hast had a sentence of death upon thee and there hath been but a short step between thee and eternity Doubtless that sin which hath lain as a heavy load upon thy Conscience in the dayes of thy former distresse that is the sin that God would have effectually conquered and brought under by his present Rod. But Ninthly Observe what particular sin that is that doth most hinder thee in holy duties and services and that doth most interrupt thee in thy Communion with God enquire what particular sin that is that thy Eze. 33. 31. heart is most apt to run after when thou art on the Mount of holy duties Whilest the Disciples were healing diseases and casting Devils out of other mens bodies the proud white Devil was stirring in their own souls as is evident by that gentle rebuke that our Saviour gives them in Luke 10. 20. In this rejoyce not that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in Heaven There is no Duty that a Christian performs but one white Devil or another one lust or another will be still dogging and following of him to that Duty There is no publick Duty there is no family duty there is no private duty that a Christian performs but either that white Divel Pride or that white Devil Hypocrisie or that white Divel vain-glory or else some one or another white Devil will follow the Soul hard at heel to it Now mark what that particular sin is that most haunts thy soul when thou art in Religious duties and services and it may be that is the very sin that God would have subdued by the Rod. But Tenthly Observe what sin that is that the rest of your corruptions are most serviceable to and that they most attend upon Mark what sin that is that all other sins doe most bow the knee to Mark that sin that hath a commanding power over all other sins that saith to one go and he goeth to another come and he cometh Mark what sin that is that is still uppermost and that all other sins do most minister to You know when a man hath a great wound in his body all the ill humours will run thither Observe what sin that is that all the ill humours of the soul do most run after for 't is very likely that that is the very sin that God would have brought under by the Rod. But Eleventhly Observe what that sin is that your hearts are most apt to hide and cloak cover over with the most spetious and fair pretences Saul had a covetous desire and he 1 Sam. 15. 20 21. covers it over with fair pretences as that the people would have it so and that what was spared was for sacrifice Caesars favour was the great Mat. 27. 24. darling in Pilates eyes but he covers all over with washing his hands The Scribes and Pharisees were exceeding covetous but their long prayers Mat. 23. as a cloak must cover all Judas also was a man of the same mind and mettle with them What need this wast why was not Mat. 26. 8 9. John 12. 5 6. this oyntment sold for three hundred pence given to the poor This he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein Judas as Tertullian thinks was pretty honest till he carried the bag but no sooner was he in office but he puts Conscience out of office but all must be covered over with a cloake of charity Observe what sin that is that you are most apt to cast the Silk or the Satin mantle over and 't is ten to one but that is the sin that God would have brought under by the Rod. But Twelfthly and lastly Observe what that sin is that thou art most easily overcome by Dalilah could easily overcome Sampson when all the world besides could make no conquest upon him The Apostle Heb 12. 1. bids us lay aside the sin that doth so easily beset us There are some sins that find more easie approaches to us and more easie acceptance with us accordingly they do more easily captivate us Observe what that sin is that you doe most readily and easily open the door to and doubtlesse that is the sin that God would have mortified and subdued by the Rod. The Second Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by Pray turn to these Scriptures 2 Chron. 28. 10. Jer. 8. 6. Ezek 7. 15 16. the raging Pestilence is deeply to judg your selves and greatly to humble your souls for that sin or sins that hath brought the Rod upon you thus David did in that 2 Sam. 24. 10 17. When you have found out the Achan that hath brought the Rod upon you stone him to death and lye humble and low under the Rod and then the Allmighty will be graciously pacified and sweetly reconciled unto you The Third Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is to view the Rod on every side if there be bryers on one side of the Rod there is Rosemary on the other side of the Rod if there be wormwood and gall at one end of the Rod there is sweet honey at the other end of the Rod as there was at the top of Jonathan's 1 Sam. 14. 43. Rod. If we should come into a Painters or a Limners shop and see a Picture half drawn it might trouble us and startle us if it did not fright us and amaze us but yet when the Picture is perfected compleated and finished it may prove a very beauteous lovely taking piece The Application is easie Look as every Judgment every Affliction every Rod hath its black dark side so every Judgement every affliction hath its bright side to Mow 't is the wisdom of a Christian to look on the bright side of the Rod the Cloud as well as 't is his work to look on the dark side of the Rod the Cloud When a Christian looks upon the dark side of the Cloud he should be humbled and abased but when he looks upon the bright side of the Cloud he should be comforted and cheered He James 5. 11. that is still a looking on the briery side of the Rod will be very apt to fret and faint under the Rod but he that looks on the Rosemary side of the Rod as well as the briery side of the Rod he will bear up patiently gallantly and cheerfully under the Rod. The voice of the Rod is Look on both sides Look on both sides But The fourth Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is to look on the Rod not abstractly from the hand that holds it but conjunctively with the hand that holds it thus Hezekiah did 2 Kings 20. 16 10 18 19. Thus Aaron did Lev. 10. 1 2 3. Thus Eli did 1 Sam. 3. 11 19. Thus David did Psal 39. 9.
had need be alwayes in an actual readiness to die No man shall die the sooner but much the easier and the better for preparing to die And therefore let us alwayes have our loins girt and our lamps burning As death leaves us so Judgment will find us and there fore we have very great cause to secure our interest in Christ a changed nature and a pardon in our bosomes that so we might have nothing to do but to die Except we prepare to die all other preparations will do us no good In a word Death is a change a great change 't is the the last change till the resurrection 't is lasting yea an everlasting change for it puts a man into an eternall condition of happiness or misery 't is an universal change all persons must pass under this flaming Sword That Statute Law Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return will Gen. 3. 18. sooner or later take hold on all mortals and therefore it highly concerns us to prepare for death And thus I have shewn you these Lessons that you are to learn by the Rod. The Lord grant that your souls may fall under those fresh those choice those full and those constant influences and communications of his holy Spirit as may enable you to take out those twenty Lessons that I have laid open before you I confess the Epistle is large but do but consider your own conditions and the present dispensations under which we are cast then I suppose you will not call it by the name of a tedious Epistle Dear Friends the following discourse on Closet-prayer I heartily recommend to your serious perusal I have many reasons to hope that when you have once read it over you will be more in love with Closet-prayer than ever that you will set a higher price upon Closet-prayer than ever that you will make a better and fuller improvement of Closet-prayer than ever yet you have done Consider what I say in my Epistle to the Reader labour so to manage this little Treatise that now I put into your hands that God may be glorified your own souls edified comfored encouraged in the wayes of the Lord and that you may be my Crown and joy in the great day of our Lord Jesus So 1 Thes 2. 19 20. wishing that the good will of him that dwelt in the bush may abide upon you and yours for ever I take leave and rest Dear Friends Your souls servant in our Dear Lord Jesus THOMAS BROOKS TO THE READER Christian Reader THe Epistle Dedicatory being occasionally so large I shall do little more than give thee the grounds and reasons of sending forth this little piece into the World especially in such a day as this is Now my reasons are these First Because God by his present dispensations calls more loudly for Closet-prayer now than he hath done in those last twenty years that are now past over our heads See more of this in the 16. Argument for Closet-prayer pag. 103 to p. 108. Secondly Because I have several reasons to fear that many Christians do not clearly nor fully understand the necessity excellency and usefulness of this subject and that many O that I could not say any live in too great a neglect of this indispensible duty and that more than a few for want of light erre in the very practice of it Thirdly For the refreshing support and encouragement of all those Churches of Christ that walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost c. especially that particular Church to whom I stand related Fourthly To preserve and keep up the power of Religion and Godliness both in mens houses hearts and lives The power of Religion and Godliness lives thrives or dies as Closet-prayer lives thrives or dies Godliness never rises to a higher pitch than when men keep closest to their Closets c. Fifthly Because Closet-prayer is a most sovereign Remedy a most precious Antidote of Gods own prescribing against the Plague that now rageth in the midst of us 1 Kings 8. 37 38 39 c. Sixthly Because every man is that really which he is secretly Never tell me how handsomly how neatly how bravely this or that man acts his part before others but tell me if thou canst how he acts his part before God in his Closet for the man is that certainly that he is secretly There are many that sweat upon the stage that are key-cold in their Closets Seventhly Though many worthies have done worthily upon all other parts of prayer yet there are none either of a former or later date that have fallen under my eye that have written any Treatise on this Subject I have not a little wondred that so many eminent Writers should pass over this great and princely duty of Closet-prayer either with a few brief touches or else in a very great silence If several Bodies of Divinity are consulted you will find that all they say clearly and distinctly as to Closet-prayer may be brought into a very narrow compass if not into a nut-shell I have also enquired of several old Disciples whether among all the thousand Sermons that they have heard in their dayes that ever they have heard one Sermon on Closet-prayer and they have answered No. I have also enquired of them whether ever they had read any Treatise on that Subject and they have answered No. And truly this hath been no small encouragement to me to make an offer of my mite and if this small attempt of mine shall be so blest as to provoke others that have better heads and hearts and hands than any I have to do Christ and his people more service in the handling of this choice point in a more copious way than what I have been able to reach unto I shall therein rejoyce Eighthly and lastly That favour that good acceptance and fair quarter that my other poor labours have found not onely in this Nation but in other Countryes also hath put me upon putting pen to paper once more and I hope that the good will of him that dwelt in the bush will rest upon this as it hath to the glory of free grace rested upon my former endeavers I could add other reasons but let these suffice Good Reader when thou art in thy Closet pray hard for a poor weak worthless worm that I may be found faithful and fruitful to the death that so at last I may receive a Crown of Life So wishing thee all happiness both in this lower and in that upper World I rest Thine in our Dear Lord Jesus THOMAS BROOKS Books printed and are to be sold by John Hancock at the first shop in Popes-head-Alley next to Cornhill NIne Books lately published by Mr. Thomas Brooks late Preacher of the Gospel at St. Margarets New Fish-street 1 Precious Remedies against Satans Devices Or Salve for Believers and Unbelievers sores being a Companion for those that are in Christ or
