6 7 8. So Luther perceiving the Cause of God and the work of Reformation to be greatly straitned and in danger he went into his Closet and never left wrestling with God till he had received a gracious answer from Heaven upon which he comes out of his closet to his friends leaping and triumphing with Vicimus vicimus we have overcome we have overcome in his mouth At which time it is observed that there came out a Proclamation from Charls the Fifth that none should be further molested for the Profession of the gospel At another time Luther being in private prayer for a sick friend of his who was very comfortable and useful to him had a particular answer for his recovery whereupon he was so confident that he sent word to his friend that he should certainly recover and so it fell out accordingly And so Latimer prayed with great zeale for three things 1. That Queen Elizabeth might come to the Crown 2. That he might seale the truth with his heart blood And 3. That the Gospel might be restored once again once again which he expressed with great vehemency of spirit All which three God heard him in Constantine commanded that his Effigies should be engraven not as other Emperours in their Armour leaning but as in a posture of prayer kneeling to manifest to the world that he won more by secret prayer than by open Battles Mr. Dod reports that when many good people had often sought the Lord in the behalf of a woman that was possessed with the Devil and yet could not prevaile at last they appointed a day for fasting and prayer at which time there came a poor woman to the chamber door where the exercise was begun and craved entrance but she being poor they would not admit her in upon that the poor woman kneeled down behind the door and sought God by prayer But she had not prayed long before the evil spirit raged roared and cried out in the possessed woman take away the old woman behind the doore for I must be gone take away the old woman behind the door for I must be gone And so by the old womans prayers behind the doore he was cast out Oh the prevalency of prayer behind the door And thus you see by all these great instances the great prevalency of private prayer Private prayer like Sauls sword and Jonathans Bow when duely qualified as to the person and act never returns empty it hits the marke it carries the day with God it pierceth the walls of Heaven though like those of Gaza made of brass and Iron Isa 45. 2. O who can express the powerfull oratory of private prayer c. Ninthly consider that secret duties are the most soul-enriching duties Look as secret meales make fat bodies so secret duties make fat souls and as secret Trades brings in great earthly riches so secret prayers makes many rich in spiritual blessings and in heavenly riches Private prayer is that privy key of heaven that unlocks all the Treasures of glory to the soule The best riches and the sweetest mercies God usually gives to his people when they are in their closets upon their knees Look as the warmth the Chickens find by close sitting under the Hens wings cherisheth them so are the graces of the Saints enlivened and cherished and strengthned by the sweet secret influences which their souls fall under when they are in their closet-communion with God Private prayer conscienciously performed is the privie key of heaven that hath unlocked such treasures and such secrets as hath past the skill of the cunningest Devil to find out Private prayer Midwifes the choicest mercies and the chiefest riches in upon us Certainly there are none so rich in gracious experiences as those that are most exercised in closet duties Ps 34. 6. This poor man cried saith David and the Lord saved him out of all his troubles David pointing to himself tells us that he cried that is silently and secretly as Moses did at the red sea and as Exod. 14. 15. Neh. 1. 11. 2. 4. Nehemiah did in the presence of the King of Persia and the Lord saved him out of all his troubles And O what additions were these deliverances to his experiences O my friends look as the tender dew that falls in the silent night makes the grass and herbs and flowers to flourish and grow more abundantly than great showrs of raine that fall in the day so secret prayer will more abundantly cause the sweet herbs of grace and holiness to grow and flourish in the soul than all those more open Publick and visible duties of Religion which too too often are mingled and mixt with the sun and wind of pride and hypocrisie Beloved you know that many times a Favourite at Court gets more by one secret motion by one private request to his Prince than a Trades-man or a Merchant gets in twenty years labour and paines c. So a Christian many times gets more by one secret motion by one private request to the King of Kings than many others doe by Trading long in the more publick Duties of Religion O Sirs remember that in private prayer we have a far greater advantage as to the exercise of our own gifts and graces and parts than we have in Publick for in Publick we only hear others exercise their parts and gifts c. in Publick duties we are more passive but in private duties we are more active Now the more our gifts and parts and graces are exercised the more they are strengthned and increased All acts strengthen habits The more sin is acted the more 't is strengthned And so 't is with our gifts and graces the more they are acted the more they are strengthned But Tenthly Take many things together All Christians have their secret Sins Psal 19. 12. Who can understand his errors cleanse thou me from secret faults Secret not only to other men but himself even such secret sins as grew from errours which he understood not 'T is incident to every man to erre and then to be ignorant of his errours Many sins I see in my self saith he and more there are which I cannot espy which I cannot find out nay I think saith he that every mans sins do arise beyond his accounts There is not the best the wisest nor the holiest man in the world that can give a full and entire list of his sins Who can understand his errors This interrogation hath the force of an affirmation Who can No man no not the most perfect and innocent man in the world O friends who can reckon up the secret sinfull imaginations the secret sinful inclinations or the secret pride the secret blasphemies the secret hypocrisies the secret Atheistical risings the secret murmurings the secret repinings the secret discontents the secret insolencies the secret filthynesses the secret unbelievings c. that God might every day charge upon his soul Should the best and holiest man on earth have
hast had a sentence of death upon thee and there hath been but a short step between thee and eternity Doubtless that sin which hath lain as a heavy load upon thy Conscience in the dayes of thy former distresse that is the sin that God would have effectually conquered and brought under by his present Rod. But Ninthly Observe what particular sin that is that doth most hinder thee in holy duties and services and that doth most interrupt thee in thy Communion with God enquire what particular sin that is that thy Eze. 33. 31. heart is most apt to run after when thou art on the Mount of holy duties Whilest the Disciples were healing diseases and casting Devils out of other mens bodies the proud white Devil was stirring in their own souls as is evident by that gentle rebuke that our Saviour gives them in Luke 10. 20. In this rejoyce not that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in Heaven There is no Duty that a Christian performs but one white Devil or another one lust or another will be still dogging and following of him to that Duty There is no publick Duty there is no family duty there is no private duty that a Christian performs but either that white Divel Pride or that white Devil Hypocrisie or that white Divel vain-glory or else some one or another white Devil will follow the Soul hard at heel to it Now mark what that particular sin is that most haunts thy soul when thou art in Religious duties and services and it may be that is the very sin that God would have subdued by the Rod. But Tenthly Observe what sin that is that the rest of your corruptions are most serviceable to and that they most attend upon Mark what sin that is that all other sins doe most bow the knee to Mark that sin that hath a commanding power over all other sins that saith to one go and he goeth to another come and he cometh Mark what sin that is that is still uppermost and that all other sins do most minister to You know when a man hath a great wound in his body all the ill humours will run thither Observe what sin that is that all the ill humours of the soul do most run after for 't is very likely that that is the very sin that God would have brought under by the Rod. But Eleventhly Observe what that sin is that your hearts are most apt to hide and cloak cover over with the most spetious and fair pretences Saul had a covetous desire and he 1 Sam. 15. 20 21. covers it over with fair pretences as that the people would have it so and that what was spared was for sacrifice Caesars favour was the great Mat. 27. 24. darling in Pilates eyes but he covers all over with washing his hands The Scribes and Pharisees were exceeding covetous but their long prayers Mat. 23. as a cloak must cover all Judas also was a man of the same mind and mettle with them What need this wast why was not Mat. 26. 8 9. John 12. 5 6. this oyntment sold for three hundred pence given to the poor This he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein Judas as Tertullian thinks was pretty honest till he carried the bag but no sooner was he in office but he puts Conscience out of office but all must be covered over with a cloake of charity Observe what sin that is that you are most apt to cast the Silk or the Satin mantle over and 't is ten to one but that is the sin that God would have brought under by the Rod. But Twelfthly and lastly Observe what that sin is that thou art most easily overcome by Dalilah could easily overcome Sampson when all the world besides could make no conquest upon him The Apostle Heb 12. 1. bids us lay aside the sin that doth so easily beset us There are some sins that find more easie approaches to us and more easie acceptance with us accordingly they do more easily captivate us Observe what that sin is that you doe most readily and easily open the door to and doubtlesse that is the sin that God would have mortified and subdued by the Rod. The Second Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by Pray turn to these Scriptures 2 Chron. 28. 10. Jer. 8. 6. Ezek 7. 15 16. the raging Pestilence is deeply to judg your selves and greatly to humble your souls for that sin or sins that hath brought the Rod upon you thus David did in that 2 Sam. 24. 10 17. When you have found out the Achan that hath brought the Rod upon you stone him to death and lye humble and low under the Rod and then the Allmighty will be graciously pacified and sweetly reconciled unto you The Third Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is to view the Rod on every side if there be bryers on one side of the Rod there is Rosemary on the other side of the Rod if there be wormwood and gall at one end of the Rod there is sweet honey at the other end of the Rod as there was at the top of Jonathan's 1 Sam. 14. 43. Rod. If we should come into a Painters or a Limners shop and see a Picture half drawn it might trouble us and startle us if it did not fright us and amaze us but yet when the Picture is perfected compleated and finished it may prove a very beauteous lovely taking piece The Application is easie Look as every Judgment every Affliction every Rod hath its black dark side so every Judgement every affliction hath its bright side to Mow 't is the wisdom of a Christian to look on the bright side of the Rod the Cloud as well as 't is his work to look on the dark side of the Rod the Cloud When a Christian looks upon the dark side of the Cloud he should be humbled and abased but when he looks upon the bright side of the Cloud he should be comforted and cheered He James 5. 11. that is still a looking on the briery side of the Rod will be very apt to fret and faint under the Rod but he that looks on the Rosemary side of the Rod as well as the briery side of the Rod he will bear up patiently gallantly and cheerfully under the Rod. The voice of the Rod is Look on both sides Look on both sides But The fourth Lesson that you are to learn by the Rod or by the raging Pestilence is to look on the Rod not abstractly from the hand that holds it but conjunctively with the hand that holds it thus Hezekiah did 2 Kings 20. 16 10 18 19. Thus Aaron did Lev. 10. 1 2 3. Thus Eli did 1 Sam. 3. 11 19. Thus David did Psal 39. 9.
