(10.) Tentldy, and lastly, I answer, that the promised reward in tJte teed lies as fair and as open to the servant as to the 7)iaster, to the bond as to the free, to the peasant as to the pHnce. Whosoever prays to his heavenly Father in secret, be he high or low, rich or poor, honour- able or base, servant or master, he shall receive an open reward. The reward in the text is not to be confined or limited to this or that sort or rank of men, but it is to be extended to all ranks and sorts of men that make conscience of private prayer, of closet duties. So Eph. vi. 5-8, ' Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart : with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men : knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.' Col. iii. 22-24, ' Servants obey, in all things, your masters, accord- ing to the flesh, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singlenevSS of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men ; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance ; for ye serve the Lord Jesus Christ.' * Such servants as serve their masters faithfully, cordially, and in single- ness of spirit, shall receive the reward of grace and the reward of the inheritance. The meanest servant that is faithful in the service of his master, shall for a recompence receive the eternal inheritance, Rom. viii. 15-17. The recompence of reward in the scripture last cited is not of merit, but of mere grace, because the inheritance belongs only to chil- dren upon the account of their birth or adoption. Faithful servants shall of servants be made sons, and so enjoy the heavenly inheritance. Christ is so noble a master, that he will not sufier any service that hath been performed to men out of conscience to his command to pass un- rewarded. Oh how much more will he recompense pious servants for those spiritual services that they perform for his sake, for his glory ! God is so liberal a paymaster, that no man shall so much as shut the door, or kindle a fire upon his altar, or give a cup of cold water — one of the least, readiest, and meanest refreshments that be — but he shall be rewarded, Mai. i. 10, Mat. x. 42.
It is au excellent observation of Calvin, upon God's rewarding of the Rechabites' obedience, Jer. xxxv. 19, * God,' saith he, ' often recom- penseth the shadows and sepming appearances of virtue, to shew that complacency he takes in the ample rewards that he hath reserved for true and sincere piety.' Nebuchadnezzar, though a tyrant, yet being engaged in God's service against Tyre, he shall have Egypt as his pay, for his pains at Tyre, Ezek. xxix. 18-20. It is an ancient slur and slan- der that hath been cast upon God, as if he were an austere master, an illiberal Lord, and as if there were nothing to be got in his service but knocks, blows, wounds, crosses, losses, &c., whereas he is a rewarder, not only of them that diligently seek him, but even of the very worst of men that do any service for him, Heb. xi. 6. I have read of Herod
' The Persian kings did usually reward the faithful services of their servants. Surely the King of kings will not fall short of the kings of Persia ?
Mat. VI. 6.] the prr^y key of heaven. 221
Agrippa, the same that was smitten by the angel and eaten up of worms, because he gave not glory to God, Acts xii. 23, that, being bound in chains, and sent to prison by Tiberius for wishing Caius in the empire, one Thaumastus, a servant of Caius, carrying a pitcher of water, met him, and Agrippa being very thirsty, desired him to give him some of his water to drink, which he willingly did : whereupon Agrippa said, * This service thou hast done in giving me drink, shall do thee good another day.' And he was as big and as good as his word ; for afterwards, when Caius was emperor, and Agrippa made king of Judea, he first got his liberty, then made him chief officer of his house- hold, and after his decease took order that he should continue in the same office with his son.^ Now how much more then will the King of kings reward all those poor pious servants of his, that do not only give to him in his members cups of cold water, but do also redeem time from their very rest, meals, and recreations, that they may have some time to seek the face of God in a corner. Certainly, there shall not be a sigh, a groan, a prayer, a tear let fall by a poor servant in a corner, that shall not be at last regarded and rewarded by the great God. Lyra saith, that Mordecai waited six years, before his good service was rewarded by king Ahasuerus, It may be God may reward thee sooner for all thy closet services ; but if he do not reward thee sooner, he will certainly reward thee better, he will reward thee with higher honours, with greater dignities, with more glorious robes, and with a more royal crown, even an incorruptible crown, a crown of righteousness, a crown of life, a crown of glory, 1 Cor. ix. 29 ; 2 Tim. iv. 8 ; Rev. ii. 10 ; James i. 12 ; 1 Pet. v. 4. And therefore hold on and hold out in your secret retirements. Though some may deride you, and others revile you, and your carnal masters discourage you, yet God is faithful and will cer- tainly reward you ; yea, he will openly reward you for all the secret pourings out of your souls in his bosom. But,
Obj. 3. Some may further object and say, Oh but we cannot pray alone; we want those gifts and endowments which others have ; we are shut up and know not how to pour out our souls before God in a corner ; we would willingly pray, but we want ability to pour out our souls before the Lord in secret, &c.
Solution 1. God's dearest children may sometimes be shut up; they may with Zacharias, for a tiine, be struck dumb, and not able to speak, Luke i. 20 ; Ps. Ixxvii. 4. ' I am so troubled that I cannot speak,' Ps. xxxviii. 9. ' Lord, all my desire is before thee : and my groaning is not hid from thee.' God's dearest children have sometimes been so shut up, that they have been able to say nothing, nor to do nothing but groan. A child of God may sometimes meet with such a blow from God, from conscience, from Scripture, from Satan, from the world, that may for a time so astonish him, that he may not be able to speak to God, nor speak to others, nor speak to his own heart. Look, as the Holy Spirit is not always a teaching Spirit, nor always a leading Spirit, nor always a comforting Spirit, nor always a sealing Spirit, nor always a witnessing Spirit, nor always an assuring Spirit to any of the saints ; so he is not always a supplicating Spirit in any of the saints. When he ie grieved, vexed, quenched, provoked, he may suspend his gracious 1 Josephus, Anliq. lib. 18^ cap. 8.