[] .] First, The most eminent saints, both in the Old and New Testa- ment, have applied themselves to private prayer. Moses was alone in the mount with God forty days and forty nights, Exod. xxxiv. 28. So Abraham fills his mouth with arguments, and reasons the case out alone with God in prayer, to prevent Sodom's desolation and destruction, and never leaves oiBf pleading and praying till he had brought God down from fifty to ten, Gen. xviii. 22-32 ; and in Gen. xxi. 33, you have Abraham again at his private prayers : ' And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.' "Why did Abraham plant a grove, but that he might have a most private place to pray and pour out his soul before the Lord in ? So Isaac : Gen. xxiv, 63, * And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at even-tide.' The Hebrew word lasuach, that is here rendered meditate, signifies to pray as well as to meditate, and so it is often used. It is a comprehensive word, that takes in both prayer and meditation. So you shall find Jacob at his private prayer: Gen. xxxii. 24-28, 'And Jacob was left alone ; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.' When Jacob was all alone, and in a dark night, and when his joints were out of joint, he so wrestles and weeps, and weeps and wrestles in private prayer, that as a prince at last he prevails with God, Hosea xii. 3, 4. So David, Ps. Iv. 16, 17, 'As for me, I will call upon God ; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud ; and he shall hear my voice.' So Daniel was three times a-day in private prayer : Dan. vi, 10, ' Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house ; and, his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a-day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.' Daniel had accustomed himself
Mat. VI. 6.] the privy key of heaven. 167
to private prayer ; he went to his clbset before he went to his public employment and state affairs ; and at his return to dinner, he turned first into his chamber to serve his God and refresh his soul before he sat down to feast his body ; and at the end of the day, when he had despatched his business with men, he made it his business to wait upon God in his chamber. So Jonah keeps up private prayer when he was in the fish's belly, yea, when he was in the belly of hell, Jonah ii. 1, 2, &;c. So we have Elijah at prayer under the juniper tree, 1 Kings xix. 4 ; so Hannah, 1 Sam. i. 13. Now, Hannah she speaks in her heart ; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. The very soul of prayer lies in the pouring out of the soul before God, as Hannah did, ver. 15. Neither was Rebekah a stranger to this duty, who, upon the babe's struggling in her womb, went to inquire of the Lord, Gen. XXV. 22 ; that is, she went to some secret place to pray, saith Calvin, Musculus, Mercerus, and others. So Saul is no sooner converted, but presently he falls upon private prayer: Acts ix. 11, 'And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth.' Though he was a strict Pharisee, yet he never prayed to purpose before, nor never prayed in private before. The Pharisees used to pray in the corners of the streets, and not in the corners of their houses. And after his conversion he was frequently in private prayer, as you may see by comparing of these scriptures together, Rom. i. 9 ; Eph. i. 15, 16 ; Philip, i. 3, 4 ; 2 Tim. i. 3. So Epaphras was a warm man in closet prayer, Philip, iv. 12, 13 ; so Cornelius had devoted him- self to private prayer, Acts x. 2, 4 ; and so Peter gets up to the house- top to pray: ver. 9, ' On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the house top to pray, about the sixth hour.' Peter got up upon the leads, not only to avoid distraction, but that he might be the more secret in his private devo- tion. Eusebius tells us of James called Justus, that his knees were grown hard and brawny with kneeling so much in private prayer.* And Nazianzen reports of his sister Gorgonia, that her knees seemed to cleave to the earth by her often praying in private. And Gregory saith of his aunt Trucilla, that her elbows was as hard as horn by often leaning upon her desk at private prayer. I have read of a devout per- son, who, when the set time for his private devotion was come, what- ever company he was in, he would break from them with this neat and handsome come off, 'I have. a friend that stays for me; farewell.' And there was once a great lady of this land, who would frequently withdraw from the company of lords and ladies of great quality, who came to visit her, rather than she would lose her set times of waiting upon God in her closet ; she would, as they called it, rudely take her leave of them, that so she might in private attend the Lord of lords. She would spare what time she could to express her favours, civilities, and courtesies among her relations and friends ; but she would never suffer them to rob God of his time, nor her soul of that comfort and communion which she used to enjoy when she was with God in her closet^ And indeed, one hour's communion with God in one's closet,
^ Lady Brooke, the friead of Sibbes. Cf. Parkburst's ' Sermon' on her death. — G.
1 68 THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT. VI. 6.