The use and Application of all follows.

First, It looks sourly and sadly upon all those that put off secret prayer, private prayer, till they are moved to it by the Spirit; for by this sad delusion, many have been kept from secret prayer, many weeks, many moneths, O that I might not say, many years! Though it be a very fit season to Isa. 62. 1. Psal. 123. 1, 2 Gal. 4. 6. pray when the Spirit moves us to pray, yet, 'tis not the only season to pray. He that makes Religion his business, will pray as daily for daily grace, as he doth pray daily for daily bread. Luke 18. 1. And [Page 124] he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought alwayes to pray, and not to faint. 1 Thes. 5. 17. Pray with­out ceasing. Ephes. 6. 18. Praying al­wayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance, and supplication for all Saints. Rom. 12. 12. Conti­nuing instant in prayer. The Greek is [...] In every season, as occasion and op­portunity offers it self, we must pray. a Metaphor taken from hunting Dogs, that never give over the game till they have got their prey. A Christian must not only pray, but hold on in prayer, till he hath got the heavenly prize. We are want­ing alwayes, and therefore we had need be praying alwayes. The world is alwayes alluring, and therefore we had need be alwayes a praying; Satan is alwayes a tempting, and therefore we had need be alwayes a praying; and we are alwayes a sinning, and therefore we had need be alwayes a praying; and we are in dangers alwayes, and therefore we had need be praying alwayes; and we are dying alwayes, and therefore 1 Cor. 15. 31 [Page 125] we had need be praying alwayes. Mans whole life is but a lingring death; man no sooner begins to live, but he begins to die. When one was ask't, why he prayed six times a day, he only gave this an­swer, I must die, I must die, I must die. Dying Christians had need be pray­ing Christians, and they that are alwayes a dying had need be al­wayes a praying. Certainly, pray­erless families are graceless fami­lies, and prayerless persons are graceless persons. It were better Jer. 10. 25. ten thousand times, that we had never been born into the world, than that we should go still-born out of the world. But,

Secondly, This truth looks sour­ly and sadly upon those that pray not at all, neither in their Fami­lies nor in their closets. Among all Gods Children, there is not one possest with a dumb devil. Prayer­lesse persons are forsaken of God, blinded by Satan, hardned in sin, & every breath they draw, liable to all temporal, spiritual, and eternal [Page 126] Judgements. Prayer is that part of natural worship due to God, which none will deny but stark Atheists, Psal. 14. 1.

It is observable that amongst the That wic­ked men ought to pray, and the grand objection against their prayers answered at large in my Trea­tise called The Crown and glory of Christi­anity, from Page 326. to pag. 337. worst of men, Turks; and the worst of Turks, the Moors, it is a just ex­ception against any witness by their Law, that he hath not prayed six times in every natural day, it be­ing usual with them to pray six times a day.

• 1. Before the day-break they pray for day.
• 2. When it is day, they give thanks for day.
• 3. At noon they thank God for half the day past.
• 4. After that they pray for a good Sun-set.
• 5. And after that they thank God for the day past.

And then, sixthly and lastly, they pray for a good night after their day.

Certainly, these very Moors will one day rise in judgement against them, who cast off prayer, who [Page 127] live in a total neglect of prayer, who suffer so many Suns and Moons to rise and set upon their heads, without any solemn calling upon God. I have read of a man, who being sick and afraid of death, fell to his prayers; and to move God to hear him, told him, That he was no common beggar, and that he had never troubled him with his prayers be­fore, Heil. Mic. p. 376. and if he would but hear him at that time, he would never trouble him again. This world is full of such prophane blasphemous, atheistical wretches. But,

Thirdly, This truth looks very sourly and sadly upon such, who are all for publick prayer, but ne­ver regard private prayer; who are [...]ll for going up to the Temple, but never care for going into their Closets. This is most palpable hy­pocrisie, for a man to be very zea­lous for publick prayer, but very cold and careless as to private prayer. He that pretends consci­ence in the one, and makes no con­science of the other, is an hypocrite [Page 128] in grain, Matth. 23. 5. Matth. 6. 1, 2, 5. And the Devil knowes well enough, how to make his markets of all such hypocrites, that are all for the prayers of the Church, but perfect Gallio's as to private prayer, Acts 18. 17. Such as perform all their private devo­tion in the Church, but not in the Chamber, do put too great a slight upon the authority of Christ, who saith, When thou prayest, enter into thy Chamber; he doth not say, when thou prayest, Go to the Church; but, when thou prayest, go into thy Chamber. But,

Fourthly, This truth looks sad­ly and sourly upon such, who in their Closets pray with a loud cla­morous voice. A Christian should shut both the door of his Closet, and the door of his Lips so close, that none should hear without, what he saith within. Enter into thy Closet, (saith Christ) and when thou hast shut thy door, pray. But what need a man shut his Closet door, if he may pray with a clamorous [Page 129] voice, if he make such a noise as all in the street, or all in the house may hear him. The Hen when she lays her Eggs, gets into a hole, a cor­ner; but then she makes such a noise with her cackling, that she tells all in the house where she is, and a­bout what she is. Such Christians that in their Closets do imitate the Hen, do rather pray to be seen, heard, and observed by men, than out of any noble design to glorifie God, or to pour out their souls be­fore him that seeth in secret. Some­times children when they are vext, or afraid of the rod, will run be­hind the door, or get into a dark hole, and there they will lye cry­ing, and sighing, and sobbing, that all the house may know where they are. O 'tis a childish thing so to cry and sigh, and sob, in our Closets, as to tell all in the house, where we are, and about what work we are: Well Christians for an effectual redress of this evil, fre­quently and seriously consider of these five things.

First, That God seeth in se­cret.

Secondly, That God hath a quick ear, and is taken more with the voice of the heart, than he is with the clamour of the mouth. God can easily hear the most secret breathings of thy soul. God is more curious in observing the messages delivered by the heart, than he is those that are only delivered by the mouth. He that prays aloud in private, seems to tell others, that God doth not understand the se­cret desires, and thoughts, and workings of his peoples hearts.

Thirdly, 'Tis not meet, 'tis not convenient, nor expedient, that any should be acquainted with our se­cret prayers, but God and our own souls. Now 'tis as much our duty to look to what is expedient, as 'tis 2 Cor. 8. 10, Chap. 12. 1. to look to what is lawful, 1 Cor. 6. 12. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. So Chap. 10. 23. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things [Page 131] edifie not. Now 'tis so far from be­ing expedient, that 'tis very high folly for men to lay open their se­cret infirmities unto others, that will rather deride them, than lift up a prayer for them.

Fourthly, Loud prayers may be a hinderance and disturbance to o­thers, that may be busied near us, in some Religious, or Civil exer­cises.

Fifthly and lastly, Hannah pray­ed and yet spoke never a word; her heart was full, but her voice was not heard, 1 Sam. 1. 11. Moses prayes and cries, and yet lets fall never a word, Exod. 14. 15. And the Lord said unto Moses, wherefore cry­est thou unto me? Moses did not cry with any audible voice, but with inward sighs, and secret breathings and wrestlings of soul; and these inward and secret cries, which made no noise, carried the day with God; for Moses is heard, and an­swered, and his people are deliver­ed. O the prevalency of those [Page 132] prayers that make no noise in the ears of others.

Fifthly, and lastly, This truth looks sourly and sadly upon those that do all they can to hinder and discourage others from this duty of duties, Private prayer; and that ei­ther by deriding or vilifying of the duty; or else, by denying of it to be a duty; or else, by their dai­ly neglect of this duty; or else, by denying them that are under them time and opportunity for the dis­charge of this duty. In Matth. 23. 13. You have a woe pronounced against those that will neither goe to Heaven themselves, nor suffer others to goe that are wil­ling to enter into an everlasting rest. And so I say, woe to those Parents, and woe to those Husbands, and woe to these Ma­sters and Mistrises, that will neither pray in their closets themselves, nor suffer their children, nor their wives nor their servants, to pour out their souls before the Lord in a cor­ner. O Sirs, how will you answer [Page 133] this to your consciences, when you shall lye upon a dying bed and how will you answer it to the Judge of all the world, when you shall stand before a Judgment seat! Cer­tainly, all their sins, and all their neglects, and all their spiritual losses, that might have been pre­vented by their secret prayers, by their closet communion with God, will one day be charg'd upon your accounts. And, O that you were all so wise as to lay these things so to heart, that you may never hin­der any that are under your care or charge, from private prayer any more. But,

Secondly, This may serve to ex­hort us, to keep close to our Clo­sets, to be frequent and constant in Private prayer, to be often with God in a corner. The 20 Conside­rations already laid down may serve as so many motives to pro­voke your hearts, to this noble and necessary duty.

Objection.

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, [Page 135] 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, [Page 136] 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. 'Tis 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 'twas 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 [Page 137] 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 'tis 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, 'Tis 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 [Page 138] 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 [Page 139] 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. 'Twas 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 'tis 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 [...]ccl. 11. 9. Rom 14. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 10. ignorant & impudent to plead that [Page 140] 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. 'Tis 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.

Fifthly, I answer, That 'tis our 'Tis said of blessed Pooper, that he was spare of di­et, spare of words, and sparest of Time. duty to redeem time, from all our secular businesses, for private pray­er. All sorts of Christians whether bond or free, rich or poor, high [...] low, superiours or inferiours, are expresly charged by God to redeem time for prayer, for private prayer, as well as for other holy exercises, Col. 4. 2, 3. Continue inprayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.

But here some may Object and say, we have so much business to do in the world, that we have no time for prayer. The Apostle answers this Objection in Vers. 5. Walk in wisdom towards them that are without, redeeming the time. So Ephes. 5. 16. Redeeming the time because the dayes are evil; [...], or, buying out, or gaining the time. The words are a metaphor taken from Merchants, who prefer the least profit that may be gained be­fore [Page 142] their pleasures or delights, closely following their business whilst the markets are at best. A Merchant when he comes to a [...]art or Fair, takes the first season and opportunity of buying his commodities; he puts it not off to the hazard of an evening, or to the next morning, in hopes to have a better bargain; but he improves the present season, and buyes before the Market is over.

Others carry the words thus, Purchase at any rate all occasions and opportunities of doing good, that so ye may thereby in some sort, redeem that precious Jewel of Time, which you have formerly lost. As Travellers that have loytered by the way, or staid long at their Inn, when they find night coming upon them, they mend their pace, and go as many miles in an hour, as they did before in many. Though time let slip is physically irrecoverable, yet in a moral consideration, it is account­ed as regained, when men double their care, diligence, and endea­vours [Page 143] to redeem it. The best Chri­stian is he that is the greatest mo­mopolizer of time for private pray­er. No Christian to him that re­deems time from his worldly occa­sions, and his lawful comforts and recreations, to be with God in his Closet. David having tasted of the sweetness, goodness, and graci­ousness of God, cannot keep his bed, but will borrow some time from his sleep, that he might take some turns in Paradise, and pour out his soul in prayer and Psal. 63. 6. praises, when no eye was open to see him, nor no ear open to hear him, but all were asleep round a­bout him, Psal. 119. 62. At mid­night will I arise to give thanks unto thee. Vers. 147. I have prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried. Da­vid was up and at private prayer be­fore day-break. David was no slug­gish Christian, no sloathful Christi­an, no lazy Christian; he used to be in his closet, when others were sleeping in their beds. So Vers. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-watches, [Page 144] that I might meditate in thy word. So Psal. 130. 6. My soul wait­eth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Look as the weary Sentinel in a dark, cold, wet night, waits and peeps, and peeps and waits for the appearance of the morning; so Da­vid did wait and peep, and peep and wait, for the first and fittest season to pour out his soul before God in a corner. David would never suffer his worldly business to justle out holy exercises; he would often bor­row time from the world for pri­vate prayer, but he would never borrow time from private prayer to bestow it upon the world.

Mr. Bradford the Martyr, count­ed that hour lost, wherein he did not some good, either with his pen, tongue, or purse.

Ignatius, when he heard a Clock strike, would use to say, Now I have one hour more to answer for.

So the Primitive Christians would redeem some time from [Page 145] their sleep, that they might be with God in their Closets, as Clemens ob­serves. Clemens.

And I have read of Theodosius the Emperour, that after the vari­ety Nicephorus of worldly imployments re­lating to his civil affaires in the day time were over, how he was wont to consecratethe greatest part of the night to the studying of the Scrip­tures and private prayer; to which purpose he had a Lamp, so artifici­ally made, that it supplied it self with oyl, that so he might no way be interrupted in his private retire­ments.

That Time ought to be redeem­ed, is a lesson that hath been taught by the very Heathens themselves. 'Twas the saying of Pittacus, one of the seven wise men, Know time, lose not a minute. And so Theophra­stus used to say, That Time is of pre­cious cost. And so Seneca, Time is the only thing (saith he) that we can innocently be covetous of; and yet there is nothing of which many are more la­vishly and profusely prodigal. And [Page 146] Chresius a Sophister or Byzantium in the time of Hadrianus the Empe­rour, he was much given to Wine; yet he alwayes counted time so precious, that when he had mis­spent his time all the day, he would redeem it at night.

When Titus Vespatian, who re­venged Christs blood on Jerusalem, returned Victor to Rome, remem­bring Suetonius. one night as he sate at sup­per with his friends, that he had done no good that day, he uttered this memorable and praise-worthy Apothegme, Amici diem perdidi, My friends, I have lost a day.

Chilo, one of the seven Sages, be­ing asked what was the hardest thing in the world to be done, an­swered, To use and employ a mans time well.

Cato held, That an account must be given not only of our labour, but also of our leisure. And Aeli­an gives this testimony of the Lace­demonians, That they were hugely covetous of their time, spending it all about necessary things, and suf­fering [Page 147] no Citizen either to be idle or play. And, saith another, We trifle with that which is most precious, and throw away that which is our great­est interest to redeem.

Certainly, these Heathens will tise in Judgment, not only against Domitian the Roman Emperour, who spent much of his time in killing of flyes; nor only against Archi­medes, who spent his time in draw­ing lines on the ground when Sy­racuse was taken; nor against Ar­taxerxes, who spent his time in in making hafts for knives; nor only against Solyman the great Turk, who spent his time in making notches of horn for bows; nor only against Ero [...]s a Macedonian king, who spent his time in making of Lanthorns; nor only against Harcatus the king of Parthia who spent his time in catching of Moles. But also against many Professors, who in stead of redeeming of pre­cious time, do trifle and fool away much of their precious time at the Glass, the Combe, the Lute▪ the [Page 148] Viol, the Pipe, or at vain sports, and foolish pastimes, or by idle jestings, immoderate sleeping, and superfluous feasting, &c. O Sirs, good hours, and blessed opportuni­ties for closet prayer, are merchan­dise of the highest rate and price; and therefore, whosoever hath a mind to be rich in grace, and to be high in glory, should buy up that merchandize, they should be still a redeeming precious time. O Sirs, we should redeem time for pri­vate prayer, out of our eating time, our drinking time, our sleeping time, our buying time, our selling time, our sinning time, our sport­ing time, rather than neglect our Closet communion with God, &c. But,

Sixthly, I answer, Closet pray­er is either a duty, or 'tis no duty. Now that 'tis a duty, I have so strongly proved, I suppose, that no man nor devil, can fairly or honest­ly deny it to be a duty. And there­fore why do men cry out of their great business? alass duty must [Page 149] be done, what ever business is left undone; duty must must be done, or the man that neglects it, will be un­done for ever. 'Tis a vaine thing to object business, when a required du­ty is to be performed; and indeed, if the bare objecting of business, of much business, were enough to ex­cuse men from duty, I am afraid that there are but few duties of the Gospel, but men would endeavour to evade, under a pretence of busi­ness, of much business. He that pretends business to evade private prayer, will be as ready to pretend business to evade family prayer; and he that pretends business to evade family prayer, will be as ready to pretend business to evade publick prayer. Well sirs, remember what became of those that excused them­selves out of heaven, by their car­nal Apologies, & secular businesses. I have bought a peice of ground, and I Luke 14. 16,—15. must needs goe and see it; I pray thee, have me excused, saith one. I have bought (saith another) five yoke of Oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee [Page 150] have me excused. And, I have marri­ed a Wife, saith another, and there­fore I cannot come. The true reason, why they would not come to the supper that the King of Kings had invited them to, was not because they had bought Farms and Oxen, but because their Farms and Oxen had bought them. The things of the world and their carnal relati­tions had taken up so much room in their hearts and affections, that they had no stomack to heavens danties; and therefore it is obser­vable, what Christ adds at the end of the parable, He that hateth not his Father, and Mother, and Wife, and Children, and Brethren, and Sisters, Vers. 26. yea, and his own Life also, much more his Farm and his Oxen, he cannot be my disciple. By these words 'tis evi­dent, that 'twas not simply the Farm nor the Oxen, nor the Wife; but a foolish, inordinate, carnal love, and esteeme of these things above better and greater blessings, that made them refuse the gracious invitation of Christ. They refused [Page 151] the grace and mercy of God offer­ed in the Gospel, under a pretence of their worldly business; and God peremptorily concludes, that not a man of them should tast of his sup­per. And indeed what can be more just and righteous, than that they should never so much as tast of spi­ritual & eternal blessings, who pre­fer their earthly business before heavens dainties; who with the Reu­benites prefer a countrey commo­dious Num. 23. for the feeding of their Cattle, before an interest in the Land of Promise Private prayer is a work of absolute necessity, both to the bringing of the heart into a good frame, and to the keeping of the heart in a good frame. 'Tis of absolute necessity both for the dis­covery of sin, and for the preven­ting of sin, and for the imbittering of sin, and for the weakning of sin, and for the purging away of sin: 'Tis of absolute necessity, both for the discovery of grace, and for a full exercise of grace, and for an eminent increase of grace: [Page 152] 'Tis of absolute necessity to arme us, both against inward and out­ward temptations, afflictions, and sufferings: 'Tis of absolute neces­sity to fit us for all other duties and services, &c. For a man to glo­rifie God, to save his own soul, and to further his own everlasting hap­piness, is a work of the greatest ne­cessity: Now private prayer is such a work; and therefore why should any man plead business, great bu­siness, when a work of such ab­solute necessity is before him. If a mans child, or wife, were dange­rously sick, or wounded, or near to death, he would never plead, I have business, I have a great deale of business to doe; and therefore I cannot stay with my child, my wife; and I have no time to goe or send to the Physitian, &c. O! no, but he would rather argue thus, 'Tis absolutely necessary that I should looke after the preservation of the life of my child, my wife, and this I will at­tend whatever becomes of my business. O sirs, your souls are of greater con­cernment to you, than the lives of [Page 153] all the wives and children in the world; and therefore these must be attended, these must be saved, what­ever business is neglected. But,

Seventhly, I answer, That God did never appoint or designe any mans ordinary, particular calling, to thrust private prayer out of door. That 'tis a great sin for any professor to neglect his particular calling under any religi­ous pretence, is evident enough by Paradise was mans work­house as well as his store­house, Gen. 2. 15. Man should not have lived idly though he had not▪ fallen from his inno­cency. these Scriptures. Exod. 20. 9. Six dayes shall thou labour, and doe all thy work. 1 Cor. 7. 20. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was c [...]l­led. 2 Thess. 4. 10, 11. 12. For even when we were with you this we com­manded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eate. For we hear, that there are some which walke among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busit-bodies: Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Je­sus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 1 Thess. 4. 11, 12. And that ye studie to be quiet, and to doe your own business, and to work [Page 154] with your own hands (as we commanded you) That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. Ephes. 4. 28. But rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 1 Tim. 5. 8. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. Yea, our Lord Jesus Christ was a plain down­right Carpenter, and was labori­ous in that particular calling, Mark 6. 3. Matth. 13. 55, 56. till he entred upon the publick mi­nistry; as all the Ancients do agree. And we read also, that all the Patri­archs had their particular callings. Abei was 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 [Page 155] 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 'tis 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, 'tis contrary to very many Scriptures, as is evident by the many Arguments formerly cited. Certainly, no mans calling [Page 156] 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 water­pot, 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, [Page 157] 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 'tis much more to lerable for our general cal­ling to borrow time of our particu­lar calling, than 'tis 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 [Page 158] 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 [Page 159] 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 'tis the way of wayes to bring down a blessing from heaven upon a mans business; as the first [Page 160] 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 'twas 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 [Page 161] 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 what temptations a day may bring forth; no man knows what liberty a day may bring forth, no man knows what bonds a day may bring forth; no man knows what good success a day may bring forth, no man knows what bad success a day may bring forth; and therefore a man had need be every day in his closet with God, that he may be prepa­red and fitted to entertain and im­prove all the occurrences, successes, [Page 162] and emergencies, that may attend him in the course of his life. And let thus much suffice for answer to this first Objection. But,

Object. 2.

Secondly, others may Obiect and say, Sir, we grant that Private Prayer is an indispensible duty that lies upon the people of God; but we are ser­vants, and we have no time that we can call our own, and our masters business is such as will not allow us any time for private prayer, and therefore we hope we may be excused.

Sol. 1.

First, the Text is indefinite, and not limited to any sort or rank of Private prayer is a duty that lieth upon Saints as Saints. persons, whether high or low, rich or poor, bond or free, servant or master. But thou when thou prayest, enter into thy Closet; and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret. Here are three thou's, thou, thou, thou, which are [Page 163] to be understood indefinitely; thou servant as well as thou master, thou bond-man as well as thou free-man, thou poor man as well as thou rich man, thou maid as well as thou mistress, thou child as well as thou father, thou wife as well as thou husband. Private prayer is an indispensible duty that lies upon all sorts and ranks of persons. A man may as well say that that Pronoun (Tu) thou that runs through the ten Command­ments (Thou shalt have no other Exod. 20. 3,—18. gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Six dayes shalt thou labour. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit Adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his oxe, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbours, &c.) relates to [Page 164] the rich, and not to the poor, to masters and not to servants, to the free, and not to them that are in bonds, &c. as he may say, that the three thou's in the Text relates to the rich and not to the poor, to masters and not to servants, to those that are free, but not to those that are bound; but certainly there is no man in his wits that will say so, that will affirm such a thing. Doubtless this Pronoune Thou, reacheth every man, of what rank or quality soever he be in this world. But,

Secondly, I answer, That the first the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth Answers that are given to the first Objection, are here very applicable; and O that all masters and servants were so wise, so seri­ous, and so ingenious, as to lay all those answers warm on their own hearts: It might be a means to prevent much sin. and to bespeak masters and mistresses to give their pious servants a little more time to [Page 165] lift up their hearts to Christ in a corner. But,

Thirdly, I answer, If thou art a servant that hast liberty to choose a new Master, thou wert better re­move Psal. 84. 10 Psal. 120. 5. thy station than live under such a masters roof, who is such an enemy to God, to Christ, to Reli­gion, to himself, and to the eter­nal welfare of thy poor soul, as that he will not give thee half an hours time in a day to spend in thy chamber, thy closet, though the glory of God, the good of his own family, and the everlasting happi­ness of thine own soul, is concern­ed in it. 'Tis better for thee to shift thy master, than to neglect thy du­ty. 1 Cor. 7. 21. Art thou called be­ing a servant? care not for it; but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. Justinus the second Fmperours Motto was Libertas res inestimabi­lis. Liber­ty is unva­luable. We lost our liberty by sin, and we affect nothing more than liberty by nature.

The Rabins say of Liberty, That if the Heavens were Parchment, the Sea Inke, and every pile of Grass a Pen, the praises of it could not be comprized nor [Page 166] expressed. Labans house was full of Idols; great houses are often so. Jacobs tent was little, but the true worship of God was in it. 'Tis in­finitely better to live in Jacobs tent, than in Labans house. 'Tis best be­ing with such Masters where we may have least of sin, and most of God; where we may have the most helps, the best examples, and the choisest encouragements to be ho­ly and happy.

The religious servant should be as careful in the choice of his ma­ster, as the religious master is care­ful in the choice of his servant. Gracious servants are great bles­sings to the families where they live; and that master may well be called the unhappy master, who will rather part with a gracious ser­vant, than spare him a little time in a day, to pour out his soul before the Lord in a corner. But,

Fourthly, I answer, If thou art a gracious servant, then thou art spirited and principled by God, to that very purpose, that thou may­est [Page 167] cry Abba Father, when thou art Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 6. 1 Cor. 6. 19. 2 Tim. 1. 14. alone, when thou art in a corner, and no eye seeth thee, but his who seeth in secret. If thou are a graci­ous servant, then thou hast recei­ved not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, 1 Cor. 2. 12. Now he that hath this tree of life, he hath also the fruit that grows upon this tree, Gal. 5. 22, 23. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle­ness, goodness, faith, meekness, tempe­rance, &c. Now grace is called, not the works of the Spirit, but the fruits of the Spirit.

1. Because all grace is derived from the Spirit, as the fruit is deri­ved from the root. And,

2. To note the pleasantness and delightfulness of grace: for what is more pleasant and delightful, than Cant. 4. 16. Chap. 6. 2. sweet and wholesome fruits?

3. To note the profit and ad­vantage that doth redown to them that have the Spirit: for as many grow rich by the fruits of their gar­dens and orchards; so many grow [Page 168] rich in grace, in holiness, in com­fort, in spiritual experiences, by the fruits of the Spirit. Now why hath God given thee his Spirit, and why hath he laid into thy soul a stock of supernatural graces, but that thou mayest be every way qualified, disposed, and fitted for private prayer, and to maintain secret communion with God in a corner.

