Christian Directions, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Of secret Prayer in the morning.
SO soon as thou art up, goe into thy Closet, or into some private place, and there offer up unto God a Morning Sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving, let any thing be omitted rather than that; if thy business be urgent and great, rise the sooner, dare not to attempt any thing, till thou hast commended thy self, and thine affairs unto God by prayer; if thou take any little liberty to omit this duty, the Devil will so work upon thee, that by little and little thou wilt wax weary of it, if Gods grace bee not the more powerful in thee. And truly the morning is the fittest time for this duty of secret prayer, men being then freshest and freest from worldly businesses and distractions. Wee have a saying amongst us,Aurora Musis amica. that the morning is a friend to the Muses, as being the best time for study. I am sure it is as true, that the morning is a friend to the Graces, as being the best time for any holy service.
For reason and experience doe teach us, that in the morning our memories and senses are the quickest, and all the faculties of our souls at their best, having recovered fresh strength through the sweet sleep, and comfortable rest we had the night past; and in the morning the sooner the better, for if thou shalt enter upon any worldly business, or discourse, before thou hast offered up thy morning Sacrifice, thou shalt find it much harder to keep the world out of thine head, and thine heart close unto the duty. But if some extraordinary business have occasioned thee to delay it, doe not thereupon wholly omit it, but be careful to take the first opportunity of retiring into thy Closet, there to offer up thy morning sacrifice unto God.
Thus duty of secret Prayer is expresly commanded, and the practice of it, especially in the morning, wee find also very much commended to us in the World of God.
First, The duty it self is expresly commanded by our Lord and Saviour,Matth. 6. 6 When thou prayest, enter into thy Closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Here you see is a positive command for the practice of secret Prayer, Enter into thy Closet, or into some private place, and having shut the door, pray.
Secondly, The morning is commended to us for the choysest time of practising this duty,
1 By the example of Christ, 2 By the practice of the faithful.
1 By the example of Christ himself, of whom it is recorded by Saint Mark, Mark 1. 35.that he rose early in the morning a great while before day, and went out into a solitary place, and there prayed. His rising betimes shewed his earnest desire, and diligent care in the performance of this duty, for when wee have a good mind to do a thing, wee use to rise betimes and go about it.
2 For the practice of the Saints of God herein, the Scripture is very plentiful.Job 1. 5. It is recorded of Iob, That hee rose early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings before the Lord. Hee did not onelyonly rise in the morning, but early in the morning, giving unto God the first fruits of the day. And Davids morning devotions are often expressed in the book of Psalms;Psal. 5. 3. As, My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Psal. 63. 1.And again, O God thou art my God, early will I seek thee. And it is recorded of Daniel, That three times a day hee kneeled upon his knees, and prayed, and gave thanks, viz. Dan. 6. 10.in the morning, before hee entred upon any business; at noon, before hee went to his dinner; and in the evening, before hee went to bed. And that this was his usual practice appears from the following expression, viz. As hee did aforetime, i. e. hee prayed three times a day, as hee was formerly accustomed to do.
For the more profitable pressing of this duty of secret prayer,
1 I shall give you some motives to quicken you up to a conscionable performance thereof.
2 Answer some Objections.
3 Give you some Directions for the right manner of performing it.
The Motives may bee drawn to Three Heads.
1 The Excellency. 2 The Necessity. 3 The Utility thereof.
I. The Excellency of secret prayer appears in two particulars.
1 In that it increaseth our Communion and Fellowship with God,Qui vult cum Deo semper esse, freque…ter debet …rare. Aug. de Temp. Serm. 112. bringing us into a familiar acquaintance with him. As the converses of a Christian soul with God in secret prayer are sweet; so oh how sweet are the discoveries that the Lord often makes of himself to the soul of a Christian in his secret prayers? When Daniel was praying alone in secret,Dan. 9. 20, 23. it was said unto him, Thou art greatly beloved.
2 The Excellency of secret prayer appears, in that it procures a comfort and sweetness upon those mercies which it obtaineth: For this is an experimental Truth, That those mercies which are given in as answers and returns to our prayers, are the sweetest and most comfortable. And certainly this is one reason, why many finde so little comfort in their yoak-fellows, in their children, in their estate, and the like, they did not seek them of God by secret prayer, and so did not receive them as answers to their prayers, but only from an hand of common providence, without any seeking of theirs.
