Closet-prayer a Christian duty, or, A treatise upon Mat. VI, VI. tending to prove that worship of God in secret is the indispensible duty of all Christians ... together with a severe rebuke of Christians for their neglect of, or negligence in, the duty of closet-prayer, and many directions for the managing thereof ... / by O. Heywood.

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 mo∣tions of God, the blessed Spirit? This is sad: How of∣ten 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 quench∣ing, grieving, yea vexing the good Spirit of God? Con∣sider 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 slight∣ed and sadned? Grieve therefore, Christian, for thy grieving of the Spirit, lay to heart thy careless quench∣ing of this holy fire; and let those waters of lust or negligence cost thee the waters of godly sorrow and re∣pentance, 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 fel∣lowship is with the Father: 'Tis true, communion of Saints is desirable, but external communion is not al∣ways attainable: you may be thrust out by divine Pro∣vidence, 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 influen∣ces 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 San∣ctuary 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 in∣strument, 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 con∣fusion, grief, and jealousie would possess you if death ar∣rest 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 despe∣rate plunge will you be put to when the King of ter∣rors is upon you, and you have not personally and pri∣vately been seeking God? Though you may be right and safe for the main, yet your spirits will be much per∣plexed, 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 pray∣ing souls may have: Oh what a blessed thing will it be, if our dear Redeemer find a soul upon its knees be∣fore the Lord? Oh the hearty welcom it will give unto its God! This is the time he waited for, he was got in∣to a corner, was sighing for his sins, pleading for mer∣cy, 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 Man∣sions, 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 Ad∣verbs: 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; 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 bles∣sing: 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 ac∣cuse us to God and to our selves, while we have our fil∣thy garments on us? Yea remissness in our duties brings decay in grace. Tradesmen may go behind hand by be∣ing

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 Let∣ter 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 trou∣blesom, 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.

Notes

• Jer. 48.13. Mal. 1.14.