an Allegory they say that in these words there are two Allegories First the Chamber Door is the Sense Shut the Door that is say they thy Sense lest vain imaginations and worldly thoughts distract thy mind in praying Secondly The Door say they is our Mouth Shut thy Door that is thy Lips say they and let thy Prayer be like the Prayer of Hannah conceived in thy mind but not uttered with thy mouth 'T is usual with Papists and other monkish men that lye in wait to deceive to turn the blessed Scriptures into a Nose of Wax under pretence of Allegories and Mysteries Origen was a great admirer Euseb Eccl. Hist Lib. 6. chap. 8. of Allegories by the strength of his parts and wanton wit he turn'd most of the Scriptures into Allegories and by the just Judgement of God upon him he foolishly understood and absurdly applied that Matth. 19. 12. litterally Some have made themselves chaste for the Kingdom of Heaven and so gelded himself And indeed he might as well have pluck't out one of his eyes upon the same account because Christ saith It is better to go to Heaven with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into Hell fire Matth. 18. 9. In all Ages Hereticks have commonly defended their Heresies by translating of Scriptures into Allegories The Apostle speaks of such as denying the Resurrection of the body turn all the testimonies of the Resurrection into an Allegory meaning thereby only the spiritual Resurrection of the soul from sin of which sort was Hymeneus and Philetus who destroyed the faith of some saying the Resurrection was past already 2 Tim. 2. 17 18. And are there not many among us that turn the whole History of the Bible into an Allegory and that turn Christ and Sin and Death and the Soul and Hell and Heaven and all into an Allegory Many have and many do miserably pervert the Scriptures by turning them into vain and groundless Allegories Some wanton wits have expounded Paradise Philo Judaeus and others of a later date to be the Soul Man to be the Mind the Woman to be the Sense the Serpent to be Delight the Tree of knowledge of good and evil to be Wisdome and the rest of the Trees to be the Vertues and Endowments of the Mind O friends it is dangerous to bring in Allegories where the Scripture doth not clearly and plainly warrant them and to take those words Figuratively which should be taken properly The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in the Text rendred Closet hath only three most usual significations amongst Greek Authors First it may be taken for a secret Chamber or close and locked Parlour Secondly for a Safe or Cupbord to lay Victuals in Thirdly for a locked Chest or Cupbord wherein Treasure usually is reserved The best and most judicious Interpreters that I have cast mine eye upon both of a former and later date do all expound my Text of Private Prayer in retired places and with them I close And so the main Doctrine that I shall gather from the words is this That Closet-Prayer or Private-Prayer is an indispensible duty that Doct. Christ himself hath laid upon all that are not willing to lye under the woful brand of being Hypocrites I beseech you seriously to lay to heart these five things First If any Prayer be a duty then secret Prayer must needs be a duty for secret Prayer is as much Prayer as any other Prayer is Prayer and secret Prayer prepares and fits the soul for Family-Prayer and for Publick-Prayer Secret-Prayer sweetly enclines strongly disposes a Christian to all other religious duties and services Ergo. But Secondly If Secret Prayer be not an indispensible duty that lyes upon thee by what authority doth Conscience so upbraid thee and so accuse thee and so condemn thee and so terrifie thee as it often doth for the neglect of this duty But Thirdly Was it ever the way or method of God to promise again and again a reward an open reward for that work or service which himself never commanded Surely No. Now to this duty of Secret Prayer the Lord hath again and again promised an open reward Matth. 6. 6. 18. And therefore without all peradventure this is a duty incumbent upon all Christians Fourthly Our Saviour in the Text takes it for granted that every child of God will be frequent in praying to his heavenly Father and therefore he encourages them so much the more in the work of Secret Prayer When you Pray As if he had said I know you can as well hear without eares and live without food and fight without hands and walk without feet as you are able to live without Prayer And therefore when you go to wait on God or to give your heavenly Father a visit Enter into your Closet and shut your doors c. Fifthly If Closet Prayer be not an indispensible duty that Christ hath laid upon all his people why doth Satan so much oppose it why doth he so industriously and so unweariedly labour to discourage Christians in it to take off Christians from it Certainly Satan would never make such a fierce constant war as he doth upon private Prayer were it not a necessary duty a reall duty and a soul-enriching duty But more of this you will find in the following discourse and therefore let this touch suffice for the present c. Now these five things do very clearly and evidently demonstrate that secretly and solitarily to hold entercourse with God is the undoubted duty of every Christian But for a more full opening and confirmation of this great and important Point I shall lay down these Twenty Arguments or Considerations c. First The most eminent Saints both in the Old and New Testament have applied themselves to Private-Prayer Moses was alone in the Mount with God forty dayes and fourty nights Exod. 34. 28. So Abraham fills his mouth with Arguments and reasons the case out alone with God in Prayer to prevent Sodoms desolation and destruction and never leaves off pleading and praying till he had brought God down from fifty to ten Gen. 18. 22-32 and in Gen. 21. 33. you have Abraham again at his private prayers And Abraham planted a Grove in Beer-sheba and called there on the name of the Lord the everlasting God Why did Abraham plant a Grove but that he might have a most private place to pray and poure out his soul before the Lord in So Isaac Gen. 24. 63. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide The Hebrew word Lasuach that is here rendred Meditate signifies to pray as well as to meditate and so it is often used 'T is a comprehensive word that takes in both Prayer and Meditation So you shall find Jacob at his private-prayer Gen. 32. 24 25 26 27 28. And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day When Jacob was all alone and in a
in favour with God a man that art very pleasing and delightful to God God loves to lade the wings of private prayer with the sweetest choicest and chiefest blessings Ah how often hath God kissed a poor christian at the beginning of private prayer and spoke peace to him in the midst of private prayer and fill'd him with light and joy and assurance upon the close of private prayer And so Cornelius is highly commended and graciously rewarded upon the account of his private prayer Acts. 10. 1 2 3 4. There was a certain man in Cesarea called Cornelius a Centurion of the Band called the Italian Band a devout man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much Alms to the people and prayed to God alwayes He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth houre of the day an Angel of God coming in to him and saying unto him Cornelius And when he looked on him he was afraid and said what is it Lord and he said unto him thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God Vers 30. 31. And Cornelius said four dayes agoe I was fasting until this hour that is until about three a clock in the after-noon vers 3. and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house and behold a man stood before me in bright cloathing and said Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine Alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God Mark as he was praying in his house namely by himself alone a man in bright clothing that was an Angel in mans shape vers 3. appeared to him and said Cornelius thy prayer is heard he doth not mean only that prayer which he made when he fasted and humbled himself before the Lord vers 30. 31. but as vers 2 3 4. shews His prayers his prayers which he made alone for it seemes none else were with him then for he only saw that man in bright cloathing and to him alone the Angel addressed his present speech saying Cornelius thy prayers are heard vers 4 31. Here you see that Cornelius his private prayers are not only heard but kindly remembred and graciously accepted and gloriously rewarded Praying Cornelius is not only remembred by God but he is also visited sensibly and evidently by an Angel and assured that his private prayers and good deeds are an odour a sweet smel a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God And so when had Peter his Vision but when he was praying alone on the house-top Acts 10. 9 10 11 12 13. On the morrow as they went on their journey and drew nigh unto the City Peter went up unto the house-top to pray about the sxith hour And he became very hungry and would have eaten but while they made ready he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and a certain Vessel descending unto him as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air And there came a voice to him Rise Peter kill and eat When Peter was upon the house-top at prayer alone then he fell into a trance and then he saw Heaven opened and then he had his spirit raised his Mind clevated and all the Faculties of his soul filled with a Divine Revelation And so when Paâ—l was at prayer alone he saw in Acts 11 18. a Vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight Paul had not been long at private prayer before it was revealed to him that he was a chosen vessel before he was filled with the gifts Graces and Comforts of the Holy Ghost And when John was alone in the Isle of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ whither he was banished by Domitian a most cruel Emperor then he had a glorious Euseb l. 3. c. 18. Rev. 1. 9 ult Rev. 5. 1 to 9. sight of the Son of man and then the Lord discovered to him most deep and profound Mysteries both concerning the present and future state of the Church to the end of the world And when John was weeping in private prayer doubtless then the sealed book was opened to him So when Daniel was at private prayer God dispatches a heavenly messenger to him and his Errand was to open more clearly and fully the blessed Scripture to him Some comfortable encourraging knowledge this holy man Doctor Ames got his learning by privat prayer and so did Solomon his wisdom of God had attain'd unto before by his frequent and constant study in the word and this egges him on to private prayer and private prayer posts an Angel from heaven to give him a clearer and fuller light Private prayer is a Golden-key to unlock the mysteries of the word unto us The knowledge of many choice and blessed Truths are but the returns of private prayer The Word dwells most richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out of their hearts before God in their Closets When Bonaventure that seraphical Doctor as some call him was asked by Aquinas from what books and helps he derived such holy and divine expressions and contemplations He pointed to a Crucifix and said Iste est liber c. Prostrate in prayer at the feet of this Image my soul receiveth greater light from heaven than from all study and disputation Though this be a Monkish tradition superstitious Fiction yet some improvement may be made of it Certainly that Christian or that Minister that in private prayer lyes most at the feet of Jesus Christ he shall understand most of the mind of Christ in the Gospel and he shall have most of heaven and the things of his owne peace brought down into his heart There is no Service wherein christians have such a near familiar and friendly entercourse with God as in this of private prayer neither is there any Service wherein God doth more delight to make known his truth and faithfulness his grace and goodness his mercy and bounty his beauty and glory Bene orasse est bene studuisse Luther to poor Souls than this of private prayer Luther professeth That he profited more in the knowledge of the Scripture by private prayer in a short space than he did by study in a longer space As John by weeping in a corner got the sealed book opened Private prayer crownes God with the Honor and Glory that is due to his Name and God crowns private prayer with a discovery of those blessed weighty Truths to his servants that are a sealed book to others Certainly the soul usually enjoyes most communion with God Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus Never less alone than when alone said the Heathen And may not a Saint say so much more that hath communion with God Jer. 13. 1 2. in secret When a christian is
brother front the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he will come and smite me and the Mother with the children or upon the children meaning he he will put all to death Some look upon the words to be a metaphor taken from Fowlers who kill and take away the young and the Dams together contrary to that old law Deut. 22. 6. Others say 't is a Phrase that doth most lively represent the tenderness of a mother who seeing her children in distress spares not her own body nor life to hazard the same for her childrens preservation by interposing See Hos 10. 14. her self even to be massacred together with and upon them When Jacob and all that was near and dear unto him were in eminent danger of being cut off by Esau and those men of blood that were with him he betakes himself to private prayer as his only City of refuge against the rage and malice of the mighty And so when Jeremiah was in a solitary and loathsome Dungeon Private prayer was his meat and drink it was his only City of refuge Jer. 33. 1 2 3. Moreover the word of Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time while he was yet shut up in the Court of the prison saying Thus saith the Lord the Maker thereof the Lord that formed it to establish it the Lord is his Name Call unto me and I will answer thee I will shew thee great and mighty or hidden things which thou knowest not When Jeremiah was in a lonesome loathsome Prison God encourages him by private prayer to seek for further discoveries and revelations of those choice and singular favours which in future times he purposed to confer upon his people So 2 Chron. 33. 11 12 13. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the Host of the King of Assyria which took Manasseh among the thorns and bound him with fetters or chains and carried him to Babylon And when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his Kingdome Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God When Manasseh was in fetters in his enemies country when he was stript of all his Princely glory and led captive into Babylon he betakes himself to Private prayer as his only City of refuge and by this means he prevailes with God for his restauration to his Crown and Kingdome Private prayer is a City of refuge that no power nor Policy no craft nor cruelty no violence nor force is ever able to surprize Though the joynt prayers of the People of God together were often obstructed and hindered in the times of the ten Persecutions yet they were never able to obstruct or hinder secret prayer Private prayer When men and Devils have done their worst every Christian will be able to maintain his Private trade with Heaven Private prayer will shelter a christian against all the National Domestical and Personal stormes and tempests that may threaten him When a man is lying upon a sick bed alone or when a man is in prison alone or when a man is with Job left upon the Dunghil alone or when a man is with John banished for the Testimony of Jesus into this or that Island alone O then private prayer will be his meat and drink his shelter his hiding place his Heaven When all other Trades faile this Trade of private Prayer will hold good But. Fourteenthly Consider that Jer. 16. 17. Job 34. 21. Prov. 5. 21. Jer. 32. 19. Rev. 2. 23. Lam. 3 56. God is omnipresent We cannot get into any blind hole or dark corner or secret place but the Lord hath an eye there the Lord will keep us company there Math. 6. 