Closet Prayer a Christian Duty, Treatise · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. The circumſtances of Secret Prayer, opened.
SECT. I.
THe third head of Inſtructions concerning Cloſet-Prayer, is the Circumſtances that attend it, which may be a great furtherance or hinderance in this performance. Theſe are four:
Referring either to the
1. Place.
2. Poſture.
3. Seaſon.
4. Voice.
I ſhall but briefly touch at theſe.
1. For the Place, I adviſe you to chuſe the moſt retired room, where you may be freeſt from diſturbance, that you may not hear the noiſe of the family or diſtracting commotions of a tumultuous world: be not curious in the choice of a place, ſo it accompliſh your end for ſecrecy or retirement; no matter how homely it be, the ſweetneſs of the company will compenſate the meanneſs of the place; Lovers care not where they meet, ſo they may conveniently be together: If you have not a convenient room within doors, yet a good heart will not diſdain to go meet its Beloved in any coat, or barn, or wood: Iſaac walkt out into the Fields to pray and meditate: See you chuſe a private place wherever it be, according to the nature of the duty, before opened to you; obſerve God's providence in diſpoſing of you, and accept ſuch place as he ſhall offer to you.
2. For Poſture; In general, ſee that you uſe an humble geſture, there are examples of ſeveral laudable geſtures in prayer; ſometimes we find Saints ſtanding, ordinarily kneeling, ſpreading forth their hands, lifting up their eyes towards Heaven; ſometimes proſtrating the body all along upon the Earth before the Lord; you may do in this as you find moſt advantageous in your experience: no univerſal rules can be given as to theſe particular circumſtances; only ſee that your Cloſet-Prayers be with as much reverence as if you were before others, conſider, your bodies are Gods, and muſt be preſented as a ſacrifice to God: He will be worſhipped with the outward as well as inward man; you cannot without dangerous ſacriledge rob him of either: Beſides, obſerve it, there is both evidence and aſſiſtance in the bodies humble geſture; it is an help to make you humble, and 'tis a ſign that you are humble: But on the contrary, an unſuitable ſight and poſition of the body in Gods ſervice, is a ſad ſign of an unhumbled ſoul,Cogitemus, nos ſub conſpectu Dei ſtare: placendam eſt Divinis …ulis & habitu corporis & m…de vocis: Cyp. Serm. in Orat. Dom. p. 409. and hinders humiliation: Therefore though you be never ſo ſolitary, yet remember, your Father in Heaven ſees you. Therefor as Cyprian exhorts) let us conſider we ſtand under the preſence of God, and ſeek to pleaſe the Divin…h in the habit of our body, and manner o… Think of this Rule.
3. For the Seaſon, The Apoſtle ſaith; Pray continually, or without ceaſing, yet there are ſome (as it were) canonical hours of Prayer, wherein a Chriſtian's diſcretion muſt interpoſe: only in this caſe, take the fitteſt ſeaſons for ſecret Prayer, as when you are moſt at leiſure from worldly buſineſs, moſt free from company, leaſt in danger of drouzineſs: Oh Chriſtians, if it be poſſible, put not off your ſecret devotions too long, till you go to bed; then you are fitter for reſt and ſleep than for wreſtling with God on your knees: And then, for the frequency, no certain rule can be given: David and Daniel prayed three times a day, Pſal. 55.17. Dan. 6.10.mourning, noon, and night: Noon-time was the ſixth hour, which was alſo a time of Prayer, (Act. 10.9.) others alſo obſerved the ninth hour, which was three a clock in the afternoon (Act. 3.1.Dr. Ham. pract. Cat. l. 3. Sect. 2. p. 274.) Certainly the third hour, i. e. nine in the morning, was an hour of Prayer, (Acts 2.15.) and ſo was evening, ſix at night, ſay ſome. David adds a ſeventh in Pſal. 119.164. Seven times a day will I praiſe thee, which may only denote frequency in the duty: Some of theſe may ſeem extraordinary caſes: The ordinary ſeaſons the Saints have taken,Exod. 29.38, 39. Pſal. 5.3. & 88.13. & 141.2. have been morning and evening, according to the Jews ſacrifice of a Lamb at thoſe ſeaſons. In the morning our ſpirits are freſh and lively: at evening we may find the by-paſt matters of the day, a fit occaſion for Prayer and Praiſe: it would do well to take Iſaac's ſeaſon for devotion, even about ſun-ſet, or the ſhutting in of the day; but I ſhall not too peremptorily impoſe in theſe undetermined circumſtances, only take that general rule, 1 Pet. 4.7. Watch unto Prayer: That's the third.