Certainly, God never gave any poor servant, a talent of gifts, or a talent of grace, but in order to his driving of a secret trade heaven­ward.

Fifthly, I answer, Though King Darius had made a degree, that none should ask any Petition of a­ny, God or man, for thirty dayes upon the Penalty of being cast into the Den of Lyons, yet Daniel, who was both a subject and a servant to King Darius, and one upon whose Dan. 6. 7, 8, 9, 10. hands the chiefest and greatest af­faires of the Kingdom did lye, did keep up his private Devotions. In the first & second verses of that [Page 169] 6 ^th of Daniel, you will find that Daniel had abundance of great and weighty imployments upon his hands; he was set over the whole affairs of the whole Empire of Per­sia; and he with two other Presi­dents (of whom himself was chief) were to receive the accounts of the whole Kingdome, from all those hundred and twenty Princes, which in the Persian Monarchy were imployed in all publick busi­nesses. And yet, notwithstanding such a multiplicity of business as lay upon his hands, and notwith­standing his servile condition, yet he was very careful to redeem time for private prayer; yea, 'tis very ob­servable, that the heart of Daniel in the mid'st of all his mighty businesses, was so much set upon private prayer, upon his secret re­tirements for Religious exercises, that he runs the hazard of losing all his honours, profits, pleasures, yea, and life it self, rather than he would be deprived of convenient time & opportunities to wait upon [Page 170] God in his chamber. Certainly, Daniel will one day rise in Judg­ment against all those subjects and servants who think to evade private prayer, by their plea's of much bu­siness, and of their being servants, &c. But,

Sixthly, I answer, If you who are gracious servants, notwith­standing your Masters businesses, cannot redeem a little time to wrestle with God in a corner, what singular thing doe you? what doe you more than others? Doe you hear? So do others. Do you read? so doe others. Do you follow your Masters to publick prayers? So do others. Doe you joyn with your Masters in family prayers? so do others. O but now gracious ser­vants should goe beyond all other servants in the world, they should do singular things for God, Math. 5. 47. What doe you more then others? [...]? What extra­ordinary thing doe you? what more ordinary than to find ser­van [...]s follow their Masters to Pub­lick [Page 171] Prayers, and to Family Prayers? O but now to finde poor servants to redeem a little time from their Masters business, to pour out their souls before the Lord in a corner, this is not ordi­nary; yea, this is extraordinary, and this doth wonderfully well be­come gracious servants. O that all mens servants, who are servants to the most high God, would seri­ously consider;

First, How singularly they are priviledged by God above all other servants in the world. They are 1 Cor. 3. 22, 23. called, adopted, reconciled, par­doned, justified before the throne of God, which other servants are not, &c. And why then should not such servants be singular in their services, who are so singular in their priviledges?

Secondly, Gracious servants are made partakers of a more excel­lent nature than other servants are. 2 Peter. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious pro­mises; that by these you might be made [Page 172] partakers of the divine nature. The A­postle None but Familists will say, that we are made partakers of the sub­stance of the God­head, for that is in­communi­cable to any creature. The Es­sence of God can­not be im­parted to any crea­ted beings. in this expression doth not aime at any essential change and conversion of our substance into the nature of God, and Christ; but on­ly at the elevation, and dignifying of our nature by Christ. Though that reall, that neer, that dear, that choice, that mysterious, that pe­culiar, that singular union that Christians have with Christ, doth raise them up to a higher simi­litude and likeness of God and Christ, than ever they had attain­ed to in their primitive perfection; yet it doth not introduce any real transmutation, either of our bodies or souls, into the divine nature. 'Tis certain, that our union and conjunction with Christ, doth nei­ther mingle persons, nor unite sub­stances, but it doth conjoyne our affections, and brings our wills into a League of Amity with Christ. To be made partaker of of the divine nature, notes two things, say some,

First, A fellowship with God in his holiness;

Secondly, A fellowship with God in his blessedness, viz. In the beatifical vision, and brightness of glory. To be made partakers of the divine nature, say others, is to be made partakers of those holy graces, those divine qualities, which sometimes are called, The Image of God, the likeness of God, the life of God, Eph. 4. 24. Col. 3. 10. &c. whereby we resemble God not only as a picture doth a man in outward lineaments, but as a child doth his father in countenance and conditions. Now take the words which way you will; how highly doth it concern those servants, that are made partakers of the divine nature, to doe singular things for God, to doe such things for God, that other servants that are not partakers of the divine nature, have no mind, no heart, no spirit to do; yea, that they refuse and scorn to do?

Thirdly, Gracious servants are worthily descended, they have the [Page 174] most illustrious extraction, and ho­nourable original, 1 John 5. 19. John 3. 8. James. 2. 5.

Fourthly, Gracious servants are worthily attended, they are nobly guarded, Psal. 34. 14. Heb. 1. ult. Deu. 33. 26, 27. Zach. 2. 5.

Fifthly, Gracious servants are worthily dignified; they are dig­nified with the highest and most honourable Titles, Peter 1. 2, 9. Rev. 1. 5, 6. Rev. 5, 10.

Sixthly, Take many things in one. Gracious servants have more excellent graces, experiences, com­forts, communions, promises, as­surances, discoveries, hopes, helps, principles, diet, rayment, porti­on, than all other servants in the world have; and therefore God may well expect better and greater things from them, than from all other servants in the world. God may very well expect that they should doe singular things for his Glory, who hath done such singu­lar things for their good. Certain­ly God expects that gracious ser­vants [Page 175] should be a blessing of him, when other servants are a blasphe­ming of him; that they should be a magnifying of him, when other servants are a debasing of him; that they should be a redeeming of precious time, when other ser­vants are a trifling, fooling, playing or sinning away of procious time; that they should be a weeping in a corner, when other servants are a sporting and making themselves merry among their jovall com­panions; that they should be a mourning in secret, when other servants are a sinning in secret; and that they should be at their private devotion, when other servants are sleeping and snorting, &c.

S [...]l [...]mon, That was the wisest 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 [Page 176] 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 [Page 177] 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 [Page 178] 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 Tiber [...]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 [Page 179] 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 [Page 180] 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 'tis thy ma­sters; and therefore 'tis 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 [Page 181] 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.

'Tis 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 [Page 182] 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. 4 [...]. 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 [Page 183] 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, [Page 184] 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 [Page 185] 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 [Page 186] 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 [Page 187] 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 [Page 188] 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 [Page 189] 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 private pray­er, will most clearly and abundant­ly evidence the singular love, the great delight, and the high esteem that he hath of private prayer. We say those children love their books well, and delight much in learning, who will be at their books when others are gone to their beds, and who will be at their books be­fore others can get out of their beds. Certainly, they love pri­vate prayer well, and they delight much in closet communion with God, who will be a praying when others are a sleeping, and who will be addressing their souls before God [Page 190] in a corner, before their mistress is a dressing of her self at the Glass, or their fellow-servants a dressing themselves in the shop. But,

Fourthly, Because the servants redeeming of time for private prayer, from his sleep, set meales, recreations, &c. may be of most use to other fellow servants, both to awaken them, and to convince them that the things of Religion are of the greatest and highest im­portance, and that there is no trade for pleasure, or profit, to that private Trade that is driven between God and a mans own soul; and also, to keep them from trifling, or fool­ing away of that time, which is truly and properly their Masters time, and by the Royal law of hea­ven ought to be spent solely and wholly in their service & business. For what ingenious servant is there in the world, but will argue thus? I see that such and such of my fel­low servants will redeem time for private prayer, and for other closet services, from their very sleep, [Page 191] meales recreations, &c. rather than they will borrow, or make bold with that time which my Master saith is his, &c. and why then should I be so foolish, so bruitish, so mad, to trifle, or idle, or play, or toy away that time, wnich should be spent in my masters service, and for my masters advantage? But,

Fifthly, and lastly, Because the servants redeeming of time for pri­vate prayer from his Sleep, his Meales, his Recreations, &c. cannot but be infinitely plea­sing to God, and that which will afford him most comfort when he comes to die. The more any poor heart acts contrary to flesh and blood, the more he pleases God; the more any poor heart denyes himself, the more he pleases God; the more any poor heart acts a­gainst the streame of sinful exam­ples, the more he pleases God; the more difficulties and discourage­ments a poor heart meets with in the discharg of his duty, the more love he shewes to God; and the [Page 192] more love a poor heart shewes to God, the more he pleases God, Jer. 2. 2, 3. Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals; when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a Land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the first fruits of his increase: all that devour him, shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord. God was very highly pleased, and great­ly delighted with the singular love and choice affections of his people towards him, when they followed after him and kept close to him, in that tedious and uncouth passage through the waste, howling wilder­ness. How all these things do com­port with that poor pious servant that redeemes time for private prayer upon the hardest termes imaginable, I shall leave the inge­nious Reader to judge. And cer­tainly, upon a dying bed, no tongue can express, nor heart conceive (but he that feeles it) the unspeakable [Page 193] comfort that closet duties will af­ford to him that hath been exer­cised in them, upon those hard termes that are under present con­sideration. But,

Ninthly, I answer, If thou art a gracious servant, then the near and dear relations that is between God and thee, and the choice priviledges John 8. 32, 33, 36. that thou art interested in, calls a­loud for private prayer. As thou art thy Masters servant, so thou art the Lords free-man, 1 Cor. 7. 22, 23. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lords free-man: Like­wise also, he that is called being free, is Christs servant. Ye are bought with a price: be not ye the servants of men, Ei­ther when they command you things forbidden by Christ, or for­bid you things commanded by Christ; or when they would exer­cise a dominion over your faith, or a lord-ship over your consciences. Suffer not your selves in spiri­tual things to be brought into such bondage by any men or Masters in [Page 194] the world, as not to use that free­dom Gal. 5. 1. Col. 2. 20. Gal. 2. 4. and liberty that Christ hath purchased for you with his dearest blood. No servants are to serve their masters in opposition to Christ; nor no servants are to serve their masters as spiritual masters; Nor no servants are to serve their masters as supream masters, but as subordinate masters, Ephes. 6. 5, 6, 7. And as every gracious servant is the Lords free-man, so every gra­cious servant is the Lords friend, Isa. 41. 8. James▪ 2. 23. John 15. 13, 14, 15. And as every graci­ous servant is the Lords friend, so every gracious servant is the Lords son, Gal. 4. 5, 6. Rom. 8. 16. And as every gracious servant is the Lords son, so every gracious ser­vant is the Lords spouse, Hos. 2. 19, 20. 2 Cor. 11. 2.

And now I appeal to the con­sciences of all that have tasted that the Lord is gracious, whether the near and dear relations that is between the Lord and pious ser­vants, doth not call aloud upon [Page 195] them to take all opportunities and advantages that possibly they can to pour out their souls before the Lord in secret, and to acquaint him in a corner with all their secret wants, & weaknesses, & wishes, &c. And as gracious servants are thus nearly and dearly related to God, so gracious servants are very high­ly priviledged by God. Gracious servants are as much freed from the reign of sin, the domi­nion of sin, and the damnato­ry Rom. 6. 14. power of sin, as gracious ma­sters are. Gracious servants are as Rom. 8. 1. much freed from hell, from the curse of the Law, and from the wrath of God, as their gracious masters are. Gracious servants are Gal. 3. 13. as much adopted, as much recon­ciled, as much pardoned, as much justified, and as much redeemed, as their gracious masters are. Graci­ous servants are as much heirs, 1 Thes. 1. 10. Col. 3. 11. Gal. 5. 6. Rom. 8. 17. Gal. 6. 14. 1 Pet. 2. 9. heirs of God, and joynt heirs with Christ, as their gracious masters are. Gracious servants are as much a chosen generation, a royal priest­hood, [Page 196] an holy nation, a peculiar people, called out of darkness into his marvelous light, as their graci­cious masters are. And therefore they being all alike interested in all these great and glorious priviledg­es, which belong to Saints as Saints, they are without all peradventure alike obliged and engaged to all those duties which lies upon Saints as Saints, among which private prayer is one; and therefore they are to buckle to this duty, against all carnal reasons and objections whatsoever. But,

Tenthly and lastly, I answer, That the promised reward in the Text, lies as fair and as open to the Servant as to the Master, to the Bond as to the Free, to the Peasant as to the Prince. Whosoever prays to his heavenly father in secret, be he high or low, rich or poor, ho­nourable or base, servant or master, he shall receive an open reward. The reward in the text is not to be confined or limited to this or that sort or rank of men, but 'tis to be [Page 197] extended to all ranks and sorts of men, that make conscience of pri­vate prayer, of closet duties. So Ephes. 6. 5, 6, 7, 8. Servants be obe­dient to them that are your masters, ac­cording to the flesh, with fear and trem­bling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. Not with eye-service, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart: The Persi­an Kings did usually reward the faithful ser­vices of their ser­vants. Surely the King of Kings will not fall short of the Kings of Persia. with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whe­ther he be bond or free. Col. 3. 22, 23, 24. Servants obey, in all things, your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleaesers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men: Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the re­ward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Such servants as serve their masters faithfully, cor­dially, and in singleness of spirit, shall receive the reward of Grace, & the reward of the Inheritance. The [Page 198] meanest servant that is faithful in the service of his master, shall Rom. 8. 15. 16, 17. for a recompence recieve the eter­nal inheritance. The recompence of reward in the Scripture last ci­ted is not of merit but of meer grace, because the inheritance be­longs only to children upon the ac­count of their birth or adoption. Faithful servants, shall of servants be made sons, and so enjoy the hea­venly inheritance. Christ is so no­ble a Master, that he will not suffer any service that hath been perform­ed to men out of Conscience to his command to pass unrewarded. O how much more will he recom­pence pious servants for those spi­ritual services that they perform for his sake, for his glory! God is so liberal a pay master, that no Mal. 1. 10. man shall so much as shut the door, or kindle a fire upon his al­tar, or give a cup of cold water, Mat. 10. 42. one of the least, readiest, and mean­est refreshments that be, but he shall be rewarded.

It is an excellent observation of Calvin, upon Gods rewarding of the Rechabites obedience, Jer. 35. 19. God (saith he) often recompenceth the shadows and seeming appearances of vertue, to shew that complacency he takes in the ample rewards that he hath re­served for true and sincere piety. Nebu­chadnezzar though a Tyrant, yet being engaged in Gods service a­gainst Ezek. 29. 18, 19, 20. Tyre, he shall have Egypt as his pay, for his pains at Tyre. It is an ancient slur and slander that hath been cast upon God, as if he were an austere Master, an illiberal Lord, and as if there were nothing to be got in his service, but knocks, blows, wounds, crosses, losses, &c. whereas he is a rewarder, not only of them that diligently seek him, Heb. 11. 6. but even of the very worst of men that do any service for him. I have read of Herod Agrippa (the same that was smitten by the Angel and eaten up of worms, because he gave not glory to God, Acts 12. 23.) that being bound in chains, and sent to Prison by Tiberius for wishing Caius [Page 200] in the Empire, one Thaumastus a ser­vant Joseph. Antiq, lib. 18. cap. 8. of Caius, carrying a Pitcher of water, met him, and Agrippa being very thirsty, desired him to give him some of his water to drink, which he willingly did: whereup­on Agrippa said, This service thou hast done in giving me drink, shall do thee good another day: And he was as big and as good as his word; for after­wards, when Caius was Emperour, and Agrippa made King of Judea, he first got his Liberty, then made him chief Officer of his Houshold, and after his decease took order that he should continue in the same Office with his Son. Now how much more then will the King of Kings reward all those poor pious ser­vants of his, that do not only give to him in his Members cups of cold water, but do also redeem time from their very rest, meals, and re­creations, that they may have some time to seek the face of God in a corner. Certainly, There shall not be a sigh, a groan, a prayer, a tear let fall by a poor servant in a cor­ner, [Page 201] that shall not be at last regard­ed and rewarded by the great God. Lyra saith, that Mordecai waited six years, before his good service was rewarded by King Ahasuerus. It may be God may reward thee sooner for all thy closet services; but if he do not reward thee soon­er, he will certainly reward thee better, he will reward thee with higher Honours, with greater Dig­nities, 1 Cor. 9. 29 2 Tim. 4. 8. Rev. 2. 10. Jam. 1. 12. 1 Pet. 5. 4. with more glorious Robes, and with a more royal Crown, even an incorruptible Crown, a Crown of righteousness, a Crown of life, a Crown of glory. And therefore hold on and hold out in your secret retirements. Though some may deride you, and others revile you, and your carnal Ma­sters discourage you, yet God is faithful and will certainly reward you; yea, he will openly reward you for all the secret pourings out of your souls in his bosome. But,

Object. 3.

Some may further Object and say, O but we cannot pray alone; we want those gifts and endowments which others have; we are shut up and know not how to pour out our souls before God in a corner; we would willingly pray, but we want ability to pour out our souls be­fore the Lord in secret, &c.

Sol. 1.

Gods dearest children may some­times be shut up, they may with Zacharias, for a time, be struck Luke 1. 20. dumb and not able to speak, Psal. 77. 4. I am so troubled that I cannot speak. Psal. 38. 9. Lord; all my de­sire is before thee: and my groaning is not hid from thee. Gods dearest chil­dren have sometimes been so shut up, that they have been able to say nothing, nor to doe nothing but groan. A child of God may sometimes meet with such a blow from God, from Conscience, from [Page 203] Scripture, from Satan, from the World, that may for a time so astonish him, that he may not be able to speak to God, nor speak to others, nor speak to his own heart. Look as the holy Spirit is not al­ways a teaching Spirit, nor always a leading Spirit, nor always a com­forting Spirit, nor alwayes a seal­ing Spirit, nor alwayes a witnes­sing Spirit, nor alwayes an assuring Spirit to any of the Saints; so he is not alwayes a supplicating Spirit in any of the Saints. When he is grieved, vexed, quenched, provoked, he may suspend his gracious influ­ences, and deny the soul his assist­ance; and what can a Christian then say or do? But,

Secondly, I answer, Thou canst not pray; but canst thou not sigh, nor groan neither? there may be the spirit of Adoption in sighs and groans, as well as in vocal prayer, Rom. 8. 26. The force, the vertue, the efficacie, the excellency of prayer doth not consist in the num­ber and flourish of words, but in the [Page 204] supernatural motions of the spirit, in sighs, and groans, and pangs, and strong affections of heart, that are unspeakable and unutterable. Cer­tainly, the very soul of prayer, lyes in the pouring out of a mans soul before the Lord, though it be but in sighs, groans, and tears, 1 Sam. 1. 13,—19. One sigh and groan from a broken heart, is better plea­sing to God, than all humane elo­quence. But,

Thirdly, I answer, Beg of God to teach thee to pray. O beg the holy spirit that is a spirit of prayer. God hath promised his holy spirit to them that ask it, Luk. 11. 13. If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that ask him? Ezek. 36. 26, 27. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put with­in you: and I will takeaway the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes; and ye shall keep my judge­ments, [Page 205] and doe them. Ezek. 11. 19. And I will give them one heart, & I will put a new Spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh. Zech. 12. 10. I will pour upon the house of Da­vid, and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusa­lem, the Spirit of grace and supplication. Now Gracious promises are Gods bonds, and he loves to see his peo­ple put them in suit. God expects Isa. 62. 6, 7. Isa. 42. 25, 26. that we should be his Remem­brancers, and that we should pray over his promises. When he had promised great things to his people concerning Justification, Sanctifica­tion & Preservation, he subjoynes, Yet, I will for this be enquired of by Ezek. 36. 37. the house of Israel to doe it. God looks that we should spread his gracious promises before him, as Hezekiah Isa. 37. 14. did Seanacheribs letter. God is never better pleased than when his people importune him in his own words and urge him with arguments taken from his owne promises. Though God be a very affectio­nate father, and a very liberal fa­ther, [Page 206] yet he is not a prodigal father, for he will never throw away his mercies on such as will not stoutly and humbly plead out his promises with him. God loves to take state upon him, and will be sought un­to, both for his giving in of mer­cies, and for his making good of precious promises. Thou sayest thou can'st not pray; why can'st thou not goe into a corner, and spread the Promises last cited before the Lord, and tell him how much it concernes his honour & glory as well as thy own internal & eternal good, to make good those gracious promises that he hath made con­cerning his giving of his Spirit to them that ask him, and his putting his Spirit within them, and his pouring out a Spirit of grace and supplication upon them.

We read of Tamar, that when Gen. 38. 18,—25. Judah her father-in-law lay with her, she took as a pledge his signet, bracelets, and staffe; and afterwards when she was in great distress and ready to be burnt as an Harlot, she [Page 207] then brought out her staff, and sig­net, and Bracelets, and said, by the man whose these are, am I with child, and thereby she saved her life. The pro­mises are as so many rich Mines, they are as so many choice flowers of paradise, they are the food, life, and strength of the soul, They are as a staffe to support the soul, and they are as a signet and Bracelets to adorne the soul, and to enrich the soul; and therefore poor sin­ners should bring them forth, and lay them before the Lord, and urge God with them, there being no way on earth to save a mans soule, and to prevent a burning in Hell like this. Con­cerning precious promises let me give you these eight hints.

First, that they are truly propoun­ded & stated by God, Mark. 10. 30.

Secondly, That they shall cer­tainly be performed, 2 Cor. 1. 20. they being all made in and thorow Christ; they are made first to Christ, and then to all that have union and communion with him.

Sirtorius, saith Plutarch, paid what he promised with fair words: but so doth not God. Men many times, say and unsay; they often eate their words as soon as they have spoken them; but God will never eat the words that are gone out of his mouth, Isa. 46. 10, 11. My counsel shall stand, and I will doe all my pleasure: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass, I have purposed it, I will also doe it.

Thirdly, That they all issue from free grace, from special love, Hos. 14. 4. from divine goodness,

Fourthly, That they are all as Jer. 31. 3. unchangable as he is that made them.

Fifthly, That they are all bot­tomed and Mal. 3. 6. founded upon the truth, faithfulness, and all sufficiency of God.

Sixthly, That they are pledges and pawnes of great things that Heb. 13. 5. God will doe for his people in time.

Seventhly, That they are most Heb. 6. 12. sure and certain evidences of divine [Page 209] favour, and a declaration of the Num. 23. 19. heart and good will of God to his poor people.

Eighthly, That they are the price of Christs blood.

Now how should all these things encourage poor souls to be still a pressing of God with his pro­mises! But,

Fourthly, You say you cannot pray, &c. O that you would leave off objecting, and fall upon pray­ing. If you cannot pray as you would, nor as you should, pray as well as you can. Josephs brethren stood so long dallying & delaying and trifling out the time, that hav­ing a Journey to goe to buy corn, they might have bought and re­turned twice, before they went and bought once. When Eliah cal­led Elizeus he goes about the bush, 1 Kings 19. 20. and he must needs goe bid his fa­ther and mother farewel, before he could follow the Prophet. O friends, take heed of dallying, de­laying, trifling, going about [Page 210] the bush, when you should be a fal­ing upon the work of prayer. What though with Hannah thou can'st but weep out a prayer, or with Moses stammer out a prayer, or with Hezekiah chatter out a prayer, yet do as well as thou can'st, and thou shalt find accept­ance with God, 2 Cor. 8. 12. For if there be first a willing mind, it is ac­cepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. The Publicans prayer had not much Rhetorick or elo­quence in it, God be merciful to me a sinner, and yet God accepted it: He Luke 18. 13. prayed much, though he spake lit­tle, and God did not turn a deafe ear upon him. That God that once accepted a handfull of meale Lev. 2. 1, 2. Chap. 6. 15. Luke 21, 3. for a sacrifice, and a gripe of Goats hair for an oblation, and the poor widows two mites, as if they had been two millions, will certainly accept of what thou art able to do, though thou dost fall short, yea much short of what thou oughtest to doe. Lord, saith Luther, thou com­mandest [Page 211] me to pray: I cannot pray as I would, yet I will obey: for though my prayer be not acceptable, yet thine own commandement is acceptable to thee. If weak Christians would but put forth in prayer that little strength they have, God would quickly re­new their spiritual strength, he would certainly carry them on from strength to strength, he would Isa. 49. 29, 30, 31. Psal. 84. 7. still by secret assistances, and secret influences, help them on in their heavenly trade. As a loving in­dulgent Father will take his little Child in his armes, and carry him on in his way home ward, when his strength begins to fail him, and he can walk no further, and the way proves dirty, slippery, or un­even. So doth God by his, Hos. 11. 3. I taught Ephram also to go (as a nurse doth the infant) taking them by their arm. When Gods poor Children come to a fowl way, or a rough place, he takes them up in his own arms, and helps them over the quagmire of Crosses, and the difficulties of duties, and over all [Page 212] that straitness, and narrowness, and weakness o [...] spirit that doth attend them in their closet performan­ces.