6. And thy father which seeth in secret shall reward the openly So v. 18. there is not the darkest durtiest hole in the world into which a saint creeps but God hath a favourable eye there God never wants an eye to see our secret tears nor an eare to heare our secret cryes and groans nor a heart to grant our secret requests and therefore we ought to pour out our souls to him in secret Psal 38. 9. Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hide from thee Though our private desires are never so confused though our private requests are never so broken and though our private groanings are never so much hidden from men yet God eyes them all God records them all and God puts them all upon the file of heaven and will one day crown them with glorious answers and returns We cannot sigh out a prayer in secret but he sees us we cannot lift up our eyes to him at midnight but he observes us The eye that God hath upon his people when they are in secret is such a special tender eye of love as opens his ear his heart and his hand for their good 1 Pet. 3. 12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers or as the Greek hath it his ears are unto their prayers If their prayers are so faint that they cannot reach up as high as Heaven then God will bow the heavens God is totus oculus all eye and come down to their prayers Gods eye is upon every secret sigh every secret groan every secret tear and every secret desire and every secret pant of love and every secret breathing of soul and every secret melting and working of heart all which should encourage us to be much in secret duties in closet-services As a Christian is never out of the reach of Gods hand so he is never out of the view of Gods eye If a Christian cannot hide himself from the Sun which is Gods Minister of light how impossible will it be to hide himself from him whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun In every private duty a christian is stil under the eye of Gods omnisciency When we are in the darkest hole God hath windows into our breasts and observes all the secret actings of our inward man The 1 Tim. 2. 8. eye of God is not confined to this place or that to this company or that God hath an eye upon his people as well when they are alone as when they are among a multitude as well when they are in a corner as well as when they are in a croud Diana's Temple was burnt down when she was busie at Alexanders birth and could not be at two places together But God is present both in Paradise and in the wilderness both in the family and in the closet both in publick and in private at the same time God is an omnipresent God he is Non est ubi ubi non est Deus every where as he is included in no place so he is excluded from no place
Jer. 23. 24. Can any man hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Pro. 15. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good or contemplating the evil and the good as the Hebrew may be read Now to contemplate is more than simply to behold for contemplation addeth to a simple apprehension a deeper degree of knowledge entring into the very inside of a matter and so indeed doth God discern the very inward intentions of the heart and the most secret motions of the spirit God is an infinite and immense being whose center is every where and whose circumference is no where Now if our God be omnipresent then wheresoever we are our God is present with us if we are in prison alone with Joseph our God is present with us there or if we are in exile alone with David our God is present with us there or if we are alone in our closets our God is present with us there God seeth us in secret and therefore let us seek his face in secret Though Heaven be Gods Pallace yet it is not his prison But Fifteenthly He that willingly neglects private prayer shall certainly be neglected in his publick prayer he that will not call upon God in secret shall find by sad experience that God will neither hear him nor regard him in publick Want of private duties is the great reason why the hearts of many are so dead and dull so formal and carnal so barren and unfruitful under publick Ordinances O that Christians would seriously lay this to heart Certainly that man or womans heart is best in publick who is most frequent in private They make most yearnings in publick Ordinances that are most conscientiously exercised in closet duties No mans graces rises so high nor no mans experiences rises so high nor no mans communion with God rises so high nor no mans divine enjoyments rises so high nor no mans springs of comfort rises so high nor no mans hopes rises so high nor no mans parts and gifts rises so high c. as theirs do who conscientiously wait upon God in their Closets before they wait upon him in the Assembly of his people and who when they return from publick Ordinances retire into their Closets and look up to Heaven for a blessing upon the publick means 'T is certain that private duties fit the soul for publick ordinances He that makes conscience to wait upon God in private shall finde by experience that God will wonderfully blesse publick Mic. 2. 7. Ordinances to him My designe is not to set up one Ordinance of God above another nor to cause one ordinance of God to clash with another the publick wth the private or the private with the publick but that every Ordinance may have its proper place right The desires of my soul being to prize every Ordinance to praise every ordinance and to practise every Ordinance to improve every ordinance to blesse the Lord for every Ordinance But as ever you would see Psal 63. 1 2 3. the beauty and glory of God in his sanctuary as ever you would have publick Ordinances to be lovely and lively to your souls as ever you would have your drooping spirits revived and your languishing souls refreshed and your weak graces strengthned and your strong corruptions weakned under publick Ordinances be more careful conscientious in the performance of Closet duties O how strong in grace O how victorious over sin O how dead to the world O how alive to Christ O how fit to live O how prepared to die might many a Christian have been had they been but more frequent serious and conscientious in the discharge of Closet duties Not but that I think there is a truth in that saying of Bede the word Church being rightly understood viz. That he that comes not willingly to Church shall one day go unwillingly to Hell But Sixteenthly Consider the times wherein we live call aloud for secret prayer Hell seems to be broke loose and men turned into incarnate Devils Land-destroying and Soul-damning wickednesses walk up and down the streets with a Whores fore-head without the least check or controul Jer. 3. 3. Thou had'st a Whores fore-head thou refusest to be ashamed Jer. 6. 15. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination nay they were not at allashamed neither could they blush They had Curtius an heathen could say That he was an undone man that knoweth no shame sinned away shame instead of being ashamed of sin Custom in sin had quite banished all sence of sin and all shame for sin so that they would not suffer nature to draw her vail of blushing before their great abominations They were like to Caligula a wicked Emperor who used to say of himself That he loved nothing better in himself than that he could not be ashamed The same words are repeated in Chap. 8. 12. How applicable these Scriptures are to the present times I will leave the prudent reader to judge But what doth the Prophet do now they were as bold in sin and as shameless as so many harlots that you may see in Jer. 13. 17. But if ye will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places or secresies for your pride and mine eye shall weep sore Heb. weeping weep or shedding tears shed tears the doubling of the verb notes the bitter and grievous lamentation that he should make for them and run down with tears Now they were grown up to that heighth of sin and wickedness that they were above all shame and blushing now they were grown so proud so hardned so obstinate so rebellious so mad upon mischief that no mercies could melt them or allure them nor no threatnings nor judgements could any wayes terrifie them or stop them the Prophet goes into a corner he retires himself into the most secret places and there he weeps bitterly there he weeps as if he were resolved to drown himself in his own tears When the springs of sorrow rise high a Christian turns his back upon company and retires himself into places of greatest privacy that so he may the more freely and the more fully vent his sorrow and grief before the Lord. Ah England England what pride luxury lasciviousness licentiousness wantonness drunkenness cruelties injustice oppressions fornications adulteries falshoods hypocrisie bribery atheisme horrid blasphemies and hellish impieties are now to be found rampant in the midst of thee Ah England England how are the Lords Sabbaths profaned pure Ordinances despised Scriptures rejected the Spirit resisted and derided the righteous reviled wickedness countenanced and Christ many thousand times in a day by these cursed practises a fresh crucified Ah England England were our forefathers alive how sadly would they blush to see such a horrid degenerate posterity as is to be found in the midst of thee How is our forefathers hospitality converted into riot and luxury their frugallity into
is a very great enemy to secret prayer Secret prayer is a scourge a hell to Satan every secret prayer adds to the Devils torment and every secret sigh adds to his torment and every secret groan adds to his torment every secret tear adds to his torment When a child of God is on his knees in his secret addresses There is no one thing that many hundred Christians have more sadly lamented and bewailed as many saithful Ministers can witness than the sad interruptions that they have met with from Satan when they have been with God alone in a room in a corner O! how often have they been scared affrighted and amazed by noyses strange apparitions at least to their fancies when they have been alone with God in a corner to God O the strange thoughts the earthly thoughts the wandring thoughts the distracted thoughts the hideous thoughts the blasphemous thoughts that Satan often injects into his soul and all to wean him from secret prayer and to weary him of secret prayer Sometimes he tells the soul that 't is in vain to seek God in secret and at other times he tells the soul 't is too late to seek God in secret for the door of mercy is shut and there is no hope no help for the soul Sometimes he tells the soul that 't is enough to seek God in Publick and at other times he tells the soul that 't is but a precise trick to seek the Lord in private Sometimes he tells the soul that 't is not elected and therefore all his secret prayers shall be rejected and at other times he tells the soul that 't is sealed up unto the day of wrath and therefore secret prayer can never reverse that seal and all this to dishearten and discourage a poor Christian in his secret retirements Sometimes Satan will object to a poor Christian the greatness of his sins at other times he will object against a Christian the greatness of his unworthyness Sometimes he will object against a Christian his want of grace and at other times he will object against a Christian his want of gifts to manage such a duty as it should be managed Sometimes he will object against a Christian his former streightnedness in secret prayer and at other times he will object against a Christian the smal yearnings that he makes of secret prayer and all to work the soule out of love with secret prayer yea to work the soul to loath secret prayer so deadly an enemy is Satan to secret prayer O the strange fears fancies and conceits that Satan often raises in the spirits of Christian when they are alone with God in a corner and all to work them to cast off private prayer 'T is none of Satans least designes to interrupt a Christian in his private trade with God Satan watches all a Christians motions so that he cannot turn into his closet nor creep into any hole to converse privately with his God but he followes him hard at heels will be stil injecting one thing or another into the soul or else objecting one thing or another against the soul A Christian is as well able to tell the stars of Heaven and to number the sands of the sea as he is able to number up the several devices and slights that Satan uses to obstruct the souls private addresses to God Now from that great opposition that Satan makes against private prayer a Christian may safely conclude these five things First The excellency of private prayer Certainly If it were not an excellent thing for a man to be in secret with God Satan would never make such head against it Secondly The necessity of this duty The more necessary any duty is to the internal and eternal welfare of a Christian the more Satan will bestir himself to blunt a Christians Spirit in that duty Thirdly The utility or profit that attends a conscientious discharge of this duty Where we are like to gain most there Satan loves to oppose most Fourthly The prevalency of private prayer If there were not a kind of an omnipotency in it if it were not able to doe wonders in heaven and wonders on earth and wonders in the hearts and lives and wayes of men Satan would never have such an akeing tooth against it as he hath Fifthly That God is highly honoured by this duty or else Satan would never be so greatly enraged against it This is certaine The more Glory God hath from any service we do the more Satan will strive by all his wiles and slights to take us either off from that service or so to interrupt us in that service that God may have no honour nor we no good nor himself no hurt by our private retirements But in the Twentieth and last place consider that you are only the Lords secret ones his hidden ones and therefore if you do not apply your selves to private prayer and to your secret retirements that you may enjoy God in a corner none will 'T is only Gods hidden ones his secret ones that are spirited principled and prepared to waite on God in secret Exod. 19. 5. Then shall ye be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people The Hebrew word Segullah signifieth Gods special Jewels Gods proper ones or Gods secret ones that he keeps in store for himself and for his own special service and use Princes lock up with their own hands in secret their most precious and costly Jewels and so doth God his Psal 135. 4. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure or for his secret Gem. Psal 83. 3. They have taken craftie counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones or thy secret ones so called partly because God hides them in the secret of his Tabernacle partly because God sets Psal 31. 20. as high a value upon them as men do upon their hidden treasure their secret treasure yea he makes more reckoning of them than he doth of all the world besides And so the world shall know when God shall arise to revenge the wrongs and injuries that hath been done to his secret ones Neither are there any on earth that knowes so much of the secrets of his love of the secrets of his counsels of the secrets of his purposes of the secrets of his heart as his secret ones do Neither are there any in all the world that are under those secret influences those secret assistances those secret incomes those secret anointings of the Spirit as his secret ones are under And therefore no wonder if God calls them again and gain and again his secret ones Now what can be more comely or more desireable than to see their natures and their practices to answer to their names They are the Lords secret ones his hidden ones and therefore how highly doth it concern them to be much with God in secret and to hide themselves with God in a corner Shall