4. For the Voice, The articulate ſound of words is not abſolutely neceſſary in Prayer, and it may be not ſo convenient in Cloſet-Prayer, which ſhould be managed privately betwixt God and a mans own ſoul, approving the heart to God as ſole witneſſe of his ſincerity; except through ſome extaſie and ſtrong motion of the affections, the ſoul's deſires break out in the lips beyond its firſt intentions: I know, Mr. John Carter, that eminent man of God, did purpoſely uſe his voice in ſecret prayer for theſe two reaſons,Mr. Clark, in his life. 1 Becauſe he ſound it an help to his affections, 2. Becauſe it was an example to his family: I muſt not therefore lay any neceſſity in theſe variable circumſtances, only I humbly conceive, it is moſt ſuitable to the nature of Cloſet-Prayer, to perform it ſo as none elſe may take notice thereof: Give me leave to mention a few paſſages out of Cyprian to this purpoſe,Nam, ut impudentis eis clamoribus ſtrepere, itae contra congruit verocundo modeſtis, precibus or are: Quia Deus non vocis, ſed cordis auditor eſt: Et Paulo poſt, Quod Anni in primo Regno um libro, Eccleſiae typum portans, cuſtodit & ſervat: Quae Dominum non clamoſa petitione, ſed tacite & modeſte intrae ipſas pectoris latebras precabatu… Loquebatur prece occulta, ſed man fe…a fide: Cypr. Serm. de Orat. Dom. p. 409. 410. 'tis a token of unmannerly impudence, to make a noiſe with loud clamours, but 'tis moſt ſuitable to a modeſt ſpirit, to pray with ſilent grones. For God is the hearer not of the voice, but of the heart: He makes Hannah a type of the Church, who prayed not with clamorous petitions, but with working affections within the lurking holes (as it were) of her breaſt; ſhe ſpake with hidden Prayer, but manifeſt faith: So he.
Thus much for circumſtances of Cloſet-Prayer, wherein I am more ſhort and ſhie in impoſing any thing on the people of God, which God hath left free in his Word: Only in general take notice, that though accidental circumſtances that concern a duty be mutable, yet by the wiſe ordering of thoſe circumſtances, they will become ſingular helps in the managing of a duty.
SECT. II. Duties concomitant to Cloſet-Prayer.
4. THE laſt ſort of duties and directions concerning Cloſet-Prayer, are ſuch as are to be practiſed after the duty is performed, which I call conſequent, or concomitant duties. Theſe are four,
Viz.
1. Obſerving God's appearances.
2. Walking ſuitably.
3. Waiting for returns.
4. Communicating experiences.
1. When you have been before the Lord in Cloſet-Prayer, obſerve how God hath been dealing with your hearts, that you may be ſuitably diſpoſed and affected: If the Lord hath with-drawn himſelf from you, left you under hardneſs, deadneſſe, diſtraction, uncomfortableneſſe; you are to mourn for it, inquire the cauſe of it, reflect upon your ſelves, ſee what guilt there is upon conſcience, which ſeparates betwixt God and your ſouls: And then (if time permit) fall to't again, lament the ſin; be ingenuous in confeſſion, make ſtronger reſolutions, remove all obſtructions, that God and your ſouls may not be at any diſtance, reckon ſtreight, and make up your accounts, part friends, that you may meet friends the next time you go to him: If you find that God hath helped, melted, and graciouſly manifeſted himſelf to your ſouls, take ſpecial notice of it, record that for time to come, ſlight not the leaſt appearances of God, own him in, praiſe him for theſe ſweet manifeſtations of his love: Learn this leſſon even of Hagar the bond-woman: when ſhe was in a ſolitary Wilderneſſe, the Angel of the Lord comforts her, tells her God had heard her affliction, ſhe was with child, her ſeed ſhould be multiplied, ſhe in an anſwerable return to God for his kindneſſe, ſets an Aſteriſm of Obſervation upon the place, as a memorial of God's ſeeing, and looking after her, So the well was called Beer-la-hai-roi, i. e. the Well of him that liveth, and ſeeth me, Gen. 16.13, 14. Thus do you: think and think again, Oh, who, or what am I, that God ſhould look after me, or take notice of me in this deſolate ſtate and place! I ſhall remember this time of love whileſt I live, in ſuch a room I met with God, ſuch a Chamber or C…oſet was a Bethel, a Mount Nebo, a Sycomore-tree, where I beheld my Jeſus, and took a bleſſed view of the promiſed land.— Thus Chriſtians, reflect upon, and recollect your experiences in Gods preſence; which may be of uſe unto you all your daies,
