 35. face shining O do not take up in your Closet-prayers or tears or joyes or enlargements but labour and long to enjoy that inward and close Fellowship with God in your Closets as may leave such a choice and sweet favour of God both upon your hearts and lives as others may be forced to say surely Acts 4. 13. these have been with Jesus 'T is sad when Christians return from their Closets to their shops their trades their families their commerce c. without the least visible rayes of divine glory upon them O Sirs Closet-prayer will be found to be but a dry saplesse live-lesse heartlesse comfortlesse thing if you do not enjoy Communion with God in it Communion with God is the very Life Soul and Crown of all your closet-Closet-duties and therefore press after it as for Life When you go into your Closets let every thing go that may hinder your fruition of Christ and let every thing be embraced that makes way for your enjoyment of Christ O let Closet-prayer be a golden bridge a wherry a Chariot to convey your Souls over to God and to bring you into a more intimate Communion with God Let no Closet-duty satisfie you or content you wherein you have not conversed with God as a Child converseth with his Father or as a wife converseth with her Husband or as a Friend converseth with his Friend even face to face Nothing speaks out more unsoundness falsness and baseness of heart than this when men make Duty the end of Duty Prayer the end of Prayer than when men can begin a Duty and go on in a Duty and close up a Duty and bless and stroake themselves after a Duty and yet never enjoy the least Communion with God in the Duty But how shall a man know when he Quest hath a real Communion with God in a Duty or no This is a very noble and necessary Question and accordingly it calls for a cleer and satisfactory Answer and therefore thus First A man may have Communion Sol. with God in sorrow and tears when he hath not Communion with God in joy delight a Psal 51. 17. man may have Communion with God in a heart-humbling a heart-melting and a heart-abasing way when he hath not Communion with God in a heart reviving a heart-cheering and a heart-comforting way 'T is a very great mistake among many tender spirited Christians to think that they have no Communion with God in their Closets except they meet with God embracing and kissing Cant. 2. 4 5 6. cheering and comforting up of their souls when they find God raising the springs of joy and comfort in their souls when they find God a speaking peace unto them when they find the singular sensible Psal 85. 8. presence of God cheering refreshing and enlarging of them in their Closets O then they are willing to grant that they have had sweet Communion with God in their Closets But if God meets with them in their Closets and only breaks their hearts for sin and from sin if he meets with them and only makes his power and his presence manifest in debasing and casting down of their souls upon the sight and sence of their strong corruptions and many imperfections how unwilling are are they to believe that they have had any Communion with God Well Friends remember this once for all viz. That a Christian may have as real Communion with God in a heart-humbling way as he can have in a heart-comforting way a Christian may have as choice Communion with God John 20. 11 19. when his eyes are full of tears as he can have when his heart is full of joy Sometimes God meets with a poor Christian in his Closet and exceedingly breaks him and humbles him and at other times he meets with the same Christian in his Closet and mightily cheers him and comforts him sometimes God meets with a poor Soul in his Closet and there he sweetly quiets him and stills him and at other times he meets with the same Soul in his Closet and then he greatly revives him and quickens him God doth not alwayes come upon the Soul one way he doth not alwayes come in at one and the same door We John 3. 8. sometimes look for a Friend to come in at the fore-door and then he comes in at the back-door and at other times when we look for him at the back door then he comes in at the fore-door and just so 't is with Gods coming into his peoples souls Sometimes they go into their Closets and look that God will come in at the fore-door of joy and comfort and then God comes in at the back-door of sorrow and grief and at other times when they look that God should come in at the back-door of humiliation breaking and melting their hearts then God comes in at the fore-door of joy and consolation cheering and rejoycing their souls But. Secondly I answer That all Christians do not enjoy a
your constant trade Frequency begets familiarity and familiarity confidence we can go freely boldly into that friends house whom we often visit What we are habituted to we do with ease and delight A man that is habituted or accustomed to write to read to ride to run or to play on this or that musical Instrument c. he doth it all with delight and ease and so a man that doth habituate himself to Closet-prayer he will manage it with delight and ease But Thirdly Keep a Diary of all Deut. 7. 18 19. Psal 66. 12. your Closet-experiences O carefully record and book down all your Closet-mercies O be often in reading over your Closet-experiences and be often in meditating and in pondering upon your Closet-experiences There is no way like this to enflame your love to Closet-prayer and to engage your hearts in this secret trade of private prayer O remember that at such a time you went into your Closets with hard hearts and dry eyes but before you came out of your Closets Psal 6. 6. Psal 39. 12. Psal 56. 