a keeper of sheep Gen. 4. 2. Noah was a Husbandman Gen. 10. 20. The sons of Jacob were shepherds and keepers of Cattle Gen. 46. 34 c. And all the Apostles before they were called to the work of the Ministry had their particular callings By the law of Mahomet the great Turk himself is bound to exercise some manual Trade or occupation Solon made a Law That the son Plutarch in the life of Solon should not be bound to relieve his father when old unless he had set himself in his youth to some occupation And at Athens every man gave a yearly account to the Magistrate by what trade or course of life he mantained himself which if he could not do he was banished And 't is by all Writers condemned as a very great vanity in Dionysius that would needs be the best Poet. And Caligula that would needs be the best Oratour And in Nero that would needs be the best Fidler and so became the three worst Princes by minding more other mens businesse than their own particular calling But for a man to evade or neglect private prayer under pretence of his particular calling is a greeable to no Scripture yea 't is contrary to very many Scriptures as is evident by the many Arguments formerly cited Certainly no mans calling is a calling away from God or godliness It never entered into the heart of God that our particular callings should ever drive out of doores our general calling of Christianity Look as our general calling must not eat up our particular calling so our particular calling must not eat up our general calling Certainly our partilar calling must give place to our general calling Did not the woman of Samaria leave her water-pot and run into the city and John 4. 28 29. say come see a man that told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ Did not the shepherds leave their flocks in the field and goe to Bethlehem and declare the good tidings of great joy that they had Luke 2. 8 21. heard of the Angel viz. That there was born that day in the citie of David a Saviour which was Christ the Lord And did not Christ commend Mary Luke 10. 38 ult for that holy neglect of her particular calling when she sat at his seet and heard his word And what do all these instances shew but that our particular callings must give the right hand to the general calling of christianity Certainly the works of our general calling are far more great and glorious more eminent and excellent more high and noble than the works of our particular callings are and therefore 't is much more to lerable for our general calling to borrow time of our particular calling than 't is for our particular calling to borrow time of our general calling Certainly those men are very ignorant or very prophane that either think themselves so closely tied up to follow their particular callings six dayes in the week as that they must not intermeddle with any religious services or that think their particular callings to be a gulf or a grave designed by God to swallow up private prayer in God who is the Lord of time hath reserved some part of our time to himself every day Though the Jews Deut. 6. 6 7 8. were commanded to labour six dayes of the week yet they were Exod. 29. 38 39. Num. 28. 3. commanded also to offer up morning and evening sacrifice daily The Jews divided the day into three parts The first to Prayer The second for the reading of the Law And the third for the works of their lawful callings As bad as the Jews were yet they every day set a part of the day apart for religious exercises Certainly they are worse than Jews that spend all their time about their particular callings and shut closet prayer quite out of doors Certainly that mans soul is in a very ill case who is so entangled with the incumbrances of the world that he can spare no time for private prayer If God be the Lord of thy mercies the Lord of thy time and the Lord of thy soul how can'st thou with any equity or honour put off his service under a pretence of much business that man is lost that man is curst who can find time for any thing but none to meet with God in his Closet That man is doubtless upon the brink of ruine whose worldly business eats up all thoughts of God of Christ of Heaven of Eternity of his Soul and of his soul concernments But Eighthly lastly I answer The more worldly business lyes upon thy hand the more need hast thou to keep close to thy closet Much business layes a man open to many sins and to many snares and to many temptations Now the more sins snares and temptations a mans business lays him open to the more need that man hath to be much in private prayer that his soul may be kept pure from sin and that his foot may not be taken in the Devils trap and that he may stand fast in the hour of temptation Private prayer is so far from Psal 1. 2 3. Psal 127. 1 2. Psal 128. 1. 2. being a hinderance to a mans business that 't is the way of wayes to bring down a blessing from heaven upon a mans business as the first fruits that Gods people gave to him brought down a blessing from heaven upon all the rest Deut. 26. 10 11. Whet is no let Prayer and Provender never hinders a Journey Private prayer is like to Jacob Gen. 30. 27 30. that brought down a blessing from heaven upon all that Laban had Private prayer gives a man a sanctified use both of all his earthly comforts and of all his earthly business and this David and Daniel found by experience and therefore 't was not their great publick imployments that could take them off from their private duties Time spent in heavenly imployments is Deut. 28. 1 to 8. no time lost from worldly business Private prayer makes all we take in hand successful Closet prayer hath made many rich but it never made any man poor or beggarly in this world No man on earth knows what may be the emergencies or the occurrences of a day Prov. 27. 1. Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Every day is as it it were a great-belly'd day Every day is as it were with child of something but what it will bring forth whether a cross or a comfort no man can tell as whilst a woman is with child no man can tell what kind of birth it will be No man knows what mercies a day may bring forth no man knowes what miseries a day may bring forth no man knows what good a day may bring forth no man knows what evil a day may bring forth no man knowes what afflictions a day may bring forth no man knows
Prince that ever sat upon a Throne who was guided by an infallible spirit hath delivered it for a standing maxim above 2000 years agoe That the Righteous is more excellent Prov. 12. 26 than his neighbour When Solomon dropt this Aphorism from his royal pen there was not a man in the world that was legally righteous Adam all his posterity being fallen Psal 14. 1 2 3. Rom. 3. 9 10 11 12. Lam. 5. 16. from all their honour glory dignity and excellency into a most woful Gulf of sin and misery and therefore Solomon must be understood of him that is evangelically righteous He that is evangelically righteous be he Master or servant rich or poor bond or free high or low is more excellent then his neighbour And O that all masters would seriously consider of this that they may carry it no more so proudly so loftily so scornfully so frowardly so strangly so sowrly so bitterly so rigorously towards their pious servants as not to afford them a little time to pour out their souls before the Lord in a corner I have read of Ingo an ancient King of the Draves and Veneds who making a stately feast appointed all his Pagan Nobles to sit in the Hall below and at the same time commanded certain poor Christians to be brought up into his presence Chamber to fit with him at Aenaeus Sylvius cap. 20. Europ Aven lib. 3. Annalium his Table that they might eat of his kingly chear at which many wondering he told them That he accounted Christians though never so poor a greater ornament at his Table and more worthy of his company than the greatest Nobles that were not converted to the Christian faith for saith he when these Pagan Nobles shall be thrust down to Hell these poor Christians shall be my consorts and fellow Princes in Heaven Certainly this noble Prince will one day rise in Judgement against all sowre churlish Labans who carry it so harshly and so severely towards their gracious servants as Ephes 69. that they will not allow them a little time to wait upon God in a hole Why should not gracious masters give their gracious servants a little time for closet prayer now considering that they are sharers with them in all the fundamental good that comes by Christ in this world and considering that they shall be partakers with them in all the glory of another world The Every man hath two things to look unto more than all the world be side a body and a soul for the one ery one is either a Fool or a Physitian for the other either a Devil or a Divine saith one poorest servant in a family hath a soul more precious than heaven and earth and the greatest work that lies upon his hand in this world is to look to the eternal safety security of that for if that be safe all is safe if that be well all is well but if that be lost all is lost Every gracious servant though he be never so poor and mean yet hath he the image of God the image of the King of Kings stampt upon him and wo to him that shall wrong or despise or trample upon that image Certainly God himself is wronged by the injury that is done to his image The contempt and despite that is done to the image or coyn of a King is done to the King himself and accordingly he will revenge it If it was a capital crime in Tiberâ—us his dayes to carry the image of Augustus upon a Ring or Coyn into any sordid place as Suetonius saith it was what crime must it be in those masters who despise revile reproach scorn abuse and tread under foot such servants as have the image of the great God stampt upon their souls and all because they look God-ward Christ-ward Heaven-ward Holiness-ward Duty-ward Masters should never twit their servants in the Prov. 22. 2. Chap. 17. 5. teeth with their inferiority penury poverty misery mean parentage or servile condition but remember that these things are more the Creators pleasure than the servants fault and that that God that hath made the master rich and the servant poor can as quickly make the master poor and the servant rich God many times puts down Luke 1. 52. the mighty from their seats and exalts them of low degree Certainly no master nor mistress should dare to insult or triumph over such servants as have souls as noble as their own but they should seriously and frequently consider of Solomons Aphorisme The righteous though a servant though the meanest amongst all the servants is more excellent than his neighbour and accordingly give them a little time and liberty to converse with God in secret And O that all gracious servants would discover themselves to be more excellent than their neighbours by making more conscience of private prayer than their neighbours do and by being more in their closets than their neighbours are and by delighting themselves in their secret retirements more than their neighbours will and by redeeming some time for God for their souls and for eternity more than their neighbours do But Seventhly I answer That God is only the Lord of time Time is Hab. 2. 3. Dan. 11. 27. 29. 35. Job 7. 1. Psal 102. 13 Eccl. 3. 1. Dan. 2. 21 Isa 60. 22. Job 14. 14. more the Lords than 't is thy masters and therefore 't is no neglecting of thy masters business to take a little time daily for private prayer Times do belong to providence as well as issues and as God is the God of our mercies so he is the Lord of our times My times are in thy hands saith David Psal 31. 15. Not only the times of his sorrows but also the times of his comforts not only the times of his miseries but also the times of his mercies not only the times of his dangers but also the times of his duties were in the hands of God 'T is observable the Psalmist doth not say time but times in the plural to shew that every point and period of time depends upon the hand of God One complaining of those who say Come let us talk together to pass away the time with grief of spirit Bernard Serm. de tripl custod cryes out O donec praetereat hora c. O until the hour be gone O until time be past which the mercy of thy maker hath bestowed upon thee to performe repentance to procure pardon to gain grace and to obtain glory That servant that borrows a little time every day to seek the face of God in a corner borrows it rather of God than of his master and therefore why should his master swell or rage or complain considering that God never made him Lord of time But Eighthly I answer That servants should rather redeem time from their sleep their recreations their daily meals than neglect closet duty a day And certainly those servants that out of conscience towards
God and out of a due regard to the internal and eternal welfare of their own souls shall every day redeem an hours time from their sleep or sports or feedings to spend with God in secret they shall find by experience that the Lord will make a few hours sleep sweeter and better than many hours sleep to them and their outward sports shall be made up with inward delights and for their common bread God will feed them with that bread that came down from heaven Sirs was not Christ The Evangelist applies these words to Christ Mat. 12. 15 16 17 18. his Fathers servant Isa 4â— 1. Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect or choice one in whom my soul delighteth or is well pleased I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles Christ is called Gods servant in regard of his humane nature and in regard of his office of Mediatorship and did not he redeem time from his natural rest rather than he would omit private prayer Mark 1. 35. And in the morning rising up a great while before day he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed Christ spent the day in preaching in healing the sick in working of miracles and rather than these noble works should shut out private prayer he rises a great while before day that he might have some time to wrestle with his Father in secret So Luke 6. 12. And it came to pass in those dayes that he went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God O sirs did Christ spend whole nights in private prayer for the salvation of your souls and will you think it much to redeem an hours time from your natural rest to seek and to serve him in a corner and to make sure the things of your everlasting peace The redeeming of time for private prayer is the redeeming of a precious treasure which if once lost can never fully be recovered again If riches should make themselves wings and fly away they may return again as they did to Job or if credit and honour and worldly greatness and renown should fly away they may return again as they did to Nebuchadnezzar If success and famous victories and conquests should make themselves wings and fly away they may return again as they did to many of the Roman Conquerors and others But if Sophocles Phocilides c. time whom the Poets paint with wings to shew the volubility and swiftness of it fly from us it will never more return unto us A great Lady of this Land on Queen Elizabeth her dying bed cried out Call time again call time again a world of wealth for an inch of time but time past was never nor could never be recall'd The Aegyptians drew the picture of Time with three heads The First was of a greedy Wolf gaping for time past because it hath ravenously devoured even the memory of so many things past recalling The Second Of a crowned Lyon roaring for time present because it hath the principality of all action for which it calls aloud And the Third was of a deceitful Dog fawning for time to come because it feedes fond men with many flattering hopes to their eternal undoing O that all this might prevail with servants to redeem time for private prayer And if my counsel might take place I should rather advise servants to redeem some time for private prayer from their sleep or lawful recreations or set meales c. than to spend in private prayer that time which their masters call their time especially if their Masters be unconverted and in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity and that for these five Reasons First Because this may be a means to prevent much Sin on the Masters side Masters that are in their unregenerate estate are very apt to storm and take on and let fly against God and Christ and Religion profession c. When they see their servants spend that time in private prayer or in any oother religious excercise which according to their understanding is their time and ought to be wholly spent in following their businesses Now gracious servants should have that honourable respect and that tender affection and that Christian compassion to their Masters souls as to do to the utmost all that lyes in them to prevent their Masters from contracting guilt upon their souls or from Jude 22 23. making work for repentance for hell or for the Physitian of souls The Persians the Turks and many Indians are so compassionate that they erect Hospitals not only for lame and diseased Men but also for Birds Beasts Dogs that are either aged starved or hurt O then what tender compassions should gracious servants exercise towards their Masters souls which are Jewels more worth then heaven and earth But Secondly Because this may be a means to convince the Judgments and Consciences of their Masters that there is some worth some excellency some sweetness c. to be found in private prayer and in other closet duties for when Masters shall observe their servants to redeem time for closet duties from their very sleep recreations dinner suppers they will be ready to conclude that certainly there is more worth more goodness more sweetness more excellency more glory more gain in closet duties than ever they have understood felt or experienced c. and that there very poor servants are better and more righteous than themselves Sotomen reports that the devout life of a poore Captive Christian woman made a King all his Family imbrace the Faith of Jesus Christ Good works convince more than Miracles themselves I have read of one Pachomius a souldier under Constantine the Emperor how that his Army being almost starved for want of necessary provision he came to a city of Christians and they of their own charity relieved them speedily and freely he wondering at their free and noble charity enquired what kind of people they were whom he saw so bountiful it was answered that they were Christians whose profession it is to hurt no man and do good to every man hereupon Pachomius convinced of the excellency of this Religion threw away his Arms and became a Christian a Saint Look as Husbands sometimes 1 Pet. 3. 1 2. are won by the conversation of their wives without the word so Masters may sometimes be won by the gracious carriage and conversation of their servants without the word The servants redeeming of time for private duties upon the hardest and severest tearms may be so blest to the Master that it may issue in his conviction conversion and salvation There is a may-be for it and a very may-be should be a sufficient encouragement for every gracious servant to do all he can to save the soul of his Master from going down into the infernal Pit But Thirdly Because the servants redeeming of time from his sleep recreations meals for
