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
in their very birth Yet the disentangled soul will more freely resist its enemy when the fetters of impediments are wanting and the sight discerns no allurements and the conflict is more secure when particular affairs pluck nor back the combatant nor the delights of inticing pleasures inebriate or make drunk the mind Thus he But this is the first Reason from the advantages of sâ—… SECT II. The second Reason is From the relation betwixt God and a praying Soul 2. ANother Reason held forth also in the Text is drawn from that relation which is betwixt God and a believing Soul therefore our Saviour bids pray to Thy Father and this Reason hath two parts 1. The poor Soul can more freely open his heart to God in a Closet 2. God will more clearly manifest himself to the Soul in secret 1. A Soul in secret making its addresses to God goes to him as a Father Now we know children cannot be so free in their addresses to their Father in company and before strangers as when no body is present Hence it is that when a child hath any special business to his Father he takes him aside or whispers to him that none may over-hear him And observe it Gods children have an errand to God that none must know of As Ehud said to Eglon I have a secret errand to thee O King Judg. 3.19 So a gracious soul may say Oh my King my God my Father I have a secret errand to thee A lust to confess or mercy to beg or bless thee for that I would not have others to know of It is not fit any should be privy to that which a gracious soul tells God of In this case it may be said Discover not thy secret to another Prov. 25.9 Two may keep counsel but three cannot God and a gracious Soul will be faithful to each other but a third must not know of these matters nay in this case we may say Keep the doors of thy lips from her that lyeth in thy bosom Mic. 7.5 There are many things a Saint tells God of that he will not acquaint either Father or Wife or Friend with that is as his own soul but only his heavenly Father he opens his bosom freely to him and tells him his whole heart best and worst hides nothing from him because he only knows the heart And truly I have often in this admired the wisdom of God that hath so far consulted his peoples credit and modesty as to appoint them place and ways of speaking to him privately designing secret Prayer for this very end that the soul may spread its letter of wants and complaints before its Father and present its petition to the King of Heaven The Spouse of Christ is modest saith an Ancient and cannot so freely let out her self to her beloved before others as in a corner here then comes in the use and advantage of Closet-Prayer that a Christian may as Jonathan and David did unbosom themselves to each other alone open his heart to God where no eyes see or ears hear his secret groans and tears But further 2. God will more familiarly communicate himself to the soul in a corner he also hath something to whisper in the believers ear that none must know of and therefore gets it by it self a lively emblem whereof we have in Josephs making himself known to his Brethren when his bowels were working and he could not refrain himself he cryed Gen. 45.1 2 3 4. Cause every man to go out from me Then he wept aloud and said I am Joseph And oh what endeared reciprocal affections did work in all their breasts towards each other Just thus is it betwixt our Joseph and his brethren Jesus Christ and his members there stands none with him while Jesus makes himself known unto his Brethren And though at first they be as it were troubled at his presence yet when he speaks lovingly and passeth by former unkindnesses and saith Come near unto me I pray you then they come near and he saith convincingly I am Jesus whom ye sold and crucified This melts and humbles their rocky hearts and being broken he pours oyl into their troubled spirits and speaks many sweet heart-reviving words unto them Then then the child of God hath most sweet refreshing in-comes Hos 2.14 When God hath allured the soul into the Wilderness he speaks to its heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desertum sic dictum per Antiphr quasi locus à sermone remotus A Wilderness is a solitary place where other speech is not heard as the word imports then speaks God to the soul when men cannot speak to it When men are remote God is near at hand yea nearest to help melt comfort quicken when men are furthest off Our Saviour saith of himself Joh. 16.32 You leave me alone yet I am not alone for the Father is with me q. d. When you go away my Father comes to visit me with most familiar endearings Oh blessed exchange Thus it is often with the Saints when men leave them or they withdraw from men they have many times most of God and Is it not infinitely better to have the presence of God than the company of men 'T is worth noting what God saith of Abraham Isa 51.2 I called him alone and blessed him Mark it when God had inticed Abraham from all his friends and got him alone then he blesseth him and you know what the blessing of Abraham was even a Covenant-blessing such God distributes to his Saints when he hath withdrawn them from company into a corner Mihi oppidum carceder est solitudo paradisus Hieronym This is that which made an Ancient profess that a Town was his prison a solitary place his paradise Cities or numerous societies draw a veil betwixt God and the soul which solitariness withdraws and so many times becomes most sweet We often lose God in a croud of business or company but find him when alone Hence a corner of our house may be a little corner of Heaven and in our closets we may find the sweetest cordials and contentment You know Friends do most familiarly injoy one another when others are not present Jonathan sent away the lad when he would be familiar with his friend David And then they kissed one another 1 Sam. 20.40 41. and wept one with another until David exceeded Even so husband and wife alone have the sweetest embraces There lyes a restraint as it were upon God by company which is taken off in a sort by solitariness Oh when God finds a soul alone by it self having set it self purposely to meet him then he reveals his love unvails his face unlocks his blessed chest distributes doles of love and grace kisses it with the kisses of his mouth and sends it not away empty but full of grace and peace Thus that word of Solomon is verified Prov. 14.10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness and a stranger intermeddles not with his
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
