at last arrive to those mens arrogant demand Who seeth us Or that positive conclusion Psal 97.4 The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard But what saith the Psalmist to these brutish Soâ—s He that planted the ear shall he not hear He that formed the eye shall he not see ver 9. Let these Atheists know that God sees and sets down all their secret wickedness and will bring it forth before Angels and Men at the great day of reckoning The sin of Judah is written with a pen of Iron Jer. 17.1 and with a point of a Diamond it can never be razed out but by the blood of Christ and though by multiplyed acts of notorious sinning some may blur the engravings of sin on the table of their heart yet it shall be as writing with the juice of Lemmons being held to the fire of Gods wrath 't is as legible to the conscience as the first moment when the sin was committed Oh the secret wickednesses that wicked men have to reckon for But where are the secret Prayers Alas how rarely or how formally do they wait on God alone Custom vain glory and carnal interest may put them on joyning in publick Prayer or Family-duty but they are strangers to this spiritual self-denying duty of Closet-Prayer The carnal hypocrite exposeth all to open view he is like an house with a beautiful Frontispiece but every room within is dark as one saith he is a rotten Post fairly guilded he hath dressed himself in the garb of Religion and will be as devout as the best in Temple-worship but follow him to his Closet he cannot afford God one hour in a week he doth not make conscience of secret Prayer this gains him no credit with men and therefore is little used This rightly performed opens the heart to God which the unsound professor dare not do I shall shew hereafter whether the Hypocrite may use Closet-Prayer and wherein he is distinguisht from a sincere soul in that duty At present I am reproving those that never use it that look upon it as below them they either dare not be alone or scorn to stoop so low and sigh out their hearts to God in a corner as though they would not be beholding to the great God for any mercy but in their hearts and practice speak the language of those proud Atheists in Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more unto thee But let such know they shall dye like Men and be damn'd like Devils that imagine they are gods and will not be beholding to our God for mercy Lord have mercy on these poor prayerless sinners that understand not the necessity and mystery of Closet-Prayer but look upon it as needless and are ready to say It s more ado than needs but let these prepare to make good that desperate assertion at the Bar of Gods justice with flames about their ears and let such know that God will answer their cavils against plain duty after another manner than his Ministers can do now To which dreadful Judgment we leave them except prevented by a speedy and sincere Repentance SECT II. The Godly reproved BUt the persons to be principally reproved at present are the professors of Religion that acknowledge this to be a duty but grievously neglect it I fear God's Children are not so constant and conscientious in the performance of this duty of Closet-Prayer as they ought to be Are not good Souls guilty of frequent omissions intermissions at least negligent performance of this duty It was one of old Mr. Dod's Instructions that at night we should ask our selves Have I twice this day humbled my self before God in private Who goes to bed and doth not pray Maketh two nights to every day Herbert And again How did I pray in Faith and Love I am afraid many of us should give but a sorry account of these serious inquiries Let 's be ashamed lay it to our hearts and give God glory by repentance and reformation For the humbling of our hearts in this case let me propound these ten awakning Interrogatories that we may mourn for our neglect of this duty of Closet-Prayer 1. Are you not very unlike Jesus Christ Is not he the perfect copy that we should write after And do we not find him often in private Prayer We meet with him in this solitary duty sometimes in the day Luk. 6.12 Mat. 26.36 sometimes in the night sometimes all night in a Garden in a Mountain he took all opportunities to go to his Father All the dayes of his flesh he offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong crying and tears Heb. 5.7 As he was a man of sorrows so he was a man of Prayers and the sharper his sorrows the stronger his cryes Luk. 22.44 Being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly And was not this for our example And for our advantage Should we not learn of him Nay doth not our very Christianity consist in our conformity to Christ Alas how unlike him are most of us Shall we pass for Christians that follow not his steps Was it not blessed Paul's study and ambition to be conformed to this blessed Pattern Can we imitate a better person Was it necessary Christ should wrestle for us and is it not as necessary we should wrestle with God for our own souls Or doth Christs praying for us excuse our pleading for our selves No no as it was for our example and benefit in the days of his flesh so his present intercession in Heaven doth both imply and incourage our praying for we are to ask in his name and imploy our dear Advocate that we may speed And shall not we as it were set him awork and send up our Prayers to be mixt with his sweet incense The Lord humble us for and pardon to us our neglects and omissions 2. Are you not herein very unlike the Saints of God The seed of Jacob are wrestlers with God God hath no Children still-born they all cry Abba Father Jacob wrestled with God in secret Prayer and ever since all the Saints in all ages have born that name Psal 24.6 This is the generation of them that seek him that seek thy face O Jacob Selah i. e. That seek the God of Jacob as Jacob did Psal 32.6 And indeed every one that is godly will thus pray There might be brought a cloud of witnesses in all ages of praying Saints that conversed with God in secret 't is recorded of the Apostle James that his knees were as hard as Camels feet with praying Some have sought out for private places to pray in others have risen out of their beds to pray others have set days apart to humble themselves in secret by Fasting and Prayer others would never adventure on business without seeking God Such as are acquainted with Ecclesiastical Histories or Christian Experiences may find store of instances of this sort And why should we be unlike our Brethren Have we not
