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O reader, if your heart was right with God and thus did not cheat yourself with a vain profession, you would have frequent business with God which you would be loth your dearest friend, or the wife of your bosom, should be privy to…Religion does not lie open to all, to the eyes of men. Observed duties maintain our credit; but secret duties maintain our life. It was the saying of a heathen, about his secret correspondence with his friend, What need the world be acquainted with it? You and I are theater enough to each other. There are inclosed pleasures in religion which none but renewed spiritual souls do feelingly understand.
— John Flavel, quoted in Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections; (I slightly updated the language)