positive Scripture-warrant to bind my conscience I dare not do otherwise I may say If I be deceived thou hast deceived me but I am sure plain Texts are no cheats I cannot otherwise understand such a Command and oh my God since thou hast thus ingaged me in thy work wilt thou suffer me to miscarry therein 4. He pleads a particular promise I will deal well with thee Surely a comprehensive word containing in it all that Jacob wanted Thus must a Christian search the Scriptures get hold of a promise spread it before the Lord whether for spiritual grace inward comfort or outward supply as thus Lord I find a promise in such a place to a person in my very case pat and pertinent to my very condition as if it had been calculated purposely for me in this juncture now Lord make it good to my Soul and Seed thou hast made it good to others in my state and why not to me Am not I an heir of promise And must not I have a share therein 5. Jacob lays himself under the sense of his own unworthiness I am not worthy saith he of the least of all thy mercies This is the property and excellency of a Saint to nullifie himself and Omnifie God as I may so say thus Abraham in his pleading calls himself dust and ashes and the Centurion judged himself not worthy that Christ should come under his roof Thus then abase thy self Lord I am not worthy to enjoy any common mercy not fit to lift up mine eyes to thee less than the least of thy mercies behold I am vile I am not only destitute of merits but full of demerits Hell is my desert I can challenge nothing as mine but sin and the fruits thereof Lord I condemn my self do not thou condemn me and cast me from thee 6. He is affected with Gods faithfulness in the performance of his promises acknowledging the truth of God shewed to his servant There is mercy in Gods making a promise to Abraham Mic. 7.20 truth in making it good to Jacob. Well then with Jacob thus plead Lord 't is true there was nothing of desert in me to engage thee either to make or keep thy gracious promise but sure the word is gone from thee yea and notwithstanding all my treachery and unfaithfulness thou hast kept it to this day Oh keep it still it depends wholly on thee let not my vanity alter the course of thy mercy but pardon and accept as thou hast done from my Aegypt until now 7. Jacob further recounts his former meanness his low condition With my staff I passed over this Jordan I came hither in a poor contemptible manner a sorry pilgrim thus do you plead Truth it is Lord thy grace is absolutely free there was neither wit nor wealth to move thee to do what thou hast done I can remember the time when I was as sorry and silly a creature as was in all the Countrey there was no capacity in me to do thee any remarkable service thou didst not set thy love upon me for any natural or moral accomplishments even so Father because it pleased thee and wilt thou now forsake me Thou mightest have done that at easier rates 8. Here 's Jacob's Stone of memorial for by-past and present mercies Now saith he I am become two bands i. e. two great companies of wives children servants flocks herds I may say These where had they been 'T is strange to see poor worm Jacob thus rich oh the bounty of God! So do thou say Lord take notice what thou hast done for me must all this be in vain Wilt thou throw away these good things Wilt thou not rather crown these gifts with continuance of thy kindness Wilt thou return to do me hurt after thou hast done me all this good Dost thou not remember my convictions consolations my fears tears doubtings refreshments Oh the passages of love betwixt thee and me Shall I be the grave of these mercies Lord forget me not 9. Here 's his sense of approaching danger Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my Brother for I fear him c. A Brother offended is harder to be won than a strong City Jacob's danger was a spur to his Prayer A pursued Hart runs fast for shelter so do thou Soul when afraid flie to the Lord and say Oh my God I have deadly enemies within without my case is forlorn desperate I have none to run to but thy self Hast not thou said that in thee the fatherless find mercy Other refuge fails me no man cares for my soul Lord relieve deliver this sinful wretch else I go down into the pit 10. Once more doth Jacob plead the promise and inlarge the granted Charter Thou saidst I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the Sea Thus do you still seek out suck sweetness from and put in suit the promises by earnest prayer In this manner Lord hast thou not promised an heart of flesh a broken heart Why then is my heart hardened from thy fear Dost thou not say thou wilt give thy holy Spirit to them that ask it This Lord I want to be a spirit of truth and illumination a spirit of prayer and supplication a spirit of grace and sanctification and of satisfaction Oh bestow this mercy upon me Dost thou not promise to take away my inqiuities by pardoning Grace for thine own Name sake And to subdue my corruption and increase grace and bring me to glory Lord remember thy word unto thy servant in which thou hast caused me to trust Thus much for helps in pleading with God and for that use of Instruction CHAP. VIII An Vse of Exhortation urged SECT I. THe last Use is for Exhortation to put us on to the performance of this sweet duty of Closet-Prayer My beloved friends I beseech you suffer the word of Exhortation you see the work before you you see a plain Scripture-warrant for it you have heard many Instances of Scripture-patterns you see the manner of the performance let none now plead ignorance or look upon it as needless or make excuses or evasions Is it not equal and reasonable Is it not worth the while to converse with your God in a Corner Look over the reasons of the Doctrine and see if there be not some weight in them But besides those I shall propound to you these expostulatory Motives 1. Would you not be such as make conscience of every commanded duty You are no real Saints unless you have respect to all Gods Commandments Psal 119.6 If you pick and chuse in your obedience you are hollow-hearted hypocrites And can you deny this to be a duty And will you stand dodging with God Must he raze this Sentence out of the Bible to humour your conceits and sloth Is not Closet-Prayer a Christian duty Dare you argue against it Out of what Topicks will you fetch your Arguments And do you acknowledge it to be a duty and
86 Sect. 2. 4 Duties consequent to it 87 1 Observe Gods appearance ibid. 2. Walk suitably 88 Sect. 3. 3 Wait for Returns 90 4 Communicate Experiments 91 CHAP. VII Sect. 1. Concerning matter or words of prayer 94 1 Lords-Prayer is paraphrased 95 Sect. 2. 2 Wherein an example propounded from Jacob Exod. 32.10 in ten particulars 98 CHAP. VIII Sect. 1. 4 Vse of Exhortation to Closet-prayer pressed by ten Expostulatory Arguments 103 Sect. 2. Objections answered as 1 I perform Family-duty Answ 110 2. I am a poor Labouring man Ans ibid. 3. I am a Servant and cannot Ans 111 4 I want a convenient place Ans 112 5 I know some Christians against it Ans 113 Sect. 3. 6 I find not my heart prepared Ans 114 7 I meet with temptations Ans 115 8 I get no good by it Ans 116 9 I want gifts for it Ans 117 10 'T is too much ado labour Ans 118 Sect. 4. Cases of conscience answered 1 What difference betwixt Saint and hypocrite 120 2 Whether may a man ingage by vow 121 3 How may we know communion with God 122 4 What must I do if I find no good ibid. The Whole concluded with Exhortation 124 MATTH 6.6 But thou when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly CHAP. I. SECT I. The Context cleared IN this excellent Sermon of our precious Saviour in the Mount we have both the Gospel clearly Propounded and the Law solidly expounded The corrupt and carnal Pharisees had degraded God's holy Law from its spiritual extent and regiment by their low and literal glosses but our Saviour restores it to its dignity and authority over hearts and consciences In this Chapter the best Preacher that ever opened his mouth doth admirably explain the Adjuncts Offices and Exercises of true Piety which are principally three Alms Prayer and Fasting to ver 19. Particularly concerning the Duty of Prayer there were two material destructive Faults which the Scribes and Pharisees were guilty of in that sweet and solemn Ordinance Those were 1. Hypocrisie 2. Battologie or vain-babling Jesus Christ rebukes and rectifies both 1. They were wont to perform their private devotions in publick places meerly for vain-glory to be seen of men as in the Synagogues or in the Streets ver 5. Now for the Disciples practice in this case he commands them to withdraw themselves out of the view of men into some solitary place and there perform that Duty where they are least exposed to the danger of ostentation ver 6. 