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
Oh what is it then to be kept in torments and everlasting darkness I am here in my own house upon a soft bed in the dark kept from sleep but one night but to lye in flames and endless misery how dreadful must that needs be These and such like meditations were the happy means of this young mans conversion I have read a notable Story of one Theodorus a Christian young man in Egypt who when there was a great deal of feasting mirth and musick in his Fathers house withdrew himself from all the company and being got alone he thus thought with with himself Here is content and delight enough for the flesh I may have what I desire but how long will this last this will not hold out long then falling down upon his knees before the Lord in secret he said O Lord my heart is open unto thee I indeed know not what to ask but only this Lord let me not dye eternally O Lord thou knowest I love thee O let me live eternally to praise thee If there be any way or means on earth to bring us upon our knees before God in secret it is the serious and solemn thoughts of Eternity O that the fear of Eternity might fall upon all your souls O that you would all seriously consider that after a short time is expired you must all enter upon an eternal estate O consider that Eternity is an infinite endless bottomless gulph which no line can fathom no time can reach no age can extend to no tongue can expresse it is a duration alwayes present a being alwayes in being its Vnum perpetuum hodie one perpetual day which shall never see light O Sirs this is and must be for a lamentation viz. that Eternity is a thing that most men never think of or else very slenderly a snatch and away as Dogs are said to lap and away at the River Nâ—lus But as ever you would have your hearts chained to your closets and to closet-duties as the men of Tyrus chained their God Apollo to a post that they might be sure of him then seriously and frequently ponder upon Eternity and with those fourty valiant Martyrs be still a crying out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Basil 40. Martyr Eternity Eternity Mr. VVood after some holy discourse fell a musing and cryed out before all present for neer half a quarter of an hour together for ever for ever for ever Austins Prayer was Hack me hew me burn me here but spare me heareafter spare me hereafter Certainly if Christians would but spend one quarter of an hour every day in the solemn thoughts of Eternity it would make them more in love with Closet-prayer than ever yea it would make them more fearful of omitting Closet-prayer than ever and more careful and Conscientious in the discharg of all closet-Closet-Duties than ever And thus according to my weak measure I have given out all that at present the Lord hath graciously given in to my poor soul concerning this most necessary most glorious and most useful point of points viz. Closet-prayer I shall by assisting grace follow this poor piece with my prayers that it may be so blest from on high as that it may work mightily to the internal and eternal welfare both of Reader Hearer and Writer FINIS ERRATA In the Epistle Dedicatory neer the middle for for are r. are for corrosives for appropiating r. appropriating In the 3. Lesson for Mow r. Now. In the 7. Lesson for hang up r. hang upon p. 21. l. 28. read thus p. â—0 l. 28. read Paul p. 98. l. 26. dele as well p. 99. r. in the marg Deus p. 149. l. 2. dele must p. 126. l. 7. r. lyes p. 168. l. 16. r. decree for degree p. 170 l. 4. r. evade p. 175 l. 20. r. Solomon p. 189. l. ult r. adressing p. 190. l. 14. r. or for for p. 209. l. utl r. and. p. 224 l. 18. r. drink l. 22. r. affliction p. 254. l 7. r. he for the. p. 298. l. 22. r. cum p. 357. l. 8. r. Marquess for Martyr p. 371. l. 28. r. a very for every A TABLE Containing The Chief Heads of this BOOK Of Afflictions  THat Afflictions refemble a Rod in Seven Particulars you may see in the Epistle Dedicatory  Of Allegories  Of Allegories p. 1. to 19. Of the Blood of Christ  That the least drop of Christs Blood was not sâ—fficient for the redemption of our Souls is made good by five Arguments p. 303 304 305. C  Doct. That Closet-Prayer or private prayer is an indispensable duty that Christ himself hath laid upon all that are not willing to lye under the woful brand of being Hypocrites p. 6. Five Arguments to prove Closet-Prayer to be a Duty p. 6. to p. 8. The most eminent Saint in all Ages have applied themselves to Closet-Prayer p. 8 to p. 19. We may more freely fully and safely unbosome our souls to God in our Closets than we can in the presence of many or a few p. 30 to p. 34. Christians enjoy most of God in their Closets p. 36 to p. 46. The time of this life is our only time for Closet-Prayer p. 46 47. The prevalency of Closet-Prayer p. 47. to p. 67. See Secret  Rules to be observed in Closet-Prayer  First Be frequent in Closet-Prayer and that upon eight grounds p. 297 to p. 30â— Secondly Take fit seasons and oppâ—rtuâ—ities for Closet Prayer Three unfit seasons for Closet Prayer are hinted at p. 305. to 311. Thirdly Look that you do not perform Closet-Duties meerly to still your Consciences p. 312 to p. 315. Fourthly Take heed of resting upon Closet-Duties p. 315 to p. 322. Fifthly Labour to bring your hearts into all your Closet-Prayers p. 322 to p. 328. Sixthly Be servent be warm be importunate with God in all your Closet-performances p. 328. to p. 339. Seventhly Be constant in Closet-Prayer hold on and hold out in Closet-prayer p. 339 to p. 347. Eighthly In all your Closet Prayers thirst and long after Communion with God p. 347 to p. 384. Ninthly In all your Closet-Duties look that your ends be right p. 384 to p. 387. Tenthly Be sure that you offer all your Closet-Prayers in Christ's name and his alone p. 387 to p. 393. Eleventhly When you come out of your Closets narrowly watch what becomes of your Closet-Prayers p. 393 to p. 399. Of Christ  Christ was much in Secret Prayer p. 19 to 24. Six Arguments why Christ was so much in Secret Prayer p. 24 to p. 27. Christ was very much affected and delighted in the Secret Prayers of his people p. 73 to p. 75. What a friend Christ is shewed in Ten particulars p. 76 77 78. Of Combates  The Combate between the Allmigh and Jacob opened in Six particulars p. 49 to p. 58. Of Communion with God  Quest How shall a man know when he hath real Communion with God in his Closet or no Answered
an Allegory they say that in these words there are two Allegories First the Chamber Door is the Sense Shut the Door that is say they thy Sense lest vain imaginations and worldly thoughts distract thy mind in praying Secondly The Door say they is our Mouth Shut thy Door that is thy Lips say they and let thy Prayer be like the Prayer of Hannah conceived in thy mind but not uttered with thy mouth 'T is usual with Papists and other monkish men that lye in wait to deceive to turn the blessed Scriptures into a Nose of Wax under pretence of Allegories and Mysteries Origen was a great admirer Euseb Eccl. Hist Lib. 6. chap. 8. of Allegories by the strength of his parts and wanton wit he turn'd most of the Scriptures into Allegories and by the just Judgement of God upon him he foolishly understood and absurdly applied that Matth. 19. 12. litterally Some have made themselves chaste for the Kingdom of Heaven and so gelded himself And indeed he might as well have pluck't out one of his eyes upon the same account because Christ saith It is better to go to Heaven with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into Hell fire Matth. 18. 9. In all Ages Hereticks have commonly defended their Heresies by translating of Scriptures into Allegories The Apostle speaks of such as denying the Resurrection of the body turn all the testimonies of the Resurrection into an Allegory meaning thereby only the spiritual Resurrection of the soul from sin of which sort was Hymeneus and Philetus who destroyed the faith of some saying the Resurrection was past already 2 Tim. 2. 17 18. And are there not many among us that turn the whole History of the Bible into an Allegory and that turn Christ and Sin and Death and the Soul and Hell and Heaven and all into an Allegory Many have and many do miserably pervert the Scriptures by turning them into vain and groundless Allegories Some wanton wits have expounded Paradise Philo Judaeus and others of a later date to be the Soul Man to be the Mind the Woman to be the Sense the Serpent to be Delight the Tree of knowledge of good and evil to be Wisdome and the rest of the Trees to be the Vertues and Endowments of the Mind O friends it is dangerous to bring in Allegories where the Scripture doth not clearly and plainly warrant them and to take those words Figuratively which should be taken properly The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in the Text rendred Closet hath only three most usual significations amongst Greek Authors First it may be taken for a secret Chamber or close and locked Parlour Secondly for a Safe or Cupbord to lay Victuals in Thirdly for a locked Chest or Cupbord wherein Treasure usually is reserved The best and most judicious Interpreters that I have cast mine eye upon both of a former and later date do all expound my Text of Private Prayer in retired places and with them I close And so the main Doctrine that I shall gather from the words is this That Closet-Prayer or Private-Prayer is an indispensible duty that Doct. Christ himself hath laid upon all that are not willing to lye under the woful brand of being Hypocrites I beseech you seriously to lay to heart these five things First If any Prayer be a duty then secret Prayer must needs be a duty for secret Prayer is as much Prayer as any other Prayer is Prayer and secret Prayer prepares and fits the soul for Family-Prayer and for Publick-Prayer Secret-Prayer sweetly enclines strongly disposes a Christian to all other religious duties and services Ergo. But Secondly If Secret Prayer be not an indispensible duty that lyes upon thee by what authority doth Conscience so upbraid thee and so accuse thee and so condemn thee and so terrifie thee as it often doth for the neglect of this duty But Thirdly Was it ever the way or method of God to promise again and again a reward an open reward for that work or service which himself never commanded Surely No. Now to this duty of Secret Prayer the Lord hath again and again promised an open reward Matth. 