'Tis observable, that when the King of Israel was to shoot the Ar­row, 2 Kings 13. 16. he did put his hand upon the Bow, and Elisha did put his hand upon the Kings hand. So when we go into our Closets, we are to put up our hand, and then the Spirit of God likewise will put his hand up­on our hand, he will put his strength to our streng [...]h, or rather to our weakness, Rom. 8. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, lifts with us, or helpeth together. The Greek word [...] doth pro­perly signifie such a help, as when another man of strength and abili­ty steppeth in to sustain the burden that lieth upon our shoulders, be it a logg, or a piece of timber, setting his shoulders under it, to lift up, and bear part of it with us, or to help us as the nurse helpeth her lit­tle child, upholding it by the sleeve. When a poor Christian sets him­self [Page 213] to closet prayer, or to mourn, or to believe, or to obey, &c. then the Spirit comes in with new help, and new influences, and new assi­stances, and so carryes him on in all these noble services. That child that doth but stammer at first, in time will speak plainly and fluently. O how many Christians are there, that now can pray with much freedom, liberty and fluency, who at first could only sigh out a prayer, or stammer out a prayer, or weep out a prayer? Thou saiest thou canst not pray, but didst thou but stir up thy self to obey that command, Matth. 6. 6. as well as thou canst thou dost not know but that a power may go forth with the command, that may enable thee to act suitable to the com­mand? In Matth 9. 1,—9. Christ bid the Palsie man rise and walk, Take up thy bed and go unto thine house. The Palsie man might have ob­jected, Alas, I am carried by four, I am not able to stir a limb, much less to rise, but least of all to take up my bed [Page 214] and walk, &c. Oh but he rouseth up himself as well as he could, and a power went forth with the com­mand, that enabled him to do what was commanded. So Matth. 12. 10,—14▪ There was a poor man that had a withered hand, and Christ commands him to stretch forth his hand: he might have re­plied, My hand is withered, and if I might have as many worlds as there be men in the world to stretch it forth, I could not stretch it forth; yea, if my ve­ry life, if my very salvation did lie upon stretching forth my withered arm, I could not stretch it forth: Oh, but he throws by all such plea's, and com­plies with Christ's command as well as he could, and a power went forth and healed his hand. O sirs, if you would but pray in your clo­sets as well as you can, you do not know but that such power and vir­tue might flow from Christ into your hearts, as might carry you on in your closet duties, beyond expe­ctation, even to admiration; others have found it so, and why not you, [Page 215] why not you? Well remember, that God is no curious nor critical observer of the incongruous expres­sions that falls from his poor chil­dren when they are in their closet duties; he is such a father as is ve­ry well pleased with the broken expressions and divine stammer­ings of his people when they are in a corner. 'Tis not a flood of words, nor studied notions, nor se­raphical expressions, nor elegant phrases in prayer, that takes the ear, or that delights the heart of God, or that opens the gates of glory, or that brings down the best of blessings upon the soul; but up­rightness, holiness, heavenlyness, spiritualness, and brokenness of heart, these are the things that make a conquest upon God, and that turns most to the souls ac­count. But,

Fifthly, Thou sayst thou canst not pray: but if thou art a child of God, thou hast the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God is a Spirit of prayer and supplication. That all [Page 216] the Children of God have the Spi­rit of God is most evident in the blessed Scriptures. Take these for a taste, Zach. 12. 10. I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inha­bitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication. Psal. 51. 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me. Rom. 8. 15. Ye have received the spirit of Adop­tion, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Thes. 4. 8. Who hath given unto us his holy spirit. 1 John 3. 2 [...]. Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Chap. 4. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath 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 [Page 217] 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 M [...]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, [Page 218] 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. Ʋphold me with thy free Spirit; or underprop me, or sustain me, as the Hebrew hath it, with thy free vo­luntary [Page 219] 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, 'tis 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 first­fruits 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 S [...]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 [Page 221] Apostolical office, and that were necessary for them at that juncture of time.

Thirdly, Absolute infallibility as to matter o [...] 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 [Page 222] 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 [Page 223] 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 the Saints all things: that is,

First, He teacheth them all things needful for the salvation of their souls, all things necessary to bring John 17. 3. them to heaven.

Secondly, All things needful to life and godlyness, 2 Pet. 1. 3.

Thirdly, all things needful to their places, callings, sexes, ages, and conditions.

Fourthly, All things needful [Page 224] for you to know, to preserve you in the truth, and to preserve you from being deluded and seduced by those false teachers of whom he speaks, vers. 18, 19, 22, 23, 26. And cer­tainly this is the main thing that John hints at in that expression. The all things spoken of in Vers. 27. according to the ordinary Scrip­ture style, must necessarily be in­terpreted only of all those things which are there spoken of. But,

Sixthly, They are all comfort­ed by the Spirit, Acts. 9. 31. They John 14. 16, 26. and Chap. 15. 26. and Chap. 16. 7. walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the holy Ghost▪ Rom. 14. 17. For the Kingdom of God is not meat and dri [...]k, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the holy-Ghost. 1 Thes. 1. 6. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the holy-Ghost. Not that all Christians have alwayes actual comfort or actual joy; O no: For as the Air is some­times clear, & sometimes cloudy; and as the Sea is sometimes ebbing, & sometimes flowing: so the com­forts [Page 225] and joyes of the people of God are sometimes ebbing, and sometimes flowing, sometimes clear and sometimes cloudy.

Hudson the Martyr being deserted at the stake, went from under his chain; and having prayed earnest­ly, was comforted immediatly, and suffered valiantly.

So Mr. Glover the Martyr was deserted in Prison, but as he was going to the stake he lookt back, and cried out to his friend, He is come, he is come, meaning the Com­forter, and so he laid down his life with joy.

Rachel wept, and would not be comforted; she gave so much way to weeping, that she would not give the least way to comfort: and so 'tis many times with the choic­est Saints. My soul refused to be com­forted. Psal. 77. 2. 'Tis not my purpose at pre­sent to insist on the several wayes, whereby the people of God refuse comfort, and fall short of those strong consolations▪ which God is [Page 226] willing that they should receive. The Sun may operate where it doth not shine, and a man may be in a state of salvation, and yet want consolation, a man may fear the Isa. 50. 10. 2. Lord, and obey the voice of his servant, and yet walk in darkness and see no light. There is no Chri­stian but may sometime have trou­ble in his conscience, and grief in his heart, and tears in his eyes, and fears and questionings in his soul, whether God be his Father, and whether Christ be his Redeemer, & whether Mercy belongs to him, yea, whether any Promise in the Book of God belongs to him? &c. Joy and comfort are those dainties, Psal. 30. 6, 7. those sweet-meets of heaven, that God doth not every day feast his people with; every day is not a wedding day, nor every day is not a harvest day, nor every day is not a summers day. The fatted Calf is Luke 15. 22, 23. Eccl. 3. 4. Rom. 12. 15. not kil'd every day, nor the Robe & the Ring is not every day put on; every day is not a festival day nor a dancing day. As there is a time [Page 227] to sing, so there is a time to sigh; as there is a time to laugh, so there is a time to weep; and as there is a time to dance, so thereis a time to mourn; All tears will never be clear wip'd from our eyes, till all sinbe quite ta­ken out of our hearts. But notwith­standing all this, yet gracious [...]ouls have alwayes sure and choice grounds of consolation, they have the promises, they have the first fruits of the Spirit, they have union with Christ, and they have right to eternal life, though they have not alwayes sensible comforts. The Job 13. 15. Psal. 42. 5. children of God have alwayes cause to exercise faith and hope on God in their darkest condition, though they have not alwayes a­ctual joy and consolation; The comforter alwayes abides with the Saints, though he doth not alway actually comfort the Saints. John. 14. 16. The Spirit many times car­ryes on his sanctifying work in the soul, when he doth not carry on his comforting work in the soul; the Spirit many times acts in a way [Page 228] of humiliation, when he doth not act in a way of consolation; the Spirit many times fills the soul with Godly sorrow, when he doth not fill the soul with holy joy. The actings of the Spirit, as to his com­forting work, are all of his own soveraign will and pleasure; and therefore he may abide in the soul, when he doth not actually com­fort the soul. But,

Seventhly, The people of God These words saith Zan­chy, are a inetaphor taken from Mer­chants, who ha­ving b [...]ught goods, seal them as their own, and so tran­sport them to other places. Eph. 4. 24. first or last, are sealed by the Spirit, Ephes. 1. 13. In whom after ye believed ye were sealed by the holy Spirit of pro­mise. The nature of sealing con­sists in the imparting of the image or Character of the Seal to the thing sealed. To seal a thing is to stamp the character of the Seal on it. Now the Spirit of God doth re­ally and effectually communicate the image of God to us, which image consists in righteousness and true holiness. Then are we truly sealed by the Spirit of God, when the holy Ghost stamps the image [Page 229] of grace and holiness so obviously, so evidently upon the soul, as that the soul sees it, feels it, and can run and read it; then the soul is seal­ed by the holy Spirit. So Ephes. 4. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. The Person of the Holy-Ghost is here set forth in the Greek with a very great energy, such as our Tongue is not able ful­ly to express.

Here are three words that have three Articles, every word his se­veral Article by it self, [...], The Spirit, not a Spirit; and not holy, but the holy; nor of God, but of that God, 2 Cor. 1. 22. Who hath also sealed us, and gi­ven the earnest of the spirit in our hearts. In these Scriptures you see that the Spirit is a seal. Now a seal among men is,

First, For secresie;

Secondly, For distinction;

Thirdly, For authority;

Fourthly, For certainty. A wri­ting sealed is authentick, and for ensureing.

In the three Tex [...]s last cited, if you compare them together, you may observe these Six things.

First, The Person sealing, and that is the Father.

Secondly, In whom, in Christ.

Thirdly, With what seal, the Spirit of Promise. Where are all the Persons in the Trinity making us sure of our inheritance.

Fourthly, When, after ye belie­ved.

Fifthly, The End, which is two­fold;

• 1. Subordinate, and that is the certainty of our salvation;
• 2. Ultimate, and that is the praise of his glory.

Sixthly, The Time how long this seal and earnest shall thus as­sure us, and that is till we have the compleat possession of what it is an ear­nest. To prevent mistakes and dis­putes [Page 231] about the Sealings of the Spirit on the one hand; and to support, comfort, and encourage the poor people of God on the o­ther hand, let me briefly hint. at the Spirits [...]pecial sealing times. As First Conversion times are often the Spirits sealing times. Luke 15. 22, 23. Upon the Prodigals return the fatted Calf is killed, and the best Robe is put upon his back, and the Ring is put upon his hand, and shooes on his feet. Some by the Robe understand the Royalty of Adam, others, the Righteousness of Christ. And by the Ring, some understand the pledges of Gods love, Rings being given as pledg­es of love: and by the Ring o­thers understand the seal of Gods holy Spirit, men useing to seal with their Rings. Among the Romans the Ring was an ensigne of vertue, honour, and nobility, whereby they that wore them were distinguished from the common people. I think the main thing intended by the Robe and the Ring, is to shew us, [Page 232] that God sometimes upon the sin­ners conversion and returning to him, is graciously pleased to give him some choice manifestations of his gracious pleasure and good­will, and to seal up to him his e­verlasting love and favour. And hence it comes to pass that some that are but babes in Christ, are 1 Pet. 2. 2, 3. 1. John 2. 12, 13, 14. Acts 9. 3, 4, 5, 6. so diligent and active in religious duties, and so consciencious and dexterous in the exercise of their Graces. At first conversion, God helps some of his people to read their own names written in legible letters in the Book of Life: No sooner are some converted, but the Spirit stamps his seale upon them.

Secondly, Beleeving times are sealing times, Ephes. 1. 13. When they were in the very exercise of their faith, when they were act­ing Rom. 15. 1 Pet. 1. 8. of their faith (for so much the Original imports) the Spirit came and sealed them up to the day of re­demption. He that honours Christ by frequent actings of faith on him, him will Christ honour, by set­ting [Page 233] his seal and mark upon him.

Thirdly, Humbling times, mourning times, are sealing times. When a holy man was askt, which were the joyfullest dayes, the com­fortablest dayes, that ever he en­joyed, he answered, his mourning dayes. His mourning dayes were his joyfullest dayes; and therefore he cried out, O give me my mourning dayes, give me my mourning dayes, for they were my joyfullest dayes. Those were dayes wherein God sealed up his everlasting love to his soul, Job 22. 29. Isa. 29. 19. When the Pro­digal had greatly humbled himself before his father, then the best Robe and the Ring were put upon him, Luke 15. 17,—24. There are none that long for the sealings of the Spirit, like humble souls; nor none set so high a price upon the sealings of the Spirit, as humble souls; nor none make so choice an improvement of the sealings of the Spirit, as humble souls. And there­fore when mens hearts are hum­ble [Page 234] and low, the Spirit comes and sets the privy seal of heaven upon them.

Fourthly, Sin-killing, sin-mor­tifying, sin-subduing times are the Spirits sealing times, Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, that no man knowes saving he that receiveth it.

God will give to the victorious Christian a secret love-token, whereby his soul may rest assured of the unspeakable love of God, and of its freedom from condem­nation. White▪stones were of very great use among the Romans, and among the Athenians, and served to acquit the accused in Courts of Justice. When Malefactors were ac­cused, arraigned and condemned in their Courts, they gave them a Black stone in token of condemna­tion; but when they were acquitted they gave them White stones, in token of absolution: And to this practise the holy Ghost seems to [Page 235] allude. He that is victorious over Isa. 56. 5. his lusts shall have a new Name, that is better than the names of sons and daughters; and he shall have the pardon of his sins writ in fair let­ters upon the white stone, so that he may run and read his absoluti­on. The victorious Christian shall 1 John 1. 7. have assurance of the full discharge of all his sins, he shall have a clear evidence of his Justification, and a blessed assurance of his eternal E­lection; all which are hidden and mysterious things to all but those that have experienced and tasted what these sweet meats of Heaven mean.

Among the Romans there were solemn feasts held in honour of those that were victorious in their sacred Games. Now those that were to be admitted to those Feasts were wont to have their names written on white shels, and white stones, and by these Tickets they were admitted. Now some think the holy Ghost alludes to this pra­ctise, and so would hint to us a [Page 236] privy mark whereby victorious Christians may be known, and ad­mitted as bidden guests to the hea­venly banquet of the hidden Man­na, according to Rev. 19. 9. O sirs, when predominate lusts are brought under, when bosom sins lye slain in the soul, then the Spirit comes and seals up love, and life, and glory, to the soul.

Fifthly, Suffering times are seal­ing times, Act. 7. 55, 56, 59, 60. Rev. 1. 9, 10. 2 Cor. 4. 15, 16, 17. The primitive Christians found Acts 5. 40, 41, 42. Psal. 71. 20, 21. & Psal. 94. 19. Rev. 1. 9, 10. them so, and the suffering Saints in thē Marian dayes found them so. When the Furnace is seven times hotter than ordinary, the Spirit of the Lord comes and seals up a mans pardon in his bosom, and his peace with God, and his title to heaven. When the world frowns most then God smiles most; when the world puts their iron chains upon the Saints legs, then God puts his golden chains about the Saints necks; when the world puts a bitter cup into one hand, then [Page 237] the Lord puts a cup of consolation into the other hand; when the world cries out, Crucifiè them, cruci­fie them, then commonly they hear that sweet voice from heaven, These are my beloved ones, in whom I am well pleased.

Blessed Bradford, looked upon his sufferings as an evidence to him that he was in the right way to heaven. And, saith Ignatius, It is better for me to be a Martyr, than to be a Monarch.

Sixthly, Self-denying times are the Spirits sealing times, Matth. 19. 27, 28, 29.

First, There is sinful self, which takes in a mans lusts.

Secondly, There is natural self which takes in a mans arts, parts, gifts, with Reason.

Thirdly, There is religious self, which takes in all a mans religious duties and services, whether ordi­nary or extraordinary.

Fourthly, There is moral self which includes a freedome from gross, hainous, enormous wicked­nesses, [Page 238] 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 [Page 239] 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 [Page 240] 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 [Page 241] 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 [Page 242] 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, [Page 244] 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 'tis 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, Father. While the child is in the womb it [Page 245] cannot cry, but as soon as it is born it cries. Whilst Paul did lie in the womb of his natural estate, he could not pray; but no sooner was he born of the spirit, but the next news is, Behold he prayeth! Acts. 9. 11. Prayer is nothing but the turn­ing of a mans inside outward be­fore the Lord. The very soul of prayer lyes in the pouring out of a mans soul into the bosome of God. Prayer is nothing but the breathing that out before the Lord, that was first breath'd into us by the spirit of the Lord Prayer is no­thing but a choice, a free, a sweet, and familiar intercourse of the soul with God. Certainly, it is a great work of the Spirit to help the Saints to pray, Gal. 4. 6. Because you are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, fa­ther. God hath no still-born chil­dren. The Gemination Abba, Fa­ther, notes fiduciall, filial, and ve­hement affection. The first is an Pareus. Hebrew or Syriack word, the Se­cond a Greek, whereby is signified [Page 246] the union of the Hebrews and Gre­cians, or the Jews and Gentiles, in one Church, Abba Father. What is Ab­ba? say others, in Hebrew, Father, and it is added, because in Christ the corner stone both peoples are joyned, alike becoming sons, whence soever they come; circum­cision from one place, whereupon Abba, uncircumcision from ano­ther, whereupon father is named: The concord of the walls being the glory of the corner stone.

The word Abba say others, sig­nifies, Father in the Syriack Tongue, which the Apostle here retaineth, because it is a word full of affecti­on, which young children retain almost in all Languages, when they begin to speak. And he adds the word Father, not only to ex­pound the same, but also the better to express the eager movings, and the earnest and vehement desires and singular affection of beleevers, in their crying unto God; even as Christ himself redoubled the Mark 14. 36. word Father to the same purpose, [Page 247] when he was in his greatest di­stress. This little word Father, (saith Luther) lisped forth in pray­er by a Child of God, exceeds the eloquence of Demosthenes, Cicero, and all other so famed Orators in the World. 'Tis certain that the Spirit of God helps the Saints in all their communions with God, viz. in their meditations of God, in their reading and hearing of the Word of God, in their commu­nions one with another, and in all their solemn addresses to God. And as to this the Apostle gives us a most special instance in that Rom. 8. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be ut­tered. When we are to pray, there is in us sometimes an infirmity of ignorance, so that we know not what to pray for, either in regard of the matter or the manner. And there is in us at other times an in­firmity of pride and conceitedness, [Page 248] so that we cannot pray with that humility and lowliness of spirit as we should, spiritual pride having fly-blown our prayers. Some­times there is in us an infirmity of deadness, dullness, drowsiness, &c. so that we cannot pray with that warmth, heat, life, spirit, and fer­vency, as we should, or as we would; and at other times there is in us an infirmity of unbelief and slavish fears, so that we cannot pray with that faith and holy bold­ness, as becomes Children that draw near to a Throne of Grace, to a Throne of Mercy, &c. But now the Spirit helps these infirmi­ties by way of instruction, prom­pting, and teaching us what to pray for, and how we should spell our lesson; and by telling us as it were within, what we should say, and how we should sigh and groan; and by rousing and quickening, and stirring of us up to prayer; and by his singular influence and choice assistance opening and en­larging our hearts in prayer; and [Page 249] by his tuning the Strings of our af­fections, he prepares us and fits us for the work of Supplication: And therefore every one that derides the Spirit of prayer in the Saints (say­ing these are the men and the wo­men that pray by the Spirit) blas­pheme against the holy Spirit; it being a main work of the Spirit to teach the Saints to pray, and to help them in prayer. Now all the Saints having the Spirit, and the Spirit being a Spirit of prayer and supplication, there is no reason in the world why a Saint should say, I would pray in secret, but I can't pray, I can't pour out my soul, nor my complaint before the Lord in a corner.

Sixthly and lastly, Thou sayest thou canst not pray, thou hast not the gifts and parts which others have: But thou canst mannage thy callings thy worldly businesse as well as others; and why then canst thou not pray as well as others? Ah friends, did you but love private prayer as well as you love the [Page 250] world, and delight in private pray­er as much as you delight in the world, and were your hearts as much set upon closet prayer as they are set upon the world, you would never say you could not pray, yea, you would quickly pray as well as others; 'tis not so much from want of ability to pray in se­cret, that you don't pray in secret; as 'tis from want of a will, a heart to pray in secret, that you don't pray in secret. Jacobs love to Ra­chel, and Sechems love to Dina, car­ried Gen. 29. & ch 34. them through the greatest difficulties. Were mens affections but strongly set upon private pray­er, they would quickly find abilities to pray. He that sets his affections upon a Virgin (though he be not learned nor eloquent) will find words enough to let her know how his heart is taken with her. The ap­plication is easie. He in Seneca complained of a Thorn in his foot, when his Lungs was rotten. So many complain of want of ability to pray in their closets, when [Page 251] their hearts are rotten. Sirs, do but get better hearts, and then you will never say you can't pray. 'Tis one of the saddest sights in all the world, to see men strongly part­ed and gifted for all worldly busi­nesses, to cry out that they can't pray, that they have no ability to pour out their souls before the Lord in secret. You have sufficient parts and gifts to tell men of your sins, your wants, your dangers, your difficulties, your mercies, your de­liverances, your duties, your cros­ses, your losses, your enjoyments, your friends, your foes; and why then are you not ashamed to com­plain of your want of parts and gifts, to tell those very things to God in a corner, which you can tell to men even upon the house­top, &c. But,

Fourthly, Some may further Obj. 4. object and say, God is very well acquainted with all our wants, ne­cessities, straits, tryals; and there is no moving of him to bestow any favours upon us, which he doth not [Page 252] 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, 'tis a part of that homage, which we owe to God upon the account of a Di­vine Command (as I have already [Page 253] 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 'tis the means, 'tis the Silver Channel, 'tis 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, [Page 254] 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 [Page 256] 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: 'Tis 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 [Page 257] 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; 'tis a great-bellied mercy, 'tis 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 Obj. 5. 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 can easily find out private places for their dogs to [Page 259] 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 brui [...]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 [Page 260] pray there, as the Apostles did: 'Twas 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 [Page 261] souls in? yes, I remember with shame and blushing, that 'twas 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 Obj. 6. further object and say, we would be often in private with God, we would give our selves up to closet [Page 262] 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 Obj [...]ction I shall give these six Answers.

1. I [...] 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 [Page 263] 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, [Page 264] 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 [Page 265] 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 [Page 266] 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 [...]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 [Page 267] 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, 'tis 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 [Page 268] 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, 'Tis 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 [Page 269] 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 [Page 270] 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 [Page 271] 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 [Page 272] 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 his Commission, that he can hardly forbear murmuring, Must we bring water out of the Rock? Mark Num. 12. 3. that word, must we? O how is the meekest man in all the world trans­ported into passion, & anger, & un­belief, and hurried into sad indecen­cies; & yet there was not a man on earth whose prayers were so pow­erful and prevalent with God, as Moses his were. Psal. 106. 23. Exod- 32. 9,-15. Chap. 33. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Exod. 14. 13, 14, 15, 16, &c. So King Asa was a man full of infirmitities and weaknesses; he relyes on the King of Syria, and 2 Chron. 16. 7,—13. on the Lord; he is very impa­tient, [Page 273] and under a great rage upon the Seers reproof: He imprisons the Seer; he oppressed some of the people; or, as the Hebrew hath it, He crushed, or, he trampled upon some of the people at the same time: And be­ing greatly diseased in his feet, he sought to the Physitians, and not to the Lord; and yet this mans prayer was wonderful prevalent with God. 2 Chron. 14. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. The Saints infirmities can never Psal. 50. 15. Isa. 30. 19. Ch. 65. 24. make void those gracious promi­ses, by which God stands engaged to hearken to the prayers of his people. Gods hearing of our pray­ers doth not depend upon sanctifi­cation, but upon Christ's interces­sion; not upon what we are in our selves, but upon what we are in the Lord Jesus; both our persons and our prayers, are acceptable in the beloved, Ephes. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 5. When God hears our prayers, 'tis neither for our own sakes, nor yet for our prayers sake; but 'tis for his own sake, and his sons sake, and his glory sake, and his promise sake, &c.

Certainly, God will never cast off his people for their infirmities.

First, 'Tis the glory of a man to Pro. 19. 11. passe by infirmities: O how much more then must it be the glory of God to pass by the infirmities of his people▪

Secondly, Saints are children: and what father will cast off his children for their infirmities, and Psal. 103. 13. 14. 1 Cor. 12. 27. weaknesses?

Thirdly, Saints are members of Christ's body: and what man will cut off a member because of a scab or wart that is upon it? What man will cut off his Nose, saith Luther, because there is some filth in it?

Fourthly, Saints are Christ's purchase, they are his possession, Ephes. 1. 22, 23. 1 Cor. 6. u't. Ch. 7. 23, 1 Pet. 13. 18, 19, 20. his inheritance: Now what man is there that will cast away, or cast off his purchase, his possession, his inheritance, because of thorns, bush­es, or bryars that grow upon it?