2. Another fault that our Redeemer rebukes in the Duty of Prayer is vain Repetitions And though he only mention it here as the Heathens fault ver 7. yet certainly the Scribes and Pharisees might also be guilty of it for they are censured for their long Prayers Mat. 23.14 Yet upon different accounts Here the Heathens use vain repetitions that they may move God There the Scribes and Pharisees make long Prayers that they may deceive men and devour Widows houses This Text saith They think they shall be heard for their much speaking just as Baal's Priests 1 King 18.26 They called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon saying O Baal hear us they leapt upon the Altar and cryed aloud and cut themselves with knives and lancers till the blood gushed out upon them No doubt this was done to move their cruel god or rather stupid block to some pity and compassion Just as the frantick Papists do at this day in their self-tormenting penances But our God who is the searcher of hearts delights more in ardent affections than in either extension of the voice or multiplication of words or excruciating afflictions of the outward man Therefore our Saviour tells us that when we pray we come not to inform God of any thing he is ignorant of ver 8. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him But we pray that our own hearts may be affected and that we may have the condition of acceptance And for the rectifying of this abuse of vain babling in Prayer Christ propounds and presents to us an exact draught and compendious platform of Prayer in that which is commonly called The Lords Prayer not as though men should say only those words and no more for then the Apostles had failed in praying in other terms but that this might be a directory for Prayer So that every thing we ask Ut aliter orare quam docuit non Ignorantia sola est sed Culpa Cyp. serm ad orat Domin pag. 408. should be reducible to some of those heads mentioned in this perfect platform So that as Cyprian saith To pray otherwayes than he hath taught either as to the manner or substance of the matter 't is not only ignorance but an offence and indeed we cannot expect to be heard except we ask as well according to Christs mind as in his name But this is not the subject I have chosen to insist upon That which falls under our present cognizance from this Text is The modification of Prayer with respect to the circumstance of privacy solitariness or retirement The Text holds forth the warrant for and manner of carrying on the great work of Closet-Prayer a copious Subject a precious Duty In which are 1 The Place for it a Closet 2 The clossness of the place Door-shut 3 The object of the worship Thy Father 4 The Arguments to inforce thy Duty 1 Gods omniscience he sees 2 His munificence will reward SECT II. The words opened FOr a more distinct opening of the words according to the parts before-mentioned consider 1. What is meant by a Closet here Some understand and interpret it not literally but mystically making an Allegory of it as though it did import interiorem cordis recessum the inner recesses or motions of the heart but though that be a truth and duty That we must pray in the closet of the heart yet I humbly conceive that is not the proper meaning of this place for we need not interpret this plain word in such a borrowed sense since multitudes of Scriptures are so express for worshipping God with the heart Besides that is not suitable to the scope of the place which opposeth self-retirement to the Pharisaical modes of devotion Leigh in Crit. Sac. in verb. The word then is to be literally taken and in general imports any secret place where a thing is laid up Mat. 24.26 Luk. 12.3 particularly it signifies a Safe or Cupboard to lay victuals in or a locked Chest wherein a treasure is usually reserved or it s taken as indeed here and oft elsewhere for a closs or secret chamber a withdrawing-room Quemvis locum occultum notat Par. retiring-place where a person is not seen or heard nor yet is disturbed in his devotions by any noise or
talked with him Gen. 15.12 Chap. 17.3 came to him and he again discoursed familiarly with God 2. Isaac The son of the Promise a very contemplative man therefore 't is said Gen. 24.63 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Locutus est ore vel coâ—de cogitavit proprie significat submissa voce loqui utoâ—antes That Isaac went out to meditate in the field at even-tide The word signifies as well to Pray as Meditate 't is likely he did both in some solitary Walk where he conversed with his God The Chaldee translates it by praying but the Greek by exercising himself i. e. both in meditation and prayer And truly there is a near affinity betwixt these two sweet duties and 't is usual for a devout soul to fall out of the one into the other in its retirements Soliloquie in the heart helps to a colloquie with God Locus precibus ubique commodus maxime in solitudine ubi sensus de piis meditationibus minus a vocantur Pareus in loc But here observe Isaac's oratory which he had in the field which he used for more privacy There saith Pareus he continually poured out prayers to God and at this time more earnestly for the happy success of his servant a singular example of piety A place it was every way fit for prayer especially in solitude where the senses are less drawn off from pious meditations Some think he was returning from his devotions and then 't is worth noting What a speedy reward of his piety and effect of his prayers was granted Would all young men take the like course for a Wife they might meet seasonably with a Rebeckah in mercy 3. Jacob is a famous instance of this choice exercise few like him he was put to flee but they could not drive him from his God They had their meeting-places and intercourse where none saw particularly that remarkable time Gen. 32.24 Jacob was left alone And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day 'T is likely Jacob had sent his houshold away on purpose that he might wrestle with God alone I shall not dispute whether Jacob had any extraordinary natural strength of body I am sure he had abundance of spiritual strength of grace nor shall I take notice of the Hebrews subtil disputes concerning this man Hosea tells us it was an Angel yet withal he tells us That by his strength he had power with God Hos 12.3 4. Therefore this was God himself the creating Gen. 48.16 not a created Angel even Jesus Christ the Angel that redeemed him from all evil whom Malachi calls The Angel of the Covenant Mal. 3.1 It was God himself Elohim whom Jacob overcame in this stupendious monomachia or conflict But how did he thus prevail The Text saith with prayers and tears he wept and made supplication Now he had gotten God to a side as it were and none came to distract him or to part this strong and blessed duel he is resolved to stick to his hold and not let God go till he blessed him And good Jacob came off a Noble Conqueror and from that purchased the famous name of Israel Oh unequal matches Oh unparallel'd conquest The seemingly-adverse combatant was Jacobs only assistant and the conquered was the invincible Jehovah and no other seconds or spectators but the Infinite God and Worm Jacob. 