reach the ear of God for he knoweth the mind of the Spirit Phil. 3.3 Jude 20. This is that which is called a worshipping God in the spirit a praying in the holy Ghost i. e. either as to the matter of the Prayer dictated by the Spirit or as to the manner of praying the soul being actuated by the holy Ghost See Mark 11.36 13.11 For I conceive it may import the former as well as the latter as other Scriptures compared hold forth Alas flesh and blood will put up such petitions as God will not accept or in such a manner as is no way suitable to his spiritual Nature The truth is Christians you will but bungle at the work without this help of Gods Spirit and God will take notice of you except he hear his own language do not think you can wrestle out the business your selves you must be beholding to God for help in Prayer as well as for hearing your Prayer your own spirits will not carry you to Heaven that which is from the earth is earthly and riseth no higher than earth but the holy Ghost will elevate your souls to God Therefore I beseech you Sirs beg the Spirit yield to its motions improve its operations say when you are going to duty Lord now stir up thy self and stir up thy grace in my heart Awake oh North-wind and come thou South blow upon thy Garden Cant. 4.16 My Soul that the spices thereof may flow out that graces may be exercised and exerted Lord I am low flat hard send the powerful arm of thy blessed Spirit to work all gracious dispositions in me and raise up my affections to thee I see I am below the duty and infinitely below thee in the duty but thou and thou alone canst raise me up quicken soften my dead and rocky heart come Lord and shew thy powerful Arm let it appear what God can do for a sorry worm Oh lift me up to thee that my soul may enjoy some sweet communion with thee Send thy spirit to fetch in my wanton wandring heart Oh for some fire from Heaven to burn up my sacrifice or else it will lye like a lump of flesh and be no true Holocaust of pure Incense before thee Let thy Spirit scatter these mists of ignorance and drive away these flies of distracting thoughts that my heart may be with thee and my performance may be as sweet savour in the nostrils of God SECT IV. More Essentials in secret Prayer A Third ingredient in Prayer is that it be according to God's will it must have a warrant from the Word a word of Precept or Promise or Example must be the ground of our petitions a command is our warrant a promise our incouragement an example is our tract and the footsteps of the flock wherein we must walk He that asks amiss shall not speed but if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us and then we know we have the petitions that we desired of him 1 Joh. 5.14 15. Now we ask according to his will when both the matter of our petition is aright and our end in asking is Gods glory and our own or others spiritual good otherwise if we ask of God what we conceit to be a mercy and have not asked counsel at God's mouth or ask so as to consume it upon our lusts we may well meet with a denial My friends you may not say what you please in the presence of God Consider God is in Heaven you are on Earth therefore be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter any thing before God let your words be few and well weighed Eccles 5.2 The work you are about is a solemn business do not ramble in extravagant desires of unlawful things think not that God will patronize your lusts and when you have asked that which you conceive is according to his will refer it wholly to his Will say The Will of the Lord be done submit your selves to his dispose for time manner means and all circumstances for giving of it ask temporal mercies conditionally and spiritual Comforts with submission to Gods will learn that petition Thy will be done to pray it as well as say it Indeed Luther could say Let thy will be done but he come off with this My will Lord because my will is melted into thine there 's but one will betwixt us Let God's will be your will 't is fit it should be so our heavenly Father is wiser than we Consider Haec repraesentatio debet esse submissa humilis alias enim non esset precatio religiosa à creatura subdita ad supremum Numen Creatorem directa sed vel imperium superioris ergo inferiorem vel quasi familiaris collocutio quatis est inter aequales Ames medull theol lib. 2.6 p. 255. a man cannot pray in faith for that which he hath no warrant to ask Besides Amesius saith If a man come not with an humble submission to Gods will it were not a religious prayer directed to the supream Creator but a kind of command by a superiour to an inferiour or a familiar discourse as amongst equals Therefore let us humbly plead Gods Will as Abraham did Gen. 18.27 Further consider the design of Prayer is not to incline God before unwilling to our mind and desire for with him there is no variableness nor shadow of change but that we may obtain of him by Prayer what we know afore-hand he is willing to give Lastly consider we Christs example Mat. 26.39 If it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt This is right praying to ground our petition upon a promise yet freely to leave all at Gods feet to dispose of us as he sees good Our prayers and Gods promises should point towards each other as those two figures 9 and 6. Promises do bend downwards and after the same motion must our prayers ascend upwards so will there be a blessed harmony and seasonable return This is the third Direction Let your Prayers be warranted by the Word 4. Improve your Advocate Joh. 14.13 Whatsoever you ask in my name that will I do To ask any thing in his name is not rudely customarily or complementally to conclude with these words Through Jesus Christ our Lord c. but in confidence of his merit and intercession to call upon our heavenly Father as Daniel pleads for the Lords sake Dan. 9.17 For since the Fall none can come immediately to God but through a Mediator nor are we to fetch a compass by the groundless invocation of Saints and Angels I hope you have otherwise learned Christ I am most afraid in the practick part that in particular acts at least precious Souls are in danger to miscarry especially in Closet-Prayer when a Christian is got alone and there finds a sweet gale of the blessed Spirit helping his heart to mourn for sin bewail
the word is necessary and so is this nor must the one justle out the other yea these secret duties help us to profit by publick Ordinances If dung be poured down on heaps in the field it doth no good it must be spread abroad before it make fruitful ground The plaister heals not except it be applyed so the Word must be spread on our hearts by serious and secret Meditation and Application or else it will never make our souls healthful and fruitful and then we must pray over it for the showers of divine grace to wash it and work it into our hearts Many Sermons are lost for want of souls taking them home to their Closets and turning them to Prayer I fear all will be little enough that Ministers can preach or write upon this theam I doubt still this work will be either totally neglected or negligently performed it s an hard work the spirit must travel in it and saith good Mr. Bains the Saints can indure better to hear an hour than to pray a quarter yea our trifling hearts will make any excuse to shift from this duty or shuffle it off nay though it be in exchange for another a sign the work is of God and tending much to the souls good or else Satan and our corrupt hearts would never so much hinder or oppose it Pâ—or Soul it may be thou lookest abroad and seest much wickedness committed holiness persecuted thy God dishonoured many things out of order thou wantest a capacity to bring a remedy I must therefore say to thee as it 's reported Albertus Crantzius said to â—…her when he began to oppose the Pope Frater vade in cellam die Miserere mei Deus Brother go into thy cell and say God be merciful unto me so say I. Alas thy interest and influence reacheth but a little way to mend a wicked world though thou must seek