II. The Necessity of secret prayer, especially in the morning, appeareth.
1 In that without it wee cannot with any confidence expect Gods blessing upon our pains and indeavours; For, as the Psalmist speaketh,Psal. 127. 1, 2. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. So except the Lord bless our pains and indeavours, it is in vain to rise… up early, to sit up late, and to eat the bread of sorrow; and prayer is the means God hath sanctified for the obtaining his blessing.
2 In regard of manifold casualties whereunto we are subject; for death lieth every where in wait for us, so that wee go every moment in danger of our lives: If wee walk in the streets, so many tiles on the house top, so many deaths hang over our heads:Quem dies vidit veniens superbum, hunc dies vidit fugiens, jacentem, Senec. if wee walk in the fields, so many beasts as wee meet withall, so many enemies to indanger our lives. Yea, how many have risen well in the morning, who have been found dead before the evening? And what hath befallen one may befall another. And how sad a thing will it be to be Arrested by Death, and called to the Bar of Gods Judgement, to plead Guilty or not Guilty, before we have … our selves at the Throne of Grace, to Sue forth our pardon.
III. A third Motive may bee taken from the utility of this duty; and indeed manifold are the benefits which usually follow and accompany the same. As,
1 It is the proper means appointed by God himself, for the obtaining of all sorts of good things at his hands; and therefore where this duty is enjoyned, we very often finde it attended with very excellent Promises annexed, to encourage us with faith and confidence to call upon him;Matth. 7. 7 as, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and yee shall finde; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. &c.
2 By accustoming our selves to pray in our Closets, or private Chambers, we shall be the better fitted to pray in the presence of others. And such as are Parents, and Masters of Families will bee thereby enabled to pray with their Families; for certainly one special reason why many Parents and Masters of Families doe neglect that necessary duty of praying with their Families, is, their not accustoming themselves to pray in secret morning and evening.1 Sam. 17. 39 What David said of Saul's armour, I cannot goe therein, for I never proved it. The like may some say of Prayer, I cannot goe thereto, for I never used it. The accustoming ourselves to pray alone in secret, will fit us to pray in the presence of others.
Having given you some Motives to quicken you up to a conscionable performance of Secret Prayer, and that especially in the morning.
I shall answer an objection or two.
Obj. 1. Some are apt to object their little leasure, and great imployment, to excuse themselves from offering up their morning Sacrifice unto God?
Answ. 1. The greater your imployments are, the more need you have to offer up your morning Sacrifice unto God, thereby to seek his assistance, and blessing upon your pains and endeavours, it being the Ordinance he hath sanctified for that very end.
Time spent in prayer will bee no hinderance, but rather a furtherance of our worldly businesses and imployments; this will oyl the wheels for any work, making it more easie; yea and sanctifie all the things we take in hand, making them successful unto us; for those works which are sanctified by Prayer doe usually speed best.
Obj. 2. Some object their great inability to pr…hey know not how to pray, not having the spirit of prayer?
Ans. 1. Let such bewayl this their sad condition, and mourn under the sense of it, remembring what our Saviour saith, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.Matth. 5. 4
2 Goe unto Christ, and say unto him as the Disciples did, Lord teach me to pray;Luke 11. 1 with an acknowledgement of thine own inability, Rom. 8. 26beg the assistance of Gods Spirit, and say, Lord, thou hast promised thy Spirit to help the infirmities of thy Servants, O make good this thy gracious promise to me thy poor, weak and unworthy Servant, let me feel and finde the assistance of thy Spirit strengthening my weakness, and enabling me to pour out my soul before thee in some acceptable manner.
3 Call to mind thy sins, with the aggravations of them, and withall consider thy Spiritual wants, and then put thy self upon the duty of Prayer; confess thy sins unto God, with all the aggravations thereof, as well as thou canst, begge the pardon of them, and be earnest with God for such Graces as thou standest in most need of. By using and exercising that small ability to pray that thou hast, thou shalt increase it, and grow more able to doe it with comfort.
4 Know this, that a man may pray most effectually, and acceptably, even when he cannot express himself in any apt words; for the work of the Spirit in Prayer consisteth not so much in the expression of the tongue, as in the affection of the heart, wherein the very life and soul of prayer doth consist.
Having answered the fore-mentioned Objections, I shall now give you some directions for the right manner of performing this duty of Prayer, so as it may be acceptable and pleasing unto God.