4. Moses was a choice man of God whom the Scripture characterizeth as a non-such Deut. 34.10 There arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face And this intimate acquaintance was obtained maintained and exercised by this secret conversing with God How often do we find the Lord and his servant Moses together And none with them yea Moses only must come near and the rest must worship afar off Exod. 14.12 And what business have these familiar friends one with another Why sometimes the Lord speaks to Moses sometimes Moses speaks to God in secret prayer See both together in Exod. 32.9 10 11. A strange Scripture God and Moses had been conversing with each other in the mount fourty dayes God tells Moses the people had made them a molten calf and he was angry and would consume them and bids Moses let him alone as though Moses had bound the hands of omnipotency Nay then thinks Moses if my poor people be in this hazard since I am with God I 'le ply the throne of grace and improve my interest for them and then he falls closs to the work and besought the Lord his God and said At this time he alone stood in the gap Psal 106.25 and prevailed by his intercession to turn away Gods wrath from Israel Here was a work and this was the fruit of secret prayer 5. David the man after Gods own heart was a man much skilled in secret or closet meditations and prayers Hence some of his Psalms of Prayer and Praise were first composed in Caves Wildernesses and solitary places Psal 142. Title is Maschil of David a Prayer when he was in the Cave And this is for instruction to us so Maschil signifies Yea he purposely compiles the 102. Psal as a pattern to all that may be in his case that is solitary As a Pelican in the Wilderness an owl in the desart or a sparrow alone upon the house top v. 6 7. Then they are to pray as he did and to pour out their complaint before the Lord Yea upon a declaration of Gods covenant designs of mercy to David and his house the good man went either into some private room in his own house or into the Tent before the Ark and there set himself first to meditate then to pray for he did both as that Scripture clearly intimates 2 Sam. 7.17 27. And oh what memorable fruits of secret Prayer had David frequently Surely he felt the sweetness of it both in his soul and body in his spiritual estate and political affairs Therefore he commends it to all Psal 4. Commune with your own heart upon your bed or in your bed-chamber and there also offer the sacrifices of righteousness And put your trust in the Lord ver 4.5 SECT V. Five more Instances produced 6. ANother example from Scripture of the performance of this duty of secret prayer is the famous man of God Elijah who wrought many miracles and was mighty in prayer for so the Apostle James testifies of him Chap. 5 17 18. that he could shut and open Heaven he had as it were got the Key of the Clouds to open the windows of Heaven that it might rain or not rain according to his word But how came he by this power Why certainly he had great acquaintance with his God in secret Take one instance what his practice was 1 King 17.19 to ver 24. It is the memorable History of raising the Widow womans dead Son It was a great undertaking none but God could raise the dead God is to be implored by earnest Prayer no
CHAP. II. The Reasons to prove that Closet-Prayer is a 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
joy i. e. No creature on earth is privy to the secret groans or sweetest solace of a retired Saint That 's the second Reason SECT III. The third Reason is drawn from God seeing in secret ANother Reason is drawn from Gods Omniscience and Omnipresence the Text saith Thy Father sees in secret And the strength or force of this argument lyes in these four particulars 1. God sees in secret Therefore he takes notice whether thou pray in secret yea or no He looks after thee as it were when thou goest into such a chamber and solitary place and saith That soul hath now an opportunity a convenient place and fit occasion to wait upon me and will he not Will he be always so busie in other company that I must have none of his fellowship Must his converse be so much with men that he can spare no time for communion with God Nay will he go so often into such a room to do such and such a business and can he never find a time to go down upon his knees and visit me Hath he so much to do in the world that he hath no leisure to look up to Heaven Do his worldly occasions still thrust out spiritual meditations Will he never set himself solemnly to transact betwixt my self and him in Prayer and Meditation the most important business of his soul Ah sirs the Omnipresent God takes notice of all your motions into and out of your chambers and expects that sometimes at least your souls should wait upon him And why should Christians frustrate his expectation 2. God sees in secret Therefore he hath seen thy secret sins and sins in secret Thy closs and Closet-wickedness is naked and open before the piercing eyes of an all-seeing God therefore should thy Closet-tears and Prayers testifie thy sound and saving repentance For this is a rule in practical divinity that sorrow for sin must bear some proportion to the nature and circumstances of the sin both as to degree and circumstances of time and place Manassch humbled himself greatly for his great abominations So for place and manner them that sin openly must be rebuked before all and testifie their repentance before the Church 1 Tim. 5.20 So if the sin be private or less known the rule in Mat. 18.15.16 is to be observed for private admonition and confession And consequently secret sins must be secretly mourned for When thy sins are known to none but to God and thine own conscience thou art not bound to discover them to any other but to God in an hearty secret repentance except in some few cases Here then comes in secret prayer and godly sorrow Well then there 's none of us without our secret sins and God sees them all though never so privily committed we may hide sin from men we cannot hide it from the Lord he sets our secret sins in the sight of his countenance Psal 90.8 His eyes are open upon all the wayes of man and who knows all the errors of his life Job 34.21 21. Jer. 32.19 Pro. 5.10 Therefore must we get alone and enumerate all the sins we know of and desire God to shew us what we do not know and with holy David breath out that devout Petition Psal 19.12 Cleanse thou me from secret faults 3. God sees in secret Therefore thou dost not lose thy labour though men know