to perform as far as thy place and calling extends but go thy way to thy God in thy Closet bewail thy sins and the sins of others plead with God for thine own soul Busie thy self about thyself set all straight at home take heed of that which the poor Church complains of Cant. 1.6 They made me the keeper of the vinyards but mine own vinyard have I not kept Oh leave other things undone rather than this great matter that concerns the affairs of thine own soul Mr. Fox tells us of one Peter Moyce a German Martyr being called before the Synod at Dornick Acts mon. 2. vol. lib. 8. fol. 1â—2 they began to examine him in certain Articles of Religion to whom as he was about to answer boldly and expresly to every point they interrupting him bad him say in two words Yea or Nay Then said he If you will not suffer me to answer for my self in things of such importance send me to my Prison again among my Toads and Frogs which will not interrupt me while I talk with my Lord my God Oh Christian the time may come or is already when men may stop thy mouth and will not suffer thee to witness a good confession withdraw thy self from men and retire unto thy God who will make thee freely welcom to pour out thy soul to him in secret He 'l neither stop thy mouth nor stop his car he bids thee Open thy mouth wide Psal 81.10 And he tells thee His ear is open to thy cry Psal 34.15 That cast not ask such great things as he can and will give Only see thou beest a Child of God Naturalists tell of a precious Stone of an excellent vertue yet loseth all its efficacy when 't is put into a dead mans mouth so Prayer in the lips of a Saint or a righteous man availeth much but the Prayer of the wicked is not only ineffectual but abominable to God See to your states and then see that you pray aright for manner matter end many ask and receive not because they ask amiss Above all Soul in thy secret addresses to God take heed of a trifling spirit thou'lt find most ado with thy self herein our wanton spirits are loath to be pent up in the narrow room of a spiritual performance we love to take our liberty in ranging abroad to a thousand objects but Christian as thou lovest thy peace thy Soul thy God look to thy spirit in secret Prayer Do not trifle away thy time upon thy knees let not thy words freeze as they come from thee let no discouragements beat thee off the Woman of Canaan as one saith takes the Bullets that Christ shot at her and with an humble boldness of faith sends them back again in Prayer which indeed reach'd his heart and prevailed with God for mercy But I shall inlarge no more at present but refer thee to this small Treatise wherewith I have according to my poor talent laid before thee this great duty What effect it shall have I know not my God knows in whose hands the blessing of our endeavours lyes Get alone and pray over this Book and for the unworthy sinful Author as he desires to do for thee into whose hand this may come let our Prayers daily meet at the throne of Grace till our souls meet before the throne of God if thou receivest any good by this or any other work this poor worm hath handed to thee ascribe nothing to the instrument but all to the agent and efficient our good God from whom comes every good and perfect gift disdains not the work for the plainness of the stile it was purposely put in this dress for the vulgars benefit and if it or my self be exposed to censure for that 't is welcom I write not to please learned Scholars but to profit plain Christians whose spiritual good I prefer above any credit to my self I am sure there is none due there being few of my brethren but they transcend me in parts and learning But by the grace of God I am what I am 1 Cor. 15.10 Nor is that grace altogether in vain for as it hath helped me in labours so he hath in some measure blessed my labours though I be nothing the least of Saints not meet to be called a Minister Did those that read my labours know me they would be ready to despise my undertakings this I speak because my former book hath found such good acceptance and this is so much desired And that no man think of me above what he knoweth to be in me my heart hath been near fainting through discouragements from my great weakness had I not been supported many a time with that word in 2 Cor. 4.7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the Power may be of God and not of Man Whence I gather that God can make use of weak unlearned sinful instruments to do great works and he can use persons of mean abilities to accomplish his glorious ends in converting souls as well as the profoundest Clerks or wisest men on
Book called An help to better hearts for better times Pag. 196 197. read more of this Subject there are some separating duties that prepare for others as examination meditation prayer and they do prepare by stirring up the grace of God and providing an heavenly assistance to begin with us in the duty If thou canst not always have separating time betwixt other occasions and Gods worship yet have some separating thoughts ere thou enter upon the duty thou art not fit else to meddle with wisdom Thus he 'T is true some have not the leisure that others have yet so much preparation is necessary for every duty as may withdraw the heart from other objects and weight the Spirit with a due sense of the work we have in hand and sometimes this may be done suddenly yet as for such as have more time to work upon their hearts and state their souls case by mustering up themselves to the work neglect a duty and cannot groundedly expect the Lords presence and this I conceive is the reason why the Lords people miss of God in secret Prayer at least one reason is because they do not make such conscience and take such care of preparing their hearts as they ought Ah Christians when you come into your Closet sit down and pause a little before you fall down upon your knees clear up your state shake off other business set your selves in Gods presence and muster up your sins or wants or mercies you purpose to spread before the Lord a Client will consider all his matters before he come to state his case to his advocate a poor patient will bethink himself how he is that he may tell his ailings to his Physitian and a petitioner will not go hand over head unto his Prince but order his cause before hand that he may plead it more effectually And shall not we much more prepare our selves to wait upon the God of Heaven SECT III. Directions concerning the essentials of secret Prayer 2. THe second sort of rules is concerning some things essentially requisite to the right performance of the duty of secret Prayer which you are to look to in the duty and these are such as are required in all sorts of Prayer viz. that it be performed 1. With the heart 2. By the help of the spirit 3. According to Gods will 4. In the name of Christ 1. Secret Prayer must he hearty Prayer an heartless duty is a worthless duty yea the whole heart must be ingaged in it Psal 119.10 With my whole heart have I sought thee It is the heart that God chiefly looks after Prov. 23.26 My Son give me thy heart nothing else can please God if the heart be wanting if the heart be ingaged in the duty he will rather dispense with other weaknesses where there 's not wilful negligence Observe it in that worship