hour of the day, an angel of God coming in to him, and saying imto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said. What is it, Lord ? and he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.' Vers. 30, 31, * And Cornelius said. Four days ago I was fasting until this hour' (that is, until three o'clock in the afternoon, ver. 3), ' and at the ninth hour I prayed in my jiouse, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said. Thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.' Mark, as he was praying in his house, namely, by himself alone, a man in bright clothing — that was an angel in man's shape, ver. 3 — ap- peared to him, and said, ' Cornelius, thy prayer is heard.' He doth not mean only that prayer which he made when he fasted and humbled himself before the Lord, vers. 30, 31; but, as verses 2, 3, 4 shew, his prayers, his prayers which he made alone. For it seems none else were with him then, for he only saw that man in bright clothing; and to him alone the angel addressed his present speech, saying, ' Cornelius, Thy prayers are heard, vers. 4, 31. Here you see that Cornelius his private prayers are not only heard, but kindly remembered, and graciously accepted, and gloriously rewarded. Praying Cornelius is not only remembered by God, but he is also visited, sensibly and evidently, by an angel, and assured that his private prayers and good deeds are an odour, a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God. And so when had Peter his vision but when he was praying alone on the house-top ? Acts x. 9-13, 'On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew near unto the city, Peter went up unto the house- top to pray, about the sixth hour. And he became very hungry, and would have eaten; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet, knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth, wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him. Rise, Peter ; kill, and eat.' When Peter was upon the house-top at prayer alone, then he fell into a trance, and he saw heaven opened ; and then he had his spirit raised, his mind elevated, and all the faculties of his soul filled with a divine revelation. And so when Paul was at prayer alone. Acts ix. 12, he saw in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight. Paul had not been long at private prayer before it was re- vealed to him that he was a chosen vessel, and before he was filled with the gifts, graces, and comforts of the Holy Ghost. And when John was alone in the isle of Patmos, ' for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ' — whither he was banished by Domitian, a most cruel emperor' — then he had a glorious sight of the Son of man, and then the Lord discovered to him most deep and profound mysteries, both con- cerning the present and future state of the church, to the end of the world. And when John was weeping, in private prayer doubtless, then the sealed book was opened to him. So when Daniel was at private prayer, God despatches a heavenly messenger to him, and his errand was to open more clearly and fully the blessed Scripture to him. Some comfortable and encouraging knowledge this holy man of God had 1 Euseb. lib. iii. cap. xviii. Rev. i. 9, teq. ; v. 1-9.
176 THE PRIVT KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT. VI. 6.
attained unto before by his frequent and constant study in the word, and this eggs him on to private prayer, and private prayer posts an angel from heaven to give him a clearer and fuller light.^ Private prayer is a golden key to unlock the mysteries of the word unto us. The knowledge of many choice and blessed truths are but the returns of private prayer. The word most dwells richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out their hearts before God in their closets. When Bonaventura, that seraphical doctor, as some call him, was asked by Aquinas from what books and helps he derived such holy and divine expressions and contemplations, he pointed to a crucifix, and said, 'Iste est liber, &c., Prostrate in prayer at the feet of this image, my soul re- ceiveth greater light from heaven than from all study and disputation.' Though this be a monkish tradition and superstitious fiction, yet some improvement may be made of it. Certainly that Christian or that minister that in private prayer lies most at the feet of Jesus Christ, he shall understand most of the mind of Christ in the gospel, and he shall have most of heaven and the things of his own peace brought down into his heart.
There is no service wherein Christians have such a near, familiar, and friendly intercourse with God as in this of private prayer; neither is there any service wherein God doth more delight to make known his truth and faithfulness, his grace and goodness, his mercy and bounty, his beauty and glory to poor souls, than this of private prayer. Luther professeth, ' That he profited more in the knowledge of the Scripture by private prayer in a short space, than he did by study in a longer space,'* as John by weeping in a corner got the sealed book opened. Private prayer crowns God with the honour and glory that is due to his name ; and God crowns private prayer with a discovery of those blessed weighty truths to his servants, that are a sealed book to others. Certainly the soul usually enjoys most communion with God in secret. When a Christian is in a wilderness, which is a very solitary place, then God de- lights to speak friendly and comfortably to him : Hosea ii. 14, ' Behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak friendly or comfortably to her,' or as the Hebrew hath it, 'I will speak to her heart.' When I have her alone, saith God, in a solitary wilderness, I will speak such things to her heart, as shall exceedingly cheer her, and comfort her, and even make her heart leap and dance within her.' A husband imparts his mind most freely and fully to his wife when she is alone ; and so doth Christ to the believing soul. Oh the secret kisses, the secret embraces, the secret visits, the secret whispers, the secret cheerings, the secret sealings, the secret discoveries, &c., that God gives to his people when alone, when in a hole, when under the stairs, when behind the door, when in a dungeon ! When Jeremiah was calling upon God alone in his dark dungeon, he had great and wonderful things shewed him that he knew not of, Jer. xxxiii. 1-3.
Ambrose was wont to say, ' I am never less alone, than when I am alone ; for then I can enjoy the presence of my God most freely, fully, and sweetly, without interruption.'
' Doctor [William] Ames got his learning by private prayer ; and so did Solomon his wisdom. ' Bene oraste, est bene sltiduiaae. — Luther.