Closet Prayer a Christian Duty, Treatise · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. The Third Ʋſe is of Inſtruction.
SECT. I.
MY next and main work is to help us in the duty of Cloſet-Prayer, by propounding ſome helps and rules for our direction: which I ſhall reduce to theſe four heads.
viz.
1. Preparatives to it.
2. Eſſentials in it.
3. Circumſtances about it.
4. Conſequences upon it.
1. Look to your State and ſtanding: If you be not real Saints, you are not fit for this ſpiritual duty: Your Relation muſt be changed by converting grace: Hence the Text ſaith, Pray to thy Father. See then that God be your Father in Jeſus Chriſt; elſe you cannot truly cry Abba, Father; If we muſt be reconciled to our Brother before we offer our gift, much more to God, for how can two walk together except they be agreed? I deny not but a carnal ſoul ſhould retire himſelf into a corner, examine his ſtate, fall down on his knees, and beg converting and pardoning grace; and thus they muſt acquaint themſelves with God, that they may come before him; for unſound unconverted ſinners have no right as children to call to the King of Heaven, though as creatures they may and muſt ſeek unto God, yet they worſhip afar off. 'Tis the gracious Chriſtian only that prayeth acceptably; wicked mens prayers are abomination; an hypocrite ſhall not come before him, John 13.16. And indeed, till you be real Saints, you'l have no mind to buckle cloſe to this duty: truth of grace will capacitate you for ſecret approaches to God; ſtrength of grace will elevate you to God; and evidence of ſincerity will make you come boldly to the Throne of Grace: Therefore try your ſtate, inquire what relation you have to God, or elſe expect no familiarity with him. God will not take the wicked by the hand to lead them into theſe Chambers of communion the throne of iniquity hath no fellowſhip with him. Our Lord Jeſus marrieth none but Widows that are divorced from all other Husbands, and he opens his heart to none but his betrothed Spouſe, her he leads into a ſolitary place and ſpeaks to her heart: Oh ſirs! come over clearly to God, by cloſing with Chriſt, renounce your ſelves, get united to him, and then come and welcom to enjoy communion with him in Cloſet-Prayer.
2. Diſpatch other things off your hearts and hands: Let not your earthly occaſions intrude into your Cloſet-Exerciſes: Say to the cares and affairs of the world as Abraham to his Servants, Stay there while I go and worſhip the Lord yonder: Or as Nehemiah in another caſe, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down to you: So do thou ſay, I have appointed other times and ſeaſons for attending worldly buſineſſes, let me alone with my God, every thing is beautiful in its ſeaſon: Communion with God is as much as I can attend at once, I muſt not be diverted by other objects, the buſineſs I am about is of the greateſt importance, I muſt conſult how I may attend upon the Lord without diſtraction, and worldly matters have diſtracted me in God's ſervice, and have coſt me many a tear; therefore get away from me. Why ſhould the work of the Lord ceaſe? Why ſhould I be hindred from my God? What can you afford me that can be worth one hours communion with my God? Thus do you actually renounce the world, for you cannot mind two things at once: And obſerve it, If you leave any matters of the world tarrying for your attendance, the thought of them will attend you, and make you cut your duties ſhort, and run away before your hearts be warmed: Therefore, if it may be, diſpatch them, however rid your hearts of them: The Heathen left their ſhooes at the Temple-doors, to ſhew that all earthly occaſions and affections muſt be left behind when we go to God.
Let vain or buſie thoughts have there no part,
Bring not thy Plow, thy Plots, thy Pleaſures thither,
Chriſt purg'd his Temple, ſo muſt thou thy heart,
All worldly thoughts are but thieves met together
To couzen thee— Herbert.
SECT. II. Two more Preparatives to Secret Prayer.
