The Secret Key to Heaven: The Vital Importance of Private Prayer

by Thomas Brooks

‘The power of religion and godliness lives, thrives, or dies, as closet prayer lives, thrives, or dies.’ This was the deeply held conviction of Thomas Brooks. As a pastor who knew his people well, he feared that many Christians did not understand the ‘necessity, excellency, and usefulness’ of private prayer, and that many lived in ‘too great a neglect of this indispensable duty.’ Focusing on our Lord’s words about ‘closet prayer’ in Matthew 6:6, Brooks supplies us with a masterful treatment of a vitally important aspect of the Christian’s life. His aim is intensely ‘to preserve and keep up the power of religion and godliness both in men’s houses, hearts, and lives.’

Genres: Prayer, Theology, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Religion, Church History

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2006

About the author

Little is known about Thomas Brooks as a man, other than can be ascertained from his many writings. Born, probably of well-to-do parents, in 1608, Brooks entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1625. He was licensed as a preacher of the gospel by 1640 at the latest. Before that date he seems to have spent a number of years at sea, probably as a chaplain with the fleet. After the Civil War, Brooks became minister at Thomas Apostle s, London, and was sufficiently renowned to be chosen as preacher before the House of Commons on 26 December, 1648. Three or four years later he moved to St Margaret s, Fish-street Hill, London, but encountered considerable opposition as he refused baptism and the Lord s Supper to those clearly unworthy of such privileges. The following years were filled with written as well as spoken ministry. In 1662 he fell victim to the notorious Act of Uniformity, but he appears to have remained in his parish and to have preached the Word as opportunity offered. Treatises continued to flow from his agile pen. In 1677 or 1678 he married for the second time, 'she spring-young, he winter-old'. Two years later he went home to his Lord.

Reviews

[Zach Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best review that I can write of this book is this: I pray more now.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Brooks is one of the easier Puritan writers to read so in that sense his book is very reader friendly & easy to understand.

The down sides are few but there are some. There's a fair bit of repetition, particularly in the first half of the book. Nothing that some careful editing would not have easily corrected. Some of the analogies seemed odd or outdated but again, this book is about 400 years old.

The positives outweigh the negatives & although the book seems a little slow in the beginning, momentum really kicks in about halfway where I'd say the meat of the book's content begins to really unfold. The latter half is chalked full of very helpful instruction & guidance in the very practical aspects of prayer but also in the deeper mysteries of it as well. Prayer really is one of the more difficult aspects of the Christian life according to Brooks.

Brooks does a good job of laying the ground work for developing faithful, consistent obedience to the duty without being too definite about the particulars or formulas we are so often prone to seek. The material on evidences of true communion with God was extremely helpful & Brooks does spend some invaluable focus on the pitfalls & manifest ways in which satan distracts & succeeds at discouraging believers at various stages in their spiritual maturity.

Well worth the read for any & every nugget to be gleaned in order that our prayer lives would advance that we might know God better!

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deals specifically with private prayer - not public or family-level prayer - done indoors or outdoors in a chosen place: a nook, a field or another place in nature, whatever alone-place one might choose.

It's not a book that seems to shine at first. It may feel like something done before if one has read books on prayer.

But the Puritan flavor and the deep reasonings and answers convince quite well of the excellence of this form of prayer, and give deep reasons why one should strive persistently to keep it, even if one has a lot to do (sometimes even cutting a moment of time from eating or sleeping, though it's clear it's not really *all* of those times). Brooks guides one well on how to do it (and what one's state of mind and emotions should be like; he also suggests keeping a prayer diary to record how things go) and gives solid answers to questions included.

So, even if you've read books on prayer before, this might bring some more motivation and guidance to doing it in its private form. And private prayer is essential for one's connection to God, for all Christians. Recommended. :)

[Emily Voeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems wrong to give a puritan only four stars, but I am for a couple of reasons. Brooks is very wordy, and repeats himself somewhat often. This makes it difficult to read and was distracting.

