¶ The fyrste Chapter.

PRayer after the cōmon diffinicion of the Doc­tors, The diffinicion of prayer. is a lyftinge vp of a pure mynde to God, wherein we aske some­what of hym.

This diffiniciō of prayer semeth vnto me so godly & in euery parte a­greable to the holye scriptures that I thyncke it my bounden dutye to search out euery word of it in order, & to cōpare it wyth the moost sacred Scriptures, & the sayenges of y^• aū cient Doctors.

Fyrste it teacheth vs that prayer is a lyftynge vppe of a pure mynde. Note fyrst of all that he sayeth, a lif­tynge [Page] vp,Lyftynge vp, what at signify­ethe. What other thynge mea­neth this worde, lyftynge vp, than to shewe that who soeuer entendeth to praye, must vtterly seclude & put out of his herte all vayne cogitaciō [...] & wordly thoughtes, all carnall fan­tasies, all vngodlye ymaginacions, to cōclude al such thynges as might make the herte of hym that prayeth to crepe vpon the grounde, to alie­nate & estraung his mynde from the meditaciō of celestiall & deuyne matters? And this is y^• very same thing that Christ teacheth in y^• Gospell of Mathewe,Math. vi. where he sayth: Whan y^• prayest, thou shalte not be lyke to y^• Hypocrites. For theyr manner is to stonde prayenge in y^e Synagoges & in the corners of the stretes, that mē maye se thē, Certes I saye vnto you they haue theyr reward. But wha [...] thou prayest enter into thy closet, & when y^• hast sparred thy dore, praye to thy father whiche is in secte [...]e, & [Page] thy father which seeth ī secrete, shal [...]eward the opēly. In theyse wordes Christ doth not only rebuke y^• false & [...]ayned maner of prayenge, whiche the Hypocrites vse huntyng only after vayne glory, & sekyng the prayse of men more then the glory of God & the health of theyr owne soules, but he also declarethe howe we shall pre­pare our selues for to pray, that we maye be hearde. He cōmaundeth vs to enter into oure closet, & to sparre our dore. What other thynge mea­neth Christe by this, but that, as I haue sayde before, we should expulse all tēporall thynges out of our har­tes, whansoeuer we entend to pray, & haue our myndes altogyther set v­pon celestiall & heauenly thynges?Mark wel & followe. Therfore ought so many as entend to praye with fruyte to seke an occasion to be seguestred from all temporall affaires & from the troubles of wordely thynges, whiche myght be [Page] an impediment to them in theyr holy meditacions, & so to be free from all externall & mundane thynges, y^• theyr prayer in dede maye be a very lyftynge vp, according to the begynnynge of our diffinicion.

¶ The second Chapter.

ANd that this thynge maye the more conueniently be brought to passe, it shalbe expedient for such as intende to exercyse prayer to re­pose them selues and to sette theyr hertes quiette from all the trou­bles of the worlde, yea & to subduce & conuaye thē selues from the cōpa­ny of the worldely people into some secrete & solitarye place for the tyme of theyr prayer, that they maye the more frely gyue theyr myndes to deuout & holy meditacion, as the ma­ner of many holy men was in times paste. Examples haue we of dyuers in the holye Scripture, whiche vsed this trade. The gospel sheweth how [Page] Christ was won [...] many tymes whē [...]e would praye to go into the feldes [...]nd ther beyng alone vpon a moun­ [...]ayne vtterly secluded frō all other [...]ompany,Luke. vi. to perseuer & continue in [...]he prayer of God al y^• whole night. Agayne a lytle before his passion we [...]ead that he entendynge to pray vnto his celestiall father forsoke the cō ­ [...]any of other,Mat. xx [...]. yea and although he [...]oke with him only thre of his disci­ples at that instant. Peter, Iohn, & Iames, yet notwithstandynge whā [...]e was in the moūt of Oliuete, y^• accustomed place of hys prayenge, he [...]ent awaye from thē also aboute a [...]ones cast, & he kneling downe, prai [...]d so hertely & so longe to God his father, that for very anguysh, payne & [...]orow the sweat of his moost blessed [...]ody was euē as y^• droppes of bloud [...]unnynge downe vpon the earthe.Act. x. Peter also beyng in the house of Simon the Tanner went vp into y^• vpper [Page] parte of the house to praye, tha [...] he myght not be troubled w^t y^• othe [...] cōpany. [...]ii. Re. iiii. Helyseus also, whā he shul [...] pray to God for a certayne chylde [...] was deade, went alone into the chā ber, where the chylde laye, & sperre [...] the dore & so prayed. [...]ob. [...]. Agayne Sar [...] the doughter of Raguell, desyryng [...] to be delyuered from thē improper [...] & imbraydyng, as it would appere, of a certayne default, wherwith on [...] of her fathers hādmaydens dyd im­brayd & caste her in the teth, forsoke all cōpany, & went streyght into an [...] vpper chāber of her house, & ther be­yng alone, dyd nether eate nor drīke by y^• space of thre dayes & thre nigh­tes, but continued in prayer, & bese­ched God euen w^t teares y^e he would delyuer her from this imbraydyng & rebuke.Iu. x. xii. Iudith ī lyke maner, whā she should put herselfe in ioperdy for the helth of her people, went fyrst in to her Oratory & secrete place, wher [Page] [...]he was wonte to praye, & so desyred the helpe of God. At certayne other tymes also before she slewe Holofer­ [...]us she went forth ī the night time for to praye quietly by herselfe. Quene Hester also puttinge of her Pryncelike garmentes,Hest. xiiii. prayed for her people to God secretely ī her chā ber. Agayne Daniel,Dau. vi. when certayne Dukes & Earles for the hatred and euell wyll that they bare vnto him, had caused kynge Darius to make an Acte that who soeuer asketh any Peticion of theyr God, yea or of ony man but of the Kynge alone for the space of thy [...] tye dayes, he shoulde be cast into the denne of Lyons, ceased not to praye for al y^e Acte of y^• kyng, but styll as he was wont to do, praied boldely to his LORDE God, beyng in his chāber secretely by himselfe a­lone. Thus se we that both Christ [...] & other holye men also, sought euer­more an occasion to be quiet & solli­tary, [Page] that they myght the more [...] ly talke with God in theyr prayer, & so came it to passe that theyr prayer was vnfaynedly a lyftynge vp.

¶ The thyrde Chapter.

Psal. xxi.IT is not without a cause y^• Prayer in the holy scripture is compa­red to a sweate perfume, whose na­ture is alwaye, yf it be once incēsed or set on fyre,Prayde cō pared to a perfume. to lyft vp it selfe & styl to go vpward so lōg as it lasteth I [...] lyke maner the true & christen prayer ought to lyfte vp it selfe with de­uynd cōtemplacion, & styll to go vp so longe as it lasteth with the medi­ [...]acion of celestiall thinges, & not to [...]repe vpon the grounde with [...]am [...] thoughtes & wordely ymaginaciōs. For so is that prayer no lyftyng vp of mynde or of him that prayeth, vnto heauen, but rather a thrustynge [...] to hell, yea & worketh s [...]nne [...] dam [...]nacion to hym that prayeth as the [...]salmograph [...] sayeth: [...] Oratio [Page] [...] fiat in peccatum. [...]f you be rysen a­gayne with Christ sayth S. Paule seke for those thynges y^e are aboue,Colos. iii. where Christ is sittyng on the right hand of God. Set your myndes vppon the thynges aboue & not vpō y^e thynges of the earthe. For you are dead, & your lyfe is hyd with Christ in God. Whā so euer Christ our lyfe shall appeare, then shall we also ap­peare with hym in glorye. So that not onlye prayer but also the whole lyfe of a Christen man ought to be a lyftyng vp, that is to saye, a feruēt desyre & diligent sekyng of supernal & heauenly thynges. But let vs procede with our diffinicion. Hytherto haue we heard that Prayer is a lyftyng vppe. Wherof I praye you? of hādes or eyes? Nay verely, but of a pure mynde. For as touchynge the [...]yftyng vp of handes & eies, it maye [...]lso be vsed so wel of Hypocrites as [...]f true Christians. [...] Therfore sayeth [Page] Chrisostome,De oratiōe thouhg thou doest not bow thy knees, nor knocke thy brest, nor strecthe oute thy handes vnto heauen, yet yf thou onlye shewe forth a ferue [...]e mynde, thou shalte make a perfecte prayer.Note of externall gestures in Prayer. Not w^tstan­dyng yf such thinges be done ī time of prayer procedyng from y^• feruent & inward affeccion of y^e spirite, they are not to be discūmended.Psa. [...]xxii. For Da­uid sayth, I haue lyfted vp myne eies vnto the, which dwellest in heauē And S. Paule sayth, [...]. Tim. ii. I wyll y^• men pray in euery place, liftyng vp your handes w^toute wrath & contencion. We read also y^• Christe vsed to knele when he prayed.Luke. xxii. And the hūble and poore Publicane knocked his breste when he prayed,Luke. xviii sayenge: O God be thou merciful to me a synner. Therfore as touchyng y^e external gesture & outward behauour, as y^e lyftynge vp of hādes or eyes, the knelyng o [...] knockynge on the brest, in as muche [Page] as they are meane & indifferēt thynges, they are to be lefte to the iudgement of deuout & well disposed peo­ple, eyther to be done or to be left vndone, as their mindes shal serue thē. And for as muche as they pertayne nothynge to our matter, I wyll le [...] thē passe & go forth w^t our diffiniciō.

¶ The fourth Chapter.

PRayer, say the holy Doctors, is a lyftynge vp of a pure mynde. Theise wordes are not to be gone o­uer wyth a lyghte foote, as they vse to saye, but depely to be weyed, & se­riously to be pondered. For in them doth cōsist in a maner the whole effi­cacy, vertue, strength, power & pith of prayer.Prayer▪ is [...] wor [...] of the mynd. Fyrst we shall note y^e prayer is not the worke of y^• mouth, but of the mynde, yea & that not of a corrupte, flesshely, malicious & synfull, but of a pure, immaculate, clene, vnspotted, faithful & charitable mynd. But I wyll fyrst shewe by the scriptures & holy fathers, y^t prayer is the [Page] worke of the mynde accordynge to our diffinicion, & afterwarde some­what declare of y^• purite of y^• mynd.

That prayer is the worke of the mynde, it is manifest by dyuers pla­ces of holy scripture.Exo. xiiii. For whan [...]oses at the commaundement of God led y^• people of Israel out of Egipte, & Pharao with his cruell army fol­lowed, purposynge vnmercifully to slaye thē, he beyng in great thought & care howe he myght safely cōdu [...] the Israelites, & yet styll trustynge & hauyng his whole affiaunce repo­sed in theyr LORDE God, prayed no­thyng at all with his mouth, but only vttered his cause secretlye in his herte vnto God, & he was hearde. For the LORDE God sayd vnto him▪ What cryest y^u vnto me▪ His cryeng was not the voice of the mouth, but the affeccion of the herte. He cryed w^t a pure mynde to God, & therfore was he hearde, though the mouthe [Page] kepte sylence. [...]. Reg. i. In lyke maner Anne the wyfe of Helcana, when she had ben long baren & w^tout fruyte, prayed God, that he woulde take awaye from her opprobry and shame, and gyue her chyldrē, wich thynge she obtayned. And yet sayth the scripture she spake in her herte. Her lippes only moued,Luke. vii. but her voyce was hearde nothynge at all. Mary Magdalene also prayed, not wyth her lyppes & mouthe, when she wasshed Christes fete w^t y^• teares of her eyes, & wyped them with the heere of her head, kys­synge & annoynted thē full tenderly in the house of Symon the Phary­se, she only lamēted in her herte her synfull lyuynge & dissolute cōuersacion, desyryng in her mynde to haue remission of her synnes, & she hearde this swete voyce of Christ. Her syn­nes are forgynē her, bicause she hath loued much. [...]ea & immediatly after Christ sayde to her. Thy fayth hath [Page] saued the,Ioan. iiii. go thy way ī peace. Christē also the selfe trueth & wisdom of his father sayd to the woman of Samaria, whan they talked togyther of worshyppyng God. Woman, beleue me, the hour cōmeth, whan neyther in this mountayne, nor yet at Ierusalem, ye shall worship the father. [...]e worshyp that ye knowe not, we wor­shyp that we knowe. For helth is of the Iewes. But the houre cōmeth & nowe it is, whan the true worshyp­pers shall worshyp the father in spi­rite & trueth. For the father sekethe such y^t shoulde worshyp hym. God is a spirite, & they that worshyp hym, must worshyp hī in spiryte & trueth. Here christ,Ioan. xiiii Titus. i. which is y^• very trueth & can not lye, sheweth vs two notable thynges. One that God his father is a spirite, another, that as he is a spiryte, so wyll he be worshypped in the spirite,Note. who perceyueth not thā that it is the Spirite, the herte, the [Page] mynde, I meane the inwarde & spirituall man, that must worshyp God▪ It is a common sayeng among vs, lyke wyll to lyke. And euery one de­syreth suche as he is hīselfe. Trueth it is. Now is God a spirite, therfore requireth he a spirituall manner of worshyppynge, which doubtles pro­cedeth from the herte, & not from y^• stētoreous voyce of the mouth. The pure affeccion of the herte, & not the whysperynge noyse of y^• lyppes doth God requyre. God which is the searcher of the herte, seaketh to be wor­shypped in the herte, as he sayth by Salomō,Pro. xxiii. sonne gyue me thy herte. Moreouer S. Paule sayth,Rom. i. God is my witnes, whom I worshyp in my spirite. In my spirite, sayth he, and not in the vnfruytefull bablyng of my lyppes.Ephe. v. Agayne, Speake amōg yourselues in Psalmes, Hymnes, & spirituall songes, syngyng and ma­kynge melody in youre hertes to the [Page] LORDE. Lostyll he maketh mencion of the herte, wyllynge y^• all prayses, songes & melody be done in our her­tes to y^e LORD our God. As though he shoulde saye, all that euer is done w^tout the herte, is vayne, vnfruytefull, yea & playne abhominacion be­fore God, rather workynge dānaciō then saluacion to the doers of it, as Christ sayeth:Mat. xv. This people honoure me w^t theyr lyppes, but theyr herte is farre from me. Uerely they wor­shyp me in vayne. Thus se we pro­ued by the scripture, that Prayer is the worke of the herte, of the spiryte of the mynde, & not of mouth & lyp­pes. But let vs heare what the Doctors saye to this matter.

¶ The fyfte Chapter.

In oratiō ▪ Dom. Ad transismund. Lib. it.SAynt Cipriane y^• blessed martyre sayth, which Fulgentius also re­cyteth, that God is not the hearer of the voyce, but of the herte, neyther is he to be admonysshed w^t exclama­cions [Page] & outecryes, whiche seeth the thoughtes, as the LORDE proueth & sayth, what do ye thinke wyckednes in youre hartes▪ & in another place, All congregacions shall know, that I am the searcher of the raynes and harte, that is to saye, of the inward parte.Libro de Cain et Abel. cap. ix. Also S. Ambrose sayeth, take hede that thou doste not babble out rasshely the mysteries of the Crede, or of the LORDES prayer. Doste thou not knowe, howe greuous a thynge it is to heape vppe synne in Prayer, where thou trusteste to haue reme­dy▪ Certes y^• LORDE taught by the Prophet y^e this is a greuous cursse,Psa. [...]viii. sayeng: His praier is becōe euē very synne. Excepte peraduenture thou recoūtest it but a tryfle to mistrust. It is surely a great incredulite and vnfaythfulnes to thynke thus of y^• power of God, y^• thou canste not be heard,Mark this wel. excepte thou cryest oute. Let thy worke crye, let thy fayth cry, let [Page] thy mynde crye, let thy passions and suffrynges cry, let thy bloud, as the bloud of holy Abell, cry, wherof god sayde to Caym,Gen. iiii. the voyce of thy brothers bloud cry vnto me. For he heareth in secrete, which maketh cleane in secrete. We can not heare a mā excepte he speaketh vnto vs, but vnto God, not wordes but thoughtes do speake.Moral. lib xxii. cap. xviii. Agayne, S. Gregory sayth, vndoubtedly true prayer consysteth not in the voyce of the mouthe, but in the thoughtes of the herte. For our wordes do not make the voyces the more pythethy and valeaunt to come vnto the moost secrete eares of God, but our desyre and affeccions. Therfore sayth the LORDE in y^• Gos­pell: Enter into thy closet & sparreMat. vi. thy dore.Note. He sparreth y^• dore, & pray­eth in his closet, whiche holdeth his peace w^t his mouth, & powreth oute the affecciō of his mynde in y^• syghte of God aboue.Lib. de mag. i. Moreouer S. Austē [Page] [...]ayeth: Thou knowest, I am sure, y^• [...]t is commaunded vs for none other thynge that we should praye in our closettes▪ being sparred (wherby the secrete partes of the mynde are sig­nifyed) but that God seaketh not to be monyshed or taught by oure spea­kynge of that thynge, whiche we co­ [...]uyt that he shoulde gyue vs. For he that speaketh gyueth outwardely a sygne or token of his wyl by some articulate, playne & euidente sounde. But God is both to be soughte & to be prayed vnto, euen in the very se­crete partes of a reasonable soule, whiche is called the inward mā. For he wylleth that these be his Tēples. Wherfore we nede no speakyng whē [...]e praye, that is to saye, no wordes that shall make any sounde, excepte peraduenture as y^• prestes do, for to vtter theyr mynde, not y^• God, but that man shoulde heare thē, & wyth a certayne consent be drawen to cō ­tēplacion [Page] by remēbrynge thē. Here [...] to agreeth the sayēg of S. Jerome [...] In Epist. [...]d Ephe. we ought, sayth he, to syng, to make melody, & to prayse y^e LORDE rather in mynde then in voyce. And this is it that is sayd, syngynge & makyng melody to the LORDE [...] your hertes.Ephe. v. A good lesson for our musi [...]ions and [...]haunters Let yong men heare these thyr [...]ges, yea let them heare, whose offyce it is to syng in y^• Chyrch, that they must singe to God not in the voyce but in the herte, neither must theyr throte & chawes be annoynted after y^• ma­ner of Gameplayers w^t swete oyntementes, that in the chyrch syngyng more fytte for game places shoulde be hearde, but in feare, in worke, in knowledge of the scriptures ought they to synge vnto the [...]ORDE. [...]d Roma. Lib. vir. cap. v [...]. Dri­gen also sayeth, God in prayer doth not so much weye & ponder our wor­des, as he doth the herte & y^e mynde▪ For he it is, whyche searchethe th [...] hertes and the raynes.

[Page]Although I coulde reherse many no notable sayēges of these & other Doctors,Psal. vii. Sap. i. Apo. ii. Jere. xvii. which proue manifestly y^e [...]rayer is not the worke of y^e mouth [...]ut of the herte, not of y^e voyce, but [...]f y^e thought, not of y^e lyppes but of [...]he mynde, yet these at this present [...]aye seme aboundantly to satisfye. [...]eyther do I recyte y^e testymonies [...]f y^e old fathers to confyrine & make [...]ur matter the more stronge, which [...]redy is sufficiently establysshed by [...]he holy Scriptures, neyther nede [...]hey the confyrmacion of any man­ [...]es doctryne, whiche of them selues [...]ught to be beleued without hesita [...]on or doubtynge of the faythefull, [...] asmuch as they be y^• Oracles & in [...]llible spech [...] of God, in whome al [...]ecessary trueth for our saluaciō is [...]prehended,The cause of [...]her­synge the Doctors [...] this [...]oke & without the authori [...] wherof all that euer is taught or [...]ritten, be but mere fantasies & h [...] [...]ayne inuencions: but I haue cal­led [Page] the holy & catholyke Doctors t [...] witnes, bicause they reach the sam [...] thynge y^t the Scripture dothe, & t [...] stop the mouthes of certayne wyc­ked & ignorāt persons, which thick [...] no trueth to be trueth except by m [...] ­nes authoritie it be establyshed, an [...] that men seyng & hearyng the iudg [...] ­ment of such as are learned, should [...] be the more redy to cast away they [...] Hypocrisye & accōmodate thē selues to the true maner of worshyppyng [...] and prayeng to our LORDE God.

