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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43573	Closet-prayer a Christian duty, or, A treatise upon Mat. VI, VI. tending to prove that worship of God in secret is the indispensible duty of all Christians ... 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 ... / by O. Heywood.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1671 (1671)	Wing H1762; ESTC R24371	90,506	148

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-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

reach the ear of God for he knoweth the mind of the Spirit Phil. 3.3 Jude 20. This is that which is called a worshipping God in the spirit a praying in the holy Ghost i. e. either as to the matter of the Prayer dictated by the Spirit or as to the manner of praying the soul being actuated by the holy Ghost See Mark 11.36 13.11 For I conceive it may import the former as well as the latter as other Scriptures compared hold forth Alas flesh and blood will put up such petitions as God will not accept or in such a manner as is no way suitable to his spiritual Nature The truth is Christians you will but bungle at the work without this help of Gods Spirit and God will take notice of you except he hear his own language do not think you can wrestle out the business your selves you must be beholding to God for help in Prayer as well as for hearing your Prayer your own spirits will not carry you to Heaven that which is from the earth is earthly and riseth no higher than earth but the holy Ghost will elevate your souls to God Therefore I beseech you Sirs beg the Spirit yield to its motions improve its operations say when you are going to duty Lord now stir up thy self and stir up thy grace in my heart Awake oh North-wind and come thou South blow upon thy Garden Cant. 4.16 My Soul that the spices thereof may flow out that graces may be exercised and exerted Lord I am low flat hard send the powerful arm of thy blessed Spirit to work all gracious dispositions in me and raise up my affections to thee I see I am below the duty and infinitely below thee in the duty but thou and thou alone canst raise me up quicken soften my dead and rocky heart come Lord and shew thy powerful Arm let it appear what God can do for a sorry worm Oh lift me up to thee that my soul may enjoy some sweet communion with thee Send thy spirit to fetch in my wanton wandring heart Oh for some fire from Heaven to burn up my sacrifice or else it will lye like a lump of flesh and be no true Holocaust of pure Incense before thee Let thy Spirit scatter these mists of ignorance and drive away these flies of distracting thoughts that my heart may be with thee and my performance may be as sweet savour in the nostrils of God SECT IV. More Essentials in secret Prayer A Third ingredient in Prayer is that it be according to God's will it must have a warrant from the Word a word of Precept or Promise or Example must be the ground of our petitions a command is our warrant a promise our incouragement an example is our tract and the footsteps of the flock wherein we must walk He that asks amiss shall not speed but if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us and then we know we have the petitions that we desired of him 1 Joh. 5.14 15. Now we ask according to his will when both the matter of our petition is aright and our end in asking is Gods glory and our own or others spiritual good otherwise if we ask of God what we conceit to be a mercy and have not asked counsel at God's mouth or ask so as to consume it upon our lusts we may well meet with a denial My friends you may not say what you please in the presence of God Consider God is in Heaven you are on Earth therefore be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter any thing before God let your words be few and well weighed Eccles 5.2 The work you are about is a solemn business do not ramble in extravagant desires of unlawful things think not that God will patronize your lusts and when you have asked that which you conceive is according to his will refer it wholly to his Will say The Will of the Lord be done submit your selves to his dispose for time manner means and all circumstances for giving of it ask temporal mercies conditionally and spiritual Comforts with submission to Gods will learn that petition Thy will be done to pray it as well as say it Indeed Luther could say Let thy will be done but he come off with this My will Lord because my will is melted into thine there 's but one will betwixt us Let God's will be your will 't is fit it should be so our heavenly Father is wiser than we Consider Haec repraesentatio debet esse submissa humilis alias enim non esset precatio religiosa à creatura subdita ad supremum Numen Creatorem directa sed vel imperium superioris ergo inferiorem vel quasi familiaris collocutio quatis est inter aequales Ames medull theol lib. 2.6 p. 255. a man cannot pray in faith for that which he hath no warrant to ask Besides Amesius saith If a man come not with an humble submission to Gods will it were not a religious prayer directed to the supream Creator but a kind of command by a superiour to an inferiour or a familiar discourse as amongst equals Therefore let us humbly plead Gods Will as Abraham did Gen. 18.27 Further consider the design of Prayer is not to incline God before unwilling to our mind and desire for with him there is no variableness nor shadow of change but that we may obtain of him by Prayer what we know afore-hand he is willing to give Lastly consider we Christs example Mat. 26.39 If it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt This is right praying to ground our petition upon a promise yet freely to leave all at Gods feet to dispose of us as he sees good Our prayers and Gods promises should point towards each other as those two figures 9 and 6. Promises do bend downwards and after the same motion must our prayers ascend upwards so will there be a blessed harmony and seasonable return This is the third Direction Let your Prayers be warranted by the Word 4. Improve your Advocate Joh. 14.13 Whatsoever you ask in my name that will I do To ask any thing in his name is not rudely customarily or complementally to conclude with these words Through Jesus Christ our Lord c. but in confidence of his merit and intercession to call upon our heavenly Father as Daniel pleads for the Lords sake Dan. 9.17 For since the Fall none can come immediately to God but through a Mediator nor are we to fetch a compass by the groundless invocation of Saints and Angels I hope you have otherwise learned Christ I am most afraid in the practick part that in particular acts at least precious Souls are in danger to miscarry especially in Closet-Prayer when a Christian is got alone and there finds a sweet gale of the blessed Spirit helping his heart to mourn for sin bewail