6. 6. 18. And therefore without all peradventure this is a duty incumbent upon all Christians Fourthly Our Saviour in the Text takes it for granted that every child of God will be frequent in praying to his heavenly Father and therefore he encourages them so much the more in the work of Secret Prayer When you Pray As if he had said I know you can as well hear without eares and live without food and fight without hands and walk without feet as you are able to live without Prayer And therefore when you go to wait on God or to give your heavenly Father a visit Enter into your Closet and shut your doors c. Fifthly If Closet Prayer be not an indispensible duty that Christ hath laid upon all his people why doth Satan so much oppose it why doth he so industriously and so unweariedly labour to discourage Christians in it to take off Christians from it Certainly Satan would never make such a fierce constant war as he doth upon private Prayer were it not a necessary duty a reall duty and a soul-enriching duty But more of this you will find in the following discourse and therefore let this touch suffice for the present c. Now these five things do very clearly and evidently demonstrate that secretly and solitarily to hold entercourse with God is the undoubted duty of every Christian But for a more full opening and confirmation of this great and important Point I shall lay down these Twenty Arguments or Considerations c. First The most eminent Saints both in the Old and New Testament have applied themselves to Private-Prayer Moses was alone in the Mount with God forty dayes and fourty nights Exod. 34. 28. So Abraham fills his mouth with Arguments and reasons the case out alone with God in Prayer to prevent Sodoms desolation and destruction and never leaves off pleading and praying till he had brought God down from fifty to ten Gen. 18. 22-32 and in Gen. 21. 33. you have Abraham again at his private prayers And Abraham planted a Grove in Beer-sheba and called there on the name of the Lord the everlasting God Why did Abraham plant a Grove but that he might have a most private place to pray and poure out his soul before the Lord in So Isaac Gen. 24. 63. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide The Hebrew word Lasuach that is here rendred Meditate signifies to pray as well as to meditate and so it is often used 'T is a comprehensive word that takes in both Prayer and Meditation So you shall find Jacob at his private-prayer Gen. 32. 24 25 26 27 28. And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day When Jacob was all alone and in a
dark night and when his joynts were out of joynt he so wrestles and weeps and weeps and wrestles in private Prayer that as a Prince at last he prevailes with God Hos 12. 3 4. So David Psal 55. 16 17. As for me I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voyce So Daniel was three times a day in private prayer Dan. 6. 10. Now when Daniel knew that the Writing was sign'd he went into his house and his Windows being open in his Chamber toward Jerusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime Daniel had accustomed himself to private prayer he went to his closet before he went to his publick employment and State affairs and at his return to dinner he turned first into his Chamber to serve his God and refresh his soul before he set down to feast his body and at the end of the day when he had dispatcht his business with men he made it his business to wait upon God in his Chamber So Jonah keeps up private prayer when he was in the Fishes belly yea when he was in the belly of Hell Jonah 2. 1 2 c. So we have Elias at prayer under the Juniper Tree 1 Kings 19. 4. So Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 13. Now Hannah she speaks in her heart only her lips moved but her voice was not heard The very soul of prayer lyes in the pouring out of the soul before God as Hannah did vers 15. Neither was Rebecah a stranger to this duty who upon the Babes strugling in her womb went to enquire of the Lord Gen. 25. 22. that is she went to some secret place to pray saith Calvin Musculus Mercer and others So Saul is no sooner converted but presently he falls upon private prayer Acts 9. 11. And the Lord said unto him arise and go into the street which is called Strait and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus for behold he prayeth Though he was a strict Pharisee yet he never prayed to purpose before nor never prayed in private before The Pharisees used to pray in the corners of the Streets and not in the corners of their houses And after his conversion he was frequently in private prayer as you may see by comparing of these Scriptures together Rom. 1. 9. Ephes 1. 15 16. 1 Phil. 3 4. 2 Tim. 1. 3. So Epaphras was a warm man in closet prayer Phil. 4. 12 13. So Cornelius had devoted himself to private prayer Acts 10. 2 4. And so Peter gets up to the house top to pray vers 9. On the morrow as they went on their journey and drew nigh unto the City Peter went up upon the house-top to pray about the sixth hour Peter got up upon the Leads not only to avoid destraction but that he might be the more secret in his private devotion Eusebius tells us of James called Justus that his knees were grown hard and brawny with kneeling so much in private prayer And Nazianzen reports of his Sister Gorgonia that her knees seemed to cleave to the earth by her often praying in private And Gregory saith of his Aunt Trucilla that her Elbows was as hard as horn by often leaning upon her Desk at private prayer I have read of a devout person who when the set time for his private devotion was come whatever company he was in he would break from them with this neat and handsome come off I have a friend that stayes for me Farewel And there was once a great Lady of this Land who would frequently withdraw from the company of Lords and Ladies of great quality who came to visit her rather than she would lose her set times of waiting upon God in her Closet she would as they call'd it rudely take her leave of them that so she might in private attend the Lord of Lords She would spare what time she could to express her favours civilities and courtesies among her Relations and Friends but she would never suffer them to rob God of his time nor her soul of that comfort and communion which she used to enjoy when she was with God in her Closet And indeed one hours communion with God in ones closet is to be preferr'd before the greatest and best company in the World And there was a child of a Christian Gentle-woman that was so given to prayer from its infancy that before it could well speak it would use to get alone and go to prayer and as it grew it was more frequent in prayer and retiring of it self from company and he would ask his Mother very strange questions far above the capacity of one of his years but at last when this child was but five years old and whipping of his top on a sudden he flung away his Scourge-stick and Top and ran to his Mother and with great joy said unto her Mother I must go to God will you go with me She answered My dear Child how dost thou know thou shalt go to God he answered God hath told me so for I love God and God loves me She answered Dear Child I must go when God pleaseth But why wilt thou not stay with me The Child answered I will not stay I must go to God And the Child did not live above a moneth after but never cared for play more but falling sick he would alwayes be saying that he must go to God he must go to God And thus sometimes out of the Mat. 21. 16. mouthes of Babes and Sucklings God hath perfected praise Certainly such persons will be ripe for Heaven betimes who begin betimes to seek God in a Closet in a Corner And Eusebius reports of Constantine the Emperour that every day he used to shut up himself in some secret place in his Palace and there on bended knees did make his devout Prayers and Soliloquies to God My God and I are good company said famous Dr. Sibbs A man whose soul is conversant with God in a Closer in a Hole behind the Door or in a Desart a Den a Dungeon shall find more real pleasure more choice delight and more full content than in the Pallace of a Prince By all these famous Instances you see that the People of God in all Ages have addicted themselves to private prayer O friends these pious examples should be very awakning very convincing and very encouraging to you Certainly 't is as much your duty as 't is your glory to follow these pious patterns that are now set before you Witness these following Scriptures Prov. 2. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the righteous 1 Cor. 11. 1. Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ Phil. 3. 17. Brethren be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an
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
then sixthly and lastly they pray for a good night after their day Certainly these very Moors will one day rise in judgement against them who cast off prayer who live in a total neglect of prayer who suffer so many Suns and Moons to rise and set upon their heads without any solemn calling upon God I have read of a man who being sick and afraid of death fell to his prayers and to move God to hear him told him That he was no common beggar and that he had never troubled him with his prayers before Heil Mic. p. 376. and if he would but hear him at that time he would never trouble him again This world is full of such prophane blasphemous atheistical wretches But Thirdly This truth looks very sourly and sadly upon such who are all for publick prayer but never regard private prayer who are â—ll for going up to the Temple but never care for going into their Closets This is most palpable hypocrisie for a man to be very zealous for publick prayer but very cold and careless as to private prayer He that pretends conscience in the one and makes no conscience of the other is an hypocrite in grain Matth. 23. 5. Matth. 6. 1 2 5. And the Devil knowes well enough how to make his markets of all such hypocrites that are all for the prayers of the Church but perfect Gallio's as to private prayer Acts 18. 