through Clarks general Martyr c. 29. fol. 243. William Gardiner Martyr in Portugal sought out solitary places for prayer before he attempted that strange act of publick opposition to Idolatry in taking the host out of the Cardinals hand trampling it under his feet and with the other hand overthrew the chalice Which act though it may seem scarce warrantable in an ordinary way yet shewed an heroical spirit for the main obtained by a conscientious attendance upon God in the duty of secret Prayer Ibid. fol. 318. Take one instance more it is Mr. George Wischard or Wise-heart one of the holiest men and choicest Reformers that Scotland ever had One night he gate up and went into a yard there he walked in an Alley for some space breathing forth many sobs and deep groans then he fell upon his knees and his groans increased then he fell upon his face Two men watcht him and heard him weeping and praying near an hour so went to bed again As this Saint was much with God so the Lord was much with him in preaching prophesying acting bravely and suffering death chearfully Surely the Spirit of God and of glory rested upon this man of God if ever upon any the adversaries themselves being Judges This is a great truth they have been most eminent that have been most with God in secret Prayer let Scripture and History speak time and room would fail me to enumerate Who more famous for piety and learning of late years than the great Vsher It was his usual practice to sequester himself into some privacy Dr. Bernard the life and death of Dr. Usher p. 27. and to spend it in strict examination penitential humiliation and ardent supplication and this he found sweet to his soul and others saw the effect SECT VI. The last reward of secret Prayer is at the great Day 4. THe last and chiefest reward that our heavenly Father will bestow on those that have waited on God in secret Prayer will be the open acknowledgment and acceptance of them at that solemn day of Judgment when the whole World shall be summoned before the Lord And every one shall receive the things done in his body according to what he hath done whether it be good or bad 2 Cor. 5.10 Then our blessed Saviour who shall be Judge will single out this seed of Jacob and tell them they have not sought his face in vain he will now solemnly acknowledge them before his Father and all the holy Angels as persons with whom he hath had familiar acquaintance in a corner Oh the joy and triumph in such a publick acknowledgement When our dear Redeemer shall speak such a language as this before those myriads of creatures This or that soul calling it forth with honour though not taken notice of in the World for Religion much less for worldly Greatness hath yet had intimate familiarity with my self and I with him he hath performed many a solemn duty which none but an omniscient eye hath seen though he hath lived obscurely in the World and hath been little known to eminent Preachers or Professors yet he and I have been long and well acquainted I have had his company many times in a corner and now I cannot but remember the kindness of his youth and old age the love of his espousals when he went after me in solitary places rather than want my presence He hath visited me in duty and I have visited him in mercy Oh what mutual embraces and reciprocal exchanges of love have there been betwixt us He hath owned me and I have owned him in the day of adversity When ever he had any doubt or want or fear or affliction I heard from him in a Closet he sent his winged messenger of a believing Prayer to the throne of grace and I took it well from him I did not despise his person or deny his suit when others have been sporting away time in vain recreations or damning their souls in prophane practices this ransomed Believer when he could steal a little time run into a corner and there did make his moan to me and then I gave him something worth his pains I sent him away with a chearful heart and thankful tongue And now take notice all ye Angels and Men I declare that I accept this Soul's labour of love and pardon all its imperfections set him in my immediate presence in eternal mansions He that separated himself from the world shall now be separated from the goats and be set on my right hand he that longed so much to enjoy me shall everlastingly enjoy me without cessation or interruption Oh blessed day Oh transcendent reward Is not this a rewarding openly You 'l say How do you know that Jesus Christ will thus bespeak a praying Soul I reply though we know not the form of words he will speak yet that a discovery shall be made of the acts of piety and charity Mat. 25. evidently declares Yea that secret duties shall be brought to light as well as secret sins the Scriptures declare 1 Cor. 4.5 Who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have praise of God Then good men shall receive open approbation and commendation for their holy exercises in secret places Then will God wipe off all reproaching calumnies of black-mouthed lyars wherewith they have bespattered the reputation of praying Saints and clear up their uprightness as the noon-day by letting the world see how the Saints spent their time in corners both alone and with their fellow-Christians not in plotting but praying yea pleading for those that persecuted them Oh blessed day Oh happy Resurrection of bodies and of names Surely then praying souls will not then repent themselves of all their pains in private when they poured out their hearts in prayers and tears since now they are rewarded with such a blessed Euge and are openly entertained into their Master's joy and Father's Kingdom CHAP. III. The first Vse of Information SECT I. Concerning Places of Prayer 1. IF Closet-Prayer be a Christian Duty then it shews us that in gospel-Gospel-times God stands not precisely upon places this holy Incense may ascend to Heaven with as much acceptance upon the golden Altar the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ as well in a private Chamber as a publick Church Some have scornfully called private devotions by the derogating title of Chimney-Prayers and think to confine all religion to publick places yea a great Scholar said once God heard Prayer in a consecrated place Non quia precatur sed quia ibi not because men pray but because they pray there as though the conceited holiness of the place added some vertue to the Prayer Judaismus est alligare religionem ad certa loca Hospin de orig Temp. lib. 4. c. 2. or rendred it more acceptable to God This is worse than plain Judaism to tye Religion to places The
commotion a secret conclave or locked Parlor where no company is to come 2. Shut thy door this word imports yet a further degree of secrecy q. d. That thou maist make thy self to be less observed shut up thy self in a room let none come at thee to disturb thee in thy conversings with God bar the door and make it fast yea let none over-hear thee in thy retired devotions For observe it in true Closet-Prayer there should be an including of the voice as well as the body some pray so loud in their chambers that they may be heard into the streets this is not properly Closet-Prayer since it doth not attain the end of this retirement which is an approving the heart only to God and avoiding all shews and occasions of hypocrisie and vain-glory for it is all one as to this end whether the body be seen or the voice be heard Only remember this is spoken of secret Prayer for it doth not exclude publick Prayer in a congregation where the body is seen and voice is heard Yet it doth by a kind of Synecdoche require self-denial singleness and sincerity in all kind of Prayer Unae specie simplicitatis pro toto genere posita publick private secret for one part or sign of uprightness in the duty is put for the whole shutting the door for integrity of heart in the whole management of this great Affair 3. Here 's the object of Prayer Pray to thy Father Thy business is not with men but with God seek therefore to please and injoy him Nor yet art thou to fetch a compass and pray to Saints and Angels but go straight to God in the name of Christ and be sure thou look upon him as under the sweet relation of a tender Father yea Quod nomen nemo nostrum in oratione auderet attingere nisi ipse nobis sic permisset oâ—are Cyprian Serm. de Orat. Dom. p. 414. Thy Father Oh a sweet word a blessed word and such a word as we durst not have taken into our mouths had it not been for Christ's glorious undertaking to purchase for us the adoption and this gracious commission and in the platform of Prayer the prescription and for God the Father's voluntary condescention Come then and fear not poor Disciple of Christ come with filial affections and the Spirit of Adoption and thou art sure to speed for this paternal relation imports affection provision condescention and compassion If thou wilt be a Child to him he will be a Father to thee 2 Cor. 6.18 4. Here 's the Arguments and incouragements to this duty of secret Prayer 1 Thy Father sees in secret All 's one to him whether you be in a publick Church or private Closet God whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun sees you in the one place as well as in the other and though men see you not yet content your selves with this That God and your consciences are competent witnesses of your uprightness with whom you have to do and from whom you have your reward 2. He will reward thee openly There 's two things in this expression 1. They shall be rewarded 2. They shall be openly rewarded So that men shall say Verily there is a reward for the righteous verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth Psal 58.11 The Scribes and Pharisees do all their works to be seen of men and of men they have that sorry reward you do yours in the sight of God and from him you shall receive your abundant and eternal recompence Though men see you not fear not you shall be seen and accepted by him that searcheth hearts and knoweth the mind of his spirit But of these more anon The sum and design of the Text is this Thou my Disciple seest the plausible practices of thy hypocritical Pharisees to gain credit and applause they perform their private duties in publick places as Markets and Synagogues that they may pass among men for eminent Saints and they are generally so esteemed that 's their reward But thou that hast given up thy name to me in the profession of my Name take my counsel for regulalating this sweet Duty of secret Prayer Let none see what thou goest about steal time from all observers withdraw thy self into some Closet or private place and when thou hast made all fast do thou set thy self in the presence of God approve thy heart to him lay open thy bosom before him tell him all thy grievances and though no creature is privy to thy secret groans yet be sure that all thy desires are before God and thy groaning is not hid from him and he takes notice of thy tears and reserves them in a bottle by him to be rewarded in a visible manner in a seasonable time thy labour is not in vain thy work is with the Lord and thy reward with thy God SECT III. Doctrines raised and cleared THere are many Doctrines lye couched in the words I shall but hint them and pitch upon one 1. Prayer is a choice part of religion it s a piece of natural worship though the right ordering of it is by institution yet 't is a main part of Religion Therefore often put in Scripture for the whole service of God He that calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10.13 A prayerless soul is graceless 2. Prayer is a duty much abused There 's scarce any thing so much perverted and corrupted as this choice duty by formality hypocrisie superstition base and by-ends as is clear by these Pharisees many wayes and their younger brethren the Papists at this day Masses Dirges Invocation of Saints c. 3. There are several sorts of Prayer Both as to the kinds modes and circumstances The Apostle distinguisheth of Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of Thanks 1 Tim. 2.1 There 's also Publick-Prayer Family-Prayer and Closet-Prayer Now a Christian must pray with all Prayer and Supplication Eph. 6.18 The last is here insisted on 4. A Christian must do nothing for praise or applause especially in matters of Religion It is a base prostituting the highest things of God to our beastly lusts It is to feed an humour and damn the soul with that which should save it Let no Christians as the Pharisees here make Prayer truckle to their credit Phil. 2.3 Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory 5. There are set and stated times of Prayer This is hinted in this word When when thou prayest A time there must be for it though the point of time is not determined yet a time must be set apart for the duty every day a Christian must chuse out the fittest time for the duty by the due use of his liberty and discretion 6. Circumstances are of great use in all our actions The streets are proper places to walk talk buy and sell in but not so fit for Prayer the Church is a fit place for publick devotion not so for a solemn performance of
