they are upon the wing So Satan shoots his most fiery darts at men when they are most idle and sloathful And this the Sodomites found by woful experience when God rained Ezek. 16. 49. hell out of heaven upon them both for their idleness and for those other sins of theirs which their idleness did expose them to It was said of Rome that during the time of their wars with Carthage and other enemies in Africa they knew not what vice meant but no sooner had they got the conquest but through idleness they came to ruine Idleness is a sin not only against the Law of Grace but also against the light of nature You cannot look any way but every creature checks and upbraids your idleness and sloth if you look up to the heavens there you shall find all their glorious Lights constant in their motions The Sun rejoyceth as a strong man to run a race the Winds Psal 19. 5. Psal 104. 23. blow the Waters run the Earth brings forth her pleasant and delightful fruits all the Fish in the Sea Fowls in the Air and Beasts in the Fields and on the Mountains have their motions and operations all which call aloud upon man not to be idle but active Solomon sends the sluggard to the Prov. 6. 6. Ant to learn industry The Ant is a very little creature but exceeding laborious nature hath put an instinct into her to be very busie and active all the Summer she is early and late at it and will not lose an hour unless the weather hinder And the Prophet Jeremiah sends the Jews to school to learn to wait and observe of the Stork Jer. 8. 7. the Turtle the Crane and the swallow And our Saviour sends us to the Sparrows and Lillies to learn attendance Mat. 6. 26 28. upon providence And let me send you to the busie Bee to learn activity and industry though the Bee be little in bulk yet 't is great in service she flyes far examines the fields hedges trees orchards gardens and loads her self with honey and wax and then returns to her Hive Now how should the activity of these creatures put the idle person to a blush O Sirs Man is that most noble creature into whom God hath put principles of the greatest activity as capable of the greatest and highest enjoyments and therefore idleness is a forgetting mans dignity and a forsaking of that rank that God hath set him in and a debasing of himself below the least and meanest creatures who constantly in their order obedientially serve the Law of their creation Nay if you look up to the blessed Angels above you you shall still find them active and serviceable Are they not all ministring Spirits sent Heb. 1. 14. forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation And if you look down to the Angels of darkness below you O how laborious and industrious are they to destroy and 1 Pet. 5. 8. damne your precious and immortal souls For a close remember that idleness is so great an evil that it hath been condemned and severely punished by the very worst of men Among the Egyptians Idleness was a capital crime Among the Lucans he that lent money to an idle person was to lose it By Solons Law idle persons were to suffer death And Seneca had rather be sick than idle The Lacedemonians called men to an account for their idle hours Among the Corinthians idle persons were delivered to the Carnifex Antonius Pius being Emperour caused the roofs coverings of all such houses to be taken away as were known to receive an idle people affirming that nothing was Capitolinus more uncomely or absurd to be suffered than such idle Caterpillars slow worms to have their food and nourishment from that Common-wealth in the maintenance of which there was no supply from their industry labour All which should steel us arm us against sloth and idleness I have the longer insisted on this because there is not agreater hinderance to Closet-prayer than sloth and idleness Slothful and idle persons commonly lye so long a bed and spend so much precious time between the comb and the glass and in eating drinking sporting trifling c. that they can find no time for private prayer Certainly such as had rather go sleeping to Hell than sweating to Heaven will never care much for Clos 〈◊〉 t prayer And therefore shun sl 〈◊〉 th and idleness as you would shun a Lyon in the way or poison in your meat or coales in your bosome or else you will never find time to wait upon God in your Closets Secondly Take heed of spending too much of your precious time about circumstantials about the little things of Religion as mint anise and cummin or in searching Mat. 23. 23. into the circumstances of worship or in standing stoutly for this or that ceremony and in the mean while neglect the studying of the covenant of grace or about enquiring what fruit that was that Adam eat in Paradise or in enquiring after the Authors of such and such books whose names God in his infinite wisdome hath concealed or in enquiring what God did before the world was made when one asked Austin that Question he answered that he was preparing Hell for such busie Questionists as he was It was a saying of Luther From a vain-glorious Doctor from a contentious Pastor and from unprofitable Questions the good Lord deliver his Church 'T is one of Satans great designs to hinder men in the great and weighty duties of Religion by busying them most about the lowest and least matters of Religion Satan is never better pleased than when he sees Christians puzzled and perplexed about Col. 2. 