17. Such as perform all their private devotion in the Church but not in the Chamber do put too great a slight upon the authority of Christ who saith When thou prayest enter into thy Chamber he doth not say when thou prayest Go to the Church but when thou prayest go into thy Chamber But Fourthly This truth looks sadly and sourly upon such who in their Closets pray with a loud clamorous voice A Christian should shut both the door of his Closet and the door of his Lips so close that none should hear without what he saith within Enter into thy Closet saith Christ and when thou hast shut thy door pray But what need a man shut his Closet door if he may pray with a clamorous voice if he make such a noise as all in the street or all in the house may hear him The Hen when she lays her Eggs gets into a hole a corner but then she makes such a noise with her cackling that she tells all in the house where she is and about what she is Such Christians that in their Closets do imitate the Hen do rather pray to be seen heard and observed by men than out of any noble design to glorifie God or to pour out their souls before him that seeth in secret Sometimes children when they are vext or afraid of the rod will run behind the door or get into a dark hole and there they will lye crying and sighing and sobbing that all the house may know where they are O 't is a childish thing so to cry and sigh and sob in our Closets as to tell all in the house where we are and about what work we are Well Christians for an effectual redress of this evil frequently and seriously consider of these five things First That God seeth in secret Secondly That God hath a quick ear and is taken more with the voice of the heart than he is with the clamour of the mouth God can easily hear the most secret breathings of thy soul God is more curious in observing the messages delivered by the heart than he is those that are only delivered by the mouth He that prays aloud in private seems to tell others that God doth not understand the secret desires and thoughts and workings of his peoples hearts Thirdly 'T is not meet 't is not convenient nor expedient that any should be acquainted with our secret prayers but God and our own souls Now 't is as much our duty to look to what is expedient as 't is 2 Cor. 8. 10 Chap. 12. 1. to look to what is lawful 1 Cor. 6. 12. All things are lawful unto me but all things are not expedient So Chap. 10. 23. All things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient all things are lawful for me but all things edifie not Now 't is so far from being expedient that 't is very high folly for men to lay open their secret infirmities unto others that will rather deride them than lift up a prayer for them Fourthly Loud prayers may be a hinderance and disturbance to others that may be busied near us in some Religious or Civil exercises Fifthly and lastly Hannah prayed and yet spoke never a word her heart was full but her voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1. 11. Moses prayes and cries and yet le ts fall never a word Exod. 14. 15. And the Lord said unto Moses wherefore cryest thou unto me Moses did not cry with any audible voice but with inward sighs and secret breathings and wrestlings of soul and these inward and secret cries which made no noise carried the day with God for Moses is heard and answered and his people are delivered O the prevalency of those prayers that make no noise in the ears of others Fifthly and lastly This truth looks sourly and sadly upon those that do all they can to hinder and discourage others from this duty of duties Private prayer and that either by deriding or vilifying of the duty or else by denying of it to be a duty or else by their daily neglect of this duty or else by denying them that are under them time and opportunity for the discharge of this duty In Matth. 23. 13. You have a woe pronounced against those that will neither goe to Heaven themselves nor suffer others to goe that are willing to enter into an everlasting rest And so I say woe to those Parents and woe to those Husbands and woe to these Masters and Mistrises that will neither pray in their closets themselves nor suffer their children nor their wives nor their servants to pour out their souls before the Lord in a corner O Sirs how will you answer this to your consciences when you shall lye upon a dying bed and how will you answer it to the Judge of all the world when you shall stand before a Judgment seat Certainly all their sins and all their neglects and all their spiritual losses that might have been prevented by their secret prayers by their closet communion with God will one day be charg'd upon your accounts And O that you were all so wise as to lay these things so to heart that you may never hinder any that are under your care or charge from private prayer any more But Secondly This may serve to exhort us to keep close to our Closets to be frequent and constant in Private prayer to be often with God in a corner The 20 Considerations already laid down may serve as so many motives to provoke your hearts to this noble and necessary duty Objection
But many will be ready to object and say We have much business upon our hands and we cannot spare time for private prayer we have so much to doe in our shops and in our ware-houses and abroad with others that we cannot spare time to waite upon the Lord in our Closets Now to this Objection I shall give these Eight Answers that this Objection may never have a resurrection more in any of your hearts First What are all those businesses that are upon your hands to those great businesses weighty affaires that did lye upon the hands of Abraham Isaac Jacob Moses David Daniel Elias Nehemiah See the first Consideration Peter Cornelius and yet you find all these worthies exercising themselves in Private prayers And the King is commanded every day to read some part of Gods word notwithstanding all his great and weighty imployments Deut. 17. 18 19 20. Now certainly Sirs your great businesses are little more than ciphers compared with theirs And if there were any on earth that might have pleaded an exemption from private prayer upon the account of business of much business of great business these might have done it but they were more honest and more noble than to neglect so choice a duty upon the account of much business these brave hearts made all their publick imployments stoop to private prayer they would never suffer their publick imployments to tread private prayer under foot But Secondly I answer no mens outward affaires did ever more prosper than theirs did who devoted themselves to private prayer notwithstanding their many and great worldly employments Witness the prosperity outward flourishing estates of Moses Abraham Isaac Jacob Nehemiah David Daniel and Cornelius these were much with God in their Closets and God blest their blessings to them how Gen. 22. 17 did their cups over flow what signall favours did God heape upon them and theirs No families have been so prospered protected and graced as theirs who have maintained secret communion with God in a Corner Private prayer 1 Chron. 11. 9. doth best expedite our temporal affairs he that prayes well in his Closet shall be sure to speed well in his Shop or at his Plough or 1 Tim. 4. 8. what-ever else he turns his hand unto 'T is true Abimelech was rich as well as Abraham and so was Laban rich as well as Jacob and Saul was a King as well as David and Julian was an Emperour as well as Constantine But 't was only Abraham Jacob David and Constantine who had their blessings blest unto them all the rest had their blessings curst unto them they had many Prov. 3. 33. Mal. 2. 2. good things but they had not the good will of him that dwelt in the Bush with what they had and therefore all their mercies were but bitter-sweets unto them Though all the sons of Jacob returned laden from Gen. 43. Aegypt with corn and money in their sacks yet Benjamin only had the silver cup in the mouth of his sack So though the men of the world have their Corn and their Money c. yet 't is only God's Benjamin's that have the silver Cup the Grace-Cup the Cup of blessing as the Apostle calls 1 Cor. 10. 16 it for their portion O sirs as ever you would prosper and flourish in the world as ever you would have your water turn'd into wine your temporal mercies into spiritual benefits be much with God in your closets But Thirdly I answer 'T is ten to one but that the objecter every day fools away or trifles away or idles away or sins away one hour in a day and why then should he object the want of time There are none that toyle and moyle and busie themselves most in their worldly imployments but doe Myrmecides a famous Artist spent more time in making a Bee than an unskilful workman would do to build a house Plutarch spend an houre or more in a day to little or no purpose either in gazing about or in dallying or toying or dourting or in telling of stories or in busying themselves in other mens matters or in idle visits or in smoaking the Pipe c. And why then should not these men redeem an hours time in a day for private prayer out of that time which they usually spend so vainly and idly can you notwithstanding all your great worldly imployments find an hour in the day to catch flyes in as Domitian the Emperour did and to play the fool in and cannot you find an hour in the day to wait on God in your closets There were three special faults whereof Cato professed himself to have seriously repented one was passing by water when he might have gone by land another was trusting a secret in a womans bosome but the main was spending an hour unprofirably This heathen will one day rise up in Judgment against them who notwithstanding their great imployments spend many hours in a week unprofitably and yet cry out with the Duke of Alva that they have so much to do on earth that they have no time to look up to heaven 'T was a base and sordid spirit in that King Sardanapalus who spent much of his time amongst women in spinning and carding which should have been spent in Ruling and governing his Kingdome So 't is a base sordid spirit in any to spend any of their time in toying and trifling and then to cry out that they have so much business to do in the World that they have no time for closet-prayer they have no time to serve God nor to save their own precious and immortal souls But Fourthly I answer No man dares plead this objection before the Lord Jesus in the great day of account And why then should any man be so childish foolish so â—ccl 11. 9. Rom 14. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 10. ignorant impudent to plead that before men which is not pleadable before the Judgment seat of Christ O sirs as you love your souls and as you would be happy for ever never put off your own consciences nor others with any plea's arguments or objections now that you dare not own and stand by when you shall lye upon a dying bed and when you shall appear before the whole court of heaven c. In the great day of account when the secrets of all hearts shall be made manifest and God shall call men to a reckoning before Angels Men and Devils for the neglect of private prayer all giulty persons will be found speechless there will not be a man or woman found that shall dare to stand up and say Lord I would have waited upon thee in my closet but that I had so much business to do in the world that I had no time to enjoy secret communion with thee in a Corner 'T is the greatest wisdom in the world to plead nothing by way of excusein this our day that we dare not plead in the great day But.
