RECOMMENDATORY PREFACE, BY THE REV. GEORGE LEWIS, D. D. TUTOR OF THE NORTH WALES ACADEMY. THE REV. THOMAS BROOKS, the Author of the following Treatise, was one of the Ministers ejected from the Church of England in the year 1662. He was a plain, affectionate Preacher of the Gospel; and his ministry was rendered eminently useful to many souls. His Publications were numerous; and several of his works have been frequently reprinted. His Heaven upon Earth, The unsearchable Riches of Christ, Apples of Gold, The Crown and Glory of Christianity, and The Privy Key of Heaven, are some of the most considerable of his Works. In the following Treatise the Author calls the attention of the Reader to a very important, but too much neglected Duty. To enlarge upon this Subject here would be nothing but detaining the Reader, who has now an opportunity of attending to what the Author states on the nature and importance of the Duty. May the present Edition be the means of exciting and encouraging every Reader, with humble boldness to approach the Throne of Grace. Llanfyllin, 20th Sept. 1820. G. LEWIS.. HYMN. W WHAT various hind'rances we meet Yet who that knows the worth of pray'r, Pray'r makes the darken'd cloud withdraw, Brings ev'ry blessing from above. Restraining pray'r, we cease to fight; Pray'r makes the Christian's armour bright; And Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees. While Moses stood with arms spread wide, Success was found on Israel's side; But when through weariness they fail'd, That moment Amalek prevail'd. Have you no word? Ah! think again, Were half the breath thus vainly spent, But thou when thou prayest, enter into thy closet; and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. T HESE words of our Saviour are plain, and to be taken literally, and not allegorically, for he speaketh of shutting the door of the chamber. In this chapter there is a manifest opposition between the Pharisees praying in the synagogues and corners of the streets, and others praying in secret. In the text you have a positive precept for every christian to pray alone; But thou, when thou prayest: he saith not, when you pray, but thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet, as speaking not so much of a joint duty of many praying together, as of a duty Ᏼ which each person is to do alone. The command in the text sends us as well to the closet as to the church; and he is a hypocrite in grain that chooses the one and neglects the other; for thereby he tells the world he cares for neither, he makes conscience of neither. He that puts on a religious habit abroad, to gain himself a great name among men, and at the same time lives like an athiest at home, shall at the last be uncased by God, and presented before the world for a most egregious hypocrite. Bellarmine, and some others, turn the text into an allegory; they say that in these words there are two allegories. First, the chamber door is the sense; shut the door, that is (say they) the sense, lest vain imaginations, and worldly thoughts distract thy mind in praying. Secondly, The door, say they, is our mouth. Shut thy door, that is, thy lips (say they) and let thy prayer be like the prayer of Hannah, conceived in thy mind, but not uttered with thy mouth. 'Tis usual with papists and other monkish men, that lie in wait to deceive, to turn the blessed scriptures into a nose of wax, under pretence of allegories and mysteries. Origen was a great admirer of allegories; by the strength of his parts and wit, he turned most of the scriptures into allegories; and by the just judgment of God upon him, he foolishly understood and absurdly applied Mat. xix. 22. literally, "some have made themselves chaste for the kingdom of heaven," and so mangled himself. And indeed he might as well have plucked out one of his eyes upon the same account, because Christ saith, "it is better to go to heaven with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire." Mat. xviii. 9. In all |