I absolutely love reading the Puritans. In the words of Billy Joel, they’ve just got a way about them. But unlike Billy I think I do know what it is. It’s that Puritans are drenched in the beauty of the gospel. I’ve been greatly benefiting from Thomas Brooks’ work The Secret Key to Heaven. It has been convicting me and strengthening me.
One of the things Puritans did so well was to really drive a point home. It seems that their philosophy was, “why only give 4 examples when I’ve got 25”. They won’t give up until the truth is deeply buried into your soul. Here is Thomas Brooks giving us twenty reasons to engage in private prayer.
- The most eminent saints engaged in private prayer
- Christ engaged in secret prayer
- Secret prayer distinguishes sincerity from hypocrisy
- Secret prayer lets us unbosom ourselves before God (Brooks is saying this is where we cast all our cares upon him).
- Secret duties shall have open rewards
- God most manifests himself in secret
- This life is the only time for private prayer
- Private prayer has prevailing power
- Private prayer is the most soul-enriching of duties
10. Secret prayer tends to root out secret sins
11. Secret prayer delights Christ
12. Only believers share God’s secrets
13. Private prayer is the Christian’s refuge in trouble
14. God is omnipresent
15. If we neglect private prayer, God will not hear our public prayers
16. The times call for private prayer
17. Those near to the Lord should engage in secret prayer
18. God has put a special mark of favor, honor, and observation, upon those who have prayed in secret.
19. Satan hates secret prayer.
20. The Lord’s secret ones should engage in secret prayer
What Brooks says here is so much better than can be put into a list of twenty headings. Reading the rest of it would be a great idea. Get it here.
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