Closet Prayer a Christian Duty, Treatise · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. The Second Ʋſe, viz. of Reprehenſion.
SECT. I. Wicked men reproved.
1. HEre is juſt ground of ſharp rebuke to all graceleſs, prayerleſs perſons, who underſtand nothing of this duty; they know not what it is to tug and ſtruggle with the Lord in Cloſet-Prayer, David ſaith, The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not ſeek after God, God is not in all his thoughts, Pſal. 10.4. He cannot pray aright any where, much leſs in ſecret: the ſame Pſalm tells us what he doth in ſecret, ver. 8, 9, 10. In the ſecret places doth he murder the innocent, his eyes are privily ſet againſt the poor: The Apoſtle ſaith, It is a ſhame even to ſpeak of thoſe things that are done of them in ſecret, Eph. 5.12. Oh the abominable practices of prophane ſpirits in a corner! Their conſciences can tell them ſad ſtories of ſecret ſins, which none but the God of Heaven and themſelves know of, yea becauſe they ſee not God, they think God ſees not them; like the ſilly bird, becauſe ſhe thruſts her head into a buſh, thinks ſhe is hid from the Fowler, though her body be expoſed to open view; carnal mens Maxim is like that Monkiſh one, [Caute ſi non Caſte,] Carry it warily, if not chaſtly, if they can hide their ſin from men, they take no notice whether God ſee them or no; and, from wiſhing that he did not ſee, begin to ſuſpect whether he do ſee or no; and at laſt arrive to thoſe mens arrogant demand, Who ſeeth us? Or that poſitive concluſion, Pſal. 97.4. The Lord ſhall not ſee, neither ſhall the God of Jacob regard. But what ſaith the Pſalmiſt to theſe brutiſh So…s? He that planted the ear, ſhall he not hear? He that formed the eye, ſhall he not ſee, ver. 9. Let theſe Atheiſts know that God ſees, and ſets down all their ſecret wickedneſs, and will bring it forth before Angels and Men at the great day of reckoning: The ſin of Judah is written with a pen of Iron,Jer. 17.1. and with a point of a Diamond, it can never be razed out but by the blood of Chriſt; and though, by multiplyed acts of notorious ſinning, ſome may blur the engravings of ſin on the table of their heart, yet it ſhall be as writing with the juice of Lemmons, being held to the fire of Gods wrath, 'tis as legible to the conſcience as the firſt moment when the ſin was committed: Oh the ſecret wickedneſſes that wicked men have to reckon for! But where are the ſecret Prayers? Alas, how rarely or how formally do they wait on God alone? Cuſtom, vain glory, and carnal intereſt may put them on joyning in publick Prayer, or Family-duty; but they are ſtrangers to this ſpiritual ſelf-denying duty of Cloſet-Prayer: The carnal hypocrite expoſeth all to open view; he is like an houſe with a beautiful Frontiſpiece, but every room within is dark, as one ſaith; he is a rotten Poſt fairly guilded: he hath dreſſed himſelf in the garb of Religion, and will be as devout as the beſt in Temple-worſhip; but follow him to his Cloſet, he cannot afford God one hour in a week; he doth not make conſcience of ſecret Prayer: this gains him no credit with men, and therefore is little uſed. This (rightly performed) opens the heart to God, which the unſound profeſſor dare not do: I ſhall ſhew hereafter, whether the Hypocrite may uſe Cloſet-Prayer, and wherein he is diſtinguiſht from a ſincere ſoul in that duty: At preſent I am reproving thoſe that never uſe it, that look upon it as below them; they either dare not be alone, or ſcorn to ſtoop ſo low, and ſigh out their hearts to God in a corner, as though they would not be beholding to the great God for any mercy; but in their hearts and practice ſpeak the language of thoſe proud Atheiſts in Jer. 2.31. We are Lords, we will come no more unto thee? But let ſuch know they ſhall dye like Men, and be damn'd like Devils; that imagine they are gods, and will not be beholding to our God for mercy: Lord have mercy on theſe poor prayerleſs ſinners, that underſtand not the neceſſity and myſtery of Cloſet-Prayer, but look upon it as needleſs, and are ready to ſay, Its more ado than needs: but let theſe prepare to make good that deſperate aſſertion at the Bar of Gods juſtice with flames about their ears, and let ſuch know that God will anſwer their cavils againſt plain duty, after another manner than his Miniſters can do now. To which dreadful Judgment, we leave them, except prevented by a ſpeedy and ſincere Repentance.