The content of the book is fantastic. It is all very practical. Arguments for, refutations to arguments against, and earnest pleas to partake of private prayer is pretty much the entire substance of the book. A topic too often overlooked by modern Christians, and I suppose by those in Brooks’ time as well. I am glad I read it, although it’s unlikely that I will reread.

Looking forward to reading more puritan books!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good and I don't regret reading it, but I have enjoyed other Puritan authors more. There was more along the lines of "do the right thing" and less pointing the reader to Jesus and his grace.

[Darby Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great encouragement to prayer. I couldn't read more than a few pages before I felt that I should stop reading and start praying.

The book is divided into a lot of short sections with separate arguments, so it works very well as a daily devotional.

Highly recommended!

[Alexander Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you love ordinal number adverbs like I do? Then you will love this book! The word "Sixthly " is used at least six times. O and he even hits double digits a couple times.

If redundant, I wouldn't say needlessly redundant. He does have quite the lyric quality at times. Some of his Old Testament illustrations were a bit surprising

I can see where this book may be confusing. I would suggest keeping a bookmark in the table of contents. Sometimes he offers three proofs to one of the four ideas in the one of the chapters in Part 2. So you will sometimes need a reminder of where you are in the scheme of things if you aren't careful.

Another reviewer recommended it be read as a devotional. You may find it written a bit backwards with that strategy as the Why pray privately precedes the methods of private prayer. But then you probably won't do it wrong.

[M.J. Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with many who consider this book the most helpful Puritan work on prayer (along with Oliver Heywood's book, Closet Prayer: A Christian Duty). Brooks' classic is packed full of persuasive arguments to stir up prayer, answers to objections and common hinderances to prayer, and helpful advice to a successful life of prayer. Spurgeon said of Brooks, “He has dust of gold; for even in the margins of his books there are sentences of exceeding preciousness. . . . If you have never read his works, I almost envy you the joy of entering for the first time upon [them].”

[Brad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not Really Guidance for Prayer

If you are looking for practical steps to take in prayer, this is probably not the book for you. As it’s title says, it is a “call” to closet prayer, not really instructions. I would summarize its message in two words: “Do it!“ There is some value in it but it tends to be very repetitive and focuses on the negatives of not having private prayer, and much less on the positives.

[Micah Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Puritan books then this is still a good one. Content is good and makes you think. The only reasons for subtracting a star is that the book is incredibly difficult to follow in terms of layout/structure: he gives a list of points, then in a point has a sub-point, then in that sub-point he has another list of points. You basically get lost in buried points and wonder what was the parent topic you were in. Don’t get me wrong, the points are good just not laid put great.

[Zachary Spivey · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star content and insights in the book, but was a little wordy as is the normal for some Puritan writers. There is a treasure trove of exhortation and inspiration to private prayer in this wonderful book. May we not neglect so vital a duty as private prayer with the Triune God of the Universe: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on prayer

While Thomas Brooks can be difficult to follow at times, he gives excellent advice on prayer. No fluff here. Brooks urges Christians to go to their closets and earnestly seek the Lord.

[Adam900 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Puritan treatise on private prayer. Recommended to be read devotionally by everyone who is not turned off by 17th-century English. Brooks is very readable among his peers. Chew on a few pages and pray each day.

[Will Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books in prayer and one of the first Puritan books I read. It was a real game changer for me, thank you Thomas brooks and thank you God!

[Brandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not finishing. Too repetitive and some verses seem to be taken out of context and stretched to fit the point being made.

[Peter Stonecipher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immense encouragement to closet prayer. Brooks' thorough exposition doesn't come across as dry, but as more kindling on the fire for private communion with God.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would encourage every Christian to read this book. Like the title says, this discusses the vital importance of private prayer, a practice not talked about enough in the life of a believer.

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read through this one with a brother from church. Some stellar 5 star chapters and quotes. The bulk of his arguments are in Part Two, which was so helpful.