tears and groanings in secret Oh sirs if others sins draw you not to secret Prayer let your own which may afford matter of abundant grief in your Closets and retirement 8. Would you not prevent and circumvent wicked mens secret plots Be sure then you undermine them by secret Prayer The Devil and the Pope have many closs and conclave consultations to undermine the Protestant Religion and to root out the name of Israel from under Heaven they are working under ground to do us mischief we have seen by the light of London's flames their hellish devices in their dark vaults Wicked men lye in wait secretly as a Lion in his den to catch the poor and murder the innocent Psal 10. Psal 64.1 2 4 5. 8 9. And now what course is to be taken for preventing these horrid designs Alas we have no other remedy but the ancient Christians weapons Prayers and Tears these may break their nets and blunt their weapons good Jeremiah knew not that they had devised devices against him but he reveals his cause to God in prayer and then God shews him their doings and prevents their attempts Jer. 11.18 19 20. Saints Closet-prayers may break wicked mens Closet-plots Fall closs then to this great duty 9. Would you not be condemned by the Heathens Chamber-Idolatry Oh then do you perform Chamber and Closet-Duties They had their Divos penetrales or Penates their Houshold-gods and Closet-images they had their opertanea and tenebrosa sacra their covered vailed and mysterious exercises in secret places And the Jews borrowed several mystical rites of the Heathens hence we read in Ezek. 8.12 of Chambers of imagery as the Papists at this day have their Crucifixes their petty-Chamber Closet deities where they drop their Beads and do homage to their Idols and shall these in their blind superstition condemn our irreligion Shall it be said of a devout Philosopher that in so many years he spoke more with the gods than with men And shall it be said of any of us that God even the true God is not in all our thoughts or so little in our lips at least in secret solemn addresses to him Let not poor ignorant Papists out-strip us in devotion Since there is such vast difference 10. Would you not be suitable to Gods dispensations When the Lord our God puts us to silence and into solitary places he expects that we should visit him there Cant. 2.14 Oh my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret place of the stairs i. e. in an afflicted persecuted and desolate condition Let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice i. e. in the duties of Prayer praise and Gospel-Ordinances For then was her voice sweet and countenance comely when they are cast out then doth God expect and entertain them And this advantage have Gods children had by privacy into which they were cast as we heard before of Jeremiah Chap. 15.15 So the afflicted Church Lam. 3.28 29. When she sitteth alone in solitariness then she putteth her mouth in the dust in fasting and prayer and so a particular person as there Now a man is at leisure for it While persons have their full imployment or enjoyments they are too busie but when persons are taken off other wayes 't is time to retire themselves and retreat to God The less comfort persons find in publick Ordinances the more serious must they be in Closet-performances that the loss may be supplied some way SECT II. Several Objections Answered T Is strange if our carnal hearts and cavilling spirits have not something to say against this difficult duty I shall therefore mention what Objections I can foresee may be made and briefly answer them 1. Obj. We pray in our families and is not that enough What needs all this ado Answ 1. This Objection cannot be made by all some have no Families to pray with but if thou dost pray in thy family 't is well there 's many graceless heads and prayerless houses Of which it may be said The fear of God is not in this place Oh the wrath that shall be poured out on such Families But suppose thou dost Family-prayer is one thing and Closet-prayer is another and let me tell thee God never made one duty to supersede another you must not justle out one work because you are bound to perform another Every thing is beautiful in its place and season Gods Commandments are exceeding broad and take in a great compass of duties You must worship God in your Houses that exempts you not from worshipping God in your Closets no more than in the publick Assemblies There 's equal commands for all necessity of all neglect any at your peril Besides I told you a Child of God hath a secret errand to his Father that it is not fit his family should know of and upon this account God hath appointed Closet-Prayer as tendering the credit of his people that they might not discover their spiritual nakedness to any but to that God who knows their secrets and will keep their counsel And I must tell thee Soul thou art very little sensible of thy spiritual state or wants if thou have nothing to say to God that thou wouldst not have others to hear 2. Obj. But I am a poor man and busie in my calling and cannot take so much time in Closet-Prayer I have other occasions Answ Friend hast thou any greater business than the affairs of thy soul let thy calling stand still rather than thy soul should be damned Cursed be those occasions that eat out Religion But consider you may follow both Callings if you be observant our general and particular callings must not interfere Clean creatures divided the hoof considerate Christians are such as rightly proportion works to their particular seasons A chief part of David's Arithmetick of numbring daies was in that which we call Division to cast the account of this our short life so as to divide the little total sum thereof into the several portions of time due for performing every duty in The hand-maid may not thrust out the Mistress nor the Shop have all and Chamber none of our time You are flat Atheists if you think Praying will hinder your work No no Nobis pietate peculâ—a Câ—escunt Mant. it blesseth and expediteth temporal affairs We use to say Meat and Mattins hinder no work Canst thou not get time for eating sleeping Yea dost thou not spend as much time in idleness and vain discourse as would be required every day for this duty If thou hadst an honest heart thou wouldst redeem time from thy meat or sleep or recreations for Prayer rather than neglect a duty or damn thy soul The truth is we complain we want time but we waste time There 's not the poorest Labourer but he mis-spends more time than Prayer-time comes to And why should any water be left off when there 's little enough in the channel to turn the Mill for or towards our
affected with the sweetness of pardoning grace and ardently pleads with God for acceptance again when the graces of the Spirit are acted in the duty as an holy awe and fear of God faith love humility zeal and fervency and a willingness to forgive others as well as to be forgiven by the Lord Lastly a soul may know when it hath communion with God by the consequences of duty as when the Christian is more vile in his own eyes as Abraham was gives God all the glory sees and bewails his defects in greatest inlargements when the spirit is left in a better frame and fitter to bear crosses and perform after-duties c. I do but hint these things 4. Case Suppose I have prayed and prayed and find not my heart affected 't is dead dull distracted I do no good get no good in duty I fear I offend God What shall I do Ans Such a case is sad yet consider 1. It may be the case of gracious hearts David was so depressed and troubled that he could not speak Psal 77.3 4. Gods best Children are sometimes out of frame their spirits unfit for duty 2. A total neglect will not mend the matter nor help the frame of your hearts one sin will never cure another running from the fire is not the way to be warm your hearts will not be better but worse by forbearance omission indisposeth 3. Who knows but God may come in the next time Keep upon the Royal Exchange still ply the oars give God no rest gratifie not Satan by neglect Tradesmen keep their Markets though for small gains you 'l get something at last worth your pains they never were ashamed that have waited on him The issue will be good 4. God may graciously accept thy obedience though thou have not sweet inlargement the obedience is thine the inlargement God's he is a free Agent and works when he pleaseth he loves to see poor souls tug and struggle with their own hearts though they can get little forward yet they would be better and do better The Father takes it well when the Child is striving to obey him though it fall very far short He sees the Spirit is willing though the flesh be weak and accepts of upright endeavours Nay observe it a Christians conscientious attendance upon God without inlargements may be more acceptable to God than when he hath the sweetest inlargements because there is most obedience in those duties but in the other a Christian is as it were hired to performances by the Earnest-peny of inlargements Oh 't is a brave thing to persevere in duty under discouragements he that can trade when times are so dead that all his wares lye upon his hand yet trades more surely his stock is great So 't is an evidence of much Faith Love Sincerity when the Soul can maintain this Heavenly Trade when his sensible incomes are small Yet when God thus withdraws from you you must deeply lay it to heart inquire the cause make your peace with him and ply the Throne of Grace with greater importunity Thus much briefly for these Cases of Consciences And now beloved friends I have dispatcht this Subject concerning Closet-prayer What remains but that we should all fall closs to the constant practice of this duty What do Ministers preach Sermons or print Books for Is it to be seen and heard in publick Is it to be applauded Or is it not rather to do good to peoples souls And can people get any good by hearing a sound of words or a complemental reading what is written Is there not something else required of you now even a setting about the conscientious practice of what is before you What say you sirs to this Point Is Closet-Prayer a Christian duty or is it not If it be not why doth Christ direct us to the right manner of performance and assure us that our Father will reward it openly Will God reward any thing but commanded duty There 's no question but 't is a duty I challenge any man to disprove it now and to stand to his assertion another day before the God of Heaven But I think none will deny it to be a duty and sirs dare any man that professeth Religion live in the gross neglect of plain duty Do you think it 's fit it should be done and will you not do it Shall your own tongues be brought in as witnesses against your selves Will you be like that Son that said I go sir but went not Shall God wait your leisure and you 'l not give him a visit Will you go into your Closets to make up your accounts And will you not reckon streight betwixt God and your Souls Dare you go from day to day under the guilt of a known sin If you do not what you have read this Book will flie in the face of conscience another day But I am most afraid lest Christians trifle about this work and shuffle it off after any fashion and so put off God with a meer outside performance to pacifie conscience without that warmth and life we should have in our Closets 'T is recorded of Luther that he prayed every day three hours and even then when his spirits were most lively Per tres horas easq ad studia aptissimas Nor were his Closet-Prayers dull careless heartless be so fervent and ardent saith Melancthon that they which stood under his window where he stood praying might see his tears falling and dropping down Oh but where is this zeal and ardency in our secret devotion Are we not ready to drop asleep even upon our knees Alas how formal are we The fire of God is wanting in our sacrifices Nay do we not take Gods Name in vain many times and know not what we say Oh why do we thus forget Gods omnipresence and omniscience Doth not he know our hearts And should not we approve our selves to God in our Closets Yea doth not Satan stand under our Closet-window or rather at our Elbow and hears what we say to God in our Closets If you take not notice of your mistakes in Closet-Prayer Satan doth and takes advantage by them Indeed I have heard some make this a scruple whethey should in secret confess heart-sins lest Satan should be acquainted with what he knew not before and so be furnishd with matter to accuse them of but an ingenious confession prevents Satans accusation because we have a promise of remission annexed thereunto Rom. 8.33 And who shall lay any thing to the charge of justified persons He hath little reason to take your confessions and dash them in your teeth since that was both the means and evidence of pardon But if you fear that you may do as Hannah in Prayer speak in your hearts and then Satan cannot tell what you say but your God doth However neglect not the duty for this you may be sure that Satan will catch more advantage by omission or negligent performance than by an ingenuous acknowledgment of heart-sins though he do hear you Sirs Awake to righteousness Rouze up your selves to the work put not off God or conscience with a negative answer you may as well say Nay as pretend and promise to do it and not perform fall to the practice of it therefore this day there 's danger in delays if you do it not to day you 'l be more unfit to morrow At this instant fall upon thy knees beg a blessing upon this book for the good of thy soul and others look upon Closet-Prayer as thy priviledge as well as thy duty 'T is a mercy thou mayst go to God as often as thou wilt and for what thou needest 'T is no small favour that God hath allowed thee the use of this privy Key to open Heaven-gates when thou hast not the more publick key of others help in Prayer yet this is thy incouragement Thy Father that sees in secret will reward thee openly I shall shut up all with a piece of Herberts Poetry called Artillery AS I one Evening sate before my cell Methought a Star did shoot into my lap I rose and shook my cloaths as knowing well That from small fires comes oft no small mishap When suddenly I heard one say Do as thou usest disobey Expel good motions from thy brest Which have the face of fire but end in rest I who had heard of Musick in the Sphears But not of speech in Stars began to muse But turning to my God whose Ministers The Stars and all things are if I refuse Dread Lord said I so oft my good Then I refuse not even with blood To wash away my stubborn thought For I will do or suffer what I ought But I have also Stars and Shooters too Born where thy Servants both Artilleries use My Tears and Prayers night and day do woe And work up to thee yet thou dost refuse Not but I am I must say still Much more oblig'd to do thy will Than thou to grant mine but because Thy promise now hath even set Thee Laws Then we are shooters both thou dost deign To enter combate with us and contest With thine own clay But I would parley fain Shun not my Arrows and behold my brest Yet if thou shunnest I am thine I must be so if I am mine There is no articling with thee I am but finite yet thine infinitely FINIS