Fifthly, Saints are in a marriage Hos. 2 19, 20. covenant with God: Now what husband is there that will cast off [Page 275] his wife for her failings and infir­mities? So long as a man is in covenant with God, his infirmities can't cut him off from Gods mercy and grace. Now 'tis certain a man may have very many infirmities upon him, and yet not break his covenant with God; for no sin breaks a mans covenant with God, but such as unties the marriage knot. As in other marriages eve­ry offence or infirmity doth not disanul the marriage union; it i [...] only the breach of the marriage vow, viz. adultery, that untyes the marriage knot: So here, 'tis only those sins which breaks the cove­nant, which unties the marriage knot between God and the Soul: 1. When men freely subject to a­ny lust as a new master. Or, 2. When men take another husband; Isa. 28, 15. 18. and this men doe, when they en­ter into a league with sin or the world; eh [...] they make a new covenant with hell and deach. Now from these mischiefs God secures his chosen ones. In a word, If [Page 276] God should cast off his people for their infirmities, then none of the sons or daughters of Adam could be saved: For there is not a just man upon the earth, that doth good and sin­neth not, Eccl. 7. 20. Now if God will not cast off his people for their infirmities, then certainly he will not cast off the prayers of his people, because of those invincible infir­mities that hang upon them; and therefore our infirmities should not discourage us, or take us off from Closet-prayer, or from any o­ther Duties of Religion. But,

Fourthly, I answer, The more infirmities and weaknesses hang upon us, the more cause have we to keep close and constant to our Closet duties. If grace be weake, The omis­sion of good diet breeds dii­eases. the omission of private prayer will make it weaker. Look as he that will not eat will certainly grow weaker and weaker: So he that will not pray in his c [...]et will cer­tainly grow weaker and weaker. If corruptions be strong, the neglect of private prayer will make them [Page 277] stronger. The more the remedy is neglected, the more the disease is strengthned. Whatsoever the distempers of a mans heart be, they will never be abated, but augmen­ted by the omission of private prayer. The more bodily infir­mities hang upon us the more need we have of the Physitian: and so the more sinful infirmities hang upon our souls, the more need we have of private prayer. All sin­ful omissions will make work for repentance, for hell, or for the Physitian of souls. Sinful omis­sions lead to sinful commissions; as you may see in the Angels that fell from heaven to hell, and in A­dams fall in Paradise.

Origen going to comfort and en­courage a martyr that was to be tormented, was himself apprehen­ded by the Officers, and constrain­ed either to offer to the Idols, or to have his body abused by a Black amore that was ready for that purpose: of which hard choice, to save his life, he bowed [Page 278] unto the Idol; but afterwards, making a sad confession of his foul fact, he said, That he went forth that morning before he had been with God in his Closet; and so peremptorily concludes, that his neglect of Prayer was the cause of his falling into that great sin.

The neglect of one day, of one duty, of one hour, would undoe us for ever, if we had not an Advo­cate 1 John 2. 1, 2. with the father. Those years, those months, those weeks, those days, those hours that are not filled up with God, with Christ, with grace, with duty, will certainly be filled up with vanity and folly. All omissions of duty. will more and more unfit the soul for duty: A Key thrown by, gathers rust: A Pump not used, will be hardly got to go: And Armour not used, will be hardly made bright, &c. Look as sinful commissions will stab the Soul; so sinful omissions will starve the Soul. Such as live Isa. 24. 16. Job. 16. 8. in the neglect of private prayer may well cry out, Our leanness, our [Page 279] leanness. And therefore away with all these plea's and reasonings a­bout infirmities, and weaknesses, and indispositions, & address your selves to Closet-prayer. But,

Fifthly, I 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 [Page 280] 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 [Page 281] 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, [Page 282] 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. [Page 283] 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 Ʋnde­filed, 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 [Page 284] 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 bare­headed, [Page 285] 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.

'Tis 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 [Page 286] 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 [Page 287] 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: 'Tis 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 [Page 289] works upon the spirits, and it weakens the spirits, and it endan­gers life, and unfits and indisposes a man to all natural actions; 'tis 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. 'Tis better with Evagrius to lye on a Bed of straw with a good Con­science, than to lye on a Bed of [Page 290] 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 Hand­writing 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 [Page 291] 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 [Page 292] 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 mad­man, 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 [Page 293] blood of Christ, both for pardon­ing mercy, and for purging grace. When a man is stung with Guilt 'tis his highest wisdome in the world to look up to the Brazen Serpent, and not to spend his time, or create torments to his own soul by perpetual poring upon his guilt: When Guilt upon the Conscience works a man to water the earth with tears, & to make Heaven ring with his groans, then it works kind­ly: When the sence of Guilt drives a man to God, to Duty, to the Throne of Grace, then it will not be long night with that man: He that thinks to shift off Private Prayer under the pretence of Guilt, doth but in that increase his own Guilt: Neglect of Duty will never get Guilt off the Consci­ence.

But then there is an involunta­ry indisposition to private prayer; as in a sick man, who would work and walk, but cannot, being hinder­ed by his disease; or as it is with a man that hath a great chain on his [Page 294] leg, he would very fain walk or get away, but his chain hinders him. Now if your indisposition to pri­vate prayer be an involuntary indis­position, then God will in mercy, in course, both pardon it & remove it.

Secondly, There is a total indis­position to private prayer, & there is a partial indisposition to private prayer. A total indisposition to pri­vate prayer is, when a man hath no Jer. 4. 22. Chap. 44. 17, 18, 19. mind at all to private prayer, nor no will at all to private prayer, nor no love at all to private prayer, nor no delight, nor no heart at all to private prayer; now where this frame of heart is, there all is naught, very naught, stark naught. A partial indisposition to private prayer is, when a man hath some will to private prayer, though not such a will as once he had; and some mind to private prayer, though not such a mind as once he had; and some affections to pri­vate prayer, though not such warm and burning affections as once he had. Now if your indisposition [Page 295] to private prayer be total, then you must wait upon the Lord in all his appointments, for a changed na­ture, and for union with Christ; but if your indisposition to private prayer be only partial, then the Lord will certainly pardon it, and in the very use of holy means in time remove it. But,

Thirdly and lastly, there is a transient, accidental, occasional, or fleeting indisposition to private prayer; and there is a customary, a constant, or permanent indispo­sition to private prayer. Now a transient, accidental, occasional, or fleeting indisposition to that which is good, may be found upon the best of Saints, as you may see in Moses, Exod. 4. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. and in Jeremiah, Jer. 1. 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18. 19. and Chap. 20. 9. and in Jo­nah, chap. 1 and in David, Psal. 39. 2, 3. Now if this be the indis­position that thou art under, then thou mayest be confident, that it will certainly work off by de­grees, Isa. 65. 2. Jer. 9. 3. as theirs did that I have last [Page 296] cited. But then there is a customa­ry, a constant or permanent indis­position to private prayer, and to all other holy Duties of Religion: Now if this be the indisposition that thou art under, then I may safely conclude, that thou art in the very gall of bitternesse, and in Acts 8. 21, 22, 23. the bond of iniquity, and thy work lyes not in complaining of thy in­disposition, but in repenting and believing, and in labouring for a change of thy heart and state; for till thy heart, thy state, be chang­ed, thou wilt remain for ever in­disposed, both to Closet-Prayer, and to all other Duties of Religi­on and godlinesse. To see a sin­ner sailing Hell-ward with Wind and Tide on his side to alter his course, and Tack about for Hea­ven, to see the earthly man be­come heavenly, the carnal man become spiritual, the proud man become humble, the vain man be­come serious; to see a sinner move contrary to himself in the wayes of Christ and holiness; is [Page 297] as strange, as to see the earth fly upward, or the Bowl run contrary to its own Byass; and yet, a divine power of God upon the Soul can ef­fect it, and this must be effected before the sinner will be graciously inclined, and sincerely disposed to Closet-prayer. And let thus much suffice by way of Answer to this Objection also.

Now for the better management of this great Duty, viz. Closet-prayer, I beseech you take my ad­vice and counsel in these 11. fol­lowing particulars.

First, Be frequent in Closet-prayer, and not now and then on­ly. He will never make any yearn­ings of Closet-prayer, that is not frequent in Closet-prayer: Now that this Counsel may stick, Consi­der.

First, Other eminent Servants of the Lord have been frequent in this blessed work. Nehem. 1. 6. Let thine earnow be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the Prayer of thy Servant, which I pray before thee [Page 298] day and night. So Daniel, he kneeled Dan. 6. 10 upon his knees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks be­fore his God, as he did before time. So David, My voyce shalt thou hear in the morning, and in the evening will Psal. 5. 3. I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. So Psal. 88. 13. But unto thee have I cryed, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. So Psal. 119. 147. I prevented the Psal. 119. 164. dawning of the morning, and cryed un­to the Lord. So Psal. 55. 17. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud. Yea, he Exod. 29 38, 39. Numb. 28. 3. Mat. 6. 11. was Vir orationis for his frequency in it. Psal. 109. 4. For my love they are my adversaries: But I give my self unto prayer: Or, as the Hebrew may be read, But I am a man of pray­er.

Of Carolus Magnus it was said, (Carolus plus cum Deo quam ho­minibus loquitur) that he spake more with God than with men.

Secondly, Consider the blessed Scripture doth not only enjoyn this Duty, but it requires frequency [Page 299] in it also. Luke. 18. 1. 1 Thes. 5. 17. Col. 4. 2. In the former part of this discourse, I have given light into these Scriptures; and there­fore the bare citing of them must now suffice.

Thirdly, Christ was frequent in Private Prayer, as you may easily see by comparing of these Scrip­tures together; Mark 1. 35. Mat. 14. 23. Luke. 22. 39. John. 18. 2. In my second Argument for Private Prayer you may see these Scriptures opened and amplified. But,

Fourthly, Consider that you have the examples of the very worst of men in this case. Papists are frequent in their private Devo­tions. And the Mahometans, what occasion soever they have, either by profit or pleasure to divert them, will yet pray five times eve­ry day. Yea, the very Heathens sa­crificed to Hercules morning and e­vening upon the great Altar at Rome. Now shall blind nature do more than grace? But,

Fifthly, Consider, you cannot have too frequent Communion with God, you cannot have too frequent intercourse with Jesus, you cannot have your hearts too frequently filled with joy unspeak­able and full of glory, and with that peace that passes understand­ing, you cannot have heaven too frequently brought down into your hearts, nor you cannot have your hearts too frequently carried up to heaven, and therefore you cannot be too frequent in Closet-prayer. But,

Sixthly, Consider, that you are under frequent wants, and frequent sins, and frequent snares, and fre­quent 1 Pet. 5. 8. Job. 1. 7. temptations, and frequent allurements, and frequent tryals, and frequent cares, and frequent feares, and frequent favours; and therefore you had need be frequent with God in your Closets. But,

Seventhly, Consider, you are the favourites of heaven, you are greatly beloved, you are highly honoured, you are exceedingly [Page 301] esteemed and valued in the Court of the Most High; and remember, that the Petitions of many weak Christians, and of many benighted Christians, and of many tempted Christians, and of many clouded Christians, and of many staggering Christians, and of many doubting Christians, and of many bewildred Christians, and of many fainting Christians, &c. are put into your hands, for a quick and speedy dis­patch to the Throne of Grace; so that you had need be frequent in your Closets, and improve your interest in heaven, or else many of these poor hearts may be wrong­ed, betrayed, and prejudiced by your neglect. Such as are Favou­rites in Princes Courts, if they are active, diligent, careful and watch­ful, they may doe much good for others, they may come as often as they please into their Princes pre­sence, and with Queen Esther, have Esth. 8. for asking what they please, both for themselves, and others, Esth. 7. O what a world of good may such [Page 302] doe for others that are Gods Fa­vourites, if they would be but frequent with God in their Clo­sets!

O Sirs, If you have not that love, that regard, that pitty, that compassion to your own souls, as you should have; yet, O let not o­thers suffer by your neglect of pri­vate prayer! O let not Zion suffer! O let not any particular Saint suf­fer by your being found seldom in your Closets.

Certainly, It might have gone better with the Churches of Christ, and with the concernments of Christ, and with many of the poor people of Christ, if most Christi­ans had been more frequent with God in their Closets. But,

Eighthly and lastly, Consider, that this liberty to approach nigh Sanguis Christi cla­vis Coeli. to God in your Closets, cost Christ his dearest blood, Ephes. 2. 13. Heb. 10. 20. Now he that is not fre­quent with God in his Closet, tells all about him, that he sets no great value upon that liberty, that Christ [Page 303] hath purchased with his blood. The incomparable, the unpara­lel'd 1 Pet. 1. 19. price which Christ hath paid down upon the nail (above sixteen hundred years agoe) that we might have liberty and free access to his Father in your Closets, argues very strongly, yea irrefragably, the superlative excellency of that li­berty! O therefore let us improve to purpose this blessed purchase of our Lord Jesus by being frequent with God in our closets. 'Tis disputed by some whether one drop of Christs blood was sufficient for the pardon of our sins and redemption of our souls. My intention is not to dis­pute, but to offer a few things to your Consideration.

First, It must be granted, that One lit­tle drop of Christ's blood is more worth than hea­ven and earth. Luther. by reason of the hypostatical uni­on, a drop of Christ's blood was of an inestimable worth and excel­lency; and the value of his passion is to be measured by the dignity of his person. But,

Secondly, a proportion was to be observed betwixt the punish­ment [Page 304] due to men, and that which What is the blood of the Grape, or the blood of a son, an only son, to the blood of a Saviour. was suffered for man; that his sufferings, might be satisfactory, two things were necessary, Poenae gravitas, as well as personae dignitas. That the least drop of Christ's blood was not sufficient for the re­demption of our souls may thus appear.

First, If it were, then the Cir­cumcision of Christ was enough, for there was a drop, if not many drops of blood shed.

Secondly, Then his being Crown'd with a crown of Thorns, was sufficient; for it is most proba­ble, that they drew blood-from him

Thirdly, Then all Christ's suf­ferings besides were superfluous and vain.

Fourthly, Then God was un­just and unrighteous to take more than was due to his justice. But for any man to affirm that God hath taken beyond what was his just due, is high blasphemy.

Fifthly, Then Christ was weak and imprudent to pay more [Page 305] than he needed; for what need was there of his dearest heart blood, if a drop from his hand would have saved our souls. Let School-men fancie what they please, 'tis certain, that not one dram of that bitter Cup that Christ drunk off could be abated, in order to his Fa­thers full satisfaction, and mans e­ternal redemption. Christ hath given under his own hand that it was necessary that he should suffer many things, Mark. 8. 3. Luke 24. 26. O Sirs, shall Christ shed not only a few drops of blood, but his very heart blood, to purchase you a freedom and liberty to be as of­ten in your Closets with his Fa­ther as you please; and will you only now and then give God a visit in private? the Lord for­bid.

My Second Advise and counsel is this, Take the fittest seasons and opportunities that pos­sibly you can for Closet-prayer. Many take unfit seasons for pri­vate prayer, which do more ob­struct [Page 306] the importunity of the soul in prayer, than all the sugge­stions and instigations of Satan. As,

First, When the body is drow­sie Cant. 3. 1. and sleepy, this is a very unfit season for closet-prayer. Take heed of laying cushions of sloath under your knees, or pillows of idlenesse under your elbows, or of mixing nods with your petitions, or of being drowsily devoted when you draw neer to God in your clo­sets.

Secondly, When a mans head and heart is filled with worldly 1 Cor. 7. 35. Ezek. 33. 31. cares and distractions, this is a very unfit season for closet-pray­er.

When Dinah must needs be gad­ding abroad to see fashions, She­chem, Prince of that country, meets with her, and forces her virginity. So when our hearts Dinah-like must needs be a roving and gad­ding abroad after the things of the world, then Satan, the Prince of the air, usually seizes upon us, com­mits [Page 307] a rape upon our souls, and either leads us off from prayer, or else he doth so distract us in prayer, that it were better not to have prayed at all, than to have offered the sacrifice of foolish and distra­cted prayer.

I have read a story, how that one offered to give his horse to his fel­low upon condition he would but say the Lords Prayer, and think upon nothing but God; the proffer was accepted, and he began, Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. But I must have the bridle too (said he) no, nor the Horse neither (said the other) for thou hast lost both already. The application is easie.

Certainly, the most free and lively seasons for Closet-prayer is the mornings, before a mans spi­rit be blunted or cooled, deadned, damped, or flatted by worldly bu­sinesses. A man should speak with God in his Closet, before he speaks with his worldly affairs and occa­sions. A man should say to all [Page 308] his worldly businesseg, as Abraham said unto his young men, when he went to offer up his only Isaac, a­bide you here, and I will goe yonder and worship, and then return to you again. He that will attend Closet-prayer without distraction or disturbance, must not, first, slip out of the world into his Closet, but he must first slip into his Closet before he be compassed about with a crowd of worldly employments.

It was a Precept of Pythagoras, that when we enter into the Tem­ple to worship God, we must not so much as speak or think of any worldly business, least we make Gods service an idle, perfuncto­ry and lazy recreation: The same I may say of Closet-pray­er.

Jerome complains very much of his distractions, dulness, and indis­posedness to prayer, and chides himself thus, What dost thou think, that Jonah prayed thus when he was in the Whales belly; or Daniel when he was among the Lyons; or the Thief when he was upon the Cross?

Thirdly, When men or wo­men are under rash and passionate 1 Tim. 2. 8. distempers; for when passions are up, holy affections are down; and this is a very unfit season for Clo­set-prayer; for such prayers will never reach Gods eare, which do not first warm our own hearts. In the Muscovy Churches, if the Minister mistake in reading, or stammer in pronouncing his words, or speak any word that is not well heard, the hearers doe ve­ry much blame him, and are ready to take the book from him, as un­worthy to read therein: And cer­tainly God is no less offended with the giddy, rash, passionate, preci­pitate, and inconsiderate prayers of those, who without a deliberate understanding do send their petiti­ons to heaven in post-hast. Solo­mons advice is worthy of all com­mendation and acceptation, Be not Eccl. 5 2. rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty, to utter any thing before God: Or as the Hebrew may be read, Let not thy heart through hast be [Page 310] so troubled or disturbed, as to tumble over, and throw out words without wis­dome or premeditation. Good men are apt many times to be too hasty, rash, and unadvised in their pray­ers, complaints and deprecati­ons; Psal. 31. 2. 2 Psal. 116. 11 Job. 10. 1, 2, 3. Jer. 18. 15. 18. Jon. 4. 2, 3, 4. Matth. 20. 20, 21. witness David, Job, Jeremiah, Jo­nah, and the Disciples. No Christian to him that doth wisely & seriously weigh over his prayers and praises before he pours out his soul before the Lord. He never repents of his requests, who first duly deliberates what to request; but he that blurts out whatsoever lyes uppermost, and that brings into the presence of God his rash, raw, tumultuary, and indigested petitions, confessi­ons, complaints, &c. he doth but provoke God, he doth but brawl with God, instead of praying to him or wrestling with him. Suit­ers at Court observe their fittest times and seasons of begging, they commonly take that very nick of time, when they have the King in a good mood, and so seldome or never come off but with good suc­cess.

Sometimes God strongly en­clines the heart to Closet-prayer, sometimes he brings the heart be­fore hand into a praying frame, sometimes both body and soul are more enlivened, quickned, raised, and divinely enflamed than at o­ther times; sometimes Consci­ence is more stirring, working, and tender, &c. O now strike while the Iron is hot, O now lay hold on all such blessed opportunities, by applying of thy self to private prayer. O Sirs, can you take your fittest times, seasons and opportu­nities for plowing, and sowing, and reaping, and buying, and sel­ling, and eating, and drinking, and marrying, &c. And can't you as well take your fittest times and seasons to seek the Lord in your Closets? Must the best God be put off with the least and worst of your time? the Lord forbid. Neg­lect not the seasons of grace, slip not your opportunities for Closet-prayer; thousands have lost their seasons and their souls together.

My Third Advice and counsel is this, Be marvelous care­ful that you do not perform Clo­set Duties meerly to still your Consciences: you must perform them out of Conscience, but you must not perform them only to quiet Conscience. Some have such a light set up in their under­standings that they cannot omit An ill Consci­ence (saith Austin) is like a scolding wife; a man (saith he) that hath an ill Consci­ence he cares not to be at at home, he cares not to look into his own soul, but loves to be abroad. Closet-prayer, but Conscience is upon their backs, Conscience is still upbraiding and disquieting of them, and therefore they are afraid to neglect Closet-prayer, least Conscience should question, ar­raign and condemn them for their neglects. Sometimes when men have greatly sinned against the Lord, Conscience becomes impa­tient, and is still accusing, con­demning, and terrifying of them; and now in these Agonies they will run to their Closets, and cry, and pray, and mourn, and confess, and bitterly bewail their transgres­sions, but all this is only to quiet their Consciences; and some­times [Page 313] they find upon their perfor­mances of Closet-duties, that their Consciences are a little allayed and quieted; and for this very end and purpose do they take up Clo­set-prayer, as a charm to allay their Consciences; and when the storm is over, and their Conscien­ces quieted, then they lay aside Closet-prayer, (as the Monk did the net when the fish was caught) and are ready to transgresse again. O Sirs, take heed of this, for this is but plain hypocrisie, and will be bitternesse in the end. He that performs Closet-prayer only to bribe his Conscience that it may not be clamorous, or to stop the mouth of Conscience that it may not accuse him for sin, he will at length venture upon such a trade, such a course of sinning against Conscience, as will certainly turn his troubled Conscience into a sear­ed Conscience: And a seared Con­science is like a sleepy Lyon, when 2 Tim. 4. 2. he awakes he roars and tears his prey in pieces: and so will a sear­ed [Page 314] Conscience, when 'tis awakened, roar and tear the secure sinner in pieces.

When Dionysius Conscience was awakened, he was so troubled with fear and horrour of Consci­ence, that not daring to trust his best friends with a razor, he used to singe his beard with burning coals, as Cicero reports. All the mercy that a seared, a benummed Conscience, doth afford the sinner, when it doth most befriend him, when it deals most seemingly kind with him, is this, that it will not cut, that it may kill; it will not con­vince, that it may confound; it will not accuse, that it may condemn; it will spare the sinner a while, that it may torment him for ever; it will spare him here, that it may gnaw him hereafter; it will not strike, till it be too late for the sinner to ward off the blow. O cruel mercy to ob­serve the sin, and let alone the sin­ner, till the gates of mercy be shut upon him, and hell stands gaping to devour him. Gen. 4. 7. Sin lyeth at [Page 315] the door. The Hebrew word Robets signifies to lye down, or couch, like some wild beast at the mouth of his cave, as if he were asleep, but indeed watcheth and waketh, and is ready Amama quotes Tarnovius, who mentions a sort of men, that brought in an opi­nion, which he calls a new-Gos­pel, that if a man perform the exter­nal duties of Religi­on, viz. if he go to the Church, hear the word, pray, &c. it was suf­ficient to salvation. to fly at all that come neer it. O Sirs, sin is rather couchant than dormant, it sleeps dogs sleep, that it may take the sinner at the great­er advantage, and fly the more fu­riously in his face. But,

My Fourth Advice and coun­sel is this, Take heed of rest­ing upon Closet-duties; take heed of trusting in Closet-duties. Noahs Dove made use of her wings, but she did not trust in her wings, but in the Arke: So you must make use of Closet-duties, but you must not trust in your Closet-duties, but in Jesus, of whom the Ark was but a Type. There are many that go a round of duties, (as mill-horses go their round in a mill) and rest upon them when they have done, using the means as mediators, and so fall short of Christ and heaven at once. Closet-duties rested in, [Page 316] will as eternally undo a man, as the greatest and foulest enormities; open wickedness slayes her thou­sands, but a secret resting upon du­ties slayes her ten thousands: Mul­titudes bleed inwardly of this dis­ease, & die for ever. Open prophane­ness is the broad dirty way that leads to hell, but Closet-duties rest­ed in is a sure way, though a clean­er way to hell. Prophane persons and formal professors shall meet at last in one hell. Ah Christians, do not make Closet-duties your money, least you and your money perish together.

The Phenix gathers sweet odo­riferous sticks in Arabia together, and then blows them with her wings, and burns her self with them; so doe many shining pro­fessors burn themselves by resting in their duties and services. You know in Noah's flood all that were not in the Ark, though they climb­ed up the tallest Trees, and the highest mountains and hills, yet were really drowned; so let men [Page 317] climb up to this duty and that, yet if they don't get into Christ, they will be really damned. 'Tis not thy Closet, but thy Christ that must save thee. If a man be not interest­ed in Christ, he may perish with Our Father in his mouth. 'Tis as natural to a man to rest in his du­ties, as 'tis for him to rest in his bed.

This was Bernards temptation, who being a little assisted in duty, could stroak his own head with bene fecisti Bernarde, O Bernard this was gallantly done, now cheer up thy self. Ah how apt is man, when he hath been a little assisted, heated, melt­ed, enlarged, &c. in a way of du­ty, to goe away and stroak himself, Isa. 50, ult. and blesse himself, and hug him­self, and warm himself with the sparks, with the fire of his own kindling.