3. SEt your ſelves in Gods preſence: Although you be not within the view of any mortal creature, yet the eternal God ſees what you are a going about: So ſaith the Text, Your father ſees in ſecret, darkneſs or cloſsneſs hides not from him: and 'tis more that one God ſees you, than if all the men on earth gazed at you: His eyes are ten thouſand times brighter than the Sun, and he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity;Heb. 1.13. Pſal. 26.6. Pſal. 66.18. therefore waſh your hands in innocency before you compaſs his altar: For if you regard iniquity in your heart, God will not hear your prayer: Therefore ſet the Lord always before you, eſpecially now you are ſetting your ſelves before the Lord; if that Caveat was enough to beget reverence in an Heathen,Cave, ſpectat Cato. Cato ſees thee: Oh what reverence would the ſenſe of Gods omnipreſence beget in thy heart, if duly weighed? Chriſtians, weight your ſpirits with ſuch meditations as theſe, God's eye is never off me, I am daily walking in the Sun; but now, I am ſetting my ſelf to pray in ſecret; I come to appear before God in a ſpecial manner; I may deceive men and my ſelf, but God will not be mocked; I had need now engage my heart to approach unto God, that's the thing he looks for. Oh for a ſpirit ſuitable to ſuch a Majeſty whom I come to worſhip! Lord, draw out my affections, unite my heart, excite my graces that my whole Soul may be carried after God: Thus commit thy works to the Lord, and thy thoughts ſhall be eſtabliſhed:Pſal. 37.5. Prov. 16.3. when thou art ſetting thy face towards a duty, where thou art ſure to meet Satan, and carry with thee a corrupt deceitful heart, let God know from thy mouth whither thou art going, what thy fears are. Never (ſaith one) doth the ſoul march in ſo good order, as when it puts it ſelf under the conduct of God; and never is it ſo awful, as when it ſets it ſelf under the eye of God, Gen. 17.1. I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be thou perfect. When you ſenſibly diſcern you are kneeling before God, will not this make you perfect, ſincere, and grow holier? If you think God be not in your Cloſets, what do you go to pray there for? And if you know he ſees you there, why do you not think ſo, and ſet your ſelves as in his preſence? The child will ſtand demurely before his Father, the Scholar before his Maſter; and ſo will the gracious Soul before God in duty, if ſenſible of his preſence.
4. Muſter up your thoughts and wayes: Our thoughts and affections are like the ſtrings of an Inſtrument out of tune, and therefore we muſt take ſome pains to wind and skrue them up. This is that which Zophar adviſeth to, Job 11.13. to prepare the heart, and then ſtretch forth the hands: And for this end, it would not be amiſs when you come into a private room to pray in ſecret, firſt to read ſome portion of Scripture, which may be of uſe to compoſe your ſpirits; and like David's harp to Saul, drive away your wild imaginations: yea the word read, may afford you ſuitable matter of prayer to God. More particularly, let me add one experienced Help, which is this: When you are addreſſing your ſelves to God in ſecret Prayer, endeavour to fix your thoughts upon ſome particular ſubject to inlarge upon; there's no queſtion, but you have ſometimes one ſpecial errand to God, ſometimes another, if you obſerve your condition well; be ſure to mind that, whether it be to confeſs ſome predominant ſin, to beg pardon of it, power againſt it. You may have in your eye ſome grace that you need more than ordinarily, and ſee your weakneſs and defect therein, &c. Now do not ſatisfie your ſelves in running out into generals only, but ſet your ſelves to plead the cauſe of your ſouls in that very caſe, which you have found out by ſerious inquiry, would moſt ingage you at that time to go to God about; expatiate principally upon that ſubject: And this I conceive to be a taking to our ſelves words (which the Holy Ghoſt directeth us to,Hoſ. 14.2. foreign Verbum, res, negotium: Vid. Buxt. lex. in Prayer) not a form of ſuch and ſuch phraſes, but ſome ſpecial ſubject matter to ſpeak to our God about: the word in Hebrew imports ſo much.
Now an intent and earneſt purſuit of ſuch a ſpecial ſubject at the Throne of Grace is of uſe in theſe two reſpects:
1. You will find it an help againſt diſtractions, wandrings, withdrawings from God; when you purpoſely ſet your ſelves to mind one thing, you'l be more intent upon it, and lay out more pains about it, than when you allow your ſelves liberty in variety of matter. When the ſtream runs one way,Vis unita fortior. 'tis ſtronger than diſperſed into ſeveral channels, ſo, when the Chriſtian unites his ſtrength to plead with God about a particular buſineſs, he is uſually more warm and affectionate, and ſo leſs ſubject to diſtraction.