CLOSET-PRAYER A Christian Duty OR A TREATISE UPON MAT. VI. VI. Tending to prove that the Worship of God in Secret is the indispensible duty of all Christians both by sundry Examples and Arguments TOGETHER With a severe rebuke of Christians for their neglect of or negligence in the duty of Closet-Prayer And many Directions for the managing thereof Exhortations to it Objections answered Cases of Conscience cleared By O. HETWOOD Minister of the Gospel Jer. 13.17 But if ye will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride and mine eye shall weep sore and run down with tears because the Lords Flock is carried away captive â—â—ndon Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and â—…ce Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside 1671. There is of this Author two other Books Printed 1. Heart-Treasure from Mat. 12.35 2. The sure Mercies of David Explained and Applied in several Sermons from Isa 55.3 The Epistle to the Reader Especially to the strict and serious Professor of Christianity Christian Friend THE power of Godliness is much spoken of but I am afraid very rarely to be found amongst even famous professors Most content themselves with external visible duties which Formalists may carry on with as much seeming zeal and applause as sincere worshippers A formal spirit is the disease of the present day The beams of Gospel-light in the late noon-tyde-dispensations have so far extracted an assent to fundamental truths and the necessity of some practical duties that 't is a shame in some places not to have a form of Godliness Many will be found Orthodox in their judgments and externally conformable in their practises yet without a principle of Grace in their hearts or the life of Religion in their lives in the day of accounts witness the foolish Virgins Thousands do finally miscarry besides the grosly prophane Some go to hell with a candle in their hands Christ's Colours in their hats his Word in their mouths and in the habit of Religion Every one is not a Saint that looks like one a painted picture makes a fair shew but wants life A Formalist will be comely indeed if animated with the truth of grace But the leaven of hypocrise spoyls many good duties This was that leaven of the Pharisees that sowred their prayers and rendred them distastful to God They made Religious duties a stage to act vain glory upon their Prayers had a thick shell and little kernel Our Saviour would not have the Saints like them Christs Disciples must do some singular thing more than others Their righteousness must go beyond that of the Scribes and Pharisees Sincerity is that spirit and life that is to run through Religion else it is a Body without a Soul or Cloaths without the Man This is the chief drift of our Saviours teaching and main design of Gospel-commands to render Professors sincere and spiritual approving their hearts to God in Evangelical performances I have many times bewailed the condition of those who are very busie in Externals of Religion abroad and are grosly negligent of the main Essentials at home They are like those who are propping up some remote members of their body while their Vitals are wasting in a languishing Consumption These are like a Man in a Feaver his face and hands burn but his heart shakes and quivers for cold These I may call Pepper-professors hot in the mouth but cold at the stomack There are thousands in the World will run many miles to hear a Sermon will countenance the best Preachers will read the Scriptures and good Books will pray in their families yea keep days of Fasting and Prayer with others that yet will not set about heart-work and flesh-displeasing duties of mortifying beloved lusts loving forgiving and praying for enemies yea that will not set themselves solemnly to the duties of Meditation Self-examination and secret Prayer The Vessel will not stir except the wind of applause blow the sails these are like the Nightingale in the wood of which it is recorded that she sings most sweetly when she thinks any is near her An Hypocrite can pray best when taken notice of by men you shall seldom see him at work with his heart in a Closet he is of the mind of those carnal persons of Christs natural kindred Joh. 7.4 who said to Christ If thou do these things shew thy self to the World for saith the Text ver 5. Neither did his brethren believe in him q. d. Such as carry on duties or counsel others to such undertakings as may expose them to publick view for ostentation declare plainly they want true grace which makes persons Jews inwardly Whose circumcision is of the heart in the Spirit whose praise is not of men but of God Rom. 2.29 The main trade of a Christian is his Home-trade as one saith Jurnal Christian Armour Chap. 12. Sect. 3. p. 304. which is spent in secret betwixt God and his own soul here he drives an unknown Trade he is at Heaven and home again richly laden in his thoughts with heavenly meditations before the World knows where he hath been The consideration of these things hath ingaged me to spend some thoughts concerning this great and much neglected Duty of Closet Prayer which when I had delivered and several had got Copies thereof it was judged fit for the Press some hopes conceived of its further usefulness I perused it again and methodized it into this form and communicated my thoughts to some concerning the publication of it A friend gave me notice there was a Book extant upon the same Subject which I enquired after and found one of Mr. Brooks on the same Text That Book I look'd over and was ready to think it would save me a labour but upon second thoughts I considered that this might fall into some hands that that would not that several men writing on the same Subject may be useful is ordinary that our Method and most of our Matter is different for I had finish'd mine before I saw the other except two or three leaves in the close Besides that the other is larger this a small Piece and more portable as a pocket-book or Vade mecum let it be then a short Appendix to that excellent Piece I am heartily glad any of Gods servants have set themselves to promote this part of practical piety 't is an excellent design and I am well assuâ—… if Christians were more in their Closets with God their own souls would thrive better and things would succeed better abroad Mr. Rogers being silenced from publick work desired his Hearers to spend that time they were want to come to his Lecture in in serious Prayer and Meditation in their Closets and he was confident Satan would be a loser and their souls gainers by that providence And this I can affirm that if persons would spend part of that time in secret Prayer they take to run abroad to Sermons in they would be better proficients Not but that hearing
the duty of secret Prayer Although mental ejaculations are fit enough in both yet it 's not convenient to kneel down or use outward gestures of secret Prayer there 7. Closet-Prayer must be with all secrecy and solitariness In a Closet door shut As we must not blow a Trumpet when we give Alms so we must not hold out a flag when we go to wait on God in the Duty of Prayer It was carnal counsel the brethren of Christ gave him Joh. 7.4 Shew thy self to the World The reason is given v. 5. For neither did his brethren believe in him A sad sign of carnality 8. God alone is the proper object of our Prayers pray to thy Father As he is the object of our Faith so of Prayer For he alone can help therefore he is to be sought none else sees our state or can satisfie souls Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us 9. In all our addresses to God we must own God as our Father as having adopted us in Christ because his therefore ours I ascend saith Christ to my Father and your Father Joh. 20.17 Indeed by nature we were children of wrath but by grace children of his Love so that they may say as Isa 64.8 But now O Lord thou art our Father Oh plead and improve this relation 10. God is omnipresent Hinc omnipraesens est quia nullum est Ubi unde est exclusus neque alicubi est inclusus Ames Med. Theol. lib. 1. Cap. 4. 47. Thy Father which is in secret the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him 1 King 8.27 He filleth all places with his immense and infinite essence Heaven is his throne the Earth is his footstool he is excluded from no place included in none for he is without all limitation dimension or termination 11. God is omniscient Thy Father which seeth in secret The darkest night or secretest closet or most hidden thought of a reserved heart can neither hide or be hid from God's all-seeing eye Heb. 4.13 God beholds all things in Heaven and on Earth with one simple single act of his Understanding without composition discourse or representation of Species 12. Every believing Prayer hath a sure reward He will reward thee openly Not a good word to God or work for God shall be lost To him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward Prov. 11.18 And we know every right Prayer is a real seed Psal 126.6 And it will rise in a full and plentiful crop another day 13. The reward of secret Prayer shall be open and manifest They have already a reward and gift in secret Communion with God is an abundant recompence In keeping thy Commandements there is great reward Psal 19.11 But this is a praemium ante praemium reward before the reward the other shall be in Heaven before Angels and Men. 14. A Christians reward is from God Thy Father will reward thee Not men Scribes and Pharisees have their reward from men from men they expect it Saints expect their reward from God and God gives it them Men reward them evil for their good will and they expect no better If better come from men they own it as a gratuity sent from their Father It 's a principle of Religion to know and believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 And as God gives a reward so he is the reward of his Saints Gen. 15.1 Yea an exceeding great reward It can admit of no Hyperbole it cannot have a sufficient Emphasis to enjoy God is a reward sufficient in and for the service of God These Doctrines would afford large discourses but none of these are the subject I shall insist upon I shall raise one from the main scope of the Text which is this Doct. That Closet-Prayer is a Christian Duty Secret Prayer is an Evangelical exercise Every child of God may and must perform the duty of Secret Prayer As a Christian must pray all manner of Prayer so in all places 1 Tim. 2.8 I will that men pray every where And if every where then in their Closets This divine Incense should perfume every room and should ascend to Heaven from Chambers as well as Churches Any place now is fit for a divine Oratory Psal 109.4 Psal 30. title God and a believing soul may meet in a corner a Saint should give himself to Prayer and dedicate his house to God he should as it were consecrate every room in his house to be a place of private devotion Abraham reared an altar to God wherever he came so must a Christian make every place where he can get closs to the duty a place of Prayer Mr. Mede hath undertaken to prove from Josh 24.26 That the Jews of old and Christians in gospel-Gospel-times had their Proseuchae or praying places which he thus describes as to the Jews of old Proseucha saith he Medes Diatribae pag. 279. was a plot of ground encompassed with a wall or some other like mound or inclosure and open above much like to our Courts the use properly for Prayer as the name Proseucha imports And these were without the Cities as Synagogues were within Of this as he thinks were those in Act. 21.31 and Luk. 6.12 Where Jesus Christ is said to continue all night 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Proseucha Dei in the place of Prayer or Proseucha of God Now although I shall say little of the Notion yet I cannot see how it will prove any relative holiness of places nor yet do I believe or find but that the Saints had other praying places as in houses and elsewhere as occasion was offered even in dwelling houses Act. 12.12 But as to this Duty of secret Prayer it must not be so narrowly confined but we may go to any Closet or private Room where our souls may meet with God And as one saith we shall not fail to find that the Grots and caves lye as open to the coelestial influences The life of Dr. Hammond in a letter p. 201. as the fairest and most beautiful Temples SECT IV. Instances of several in Scripture that used Closet-Prayer THe Doctrine needs no Explication but Confirmation which I shall do from Scripture-Instances and Reasons We have several Examples of Patriarchs Prophets Apostles that used this duty of solitary or secret prayer 1. Abraham The friend of God and Father of the faithful conversed much with his God alone particularly in this duty of Prayer Gen. 18.22 When the men i. e. the created Angels that seemed men were gone towards Sodom Abraham stood yet before the Lord or Jehovah i. e. Jesus Christ the Angel of the Covenant Standing is a praying posture therefore put for prayer hence Abraham drew near and pleaded with God for Sodom That was his errand to God at that time No doubt he had used this course frequently in other cases Hence arose that intimacy betwixt God and Abraham So that God