¶ The syxte Chapter.

VUell of these thynges thā [...] heretofore rehearsed is it easye to lerne that such as wyll pray to God with fruyte, must praye in herte, in spirite, in mynde, in thought, in af­feccion, in the soule, in the inward [...] man, or els the noyse of the mouth, [...] mūblynge of the lippes, the roryng [...] of the throte, the shakynge of y^e head the knockynge on the brest, the kne [...] ­lynge [Page] on the ground, & what soeuer canne be rekened more is vayne, vn fruytful, & nothyng to y^• purpose, rather bryngynge damnacion then saluaciō, as we haue heard heretofore.

What is than to be thoughte of such personnes, which whā they are in the tēple or els where, neuer leue [...]ablynge, theyr myndes beynge vt­terly drawen from theyr prayers, & altogyther set vpon transitory and wordely thynges▪ Some streatche [...]ut theyr prayers into an innume­rable nōber of leaues, thynkynge so to do God an hygh sacrifyce.Agaynste y^• vayne beblers & supersticious worshyppers of saynctes Some also vpon theyr bedes taly vp, I cā not tel howe many Lady Psalters, [...]heynge perswaded y^e by that menes they shall se our Lady corporally before they dye, & that whan they are once dead, our lady & all the. xi. M virgins w^t other saintes mo, whose nomber is infinyte, shall mete wyth thē, euery one hauyng in theyr handes [Page] a brennynge taper of wa [...]e, & so receyue thē ito glory, puttynge vpō theyr heades a crowne of golde gar­nysshed, I can not tell you, w^t howe many red Roses. Some agayn worshyp dayely a great nomber of sayn­tes euery one hauige to theyr parte an hundred Pater nosters, wyth as many Aues, besydes y^e Credes, and that for diuers causes. These thyn­ges be more openly knowen than y^e they nede here to be rehersed, except we be so blynde that we wyll se no­thynge, & so ignorant that we wyll nothyng knowe. I feare greatly vnlesse that may iustly be spokē of such vayne bablers, whiche is spoken by the Prophet Esay,Esa. xxix. & rehersed of our sauiour Iesus Christ in the Gospel of Mathewe:Math. xv. This people, sayth he, honoreth me with theyr lyppes, but theyr herte is far from me. Uerelye they worshyppe me in vayne. Yea I feare vnlesse that they thorow such [Page] vnfaythfull bablyng do acumulate & heape vp to them selues the grea­ter da [...]acion, as Christ wytnesseth in the Gospell.Mat. xxiii. Wo be to you Scri­bes & Pharises Hypocrites, sayethe Christ, which eate the houses of wy­dowes, yea and y^e vnder the pretext of longe Prayer.Luke. xx. For this shal ye be punyshed y^e more greuously. Agayn he sayeth: Beware of the Scribes, whiche haue a pleasure to walke in longe roobes, & loue to be saluted in the Markettes, & to haue the chefe preminence in the Synagoges, and the hygh seates at feastes, which de­uour y^e houses of wydomes fayning outewardely longe Prayers. They shall receyue the greater damnaciō.Mat. xii. If we shall at the daye of iudgemēt render an accountes of euerye ydle worde y^t we speake, as the holy scrip­ture testifyeth, what is then to be thought of those wordes, whiche we vnfruitfully waste, whē we pretend [Page] outwardly to pray, & yet inwardly haue our myndes entāgled w^t y^e care of worldly thīges, or els entysed frō the affecciō of prayer with vayne cogitacions of thynges carnall. It is to be feared vnlesse we īcurre & run into greater damnacion, then they which praye nothynge at all. For is suche prayer any other thynge than playne mockynge of God▪ Our ex­ternal pretext is as though we praied and desyred to haue our prayers heard of God, but ī dede our maner of prayeng is nothyng els I speke of the vnfruytfull bablers, but only a desyrynge of God that he shoulde heare vs & our prayers nothyng at al, seyng we our selues do not heare them, nor yet mynde them in oure hertes, yea we desyre hī that he wyl take vengeaunce on vs for our mockyng & ydle bablyng. And this is it that S. Ambrose sayth,Lib [...]. de Cain et Abell. cap. ix. take hede y^• thou doste not bable oute rashly the [Page] misteries of the Crede & of the LOR­DES prayer. Doste thou not knowe howe greuous a thyng it is in prayer for to heap vp synne, where thou trustest to haue remedye▪ Certes y^• LORD taught by y^e Prophet,Psal. cviii. that it is a greuous cursse, sayēg: His prayer is become to hym euen very syn. [...]. Gregory also saith. Simulata sanctitas est duplex iniquitas. Fayned holynes is double iniquite. To praye nothyng at al is iniquite & playne synne,Note. but to pretende outwardly an holy ma­ner of prayenge, & yet not praye in dede in our hertes, is double iniquite, & encreaseth much dānaciō vnto vs, as we haue hearde heretofore, in asmuch as we are dissemblers both before God & mā. But let vs heare what S. John Chrisostome sayeth:Homel. xii. Demul. canan. Many cōmynge into the chyrch do extende & streytch out theyr prayer vnto a thousand verses, as though the multitude of wordes were nede­ful [Page] vnto God as vnto one that doth not knowe what y^• arest, which knoweth the matter, before thou thyn­kest. For they thē selues also do not knowe what they saye. Theyr lyp­pes are moued only, but theyr mide is without fruyte, & therfore are y^• eares of God deafe. Thou heareste not thine owne prayer, & wylt thou that y^• LORDE should heare thy prayer? I haue bowed, y^u sayst, my knees. Thou hast bowed in dede thy knees wythin, but thy mynde wādreth a­broad. Thy body is within, but thy thought is without. Thy mouth in dede spake, but thy mynd dyd thike vpon vsuries. It dyd count the re­uenewes of thy possessions. It dyd behold the descripcions & valowyn­ges of houses. It remēbred the wordes of thy frendes. It loked vpon y^• negligenses of thy seruauntes. It laughed at the pleasaunt iestyng of the Pharasites. It consydered the [Page] beau [...]ty of women. Therfore know that these thinges are done. Follow thou beynge a man the womā of Canane, which very diligently and w^t hygh wisdome prayed vnto y^c LORD & therfore deserued to obtayne her requestes. But thou wylte saye peraduēture, I haue no doughter, whiche is replete with the dyuell, but y^u hast a soule, whiche is stuffed full of synne.Homil. lxxix. De orati­one. Agayne he sayth, If whan y^e bodye lyghtethe prostrate vpon the grounde, & the mouth bableth vaynly, the mynde goeth about the house and market, how maye such one say that he hath prayed in the syghte of God. For he prayeth in the syght of GOD, which gathereth altogyther his mynde quietly, & hath nothyng to do w^t the worlde, & lyfteth vp himselfe euen vnto heauen, and putteth out of his mynd al humayn thoughtes. For he y^t prayeth, must so praye, that he settethe his mynde at quiet [Page] from worldly thynges, & calleth on God with a sorowfull and contryte herte. Neyther maye he vse many wordes, nor draw out his prayer on a great length, but speake fewe wordes, yea & those symple, playne and homely. For not in the multitude of wordes, but in y^e quycknes of mynd doth the whole matter consyst, that we should be heard.Ibidem. Once agayne he saith: In prayer ther is not so much nede of the voyce as of the thought, nor of the stretchyng out of y^e hādes as of the intencion of the mynde.

Thus se we also proued by y^e Doctors, that it is the mynde, wher w^t a Christen man must pray. The mū ­blinge ouer multitude of prayers, y^• cryenge out of the voyce, y^e yellynge of the throte, the lyftynge vp of the handes, the knockynge of the brest, the shakyng of the head, the knelyng on the knees, & whatsoeuer can be in uēted or rehersed besydes these thinges, [Page] are i vayne, yf the mynd be not present in the tyme of prayer. I wyl pray in spiryte, sayth Paule,i. Cor. xiiii. and I wyll praye also in mynde. I wyll synge in Spirite, and I wyll synge also in mynde. Therfore y^e it maye be prayed aryght, let euery mā say, farewel to al humayne affayres and worldely matters, and so quietly repose himselfe, while he prayeth, that accordyng to our diffiniciō, his prayer in very dede may be a lystynge vp of the mynde.

¶ The seuenth Chapter.

BUt some man wyll saye perad­uēture, is it ynough, yf I pray with my mynde, the herte [...]eynge semoted from mundane affayres and worldly businesses? I aūswere: Our diffinicion teacheth vs not onlye to pray with the mynde, but also with a pure mynde. For Prayer is y^• lyf­tyng vp of a pure mynd.Pray [...] a pure myn [...] So fewe y^t it is not ynough to pray w^e y^e mynd, [Page] excepte it be pure. It wyll be obiec­ted, than shall we neuer praye. For who can say, my herte is cleane and I am pure from synne?Pro. xx. i. Ioan. i. I aun­swere: If ye saye, we haue no synne, we deceyue our selues, & the trueth is not in vs. But yf we confesse our synnes, God is faythfull & ryghte­ous to forgyue vs oure synnes, and make vs cleane from all vnryghte­ousnes. The scripture sayth,Psal. xxxi. Rom. iiii. blessed are they whose iniquities are forgy­uen, & whose sinnes are couered, blessed is that man to whom the LORDE hathiputed no synne. It sayth not Blessed are they, which haue no ini­quities, or which haue no sinne. For S. James sayethe:Iaco. iii. In many thyn­ges we synne al. So long as we are in this mortall flesshe we can neuer be pure & cleane from the dregges of synne, yf from the synne it selfe. We can neuer in this lyfe aspyre vnto so great perfeccion of innocency, that [Page] we maye appeare pure & gyltelesse in the syghte of God,Iob. xxv. in whose eies y^e very sterres & Aūgels be not clene. Howe than maye we praye wythe & pure mynde?Learne here howe we may praye▪ wyth a faythfull mynde. Uerely yf oure mynde be faythfull to God, & charitable to our neyghbour, God doth dissemble all our faultes, & in as muche as we are faythfull vnto hym, & louyng to oure christen brothers, he counteth vs all pure,i. Ioan. iii. as S. Iohn sayth: He y^• is borne of God, sinneth not, that is to saye, he that beleueth in God,Mark wel. his synne is not imputed vnto hym, in asmuch as he consenteth not to the synne, but hongreth and thyrstethe after the perfeccion of true innocency. Our hertes be purifyed by fayth sayeth the scripture,Act. xv. so that who so euer prayeth with a faythfull & charitable mynde, he is counted before God to praye with a pure mynde.God and the worlde iu [...]geth not alphe. The world. For God iudgeth not as the worlde dothe. The worlde thynketh hym to [Page] be a good deuoute man that goethe vp & downe wyth a coggyrnge payre of Bedes in his handes, or knelethe downe in his stole solēly with a great Matters boke in his hand, making such a noyse with his lyppes & tōge, that all the whole chyrch ryngethe of it, although his harte be farre frō God, & his mynde occupied aboute worldely businesses.God. But God beholdeth the mynde, the herte, y^e inwarde man, & loketh whither he prayeth in purite & cleanes or not. If the herte be stuffed with fayth & charite, then is God well pleased, & accepteth the prayer for an hygh & pleasaunt Sacryfyce. Who beynge in the temple hearynge the proude Pharise,Luk. xviii. & the poore Publicane prayeng togyther would not haue estemed the Phari­se to be more ryghteous & pure in y^• syght of God, then y^e wretched Publicane▪ For the Pharise confessed no syn, but vertues many. He gaue god [Page] thankes y^e he was not lyke other mē, whiche are extorcioners, vnryghte­ous, adulterers, & as the Publicane was. He fasted twyse in the weke, & gaue the tentes of all thynges that he possessed. Dangelyke righteous­nes and seraphical perfeccion. Who woulde not haue thought this holy religious father worthy to be cano­nysed & related into the nomber of Sayntes▪ [...]et sayth Christ playnly that the poore Publycane, whyche broughte forthe no good dedes, but stode a farre of & durste not lyfte vp his eies to heauen, but humbly knocked his brest, sayēge: O God be thou mercyfull vnto me a synner, wente home more ryghteous i Gods syght then the Pharise. Whye so? For the Pharise had no true Fayth in hym but an arrogant presumpcion, bo­stynge & cra [...]yng of his good dedes, as though God were in his det, and he not in Gods. And that he had no [Page] christen charite in him, it is euident seyng y^t he despysed his neighboure. For Charite, [...] x. i. Det. iiii. sayth the Scripture, couereth the multytude of synnes.

That the Publicās prayer came from a pure mynde, that is, from a mynde faythfull & charytable, it is manifest. Fyrste bycause that with an humble herte he came to God for remission of his synnes, beleuyng to obtayne it. Secondely, seynge that he accused no mā but himselfe only. Therfore went he home more iusti­fyed, sayeth the holye Scripture. Therfore to all suche as outwardly pretende holynes,Mat. xxi. & yet are vnpure in theyr mynde, Christe sayeth. The Harlottes & Publicans shall go be­fore you into the kyngdō of heauen. Agayne, [...]uk. xvi. ye are they y^• iustify youre selues before mē, but God knoweth your hertes. For y^t whiche is prayse worthy before men, is playne abho­minacion before God.

[Page]Abell also & Caym offred both sa­crifices to god,Gen. iiii. & the scripture sayth that God loked vnto Abell & vnto his gyftes, but vnto Caym and vn­to his giftes he loked not. God iud­geth not y^• personne of the acte but the arte of the personne. It is here to be noted, that God not after the fasshyon of the world iudgeth y^e per­son of the acte, but the acte of y^e per­son. He fyrste loketh to the person, & afterward vnto the acte, as the holy scripture sayeth here. He loked vnto Abell, & vnto his gyftes. Fyrst vnto Abell, & afterward vnto Abels gyf­tes. If the person be good, that is, faythful & charitable, thā doth God accepte the gyfte, not for the digni­te of the gifte it selfe, but for y^e faith of him that offereth.Psal. xv. Psal. xxiii. For as y^e Psal­mograph sayeth, God hath no nede of oure goodes. The earth is y^• LOR­DES, & all y^t euer is contayned in it.

As concernynge that the Scrip­ture sayth, God loked vnto Abell, it signifieth that God fauoured Abel, [Page] i asmuch as his hart was both [...]aithful & charitable. And y^t God loked to y^e gyftes of Abell, it she wethe y^e God was well pleased w^t thē, seyng they proceded frō the herte of such one as was enfarsed with fayth & charite.

As touchynge that the scripture sayeth, God loked not vnto Caym & vnto his gyftes, it sygnifyethe that God neyther fauoured Caym, nor yet accepted his gyftes, seynge that Caym had in him neyther fayth nor Charitie. For his herte was stuffed full of yre & wrath towarde his bro­ther Abell, in so much that shortely after it came to passe accordynge to his pretensed malyce, that he slewe his brother. And wherfore dydde he slaye hym▪ 1. Ioan. iii. verely bycause his owne workes were euell, and his brothers ryghteous. Thus sewe, that be our gyftes neuer so precious in y^e syght of men,Ec. xxxiiii. yet yf the gyuer be wicked, that is, vnfaythefull and vnchary­table, [Page] God vtterlye contēneth & set­teth thē at noughte, as the wyse mā sayeth: The gyftes of the wycked, y^• moost hygh doth not alowe and ap­proue. S. Iustē also sayth,Det. ccxxvi. De tēpore. the prayer of an enuious man is wont to be put a backe from the eares of God. Hereto agreeth the sayenge of Chri­sostome: Let vs, Dom xxvii. in Gen. cap. viii. sayethhe, in euery place brynge forth a pure mynde. For that is the cause of al good thinges. The good LORDE is not wonte to attende & gyue hede to those thinge that are done of vs, but vnto the inwarde mynde, wherof we are mo­ued to do these thynges. And good lokynge to this mynde, doth eyther approue or turne awaye those thynges that we do. Therfore whythe [...] we praye, or faste, or gyue almes (for those are our spiritual Sacrifyces) or whyther we do ony other certayn spiritual worke, let vs do that, beig moued therunto with a good mynd [Page] Therfore sayth Christe,Mat. v. when thou [...] offrest a gyfte at the Aultare, & the [...] doste remē [...]er that thy brother hath [...] any thynge agaynste the, leaue thy [...] gyfte there before the Aultare, & ga [...] thy waye, be fyrste reconcyled to thy [...] brother, & thā come & offer thy gyft. In lyke maner when we praye, we maye not onely prouyde y^e we maye pray w^t the mynd, al humayne thin [...] ges & worldly affayres semoted and layde a syde, but also we must gyue [...] earneste diligence, that we praye w^t a pure mynde, that is, with a mynd stuffed ful [...] of fayth & charite. For as Dauyd sayeth:Psal. ixv. I perceyue ony vn­righteousnes, y^e is to saye, vnfayth­fulnesse, in my herte, God wyll not heare me.Psa. cxliiii Agayne: The LORD is ny [...] to all that call vpon hym, yea to all that call vpon hym in trueth. And the wyse man sayth:Sap. i. Into a ma [...] lycious soule wisdome wyll not en­ter, nor into a bodye subiecte vnto [Page] synne.1. Tim. ii. S. Paule also sayth, I wyl y^e men praye in euery place, lyftynge vp pure hādes without wrath and contencion. So that he whiche beareth a herte faythful towarde God, and charite towarde his neyghbour is fytte to praye in y^e syghte of God. Therfore let vs laboure seryously, y^e whan we ītende to pray, we maye exclude & put out of our hertes all infidelite wrathe & cōtēciō, & be so plēte­ously enfarsed with Fayth & Chari­te, that our prayer maye iustly seme to be a very lyftynge vppe of a pure mynde. And that this maye be done the more conueniently, it shall be necessary for vs to praye with Dauid.Psal. 1. Create in me O God a pure & clene herte, & a right vp spirite make thou a newe in my inwarde partes. But [...]et vs heare more of our diffinicion. It followeth.

¶ The eyght Chapter.