given us of his Spirit That all the Children of God have the Spirit of God may be further made evident by an induction of these seven particulars First They are all sanctified by the Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 11. Ye are sanctified by the Spirit of our God I do not say that they are all equally sanctified by the Spirit but I say they are all really sanctified by the Spirit Though all the servants of Christ have their Talents yet all have not Mat. 25. 15. their ten Talents nor all have not their five Talents nor all have not their two Talents some have only their one Talent Though Benjamins Mess was five times as much Gen. 43. 32 33 34. as his brethrens Mess yet every one of his brethren had their Mâ—ss so though some Christians have five times more measures of the Spirit and more measures of light of love of holiness of heavenly mindedness c. than others have yet every Christian hath some measures of the Spirit and some measures of grace and holiness c. Though some are Babes in Christ 1 Pet. 2. 2. 1 John 2. 12 13 14. and others are Children in Christ though some are young Men in Christ and others are old Men in Christ yet every one of them is John 3. 8. born of the Spirit of Christ Though none of the people of God in this life have the Spirit in perfection yet every one of them have so much of the Spirit as will bring him to salvation every Christian hath so much of the Spirit as will bring Christ and his Soul together and therefore without all peradventure every Christian hath so much of the Spirit as will at last bring Heaven and his Soul together Secondly They are all led by the Spirit Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Every Child of God hath a twofold Guide the Word without and the Spirit within Isa 30. 20 21. How the Spirit leads by the rule of the Word and how he leads Prov. 6. 22. Ephes 5. 9. to God and leads to Christ and leads to Truth and leads to Righteousness and leads to Holiness and leads to Happiness I shall not now undertake to shew Thirdly They are all upheld strengthned by the Spirit Ps 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit or underprop me or sustain me as the Hebrew hath it with thy free voluntary Spirit or as the Greek turns it with thy noble princely Spirit So Eph. 3. 16. To be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man By the inner man some understand the regenerate part of man others by the inner man do understand the soul with all its noble faculties and motions Take the words which way you will 't is certain that all the spiritual might and strength that a Christian hath he hath it from the holy Spirit Though the Spirit strengthens every Christian in the inner man yet I do not say that the Spirit strengthens every Christian alike in the inward man Some have stronger corruptions to subdue than others and more violent temptations to with-stand than others and greater difficulties to wrestle with than others and choicer mercies to improve than others and higher and harder duties of Religion to mannage than others and accordingly they are more strengthned in the inner man than others Fourthly They are all partakers of the first-fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. Our selves have the first-fruits of the Spirit which are but as a handful of corn in respect of the whole crop All the grace 2 Cor. 1. 22. and all the holiness which we have from the regenerating Spirit at first conversion is but a drop to that Sâ—a a mite to those Talents which we shall receive in the life to come Fifthly They are all taught by Isa 59. 21. the Spirit John 14. 26. The holy-Ghost whom the father will send in my name he shall teach you all things This promise primarily belongs to the Apostles Secondarily to all believers Though these words were spoken at first to the Apostles only yet they were not spoken of the Apostles only Isa 54. 13. In the words there are three things promised to the Apostles First Immediate illumination by the Spirit of God Secondly A full knowledge of all those truths belonging to their Apostolical office and that were necessary for them at that juncture of time Thirdly Absolute infallibility as to matter oâ— Doctrine There are also three things promised to all beleevers First Mediate illumination teaching truths by the Spirit of truth in the use of the meanes of grace Secondly Knowledge of all truth necessary to salvation Thirdly infallibility too so far forth as they adhere and keep close to the spirits teaching in the word Philo saith That the primitive Christians were called Tillers because as husbandmen till their fields and manure their grounds so did they teach their Families and nurture their Children and servants with good instructions O what choice teachings of the spirit were these primitive Christians under who made it so much their business their work to teach those that were under their charge So John 1. 2 27. But the 1 Thes 4. 9. 2 Cor. 3. 8. anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth Not that we know all things simply or that we need not a Ministry to teach and instruct us but he speaks comparatively you shall not be so helped by any instructions without the Spirit as with the Spirit The Spirit shall declare the truth as it is in Jesus more clearly more freely more particularly more certainly more universally more 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11 12. 1 Tim. 4. 1. John 16. 25 Isa 48 17. Eccl. 11. 5. effectually than any other is able to doe The Spirit this holy unction shall teach the Saints all things not all things knowable for that is impossible for finite creatures to attain unto Who knows the motions of the heavens the influences of the stars the nature of the creatures or how the bones doe grow in the womb of her that is with child who knowes the reason why the River Nilus should overflow in the summer when waters are at the lowest or why the load-stone should draw Iron to it or incline to the Pole-star Pliny tells us of one that spent Lib. 11. c. 9. eight and fifty years in learning out the nature of the Bee and yet had not fully attained to it How is it possible then for the wisest naturalist to enter into the deep things of God! Paul that learned his divinity among 1 Cor. 13. 9 10 11. the Angels and that had the holy-Ghost for his immediate teacher tells us plainly That he knew but in part and O then how little a part of that part do we know But the Spirit teacheth
extraordinary Fourthly There is moral self which includes a freedome from gross hainous enormous wickednesses and a fair sweet harmless behaviour towards men Fifthly There is relative self which takes in our nearest and dearest relations in the flesh as Psal 45. 7 8 9 10 11. Wife Children Father Mother Brothers Sisters c. Now when a man comes thus universally to deny himself for Christ's sake and the Gospels sake and Religion sake then the Spirit of the Lord comes and seals him up unto the day of redemption This is a truth confirmed by the experiences of many Martyrs now in Heaven and by the testimony of many Christians still alive Seventhly Sacrament times are sealing times In that feast of fat things God by his Spirit seals up his love to his people and his covenant to his people and pardon of sin to his people and heaven and happiness to his people There are many precious souls that have found Christ in this Ordinance when they could not find him in other Ordinances though they have sought him sorrowingly In this Ordinance many a distressed soul hath been strengthned comforted and sealed I might give you many instances take one for all There was a gracious woman who after God had filled her soul with comfort and sealed up his everlasting love to her fell under former fears and trouble of Spirit and being at the Lords Supper a little before the bread was administred to her Satan seemed to appear to her and told her that she should not presume to eat but at that very nick of time the Lord was pleased to bring into her mind that passage in the Canticles Eat O my friends Cant. 5. 1. But notwithstanding this Satan still continued terrifying of her and when she had eaten he told her that she should not drink but then the Lord brought that second clause of the Verse to her remembrance Drink yea drink abundantly or be drunk as the Hebrew hath it my beloved or my loves as the Hebrew hath it All faithful souls are Christs Loves and so she drank also and presently was filled with such unspeakable joyes that she hardly knew how she got home Which soul-ravishing joyes continued for a fortnight after and filled her mouth with songs of praise so that she could neither sleep nor eat more than she forced her self to do out of conscience of duty At the fortnights end when God was pleased to abate her measure of joy she came to a setled peace of conscience and assurance of the love of God so that for twenty years after she had not so much as a cloud upon her spirit or the least questioning of her interest in Christ But Eighthly When God calls his people to some great and noble work when he puts them upon some high services some difficult duties some holy and eminent imployments then his Spirit comes and sets his seal upon them Jer. 1. 5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctifyed thee and I ordained thee to be a prophet unto the Nations The Lord sending the Prophet Jeremiah to denounce most dreadful judgements against a rebellious people an impudent brazen-faced Nation he assures him of his eternal election and of his choice presence and singular assistance in that work that he set him about vers 8 17 18 19. Thus the Lord dealt with Peter James and John Matth. 17. 1 to the 6th and thus he dealt with Paul Acts 9 to 23. Ninthly When they are taken up into more than ordinary communion with God then is the Spirits sealing time When was it that the Spouse cried out My beloved is mine and I am his but when Christ brought her to his banquetting house and his banner over her was love Cant. 2. 16. 3 4 5 6. compared c. Tenthly and lastly When Christians give themselves up to private prayer when Christians are more than ordinarily exercised in secret prayer in Closet duties then the Spirit comes and seals up the Covenant and the Love of the Father to them When Daniel Dan. 9. 20 21 22 23. had been wrestling and weeping and weeping and wrestling all day long with God in his Closet then the Angel tells him that he was a man greatly beloved of God or a man of great desires as the Original hath it There was a gracious Woman who after much frequenting of Sermons and walking in the ways of the Lord fell into great desertions but being in secret prayer God came in with abundance of light and comfort sealing up to her soul that part of his Covenant viz. I will take the stony heart out of Ezek. 11. 19 20. their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes and keep mine ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God And thus I have given you a brief account of the Spirits special sealing times Now mark This seal God sets upon all his wares upon all his adopted children for sooner or later there are none of his but are sealed with this seal God sets his John 3. 3. 2 Thess 2. 13. Heb. 12. 14. seal of Regeneration he stamps his Image of Holiness upon all his people to difference and distinguish them from all prophane moral and hypocritical persons in the World Doubtless the sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost imprinting the draughts and lineaments of Gods Image of Righteousness and Holiness upon Man as a seal or signet doth leave an impression and stamp of its likeness upon the thing sealed is the seal of the Spirit spoken of in Scripture 2 Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity But to prevent mistakes you must remember that though the Spirit of the Lord first or last will set his seal upon every real Saint yet the impression of that seal is not alike visible in all for some bear this impression as Babes others as men grown up to some maturity All Gods adopted children bear this impression truly but none of them bear it perfectly in this life Sometimes this seal of Regeneration this seal of Holiness is so plain and obvious that a man may run read it in himself and others and at other times 't is so obscure and dark that he can hardly discern it either in himself or others This seal is so lively stampt on some of Gods people that it discovers it self very visibly eminently gloriously but on others it is not alike visible And thus I have made it evident by these seven particulars that all the children of God have the Spirit of God Now mark The Spirit of God that is in all the Saints is a Spirit of prayer and supplication Rom. 8. 15. Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba
