* Amama quotes Tamovius, who mentions a sort of men that brought in an opinion which he calls a new gospel, that if a man perform the external duties of religion, viz., if he go to the church, hear the word, pray. &c., it was sufScient to salvation. [Qu. Anama? Tamovius, a learned commentator on Scripture. — G-]
254! THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT. VI. 6.
in a mill, and rest upon them when they have done, using the means as mediators, and so fall short of Christ and heaven at once. Closet- duties rested in, will as eternally undo a man as the greatest and foulest Qjiormities ; open wickedness slays her thousands, but a secret resting upon duties slays her ten thousands. Multitudes bleed inwardly of this disease, and die for ever. Open profaneness is the broad dirty way that leads to hell, but closet-duties rested in is a sure way, though a cleaner way, to hell. Profane persons and formal professors shall meet at last in one hell. Ah, Christians ! do not make closet-duties your money, lest you and your money perish together.
The phoenix gathers sweet odoriferous sticks in Arabia together, and then blows them with her wings and burns herself with them ; so do many shining professors burn themselves by resting in their duties and services. You know, in Noah's flood all that were not in the ark, though they climbed up the tallest trees, and the highest mountains and hills, yet were really drowned ; so let men climb up to this duty and that, yet, if they don't get into Christ, they will be really damned. It is not thy closet, but thy Christ, that must save thee. If a man be not interested in Christ, he may perish with ' Our Father* in his mouth. It is as natural to a man to rest in his duties as it is for him to rest in his bed.
This was Bernard's temptation, who, being a little assisted in duty, could stroke his own head with bene fecisti Bemarde, O Bernard, this was gallantly done, now cheer up thyself. Ah, how apt is man, when he hath been a little assisted, heated, melted, enlarged, &c., in a way of duty, to go away and stroke himself, and bless himself, and hug him- self, and warm himself with the sparks, with the fire of his own kind- ling, Isa. 1. 11.
Adam was to win life and wear it ; he was to be saved by his doings: * Do this and live,' Gen. ii. 2. Hence it is that all his posterity are so prone to seek for salvation by doing : Acts ii. 37, chap. xvi. 30, ' What shall we do to be saved V and ' good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal lifef Mark x. 17, 20. Like father, like son. But if our own duties or doings were sufficient to save us, to what purpose did Christ leave his Father's bosom, and lay down his dearest life ? &c. Closet-duties rested in may pacify conscience for a time, but this will not always hold. ' When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb; yet could they not heal him, nor cure him of his wound,' Hosea v. 13. If we rest on closet-duties, or on anything else on this side Christ, we shall find them as weak as the Assyrian, or as Jareb ; we shall find to our cost that they cannot help us nor heal us; they cannot comfort us nor cure us of our wounds. As creatures, so duties, were never true to any that have trusted in them. When the Israelites were in great distress, the Lord bids them go and cry unto the gods which they had chosen, and let them deliver you, saith God, in the time of your tribulation, Judges X. 14. O sirs ! if, when you are under distress of conscience, or lying upon a dying bed, God should say to you, Go to your closet prayers and performances, that you have made and rested in, go to your closet tears that you have shed and rested in, and let them save you and deliver you; oh, what miserable saviours and comforters would
Mat. VI. 6.] the privy key of heaven. 255
they be unto you ! Look, what the ark of God was to the Philistines, 1 Sam. chap, v., that closet-duties are to Satan ; he trembles every time he sees a poor sinner go into his closet and come out of his closet, resting and glorying in Jesus, and not in his duties ; but when he sees a poor creature confide in his closet-duties, and rest upon his closet- duties, then he rejoiceth, then he claps his hands and sings, Aha ! so would I have it. Oh, rest not on anything on this side Jesus Christ ; say to your graces, say to your duties, say to your holiness, You are not my saviour, you are not my mediator ; and therefore you are not to be trusted to, you are not to be rested in. It is my duty to perform closet-duties, but it is my sin to rely upon them, or to put confidence in them ; do them I must, but glory in them I must not. He that rests in his closet-duties, he makes a saviour of his closet-duties. Let all your closet-duties lead you to Jesus, and leave you more in com- munion with him, and in dependence upon him; and then thrice happy will you be, Heb. vii. 25. Let all thy closet prayers and tears, thy closet fastings and meltings, be a star to guide thee to Jesus, a Jacob's ladder by which thou mayest ascend into the bosom of eternal loves ; and then thou art safe for ever.
Ah ! it is sad to think, how most men have forgotten their resting- place, as the Lord complains : Jer. 1. 6, * My people have been like lost sheep, their shepherds have caused them to go astray, and have turned them away to the mountains ; they have gone from mountain to hill, and forgotten their resting-place.' Ah ! how many poor souls are there, that wander from mountain to hill, from one duty to another, and here they will rest, and there they will rest, and all on this side their resting- place ! 0 sirs ! it is God himself that is your resting-place ; it is his free grace, it is his singular mercy, it is his infinite love that is your resting- place ; it is the bosom of Christ, the favour of Christ, the satisfaction of Christ, and the pure, perfect, spotless, matchless, and glorious righteous- ness of Christ, that is your resting-place ; and therefore say to all your closet duties and performances. Farewell ; prayer, farewell ; reading, fare- well; fasting, farewell ; tears, farewell; sighs and groans, farewell ; melt- ings and humblings, I will never trust more to you, I will never rest more on you ; but I will now return to my resting-place, I will now rest only in God and Christ, I will now rest wholly in God and Christ, I will now rest for ever in God and Christ.
It was the saying of a precious saint, that * he was more afraid of his duties than of his sins ; for the one made him often proud, the other made him always humble.' But,