of God we perform with others a mans gifts may be of use though his heart go not along with his voice but in Closet-Prayer it doth no good at all except the heart be ingaged therefore God principally requires the heart in other duties in this he only requires the heart for the voice is not necessary To love and serve the Lord our God with all our heart Mark 12.30 33. soul mind strength is a keeping of the Law and more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices We should pray with every faculty of the soul and with the utmost strength of every faculty Mat. 15.8 9. God deserves and requires our strongest affections That 's but a vain worship that 's performed without the heart right attendance on God is an ingaging the heart to approach to God Christians Jer. 30.21 in all your addresses to God mind the object of worship let the subject worshipping and object worshipped be closly united look beyond the duty it 's one thing to have communion with an Ordinance and another thing to have communion with God in an Ordinance Gods dear Children know what this means for sometimes they are more taken up with expressions affections or some accidentals in the performance than with the object of worship they should be intent upon But this is very dangerous for whatsoever interposeth betwixt the soul and God to divert the thoughts from God is an Idol 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Ezek. 14.3 These men have set up their Idols in their hearts Sept. reads it they have put their thoughts upon their hearts i e. They have committed Idolatry with their own imaginations instead of worshipping God their minds have stuck upon something short of God after which they have as it were run a whoring even in the duty I shall not deliver that as the sense of the place yet it may be an useful note I fear many of us are guilty of a kind of spiritual fine-spun Idolatry by heterogeneal thoughts in holy duties that pluck us from God when we are approaching to him The Lord humble us for this and fix our thoughts upon God that we may say as the Church Isa 26.8 The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee Cyprian saith Cogitatio omnis secularis carnalis at sced nec quicquam tunc animus quam id solum cogitet quod precatur ideo sacerdos ante OrationeÌ„ prefatione praemissa parat sratrum mentes Dicendo sursam corda ut dura respondet plebs Habemus ad Dominum ad moneatur nihil aliud se quam Dominum cogitare debere Câ—p. Serm. de orat Dâ—m p 246. every secular thought must depart and the mind must be taken up with nothing but what we are about he tells the practice of the Church in his time was that the Minister before Prayer prepares the peoples mind saying Sursum corda Lift up your hearts and they answer Habemus ad dominum we have them up to the Lord whereby saith he we are admonished that in Prayer we must think of nothing but the Lord What the Minister said to the People do you say to your selves Sursum corda lift up your hearts Let every one say I am now worshipping an Heart-searching God Oh that my heart were with God Ascensus mentis ad Deum Luth. Collâ—q myst fol. 239. The Ancients saith Luther finely described Prayer to be an ascent of the mind to God Oh that I did experimentally know what this means in Syntaxi i. e. in coupling and joyning of my heart to God Lord gather in my roving and wandring spirit This is the first direction Mind the frame of your hearts 2. Implore and expect the Spirits assistance Prayer must be by the Spirits inlarging influence hence it is called the spirit of grace and supplication Zech. 12.10 Rom. 8.26 it helps our infirmities by making souls to cry out Abba Father with unutterable groans A Christian should spread the sails of his soul for the gales of Gods grace which will carry the praying Saint apace towards God yea and
positive Scripture-warrant to bind my conscience I dare not do otherwise I may say If I be deceived thou hast deceived me but I am sure plain Texts are no cheats I cannot otherwise understand such a Command and oh my God since thou hast thus ingaged me in thy work wilt thou suffer me to miscarry therein 4. He pleads a particular promise I will deal well with thee Surely a comprehensive word containing in it all that Jacob wanted Thus must a Christian search the Scriptures get hold of a promise spread it before the Lord whether for spiritual grace inward comfort or outward supply as thus Lord I find a promise in such a place to a person in my very case pat and pertinent to my very condition as if it had been calculated purposely for me in this juncture now Lord make it good to my Soul and Seed thou hast made it good to others in my state and why not to me Am not I an heir of promise And must not I have a share therein 5. Jacob lays himself under the sense of his own unworthiness I am not worthy saith he of the least of all thy mercies This is the property and excellency of a Saint to nullifie himself and Omnifie God as I may so say thus Abraham in his pleading calls himself dust and ashes and the Centurion judged himself not worthy that Christ should come under his roof Thus then abase thy self Lord I am not worthy to enjoy any common mercy not fit to lift up mine eyes to thee less than the least of thy mercies behold I am vile I am not only destitute of merits but full of demerits Hell is my desert I can challenge nothing as mine but sin and the fruits thereof Lord I condemn my self do not thou condemn me and cast me from thee 6. He is affected with Gods faithfulness in the performance of his promises acknowledging the truth of God shewed to his servant There is mercy in Gods making a promise to Abraham Mic. 7.20 truth in making it good to Jacob. Well then with Jacob thus plead Lord 't is true there was nothing of desert in me to engage thee either to make or keep thy gracious promise but sure the word is gone from thee yea and notwithstanding all my treachery and unfaithfulness thou hast kept it to this day Oh keep it still it depends wholly on thee let not my vanity alter the course of thy mercy but pardon and accept as thou hast done from my Aegypt until now 7. Jacob further recounts his former meanness his low condition With my staff I passed over this Jordan I came hither in a poor contemptible manner a sorry pilgrim thus do you plead Truth it is Lord thy grace is absolutely free there was neither wit nor wealth to move thee to do what thou hast done I can remember the time when I was as sorry and silly a creature as was in all the Countrey there was no capacity in me to do thee any remarkable service thou didst not set thy love upon me for any natural or moral accomplishments even so Father because it pleased thee and wilt thou now forsake me Thou mightest have done that at easier rates 8. Here 's Jacob's Stone of memorial for by-past and present mercies Now saith he I am become two bands i. e. two great companies of wives children servants flocks herds I may say These where had they been 'T is strange to see poor worm Jacob thus rich oh the bounty of God! So do thou say Lord take notice what thou hast done for me must all this be in vain Wilt thou throw away these good things Wilt thou not rather crown these gifts with continuance of thy kindness Wilt thou return to do me hurt after thou hast done me