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church, and in their families, but in their clofets alfo.

The fum of what has been faid is this; that there are several religious duties which can be performed no where but in our clofets; that there are others, which are indeed to be performed elsewhere, but must be performed there also; as we learn, from reason, the examples of holy men, and the commands of God himself.

From hence I conclude, that it is abfolutely neceffary for every man to fet apart some time for the worship of God in private, where he may be at leisure to perform the above-mentioned duties.

THE

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Shewing how we ought to behave our felves, at our first coming into our Clofets.

H

AVING brought you to your

closet, I think it necessary

to inftruct

you,

how you

may behave your felf in it,
fo as to be the better for

coming into it. And for this end, I would
advise you, before you apply yourself to
any particular duty, to reflect feriously up-
on these following confiderations.

1

upon

Firft, How inexcufable all wandring thoughts will be in this place. The design of your coming hither is, to gain an opportunity of waiting upon God without distraction. For this reason, you have left your business, forfaken your company, and withdrawn your felf from the world. You have now no variety of earthly objects to divert your thoughts from heaven; you are fhut up from all the charms and temptations of this World, and may be as intent the affairs of another world as you please. 'Tis true, your mind may go out of the closet, and you may, even when you are there, be as deeply immersed in worldly and fenfual thoughts, as when you are in the midst of company. But it must be your own fault, if you are fo. In our publick devotions we may meet with many accidental diverfions, occafioned by the great variety of outward objects that furround us; but we cannot plead this in our retirements. If we keep our minds within our clofets, we shall find it an easy matter to fix them upon fuch objects as are proper for those places; and if we let them go out of them, and ramble about the world, it is not for want of power

and

and opportunity, but want of will and endeavour, to reftrain them. Refolve therefore with thy felf to fet a watch upon thy thoughts, and to make advantage of thy retirement, by fending up thy mind, which may now easily difengage itself, from earth to heaven: Affure thy felf, that God will most severely punish thee, if thou neglectest this opportunity of ferving him with free and undistracted thoughts, and therefore do not prefume to let the world have any part of thy foul, but give it whole and entire to him.

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Secondly, Confider how little all hypocrify and infincerity will avail thee here, To call upon God with our lips, while our hearts are far from him, may do us fome fervice before men, who cannot fee into our hearts; it may make us appear better to them than indeed we are, and fo may be of advantage to us: but to diffemble where no body fees us but God, who trieth the heart and reins, and understandeth our thoughts afar off, is an argument of egregious folly, and of great impudence. Men may poffibly think it worth their while to put on a form of godlinefs in their pubtick devotions, that by it they may obtain YOL. HE

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