The privy key of heaven, or, Twenty arguments for closet-prayer in a select discourse…The privie key of heaven, or, Twenty arguments for closet-prayer in a select discourse…

I have now but one thing more to do, before I shut up this discourse, ⟨p. 400⟩and that is to lay down some means, rules, or directions, that may be of use to help you on in a faithful and conscientious discharge of this great duty, viz. Closet-prayer. And therefore thus.

First, As ever you would give up your selves to private prayer, Take heed of an idle and slothful spirit. If Adam in the state of Innocency must work and dress the Garden; and if after his fall, when he was Monarch of all the world, he must yet labour, why should any be idle or slothful? Idleness is a sin against the law of Creation: God creating man to labour, the idle person violates this Law of Creation, for by his idleness he casts off the authority of his Creator, who made him for labour. Idleness is a contradiction to the ¹principles of our Creation. Man in Innocency should have been freed from weariness, but not from employment; he was to dress the Garden by divine appointment; ⟨p. 401⟩And the Lord God took the man, and put ²him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it. All weariness in labour, and all vexing, tiring and tormenting labour came in by the fall, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat ³bread The bread of idleness is neither sweet nor sure. An idle person shall suffer ⁴hunger, saith Solomon. An idle life, & an holy heart are far enough asunder. By doing nothing (saith the Heathen man) men learn to do evil things: It is easy slipping out of an idle life into an evil and wicked life; yea, an idle life is of it self evil; for man was made to be active, not to be idle. The Cyclops thought mans happiness did consist in nihil agendo, in doing nothing: But no excellent thing