[Page]VNto God. Note that he sayth, vnto God, not vnto Iupiter, Apollo, Mercurius, Bacchus, Iu­no, Minerua, Pallas Uenus & such other Gods & Godesses, yea rather dyuels,Ps. lxxxx [...]. as the Psalmograph sayth, the Gods of the Neythen are dyuel­les, vnto whom the Ethuyckes and Gentyles dyd fly in theyr prayer for succoure, nor vnto Baal, Astaroth, Moloch, the Quene of heauen, and such other Idolles, as the olde Ido­laters the Iewes, worshypped & cryed vnto for helpe, no nor yet as oure new Idolaters were wont to do,Agaynste y^• superstici­ous Inuocacion of Say^•nctes as vnto Luke for y^e Oxe, vnto Iob for the poxe, vnto Anthony for the pyg, vnto Loye for the horse, vnto Apo­line for the to thake, vnto Rooke for the pestilence, vnto Syth for thyn­ges loste, vnto Gertrude for the ra­tonnes & myse, vnto Blase for the Ague, vnto Agues for the fyre, vnto Barbara for the the thonder, vnto [Page] Christopher for continuall helth, vnto Annes for a husband, vnto Margarete for women with chylde, vnto Kateryne for learnyng, vnto Cris­pyne & Crispiniane for shoes makig vnto Cosme and Damiane for Phi­sicke, vnto Clemēt for bruing beere, and such other īnumerable, but vn­to God. For Prayer is a lyftyng vp of a pure mynde vnto God. Unto God ought we to lyfte vp oure har­tes, when we pray,Psa. cxxii. as y^e Psal. sayth, vnto y^e haue I lyfted vp myne eyes, which dwellest ī heuē Agein, I haue lyfted vp myne eyes into the Mountaynes, frō whence helpe may cōe vnto me.Psal. cxx. My helpe cometh frō y^e LORD which made heauen & earth. Also in another place,Psal. cxix. when I was in trou­ble, I cryed vnto the LORDE, & he fa­uourably heard me.Psa. xxxiii. 1. Pet. iii. Psa. xxiiii. The eyes of the LORDE are vpō the ryghteous, and his eares are bent vnto theyr pray­ers. Myne eyes, sayeth Dauid, are [Page] cryed Adam, Abell, Seth, Enos, E­noch, Nohe, Thare, Abrahā, Isaac, Iacob, Ioseph, Moses, Aaharon, Ietro, Eleazar, Phinees, Iosue, Caleb Othoniel, Gedeon, Helcana, Samuell, Nathan, Dauid, Salomon, He­lias, Micheas, Elizeus, Ezechias, Esaias, Iosias, Iob, Mathatias, Thoby, w^t all the other auncient fa­thers & holye Prophetes of the olde Testament, but vnto GOD alone. Agayne vnto whom prayed Ioseph Iohn̄ Baptiste, Lazarus, Nicode­mus, Gamaliel, Cornelius, Apollo, Dionisius, Aquilia, Steuen, Phi­lip, Agabus, Ananias, Timothe, Titus, Ioses, Philemon, and all the Apostles, with many other, whiche are contayned in y^e volumes of both Testamentes, but vnto God alone? The prayed, and were heard. Shall oure Prayers than be vayne,Esa. xxviii yf we pray with that same purite of mind that they dyd? The scripture sayth: [Page] Who so euer beleuethe in God,Rom. x. Ioel. ii. Act. ii. shall not be confounded. For there is no differēce betwene Iewe & Gentyle. For one is LORDE of all, whiche is rytche ynough vnto all that call on hym. For whosoeuer shall call on the name of the LORDE, he shall be safe, Let vs therfore trust in God,Psa. lxi. poure out oure hartes before hym, lament our cause to him, desyrynge to haue his mooste gracious ayde & helpe in all our trouble & aduersitie, and we may be sure to obtayne whatsoeuer we aske accordynge vnto his wyll,1. Ioan. v. & to seale remedye so present, that no­thynge can be wysshed nerer.

Thus se we that Prayer is a lyf­tyng vp of a pure mynd vnto God. It followeth.

¶ The nynthe Chapter.

VUherī we aske somewhat of hī He that entendethe to praye w^t fruyte, muste before he begynne to praye, consider w^t hymselfe for what [Page] thynge he hath moost nede to praye. If thou be proude, than haste thou nede to praye for humilitie. If thou be wrathfull & enuyous, than haste thou nede to praye for charite. If y^u be a glotton or dronkarde, thē haste thou nede to praye for sobrtete. If y^u be faulte in ony vice, than hast thou nede to pray for y^e vertue cōtrary to the vyce. If thou be a magistrate & ruler of the people, than hast y^u nede to praye vnto God for grace, that y^u mayste gouerne his people commyt­ted vnto thy charge accordyng to e­quite & mercy. Yf thou be a Bysshop or spirituall ouersear, thā hast thou a great occasion to flye vnto God w^t thy prayers, that thou mayst fayth fully gyue attendaūce on the flocke, ouer whome the holye Ghoste hathe made the an ouersear to gouerne y^e congregacion of God, [...] Act. xx. whom he hath purchased w^t his bloud. To be shorte in whatsoeuer state of lyuyng thou [Page] be, yf y^u cōsyderest & weyest depely w^t thy selfe thy maner of lyuīg, y^• shalt find sufficient occasions for to pray. They therfore which pray but for a customs,Note. & because they wyl exercise theyr lyppes, vnlesse they shuld seme to y^e Cōgregaciō but a lytle deuout & holy mē, not carīg what they pray so they praye, & do not before they praye determyne w^t thēselues wherfore they wyll praye, certes thoughe they spende whole worldes in suche kinde of prayer, yet do they nothing lesse then praye. If we searche y^e ho­ly volumes of the deuine scriptures we shall easely perceyue, that they whiche prayed, dyd neuer praye but for vrgent and ryght necessary cau­ses. As for an example:Exo. xxxii. Whan Mo­ses perceyued the wrathe of God to be whotte agaynst the Israelites, bicause they had worshypped the gol­den calfe, he streyghte wayes for the helthe of his people prayed, sayenge: [Page] Eyther forgyue thē this faulte, or [...] thou do not, wype me oute of y^e boke of lyfe,Psal. l. whiche thou haste wrytten. Kynge Dauid prayed many tymes for dyuers vrgēt causes as we may se in the Psalmes.ii. Par. l. Kynge Salomō his sonne prayed for wisdome, that he myght gouerne the people a right Ezechias hearyng the blasphemies & proud crakes of Senacherib, [...]ii. Re. xix Iudi. x.xii Hest. xiiii. prai­ed to the LORDE for helpe. Iudith & Hester prayed for the delyueraunce of theyr people.

Luk. xviii. Mat. i [...]ii.Agayne in the newe Testament, the blynde prayed for theyr syght, y^e lame for theyr goynge, the deafe for theyr hearynge, the sycke for theyr helth.Luk. xviii Mat. xv. Mat. viii. Luk. xxiii. The poore Publicane prayed for remission of synnes. The womā of Canane prayed for the healthe of her doughter, as dyuers other dyd for theyr chyldren and seruauntes. Christ & Steuen prayed for theyr e­nemies.Act. vii. Act. xii. The chyrch of Christ praied [Page] for the delyuerance of Peter. Paule & al the Apostles prayed for y^e swifte & redye passage of the Gospell, & for the fortunate conuersion of the vn­faythfull, vnto the fayth of Christ. Thus se we that all holye & deuoute persons dyd euer premeditate with them selues, wherfore they shoulde pray before they prayed. And so sone as an occasion of prayenge was offered vnto thē, they fell streyghtway­es vnto prayer, & fled vnto God w^t moost herty supplicacion for y^e pur­chasynge of theyr hertes desyre. So ought we to do, & not rasshely to mū ble ouer a great multitude of Psalmes or other prayers after the ma­ner of certayne ydiots & vnlearned prestes, we care not how, nor cā not tell wherfore, but ponder, weye and consyder depelye oure cause, and se what a greate occasion we haue to praye, & than with an hūble cōtryte & sorowfull herte lament our cause [Page] before God wyth moost bytter & he­uy teares, neuer leauynge vntyl we haue obtayned that for the whyche we praye. If we would do thus, thā should our prayers be modest, sober & decēt, & not temerarious, [...]asshe, & babled oute of order, & by this mea­nes accepted of GOD, hearde and graunted.

Thus haue I declared as I trust accordynge vnto the vayne of y^e ho­ly scripture, & the mynde of the aunciēt Doctors, what prayer is. Now I wyll haste to declare of what ver­tue & strēgth the true and Christen prayer is, y^e men knowyng y^e efficacy & dignite, yea & the necessite therof, may w^e y^e more plansible & ioyful mī des delyght in it, exercysynge them selues therin bothe daye & nyght to the great glorye of God, & the vtter cōfusion of Satan, & the hygh con­solacion of theyr owne soules.

¶ The. x. Chap.

IN declaryng the effica­cye, vertue, strength, & power of the true & chrishen Prayer, I woulde gladly wysshe vnto me the pleasaunt speache & sugred vtteraunce of the moost famous & excel­lent Oratoure Pericles. whose elo­quence was so great & wonderous, as it is reported, that euen of very nature it semed incomparable; and not of ī any part able of ony mortal man to be followed & practised, of so great admyracion, yea & estimacion in the syght of all men was it recoū ted. But seynge that my wysshe in this behalfe is vayne, & that ther is no man more barbarous and of lesse [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] eloquēce then I am.1. Cor. 1. Iaco. ii. Agayne, seyng that God hathe euer chosen the foo­les & vnwyse of this worlde to sette forth his glorye & to confounde the wisdome of the worldelye wyse, and the vnderstandynge of the flesshelye mynded, seynge also that the trueth of Gods wisdome hath no nede of or nate eloquēce nor painted coloures, which of the faythful for all the simplicite of it,The pray­er of the Author. is euer amplexed & receiued ioyfully, I shall moost instant­ly desyre God, that he may so direct my pen & instyll on such maner into my brest the knowledge of the moost holy Hystories of the sacred scriptu­res, which aboūdantly declare how mighty in operacion the true & christen prayer is, that I by rehearsyng them, & Gods mooste holye Spiryte workynge therwith also maye so ac­cend, kyndle, inflame, & fette on fyre Christen mennes hertes with y^e loue of faythfull prayer, that they maye [Page] vnfaynedly reioyse in the continual exercyse & godly meditacion therof.

By prayer Abraham delyuered kyng Abimelech frō deth,Gen. xx. which god thretened hī, bycause he had takē to him Abrahams wyfe. And where as God had stryken the kynges wyfe & handmaydens with the vyce of sterilite and barennes for the aforesayde fault, at Abrahās prayer they were made whole.Exo. viii. By prayer Moses cea­sed and turned awaye the plages of Egypte.Exo. [...]vii. By prayer Moses caused y^e water to flowe oute of y^e hard rocke. By prayer Moses obtayned the victory for the Israelites against Ameliche, but whan he ceased to praye, than dyd theyr enemies preuayle & get the victory.Exo. xxxii. By prayer, whē god was full determined to slaye the Is­raelites, bycause they worshypped the golden caulfe, Moses apeased y^e diuine wrath, & recōcyled the people to the fauoure of God. By prayer [Page] Moses caused the fyre sodenly to be in alowed vp, whiche deuoured the tentes of the murmurers.Num [...]. xi. By pray­er Miriā, which spake agaynst Moses was deliuered frō her leprosi.Num. xxi. By prayer y^e people which were greuously stryke & woūded of y^e fyry serpētes for theyr disobedience, were delyue­red frō thē & made whole.Iosus. x. By prayer Iesus caused the Sōne & y^e Moone to stonde styll by y^e space of an whole daye, vntyll he was reuenged of his enemies.1. [...]. i. By prayer Anne y^e wyfe of Helcana beynge baren longe before was made as a fruytfull vyne. By prayer the people of Israel dyd ba­leauntly ouercome theyr enemies y^• Philistines.ii. Reg. xii. By prayer Dauid ob­tayned the fauoure agayne of God, although he had cōmytted y^e mooste haynous synne both of man slaugh­ter & whoredome.iii. Re. xvii By prayer Helias raysed from death to lyfe the sonne of the wydowe of Sarepta. [Page] By prayer he in lyke maner caused y^t great plente of rayne came downe from heauen vpon the earth,Iaco. v. where as before it hadde not rayned by the space of thre yeres & syxe monethes. By prayer Iosaphat obtayned god mercyful to hym,ii. Pat. xx. so y^e easelye he had y^e victory ouer his enemies By prayer Ezechias ouercame hys proude aduersary Sennacherib & all his armye.iiii. Re. xx. By prayer the same Ezechias dyd prolonge his lyfe. xv. yeares, By prayer Manasses was delyue­red out of captiuite,Esa. xxxiii. ii. pa. xxxiii & restored agen vnto his kyngdome.ii. Eso. ii. By prayer, Ne­hemias obtayned of the Kynge all his desyre.Iob. viii. By prayer all good thyn­ges chaunsed vnto Thoby & Sara the doughter of Raguell. By prayer Iudith ouercame Holofernes & his armye.Iudit. xii. Hest. xiiii. By prayer quene Hester had her desyre for y^e Israelites of y^e kynge Assuerus.Da. vi. xiiii By prayer Daniell was preserued from the cruell fearcenes [Page] of the Lyons.Dan. xiii. By prayer Susāna was delyuered from the moost byt­ter death pretensed agaynst her. By prayer Ionas was delyuered out of the whales belly.Ionas. ii. By prayer Iudas Machabeus gatte the victorye ouer his enemyes,i. Mat. iiii but in two battayles when he should fyght w^t Antiochus, & prayed not,i. mat. ix. he fledde awaye. And when he dyd syghte with Bachides & Alcimus, he was slaine, because he dyd not praye, as before. By prayer Ionathas,i. mat. xi. whā al had forsaken hī except a few, obtayned y^e victorye. By prayer y^e Iewes were delyuered frō death & trouble,ii. mat. iii. & y^e goodes of tēple preserued. Diuers histories ther be more of y^e old testamēt which declare of how great vertu & strēgth y^e true & christen prayer is, but thes at this presēt may seme abūdātly to satisfy: I wyl therfore reherse a fewe of the new testamēt, cōcerninge this mat­ter also, & than make an ende, that [Page] mē in fewe wordes maye se of what efficacy & power faythful prayer is.

¶ The. xi. Chapter.

BY prayer the Lepers were dely­uered from theyr leprosy.Luk. xvii. math. ix. By prayer the blynde were restored to theyr syghte.mat. ii. By prayer they y^t were sycke of y^e palseye, were made whole. By prayer the womā of Canane obtayned health for her doughter.mat. xv. By Prayer dyuers men obtaynedmath. viii. helth for theyr sonnes & seruauntes By prayer the lame were restored to the ryght vse of theyr lymmes.math. iiii. By prayer y^e deafe were made to heare.mat. xxi. By prayer the dumme recouered theyr speache.mat. xii. mat. ix. mat. xi. Lu. vii. xviii. By prayer the dead were restored to lyfe. By prayer synners obtayned remissiō of theyr synnes. By prayer Mary Magdalene had seuen dyuelles caste out of her.Luk. xviii. By prayer the Publycanne wente home more iustifyed then the Pharise. By prayer the fayth of Peter sayledLuk. xxii. [Page] not.Ioan. xv. By prayer the holy Ghoste was purchased for the Apostles and all the faythfull.Mat. xxvi. Act. vii. By prayer Christe & Stephen obtayned remission for theyr enemies.Act. [...]x: By prayer Peter he led Aeneas of the palseye. By pray­er he raysed by Tabiths from death to lyfe.Act. x. By prayer also he learned y^e all meates are pure, & none comone or vncleane.Act. x.xi. By prayer Cornelius deserued to receyue the holy Ghoste before he was baptised.Act. xii. Act. xxvii. By prayer Peter was delyuered oute of prysō. By prayer Paule saued so many as were with him in the shyp from the daunger of drownynge. [...]. Tim. ii. By prayer we lyue vnder the magistrates and head officers of the publigue weale peasably & quietly with al godlynes & honesty. By prayer the Gospell of Christe hath euer had felyce & fortunate progresse. [...]a [...]o. v. By prayer we [...] made safe in our syckenes. By [...] ex the conuersyon of the Gentyles [Page] came fortunately to passe. By pray­er the glory of God hath euer be promoted. By prayer y^e chyrch of Christ hath euer had the victory ouer An­techristes Sinagoge. To conclude, by prayer all good thynges chaunse vnto vs, & without prayer nothyng prospereth with vs fortunately. If I shoulde go forth to recyte all y^e Hi­stories of the holye Byble, y^e make to the auaūcement of prayer, I should contexe & make a worke longer thā the Iliades of the Greke Poet Ho­mere. But of these fewe Histories heretofore rehearsed, the faythful & Christen reader maye ryght well de­prehende & perceyue, what efficacy, vertu, strength & power is in y^e true & Christen prayer. Howe can prayer be onye otherwyse then a thynge of great excellency, seynge that the ho­ly Ghost was the Author of it, seing also that so many īcōperable thīges by it haueben obtained & so many de­uine [Page] matters brought to passe?Luk. xvi: mat. xxvi. No man therfore oughte to doubte of y^e dignite of it, seyng y^e Jesus Christ godsowne son dyd both very diligēt lyat al times, & in al fortunes & chaū ses, yea & y^e both night & day exercise it, & also not only comaund other to pray,mat. vi. but lykewyse taught & prescri­bed the moost godly way of prayēg. Christes Apostles also with Marye the mother of Jesu,Act. i: & other holy wo­mē perseuered togyther very much in fastinge & prayeng after Christes Ascencion, as we read in the Ac [...]es of the Apostles.

I could gather here many thiges out of y^e olde Histories, which should declare vnto vs howe greatly y^e auncient fathers of Christes chyrch de­lighted i this godly exercyse of prayer,Df [...]. Ia­mes Note as we reade in S. Iames, whose knees thorowe the continuall vse of knelynge in his prayers had greate wrattes or wennes, call them what [Page] ye wyll for all me, growynge vpon them after the maner as Camelles haue, but my mynde is not to sette forth y^e cōmendaciō, prayse & auaūce mēt of prayer by ony Histories, but only those, whiche are cōtayned in y^e holy scripture. Notwithstandynge seyng that hytherto I haue fortres­sed this my treatise w^t the sayenges of y^e godly learned Doctors, I wyll therfore nowe rehearse a sentence or two of the golden mouthed Doctor S. Iohn̄ Chrisostome, whiche shall not a lytle make to the auauncemēt of y^e true and christen prayer.

¶ The. xii. Chapter.

DErely beloued prayer vndoub­tedly,Hom. lxxix. De oratiōe sayth he, is an exceading good thynge and great treasure. For yf he that talketh with a vertuous man receyueth by that meanes no small profytte, howe many cōmodities then shall he enioye, to whom it is gyuen to talke w^t GOD? It is [Page] impossible forsoth it is impossible for that mā which prayeth aryght and maketh continuall supplicacion vn to God, for to synne at any tyme. For the fountaines of water do not make gardyns so fertyle, and fruytfull, as the foūtaynes of teares wa­teringe the plante of prayer, make it to exercyse & growe vp vnto a be­ry great heyght, & sette hym y^e pray­eth before the LORD. Hereof cōmeth it to passe y^t he must neded [...] heard.

Ser primo De o [...]a.Agayne he sayth, as the Sonne is the light vnto the body, so is prayer vnto the soule. Prayer getteth an holy lyfe, & the congrue, decente and semely worshyppyng of God, & after a meruaylous manner it layeth vp treasure for our soules. For whither that a man wyll labour to kepe virginite,By prayer al thinges are easye. or in mariage reuerentlye to mayntayne continencye, or to sup­presse wrath, & to lyue mekely, or to repurge enuy, or to do any other de­cent [Page] & comely thynge, prayer beyng his guyde, & preparyng such a way to the life, he shal vndoubtedly haue a quiet & easye passage vnto Godly­nes. For it is not possible, but that they whiche aske of God purenes of lyuynge, iustyce, mekenes & benignite, muste nedes obtayne it by pray­eng.Mat. vii▪ Luke. x. For he sayth, aske & it shal be giuen you. Seake and ye shall fynde. Knocke & it shall be opened to you. For eueryone y^e asketh, receyueth, & he that seaketh fyndeth, & to hym y^e knocketh, it shall be opened.

Prayer receaueth vs full of syn­nes,Ser Serf [...] do De o [...], and streyghtwayes maketh vs cleane. Prayer is the presente reme­dy for y^e soules of thē that are sycke. Prayer doth not onlye make cleane frō sin, but also put a backe great perelles. Prayer is & is truly called a celestiall panoply & heauenly arma­ture, & that alone is able valeaūtely to preserue thē, which haue consecra­ted [Page] them selues vnto it. So that w^t oute prayer no good nor wholesome thynge shall chaunse vnto vs.

Ibidem.Prayer is the head of all goodnes & the conciliatryce and purchaser of helth & euerlastynge lyfe. Prayer is the cause of all vertue and iustyce. Prayer is the occasion of health, the purchaser of an immortal soule, the [...]ure bulwarke of the Chyrche, the in concusse, vnshakē & puissaunt custo­dy or watch of the faythful, terrible to the dyuelles, but healthful to the godly. Prayer hath wayting on her all vertues. To be breue, loke what the foundaciō is in an house, y^e bery same is prayer in the soule.