place so fit for that great duty as a Closet or some closs Chamber therefore he being to deal with his God in good hard earnest about this important business saith the Text He carried him up into a loft where he abode and laid him upon his own bed and then he cryed to the Lord ver 19 20. It was not the first time Elijah had there wrestled with God if it was his lodging room it was his praying room And here God heard him and wrought the miracle what he did for Elijah he can and will do for us if he see fit for Elijah was no more than a man and subject to like passions as we are 7. Jeremiah is a remarkable Instance he was a Prophet of the Lord sanctified from his Mothers womb yet he met with so many discouragements that he hath a mind to leave his people Jer. 9.1 2. and he wisheth for a lodging-place in the Wilderness i. e. some solitary retirement that there he might take his fill of weeping however he resolves at present that wherever he is he will get retired and saith he My soul shall weep in secret places for your pride Jer. 13.17 Yet more punctually to the business of secret Prayer see Jer. 15.17 Saith he I sate alone because of thy hand But what did he alone Did he only pore and muse upon the Churches sins and sufferings No he had something to say to his God ver 18. Why is my pain perpetual And God then hath something to say to him by way of gracious answer ver 19. If thou return then will I bring thee again and thou shalt stand before me This is the result of his secret Prayer a restauration of him to and his confirmation in his office and function and to the publick exercise thereof This is worth praying for 8. Daniel is a famous pattern of the resolute and couragious performance of this duty against all opposition Although he might have pleaded if ever any There 's a Lion in the way I shall be slain in the Streets or Den for my work in my Chamber yet he feared nothing he ventured upon a severe Law his Princes displeasure the loss of his Preferment the rage of his Competitors and the Lions hungry stomachs rather than he will omit or intermit his accustomed course of Chamber-worship he will endure the Lions cruelty rather than neglect a known duty Nay he is so far from gratifying his proud adversaries that he will not in the least abate his wonted frequency or visibility in the duty But his windows being open toward Jerusalem be kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed Dan 6.10 But did Daniel hold out a Flag or blow a Trumpet by setting open his windows to declare to men what he was a going to do Was not this contrary to the rule in the Text Are we here commanded to shut our door and may Daniel open his window Is not that all one Surely that good man did not open his windows out of hypocrisie and vain-glory but to shew his resolution courage and constancy out-daring these impious impudent commands of men he did not fear to be seen now in so plain a case What spirit are they of that will rather give themselves to the roaring Lion and incur the wrath of the King of Heaven which is more terrible than a thousand hungry Lions than solemnly perform this useful duty of secret Prayer Let careless souls consider this 9. Peter a famous Apostle shall be another instance in the case Act. 9.40 When Tabitha or Dorcas lay dead in an upper Chamber and the Widows stood weeping by her and he was to raise her He put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed and turning him to the body said Tabitha arise and she opened her eyes See here another miracle like Elijah's upon secret Prayer But this was upon an extraordinary case did Peter use to pray alone Yes turn but to the next Chapter Act. 10.9 Peter went up upon the house-top to pray about the sixth hour Which was about noon another praying season Psal 55.17 certainly he missed not morning and night for such devotion He went to the top of the flat-rooft house which was a private place and equivalent to a Closet there Peter prayed and in that prayer he fell into a trance and in that trance he had a Vision concerning the calling in of the Gentiles a glorious mystery and transcendent mercy towards us poor Out-casts Rom. 16.25 Col 1.26 27. Eph. 2.4 6. a mysterie which was kept secret since the world began hid fromages generations this blessed mysterie that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel yet this transcendent design of love was manifested to a choice Apostle while he was in the performance of this duty of secret Prayer This is very remarkable and worth observation 10. The last Instance is of our blessed Saviour our dear Lord Jesus was very conversant in this Duty Mark 1.35 In the morning rising up a great while before day he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed Our precious Redeemer went about doing good and the day time he usually spent in preaching conferring healing diseases c. And the night he spent in prayer meditation and such other holy exercises he had scarce time to eat or sleep for doing his fathers work he spent not one moment of time unprofitably in a above thirty years How early doth he rise and earnestly doth he follow his business for communion with his Father and for the work of our redemption Yea Luk. 6.12 He continued all night in prayer to God i. e. in a mountain Mar. 26.36 in secret Prayer and frequently elsewhere we shall find him alone and in this work and wherefore was all this Was it not principally for our sakes For our salvation and imitation Yes certainly he designed our good in all he prayed that we might pray and reap the profit of his prayers and purchases Nec verbis tantum sed factis Dominus orare nos docuit ipse orans frequentorâ— deprecans quid facere noâ— oportet exempli sui contestatione demonstrans Cyp. Serm. De orat Dom. p. 425. Hear we Cyprian sweetly He taught us to pray not in words only but deeds himself praying frequently and deprecating and so demonstrating what we are to do by the witness giving of his own example Thus he Most Divines hold the obligatory power of Scripture-examples in things not forbidden especially being so laudable a practice and implyed in other Scriptures all the former instances seem cogent Arguments but the last concerning Jesus Christ hath the force of a possitive precept and command But there is few or none that have the face of Christians dare deny this to be a duty but I fear many that would go for Christians live in the ordinary neglect of it
CHAP. II. The Reasons to prove that Closet-Prayer is a christian-Christian-Duty SECT I. The first Reason of the Point ALl the Reasons that I shall make use of at this time for the proof of this Doctrine and clearing secret Prayer to be a duty shall be fetcht out of the Text and they are these 4. Rea. 1. The conveniency of privacy for Prayer 2. The Relation betwixt God and a Saint 3. Gods Omniscience seeing in secret 4. Gods Munificence rewarding 1. The great conveniency there is in privacy for Prayer and the good providence of God bestowing upon us private Rooms which implicitly call us to the performance of that duty For there is in retirement a great advantage for the managing of any work of wisdom Prov. 18.1 Through desire a man having separated himself seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom i. e. He that is really studious of true Piety will voluntarily sequester himself to prosecute it This was anciently the well-meaning design of a Monastick life which since hath been wofully abused But yet certainly there is a very great advantage in solitariness for carrying on a religious business Take only two at present which are advantages particularly referring to this duty of Prayer whereunto secrecy contributes 1. Self-expostulations and self-abasing gestures and expressions when a Christian in Prayer finds his heart hard dead dull distracted or any way out of order he may in secret make a pause and begin to commune with his own heart examine the matter lament the cause chide his untoward heart and charge his wanton spirit to keep close to his God in duty Thus David Why art thou cast down O my soul Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early My soul wait thou upon God Nothing more familiar in the Psalms than such intercisions and diversions from the work in hand to raise up the heart to an higher tune in Prayer and Praises And this may be of singular use for by such heart-reasonings and debates a Saint may wind up his spirit and get better prepared for the remaining part of the exercise Now such a work as this would not be so seasonable and convenient when others joyn in the duty So also for bodily postures sometimes for an evidence of greater humiliation a Christian finds it requisite to prostrate himself before the Lord And use such gestures as would not be fit in the sight of others therefore Closet-Prayer is very necessary where a Christian may use his discretion as God shall direct him for the humbling quickning raising and melting of his heart before the Lord alone That 's the first advantage 2. It is a wonderful help against distraction When we are as it were out of the noise of the world we are then fitter for attendance upon God The affairs discourses troubles and confusions of a family if within hearing are a great hindrance to the duties of Meditation and Prayer Experience testifies this a man cannot study or cast accounts in a croud or throng of People When we are intent upon any business how little a noise diverts us It may be this was the reason why that hospitable Gentlewoman in 2 King 4.10 would have a Chamber built for her welcom-guest the Prophet Elisha yea built upon the wall for she might judge him to be a contemplative man and though she might have lodging-rooms in her house yet she might look upon that at a little distance as more commodious for his devotions and meditations as being out of the noise of houshold-business and hurryings An active fancy quickly closeth with any diversion in our attendance upon God Therefore ought we to study to attend upon the Lord without distraction When Abraham went to worship in the Mount he left his servants below in the valley lest they should obstruct his communion with God When Moses was to go up unto the Lord though Aaron Nadab and Abihu and the seventy Elders went further than the People yet the Text saith They should worship afar off but saith God Moses alone shall come near the Lord Exod. 24.1 2. Observe it when Moses had parted with his company and was alone then he should come near the Lord common professors worship not God at all acceptably sincere Saints worshipping God with others are comparatively far off but souls in a corner or Closet are admitted to come near God and have sweet intimacy with him as I shall shew anon Yet mistake me not not as though I preferred secret Prayer alone before publick Prayer with others for as God delights in the joint prayers of his People so a soul may enjoy God in communion of Saints and is ordinarily more carryed out to God than in private according to the helps and advantages he hath with others yet when the heart is in frame there is usually more intimacy exprest betwixt God and the Christian in secret than with others Yet further mistake not not as though solitariness free'd us from all distractions iâ— we take our hearts with us we shall have a principle of diversion and need neither noise nor visible objects to hinder us from God And this those that have magnified solitariness most have found by sad experience and left upon record Take an instance Locus secretus eligitur quia solus Dei judicio â—eâ—unia suut agenda singularem inspectorem adjutoremque Deum volunt haec habere câ—…tamina neque in agon bus aliquibus periculosus militatur Propâ—er hoc Solitudo carent arbitris Eremus assentaterum satellitio vacua à jejunanâ—e Christo el gitur ut non cum carne sanguine sed cum spiritualibus nequiâ—iis dimicâ—tur amotis minorum occasionibus homo cum Diabolo colluctetur soli sint in palastra Christus Antichristus Spiritus Antispiritus Neque putet homo se evasisse pericula cum in eremum venerit quia quanto saltilius tanto difficilius à Teâ—tatore invaditur qui cogitationum foribus assilens omnia virtutum germina in ipso ortu strangulare molitur Cyp. De jejun teâ—tat Christi Prope init pag. 300 301. Verum siberius anima expedita obviat impugnanti ubi compedes impedimentorum defueriat aspectus irritamenta non noveriat Securiorque est congressus ubi singuâ—a non vellicant dimicante nec inebriant animum lenocinio voluptatum vid. plur Cyprian speaking of Christs fasting and being tempted in the Wilderness chusing that place for its secrecy because saith he Fastings are to be observed so as God alone may be Judge and in such contests as these we are to call on God alone as spectator and helper And shews notably the danger of vain-glory and advantages of secrecy yet adds Let not a man imagine he hath escaped all dangers when he comes into a Wilderness or solitary place because he is invaded by the tempter so much the more difficulty because more subtily who sitting before the doors of the thoughts seeks to strangle all the buds of vertue