Adam was to win life and wear Gen. 2. 2. it, he was to be saved by his doings, Doe this and live: Hence it is that Acts 2. 37. Chap. 16. 30. all his posterity are so prone to seek for salvation by doing; What [Page 318] shall we do to be saved? and good Ma­ster, Mark 10. 17, 20. what shall I doe that I may inherit eternal life? Like Father, like Son. But if our own duties or doings were sufficient to save us, to what purpose did Christ leave his Fathers bosome, and lay down his dearest life, &c. Closet-duties rested in may pacifie Conscience for a time; but this will not alwayes hold: When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Hos. 5. 13. Judah saw his wound, then went Ephra­im to the Assyrian, and sent to King Ja­reb; yet could they not heal him, nor cure him of his wound. If we rest on Closet-duties, or on any thing else on this side Christ, we shall find them as weak as the Assyrian, or as Jareb; we shall find to our cost, that they can't help us nor heal us; they can't comfort us, nor cure us of our wounds. As creatures, so duties, were never true to any that have trusted in them. When the Israelites were in great Judg. 10. 14. distresse, the Lord bids them go and cry unto the gods which they had chosen, and let them deliver you [Page 319] (saith God) in the time of your tribulation. O Sirs, if when you are under distresse of Conscience, or lying upon a dying Bed, God should say to you, go to your Clo­set-prayers and performances, that you have made and rested in; go to your Closet-tears that you have shed and rested in, and let them save you and deliver you; Oh what miserable saviours and com­forters would they be unto you? Look what the Ark of God was to the Phylistins, that Closet-duties 1 Sam. 5. are to Satan; he trembles every time he sees a poor sinner go into his Closet, and come out of his Clo­set resting and glorying in Jesus, and not in his duties; but when he sees a poor creature confide in his Closet-duties, and rest upon his Closet-duties, then he rejoy­ceth, then he claps his hands and sings ahah so would I have it. Orest not on any thing on this side Jesus Christ; say to your graces, say to your duties, say to your holiness, you are not my Saviour, you are [Page 320] not my Mediator; and therefore you are not to be trusted to, you are not to be rested in. 'Tis my duty to perform Closet-duties, but 'tis my sin to rely upon them, or to put confidence in them; do them I must, but glory in them I must not. He that rests in his Closet-duties, he makes a saviour of his Closet-duties. Let all your Clo­set-duties lead you to Jesus, and leave you more in communion Heb. 7. 25. with him, and in dependance up­on him; and then thrice happy will you be. Let all thy Closet-pray­ers and tears, thy Closet-fastings and meltings, be a Star to guide thee to Jesus, a Jacobs I adder by which thou mayest ascend into the bosome of Eternal Loves, and then thou art safe for ever.

Ah 'tis sad to think, how most men have forgotten their resting place, as the Lord complains, My Jer. 50. 6. people have been like lost sheep, their Shepheards have caused them▪ to go a­stray, and have turned them away to the Mountains; they have gone from moun­tain [Page 321] to hill, and forgotten their resting place. Ah how many poor souls are there, that wander from moun­tain to hill, from one duty to an­other, and here they will rest, and there they will rest, and all on this side their resting place! O Sirs, 'tis God himself that is your re­sting place, 'tis his free grace, 'tis his singular mercy, 'tis his infinite love that is your resting place; 'tis 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 [Page 322] 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 [Page 323] 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 [Page 324] 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 [Page 325] 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 [Page 326] 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 [Page 327] 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 [Page 328] beast in Sacrifice to the gods; but when the beast was opened, it was without a heart, which the South-sayers looked upon as an ill omen. 'Tis a sad omen, that thou wilt ra­ther provoke the Lord than pre­vail with him, who art habitu­ally heartlesse in thy Closet-du­ties. Of the heart God seemeth to say to us, as Joseph did to his Bre­thren, concerning Benjamin, Ye shall not see my face without it.

It was the speech of blessed Brad­ford, that he would never leave a Duty, till he had brought his heart into the frame of the duty; he would not leave con­fession of sin, till his heart was broken for sin; he would not leave petitioning for grace, till his heart was quickened and enlivened, in a hopeful expectation of more grace; he would not leave gra­tulation, till his heart was enlarged with the sence of the mercies he enjoyed, and quickened in the return of praise.

My sixth advice and coun­sel is this, Be fervent, be warm, be importunate with God in all your Closet-duties and perfor­mances. [Page 329] James 5. 17. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man a­vaileth much; or as the Greek hath it, the working prayer; that is, such work­ing [...]. prayer as sets the wholeman on work, as sets all the faculties of the soul, and all the graces in the Psal. 55. 1. Psal. 61. 1. Psal. 64. 1. Psal. 88. 1, 13. Psal. 119. 164. Jon. 2. 1, 2. Joel. 2. 13. Psal. 119. 145, 147. Psal. 119. 20. soul at work; the word signifies such a working as notes the live­liest activity that can be. Certainly all those usual phrases, of crying, wrestling and striving with God, which are scattered up and down in Scripture, do strongly argue that holy importunity, and sa­cred violence that the Saints of old have expressed in their addres­ses to God. Fervency feathers the wings of prayer, and makes them fly the swifter to Heaven. An Arrow if it be drawn up but a little way, flyes not far; but if it be drawn up to the head, it will fly far, and pierce deeply: So fer­vent Qui timide rogat, do­cet negare, saith the Philoso­pher. prayer flyes as high as Hea­ven, and will certainly bring down blessings from thence. Cold pray­ers bespeak a denyal, but fervent [Page 330] prayers offer a sacred violence both to heaven and earth. Look as in a painted fire there is no heat; so in a cold prayer there is no heat, no warmth, no omnipotency, no devotion, no blessing. Cold pray­ers are like Arrows without heads, as swords without edges, as Birds without wings, they pierce not, they cut not, they fly not up to hea­ven. Such prayers as have no hea­venly fire in them, do alwayes freez before they reach as high as heaven: But fervent prayer is ve­ry prevalent with God, Acts 12. 5. Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing. The Greek word [...] signifies in­stant prayer, earnest prayer, stretch­ed-out prayer, prayer stretched-out upon the tenters, as it were. These gracious souls did in prayer strain and stretch themselves, as men do that are running in a race; they prayed with all the strength of their souls, and with all the fervency of their spirits, and ac­cordingly they carryed the day [Page 331] with God, as you may see in the following verses. So Acts 26. 7. Ʋnto which promise our Twelve Tribes instantly serving God day and night, or rather as the Greek hath it, [...] in a stretched-out man­ner, serving God day and night. These Twelve Tribes (or the godly Jews of the Twelve Tribes of Isra­el) stretched out their hearts, their affections, their graces, to the utmost in prayer. In all your private retirements, do as the Twelve Tribes did. Rom. 12. 11. Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. The Greek word [...] signifies seething hot. God loves to see his people zealous and warm in his service: Without fervency of spirit no service finds acceptance in heaven. God is a pure act, and he loves that his people should be lively and active in his service, vers. 12. Continuing instant in prayer; [...] continuing with all your might in prayer. 'Tis a Metaphor from hunting dogs, that will ne­ver give over the game till they [Page 332] have got it. Rom. 15. 30. That ye strive together with me, in your prayers to God for me; [...] strive mightily, strive as Championsstrive, even to an Agony, as the word imports: 'Tis a military word, and notes such fervent wrestling or striving, as is for life and death. Col. 4. 12. Alwayes labouring fervently for you in prayer: The Greek word [...] that is here used, signifies to strive or wrestle, as those do that strive for mastery; it notes the vehemency and fervour of Epaphras his prayers for the Co­lossians. Look as the wrestlers do bend, and writhe, and stretch, and strain, every joynt of their bodies, that they may be victorious; so Epa­phras did bend, & writh, and stretch & strain every joynt of his soul (if I may so speak) that he might be victorious with God upon the Co­lossians account. So when Jacob was with God alone, ah how ear­nest Gen. 32. 24,—27. Hos. 12. 4, 5. and fervent was he in his wre­stlings with God! he wrestles and weeps, and weeps and wrestles; [Page 333] he tugs hard with God, he holds his hold, and he will not let God go, till as a Prince he had prevailed with him. Fervent prayer is the Souls contention, the Souls strugling with God; it is a sweating work, it is the sweat and blood of the soul, its a laying out to the uttermost all the strength and powers of the Soul. He that would gain victory over God in private prayer, must strain every string of his heart; he must in be­seeching God, besiedge him, and so get the better of him; he must be like importunate beggars, that will not be put off with frowns, or silence, or sad answers. Those that would be masters of their re­quests, must, like the importunate Widdow, press God so far, as to put him to an holy blush (as I may say with reverence:) They must with an holy impudence (as Basil speaks) make God ashamed to look them in the face, if he should deny the importunity of theirs souls.

Had Abraham had a little more Dor. Don. Fol. p. 522. Gen. 18. 22, 23. of this impudence (saith one) when he made suit for Sodom, it might have done well: Abraham brought down the price to ten righteous, and there his modesty staid him; had he gone lower, God only knows what might have been done, for God went not a­way (saith the Text) till he had left communing with Abraham, that is, till Abraham had no more to say to God: Abraham left over asking, before God left over granting; he left over praying, before God left over bating; and so Sodom was lost.

O the heavenly fire, the holy fervency that was in Daniels Clo­set-prayer! O Lord hear, O Lord forgive, O Lord hearken and 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; [Page 335] 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 still­born 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 [Page 336] 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. 'Tis only fervent prayer that hits the mark, and that pierces the walls of hea­ven, though, like those of Gaza, Isa▪ 45. 2. [Page 337] 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 'tis 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 [Page 338] 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 [Page 339] 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, [Page 340] 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 [Page 341] 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 trade of Closet-prayer, we shall never make any yearnings of Closet-prayer. Look as they that get money by their Iron Mills, do keep a continual fire in their Iron Mills; so they that will [Page 342] get any soul-good by Closet-du­ties, they must keep close and con­stant to Closet-duties. The hy­pocrite is only constant in incon­stancy, he is only in his Closet by fits and starts; now and then, when he is in a good mood, you shall find him step into his Closet, but he never holds it; Job 27. 10. Will he alwayes call upon God? or as the Hebrew hath it, VVill he in eve­ry time call upon God? When they are under the smarting rod, or when they are upon the torment­ing rack, or when they are under Isa. 26. 16. Psal. 78. 34. Zech. 7. 5. grievous wants, or when they are struck with panick feares, &c. then you shall have them run to their Closets, as Joab run to the horns of the Altar, when he was in dan­ger of death; but they never perse­vere, they never hold out to the end; and therefore in the end they lose both their Closet-prayers, and their Souls together.

It was a most prophane and Heil. Mic. P. 376. blasphemous speech of that athe­istical wretch, that told God, that [Page 343] he was no common beggar, and that he never troubled him before with prayer, and if he would but hear him that time, he would never trouble him again.

Closet-prayer is a hard work, and a man must tug hard at it, and stick close to it, as Jacob did, if e­ver Ge [...] 32. he intends to make any inter­nal or eternal advantages by it. Daniel chose rather to run the haz­zard Dan. 6. of his life, than to give over praying in his Chamber. 'Tis not he that begins in the spirit, and ends in the flesh; 'tis not he that Gal. 3. 3. Luke 9. 62. Mat. 24. 13. Rev. 2. 17. puts his hand to the plow, and looks back; but he that perseveres to the end in prayer, that shall be saved and crowned: 'Tis he that perseveres in well doing, that shall eat of the hidden Manna, and that shall have the White Stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving him that receiv­eth it. Those precious praying mourning souls, in that Ezek. 9. 4, 6. that were marked to be preserv­ed in Jerusalem, were distinguish­ed (say some of the learned) by [Page 344] the Character [...] Tau, which is the J. Menoch. Com. in Ezek. Cap. 9. 4. last of all the Hebrew letters, to teach them, that they must hold out, and hold on to the end in well doing. 'Tis constancy in Closet-duty, that crowns the Christian, and commends the duty.

But would God have his people to cast off their callings, and to cast off all care of their Relations, and shut themselves up in their Closets, and there spend their whole time in secret prayer? O no, Every Duty must have its time and place; Eccl. 3. 1. and as one friend must not shut out another, so one Duty must not shut out another: The Duties of my particular calling, as I am a man, must not shut out the Duties of my generall calling, as I am a Christian; nor the Duties of my general calling as I am a Christian, must not shut out the Duties of my particular calling, as I am a man. But that you may be fully satisfied in this case, you must remember, that a man may be said to pray al­wayes.

First, When his heart is alwayes in a praying frame. Look as a man may be truly said to give alwayes, whose heart is alwayes in a giving frame; and to suffer al­wayes, whose heart is alwayes in a suffering frame. For thy sake are Psal. 44. 22. 2 Pet. 2. 14. Jer. 9. 3. we killed all the day long. And to sin alwayes, whose heart is al­wayes in a sinning frame: So a man may be as truly said to pray alwayes, whose heart is alwayes in a praying frame.

Secondly, A man prayes al­wayes, when he takes hold on every fit season and opportunity for the pouring out of his soul be­fore the Lord in his Closet. To pray alwayes is [...] to pray in every opportunity; but of this before.

It is observed by some, of Prote­us, that he was wont to give cer­tain oracles, but it was hard to make him speak and deliver them, but he would turn himself into seve­ral shapes and forms; yet if they would hold out, & press him hard [Page 346] without fear, into whatsoever form or shape he appeared, they were sure to have satisfactory Oracles: So if we continue con­stant in our Closet-wrestlings with God, if we hold on in private prayer, though God should ap­pear to us in the form or shape of a Judge, an enemy, a stranger, we shall certainly speed at last. O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto Mat. 5. 28. thee even as thou wilt; and her Daugh­ter was made whole from that very hour.

The Philosopher being asked in his old age, why he did not give o­ver Non pro­gredi est regredi. his practise, & take his ease, an­swered, when a man is to run a race of fourty furlongs, would you have him sit down at the nine and thirtieth, and so lose the prize, the Crown for which he ran? O Sirs, if you hold not out to the end in Closet-prayer, you will certainly lose the heavenly prize, the Crown of Life, the Crown of Righteous­nesse, the Crown of Glory. To continue in giving glory to God in this way of duty, is as necessary [Page 347] and requisite, as to begin to give glory to God in this way of duty; for though the beginning be more than half, yet the end is more than all. The God of all perfections looks that our Ʋltimum vitae, should Finis coro­not opus. be his Optimum Gloriae; that our last works should be our best works, and that we should persevere in Closet-prayer to the end, Rev. 2. 10.

My eighth Advice and Counsel is this, In all your Closet-prayers, thirst, and long after communion Cant. 3. 1, 2, 3. Psal. 73. ult. with God; in all your private re­tirements, take up in nothing be­low fellowship with God, in no­thing below a sweet and spiritu­al enjoyment of God. Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his Temple. The Temple of the Lord, without communion with the Lord of the Temple, will not satisfie David's Soul. Psal 42. 1, 2. As the Hart pant­eth after the Water brooks, so panteth [Page 348] my soul after thee, O God. My Soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appeare before God!

The Hart, as Aristotle and others observe, is of all creatures most hot and dry of it self, but especial­ly when it is chased and hunted, then it is extream thirsty: The fe­male is here meant, as the Greek ar­ticle [...] he Elaphos doth ma­nifest; now in the females the passions of thirst are more strong, as the naturalists observe. By this David discovers what a vehe­ment and inflamed thirst there was in his Soul after communion with God: And as nothing could satis­fie the hunted▪ Hart but the water brooks; so nothing could satisfie his soul but the enjoyments of God. Psal. 43. 4. Then will I go unto the Altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy. The altar of God is here put for the worship of God; now it was not barely the Worship of God, but communion with God in his Worship, that was David'e exceeding joy. Psal. 63. 1, 2, O God, thou [Page 349] art my God, early will I seek thee; my Soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land, where no water is: To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the San­ctuary. Davids soul did not thirst after a Crown; a Kingdom, or any worldly greatnesse, or glory, but after a choise and sweet enjoy­ment of God in his wildernesse e­state. Never did any Woman with Child long more after this, or that, than Davids Soul did long to enjoy sensible communion with God, in the midst of all his sor­rows and sufferings. Psal. 84. 2. My Soul longeth; yea, even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord: My heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God. By the Courts of the Lord, we are to understand the ordinances; now these without communion with God, would never satisfie Davids Soul.

I commend that speech of Ber­nard, Nanquam abs te, abs (que) te rece­do: I never come to thee, but by thee; Bern. epist. 116. I never come from thee without thee.

When ever you go into your Closets, press hard after real and sensible Communion with God, that so you may come out of your Closets with some shines of God upon your spirits; as Moses came down from the Mount with his Exod. 34. 29, 35. face shining. O do not take up in your Closet-prayers, or tears, or joyes, or enlargements; but labour and long to enjoy that inward and close Fellowship with God in your Closets, as may leave such a choice, and sweet favour of God, both upon your hearts and lives, as others may be forced to say, surely Acts 4. 13. these have been with Jesus. 'Tis sad when Christians return from their Closets to their shops, their trades, their families, their com­merce, &c. without the least visi­ble rayes of divine glory upon them.

O Sirs, Closet-prayer will be found to be but a dry, saplesse, live-lesse, heartlesse, comfortlesse, thing, if you do not enjoy Com­munion with God in it. Commu­nion [Page 351] with God is the very Life, Soul, and Crown of all your Clo­set-duties; and therefore press af­ter it as for Life: When you go into your Closets let every thing go, that may hinder your fruition of Christ, and let every thing be embraced, that makes way for your enjoyment of Christ. O let Closet-prayer be a golden bridge, a wherry, a Chariot to convey your Souls over to God, and to bring you into a more intimate Communion with God. Let no Closet-duty satisfie you or con­tent you, wherein you have not conversed with God, as a Child converseth with his Father, or as a wife converseth with her Husband, or as a Friend converseth with his Friend, even face to face. Nothing speaks out more unsoundness, fals­ness, and baseness of heart, than this, when men make Duty, the end of Duty; Prayer, the end of Prayer; than when men can begin a Duty, and go on in a Duty, and close up a Duty, and bless and [Page 352] stroake themselves after a Duty, and yet never enjoy the least Communion with God in the Duty.

But how shall a man know when he Quest. hath a real Communion with God in a Duty or no?

This is a very noble and neces­sary Question, and accordingly it calls for a cleer and satisfactory Answer; and therefore thus,

First, A man may have Com­munion Sol. with God in sorrow and tears, when he hath not Commu­nion with God in joy delight; a Psal. 51. 17. man may have Communion with God in a heart-humbling, a heart-melting, and a heart-abasing way, when he hath not Communion with God in a heart reviving, a heart-cheering, and a heart-com­forting way. 'Tis a very great mistake among many tender spi­rited Christians, to think that they have no Communion with God in their Closets, except they meet with God embracing and kissing, Cant. 2. 4, 5, 6. cheering and comforting up of [Page 353] their souls; when they find God raising the springs of joy and com­fort in their souls, when they find God a speaking peace unto them, when they find the singular sensi­ble Psal. 85. 8. presence of God cheering, re­freshing, and enlarging of them in their Closets, O then they are willing to grant that they have had sweet Communion with God in their Closets; But if God meets with them in their Closets, and only breaks their hearts for sin, and from sin, if he meets with them and only makes his power and his presence manifest, in deba­sing and casting down of their souls, upon the sight and sence of their strong corruptions and many imperfections, how unwilling are are they to believe that they have had any Communion with God. Well Friends, remember this once for all, viz. That a Christian may have as real Communion with God in a heart-humbling way, as he can have in a heart-comforting way; a Christian may have as [Page 354] choice Communion with God John 20. 11,—19. when his eyes are full of tears, as he can have when his heart is full of joy. Sometimes God meets with a poor Christian in his Clo­set, and exceedingly breaks him and humbles him, and at other times he meets with the same Christian in his Closet, and migh­tily cheers him and comforts him; sometimes God meets with a poor Soul in his Closet, and there he sweetly quiets him and stills him, and at other times he meets with the same Soul in his Closet, and then he greatly revives him and quickens him: God doth not al­wayes come upon the Soul one way, he doth not alwayes come in at one, and the same door. We John 3. 8. sometimes look for a Friend to come in at the fore-door, and then he comes in at the back-door; and at other times, when we look for him at the back door, then he comes in at the fore-door; and just so 'tis with Gods coming into his peoples souls: Sometimes [Page] they go into their Closets, and look that God will come in at the fore-door of joy and com­fort, and then God comes in at the back-door of sorrow and grief; and at other times, when they look that God should come in at the back-door of humili­ation, breaking, and melting their hearts, then God comes in at the fore-door of joy and consolation, cheering and rejoycing their souls. But.

Secondly, I answer, That all Christians do not enjoy a like Communion with God in their Closets; some enjoy much Com­munion with God in their Closets, and others enjoy but little Com­munion with God in their Closets. Moses had a more cleer, glorious, Exod. 33. 11. Deut. 5. 4. Num. 12. 7, 8. and constant Communion with God in his dayes, than any others had in those times wherein he liv­ed: God spake to none face to face, as he did to Moses. And Abraham in his time had a more close, Gen. 18. friendly, and intimate Communi­on [Page] with God, than holy Lot or a­ny others had in that day. And though all the Disciples (Judas excepted) had sweet Communion with Christ in the days of his flesh, Mat. 17. 1, 2, 3, 4. yet Peter, James and John had a more cleer, choice, and full Communi­on with him, than the rest had: Among all the Disciples John had John 13. 23 John 20. 2. and Chap. 21. 20. most bosome Communion with Christ, he was the greatest favou­rite in Christ's Court, he leaned on Christ's bosome, he could say any thing to Christ, and he could know any thing of Christ, and he could have any thing of Christ; now that all Christians do not enjoy Communion with God alike in their Closets may be thus made evident.

First, All Christians do not prepare alike to enjoy Closet-Communion with God, and there­fore all Christians do not enjoy Communion with God alike in Eccl. 5. 1. Psal. 10. 17. their Closets: Commonly he that prepares and fits himself most for Closet-Communion with God, he [Page 357] is the man that enjoyes most Clo­set-Communion 2 Chron. 30. 17, 18, 19, 20. with God.

Secondly, All Christians do not alike prize Communion with God in their Closets; some prize Com­munion with God in their closets, before all, & above all other things: As that noble Man [...] said, Cursed Job 23. 12. Psal. 119. 127. Mat. 13. 45, 46. be he that prefers all the world to one hours Communion with God: They look upon it as that pearl of price, for the enjoyment of which, they are ready to sell all, and part with all; others prize it at a lower rate, and so enjoy less of it, than those that set a higher price and value upon it.

Thirdly; All Christians do not a-like press after Communion with God in their Closets; some press after Communion with God in their Closets, as a condemned man presses after a pardon, or as a close prisoner presses after enlarg­ment, or as a poor beggar presses after an almes; now, you know Psal. 73. 8. Isa. 26. 8, 9. these press on with the greatest earnestness, the greatest fervency, [Page 358] and the greatest importunity im­maginable: But others press after Communion with God in their Closets more coldly, more care­lesly, more slightly, more lazily. I have put off my Coat, how shall I put Cant. 5. 3. it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them [...] [...]ow they that press hardest after Communion with God in their Closets, they are usually blest with the highest de­grees of Closet-Communion with God.

Fourthly, All Christians don't a-like improve their Communion with God in their Closets; and therefore all Christians don't en­joy Communion with God a-like in their Closets. Some Christians do make a more wise, a more humble, a more holy, a more faith­ful, a more fruitful, and a more constant improvement of their Closet-Communion with God than others do, and therefore they are blest with higher degrees of Communion with God than others are: Some Christians do [Page 359] more improve their Closet-Com­munion with God against the world, the flesh, and the Devil, than others doe; and therefore no wonder if they do enjoy more Communion with God in their Closets than others do.

Fifthly, All Christians do not a-like need Communion with God in their Closets; and therefore all Christians have not a-like Com­munion with God in their Closets. All Christians have not alike place in the mystical body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12. 14,— ult. some rule, and others are ruled; now every man stands in more or less need of Communion with God, according to the place that he bears in the body of Christ. A­gain, all Christians have not a-like burdens to bear, nor a-like difficul­ties to encounter with, nor a like dangers to escape, nor a-like temp­tations to wrestle with, nor a-like passions and corruptions to morti­fie, nor a-like mercies and experi­ences to improve, &c. and there­fore all Christians don't need a­like [Page 360] Communion with God in their Closets: Now commonly God lets himself out more or lesse in wayes of Communion, accord­ing as the various necessities and conditions of his people doth re­quire.

Sixthly and lastly, All Christi­ans do not a-like meet with out­ward interruptions, nor inward interruptions; and therefore all Christians have not a-like Com­munion with God in their Closets. Some Christians meet with a world of outward and inward in­terruptions more than others doe; some Christians outward Callings, Relations, Conditions, and Stati­ons, &c. do afford more plentiful matter and occasions, to interrupt them in their Closet-Communion with God, than other Christians Callings, Relations, Conditions, and Stations doe, &c. Besides Satan is more busie with some Christians, than he is with other Christians; and corruptions work more strongly and violently in [Page 361] some Christians, than they do in o­ther Christians, &c. and let me add this to all the rest, that the very natural tempers of some Christi­ans are more averse to closet du­ties, than the natural tempers of other Christians are; and therefore all Christians have not a-like Communion with God in their Closets, but some have more and some have less, according as God in his infinite Wisdome sees best.