not where thou art or what thou art a doing yet thy God takes notice of thee thou dost not thy good works incognito though thy groans are not seen or heard by men yet they are well known to thy God Psal 38.9 Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee As if David should say Lord I many times withdraw my self into a Closet or retired place and there I open before the Lord the sorrows of my soul I pour out my heart like water before the face of the Lord Lam. 2.19 Sometimes in the night-watches or in solitary places none knows what I am doing no eye sees no ear hears my briny trears or bitter out-cryes but the all-seeing God hides not his eyes from my tears stops not his ears to my cryes but knows my groans yea my very desires Observe it There is not a believing Prayer but it is upon the file and on record in Heaven though offered up by an obscure person in an obscure place yea God knoweth the meaning of his spirit in the hearts of his people Rom. 8.17 though the troubled Saint cannot tell whether it be indeed the spirit of God or no But this know that secret prayers in a chamber are as well known to God as open prayers in a publick Church heart-ejaculations are owned by God as well as loudest acclamations God took notice of Hezekiah when he turned his face toward the wall and wept and prayed and saith God I have heard thy Prayer I have seen thy Tears Isa 38.5 Though men did not much take notice God did yea more he expresseth his approbation and acceptation of these sacrifices in secret But of that anon 4. God sees in secret Therefore Closet-Prayer is a solemn acknowledgment of Gods omniscience and omnipresence When you pray in a corner you testifie your faith in Gods ubiquity and look upon him as filling Heaven and Earth and this God commands us to believe yea would have us to lye under the sense hereof Hence that vehement expostulation Jer. 23.24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Yes saith the believing soul I know thou art every where no thought can be with-holden from thee therefore I wait on thee here all 's one where I am for wherever I am I cannot run away from thee and wherever I am I may approach unto thee And the Lord is nigh to broken hearts and praying souls Psal 34.15 17 18. He is not far from every one of us but his special presence is with his Saints in duty David composeth a Psalm of God's Immensity Psal 139. Wherein he shews 1. Gods omniscience in the six first verses Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up rising c. 2 Gods omnipresence ver 7. to ver 14. Whither shall I go from thy spirit If to Heaven thou art there c. Darkness and light are both alike to thee And what use doth holy David make of this Heavenly doctrine surely if God will be with him wherever he is he is resolved to be with God v. 18. When I awake I am still with thee i. e. by secret prayer and meditation when I lye down I commend my soul and body to thee and when I rise up I meditate of thee when I go to sleep I pray when I awake I am with God by holy and precious thoughts So that I am still with God all my dayes in all places conditions relations companies I am still with my God and as a good man
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
Temple Alas poor Jonah knew not now which way the Temple stood he had but a short prospect in that dark and narrow Prison yes faith can set Jonah upon one of the Mountains of Israel that thence he may see as far as Mount Zion and reach as high as Heaven he prayes yea cryes God hears and delivers as low as he was he knocks at Heaven gates and his Prayer doth pierce the Clouds it makes bold and steps in My prayer saith he came in unto thee into thine holy Temple Jonah 2.2 7. Oh the strange and swift motion of a believing Prayer Let the praying soul be where it will the Prayer will come to God's ear and get an answer 2. A Child of God that cannot speak a word may put up an acceptable Prayer suppose the tongue which is the organ of speech were cut out yet a Saint cannot thereby be obstructed in his access to God by Prayer For as Amesius saith Oratio formaliter est actus voluntatis Prayer is formally the act of the Will desire is the soul of Prayer which God may hear though it be not expressed for he knows the heart Psal 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble A Saints desire is a real Prayer if the desire be right words are but the outward garb habit or cloaths as I may so say of Prayer the carcass or shell of the duty ardent desires are the life kernel Exod. 14.15 1 Sam. 1.13 Neh. 2.4 marrow of the performance Hence we find that Moses Hannah and Nehemiah are said to pray when Scripture doth not express a word they speak nor is it probable they did make an articulate sound I speak not this to indulge carnal men in their lazy conceited ejaculations Deus exaudit non solum preces indicativas sed optativas Luth. as though they could pray well enough and never speak or while they are working walking talking Let me hint a word by the way to these Consider silly soul God hath given thee a body and thou must offer it to God as a reasonable sacrifice thou art bound in conscience to pray and praise God with thy tongue which is thy glory yea let me tell thee if thou hast those members of body and an opportunity to pray thus solemnly with thy tongue upon thy knees and dost never do it I question whether thou prayest at all or no since thou livest in the apparent neglect of a known duty What I speak of the Saints real though sometimes without vocal Prayers is to commend the duty and comfort those Saints that may be put to these exigencies that though they cannot speak yet they may pray and be heard and answered SECT III. Shewing the Power of Prayer I Might from hence take occasion to discover the strength and efficacy of this duty of Prayer from the consideration of Closet-Prayer though but a poor single person get upon his knees in a Corner and have no creature to help him yet he can even undertake to grapple with the omnipotent and eternal God yea by his strength may have power with God as we heard of Jacob who by single wrestling with him hand to fist as it were wrestled a blessing from him One poor single Elijah could stand against at least four hundred Prophets of Baal 1 King 18.36 and prevail having recourse to the living God by Prayer yea the Apostle tells us that this Elijah though but a mortal man yet he shut up and opened Heaven that it rained and rained not according to his Prayer hence he infers an universal Maxim that the effectual servent Prayer of a righteous man avails much and illustrates it by that notable instance James 5.16 17 18. But some may object Elijah was a great Prophet an extraordinary person he might prevail when we cannot he answers He was no more than a man a Man subject to like passions as we are a sinful creature he prevailed not for any merits of his own but through faith in the Mediator of the Covenant and so may we There 's not the meanest Child of God but hath the same plea Mr. Gurnal on Eph. 6.10 p. 42. God hath strength enough to give saith one but he hath no strength to deny Here the Almighty himself with reverence be it spoken is weak even a child the weakest in grace of his family that can but say Father is able to overcome him for Prayer is in a sort