Ohj. 4. Fourthly, Some may further object and say, God is very well acquainted with all our wants, necessities, straits, trials; and there is no moving of him to bestow any favours upon us, which he doth not intend to bestow upon us, whether we pray in our closets or no ; and therefore to what purpose do you press secret prayer so hard upon us ? &c.
To this objection I shall give these answers.
(1 .) First, Tlud this objection lies as strong against family prayer
236 THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. P^AT. VI. 6.
and public prayer as it doth against private prayer. God knows all thy wants and necessities, all thy straits and trials, &c., and therefore what needest thou pray in thy family, what needest thou attend public prayers in the communion of saints ? There is no wringing of any mercy out of the hands of heaven, which God doth not intend to bestow. This objection faces all kind of prayer, and fights against all kinds of prayer. But,
(2.) Secondly, I answer. That pnvate prayer is that piece of divine worship and adoration, it is a paH of that homage which we owe to God upon the account of a divine command, as 1 have already proved. Now, all objections must bow before the face of divine commands ; as Joseph's brethren bowed before him. Gen. xlii. 6; or as king Ahasuerus his servants bowed before Haman, Esther iii. 2. Indeed, every objection that is formed up against a divine command, should fall before- it, as Dagon fell before the ark, or as Goliah fell before David. He that casts off private prayer under any pretence whatsoever, he casts ofif the dominion of God, the authority of God, and this may be as much as a man's life and soul is worth. But,
(3.) Thirdly, I answer, Though prayer be not the ground, the cause of obtaining favours and mercies from God, yet it is the means, it is the silver channel, it is the golden pipe, through which the Lord is pleased to convey to his people all temporal, spiritual, and eternal favours,^ Ezek. xxxvi. from the 26th to the 37th verse of that chapter. God promises to give them the cream, the choicest, the sweetest of all spiritual, eternal, and temporal blessings ; but mark, verse 37th, ' I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them.' Though God be very prompt and ready to bestow upon his people the best and the greatest of blessings, yet he will by prayer be sought unto for the actual enjoyment of them. He that hath no heart to pray for a mercy he needs, he hath no ground to believe that ever God will give him the mercy he needs. There is no receiving without asking, no finding without seeking, no opening without knocking. The threefold promise annexed to the threefold precept in Mat. vii. 7, should encour- age all Christians to be instant, fervent, and constant in prayer. The proud beggar gets nothing of men, and the dumb sinner gets nothing of God. As there is no mercy too great for God to give, so there is no mercy too little for us to crave. Certainly that man hath little worth in him that thinks any mercy not worth a seeking. But,
(4.) Fourthly and lastly, I answer, Every Christian should labour to enjoy his mercies in mercy ; he should labour to have his blessings blessed unto him ; he should labour to have 'the good will of him that dwelt in the bush,' with all he hath, Gen. xxii. 17. Now this is an everlasting truth, a maxim to live and die with, that whatsoever mercy comes not in upon the wing of prayer is not given in mercy. Oh, how sweet is that mercy that comes flying in upon the wing of prayer ! How sweet was that water to Samson which streamed to him in the channel of private prayer. Judges xv. 19 ; he called the name of it En-hakkore, the well of him that prayed. Samson prayed as for life, and that water that was handed to him was as sweet as life. Every mercy that is gathered by the hand of prayer is as sweet as the rose of ' Isa. Iv. 6 ; James i. 6; Isa. Ixii. 7 ; Fs. xxii. 24.
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Sharon, Cant. ii. 1 . But that mercy that comes not in at the door of prayer, comes not in at the right door ; and that mercy that comes not in at the right door will do a man no good : such mercies will make themselves wings and fly from us, Prov. xxiii. 5. Every Christian should narrowly look that all his mercies are sanctified mercies. Now, every mercy is sanctified by the word and prayer, 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5. Prayer prepares and fits us for mercy, and mercy for us. It is prayer that gives us a right and holy use of all our mercies. Such mercies are but great miseries that come not in upon the wing of prayer. Prayerless men's mercies are all given in wrath ; yea, their blessings are cursed unto them, Prov. iii. 33, Mai. ii. 2. Look, as every sacrifice was to be sea- soned with salt, so eveiy mercy is to be sanctified by prayer. Look, as gold sometimes is laid not only upon cloth and silks, but also upon silver itself, so prayer is that golden duty that must be laid not only upon all our natural and civil actions, as eating, drinking, buying, sell- ing, &c., but also upon all our silver duties, upon all our most religious and spiritual performances, as hearing, reading, meditating, conference, church-fellowship, breaking of bread, &c.
Certainly prayer is very necessary to make every providence, and every ordinance, and every mercy to be a blessing to us. Every mercy that comes in upon the wing of private prayer is a double mercy ; it is a great-bellied mercy ; it is a mercy that hath many mercies in the womb of it. Happy is that Christian that can lay his hand upon every mercy that he enjoys, and say of them all as once Hannah said of her Samuel : 1 Sam. i. 27, ' For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him.' But,
Objection 5. Fifthly, Some may further object and say, I would drive a private trade with God, I would exercise myself in secret prayer, hut I want a convenient place to retire into ; I want a private corner to unbosom my soul to my Father in, &c.