The vvay to the celestiall paradise Declaring how a sinner may be saued, and come to life euerlasting. Contained in three bookes.The first second third sheweth that a sinner may be saued, & come to life euerlasting. By faith, apprehending Christ for his iustification, & applying to himselfe the promises of the Gospell made in Iesus Christ. Repentance, hauing his sins washed away in the bloud of the lambe Iesus Christ. Prayer, calling vpon God in the name of Iesus Christ. By Robert Whittell, minister of the Gospell.

CHAP. XI. Of the priuate place of praier: where, of domesticall, or Houshold praier; and also of Secret praier in the Chamber, or in any secret place.

AS publique praier hath ordinarily a certaine set place, the house of God; so hath also priuate praier, and the place for priuate praier is two∣fold.

The one, domesticall; in the house with the familie [unspec 1] the other, secret, in the chamber or in any other secret place:

First, of domesticall, or houshold praier:

In handling, whereof, I will

• First shew, to whom this dutie chiefely belongeth.
• Secondly vse reasons to perswade thereunto.

For the First: The performance of houshold praier together with the familie, is a dutie chiefely, and prin∣cipally, belonging to housholders, to Parents, and ma∣sters of families. As vpon the Lords day, Parents and masters of families, are bound not only to come to the house of God themselues, but likewise to bring with them, their children and seruants to the publique wor∣ship of God: so likewise in the house; Parents and Ma∣sters of families are bound, morning and euening, and at all times of the day when they receiue their meate; to pray to God, and to praise God, either themselues, if they haue knowledge, and abilitie to performe the same: or else, to see it performed by some other; and that through their default, praier and thanksgiuing be not omitted:

And that for these reasons:

First, This is our daily seruice, and spirituall sacrifice; morning and euening to call vpon the name of the Lord, to pray vnto him, and to praise him: in the mor¦ning,

before we beginne our worke, at our meales, when we receiue our meate; and at night, when we haue en∣ded our busines, before we say vs downe to sleepe: now, there ought to be an order for the obseruing of this ser∣uice and worship of God; and to whom in all the family should this care and dutie belong, to see this seruice per∣formed, but to him who is the head of the house? so then the care of the performance of this dutie, lies prin∣cipally vpon the master of the house, in regard of order, and to auoide confusion in the familie.

Secondly, this dutie of worshipping God, and doing him seruice priuately in the house, is a dutie wherewith Parents and masters of families are charged: Moses, the the man of God, exhorting the Children of Israel to o∣bedience, directeth his speech to the heades of the hou∣ses, the masters of families, saying,

These words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart, & thou shalt teach them diligently vnto thy chil∣dren, and shalt talke of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest downe and when thou risest vp. So the obseruation of the Sab∣bath lieth chiefely vpon all heads of houses, and masters of families; they must not only sanctifie the Sabbath themselues, but likewise, see that their children and ser∣uants doe sanctifie it, for its said, Remember the Sabbath day, to keepe it holy, &c. In it thou shalt not doe any worke, thou, nor thy sonne nor thy daughter, thy man-seruant, nor thy maid-seruant, &c. Now, the Sabbath is sanctified, not onely by reading the Scriptures, hearing the word, me∣ditation &c. But likewise, by praying, and praising God: and that, not only publiquely in the Church, but also priuately at home, where, Parents, and Masters of fa∣milies haue the chiefe command. Wherefore, I con∣clude, that the care of performing the dutie of praying, and praysing God in the familie, belongs to the master of the familie.

