Much business lays a man open to many sins, many snares, and many temptations. Now the more sins, snares, and temptations, a man's business lays him open to, the more need that man hath to be much in private prayer, that his soul may be kept pure from sin, and that his foot may not be taken into the devil's trap, and that he may stand fast in the hour of temptation. Private prayer is so far from a hindrance to a man's business, that it is the way of ways to bring down a blessing from heaven upon a man's business; as the first fruits that God's people gave to him, brought down a blessing from heaven upon all the rest, Deut. xxvi, 10, 11. Prayer and provender never hinders a journey. Private prayer is like to Jacob that brought down a blessing from heaven upon all that Laban had. Private prayer gives a man a sanctified use, both of all his earthly comforts, and of all his earthly business; and this David and Daniel found by experience, and therefore 'twas not their great public employments that could take them off from their private duties. Time spent in heavenly employments, is no time lost from worldly business. Private prayer makes all we take in hand successful. Closet prayer hath made many rich, but it never made any man poor or beggarly in this world. No man on earth knows what may be the emergencies, or the occurrences of a day, Prov. xxvii. 1. "Boast not thyself of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Every day is as a great-belly'd day. Every day is as it were pregnant with something, but what it will bring forth whether a cross, or comfort, no man can tell; as whilst a woman is preg nant, no man can tell what kind of birth it will be. No man knows what mercies a day may bring forth, what miseries, what good or what evil, what afflictions, what temptations, what liberty, what bonds, what good success, or what bad success a day may bring forth; and therefore a man had need be every day in his closet with God, that he may be prepared and fitted to entertain and improve all the occurrences, successes, and emergencies, that may attend him in the course of his life. And let thus much suffice for an answer to this objection. But, Objection 2. Others may object and say, Sir, we grant that private prayer is an indispensible duty that lies upon the people of God; but we are servants, and we have no time that we can call our own, and our master's business is such as will not allow us any time for private prayer, and therefore we hope we may be excused. Answer.-1. The text is indefinite, and not limited to any sort or rank of persons, whether high or low, rich or poor, bond or free, servant or master. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet; and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret." Here are three thou's,-thou, thou, thou, which are to be understood indefinitely; thou servant as well as thou master, thou bond-man as well as thou free-man, thou poor man as well as thou rich man, thou maid as well as thou mistress, thou child as well as thou father, thou wife as well as thou husband. Private prayer is an indispensible duty that lies upon all sorts and ranks of persons. A man may as well say that that pronoun (Tu) thou that runs through the ten commandments,-"Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 2. I answer, that the answers that are given to the first objection, are here very applicable; and O that all masters were so wise as to lay all those answers to their own hearts: it might be a means to prevent much sin, and to bespeak masters and mistresses to give their pious servants a little more time to lift up their hearts to Christ in private. But, 3. I answer, if thou art a servant that hast liberty to choose a new master. thou wert better remove thy station than live under such a master's roof, who is an enemy to God, to Christ, to religion, to himself, and to the eternal welfare of thy poor soul, as he that will not give thee half an hour's time in a day to spend in thy chamber, thy closet, though the glory of God, the good of his own family, and the everlasting happiness of thine own soul, 'is concerned in it. "Tis better for thee to change thy master, than to neglect thy duty. i. Cor. 7. 21. "Art thou called being a servant? care not for it; but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather." We lost our liberty by sin, and we affect nothing more than liberty by nature. The Rabbins say of liberty, that if the heavens were parchment, the sea ink, and every blade of grass a pen, the praises of it could not be comprised nor expressed. Laban's house was full of idols; great houses are often so. Jacob's tent was little, but the true worship of God was in it. 'Tis infinitely better to live in Jacob's tent, than in Laban's house. 'Tis best to be with such masters where we may have least of sin, and most of God; where we may have the best example, and the greatest encouragement to be holy and happy. The religious servant should be as careful in the choice of his master, as the religious master is careful in the choice of his servant. Gracious servants are great blessings to the families where they live; and that master may well be called the unhappy master, who will rather part with a gracious servant, than spare him a little time in a day, to pour out his soul before the Lord. But, 4. I answer, if thou art a gracious servant, then thou art moved by God, to cry Abba Father, when thou art alone, when no eye seeth thee, but his who seeth in secret. If thou art a gracious servant, then thou hast not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, 1 Cor. i, 12. Now he that hath this tree of life, he hath also the fruit that grows upon this tree. Gal. v, 22, 23. “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodnes, faith, meekness, temperance, &c." Now grace is called, not the works of the spirit, but the fruits af the spirit. 1. Because all grace is derived from the spirit, as the fruit is derived from the root. And, 2. To note the pleasantness and delightfulness of grace for what is more pleasant and delightful, than sweet and wholesome fruits? 3. To note the profit and advantage that redowns to them that have the spirit: for, as many grow rich by the fruits of their gardens and orchards, so, many grow rich in grace, in holiness, in comfort, and in spiritual experiences, by the fruits of the spirit. Now why hath God given thee his spirit, and why hath he laid in thy soul a stock of supernatural graces ? but that thou mayest be every way qualified, disposed, and fitted for private prayer, and to maintain secret communion with God. Certainly, God never gave any servant a talent of gifts, or a talent of grace, but in order to his driving on a secret trade heavenward. 5. I answer, Though king Darius had made a a decree, that none should ask any petition of any God or man, for thirty days, upon the penalty of being cast into the den of lions; yet Daniel, who was both a subject and a servant to king Darius, and one upon whose hands the chiefest and greatest affairs of |