Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

befal us, are certainly intended by an unerring wisdom for our good and in order to our happiness.

Now, in order to our glorifying Almighty God in secret duties, let the following directions be observed,

1. Be sure that thou art private in thy private duties; Let it be a true secret prayer, and not have its name for nought: Remember our Saviour's advice, St. Matt. vi. 6. "Enter into thy closet when thou prayest, and shut thy door;" and be sure to shut it so close, that no wind of vain-glory may either get out or come in. Some hypocrites pray in secret, but, as they handle the matter, they are not secret in their closets. Rather than be guilty of this vanity, shut the door of thy lips, as well as thy closet; not but that it is lawful to use the voice in private prayer, provided it be not for ostentation, to be over-heard by others: Yea, and useful also, as it helps the attention of the mind, and prevents wandering thoughts, and likewise quickens the affections, by raising them up to a higher degree and pitch of fervency. Christian prudence therefore must direct thee what is best in this case.

2. Look that thou art free and open with Almighty God in private duties: come not to God in secret, and then conceal thy secrets from him; lay open thy very heart, and spread all thy secret sins before him, and be sure to hide nothing from him; if thou art not free to confess, thou must not expect forgiveness from God. Prayer is called in scripture a pouring forth of the soul to God; because a gracious person makes known all his wants and griefs to God, and does this with much freedom of spirit: Verily there is nothing that Almighty God resents more unkindly at his people's hands than their attempts to conceal either their secret sins, or their secret wants from him; when he stands ready so graciously to pardon the one, and so mercifully to supply the other.

Make use of the most proper and fitting season for private prayer, and take heed that one duty doth not interfere with another, either with family prayer, or public worship. The beauty of christianity consists in the harmony of a christian obedience, but the devil takes a mighty pleasure in putting persons upon setting the ordinances of God at variance one against another: Look also that thy closet devotions do not interfere with the duties of thy particular calling: God allows time for the shop, as well as for the closet; as thou art to shut thy closet doors to pray, so art thou to open thy shop windows for work; and if we be not faithful in the one, we cannot expect his presence in the other. Go then, O christian, into thy closet before thou goest into thy shop, or else thou art an atheist; but when thou hast been with God there, attend with faithfulness the business of thy calling, or else thou art an hypocrite. He that says, "Be fervent in prayer," says also, "Be not slothful in business."

4. Take heed that your frequent performance of secret duties do not degenerate into a lifeless formality. What we do very frequently, we are too apt to do very carelessly; it is exceeding hard not to grow formal in those duties which we are daily employed in. Endeavour therefore with the utmost care and diligence to keep up the fervour of your affections in your daily approaches to God; and in order thereunto, I would advise you to pray often, rather than very long, for it is difficult to be long in our prayers, and our hearts not grow cool in them. Our blessed Saviour himself we find praying often, yea, and using the same words in prayer, St. Matthew. xxvi. 44.

t

5. Rest not upon it as an infallible evidence of thy sincerity, that thou art found in the practice of

secret duties. It is possible for hypocrisy to creep into the closet. A man may perform secret duties, and yet indulge himself in many secret sins: But if thou delightest in searching duties as well as secret, in the close examination of thy heart, in the impartial trial of thy ways, in serious meditation on the threatenings of the word, so as to deter thee from the practice of all known sin, this will afford thee a good ground of hope that thy heart is upright in God's sight.

6. Let not business 'divert thee, let not the sense of thy own weakness and want of abilities discouragé thee from the practice of secret duties, especially from praying daily by thyself: Confess all thy sins, and lay open all thy wants before Almighty God, in the best manner thou art able, and question not the acceptance of thy worthless services, since thou hast so worthy a mediator: And rather than the sense of thy own weakness and want of expression, should tempt thee to the neglect of this duty, make use of the prayers at the end of this book for a private per

son.

CHAP. XI.

Of Reading the Holy Scriptures daily.

HE Holy Bible being a Letter wrote unto us by

THE

the finger of God himself, what is our reading of it, and daily conversing with it, but a communing with the Almighty, and making an enquiry after that revelation of his will, which his wisdom has been

pleased to make unto us? How exceeding great then is the folly and impiety of those who either lay the bible aside as a neglected book, or else read it carelessly, irreverently, unattentively, without an honest simplicity of mind, to be guided, instructed and directed by it? To prevent the sin and danger of both which neglects, it will be our wisdom to resolve with ourselves to redeem some time every day, either morning or evening, or both, to read in our closets as well as in our families, some part of God's holy word. And that we may read it with the greater profit, resolve we to read the bible through, and in order, which may be done once a year, by reading about three chapters every day, two out of the Old Testament, and one out of the New. In the discharge of which duty the following directions may be of use and advantage to us.

1. The first preparative to our reading the holy scriptures, should be prayer: As the scriptures were dictated at first by the holy spirit, so do they still owe their effects and influences to the spirit's co-operation: He teacheth his people to profit; "the things of the spirit, the apostle tells us, are spiritually discerned," 1 Cor. ii. 14. And although the natural man may well enough apprehend the letter and grammatical sense of the scripture, yet its power and energy, that persuasive force whereby it works upon men's hearts, this is peculiar to the spirit: and therefore, without his aid, the bible, whilst it lies open before us, may be as a book that is sealed unto us. Whenever therefore thou takest the bible into thy hands, dart up such ejaculations as these towards heaven, and say, "Lord open thou mine eyes, that I may see the wondrous things of thy Law. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me thy statutes. Let thy good word be a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto

my paths. Order my steps in thy word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Give me understanding, that I may walk all my days by the counsel of thy word; and in the end of my days die in the comfort of it." If you read the word of God without prayer, you must expect to read without profit.

2. A second qualification preparatory to the reading of the holy scriptures, is reverence. When we take the bible into our hands, we should do it with other sentiments or apprehensions than when we take a common book, considering that to all that converse with it, it is either "the Saviour of life unto life, or of death unto death;" that is, in a regular and right use of it, it is the instrument of our salvation; but upon our abuse of it, it is the promoter of our destruction. Accordingly we find good men, in all ages, have been wonderfully affected with the holy scriptures, and to the inward reverence of their minds have joined the outward prostration of their bodies, never reading the bible but upon their knees; to the great reproach and shame of our profaneness, who snatch up the bible as we do a play-book, and read it with as little reverence and regard; yet with this difference, that we dismiss the one much sooner, and retain the impressions of the other much longer. Now this proceeds in some from the want of that habitual reverence, which we should always have to the word of God: and in others, from the want of actual exciting of that inward reverence when they go to read. This is certain, that where there is no reverence there can be no prospect of any genuine and lasting obedience.

3. A third requisite to the reading of the holy scriptures with profit, is sincerity. This is twofold; namely, a sincerity of the understanding, in order to belief; and a sincerity of the will, in order to practice. We must come to the word of God with a pre

« AnteriorContinua »