suffer by your neglect of private prayer ! Oh, let not Zion suffer ! Oh, let not any particular saint suffer by your being found seldom in your closets.
Certainly, it might have gone better with the churches of Christ, and with the concernments of Christ, and with many of the poor people of Christ, if most Christians had been more frequent with God in their closets. But,
[8.] Eighthly and lastly, Consider tlmt this liberty to approach nigh to Ood i/n your closets, cost Christ his dearest blood, Eph. ii. 13, Heb. x. 20.' Now, he that is not frequent with God in his closet, tells all about him, that he sets no great value upon that liberty that Christ hath purchased with his blood. The incomparable, the unparalleled price which Christ hath paid down upon the nail, above sixteen hundred years ago, that we might have liberty and free access to his Father in our closets, argues very strongly, yea, irrefragably, the superlative excellency of that liberty, 1 Peter i. 19. Oh therefore let us improve to purpose this blessed purchase of our Lord Jesus, by being frequent with God in our closets. It is disputed by some whether one drop of Christ's blood was sufficient for the pardon of our sins and redemption of our souls.* My intention is not to dispute, but to offer a few things to your con- sideration.
First, It must be granted, that by reason of the hypostatical union, a drop of Christ's blood was of an inestimable worth and excellency; and the value of his passion is to be measured by the dignity of his person. But,
Secondly, A proportion was to be observed betwixt the punishment due to men, and that which was suffered for man ; that his sufferings might be satisfactory, two things were necessary, Posnce gravitas, as well as personce dignitas.^ That the least drop of Christ's blood was not sufficient for the redemption of our souls may thus appear :
First, If it were, then the circumcision of Christ was enough, for there was a drop, if not many drops of blood shed.
Secondly, Then his being crowned with a crown of thorns, was sufficient ; for it is most probable that they drew blood from him.
Thirdly, Then all Christ's sufferings besides were superfluous and vain.
Fourthly, Then God was unjust and unrighteous to take more than was due to his justice. But for any man to affirm that God hath taken beyond what was his just due, is high blasphemy.
Fifthly, Then Christ was weak and imprudent to pay more than he needed ; for what need was there of his dearest heart blood, if a drop from his hand would have saved our souls ? Let schoolmen fancy what they please, it is certain, that not one dram of that bitter cup that Christ drunk off could be abated, in order to his Father's full satisfac- tion, and man's eternal redemption. Christ hath given under his own hand that it was necessary that he should suffer many things, Luke xxiv. 26. O sirs ! shall Christ shed not only a few drops of blood, but
• Sanguis Christi clavis axli.
* One little drop of Christ's blood is more worth than heaven and earth. — Luther.
» What is the blood of a grape, or the blood of a son, an only son, to the blood of a Saviour?
Mat. VI. 6.] the privy key of heaven. 251
his very heart blood, to purchase you a freedom and liberty to be as often in your closets with his Father as you please; and will you only now and then give God a visit in private ? The Lord forbid.
(2.) My second advice and counsel is this, Take the fittest seasons and opportunities that possibly you can for closet prayer. Many take unfit seasons for private prayer, which do more obstruct the importunity of the soul in prayer, than all the suggestions and instiga- tions of Satan. As,
First, When the body is drowsy and sleepy; this is a very unfit season for closet prayer, Cant. iii. 1. Take heed of laying cushions of sloth under your knees, or pillows of idleness under your elbows, or of mixing nods with your petitions, or of being drowsily devoted when you draw near to God in your closets.
Secondly, When a man's head and heart is filled with worldly cares and distractions ; this is a very unfit season for closet-prayer, 1 Cor. vii. 35, Ezek. xxxiii. 31.
When Dinah must needs be gadding abroad to see fashions, Shechem, prince of that country, meets with her, and forces her virginity. So when our hearts, Dinah-like, must needs be a-roving and gadding abroad after the things of the world, then Satan, the prince of the air, usually seizes upon us, commits a rape upon our souls, and either leads us off from prayer, or else he doth so distract us from prayer, that it were, better not to have prayed at all, than to have offered the sacrifice of foolish and distracted prayer,
I have read a story, how that one offered to give his horse to his fellow, upon condition he would but say the Lord's prayer, and think upon nothing but God ; the proffer was accepted, and he began, ' Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.' But I must have the bridle too, said he. ' No, nor the horse neither,^ said the other, for thou hast lost both already. The application is easy.
Certainly, the most free and lively season for closet-prayer is the mornings, before a man's spirit be blunted or cooled, deadened, damped, or flatted by worldly businesses. A man should speak with God in his closet, before he speaks with his worldly affairs and occasions. A man should say to all his worldly business, as Abraham said unto his young men, when he went to offer up his only Isaac, ' Abide you here, and I will go yonder and worship, and then return to you again.' He that will attend closet prayer without distraction or disturbance, must not, first, slip out of the world into his closet, but he must first slip into his closet before he be compassed about with a crowd of worldly employments.
It was a precept of Pythagoras, that when we enter into the temple to worship God, we must not so much as speak or think of any worldly business, lest we make God's service an idle, perfunctory, and lazy recreation. The same I may say of closet-prayer.
Jerome complains very much of his distractions, dulness, and indis- posedness to prayer, and chides himself thus, 'What ! dost thou think, that Jonah prayed thus when he was in the whale's belly; or Daniel when he was among the lions ; or the thief when he was upon the cross V
Thirdly, When men or women are under rash and passionate dis-
252 THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT. VT. 6.