can easily find out private places for their dogs to lye in and their swine to sleep in and their horses to stand in and their oxen to feed in c. who can't find out a private place to seek the face of God in But did these men but love their God or their souls or private prayer or eternity as well or better than their beasts they would not be such bruiâ—es but that they would quickly find out a hole a corner to wait upon the Lord in But Secondly I Answer If a Christian be on the top of the house with Peter he may pray there or if he be walking in the field with Isaac he may pray there or if he be on the mountain with Christ he may pray there or if he be behind the door with Paul he may pray there or if he be waiting at table with Nehemiah he may secretly pray there or if he be in a wood he may pray there as the primitive Christians in times of persecution did or if he be behind a tree he may pray there or if he be by the Sea side he may pray there as the Apostles did 'T was a choice saying of Austin Every Saint is Gods Temple saith he and he that carryes his temple about him may go to prayer when he pleaseth Some Saints have never had so much of heaven brought down into their hearts as when they have been with God in a corner O the secret manifestations of divine love the secret kisses the secret embraces the secret influences the secret communion with God that many a precious Christian hath had in the most solitary places it may be behind the door or behind the wall or behind the hedge or behind the arbour or behind the tree or behind the rock or behind the bush c. But Thirdly and lastly didst thou never in thy unregenerate estate make use of all thy wits and parts and utmost endeavours to find out convenient seasons and secret corners and solitary places to sin in and to dishonour thy God in and to undoe thine owne and others souls in yes I remember with shame and blushing that 't was so with me when I was dead in Eph. 2. 1 2 3. trespasses and sins and walked according to the course of this world O how much then doth it concern thee in thy renewed sanctified and raised estate to make use of all thy wits and parts and utmost endeavours to find out the fittest seasons and the most secret corners and solitary places thou canst to honour thy God in and to seek the welfare of thine owne and others souls in O that men were but as serious studious and industrious to find out convenient seasons secret places to please and serve and glorifie the Lord in as they have been serious studious and industrious to find out convenient seasons and secret places to displease and grieve the Spirit of the Lord in But Sixthly and lastly others may further object and say we would be often in private with God we would give our selves up to closet prayer but that we can no sooner shut our closet doors but a multitude of infirmities weaknesses and vanities doe face us and rise up against us our hearts being full of distempers and follies and our bodies say some are under great indispositions and our souls say others are under present indispositions and how then can we seek the face of God in a corner how can we wrestle with God in our closets c. Now to this Objâ—ction I shall give these six Answers 1. Iâ— these kinds of reasonings or arguings were sufficient to shut private prayer out of doores where lives that man or woman that husband or wife that father or child that master or servant that Psa 40. 12. Psal 51. 5. Rom. 7. 15 24. Psal 130. 3. 1 Cor. 4. 4. 2 Chr. 6. 36. Phil. 3. 12. would ever bè found in the practise of that duty Where is there a person under heaven whose heart is not full of infirmities weaknesses follies and vanities and whose body and soul is not too often indisposed to closet duties 1 Kings 8. 46. If they sin against thee for there is no man that sinneth not c. Eccl. Grace in this life is like Gold in the ore full of mixture 7. 20. For there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Job 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an uncleane not one Job 9. 30 31. If I wash my self with Snow-water and make my hands never so clean Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch and mine owne cloaths shall abhor me Job 9. 20. If I justifie my self my owne mouth shall condemne me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Psal 143. 2. And enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified James 3. 2. For in many things we offend all 1 John 1. 8. If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Such that affirme that men may be fully perfect in this life or without sin in this life they do affirme that which is expresly contrary to the Scriptures last cited and to the universal experience of all Saints who daily feel and lament over that body of sin and death that they bare about with them yea they do affirme that which is quite contrary to the very state or constitution of all the Saints in this life In every Saint the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit lusteth against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other so that they cannot do the things Gal. 5. 17. that they would In every good Eph. 4. 22 23 24. man there are two men the old man and the new the one must be daily put on and the other daily put off All Saints have a law in their members rebelling against the law of their minds so that the Rom. 7. 23. 15. comp good that they would doe they do not and the evil that they would not do that they do They have two contrary principles in them from whence proceeds two manner of actions motions and inclinations continually opposite one to another hence it is that there is a continual combat in them like the strugling of the Twins in Rebecah's womb An absolute perfection is peculiar to the triumphant state of Gods Elect in Heaven Heaven is the onely priviledged place where no unclean thing can Rev. 23. 21 enter in that 's the only place where neither sin nor Satan shall ever get footing Such as dream of an absolute perfection in this life do confound and jumble heaven Heb. 12. 22 23. and earth together the state of the Church militant with the state of the Church Triumphant which are certainly distinct both in
time and place and in order measure and concomitants This dangerous opinion of absolute perfection in this life shakes the very foundation of Religion and overthrows the Gospel of grace it renders the satisfaction of Christ and all his great transactions null and void it tells the world that there is no need of faith of repentance of ordinances of watchfulness They that say they have no sin say they have no need of the blood of Christ to cleanse them 1 John 1. 7 from sin Such as say they have no sin say they have no need of Faith to rest upon Christ for imputed Righteousness to justifie their persons Such as say they have no Mat. 1. 21. 1 Thes 1. ult sin say they have no need of Christ as King to subdue their lusts nor as Priest to expiate offences nor as Prophet to teach and instruct them nor as a Saviour to save them from their sins or from wrath to come They that have a perfect righteousnesse of their own need not be be holden to Christ for his pure perfect spotless matchlesse Righteousnesse Such as are without sin have no cause to repent of sin nor yet to watch against sin Such as are perfect can't say we are unprofitable servants But are they indeed just then they must live by faith Heb. 2. 4. Are they men and not Angels then they must repent Acts â—7 30. For now he commands all men every where to repent Surely the best of men are but men at the best O how bad must those men be who make God himself a lyar 1 John 1. 10 But if these men are absolutely perfect how comes it to passe that they are afflicted and diseased as other men how comes it to passe that they eate and drink and sleep and buy and sell and die as other men are these things consistent with an absolute perfection surely no. An absolute perfection is not a step short of heaven 't is heaven on this side heaven and they that would obtain it must step to heaven before they have it But Secondly I answer That this Objection lyes as strong against Family prayer and against all other kind of prayer as it doth against closet prayer He that shall upon any grounds make this Objection a great bug-bear to scare his soul from Closet Prayer he may upon the same ground make it a great bug-bear to scare his soul not only from all other kind of prayer but from all other duties of Religion also whether private or publick The Spirit of this Objection fights against all Religion at once and therefore you should say to it as Christ said to Peter Get thee behind me Sathan But Thirdly I answer 'T is not the infirmities and weaknesses of a Christian which are seen lamented bewailed and resisted that can A Spiritual infirmity is the sickness or indisposition of the Soul that arises from weakness of Grace obstruct or hinder the efficacy and successe of his prayers Let me clear up this in a few instances Jonah you know was a man full of sinful passions and other weaknesses c. and yet his prayer was very prevalent with God Jonah 2. 1 2 7 10. compared So Elias his prayers were exceeding prevalent with God he could open and shut heaven at his pleasure and yet Jam. 3. 17. subject to like passions as we are Elias was a man of extraordinary sanctity and holinesse a man that 1 King 19. 8. Rom. 11 2 3. lived in heaven whilest he dwelt on earth Enech-like he walked with God and yet subject to like passions as we are God did in an eminent way communicate to him his counsel and secrets he lay in the bosome of the father and yet was a man subject to like passions as we are He was a very powerful and prevalent Prophet his very name imports as much Eli-jah signifies my strong God In that 1 Kings 17. 1. it is Eli-jahu that is the Lord he is my strong God and yet subject to like passions as we are He was a man much in fasting and prayer he was an inferiour mediator between God and his people and yet subject to like passions as we are Now because some from hence might object and say no wonder if such a man as he was could by his prayers open and shut heaven at his pleasure but I am a poor weak low sinful and unworthy creature I am full of infirmities weaknesses and passions and shall my prayers ever find access to God and acceptance with God or gracious answers and returnes from God Now to obviate this objection and to remove this discouragement out of the thoughts and hearts of poor sinners the Holy-Ghost addeth this clause that he was not a God nor an Angel but a man and such a man as was not exempted from common infirmities for he had his passions frailties weaknesses as well as other Saints intimating to us that infirmities in the meanest Saints should no more prejudice the acceptance and success of their prayers with God than they did in Elias himself The word Pession sometimes signifies First a motion of the sensual appetite arising from the imagination of good or ill with some commotion of the body Secondly Sometimes Passions signisie sinful infirmities sinful perturbations of the mind And Thirdly Sometimes Passion is taken more strictly for the special affection of sinful anger and wrath which Chrysostome calls Brevis Daemon a short Divel It makes a man speak he knows not what as you may see in Jonah and to do he knows not what as you may see in Saul Now in these two last sences Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are and yet a man so potent with God that by private prayer he could do even what he listed in the Court of Heaven In that 1 Sam. 21. chap. You may read of Davids round lyes and of his other failings infirmities and unseemly carriages before Achish King of Gath and for which he was turned out of the Kings presence under the notion of a Mad-man and yet at that very time he prayes and prevails with God for savour mercy and deliverance Psal 34. 4. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me out of all my fears But when was this read the Title of the Psalm and you shall find it A Psalm of David who changed his behaviour before Abimilech who drove him away and he departed In that Numb 20. 10 11 12. Moses his infirmities are pointed out First You have there his immoderate anger 2. His speaking to the people when he should have spoke to the Rock vers 8. 3. His smiting of it when he should only have spoken to it with the Rod in his hand and smiting it twice as in a pang of passion and impatiency 4. his distrusting of the Lords word vers 12. 5. His reviling of the people when he should have convinced them hear ye Rebels 6. He seemes to be so offended at
resting place 't is his free grace 't is his singular mercy 't is his infinite love that is your resting place 't is the bosome of Christ the favour of Christ the satisfaction of Christ and the pure perfect spotlesse marchless and glorious righteousnesse of Christ that is your resting place and therefore say to all your Closet-duties and performances farewell prayer farewell reading farewell fasting farewell tears farewell sighs and groanes farewell meltings and humblings I will never trust more to you I will never rest more on you but I will now return to my resting place I will now rest only in God and Christ I will now rest wholly in God and Christ I will now rest for ever in God and Christ It was the saying of a precious Saint that he was more afraid of his duties than of his sins for the one made him often proud the other made him always humble But My fifth advice and counsel is this Labour to bring your hearts into all your Closet-prayers and performances Look that your tongues and your hearts keep time tune Psal 17. 1. Give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips or as it is in the Hebrew without lips of deceit Heart and tongue must goe together word and work lip and life prayer and practise must eccho one to another or else thy prayers and thy soul will be lost together the labour of the lips and the travail of the heart must go together The Egyptians of all fruits made choice of the Peach to consecrate Plutark to their Goddess and for no other cause but that the fruit thereof is like to ones heart and the leaf like to ones tongue These very Heathens in the worship of their gods thought it necessary that mens hearts and tongues should go together Ah Christians when in your Closet-duties your hearts and your tongues go together then you make that sweet and delightful melody that is most taking and pleasing to the King of Kings The very soul of prayer lyes in the 1 Sam. 1. 15. pouring out of the Soul before God Psal 42. 4. When I remember these things I pour out my soul in me So the Israelites poured out their souls like water before the Lord So the Church The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee VVith my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early Isa 26. 8 9. So Lament 3. 41. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens So Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neer with a true heart c. So Rom. 1. 9. For God is my witnesse whom I serve in the Spirit 1 Cor. 14 15. I will pray with the spirit and sing with the spirit Phil. 3. 3. VVe are the Circumcision which worship God in the spirit Under the Law the inward parts were only to be offered to God in sacrifice the skin belonged to the Priests whence we may easily gather that truth in the inward parts is that which is most pleasing in a sacrifice When the Athenians would know of the Oracle the cause of their often unprosperous successes in battel against the Lacedemonians seeing they offered the choycest things they could get in sacrifice to the gods which their enemies did not the Oracle gave them this answer that the gods were better pleased with their inward supplication without ambition than with all their outward pomp in costly Sacrifices Ah Sirs the reason why so many are so unsuccessful in their Closet-duties and services is because there is no more of their hearts in them No man can make sure work or happy work in prayer but he that makes heart work on it When a mans heart is in his prayers then great and sweet will be his returns from heaven that is no prayer in which the heart of the person bears no part When the Soul is separated from the body the man is dead and so when the heart is separated from the lip in prayer the prayer is dead The Jews at this day write upon the walls of their Synagogues these words Tephillah belo cavannah ceguph belo neshamah that is a prayer without the heart or without the intention of the affection is like a body without a soul In the Law of Moses the Priest was commanded to wash the inwards and the feet of the Sacrifices in water and this was done saith Philo not without a mystery to teach us to keep our hearts and affections clean when we draw nigh to God In all your Closet-duties God looks first and most to your hearts My Son Pro. 23. 26. give me thy heart It is not a piece it is not a corner of the heart that will satisfie the maker of the heart the heart is a treasure a bed of spices a royal throne wherein he delights God looks not at the clegancy of your prayers to see how neat they are nor yet at the Geometry of your prayers to see how long they are nor yet at the Arithmetick of your prayers to see how many they are nor yet at the Musick of your prayers nor yet at the sweetness of your voice nor yet at the Logick of your prayers but at the sincerity of your prayers how hearty they are There is no prayer acknowledged approved accepted recorded or rewarded by God but that wherein the heart is sincerely and wholly The true mother would not have the Psal 51. 17. James 1. 8. child divided As God loves a broken and a contrite heart so he loaths a divided heart God neither loves halting nor halving he will be served truly and totally The Royal Law is Thou shalt love and serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Among the Heathens when the beasts were cut up for sacrifice the first thing the Priest looked upon Pro. 21. 27. Isa 1. 11 12. Chap. 29. 13. Mat. 15. 7 8 9. Ezek. 33. 30 31 32. Zech. 7. 4 5 6. 2 Chron. 25 1 2. Psal 78. 36 37. was the heart and if the heart was naught the sacrifice was rejected Verily God rejects all those services and sacrifices wherein the heart is not as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the margent together Prayer without the heart is but as sounding brass or a tinckling Cymbal Prayer is only lovely and weighty as the heart is in it and no otherwise It is not the lifting up of the voyce nor the wringing of the hands nor the beating of the breasts nor an affected tone nor studied notions nor seraphical expressions but the stirrings of the heart that God looks at in prayer God hears no more than the heart speaks if the heart be dumb God will certainly be deaf no prayer takes with God but that which is the travel of the heart The same day Julius Caesar came to the imperial dignity sitting in his Golden Chair he offered a
