would be a mighty powerful Curb to keep us to our good Behaviour. That which Divines call the Exercise of the Divine Prefence, is a ftrong Prefervative against Temptations, and deserves therefore to be recommended to our Study and Practice, as a Thing of the greatest Importance. But the laft Thing I told you, was contain❜d in this Expreffion of Praying to our Father in fecret, is the intent Application of the Soul to God in this holy Exercife. For Prayer is not a drawing near to God with the Lips, but with the Heart, and therefore requires the closest Union of Affection to him. This makes it fo difficult an Exercise, as being the applying of the Heart and Soul to an invifible, and incomprehenfible Object. For befides that the Devil fets himfelf, with all his Art and Cunning, to hinder this close Application to God, our own foolish Minds are fo taken up with fenfible Objects, and our Imagination is fo replenished with the Pictures and Images of them, that it is the hardest Thing in the World to keep it from wandring in Prayer, and requires our utmost Efforts and Endeavours to that Purpofe. For this End it is requifite that we be poffeffed of a very lively Faith in God, of a fervent Love to him, of a Truft and Affiance in his Mercy in Chrift Jefus, of a particular Belief of those ample Promises, which he has made to the fincere Performance of this Duty of Prayer: and all little enough to keep the Mind bent to that Degree of Attention, and fcrewed up to that Meafure of Affection which is requifite in Prayer. And this leads me to

III. The third and last Thing I obferved in the Words, namely, the Promife of an open Reward

to

to this fecret Prayer: And thy Father which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly. It is a very exprefs Promife, and has its Accomplishment both in the many visible Bleffings conferred on devout People as the Returns of their Prayers here upon Earth, and in the great final Reward of Glory, which before Men and Angels fhall be bestowed upon them in Heaven. And certainly there is no Duty attended with more visible Bleffings than this of Devotion. It would be endless to reckon them all up; for it is the great Means of obtaining all Bleffings whatsoever, either for our felves or others, either for this Life, or the Life to come, as I have fhewed at large on fome other Occafions.

And therefore having now finished what I propofed to confider from the Text, I fhall conclude with an Exhortation to the Practice of this much neglected Duty of fecret Prayer. We all pretend to be Christians, that is, to obey the Laws, and to follow the Example and Conduct of Chrift Jefus; Now there is nothing he preffes more earnestly upon us than the avoiding of Hypocrify; and This he gives as one of the principal Inftances of our avoiding Hypocrify, our frequenting of fecret Prayer. And to encourage us to the diligent Performance of this Duty, he has affured us not only that God takes fpecial Notice of it, as being a Duty performed with a pure regard to himfelf, but that he will amply reward it; and particularly that there fhall be fomething in the Reward, that fhall put a particular Honour on the Secrecy of the Duty; for as he fees it in Secret, he will reward it openly. There are Abundance of other Promifes fcattered both in the Old and New Tefta

ment to the fame Purpofe, with this further Af furance for our Encouragement, that we have a powerful Mediator and Advocate at the Father's right Hand, Jefus Chrift the Righteous, to further all our Petitions. We are taught that the Condition upon which we are to expect to receive, is that we ask; the Condition upon which we are to expect to find God, is that we feek him; and the Way to have the Door opened to all the Treasures of his heavenly Gifts and Graces is, that we knock inceffantly. Certainly if our Saviour had not known this to be the best and most ufeful Exercise and Employment for us, he would never have given us fuch extraordinary Encouragement to it. But all it feems will not do; there is nothing from which our corrupt Natures are more backward; there is nothing the Devil takes more Pains to hinder; there is nothing which the World with all its Lufts doth more powerfully divert, than the Exercife of fecret Prayer. This is to ftop the fountain Head from whence the Streams of all Bleffings proceed. This is to put out the Life of Religion; for without This it is but a dead Carcafe, all other Duties without this are but dull Morality; it is this bleffed Intercourfe by Prayer that feeds the Love of God, which is the Soul of all religious Duty. Take away That, and all the rest is a Body without Life; an Heap of Ceremonies without Reality, and any Thing rather than Religion. O! give me leave then to prefs this Duty of fecret Prayer with an unusual Concern. Could we once perfuade you to This, we should have an easy Task in all our other Bufinefs. For by a diligent frequenting of this Duty, fuch Light and Knowledge would be darted into

your

your Minds by God himself, that ye would become Wifer than all your Teachers. And ye would likewife acquire fuch a tractable Temper, that ye would not require many Arguments to ftir you up to your Duty, but ye would be a willing People in the Day of God's Power. And if willing, Prayer in Chrift's Name would draw down fuch a Measure of Grace as would anoint the Wheels of Action, and make them go glibly into all Duty. Let me then moft earnestly entreat all to fet about this Duty. Let thofe who are Young, Remember their Creator in the Days of their Youth, and beg his Bleffing and Conduct in that dangerous Time of their Lives. Let Men of Bufinefs

diligently pray for God's Bleffing; otherwife they may in vain rife up early and go to Bed late, and eat the Bread of Carefulness all the Day long. Let Perfons in publick Truft, who have the Management of the Publick upon their Hands, mind this Duty; for (a) Except the Lord build the Houfe, they labour in vain that build it; and except the Lord keep the City, the Watchman waketh but in vain. Let old Men and Women who must shortly leave the World, think it most proper for them to extricate themfelves from worldly Bufinefs, and to retire to the Duties of Devotion; let them Trim their Lamps and gird up their Loyns for their great Journey. In fhort, let us all Seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near. And think not that Devotion will hinder Action; quite otherwise, when ye are dull in other Duties, This will give you a

(a) Pf. cxxvii. 1.

new

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new Edge; when your Chariot Wheels go flow, This will new oil them; and to your own weak Endeavours This will add new Life and Vigour, that ye will be able to do all Things through Chrift ftrengthening you. To conclude then with my Text, Enter into your Closets; and when ye have shut the Door, pray unto your Father in fecret, and your Father which feeth in fecret, shall reward you openly.

Now to him who thus invites and encourages our Addreffes; to the Hearer of Prayer, and the God of all Confolation; To the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, be all Praife, Honour, and Glory, Might, Power and Dominion, for ever and ever. Amen.

SER M.