all this good Dost thou not remember my convictions consolations my fears tears doubtings refreshments Oh the passages of love betwixt thee and me Shall I be the grave of these mercies Lord forget me not 9. Here 's his sense of approaching danger Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my Brother for I fear him c. A Brother offended is harder to be won than a strong City Jacob's danger was a spur to his Prayer A pursued Hart runs fast for shelter so do thou Soul when afraid flie to the Lord and say Oh my God I have deadly enemies within without my case is forlorn desperate I have none to run to but thy self Hast not thou said that in thee the fatherless find mercy Other refuge fails me no man cares for my soul Lord relieve deliver this sinful wretch else I go down into the pit 10. Once more doth Jacob plead the promise and inlarge the granted Charter Thou saidst I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the Sea Thus do you still seek out suck sweetness from and put in suit the promises by earnest prayer In this manner Lord hast thou not promised an heart of flesh a broken heart Why then is my heart hardened from thy fear Dost thou not say thou wilt give thy holy Spirit to them that ask it This Lord I want to be a spirit of truth and illumination a spirit of prayer and supplication a spirit of grace and sanctification and of satisfaction Oh bestow this mercy upon me Dost thou not promise to take away my inqiuities by pardoning Grace for thine own Name sake And to subdue my corruption and increase grace and bring me to glory Lord remember thy word unto thy servant in which thou hast caused me to trust Thus much for helps in pleading with God and for that use of Instruction CHAP. VIII An Vse of Exhortation urged SECT I. THe last Use is for Exhortation to put us on to the performance of this sweet duty of Closet-Prayer My beloved friends I beseech you suffer the word of Exhortation you see the work before you you see a plain Scripture-warrant for it you have heard many Instances of Scripture-patterns you see the manner of the performance let none now plead ignorance or look upon it as needless or make excuses or evasions Is it not equal and reasonable Is it not worth the while to converse with your God in a Corner Look over the reasons of the Doctrine and see if there be not some weight in them But besides those I shall propound to you these expostulatory Motives 1. Would you not be such as make conscience of every commanded duty You are no real Saints unless you have respect to all Gods Commandments Psal 119.6 If you pick and chuse in your obedience you are hollow-hearted hypocrites And can you deny this to be a duty And will you stand dodging with God Must he raze this Sentence out of the Bible to humour your conceits and sloth Is not Closet-Prayer a Christian duty Dare you argue against it Out of what Topicks will you fetch your Arguments And do you acknowledge it to be a duty and
Redeemer find a soul upon its knees before the Lord Oh the hearty welcom it will give unto its God! This is the time he waited for he was got into a corner was sighing for his sins pleading for mercy breathing after grace and panting for glory and behold what a quick return doth his God make Even while he is speaking and praying the Lord doth send a guard of Angels to conduct the soul into eternal Mansions where God and the soul shall part no more Blessed for ever happy is that soul whom its Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Now consider of it Whether state would you be found in And do not you know his Coming may be sudden and unexpected Would you be found under neglect or in the faithful performance of a duty Would you not be carried from your Closet-devotion to eternal communion with God Oh then take our Lord's most wholsom counsel Take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is Mark 13.33 I might here challenge Christians also not only for their neglect of but careless performance of this duty of Closet-prayer with what sorry shifts do we put off God How hard dead unbelieving distracted are our hearts in secret God takes much pleasure in Adverbs it pleaseth not God that a duty be done except it be well done Many satisfie their own consciences that they have prayed but consider not how they prayed there 's a curse on such as do the work of God negligently Jer. 48.13 Mal. 1.14 and that have in their flock a male and offer to the Lord a corrupt thing And it 's a fearful thing to get a curse upon our knees when we come for a blessing Look to it God takes notice how you pray the Devil stands under your Closet-window and heareth what you say to God in secret all the while studying how he may commence a suit against you for your duty Like those that come to Sermons to carp or catch at what the Preacher saith or as one saith like a cunning opponent in the Schools while his adversary is busie reading his position he is studying to confute it and oh what advantage do we often give Satan to trip us and take us tardy What occasion do we afford him to accuse us to God and to our selves while we have our filthy garments on us Yea remissness in our duties brings decay in grace Tradesmen may go behind hand by being careless in their dealings as well as by being much out of their shops Alas what sad decay is in our souls for want of closs and constant communion with God We have very perverse hearts we have much ado with them when we would do good evil is present it is our great sin we are so much out of order even upon our knees Satan sends his imps to haunt and torment ment us he jogs our hand when we are to write a Letter to Heaven in our prayers so that we can scarce make sense of what we present to God Our thoughts are unfixed ranging abroad like a Spaniel to a thousand objects so that sometimes we have lost our selves and know not where we are Oh let us lament our vain and trifling spirits in secret duties and turn us unto God for help as a Servant when the child he tends is troublesom and will not be ruled by him calls out to the Father to come to him who no sooner speaks the word but all is whist with him our God can set in order our unruly spirits only he will be called upon by earnest Prayer Thus much for this use CHAP. V. The Third Vse is of Instruction SECT I. MY next and main work is to help us in the duty of Closet-Prayer by propounding some helps and rules for our direction which I shall reduce to these four heads viz. 1. Preparatives to it 2. Essentials in it 3. Circumstances about it 4. Consequences upon it 1. Look to your State and standing If you be not real Saints you are not fit for this spiritual duty Your Relation must be changed by converting grace Hence the Text saith Pray to thy Father See then that God be your Father in Jesus Christ else you cannot truly cry Abba Father If we must be reconciled to our Brother before we offer our gift much more to God for how can two walk together except they be agreed I deny not but a carnal soul should retire himself into a corner examine his state fall down on his knees and beg converting and pardoning grace and thus they must acquaint themselves with God that they may come before him for unsound unconverted sinners have no right as children to call to the King of Heaven though as creatures