SECT. II. The Godly reproved.
BUt the perſons to be principally reproved at preſent, are the profeſſors of Religion, that acknowledge this to be a duty, but grievouſly neglect it. I fear, God's Children are not ſo conſtant and conſcientious in the performance of this duty of Cloſet-Prayer as they ought to be. Are not good Souls guilty of frequent omiſſions, intermiſſions, at leaſt negligent performance of this duty? It was one of old Mr. Dod's Inſtructions, that at night we ſhould ask our ſelves, Have I twice this day humbled my ſelf before God in private?Who goes to bed and doth not pray, Maketh two nights to every day. Herbert. And again, How did I pray, in Faith and Love? I am afraid, many of us ſhould give but a ſorry account of theſe ſerious inquiries. Let's be aſhamed, lay it to our hearts, and give God glory by repentance and reformation.
For the humbling of our hearts in this caſe, let me propound theſe ten awakning Interrogatories, that we may mourn for our neglect of this duty of Cloſet-Prayer.
1. Are you not very unlike Jeſus Chriſt? Is not he the perfect copy that we ſhould write after? And do we not find him often in private Prayer? We meet with him in this ſolitary duty ſometimes in the day,Luk. 6.12. Mat. 26.36. ſometimes in the night, ſometimes all night; in a Garden, in a Mountain, he took all opportunities to go to his Father; All the dayes of his fleſh he offered up Prayers and Supplications with ſtrong crying and tears, Heb. 5.7. As he was a man of ſorrows, ſo he was a man of Prayers, and the ſharper his ſorrows, the ſtronger his cryes, Luk. 22.44. Being in an Agony, he prayed more earneſtly: And was not this for our example? And for our advantage? Should we not learn of him? Nay, doth not our very Chriſtianity conſiſt in our conformity to Chriſt? Alas, how unlike him are moſt of us? Shall we paſs for Chriſtians, that follow not his ſteps? Was it not bleſſed Paul's ſtudy, and ambition to be conformed to this bleſſed Pattern? Can we imitate a better perſon? Was it neceſſary, Chriſt ſhould wreſtle for us, and is it not as neceſſary we ſhould wreſtle with God for our own ſouls? Or, doth Chriſts praying for us excuſe our pleading for our ſelves? No no, as it was for our example and benefit in the days of his fleſh, ſo his preſent interceſſion in Heaven doth both imply and incourage our praying: for we are to ask in his name, and imploy our dear Advocate, that we may ſpeed: And ſhall not we (as it were) ſet him awork, and ſend up our Prayers to be mixt with his ſweet incenſe? The Lord humble us for, and pardon to us our neglects and omiſſions!
2. Are you not herein very unlike the Saints of God? The ſeed of Jacob are wreſtlers with God. God hath no Children ſtill-born, they all cry Abba Father: Jacob wreſtled with God in ſecret Prayer, and ever ſince, all the Saints in all ages have born that name, Pſal. 24.6. This is the generation of them that ſeek him, that ſeek thy face, O Jacob, Selah, i. e. That ſeek the God of Jacob, as Jacob did.Pſal. 32.6. And indeed every one that is godly will thus pray. There might be brought a cloud of witneſſes in all ages of praying Saints, that converſed with God in ſecret: 'tis recorded of the Apoſtle James, that his knees were as hard as Camels feet with praying: Some have ſought out for private places to pray in, others have riſen out of their beds to pray; others have ſet days apart to humble themſelves in ſecret by Faſting and Prayer, others would never adventure on buſineſs without ſeeking God: Such as are acquainted with Eccleſiaſtical. Hiſtories, or Chriſtian Experiences, may find ſtore of inſtances of this ſort: And why ſhould we be unlike our Brethren? Have we not all one Spirit, as well as all one Father? And is not this a Spirit of Grace and Supplication? And is it not that which on all occaſions draws the Soul to its Father? 'Tis ſaid of Paul, when newly converted, Behold he prayeth! Act. 9.11. Others do not ſee it, but I know it; there he is in a corner, ſighing and ſeeking me, Go Ananias, enquire for him, he is now one of you, a real Convert, for, Behold he prayeth: A Soul praying in ſecret is worthy obſervation, there's an Ecce put upon it, Behold he prayeth! And why ſhould we that pretend to be Saints be unlike our brethren?