what temptations a day may bring forth no man knows what liberty a day may bring forth no man knows what bonds a day may bring forth no man knows what good success a day may bring forth no man knows what bad success a day may bring forth and therefore a man had need be every day in his closet with God that he may be prepared and fitted to entertain and improve all the occurrences successes and emergencies that may attend him in the course of his life And let thus much suffice for answer to this first Objection But Object 2. Secondly others may Obiect and say Sir we grant that Private Prayer is an indispensible duty that lies upon the people of God but we are servants and we have no time that we can call our own and our masters business is such as will not allow us any time for private prayer and therefore we hope we may be excused Sol. 1. First the Text is indefinite and not limited to any sort or rank of Private prayer is a duty that lieth upon Saints as Saints persons whether high or low rich or poor bond or free servant or master But thou when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut the door pray to thy Father which is in secret Here are three thou's thou thou thou which are to be understood indefinitely thou servant as well as thou master thou bond-man as well as thou free-man thou poor man as well as thou rich man thou maid as well as thou mistress thou child as well as thou father thou wife as well as thou husband Private prayer is an indispensible duty that lies upon all sorts and ranks of persons A man may as well say that that Pronoun Tu thou that runs through the ten Commandments Thou shalt have no other Exod. 20. 3 18. gods before me Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Six dayes shalt thou labour Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit Adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife nor his man servant nor his maid servant nor his oxe nor his ass nor any thing that is thy neighbours c. relates to the rich and not to the poor to masters and not to servants to the free and not to them that are in bonds c. as he may say that the three thou's in the Text relates to the rich and not to the poor to masters and not to servants to those that are free but not to those that are bound but certainly there is no man in his wits that will say so that will affirm such a thing Doubtless this Pronoune Thou reacheth every man of what rank or quality soever he be in this world But Secondly I answer That the first the third the fourth the fifth the sixth the seventh and the eighth Answers that are given to the first Objection are here very applicable and O that all masters and servants were so wise so serious and so ingenious as to lay all those answers warm on their own hearts It might be a means to prevent much sin and to bespeak masters and mistresses to give their pious servants a little more time to lift up their hearts to Christ in a corner But Thirdly I answer If thou art a servant that hast liberty to choose a new Master thou wert better remove Psal 84. 10 Psal 120. 5. thy station than live under such a masters roof who is such an enemy to God to Christ to Religion to himself and to the eternal welfare of thy poor soul as that he will not give thee half an hours time in a day to spend in thy chamber thy closet though the glory of God the good of his own family and the everlasting happiness of thine own soul is concerned in it 'T is better for thee to shift thy master than to neglect thy duty 1 Cor. 7. 21. Art thou called being a servant care not for it but if thou mayest be made free use it rather Justinus the second Fmperours Motto was Libertas res inestimabilis Liberty is unvaluable We lost our liberty by sin and we affect nothing more than liberty by nature The Rabins say of Liberty That if the Heavens were Parchment the Sea Inke and every pile of Grass a Pen the praises of it could not be comprized nor expressed Labans house was full of Idols great houses are often so Jacobs tent was little but the true worship of God was in it 'T is infinitely better to live in Jacobs tent than in Labans house 'T is best being with such Masters where we may have least of sin and most of God where we may have the most helps the best examples and the choisest encouragements to be holy and happy The religious servant should be as careful in the choice of his master as the religious master is careful in the choice of his servant Gracious servants are great blessings to the families where they live and that master may well be called the unhappy master who will rather part with a gracious servant than spare him a little time in a day to pour out his soul before the Lord in a corner But Fourthly I answer If thou art a gracious servant then thou art spirited and principled by God to that very purpose that thou mayest cry Abba Father when thou art Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 6. 1 Cor. 6. 19. 2 Tim. 1. 14. alone when thou art in a corner and no eye seeth thee but his who seeth in secret If thou are a gracious servant then thou hast received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. Now he that hath this tree of life he hath also the fruit that grows upon this tree Gal. 5. 22 23. But the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance c. Now grace is called not the works of the Spirit but the fruits of the Spirit 1. Because all grace is derived from the Spirit as the fruit is derived from the root And 2. To note the pleasantness and delightfulness of grace for what is more pleasant and delightful than Cant. 4. 16. Chap. 6. 2. sweet and wholesome fruits 3. To note the profit and advantage that doth redown to them that have the Spirit for as many grow rich by the fruits of their gardens and orchards so many grow rich in grace in holiness in comfort in spiritual experiences by the fruits of the Spirit Now why hath God given thee his Spirit and why hath he laid into thy soul a stock of supernatural graces but that thou mayest be every way qualified disposed and fitted for private prayer and to
private prayer will most clearly and abundantly evidence the singular love the great delight and the high esteem that he hath of private prayer We say those children love their books well and delight much in learning who will be at their books when others are gone to their beds and who will be at their books before others can get out of their beds Certainly they love private prayer well and they delight much in closet communion with God who will be a praying when others are a sleeping and who will be addressing their souls before God in a corner before their mistress is a dressing of her self at the Glass or their fellow-servants a dressing themselves in the shop But Fourthly Because the servants redeeming of time for private prayer from his sleep set meales recreations c. may be of most use to other fellow servants both to awaken them and to convince them that the things of Religion are of the greatest and highest importance and that there is no trade for pleasure or profit to that private Trade that is driven between God and a mans own soul and also to keep them from trifling or fooling away of that time which is truly and properly their Masters time and by the Royal law of heaven ought to be spent solely and wholly in their service business For what ingenious servant is there in the world but will argue thus I see that such and such of my fellow servants will redeem time for private prayer and for other closet services from their very sleep meales recreations c. rather than they will borrow or make bold with that time which my Master saith is his c. and why then should I be so foolish so bruitish so mad to trifle or idle or play or toy away that time wnich should be spent in my masters service and for my masters advantage But Fifthly and lastly Because the servants redeeming of time for private prayer from his Sleep his Meales his Recreations c. cannot but be infinitely pleasing to God and that which will afford him most comfort when he comes to die The more any poor heart acts contrary to flesh and blood the more he pleases God the more any poor heart denyes himself the more he pleases God the more any poor heart acts against the streame of sinful examples the more he pleases God the more difficulties and discouragements a poor heart meets with in the discharg of his duty the more love he shewes to God and the more love a poor heart shewes to God the more he pleases God Jer. 2. 2 3. Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying thus saith the Lord I remember thee the kindness of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after me in the wilderness in a Land that was not sown Israel was holiness unto the Lord and the first fruits of his increase all that devour him shall offend evil shall come upon them saith the Lord. God was very highly pleased and greatly delighted with the singular love and choice affections of his people towards him when they followed after him and kept close to him in that tedious and uncouth passage through the waste howling wilderness How all these things do comport with that poor pious servant that redeemes time for private prayer upon the hardest termes imaginable I shall leave the ingenious Reader to judge And certainly upon a dying bed no tongue can express nor heart conceive but he that feeles it the unspeakable comfort that closet duties will afford to him that hath been exercised in them upon those hard termes that are under present consideration But Ninthly I answer If thou art a gracious servant then the near and dear relations that is between God and thee and the choice priviledges John 8. 32 33 36. that thou art interested in calls aloud for private prayer As thou art thy Masters servant so thou art the Lords free-man 1 Cor. 7. 22 23. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lords free-man Likewise also he that is called being free is Christs servant Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men Either when they command you things forbidden by Christ or forbid you things commanded by Christ or when they would exercise a dominion over your faith or a lord-ship over your consciences Suffer not your selves in spiritual things to be brought into such bondage by any men or Masters in the world as not to use that freedom Gal. 5. 1. Col. 2. 20. Gal. 2. 4. and liberty that Christ hath purchased for you with his dearest blood No servants are to serve their masters in opposition to Christ nor no servants are to serve their masters as spiritual masters Nor no servants are to serve their masters as supream masters but as subordinate masters Ephes 6. 5 6 7. And as every gracious servant is the Lords free-man so every gracious servant is the Lords friend Isa 41. 8. James 2. 23. John 15. 13 14 15. And as every gracious servant is the Lords friend so every gracious servant is the Lords son Gal. 4. 5 6. Rom. 8. 16. And as every gracious servant is the Lords son so every gracious servant is the Lords spouse Hos 2. 19 20. 2 Cor. 11. 2. And now I appeal to the consciences of all that have tasted that the Lord is gracious whether the near and dear relations that is between the Lord and pious servants doth not call aloud upon them to take all opportunities and advantages that possibly they can to pour out their souls before the Lord in secret and to acquaint him in a corner with all their secret wants weaknesses wishes c. And as gracious servants are thus nearly and dearly related to God so gracious servants are very highly priviledged by God Gracious servants are as much freed from the reign of sin the dominion of sin and the damnatory Rom. 6. 14. power of sin as gracious masters are Gracious servants are as Rom. 8. 1. much freed from hell from the curse of the Law and from the wrath of God as their gracious masters are Gracious servants are Gal. 3. 13. as much adopted as much reconciled as much pardoned as much justified and as much redeemed as their gracious masters are Gracious servants are as much heirs 1 Thes 1. 10. Col. 3. 11. Gal. 5. 6. Rom. 8. 17. Gal. 6. 14. 1 Pet. 2. 9. heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ as their gracious masters are Gracious servants are as much a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people called out of darkness into his marvelous light as their gracicious masters are And therefore they being all alike interested in all these great and glorious priviledges which belong to Saints as Saints they are without all peradventure alike obliged and engaged to all those duties which lies upon Saints as Saints among which private prayer