Now let no Christian say, that he hath no Communion with God in Closet-prayer, because he hath not such a full, such a choice, such a sweet, such a sensible, and such a constant Communion with God in Closet-prayer, as such and such Saints have had, or as such and such Saints now have; for all Saints do not alike enjoy Commu­nion with God in their Closets, some have more, some have less; some have a higher degree, others a lower; some are wrapt up in the third heaven, when others are but wrapt up in the clouds: What man [Page 362] is there so childest and babish as to argue thus, That he hath no wis­dome, because he hath not the wisdome of Solomon; or, that he hath no strength, because he hath not the strength of Sampson; or, that he hath no life, because he hath not the swiftness of Ahimaaz; or, that he hath no estate, because he hath not the riches of Dives: and yet so childish and babish many weak Christians are, as to argue thus, viz. that they have no Communi­on with God in their Closets, be­cause they have not such high, such comfortable, and such constant Communion with God in their Closets, as such and such Saints have had, or as such and such Saints now have; whereas they should seriously consider, that though some Saints have a great Communion with God, yet other Saints have but a small Commu­nion with God; and though some Christians have a strong Commu­nion with God, yet other Christi­ans have but a weak Communion [Page 363] with God; and though some of the people of God have a very close and neer Communion with God, yet others of the people of God have but a more remote Communion with God; and though some of Gods servants have a daily, constant, and uninter­rupted Communion with God, yet others of his servants have but a more transient and inconstant Communion with God. But,

Thirdly, I answer, When a man acts grace in Closet-duties, then certainly he hath Communi­on with God in Closet-duties; 2 Tim. 1. 17. 1 Tim. 2. 8. when a man in Closet-duties acts faith on God, or faith on the pro­mises, or faith on the blood of Christ, or when a man in private duties acts repentance for sin, or love to Jesus Christ, or sets up God as the object of his fear, or as the object of his joy, &c. then he hath Communion with God, then he hath fellowship with the Father, 1 John 1. 3. and with the Son. An unregene­rate man may act gifts and parts [Page 364] in a duty, but he cannot act grace in a duty; for no man can act grace in a duty, but he that hath grace in his soul: And hence it comes to passe that unsanctified Isa. 1. 11, 12, 13▪ persons under the highest activity of their arts, parts, and gifts in religious duties, enjoy no Com­munion with God at all, witness the Scribes and Pharises, Demas, Ju­das, Simon Magus, &c. As ever you would have an evidence of your Communion with God in Closet-duties, carefully look to the activity of your graces, carefully 2 Tim. 1. 6. stir up the grace of God which is in you. But,

Fourthly, I answer, When a man hath Communion with God in his Closet, then he gives God the glory of all his actings and Psal. 115. 1. activities. Communion with God alwayes helps a man to set the Crown of praise and honour upon the head of God, witnesse that gracious and grateful Doxology of David and his people in that 1 Chr. 29. 13. Now therefore our God, we [Page 365] thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. Men that enjoy no Communion with God in Religious Duties, are still a sacrificing unto their own Net, and a burning incense unto Hab. 1. 16. their own Drag; they are still a blessing themselves, and a stroak­ing of themselves, and applaud­ing Luke 17. 11. 12. themselves, they think the Garland of praise, the Crown of honour becomes no head but their own; but now, men that enjoy Communion with God in Religi­ous Duties, they will uncrown themselves to crown God, they will uncrown their duties, to Crown the God of their duties, they will Acts 3 11, 12, 13, 16. Rev. 4. 10. 11. Chap. 5. 11, 12. uncrown their arts, parts, gifts and inlargments, to set the Crown of praise upon the head of God alone. Thou thinkest that thou hast Com­munion with God in Closet-duties, yea, thou sayest that thou hast Communion with God in Closet-duties, but on whose head dost thou put the garland of praise? if on Psal. 148. 13. Gods head, thou hast Communion with God; if on thine own head, [Page 366] thou hast no Communion with God. As all the Rivers run into the sea, & all the lines meet in the Center; so when all our Closet-duties terminate and center in the advance of Gods glory, then have we communion with God in them.

Constantine did use to write the Name of Christ over his door. When a man hath Communion with Christ in a duty, then he will write the Name of Christ, the Honour of Christ upon his duty. Some say, that the Name of Jesus was engraven upon the heart of Ig­natius; sure I am, when a man hath Communion with God in a Duty, then you shall find the Honour and Glory of Jesus en­graven upon that Duty. But,

Fifthly, I answer, When the performance of Closet-duties leaves the soul in a better frame, then a man hath Communion with God in them: When a man comes off from Closet-duties in a more holy frame, or in a more humble frame, or in a more spiri­tual [Page 367] frame, or in a more watchful frame, or in a more heavenly frame, or in a more broken frame, or in a more quickened and en­livened frame, &c. then certainly he hath had Communion with God in those Duties. When a man comes out of his Closet, and finds the frame of his heart to be more strongly set against sin than ever, and to be more highly re­solved to walk with God than e­ver, and to be more eminently crucified to the world than ever, and to be more divinely fix't against temptations than ever, then with­out all peradventure he hath had communion with God in his closet.

Sixthly, I answer, when Closet-duties fit a man for those other duties that lye next his hand, then doubtless he hath had Communi­on with God in them: When private duties fit a man for publick duties, or when private duties fit a man for the duties of his place, cal­ling, and condition, wherein God hath set him, then certainly he [Page 368] hath had fellowship with God in Eccl. 9. 10. them: When a man in Closet-duties finds more spiritual strength and power to perform the duties that are next incumbent upon him, then assuredly he hath met with God; when private prayer fits me more for family-prayer, or publick prayer, then I may safely conclude that God hath drawn neer to my soul in private prayer; or when one Closet-duty fits me for another Closet-duty, as when praying fits me for reading, or reading for praying; or when the more external duties in my Closet, viz. reading or praying, fits me for those more spiritual and internal duties, viz. self-examination, holy medi­tation, soul-humiliation, &c. then I may rest satisfied that there hath been some choice intercourse be­tween God and my soul: When the more I pray in my Closet, the more fit I am to pray in my Clo­set; and the more I read in my Closet, the more fit I am to read in my Closet; and the more I [Page 369] meditate in my closet, the more fit I am to meditate in my closet; & the more I search and examine my heart in my Closet, the more fit I am to search and examine my heart in my Closet; and the more I humble and abase my soul in my closet, the more fit I am to humble & abase my soul in my closet; then I may be confident that I have had communion with God in my Closet.

Seventhly, I answer, That all private communion with God is very soul-humbling and soul-aba­sing. Abraham was a man that had much private communion with God, and a man that was very vile and low in his own eyes, Gen 18. 27. And Abraham answered and said, Behold, now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: In respect of my original (saith Abraham) I am but base dust and ashes; and in respect of my deserts▪ I deserve to be burnt to ash­es. There are none so humble, as they that have neerest communion with God. Jacob was a man that Gen. 28. 10,—18. [Page 370] had much private communion Gen. 32. 24, to 31. with God, and a man that was ve­ry little in his own eyes, Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; or as the Hebrew hath it, I am less than Gen. 31. 38,—41. all thy mercies. When Jacob had to deal with Laban he pleads his merit, but when he hath to do with God he debaseth himself below the least of his mercies. Moses was a man that had much private communion with God (as I have formerly evidenced) and a man that was the meekest and humblest person in all the world, Numb. 12. 3. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.

Josephus writing of Moses saith (if he may be believed) that he was so free from passions, that he knew no such thing in his own soul; he only knew pas­sions by their names, and saw them in others, but felt them not in him­self. And so, when the glory of God appeared to him, he falls up­on [Page 371] his face, Numb. 16. 22. in token of humility and self-abasing. Da­vid was a man that had much pri­vate communion with God, as is granted on all hands, and how greatly doth he debase himself, and vilifie himself! 1 Sam. 26. 20. The King of Israel is come out to seek a flea; and what more weak and contemptible than a flea? So Chap. As Nazian­zen said of Athanasi­us, He was high in worth, and hum­ble in heart. 24. 14. After whom is the King of Isra­el come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea? As if David had said, 'Tis not worth the while, the labour, 'tis below the Dignity and Honour of the King of Israel to take such pains and to pursue so violent­ly after such a poor nothing as I am, who hath no more strength nor power to bite or hurt, than a dead dog, or a poor flea hath. So Psal. 226. But I am a worm and no man. Now what is more weak? what less regarded? what more despicable? what more trampled under-foot, than a poor worm? The Hebrew word Tolag­nath that is here rendred worm, signifies very little worm, such as [Page 372] breed in Scarlet, which are so lit­tle that a man can scarcely see them, or perceive them. Thus you see that holy David debaseth himself below a worm, yea, below the least of worms. No man sets so low a value upon himself, as he doth, who hath most private communion with God. The four and twenty Elders cast down their crowns at the feet of Jesus Christ, Rev. 4. 10, 11. Their Crowns note all their inward and out­ward dignities, excellencies and Anstin be­ing once asked, what was the first grace, an­swered, humility; what the second, humility; what the third, hu­mility. glories; and the casting down of their Crowns, notes their great hu­mility and self-debasement. When Christians in their Closets, and out of their Closets, can cast down their crowns, their duties; their services, their graces, their enlarg­ments, their enjoyments, &c. at the feet of Jesus Christ, and sit down debasing and lessening of themselves, then certainly they have had a very neer and sweet communion with God.

Chrysostome hath a remarkable saying of Humility, Suppose (saith he) that a man were defiled with all manner of sin and enormity, yet hum­ble, and another man enriched with gifts, graces, and duties, yet proud, the humble sinner were in a safer condition than this proud Saint.

VVhen a man can come off from Closet-duties, and say as Ig­natius once said of himself, Non sum dignus dici minimus, I am not worthy to be called the least; then certainly he hath had fellowship with God in them. All the Communion that the creature hath with God in his Closet is very soul-humbling and soul-abasing. In all a mans communion with God, some beams, some rayes of the glory and majesty of God will shine forth up­on his soul. Now all divine ma­nifestations are very humbling and abasing, as you may cleerly see in those two great instances of Job and Isaiah, Job 42. 5, 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor my self, [Page 374] and repent in dust and ashes. Isa. 6. 1, 5. In the year that King Ʋzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple: Then said I, wo is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of un­clean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. What sweet communion had Elias with God in the low cave!

There was a Gentlewoman (of no ordinary quality or breeding) who being much troubled in mind, and sadly deserted by God, could not be drawn by her husband or a­ny other Christian friends, either to hear or read any thing, that might work for her spiritual ad­vantage; at last, her husband by much importunity prevailed so far with her, that she was willing he should read one Chapter in the Bi­ble to her; so he read that Isa. 57. and when he came to the fifteenth vers For thus saith the high & lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, [Page 375] with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. O sayes she, is it so, that God dwells with a contrite and humble spirit, then I am sure he dwells with me, for my heart is broken into a thousand pieces: O happy text and happy time, that ever I should hear such comfort! and she was thereupon recover­ed. The more communion any man hath with God, the more humble and broken his heart will be.

Holy Bradford was a man that Fox his Acts and Mon. had much private communion with God, and he would many times subscribe himself in his let­ters John the hypocrite, and a very painted sepulchre. Agur was one of the wisest and holiest men on the earth in his dayes, and he condem­ned Pro. 30. 2. himself for being more brutish than any man, and not having the understanding of a man. How sweet is the smel of the lowly Vi­olet (that hides his head) above [Page 376] all the gaudy Tulips that be in your garden! The lowly Chri­stian is the most amiable and the most lovely Christian. VVhen a man can come out of his Closet, and cry out with Augustine, I hate that which I am, and love and desire that which I am not: Oh wretched man that I am, in whom the Cross of Christ hath not yet eaten out the poysonous and bitter tast of the first tree. Or as ano­ther saith, Lord, I see, and yet am blind; I will, and yet rebel; I hate, and yet I love; I follow, and yet I fall; I press forward, yet I faint; I wrestle, yet I halt; then he may be confident that he hath had communion with God in his Closet. He that comes off from Closet-duties in a self-de­basing way, and in laying of himself low at the foot of God, he certainly hath had communion with God; but when men come out of their Closets with their Luke 18. 11, 12. hearts swelled and lifted up, as the hearts of the Pharisees were, 'tis evi­dent that they have had no com­munion with God: God hath not [Page 377] been neer to their souls, who say, stand by thy self, come not neer to me, for I am holier than thou, Isa. 65. 5. But,

Eighthly and lastly, VVhen a man finds such a secret vertue and power running through his Closet-duties, as wounds and weakens his beloved corruption, as breaks the strength and the power of his special sin, as sets his heart more fully, resolutely, and constantly against his darling lust, as stirs up a greater rage, and a more bitter hatred, and a more fierce indigna­tion against the Toad in the bo­some, then certainly he hath had communion with God in his Clo­set-duties. Consult these Scrip­tures, Isa. 2. 20. In that day, a man shall cast his Idols of Silver, and his Idols of Gold, which they have made, each one for himself to worship, to the Moles and to the Bats. In the day wherein God should take these poor hearts vers. 3. into communion with himself, their hearts should be filled with such rage and indignation against [Page 378] their most delectable and desire­able Idols, that they should take not only those made of trees and stones, but even their most precious and costly Idols, those that were made of Silver and Gold, and cast them to the moles and to the bats, to note their horrible hatred, and indignation against them. Idola­try was the darling sin of the Jews; their hearts were so exceedingly affected and delighted with their Idols, that they did not care what they spent upon them, Isa. 46. 6. They lavish Gold out of the bag, and weigh Silver in the ballance, and hire a Goldsmith, and he maketh it a God; they fall down, yea, they worship. The word here used for lavish, in the Hebrew signifies properly to wast, or spend riotously; they set so light by their treasure, that they cared not what they spent upon their Idols: God gave them Gold and Silver, as pledges of his favour and bounty, and they lavish it out up­on their Idols, as if God had hi­red them to be wicked: O but [Page 379] when God should come and take these poor wretches into a close and neer communion with him­self, then you shall find their wrath and rage to rise against their Idols, as you may see in that Isa. 30. vers. 19, 20, 21. Their communion with God is more than hinted; but mark, verse 22. Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of Silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of Gold; thou shalt cast them away as a menstrous cloath, thou shalt say unto it, get thee hence. None defile, deface, detest, and disgrace their Idols, like those that are taken into commu­nion with God. Fellowship with God will make a man cast away, as a menstrous cloath, those very Idols, in which he hath most de­lighted, and with which he hath been most pleased and enamoured. Idols were Ephraims bosom sin, Hos. 4. 17. Ephraim is joyned (or glew­ed, as the Hebrew hath it) to Idols: let him alone. O but when you find Ephraim taken into a close com­munion with God, as you do in [Page 380] that Hos. 14. 4, 5, 6, 7. then you shall find another spirit upon him, v. 8. Ephraim shall say, what have I to do any more with Idols? I have had too much to do with them already, I will never have to do with them any more: O how doth my Soul detest and abhor them, and rise up against them! O how do I now more loath and abominate them, than ever I have formerly loved them, or delighted in them! Af­ter the return of the Jews out of Ba­bilon, they so hated and abhorred Idols, that in the time of the Ro­mans they chose rather to die, than suffer the Eagle, which was the im­perial arms, to be set up in their Temple.

Though Closet-duties are weak in themselves, yet when a man hath Communion with God in them, then they prove exceeding powerful to the casting down of strong holds, and vain imaginati­ons, [...] Cor. 10. 4, 5. and every high thing and thought, that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God. When a [Page 381] man comes out of his Closet with a heart more fully and stedfastly set against every known sin, but especially against his bosome sin, his darling sin, his Dalilah that he played and sported himself most with, and that he hath hug­ged with pleasure and delight in his bosome, then certainly he hath had private Communion with God.

After Moses had enjoyed four­ty dayes private communion with God in the Mount, how did his heart rise, and his anger wax hot against the Molten Calf that his people had made! Exod. 32. 19, 20. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the Camp, that he saw the Calf and the dancing, and Moses anger wax­ed hot, and he cast the Tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount: and he took the Calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, & strawed it upon the water, & made the children of Israel drink of it. Moses had never more inti­mate fellowship with God than [Page 382] now, and he never discovered so much holy zeal, anger and indig­nation against sin as now. When a man comes off from the mount of Closet-duties with a great­er hatred, anger, wrath, and indignation against bosom sins, darling sins, complexion sins, that were once as dear to him as right hands, or right eyes, or as Dalilah was to Sampson, or Herodias to Herod, or Isaac to Abraham, or Joseph to Ja­cob, then certainly he hath had communion with God in those Duties. When a man finds his be­loved sins, his Dalilahs (which like the Prince of Devils command all other sins) to fall before his closet-duties, as Dagon fell before the Ark, or as Goliah fell before David, then assuredly he hath had fellowship with God in them. Pliny writes of some Families that had privy marks on their Bodies, peculiar to those of that Line. Certainly, there are no Families, no persons, but have some sin or sins, some privy marks on their souls, that may in [Page 383] a peculiar way be called theirs. Now when in private duties they find the bent of their hearts, and the purposes, resolutions, and in­clinations of their souls more rais­ed, inflamed, and set against these, they may safely and comfortably conclude, that they have had com­munion with God in them. O Sirs, there is no bosome sin so sweet or profitable, that is worth burning in hell for, or worth shut­ting out of Heaven for; and there­fore in all your private duties and services, labour after that commu­nion with God in them, that may break the neck and heart of your most bosome sins. When Darius fled before Alexander, that he might run the faster out of danger, he threw away his Massie Crowne from his head. As ever you would be safe from eternal danger, throw away your golden and your silver Idols, throw away your bosome sins, your darling lusts.

And thus I have done with the Answers to that noble and necessa­ry [Page 384] Question, that was last pro­posed.

My Ninth Advice and Counsel is this, In all your Closet-Duties look that your ends be right, look Christus opera no­stra, non tam actibus quam fini­bus pensat. Zanch. that the Glory of God be your ul­timate end, the mark, the white, that you have in your eye. There is a great truth in that old saying, (Quod non actibus, sed finibus pensantur officia) That duties are esteemed not by their acts, but by their ends. Look as the shining Sun puts out the light of the fire; so the glory of God must consume all other ends. There may be malum opus in bona materia, as in Johu's zeal. Two things make a good Christian, good actions, and good aims. And though a good aim doth not make a bad action good (as in Ʋzzah) yet a bad aim makes a good action bad (as in Jehu) whose Justice was approved, but his Policy pu­nished. God writes a nothing upon all those services, wherein mens ends are not right, Jer. 32. 23. They obeyed not thy voyce, neither walked in [Page 385] thy Law, they have done nothing of all that thou hast commanded them to do. So Dan. 9. 13. All this evill is come upon us, yet made we not our prayer be­fore the Lord our God. The Jewes were very much in religious Duties and Services; witness Isa. 1. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Isa. 58. 1, 2, 3. Zech. 7. 5, 6. I might produce a hundred more witnesses to confirm it, were it ne­cessary; but because they did not aim at the Glory of God in what they did, therefore the Lord writes a nothing upon all their Duties and Services. It was Ephraims folly, that he brought forth fruit unto him­self. Hos. 10. 1. And it was the Pharisees hy­pocrisie, that in all their duties and Mat. 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. services they lookt at the praise of men: Verily, saith Christ, you have your reward; a poor, a pitiful re­ward indeed. Such men shall be sure to fall short of divine accep­tance, and of a glorious recom­pence, that are not able to look a­bove the praises of men. Woe to that man, that with Augustus is ambitious to go off the Stage (of [Page 386] Duty) with a plaudite. Peter was See more of this in my Treatise on Holi­ness, page 157, to p. 168. not himself when he denyed his Lord, and cursed himself to get credit amongst a cursed crew. As ever you would ask & have, speak and speed, seek and find, look that the glory of the Lord be engraven upon all your closet-duties. He shall be sure to speed best, whose heart is set most upon glorifying of God in all his secret retirements. When God Crowns us, he doth but Crown his own gifts in us; and when we give God the Glory of all we do, we do but give him the glory that is due unto his Name, for 'tis he, and he alone, that works all our works in us and for us. All Closet Duties are good or bad, as the mark is at which the soul aims. He that makes God the object of Closet Prayer, but not the end of Closet Prayer, doth but lose his Prayer, and take pains to undoe himself. God will be Alexander or Nemo; he will be All in All, or he will be nothing at all. Such prayers never reach the Ear of [Page 387] God, nor delight the heart of God, nor shall ever be lodg'd in the bo­some of God, that are not directed to the glory of God. The end must be as noble as the means, or else a man may be undone after all his doings. A mans most glorious actions will at last be found to be but glorious sins, if he hath made himself, and not the glory of God, the end of those actions.

My Tenth Advice and Counsel is this, Be sure that you offer all your Closet Prayers in Christs Name, and in his alone, John 14. 13, 14. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the fa­ther may be glorified in the son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 15. 16. That whatsoever ye shall ask of the father in my name, he may give it you. John 16. 23, 24, 26. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoe­ver ye shall ask the father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. At that day ye shall ask in my name: [Page 388] and I say unto you, that I will pray the father for you. O Sirs, this is your Priviledg as well as your comfort, that you never deal with God but by a Mediator. When you ap­pear before God, Jesus Christ ap­pears with you, and he appears for you; when you do invocare, then he doth advocare; when you put up your petitions, then he doth make intercession for you. Christ gives you a commission to put his name upon all your requests; and whatsoever prayer comes up with this name upon it, he will pro­cure it an answer. In the state of in­nocency man might worship God without a Mediator; but since sin hath made so wide a breach be­tween God and Man, God will ac­cept of no worship from man, but what is offered up by the hand of a Mediator: Now this Mediator is Christ alone, 1 Tim. 2. 5. For there is one God, and one Mediator be­tween God & men, the man Christ Jesus. One Mediator, not of Redemption only (as the Papists grant) but of [Page 389] Intercession also, which they de­ny.

The Papists make Saints and Angels co▪mediators with Christ; but in this, as in other things, they fight against cleer Scripture-light. The Apostle plainly tells us, that the Office of Intercession pertain­eth unto Christ, as part of his Me­diation: Heb. 7 25. And 'tis certain, that we need no other Master of requests in Heaven, but the man Christ Je­sus; who being so neer to the Fa­ther, and so dear to the Father, and so much in with the Father, can doubtlesse carry any thing with the Father, that makes for his glory, and our good. This was typified in the Law: The High Priest alone did enter into Ex. 28. 29. the Sanctuary, and carry the names of the Children of Israel be­fore the Lord, whil'st the people stood all without; this pointed out Christs Mediation. In that Lev. 16. 13, 14. you read of two things. First, of the cloud of In­cense, that covered the Mercy-Seat. [Page 390] Secondly, Of the blood of the Bullock, that was 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 'tis 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, [Page 391] 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.

'Tis 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, [Page 392] 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 [Page 393] 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 [Page 394] 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, [Page 395] 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 [Page 396] 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 [Page 397] earth? and shall the Merchant-man James 5. 7, 8. wait for the return of his ships? and shall the Wife wait for the return of her Husband that is gone a long journey? and shall not a Christian wait for the return of his prayers. Noah patiently waited for the re­turn of the Dove to the Ark, with an Olive branch in his mouth: So must you patiently wait for the re­turn of your prayers. When chil­dren shoot their Arrows, they ne­ver mind where they fall; but when prudent Archers shoot their Arrowes up into the aire, they stand and watch where they fall. You must deal by your prayers, as prudent Archers do by their Ar­rowes. Hab. 2. 1. I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the Tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me. The Prophet in the former Chapter having been very earnest in his expostulations, and very fervent in his supplications, he gets now upon his Watch-Tower, to see what becomes of his prayers; he stands as a sentinel, and watches [Page 398] as vigilantly, and as carefully, as a spy, a scout, earnestly longing to hear and see the event, the issue, and success of his prayers. That Christian that in prayer hath one eye upon a divine precept, and ano­ther upon a gracious promise, that Christian will be sure to look after his prayers. He that prayes and waits, and waits and prayes, shall Psal. 40. 1, 2, 3, 4. be sure to speed, he shall never fail of rich returns. He that can want as well as wait, and he that can be contented that God is glorified, though he be not gratified; he that dares not antedate Gods pro­mises, but patiently wait for the accomplishment of them, he may be confident that he shall have sea­sonable and suitable answers to all those prayers that he hath posted away to heaven. Though God seldome comes at our time, yet he never fails to come at his own time: He that shall come, will come, Heb. 10. 37. and will not tarry. The mercies of God are not styled the swift, but the sure mercies of David. He [Page 399] that makes as much Conscience to Isa. 55. 3. look after his prayers, as to pray, he shall shortly clap his hands for joy, and cry out with that blessed Mr. Glover Acts & mon. Martyr, He is come, Austin, he is come, he is come. Certainly there is little worth in that mans heart, or in that mans prayers, who keeps up a trade of prayer, but ne­ver looks what becomes of his prayers. When you are in your Closets marshal your prayers, see that every prayer keeps his place and ground; and when you come out of your closets, then look up for an answer, only take heed that you be not too hasty and hot with God. Though mercy in the pro­mise be yours, yet the time of giv­ing it out is the Lords; and there­fore you must wait, as well as pray.

And thus much by way of coun­sel and advice, for the better car­rying on of Closet-prayer.

I have now but one thing more to do, before I shut up this dis­course, [Page 400] and that is to lay down some means, rules, or directions, that may be of use to help you on in a faithful and conscientious dis­charge of this great duty, viz. Closet-prayer. And therefore thus.

First, As ever you would give up your selves to private prayer, Take heed of an idle and sloathful spirit. If Adam in the state of In­nocency must work and dress the Garden; and if after his fall, when he was Monarch of all the world, he must yet labour, why should a­ny be idle or sloathful? Idleness is a sin against the law of Creation: God creating man to labour, the idle person violates this Law of Creation, for by his idleness he casts off the authority of his Crea­tor, who made him for labour. Idleness is a contradiction to the August. de Gen ad. lit. lib. 8. cap. 8. principles of our Creation. Man in Innocency should have been freed from weariness, but not from employment; he was to dress the Garden by divine appoyntment; [Page 401] And the Lord God took the man, and put Gen. 2. 15. him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it. All weariness in la­bour, and all vexing, tyring and tormenting labour came in by the fall, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat Gen. 3. 19. bread The bread of idleness is neither sweet nor sure. An idle person shall suf­fer Pro. 19. 15. hunger, saith Solomon. An idle life, & an holy heart are far enough a­sunder. By doing nothing (saith the Heathen man) men learn to do evil things: It is easie slipping out of an idle life into an evil and wicked life; yea, an idle life is of it self evil; for man was made to be active, not to be idle. The Cyclopes thought mans happiness did consist in nihil agendo, in doing nothing: But no excellent thing 1 Cor. 1. 17. Eph. 4. 28. 2 Thes. 3. 10, 12. can be the child of idleness. Idle­ness is a mother sin, a breeding sin, 'tis pulvinar diaboli, the devils cushion on which he sits; & the devils an­vile, on which he frames very great, and very many sins. Look as Toads and Serpents breed most in stand­ing waters, so sin thrives most in [Page 402] idle persons. Idleness is that which provokes the Lord to forsake mens bodies, and the Devil to pos­sess their souls.