they may and must seek unto God yet they worship afar off 'T is the gracious Christian only that prayeth acceptably wicked mens prayers are abomination an hypocrite shall not come before him John 13.16 And indeed till you be real Saints you 'l have no mind to buckle close to this duty truth of grace will capacitate you for secret approaches to God strength of grace will elevate you to God and evidence of sincerity will make you come boldly to the Throne of Grace Therefore try your state inquire what relation you have to God or else expect no familiarity with him God will not take the wicked by the hand to lead them into these Chambers of communion the throne of iniquity hath no fellowship with him Our Lord Jesus marrieth none but Widows that are divorced from all other Husbands and he opens his heart to none but his betrothed Spouse her he leads into a solitary place and speaks to her heart Oh sirs come over clearly to God by closing with Christ renounce your selves get united to him and then come and welcom to enjoy communion with him in Closet-Prayer 2. Dispatch other things off your hearts and hands Let not your earthly occasions intrude into your Closet-Exercises Say to the cares and affairs of the world as Abraham to his Servants Stay there while I go and worship the Lord yonder Or as Nehemiah in another case I am doing a great work and I cannot come down to you So do thou say I have appointed other times and seasons for attending worldly businesses let me alone with my God every thing is beautiful in its season Communion with God is as much as I can attend at once I must not be diverted by other objects the business I am about is of the greatest importance I must consult how I may attend upon the Lord without distraction and worldly matters have distracted me in God's service and have cost me many a tear therefore get away from me Why should the work of the Lord cease Why should I be hindred from my God What can you afford me that can be worth one hours communion with my God Thus do you actually renounce the world for you cannot mind two things at once And observe it If
husbands wives apart Zech. 12.11 12. And of gracious souls to be like Doves of the valleys every one mourning for his iniquity Eze. 7.16 There must be joynt-Prayers and separated Prayers together and apart Let not Christians be content to find Christ in a Corner for themselves but let them do what they can that others also may enjoy him this was the frame of the Church or believing Soul Cant. 3.4 When she had found him I held him saith she and would not let him go until I had brought him into my Mothers house i. e. into more publick assemblies And truly Christians that man hath not found Christ at all that would not have all others to find him Oh thinks the Christian in his retirement that others did but feel and injoy what my soul hath sweet experience of would to God my Husband Wife Brother Father Child Neighbour would but try this course a while Oh what advantage would they get by it Though I eat these sweet morsels alone yet fain would I have others to partake with me In things of this world persons are apt to grudge others any benefit by what they have stoln from others a view but in spiritual advantages there 's no envy and if there be it proceeds not from Grace but from corrupt Nature the more grace the less envy and when envy is gone persons will be communicative Take away envy Tolle invidiam mea tua sunt tua mea and mine is thine and thine is mine true Grace or Charity is kind envieth not 1 Cor. 13.4 Now this I am perswading to that they that have found Christ would be so charitable to souls as to communicate the knowledge of him and the way to enjoy him unto others Thus doth Andrew come to Simon and Philip to Nathaniel and both of them were as a man finding a jewel and cannot contain overjoyed and cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found him We have found the Messias Joh. 1.41 45. And when the poor woman of Samaria had been privately conversing with Jesus down she threw at least left behind her her water-pot and all in haste went to the City and said to the men Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did Is not this the Christ John 4.28 29. Thus do you sirs promote and propagate this choice duty commend it unto others practice and so you may be instruments of good CHAP. VII Concerning the matter or words of Prayer SECT I. THere is one thing yet remains which it may be expected something should be spoken to and that is The matter in praying or words of Prayer Whether it be lawful or requisite to use a form or no Most judge Videas Ames Cas Cons lib. 4. c. 17. p. 190. that as forms are lawful so prescript words may be requisite to some young beginners in Religion and other Christians of weak parts that cannot express their desires to God in fit words to help their rudeness yet Christians ought to press after more growth and proficiency that they may lay aside those Crutches and arrive at that gift of Prayer that may be of singular use As for Closet-Prayer Practical Catech. pag. 277. Dr. Hammond doth assert it that every one may ask his own wants in what form of words he shall think fit And indeed all particular cases incident and variable can scarce be comprehended in one constant form besides in secret Prayer God doth not so much stand upon phrases or pat sentences as the workings of the heart in sighs and groans which are the best Rhetorick in his ears It 's inquired Whether we may use the Lords Prayer I answer we may use it as other prayers in Scripture but I conceive the principal end of it is not to be rehearsed every time we pray but an example platform or directory according to the contents whereof we must direct our prayers Therefore for the further help of young professors I shall briefly touch at the several branches of that admirable compendious rule of Prayer you have in Mat. 6. ver 9. to v. 14. And the rather because it may seem to refer chiefly though not only to Closet-devotion what I shall say to it may be a practical analysing of it in its several parts and branches 1. For the preface Our Father which art in Heaven You may thus make use of it Infinite and Eternal Majesty the Maker of Heaven and Earth who dwellest in the highest Heavens and in the lowest hearts who seest all things here below and art a God that hearest prayers I am a poor worm at thy foot-stool looking up to the Throne of thy Grace cast a Fatherly eye up on me and though I be by Nature a Child of wrath yet through Jesus Christ make me thy child by Grace and Adoption teach me to cry Abba Father with holy reverence and filial confidence raise my heart to Heaven beget in me Faith in thy promises love to my brethren and due apprehensions of thy Soveraign power and gracious condescention that praying by the help of thy Spirit in the name of thy Son I may obtain good at thy Fatherly hands Secondly for the Petitions 1. Petition Hallowed be thy Name Thus O my God I have dishonoured thee all my days by my ignorance pride hardness and unthankfulness and I am unapt and unable to glorifie thee but do thou glorifie thy self in my conversion and salvation help me to know and adore thee to make an high account of thy titles attributes ordinances to believe thy word admire thy works in