2. It will help you to enlarge your ſelves in ſpreading particular caſes before the Lord, in pat and proper expreſſions, even before others as you have a call and opportunity; and this is that which is called, the gift of Prayer, which is of ſingular uſe, when a perſon can particularly and pathetically lay open a condition, plead with God, improve promiſes, and rationally expoſtulate even with the Almighty about a ſpiritual or temporal concernment: This holy Art is got by a frequency in ſecret Prayer, and particular pleading for a mans own ſoul: This is the laſt preparatory; think before-hand what buſineſs you have to God in a peculiar manner, and drive that nail (as it were) to the head: you cannot think to ſpeak of all things to God at one time, but take that which is of preſent emergent uſe and importance, and ſet your ſelves to inlarge upon that; follow that home till you feel your hearts be warmed and affected, and ſo have ſome tokens for good that God will return a ſenſible anſwer: You'l ſay, Muſt we thus prepare our ſelves before every duty of ſecret Prayer; we have not time for it? I ſhall anſwer this in the words of my dear and reverend Father Angier: His Book, called An help to better hearts for better times, Pag. 196, 197. read more of this Subject.there are ſome ſeparating duties that prepare for others, as examination, meditation, prayer; and they do prepare by ſtirring up the grace of God, and providing an heavenly aſſiſtance to begin with us in the duty: If thou canſt not always have ſeparating time betwixt other occaſions and Gods worſhip, yet have ſome ſeparating thoughts ere thou enter upon the duty; thou art not fit elſe to meddle with wiſdom: Thus he. 'Tis true, ſome have not the leiſure that others have, yet ſo much preparation is neceſſary for every duty as may withdraw the heart from other objects, and weight the Spirit with a due ſenſe of the work we have in hand, and ſometimes this may be done ſuddenly; yet as for ſuch as have more time to work upon their hearts, and ſtate their ſouls caſe by muſtering up themſelves to the work, neglect a duty and cannot groundedly expect the Lords preſence: and this I conceive is the reaſon why the Lords people miſs of God in ſecret Prayer, at leaſt one reaſon is, becauſe they do not make ſuch conſcience, and take ſuch care of preparing their hearts as they ought: Ah Chriſtians, when you come into your Cloſet, ſit down and pauſe a little, before you fall down upon your knees, clear up your ſtate, ſhake off other buſineſs, ſet your ſelves in Gods preſence, and muſter up your ſins or wants, or mercies you purpoſe to ſpread before the Lord; a Client will conſider all his matters, before he come to ſtate his caſe to his advocate; a poor patient will bethink himſelf, how he is, that he may tell his ailings to his Phyſitian; and a petitioner will not go hand over head unto his Prince, but order his cauſe before hand, that he may plead it more effectually: And ſhall not we much more prepare our ſelves to wait upon the God of Heaven.
SECT. III. Directions concerning the eſſentials of ſecret Prayer.
2. THe ſecond ſort of rules is concerning ſome things eſſentially requiſite to the right performance of the duty of ſecret Prayer, which you are to look to in the duty; and theſe are ſuch as are required in all ſorts of Prayer.
viz. that it be performed,
1. With the heart.
2. By the help of the ſpirit.
3. According to Gods will.
4. In the name of Chriſt.
1. Secret Prayer muſt he hearty Prayer: an heartleſs duty is a worthleſs duty; yea the whole heart muſt be ingaged in it, Pſal. 119.10. With my whole heart have I ſought thee: It is the heart that God chiefly looks after, Prov. 23.26. My Son, give me thy heart: nothing elſe can pleaſe God, if the heart be wanting; if the heart be ingaged in the duty, he will rather diſpenſe with other weakneſſes, where there's not wilful negligence: Obſerve it, in that worſhip of God we perform with others, a mans gifts may be of uſe, though his heart go not along with his voice; but in Cloſet-Prayer it doth no good at all, except the heart be ingaged; therefore God principally requires the heart in other duties, in this he only requires the heart, for the voice is not neceſſary: To love and ſerve the Lord our God with all our heart,Mark 12.30, 33. ſoul, mind, ſtrength, is a keeping of the Law, and more than all whole burnt-offerings and ſacrifices: We ſhould pray with every faculty of the ſoul, and with the utmoſt ſtrength of every faculty:Mat. 15.8, 9. God deſerves and requires our ſtrongeſt affections: That's but a vain worſhip that's performed without the heart; right attendance on God is an ingaging the heart to approach to God: Chriſtians,Jer. 30.21. in all your addreſſes to God, mind the object of worſhip; let the ſubject worſhipping, and object worſhipped, be cloſly united; look beyond the duty: it's one thing to have communion with an Ordinance, and another thing to have communion with God in an Ordinance. Gods dear Children know what this means; for ſometimes they are more taken up with expreſſions, affections, or ſome accidentals in the performance, than with the object of worſhip they ſhould be intent upon: But this is very dangerous; for whatſoever interpoſeth betwixt the ſoul and God, to divert the thoughts from God, is an Idol: foreign. 