21. those things in Religion that are of no great moment or importance Such as negotiate and trade in Religion more for a good name than a good life for a good report than a good Conscience for to humor others than to honour God c. such will take no pleasure in loset-duties Such as are more 2 Tim. 3. 5. busied about ceremonies than substances about the form of godliness than the power such will never make it their business to be Mat. 6. 1 2 3 4 5 6. much with God in their Closets as is evident in the Scribes and Pharisees Such as are more taken up with the outward dress and garb Luke 11. 34. 40. of Religion than they are with the spirit power and life of Religion such will never affect to drive a secret trade heaven-wards There can't be a surer nor a greater character of an hypocrite than to make a great deal of stir about little things in Religion and in the mean while neglect the great and main things in Religion Such as these have all along in the Scripture discovered a strangness and a perfect carelesness as to Closet-duties I never knew any man hot and zealous about circumstantials about the little things
if they do but hear Drums or Tabours sound about them Were not Job and Jeremiah Job 3. Jer. 20. such Tygres who in the day of their afflictions did more than curse the Day of their birth O what a bitter cup what a heavy burden was affliction to them Job 10. 1. My Soul is weary of my life Job 7. 15. My Soul chooseth strangling and death rather than life Psal 6. 6. I am weary with my groaning Psal 69. 1 2 3. Save me O God for the waters are come in unto my Soul I sink in deep mire where there is no standing I am come into deep waters where the floods overflow me I am weary of my crying my throat is dryed mine eyes fail while I wait for my God Doubtless many good men have sat under Elias 1 Kings 19. 4. his Juniper wishing themselves out of the World if it might stand with Divine pleasure that they might rest from their sins and sorrows and be rid of their many burdens and bondages looking upon life little better than a Hell were it not for the hopes of a Heaven hereafter But Fifthly When Parents take up the Rod into their hands they will not lay it down till Rodolphus the Emperours Motto was Omnia eoe voluntate Dei All must be as God will have it And this should be every Christians Motto under the Rod. they have subdued the spirits of their Children and brought them to submit and to kiss the Rod and to sit still and quiet before them 'T is so here when God takes up the Rod he will not lay it down till he hath brought us to lye quietly at his feet Lev. 26. 40 41 42. If they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers with their trespas which they have trespassed against me and that also they have walked contrary to me And that I also have walked contrary unto them brought them into the Land of their enemies if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity Then Will I remember my Covenant with Jacob and also my Covenant with Isaac and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember and I will remember the Land When God takes up the Rod his Children must either bow or break they must say the Jer. 5. 3 6. Lord is righteous they must kiss the Rod of Correction or else destruction will come like a Whirle-wind upon them 'T is reported of the Lyon that he spares those creatures that fall down before him and submit unto him but as for those that endeavour to run from him or to contend with him those he tears in pieces 'T is just so with the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah as you may see in that Hos 5. 14 15. King Edward riding furiously Acts and Mon. in Edward I. after a servant of his that had highly displeased him with a drawn Sword in his hand as purposing to kill him seeing him submit and on bended knee suing for his life did not only put up his Sword but also spared him and received him into his favour The King of Kings will never put up his sword when once he hath drawn it till his People fall on their knees submit unto him God never left chastising of Ephraim Jer. 31. 18 19 20. till he had brought him to his bow till he had made him submit and kiss the Rod. But Sixthly Afflictions are called a Rod in respect of the hand that layes them on Though Affliction be a Rod it is a Rod in a Fathers hand John 18. 11. The Sword is in the Judges hand and the Cudgel is in the Masters hand but the Rod is in the fathers hand Heb. 12. 6 7 8 9. When Balaams Ass Num. 22. 