3. Are you not herein unlike your ſelves in former times? When God did at firſt work upon your hearts, did you not then run to God in a corner? Did you not ſet your ſelves intently to the duty of ſecret Prayer? How often did God find you by your ſelves, ſighing, ſorrowing, weeping, bleeding, breathing after God, pouring out your hearts like water before the face of the Lord? And your heavenly Father pitied you, ſpoke very kindly to you, wiped off your tears, cheared your hearts, heard your prayers, and made thoſe dayes of grief, times of love. Oh the ſweet embraces that then were betwixt your ſouls and God? Have you forgotten ſuch a Chamber? Such a Cloſet, ſuch a Barn, ſuch a Wood? Where you ſometimes walkt and meditated, ſometimes fell proſtrate and wept before the Lord, till you had no more power to weep? If you have forgotten thoſe bleſſed days, your God hath not: He remembers thee, the kindneſs of thy youth, the love of thine ſpouſals, when thou wenteſt after him in a ſolitary Wilderneſs, Jer. 2.2. Canſt not thou remember the day when thou wouldſt rather have been with thy God in a private Room, than upon a Princes Throne? Yea, thou thoughteſt thou waſt to do nothing elſe but cry and pray in ſecret: thou waſt at it every day, yea many times a in day: How comes it to paſs that there's ſuch a change? That thou doſt ſo rarely go to viſit thy old friend in a Corner? Is he changed? Is he not ſo good and kind, as he was wont to be? Haſt thou found any fault in God? Or art not thou blame-worthy? What's become of thy ancient Spirit of Prayer? Why doſt thou forget thy ſweeteſt wreſtling-place? Why doſt thou not inquire for theſe good old wayes of communion with thy God.
SECT. III. Saints neglects, further reproved.
4. LEt me further expoſtulate with Gods Children, that are rarely exerciſed in this duty of Secret-Prayer.
Do you not deprive your ſelves of many ſweet refreſhments? Have not your ſouls had ſweet experience of raviſhing incomes in ſecret duties? How many pleaſant morſels have you eaten alone? Have not theſe ſtolen waters been ſweet? And would they not be ſo again, if you would open the ſame ſluice? Oh what hints of love might your ſouls have, that no creature would know of! Secret influences are conveyed to ſouls in ſecret duties; theſe you block up by neglect: Ah, ſirs, Are the conſolations of God ſmall to you? Is communion with God of no worth? Why are you ſo unwilling to take pains to go to your Father? Eſpecially when you know he hath a kindneſs for you? Have you ever loſt by ſuch duties? Will not your gains infinitely countervail your pains? Ask thoſe that uſe it moſt, they will tell you, it is the ſweeteſt time they ſpend: Yea, cannot your own experience atteſt it? Did you ever loſe your labour when you ſet your ſelves about the work in good earneſt? Hath not this cloſs and privy trading with God brought in much ſpiritual profit? Beloved friends, you little conſider the good you miſs of, for want of performing this excellent duty: But that's not all.