all one Spirit as well as all one Father And is not this a Spirit of Grace and Supplication And is it not that which on all occasions draws the Soul to its Father 'T is said of Paul when newly converted Behold he prayeth Act. 9.11 Others do not see it but I know it there he is in a corner sighing and seeking me Go Ananias enquire for him he is now one of you a real Convert for Behold he prayeth A Soul praying in secret is worthy observation there 's an Ecce put upon it Behold he prayeth And why should we that pretend to be Saints be unlike our brethren 3. Are you not herein unlike your selves in former times When God did at first work upon your hearts did you not then run to God in a corner Did you not set your selves intently to the duty of secret Prayer How often did God find you by your selves sighing sorrowing weeping bleeding breathing after God pouring out your hearts like water before the face of the Lord And your heavenly Father pitied you spoke very kindly to you wiped off your tears cheared your hearts heard your prayers and made those dayes of grief times of love Oh the sweet embraces that then were betwixt your souls and God Have you forgotten such a Chamber Such a Closet such a Barn such a Wood Where you sometimes walkt and meditated sometimes fell prostrate and wept before the Lord till you had no more power to weep If you have forgotten those blessed days your God hath not He remembers thee the kindness of thy youth the love of thine spousals when thou wentest after him in a solitary Wilderness Jer. 2.2 Canst not thou remember the day when thou wouldst rather have been with thy God in a private Room than upon a Princes Throne Yea thou thoughtest thou wast to do nothing else but cry and pray in secret thou wast at it every day yea many times a in day How comes it to pass that there 's such a change That thou dost so rarely go to visit thy old friend in a Corner Is he changed Is he not so good and kind as he was wont to be Hast thou found any fault in God Or art not thou blame-worthy What 's become of thy ancient Spirit of Prayer Why dost thou forget thy sweetest wrestling-place Why dost thou not inquire for these good old wayes of communion with thy God SECT III. Saints neglects further reproved 4. LEt me further expostulate with Gods Children that are rarely exercised in this duty of Secret-Prayer Do you not deprive your selves of many sweet refreshments Have not your souls had sweet experience of ravishing incomes in secret duties How many pleasant morsels have you eaten alone Have not these stolen waters been sweet And would they not be so again if you would open the same sluice Oh what hints of love might your souls have that no creature would know of Secret influences are conveyed to souls in secret duties these you block up by neglect Ah sirs Are the consolations of God small to you Is communion with God of no worth Why are you so unwilling to take pains to go to your Father Especially when you know he hath a kindness for you Have you ever lost by such duties Will not your gains infinitely countervail your pains Ask those that use it most they will tell you it is the sweetest time they spend Yea cannot your own experience attest it Did you ever lose your labour when you set your selves about the work in good earnest Hath not this closs and privy trading with God brought in much spiritual profit Beloved friends you little consider the good you miss of for want of performing this excellent duty But that 's not all 5. Do you not by neglect of secret prayer expose your selves to many sad temptations Watching and Prayer are singular helps against temptation Mat. 26.41 I have heard that Satan hath openly professed that he hath watched when some of Gods children have gone out without Closet-Prayer and that day he hath gotten great advantage against them sometimes by tripping up their heels and casting them down from their excellency into some gross iniquity sometimes tormenting their hearts with blasphemous or soul-perplexing injections Sometimes God hath left them to fall into some afflictive snare laid by this subtil Fowler which hath cost them many bitter pangs all this and much more hath been the fruit of such neglects Christians Have you not found this too true by sad experience When you have gone abroad without calling on God hath not God secretly withdrawn from you Hath not Satan obtained his designs upon you Have not your hearts been growing out of frame Some lust increasing grace decaying and your souls at the brink of some astonishing fall When you have gone out in the morning without a good breakfast with God Have you not been apt to gather wind and vanity to the prejudice of your souls health If you ingage not God by Prayer to go with you What security have you for that day If God leave you the Devil may do what he list with you and hamper you in a thousand snares and sins 6. Doth not your neglect of secret Prayer argue little love to God Or delight to be in his Company When persons have a dear affection to each other they love to be together Love delights in union and communion Yea when persons love intirely they withdraw from other company that they may injoy each other with more indeared familiarity the presence of a third mixeth the streams of Communication and mars their intimate communion And if you did passionately love the Lord would you not withdraw from others that your souls might injoy some fresh and refreshing intercourse with your best Beloved How can you say you love him when you have no mind of his company If you did indeed love him Cant. 3.5 you would hold him and not let him go Amor meus pondus meum until you had with the Spouse brought him into the Chambers of intimate communion and solitary recesses Love is the weight of the soul and draws it to the object beloved If your hearts were ravisht with him you would take more pleasure in conversing with him you would bless God for an opportunity of injoying him But this strangeness speaks a great defect in this noble grace And would you be esteemed such as love not God What a sad thing is it to be low and scant in love to God under such strong engagements to love Poor soul have not those silken silver cords of love which have been cast about thee drawn thee nearer and bound thee faster to thy God than thus Have not such bellows and incentives kindled and increased thy spark of love into a flame Lament thy sin and shame thy self before thy God for this decay of love and dangerous neglect 7. Do not you by these omissions declare your selves ingrateful to the grace of God It 's Gods
Redeemer find a soul upon its knees before the Lord Oh the hearty welcom it will give unto its God! This is the time he waited for he was got into a corner was sighing for his sins pleading for mercy breathing after grace and panting for glory and behold what a quick return doth his God make Even while he is speaking and praying the Lord doth send a guard of Angels to conduct the soul into eternal Mansions where God and the soul shall part no more Blessed for ever happy is that soul whom its Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Now consider of it Whether state would you be found in And do not you know his Coming may be sudden and unexpected Would you be found under neglect or in the faithful performance of a duty Would you not be carried from your Closet-devotion to eternal communion with God Oh then take our Lord's most wholsom counsel Take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is Mark 13.33 I might here challenge Christians also not only for their neglect of but careless performance of this duty of Closet-prayer with what sorry shifts do we put off God How hard dead unbelieving distracted are our hearts in secret God takes much pleasure in Adverbs it pleaseth not God that a duty be done except it be well done Many satisfie their own consciences that they have prayed but consider not how they prayed there 's a curse on such as do the work of God negligently Jer. 48.13 Mal. 1.14 and that have in their flock a male and offer to the Lord a corrupt thing And it 's a fearful thing to get a curse upon our knees when we come for a blessing Look to it God takes notice how you pray the Devil stands under your Closet-window and heareth what you say to God in secret all the while studying how he may commence a suit against you for your duty Like those that come to Sermons to carp or catch at what the Preacher saith or as one saith like a cunning opponent in the Schools while his adversary is busie reading his position he is studying to confute it and oh what advantage do we often give Satan to trip us and take us tardy What occasion do we afford him to accuse us to God and to our selves while we have our filthy garments on us Yea remissness in our duties brings decay in grace Tradesmen may go behind hand by being careless in their dealings as well as by being much out of their shops Alas what sad decay is in our souls for want of closs and constant communion with God We have very perverse hearts we have much ado with them when we would do good evil is present it is our great sin we are so much out of order even upon our knees Satan sends his imps to haunt and torment ment us he jogs our hand when we are to write a Letter to Heaven in our prayers so that we can scarce make sense of what we present to God Our thoughts are unfixed ranging abroad like a Spaniel to a thousand objects so that sometimes we have lost our selves and know not where we are Oh let us lament our vain and trifling spirits in secret duties and turn us unto God for help as a Servant when the child he tends is troublesom and will not be ruled by him calls out to the Father to come to him who no sooner speaks the word but all is whist with him our God can set in order our unruly spirits only he will be called upon by earnest Prayer Thus much for this use CHAP. V. The Third Vse is of Instruction SECT I. MY next and main work is to help us in the duty of Closet-Prayer by propounding some helps and rules for our direction which I shall reduce to these four heads viz. 1. Preparatives to it 2. Essentials in it 3. Circumstances about it 4. Consequences upon it 1. Look to your State and standing If you be not real Saints you are not fit for this spiritual duty Your Relation must be changed by converting grace Hence the Text saith Pray to thy Father See then that God be your Father in Jesus Christ else you cannot truly cry Abba Father If we must be reconciled to our Brother before we offer our gift much more to God for how can two walk together except they be agreed I deny not but a carnal soul should retire himself into a corner examine his state fall down on his knees and beg converting and pardoning grace and thus they must acquaint themselves with God that they may come before him for unsound unconverted sinners have no right as children to call to the King of Heaven though as creatures they may and must seek unto God yet they worship afar off 'T is the gracious Christian only that prayeth acceptably wicked mens prayers are abomination an hypocrite shall not come before him John 13.16 And indeed till you be real Saints you 'l have no mind to buckle close to this duty truth of grace will capacitate you for secret approaches to God strength of grace will elevate you to God and evidence of sincerity will make you come boldly to the Throne of Grace Therefore try your state inquire what relation you have to God or else expect no familiarity with him God will not take the wicked by the hand to lead them into these Chambers of communion the throne of iniquity hath no fellowship with him Our Lord Jesus marrieth none but Widows that are divorced from all other Husbands and he opens his heart to none but his betrothed Spouse her he leads into a solitary place and speaks to her heart Oh sirs come over clearly to God by closing with Christ renounce your selves get united to him and then come and welcom to enjoy communion with him in Closet-Prayer 2. Dispatch other things off your hearts and hands Let not your earthly occasions intrude into your Closet-Exercises Say to the cares and affairs of the world as Abraham to his Servants Stay there while I go and worship the Lord yonder Or as Nehemiah in another case I am doing a great work and I cannot come down to you So do thou say I have appointed other times and seasons for attending worldly businesses let me alone with my God every thing is beautiful in its season Communion with God is as much as I can attend at once I must not be diverted by other objects the business I am about is of the greatest importance I must consult how I may attend upon the Lord without distraction and worldly matters have distracted me in God's service and have cost me many a tear therefore get away from me Why should the work of the Lord cease Why should I be hindred from my God What can you afford me that can be worth one hours communion with my God Thus do you actually renounce the world for you cannot mind two things at once And observe it If