omnipotent it can conquer the invincible Jehovah Vincit invincibilem ligat omnipotentem and bind the hands as it were of an omnipotent God so that God is fain to cry out to wrestling Moses Let me alone 'T is said of Luther That man could do with God even what he would Prayer hath a kind of commanding compulsive power That 's a strange Text Isa 45.11 Ask me of things to come concerning my Sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me So some take it ye shall find me as ready to do you service as if ye had me at command yet this must be warily received not as though God were forced to any thing against his will but when Gods people pray aright in the name of Christ according to his will 1 Joh. 5.14 he heareth them and this he attributes to Prayer for the credit of that duty and incouragement of praying souls That 's a notable Text to shew the readiness of God to answer Prayer Joh. 16.26 27. I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you for the father himself loveth you Christ in this place doth not simply deny that he will intercede for them but shews how ready God is of his own accord to grant the Saints petitions They shall not be put to any great trouble about it but shall be quickly dispatcht in their errand to the Throne of Grace For as * Exiguus gemitus in auribus Dei fortissimas est clamor ita coelum terram replet ut praeter eum Deus nihil audiat atcompescit omnes omnium aliarum rerum clamores Luth. tom 4. Luther speaks a poor groan in the ears of God is a mighty noise and doth so fill Heaven and earth that God can hear nothing besides it and silenceth all other tumults to hearken to it Of what an easie quick access My blessed Lord art thou how suddenly May our requests thy ear invade To shew that State dislikes not easiness If I but lift mine eyes my suit is made Thou canst no more not hear than thou canst dye See more in Herberts Poems pag. 95. SECT IV. Shewing the property of a true Christian ONce more I might shew the duty and property of a sincere Christian that can make this excellent use of solitariness Carnal persons love not to be alone except they be such whose constitution inclines them to Melancholy and then they sit poring on things without profit 't is only the gracious soul that can tell how
at last arrive to those mens arrogant demand Who seeth us Or that positive conclusion Psal 97.4 The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard But what saith the Psalmist to these brutish Soâ—s He that planted the ear shall he not hear He that formed the eye shall he not see ver 9. Let these Atheists know that God sees and sets down all their secret wickedness and will bring it forth before Angels and Men at the great day of reckoning The sin of Judah is written with a pen of Iron Jer. 17.1 and with a point of a Diamond it can never be razed out but by the blood of Christ and though by multiplyed acts of notorious sinning some may blur the engravings of sin on the table of their heart yet it shall be as writing with the juice of Lemmons being held to the fire of Gods wrath 't is as legible to the conscience as the first moment when the sin was committed Oh the secret wickednesses that wicked men have to reckon for But where are the secret Prayers Alas how rarely or how formally do they wait on God alone Custom vain glory and carnal interest may put them on joyning in publick Prayer or Family-duty but they are strangers to this spiritual self-denying duty of Closet-Prayer The carnal hypocrite exposeth all to open view he is like an house with a beautiful Frontispiece but every room within is dark as one saith he is a rotten Post fairly guilded he hath dressed himself in the garb of Religion and will be as devout as the best in Temple-worship but follow him to his Closet he cannot afford God one hour in a week he doth not make conscience of secret Prayer this gains him no credit with men and therefore is little used This rightly performed opens the heart to God which the unsound professor dare not do I shall shew hereafter whether the Hypocrite may use Closet-Prayer and wherein he is distinguisht from a sincere soul in that duty At present I am reproving those that never use it that look upon it as below them they either dare not be alone or scorn to stoop so low and sigh out their hearts to God in a corner as though they would not be beholding to the great God for any mercy but in their hearts and practice speak the language of those proud Atheists in Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more unto thee But let such know they shall dye like Men and be damn'd like Devils that imagine they are gods and will not be beholding to our God for mercy Lord have mercy on these poor prayerless sinners that understand not the necessity and mystery of Closet-Prayer but look upon it as needless and are ready to say It s more ado than needs but let these prepare to make good that desperate assertion at the Bar of Gods justice with flames about their ears and let such know that God will answer their cavils against plain duty after another manner than his Ministers can do now To which dreadful Judgment we leave them except prevented by a speedy and sincere Repentance SECT II. The Godly reproved BUt the persons to be principally reproved at present are the professors of Religion that acknowledge this to be a duty but grievously neglect it I fear God's Children are not so constant and conscientious in the performance of this duty of Closet-Prayer as they ought to be Are not good Souls guilty of frequent omissions intermissions at least negligent performance of this duty It was one of old Mr. Dod's Instructions that at night we should ask our selves Have I twice this day humbled my self before God in private Who goes to bed and doth not pray Maketh two nights to every day Herbert And again How did I pray in Faith and Love I am afraid many of us should give but a sorry account of these serious inquiries Let 's be ashamed lay it to our hearts and give God glory by repentance and reformation For the humbling of our hearts in this case let me propound these ten awakning Interrogatories that we may mourn for our neglect of this duty of Closet-Prayer 1. Are you not very unlike Jesus Christ Is not he the perfect copy that we should write after And do we not find him often in private Prayer We meet with him in this solitary duty sometimes in the day Luk. 6.12 Mat. 26.36 sometimes in the night sometimes all night in a Garden in a Mountain he took all opportunities to go to his Father All the dayes of his flesh he offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong crying and tears Heb. 5.7 As he was a man of sorrows so he was a man of Prayers and the sharper his sorrows the stronger his cryes Luk. 22.44 Being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly And was not this for our example And for our advantage Should we not learn of him Nay doth not our very Christianity consist in our conformity to Christ Alas how unlike him are most of us Shall we pass for Christians that follow not his steps Was it not blessed Paul's study and ambition to be conformed to this blessed Pattern Can we imitate a better person Was it necessary Christ should wrestle for us and is it not as necessary we should wrestle with God for our own souls