29. offended him he wished for a sword to slay him But so doth not God when we doe most highly provoke him he doth not take up a Sword to slay us but only a Rod to scourge us and chastise us as indulgent Fathers do their dearest Children But Seventhly and Lastly Afflictions are called a Rod in regard of the ends to which they serve A Rod is not to kill but to cure 't is not for destruction but for correction When David gave a full commission to his Souldiers against Absolom 'T was not to slay him but to restrain him 't was not to ruine him but to reduce him to his former obedience The Application is easie We can as well live without our daily bread as without our dayly Rod. Now the ends of taking up the Rod are these First and more generally 'T is for the good of the child and not for his hurt 'T is so here God takes up the Rod but 't is for the good of his People Gen. 50. 20. But as for you ye thought evil against me but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive Divine goodness did so over-master the plotted malignity of Josephs Brethren as that it made a blessed medicine of a most deadly poyson Jer. 24. 5. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel like these good Figs so will I acknowledg them that are carried away Captive of Judah whom I have sent out of this place into the Land of the Chaldeans for their good When Israel was dismissed out of Egypt 'T was with Exod. 11. Gold and Ear-rings And when Judah was dismissed out of Babylon 't was with great gifts Jewels and all necessary Utensils So Rom. 8. 28. And Ezra 1. we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the Called according to his purpose This Text like Moses his Tree cast into the bitter waters of Affliction may make them sweet and wholsome to drink of But Secondly and more particularly The Rod is to make the Child sensible of his folly and vanity Pro. 10. 13. In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found but the Rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding So 't is here God takes up the Rod but 't is to make his People sensible of their folly and vanity 't is to make them look up to him and to look into Conscience and to look out to their Conversations Schola Crucis is Schola Lucis Gods house of correction is his school of instruction his lashes are our lessons his scourges are our School-masters and his chastisements are our advertisements Isa 26. 9. Psal 94. 12 Pro. 3. 12 13. Job 36. 8 9 10. Hence both the Hebrews and Greeks express chastening and teaching by one and the same word Musar Paideia because the latter is the true end of the former according to that in the Proverb Smart makes Wit and vexation gives understanding Afflictions are a Christians Looking-Glass by which he may see how to dress his own Oculos quos peccatum claudit paena apperit Greg.
But many will be ready to object and say We have much business upon our hands and we cannot spare time for private prayer we have so much to doe in our shops and in our ware-houses and abroad with others that we cannot spare time to waite upon the Lord in our Closets Now to this Objection I shall give these Eight Answers that this Objection may never have a resurrection more in any of your hearts First What are all those businesses that are upon your hands to those great businesses weighty affaires that did lye upon the hands of Abraham Isaac Jacob Moses David Daniel Elias Nehemiah See the first Consideration Peter Cornelius and yet you find all these worthies exercising themselves in Private prayers And the King is commanded every day to read some part of Gods word notwithstanding all his great and weighty imployments Deut. 17. 18 19 20. Now certainly Sirs your great businesses are little more than ciphers compared with theirs And if there were any on earth that might have pleaded an exemption from private prayer upon the account of business of much business of great business these might have done it but they were more honest and more noble than to neglect so choice a duty upon the account of much business these brave hearts made all their publick imployments stoop to private prayer they would never suffer their publick imployments to tread private prayer under foot But Secondly I answer no mens outward affaires did ever more prosper than theirs did who devoted themselves to private prayer notwithstanding their many and great worldly employments Witness the prosperity outward flourishing estates of Moses Abraham Isaac Jacob Nehemiah David Daniel and Cornelius these were much with God in their Closets and God blest their blessings to them how Gen. 22. 17 did their cups over flow what signall favours did God heape upon them and theirs No families have been so prospered protected and graced as theirs who have maintained secret communion with God in a Corner Private prayer 1 Chron. 11. 9. doth best expedite our temporal affairs he that prayes well in his Closet shall be sure to speed well in his Shop or at his Plough or 1 Tim. 4. 8. what-ever else he turns his hand unto 'T is true Abimelech was rich as well as Abraham and so was Laban rich as well as Jacob and Saul was a King as well as David and Julian was an Emperour as well as Constantine But 't was only Abraham Jacob David and Constantine who had their blessings blest unto them all the rest had their blessings curst unto them they had many Prov. 3. 33. Mal. 2. 