No man hath less means to pre­serve his body, and more temptati­ons to infect his soul, than an idle person. O shake off sloth. The sluggish Christian will be sleeping or idling, or trifling, when he should be in his closet a praying. Sloth is the Green-sickness of the soul; get it cured, or 'twill be your eternal bane. Of all Devils, 'tis the idle Devil that keeps men most out of their Closets. There is nothing that gives the devil so much advan­tage against us as idleness. 'Twas Hierom. ep. 4. good counsel that Jerom gave to his friend, Facito aliquid operis, ut te sem­per Diabolus inveniat occupatum, that when the Devil comes with a temp­tation, you may answer him, you are not at leasure.

It was the speech of Mr. Green­ham (sometimes a famous & painful preacher of this nation) that when the Devil tempted a poor soul, she [Page 403] came to him for advice, how she might resist the temptation, and he gave her this answer, Never be idle, but be alwayes well employed, for in my own experience I have found it; when the Devil came to tempt me, I told him that I was not at leasure to hearken to his temptations, and by this means I resisted all his assaults. Idleness is the hour of temptation, and an idle person is the Devils Tennis-Ball, tossed by him at his plea­sure.

He that labours (said the old Her­mite) is tempted but by one Devil, but he that is idle is assaulted by all. Cupid complained, that he could ne­ver fasten upon the Muses, because he could never find them idle. The Fowler bends his bow and spreads his net for Birds when they are set, not when 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, [Page 404] 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 [Page 405] 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 'tis 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 [Page 406] 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 [Page 407] 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 Common­wealth, 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, [Page 408] & 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 [Page 409] 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. 'Tis 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 [Page 410] 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 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 [Page 411] 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 [Page 412] 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 [Page 413] 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 1 [...]. 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 [Page 412] 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 [Page 413] 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 [Page 416] 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 Subcaelest [...], 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 [Page 417] 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 things of God. He that affects to read the Revela­tions of John, more than his plain Epistles; or Daniels prophesies, [Page 418] more than Davids Psalms, and is more busie about reconciling diffi­cult Scriptures, than he is about mor­tifying of unruly lusts, or that is set more upon vain speculations, than upon things that make most for edification, he is not the man that is cut out for Closet-prayer. Such as affect sublime notions, ob­scure expressions, and are men of abstracted conceits, are but a com­pany of wise fools, that will never take any delight to be with God in a corner. Had many men spent but half that time in secret prayer, that they have spent in seeking after the Phylosophers Stone, how happy might they have been! O how holy, how happy, how heavenly, how hum­ble, how wise, how knowing, might many men have been, had they spent but half that time in Closet-prayer, that they have spent in searching after those things that are hard to be understood! 2 Pet. 3. 16. But,

Fourthly, Take heed of engage­ing your selves in a crowd of [Page 419] worldly businesses. Many have so much to do on earth that they have no time to look up to Hea­ven. As much earth puts out the fire, so much worldly business puts out the fire of heavenly affections. Look as the earth swallowed up Korah, Dathan and Abiram, so much Num. 22. 32▪ worldly business swallows up so much precious time, that many men have no leasure to be with God in their Closets; this business is to be done, and that business can­not be omitted, and t'other necessa­ry occasion must be attended, so that I have no leasure to step out of my shop into my Closet, saith Phil. 3. 19. the earthly minded man; thus a crowd of worldly businesses crowds Closet-prayer quite out of doors. Many drive so great a trade in their shops, that their private trade to Heaven is quite laid by. There is nothing that hath kept men more from Christ and Closet-prayer, than the shop, the Ex­change, the Farm, and the Ox­en, Luke 14. 16.—22. &c. The Stars which have [Page 420] least circuit are neerest the Pole; and men that are least perplexed with worldly businesses are com­monly neerest to God, to Christ, to Heaven, and so the fitter for Clo­set-prayer. 'Tis sad when men grasp so much business, that they can have no leasure for Commu­nion with God in a corner. The noise is such in a mill, as hinders all private intercourse between man and man; and so a multi­tude of worldly businesses make such a noise, as that it hinders all private entercourse between God and the soul. If a man of much business should now and then slide into his Closet, yet his head and his heart will be so filled and di­stracted with the thoughts of his employments, that God shall have little of him but his bodily pre­sence, or at most, but bodily pre­sence, or at most, but bodily exer­cise, 1 Tim. 4. 8. which profits little. If Christ blamed Martha for the multitude of her domestical employments, Luke 10. 40, 41, 42. though they were undertaken for the immediate service and enter­tainment [Page 421] of himself, because they hindred her in her soul-concern­ments; Oh how will he one day blame all those, who by running themselves into a crowd of world­ly businesses, do cut themselves off from all opportunities of pouring out their souls before him in se­cret. But,

Fifthly, Take heed of secret sins. There is no greater hinder­ance to secret prayer in all the world than secret sins; and there­fore stand upon your watch, and arme your selves with all your might against them. There is an Antipathy betwixt secret sinning, and secret praying, partly from guilt, which makes the soul shy of coming under Gods secret eye; and partly from those fears, doubts, disputes, and disorders, that secret si [...] raise in the heart. Light is not more opposite to darkness, Christ to Belial, nor Heaven to Hell, than secret prayer is to secret sins; and therefore what ever you do, look that you keep clear of se­cret [Page 422] sins: To that purpose consider these four things.

First, That God is privy to our most secret sins; his eye is as much upon secret sins, as it is upon open Psal. 139. 1, 2, 3, 4. Jer. 13. 27. Chap. 29. 23. Psal. 39. 1. 1 Kings 20. 39. Jer. 20. 20 Job. 10. 12. sins, Psal. 90. 8. Thou host set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. God hath an eye upon our inmost evils, he seeth all that is done in the dark, Jer. 23. 24. Can any hide him­self in secret places, that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? do not I fill Heaven and Earth, saith the Lord? Prov. 15. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. To say that God doth not see the most secret sins of the chil­dren of men, is not only derogato­ry to his omniscience, but also to his mercy; for how can God par­don those sins, which he doth not see to be sins? There is no cloud, nor curtain, nor moment of darkness, that can stand betwixt the eyes of God and the wayes of men, Prov. 5. 21. The wayes of men are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all [Page 423] his goings. In this Scripture Solo­mon mainly speaks of the wayes of the Adulterer, which usually are plotted with the most cunning secrecy; yet God seeth all those wayes. Look as no boldness can exempt the Adulterer from the ju­stice of God; so no secrecy can hide him from the eye of God. Though men labour to hide their wayes from others, and from themselves, yet 'tis but labour in vain to endea­vour to hide them from God. Men that labour to hide God from themselves, can never hide them­selves from God.

I have read that Paphnutius con­verted Thais and Ephron, two fa­mous Strumpets, from uncleanness, only with this Argument, That God seeth all things in the dark, when the doors are fast, the windows shut, and the curtains drawn. Heb. 4. 13. Nei­ther is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened (anotamized) even to the eyes of him, with whom we have to do: 'Tis an allusion to the Priests [Page 424] under the Law, who when they killed a beast, all things that were within the beast were laid open and naked before the Priest, that he might see what was sound, and what was corrupted. Though evil be done out of the eye of all the world, yet it is naked and ma­nifest in his sight with whom we have to do.

Those sins which lye closest, and are most secretly lurking in the heart, are as obvious and odious to God as those that are most fairly written upon a mans forehead. God is [...] all eye; so that he sees all, the most secret, turnings and windings of our hearts. Our most secret sins are as plainly seen by him, as any thing can be by us at noon-day, Psalm. 139. 11, 12, If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 'Tis not the thickest Clouds [Page 425] that can bar out his observance, whose eyes fill Heaven and earth. What is the Curtain, or the darkest night, or the double lock, or the secret Chamber, to him who cleer­ly observes all things in a perfect nakedness. God hath an eye upon the most inward intentions of the heart, and the most subtile moti­ons of the spirit. Those Philoso­phers were out, that held the eye and care of God descended no low­er than the heavens. Certainly there is not a creature, not a thought, not a thing, but lyes open to the all-seeing eye of God. The Lord knows our secret sinnings, as exactly as our visible sinnings. Psal. 44. 21. He knoweth the secrets of our hearts. Would not a malector speak truly at the Bar, did he know, did he believe that the Judge had Windows that did look into his breast.

Athenodorus a Heathen could say, that all men ought to be carefull in the actions of their life, because God was every [Page 426] where, and beheld all that was done.

Zeno a wise Heathen affirmed, that God beheld even the thoughts.

'Twas an excellent saying of Am­brose, If thou canst not hide thy self Ambros. Offic. l. 1. c. 14. from the Sun, which is Gods Minister of light, how impossible will it be to hide thy self from him, whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun! Though a sinner may baffle his Conscience, yet he cannot baffle the eye of Gods omnisciency. Oh that poor souls would remember, that as they are never out of the reach of Gods hand, so they are never from under the view of his eye. God is totus oculus, all eye; Jer. 16. 17. For mine eyes are upon all their wayes; they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. Job 34. 21, 22. For his eyes are upon the wayes of man, and he seeth all his goings. There is no dark­ness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. Jer. 32. 19. For thine eyes are open upon all the wayes of the sons of men, to give [Page 427] every one according to his wayes, and the fruit of his doings. You know what Ahasuerus that great Mo­narch said concerning Haman, when coming in he found him cast upon the Queens Bed, on which she sate, What (saith he) will he force Est. 7. 8. the Queen before me in the House? There was the killing emphasis in the words before me; will he force the Queen before me? what will he dare to commit such villany and I stand and look on? O Sirs, to sin in the sight of God, to do wick­edly under the eye of God, is a thing that he looks upon as the greatest affront, and as the highest indignity that can possibly be done unto him: What (saith he) wilt thou be drunk before me? wilt thou swear and blaspheme before me? wilt thou be wanton and un­clean before me? wilt thou be un­just and unrighteous under mine eye? wilt thou prophane my Sab­baths, and polute my Ordinances before my face? wilt thou despise and persecute my Servants in my [Page 428] presence? &c. This then is the kil­ling aggravation of all sin, that it is done before the face of God, that it is committed in the Royal pre­sence of the King of Kings; where­as the very consideration of Gods Omnipresence should bravely arm us against sin and Satan; the con­sideration of his all-seeing eye should make us shun all occasions of sin, and make us shy of all ap­pearances of sin. Shall the eye of the Master keep the Scholar from blotting his Copy? shall the eye of the Judge keep the Malefactor from picking and stealing? shall the eye of the Master keep the Ser­vant from idling and trifling? shall the eye of the Father keep the Child from wandring and gad­ding? shall the eye of the Husband keep the Wife from extravagan­cies and indecencies? shall the sharp eye of wise Cato, o [...] the quick eye of a neer Neighbour, or the se­vere eye of a bosom Friend, keep thee from many enormities & vani­ties? & shall not the strict, the pure, [Page 429] the jealous eye of an All-seeing God, keep thee from sinning in the secret Chamber, when all Curtains are drawn, doors bolted, and every one in the house a bed or abroad, but thee & thy Dalilah? Oh what dread­ful Atheisme is bound up in that mans heart, who is more afraid of the eye of his Father, his Pastor, his Child, his Servant, than he is of the eye, the presence of the eter­nal God? O that all whom this concerns, would take such serious notice of it, as to judge themselves severely for it, as to mourn bitter­ly over it, as to strive mightily in prayer with God, both for the par­don of it, and for power against it.

The Apostle sadly complains of some in his time who wallowed in secret sins. Ephes. 5. 2. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret: He speaks of such as lived in secret for­nications and uncleanness, there were many that had put on a form of godliness, who yet did al­low [Page 430] themselves in the secret actings of abominable wickedness and fil­thiness, as if there were no God to behold them, nor Conscience to accuse them, nor Judgement day to arraign them, nor Justice to condemn them, nor Hell to tor­ment them. O how infiniitely odious must they be in the eyes of a holy God, who can highly court and complement him in publick, and yet are so bold as to provoke him to his face in private; these are like those whores, who pretend a great deal of affection and re­spect to their Husbands abroad, and yet at home will play the Harlots before their Husbands eyes.

Such as perform Religious du­ties only to cloak and colour over their secret filthinesses, their secret wickednesses; such as pretend to Pro. 7. 13, 14, 15. Job. 24. 15. pay their vows, and yet wait for the twilight; such as commit wick­edness in a corner, and yet with the Harlot wipe their mouths, and say, What have we done? such shall at [Page 431] last find the Chambers, the Stones, Hab. 2. 11. out of the Wall, the Beame out of the Timber, the Seats they sit on, and the Beds they lye on, to wit­ness against all their want on dali­ances, and lascivious carriages in secret. Heb. 13. 4. Who remongers and Adulterers God will judge: He will sentence them himself; and why? but because such sinners carry it so closely and craftily, that often­times none but God can find them out. Magistrates often neglect the punishing of such sinners, when their secret wickedness is made known; and therefore God him­self will sit in judgment upon them. Though they may escape the eyes of men, yet they shall never escape the judgment of God. Heart-ini­quities fall not under any humane sentence. Usually Whoremongers and Adulterers are marvelous close, and secret and subtile to con­ceal their abominable filthiness; therefore the Harlot is said to be Rab. Sol. in hunc vers. subtile of heart, Prov. 7. 10. The Hebrew by Rabbi Solomon is tran­slated [Page 432] munito corde, and having her heart fenced; for, saith he, as a City is environed with fortifications, so her heart is fertified round about with subtilty: or else it may be rendred occlusa corde, fast shut up in the heart, even as close as a besiedged City, that is, most secret in the subtilty of her heart, how open soever she be in the boldness of her outward carriage. So the Pro­phet Agur reckoneth the way of a Man with a Maid, and the way of an adulterous Woman, among those things which neither himself nor any other man was possibly able to discover and find out, and compares it to the way of three things, which no wit nor industry of man is able to descry; but yet God seeth all, and will bring them Prov. 30. 19, 20. to the Bar for all. But,

Secondly, Consider, That se­cret In my Treatise called Apples of Gold, &c. I have proved by many ar­guments, that the sins of the Saints shall not be brought into the judgment of Discussi­on and discovery in the great day, pag. 155, to pag. 172. and there­fore un­derstand this se­cond par­ticular of such who live and die in their se­cret sins without Repen­tance and faith in the blood of Christ. sins shall be revealed. The most hidden works of darkness shall be openly manifested; for though the actings of sin be in the dark, yet the judgings of sin shall be in the light, Luke 8. 17. For nothing [Page 433] is secret that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known, and come abroad. The sland­ers of the Jews concerning the ma­gical arts of Christ and his Apo­stles; the horrible lyes of the Pa­gans concerning the incestuous co­pulations of the Christians, and their drinking mans-blood, were in time discovered what they were, Eccl. 12. 14. God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil: Mark, he doth not say some work, but every work; and not only works, but secrets; and not only secrets, but every secret; and not only secret good things, but evil to; whether good works or ill works, whether secret or open, all must be brought to judgement. The Books of Gods Omniscience, and mans Consci­ence, shall then be opened, and then secret sins shall be as legible in thy forehead, as if they were written with the most glistering Sun-beams upon a wall of Chry­stal. All mens secret sins are prin­ted [Page 434] in Heaven, and God will at last read them aloud in the ears of all the world, 1 Cor. 4. 5. Judg nothing be­fore the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. Look as there are a world of flies and motes in the Aire, which we never see till the Sun shines; so there are ma­ny thousand thousands of proud thoughts, and unclean thoughts, and worldly thoughts, and malici­ous thoughts, & envious thoughts, and bloudy thoughts, &c. which the world sees not, knows not; but in the great day, when the coun­sels of all hearts shall be manifest, then all shall out, then all shall appear, both to the upper and the lower world. In the great day all Masks, Vizards, and Hoods shall be pulled off, and then all shall out; all that ever thou hast done in the secret Chamber, in the dark corner, shall be made known to men and Angels, yea, to the whole Court of Heaven, and to [Page 435] all the world beside, Rom. 2. 16. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ: In this great day God will judge not only our words but our works, not only our open works, but also our secret works and wayes. When Jehoia­kim 2 Chron. 36 8. was dead, there was found the characters, superstitious marks, and prints of his sorcery upon his bo­dy; which shews how deeply Ido­latry was rooted in his heart, see­ing he bare the marks in his flesh: during his life, he being a King bore it out bravely, and kept all close, but when he was dead, then all came out, then the marks of his abominable Idolatry appeared upon his body: Though sinners, though the greatest of sinners may hide and keep close their horrid abominations for a time, yet there will come a time when all shall out, when all their secret marks and secret abominations shall be obvious to all the world.

But sinners may be ready to Ob­ject and say, Let us but alone in our se­cret [Page 436] sins till that day, and then we shall do well enough. And therefore in the

Third place, Consider, that God many times doth, even in this life, Isa. 41. 21, 22, 23. discover and make known to the world mens secret sins.

God loves to act suitable to his own names: Now to be a re­vealer of secrets is one of his Names, Dan. 2. 47. and accord­ingly, even in this world, he often brings to light the most hidden things of darkness. Of all the glorious Attributes of God, there is none that suffers so deeply by se­cret sins, as the Attribute of his Omniscience; and therefore in this world God often stands up to vindicate the Honour of that At­tribute, by unmasking of sinners, and by bringing to the light all those secret paths and wayes of wickedness, wherein they have long walked undiscovered. 'Twas for the honour of this blessed At­tribute of God, that the secret plot­ted Acts 5. 1,—12. sin of Ananias and Saphira [Page 437] was so openly discovered; And great fear came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard these things. Josephs Brethren for a long time hide their malice, their craft, their Gen. 42. 21, 22. Chap. 50. 15,—22. cruelty, their envy, their tretchery, in selling their Brother into Egypt; but at last by amazing and amu­sing providences all was brought to light. Conscience that for a time may seem to be asleep, yet will in time awake, and make the sinner know, that he is as faithful in recording, as he is fearful in ac­cusing, and this Josephs Brethren found by sad experience. So Ge­hazi, 2 Kings 5. 20. ▪ult. he sins secretly, he lyes fear­fully, and after all he defends it stoutly; but at last all comes out, and instead of being cloathed rich­ly, he and his posterity was cloath­ed with a Leprosie for ever; and instead of two changes of Gar­ments, God hangs him up in Chains, as a Monument of his wrath to all Generations. So Achan secretly and sacriledgiously steales a goodly Babylonish Gar­ment, [Page 438] and two hundred Shekels of Silver, and a Wedge of Gold of Fifty Shekels Weight, and hides them in the earth in the midst of his Tent, and by reason of this Israel flyes before their ene­mies; but at last Achan is taken, and all comes out, and his Gold­en Wedge proved a Wedge to cleave him, and his Babylonish Gar­ment a Garment to shrowd him: Joshua makes a bonfire of all that he had secretly and sinfully stoln, and burns him, and his children, and all that he had, in it. Oh how openly, how severely doth God sometimes punish men for their most secret iniquity! The same you may see in that great instance of David, 2 Sam. 12. 9, 10, 11, 12. Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandement of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Ʋriah the Hit­tite with the sword (this was done in a secret Letter) and hast taken his Wife to be thy Wife. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, be­cause thou hast despised me, & hast taken [Page 439] the Wife of Ʋriah the Hittite to be thy Wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy VVives before thy eyes and give them to thy Neighbour, and he shall lye with thy VVives in the sight of the Sun. For 2 Sam. 16. 22. thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, & before the Sun. David was very studious & very in­dustrious to hide his sin, and to save his credit; but the covering made of Ʋriah's blood was too short, and too narrow to hide his folly with Bathsheba, and therefore when he had done all he could, his sin was tost like a ball, from man to man, through Court, City and Coun­try.

I have read of one Parthenius an homicide, treasurer to Theodobert King of France, who having trai­terously slain an especial friend of his, called Ausanius, with his Wife Papianilla, when no man suspected or accused him thereof, he detected & accused himself after this strange manner: As he slept in his Bed, [Page 440] suddenly he roared out most piti­fully, crying for help, or else he pe­rished; and being demanded what he ailed, he half asleep answered, That his friend Ausanius and his wife, whom he had slain long ago, summoned him to judgment before God: Upon which confession he was appre­hended, and after due examination stoned to death: Thus the ter­rors and horrors of his own consci­ences discover that secret wicked­ness, which none could prove against him.

I have read how that Mahomet Turk Hist. Fol. 400. the great Turk had with great re­wards procured two Turks to un­dertake to kill Scanderbeg: These Traytors came to Scanderbeg mak­ing such a shew of the detestation both of Mahomets Tyranical Go­vernment, and vain superstition, that they were both by Scanderbeg and others reputed to be indeed the men they desired to be accoun­ted, and so after they had learned the Principles of the Christian Re­ligion, they were both by their [Page 441] own desire Baptized: Soon after by a providence it so fell out, that these two Traytors fell at variance betwixt themselves, by which meanes the plot came to be disco­vered, and after due examination and confession of the fact, they were presently condemned and ex­ecuted.

Conscience is Gods spy in the Consci­ence, saith Philo, is the little consistory of the soul. Consci­ence is mille testes, a thousand witnesses, for or a­gainst a man. Consci­ence is a Court of Record, and what­soever it sees it writes down; and Consci­ence is al­wayes as quick in writing as the sin­ner can be in sinning. The very Heathen could say, that Con­science was a God to every man. bosome. Conscience as a Scribe, a Register, sits in the Closet of your hearts with Pen in hand, and makes a Diurnal of all your secret wayes, and secret crimes, which are above the cognizance of men. Conscience sets down the time when, the place where, the man­ner how, and the persons with whom such and such secret wick­ednesses have been committed, and that so clear and evident, that go where you will, and do what you can, the characters of them shall never be cancelled or rased out, till God appear in judgment. Let a man sin in the closest retirement that humane policy can contrive; [Page 442] let him take all the wayes he can to hide his sins, to cloak and cover his sin as Adam did; yet Consci­ence will so play the Judge, that it will bring in the evidence, produce the Law, urge the penalty, and pass the sentence of Condemnati­on upon him. There is many a man who makes a fair profession, and who hath a great name in the world, who yet is [...] self-condemned for those secret sins which are not obvious to the eyes of man, nor punishable by the Laws or hands of men; yea, many times in this life God raiseth such a hell of horror & terror in many mens Consciences, by reason of their secret sins, that they can have no rest nor quiet, neither at bed nor at board, neither lying down nor ri­sing up; fain they would conceal their sins, unwilling they are that the world should know how vile they have been in secret; but Consci­ence being upon the rack, and still a gnawing, accusing, & condemning of them, they can hold no longer; [Page 443] now all must out; and now those sins that were most secret & concealed come to be published upon the house-top.

Some that have been under an­guish of Conscience, others that have been smitten with a Frensie, and many in their very sleep have been often the blazers and pro­claimers of their own secret filthi­ness and wickedness. In those cases God hath made many a se­cret sinner to cry out with the Le­per, unclean, unclean; and with Ju­das Lev. 13. 45. Mat. 27. 4. (before all present) I have sin­ned, I have sinned. Many times in this life, God doth very strangely and wonderfully discover those se­cret works of darkness, in which persons have lived long undiscover­ed.

A Pythagorean bought a pair of Shooes upon trust, the Shoomaker dies, he is glad, thinks them gain­ed; but a while after his Consci­ence flyes upon him, and becomes a continual chider and tormentor of him; he hereupon repairs to [Page 444] the house of the dead, casts in his money with these words, There, take thy due; thou livest to me, though dead to all besides. But,

Fourthly, Consider, That se­cret sins are in some respects more dangerous than open sins. Many a man bleeds to death inwardly, and no man perceives it. The more inward and secret the disease is, the more the man is in danger to lose his life. There are no Fevers so dangerous, as those that prey upon the spirits and inward parts; so there are no sins so dangerous and pernicious to the souls of men, as those that are most inward and secret. secret sins often reign in the souls of men most powerful­ly when least apparently.

First, Consider, That he that sins secretly deprives himself of those helps and remedies, which by a divine blessing might arm him against sin, yea, make him victorious over sin, to wit, the Prayers, Counsels, Reproofs, Ex­amples and Encouragements of [Page 445] Friends, Relations, &c. A mans house may be on fire; but whilest 'tis all inward help comes not in; but when the fire flames out, when it catcheth the outside of the house, then help runs in, then help on all hands is ready. He that sins in se­cret debars himself of all pub­lick Remedy, and takes great pains to damn his soul in a cor­ner, and to go to Hell in the dark. But,

Secondly, Secret sins will make way for publick sins. He that makes no Conscience of sinning in the secret Chamber, will e're long with Absolom be ready to spread a Tent upon the top of the 2 King. 16. 21, 22, house, and to go in to his Concu­bines in the sight of all Israel. Such as have made no Conscience of stealing a few pins or pence, or a few shillings in private, have in time come to be so bold, as to take a purse on the road at high-noon. The Cockatrice must be crushed in the Egge, else it will soon become a Serpent. The very thought of [Page 446] sin, if not thought on, will break forth into action, action into cu­stom, custom into habit, and then both body and soul are irrecover­ably lost to all eternity.