5. Do you not by neglect of ſecret prayer expoſe your ſelves to many ſad temptations? Watching and Prayer are ſingular helps againſt temptation, Mat. 26.41. I have heard, that Satan hath openly profeſſed, that he hath watched when ſome of Gods children have gone out without Cloſet-Prayer, and that day he hath gotten great advantage againſt them, ſometimes by tripping up their heels, and caſting them down from their excellency, into ſome groſs iniquity; ſometimes tormenting their hearts with blaſphemous, or ſoulperplexing injections: Sometimes God hath left them to fall into ſome afflictive ſnare, laid by this ſubtil Fowler, which hath coſt them many bitter pangs, all this and much more hath been the fruit of ſuch neglects: Chriſtians, Have you not found this too true by ſad experience? When you have gone abroad without calling on God, hath not God ſecretly withdrawn from you? Hath not Satan obtained his deſigns upon you? Have not your hearts been growing out of frame? Some luſt increaſing, grace decaying, and your ſouls at the brink of ſome aſtoniſhing fall? When you have gone out in the morning without a good breakfaſt with God, Have you not been apt to gather wind and vanity to the prejudice of your ſouls health? If you ingage not God by Prayer to go with you, What ſecurity have you for that day? If God leave you, the Devil may do what he liſt with you, and hamper you in a thouſand ſnares and ſins.
6. Doth not your neglect of ſecret Prayer argue little love to God? Or delight to be in his Company? When perſons have a dear affection to each other, they love to be together: Love delights in union and communion. Yea, when perſons love intirely, they withdraw from other company, that they may injoy each other with more indeared familiarity; the preſence of a third mixeth the ſtreams of Communication, and mars their intimate communion: And if you did paſſionately love the Lord, would you not withdraw from others, that your ſouls might injoy ſome freſh and refreſhing intercourſe with your beſt Beloved? How can you ſay, you love him, when you have no mind of his company? If you did indeed love him,Cant. 3.5. you would hold him, and not let him go,Amor meus, pondus meum. until you had (with the Spouſe) brought him into the Chambers of intimate communion, and ſolitary receſſes: Love is the weight of the ſoul, and draws it to the object beloved: If your hearts were raviſht with him you would take more pleaſure in converſing with him, you would bleſs God for an opportunity of injoying him: But this ſtrangeneſs ſpeaks a great defect in this noble grace: And would you be eſteemed ſuch as love not God? What a ſad thing is it to be low and ſcant in love to God under ſuch ſtrong engagements to love? Poor ſoul! have not thoſe ſilken ſilver cords of love which have been caſt about thee, drawn thee nearer, and bound thee faſter to thy God than thus? Have not ſuch bellows and incentives, kindled and increaſed thy ſpark of love into a flame? Lament thy ſin, and ſhame thy ſelf before thy God, for this decay of love, and dangerous neglect.
7. Do not you by theſe omiſſions declare your ſelves ingrateful to the grace of God? It's Gods way to hire ſouls to approach to him, by holding out promiſes of reward, as we do offer Apples, Fruit, &c. to children, to intice them to us: nor is it a Bait to couzen and inſnare us but real offers of kindneſs to us, whereof we may partake, and wherewith we may be happy: Suppoſe a Prince deſire a Beggars company, with expreſſions of dear affections, and promiſes of many kindneſſes, Is it not groſs ingratitude, if ſhe fling away, and ſcorn the motion? Or ſuppoſe a potent Perſon ſend to a poor man a loving meſſage, telling him he hath conſidered his caſe, and hath appointed time and place, that they two together may confer about the neceſſary concernments of this poor man; he ſhall have free admiſſion and liberty without diſturbance to preſent his petition, and ask what he will, and it ſhall be granted; none ſhall be preſent, but only they two ſhall converſe familiarly together, for the good of the poor man: But inſtead of a thankful acceptance of this kindneſs, the poor man picks quarrels with the meſſenger or meſſage, grows ſullen and perverſe, runs away and ſaith, I need neither his counſel nor aſſiſtance; Let him beſtow his kindneſs where he will, I will not meddle with him: Were not this groſs ingratitude? And how would it be taken? The caſe is thine, Soul that neglecteſt ſecret duties: the God of Heaven gives thee notice to meet him in ſuch a room, to negotiate freely the main concernments of thy precious ſoul, and thou art coy and ſhy, and wilt not come near him, but either plainly denieſt, or heedleſly delayeſt: Oh monſtrous folly! Oh groſs ingratitude! Be aſhamed of it, be humbled for it, thy God takes it ill that thou art ſo loath to be happy, that thou even forſakeſt thine own mercies, and wilt go twice as far another way to gratifie a friend, rather than go alone into thy Cloſet to pleaſe thy God and profit thy poor ſoul: How long muſt God watch and wait, and ſtrive and ſue, to have thy company; and thou doſt ſtill neglect and grow averſe thereto? Oh be aſhamed of it.