his Commission that he can hardly forbear murmuring Must we bring water out of the Rock Mark Num. 12. 3. that word must we O how is the meekest man in all the world transported into passion anger unbelief and hurried into sad indecencies yet there was not a man on earth whose prayers were so powerful and prevalent with God as Moses his were Psal 106. 23. Exod 32. 9 -15. Chap. 33. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. Exod. 14. 13 14 15 16 c. So King Asa was a man full of infirmitities and weaknesses he relyes on the King of Syria and 2 Chron. 16. 7 13. on the Lord he is very impatient and under a great rage upon the Seers reproof He imprisons the Seer he oppressed some of the people or as the Hebrew hath it He crushed or he trampled upon some of the people at the same time And being greatly diseased in his feet he sought to the Physitians and not to the Lord and yet this mans prayer was wonderful prevalent with God 2 Chron. 14. 11 12 13 14 15. The Saints infirmities can never Psal 50. 15. Isa 30. 19. Ch. 65. 24. make void those gracious promises by which God stands engaged to hearken to the prayers of his people Gods hearing of our prayers doth not depend upon sanctification but upon Christ's intercession not upon what we are in our selves but upon what we are in the Lord Jesus both our persons and our prayers are acceptable in the beloved Ephes 1. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 5. When God hears our prayers 't is neither for our own sakes nor yet for our prayers sake but 't is for his own sake and his sons sake and his glory sake and his promise sake c. Certainly God will never cast off his people for their infirmities First 'T is the glory of a man to Pro. 19. 11. passe by infirmities O how much more then must it be the glory of God to pass by the infirmities of his people Secondly Saints are children and what father will cast off his children for their infirmities and Psal 103. 13. 14. 1 Cor. 12. 27. weaknesses Thirdly Saints are members of Christ's body and what man will cut off a member because of a scab or wart that is upon it What man will cut off his Nose saith Luther because there is some filth in it Fourthly Saints are Christ's purchase they are his possession Ephes 1. 22 23. 1 Cor. 6. u't Ch. 7. 23 1 Pet. 13. 18 19 20. his inheritance Now what man is there that will cast away or cast off his purchase his possession his inheritance because of thorns bushes or bryars that grow upon it Fifthly Saints are in a marriage Hos 2 19 20. covenant with God Now what husband is there that will cast off his wife for her failings and infirmities So long as a man is in covenant with God his infirmities can't cut him off from Gods mercy and grace Now 't is certain a man may have very many infirmities upon him and yet not break his covenant with God for no sin breaks a mans covenant with God but such as unties the marriage knot As in other marriages every offence or infirmity doth not disanul the marriage union it i◠only the breach of the marriage vow viz. adultery that untyes the marriage knot So here 't is only those sins which breaks the covenant which unties the marriage knot between God and the Soul 1. When men freely subject to any lust as a new master Or 2. When men take another husband Isa 28 15. 18. and this men doe when they enter into a league with sin or the world eh … they make a new covenant with hell and deach Now from these mischiefs God secures his chosen ones In a word If God should cast off his people for their infirmities then none of the sons or daughters of Adam could be saved For there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccl. 7. 20. Now if God will not cast off his people for their infirmities then certainly he will not cast off the prayers of his people because of those invincible infirmities that hang upon them and therefore our infirmities should not discourage us or take us off from Closet-prayer or from any other Duties of Religion But Fourthly I answer The more infirmities and weaknesses hang upon us the more cause have we to keep close and constant to our Closet duties If grace be weake The omission of good diet breeds diieases the omission of private prayer will make it weaker Look as he that will not eat will certainly grow weaker and weaker So he that will not pray in his c … et will certainly grow weaker and weaker If corruptions be strong the neglect of private prayer will make them stronger The more the remedy is neglected the more the disease is strengthned Whatsoever the distempers of a mans heart be they will never be abated but augmented by the omission of private prayer The more bodily infirmities hang upon us the more need we have of the Physitian and so the more sinful infirmities hang upon our souls the more need we have of private prayer All sinful omissions will make work for repentance for hell or for the Physitian of souls Sinful omissions lead to sinful commissions as you may see in the Angels that fell from heaven to hell and in Adams fall in Paradise Origen going to comfort and encourage a martyr that was to be tormented was himself apprehended by the Officers and constrained either to offer to the Idols or to have his body abused by a Black amore that was ready for that purpose of which hard choice to save his life he bowed unto the Idol but afterwards making a sad confession of his foul fact he said That he went forth that morning before he had been with God in his Closet and so peremptorily concludes that his neglect of Prayer was the cause of his falling into that great sin The neglect of one day of one duty of one hour would undoe us for ever if we had not an Advocate 1 John 2. 1 2. with the father Those years those months those weeks those days those hours that are not filled up with God with Christ with grace with duty will certainly be filled up with vanity and folly All omissions of duty will more and more unfit the soul for duty A Key thrown by gathers rust A Pump not used will be hardly got to go And Armour not used will be hardly made bright c. Look as sinful commissions will stab the Soul so sinful omissions will starve the Soul Such as live Isa 24. 16. Job 16. 8. in the neglect of private prayer may well cry out Our leanness our leanness And therefore away with all these plea's and reasonings about infirmities and weaknesses and indispositions address your selves to Closet-prayer But Fifthly I
answer It may be thy distemper and indisposition of body is not so great but that thou canst buy and sell and get gaine Notwithstanding thy aking head The body it self if you set too high a price upon it will make a cheap Soul and he is the most unhappy man whose outside is his best side and thy shooting back and thy pained sides and thy feeble knees yet thou canst with Martha cumber thy self about thy worldly affairs In that Cant. 5. 3. Christ calls upon his Spouse to open the door and let him in But sin and shifting coming into the world together see how poorly and unworthily she labours to shift Christ off I have put off my Coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Rather than she will make no excuse for her self she will make a silly excuse a worthless excuse She was past a child and what a great businesse had it been for her to have risen to have let in such a guest that brings every thing with him that heart Rev. 3. 17. 17. can wish or need require She was not grown so decrepid with old age but that she was able to make her self ready at least she might easily have slipt on her morning Coat and stept to the door without any danger of taking cold or of being wet to the skin and so Rev. 22. 12. have let him in who never comes empty handed yea who was now come full of the dew of divine blessings to enrich her for so some sence those words Mine head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night O the frivolous pretences and idle excuses that even gracious persons are apt sometimes to take up to over colour their neglect of duty But some may say It may be the Spouse of Christ was aseep O no for she saith vers 2. I sleep but my heart waketh She slept with open eyes as the Lyon doth she slept but half sleep though her outward man was drowsie yet her in ward man was wakeful though the flesh took a nap yet her spirit did not nod O but it may-be Christ made no noise he gave no notice that he was at the door O yes he knocked he knockt and bounced by the hammer of his word and the hand of his Spirit he knockt by outward corrections and inward admonitions he knockt by providences and he knockt by mercies His importunity and vehemency for admission was very great O but it may-be he did but only knock he should have called as well as knockt for none but mad-men would open their doors in the night except they knew the voice of him that knocketh O yes he did not only knock but cald also O but it may-be she did not know his voice and therefore she would not open No chast wife will at unseasonable hours arise and open her doors unto a stranger especially in her husbands absence O yes she knew his voice vers 2. It is the voice of my Beloved that knocketh She was not so fast asleep but that she knew the voice of her Beloved from all other voices could tell every tittle that he said The calls of Christ were so strong so loud and his pulsations so mighty that she could not but know and confess that it was the voice of her Beloved though she was not so respectful and dutiful as to obey that voice O but it may-be Christ knockt and call'd like a friend in his journey only to enquire how it was with her or to speak to her at the Window O no! he speaks plainly he speaks with authority Open to me O but it may-be she had no power to open the door O yes for when he commands his people to open he Phil. 1. 