2. Let your cariages at all times be ſutable to your cloſet prayers; let it appear that you are wholly devoted to God: croſs not your prayers with your practiſes, pray much & live well: Let it appear you have been with God, that you have been drawing your influences from the ſpring-head; walk with men as thoſe that walk with God: Let the ſmell and ſavour of your heavenly converſings break forth in your gracious expreſſions, and exemplary converſations: Live not after the ordinary rate of profeſſors: As your heart is God-wards, ſo let your light be Men-wards, that they may ſee your good works, and glorifie God: Carry ſomething out of your Cloſets, that may hold forth the word of life and work of grace; be able to ſay in works what David ſpeaks in words, Pſ. 119.55, 56. After he had ſaid, He remembred Gods name in the night, he adds, This I had, becauſe I kept thy precepts: He tells not what it was, but certainly ſomething it was, worth having: Poſſibly, it was ſome ſtrength to obey the will of God, ſome power over a corruption: Oh Chriſtians, let your actions demonſtrate what you get in Gods preſence: What a ſin and ſhame is it, when perſons do that morally that Moſes did literally, Even come down from the mount, and break the tables of God's Law, as ſoon as they are off the place? Oh how ſad is't for a ſoul to come down from Cloſet-prayer, and be proud, paſſionate, envious, or covetous? And obſerve it; then you are moſt in danger: for then doth Satan tempt moſt, and your hearts are then moſt apt to be ſecure, conceited, and carnally confident, as though you had done enough, and might now ſit down and take your eaſe: And having ſweat at duty, and ſuddenly cooling, the gracious ſoul doth contract a dangerous ſurfeit, and fall into a languiſhing condition: Be jealous therefore of your ſelves when you have been with God in ſecret, and have an eye upon the devil, who is like a cheater who ſtrikes in with a young heir, when he hath newly received his rents, and never leaves him till he hath eaſed him of his money: Oh now walk warily and watchfully, conſider where you have been, and do nothing contrary to your communion or profeſſion: Let it never be ſaid of you as ſome are apt to ſay, I wonder what ſuch perſons do ſo much alone! unleſs they lived better, and carried themſelves after another order: they pretend devotion, but there's little ſeen in their converſation, they will talk as vainly, live as wantonly, be as hard and falſe in their way of trading, and be as proud, ſcornful, perfidious and injurious as others are: Ah Chriſtians, let it never be ſaid thus; at leaſt give no occaſion of ſuch ſpeeches: Let the world ſee, your Prayers have ſome efficacy; that you get ſome ſtrength in duties which you lay out in your practices.
SECT. III. Further duties after Cloſet-Prayer.
3. ANother duty after you have been with God in ſecret, is, To expect a ſeaſonable return: Stand upon your watch, hearken what God will ſpeak; Ʋnto thee, ſaith David, will I direct my Prayer, and will look up, Pſal. 5.3. So do you: Chriſtians, look up to ſee what becomes of your Prayers, obſerve what anſwers God gives in. It is an unmannerly mocking another, (Pilate-like) to ask a queſtion and expect no anſwer: and is not this a groſs ſoloeciſm in Religion, to ſpeak many things to God, and expect no return? 'Tis certainly a great fault among Chriſtians, to pray and pray, and never to conſider or gather up the fruits of Prayer: Is it not a ſtrange piece of folly, for men to be alwayes ſowing, and never to look for an harveſt? Surely Chriſtians have more harveſts than they are aware of: Therefore, Sirs, obſerve how you reap, take ſpecial notice of any thing that looks like a Return of Prayer; examine it throughly, gather ſomething out of it, catch at what comes from the King of Heaven, as Benhadad's ſervants did by the King of Iſraels words; and if there be but an hint, lay it up, make much of it, improve it, praiſe God for it, and hope for more: It is the negligence or unwarrantable modeſty of ſome Chriſtians, to think that they can expect no fruit of their Prayers, becauſe of the imperfection of their duties, forgetting Gods gracious Promiſe to upright-hearted ſeekers, by remembring his ſtrict Juſtice to ſuch as ſeek him not in the due order: But ſirs, you muſt ſo be humble, as alſo to believe, ſo deny your own righteouſneſs, as alſo to improve Chriſts interceſſion; you are to renounce all conceits of merit in your ſelves, and yet look up for mercy from God. God hath graciouſly annexed his promiſe of acceptance to the performance of the condition; and if God have aſſiſted you to pray right for the main, you may expect his audience:1 Joh. 1.9. 2 Tim. 4.8. for, God is faithful and merciful, both in forgiving our iniquities, and giving us mercies: Gods anſwers are larger than our askings; when we truly pray for a piece of bread, God giveth a whole acre of Land: as Luther ſaith, and tells us, That when his wife was ſick, he prayed to God that ſhe might live:Luth. Colloq. menſ. fol. 245. ſo ſaith he, He not only granted that requeſt, but alſo therewith he hath given us a goodly Farm at Zolfdorf, and thereto hath bleſſed us with a fruitful year. Inſtances of this ſort are endleſs: There's never a ſincere Prayer loſt; God always gives in returns, only we either do not obſerve or miſtake them, and loſe the comfort of them: An anſwer of Prayer doth not alwayes come in the way we expect it; we look for it at the fore-door, and it comes in at the back-door, and while we are ſtill expecting the friend we look for, he is in the houſe; the mercy we deſired is received, only it comes in a way we thought not of, and are therefore apt to overlook it: Therefore take heed of confining God to your way or limiting him to your time: That's the third.