SECT. VI. Three more ſad Conſiderations for our Humiliation.
8. DO you not, by neglect of Secret Prayer, reſiſt the motions of the bleſſed Spirit? And is this no fault? Is it nothing to neglect communion with God the Father, or to improve the interceſſion of Jeſus Chriſt the Mediator, but you muſt alſo ſlight the motions of God, the bleſſed Spirit? This is ſad: How often doth the holy Ghoſt knock at your doors, ſtir you up, ſpur you forwards unto duty, and take you by the hand, offering its aſſiſtance if you'l go to God, and yet do you refuſe? Do you make nothing of quenching, grieving, yea vexing the good Spirit of God? Conſider what you do: as you deal with it, ſo it will deal with you; if you do not embrace its call, perhaps it will not be preſent at your call: And what can you do in duty, without it? If you ſtrive againſt it, it will ceaſe ſtriving with you: Be it known to you, you have not this Heavenly wind at your command; and you may toſs in the boat of duty long, but ſhall not approach the port without it: Nothing but the Spirit of God can carry thy ſoul to God: And what can excite and comfort thee when thy Aſſiſtant and Comforter is ſlighted and ſadned? Grieve therefore, Chriſtian, for thy grieving of the Spirit, lay to heart thy careleſs quenching of this holy fire; and let thoſe waters of luſt or negligence coſt thee the waters of godly ſorrow and repentance, that this ſin may not be laid to thy charge: Say as that Divine Poet—
And art thou grieved, ſweet and ſacred Dove
When I am ſowr,
And croſs thy Love?
Grieved for me? The God of ſtrength and power
Griev'd for a worm? which when I tread,
I paſs away and leave it dead:
See the reſt in Herbert's Poems, on Eph. 5.30. Pag. 128.
9. If you can only pray in company, what will you do when your company is gone? A time may come when you may be left alone, as Chriſt ſaith he was. You had need ingage the Father to be with you, that you may ſay as the Apoſtle, 1 John 1.3. Truly our fellowſhip is with the Father: 'Tis true, communion of Saints is deſirable, but external communion is not always attainable: you may be thruſt out by divine Providence, now it will be ſad to be at a loſs when perſons are alone: 'Tis a ſtrange expreſſion of ſome, that they know not how to live, it ſuch and ſuch Chriſtian friends or godly Relations be taken away; why what's the matter? Are they in the place of God? Is your ſpiritual life maintained by the leaden pipes, or by the living ſprings that ſtream through them? Alas, ſirs, if you more underſtood and uſed this art of drawing influences from God immediately through Chriſt by ſecret Prayer, you would not be ſo diſcouraged with the loſs of friends; you would ſay, Indeed 'tis true, my loſs is great, ſuch a one had a notable gift in Prayer, and ſpoke my very heart to God, but though he be gone, is my God gone? Is Prayer gone? Though I cannot get ſuch moving expreſſions as ſuch had, yet I opened my heart to God as I could in ſecret formerly; and there's the ſame refuge now, the ſame road unto this City and Sanctuary I went in, and therefore all my comfort is not gone, bleſſed be my God: But a poor ſoul that hath leaned upon the ſtaff of others inlargements will be ſhrewdly put to it when that ſtaff is gone: And, Is it not a great diſparagement to a noble and immortal Soul, that it cannot treat and entertain its God alone? What, cannot God and an Heaven born ſoul converſe together without Auxiliaries? Muſt another interpoſe as an inſtrument, without whom you cannot injoy communion with God? Be aſhamed of it, and chide your ſelves, as not acting ſuitably to your rational ſpirits, much leſs to a ſupernatural Principle of grace.
