~4 tltlofet~~~ttl!tt, tohim as a Father: Now we know children cannot be fofree ia tbeir.addreffes to their Father,in·compauy and before firangers, as when no body is preientt _Hence it is, that whet;1 a child hathany fpecial bufine ' to his Father, he takes him afide, or w.hifpers ro .hi ' thatnonemay over-hear him .: And obferve it, God childre.n havean errand to ·God that none muft kno . of! As Ehudfai~' toEglof!, I have tf, focret errtmd to thee, ·o King, Jllfig.:, o19 • . So_ a gracious foul may fay, Oh myKing,myGQd, my .f.ath,er., /.have a·fecret errand t9 thee. . A luf1 to confe£s, , or_, mercy td beg or ble{s thee for, that I .\Vould n~t h~ve others to know of: clt is not fit any tbould be .privyto that which .agracious foul tells Go~ of: In this .ca(e it may be faid, Difcover not thy fecret to another, Pro.v.2).,. T·wo may,keep toun· fel; but three cannot : God and a gracious foul will "e faithfuf to each other, but a third mufrnot kqowof v thefe .matters ; nay jn this·ca(e wemay fay; :K~ep the ·door-s oftby lips from her thatlyeth in thy b,1Qm,Mic.7;~. There are many things a Saint tells Qod ·. of, th.at ~e. \vill not ,acquaint either father 1 _ or \}\life, or Friend with, that is as his own foul, .but dnly hisheavenly ~ Father; he opens his bofom freely t6 him, and tells :.him· his ·.~hole heart, bell: and worjl: ; hides n9thing Jrom him, becaufeheon~y knows the heart: And tndy I have often in this admired the wifdom ofGod, that bath fo (ar confult~d his _peoples cre<l~it and modefty as toappoint them place:and ways of fpeakirig to him pri- . vately, defigning fecret Prayer for this very·end, that the foul may fpread its letter of>wants ancL complaints before itsFather, andprefenl: itspetition to ,the .King ofHeaven : The Spoufe of Chrift is modeft ( faith an Ancient) and c;:annot,fo freely l~t out'her felf to-herbe.. loved.before others as in a corner: here then comes iti theufe andadvantageofCiofet-Prayer, that a '~may (as 1(J_1t~t_~'!_f!. an~ :p_~v'-~ ~id, u~~~fom
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