you leave any matters of the world tarrying for your attendance the thought of them will attend you and make you cut your duties short and run away before your hearts be warmed Therefore if it may be dispatch them however rid your hearts of them The Heathen left their shooes at the Temple-doors to shew that all earthly occasions and affections must be left behind when we go to God Let vain or busie thoughts have there no part Bring not thy Plow thy Plots thy Pleasures thither Christ purg'd his Temple so must thou thy heart All worldly thoughts are but thieves met together To couzen thee Herbert SECT II. Two more Preparatives to Secret Prayer 3. SEt your selves in Gods presence Although you be not within the view of any mortal creature yet the eternal God sees what you are a going about So saith the Text Your father sees in secret darkness or clossness hides not from him and 't is more that one God sees you than if all the men on earth gazed at you His eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun and he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity Heb. 1.13 Psal 26.6 Psal 66.18 therefore wash your hands in innocency before you compass his altar For if you regard iniquity in your heart God will not hear your prayer Therefore set the Lord always before you especially now you are setting your selves before the Lord if that Caveat was enough to beget reverence in an Heathen Cave spectat Cato Cato sees thee Oh what reverence would the sense of Gods omnipresence beget in thy heart if duly weighed Christians weight your spirits with such meditations as these God's eye is never off me I am daily walking in the Sun but now I am setting my self to pray in secret I come to appear before God in a special manner I may deceive men and my self but God will not be mocked I had need now engage my heart to approach unto God that 's the thing he looks for Oh for a spirit suitable to such a Majesty whom I come to worship Lord draw out my affections unite my heart excite my graces that my whole Soul may be carried after God Thus commit thy works to the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established Psal 37.5 Prov. 16.3 when thou art setting thy face towards a duty where thou art sure to meet Satan and carry with thee a corrupt deceitful heart let God know from thy mouth whither thou art going what thy fears are Never saith one doth the soul march in so good order as when it puts it self under the conduct of God and never is it so awful as when it sets it self under the eye of God Gen. 17.1 I am God Almighty walk before me and be thou perfect When you sensibly discern you are kneeling before God will not this make you perfect sincere and grow holier If you think God be not in your Closets what do you go to pray there for And if you know he sees you there why do you not think so and set your selves as in his presence The child will stand demurely before his Father the Scholar before his Master and so will the gracious Soul before God in duty if sensible of his presence 4. Muster up your thoughts and wayes Our thoughts and affections are like the strings of an Instrument out of tune and therefore we must take some pains to wind and skrue them up This is that which Zophar adviseth to Job 11.13 to prepare the heart and then stretch forth the hands And for this end it would not be amiss when you come into a private room to pray in secret first to read some portion of Scripture which may be of use to compose your spirits and like David's harp to Saul drive away your wild imaginations yea the word read may afford you suitable matter of prayer to God More particularly let me add one experienced Help which is this When you are addressing your selves to God in secret Prayer endeavour to fix your thoughts upon some particular subject to inlarge upon there 's no question but you have sometimes one special errand to God sometimes another if you observe your condition well be sure to mind that whether it be to confess some predominant sin to beg pardon of it power against it You may have in your eye some grace that you need more than ordinarily and see your weakness and defect therein c. Now do not satisfie your selves in running out into generals only but set your selves to plead the cause of your souls in that very case which you have found out by serious inquiry would most ingage you at that time to go to God about expatiate principally upon that subject And this I conceive to be a taking to our selves words which the Holy Ghost directeth us to Hos 14.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verbum res negotium Vid. Buxt lex in Prayer not a form of such and such phrases but some special subject matter to speak to our God about the word in Hebrew imports so much Now an intent and earnest pursuit of such a special subject at the Throne of Grace is of use in these two respects 1. You will find it an help against distractions wandrings withdrawings from God when you purposely set your selves to mind one thing you 'l be more intent upon it and lay out more pains about it than when you allow your selves liberty in variety of matter When the stream runs one way Vis unita fortior 't is stronger than dispersed into several channels so when the Christian unites his strength to plead with God about a particular business he is usually more warm and affectionate and so less subject to distraction 2. It will help you to enlarge your selves in spreading particular cases before the Lord in pat and proper expressions even before others as you have a call and opportunity and this is that which is called the gift of Prayer which is of singular use when a person can particularly and pathetically lay open a condition plead with God improve promises and rationally expostulate even with the Almighty about a spiritual or temporal concernment This holy Art is got by a frequency in secret Prayer and particular pleading for a mans own soul This is the last preparatory think before-hand what business you have to God in a peculiar manner and drive that nail as it were to the head you cannot think to speak of all things to God at one time but take that which is of present emergent use and importance and set your selves to inlarge upon that follow that home till you feel your hearts be warmed and affected and so have some tokens for good that God will return a sensible answer You 'l say Must we thus prepare our selves before every duty of secret Prayer we have not time for it I shall answer this in the words of my dear and reverend Father Angier His
Book called An help to better hearts for better times Pag. 196 197. read more of this Subject there are some separating duties that prepare for others as examination meditation prayer and they do prepare by stirring up the grace of God and providing an heavenly assistance to begin with us in the duty If thou canst not always have separating time betwixt other occasions and Gods worship yet have some separating thoughts ere thou enter upon the duty thou art not fit else to meddle with wisdom Thus he 'T is true some have not the leisure that others have yet so much preparation is necessary for every duty as may withdraw the heart from other objects and weight the Spirit with a due sense of the work we have in hand and sometimes this may be done suddenly yet as for such as have more time to work upon their hearts and state their souls case by mustering up themselves to the work neglect a duty and cannot groundedly expect the Lords presence and this I conceive is the reason why the Lords people miss of God in secret Prayer at least one reason is because they do not make such conscience and take such care of preparing their hearts as they ought Ah Christians when you come into your Closet sit down and pause a little before you fall down upon your knees clear up your state shake off other business set your selves in Gods presence and muster up your sins or wants or mercies you purpose to spread before the Lord a Client will consider all his matters before he come to state his case to his advocate a poor patient will bethink himself how he is that he may tell his ailings to his Physitian and a petitioner will not go hand over head unto his Prince but order his cause before hand that he may plead it more effectually And shall not we much more prepare our selves to wait upon the God of Heaven SECT III. Directions concerning the essentials of secret Prayer 2. THe second sort of rules is concerning some things essentially requisite to the right performance of the duty of secret Prayer which you are to look to in the duty and these are such as are required in all sorts of Prayer viz. that it be performed 1. With the heart 2. By the help of the spirit 3. According to Gods will 4. In the name of Christ 1. Secret Prayer must he hearty Prayer an heartless duty is a worthless duty yea the whole heart must be ingaged in it Psal 119.10 With my whole heart have I sought thee It is the heart that God chiefly looks after Prov. 23.26 My Son give me thy heart nothing else can please God if the heart be wanting if the heart be ingaged in the duty he will rather dispense with other weaknesses where there 's not wilful negligence Observe it in that worship of God we perform with others a mans gifts may be of use though his heart go not along with his voice but in Closet-Prayer it doth no good at all except the heart be ingaged therefore God principally requires the heart in other duties in this he only requires the heart for the voice is not necessary To love and serve the Lord our God with all our heart Mark 12.30 33. soul mind strength is a keeping of the Law and more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices We should pray with every faculty of the soul and with the utmost strength of every faculty Mat. 15.8 9. God deserves and requires our strongest affections That 's but a vain worship that 's performed without the heart right attendance on God is an ingaging the heart to approach to God Christians Jer. 30.21 in all your addresses to God mind the object of worship let the subject worshipping and object worshipped be closly united look beyond the duty it 's one thing to have communion with an Ordinance and another thing to have communion with God in an Ordinance Gods dear Children know what this means for sometimes they are more taken up with expressions affections or some accidentals in the performance than with the object of worship they should be intent upon But this is very dangerous for whatsoever interposeth betwixt the soul and God to divert the thoughts from God is an Idol 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Ezek. 14.3 These men have set up their Idols in their hearts Sept. reads it they have put their thoughts upon their hearts i e. They have committed Idolatry with their own imaginations instead of worshipping God their minds have stuck upon something short of God after which they have as it were run a whoring even in the duty I shall not deliver that as the sense of the place yet it may be an useful note I fear many of us are guilty of a kind of spiritual fine-spun Idolatry by heterogeneal thoughts in holy duties that pluck us from God when we are approaching to him The Lord humble us for this and fix our thoughts upon God that we may say as the Church Isa 26.8 The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee Cyprian saith Cogitatio omnis secularis carnalis at sced nec quicquam tunc animus quam id solum cogitet quod precatur ideo sacerdos ante OrationeÌ„ prefatione praemissa parat sratrum mentes Dicendo sursam corda ut dura respondet plebs Habemus ad Dominum ad moneatur nihil aliud se quam Dominum cogitare debere Câ—p. Serm. de orat Dâ—m p 246. every secular thought must depart and the mind must be taken up with nothing but what we are about he tells the practice of the Church in his time was that the Minister before Prayer prepares the peoples mind saying Sursum corda Lift up your hearts and they answer Habemus ad dominum we have them up to the Lord whereby saith he we are admonished that in Prayer we must think of nothing but the Lord What the Minister said to the People do you say to your selves Sursum corda lift up your hearts Let every one say I am now worshipping an Heart-searching God Oh that my heart were with God Ascensus mentis ad Deum Luth. Collâ—q myst fol. 239. The Ancients saith Luther finely described Prayer to be an ascent of the mind to God Oh that I did experimentally know what this means in Syntaxi i. e. in coupling and joyning of my heart to God Lord gather in my roving and wandring spirit This is the first direction Mind the frame of your hearts 2. Implore and expect the Spirits assistance Prayer must be by the Spirits inlarging influence hence it is called the spirit of grace and supplication Zech. 12.10 Rom. 8.26 it helps our infirmities by making souls to cry out Abba Father with unutterable groans A Christian should spread the sails of his soul for the gales of Gods grace which will carry the praying Saint apace towards God yea and