Or doth Christs praying for us excuse our pleading for our selves No no as it was for our example and benefit in the days of his flesh so his present intercession in Heaven doth both imply and incourage our praying for we are to ask in his name and imploy our dear Advocate that we may speed And shall not we as it were set him awork and send up our Prayers to be mixt with his sweet incense The Lord humble us for and pardon to us our neglects and omissions 2. Are you not herein very unlike the Saints of God The seed of Jacob are wrestlers with God God hath no Children still-born they all cry Abba Father Jacob wrestled with God in secret Prayer and ever since all the Saints in all ages have born that name Psal 24.6 This is the generation of them that seek him that seek thy face O Jacob Selah i. e. That seek the God of Jacob as Jacob did Psal 32.6 And indeed every one that is godly will thus pray There might be brought a cloud of witnesses in all ages of praying Saints that conversed with God in secret 't is recorded of the Apostle James that his knees were as hard as Camels feet with praying Some have sought out for private places to pray in others have risen out of their beds to pray others have set days apart to humble themselves in secret by Fasting and Prayer others would never adventure on business without seeking God Such as are acquainted with Ecclesiastical Histories or Christian Experiences may find store of instances of this sort And why should we be unlike our Brethren Have we not
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
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
husbands wives apart Zech. 12.11 12. And of gracious souls to be like Doves of the valleys every one mourning for his iniquity Eze. 7.16 There must be joynt-Prayers and separated Prayers together and apart Let not Christians be content to find Christ in a Corner for themselves but let them do what they can that others also may enjoy him this was the frame of the Church or believing Soul Cant. 3.4 When she had found him I held him saith she and would not let him go until I had brought him into my Mothers house i. e. into more publick assemblies And truly Christians that man hath not found Christ at all that would not have all others to find him Oh thinks the Christian in his retirement that others did but feel and injoy what my soul hath sweet experience of would to God my Husband Wife Brother Father Child Neighbour would but try this course a while Oh what advantage would they get by it Though I eat these sweet morsels alone yet fain would I have others to partake with me In things of this world persons are apt to grudge others any benefit by what they have stoln from others a view but in spiritual advantages there 's no envy and if there be it proceeds not from Grace but from corrupt Nature the more grace the less envy and when envy is gone persons will be communicative Take away envy Tolle invidiam mea tua sunt tua mea and mine is thine and thine is mine true Grace or Charity is kind envieth not 1 Cor. 13.4 Now this I am perswading to that they that have found Christ would be so charitable to souls as to communicate the knowledge of him and the way to enjoy him unto others Thus doth Andrew come to Simon and Philip to Nathaniel and both of them were as a man finding a jewel and cannot contain overjoyed and cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found him We have found the Messias Joh. 1.41 45. And when the poor woman of Samaria had been privately conversing with Jesus down she threw at least left behind her her water-pot and all in haste went to the City and said to the men Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did Is not this the Christ John 4.28 29. Thus do you sirs promote and propagate this choice duty commend it unto others practice and so you may be instruments of good CHAP. VII Concerning the matter or words of Prayer SECT I. THere is one thing yet remains which it may be expected something should be spoken to and that is The matter in praying or words of Prayer Whether it be lawful or requisite to use a form or no Most judge Videas Ames Cas Cons lib. 4. c. 17. p. 190. that as forms are lawful so prescript words may be requisite to some young beginners in Religion and other Christians of weak parts that cannot express their desires to God in fit words to help their rudeness yet Christians ought to press after more growth and proficiency that they may lay aside those Crutches and arrive at that gift of Prayer that may be of singular use As for Closet-Prayer Practical Catech. pag. 277. Dr. Hammond doth assert it that every one may ask his own wants in what form of words he shall think fit And indeed all particular cases incident and variable can scarce be comprehended in one constant form besides in secret Prayer God doth not so much stand upon phrases or pat sentences as the workings of the heart in sighs and groans which are the best Rhetorick in his ears It 's inquired Whether we may use the Lords Prayer I answer we may use it as other prayers in Scripture but I conceive the principal end of it is not to be rehearsed every time we pray but an example platform or directory according to the contents whereof we must direct our prayers Therefore for the further help of young professors I shall briefly touch at the several branches of that admirable compendious rule of Prayer you have in Mat. 6. ver 9. to v. 14. And the rather because it may seem to refer chiefly though not only to Closet-devotion what I shall say to it may be a practical analysing of it in its several parts and branches 1. For the preface Our Father which art in Heaven You may thus make use of it Infinite and Eternal Majesty the Maker of Heaven and Earth who dwellest in the highest Heavens and in the lowest hearts who seest all things here below and art a God that hearest prayers I am a poor worm at thy foot-stool looking up to the Throne of thy Grace cast a Fatherly eye up on me and though I be by Nature a Child of wrath yet through Jesus Christ make me thy child by Grace and Adoption teach me to cry Abba Father with holy reverence and filial confidence raise my heart to Heaven beget in me Faith in thy promises love to my brethren and due apprehensions of thy Soveraign power and gracious condescention that praying by the help of thy Spirit in the name of thy Son I may obtain good at thy Fatherly hands Secondly for the Petitions 1. Petition Hallowed be thy Name Thus O my God I have dishonoured thee all my days by my ignorance pride hardness and unthankfulness and I am unapt and unable to glorifie thee but do thou glorifie thy self in my conversion and salvation help me to know and adore thee to make an high account of thy titles attributes ordinances to believe thy word admire thy works in mercy or judgment help me with spiritual thoughts becoming my holy profession with divine lips speaking good of thy Name and a suitable conversation to walk before the Lord Holy God destroy Atheism Ignorance Idolatry and Profaneness magnifie thy Name through the World and direct and dispose all things to the advancement of thy glory by thy over-ruling providence and thy infinite wisdom 2. Petition Thy Kingdom come Thus improve it Lord I must confess that by nature I am dead in sin and a bond-slave to the Prince of darkness who rules in my heart and leads me captive by ignorance errour disobedience but do thou by the power of thy grace cast out the strong man take possession of my heart sway thy blessed Scepter in me bring my whole man to obedience destroy Satans kingdom propagate the Gospel among all Nations purge thy house furnish thy Church with officers orders and pure ordinances make Kings nursing Fathers to it convert sinners confirm Saints comfort the sad hasten thy second coming to judgement and the blessed Kingdom of Glory 3. Petition Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Thus Holy Majestie I acknowledge my natural ignorance of thy will impotencie to obey it yea enmity and antipathy against it my best services are imperfect my spirit repining under thy hand and my will wilfully resisting grace and rushing into sin but Dear Lord