do defer Dan. 9. 19. not for thine own sake Look as there be two kinds of Antidotes against Poyson viz. hot and cold so there are two kinds of Antidotes against all the troubles of this life viz. fervent prayers and holy patience the one hot the other cold the one quickening and the other quenching and holy Daniel made use of them both Fervency to prayer is as the fire was to the spices in the Censor or as wings to the Bird or as oyl to the wheels and this Daniel found by experience God looks not for any James with horny knees through assiduity of prayer nor for any Bartholomew with a Century of prayers for the morning and as many for the evening but for fervency of spirit in prayer which alone carryes all with God Feeble prayers like weak pangs go over and never brings a mercy to the birth Cold prayers are still-born Children in whom the Father of spirits can take no pleasure Look as a painted man is no man and as painted fire is no fire so a cold prayer is no prayer Such prayers never win upon the heart of God that do not first warm our own hearts As a body without a soul much wood without fire a Bullet in a Gun without powder so are all prayers without fervency of Spirit Luther termes Prayer Bombarda Christianorum the Gun or Canon of Christians or the Christians Gun-shot The hottest springs send forth their waters by ebullitions Cold prayers make a smoak a smother Isa 1. 15. Ch. 65 5. in the eyes of God Lazy prayers never procure noble answers Lazy beggars may starve for all their begging Such as have a male in their flock and offer to the Lord a female Such as offer to the Lord the torn and the lame and the sick such as turn off God with their cold lazy sleepy and formal Mal. 1. 13 14. devotions are condemned cast and cursed by God David compares his prayers to incense and no incense was offered without Psal 141. 2. fire it was that that made the smoke of it to ascend 'T is only fervent prayer that hits the mark and that pierces the walls of heaven though like those of Gaza Isa 45. 2. made of Brass and Iron While the Child only whimpers and whines in the Cradle the Mother lets it alone but when once it sets up its note and cryes out right then she runs and takes it up So 't is with a Christian Psal 34. 6. This poor man cryed there is his fervency he cryed but it was silently and secretly in the presence of King Achish as Moses did at the Red-Sea and as Nehemiah did in the presence of the King of Persia and the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles here is his prevalency So Latimer plyed the Throne of grace with great fervency crying out Once again Lord once again restore the Gospel to England and God heard him Hudson the Martyr deserted at the Stake went from under his Chain and having prayed fervently he was comforted immediately and suffered valiantly I have read of one Giles of Bruxels a Dutch Martyr who was so fervent in his prayer kneeling by himself in some secret place of the Prison where he was that he seemed to forget himself and being called to his meat he neither heard nor saw who stood by him till he was lifted up by the armes and then he would speak gently to them as one awaked out of a Trance So Gregory Nazianzen speaking Paulin. Epist lib. 1. Epist 4. of his sister Gorgonia saith that in the vehemency of her prayer she came to a Religious impudency with God so as to threaten heaven and tell God that she would never depart from his Altar till she had her petition granted Let us make it our businesse to follow these noble examples as ever we would so Prince it in prayer as to prevail with God An importunate soul in prayer is like the poor beggar that prayes and knocks that prayes and waits that prayes and works that knocks and knits that begs and patches and will not stir from the door till he hath an alms Well Friends remember this God respects no more luke-warm prayers than he doth luke-warm persons and they are such that he hath threatned to spue out of his mouth Those prayers that are but lip-labour are lost-labour And therefore in all your Closet-prayers look to the fervency of your spirits My Seventh Advice and counsel is this Be constant as well as servent in Closet-prayer look that you hold on and hold out and that you persevere to the end in private prayer 1 Thes 5. 17. Pray without ceasing A man must alwayes pray habitually though not actually he must have his heart in a praying disposition in all estates and conditions Though Closet-prayer may have an intermission yet it must never have a cessation Luke 18. 1. And he spake a Parable unto them to this end that men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint or as the Greek hath it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shrink back as sluggards in work or cowards in war Closet-prayer is a fire like that on the Altar that was never to go out day nor Lev. 12. 6. night 1 Thes 3. 10. Night and day praying exceedingly Paul speaks like a man made up all of prayer like a man that minded nothing so much as prayer So Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance Calvin makes this difference between praying alwayes in the beginning of this Verse and praying with perseverance in the end of this Verse By praying alwayes saith he he exhorts us to pray in prosperity as well as in adversity and not to quit the duty of prayer in a prosperous estate because we are not driven to it by outward pressing necessities and miseries and by praying with perseverance he admonisheth us that we be not weary of the work but continue instant and constance in its performance though we have not presently what we pray for So that praying alwayes is opposed to a neglect of the Duty in its proper times and seasons and praying with perseverance is opposed to a fainting in our spirits in respect of this or that particular suit or request that we put up to God When God turns a deaf ear to our prayers we must not fret nor faint we must not be dismayed nor discouraged but we must hold up and hold on in the Duty of prayer with invincible patience courage and constancy as the Church did Lament 3. 8 44 55 56 57. compared Col. 4. 2. Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving We must be constant and instant in Closet-prayer we must wait upon it and lay all aside for it He that is only in his Closet by fits and starts will neither glorifie God nor advantage his own soul If we do not make a
sprinkled before the Mercy-Seat Now that blood typified Christ's satisfaction and the Cloud of Incense his Intercession Some of the learned think that Christ intercedes only by vertue of his merits others that 't is done only with his mouth I conjecture it may be done both wayes the rather because Christ hath a tongue as also a whole body but glorified in Heaven and is it likely that that mouth which pleaded so much for us on earth should be altogether silent for us in Heaven There is no coming to the Father John 14. 6. but by the Son Christ is the true Jacobs Ladder by which we must ascend to Heaven Joseph Gen. 43. you know commanded his Brethren that as ever they looked for any good from him or to see his face with joy that they should be sure to bring their Brother Benjamin along with them O Sirs as ever you would be prevalent with God as ever you would have sweet choice and comfortable returns from Heaven to all your Closet-prayers be sure that you bring your Elder Brother the Lord Jesus Christ in the arms of your faith be sure that you treat and trade with God only in the name of the Lord Jesus 'T is a notable speech that Luther hath upon the 130. Psalm Often Dulce nomen Christi and willingly saith he do I inculcate this that you should shut your eyes and your ears and say you know no God out of Christ none but he that was in the lap of Mary and sucked her breasts He meanes none out of him When you go to Closet-prayer look that you pray not in your own names but in the name of Christ and that you plead not in your own names but in the name of Christ and that you believe and hope not in your own names but in the name of Christ and that you look not to speed in your own names but in the name of Christ Col. 3. 17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Whatsoever we do we are to do it by the authority of Christ and through the assistance of Christ and in the name of Christ and for the sake and glory of Christ Christ's name is so precious and powerful with the Father that it will carry any suit obtain any request at his hands Jesus in the China Tongue signifies the rising Sun When a man writes the name of Jesus upon his Closet-prayers then he shall be sure to speed though God will not give a man a drop a sip a crum a crust for his own sake yet for Jesus sake he will give the best the choycest and the greatest blessings that heaven affords that name is still mighty and powerful prevalent and precious before the Lord. The prayers that were offered up with the incense upon the Altar were pleasing Rev. 8. 3. and came up with acceptance vers 4. Josephs Brethren were kindly used for Benjamins sake O Sirs all our duties and services are accepted of the Father not for their own sakes nor for our sakes but for Christ's sake There are no prayers that are either hard owned accepted regarded or rewarded but such as Christ puts his hand to If Christ doth not mingle his blood with our sacrifices our services they will be lost and never ascend as incense before the Lord. No coyn is currant that hath not Caesars stamp upon it nor no prayers goe currant in heaven that have not the stamp of Christ upon them There is nothing more pleasing to our heavenly Father than to use the mediation of his Son Such shall be sure to find most favour and to speed best in the Court of Heaven who still present themselves before the Father with Christ in their armes But My eleventh and last advice and counsel is this VVhen you come out of your closets narrowly watch what becomes of your private prayers look at what door in what way and by what hand the Lord shall please to give you an answer to the secret desires of your souls in a corner It hath been the custome of the people of God to look after their prayers to see what successe they have had to observe what entertainment they have found in heaven Psal 5. 3. My voyce shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up In the words you may observe two things First Davids posture in prayer Secondly His practise after prayer First His posture in prayer I will direct my prayer unto thee Secondly His practise after prayer And I will look up The Prophet in these words makes use of two military words First he would not only pray but martial up his prayers he would put them it battel-aray so much the Hebrew word Gnarach imports Secondly when he had done this then he would be as a spy upon his VVatch-Tower to see whether he prevailed whether he got the day or no and so much the Hebrew word Tsaphah imports When David had set his prayers his petitions in rank and file in good aray then he was resolved he would look abroad he would look about him to see at what door God would send in an answer of prayer He is either a fool or a mad-man he is either very weak or very wicked that prayes and prayes but never looks after his prayers that shootes many an Arrow towards Heaven but never minds where his Arrows a light Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints If David would have God to hearken to his prayers he must then hearken to what God will speak and upon this point it seemes he was fully resolved The Prophets prayer you have in the seaven first verses of this Psalm and his gracious resolution you have in the 8th verse I will hear what the God Lord will speak As if he had said Certainly it will not be long before the Lord will give me a gracious answer a seasonable and a suitable return to my present prayers Psal 130. 1 2 5 6. Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee O Lord. Lord hear my voyce let thine ears be attentive to the voyce of my supplications I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning Those that watch abroad in dangerous times and tedious weather look frequently after peep of day How doth the weary Sentinel that is wet with the rain of heaven or with the dew of the night wait and watch look and long for the morning light Now this was the frame and temper of Davids spirit when he came off from praying he falls a waiting for a gracious answer Shall the husbandman wait for the precious fruits of the earth and shall the Merchant-man
of Religion that was ever famous for Closet-prayer But Thirdly Take heed of curiosity and of spending too much of your precious time in searching into those dark abstruce misterious and hidden truths things of God and Religion that lye most remote from the understanding of the best and wisest of men Curiosity is the spiritual adultery of the Soul Curiosity is a spiritual drunkenness for look as the drunkard is never satisfied unless he see the bottome of the cup be it never so deep so those that are troubled with the itch of curiosity will say they can never be satisfied till they come to the bottome of the most deep and profound things of God they love to pry into Gods secrets and to scan the mysteries of Religion by their weak shallow reason and to be wise above what is written Curious searchers into the deep mysterious things of God will make all Gods depths to be shallows rather than they will be thought not able to fathom them by the short line of their own reason O that men would once learn to be contentedly ignorant where God would not have them knowing O that men were once so humble as to account it no disparagement to them to acknowledge some depths in God and in the blessed Scripture which their shallow reason cannot fathom They are only a company of fools in Folio that affect to know more than God would have them Did not Adams Tree of knowledge make him and his posterity meer fools He that goes to school to his own reason hath a fool for his school-master The ready way to grow stark blind is to be still prying gazing upon the body of the Sun So the ready way to spiritual Deut. 29. ult blindness is to be still prying into the most secret and hidden things of God Are there not many who by prying long into the secrets Rom. 9. 20. of nature are become arch-enemies to the grace of God O that we were wise to admire those deep mysteries which we cannot understand and to adore those depths and counsels which we cannot reach O let us check our curiosity in the things of God and sit Rom. 11. 33 down satisfied and contented to resolve many of Gods actions into some hidden causes which lye secret in the Abyss of his eternal knowledge and infallible will Christ when he was on earth very frequently severely sharply condemned John 21. 22 Acts 1. 