his misery plead for mercy and giving God the glory due unto his name oh then he goes away much satisfied and God must needs accept his person and hear his Prayer Why so Why he hath sound abundant assistance meltings quicknings and inlargements Alas Sirs where is Christ all this while I am afraid your advocate is quite forgotten your surety set aside as a poor insignificant Cypher And tell me soul thou that boastest thus of thy inlargements darest thou appear before an holy God in those rotten rags Suppose thy rags be Velvet they are but rags still and are too scant a garment for thy naked soul thou comest to unlock the ear of God and open his heart with a wrong key we are accepted only in the Beloved and not because we are inlarged 'T is true evangelical assistance may be a sign of acceptance but 't is no cause thereof No no our persons and prayers are owned only upon the account of our surety and intercessour Our dear Lord Jesus who dyed for us he lyes leager at the Court of Heaven as our Ambassador to plead for us and to see matters carried fairly betwixt God and ransomed souls and shall we not imploy our advocate and find him work Or shall we think to go our own errand Lord forgive this gross ingratitude Oh Christians whatever your straitness or inlargements be make use of him who is at Gods right hand lay your sacrifices on this golden Altar lay the whole stress of your acceptance upon Christs meritorious intercession act faith on him who mingles his sweet incense with your sorry performances Oh look after our Aaron who is gone into the Holy of Holies for us Consider friends it would be sad with you if you were to be judged according to the best secret duties that ever you performed It 's good to have an inlarged heart in secret yet there 's danger in it and it may undo us because our naughty hearts are apt to boast of and trust to our inlargements therefore 't is better for us sometimes to be straitned than constantly inlarged in our Closet-Prayers This is that which hath made some say that their duties have done them more hurt than their infirmities and the reason is plain because our corrupt hearts are so apt to depend upon the former when as we are daunted and emptied of our selves by considering the latter The Lord help us all in this main businâ—ss of Prayer yea this principal part of our religion to depend wholly upon the righteousness and intercession of Jesus Christ for access to and acceptance with God Study these Scriptures Joh. 16.23 24. Eph. 3.13 Heb. 4.15 16.10.19 20 21 22. Phil. 3.3 18. The Gospel is full of this yea this is the main hinge of our Religion you are not Christians unless you make Jehovah your righteousness in all you do as well as God your ultimate end You 'l go away as the proud Pharisee without acceptance if you plead your inlargements with God but if you come as the Publican pleading only Gods mercy and Christs merits you shall be owned and crowned with abundant incomes There are also several other necessary Ingredients in all prayer which I might urge with reference to this duty of secret Prayer as 1. A right understanding 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with understanding For blind devotion is not pleasing to God 2. A sensible feeling of our wants we must come weary and heavy laden Mat. 11.28 Pressed with the guilt of sin pinched with want of grace 3. Fervency of spirit James 5.17 arising from a consideration of the necessity and excellency of what we desire burning Zeal 4. A reverent disposition Eccl. 5.2 an unfeigned abasing of our selves before him from the sense of his infinite Majesty and our own indignity 5. Secret perswasions of prevailing 1 Tim. 2.8 grounded on Gods All sufficiency and Fidelity though the soul be unworthy 6. A charitable disposition forgiving others Mat. 6.14 bearing an endeared affection to all Saints 7. Perseverance in Prayer holding on without cessation Eph. 6.18 Following God in the duty all our dayes Such as these constitutive ingredients essentially requisite in the duty of Prayer I might urge but must contract This is the second sort of Directions CHAP. VI. The circumstances of Secret Prayer opened SECT I. THe third head of Instructions concerning Closet-Prayer is the Circumstances that attend it which may be a great furtherance or hinderance in this performance These are four Referring either to the 1. Place 2. Posture 3. Season 4. Voice I shall but briefly touch at these 1. For the Place I advise you to chuse the most retired room where you may be freest from disturbance that you may not hear the noise of the family or distracting commotions of a tumultuous world be not curious in the choice of a place so it accomplish your end for secrecy or retirement no matter how homely it be the sweetness of the company will compensate the meanness of the place Lovers care not where they meet so they may conveniently be together If you have not a convenient room within doors yet a good heart will not disdain to go meet its Beloved in any coat or barn or wood Isaac walkt out into the Fields to pray and meditate See you chuse a private place wherever it be according to the nature of the duty before opened to you observe God's providence in disposing of you and accept such place as he shall offer to you 2. For Posture In general see that you use an humble gesture there are examples of several laudable gestures in prayer sometimes we find Saints standing ordinarily kneeling spreading forth their hands lifting up their eyes towards Heaven sometimes prostrating the body all along upon the Earth before the Lord you may do in this as you find most advantageous in your experience no universal rules can be given as to these particular circumstances only see that your Closet-Prayers be with as much reverence as if you were before others consider your bodies are Gods and must be presented as a sacrifice to God He will be worshipped with the outward as well as inward man you cannot without dangerous sacriledge rob him of either Besides observe it there is both evidence and assistance in the bodies humble gesture it is an help to make you humble and 't is a sign that you are humble But on the contrary an unsuitable sight and position of the body in Gods service is a sad sign of an unhumbled soul Cogitemus nos sub conspectu Dei stare placendam est Divinis â—…ulis habitu corporis mâ—de vocis Cyp. Serm. in Orat. Dom. p. 409. and hinders humiliation Therefore though you be never so solitary yet remember your Father in Heaven sees you Therefor as Cyprian exhorts let us consider we stand under the presence of God and seek to please the Divin 〈…〉 h in the habit of our body and manner o 〈…〉 Think of this
Rule 3. For the Season The Apostle saith Pray continually or without ceasing yet there are some as it were canonical hours of Prayer wherein a Christian's discretion must interpose only in this case take the fittest seasons for secret Prayer as when you are most at leisure from worldly business most free from company least in danger of drouziness Oh Christians if it be possible put not off your secret devotions too long till you go to bed then you are fitter for rest and sleep than for wrestling with God on your knees And then for the frequency no certain rule can be given David and Daniel prayed three times a day Psal 55.17 Dan. 6.10 mourning noon and night Noon-time was the sixth hour which was also a time of Prayer Act. 10.9 others also observed the ninth hour which was three a clock in the afternoon Act. 3.1 Dr. Ham. pract Cat. l. 3. Sect. 2. p. 274. Certainly the third hour i. e. nine in the morning was an hour of Prayer Acts 2.15 and so was evening six at night say some David adds a seventh in Psal 119.164 Seven times a day will I praise thee which may only denote frequency in the duty Some of these may seem extraordinary cases The ordinary seasons the Saints have taken Exod. 29.38 39. Psal 5.3 88.13 141.2 have been morning and evening according to the Jews sacrifice of a Lamb at those seasons In the morning our spirits are fresh and lively at evening we may find the by-past matters of the day a fit occasion for Prayer and Praise it would do well to take Isaac's season for devotion even about sun-set or the shutting in of the day but I shall not too peremptorily impose in these undetermined circumstances only take that general rule 1 Pet. 4.7 Watch unto Prayer That 's the third 4. For the Voice The articulate sound of words is not absolutely necessary in Prayer and it may be not so convenient in Closet-Prayer which should be managed privately betwixt God and a mans own soul approving the heart to God as sole witnesse of his sincerity except through some extasie and strong motion of the affections the soul's desires break out in the lips beyond its first intentions I know Mr. John Carter that eminent man of God did purposely use his voice in secret prayer for these two reasons Mr. Clark in his life 1 Because he sound it an help to his affections 2. Because it was an example to his family I must not therefore lay any necessity in these variable circumstances only I humbly conceive it is most suitable to the nature of Closet-Prayer to perform it so as none else may take notice thereof Give me leave to mention a few passages out of Cyprian to this purpose Nam ut impudentis eis clamoribus strepere itae contra congruit verocundo modestis precibus or are Quia Deus non vocis sed cordis auditor est Et Paulo post Quod Anni in primo Regno um libro Ecclesiae typum portans custodit servat Quae Dominum non clamosa petitione sed tacite modeste intrae ipsas pectoris latebras precabatuâ— Loquebatur prece occulta sed man feâ—a fide Cypr. Serm. de Orat. Dom. p. 409. 410. 't is a token of unmannerly impudence to make a noise with loud clamours but 't is most suitable to a modest spirit to pray with silent grones For God is the hearer not of the voice but of the heart He makes Hannah a type of the Church who prayed not with clamorous petitions but with working affections within the lurking holes as it were of her breast she spake with hidden Prayer but manifest faith So he Thus much for circumstances of Closet-Prayer wherein I am more short and shie in imposing any thing on the people of God which God hath left free in his Word Only in general take notice that though accidental circumstances that concern a duty be mutable yet by the wise ordering of those circumstances they will become singular helps in the managing of a duty SECT II. Duties concomitant to Closet-Prayer 4. THE last sort of duties and directions concerning Closet-Prayer are such as are to be practised after the duty is performed which I call consequent or concomitant duties These are four Viz. 1. Observing God's appearances 2. Walking suitably 3. Waiting for returns 4. Communicating experiences 1. When you have been before the Lord in Closet-Prayer observe how God hath been dealing with your hearts that you may be suitably disposed and affected If the Lord hath with-drawn himself from you left you under hardness deadnesse distraction uncomfortablenesse you are to mourn for it inquire the cause of it reflect upon your selves see what guilt there is upon conscience which separates betwixt God and your souls And then if time permit fall to 't again lament the sin be ingenuous in confession make stronger resolutions remove all obstructions that God and your souls may not be at any distance reckon streight and make up your accounts part friends that you may meet friends the next time you go to him If you find that God hath helped melted and graciously manifested himself to your souls take special notice of it record that for time to come slight not the least appearances of God own him in praise him for these sweet manifestations of his love Learn this lesson even of Hagar the bond-woman when she was in a solitary Wildernesse the Angel of the Lord comforts her tells her God had heard her affliction she was with child her seed should be multiplied she in an answerable return to God for his kindnesse sets an Asterism of Observation upon the place as a memorial of God's seeing and looking after her So the well was called Beer-la-hai-roi i. e. the Well of him that liveth and seeth me Gen. 16.13 14. Thus do you think and think again Oh who or what am I that God should look after me or take notice of me in this desolate state and place I shall remember this time of love whilest I live in such a room I met with God such a Chamber or Câ—oset was a Bethel a Mount Nebo a Sycomore-tree where I beheld my Jesus and took a blessed view of the promised land Thus Christians reflect upon and recollect your experiences in Gods presence which may be of use unto you all your daies 2. Let your cariages at all times be sutable to your closet prayers let it appear that you are wholly devoted to God cross not your prayers with your practises pray much live well Let it appear you have been with God that you have been drawing your influences from the spring-head walk with men as those that walk with God Let the smell and savour of your heavenly conversings break forth in your gracious expressions and exemplary conversations Live not after the ordinary rate of professors As your heart is God-wards so let your light be Men-wards that