4. Communicate your experiments: And thereby commend this duty to others: Thus David, Come, ſaith he, and I will declare what he hath done for my ſoul; Pſal. 66.16. This poor man cryed, and the Lord heard him, Pſal. 34.6. — Do you as I have done, and you ſhall ſpeed as I have ſped. Do not miſtake this: I would not have you tell every one when you go to Cloſet-Prayer, or when you have been at it (that's a Phariſaical blowing a Trumpet) but you muſt, at ſome times, to ſuch perſons as you can confide in, or that you have ſome grounded hopes of doing good to, tell them your experiences, for their direction and incouragement; in this caſe, acquaint them how God is wont to deal with your hearts, what good you have found from God in that duty, and you queſtion not but upon a conſcientious uſe thereof they may find the like advantage: And this would be of ſingular uſe; for hereby they have not only a rule for it, but the exemplifying of it in a Precedent; and we know Examples are of a prevailing nature: Eſpecially, ſee that you put your families upon this practice; Oh what a bleſſed thing were it, if every perſon in ſeveral rooms of the Houſe were at work with God in ſecret Prayer! How bravely would that houſe be perfumed? How well would the Trade of godlineſs thrive? Surely ſuch an Houſe were a more bleſſed beautiful edifice than any Princes Palace under Heaven: It's the diſpoſition of Goſpel-penitents to mourn every family apart, husbands & wives apart, Zech. 12.11, 12. And of gracious ſouls, to be like Doves of the valleys, every one mourning for his iniquity, Eze. 7.16. There muſt be joynt-Prayers and ſeparated Prayers together and apart: Let not Chriſtians be content to find Chriſt in a Corner for themſelves, but let them do what they can that others alſo may enjoy him: this was the frame of the Church or believing Soul, Cant. 3.4. When ſhe had found him, I held him, ſaith ſhe, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my Mothers houſe, i. e. into more publick aſſemblies: And truly, Chriſtians, that man hath not found Chriſt at all that would not have all others to find him; Oh, thinks the Chriſtian in his retirement, that others did but feel and injoy what my ſoul hath ſweet experience of, would to God, my Husband, Wife, Brother, Father, Child, Neighbour, would but try this courſe a while; Oh what advantage would they get by it? Though I eat theſe ſweet morſels alone, yet fain would I have others to partake with me: In things of this world, perſons are apt to grudge others any benefit by what they have ſtoln, from others a view, but in ſpiritual advantages there's no envy, and if there be, it proceeds not from Grace, but from corrupt Nature; the more grace the leſs envy; and when envy is gone, perſons will be communicative. Take away envy,Tolle invidiam, mea tua ſunt & tua mea. and mine is thine, and thine is mine; true Grace or Charity is kind, envieth not, 1 Cor. 13.4. Now this I am perſwading to, that they that have found Chriſt would be ſo charitable to ſouls as to communicate the knowledge of him, and the way to enjoy him, unto others: Thus doth Andrew come to Simon, and Philip to Nathaniel, and both of them were (as a man finding a jewel, and cannot contain) overjoyed, and cry out [foreign] I have found him, We have found the Meſſias, Joh. 1.41, 45. And when the poor woman of Samaria had been privately converſing with Jeſus, down ſhe threw (at leaſt, left behind her) her water-pot, and all in haſte went to the City, and ſaid to the men, Come ſee a man which told me all things that ever I did, Is not this the Chriſt? John 4.28, 29. Thus do you, ſirs: promote and propagate this choice duty, commend it unto others practice; and ſo you may be inſtruments of good.