Now the reasons which may perswade all parents, &

house-holders, to the practise of this dutie, are these:

First, Examples of holy, and good men: Abraham re∣ceiueth this commendation from the Lord; c I know him, that he will commaund his children, and his houshold after him, and they shall keepe the way of the Lord. Abraham had care to instruct his children, and seruants, in the wayes of the Lord, and to teach his houshold how to worship God: When Abraham pitched his tent on the moun¦taine on the d East of Bethel, there he builded an altar vnto the Lord, and called vpon the Name of the Lord. That is, as e some expound it, he called together his house holde, and there instructed them concerning the true worship of the true, and onely God; he prayed with them, and of∣fered sacrifice to the Lord. Ioshua hath this worthie say∣ing to the children of Israel, f choose you this day whom you will serue, whether the gods which your fathers serued, that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites; in whose land ye dwell: But as for me and my house, we will serue the Lord. Now, this is one principall part in the worship and seruice of God, to pray to the Lord, and to call vpon his name. For this cause, those housholds and families which haue made conscience of worshipping God in their houses, haue beene called Churches: as the houshold of Priscilla and Aquila, is called by the name of a Church, g Greet Priscilla and Aquila; h likewise greet the Church that is in their house.

The second reason, I take from the necessitie of per∣forming [unspec 2] this dutie.

Praier in our houses, is necessarie to be vsed; for

First, without Praier, we can expect no blessing, nor be assured of any good successe vpon our labours, and businesse which we take in hand: wherefore it is said in the Psalmes, Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vaine that build it: except the Lord keepe the Cittie, the watch-man waketh but in vaine. It is vaine for you to rise vp early, to sit vp late, to eate the bread of sorrowes: for so he giueth his beloued sleepe. The meaning, is, that the af∣faires,

the labours, & businesse which men take in hand, doe not prosper, except the Lord giue a blessing to their labours: and the meanes to procure a blessing, is by prai∣er. In the morning, before we begin our worke, to pray to the Lord for a blessing; and in the euening before we lie downe, to praise God for his blessings. S. Iames tells vs, that l euery good gift, and euery perfect gift is from aboue, and commeth downe from the Father of lights: and againe he saith, m ye lust, and haue not: ye kill, and desire to haue, and cannot obtaine: ye fight and warre, yet ye haue not, because ye aske not. Giuing vs to vnderstand, that if we would haue any blessing from God, we must aske it at Gods hands, we must pray to God, and call vpon the name of the Lord.

Secondly, Families that call not vpon the name of the Lord, are noted to be heathenish; and the wrath of God hangs ouer them; which the Prophet Ieremie sheweth, saying, n powre out thy furie vpon the heathen that know thee not, and vpon the families that call not vpon thy name. He saith two things: first, they that doe not call vpon the name of the Lord, are like to heathen men which know not God: secondly, he lets all such as doe not call vpon the name of the Lord, know, and vnderstand, that they are in a verie fearefull and dangerous case; for the furie and wrath of God hangs ouer those countries, cities, and townes, ouer those houses, and families that call not vp∣on the name of the Lord.

Now, whereas houshold prayer ought to be vsed, and is so necessarie, as hath beene shewed; the consideration [Ʋse.] hereof, serues to reproue those who neglect, and omit this dutie. o Abraham, in the place where he pitched his tent, there he builded an altar vnto the Lord, and called vp∣on the name of the Lord. All men are for the most part, carefull enough to prouide them houses; but when they haue built them houses, they are not carefull with Abra∣ham, to build an altar: they doe not set vp the worship of God in thei•• houses. This is held by some, to be too

much adoe; and they that vse prayer in their houses, are thought by some, to be too precise: and many are afraid, if they should vse Praier in their houses, lest they should be accounted so too: this hindereth manie from the practise of this religious dutie. But consider ô man, in what a dangerous case thou art, if thou doest negligently omit, or wilfully contemne this godly, and religious du∣tie; for, thou canst looke for no fauour from God, nor expect any blessing vpon the labours, & busines, which either thou, or any of thy houshold goeth about, except that supplications, and praiers be made vnto God. And what? fearest thou nothing the wrath and vengeance of God, which hangeth ouer thee, and thy house, as long as thou callest not vpon the name of the Lord? O consi∣der these things, and repent of this neglect. Wherefore, if any one hath altogether omitted this dutie, let him now at the length with Abraham, build an altar to the Lord, let him set vp the worship of God in his house, and call vpon the name of the Lord. If any one hath beene negligent in performance of this dutie, let him repent of that neglect, and be more diligent in the prac¦tise of the same; and whosoeuer doth vse it, let him be encouraged to be constant in the same. Knowing this, that no man shall serue the Lord in vaine; but as the Pro¦phet Malachie saith, the day shall come, when ye shall p discerne betweene the righteous and the wicked, betweene him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not. And this, of domesticall, or houshold Prayer.

