men ' understand and seek God ?' Secondly, In regard of ourselves, the more to prove our sincerity. I do not say that to pray in secret amounts to an in- fallible character of sincerity ; for hypocrisy may creep into ovu- closet, when the door is shut closest, as the frogs did into Pharaoh's bedchamber ; yet this is not the hypocrite's ordinary walk : and though his heart may be naught that frequently performs secret duty, yet we may be siu'e his heart cannot be good whose devotion is all spent before men, and is a stranger to secret communion with God. Our Saviour, in drawing the hypocrite's picture, has made this the very cast of his countenance, Matt. vi. 5 ; ' When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites ; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues,' &c. ' But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet.' The command sends us as well to the closet as to the church ; and he is a hypocrite that chooseth one, and neglects the other, for thereby it appears he makes conscience of neither ; he likes that Avhich may gain him the name of being religious in the opinion of men, and therefore he puts on a religious habit abroad ; but, in the meantime, lives like an atheist at home. Such a one may, for a time, be the world's saint ; but God will at last expose him, and present him before the eyes of all the world for a hypocrite. The true lover delights to visit his friend when he may find him alone, and enjoy pi-ivacy with him ; and I have read of a devout person, who, when the set time for his private devotions was come, would, whatever company he was in, break from them with this handsome speech, ' I have a friend that stays for me, — farewell.' It is worth parting with our best friends on earth to enjoy communion with the God of heaven. One called his friends thieves, because they stole time from him. There are no worse thieves than those who rob us of our praying seasons. Thirdly, In regard of the duty itself; and the influence which the holy management of it would have upon the Chris- tian's life. This duty is a main pillar to uphold the whole frame of our spiritual building ; without this, the Christian's house, as Solomon saith of the sluggard's, will drop out at the windows. That which is most necessary to keep the house standing is under ground (I mean the foundation :) that which keeps the man alive is the heart, which is unseen. Cease your secret communion, and you imdermine your house, you stab godliness to the heart. If the tree grow not in the root, it will ere long wither in the branch. He that declines this way can be a gainer in no other, how zealous soever he may appear ; such a one may pray to the quickening and comfort of others, but he will get little of either himself. The truth is, this is the first step toward apostasy : backsliders grow first out of acquaintance with God in secret ; their delight in this duty declines by little and little, then are they less frequent in their visits, upon which follows a casting off the duty entirely ; but yet they may appear great zealots in public ordinances: but if they recover not what they have lost in their secret trade, they will ere long break here also.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
WHEREIN IS SHEWN THE LOW STOOP OF THE DIVINE MAJESTY, TO HOLD COMMUNION WITH A SAINT IN CLOSET PRAYER ; ALSO HOW THEY BRING THEIR GRACE IN QUESTION WHO LIVE IN THE TOTAL NEGLECT OF IT.
Let US here admire the condescending love of God, in stooping to hold com- munion with his poor creatures, while they are clad with rags of mortality, and those besmeared with many sinful pollutions. Is it not enough, that in heaven, when Me shall put on our robes of glory, God will take us into his royal presence, and give us places with those that stand about him ; but will he even now, while our garments smell of the prison, and before our graveclothes be thrown off, admit us to so near an accession? What manner of love is this, that we should now be called the children of God, and as such have liberty to speak our broken language, and that with delight to him who continually hath the praises of blessed angels and glorified saints sounding in his ears ? Nay, more, this liberty to be indulged by us, not only when we come together, and make up a choir in our public worship, but in our secret addresses ; that a poor creature, Avhenever he hath a heart to step aside, and give God a visit in any corner of his house, should find his arms open to embrace him ; this is so stupendous, that we may better admire than exjn-css it. Should we see a poor beggar speaking fami-
WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION. ggQ