[5.] Fifthly, Love Christ with a more inflamed love. Oh strengthen your love to Christ, and your love to closet-duties. Lovers love much to be alone, to be in a corner together. Cant. vii. 10-12. Certainly the more any man loves the Lord Jesus, the more he will delight to be with Christ in a corner. There was a great deal of love between Jonathan and David, — 1 Sam. xviii. xix. and xx. compared, — and according to their love, so was their private converse, their secret communion one with another ; they were always best when in the field together, or when in a corner together, or when behind the door together, or when locked up together ; and just so would it be with you, did you but love the Lord Jesus Christ with a more raised and a more inflamed love ; you would be always best when you were most with Christ in a corner.
Divine love is like a rod of myrtle, which, as Pliny reports, makes the traveller that carries it in his hand so lively and cheerful, that he never faints or grows weary.^ Ah ! friends, did you but love the Lord Jesus with a more strong, with a more raised love, you would never faint in closet-duties, nor you would never grow weary of closet-duties. Look, as the Israelites removed their tents from Mithcah to Hashmonah, > l^at. Hist., lib. zt. cap. 35, 36, et teq.—Q.
Mat. VI. 6.] the privy key of heaven. 295
from sweetness to swfftness, — as the words import, Num. xxxiii. 29, — so the sweetness of divine love will make a man move swiftly on in a way of closet-duties. Divine love will make all closet-duties more easy to the soul, and more pleasant and delightful to the soul ; and therefore do all you can to strengthen your love to Christ, and your love to closet-work.
It was observed among the primitive Christians, that they were so full of love one to another, that they could be acquainted one with another as well in half an hour as in half a year. O sirsl if your hearts were but more full of love to Christ, and closet-duties, you would quickly be better acquainted with them, you would quickly know what secret communion with Christ behind the door means. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Be highly, thoroughly, and fixedly resolved, in the strength of Christ, to keep close to closet-duties, in the face of all diffi- culties and discouragements that you may meet withal, Ps. xliv. 17- 20. A man of no resolution, or of weak resolution, will be won with a nut, and lost with an apple. Satan, and the world, and carnal relations, and your own hearts, will cast in many things to discourage you, and take you off from closet prayer ; but be ye nobly and firmly resolved to keep close to your closets, let the world, the flesh, and the devil, do and say what they can. Daniel was a man of an invincible resolution ; rather than he would omit praying in his chamber, he would be cast into the den of lions. Of all the duties of religion, Satan is the most deadly enemy to this of secret prayer ; partly because secret prayer spoils him in his most secret designs, plots, and contrivances against the soul, and partly because secret prayer is so musical and delightful to God, and partly because secret prayer is of such rare use and advantage to the soul, and partly because it lays not the soul so open to pride, vain glory, and worldly applause, as prayer in the synagogue doth ; and therefore he had rather that a man should pray a thousand times in the synagogues, or in the comer of the streets, or behind a pillar, than that he should pray once in his closet ; and therefore you had need to steel your hearts with holy courage and resolution, that whatever suggestions, temptations, oppositions, or objections you may encounter with, that yet you will keep close to closet prayer.
There is not any better bulwark in the day of battle, than an heroic resolution of heart before the day of battle. Sanctified resolutions do exceedingly weaken and discourage Satan in his assaults, they do greatly daunt and dishearten him in all his undertakings against the soul. That man will never long be quiet in his closet, who is not sted- fastly resolved to seek the Lord in a corner, though all the powers of darkness should make head against him. O sirs ! divine fortitude, holy resolutions, will make you like a wall of brass, that no arrows can pierce ; they will make you like armour of proof, that no shot can hurt ; they will make you like that angel that rolled away the stone from be- fore the door of the sepulchre. Mat. xxviiL 2 ; they will either enable you to remove the greatest mountains of oppositions that lie between you and closet-prayer, or else they will enable you to step over them.
Luther was a man of great resolution, and a man that spent much time in closet-prayer. And such another was Nehemiah, who met with 60 much opposition, that had he not been steeled by a strong and
296 THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MAT. VI. 6.
obstinate resolution, he could never have rebuilded the temple, but would have sunk in the midst of his works. Now, he was a man for private prayer, as I have shewn in the beginning of this treatise. Who more resolute than David? and who more for secret prayer than David? The same I might say of Paul, Basil, and many others, who have been famous in their generations.
O sirs ! sanctified resolutions for closet prayer, will chain you faster to closet prayer, than ever Ulysses his resolutions did chain him to the mast of the ship. It was a noble resolution that kept Ruth close to her mother, when her sister Orpah only compliments her, kisses her, and takes her leave of her, Ruth i. 10-20. Be but nobly resolved for closet-prayer, and then you will keep close to it, when others only court it, and take their leave of it.
In the Salentine country, there is mention made of a lake, that is still brimful : if you put in never so much, it never runs over ; if you draw out never so much, it is still full.* The resolution of every Christian for closet-prayer, should be like this lake, still brimful. Tide life tide death, come honour or reproach, come loss or gain, come liberty or bonds, come what can come, the true-bred Christian must be fully and constantly resolved to keep close to his closet. But,