8. ah how sweetly how evangelically how powerfully were you melted and humbled before the Lord O remember how that at another time you went into your Closets clouded and benighted but came out of your Closets with as glorious a shine of God upon your souls as Moses had upon his face Exod. 34. 28 29. when he came down from the Mount from communing with God! O remember how often you have gone into your Closets Luke 24. 31 32. Isa 4. 4. with cold frozen spirits but before you come out of your Closets what a fire hath God kindled in your souls what a spirit of burning have you found in your hearts O remember how often you have gone into your Closets streightned and shut up but before you have come out how hath your souls been like the Charriots of Aminnadab O remember what Can. 6. 12. power God hath given you against corruptions in your Closets and what strenth God hath given you against temptations in your Closets O remember the sweet discoveries of divine love that you have had when in your Closets O remember the secret visits the secret kisses the secret embraces the secret whispers the secret love-tokens that Christ hath given you in your Closets O seriously ponder upon these things and then Closet-duties will be sweet unto you 'T was a sweet saying of Bernard O Saint knowest thou not that thy Husband Christ is bashful and will Can. 7. 11 12. not be familiar in company retire thy self by Meditation into thy Closet or into the fields and there thou shalt have Christ's embraces Meditatio nutrix orationis Meditation is the Nurse of Prayer O the more any man Gerson meditates upon his Closet-experiences the more he shall find his heart engaged to Closet-duties the more you ponder upon Closet-experiences the sweeter will Closet-experiences be to your souls and the sweeter Closet-experiences are to your souls the more your souls will delight to be with God in your Closets Pliny tells us of one Messala Corvinus lib. 7. c. 24. whose memory was so bad that he forgot his own name And I am afraid that many of your memories are so bad that you forget your Closet-mercies your Closet-experiences I have read of such a Pestilential disease once at Athens as took away the memories of those that were infected with it so that they forgat their own names O that I had not cause to fear that some Pestilential Disease or other hath so taken away the memories of many that they have quite forgot their Closet-experiences Well Friends remember this though stony hearts are bad yet Iron memories are good and O that you would all labour after Iron memories that so you may remember and ponder upon your Closet-experiences I have read of the Heathens how they made use of white and black stones for these two ends First They gave them to persons at their arraignment before the Judges if any were condemned to death they gave him a black Stone but if absolved and set free a white Stone To which custome the Holy-Ghost seemes to allude in that Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give a VVhite Stone A second use of those Stones was this that by them they might keep an account of all the good dayes or evil dayes they had met withal in their lives Hence Giacopo Senzaro having been long in love and much crossed about his match he filled a Pot full of black Stones putting only one white Stone among them and being asked the reason answered There will come one VVhite Day meaning his Marriage Day which will make amends for all my Black Dayes Ah Friends how often hath God given you the White Stone in your Closets Certainly you have had more White Stones than Black Stones your Closet-mercies and experiences have been more than your publick crosses and miseries O Sirs did you but reckon your good dayes according to the White Stones you have had in your Closets it would make you more in love with Closet-prayer than ever But Fourthly Be sure that you do not spend so much of your precious time in publick Duties and Ordinances as that you can spare none for private Duties for secret services Though Pharoah's Kine eat up one another yet our Gen. 41. 4. Duties must not eat up one another publick Duties must not eat up family duties nor family-duties must not eat up publick duties nor neither of them must not eat up Closet-duties The wisdom of a Christian doth most eminently sparkle shine in giving every duty its proper time and place I was going to say that either he was Eccl. 8. 5. no Christian or at least no excellent Christian that is all eye to read or all ear to hear or all tongue to speak or all knee to bow to kneel to pray Ah how many are there that spend so much time in hearing of this man and that and in running up and down from meeting to meeting that they have no time to meet with God in their Closets O Sirs your Duties are never so amiable and lovely they are never so orient and beautiful as when they are seasonably and orderly performed Oh how wise are the men of this world so to order all their civil affairs that no one business shall interferre with another they set apart for each business a convenient proportion of time they allot an hour for one business two for another three for another c. O that we were as wise for our souls as wise for eternity as they are for this world O that our hearts would so consult with our heads that we may never want a convenient time to seek God in a corner That Devil that loves to set one man against another and one Nation against another and one Christian against another that Devil loves to set one Ordinance against another and one Duty against
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-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