long in the more public duties of religion. O sirs ! remember that in private prayer we have a far greater advantage as to the exercise of our own gifts and graces and parts, than we have in public ; for in public we only hear others exercise their parts and gifts, &c. ; in public duties we are more passive, but in private duties we are more active. Now, the more our gifts and parts and graces are exercised, the more they are strengthened and increased. All acts strengthen habits. The more sin is acted, the more it is strengthened. And so it is with our gifts and graces ; the more they are acted, the more they are strengthened. But, [10.] Tenthly, Take Tnany thhigs together. All Christians have their secret sins. Ps. xix. 12, 'Who can understand his errors ? cleanse thou me from secret faults.' Secret not only to other men, but him- self ; even such secret sins as grew from errors which he understood not. It is incident to every man to err, and then to be ignorant of his errors. Many sins I see in myself, saith he, and more there are which 1 cannot espy, which I cannot find out ; nay, I think, saith he, that everj'- man's sins do arise beyond his accounts. There is not the best, the wisest, nor the holiest man in the world, that can give a full and entire list of his sins. ' Who can understand his errors V This interrogation hath the force of an affirmation : ' Who can V No man ! no, not the most perfect and innocent man in the world. 0 friends ! who can reckon up the secret sinful imaginations, the secret sinful inclinations, or the secret pride, the secret blasphemies, the secret hypocrisies, the secret atheistical risings, the secret murmurings, the secret repinings, the secret discontents, the secret insolencies, the secret filthinesses, the secret unbe- lievings, &c., that God might every day charge upon his soul ? Should the best and holiest man on earth have but his secret sins every day written in his forehead, it would not only put him to a crimson blush, but it would make him pull his hat over his eyes, or cover his face with a double scarf So 1 Kings viii. 38, ' What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart,' &c. Sin is the greatest plague in the world, but never more dangerous than when it reaches the heart. Now, secret sins commonly lie nearest the heart, the foun- tain from whence they take a quick, immediate, and continual supply. Secret sins are as near to original sin as the first droppings are to the spring head. And as every secret sin lies nearest the heart, so every secret sin is the plague of the heart. Now, as secret diseases are not to be laid open to every one, but only* to the prudent physician, so our secret sins, which are the secret plagues, the secret diseases of our souls, are not to be laid open to every one, but only to the physician of souls, that is only able both to cure them and pardon them. And as all Christians have their secret sins, so all Christians have their secret temptations, 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. And as they have their secret temptations, so they have their secret wants ; yea, many times they have such par- ticular and personal wants that there is not one in the congregation, nor one in the family, that hath the like. And as they have their secret wants, so they have their secret fears, and secret snares, and secret straits, and secret troubles, and secret doubts, and secret jealousies, &c. And how do all these things call aloud upon every Christian to be frequent and constant in secret prayer !
Mat. VI. 6.] the privy key of heaven. 185
[11.] Eleventhly, Consider, Christ is very much affected and de- lighted in the secret prayers of his people. Cant. ii. 14, ' O my dove that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice ; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.' Christ observes his spouse when she is in the clefts of the rock ; when she is gotten into a corner a-praying, he looks upon her with singular delight, and with special intimations of his love. Nothing is more sweet, delightful, and welcome to Christ than the secret services of his people. Their secret breathings are like lovely songs to him, Mai. iii. 4 ; their secret prayers in the clefts of the rock, or under the stairs, are as sweet incense to Jesus. The spouse re- tires to the secret places of the stairs not only for security, but also for secresy, that so she might the more freely, without suspicion of hypo- crisy, pour out her soul into the bosom of her beloved. The great delight that parents take in the secret lispings and whisperings of their children, is no delight to that which Christ takes in the secret prayers of his people. And therefore, as you would be friends and furtherers of Christ's delight, be much in secret prayer.
[12.] Twelfthly, Consider you are the only persons in all the world that God hath made choice of to reveal his secrets to. John xv. 15, * Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth ; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.' Everything that God the Father had communicated to Christ as mediator to be revealed to his servants, he did make known to his disciples as to his bosom- friends. Christ loves his people as friends, and he uses them as friends, and he opens his heart to them as friends. There is nothing in the heart of Christ that concerns the internal and eternal welfare of his friends, but he reveals it to them : he reveals himself, his love, his eternal good will, the mj^steries of faith, and the secrets of his covenant, to his friends.* Christ loves not to entertain his friends with things that are commonly and vulgarly known. Christ will reveal the secrets of his mind, the secrets of his love, the secrets of his thoughts, the secrets of his heart, and the secrets of his purposes, to all his bosom- friends. Samson could not hide his mind, his secrets, from Delilah, though it cost him his life, Judges xvi. 15-17 ; and do you think that Christ can hide his mind, his secrets, from them for whom he hath laid down his life ? Surely no. O sirs ! Christ is,
(1.) A universal friend.
(2.) An omnipotent friend, an almighty friend. He is no less than thirty times called Almighty in that book of Job ; he can do above all expressions and beyond all apprehensions.
(3.) He is an omniscient friend.
(4.) He is an omnipresent friend.
(5.) He is an indeficient friend.
(6.) He is an independent friend.
(7.) He is an unchangeable friend.
(8.) He is a watchful friend.
(9.) He is a tender and compassionate friend.
(10.) He is a close and faithful friend ; and therefore he cannot but > 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11 : John i. 9 ; Rom. xvi. 25 ; 1 Cor. ii. 7 ; Eph. iii. 8, 4, 9.
186 THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT, VI. 6.