2. good things but they had not the good will of him that dwelt in the Bush with what they had and therefore all their mercies were but bitter-sweets unto them Though all the sons of Jacob returned laden from Gen. 43. Aegypt with corn and money in their sacks yet Benjamin only had the silver cup in the mouth of his sack So though the men of the world have their Corn and their Money c. yet 't is only God's Benjamin's that have the silver Cup the Grace-Cup the Cup of blessing as the Apostle calls 1 Cor. 10. 16 it for their portion O sirs as ever you would prosper and flourish in the world as ever you would have your water turn'd into wine your temporal mercies into spiritual benefits be much with God in your closets But Thirdly I answer 'T is ten to one but that the objecter every day fools away or trifles away or idles away or sins away one hour in a day and why then should he object the want of time There are none that toyle and moyle and busie themselves most in their worldly imployments but doe Myrmecides a famous Artist spent more time in making a Bee than an unskilful workman would do to build a house Plutarch spend an houre or more in a day to little or no purpose either in gazing about or in dallying or toying or dourting or in telling of stories or in busying themselves in other mens matters or in idle visits or in smoaking the Pipe c. And why then should not these men redeem an hours time in a day for private prayer out of that time which they usually spend so vainly and idly can you notwithstanding all your great worldly imployments find an hour in the day to catch flyes in as Domitian the Emperour did and to play the fool in and cannot you find an hour in the day to wait on God in your closets There were three special faults whereof Cato professed himself to have seriously repented one was passing by water when he might have gone by land another was trusting a secret in a womans bosome but the main was spending an hour unprofirably This heathen will one day rise up in Judgment against them who notwithstanding their great imployments spend many hours in a week unprofitably and yet cry out with the Duke of Alva that they have so much to do on earth that they have no time to look up to heaven 'T was a base and sordid spirit in that King Sardanapalus who spent much of his time amongst women in spinning and carding which should have been spent in Ruling and governing his Kingdome So 't is a base sordid spirit in any to spend any of their time in toying and trifling and then to cry out that they have so much business to do in the World that they have no time for closet-prayer they have no time to serve God nor to save their own precious and immortal souls But Fourthly I answer No man dares plead this objection before the Lord Jesus in the great day of account And why then should any man be so childish foolish so â—ccl 11. 9. Rom 14. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 10. ignorant impudent to plead that before men which is not pleadable before the Judgment seat of Christ O sirs as you love your souls and as you would be happy for ever never put off your own consciences nor others with any plea's arguments or objections now that you dare not own and stand by when you shall lye upon a dying bed and when you shall appear before the whole court of heaven c. In the great day of account when the secrets of all hearts shall be made manifest and God shall call men to a reckoning before Angels Men and Devils for the neglect of private prayer all giulty persons will be found speechless there will not be a man or woman found that shall dare to stand up and say Lord I would have waited upon thee in my closet but that I had so much business to do in the world that I had no time to enjoy secret communion with thee in a Corner 'T is the greatest wisdom in the world to plead nothing by way of excusein this our day that we dare not plead in the great day But.
doth not intend to bestow upon us whether we pray in our closets or no and therefore to what purpose do you presse secret prayer so hard upon us c. To this Objection I shall give these Answers First That this Objection lyes as strong against Family Prayer and Publick Prayer as it doth against Private Prayer God knows all thy wants and necessities all thy straits and tryals c. and therefore what needest thou pray in thy Family what needest thou attend Publick Prayers in the Communion of Saints There is no wringing of any mercy out of the hands of Heaven which God doth not intend to bestow This Objection faces all kind of Prayer and fights against all kinds of Prayer But Secondly I answer That Private Prayer is that piece of Divine Worship and Adoration 't is a part of that homage which we owe to God upon the account of a Divine Command as I have already proved Now all Objections must bow before the face of Divine Commands As Josephs Brethren bowed before him Or as King Ahasuerus Gen. 42. 6. Esth 3. 