Hytherto haue I rehearsed y^e wordes of the golden mouthed Doctor, whiche declare manifestlye of howe great vertue and strength the true and Christen prayer is.

Of these thynges thē heretofore rehearsed, haue we sufficiently lear­ned [Page] what an excedynge and incōpa­ [...]able treasure prayer is to y^e soule of [...] christen man. Certes whyther we [...]aue respecte to the commoditie of [...]ur body or of oure soule, prayer is [...]he only meanes, wherby it is obtained & broughte to passe.Dui [...]ius martiali [...]s Be God ne­ [...]ter so angrye with vs, prayer apea­ [...]ed his wrathe, as the Poet sayeth. [...]lectitur ixatus, uoce rogante Deus. Et. Domi [...]um mundi flectere uota ualent. Beholde what prayer dothe. If we be si­ [...]ull, prayer purifyethe vs. If we be [...]arrē, prayer maketh vs fruytfull. [...]f we be sycke, prayer makethe vs whole. If we be ygnorāt, prayer en­graffeth knowledge in vs. If we be [...]lynd, prayer illumineth our senses. If we be cōfortles, prayer is redy to [...]ssyst & helpe vs. If we be sorowfull, prayer cōforteth vs. If we be poore, prayer entychethe vs. If we be pro­phane, prayer maketh vs holye. If we be carnall, prayer maketh vs spi­rituall. If we be captiues of Satā, [Page] praier maketh vs the derely beloued sōnes of god. If we wāte ony thing Prayer is redy to get it for vs. To conclude, yf we be euell, prayer ma­keth vs good. If we be good, prayer maketh vs better, & neuer forsaketh vs vntyll he hath broughte vs vnto the presence of almighty God in his eternal glory. What would we haue more? Seyng that so large cōmodi­ties & great profittes come vnto vs by the true & christen prayer, let vs cast awaye all sluggyshnes, and exercyse our selues maynly in the moost godly meditacion of vertuous prayer. By this meanes doubteles shall vyce decrease & minish in vs, & cōtrarywyse vertue shall augment & en­crease very muche bothe in bodye & soule. And y^e this thing may be done the more conueniētly, I wyll nowe by Gods fauour declare howe a christen man should prepare hymselfe to pray, y^e by no meanes he maye abuse this great and syngulare treasure.

¶ The. xiii. Chapter.

ALthough ther be so ma­ny thynges to be consy­dered in the godly exer­cyse of praier,Eyther thinges are to be consydered in the repeparar [...] [...]n of prayer. y^e we may praye aryghte, yette me thynke that eyghte thynges chefely aboue all other muste be consydered [...] obserued in it, without the whiche [...]o mā can prepare hymselfe to praye accordyng vnto the wyll of God. Of theyse eyghte therfore wyll I nowe speake in order by the assistence and helpe of Gods moost holy Spiryte, whome I moost instātly desyre so to directe my pen, that I maye wryte all thynge vnto the glorye of God, & the profytte of his holy churche. Fyrst it is requisyte, that he whiche [Page] entendeth to pray, consydereth deply w^t himselfe his state & case wherin he stōdeth. If he doth thus, thā shal [...] he fynde that to be true, whiche th [...] Psalmograph wryteth:Ps. xxxviii Euery man that lyueth is nothyng out altogy­ther very vanite.Psa. lxi. Agayne, the chyl­dren of men are vayne. They are ly­ers & false, in asmuche that yf y^u put­test thē & vanite togyther in a bal­launce, vanite wyll surely wey them vp.Esal. xi. All fleshe is grasse, & all his glory is lyke a floure of the felde.

Gen. vi.Moreouer he shal easely perceyue that all hys senses & thoughtes are prone to euell, & that he is not able of him selfe to thike a good thought. Agayne,ii. Cor. iii. he shall shortely vnderstōde that his herte is wycked & inscrutable,Iere. [...]vii. Esa. i. & that ther is no whole parte in hym from the toppe of the head to y^e soole of the fote, but that in all his thoughetes, wordes & dedes, he is a verye synner & greuous offender of [Page] the diuyne maiestye. Thus must he fyrst of all, whā he entēdeth to pray, consyder with hym selfe what he is, euen a very synner, a trangressoure of Gods precepte, a breker of the di­uyne lawe, and a wycked doer in all his actes.

This consideracion fyrst of all is very necessary. For it bringeth a mā to the knowledge of hym selfe, & ma­kethe hym desyrous for to praye, that he maye be deliuered frō this great enormite.Mark this well. Certes except a man doth fyrst of all on this wyse iudge, vnderstōde & perceyue of himselfe, he can neuer be trulye bent for to praye. For who desyrethe the co­lour & warmenes of clothe, that fe­leth no colde? Who longeth for meat & drynke, that is not hungry & thyrsty. Who wyssheth helth that is not sycke? Who prayeth for remission of synnes, that fealeth not himselfe to be a synner?iiii. Reg. xx. Esa. xxxiii. Woulde Ezechias haue [Page] prayed for health & longe lyfe, yf he had not felte hymselfe sycke & at the poynt of death?ii. Para. i. Woulde Salomon haue desyred wisdōe for the right gouernaūce of his people, yf he had not perceiued,ii. Re xii. Psal. i. that he had had nede of it? Woulde Dauid when he had played the adulterer with Bethsabe y^e wyfe of Urias, so greatly haue lamented his synne, yf he had not knowē hym selfe to be a greuous synner?Luk. x viii. Would the poore Publican contrary to the māners of the proude Pharise haue stonde a farre of, beynge afrayde to lyfte vp his eyes, and knockyng his brest, sayeng: O God be thou merci­full vnto me a synner, yf he had not knowen himselfe to be full of synne, misery & wretchednes?Luk. vii.x. Would Ma­ry magdalene haue ben so desyrous of Christes company, yf she had not knowen herselfe to be a miserable si­ner, and Christ a bounteous Sauy­vor? Nay verely.

[Page]Therfore the nexte & moost redy waye for a man to prepare hymselfe to praye aright, & with a feruent spiryte & hungry mynde, is to knowe & graūt hymselfe to be a synner, and y^e therfore he hath great nede to pray.

¶ The. xiiii. Chapter.

SEcōdly, whē he hath once thorowly debated & beaten w^e hiselfe his owne misery, wretchednes, synne, & abhominaciō, & perceyuethe that to be delyuered therof, ther is no other waye, but only by the mercy of God thorowe prayer, he muste streyghte wayes set before his eyes the Com­maundement of God, which after y^e knowledge & confession of his synne commaundeth hym to praye. And here ought he not a lytle to reioyse. For who, whā he hath ones offended God, durste be so bolde as once to desyre pardon of his offence, & to pray vnto God for mercy, yf God himself had not commaundes him so to do? [Page] Uerely no man.Beholde what sinne both. For the transgression of Gods cōmaundement doth so confounde the consicience of y^e trās­gressour, that it soner dryueth hym vnto desperacion, than to any hope of helpe or fauour.Gen. iii. This is well pro­ued by Adam, which, when he hadde once broken Gods precepte in Paradyse, fled streyghtwayes from y^e face of God, hyd hym, & soughte all mea­nes possible no more to come īto his syght.Gen. iiii. Howe was Caym also confoū ded in his conscience whē he had kylled his brother Abell, thoughe there was yet no lawe raygnynge? Was he not so consternate & stryken with suche feare, that he sayd: Euery one that fyndeth me, wyll kyll me? was he not ashamed so greatly of his mā slaughter, that he sayd, mine iniquite is greater thē I maye deserue for gyuenes? Dyd he not flye frō y^e face of the LORDE, so farre as he myght. Agayn,Mat. xxvi was not Iudas so ashamed [Page] of his dede whan he had solde Christ to the Bysshoppes & heade prestes, y^e he brought the mony agayne to thē, & sayde, I haue synned, betrayenge the innocent bloud?Act. ii Dyd not synne so cōfoūd & slay his cōsciēce at y^e last, that he went & hāged vp hymselfe, & when he was hanged, dydde not he brast a sūder in the myddes, and all his bowels gusshed out? Who being a Traytoure dare come before the Kynges maiesty to desyre pardon of his offence? Yea who rather beynge fauty in that detestable sinne, fieth not from hys graces presence in to straunge countreyes, that he maye be free and withoute punyshment? For the rewarde of synne is deathe.Rom. vi. Therfore I saye ought he that kno­weth & graūteth himselfe to be a sinner very muche to reioyce that God for his offence hath cōmaunded him to praye, whiche els durst nothynge lesse than once to attēpte for to ap­proche [Page] before the diuyne maiesty w^e onye kynde of prayer,The nature of sinne & when synne shall laboure accordynge vnto y^e na­ture therof for to condemne the conscience, & to expell from the herte all sayth, cōfidence, & trust in God, thā to erecte, eleuate & lyfte vp himselfe by gyuyng sure & vndoubted fayth to the cōmaūdement of God, which commaundeth hym to praye, w^e this perswasion, that God hath not commaūded him for to praye in vayne. He muste therfore put these & suche lyke Comaundementes euer before his eyes,Mat. vi. Psal. xlix. Mat. xi. Aske, Seke, Knocke, watch praye. Agayne, call on me in the day of trouble. Come vnto me al ye that labour & are ladē. All ye that thyrst come vnto the waters.Esa. xliiii. And ye that haue no mony make hast, by & eate. Come & bye withoute mony, & withoute ony marchaundyse, wyne and mylke. These moost gentle & louyng commaundementes of God cōforte [Page] the sorowefull mynde of the synner greatly, & engraffe in him a certayn gladnes & hope for to obtayne remissiō of his synnes, seyng y^e God so boū teonsly commaundeth him to pray.

¶ The. xv. Chapter.

THyrdely when he hathe on this maner poudered the cōmaundement of God, wherw^t he is prouoked to praye, than doth cōuenient tyme requyre that he also consydereth the moost louynge, gentle, & bounteous promises of God, in the which he promyseth for to heare vs, & to graunte vs oure peticions. For what doth it profyt for to aske & not to obtayne? If God had only cōmaunded vs to praye, and not also promysed for to heare vs, & gentelly to gyue vs oure desyres, what greate pleasure had he done for vs? what had he done for the which we had nede once to saye, LORDE God a mercy? What syngu­lare benefite had we receyued of hi? [Page] But although y^e Cōmaundement to pray putteth vs i good confort, yet whā we are promysed also graciously to be heard, this maketh vs vnfainedly to reioyce & seriouslye to try­umph. This maketh vs to put oure of oure herte all doloure & sadnes, & to be replete with all myrthe & glad­nes. The promyses of God brynge quietnes to the conscience,The pro­mysce of God. huarite to the herte, tranquilitie & peace to the soule. No man is able to expresse howe much & howe great ioye lyeth buried vp in the diuyne promises, & how feruent consolacion the synner taketh by the hearyng of thē.Gen. iii. What ioye thynke ye was thys vnto Adā for to heare after his offence, that y^e sonne of GOD should be borne of a pure mayde, & tread downe the Serpētes head, that is, subdue Satā & deliuer Adam w^t all his posterite frō his tyranny, bryng thē agayne into the fauoure of God, & make thē hey­res [Page] of eternall glory?Gen. xxii. What cōforte I praye you was this to faythefull Abrahā for to heare that in his seed all nacious of the earthe shoulde be blessed? What a great pleasure was this to y^e Israelites,Num. xxi. whē they were greuously stynged & slayne of the fyry serpentes for theyr disobedience, to heare this promyse of God: make a brasē serpēt, & set it vp for a signe He that is stryken & loketh vpon it, shall lyue?Iosue. i. What exceadyng cōforte receyued Iosue by thys promyse of God vnto him: I wyll not leaue the neyther wyll I forsake the. Be ther­fore strōge & take a good herte vnto the? As I maye come nerer to oure matter,Ioel. ii. Act. ii. Rom. x. howe much ioye, consolaciō & pleasure haue the faythfull fealte of this one promyse of God: Euerye one that callethe on the name of the LORDE, shall be saued?

Therfore in this behalfe the promises of God must be earnestly way­ed, [Page] pondered & consydered.The pro­myses of God are oure only conforte. In them must we reste, & dailye as in a moost pleasaūt Herboure. In thē must we repose oure selues. In them must be all oure delyghte, pleasure & felicite. The chefe promises concernynge Prayer are these.Psa. xxxvi. Delyghte thou in the LORDE, & he shall giue the, the peticiōs of thy herte.Psal xlix. Call on me sayth God in the daye of thy trouble, & I wyll delyuer the, and thou shalte honour me.Psa. ixxxx Agayne he sayth: Seynge that he hath put his truste in me, I wyll delyuer hym, & I wyll defende hym, in asmuche as he hath knowen my name. He cryed vnto me, and I wyll graciously heare hym, I am w^e hym in tribulacion, I wyll delyuer hym & glorify hym. With the length of dayes wyll I replenysh hym, and shewe hym my sauynge helth. Christ also saith:Mat. xi. Come vnto me all ye that labour & are laden, & I shall refresh you. Euery one that is a thyrste, let [Page] hym come to me & drynke.Ioan. vii. Mat. vi. Agayne, aske, & it shall be gyuen you. Seke & ye shall fynde. Knocke & it shall be o­pened vnto you. For euery one that asketh, receyueth, & he that seketh, fyndeth, & to hym y^e knocketh, it shal be opened. If the sone asketh breade of ony of you, whiche is his father, wyl ye profer him a stone? or yf he asketh fysh,Luke. xi. wyll ye gyue hym a Ser­pent? or yf he aske an Egge, wyll ye profer hym a Scorpion? If ye than which are euell, know howe to gyue good gyftes to your chyldren, howe much more shall your father celesti­all gyue the holy ghost to them that desyre it of hym? These & suche lyke promises of God, must he that intē ­deth to pray set before his eyes, that he cōforted with the remembraunce of them, maye with the more frācke courage gyue himselfe to godly and deuout prayer at all tymes.

¶ The .xvi. Chapter.

[Page] Fayth gy­uen vnto the promyses of godFOurthly when he hath on this maner confyrmed & establyshed his mynde with the contēplacion & beholdynge of the diuyne promises, he maye not dout any thynge at all of them, but faythfully beleue & vn­doutedly perswade hymselfe y^e they are true, in asmuch as they are the promises not of man but of GOD, which cā not lye,Cit. l. Psa. cxliiii whiche is true, yea whiche is the selfe trueth, whiche is faythfull in all his wordes, & holy in al his workes, whose worde & trueth also abyde for euer and euer.Esay. xi. For though God be neuer so mercyfull, & bounteous in gyftes,Note wel. yet yf we do not beleue that his mercy & bounte pertayne also to vs, we are neuer y^e better. Let it so be, that whā a tray tour for his offence cōmitted agenst the Kynges maiesty,Mark this Example flyeth beyonde the sees into a straung countrey by cause he wyll eschewe the daunger of the lawe, & escape y^e payne due for [Page] his offence, the Kynges grace hathe pitie on hym, pardon his faulte, and sende ouer his letters vnto hym, wherī is declared the kynges great mercy & gentlenes toward him, and wylleth hym to returne into his na­tyue countre, & there agayne to en­ioye the benefytes of the same, & of all other that he possessed before, yea & that with no lesse fauoure, than he dydde in tymes paste, whan he was mooste estraunged from that faulte of treason: yf the Traytour not beleuynge the wordes of the moost gra­cious & free pardon, woulde contēne & despyse it, recountyng it to be but a vayne gloose, & of no trueth, what should the kynges gentlenes in this behalfe profytte hym? The kynge is mercyfull, but the traytoure is vn­faythfull. Therfore receyueth he no commoditie by the kynges pardon. And yet is not the faulte in y^e kyng, but in the traytour, which beleueth [Page] not that glad and merye tydynges.

Another example.Agayne: Be it in case, that a cunnyng & learned Phisiciō come vnto a sycke man, promisynge hym helpe & delyueraunce of his dysease, & yet yf the sycke parsō beleueth hym not, but setteth nought by hym, & despy­seth his medicines what doth it profytte him? What is he holpen by the presence of the Phisiciō, be he neuer so cūnynge? What doth the redines of helpe profyt him, yf he refuseth to take & enioye it? Uerely nothyng at all. In lyke maner be God neuer so mercyfull & boūteous, & neuer so re­dy to helpe vs, yet yf we beleue hym not to be so, his mercye, bounty and assistēce profyt vs nothynge at all.Psa. cxliiii The Psalmograph sayeth not only, the LORDE is nygh to all that cal on hym, but he addeth, to al that call on hym in trueth.To cal on God in truethe, what it is What is it to call on God in trueth, but to beleue earnestly that he wyll trulye performe hys [Page] promyses, & do in all thynges as he hath promysed?Psa. lxxxiiii. Agayne, Dauid sayeth: Mercy & trueth haue mette to­gyther, ryghteousnes & peace haue kyssed one another.Mark this Exposiciō What is this, mercy & trueth haue mette togither but that as God is mercyfull in makynge his promises, so is he true in perfourmynge them? Agayne, what meaneth this, righteousnes & peace haue kyssed one another, but only to shewe, that the ryghteousnes of god in fulfyllynge his promises, and the trāquilite of cōscience haue ioyned them selues togyther in the hertes of the faythfull.

Therfore yf we do not obtayne y^e hygh treasures & great pleasures y^e God hath promised let vs impute it to nothynge els but only to our vn­faithfulnes.Heb. xi. For S. Paule sayth w^e out fayth it is not possible to please God. He that cōmeth to God, sayth he, must beleue that God is, & that [Page] he is a rewarder to thē that seke h [...].Rom. v. Agayn, we beyng iustifyed by fayth haue peace toward God thorow our LORDE Iesus Christ, by whome also it hathe chaunsed vnto vs, that by fayth we should be brought īto this grace, wherin we stond, & prayse vnder the hope of the glorye of GOD. S. Iames also sayeth,Iacob. i. If ony man wanteth wisdome lette hym aske of hym that gyueth it, I meane God, which gyueth to all men w^tout dou­blenes, & casteth no man into y^e teth, & it shalbe gyuen him. But let hym aske in fayth & wauer not. For he y^e doubteth, is lyke the waues of y^e see, tossed of the wynde, & caried with violence. Neyther let that mā thynke y^t he shal receyue ony thynge of God Christ also sayeth,Math. xi. Who soeuer shall saye to this mountayne, take away thy selfe, & cast thy selfe into the see, & shall not wauer in his harte, but shal beleue that these thinges which [Page] he sayth, shall come to passe, what soeuer he sayth, shalbe done vnto him. Therfore I saye vnto you, what so­euer ye desyre when ye praye, beleue that ye shall haue it, & it shalbe done to you. Agen he saith haue ye y^e faith of GOD, y^e is to saye, asure pswasiō & confydence of the promyses of the grace & mercy of God, & learne ye to assent & agre to the diuyne promyse which thyng yf ye shall do, verely I saye vnto you, all thynges that ye aske whan ye praye, beleue y^e ye shall receyue them, & they shall chaūse to you, as he sayth, al that euer ye aske whan ye praye, beleue that ye shall haue thē, & they shall chaunse vnto you,Math. ix. We read that whan two blynd men desyred Christe to make thē for to se, he sayd vnto thē, do ye beleue y^e I am able to do this thynge? They aunswared, we beleue LORDE. Thā sayd Christe vnto thē, accordyng to your faythe, be it to you. And theyr [Page] eyes were opē. Agen whā a certayne mā brought his sōne to Christ for to be healed, Christ said to him: If thou canst beleue y^t, al thinges are possible to hī y^t beleueth. In diuers other places we reade,Mat. ix. that Christ sayd to thē whōe he heled. Be it vnto the accor­dīg to thy fayth. And thy fayth hath saued the. For by fayth are we mary to God.Lull. vii. Mat. xv. Oze. ii. Ioan. i. Gala. iii. By faythe are we made the sonnes of God. By faythe all good thynges chaunse vnto vs. Therfore that we maye be partakers of the cō fortable promises of God, let vs ear nestly beleue thē, beyng perfectly p­swaded that what soeuer God hath promised, he wyll surely fulfyll it. For he is that trueth, which can neyther lye nor deceyue, but graunteth all thynges abosidantely to thē that aske in faythe.In Lucā Lap. xviii. Theophilacte hath a very goldē & notable sayenge, which is this. The foundacion & grounde of all prayer is fayth. For excepte a [Page] mā doth beleue, that he shal receyue that to his profyt, which he asketh, the prayer that he maketh is vayn.