6 7. Luke 1â— 23 24. curious enquirers as is evident by the Scriptures in the margent and the great reason why our Saviour did so frequently check this humor of curiosity was because the great indulgers of it were too frequent neglecters of the more great necessary and important points of Religion Curiosity is one of Satans most dangerous engines by which he keeps many souls out of their Closets yea out of Heaven when many a poor soul begins in good earnest to look towards heaven and to apply himself to Closet-duties then Satan begins to bestir himself and to labour with all his might so to busie the poor soul with vain enquiries and curious speculations and unprofitable curiosities that the soul hath no time for Closet-prayer Ah how well might it have been with many a man had he but spent one quarter of that time in closet-prayer that he hath spent in curious enquiries after things that have not been fundamental to his happiness The Heathenish Priests affected curiosity they had their Mythologies and strange canting expressions of their imaginary unaccessible Deities to amaze and amuse their blind superstitious followers and thereby to hold up their Popish and apish Idolatries in greater veneration O that there were none of this heathenish spirit among many in these dayes who have their faces toward heaven Ah how many are there that busie themselves more in searching after the reasons of the irrecoverableness of mans fall than they do to recover themselves out of their fallen estate Ah how many are there that busie themselves more about the apostasie of the Angels than they do about securing their interest in Christ And what a deal of precious time have some spent in discovering the natures distinctions properties and orders of Angels That high-foaring counterfeit Peter Martyr saith that to enquire of the Angels accurately and subtilly is Magis ad curiositatem nostram quam ad salutem And he wisheth that the school-men in their knotty thorny and unprofitable discourses had observed this Dyonisius describes the Hierarchy of Angels as exactly as if he had dwelt amongst them he saith there are nine orders of them which he grounds upon nine words which are found partly in the Old Testament and partly in the New as Seraphims Cherubims Thrones Powers Hoasts Dominions Principalities Arch-Angels and Angels and at large he describes their several natures distinctions and properties as that the first three orders are for immediate attendance on the Almighty and the next three orders for the general government of the creatures and the last three orders for the particular good of Gods Elect That the Arch-Angels surpass the beauty of Angels ten times Principalities surpass the Arch-Angels twenty times and that Powers surpass the Principalities fourty times c. How he came by this learning is not known and yet this Hierarchy in these nine several orders hath passed for currant through many Ages of the Church The Platonicks were the first that divided the Angels into three Orders as some above Heaven called Supercaelestes others in Heaven called Caelestes and others under Heaven called Subcaelestâ—â— and accordingly they assign them several Offices As First They above Heaven I mean this visible heaven continually stand before God as they say praising and lauding and magnifying of his name Secondly They in Heaven are there seated to move and rule and govern the Stars Thirdly They under Heaven are some to rule Kingdomes others Provinces others Cities others particular Men. Several Christian writers that have written of the Hierarchy of Angels follow these opinions Now if we should take these surmises for real truths then it will follow that the highest Angels do not minister to the Saints but only and immediately to God himself which is Jude 9. v. Luke 1. 19 26. Zech. 4. 10. Rev. 5. 6. Heb. 1. 14. expresly contrary to several Scriptures as you may see by them in the Margent among others When I was upon the Ministration of the blessed Angels I did then prove in several exercises as some of you may remember That all the Angels in Heaven were commanded and commissionated by God to be serviceable and useful to the heirs of Salvation Are they not all ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation The Devil knows he is no loser and the curious soul but a very little gainer if he can but perswade him to spend most of his precious time in studying and poring upon the most dark mysterious and hidden
answer It may be thy distemper and indisposition of body is not so great but that thou canst buy and sell and get gaine Notwithstanding thy aking head The body it self if you set too high a price upon it will make a cheap Soul and he is the most unhappy man whose outside is his best side and thy shooting back and thy pained sides and thy feeble knees yet thou canst with Martha cumber thy self about thy worldly affairs In that Cant. 5. 3. Christ calls upon his Spouse to open the door and let him in But sin and shifting coming into the world together see how poorly and unworthily she labours to shift Christ off I have put off my Coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Rather than she will make no excuse for her self she will make a silly excuse a worthless excuse She was past a child and what a great businesse had it been for her to have risen to have let in such a guest that brings every thing with him that heart Rev. 3. 17. 17. can wish or need require She was not grown so decrepid with old age but that she was able to make her self ready at least she might easily have slipt on her morning Coat and stept to the door without any danger of taking cold or of being wet to the skin and so Rev. 22. 12. have let him in who never comes empty handed yea who was now come full of the dew of divine blessings to enrich her for so some sence those words Mine head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night O the frivolous pretences and idle excuses that even gracious persons are apt sometimes to take up to over colour their neglect of duty But some may say It may be the Spouse of Christ was aseep O no for she saith vers 2. I sleep but my heart waketh She slept with open eyes as the Lyon doth she slept but half sleep though her outward man was drowsie yet her in ward man was wakeful though the flesh took a nap yet her spirit did not nod O but it may-be Christ made no noise he gave no notice that he was at the door O yes he knocked he knockt and bounced by the hammer of his word and the hand of his Spirit he knockt by outward corrections and inward admonitions he knockt by providences and he knockt by mercies His importunity and vehemency for admission was very great O but it may-be he did but only knock he should have called as well as knockt for none but mad-men would open their doors in the night except they knew the voice of him that knocketh O yes he did not only knock but cald also O but it may-be she did not know his voice and therefore she would not open No chast wife will at unseasonable hours arise and open her doors unto a stranger especially in her husbands absence O yes she knew his voice vers 2. It is the voice of my Beloved that knocketh She was not so fast asleep but that she knew the voice of her Beloved from all other voices could tell every tittle that he said The calls of Christ were so strong so loud and his pulsations so mighty that she could not but know and confess that it was the voice of her Beloved though she was not so respectful and dutiful as to obey that voice O but it may-be Christ knockt and call'd like a friend in his journey only to enquire how it was with her or to speak to her at the Window O no! he speaks plainly he speaks with authority Open to me O but it may-be she had no power to open the door O yes for when he commands his people to open he Phil. 1. 6 13. 1 Cor. 15. 10. lends them a key to open the door that he may enter in Infused grace is a living principle that will enable the Soul to open to Christ If a man be not a free agent to work and act by the helps of grace received to what purpose are counsels commands exhortations and directions given to perform this and that and t'other work And certainly it is our greatest honour and happinesse in this world to co-operate with God in those things which concern his own glory and our own internal and eternal good O but it may-be Christ had given his Spouse some distast or it may-be he had let fall some hard words or some unkind speeches which made her a little froward and pettish O no! for he owns her as his Beloved and courts her highly with the most winning and amicable tearms of love My Sister my Love my Dove my Vndefiled or my perfect one he calls her so for her Dove like simplicity purity and integrity All these endearing and honouring Titles are the Rhetorick of Divine love and should have been as so many sacred engagements upon her to open to her Beloved O but it may-be Christ was too quick for her it may-be he gave but a knock and a call and was gone before she could rise and open the door O no! Christ stayed till his head was filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night which most passionate expression notes the tender goodness patience and gentlenesse of our Lord Jesus who endures far greater and harder things for his Spouses sake than ever Jacob did for his Rachels sake After Christ had suffered much for her sake and waited her leasure a long while she very unkindly and very unmannerly and unworthily turns her back upon all his sweet and comfortable compellations and blessed and bleeding embracements and turns him off to look his lodging in some other place so that he might well have said Is this thy kindness to thy Friend thy Husband thy Lord to suffer him to stand bare-headed and that in foul weather yea in the night time wooing intreating and beseeching admittance and yet to turn him off as one in whom thy soul could take no pleasure Now if you will but seriously weigh all these circumstances in the Ballance of the Sanctuary you may run and read the fault and folly the weakness and madness the slightness and laziness of the Spouse and by her you may make a judgement of those sad and sinful distempers that may seize upon the best of Saints and see how ready the flesh is to frame excuses and all to keep the soul off from duty and the doors fast bolted against the Lord Jesus 'T is sad when men are well enough to sit and chat and trade in their shops but are not well enough to pray in their closets Certainly that mans heart is not right with God at least at this time who under all his bodily distempers can maintain and keep up his publick trade with men but is not well enough to maintain his private trade with heaven Our bodies are but dirt handsomly tempered artificially formed we derive our
pedigree from the dirt and are akin to clay One calls the body the blot of nature another calls it the Soul's beast a sack of dung worms-meat another calls it a prison a sepulchre and Paul calls it a body of vileness Now for a man to make so much adoe about the distempers of his body to excuse the neglects of his Soul is an evil made up of many evils But really Sir I am so ill and my body is so distempered and indisposed that I am not able to mind or meddle with the least things of the world Well if this be so then know that God hath on purpose knockt thee off from the things of this world that thou may'st look the more effectually after the things of another world The design of God in all the distempers that are upon thy body is to wind thee more off from thy worldly trade and to work thee to follow thine heavenly trade more close Many a man had never found the way to his Closet if God by bodily distempers had not turn'd him out of his shop his trade his business his all c. Well Christians remember this once for all if your indisposition to Closet-prayer doth really arise from bodily distempers then you may be confident that the Lord will pitty you much and bear with you much and kindly accept of a little You know how affectionately Parents and ingenious Masters doe carry it towards their children and servants when they are under bodyly distempers and indisposition and you may be confident that God will never carry it worse towards you than they doe towards them Ponder often upon that Ezek. 34. 4 16 21 22. vers But Sixthly and lastly I shall answer this Objection by way of distinction thus First There is a contracted indisposition to private prayer and there is an involuntary indisposition to private prayer there is a contracted indisposition and that is when a man by his wilful sinning against light knowledge conviction c. contracts that guilt that lyes as a load upon his Conscience Now guilt makes the Soul shye of God and the greater the guilt is the more shye the Soul is of drawing neer to God in a corner The Child that is sensibly under guilt hides himself as Adam did in the day from his Fathers Gen. 3. 7. 8. eye and at night he slips to bed to avoid either a chiding or a whipping from his Father Guilt makes a man fly from God and fly from Prayer 'T is a hard Job 11. 14 15. Jer. 20. 3 4. thing to look God in the face when guilt stares a man in the face Guilt makes a man a terrour to himself now when a man is a terrour to himself he is neither fit to live nor fit to die nor fit to pray When Poison gets into the body it works upon the spirits and it weakens the spirits and it endangers life and unfits and indisposes a man to all natural actions 't is so here when guilt lyes heavy upon the conscience it works upon the Soul it weakens the Soul it endangers the Soul and it doth wonderfully unfit and indispose the Soul to all holy actions Guilt fights against our Souls our Consciences 1 Pet. 2. 11. our Comforts our Duties yea and our very graces also There is nothing that wounds and lames our graces like guilt there is nothing that weakens and wasts our graces like guilt there is nothing that hinders the activity of our graces like guilt nor there is nothing that clouds our evidences of grace like guilt Look what water is to the fire that our sinnings are to our graces evidences and duties Guilt is like Prometheus Vulture that ever lyes gnawing 'T is better with Evagrius to lye on a Bed of straw with a good Conscience than to lye on a Bed of Downe with a guilty Conscience What the Probationer Disciple said to our Saviour Matth. 8. 19. Master I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest that a guilty Conscience saith to the sinner whithersoever thou goest I will follow thee If thou goest to a fast I will follow thee and fill thy mind with black and dismal apprehensions of God If thou goest to a feast I will follow thee and shew thee the Hand-writing on the Wall If thou goest abroad Dan. 5 5. I will follow thee and make thee afraid of every Leaf that wags thou shalt look upon every Bush as an armed man and upon every man as a Devil If thou stayest at home I will follow thee from room to room and fill thee with horrour and terrour If thou lyest down to rest I will follow thee with fearful dreams and tormenting apparitions If thou goest into thy Closet I will follow thee and make thy very Closet a Hell to hold thee It is storied of King Richard the third that after he had murthered his two Nephews in the Tower guilt lay so hard upon his Conscience that his sleeps were very unquiet for he would often leap out of his Bed in the dark and catching his sword in his hand which hung by his bed side he would goe distractedly about his Chamber seeking for the Traytor So Charls the ninth of France after he had made the streets of Paris run down with the blood of the Protestants he could seldome take any sound sleep nor could he endure to be awakened out of his sleep without musick Judge Morgan that passed the Sentence of Condemnation upon Jane Grey a virtuous Lady shortly after fell mad and in his raving cryed out continualy Take away the Lady Jane from me Take away the Lady Jane from me and in that horrour ended his wretched life James Abyes going to execution for Christ's sake as he went along he gave his money and his cloaths to one and another till he had given all away to his shirt whereupon one of the Sheriffs men fell a-scoffing and deriding of him and told him that he was a mad-man and an heretick and not to be believed but as soon as the good man was executed this wretch was struck mad and threw away his cloaths and cryed out that James Abyes was a good man and gone to Heaven but he was a wicked man and was damned and thus he continued crying out till his death Certainly he that derides or smites a man for walking according to the word of the Lord the Lord will first or last sosmite and wound that mans Conscience that all the Physitians in the world shall not heal it Now if thy indisposition to private prayer springs from contracted guilt upon thy Conscience then thy best way is speedily to renew thy Repentance and greatly to judge and humble thine own soul and so to act Faith afresh upon the blood of Christ both for pardoning mercy and for purging grace When a man is stung with Guilt 't is his highest wisdome in the world to look up to the Brazen Serpent and not to spend his time or create torments to