God 3. Obj. But I am a Servant and must obey my Master I am kept too hardly at work to get time for secret Prayer I am called to work betimes dogged to it all the day Answ Though you be servants to do mens work yet not slaves to their lusts in that respect you must not be the Servants of Men if you be Servants you are the Lords Free-men if free yet you are Christs servants 1 Cor. 7.22 23. Remember you have a Master in Heaven no mortal creature can discharge you from your attendance on God You must do Gods work as well as your Masters and your Masters work for God's sake Eph. 6.6 7. Oh sirs do not neglect your duty to God to pleasure men Can your superiour answer for your neglect Or interpose betwixt flaming wrath and your sinning souls But I am afraid some lay the blame on Masters when the fault is in themselves Deceive not thy self by accusing others to clear thy self this was Adam's fault Think not that anothers rigour can excuse thy neglect Let me tell you there 's never a servant so strictly watch'd but might steal some time from his Master for his God and yet do him no wrong Only see that you be prudent in chusing such seasons as may not justly provoke your Master or prejudice his occasions And be often in your callings lifting up your hearts to God be content with your condition had you more liberty it may be your hearts would not be in so good a frame But let me bespeak Masters indulgence to poor and pious Servants oh hinder them not in any good work rather put them upon it encourage them in it bless God that you have praying servants this is a hopeful presage of good success Let not your servants fare the worse but the better for being God's servants 4. Obj. But I have no Closet to pray in no convenient room for secret Prayer I have a little house a busie full family and cannot retire my self Answ A good good heart will find room either within doors or without a gracious soul will seek out places to pray in any sorry cote will be a Bethel where it can injoy its God or if he cannot get to it under the roof he will with good Isaac walk out into the fields to meditate and to pray Could Heathens and Idolatrous Jews plant groves for their superstition in an Apish imitation of Abraham's practice And cannot a Bird of Paradise take its flight out of some Wood or Arbour into Heaven But most need not make this silly slight excuse they have good roofs to be in and need not worship God sub Dio in the open air few of us but we have convenient rooms but most of us want affectionate hearts to visit God therein But Christians make good use of your houses to serve God therein else they may justly spue you out and leave you harbourless and then what a dreadful sting and guilt will follow you whither-soever you go Oh consider London's flames and ruines your houses are no better built nor more secured from the like Catastrophe do not weaken their foundations by wilful neglects or scandalous sins 5. Obj. But I know some good Christians that never use it yea that maintain it in their judgements that it is not necessary except in some extraordinary cases What say you to that I Answ I never yet met with such persons that had the face of Religion that ever spoke against the ordinary practise of this duty of Closet-Prayer I confess I have met with some who being urged to Family-Prayer have put it off with this evasion that they would pray in their Closets how well the God of Heaven knows But if any professors judgement be so far bribed to plead for the flesh in this neglect the Lord rebuke them and forgive them they know not what they say This is a lamentation that there 's scarce any truth so sacred or duty so spiritual but it hath been contradicted in these licentious daies Some have pleaded against Family-Prayer Catechising Christian-meetings and what not But they can produce no solid arguments do not you follow their example contrary to plain Scripture precepts and precedents Many were produced for confirmation most whereof were not only in extraordinary cases but were an ordinarie practice And can you find the day that affords not some special matter to occasion you to make addresses to God in secret Prayer If you be sensible and observant surely you will see great need for such retirements in ordinary practice Remember this that you follow no man but as he follows Christ but I am sure our precious Saviour used this practice SECT III. More Objections answered 6. Obj. BUT I find not my heart affected or prepared Is it not a tempting of God to go when the spirit doth not move me I Answ 'T is a dangerous mistake to think you may not go to duty but when the spirit moves you For it may be long before it stir the spirit bloweth where and when it listeth You are therefore to lay your selves in the way of the spirit call in its aid which ordinarily comes when souls do their duty Holy performances are as it were the walk of the spirit the air where he breaths and be sure he is most likely to be found in his own way and walk but you cannot expect him in the neglect of plain duty Try this way put God to 't plead his promise you cannot think to be warm if you run from the fire If you have not an appetite to pray you must pray for an appetite for neglect or omission of a duty never fits but alwaies unfits for a duty If you 'll heed your trifling spirits and accept every excuse which they make you shall never pray If you play the truant one time you 'll have less mind to go to God the next time guilt makes you afraid and you dare not come near that God whom you have wronged as Adam run from God and Peter would thrust Christ from him when conscious of guilt How dare you look God in the face whom you have slighted Besides you 'll find that neglect of duty doth not make the next performance more easie but more difficult It will as one saith require more time and pains for you to tune your instrument than for another to play his lesson And is it not more likely God should come to you in pains-taking than total omission Do you not read in the Psalms how often David begun faintly and ended triumphantly Try the Lord and see if he be not better than you expect 7. Obj. I but saith a poor soul I meet with temptations when I go to God in secret Satan assaults me I am timorous and dare not be alone or in the dark but am afrighted Answ 'T is a sign the duty is good because so bad a spirit opposeth it the more Satan sees a duty is for the souls advantage
thou should'st take God's part and plead for obedience Paul doth so Rom. 7.15 16. Though he saith What I would that do I not But what I hate that do I yet saith he I consent to the Law that it is good i. e. I take patt with God and joyn with Gods will against my corrupt and carnal affections that would draw my neck from under this heavenly yoke And if you have not something within you that takes part with Gods revealed will you are not of God But a principle of grace doth facilitate and make easie the hardest duties because there is a likeness betwixt holy hearts and holy performances Love makes every thing easie hence it comes to pass that Christs yoke is easie Mat. 11.30 His ways pleasant and his commandments not grievous 1 Joh. 5.3 If thy heart were right duties would be sweet to thy soul 't is no burden to eat drink sleep the acts of nature are delightful to persons in a right temper if they be not nature is opprest and out of order A child of God in duty so far as regenerated is like a man in his calling or a creature in its proper Element Besides wert thou more accustomed to duty in secret it would be more familiar to thee and less irksom We see by experience Use makes heavy things light we hardly feel the weight of our cloaths because fitted to us and constantly carried by us when as the same weight upon our shoulders would trouble us Christians consider all Christian duties are not of equal difficulty yet withal observe it Duties that are hardest to go through many times bring in the sweetest income And so is this the profit of it will abundantly recompence for your pains in it Be sure when a duty is lined with difficulty and your corrupt hearts draw back and have most averseness to it there is something of God in that duty and God aims you more than ordinary advantage by it Therefore do not say a word against it but stir up your selves spur on your hearts shake off sloth and run to God whatever Satan the World or Flesh say to the contrary thus much for the Objections SECT V. Some Cases of Conscience briefly answered THere are yet four Cases of conscience I shall briefly propound and Answer 1. Case Whether may not an hypocrite or graceless soul perform this duty of Closet-prayer and what difference is there betwixt a real Saint and an unregenerate person in this work I Ans It is possible a carnal man may pray in secret but with these differences 1. He is urged to it by the challenges of an accusing conscience he is as it were dogg'd to 't he dare not but do it but a Child of God hath a gracious principle inclining him to it from love to God and a desire to please and enjoy him Yet through the remainders of corruption there 's much unwillingness in the best so that sometimes a Saint must even force himself to the performance 2. An hypocrite will not thus pray always Job 27.9 10. 'T is but in some pang or under some pressing affliction and when this good mood is over he takes his leave of God till whipt to him again by the like But a child of God is in some measure constant and diligent in the duty though he may have sinful omissions and intermissions yet never a total cessation from duty Grace works the heart God-ward and the soul is not content without Him 3. An hypocrite doth not make conscience to get his heart up to God in the duty he is content with the work done words said but a real Saint hath most ado with his heart that 's the hardest piece of the work he dare not leave that behind him and he hath much ado to get it up 4. A carnal man keeps his round in formal duty but gets nothing he prays to little profit or purpose and indeed doth not much study to gain a spiritual good But a child of God is a great gainer he gets at sometimes communion with God communications from God Oh what good doth his soul meet with Though not always yet at sometimes 2. Case Whether may a Christian bind himself to the performance of this duty of Closet-Prayer at stated times Or suppose a Christian miss his times designed for that work what must he then do Ans To the former that in general thou mayst and must swear and vow that thou wilt keep Gods Commandments Psal 119.106 so doth David And in Scripture we are bid to make vows and pay them to the Lord Psal 76.11 Vowing our selves and all that we have to God is necessary Sequestring some part of our time to his service is requisite And in some cases for some persons it may be expedient to bind and task our selves by an holy resolution to take so much time at least every day for Gods worship yea at such a time as may be judged most commodious by our experiences And this may be a good help to keep in our treacherous hearts from delay or dallying But to ingage our selves to a particular hour so punctually and unalterably as not to take another may not be so safe partly because our times are in Gods hands and we know not what intervening Providence may fall in to prevent our performance whereby conscience may be intangled in a perplexing labyrinth besides our outward occasions and the frame of our Spirits may discover a greater fitness at another season Yet though I would not have Christians bring a snare upon their souls by Vowing yet I humbly conceive that they may consult conveniences and design some time for that work and purpose God willing to keep an hour of Prayer And if they be hindered by a journey or any unexpected unavoidable occasions they must mourn for it as their burden redouble their diligence another time not plead needless diversions lift up ejaculations to God keep a praying frame of spirit and God will graciously pardon and entertain them 3. Case How may a Christian know that he enjoyeth communion with God in Closet-prayer Ans Communion with God is twofold 1. As to Graces 2. As to Comforts Sometimes a Christian may feel the joy of Gods salvation have the sweet kisses of his mouth smiles of his face seals of the Spirit and the lively springings of joy and ravishing pleasures these carry their own evidence along with them But all have not these nor any at all times therefore the surest way is to inquire after communion with God with reference to the exercise of grace in duty then hath a child of God true fellowship with God when by the sweet assistance of Gods Spirit his mind is knit to the object of worship the understanding is fruitful in spiritual and suitable thoughts when the will and affections are carried out in strong and panting desires and longings after God When the heart is throughly broken in the sense of sin melted into godly sorrow