6 13. 1 Cor. 15. 10. lends them a key to open the door that he may enter in Infused grace is a living principle that will enable the Soul to open to Christ If a man be not a free agent to work and act by the helps of grace received to what purpose are counsels commands exhortations and directions given to perform this and that and t'other work And certainly it is our greatest honour and happinesse in this world to co-operate with God in those things which concern his own glory and our own internal and eternal good O but it may-be Christ had given his Spouse some distast or it may-be he had let fall some hard words or some unkind speeches which made her a little froward and pettish O no! for he owns her as his Beloved and courts her highly with the most winning and amicable tearms of love My Sister my Love my Dove my Vndefiled or my perfect one he calls her so for her Dove like simplicity purity and integrity All these endearing and honouring Titles are the Rhetorick of Divine love and should have been as so many sacred engagements upon her to open to her Beloved O but it may-be Christ was too quick for her it may-be he gave but a knock and a call and was gone before she could rise and open the door O no! Christ stayed till his head was filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night which most passionate expression notes the tender goodness patience and gentlenesse of our Lord Jesus who endures far greater and harder things for his Spouses sake than ever Jacob did for his Rachels sake After Christ had suffered much for her sake and waited her leasure a long while she very unkindly and very unmannerly and unworthily turns her back upon all his sweet and comfortable compellations and blessed and bleeding embracements and turns him off to look his lodging in some other place so that he might well have said Is this thy kindness to thy Friend thy Husband thy Lord to suffer him to stand bare-headed and that in foul weather yea in the night time wooing intreating and beseeching admittance and yet to turn him off as one in whom thy soul could take no pleasure Now if you will but seriously weigh all these circumstances in the Ballance of the Sanctuary you may run and read the fault and folly the weakness and madness the slightness and laziness of the Spouse and by her you may make a judgement of those sad and sinful distempers that may seize upon the best of Saints and see how ready the flesh is to frame excuses and all to keep the soul off from duty and the doors fast bolted against the Lord Jesus 'T is sad when men are well enough to sit and chat and trade in their shops but are not well enough to pray in their closets Certainly that mans heart is not right with God at least at this time who under all his bodily distempers can maintain and keep up his publick trade with men but is not well enough to maintain his private trade with heaven Our bodies are but dirt handsomly tempered artificially formed we derive our
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
out of Heaven for and therefore in all your private duties and services labour after that communion with God in them that may break the neck and heart of your most bosome sins When Darius fled before Alexander that he might run the faster out of danger he threw away his Massie Crowne from his head As ever you would be safe from eternal danger throw away your golden and your silver Idols throw away your bosome sins your darling lusts And thus I have done with the Answers to that noble and necessary Question that was last proposed My Ninth Advice and Counsel is this In all your Closet-Duties look that your ends be right look Christus opera nostra non tam actibus quam finibus pensat Zanch. that the Glory of God be your ultimate end the mark the white that you have in your eye There is a great truth in that old saying Quod non actibus sed finibus pensantur officia That duties are esteemed not by their acts but by their ends Look as the shining Sun puts out the light of the fire so the glory of God must consume all other ends There may be malum opus in bona materia as in Johu's zeal Two things make a good Christian good actions and good aims And though a good aim doth not make a bad action good as in Vzzah yet a bad aim makes a good action bad as in Jehu whose Justice was approved but his Policy punished God writes a nothing upon all those services wherein mens ends are not right Jer. 32. 23. They obeyed not thy voyce neither walked in thy Law they have done nothing of all that thou hast commanded them to do So Dan. 9. 13. All this evill is come upon us yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God The Jewes were very much in religious Duties and Services witness Isa 1. 11 12 13 14 15. Isa 58. 1 2 3. Zech. 7. 5 6. I might produce a hundred more witnesses to confirm it were it necessary but because they did not aim at the Glory of God in what they did therefore the Lord writes a nothing upon all their Duties and Services It was Ephraims folly that he brought forth fruit unto himself Hos 10. 1. And it was the Pharisees hypocrisie that in all their duties and Mat. 6. 1 2 3 4 5. services they lookt at the praise of men Verily saith Christ you have your reward a poor a pitiful reward indeed Such men shall be sure to fall short of divine acceptance and of a glorious recompence that are not able to look above the praises of men Woe to that man that with Augustus is ambitious to go off the Stage of Duty with a plaudite Peter was See more of this in my Treatise on Holiness page 157 to p. 168. not himself when he denyed his Lord and cursed himself to get credit amongst a cursed crew As ever you would ask have speak and speed seek and find look that the glory of the Lord be engraven upon all your closet-duties He shall be sure to speed best whose heart is set most upon glorifying of God in all his secret retirements When God Crowns us he doth but Crown his own gifts in us and when we give God the Glory of all we do we do but give him the glory that is due unto his Name for 't is he and he alone that works all our works in us and for us All Closet Duties are good or bad as the mark is at which the soul aims He that makes God the object of Closet Prayer but not the end of Closet Prayer doth but lose his Prayer and take pains to undoe himself God will be Alexander or Nemo he will be All in All or he will be nothing at all Such prayers never reach the Ear of God nor delight the heart of God nor shall ever be lodg'd in the bosome of God that are not directed to the glory of God The end must be as noble as the means or else a man may be undone after all his doings A mans most glorious actions will at last be found to be but glorious sins if he hath made himself and not the glory of God the end of those actions My Tenth Advice and Counsel is this Be sure that you offer all your Closet Prayers in Christs Name and in his alone John 14. 13 14. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do that the father may be glorified in the son If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it John 15. 16. That whatsoever ye shall ask of the father in my name he may give it you John 16. 23 24 26. Verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the father in my name he will give it you Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full At that day ye shall ask in my name and I say unto you that I will pray the father for you O Sirs this is your Priviledg as well as your comfort that you never deal with God but by a Mediator When you appear before God Jesus Christ appears with you and he appears for you when you do invocare then he doth advocare when you put up your petitions then he doth make intercession for you Christ gives you a commission to put his name upon all your requests and whatsoever prayer comes up with this name upon it he will procure it an answer In the state of innocency man might worship God without a Mediator but since sin hath made so wide a breach between God and Man God will accept of no worship from man but what is offered up by the hand of a Mediator Now this Mediator is Christ alone 1 Tim. 2. 5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God men the man Christ Jesus One Mediator not of Redemption only as the Papists grant but of Intercession also which they deny The Papists make Saints and Angels co mediators with Christ but in this as in other things they fight against cleer Scripture-light The Apostle plainly tells us that the Office of Intercession pertaineth unto Christ as part of his Mediation Heb. 7 25. And 't is certain that we need no other Master of requests in Heaven but the man Christ Jesus who being so neer to the Father and so dear to the Father and so much in with the Father can doubtlesse carry any thing with the Father that makes for his glory and our good This was typified in the Law The High Priest alone did enter into Ex. 28. 29. the Sanctuary and carry the names of the Children of Israel before the Lord whil'st the people stood all without this pointed out Christs Mediation In that Lev. 16. 13 14. you read of two things First of the cloud of Incense that covered the Mercy-Seat Secondly Of the blood of the Bullock that was
outside of the house then help runs in then help on all hands is ready He that sins in secret debars himself of all publick Remedy and takes great pains to damn his soul in a corner and to go to Hell in the dark But Secondly Secret sins will make way for publick sins He that makes no Conscience of sinning in the secret Chamber will e're long with Absolom be ready to spread a Tent upon the top of the 2 King 16. 21 22 house and to go in to his Concubines in the sight of all Israel Such as have made no Conscience of stealing a few pins or pence or a few shillings in private have in time come to be so bold as to take a purse on the road at high-noon The Cockatrice must be crushed in the Egge else it will soon become a Serpent The very thought of sin if not thought on will break forth into action action into custom custom into habit and then both body and soul are irrecoverably lost to all eternity If Satan can but wound our heel as the Poets feign of Achilles he will make a hard shift but he will send death from the heel to the heart If this subtile Serpent can but wriggle in his tayl by an ill thought he will soon get in his head by a worse action Hence it is that Christ calls hatred murder and a wanton eye adultery Secret hatred often issues in upon murder and secret wanton glances of the eye do often issue in visible adultery If Ammon be sick with the sinful conceptions of incestuous lust how will his soul be in pain and travail till he hath brought forth And how many are there that in secret have taken now and then but one Cup more than enough who now may be seen at high-noon reeling against every Post Look as secret diseases in the body if not cured will in time openly break forth so secret sins in the soul if not pardoned and purged will in time be openly revealed Covetousness was Judas his secret sin and no sooner doth an occasion or a temptation present it self but he is very ready and forward to betray and sell his Lord and Master for thirty pieces of Silver before all the world Lust having conceived brings forth sin and James 1. 