saith of his aunt Trucilla, that her elbows were as hard as horn by often leaning upon her desk at private prayer. I have read of a devout person, who when the set time for his private devotion was come, whatever company he was in, he would break from them with this neat and handsome come off, "I have a friend that stays for me, farewell." And there was a great lady of this land, who would frequently withdraw from the company of Lords and Ladies of great quality, who came to visit her, rather than she would lose her set times of waiting upon God in her closet: she would, as they called it, rudely take her leave of them, that so she might in private attend the Lord of Lords. She would spare what time she could, to express her favours, civilities, and courtesies, among her relations and friends; but she would never suffer them to rob God of his time, nor her soul of that comfort and communion which she used to enjoy when she was with God in her closet. And indeed one hour's communion with God in your closet, is to be preferred before the greatest and best company in the world. And there was a child of a Christian Lady that was so given to prayer from its infancy, that before it could well speak, it would use to go alone and go to he prayer; and as grew, he was more frequent in prayer, and retired of himself from company; and he would ask his mother very strange questions, far above the capacity of one of his years; but at last when this child was but five years old, and whipping of his top, on a sudden he flung away his whip and top, and ran to his mother, and with great joy said unto her, "Mother I must go to God; will you go with me?" she answered, My dear child, how dost thou know thou shalt go to

God? he answered, "God hath told me so,' for I love God, and God loves me.-Dear child, you must go when God pleaseth.-But why wilt thou not stay with me? the child answered, "I will not stay, I must go to God."-And the child did not live above a month after, but never cared for play afterwards; but falling sick he would always be saying, that he must go to God, he must go to God. And thus sometimes, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings God hath perfected praise. Certainly such persons will be ripe for heaven betimes, who begin betimes to seek God in the closet. And Eusebius reports of Constantine the emperor, that every day he used to shut up himself in some secret place in his palace, and there on bended knees made his devout prayers to God. My God and 1 are good company, said famous Dr. Sibbs. A man whose soul is conversant with God in the closet, in a desart, den, or dungeon, shall find more real pleasure and choice delights, than in the palace of a prince. By all these instances you see that the people of God in all ages have given themselves to private prayer. O friends, these pious examples should be very awakening, convincing, and encouraging to you. Certainly 'tis as much your duty as 'tis your Glory to follow these pious patterns that are now set before you. Witness these following Scriptures, Prov. ii. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 1 Cor. ii. 1. Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Phil. iii. 17. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so, as ye have us for an ensample. Phil. iv. 9. Those things which ye have both learned, and seen in me, do, and the God of peace shall

be with you. 1 Thess. i. 6. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction." Heb. vi. 12. "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promises." So, 2 Tim. iii. 10, 11, 12, 14. Titus ii. 7. 'Twas an exellent law that the Ephesians made, That men should propound to themselves the best patterns and ever bear in mind some eminent man. Bad men are wonderful in love with bad examples. Jer. xliv. 16, 17. The Indian hearing that his ancestors were gone to hell, said, That then he would go there too. Some men have a mind to go to hell for company sake. O! that we were as much in love with the examples of good men, as others are in love with the examples of bad men, and then we should be oftener in our closets than we are. Shall we love to look upon the pictures of our friends, and not love to look upon the pious examples of those that are the lively and lovely picture of Christ? The pious examples of others should be the looking-glasses by which we should dress ourselves. He is the best and wisest christian, that writes after the fairest scripture copy, that imitates those christians, that are most eminent in grace, and that have been most exercised in closet prayer, and in the most secret duties of religion.

Hierome having read the life and death of Hilarion (one that lived most christianly, and died most comfortably) folded up the Book saying; Well, Hilarion shall be the champion that I will follow, his good life shall be my example, and his godly death my president. 'Tis brave to live and die by the examples of the most eminent saints. But,

II. Consider, when Christ was on earth, he much

exercised himself in secret prayer, he was often with God alone, as you may see in the following Scriptures. Matt. xiv. 23. "And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray; and when the evening was come, he was there alone." Christ choosing solitude for private prayer, doth not only hint to us the danger of distraction and deviation of thoughts in prayer, but how necessary it is for us to choose the most convenient places we can for private prayer. Our own fickleness and Satan's restlessness, calls upon us to get into such places where we may freely pour out our souls into the bosom of God. Mark i. 35. "And in the morning rising up a great while before day he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.' Mark vii. 46. And when he had sent them away he departed into a mountain to pray." He that would pray to purpose had need be quiet when he is alone. Luke v. 16. "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed." He was departing and praying, to give us to understand that he often did so. When Christ was neither exercised in teaching or in working of miracles, he was then very intent on private prayer. Luke vi. 12. “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Did Christ spend whole nights in private prayer to save our souls, and shall we think it much to spend an hour or two in the day for the furtherance of the internal and eternal welfare of our souls. Luke xxi. 37. "And in the day time he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives." Christ frequently joins praying and preaching together; and

those whom Christ hath joined together, let no mar presume to put asunder. Luke xxii. 39, 41, 44, 45. "And he came out, and went as he was wont, to the mount of Olives, and his disciples also followed him. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and kneeled down and prayed. And being in an agony he prayed most earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood, (clotted or congealed blood) falling down to the ground, (never was garden watered before or since with blood as this was.) And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow." Ah! what sad pieces of vanity are the best of men in an hour of trial and temptation. These very men, that a little before did stoutly profess and promise that they would never leave him nor forsake him, and that they would go to prison for Christ, and die for Christ, yet when the day of trial came, they could not so much as watch with him one hour; they had neither eyes to see, nor hauds to wipe off Christ's bloody sweat, as in John vi. 15-17. So that you see by all these famous instances that Christ was frequent in private prayer. O! that we would daily propound to ourselves this noble pattern for imitation, and make it our business, our work, our heaven, to write after this blessed copy that Christ hath set us, viz. To be much with God alone. Certainly christianity is nothing else but an imitation of the divine nature, a reducing of a man's self to the image of God, in which he was created, in righteousness and true holiness. A christian's whole life should be but a visible representation of Christ. The heathens had this notion amongst them, as Lactantius reports, That the way to honor their gods