But yf it be so that we are yette weake, & haue no sure truste of y^e cle­mencye & great goodnes of God to­warde vs, nor can not perswade ourselues that our prayer is heard, but double & wauer peraduēture of the diuyne promises,Luk. vii. than after the exā ple of y^e Apostles let vs pray, LORDE encrease our fayth. Yea let vs wyth teares crye oute & saye wyth the fa­ther of a certayne chylde.Mar. ix I beleue LORDE, succour & helpe myne incre­dulite & vnfaythfulnes. And y^e mighty ruler, which is a mercyfull & gen­tle God,Exo. xxxiiii. pacient, longe sufferynge & true, which kepeth mercy, which ta­keth away iniquite, wickednes and synne, wyl surely haue mercy on vs & encrease faythe in vs.Eco. ii. For the po­wer of the LORDE shall be with thē, which seke hym with al theyr affect, [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] herte and mynde.

¶ The. xvii. Chapter.

FYftely whan we aske ony thyng of God, we maye not aske it in our owne name, in our owne digni­te & worthynes, in our owne iustyce & righteousnes, in our owne good dedes & merites, in our owne innocen­cy and purenes,What it is to aske in the name of Christ. but in the name of Christ. What is it to aske in y^t name of Christ, but only to cōfesse that for our owne dignitie & worthynes, we are not worthy to be hearde, & ther­fore desyrynge to obtayne mercye, grace, fauour, & remission of our synnes, we approche vnto the throne of GOD with oure faythefull pray­ers, not in oure owne name, but in the name of Christe, that is to saye, in Christes dignite, worthynes iu­styce, ryghteousnesse, innocencye, purenes, good dedes & merites. And for his sake & for his goodnes do we desyre to be heard, and to haue oure [Page] Peticions graunted:

This is a great cōforte for them that shall pray,A confortable sayeng for [...]. y^t though they be im­perfecte, yet is Christ perfecte, & his perfecciō is theyr perfecciō, though they be vnrighteous, yet is Christe ryghteous, & his ryghteousnesse is their righteousnesse, though they be vnholy, yet is Christ holy, & his holines is theyr holines, though they be voyde of perfecte good workes, yet hathe Christe perfecte good workes, and his good workes are theyr good workes, yf they leaue theyr vngodlines, turne from theyr wycked way­es, & study to lyue innocently, & therfore nede they not feare for to praye, but boldly to aske all thinges in the name of Christ.

Our righteous aduocate,In Czech. Lib. i. Nom. vii. sayeth S. Gregory, shall defende vs rygh­teous in the iudgement, bycause we do both knowledge & accuse our sel­ues vnrighteous. Therfore not in [Page] our owne wepiges, not in our owne actes but in the allegacion of our aduocate let vs truste. Hereto pertay­neth the sayenge of S. Austen,In Psal. [...]viii. the prayer which is not made by Christ doth not only not put awaye synne, but also the prayer it self is made very synne. Christ sayth, whatsoeuer ye shall aske in my name, that wyll I do, that the father maye be glory­fyed by y^e sōne.Ioan. xiiii If ye aske ony thyng in my name, that shal I do. Agayne If ye abyde in me, & my wordes a­byde ī you, aske what soeuer ye wyl, & it shall be done to you. In another place also he sayth:Ioan. xvi. Uerely verely I say to you, what soeuer ye shal aske the father in my name, he shall gyue it you. Nytherto ye haue asked no­thynge in my name. Aske & ye shall receyue, that your ioye maye be perfect. Thus so we y^t in Christes name we must aske all thynges.Act. iiii. For there is none other name gyuen vnto mē [Page] vnder heuē, wherī we must be saued but onlye this name of iesus christ. Euerye one y^t calleth on thys name shalbe saued.Joel. ii. Pro.xviii. For the name of the LORDE is a stronge tower & valeaūt Bulwarke, vnto that doth y^e righteous, that is, the faythefull man flye.Psal. xxxix. Blessed is that man, which tru­steth in the name of the LORDE, and hath no respecte vnto vanities and false madde fantasies.

Moreouer Dauid,Dauid. although God prayseth him greatly, & sayeth, that he hath founde Dauid his seruaūte euen after his owne herte, yet dyd not he, whan he prayed, desyre to be hearde for his owne name, & for his owne ryghteousnes & vertu, but he prayed on this maner,Psal. cxiii. LORDE heare my prayer, heare my request for thy truthes sake, yea fauourablye heare me for thy righteousnes, Agayne, in the O LORDE haue I trusted,Psal. xxx. let me neuer be cōfoūded, but deliuer me in [Page] thy righteousnes. My strēgth and my refuge arte thou, and for thy names sake shalte thou lede me forth & norish me.Psal. xxiiii For thi names sake LORD shalte thou be merciful to my sinne, for it is much. O god for thy names sake saue thou me,Psal. iiii. & in thy vertu delyuer me.Ps. lxxviii. Helpe vs O God our sauyour, & for the glorye of thy name O LORDE delyuer vs, & be mercyfull to our synnes for thy names sake. Be­holde he desyreth not the fauoure of God for his owne sake, for his owne name, righteousnes, trueth & vertu but for Goddes name, for Goddes ryghteousnes, trueth and vertue. Nowe who is the ryghteousnesse of God,The righ­teousnes of God, is Christ. is Lord. but Iesus Christe the sonne of God, whiche alone is founde righte­ous among men? As Paule wytnes­seth, he is made of God our wisdom ryghteousnes, sanctificacion & redē cion, that as it is wrytten, he that reioyceth, maye reioyce in y^• LORDE [Page] Who is the trueth of GOD,The truth of God. but he which sayth of himselfe. I am y^e way the trueth & the lyfe.Ioan. xiiii. The vertu of God. i. Pet. ii. No man com­meth to the father but by me? Who is y^e vertue of God, but he that hath done no synne, nor in whole mouth ony gile was foūd, which is Christ [...]. Austē wryteth of Christ on this maner,Tract. xxii. in Io. cap. v. I am, sayth he, y^e way, trueth & lyfe. No man cōmeth to the father but by me. As though he should say, wylte thou walke? I am the waye. Wylte thou not be deceyued? I am the trueth. Wylt thou not dy? I am y^e lyfe. This doth thy Sauyour say to the, ther is none other, to whome thou mayst go, but vnto me. There is no waye that thou canste go, but by me.

So that for Christes sake & not for his owne dyd Dauid althoughe both godly & vertuous, yea & dearly beloued of God, d [...]re to be hearde, & to haue the peticions of his herte [Page] graunted. [...] obiection. But it maye be obiected, Dauid also prayeth on this maner. Heare O LORDE my ryghteousnes,Psal. xvi. & gyue attendance vnto my prayer. Let my iudgement come forth from thy face, lette thyne eyes se equite. Thou hast proued my hert & visited it in the nyght, thou haste tryed me w^t fyre, & yet hath there none iniquite be found in me.Psal. xvii. Agayne, I wyl be w^tout spotte w^t him, I wyll kepe me from iniquite, & the LORDE shall re­warde me accordynge to my righte­ousnes, & accordynge to the puritie of my hādes in the syght of his eies. Also in another place,Psal. xxv. Iudge me O LORDE, for I haue walked in my in­nocēcy. In these & such lyke Dauid layeth oute his owne innocency, pu­rite & ryghteousnes, '& semeth to de­syre to be heard for them. [...]n answer I answere if Dauid desyred to be heard for his owne ryghteousnes, than should he fyght w^t himselfe wherin many and [Page] diuers places he cōfesseth his synne, & cleueth only to the mercy of God, desyreth to be hearde for the righte­ousnes, trueth & vertue of God, and not for his owne sake. [...] Enter not in to iudgement, O LORDE, sayeth he, with thy seruaunt, for no man that lyueth shalbe iustifyed in thy syght. Nowe thā could he set out his owne ryghteousnes before GOD, that he myghte be iustifyed by it? What shall we then saye to this matter?Note thys Solucion: I aunswere, yea & that not wythoute the authoritie of the holy scriptures & the mynde of the aunciente Doc­tors, that as in dyuers other places of the Psalmes, so in these and such lyke he speakethe in the parsonne of Christe, and not in his owne. He speketh of Christes innocency, puryte, ryghteousnes & vertue, & not of his owne. He representeth Christes par­son, & not his owne. Whan he spea­keth in his owne parson, he graun­teth [Page] hymselfe alwayes a synner, se­keth helth of God, & desyreth not to be heard for his owne ryghteousnes but for Gods ryghteousnes, whiche is Iesus Christ. So that ī Christes name he offered vp his prayers vnto God the father,Exo. xii. Ioan. i. as all the faythfull ought to do. For Christ is the lambe w^tout spotte. Christ is that lambe of God, which taketh away y^e synne of the worlde.Mat. iii. Christ is that dearly be­loued sonne, for whose sake God the father is well pleased with men. Christ is that Byshop,Heb. vii. which is godly, innocente, vndefyled & segregate from synners.Ioan. x. Christ is the dore, by whome alone we muste come to the father.Math. i. Christ is that sauiour which saueth his people frō theyr synnes. Christ is he by whome grace & very­tie is shewed vnto vs.Ioan. 1. Colos. 1. Christe is he, which by his moost precious bloude hath reconciled vs to Gody^e father. Christ therfore is he, in whose name that is, in whose dignite, ryghteous­ [...]nes, innocency, vertue, & purite, we must offer vp our prayers to God y^e father.Esa. lxiiii. For all our ryghteousnesses [...]ampared to the iustyce of God, are [...]yke a cloth polluted with mēstrue. That we are not able to obtayne a­ny thynge of God for our owne righteousnes, it is manifest by these wordes which God himselfe speaketh by his Prophet Esaye,Esa. xliii. I am, I am he, which putteth awaye thyne iniqui­ties, yea & that for myne owne sake. (Marke y^e he sayeth, for myne owne sake.) And wyll remēber thy synnes no more. Put me in remembraūce, & let vs be iudged togyther. Tell me yf thou hast ony thing wherby thou mayst be iustifyed.Esa. xlviii. Agayne: For my names sake, wyll I put away myne anger. For myne owne sake, yea for mine owne sake wyll I do this, that I may not be blasphemed & euel spoken of. In the name of Christe ther­fore [Page] let hym aske, that entēdenth to obtayne onye thynge of God the father, as S. Paule sayeth,Col. iii. whatsoe­uer ye shall do in word & dede, do an [...] thynges in the name of the LORDE Iesus, gyuynge thanckes to God the father by him. And so doynge let hym not doubt, but that he shall ob­tayne all good thynges accordyng [...] vnto his hertes desyre.

¶ The .xviii. Chapter.

All thynge must be ashed accor­dyng vnto [...] wyll of God.SYxtely, he that intēdeth to pray, muste earnestly prouyde that he asketh all thynges accordyng vnto the wyll of God. He may not aske af [...] ter his owne fantasy, wyl & plesure, but after the wyll of God. For oure wyll in comparison of Gods wyll, is neuer good, but euell or prone to e­uell. For we knowe not what we shoulde praye,Rom. viii. as it becommeth vs. Therfore what so euer we aske, we must refe [...]ce it vnto y^e wyll of God, and be contented to be ordered in all [Page] thynges accordyng vnto his moost [...]olye wyll, as Christe taughte vs to [...]raye in the Pater noster. Let thy wyll be fulfylled as in heauē,Mat. vi. so lyke wyse in earth. Christe also himselfe for to gyue vs an example, when the [...]oure of his passion began to drawe [...]igh, prayed vnto his father on this manner: My father, yf it be possible, [...]et this cup go awaye from me:Math. xxvi. Not withstandyng let not myne but thy wyll be fulfylled.mat. viii. The Leper also [...]ayd to Christ, LORDE yf thou wylt, [...]hou maist make me whole Here the Leper desyred to be clensed of his le­ [...]rosye, yet he referred his requestes vnto Christe eyther to be graunted or denyed.Nota. So it becōmeth vs ī lyke maner to aske all thynges accordīg vnto the wyll of God, & what soeuer we desyre, euer to submyt & referre [...]t vnto Gods wyll, whiche knoweth [...]este, what we haue nede of, & what [...]s moost necessarye for vs,math. vi. before we [Page] pray. For we haue not a greter war [...] re nor an harder fyght ī this world than y^e battayle & stryfe of the Spi [...] ryte, & of y^e fleshe, which two are al [...] wayes so at debate, y^e the hatred be [...] twene thē can neuer be apeased.Gal. v. For as y^e flessh lusteth agaynst y^e spiryte so doth the spiryte fight very valeāt ly agaynst the wycked, fearce & cruel violence of the fleshe, & are euermore as the Apostle wytnesseth, one agēs [...] another,Rom. vii. so that we can not do those thinges y^e we would, in asmuch that we are compelled to crye oute w^e the Apostle, o wretched & vnhappy that I am, who shall delyuer me frō thys body bonde vnto death.

Howe euell it is to followe oure owne wyll, neglectynge in y^e meane season the good pleasure of God, dy­uers Histories of y^e holy scriptures shewe. Kyng Saul thought that he had done well,1. Reg. xiii. when he perceyuyng the people to go away from hym, of­fered [Page] burnte offrynges to y^e LORDE in the absence of Samuel, sayenge, that he dyd it to pacifye the LORDE, & that he was cōpelled to do so. But Samuell sayd vnto hym, thou hast done folisbly, neither hast thou kept the cōmaundementes of the LORDE thy God whiche I cōmaunded the.

Agayne God cōmaunded Sauli. Reg. xl [...]. to staye Amelech, to destroye al that euer ther was, not to spare one, not to couyt any thyng of theyr goodes, but to kyll man, woman, chylde, sue kynge babe, ore, shepe, camell, asse, & what soeuer could there be sound besydes. But Saul followīg his own wyll more than the wyll of God, spa­red Agag the king of Amelech alyue with the beste flockes of shepe, ores, cattell, & all that euer was fayre he spared, & woulde not destroye them, but what soeuer was vyle and of no pryce, that he destroyed. Whan Sa­muel came vnto hym & sayde, what [Page] of beastes do I heare here? He auswe [...] red, the people hathe broughte them from Amelech. They be the best and fattest of all the flockes, & they be re­serued to be offered vnto the LORDE. But Samuel sayde vnto hym. By­cause thou hast cast awaye the word of y^e LORD, y^u LORD hath cast away y^e that thou be no more king. Wyll the LORD burnt offringes & sacrifices & not rather that it may be obeyed vn to his worde? Obedience is better then Sacrifyces, & to gyue eare to y^e LORDES cōmaundement is more thā to offer the satte of wethers. What godly excuses had kynge Saul here to couer his faulte, and to make his wyll vnto carnall iudgemētes to appeare verye vertuous & godly? For all that euer he dyd, was done to honour God,A poynte for theyr li [...]nge. to sacrifice & offer oblaci­ons to God. Yet God casteth awaye that wyll, whiche is contrary to his wyll, seme it neuer so godlye, vertu­ous [Page] and good in the syght of fleshly wyse mē. Yea cursed be all good wylles, all good zeeles, all good intētes, that fyghte w^e the wordes of God.

Oza also thought he had done welii. Reg. vi. when he seyng the arke of God in io­pardy of fallyng oute of the wayne, steyed it w^e his hande, yet for all hys good voyl, bicause he touched it, was he stryken of the LORDE, & streyghte waye dyed.

Kynge Ozias in lyke maner of aii. Pa. xxvi. good intent would haue taken vpō him to burne incense vnto y^e LORDE but Azarias the preste sayd boldely vnto hym, it is not thyne offyce Ozias to burne incēse vnto the LORDE, but it pertayneth to prestes the sonnes of Aaron, which are consecrated to suche ministry & seruyce. He com, maunded him also to go out of y^e sanctuary, & tolde him y^e that whiche he had done, should not turne vnto his prayse of the LORDE God. And im­mediately [Page] after for his disobedsente presumpciō, he was stryken w^e leproly, & so beynge cast oute of the house of the Lorde, he contynued a Leper euen vnto his death.

Good inten­tes not groū ded on Gods word, are the authore of al euell.The Iewes dyd put Christ & his Apostles to death of a good zele, wyl intent and purpose. The tyrauntes whiche dyd slaye the holy martyres thoughte they dyd well. The bloude soupers also, which at this tyme persecute Christes gospel vnder y^e name of Heresye, & cruelly slaye & shed the bloude of the true Christians vnder the pretexte of persecutynge Heretikes, perswade themselues that they do well, & thynke they meryte great­ly in y^e syght of God,Ioan. xvi. as Christ sayth the tyme shall come that they which kyl you, shal thike y^e they do an high seruyce vnto God.

Whyle we follow our owne wyll, we commyt many absurdities & vnsyttynge thynges. Therfore whatsoeuer [Page] we do we must haue a respect to the wyll of God, & make ours conformable vnto it, vnlesse we hepe vp dānacion vnto our selues in all our peticions, prayers & requestes. We muste aske accordynge to the wyll of God. He that doth otherwyse, doth euell, & therfore he obtayneth not y^e which he desyreth,Iaco. iiii. as S. Iames say ethe: Ye aske, and haue not, bycause ye aske amysse, for to consume it vp­on youre volupteousnes. If he doth obtayne it, vndoubtedlye it is to his greater damnaciō. Therfore let vs aske accordynge to the wyll of God. So may we be sure to haue our her tes desyre,i. Ioan. v. as S. Iohn̄ sayth, This is the trueth that we haue in God, that yf we aske ony thyng according vnto his wyll, he heareth vs. And yf we knowe that he heareth vs, what so euer we aske, we knowe that we shall haue the Peticions that we de­syre of hym. And that we maye do it [Page] fruytfully,Psal. [...]xlii let vs praye w^t the Psal­mograph, teach me O LORDE, to do thy myl, for y^e arte my God. So shal God worke his good pleasure in vs.

The nynetyne Chapter.

We maye appoynte God no tyme.MOreouer although ī our prayers we aske all thynges accor­dyng vnto the wyll of God, yet may not we appoynt God the tyme of obtaynynge these thynges. We muste praye & aske, but oure peticions we muste referre & commyt to God for to be graunted, whan it shall be hys moost godly pleasure. For he know­eth what is moost fitte for vs better than we do our selues, & he wyll vn­doubtedly graunt vs those thinges that we aske, or elles muche better, whā he seeth his tyme.Psal. cxxii Therfore let vs lyft vp our eyes vnto him, which dwellethe in y^e heauens. And as the eyes of seruauntes are euer on the hādes of theyr maysters, & as y^e eies of the handemayde are all wayes on [Page] the handes of her maystres, so lette our eyes be bent euer vnto y^e LORD, vntyll he hath mercy vpon vs. Let vs aske, & paciētly abyde his diuyne wyll, & surely we shall not be decey­ued of our desyres. But yf we shall appoynte hym the tyme, & wyl that he be obediēt to our wyl, rather thā we to his, than do we tempte him, & prouoke his anger agaynst vs. Exā ple haue we in y^e History of Judith,Ju. vii, viii. where we read that whan the Isra­elites had ben longe oppressed of Nolofernes & his army, & had contynu­ed manny houres in theyr prayers, cryenge vnto the LORDE for helpe, & yet perceyued none at all at y^e hande of God: They all consented that yf God dyd not helpe thē wythin fyue dayes, they woulde gyue ouer both thēselues & theyr citie vnto Dolofernes & his people. But whan Judith that vertuous woman hearde of it, she sayde: Why haue ye consented to [Page] gyne ouer the citie vnto the Assyrianes, yf helpe commeth not vnto you from the LORDE within fiue dayes? What are you that thus tempte the LORD? This is not a sayēg for to prouoke mercye, but rather to store vp yre, & to kyndle furor. Daue ye ap­poynted y^e tyme of the LORDES mer­cy? & haue ye appoynted hym a daye at youre pleasure? But seynge the LORDE is paciēt, let vs repent, and be sory for this thynge, and let vs desyre his sauour w^t wepynge teares.

Thus se we that it is no s [...]iale of fence, be our peticions neuer so righteous, for to appoynte God y^e tyme. For that appoyntement of tyme de­clareth vs to be vnsaythfull. It she­weth that we haue no ryght perswasion of God. It is a manifest argu­ment, that we depende & hange vpō Gods goodnes & mercy only for our carnail profytte & auaūtage. It ma­keth euydent, that we do no longer [Page] regarde God, than he satisfieth and fulfylleth our lustes, pleasures, and desyres.Good coūse [...] Therfore let vs do, that we are cōmaunded, that is, hūblye offer vp our prayers to God, myth all submission of mynde, powre out our hertes before him, & with vnfayned teares lament our cause vnto hym, no­thynge doubtynge, but that accor­dyng to his moost godly promyse he wyll heare vs, graūt vs those or els better thynges, when it shall be hys plesure. And yf God semeth to with­draw his helpe frō vs at any tyme & not streyghtwayes to graūt vs our requestes, lette vs not dispayre, nor fall from the true confidence, truste & hope in the moost confortable pro­mises of god therfore, but rather be the more earnest & importune in as­kynge, beynge perswaded that God only differeth & prolongeth the ac­complyshmēt of his moost faythfull promyse, bycause he wyll trye oure [Page] fayth, whyther it be right constant, and stedfast or not. Dearly beloued, sayth S. John̄ Chrisostome, whā I saye, praye vnto God, besech hym, & wayte vpon him, thou sayst: I haue prayed once, twyse, & thryse, yea and ten tymes & twenty tymes, & what haue I receyued, sayst thou? Go not thy way, tyll thou receyuest, for the ende of the thyng asked, is the receyuynge of hym that prayethe. Than cease thou, whan thou hast receyued yea rather neyther cease y^u than, but stil perceyue & cōtinue, giuig thākes for that which thou hast receyued, y^e that which thou hast taken, may cō ­tinually remayne with the.

Mat. xv.Let vs followe the woman of Canane, which, as it woulde appeare, beynge denyed of her peticiō diuers tymes, at the leeste receyuynge but smale cōfort at christes hand, would not cease, but styll continued in ma­kynge suyte & supplicaciō for y^e helth [Page] of her doughter, tyll at the laste she heard this swete & cōfortable voyce, O woman great is thy fayth. Be it vnto the, as thou wylte.

¶ The. xx. Chapter.

THe laste of all, which is to be cō ­sythered in the preparacion of prayer, is so necessary, that without it, all the other are but vayne, & no­thyng to the purpose: And it is this that whā soeuer we entend to pray, we do fyrst forgyue such as haue of­fended vs, or els by no meanes can we obtayne remission of our synnes & fauour at the hand of God. Ther­fore do we on thys manner praye in the Pater noster:Math. vi. Forgyue vs oure dettes, euen as we forgyue our det­ters. And Christ sayth forgyue, and it shall be forgyuen you. Yea he gy­ueth vs a playne cōmaūdemēt y^e we should forgyue so many as haue offē ded vs, before we praye, or elles oure prayer worketh vs rather damnaci­on [Page] than saluaciō.Marke. xi. Whan ye prepare your selues to praye, sayeth Christe, forgiue yf ye haue ony thyng agenst ony man, that your father, which is in heauē, may forgyue you also your trespasses.Math. vi. Agayne he sayth: yf ye forgyue men theyr faultes, your heauē ly father wyl also forgyue you. But yf ye do not forgyue men theyr faul­tes, nether wyll your father forgiue you your faultes.

We reade that Peter came vnto Christ,Mat. xviii. & sayd, LORDE howe ofte shal my brother synne agaynste me, and I shall forgyue hym? Untyll seuen tymes? Christ aunswered, I say not vnto the, vntyl seuen times, but vntyll seuenty tymes seuē tymes. And [...] Luke he sayth:Luke xvii. Take hede to your selues. If thy brother synneth agēst the, rebuke hym, & yf he repente, for­gyue hym▪ And yf he synneth seuen tymes in a daye agaynste the, & shall seuen tymes in a day turne agayne [Page] vnto the, sayenge: It repenteth me, forgyue hym.Math. xviii [...] And in Mathewe to make the matter more playne, that we shall not be forgyuen of God, ex­cept we forgyue thē y^e offende vs, he putteth for the a similitude or para­ble of a certayne kynge, which when he called hys seruauntes to a coun­tes, had one brought to hym, which ought hym ten thousande talentes. Whan he was not able to paye, hys Lorde cōmaunded hym to be folde, & his wyfe, & his Chyldren, & all that euer he had, & payment to be made. The seruaūt fell downe, & worshyp­ped hym, sayenge: LORDE be pacient toward me, & I wyll paye the all togyther. The LORD had pitie on that seruaunt, losoned hym, and forgaue hym all that he ought. But that seruaunte goynge forth founde one of his fellow seruauntes, which ought hym an hundred pence, and layenge hād on hym, & tahīg him by y^e throte [Page] he sayde, paye that thou [...]west. Hys fellowe seruaunte fell downe, & desyred hym, sayenge. Be paciēt toward me, & I wyll paye the all togyther. He would not, but went his waye, & cast him ito pryson, vntyll he should paye the dette. Dhan his fellow ser­uauntes saw that which was done, they lamēted verye sore, & came, and openned vnto theyr Lorde all those thynges that were done. Than dyd theyr LORDE call hym, & sayde vnto hym, thou vngracious seruaunt, I forgaue the all that dette, whē thou desyredst me, had it not ben conuenient also, that y^u shouldest haue had pitie on thy fellow seruaunt? And his LORDE beyng angry, cōmytted him to the Ialours, vntyll he should pay all that was due vnto hym. Christe concludethe: So lykewyse shall my heauenly father do vnto you, yf euery one of you euen from y^• very hert doth not forgyue hys brother theyr [Page] offences. Hereof doth it appere more clerely than the lyghte, that excepte we forgyue, we shall neuer be forgy­uen,Prayers done out of charite please not God. neyther can ony thynge please God that we do, yf it be done out of charitie. For the worde of God aby­deth fyrme, sure, & constant for euermore. And this sayeng of Christ can not be mocked by onye meanes, nor made frustrate, so lykewyse shall my heauenly father do vnto you, yf euery one of you euē from y^• very herte dothe not forgyue his brother theyr offences. What S. Paule wrytethe of those workes, which are done out of charite in the fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians, the thyrtene Chapter, it is not vnknowen to them y^e reade the holy scriptures. God louethe no vncharitable, malicious, wycked, enuious, & bloudy prayers. Euery one that hateth his brother, is a māslayer.i. Joan. iii. And ye knowe sayeth S. John, y^e euery manslayer, hathe not euerla­styng [Page] lyfe abydyng in hym. Agayne If ony man sayeth,i. Ioan. iiii. I loue God, and hatethe his brother, he is a lyer. For he that loueth not hys brother, whō he hath ser [...]e, god, whom he hath not sene, how can he loue? And this commaūdemēt haue we of hī, y^e he, which loueth God, do also loue his brother. But let vs heare what oure golden mouthed Doctor sayeth to this matter.

¶ The. xxi. Chapter.

Hom. lxxxix De ora [...]ione.IF that we be commaūded not on­ly to pray for the faythfull but also for the vnfaythful, consyder thou how great & euell it is to desyre euel agaynst y^e brothers. What dost thou o man [...] Commest thou to God for to make him mercyfull vnto the, & dost thou wysh euel to another? Excepte thou doste forgyue, neyther shall it be forgyuen the. Thou doste not on­ly not forgiue, but thou also desirest God, that he wyll not forgyue▪ If it shall not be forgyuen the, which dost [Page] not forgyue, doste thou not alonlye not forgyue, but also desyrest GOD not to forgyue? If it be not forgyuē him, that doth not forgiue, how shal it than be forgyuen him, which prayeth the LORDE, that he maye not forgyue? If it be a shame to haue enemies, consyther thou than, howe great a synne it is to desyre euell to them, whan thou oughteste to pourge thy selfe, bycause thou hast enemies, dost thou also accuse thē? What forgyuenes shalte thou obtayne, detracting & reportyng euell of thy neyghbour, thefely at such time, when thou hast nede of no meane mercye. For thou tāmest also to praye for thyne owne synnes.Note well [...] Remeber not therfore other mennes fautes, vnlesse thyne owne be reserued. Thou arte a man, vo­myte not oute the poyson of adders. Thou arte a man, playe not the cru­ell wylde beast. Thou haste a mouth made vnto the for thys cause, not y^e [Page] thou shouldest byte, but that y^• shou [...] dest heale. Remēber what God ma­nifestly hath monysshed the to do, e­uen that y^u shouldest spare & forgiue.

De cō [...]ūe. cordi [...]. li. i.Agayne in another place he sayth as concernynge that which is wryt­ten: Forgyue vs oure dettes, as we forgiue our detters, who is he amōg vs all, that dare boldely saye theyse thynges to God? For althoughe we do no euell to our enemies & detters yet haue we within vs a wounde of offence, that is incurable, and canne not be made whole. But Christ wyll not only that we forgyue them that offendethe vs, but also that we loue them & praye for them. For yf onlye thou dost not hurt hym, which hath hurte the, & yet turneste awaye thy selfe from hym, & wouldest not glad­ly se hym, without doubte ther aby­deth a wounde in thy brest, & sorowe encreaseth styll in thy herte. If it be so, certes that is not fulfilled, which [Page] Christ hath cōmaūded. Wylte thou that God be mercyfull vnto the o [...] such sorte, that he shoulde not hurte the, & yet turne hym selfe awaye frō the, & remember thy synnes, & haue no mynde to se the? Therfore euen such one as thou wouldest that god shoulde be vnto the, whan thou desyrest forgyuenes of thy synnes, suche one oughtest thou to shewe thy selfe vnto them, whiche haue offended a­gaynst the. As a certeyne wyse man wryteth, saying, he that seaketh ven geaunce, shal fynde vengeaunce of y^• LORDE, which shall surely kepe hym his synnes. Forgyue thy neyghbour the hurte that he hath done the, & so shall thy synnes be forgyuen the al­so whan thou prayeste. A man that bereth hatred agaynst another, how dare he desyre forgyuenes of God▪ He that sheweth no mercy to a man which is lyke hymselfe, howe dare he aske forgyuenes of his synnes? If he [Page] that is but flesshe, beareth hatred, & kepe it, who shall itrete for his [...]ines

Seynge therfore that excepte we do forgyue our detters,De cōpū [...] cordi [...]. li. oure dettes shall not be forgyuen of God, and in asmuch as we shall fynde God suche one to vs, as we are to oure neygh­bours, let vs followe Christ & Ste­uen, whiche prayed to God for theyr enemies in the myddes of theyr tor­mentes, that they myghte be forgy­uen. For let vs know this to be true and nothynge more truer, that as a Surgion can not heale perfectely y^• wound so long as any yron is in it, so likewyse can not prayer profyt so longe as the mynde is canchred, and defyled with gyle, fraude, deceyte, si­mulacion, rancoure, hatred, malyce [...] emnite, & suche other wyckednesses. There is nothing, layth Chrisosto [...] that maketh vs more lyke vnto God than yf we be gentle & easy to be intreated of them that be euel, and d [...] [Page] hurte vs. God is redy to forgyue at al times, yf we forgiue. God maketh his sonne to shyne both vpon y^e good & euell, & sendeth rayne vpon y^e righteous & vnryghteous. Let vs ther­fore after the example of our heauenly father loue not only our frendes, but also our enemies, yea & that frō the bottome of the herte. Let vs forgyue so many as offende vs, & shew our selues of such affeccion toward them that offende vs, as we desyre y^• Christ should be towarde vs. Lette vs be so feruentely gyuen vnto the preseruacion of fraternall concorde & mutuall charitie, that yf thorowe humayne infirmite it chaunseth at ony tyme that cōtencion ryseth vp amonge vs, we maye notwythstan­dynge so shortely put it away by re­concylynge one to another, that all displeasure taken awaye, the sonne maye not faull downe vpon our an­ger. Let vs euer set before oure eyes [Page] this sayeng of S. Paule▪ As y^• elect of God, holy & beloued, put on tēder mercy, kyndenes, hūblenes of mynd mekenes,De cō [...]ū cordi [...]. li. longe sufferynge, forbea­rynge one onother, and forgeuynge one another (yf o [...]e manne haue a quarell to another) as Christe for­gaue you, so do ye. But aboue al thī ges put on loue, whiche is the bonde of perfeccion. And the peace of God mought rule in your hertes, vnto y^• whiche peace ye are called in one bo­dy, and se that ye be thanckefull.

If we wyll do thus whan soeuer we praye, we maye be sure to praye wyth fruyte, we maye be sure to ob­tayne what so euer we aske of God the father thorowe Iesus Christ, we maye be sure to haue forgyuenes of all oure synnes, & euer to haue God the father a bounteous and gentle father vnto vs.

Hytherto haue I declared, what prayer is, of what vertue & strēgth [Page] the true & christen prayer is, & howe we ought to prepare oure selues for to praye.

Now it remayneth that I declare in what place a Christen man should praye, & after what maner. Agayne for what thynges, & at what tyme he ought to praye.

¶ The. xxii. Chapter.

ALthough God in y^• olde lawe was called vpon, & prayed vnto of y^e Iewes in the temple of Ierusa­lē, which Salomō buyl­ded, & although God had chosē that place, wher [...] chefely they shoulde call vpon his name, offer Sacrifyce vn­to hym, read & learne his moost holy law, & do such thynges as he had appoynted them in his word, yet both at that tyme, yea & also many yeres [Page] before, we read that dyuers holy mē prayed in other places besydes that Temple, & were harde. Neyther dyd God so institute that temple to be a house of prayer, as though it should only be there lawefull to call on hys diuyne name,Why the tē ­ple of Salo­mō was builded. but y^t by that meanes he shoulde kepe the grosse Iewes in an order, whiche els would haue in­uēted newe kyndes of worshyppyng God after theyr owne fantasy, & re­sorted to such places, wher Idolles were worshypped, & by this meanes be prouoked vnto Idolatrye, where vnto they were very much bent, as we may se in the holy Scriptures. Therfore god appointed thē to pray in that temple of Salomon, not ta­kynge awaye yet for all that the ly­bertie of prayeng in euery place frō the faythfull.Gene. iiii. For we read y^e Enos y^• sonne of Seth dyd fyrst begynne to call on the name of the LORDE, be­fore ony temple was buylded. And [Page] it is to be thoughte, that Abell also prayed vnto God, whan he offred in crisyce, Enoch, Nohe, Thare, Abra­ham, Isaac, Iacob, Ioseph with ma­ny other of the aunciēt Patriarkes worshypped & prayed vnto God, one in this, another in that place, before ony one peculiar house was appoin­ted & dedicated vnto prayer, yea and God hearde those prayers, accepted them, & graunted the peticions as­ked in them. What other thynge do the examples of all these holye men teach vs, than that it is lawfull for a faythfull man to praye wythoute ony differency in euery place.Exod [...] ▪ ii. Dyd not the chyldren of Israell praye to God, whā they were oppressed wyth miserable captiuite in Egypt a lond full of Idolatrye, supersticion, & all kynde of wickednes? Dyd not Mo­ses & Aaron many tymes praye vn­to y^e LORDE in wyldernes?Iosue. [...] Dyd not Iosue praye vnto God in hys wat­res [Page] before, we read that dyuers holy mē prayed in other places besydes that Temple, & were harde. Neyther dyd God so institute that temple to be a house of prayer, as though it should only be there lawefull to call on hys diuyne name,Why the tē [...] ple of Salo­mō was builded. but y^t by that meanes he shoulde kepe the grosse Iewes in an order, whiche els would haue in­uēted newe kyndes of worshyppyng God after theyr owne fantasy, & re­sorted to such places, wher Idolles were worshypped, & by this meanes be prouoked vnto Idolatrye, where vnto they were very much bent, as we may se in the holy Scriptures. Therfore god appointed thē to pray in that temple of Salomon, not ta­kynge awaye yet for all that the ly­bertie of prayeng in euery place frō the faythfull.Gene. iiii. For we read y^t Enos y^e sonne of Seth dyd fyrst begynne to call on the name of the LORDE, be­fore ony temple was buylded. And [Page] it is to be thoughte, that Abell also prayed vnto God, whan he offred sacrifyce, Enoch, Nohe, Thare, Abra­ham, Isaac, Iacob, Ioseph with ma­ny other of the aunciēt Patriarkes worshypped & prayed vnto God, one in this, another in that place, before ony one peculiar house was appoin­ted & dedicated vnto prayer, yea and God hearde those prayers, accepted them, & graunted the peticions as­ked in them. What other thynge do the examples of all these holye men teach vs, than that it is lawfull for a faythfull man to praye wythoute ony differency in euery place.Exod [...] ii. Dyd not the chyldren of Israell praye to God, whā they were oppressed wyth miserable captiuite in Egypt a londfull of Idolatrye, supersticion, & all kynde of wickednes? Dyd not Mo­ses & Aaron many tymes praye vn­to y^e LORDE in wyldernes?Iosue. [...] Dyd not Iosue praye vnto God in hys war­res, [Page] whan he made the Sonne and Moone to stand styll, vntyll he had reuenged hymselfe of hys enemyes? [...]. Reg. xvii. Dyd not Helias praye in the house of the wydowe of Sarepra, whā he restored her sōne from death to syfe? Dyd not he agayne pray in y^e toppe of the mounte Carmelus, & obtay­ned after long droute plēte of rayn? [...]. Reg. [...]. Esaie. [...]xii [...]. Dyd not Ezechias the kynge whan he heard that he should dye, pray to the LORDE in his bed, & obtayned to lyue.Nehem. [...] xv. yeres longer? Dyd not Ne­hemias but lare vnto kyng Artaxerzes both do seruyce vnto his Lorde, & also pray vnto God?Toby. viii. Dyd not To­by & Sara his wyfe pray vnto God in theyr houses? Dyd not Iob pray vpon y^e dungehyll?Iudith. xii. Dyd not Iudith praye vnto the LORDE in her Oratory, & diuers other places?Dani. vi. Dyd not Daniel, when he serued the wycked kynge knele downe & pray vnto the LORDE thryse euery daye in his chā ­ber? [Page] Dyd not he praye to God,Dani. xi [...]. whā he was cast into the denne of Lyōs? Dyd not Ionas pray in the whales belly?Ionas. ii. Hester. xiiii. Dyd not quene Hester praye secretlye in her chamber?Daniel. xiii. Dyd not Susanna pray in the streate, as she wente for to be stoned vnto deathe? Dyd not Ieremye praye vnto God, when he was in prysonne?Luke. vi. Dyd not Christ customably praye on y^e mountaynes in the feld?Math. xxvi. Dyd he not pray in the gardyns? Dyd he not praye hangynge vpon the crosse?Math. xxvii. Actum. vii. Dyd not Stephen pray to God, whā ne was stoned vnto death?Actum. ii. Dyd not y^e Apo­stles wyth certayne women, & Ma­ri the mother of Iesu & his brothers praye togither after Christes ascen­cion in a parloure?Actum. x. Dyd not Cornelius the Centurion pray at home in his house? Dyd not Peter praye in the ouer parte of the house of Sy­mon the Cāner?Actum. xxi. Dyd not Paule w^t his cōpanyons praye in dyuers pla­ces, [Page] as cities, townes, felde s, see bāckes, shyppes, prysons. &c? Were not all these heard? yes verely, & theyr peticions graunted them mercifully. What do we learne of all these Histories? Certes that a faythfull christi­an is boūd to no place. Wher soeuer a faithful mā prayeth, he shal vndoutedly beheard. Christ sayd to the womā of Samaria:Ioan. iiii. Womā beleue me, y^e houre cōmeth, whā neither in this mountayne, nor at Ierusalē ye shall worshyp the Father. Ye worshyp ye knowe not what. We worshyp that we knowe. For helth is of the Iues. But the houre cōmeth, & nowe it is, whā true worshyppers shall worship the father in spiryte & trueth. For y^e father also seketh suche y^e maye wor­shyp hym. For God is a spiryte, and they that worshyp hym, muste wor­shyp him in spirite & trueth. Saynt Paule also sayth,i. Tim. ii. I wyll that men praye in euery place, lyftynge vppe­pure [Page] handes wythout wrath & con­tēcion. But let vs heare what Chri­sostome sayth.