mercy or judgment help me with spiritual thoughts becoming my holy profession with divine lips speaking good of thy Name and a suitable conversation to walk before the Lord Holy God destroy Atheism Ignorance Idolatry and Profaneness magnifie thy Name through the World and direct and dispose all things to the advancement of thy glory by thy over-ruling providence and thy infinite wisdom 2. Petition Thy Kingdom come Thus improve it Lord I must confess that by nature I am dead in sin and a bond-slave to the Prince of darkness who rules in my heart and leads me captive by ignorance errour disobedience but do thou by the power of thy grace cast out the strong man take possession of my heart sway thy blessed Scepter in me bring my whole man to obedience destroy Satans kingdom propagate the Gospel among all Nations purge thy house furnish thy Church with officers orders and pure ordinances make Kings nursing Fathers to it convert sinners confirm Saints comfort the sad hasten thy second coming to judgement and the blessed Kingdom of Glory 3. Petition Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Thus Holy Majestie I acknowledge my natural ignorance of thy will impotencie to obey it yea enmity and antipathy against it my best services are imperfect my spirit repining under thy hand and my will wilfully resisting grace and rushing into sin but Dear Lord
inform my mind conquer my will order my affections sweetly to comply with thy mind teach me to do thy will in obedience make me content with thy will concerning me in every providence beget in me those heavenly dispositions that are in the glorious Angels and glorified Saints that with humility chearfulnesse diligence and faithfulnesse zeal sincerity and constancy I may be actively and passively at thy dispose 4. For that Petition Give us this day our daily bread Say in this manner Heavenly Father I must confess that by my wretched apostacie in Adam I have lost my right to every morsel of bread and deserve not to breath in thy air or tread on thy earth my sin hath put a curse and sting into every comfort I can obtain nothing by my industrie yet am prone to desire get and use thy mercies unlawfully thy blessing is only the staff of my bread help me to wait on thy providence in a moderate use of lawful means give me a competencie of outward comforts thy blessing in the use thereof and contentment therewith and above all a right thereto in Christ and prevent needlesse cares and sensual delights 5. As to that petition Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debters Thus plead it Lord I am wofully guilty of original and actual sin and am thereby a debter to divine justice I owe millions and cannot pay the least farthing therefore deserve to be cast into the dark dungeon of eternal torments but dear Lord thou hast found a ransome who stands in man's stead to be surety for him O accept me in thy beloved Son Jesus Christ wash away my sins in his blood cloath my naked soul with his glorious robes give me saving faith to embrace him upon his own terms free my soul from guilt and punishment of sin pardon my daily failings and seal an acquittance in my conscience which tells me I do freely forgive all offences against my self 6. The last petition And lead us not into temptation but deliver from evil you may render thus Lord it were righteous with thee to leave me to be assaulted and conquered by Satan my souls cruel enemie my heart is growing wanton proud and careless apt to thrust my self into temptations but unable to resist or overcome them thou maist justly bring me into occasions and leave me to my self therein but oh my God keep my soul from being tempted or assist me in the hour of temptation or recover me out of my foils and falls sanctifie my slips make my standing surer in thy strength tread Satan under my feet conquer the world for me crucifie me unto the world subdue my flesh within and in due time take my soul above all sins and snares into thine immediate presence And then shut up all with such like words as these on that conclusion For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever Amen Oh my God I am unworthy thou shouldst grant my petitions for any thing in my self all my arguments in Prayer and grounds of acceptance I fetch from thy self Thou hast a Kingdom of Grace and Throne of Grace from whence thou hearest prayers and dispensest blessings all the Power is in thine hands to give and forgive to kill or make alive and the Glory shall be thine if thou hear my Prayer and blessed be my God for all my mercies I ascribe to thee and thee alone eternal soveraigntie omnipotencie and glorious excellencie which as I desire all may be given to God so I am humbly emboldened by Faith to rest upon thy power and promise that in due time thou wilt hear my requests And as a token of that my desire and confidence my soul doth eccho forth Amen Even so be it Thus I have given you an hint from the Lords-Prayer of directions for the matter of our prayers I shall but propound another Scripture-Instance concerning Arguments in Prayer Sect. II. An example from Jacob of pleading with God GOD would have his people converse with him in a râ—tional way and Gods children have made use of many pleas in Prayer which they have produced in vehement Expostulations as we may find sprinkled up and down in Scripture as Moses Nehemiah Ezra and Daniel in their approaches to God and above all David through the book of Psalms is exceeding full this way But I shall pass by the rest and fix only upon one Scripture-instance and the rather because it was a secret or solitary prayer of which we are now speaking and there are notable Pleas therein which may possibly suit our condition therefore I shall briefly touch the parts of it and recommend it to our imitation It is that of good Jacob who was trained up in this holy Art of wrestling with God in Gen. 32.9 10 11 12. His plea's there may be reduced to these ten Heads 1. He makes use of suitable Titles of God he calls him Lord or Jehovah which denotes Gods self-existence and giving Being or existence to the promises in first making them and then making them good Thus do you Sirs raise in your hearts suitable apprehensions of God and let your expressions be answerable tell God he is an infinite omniscient omnipotent Majesty able to do beyond what you can ask or think and that you neither need nor desire any more than what his almighty power can effect tell him if All-sufficiency cannot supply you you are content to go unsped but you question neither his hand nor heart you are sure he both can and will help his Children in their need he will make good with his hand what he hath spoken with his mouth for he is Jehovah 2. He pleads Covenant-relation to God O God of my Father Abraham and God of my Father Isaac and so my God! this is an admirable plea if God own a soul in a Covenant-relation he will certainly do it good though his grace be free yet when God hath chosen a soul to be his he hath as it were ingaged himself to own it now he hath laid his truth to pledge Thus then a soul may plead Lord thou hast been my Fathers God and wilt thou not be my God And wilt thou be my God and with-hold such a mercy from me My Ancestors found grace in thy sight and obtained those very good things I am craving and am not I under the very same Covenant with them Are not promises the same Is there not the same Mediator Lord I come to thee in a Covenant-relation for a covenant-Covenant-mercy and wilt thou deny me 3. He pleads a warrant for his undertaking appealing to God that he was in his way saying The Lord which saidst unto me Return unto thy Country Oh with what incouragement may the soul plead for assistance and protection that is in Gods way and work according to his own appointment Thus then plead Lord hast not thou set me about this work Hast thou not given me a charge to do what I do Have I not a plain
