Thomas Brooks and Private Prayer – 6
This is a lengthy post simply because I don’t want to break up how well Brooks supports his point. He also has a few good stories of saints that are worth reading.
The most eminent saints, both in the Old and New Testament, have applied themselves to private prayer. Moses was alone in the mount with God forty days and forty nights, Exod. 34:28. So Abraham fills his mouth with arguments, and reasons the case out alone with God in prayer, to prevent Sodom’s desolation and destruction, and never leaves off pleading and praying till he had brought God down from fifty to ten, Gen. 18:22–32; and in Gen. 21:33, you have Abraham again at his private prayers: ‘And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.’ Why did Abraham plant a grove, but that he might have a most private place to pray and pour out his soul before the Lord in? So Isaac: Gen. 24:63, ‘And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at even-tide.’ The Hebrew word lasuach, that is here rendered meditate, signifies to pray as well as to meditate, and so it is often used. It is a comprehensive word, that takes in both prayer and meditation. So you shall find Jacob at his private prayer: Gen. 32:24–28, ‘And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.’ When Jacob was all alone, and in a dark night, and when his joints were out of joint, he so wrestles and weeps, and weeps and wrestles in private prayer, that as a prince at last he prevails with God, Hosea 12:3, 4. So David, Ps. 55:16, 17, ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice.’ So Daniel was three times a-day in private prayer: Dan. 6:10, ‘Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and, his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a-day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.’ Daniel had accustomed himself to private prayer; he went to his closet before he went to his public employment and state affairs; and at his return to dinner, he turned first into his chamber to serve his God and refresh his soul before he sat down to feast his body; and at the end of the day, when he had despatched his business with men, he made it his business to wait upon God in his chamber. So Jonah keeps up private prayer when he was in the fish’s belly, yea, when he was in the belly of hell, Jonah 2:1, 2, &c. So we have Elijah at prayer under the juniper tree, 1 Kings 19:4; so Hannah, 1 Sam. 1:13. Now, Hannah she speaks in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. The very soul of prayer lies in the pouring out of the soul before God, as Hannah did, ver. 15. Neither was Rebekah a stranger to this duty, who, upon the babe’s struggling in her womb, went to inquire of the Lord, Gen. 25:22; that is, she went to some secret place to pray, saith Calvin, Musculus, Mercerus, and others. So Saul is no sooner converted, but presently he falls upon private prayer: Acts 9:11, ‘And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth.’ Though he was a strict Pharisee, yet he never prayed to purpose before, nor never prayed in private before. The Pharisees used to pray in the corners of the streets, and not in the corners of their houses. And after his conversion he was frequently in private prayer, as you may see by comparing of these scriptures together, Rom. 1:9; Eph. 1:15, 16; Philip. 1:3, 4; 2 Tim. 1:3. So Epaphras was a warm man in closet prayer, Philip. 4:12, 13; so Cornelius had devoted himself to private prayer, Acts 10:2, 4; and so Peter gets up to the house-top to pray: ver. 9, ‘On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the house top to pray, about the sixth hour.’ Peter got up upon the leads, not only to avoid distraction, but that he might be the more secret in his private devotion. Eusebius tells us of James called Justus, that his knees were grown hard and brawny with kneeling so much in private prayer. And Nazianzen reports of his sister Gorgonia, that her knees seemed to cleave to the earth by her often praying in private. And Gregory saith of his aunt Trucilla, that her elbows was 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 once 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 one’s closet, is to be preferred before the greatest and best company in the world. And there was a child of a Christian gentlewoman, that was so given to prayer from its infancy, that before it could well speak, it would use to get alone and go to prayer; and as it grew, it was more frequent in prayer and retiring of itself 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 scourge-stick 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.’ She answered, ‘Dear child, I 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 more; 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,’ Mat. 21:16. Certainly such persons will be ripe for heaven betimes who begin betimes to seek God in a closet, in a corner. 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, did make his devout prayers and soliloquies to God. ‘My God and I are good company,’ said famous Dr Sibbes. A man whoso soul is conversant with God in a closet, in a hole, behind the door, or in a desert, a den, a dungeon, shall find more real pleasure, more choice delight, and more full content, than in the palace of a prince. By all these famous instances, you see that the people of God in all ages have addicted themselves to private prayer. O friends! these pious examples should be very awakening, very convincing, and very encouraging to you. Certainly it is as much your duty as it is your glory to follow these pious patterns that are now set before you.
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Brooks, T. (1866). The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks. (A. B. Grosart, Ed.) (Vol. 2, pp. 166–168). Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert.