tery. Secret hatred often issues in upon murder, and secret wanton glances of the eye often issue in visible adultery. If Amnon be sick with the sinful conceptions of incestuous lust, how will his soul be in pain and travail till he hath brought forth. And how ma

ny are there that in secret have taken now and then but one cup more than enough, who now may be seen at noon day reeling against every post. And as secret diseases in the body (if not cured) will in time openly break forth; so secret sins in the soul (if not pardoned and purged) will in time be openly revealed. Covetousness was Judas' secret sin, and no sooner doth an occasion, or a temptation present itself, but he is very ready and forward to betray and sell his Lord and Master for thirty pieces of silver before all the world."Lust having conceived brings forth sin." Sin hath its conception, and that is delight; and then its formation, and that is design; and then its birth and that is action; and then its growth, and that is custom; and then its end, and that is damnation. But,

Ah! poor wretch, art

3. Secret sinning puts far more respect and fear upon men than upon God. Thou wilt be unjust in secret, and wanton in secret, and unclean in secret, and why? But because thou art afraid that such and such friends should know it. thou afraid of the eye of man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass? and yet not tremble under His eye, "whose eyes are as a flame of fire, sharp and terrible, such as pierce into the inward parts?" Ah! how full of atheism is that man's heart, that tacitly saith, "If my sins be but

hid from the eyes of the world, I do not care though the Lord knows them, though the Lord strictly observes them, though the Lord sets a mark, and a memorandum upon them.' What is this, O man! to tempt God, and provoke Him to his very face, "Who is light, and in whom there is no darknees at all Ah! Sinner, Sinner, can man damn thee? can man disinherit thee? can man fill thy conscience with horrors and terrors? can man make thy life a very hell? can man bar the very gates of glory against thee? can man send thee into the grave by a word of his mouth? and after all, can man cast thee into endless torments? O no. Can God do all this? O yes! why then doth not thy heart stand in awe of the eye of the great God, than it doth of the eye of a poor weak, mortal man.

I have insisted the longer on this particular, because there is not any thing that doth more hinder secret communion with God, and secret prayer, than secret sins. And O! that you would all make it your great business to watch against secret sins, and pray and mourn over them, and deeply to judge and condemú yourselves for secret sins, and carefully and conscientiously to shun and avoid all occasions and provocations that may be as fuel to them.

Certainly there are no men or women that are so sincere and serious in closet prayer, or, that are so frequent, so fervent, so constant in closet prayer, or so delighted and unwearied in closet prayer, as those that keep themselves most clear and free from secret sins.

And remember this, that though secret sins are in

some respects more dangerous than other sins are, yet in three respects they are not so bad or dangerous! as other sins are:

1. In that they do not so scandalize religión as: open sins do.

2. In that they do not shame, grieve, and wound the hearts of the saints, as open sins do.

3. In that they are not so infectious to others, nor such provocation to others, to sin against the Lord, as open sins are. And thus you may see, what those things are, that you must carefully take heed of, as ever you would addict yourselves to closet prayer.

And as you must take heed of these five things, so there are several other things that you must carefully and conscientiously apply yourselves to, as ever you would be found faithful and constant in this great duty of closet prayer.

1. Lament greatly, and mourn bitterly over the neglect of this choice duty. He that doth not make conscience of mourning over the neglect of this duty, will never make conscience of performing it. O that your heads were waters, and your eyes a fountain of tears,' that you might weep day and night for the great neglect of closet prayer; he that mourns most for the neglect of this duty, will be found most in the practice of it. It is said of Adam, that he turned his face towards the garden of Eden, and from his heart bitterly lamented his great fall; O that you would turn your faces towards your closets, and bitterly lament your rare going into them.

2. Habituate yourselves to closet prayer; make pri vate prayer your constant trade. Frequency begets

familiarity, and familiarity, confidence; we can go into that friend's house whom we often visit. What we are habituated to, we do with ease and delight. A man that is accustomed to read, to write, to ride, to run, or to play on this or that musical instrument, &c. he doth it with delight and ease; and so a man that habituates himself to closet prayer, will manage it with delight and ease. But,

3. Keep a diary of all your closet experiences; carefully record and book down all your closet mercies; be often reading over, and meditating upon your closet experiences. There is no way like this, to inflame and engage your hearts in this secret trade of private prayer.

O remember that at such a time, you went into your closets with hard hearts and dry eyes; but before you came out, how sweetly, how evangelically, how powerfully were you melted and humbled before the Lord, and remember how that at another time, you went into your closets clouded and benighted, but came out with as glorious a shine of God upon your souls, as Moses had upon his face, when he came down from the mount from communing with God! Ỏ remember how often you have gone into your closets with cold, frozen spirits, but before you came out, what a fire had God kindled in your souls, and remember how often you have gone into your closets straightened and shut up, how hath your souls been like the chariots of Amminadab ! remember what power God hath given you against corruptions, and what strength, he hath given you against temptations in your closets. And remember the sweet discoveries of divine love and the secret visits,

the seeret love-tokens that Christ hath given you in your closets. Seriously ponder upon these things, and then closet duties will be sweet unto you.

It was a sweet saying of Bernard, 'O Saint, knowest thou not that thy husband Christ is bashful, and will not be familiar in company; retire thyself by meditation into thy closet, or into the fields, and there thou shalt have Christ's embraces.' Meditalii nu

trix orationis.

• Meditation is the nurse of prayer.' Pliny tells us of one Messala Corvinus, whose memory was so bad, that he forgot his own name.

And I am

afraid that many of your memories are so bad, that you forget your closet mercies, your closet experien

ces.

I have read of such a pestilential disease at Athens, as took away the memories of those that were infected with it, so that they forgot their own names; O that I had not cause to fear that some pestilential disease or other, hath so taken away the memories of many, that they have quite forgotten their closet experiences. Well friends, remember this, though stony hearts are bad, yet iron memories are good; and O that you would all labour after iron memories, that so you may remember and ponder upon your closet experiences. I have read of the Heathens, how they made use of white and black stones, for these two ends; first, they gave them to persons at their arraignment before the Judges; if they were condemned to death, they gave him a black stone, but if absolved and set free, a white stone! (To which custom the Holy Ghost seems to allude, in Rev. ii. 17. “To him that overcometh will I give a white stone.") A second use of these stones