¶ The. xxiii. Chapter.

LEt vs not excuse our selues sayenge,Home. lxxxix de oratione. that it is no easye thynge for a man beynge entāgled w^t worldly businesses to praye, seynge that he hath no oratory nor house fytte for prayer nygh vnto hym. For wher so euer thou be, thou mayst make and appoynt thyne altare. For the place hyndereth nothynge, neyther dothe the tyme let, but though thou doste not bowe thy knees, nor knocke thy brest, nor stretche out thy handes to heauen, yet mayst thou pray aright & make thy prayer perfecte, so that thou only shewest & bryngest forth a feruēt mynde. For thou mayst whā thou goest vnto markette, & walkest by thy selfe alone, make longe pray­ers. Thou mayst also syttynge ī thy shoppe, & sowynge skynnes dedicate [Page] thy soule vnto the LORDE. The ser­uaunt also that byeth, or goeth vp & downe, & the Cooke doyng his office whan he can not go to chyrche, may make a prayer longe & discrete. For God disdaineth not the place, but requyreth one thynge, that is to saye, a feruent mynde, & a pure soule. For Paule also, not in an Oratory, but in the prison lyenge wyde open, nor stondynge ryghte vp, nor bowynge his knees, for the clogge, wherwyth his feete were bound, dyd not suffer hym, yet seynge that he lyenge pray­ed feruently, he shaked the prysonne vnlosoned the foundacions, & dydde bynd the keper of the pryson, & afterward brought hym vnto holy religion. And Ezechias not stōding right vp, nor bowynge hys knees, but ly­eng wyde open in his bedde bycause of his syckenes, whā he turned hymselfe vnto the wall, in asmuche as he called vpon God feruently & wyth a [Page] pure soule, he both called agayne the sentence pronoūced, obtayned much beneuolence, & was restored to hys olde helth. And the these beyng stretched out vpon the crosse, wyth fewe wordes purchased the heauēly kyngdome. And Ieremy in the myre and lake, & Daniel in the prysone and a­monge the wylde beastes. And Io­nas in the belly of a whale, prayeng vnto God, dyd both dissolue all ma­ner of euels, wherwith they were beseged, cōpassed & set about, and also found fauoure at the hande of God, what than oughteste thou to saye, when thou prayest? Uerely euen the same thynge that the woman of Canane dyd. For euē as she sayd. Haue meroye on me, my doughter is gre­uously vexed of a dyuell, so say thou lykewyse, haue mercye vpon me, my soule is very greuously vexed of a diuell. For synne is a great dyuell, she y^• had the dyuell dyd fynde mercy, & [Page] yet was she hated; whā she dyd syn? Haue mercy on me, is but a short saienge, yet doth it contayns an whole see of mercy. For wher soeuer mercy is, ther are all good thīges. Though thou be without the chyrch, cry, sayeng, haue mercy on me though thou dost not moue thy lyppes, but onlye crye in thy mynde. For God also heareth them that holde theyr peace. Ther is no place to be sought, but a begynnyng of a place. Ieremy was in the myre, & he made God bounte­ous vnto hym by prayer. Iob was on y^e dunge hyll, & he made God mercyfull vnto hym. Ionas was in the whales bellye, & he had God gentle to hym. Though thou be in a vayne praye. Wher so euer thou be, praye. Thou arte the temple, seke no place. The see was before the Iewes, and the Egipcians behynd at theyr bac­kes, & Moses in the myddes speking nothynge, for he was greatlye trou­bled [Page] in his prayer, yet sayd God vn­to hym, what cryest thou to me? In lyke maner thou therfore, whan soe­uer temptacion shal come vpon the, flye vnto God, & call on the LORDE. Is he a mā, that thou shouldest seke after a place? God is euer at hande. For thou yet spekynge, he wyll say: Beholde here I am presente. Thou hast not yet made thy praier, and he bryngethe helpe. For yf thou haste a mynde pure from vncleane mociōs, though thou be in the market, or in way, or in the consystory, or in y^e see, or in the ynne, or in the shyppe, or in onye other place of the worlde, loke where so euer thou calleste on God, there mayest y^u obtayne thy peticiō.

Hytherto haue I rehersed y^e wordes of S. John Chrisostome.De bet a innocen. cap. cccxiii. Lyke vnto this wryteth Sayncte Austē, sayenge: Why dost y^u seke for a fytte and holy place, whan thou shouldest make thy supplicaciō to God? make [Page] cleane thy inward partes, & all eue [...] lustes expulsed from thence, prepare thy selfe a secrete place in the peace of thy herte. Thou wyllyng to pray in the temple, praye in thy selfe, and so behaue thy selfe alway that thou mayste be the tēple of God. For God heareth there, where he dwelleth.

Thus se [...]we both by the authory­te of the holy scriptures, & the auncient fathers, that a faythfull & Chry­sten man may praye lawfully in euery place,1. Cor. iii. [...]. vi 11. Cor. vi. in asmuch as he is the tem­ple of God, as S. Paule sayeth: Do ye not knowe that ye are the Tēple of God, & the spiryte of God dwelleth in you? The Temple of God is holy which you are.Math. vi. And this is it y^e christ sayth: Whan thou shalt praye, enter into thy closette, & the dore sparred, praye to thy father, whiche is in se­crete. Therfore let hym y^e shall pray, nothynge feare to praye vnto God in euery place boldly, wyth this per­swasion [Page] y^• God wil heare hī, & grafit hī his hertes desyre i what soeuer place he be.

¶ The xxiiii. Chapter.

I Haue not spokē these thynges to make ony psō for to haue y^e lesse deuocion to go vnto the Chyrche & ac­customed place of prayer,Slaunder not ye syco phantes. when time requy [...]eth (whiche thynge God for­byd that anye man contrary to my meanyng should gather of these my wordes, or thereby be occasioned the lesse to obserue and kepe the com­mendable order of thys Realme nowe a dayes vsed among vs) but to shewe that a faythefull Chrysten man maye lawefullye by Goddes worde praye in euery place, w^t thys perswasiō y^e God wyl also heare him in euery place,Mat. xxi. Marc. xi. Luk. xix. yea & that whan soe­uer he prayeth, so that his prayer be made accordynge vnto the wyll of god, & as I haue taught heretofore. For we reade that Christ at dyuers tymes dyd so approue & allowe the [Page] temple of Ierusalem,Ioan. ii. Esa. lvi. Iere. vii. that of the ve­ry same place he rehearsed this text of the holy scripture, my house shall be called the house of prayer. Agayn he droue out with whyppes such as dyd bye & sell in the tēple, declaryng thereby, that it was a place of more holines, & of greater pryce in y^e sight of God, than that ony prophane bu­sinesses myght lawfullye be in it ex­ercysed. He also many tymes prea­ched in the Temple, & it is not to be doubted but that he also vsed there to praye. Agayne, we reade that the Apostles after Christes ascension repared thyther oftentymes bothe to preach & praye.Act. iii. Places therfore dedicated to prayer ought not to be des­pysed nor abhorred, but vsed vnto y^e end for y^e which they were instituted

Mat. xviiiChrist sayth, wher soeuer two or thre shalbe gathered togyther in my name, there am I in the myddes of them. Nowe in Chyrches it is to be [Page] thought that many are gathered togyther in Christes name, therfore is Christ there amonge them. Seyng that he is so, euery man ought ioye­fully to repare thyther, whan they maye conueniently, but chefely whē the tyme & publyque order doth re­quire, & ther both faithfully to pray deuoutly to be present at y^e ministraciō of the moost blessed Sacrament of the altare Christes very body and bloud, & dilygently to read or heare the worde of God, & furthermore to do such thinges, as the place & tyme shall than requyre. At all other ty­mes whan so euer a christen mā shal be desposed to praye, let hym praye boldely, and althoughe he be not in the chyrche, yette let hym nothynge doute, but that his prayer shall ther also be hearde and graunted.

¶ The .xxv. Chapter.

NOwe it remaynethe to declare after what manner a Christē mā ought to pray. In the declara­ [...]ion hereof it shall be necessary, that he whiche wyll praye a­ryght, doth fyrst cōsyder what he is to whome he muste praye.Who it is vnto whō we praye. Agayne, what he hym selfe is that prayethe. It is no man nor Aungel, but God which is prayed vnto, whome the angelike potestates do reuerētly feare, whom all the whole company of heauen do magnify, commende, prayse, worshyp & honour,Iacob. ii. Phil. ii. whom the diuels do feare, tremble & shake for dreade, in whose name euerye knee bothe of thynges in Heauen, of thynges in earth, & of thynges vnder the earth do bowe, whiche is of puyssaunt po­wer i holynes terrible,Exo. xv. Deut. iiii. Heb. xiii. al prayse worthy, & doynge meruaylous thynges which is a consumynge fyre, whiche [Page] is a great LORDE aboue all y^e Gods,ii. Pat. ii. [...]ester. xiii. Iob. xxxvi [...]. Iere. xxxii. Exo. xxxiiii [...]. which is the LORDE of all thinges, & no man can resyst his maieste, which is great in strength, iudgement and ryghteousnes, whose eyes are open vpon all the wayes of the sonnes of Adam, & in whose syght no creature is innocent.

Whan he hath on this manner cō sidered of God, than must he ponder what hym selfe is, euen a very mise­rable sīner,What he is, that prayer [...] destitute of all goodnes, voyde of all godlynes, & vnworthye to approche vnto the throne of y^e di­uyne maiesty. For this humiliacion of our selues helpeth greatly to the auaūcement of our prayer. For the more that ony man deiecteth & throweth downe himselfe, the nerer is he made vnto God.Luk. xviii. The Pharise was farre of from god, although he stode nexte vnto the Propiciatory, remē ­brynge his good dedes, & despisynge other men in cōparison of hymselfe. [Page] The Publicane, which stondynge a farre of prayed, came nygher vnto God. For the LORDE is hyghe, & yet doth he beholde humble thynges, he knoweth high thynges a farre of, he despyseth the hawty, & loketh on the prayer of y^e hūble, & the prayer of thē doth not he despyse. Wylte y^• heare, howe hygh a thynge the prayer of a man, whiche humbleth hymselfe, is? The wyse man teacheth this thyng sayenge:Eccl xxxv. The prayer of hym that hū bleth hymselfe, shall pearse & go tho­rowe the cloudes, & tyll it draweth nyghe, it shall not be conforted, and it shall not comme downe vntyll the moost hyghest doth looke vpon it.

This humilitie do we reade to be much vsed amonge holy men,Dan. ix. in ty­mes past. Daniel prayed on this mā ner, not in our owne ryghteousnes­ses O LORDE do we powre oute oure prayers before the, but in thy great mercyes. Heare vs, O LORD, LORDE [Page] be mercifull vnto vs. Heare vs, and do these thynges that we aske, yea & that for thyne owne sake.Baruc. ii. Also Ba­ruch, the soule, sayth he, that is ber­ed for the multytude of her synnes, which goeth on heuely and wekely, whose eyes begynne to fayle, surely such a soule ascrybeth prayse, glory & ryhhteousnes vnto the O LORDE. Not for the ryghteousnes of our fa­thers do we powre out our prayers in thy syght, & aske mercy before thy face, O LORDE our God, but bycause thou arte mercyfull. Haue therfore mercy on vs, for we haue synned be­fore the.

This cōsideracion once had both of god & of hymselfe, wherby he hath learned God to be ryghteous, hym­selfe vnryghteous, God to be good, hymself euel, God to be holy, himself prophane. God to be honorable, hym selfe miserable, God to be pure, hym selfe vnpure, God to be immaculate [Page] hymselfe spotted wyth all kynde of synne, God to be hyghe, & nothynge more hygh,Meanes to prouoke y^e mercy of God to­ward hym y^• shal pray hymselfe to be vyle, & nothynge more vyle: than must he be­fore his praier vse some menes wherby, he maye excyte & stoore vp the be­neuolence and good wyll of God to­warde hym, & so adourne & garnysh hymselfe with ghostlye operacion, y^e both he & his prayer maye be y^e more acceptable in the syght of God.An exam­ple. For who dare cōe vnto a Kynges or Emperoures presence for to desyre onye thynge of them, excepte fyrste of all he so composeth hymselfe, y^t nothing maye offend theyr eyes? He putteth on clenly apparell, he kymbethe his head, he wassheth his body, yea & al­so perchaunse annoynteth it, and so appoynteth hymselfe in euery condicion, that nothynge maye displease them, but rather allure them to the syght of hym, & the hearynge of hys peticion. Semblablye it shalbe conuenient [Page] for hym that wyll pray vn­to God with fruyte, & hath truly w^t hym selfe consydered the highnes of god, & the humblenes of hymselfe, to gyue diligence that he on such sorte cōposeth hymselfe, that there be no­thyng in hym that may offēd y^e eyes of god but y^e his praier may be fauourably accepted & graciously hearde. And that this thynge maye come to passe, it shal be necessary that he fol­loweth the aunciente & holy fathers in tymes paste, which whan they of­fered theyr prayers vnto god. Used continually both to faste & gyue al­mes. For as Thoby sayth,Toby. xii. prayer is good with fastynge & almes, better than to hyde vp treasures of golde. For almes doth delyuer from death, & it is that whiche purgeth synnes.

¶ The .xxvi. Chapter.

FYrst as concernyng fastyng,Behold of what occa­sion fastyng we must know that it ought to pro­cede from a contryte, hūble, & sorowfull [Page] harte,ought to ryse, and what it is to taste. & from such a soule as taketh displesure with it selfe that she hath ben no more circūspecte in the accōplysshment of Gods wyll, for y^• which she beynge sory & dolorous, casteth awaye the delectation and pleasure of worldely thynges, as eating, drynkynge, banckettyng, wearynge of gorgious apparell, with all other mundane vanities, & streyghtwaye with al humilite of mynde & submission of herte approchethe by syncer fayth & true repentaunce vnto the moost glorious throne of almyghty God, & there lamenteth her misera­ble state, bewayleth her to much synfull condicion, powreth oute the se­cretes of her herte, desyreth remissi­on of her synnes, hungre the & thyr­stethe for strengthe to do the wyll of God. This kynde of fastyng accom­panyeng prayer doth very much eleuate, extoll, & lyfte vp the prayer of the humble synner vnto the presēce [Page] of GOD And this is it that Tobye sayth,Toby. xii. prayer is good wyth fastyng.

We read that whan Ionas at the cōmaundement of God came vnto y^• Niniuites,Ionas. ii.iii. preached vnto thē, rebu­ked theyr synfull lyuynge, threate­ned them subuersion, destruccion, & the vtter decaye both of themselues & of theyr citie,Note and followe. they consternated w^t the reuoluciō of theyr iniquitie dyd streyghtewayes deteste & abhorre so greatly theyr abhominable lyuyng, y^• they vtterlye layde asyde all theyr vayne pleasures, wherein so much before they delighted, & fell immediately vnto fastynge & prayer with such other godly exercises of the spyryte, so that by thys meanes God behol­dynge theyr true & vnfayned cōuer­sion had pytie on them, saued them, & receyued thē into the nōber of hys welbeloued people.iiii. Eso. v. Esdras also at diuers tymes dyd both faste & pray se­uen dayes togyther, y^t he myght vn­derstond [Page] the hygh misteries of God. We haue fasted,i. Esd. viii. sayethe he, & prayed vnto the LORDE for a fortunate and quiet iourney, & it hath chafised vnto vs prosperously.ii. Reg. xii. Agayne Dauid for the lyfe of his chylde, which was sycke, dyd both faste & praye a longe season, & woulde eate no meate nor dryncke. I haue prayde sayth Daniel, to the LORDE my God in fastyng,Dan. ix. sackeclothe, & asshes. Iudith also fa­sted & prayed the moost parte of her lyfe in the vppermooste parte of her house,Iud. viii. & before she slew Holofernes, she many tymes fasted and prayed. Moreouer Quene Hester for the de­lyuerance of her people dyd fast and praye thre dayes & thre nyghtes,He [...]. iiii. be­fore she went vnto the kynge. Sara the doughter of Raguel dyd faste & pray thre dayes & thre nightes, that she myghte be delyuered from a cer­taine impropery and rebuke.Toby. iii. Paule before he was baptysed dyd cōtinue [Page] in prayer & fastynge at the Cytie of Damascum thre dayes & thre nyghtes.Act. ix. Luk. ii. Luke also in his gospel sheweth howe that a certayne woman called Anna the doughter of Phanuel be­ynge a Prophetysse went for y^e moost parte neuer oute of the Temple, but gaue her mynde to fastyng & prayer both nyght & daye.Mat. ix. Agayne Christe sayth, this kynde of dyuelles is not [...]aste oute but by prayer & fastynge. And it is not to be douted,Mat. iiii. but that Christe hymselfe, whan he fasted the forty dayes & forty nyghtes, dyd al­so praye vnto God his father, as at many other times. The same also is to be thoughte of the Apostles and other holy men.

Thus se we how necessary a thīge [...]t is to ioyne fasting w^t prayer, Therfore sayethe Peter: [...] Pet. iiii. Be ye sober, and watch in prayer. Also S. Paule, let vs walke honestly as in the day, not in excesse of eatynge & dronckennes, [Page] not in chambrynge & wantonnesse,Rom. xiii. not in stryfe & enuyenge, but put [...] on the LORDE Iesus Christ, & make not prouysion for the fleshe to fulfyll the lustes of it.Hom. xv. super illud Mat. vi. Cum ieru­natio. Hereto pertayneth [...] the sayenge of oure golden mouthed Doctor S. Iohn̄ Chrisostom, fastig [...] sayeth he, is an helpe to prayer. For prayer without fastynge, is but gra [...] cyle, slender & weake. The prayer is valeaunt & stronge, whiche is made in an humble spirite and a troubled hert, as the Prophet sayth, a Sacrifyce to God is a troubled spiryte, a contryte & humbled herte God wyll not despyse.Psal. i. But an humble spyryte and contryte herte can he not haue, whiche eateth & dryncketh, & setteth all his mynde on delicious fare. For bread maketh stronge the herte, and wyne maketh it mery. The strength that commeth of bread suffreth not the spiryte of the flesh to be humble, & the merines that cōmeth of wyne, [Page] dothe not suffer the herte to be con­ [...]rite. Therfore whē soeuer the holy menne would praye to obtayne ony thyng of God wherof they had nede, they euer ioyned fastyng with pray­er, as Daniel & other dyd. And in as much as fastyng is y^e vertue of prayer, therfore are they neuer seperated a sunder, but are euer put togyther. Prayer is good with fastyng.Cob. xii. Mat. ix. Agen, This kynd of dyuels is not cast out but by prayer & fastynge. Therfore as a Souldioure is nothynge with oute armoures, nor armoures withoute a Souldioure, so is prayer no­thyng without fastyng, nor fastyng withoute prayer. Hyther to haue I rehersed y^e wordes of S. Iohn Chri­sostome, wherof we maye easelye ga­ther howe necessary fastyng is vnto the auauncemente of prayer before God.Ser. de Ieiu et Cent. Christi. Here to pertayneth the sayeng of saynt Cipriane, prayer is mighty in operacion, so that fastynge goeth [Page] before. To be brefe concernyng this matter, fastynge muste nedes make hyghly to the auaūcement of praier seyng y^t he which fasteth aright, cōt [...] meth worldly thinges,Note what it is to fast a ryghte despiseth pleasure, hateth rytches, abhorrethe th [...] workes of the flesshe, mortifyeth carnall affectes, & is vtterly giuen, fyx­ed & bent to the fruytes of y^e spirite. Therfore he that entendeth to pray with fruyte, shall not a lytle ana [...]ice & set forwarde his prayer, yf on this manner he applyeth hymselfe for to praye.