will not practise it Your own mouths will condemn you What needs any more Witnesses But if you be real Saints I dare say you do approve of it and practise it sometimes and why are you not constant in your obedience Is it not the property of a Saint to do righteousness at all times Psal 106.3 Oh consider this and do not either neglect a command or omit this known duty 2. Would you not have the truth of grace cleared up in your souls Surely there 's no Christian but would arrive at Assurance and this is one way to evidence sincerity being much with God in secret duty As he grieves truly that grieves without witness Ille doâ—…t vere qui sine teste dolet so those religious actings are most evidential of grace that are least obvious to the view of men and whereby a Christian approves his heart only to the heart-searching God Here 's the true Israelite that can Rom. 2.28 with Jacob converse with God alone and seeks his praise not of men but of God Observe it a Christian ordinarily hath not that comfort in a duty exposed to others view which he hath in that he performs betwixt God and his own Soul For there 's most danger of selfishness in the former and more self-denial in the latter The wind of applause may blow men far in a creditable performance but humility and sincerity is most evident in secret Appeals to God Consider this Christians you run to Sermons Ministers good Books and take much pains to try your state by marks and signs make tryal of this more compendious course to clear your state be much with God in Closet-Prayer 3. Would you not be found in the practice of the power of godliness Oh then fall closs to Closet-Prayer Alas sirs hearing Sermons reading Scriptures discoursing religiously praying in the family may be done only for fashion sake and the person that doth them may have no more than the form of godliness Mistake me not I do not condemn the practice of these nor them that do them as formalists for that God forbid they are Scripture duties but the outward part of these may be done without the power of godliness but to struggle with a man 's own heart to wrestle with God in a Corner to meditate and give up a mans self to these duties as in the presence of God oh this shews something of the power of grace and life of holiness This is heart-work and that 's hard work costly duties spiritual exercises which is more than to offer God thousands of Rams or a first-born Son David would not offer that to God that cost him nothing and shall we be content with the ordinary duties which may be consistent with an easie plodding formality 4. Would you not have your hearts cased under pressing burdens Are you in love with your sorrows would you not be rid of them Behold I shew unto you an excellent way to get ease which is a recourse to God in secret Prayer I have heard some precious Christians say that when any thing hath lyen upon their hearts ready to overwhelm them they have run to God in a corner and there have left their load and thence have gone with good Hannah and have been no more sad And experience tells us that when any pressing affliction lies upon us if we can unbosom our selves to an intimate friend though not a word of counsel or comfort pass from him yet that opening of our hearts doth ease as vomiting doth an oppressed stomack And hence saith Job I will speak that I may be refreshed And Scripture backs this in Phil. 4.6 Be careful in nothing but in every thing make your requests known to God and unload your cares and fears into the bosom of God but how Why by Prayer and Supplication in Thanksgiving lay your load on God by Prayer and he will bear it 5. Would you not obtain boldness in access to God and familiarity with him Oh go often to God in Closet-Prayer Princes take more state upon them when conversing with their favourites before others but when none are present they open their hearts more familiarly to them I know Abraham saith God he and I are well acquainted he is my friend he visits me often and shall I hide any thing from Abraham I 'll take him to a side and tell him my whole heart so will God to you he will communicate much to you and you may say any thing to him you are not strangers to him but may come into his presence boldly and he will make you welcom Heb. 4.16 On the contrary what a dreadful thing will it be to have strange thoughts of God in duty or at death Strangeness betwixt God and a soul is a sad uncomfortable thing Wicked men are total strangers to God gracious souls little imployed in secret prayer are little acquainted with God and worship afar off but sincere souls conversing much with God in secret attain to abundance of intimacy with the Lord and is not that a mercy worth a World 6. Would you not have the sins of others to bring wrath and judgment on the place Oh then let your souls weep and pray in secret places as Jeremiah did Chap. 13.17 This is the last and safest way to be delivered from the guilt of open crying sins in the Land even a mourning for them in prayer before the Lord thus did Lot and David Paul and all Saints Yea Moses's solitary prayer interposed betwixt flaming wrath and offending Israel thus did he stand in the gap and you may make an attonement for the Nation a gift in secret may pacifie that wrath that 's already broken out against us Wicked men sin in secret let us mourn in secret yea they sin openly let us lament privately The truth is 2 Kings 17.9 secret sins may undo a Nation except the cry of the Saints secret prayers be louder than the cry of wicked mens secret sins Oh fall to it Arise cry out in the night in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord Lam. 2.19 7. Would you not have your own secret sins set in the light of God's countenance Psal 90.8 then repent and pray alone humble your souls in secret for your secret sins Are you not conscious to your selves of much secret guilt And doth not God expect that you should set your selves to mourn over them and cry to God for pardoning grace in secret Eccl. 12.13 Do you not know that God will bring every secret thing to light in the great day of accounts Nay God may punish you openly 2 Sam. 12.12 as he did David for his secret sin Well then anticipate that sad severe judgment by judging your selves and deprecating his righteous judgment I may say to thee Soul as Solomon bespeaks Shimei Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to and where are thy prayers and