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-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

inform my mind conquer my will order my affections sweetly to comply with thy mind teach me to do thy will in obedience make me content with thy will concerning me in every providence beget in me those heavenly dispositions that are in the glorious Angels and glorified Saints that with humility chearfulnesse diligence and faithfulnesse zeal sincerity and constancy I may be actively and passively at thy dispose 4. For that Petition Give us this day our daily bread Say in this manner Heavenly Father I must confess that by my wretched apostacie in Adam I have lost my right to every morsel of bread and deserve not to breath in thy air or tread on thy earth my sin hath put a curse and sting into every comfort I can obtain nothing by my industrie yet am prone to desire get and use thy mercies unlawfully thy blessing is only the staff of my bread help me to wait on thy providence in a moderate use of lawful means give me a competencie of outward comforts thy blessing in the use thereof and contentment therewith and above all a right thereto in Christ and prevent needlesse cares and sensual delights 5. As to that petition Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debters Thus plead it Lord I am wofully guilty of original and actual sin and am thereby a debter to divine justice I owe millions and cannot pay the least farthing therefore deserve to be cast into the dark dungeon of eternal torments but dear Lord thou hast found a ransome who stands in man's stead to be surety for him O accept me in thy beloved Son Jesus Christ wash away my sins in his blood cloath my naked soul with his glorious robes give me saving faith to embrace him upon his own terms free my soul from guilt and punishment of sin pardon my daily failings and seal an acquittance in my conscience which tells me I do freely forgive all offences against my self 6. The last petition And lead us not into temptation but deliver from evil you may render thus Lord it were righteous with thee to leave me to be assaulted and conquered by Satan my souls cruel enemie my heart is growing wanton proud and careless apt to thrust my self into temptations but unable to resist or overcome them thou maist justly bring me into occasions and leave me to my self therein but oh my God keep my soul from being tempted or assist me in the hour of temptation or recover me out of my foils and falls sanctifie my slips make my standing surer in thy strength tread Satan under my feet conquer the world for me crucifie me unto the world subdue my flesh within and in due time take my soul above all sins and snares into thine immediate presence And then shut up all with such like words as these on that conclusion For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever Amen Oh my God I am unworthy thou shouldst grant my petitions for any thing in my self all my arguments in Prayer and grounds of acceptance I fetch from thy self Thou hast a Kingdom of Grace and Throne of Grace from whence thou hearest prayers and dispensest blessings all the Power is in thine hands to give and forgive to kill or make alive and the Glory shall be thine if thou hear my Prayer and blessed be my God for all my mercies I ascribe to thee and thee alone eternal soveraigntie omnipotencie and glorious excellencie which as I desire all may be given to God so I am humbly emboldened by Faith to rest upon thy power and promise that in due time thou wilt hear my requests And as a token of that my desire and confidence my soul doth eccho forth Amen Even so be it Thus I have given you an hint from the Lords-Prayer of directions for the matter of our prayers I shall but propound another Scripture-Instance concerning Arguments in Prayer Sect. II. An example from Jacob of pleading with God GOD would have his people converse with him in a r●tional way and Gods children have made use of many pleas in Prayer which they have produced in vehement Expostulations as we may find sprinkled up and down in Scripture as Moses Nehemiah Ezra and Daniel in their approaches to God and above all David through the book of Psalms is exceeding full this way But I shall pass by the rest and fix only upon one Scripture-instance and the rather because it was a secret or solitary prayer of which we are now speaking and there are notable Pleas therein which may possibly suit our condition therefore I shall briefly touch the parts of it and recommend it to our imitation It is that of good Jacob who was trained up in this holy Art of wrestling with God in Gen. 32.9 10 11 12. His plea's there may be reduced to these ten Heads 1. He makes use of suitable Titles of God he calls him Lord or Jehovah which denotes Gods self-existence and giving Being or existence to the promises in first making them and then making them good Thus do you Sirs raise in your hearts suitable apprehensions of God and let your expressions be answerable tell God he is an infinite omniscient omnipotent Majesty able to do beyond what you can ask or think and that you neither need nor desire any more than what his almighty power can effect tell him if All-sufficiency cannot supply you you are content to go unsped but you question neither his hand nor heart you are sure he both can and will help his Children in their need he will make good with his hand what he hath spoken with his mouth for he is Jehovah 2. He pleads Covenant-relation to God O God of my Father Abraham and God of my Father Isaac and so my God! this is an admirable plea if God own a soul in a Covenant-relation he will certainly do it good though his grace be free yet when God hath chosen a soul to be his he hath as it were ingaged himself to own it now he hath laid his truth to pledge Thus then a soul may plead Lord thou hast been my Fathers God and wilt thou not be my God And wilt thou be my God and with-hold such a mercy from me My Ancestors found grace in thy sight and obtained those very good things I am craving and am not I under the very same Covenant with them Are not promises the same Is there not the same Mediator Lord I come to thee in a Covenant-relation for a Covenant-mercy and wilt thou deny me 3. He pleads a warrant for his undertaking appealing to God that he was in his way saying The Lord which saidst unto me Return unto thy Country Oh with what incouragement may the soul plead for assistance and protection that is in Gods way and work according to his own appointment Thus then plead Lord hast not thou set me about this work Hast thou not given me a charge to do what I do Have I not a plain