who spent his time in catching of moles ;' but also against many pro- fessors who, instead of redeeming of precious time, do trifle and fool away much of their precious time at the glass, the comb, the lute, the viol, the pipe, or at vain sports, and foolish pastimes, or by idle jestings, immoderate sleeping, and superfluous feasting, &c. O sirs ! good hours, and blessed opportunities for closet prayer, are merchandise of the highest rate and price ; and therefore, whosoever hath a mind to be rich in grace, and to be high in glory, should buy up that merchandise, — they should be still a-redeeming precious time. 0 sirs ! we should redeem time for private prayer out of our eating time, our drinking time, our sleeping time, our buying time, our selling time, our sinning time, our sporting time, rather than neglect our closet communion with God, &c. But,
(6.) Sixthly, T answer, Closet prayer is either a duty or it is no duty. Now that it is a duty, I have so strongly proved, I suppose, that no man nor devil can fairly or honestly deny it to be a duty. And therefore, why do men cry out of their great business ? Alas \^ duty must be done whatever business is left undone ; duty must be done, or the man that neglects it will be undone for ever. It is a vain thing to object business, when a required duty is to be performed ; and, indeed, if the bare ob- jecting of business, of much business, were enough to excuse men from duty, I am afraid that there are but few duties of the gospel, but men would endeavour to evade under a pretence of business, of much busi- ness. He that pretends business to evade private prayer, will be as ready to pretend business to evade family prayer ; and he that pretends business to evade family prayer, will be as ready to pretend business to evade public prayer. Well, sirs ! remember what became of those that excused themselves out of heaven, by their carnal apologies, and secular businesses : Luke xiv. 16-24. 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it ; I pray thee, have me excused,' saith one. 'I have bought,' saith another, ' five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them ; I pray thee, have me excused.' And, ' I have married a wife,' saith another, ' and therefore I cannot come.' The true reason why they would not come to the supper that the King of kings had invited them to, was not because they had bought farms and oxen, but because their farms and oxen had bought them. The things of the world and their carnal relations had taken up so much room in their hearts and affections, that they had no stomach to heaven's dainties ; and therefore it is observable what Christ adds at the end of the parable, ' He that hateth not his father, and mother, and wife, and chil- dren, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also,' much more his farm and oxen, ' he cannot be my disciple,' verse 26. By these words, it is evident, that it was not simply the farm nor the oxen, nor the wife, but a foolish, inordinate, carnal love and esteem of these things, above better and greater blessings, that made them refuse the gracious invitation of Christ. They refused the grace and mercy of God offering in the gospel, under a pretence of worldly business ; and God peremp-
* (1.) Domitian : SuetonivLS, sub nomine ; (2.) Archimedes: Tlut&Tch, sub nomine ; (3.) Artaxerxes : Thucydides, tub nomine ; (4.) Solyman : KnoUes, as before ; (5.) Eropus : rather, Eropon, Livy, xliv, 24, 27, 28 ; (6 ) Hyrcanus : spelled by Brooks, Harcanus.— G.
■ See Glosaary sub voce for peculiar use of this interjection elsewhere. — G.
Mat. VT. G.] the privy key of heaven. 207
torily concludes, that not a man of them should taste of his supper. And indeed what can be more just and righteous, than that they should never so much as taste of spiritual and eternal blessings, who prefer their earthly business before heaven's dainties ; who, with the Reu- benites, prefer a country commodious for the feeding of their cattle, before an interest in the land of promise. Private prayer is a work of absolute necessity, both to the bringing of the heart into a good frame, and to the keeping of the heart in a good frame. It is of absolute neces- sity, both for the discovery of sin, and for the preventing of sin, and for the embittering of sin, and for the weakening of sin, and for the purging away of sin. It is of absolute necessity, both for the discovery of grace, and for a full exercise of grace, and for an eminent increase of grace. It is of absolute necessity to arm us, both against inward and outward temptations, afflictions, and sufferings. It is of absolute necessity to fit us for all other duties and services, &c. For a man to glorify God, to save his own soul, and to further his own everlasting happiness, is a work of the greatest necessity. Now private prayer is such a work ; and therefore why should any man plead business, great business, when a work of such absolute necessity is before him ? If a man's child or wife were dangerously sick, or wounded, or near to death, he would never plead, * I have business, I have a great deal of business to do, and therefore I cannot stay with my child, my wife; and I have no time to go or send to the physician/ &c. Oh no ! but he would rather argue thus : ' It is absolutely necessary that I should look after the preser- vation of the life of my child, my wife, and this I will attend whatever becomes of my business.' O sirs ! your souls are of greater concernment to you than the lives of all the wives and children in the world ; and therefore these must be attended, these must be saved, whatever busi- ness is neglected. But,