[Laurent Dv]

Une méditation d'un célèbre puritain sur la prière personnelle basée sur Matthieu 6,6 (« Mais quand tu pries, entre dans ta chambre, ferme ta porte, et prie ton Père qui est là dans le lieu secret; et ton Père, qui voit dans le secret, te le rendra. »), très encourageante, concrète et stimulante. Donne des raisons qui la justifient, répond aux objections courantes ("Je n'ai pas le temps.", "Je n'ai pas d'endroit.", "Je n'arrive pas du tout à prier, je suis trop faible spirituellement.", etc.) les obstacles à surmonter et éviter (la paresse et les divertissements, les sujets d'étude futiles, les péchés secrets, l'hypocrisie, etc.).

[Jordan Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Brooks’ work on “closet” or private prayer is both pastoral and challenging. His strong rebukes against failure in our duty towards private prayer were convicting and encouraging. As with most Puritans, Brooks directs us towards piety saddled in correct orthodoxy. He labors intensively to show the biblical support for private prayer, largely arguing from Matthew 6:5-6. While I may not agree with some of his exegesis (he runs in the same vein as Spurgeon in this regard), his admonition to bring all things before the throne of grace with confidence as a primary privilege of the adoption we have in Christ is a good word. I do recommend this book but as with most Puritan writers, it takes some work.

[logankstewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been working on my prayer life since 2018, where I actively began to put forth effort to pray better. I've also been slowly falling in love with Puritan writings. This book combines both of those things into a practical, thoughtful book on pursuing "private prayer."

If you were to look inside the pages of my copy of Brooks' volume, you would find page after page of underlines, stars, and margin comments. Brooks lays out what he means by private prayer, and he commonly refers to it as "closet prayer," that being a place where a Christian spends time pleading with the Lord, or praising God, or generally any other number of purposes for prayer.

The book is neatly organized into six sections, including arguments for closet prayer, common objections and answers, as well as helpful instructions, advice, rules, etc. to put into practice. While I appreciate the organization, I do think some further editing/abridgment could be helpful here, as 276 pages of this probably overstated some of the message.

I am thankful for Brooks to take the time & effort to pour his heart into something he was obviously very passionate about. I finish this book supremely encouraged and motivated to press on in pursing a lifestyle of prayer.

[Dunstan Zheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever wondered about the importance and wonderful blessing it is to pray, this is the book to read. In Puritan style, Thomas Brooks fully flushes out the implications of prayer and uses a great deal of Biblical support, along with refreshing illustrations to bring the points home.

Perhaps one of the most memorable quotes is "whet is no let." What that means is that if you were to sharpen a tool for your task/job, you are not losing any time by doing so. Likewise, Christians do not lose any time in prayer, but instead, redeem it and are made more useful for God.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brooks writes well and convincingly but can be very flowery and say his point in 10 different ways using 5 different illustrations. He also tends toward some fanciful interpretations of Scripture (i.e., that 2 Chr 36:8 means that Jehoiakim made superstitious marks of sorcery on his body). That said, there is much of value here, all on why one should pray privately, benefits of doing so, and helps in accomplishing it.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super challenging and stretching for me. But as another reviewer wrote, “I pray more now”, which is the best review I can give.

Thomas Brooks is the prototypical Puritan who goes down every possible rabbit trail that could be an offshoot from his topic. It could be tedious if it was not always so spot-on and if his examples were not so timely and relevant to our own age.

The analogies in this book are mind-blowing.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much is this book needed today!? From what I can tell, private prayer is all but non-existent in many Christians' lives today.
Reading this work was both convicting and encouraging; I was ashamed and yet inspired.
Brooks is always a pleasure to read. My own prayer life has been forever changed.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful book on prayer that proves that the condition of the human heart - esp in relation to prayer - has not changed since 1665, and therefore will not change. This spiritual doctor treats every excuse and every objection with a thoroughness rare in modern writings. While the style may he dated, the truths hit home.

[Rachel L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. It was fun to be reading something written so long ago, and the subject material was amazing. The author does a good job of showing the privilege and duty of private (as opposed to family or church) prayer.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very challenging, will give you every reason to pray, and leave you with no excuse not to.

[Justin Andrusk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good work, seemed somewhat redundant though.

[Carlo Beato]

very good