70.Ezek. 14.3. Theſe men have ſet up their Idols in their hearts. Sept. reads it, they have put their thoughts upon their hearts, i e. They have committed Idolatry with their own imaginations: inſtead of worſhipping God, their minds have ſtuck upon ſomething ſhort of God, after which they have (as it were) run a whoring even in the duty. I ſhall not deliver that as the ſenſe of the place, yet it may be an uſeful note: I fear many of us are guilty of a kind of ſpiritual fine-ſpun Idolatry, by heterogeneal thoughts in holy duties, that pluck us from God, when we are approaching to him. The Lord humble us for this, and fix our thoughts upon God, that we may ſay as the Church, Iſa. 26.8. The deſire of our ſoul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. Cyprian ſaith,Cogitatio omnis ſecularis & carnalis at ſced, nec quicquam tunc animus, quam id ſolum cogitet quod precatur: ideo & ſacerdos ante Orationē prefatione praemiſſa, parat ſratrum mentes, Dicendo, ſurſam corda, ut dura reſpondet plebs, Habemus ad Dominum, ad moneatur nihil aliud ſe, quam Dominum cogitare debere. C…p. Serm. de orat. D…m. p 246. every ſecular thought muſt depart, and the mind muſt be taken up with nothing but what we are about: he tells, the practice of the Church in his time was, that the Miniſter before Prayer, prepares the peoples mind, ſaying [Surſum corda] Lift up your hearts, and they anſwer [Habemus ad dominum] we have them up to the Lord: whereby, ſaith he, we are admoniſhed, that in Prayer we muſt think of nothing but the Lord: What the Miniſter ſaid to the People, do you ſay to your ſelves; [Surſum corda] lift up your hearts: Let every one ſay, I am now worſhipping an Heart-ſearching God. Oh that my heart were with God.Aſcenſus mentis ad Deum. Luth. Coll…q. myſt fol. 239. The Ancients (ſaith Luther) finely deſcribed Prayer, to be an aſcent of the mind to God: Oh that I did experimentally know, what this means in Syntaxi, i. e. in coupling and joyning of my heart to God. Lord, gather in my roving and wandring ſpirit: This is the firſt direction, Mind the frame of your hearts.
2. Implore and expect the Spirits aſſiſtance: Prayer muſt be by the Spirits inlarging influence; hence it is called the ſpirit of grace and ſupplication:Zech. 12.10. Rom. 8.26. it helps our infirmities by making ſouls to cry out Abba Father, with unutterable groans: A Chriſtian ſhould ſpread the ſails of his ſoul for the gales of Gods grace, which will carry the praying Saint apace towards God, yea and reach the ear of God, for he knoweth the mind of the Spirit:Phil. 3.3. Jude 20. This is that which is called, a worſhipping God in the ſpirit, a praying in the holy Ghoſt, i. e. either as to the matter of the Prayer dictated by the Spirit, or as to the manner of praying, the ſoul being actuated by the holy Ghoſt:See Mark 11.36. & 13.11. For I conceive it may import the former as well as the latter, as other Scriptures compared hold forth: Alas, fleſh and blood will put up ſuch petitions as God will not accept, or in ſuch a manner as is no way ſuitable to his ſpiritual Nature: The truth is, Chriſtians, you will but bungle at the work without this help of Gods Spirit, and God will take notice of you except he hear his own language: do not think you can wreſtle out the buſineſs your ſelves, you muſt be beholding to God for help in Prayer, as well as for hearing your Prayer; your own ſpirits will not carry you to Heaven: that which is from the earth is earthly, and riſeth no higher than earth, but the holy Ghoſt will elevate your ſouls to God: Therefore, I beſeech you, Sirs, beg the Spirit, yield to its motions, improve its operations; ſay when you are going to duty, Lord, now ſtir up thy ſelf, and ſtir up thy grace in my heart: Awake, oh North-wind, and come; thou South, blow upon thy Garden, Cant. 4.16. [My Soul] that the ſpices thereof may flow out [that graces may be exerciſed and exerted:] Lord, I am low, flat, hard; ſend the powerful arm of thy bleſſed Spirit to work all gracious diſpoſitions in me, and raiſe up my affections to thee: I ſee I am below the duty, and infinitely below thee in the duty, but thou, and thou alone canſt raiſe me up, quicken, ſoften my dead and rocky heart; come Lord, and ſhew thy powerful Arm, let it appear what God can do for a ſorry worm. Oh lift me up to thee, that my ſoul may enjoy ſome ſweet communion with thee: Send thy ſpirit to fetch in my wanton wandring heart: Oh for ſome fire from Heaven to burn up my ſacrifice, or elſe it will lye like a lump of fleſh, and be no true Holocauſt of pure Incenſe before thee: Let thy Spirit ſcatter theſe miſts of ignorance, and drive away theſe flies of diſtracting thoughts, that my heart may be with thee, and my performance may be as ſweet ſavour in the noſtrils of God.
