The Privy Key of Heaven, Section 1
The uſe and Application of all follows.
Is it ſo that Cloſet Prayer, or Private Prayer, is ſuch an indiſpenſible duty, that Chriſt himſelf hath laid upon all that are not willing to lye under the the woful brand of being hypocrites; then this truth looks very ſourely and ſadly upon theſe five ſorts of perſons.
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 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 foreign 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. 31we 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.