2. his servants bowed before Haman Indeed every Objection that is formed up against a Divine Command should fall before it as Dagon fell before the Ark or as Goliah fell before David He that casts off Private Prayer under any pretence whatsoever he casts off the Dominion of God the Authority of God and this may be as much as a mans life and soul is worth But Thirdly I answer Though Prayer be not the ground the cause of obtaining favours and mercies from God yet 't is the means 't is the Silver Channel 't is the Golden Pipe through which the Lord is Isa 55. 6. Jam. 1. 5. Isa 62. 7. Psal 22. 24. pleased to convey to his people all temporal Spiritual and eternal favours Ezek 36. from the 26. verse to the 37. verse of that Chapter God promises to give them the cream the choycest the sweetest of all spiritual eternal and temporal blessings but mark verse 37. I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them Though God be very prompt and ready to bestow upon his people the best and the greatest of blessings yet the will by prayer be sought unto for the actual enjoyment of them He that hath no heart to pray for a mercy he needs he hath no ground to believe that ever God will give him the mercy he needs There is no receiving without asking no finding without seeking no opening without knocking The threefold promise annexed to the threefold precept in Matth. 7. 7. should encourage all Christians to be instant fervent and constant in prayer The proud beggar gets nothing of men and the dumb sinner gets nothing of God As there is no mercy too great for God to give so there is no mercy too little for us to crave Certainly that man hath little worth in him that thinks any mercy not worth a seeking But Fourthly and lastly I answer Every Christian should labour to enjoy his mercies in mercy he should labour to have his blessings blest unto him he should labour Gen. 22. 17. to have the good-will of him that dwelt in the bush with all he hath Now this is an everlasting truth a maxim to live and die with that whatsoever mercy comes not in upon the wing of prayer is not given in mercy O how sweet is that mercy that comes flying in upon the wing of prayer How sweet was that water to Sampson which streamed to him in the channel of private prayer Judg. 15. 19. he called the name of it En-hakkore the Well of him that prayed Sampson prayed as for life and that water that was handed to him was as sweet as life Every mercy that is gathered by the hand of prayer is as sweet as the Rose of Sharon But Can. 2. 1. that mercy that comes not in at the door of prayer comes not in at the right door and that mercy that comes not in at the right door will do a man no good such mercies will make themselves wings and fly from us Every Christian should Pro. 23. 5. narrowly look that all his mercies 1 Tim. 4. 4 5. are sanctified mercies now every mercy is sanctified by the word prayer Prayer prepares and fits us for mercy and mercy for us 'T is Prayer that gives us a right and holy use of all our mercies Such mercies are but great miseries that come not in upon the wing of prayer Prayerless mens mercies are all given in wrath Psal 76. 23 32. Yea their blessings are curst unto them Prov. 3. 33. Mal. 2. 2. Look as every sacrifice was to be seasoned with salt so every mercy is to be sanctified by prayer Look as Gold sometimes is laid not only upon cloath and silks but also upon Silver it self So Prayer is that Golden duty that must be laid not only upon all our natural and civil actions as eating drinking buying selling c. but also upon all our Silver duties upon all our most religious and spiritual performances as hearing reading meditating conference church-fellowship breaking of bread c. Certainly prayer is very necessary to make every providence and every ordinance and every mercy to be a blessing to us Every mercy that comes in upon the wing of private prayer is a double mercy 't is a great-bellied mercy 't is a mercy that hath many mereies in the womb of it Happy is that Christian that can lay his hand upon every mercy that he enjoyes and say of them all as once Hannah said of her Samuel 1 Sam. 1. 27. For this child I prayed and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him But Fifthly Some may further object and say I would drive a private trade with God I would exercise my self in secret prayer but I want a convenient place to retire into I want a private corner to unbosome my soul to my Father in c. To this Objection I shall give these three short Answers First I suppose this Objection concernes but a few Christians in our dayes That God that hath given a Christ to Believers doth commonly give them a convenient corner Rom. 8. 32. to enjoy private communion with himself in Most Christians I am afraid do rather want a heart for private prayer than a convenient place for private prayer What men set their hearts upon they will find time and place to effect it whether it be good or whether it be evil whether it concerns temporals or spirituals whether it concerns this world or another world this life or a better life If most men would but get better hearts they would quickly find or make convenient places for private prayer He who hath an inflamed love to God will certainly find out a corner to enjoy secret communion with God True lovers will find out corners to enjoy one another in How many men are there that