SECT. IV. More Eſſentials in ſecret Prayer.
A Third ingredient in Prayer is, that it be according to God's will; it muſt have a warrant from the Word; a word of Precept, or Promiſe, or Example, muſt be the ground of our petitions: a command is our warrant, a promiſe our incouragement; an example is our tract, and the footſteps of the flock wherein we muſt walk: He that asks amiſs ſhall not ſpeed, but if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us; and then we know we have the petitions that we deſired of him, 1 Joh. 5.14, 15. Now, we ask according to his will, when both the matter of our petition is aright, and our end in asking is Gods glory, and our own or others ſpiritual good: otherwiſe, if we ask of God what we conceit to be a mercy, and have not asked counſel at God's mouth; or ask ſo as to conſume it upon our luſts, we may well meet with a denial: My friends, you may not ſay what you pleaſe in the preſence of God. Conſider, God is in Heaven, you are on Earth, therefore be not raſh with your mouth, and let not your heart be haſty to utter any thing before God, let your words be few, and well weighed, Eccleſ. 5.2. The work you are about is a ſolemn buſineſs, do not ramble in extravagant deſires of unlawful things; think not that God will patronize your luſts: and when you have asked that which you conceive is according to his will, refer it wholly to his Will, ſay, The Will of the Lord be done: ſubmit your ſelves to his diſpoſe, for time, manner, means, and all circumſtances for giving of it: ask temporal mercies conditionally, and ſpiritual Comforts with ſubmiſſion to Gods will; learn that petition, Thy will be done, to pray it, as well as ſay it. Indeed Luther could ſay, Let thy will be done, but he come off with this, My will, Lord, becauſe my will is melted into thine, there's but one will betwixt us: Let God's will be your will; 'tis fit it ſhould be ſo, our heavenly Father is wiſer than we: Conſider,Haec repraeſentatio debet eſſe ſubmiſſa & humilis: alias enim non eſſet precatio religioſa à creatura ſubdita, ad ſupremum Numen & Creatorem directa; ſed, vel imperium ſuperioris ergo inferiorem, vel quaſi familiaris collocutio, quatis eſt inter aequales: Ameſ. medull. theol. lib. 2.6. p. 255. a man cannot pray in faith, for that which he hath no warrant to ask: Beſides, Ameſius ſaith, If a man come not with an humble ſubmiſſion to Gods will, it were not a religious prayer directed to the ſupream Creator, but a kind of command by a ſuperiour to an inferiour, or a familiar diſcourſe as amongſt equals: Therefore let us humbly plead Gods. Will as Abraham did, Gen. 18.27. Further conſider, the deſign of Prayer is not to incline God before unwilling, to our mind and deſire; for with him there is no variableneſs nor ſhadow of change; but that we may obtain of him by Prayer what we know afore-hand he is willing to give: Laſtly, conſider we Chriſts example, Mat. 26.39. If it be poſſible, let this cup paſs from me, nevertheleſs, not as I will, but as thou wilt: This is right praying, to ground our petition upon a promiſe, yet freely to leave all at Gods feet, to diſpoſe of us as he ſees good: Our prayers and Gods promiſes ſhould point towards each other as thoſe two figures 9 and 6. Promiſes do bend downwards, and after the ſame motion muſt our prayers aſcend upwards; ſo will there be a bleſſed harmony and ſeaſonable return: This is the third Direction; Let your Prayers be warranted by the Word.