10. Laſtly, let me further demand of you, what if our Lord ſhould call you away and find you under the guilt of the neglect of this known duty? What confuſion, grief, and jealouſie would poſſeſs you if death arreſt you in ſuch a ſtate? What an hurry was forlorn Saul in, when the Philiſtines were upon him, and he had not offered ſacrifice unto God? And what a deſperate plunge will you be put to when the King of terrors is upon you, and you have not perſonally and privately been ſeeking God? Though you may be right and ſafe for the main, yet your ſpirits will be much perplexed, and you will ſuffer ſhrewd rebukes from your own conſciences for your omiſſions, and will be put to that laſt prayer of a dying Saint (eminent in the Church) The Lord forgive me my ſins of omiſſion; and poſſibly may want that ſpiritual ſolace in a dying hour that praying ſouls may have: Oh what a bleſſed thing will it be, if our dear Redeemer find a ſoul upon its knees before the Lord? Oh the hearty welcom it will give unto its God! This is the time he waited for, he was got into a corner, was ſighing for his ſins, pleading for mercy, breathing after grace, and panting for glory, and behold, what a quick return doth his God make? Even while he is ſpeaking and praying, the Lord doth ſend a guard of Angels to conduct the ſoul into eternal Manſions, where God and the ſoul ſhall part no more. Bleſſed, for ever happy is that ſoul whom its Lord, when he cometh ſhall find ſo doing! Now conſider of it, Whether ſtate would you be found in? And do not you know, his Coming may be ſudden and unexpected? Would you be found under neglect, or in the faithful performance of a duty? Would you not be carried from your Cloſet-devotion to eternal communion with God? Oh then take our Lord's moſt wholſom counſel, Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is, Mark 13.33.
I might here challenge Chriſtians alſo, not only for their neglect of, but careleſs performance of this duty of Cloſet-prayer: with what ſorry ſhifts do we put off God? How hard, dead, unbelieving, diſtracted are our hearts in ſecret? God takes much pleaſure in Adverbs: it pleaſeth not God that a duty be done, except it be well done. Many ſatisfie their own conſciences that they have prayed, but conſider not how they prayed: there's a curſe on ſuch as do the work of God negligently;Jer. 48.13. Mal. 1.14. and, that have in their flock a male, and offer to the Lord a corrupt thing: And it's a fearful thing to get a curſe upon our knees, when we come for a bleſſing: Look to it, God takes notice how you pray, the Devil ſtands under your Cloſet-window, and heareth what you ſay to God in ſecret, all the while ſtudying how he may commence a ſuit againſt you for your duty: Like thoſe that come to Sermons to carp or catch at what the Preacher ſaith; or (as one ſaith) like a cunning opponent in the Schools, while his adverſary is buſie reading his poſition, he is ſtudying to confute it; and oh, what advantage do we often give Satan to trip us and take us tardy? What occaſion do we afford him to accuſe us to God and to our ſelves, while we have our filthy garments on us? Yea remiſsneſs in our duties brings decay in grace. Tradeſmen may go behind hand by being careleſs in their dealings, as well as by being much out of their ſhops: Alas, what ſad decay is in our ſouls for want of cloſs and conſtant communion with God? We have very perverſe hearts, we have much ado with them; when we would do good, evil is preſent: it is our great ſin we are ſo much out of order, even upon our knees. Satan ſends his imps to haunt and torment ment us, he jogs our hand when we are to write a Letter to Heaven in our prayers; ſo that we can ſcarce make ſenſe of what we preſent to God: Our thoughts are unfixed, ranging abroad like a Spaniel to a thouſand objects, ſo that ſometimes we have loſt our ſelves, and know not where we are: Oh let us lament our vain and trifling ſpirits in ſecret duties, and turn us unto God for help, as a Servant, when the child he tends is troubleſom, and will not be ruled by him, calls out to the Father to come to him, who no ſooner ſpeaks the word, but all is whiſt with him; our God can ſet in order our unruly ſpirits, only he will be called upon by earneſt Prayer.
Thus much for this uſe.