Edward Hitchcock sermon no. 160, "Secret Prayer," 1823 March

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Creator	Hitchcock, Edward, 1793-1864
Title	Edward Hitchcock sermon no. 160, "Secret Prayer," 1823 March
Dates	1823-03
Abstract	Edward Hitchcock's sermon on private prayer, based on Matthew 6:6 (But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.). Hitchcock noted on the first page the dates and places where he had delivered this sermon between 1823 and 1836 as well as Bible chapters and hymns related to the sermon. Hitchcock contrasted prayer undertaken in privacy and solitude with ostentatious, public prayer which could be too easily tainted by insincerity and religious performance. He regarded secret prayer as a duty of supreme importance to be practiced at the start and close of each day, not just at times of spiritual conflict or physical danger. These periods of immediate communion with God were to be earnest, fervent and persevering. As the biblical injunction promised, a humble Christian who maintained such a habit of prayer in his closet would be rewarded with strength, grace and blessings from heaven. Moreover, he would be rewarded openly before all of creation on the day of Judgment.
Physical Description	1 item (20 pages)
Languages	English
Place of Creation	Massachusetts
Genre	Sermons
Subject	Hitchcock, Edward, 1793-1864 – Sermons
Subject	Sermons, American – Massachusetts – 19th century
Subject	Meditation – Christianity – Sermons
Subject	Prayer – Christianity – Sermons
Part of	Edward and Orra White Hitchcock Papers
Finding Aid	View the finding aid for this item's collection
Repository	Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Shelf Location	Box 7 Folder 12
Access and Use	Public Domain: This material has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. While Amherst College Archives & Special Collections claims no rights or authority over this material, we do ask that any publication or use of this material cite the Archives & Special Collections at Amherst College as the source of the images and the repository where the original documents can be found.