4. Improve your Advocate, Joh. 14.13. Whatſoever you ask in my name, that will I do: To ask any thing in his name is not, rudely, cuſtomarily, or complementally to conclude with theſe words, Through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, &c. but, in confidence of his merit and interceſſion to call upon our heavenly Father, as Daniel pleads, for the Lords ſake, Dan. 9.17. For, ſince the Fall, none can come immediately to God but through a Mediator; nor are we to fetch a compaſs by the groundleſs invocation of Saints and Angels: I hope you have otherwiſe learned Chriſt: I am moſt afraid in the practick part, that, in particular acts (at leaſt) precious Souls are in danger to miſcarry, eſpecially in Cloſet-Prayer; when a Chriſtian is got alone, and there finds a ſweet gale of the bleſſed Spirit, helping his heart to mourn for ſin, bewail his miſery, plead for mercy, and giving God the glory due unto his name; oh then he goes away much ſatisfied, and God muſt needs accept his perſon and hear his Prayer: Why ſo? Why he hath ſound abundant aſſiſtance, meltings, quicknings, and inlargements: Alas Sirs, where is Chriſt all this while? I am afraid your advocate is quite forgotten, your ſurety ſet aſide as a poor inſignificant Cypher: And tell me, ſoul, thou that boaſteſt thus of thy inlargements, dareſt thou appear before an holy God in thoſe rotten rags? Suppoſe thy rags be Velvet, they are but rags ſtill, and are too ſcant a garment for thy naked ſoul; thou comeſt to unlock the ear of God, and open his heart with a wrong key; we are accepted only in the Beloved, and not becauſe we are inlarged. 'Tis true, evangelical aſſiſtance may be a ſign of acceptance, but 'tis no cauſe thereof: No no, our perſons and prayers are owned only upon the account of our ſurety and interceſſour: Our dear Lord Jeſus, who dyed for us, he lyes leager at the Court of Heaven as our Ambaſſador, to plead for us, and to ſee matters carried fairly, betwixt God and ranſomed ſouls, and ſhall we not imploy our advocate, and find him work? Or ſhall we think to go our own errand? Lord, forgive this groſs ingratitude: Oh Chriſtians, whatever your ſtraitneſs or inlargements be, make uſe of him, who is at Gods right hand, lay your ſacrifices on this golden Altar; lay the whole ſtreſs of your acceptance upon Chriſts meritorious interceſſion; act faith on him who mingles his ſweet incenſe with your ſorry performances: Oh look after our Aaron who is gone into the Holy of Holies for us: Conſider, friends, it would be ſad with you if you were to be judged according to the beſt ſecret duties that ever you performed: It's good to have an inlarged heart in ſecret, yet there's danger in it, and it may undo us, becauſe our naughty hearts are apt to boaſt of, and truſt to our inlargements; therefore 'tis better for us ſometimes to be ſtraitned than conſtantly inlarged in our Cloſet-Prayers: This is that which hath made ſome ſay that their duties have done them more hurt than their infirmities; and the reaſon is plain, becauſe our corrupt hearts are ſo apt to depend upon the former, when as we are daunted and emptied of our ſelves by conſidering the latter: The Lord help us all in this main buſin…ſs of Prayer, yea this principal part of our religion, to depend wholly upon the righteouſneſs and interceſſion of Jeſus Chriſt; for acceſs to, and acceptance with God: Study theſe Scriptures, Joh. 16.23, 24. Eph. 3.13. Heb. 4.15, 16.10.19, 20, 21, 22. Phil. 3.3, 18. The Goſpel is full of this, yea, this is the main hinge of our Religion: you are not Chriſtians, unleſs you make Jehovah your righteouſneſs in all you do, as well as God your ultimate end: You'l go away as the proud Phariſee without acceptance, if you plead your inlargements with God: but if you come as the Publican, pleading only Gods mercy and Chriſts merits, you ſhall be owned and crowned with abundant incomes.
There are alſo ſeveral other neceſſary Ingredients in all prayer, which I might urge with reference to this duty of ſecret Prayer, as 1. A right underſtanding, 1 Cor. 14.15. I will pray with underſtanding: For blind devotion is not pleaſing to God: 2. A ſenſible feeling of our wants, we muſt come weary and heavy laden, Mat. 11.28. Preſſed with the guilt of ſin, pinched with want of grace: 3. Fervency of ſpirit, James 5.17. ariſing from a conſideration of the neceſſity and excellency of what we deſire, burning Zeal: 4. A reverent diſpoſition, Eccl. 5.2. an unfeigned abaſing of our ſelves before him, from the ſenſe of his infinite Majeſty and our own indignity: 5. Secret perſwaſions of prevailing, 1 Tim. 2.8. grounded on Gods All ſufficiency and Fidelity, though the ſoul be unworthy: 6. A charitable diſpoſition, forgiving others, Mat. 6.14. bearing an endeared affection to all Saints: 7. Perſeverance in Prayer, holding on without ceſſation, Eph. 6.18. Following God in the duty all our dayes: Such as theſe conſtitutive ingredients eſſentially requiſite in the duty of Prayer, I might urge, but muſt contract.
This is the ſecond ſort of Directions.