The second place for priuate Prayer, is the secret place: for as there is a publike place, for all the Congregation to pray together, which is the Church; and as there is a place for the houshold, and familie to pray together, which is euery mans owne house; so there is a more pri∣uate, and secret place, for a man to pray alone; which is his chamber, or closet, or any other secret place. Of this place our Sauiour Christ speaketh, enioyning vs to pray in secret: q When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, & when

thou hast shut thy doore, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Now, this place of Prayer, is said to be secret,

First, because a Christian may be in his chamber, closet, [unspec 1] or other secret place, so priuate to himselfe, that no eye of man can see him, neither any eare of man heare him, onely God seeth, and heareth him.

Secondly, because there, a sinner may without feare, [unspec 2] or shame, make knowne vnto God the verie secrets of his heart; may powre out the griefes of his soule before the Lord, and not be ashamed to confesse his sins what∣soeuer they are, how fowle soeuer they be, how hainous, or how grieuous soeuer they be. Because the Lord hath promised, that the Prayer which is made in secret, the Father which seeth in secret, will reward it openly. And yet he that prayeth alone, in secret, if he pray in sinceri∣tie, and truth of heart, is not alone; for God is with him, God seeth, and heareth him; God doth regard him, and will reward him: God regardeth his Prayer in secret, and will reward him openly.

This serues to reproue, [Ʋse.]

First, those, who neglect this dutie of praying in se∣cret; Some thinke that praying in the Church is suffici∣ent, and that they need not, at least, so much, and so of∣ten, to be praying in the house, or chamber. Others, are so highly conceited of house-hold Prayer, that they esteeme lesse of publique Prayer, and often omit prayer in secret: but we ought to know, and vnderstand, that there is a necessitie in this, as well as in the other.

Secondly, here they are reprooued, who sinne in se∣cret, but doe not humble themselues in secret before the Lord, confessing their sinnes, and crauing pardon at Gods hands. Tell me thou that sinnest in secret, and hast so little deuotion to pray to God in secret; what hope canst thou haue, that God will reward thee with any blessing? nay rather, for thy secret sinnes, expect an o∣pen punishment: yea, woe vnto thee, except thou repent

of thy secret sins, and pray vnto God, that God in mer∣cie may couer them, and not lay them open, to thy per∣petuall shame.

Notes

• 2 The priuate place of pray∣er. Twofold.
• In the house.
• Therein Two things.
• 1 To whom the performance thereof chiefe∣ly belongeth. namely, to the Master of the house.
• And that.
• 1 In regard of or∣der and to a∣uoid confusion in the familie
• 2 Parents and masters of hou∣ses are so char∣ged and com∣manded.
• a Deut. 6. 6. 7.
• b Exod. 20. 8. 9. 10.
• 2 Reasons to per∣swade to Hous-
• 1 Good men haue vsed it.
• c

  Gen. 18. 19.
• d

  Gen. 12. 8.
• e

  Muscul, in Gen. 12.
• f

  Iosh. 24. 15.
• g

  Rom. 16. 3.
• h

  Ver. 5.
• Houshold prai∣er is necessary: For
• 1 Without pray∣ing to God, we can looke for no blessing vp∣on our labours
• Psal. 127. 1. 2.
• l

  Iam. 1. 17.
• m

  Jam. 4. 2.
• 2 Families that call not vpon the name of the Lord, are heathenish: and subiect to Gods wrath.
• n

  Iere. 10. 25.
• Against those who neglect house-hold prayer.
• o

  Gen. 12. 8.
• p

  Mal. 3. 18.
• 2 The secret place, for ••ecret Prayer.
• q

  Mat. 6. 6.
• 1 Against those who pray not in secret.
• 2 Against those who sinne in secret, but doe not pray in se∣cret.