If Satan can but wound our heel (as the Poets feign of Achil­les) he will make a hard shift but he will send death from the heel to the heart. If this subtile Ser­pent can but wriggle in his tayl by an ill thought, he will soon get in his head by a worse action. Hence it is that Christ calls hatred mur­der, and a wanton eye adultery. Secret hatred often issues in upon murder, and secret wanton glances of the eye do often issue in visible adultery. If Ammon be sick with the sinful conceptions of incestuous lust, how will his soul be in pain and travail till he hath brought forth! And how many are there that in secret have taken now and then but one Cup more than enough, who now may be seen at high-noon reeling against every Post. Look as secret diseases in [Page 447] the body (if not cured) will in time openly break forth; so secret sins in the soul (if not pardoned and purged) will in time be openly re­vealed. Covetousness was Judas his secret sin; and no sooner doth an occasion, or a temptation pre­sent it self, but he is very ready and forward to betray and sell his Lord and Master, for thirty pieces of Sil­ver before all the world. Lust having conceived brings forth sin; and James 1. 15. that thus, First, Sin hath its con­ception, and that's delight; and then its formation, and that's de­sign; and then its birth, and that's action; and then its growth, and that's custome; and then its end, and that's damnation. But,

Thirdly, Secret sinning puts far more respect & fear upon men than upon God. Thou wilt be unjust in secret, and wanton in secret, and unclean in secret, and treache­rous in secret, &c. and why? but because thou art afraid that such or such men should know it, or that such and such Friends should [Page 448] know it, or that such and such Relations should know it: Ah poor wretch, art thou afraid of the eye of a man, of a man that shall Isa. 51. 12. dye, and of the Son of man, which shall be made as Grass? and yet not tremble under his eye, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, sharp and terrible, such as pierce into the in­ward Rev. 1. 14. Heb. 4. 13. parts? Ah how full of athe­isme is that mans heart, that ta­citly saith, If my sins be but hid from the eyes of the world, I do not care though the Lord knows them, though the Lord strictly observes them, though the Lord sets a mark, a Memorandum up­on them. What is this, O Man, but to brave it out with God, and to tempt him, and provoke him to to his very face, who is Light, and in whom there is no darkness at all? Ah sinner, sinner, can man 1 John 1. 5, 6. damn thee? can man dis-inherit thee? can man fill thy Conscience with horrors and terrors? can man make thy life a very Hell? can man bar the gates of Glory against thee? can man speak thee [Page 449] into the Grave by a word of his mouth? and after all, can man cast thee into endless, easeless, and remediless torments? O no; can God do all this? O yes; why then doth not thy heart stand more in awe of the eye of the great God, than it doth of the eye of a poor, weak, mortal man.

I have insisted the longer on this particular, because there is not any one thing in all the world, that doth more hinder secret Communion with God, and secret prayer, than secret sins. And Oh that you would all make it your great business, to watch against secret sins, and to pray against secret sins, and to mourn over secret sins, and deep­ly to judge and condemn your selves for secret sins, and careful­ly and Conscientiously to shun and avoid all occasions and pro­vocations that may be as fuel to secret sins.

Certainly there are no men or women that are so sincere and se­rious in Closet-prayer, or, that are [Page 450] so frequent, so fervent, so con­stant, in Closet-prayer, or, that are so delightful, so resolulute, so undaunted, or so unwearied in Closet-prayer, as those that keep themselves most cleer and free from secret sins.

For a Close remember this, That though secret sins are in some respects more dangerous than other sins are, yet in three respects they are not so bad nor so dangerous as other sins are.

First, In that they do not so scandalize Religion as open sins do.

Secondly, In that they do not shame, grieve, and wound, the hearts of the Saints, as open sins do.

Thirdly, In that they are not so infectious to others, nor such provo­cations to others, to sin against the Lord, as open sins are. And thus you may see, what those things are that you must carefully take heeed of, as ever you would adict your selves to Closet-prayer.

And as you must take heed of these five things: So there are several other things that you must carefully and conscienciously ap­ply your selves to, as ever you would be found faithful and con­stant in this great duty, viz. Closet-prayer.

Now they are these;

First, Lament greatly, and mourn bitterly over the neglect of this choice Duty. He that doth not make Conscience of mourn­ing over the neglect of this Duty, will never make Conscience of performing this Duty. O that Jer. 9. 1. your heads were waters, and your eyes a Fountain of tears, that you might weep day and night, for the great neglect of Closet-pray­er, He that mourns most for the neglect of this Duty, will be found most in the practise of this Duty. He that makes most Conscience to accuse, arraign, and con­demn himself for neglecting Closet-prayer, he will make most Conscience of giving him­self [Page 452] up to Closet-prayer. 'Tis said of Adam, that he turned his face towards the Garden of Eden, and from his heart bitterly lamen­ted his great fall: O that you would turn your faces towards your Closets, and bitterly la­ment your rare going into them. But,

Secondly, Habituate your selves, accustom your selves, to Closet-prayer: Make private pray­er your constant trade. Frequency begets familiarity, and familiarity confidence, we can go freely & bold­ly into that friends house whom we often visit. What we are habitu­ted to, we do with ease and de­light. A man that is habituted or accustomed to write, to read, to ride, to run, or to play on this, or that musical Instrument, &c. he doth it all with delight and ease; and so a man that doth ha­bituate himself to Closet-prayer, he will manage it with delight and ease. But,

Thirdly, Keep a Diary of all Deut. 7. 18, 19. Psal. 66. 12. your Closet-experiences; O care­fully record and book down all your Closet-mercies: O be often in reading over your Closet-experi­ences, and be often in meditating and in pondering upon your Clo­set-experiences. There is no way like this, to enflame your love to Closet-prayer, and to engage your hearts in this secret trade of pri­vate prayer.

O remember that at such a time, you went into your Closets with hard hearts, and dry eyes; but be­fore you came out of your Closets, Psal. 6. 6. Psal. 39. 12. Psal. 56. 8. ah how sweetly, how evangeli­cally, how powerfully were you melted, and humbled before the Lord! O remember how that at another time you went into your Closets clouded and benighted, but came out of your Closets with as glorious a shine of God upon your souls, as Moses had upon his face, Exod. 34. 28, 29. when he came down from the Mount from communing with God! O remember how often [Page 454] you have gone into your Closets Luke 24. 31, 32. Isa. 4. 4. with cold, frozen spirits, but be­fore you come out of your Closets what a fire hath God kindled in your souls, what a spirit of burn­ing have you found in your hearts! O remember how often you have gone into your Closets streight­ned and shut up, but before you have come out, how hath your souls been like the Charriots of Aminnadab! O remember what Can. 6. 12. power God hath given you against corruptions in your Closets, and what strenth God hath given you against temptations in your Clo­sets. O remember the sweet dis­coveries of divine love that you have had when in your Closets: O remember the secret visits, the secret kisses, the secret embraces, the secret whispers, the secret love­tokens that Christ hath given you in your Closets. O seriously pon­der upon these things, and then Closet-duties will be sweet unto you.

'Twas a sweet saying of Bernard, O Saint, knowest thou not that thy Husband Christ is bashful, and will Can. 7. 11, 12. not be familiar in company; retire thy self by Meditation into thy Closet, or into the fields, and there thou shalt have Christ's embraces. Meditatio nutrix orationis, Meditation is the Nurse of Prayer. O the more any man Gerson. meditates upon his Closet-experi­ences, the more he shall find his heart engaged to Closet-duties; the more you ponder upon Clo­set-experiences, the sweeter will Closet-experiences be to your souls; and the sweeter Closet-ex­periences are to your souls, the more your souls will delight to be with God in your Closets.

Pliny tells us of one Messala Cor­vinus, lib. 7. c. 24. whose memory was so bad, that he forgot his own name. And I am afraid that many of your memories are so bad, that you forget your Closet-mercies, your Closet-experiences.

I have read of such a Pestilenti­al disease once at Athens, as took [Page 456] away the memories of those that were infected with it, so that they forgat their own names: O that I had not cause to fear that some Pestilential Disease or other, hath so taken away the memories of many that they have quite for­got their Closet-experiences. Well Friends remember this, though stony hearts are bad, yet Iron me­mories are good; and O that you would all labour after Iron me­mories, that so you may remem­ber and ponder upon your Closet-experiences. I have read of the Heathens, how they made use of white and black stones, for these two ends, First, They gave them to persons at their arraignment before the Judges; if any were condemned to death, they gave him a black Stone, but if absol­ved and set free, a white Stone! (To which custome the Holy-Ghost seemes to allude, in that Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give a VVhite Stone.) A se­cond use of those Stones was this, [Page 457] that by them they might keep an account of all the good dayes, or evil dayes they had met withal in their lives. Hence Giacopo Senzaro having been long in love, and much crossed about his match, he filled a Pot full of black Stones, putting only one white Stone a­mong them, and being asked the reason, answered, There will come one VVhite Day (meaning his Mar­riage Day) which will make amends for all my Black Dayes.

Ah Friends, how often hath God given you the White Stone in your Closets! Certainly you have had more White Stones than Black Stones; your Closet-mer­cies and experiences have been more than your publick crosses and miseries. O Sirs, did you but reckon your good dayes accord­ing to the White Stones you have had in your Closets, it would make you more in love with Clo­set-prayer than ever. But,

Fourthly, Be sure that you do not spend so much of your preci­ous [Page 458] time in publick Duties and Ordinances, as that you can spare none for private Duties, for secret services. Though Pharoah's Kine eat up one another, yet our Gen. 41. 4. Duties must not eat up one ano­ther; publick Duties must not eat up family duties, nor family­duties must not eat up publick du­ties, nor neither of them must not eat up Closet-duties: The wisdom of a Christian doth most eminently sparkle & shine, in giving every duty its proper time and place, I was going to say, that either he was Eccl. 8. 5. no Christian, or at least no excel­lent Christian, that is all eye to read, or all ear to hear, or all tongue to speak, or all knee to bow, to kneel, to pray. Ah how ma­ny are there that spend so much time in hearing of this man and that, and in running up and down from meeting to meeting, that they have no time to meet with God in their Closets. O Sirs, your Duties are never so amiable and lovely, they are never so orient [Page 459] and beautiful as when they are seasonably and orderly perfor­med.

Oh how wise are the men of this world, so to order all their civil affairs, that no one business shall interferre with another; they set apart for each business a conveni­ent proportion of time; they al­lot an hour for one business, two for another, three for another, &c. O that we were as wise for our souls, as wise for eternity, as they are for this world. O that our hearts would so consult with our heads, that we may never want a convenient time to seek God in a corner. That Devil that loves to set one man against ano­ther, and one Nation against an­other, and one Christian against another, that Devil loves to set one Ordinance against another, and one Duty against another: Hence tis that on the one hand he works some to cry up publick Prayers, in opposition to secret Prayer; and one the other hand [Page 460] he works others to cry up private Duties in opposition to all publick Duties; whereas all Christians stand oblieged by God, so to ma­nage one sort of Duties, as not to shut out another sort of Duties. Every Christian must find time and room for every Duty incum­bent upon him. But,

Fifthly, Love Christ with a more enflamed love, O strength­en your love to Christ, and your love to Closet-duties. Lovers love Can, 7. 10, 11, 12. much to be alone, to be in a corner together. Certainly the more any man loves the Lord Jesus, the more he will delight to be with Christ in a corner. There was a great deal of love between Jonathan 1 Sam. 18. 19. & chap. 20. com. and David, and according to their love, so was their private converse, their secret communion one with another; they were alwayes best, when in the Field together, or when in a corner together or when behind the door together, or when lockt up together, and just so it would be with you, did you but [Page 461] love the Lord Jesus Christ with a more raised, and a more enflamed love; you would be alwayes best when you were most with Christ in a corner.

Divine Love is like a rod of Myrtle, which as Pliny reports, makes the traveller that carries it in his hand so lively and cheerful, that he never faints or grows wea­ry. Ah Friends did you but love the Lord Jesus with a more strong, with a more raised love, you would never faint in Closet-duties, nor you would never grow weary of Closet-duties. Look as the Israe­lites removed their Tents from Mithcah to Hashmonah, from sweet­ness Num. 23. 39. to swiftness (as the words im­port): So the sweetness of Di­vine Love will make a man move swiftly on in a way of Closet-du­ties. Divine Love will make all Closet-duties more easie to the Soul, and more pleasant and de­lightful to the Soul; and there­fore do all you can to strengthen your love to Christ, and your love to Closet-work.

It was observed among the Primitive Christians, that they were so full of love one to ano­ther, that they could be acquainted one with another as well in half an hour, as in half a year. O Sirs, If your hearts were but more full of love to Christ, and Closet-du­ties, you would quickly be better acquainted with them, you would quickly know, what secret com­munion with Christ, behind the door means. But,

Sixthly, Be highly, throughly, and fixedly resolved in the strength of Christ, to keep close to closet-duties, in the face of all difficulties and discouragements that you may Psal. 44. 17, 18, 19, 20 meet withal. A man of no reso­lution, or of weak resolution, will be won with a Nut, and lost with an Apple. Satan, and the world, and carnal relations, and your own hearts, will cast in many things to discourage you, and take you off from Closet-prayer; but be ye nobly and firmly resolved, to keep close to your Closet, let [Page 463] the World, the Flesh, and the De­vil, doe and say what they can. Daniel was a man of an invincible resolution; rather than he would om it praying in his Chamber he would be cast into the Den of Ly­ons. Of all the Duties of Religi­on, Satan is the most deadly ene­my to this of secret Prayer; partly because Secret prayer spoiles him in his most secret designs, plots, and contrivances against the Soul; and partly because secret prayer is so musical and delightful to God; and partly because secret prayer is of such rare use and advantage to the Soul; and partly because it layes not the soul of open to pride, vain glory, and worldly applause, as prayer in the Synagogue doth; and therefore he had rather that a man should pray a thousand times in the Synagogues, or in the corner of the streets, or behind a Pillar, than that he should pray once in his Closet, and therefore you had need to steel your hearts with holy courage and resolution, [Page 464] that what ever suggestions, temp­tations; oppositions, or objections you may encounter with, that yet you will keep close to Closet-pray­er.

There is not any better Bulwark in the day or battel, than an he­roick resolution of heart before the day of battel. Sanctified resolu­tions doe exceedingly weaken and discourage Satan in his assaults, they doe greatly daunt and dis­hearten him in all his undertakings against the Soul. That man will never long be quiet in his Closet, who is not stedfastly resolved to seek the Lord in a corner, though all the powers of darkness, should make head against him. O Sir, Divine fortitude, holy resolutions, will make you like a Wall of Brass, that no Arrows can pierce; they will make you like Armour of proof, that no shot can hurt; they will make you like that An­gel Mat. 28. 2. that rolled away the Stone from before the door of the Se­pulchre; they will either enable [Page 465] you to remove the greatest Moun­taines of opposition that lye be­tween you and Closet prayer, or else they will enable you to step over them.

Lather was a man of great reso­lution, and a man that spent much time in Closet-prayer. And such another was Nehemiah, who met with so much opposition, that had he not been steeled by a strong and obstinate resolution, he could never have rebuilded the Temple, but would have sunk in the midst of his work: Now he was a man for private prayer, as I have shew­en in the beginning of this Trea­tise. Who more resolute than David? & who more for secret prayer than David? the same I might say of Paul, Basil, and many others, who have been famous in their Gene­rations.

O Sirs, Sanctified Resolutions for Closet-prayer, will chain you faster to Closet-prayer, than ever Vlisses his resolutions did chain him to the mast of the ship. 'Twas [Page 466] a noble resolution that kept Ruth close to her mother, when her sister Orpah only complements her, kisses her, and takes her leave of her. Be but nobly re­solved Ruth 1. 10,—20. for Closet-prayer, and then you will keep close to it, when others only court it, and take their leaves of it.

In the Salentine Country, there is mention made of a Lake, that is still brim full, if you put in ne­ver so much it never runs over, if you draw out never so much it is still full. The resolution of eve­ry Christian for Closet-prayer, Plin. Hist. l. 2. c. 103. should be like this Lake, still brim full: Tide life tide death, come honour or reproach, come loss or gain, come liberty or bonds come what can come, the true bred Chri­stian must be fully and constantly resolved to keep close to his Clo­set. But,

Seventhly, Labour for a greater effusion of the Holy Spirit, for the greater measure any man hath of the Spirit of God, the more [Page 467] that man will delight to be with God in secret, Zech. 12. 10. And I will pour upon the House of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications. vers. 12, 13, 14. And the Land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the House of David apart, and their Wives apart; the family of the House of Nathan apart, and their Wives apart: The family of the House of Levi apart, and their Wives apart; the family of the House of Shimei apart, and their VVives apart: All the fa­milies that remain, every family apart, and their VVives apart. Mark, in the Joel 2. 28, 29. Isa. 44 3. last of the last dayes, when men shall be generally under a greater effusion of the Holy Spirit than ever, then they shall be more giv­en up to secret prayer than ever. There will never be such praying apart, and such mourning apart, as there will be when the Lord shall pour out most richly, glori­ously, abundantly, of his Spirit upon his poor people; now every one shall pour out his tears and [Page 468] his soul before God in a corner, to shew the soundness of their sor­row, and to shew their sincerity by their secrecy; for Ille dolet vere, qui sine teste dolet, He grieves with a witness, that grieves without a wit­ness.

Certainly the more any man is now under the blessed pouring out of the Spirit of Christ, the more that man gives himself up to secret Communion with Christ. Eve­ry man is more or less with Christ in his Closet, as he is more or less under the anointings of the Spirit of Christ. The more any man hath of the Spirit of Christ, the more he loves Christ, and the more any man loves Christ, the more he delights to be with Christ alone: Lovers love to be alone. The more any man hath of the Spirit of Christ, the more his heart will be set to please Christ: Now nothing pleaseth Christ more than the secret prayers of his peo­ple. (Cant. 2. 14. O my D [...]ve that art in the clefts of the Rock, in the se­cret [Page 469] places of the stairs, let me see thy Countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voyce, and thy counte­nance is comely.) And therefore such a one will be much in secret prayer. The more any man hath of the Spirit of Christ, the more his heart will be set upon glorifying and exalting Christ: Now no­thing glorifies Christ more, nor exalts him more, than secret pray­er; and therefore the more any man hath of the Spirit of Christ, the more that man will be found in secret prayer.

There are many persons who say, they would be more in their Closets than they are, but that they meet with many hinderan­ces, many occasions, many di­versions▪ many temptations, ma­ny oppositions, many difficulties, many discouragements, which prevent them. Ah Friends, had you a greater measure of the Ho­ly Spirit upon you, none of these things should ever be able to hin­der your secret trade Heaven­ward: [Page 470] Had you a more rich anointing of the Spirit upon you, you would never plead, there is a Lyon in the way, a Lyon in the Streets; but were there a thou­sand Pro. 26. 13. Lyons between you and your Closets, you would either step over them, or make your way through them, that so you might enjoy Communion with Christ in your Closets. But,

Eighthly and Lastly, As ever you would keep close to private prayer, Be frequent in the serious Consideration of Eternity. O see Eternity standing at the end of every Closet-Prayer, and this will make you pray to purpose in your Closets.

O Sirs, every work you doe, is a step to a blessed, or to a cur­sed Eternity. Every motion, eve­ry action in this life, is a step to­ward Eternity. As every step that a Traveller takes brings him forward to his journeys end: So every step that a man takes in the secret wayes of Righteousness and [Page 471] Holiness, such as Closet-Duties are, they bring him neerer to his journeys end, they bring him neerer to a blessed Eternity. Look as every step the sinner takes in a way of wickedness brings him neerer to Hell; so every step that a Saint takes in a way of Holiness brings him neerer to Heaven. Look as every step that a wicked man takes in the wayes of un­righteousness brings him nearer to a cursed Eternity, so every step that a godly man takes in a way of Righteousness brings him neer­er to a blessed Eternity.

Zeuxis the famous Painter was so exceeding careful and curious in drawing all his Lines, that he would let no Piece of his go a­broad into the World to be seen of men, till he had turn'd it over and over, and viewed it on this side and that side, again and a­gain, to see if he could spie any fault in it; and being asked the reason, why he was so curious, and so long in drawing his Lines, [Page 472] answered, Aeternitati pingo, I paint for Eternity. O Sirs, we all pray for Eternity, we fast for Eternity, we read for Eternity, we hear for Eternity, we wait for Eternity, we weep for Eternity; and there­fore O how curiously, how exact­ly, how wisely, how faithfully, how carefully, how diligently, how unweariedly, should we be in all our Closet-Duties and servi­ces; seeing that all we do is in order to Eternity! Friends, you must all e're long be eternally blest, or eternally curst; eternally happy, or eternally miserable; eternally saved, or eternally damned; eter­nally accepted, or eternally reje­cted: And therefore what infi­nite cause have you, frequently to shut to your Closet Doors, and to plead mightily with God in in a corner, for the lives of your poor, precious, and immortal souls, that they may be eternally saved in the great day of our Lord Jesus. O Sirs, when any hinderances to Closet-prayer pre­sent [Page 473] themselves to you, seriously remember Eternity, and that will remove them.

It is related of one Pachomius, that whensoever he felt any un­lawful Drex. de Eternit. consid. 8. desires to arise in his mind. he was wont to drive them away with the remembrance of Eterni­ty.

The same Author relates a sto­ry out of Benedictus Rhrexanus, of an ungodly fellow, who on a certain Ibid. con. 5. night could not sleep, who up on the serious Consideration of Death and Eternity, and the damned ly­ing in Hell, could not be at rest, but Eternity did still run in his mind; fa [...]n would he have shaken off the thoughts thereof, as gnaw­ing worms; therefore he fol­lowed sports, and pastimes, and merry meetings, and sought out Companions like himself, and sat oftentimes so long at his Cups, that he laid his Conscience asleep, and so seemed to take some rest, but when he was awakened, his Conscience flew in his face, and [Page 474] would still be a suggesting sad thoughts of Eternity to him; of all things in the world he could not bear it, to be kept awake in the night; but so it happened, that being sick, he was kept awake one night, and could not sleep at all, whereupon these thoughts rise in him, VVhat is it so tedious then to be kept from sleep one night, and to lye a few hours in the dark? Oh what is it then to be kept in torments and everla­sting darkness! I am here in my own house upon a soft bed in the dark, kept from sleep but one night, but to lye in flames and endless misery, how dreadful must that needs be! These and such like meditations were the happy means of this young mans conver­sion.

I have read a notable Story of one Theodorus, a Christian young man in Egypt, who when there was a great deal of feasting, mirth, and musick in his Fathers house, withdrew himself from all the company, and being got alone, he thus thought with with him­self, [Page 475] Here is content and delight enough for the flesh, I may have what I desire, but how long will this last? this will not hold out long; then falling down upon his knees before the Lord in secret, he said, O Lord my heart is open unto thee, I indeed know not what to ask, but only this Lord, let me not dye eternally; O Lord, thou knowest I love thee, O let me live eternally to praise thee.

If there be any way or means on earth to bring us upon our knees before God in secret, it is the seri­ous and solemn thoughts of Eter­nity. O that the fear of Eternity might fall upon all your souls: O that you would all seriously con­sider that after a short time is ex­pired, you must all enter upon an eternal estate. O consider that Eter­nity is an infinite, endless, bottom­less gulph, which no line can fa­thom, no time can reach, no age can extend to, no tongue can ex­presse: it is a duration alwayes pre­sent, a being alwayes in being; its Ʋnum perpetuum hodie, one perpetual [Page 476] day, which shall never see light. O Sirs, this is, and must be for a la­mentation, viz. that Eternity is a thing that most men never think of, or else very slenderly; a snatch and away, as Dogs are said to lap and away at the River N [...]lus. But as ever you would have your hearts chained to your closets, and to clo­set-duties, as the men of Tyrus chained their God Apollo to a post, that they might be sure of him, then seriously and frequently pon­der upon Eternity, and with those fourty valiant Martyrs, be still a crying out [...], O Basil 40. Martyr. Eternity, Eternity▪

Mr. VVood after some holy dis­course fell a musing, and cryed out before all present, for neer half a quarter of an hour together, for ever, for ever, for ever. Austins Prayer was, Hack me, hew me, burn me here, but spare me heareafter, spare me here­after. Certainly if Christians would but spend one quarter of an hour every day in the solemn thoughts of Eternity, it would make them [Page 477] more in love with Closet-prayer than ever, yea, it would make them more fearful of omitting Closet-prayer than ever, and more care­ful and Conscientious in the discharg of all Closet-Duties than ever.

And thus according to my weak measure, I have given out all that at present the Lord hath graciously given in to my poor soul, concern­ing this most necessary, most glori­ous, and most useful point of points viz. Closet-prayer, I shall by assi­sting grace follow this poor piece with my prayers that it may be so blest from on high, as that it may work mightily to the internal and eternal welfare, both of Reader, Hearer, and Writer.