To this end,
1 Some things are required before Prayer.
2 Some things in Prayer. 3 Some things after Prayer.
1 Before Prayer there is required preparation; which consisteth in two things.
1 In a serious Meditation of the infinite Majesty and glory of God on the one part, and of thine own Vileness and unworthiness on the other.
2 In a sequestration of thy thoughts from earthly affairs, and worldly businesses.
For thy better help thereunto observe these rules.
1 When thou art going to prayer, renew thy resolution against wandring thoughts, saying with thy self, I have lost many a prayer through the distractions of my thoughts, and wandrings of my mind after worldly matters therein, and I am in danger to lose this prayer also, if I be not the more watchful over my self: therefore I doe now resolve, with the assistance of Gods grace, to be more watchful over my thoughts, to keep my heart close unto the duty I am going about, and not to suffer my mind to wander after other matters, as formerly it hath done; if thou wouldst make trial hereof, thou wouldst find there is great power in such a resolution, when it is fresh upon thy heart, and spirit.
2 Beg of God, that he would by the assistance of his holy Spirit restrain all vain and wandring imaginations.
3 Vse thy voyce in prayer so often as conveniently thou maist, provided it be not for oftentation to bee heard of others, which thou wilt finde very effectual, as for the intention of thine affections, by raising them to an higher pitch; so for the attention of thy mind, in keeping it from wandring and roving after worldly thoughts and imaginations.
4 But if notwithstanding thou findest, that in praying thy mind and heart hath been sometimes taken up, and possessed with worldly thoughts and distractions, it will be a good course, in thy private prayers, to repeat that again which so coldly and carelesly passed from thee, labouring in thy repetition to repel all wandring thoughts, and to pour forth those petitions again after a more hearty manner; For, by imposing this task upon thy self, thou wilt become more wary and watchful over thy thoughts, lest otherwise thou be enforced to continue long at that exercise, unto which, through the depravation of thy nature, thou art so backward and averse.
II. As preparation is necessary before Prayer, so in prayer divers things are required; as,
1 Faith; Prayer must be made in faith; which our Savior plainly expresseth,Mark 11. 24 where he saith, Whatsoever things yee desire, when yee pray, beleeve that yee receive them, and yee shall have them. Beleeve, that as God is able, so willing to grant whatsoever thou prayest for, so far forth as in his wisdome he seeth it to be good for thee.
2 Fervency, that thou pour out thine heart and soul unto God, with great ardency and earnestness of affection. For, the Apostle Iames telleth us,Jam. 5. 16 that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much; so that it is the fervent prayer only that is effectual. And without doubt this is one special reason why our prayers are so seldom answered, namely, because they are performed with such deadness of heart,Oratio tepida frigescit p…iusquam coelos ascendit. and dulness of spirit, for the luke-warm prayer is cooled and frozen before it can ascend up to heaven. As therefore thou desirest to have thy prayers effectual, let them be fervent, and so thou shalt not need to doubt of a gracious and happy issue. I grant, thou canst not always have a like fervency, yet thou must always strive against deadness of heart, and dulness of spirit; for God regards the manner of our actions as much as the matter, how we pray, as well as what we pray for.
III. The Duties required after Prayer are these.
1 Diligently to look after thy prayers, observing what answer and return the Lord giveth thereunto.Psal. 5. 3. Thus did David and Habakkuk; For hereby thou shalt bee the better fitted for thankfulness,Hab. 2. 1. being furnished with more abundant matter of praise: And also bee the more provoked and stirred up thereunto.
2 Look back and consider the manifold weaknesses, infirmities, and imperfections which have passed from thee in thy praying, how dead and dull thine heart was, and how distracted thy thoughts were therein, and let the apprehension thereof prevail with thee, as to disclaim all thine own righteousness as filthy raggs, so to drive thee unto Christ, to roul thy self upon him, resting upon his perfect Righteousness alone for life and for salvation. As this is one chief end why God suffers corruption to remain in his children, even after their Regeneration, and to have an influence into all their holy services; So it is the use which wee should make thereof: And therefore so often as thou findest thine heart dead and dull, and thy mind distracted with worldly thoughts in prayer, say with thy self, Lord, what need have I of a Saviour? I see thou mayest condemn mee for my most holy services, and therefore I go wholly out of my self unto Iesus Christ, resting upon his perfect Righteousness, and all-sufficient Merits, for life and for salvation.