his misery plead for mercy and giving God the glory due unto his name oh then he goes away much satisfied and God must needs accept his person and hear his Prayer Why so Why he hath sound abundant assistance meltings quicknings and inlargements Alas Sirs where is Christ all this while I am afraid your advocate is quite forgotten your surety set aside as a poor insignificant Cypher And tell me soul thou that boastest thus of thy inlargements darest thou appear before an holy God in those rotten rags Suppose thy rags be Velvet they are but rags still and are too scant a garment for thy naked soul thou comest to unlock the ear of God and open his heart with a wrong key we are accepted only in the Beloved and not because we are inlarged 'T is true evangelical assistance may be a sign of acceptance but 't is no cause thereof No no our persons and prayers are owned only upon the account of our surety and intercessour Our dear Lord Jesus who dyed for us he lyes leager at the Court of Heaven as our Ambassador to plead for us and to see matters carried fairly betwixt God and ransomed souls and shall we not imploy our advocate and find him work Or shall we think to go our own errand Lord forgive this gross ingratitude Oh Christians whatever your straitness or inlargements be make use of him who is at Gods right hand lay your sacrifices on this golden Altar lay the whole stress of your acceptance upon Christs meritorious intercession act faith on him who mingles his sweet incense with your sorry performances Oh look after our Aaron who is gone into the Holy of Holies for us Consider friends it would be sad with you if you were to be judged according to the best secret duties that ever you performed It 's good to have an inlarged heart in secret yet there 's danger in it and it may undo us because our naughty hearts are apt to boast of and trust to our inlargements therefore 't is better for us sometimes to be straitned than constantly inlarged in our Closet-Prayers This is that which hath made some say that their duties have done them more hurt than their infirmities and the reason is plain because our corrupt hearts are so apt to depend upon the former when as we are daunted and emptied of our selves by considering the latter The Lord help us all in this main businâ—ss of Prayer yea this principal part of our religion to depend wholly upon the righteousness and intercession of Jesus Christ for access to and acceptance with God Study these Scriptures Joh. 16.23 24. Eph. 3.13 Heb. 4.15 16.10.19 20 21 22. Phil. 3.3 18. The Gospel is full of this yea this is the main hinge of our Religion you are not Christians unless you make Jehovah your righteousness in all you do as well as God your ultimate end You 'l go away as the proud Pharisee without acceptance if you plead your inlargements with God but if you come as the Publican pleading only Gods mercy and Christs merits you shall be owned and crowned with abundant incomes There are also several other necessary Ingredients in all prayer which I might urge with reference to this duty of secret Prayer as 1. A right understanding 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with understanding For blind devotion is not pleasing to God 2. A sensible feeling of our wants we must come weary and heavy laden Mat. 11.28 Pressed with the guilt of sin pinched with want of grace 3. Fervency of spirit James 5.17 arising from a consideration of the necessity and excellency of what we desire burning Zeal 4. A reverent disposition Eccl. 5.2 an unfeigned abasing of our selves before him from the sense of his infinite Majesty and our own indignity 5. Secret perswasions of prevailing 1 Tim. 2.8 grounded on Gods All sufficiency and Fidelity though the soul be unworthy 6. A charitable disposition forgiving others Mat. 6.14 bearing an endeared affection to all Saints 7. Perseverance in Prayer holding on without cessation Eph. 6.18 Following God in the duty all our dayes Such as these constitutive ingredients essentially requisite in the duty of Prayer I might urge but must contract This is the second sort of Directions CHAP. VI. The circumstances of Secret Prayer opened SECT I. THe third head of Instructions concerning Closet-Prayer is the Circumstances that attend it which may be a great furtherance or hinderance in this performance These are four Referring either to the 1. Place 2. Posture 3. Season 4. Voice I shall but briefly touch at these 1. For the Place I advise you to chuse the most retired room where you may be freest from disturbance that you may not hear the noise of the family or distracting commotions of a tumultuous world be not curious in the choice of a place so it accomplish your end for secrecy or retirement no matter how homely it be the sweetness of the company will compensate the meanness of the place Lovers care not where they meet so they may conveniently be together If you have not a convenient room within doors yet a good heart will not disdain to go meet its Beloved in any coat or barn or wood Isaac walkt out into the Fields to pray and meditate See you chuse a private place wherever it be according to the nature of the duty before opened to you observe God's providence in disposing of you and accept such place as he shall offer to you 2. For Posture In general see that you use an humble gesture there are examples of several laudable gestures in prayer sometimes we find Saints standing ordinarily kneeling spreading forth their hands lifting up their eyes towards Heaven sometimes prostrating the body all along upon the Earth before the Lord you may do in this as you find most advantageous in your experience no universal rules can be given as to these particular circumstances only see that your Closet-Prayers be with as much reverence as if you were before others consider your bodies are Gods and must be presented as a sacrifice to God He will be worshipped with the outward as well as inward man you cannot without dangerous sacriledge rob him of either Besides observe it there is both evidence and assistance in the bodies humble gesture it is an help to make you humble and 't is a sign that you are humble But on the contrary an unsuitable sight and position of the body in Gods service is a sad sign of an unhumbled soul Cogitemus nos sub conspectu Dei stare placendam est Divinis â—…ulis habitu corporis mâ—de vocis Cyp. Serm. in Orat. Dom. p. 409. and hinders humiliation Therefore though you be never so solitary yet remember your Father in Heaven sees you Therefor as Cyprian exhorts let us consider we stand under the presence of God and seek to please the Divin 〈…〉 h in the habit of our body and manner o 〈…〉 Think of this