15. that thus First Sin hath its conception and that 's delight and then its formation and that 's design and then its birth and that 's action and then its growth and that 's custome and then its end and that 's damnation But Thirdly Secret sinning puts far more respect fear upon men than upon God Thou wilt be unjust in secret and wanton in secret and unclean in secret and treacherous in secret c. and why but because thou art afraid that such or such men should know it or that such and such Friends should know it or that such and such Relations should know it Ah poor wretch art thou afraid of the eye of a man of a man that shall Isa 51. 12. dye and of the Son of man which shall be made as Grass and yet not tremble under his eye whose eyes are as a flame of fire sharp and terrible such as pierce into the inward Rev. 1. 14. Heb. 4. 13. parts Ah how full of atheisme is that mans heart that tacitly saith If my sins be but hid from the eyes of the world I do not care though the Lord knows them though the Lord strictly observes them though the Lord sets a mark a Memorandum upon them What is this O Man but to brave it out with God and to tempt him and provoke him to to his very face who is Light and in whom there is no darkness at all Ah sinner sinner can man 1 John 1. 5 6. damn thee can man dis-inherit thee can man fill thy Conscience with horrors and terrors can man make thy life a very Hell can man bar the gates of Glory against thee can man speak thee into the Grave by a word of his mouth and after all can man cast thee into endless easeless and remediless torments O no can God do all this O yes why then doth not thy heart stand more in awe of the eye of the great God than it doth of the eye of a poor weak mortal man I have insisted the longer on this particular because there is not any one thing in all the world that doth more hinder secret Communion with God and secret prayer than secret sins And Oh that you would all make it your great business to watch against secret sins and to pray against secret sins and to mourn over secret sins and deeply to judge and condemn your selves for secret sins and carefully and Conscientiously to shun and avoid all occasions and provocations that may be as fuel to secret sins Certainly there are no men or women that are so sincere and serious in Closet-prayer or that are so frequent so fervent so constant in Closet-prayer or that are so delightful so resolulute so undaunted or so unwearied in Closet-prayer as those that keep themselves most cleer and free from secret sins For a Close remember this That though secret sins are in some respects more dangerous than other sins are yet in three respects they are not so bad nor so dangerous as other sins are First In that they do not so scandalize Religion as open sins do Secondly In that they do not shame grieve and wound the hearts of the Saints as open sins do Thirdly In that they are not so infectious to others nor such provocations to others to sin against the Lord as open sins are And thus you may see what those things are that you must carefully take heeed of as ever you would adict your selves to Closet-prayer And as you must take heed of these five things So there are several other things that you must carefully and conscienciously apply your selves to as ever you would be found faithful and constant in this great duty viz. Closet-prayer Now they are these First Lament greatly and mourn bitterly over the neglect of this choice Duty He that doth not make Conscience of mourning over the neglect of this Duty will never make Conscience of performing this Duty O that Jer. 9. 1. your heads were waters and your eyes a Fountain of tears that you might weep day and night for the great neglect of Closet-prayer He that mourns most for the neglect of this Duty will be found most in the practise of this Duty He that makes most Conscience to accuse arraign and condemn himself for neglecting Closet-prayer he will make most Conscience of giving himself up to Closet-prayer 'T is said of Adam that he turned his face towards the Garden of Eden and from his heart bitterly lamented his great fall O that you would turn your faces towards your Closets and bitterly lament your rare going into them But Secondly Habituate your selves accustom your selves to Closet-prayer Make private prayer
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-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
Fifthly I answer That 't is our 'T is said of blessed Pooper that he was spare of diet spare of words and sparest of Time duty to redeem time from all our secular businesses for private prayer All sorts of Christians whether bond or free rich or poor high 〈◊〉 low superiours or inferiours are expresly charged by God to redeem time for prayer for private prayer as well as for other holy exercises Col. 4. 2 3. Continue inprayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving withal praying also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds But here some may Object and say we have so much business to do in the world that we have no time for prayer The Apostle answers this Objection in Vers 5. Walk in wisdom towards them that are without redeeming the time So Ephes 5. 16. Redeeming the time because the dayes are evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or buying out or gaining the time The words are a metaphor taken from Merchants who prefer the least profit that may be gained before their pleasures or delights closely following their business whilst the markets are at best A Merchant when he comes to a â—art or Fair takes the first season and opportunity of buying his commodities he puts it not off to the hazard of an evening or to the next morning in hopes to have a better bargain but he improves the present season and buyes before the Market is over Others carry the words thus Purchase at any rate all occasions and opportunities of doing good that so ye may thereby in some sort redeem that precious Jewel of Time which you have formerly lost As Travellers that have loytered by the way or staid long at their Inn when they find night coming upon them they mend their pace and go as many miles in an hour as they did before in many Though time let slip is physically irrecoverable yet in a moral consideration it is accounted as regained when men double their care diligence and endeavours to redeem it The best Christian is he that is the greatest momopolizer of time for private prayer No Christian to him that redeems time from his worldly occasions and his lawful comforts and recreations to be with God in his Closet David having tasted of the sweetness goodness and graciousness of God cannot keep his bed but will borrow some time from his sleep that he might take some turns in Paradise and pour out his soul in prayer and Psal 63. 6. praises when no eye was open to see him nor no ear open to hear him but all were asleep round about him Psal 119. 62. At midnight will I arise to give thanks unto thee Vers 147. I have prevented the dawning of the morning and cried David was up and at private prayer before day-break David was no sluggish Christian no sloathful Christian no lazy Christian he used to be in his closet when others were sleeping in their beds So Vers 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-watches that I might meditate in thy word So Psal 130. 6. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning Look as the weary Sentinel in a dark cold wet night waits and peeps and peeps and waits for the appearance of the morning so David did wait and peep and peep and wait for the first and fittest season to pour out his soul before God in a corner David would never suffer his worldly business to justle out holy exercises he would often borrow time from the world for private prayer but he would never borrow time from private prayer to bestow it upon the world Mr. Bradford the Martyr counted that hour lost wherein he did not some good either with his pen tongue or purse Ignatius when he heard a Clock strike would use to say Now I have one hour more to answer for So the Primitive Christians would redeem some time from their sleep that they might be with God in their Closets as Clemens observes Clemens And I have read of Theodosius the Emperour that after the variety Nicephorus of worldly imployments relating to his civil affaires in the day time were over how he was wont to consecratethe greatest part of the night to the studying of the Scriptures and private prayer to which purpose he had a Lamp so artificially made that it supplied it self with oyl that so he might no way be interrupted in his private retirements That Time ought to be redeemed is a lesson that hath been taught by the very Heathens themselves 'T was the saying of Pittacus one of the seven wise men Know time lose not a minute And so Theophrastus used to say That Time is of precious cost And so Seneca Time is the only thing saith he that we can innocently be covetous of and yet there is nothing of which many are more lavishly and profusely prodigal And Chresius a Sophister or Byzantium in the time of Hadrianus the Emperour he was much given to Wine yet he alwayes counted time so precious that when he had mis-spent his time all the day he would redeem it at night When Titus Vespatian who revenged Christs blood on Jerusalem returned Victor to Rome remembring Suetonius one night as he sate at supper with his friends that he had done no good that day he uttered this memorable and praise-worthy Apothegme Amici diem perdidi My friends I have lost a day Chilo one of the seven Sages being asked what was the hardest thing in the world to be done answered To use and employ a mans time well Cato held That an account must be given not only of our labour but also of our leisure And Aelian gives this testimony of the Lacedemonians That they were hugely covetous of their time spending it all about necessary things and suffering no Citizen either to be idle or play And saith another We trifle with that which is most precious and throw away that which is our greatest interest to redeem Certainly these Heathens will tise in Judgment not only against Domitian the Roman Emperour who spent much of his time in killing of flyes nor only against Archimedes who spent his time in drawing lines on the ground when Syracuse was taken nor against Artaxerxes who spent his time in in making hafts for knives nor only against Solyman the great Turk who spent his time in making notches of horn for bows nor only against Eroâ—â—s a Macedonian king who spent his time in making of Lanthorns nor only against Harcatus the king of Parthia who spent his time in catching of Moles But also against many Professors who in stead of redeeming of precious time do trifle and fool away much of their precious time at the Glass the Combe the Lute the Viol the Pipe or at vain sports and foolish pastimes or by idle jestings immoderate