¶ The .xxvii. Chapter.

Of AlmesMOreouer as this kynde of fa­stynge dothe very muche pro­moue a christen mans prayer, & ma­keth it greatly to be accepted in the syght of God, so doth almes and the glad distribucion of worldly goodes vpon the poore mēbers of Christ in lyke manner garnysh, adourne, and make very pleasaunt the hūble sup­cacion [Page] of a synner in the eyes of the diuine maiesty, as we read of Cornelius, to whome the aungell sayd, thy prayers & thyne Almesses are come vp into remembraunce before God.Act. x. Behold howe he ioyneth prayer and almes togyther. Toby in lyke man­ner sayeth,Tob. xii. Prayer is good with fa­styng & almes. Lo, here is combyned & ioyned togyther prayer, fastynge, & almes, as thynges necessarye con­curren. The wyse man also sayth,Eccl. vii. to praye and gyue almes, despyse not. Blessed is he,Psal. xi. sayth Dauid, that consydereth the nedy & poore, the LORD shall delyuer hym in the daye of hys trouble. Christe also sayth: Gyue ye almes,Luk. xii. & behold al thynges are clene vnto you. Nyther to pertayneth the [...]ayenge of Chrisostome,Hom. xv. in cap. vi. Math. It is wryt­ [...]en, sayth he, in the lawe: Enter not [...]nto the syghte of y^• LORDE thy God [...]oyd or empty. Uerely he entreth in [...]mpty before God, which commyng [Page] vnto prayer,Math. this wel. doth no almes. Agayne he sayeth, he prepareth his soule be­fore prayer, whiche doynge almes cō meth vnto prayer, For as oyle dothe kyndle the lyght of a lampe, so dothe good workes excite & store vp y^• faith of the herte, & gyue boldenes to pray vnto God.

An obiec­cion.But it wyll perchaunce be obiec­ted, eueryeone can not gyue almes, for they wante substaunce, shall not they therfore praye & be heard? I answere, as by fastynge,The aun­swere. I do not only vnderstond the abstinēce from mea­tes & drynckes, but also the mortifi­cacion of carnall affectes, & the con­tempte of mundane pleasures (without the which the externall and outwarde fastynge is nothynge els thi [...] diabolicall Hypocrisye and wycked dissimulacion) so lykewyse by almes I meane not only the benificence towarde the indigent,Note here of fastyng and almes poore and nedy, which without doubte is a singuler [Page] and muche prayse worthy worke be­fore God, but also the desyre of hea­uēly thinges, & a wyl vtterly estraū ged from all carnall concupiscences & fleshly lustes. So that he which entendeth to praye with fruyte, yf he can not do the one, yet oughte he to do the other of necessite, & to be enflamed with the desyre of thynges cele­stiall, that he maye saye with y^• Psalmographe,Psal. xii. as the herte desyreth to y^• fountaynes of waters, so dothe my soule desyre vnto the O God. My soule is a thyrst for God that liuing fountayne, whā shall I come to ap­peare before the face of God? Agayn O how amiable are thy dwellynges thou LORDE of hostes,Psa. lxxxiii. my soule hath a desyre and longyng for the courte of the LORDE. My herte & my flesshe reioyce in the lyuyng God.Phil. i. This he­uenlye mynde was in S. Paule ly­uynge here in this worlde, whan he sayde, I desyre to be losoned oute of [Page] this mortall body, & to be w^t Christ.Fastyng & almes are Y^• two wynges of prayer. Seynge therfore that fastynge and almes are so necessary to the promocion and furtherāce, to the eleuaciō and lyftynge vp of prayer, & are cal­led of certayne holy Doctors y^e two wynges of prayer, in asmuche as [...]y them prayer flieth vp vnto y^e throne of the diuyne maieste, & is the better accepted in Gods presence, it shal be expedient for hym that entēdeth to praye with fruite, to exercyse h [...]selfe somewhat before in fastynge and al­mes, on such manner as I haue taughte heretofore. So shall it come to passe, that God shall the more thāke fully accepte his prayer, and graunt him his hertes desyre. Not onlye the exercise of these two vertues, but also of all o [...]her, shall be necessarye for him that prayeth, that he maye prouoke GOD the more b [...]nygnely to heare him. These thinges once done than let him praye, but after what [Page] māner I wyl expresse ī few wordes.

¶ The. xxviii. Chapter.

FYrste aboue all thinges,The herte must be see on y^e praye [...] let him gyue earneste diligence y^e whyle he prayeth, his herte maye be sery­ously assyxed and set on his prayer, or els [...] he prayeth in vaine, according to this olde senience. Dum cor non orat, in uanum lingua laborat. That is to saye, whyle the herte doth not praye, the tonge laboureth in vayne.Esa. xxix. Christ al­so sayth, this people honoreth me w^e theyr lyppes, but theyr hert is farre from me Uerely they worship me in vayne For what great absurdite is this,Mat. xv. to desyre god to heare our pray els, and we oure selues do not heare thē: What a kynd of prayeng is this to babble with our lyppes,Note. to ropōt with our throtes, piteously to shake oure heade, to sytte bare headed, to knele on the bare ground, to knocke our brestes, & yet to haue our mynd troubled & occupied about fyithye & [Page] vncleane thynges? Is this a man­ner of prayenge to make God the fa­ther mercyfull to vs? Yea it rather excite the and storethe vp his anger towarde vs.A poynte for your learnynge S. Austen feareth not to wryte on this manner, as y^e voice of a man w^tout modulacion or swete armony, is as the voyce of s [...]yne or hogges, so is prayer withoute deuo­cion as the bellowynge of Oxes. There are two verses publysshed in the name S. Ierome, which seynge they are godly, and teache the true manner of prayenge, I thynke it cō uenient to alleage thē in this place.

That is to saye, not the voyce but y^e desyre, not the musicall instrument, but the herte, Not the cryer but the louer sigeth ī y^e eare of God. Chriso. also wryteth on this maner: It is y^e duty of a deuout mynd to praye to God, not with the voyce or with the [Page] sound of the voyce,Hom. xiiiii. D [...] Ioan. et Paule. Fe [...]o. but with the de­uocion of the mynde, & wyth y^e sayth of the herte, Agayne he sayth, thecrienge of the voice is not the worke in prayer vnto God, whome we knowe y^e he beholdeth the secretes of y^e hert, but the cryeng of fayth, & y^e deuociō of a religious & godlymīd, therfore y^e best way to pray is to pray w^e y^e hert mynde, spiryte, soule, & inward mā.

Nowe it wyll be demaunded, [...] Demaūdg whither a christen man oughte to praye with an opē voyce or not. Although I haue spoken sufficiētly cōcernyng this matter in the diffiniciō of pray­er, yet I wyll here adde thre wordes as they saye,Note whan we may lawfully pray [...] [...] voyce. touchynge this thynge also. Althoughe prayer be the worke of the spiryte, and not of the voyce, of the herte and not of the lyppes, of the mynde and not of the mouth, yet is not the externall sound of the voyce to be condemned, whyther it be in readynge or syngynge, so that it followeth the affeccion of y^e mynd, [Page] and doth seruyce vnto that. For se­inge the glory of God ought to shine after a certayne māner in all y^e par­tes of our body,Why she tonge was made. it is cōuenient that the tonge chefely be addicte & giuen to this ministry and seruyce both in syngynge and speakyng, which was chefely made to declare and preache the magnificence, laude & prayse of God. Therfore so that the tong and the herte do consent and agre togy­ther, beyng alyke occupied in the ef­fusiō of the prayer, it is not only tollerable, but also cōmendable to pray both with tonge and herte.

Of exter­nall gestu­res.Nowe as cōcernyng the externall gesture in prayēge, as knelyng, knockyng on the brest, lyftynge vp of the handes. &c. in asmuch as they be in­different, & we reade that they were vsed of Christ & many holy men in times past, they are not to be despised. Nothynge is vnsyttynge that pro­cedeth from the seruent affeccion of [Page] the mynd. But I haue spokē of this thynge also before in the diffinicion of prayer. Therfore wyll I haste to these thinges that remaine, as more necessary to be intreated of.

¶ The. xxix. Chapter.

FOr asmuche as we are so ignorant & blynde of oureselues y^e we knowe not what we shoulde de­syre,Rom. viii. as we ought, vnles we shoulde aske ony thynge vnsyt­tynge, & otherwyse than becommeth vs, or that shoulde not be acceptable to God, our sauiour Christ wyilyng in this behalfe to succour our neces­site,Mat. vi. & to helpe our ignorācy & blyndnes, hath appoynted & set forth as it were in a certaine table the true mā ner of prarenge in the Pater noster, wher he hath cōpendiously declared [Page] for what thynges we ought to pray eyther pertaynynge to the glorye of God, or to the profitte of so many as professe his moost holy name. And although euery daye and euery houre doth offer to vs occasions sufficient­ly for to praye vnto God, yea & that for innumerable causes, yet it maye seme that Christ i that prayer which he taught his disciples, hath in sewe wordes comprehended whatsoeuer we haue nede to praye for.The glory of God oughte we to seake [...]t our pray­ers chefely Therfore who soeuer at any tyme shal be mynded to praye, let hym aboue all thynges seke the auauncement of Gods glory in his prayer. For the fyrst pe­ticion of the Pater noster, with the nexte two that followe, pertayne only to the glory of GOD, wherin we aske that the name of God maye be sanctified, y^e his kingdōe may reigne amonge vs, that his wyll maye be done here in earthe as it is in heauē. So lykewyse dyd Christe a lytle be­fore [Page] his passion,Ioan. xii. pray, sayeng: O father glorify thy name. Goddes glory therfore ought we to seke aboue all thinges in our prayers at al tymes

After that we haue sought y^e glory of God,Secondly for our soules health. place requireth that then we should aske those thynges, which pertaine vnto the euerlasting helth & saluacion of oure soules. For the helth of our soules oughte to be desyred before the welthe of our body, as Christ monyssheth, fyrst seke y^e kingedome of God and the righteousnesse therof.Mat vi. And all these thynges (he speketh of meate, dryncke & clothe) shall be caste vnto you. Dauid also sayth one thyng haue I desyred of y^e LORD whiche I wyll require,Psal. xxvi namely that I maye dwell in y^e house of y^e LORDE all the dayes of my lyfe.

And in asmuch as the syncer prechyngeChyr [...]el [...] or y^e promocion of gods worde. of Gods word helpeth much vnto the saluacion of our soules (for the Gospell of Christ is the power of [Page] God vnto saluacion for euery one y^e beleueth,Rom. 1. Deut viii. Mat. iiii. Rom. x. & a mā shall not lyue with bre [...]d alone, but with euery worde y^e commeth out of the mouth of God, for fayth commeth by [...]earyng, and hearynge by y^• worde of God) it shal be necessarye for vs to praye y^e Gods worde maye haue fre passage among vs, & that all wicked doctrine, supersticious teachynge, heresy, [...]strall opinions, sictes & all that euer is cō trary to wholsome doctryne, maye be exiled & banisshed out of Christes chyrch. Praye for those thynges, sal [...] eth Dauid,Psal. [...]xxi. that make vnto y^e peace of Ierusalem, that is, vnto the safe, quiet, lucky, & prosperous preserua­cion of Christes chyrch, that the do­ctryne of the gospel, which bryngeth peace & quietnes to the hertes of the faythfull, maye triūphantly reygne amonge vs.Luk. i. Forthly for the mini­sters of Gods worde. But in asmuch as this Euangelion and glad tydynges of christ cā neuer be ministred to y^e chri­sten [Page] congregacion withoute syncer & true preachers of the worde, ther­fore oughte [...]e also praye, y^e at Ante christes, Papistes, Heretikes, Schismatyckes, & sedicious praters sub­moued & put asyde, true Euangely­stes,Rom. xi faythefull Prophetes, & sync [...]r Preachers, maye reygne among vs vniuersallye. For howe shall they preach,mat. ix. except they be sent. Therfore sayth Christ, praye vnto the LORDE of y^e Heruest, that he may shoreforth workemen into his Heruest.

Moreouer seynge that we haue [...]uot only a soule but also a body,Fy [...]tely for [...] magistrates o y^e publique weale. and God hathe appoynted ministers for them hath, it shall alio be conueniēt accordyng to the admonicion of S. Paule, to praye for the magistrates of y^e publique weale, as for our most [...]edoubted & moost excellent kynge, & for all other that are in authoritie, that we maye lead a peasable & qui­et lyfe, vnder theyr dominion wyth [Page] all godlynes and honestye.1. Eim. ii. Syrtely for corpo­rall thynges.After these thynges it shal not be vnsyttynge to praye for thynges necessary for our body, as meate, drike cloth, frēdshyp, helth, wisdom, knowledge, reason. &c. yet in the requeste of al these thīges aforesayd, we must referre the matter whollye vnto the wyll of God, & be cōtēted to receaue as it shall be his pleasure to gyue, eyther much, lytle, or nothynge.

Of god a loue we oughte to aske all good thynges.To be short, what soeuer we haue nede of, we must streight wayes run vnto God & aske it of him only, why ther it pertayneth to the soule or to the body, whiche gyuethe to all men without doublenes, & casteth no mā into the tethe, as S. Austen sayeth: We ought to aske of none but of the LORDE God,E [...]ench [...]. ad Laurē ­cap. cx [...]ii. what soeuer we truste that we eyther should worke well, or obtayne for good workes.

¶ The. xxx. Chapter.

[Page]BUt this is to be noted in prayer that in asmuche as all that pro­fesse Christ vnfaynedly, haue one cō ­mō & heauēly father, & are brothers one to another yee brothers to christ & fellowe heyres with hym,Rom. viii. & seynge that Christe also hath taught vs in his moost godly prayer, not onlye to praye for oure selues, but also for all other in common,Mat. vi. it shall be necessa­ry that a christē man doth so directe his prayer vnto God, that he maye seme no lesse to seke in it the helpe of his Christen brothers, than of hymselfe. For true & vnfayned Charite, which procedeth from a pure herte & a good conscience, & a fayth not fay­ned, seketh not her owne,i. Tim. [...]. i. Cor. xiii. but rather that whiche pertaynethe to other. She reioyceth no lesse in the health of other than in her owne.Beholde what charite doth. She ta­keth no lesse thought to profit other than her selfe. She reioyceth wyth them that reioyce,Rom. xii. i. Cor. xiii. & wepeth w^t them [Page] that wepe. Yea she many tymes forgetteth her selfe, & is wholly bent to seke the commoditie of other, as S. Paule sayth,Exo. xxxii. Charite seketh not her owne. We read that such feruēt charite was in Moses, which whan the people of Israell had greuously offē ­ded God by worshippynge the goldē Calfe, perceyuynge y^e wrath of God to be whotte agaynst thē, prayed on this manner & sayde, oh this people haue done a greate synne, and haue made them Goddes of golde. Nowe forgyue thē theyr synne, or els wipe me out of this boke,Rom. ix. that thou hasle wryttē. S. Paule also wyssted hymselfe to be cursed from Christ for the Israelites. Christ commaundeth to blesse thē that cursse vs,mat. v. to praye for thē that do vs wrōge & persecute vs howe much more than ought we, se­ynge ther is one bo [...]y & one spirite,Ephe. iiii. one LORDE, one sayth, one baptisme one God & father of vs all, to praye [Page] one for another generally in the vnite of the spiryte thorowe the bond of peace. If we search in the Histories of the moost sacred Byble, we shal in manny places fynde and euidently perceyue with howe gredy affeccion and feruent minde one prayed for a­nother, so y^e there was in theyr prayers a certayne godly cōmunion, & a l [...]ke thought or care for all mē.Note this similytude. For as he that loueth y^e father of y^e house holde vnfaynedly, doth also loue her tely all his whole familye, so in lyke manner they that loue our celestial father with a true affecte & mynde, can none otherwise do but loue also his people, his householde. his heri­tage,Ephe. i. whom he hath so greatly hono­red y^e he hathe not disdayned to call them the plenitude & fulnesse of hys onlye begotten sonne.Our prayers ought to be cōmō. Therfore the prayer of a Christen man oughte on such māner to be made, that it may be common & cōprehende in it all mē [Page] that are his brothers in Christ, and pertayne to the housholde of fayth. Yea he ought to praye for all men lyuyng in this world, be they Turkes Saracēnes, Iewes or ony other of the hethenysh & vnfaythfull sorte, y^e God maye delyuer them by this holy spiryte out of the darkenesses of yg­norancy, & brynge them into y^e mer­uaylous lyghte of his mooste blessed worde, that in the vnite of the Spi­rite they maye also confesse with vs one LORDE, one God, one sauyoure, one faythe, one Christen religion, & one trueth.

A questionBut some men wyll say peraduē ture, is it not lawefull for a man to praye seuerally for himselfe, & for his owne priuate affayres?The aun­swere. Yies verely, so that the mynde be not vtterly deflected & turned awaye from the cō ­templacion of this cōmunite, but referreth all thynges vnto that.mat. xxvi For Christ prayed perticularely for hym­selfe [Page] vnto hys Father a lytle before his passion.i [...]ii. Reg. xx Esa. xxxviii. Psa i. Luke. xviii math. xxvi Ezechias prayed for his owne health. Dauid prayed for the remission of his synne. The Publy­cane desyred mercy & forgyuenes of his offence. The these desyred Christ to remember hym, whan he came in to his kyngedome. All theise prayed theyr owne priuate affayres, & were hearde. Semblably it is lawfull for euery Christen man to lamente his owne cause before the mercyful eies of the diuyne maieste.

Arte thou a magistrate & gouer­noure of the common weale,Magistrate percey­uynge that thou wanteste wisdome to gouerne the people of God aright & accordyng to iustyce.iii. Re. iii. Than mayst thou lawfully pray w^t Salomon to God for the gyfte of wisdome.

Arte thou a minister of Goddes worde,Minister of Gods Lord so mayst thou after the example of the Apostles pray for the influence of the holy Ghost, that y^e mayst [Page] be repleted with the knowledge of spiritual thynges,Act. i. & so feed the flocke of Christ,Act. xx. whome he hath purchased w^e his moost precious bloud,i. Pet. v. that thou mayst receiue y^e īmarcessible crowne of glory, whan that Prynce of shepe heardes shall appeare.

Houshol­der.Arte y^• an housholder? thā mayst thou lawefullye praye vnto God for grace, that thou mayst gouerne and rule thy family accordynge to God­des moost holy worde.

Rytch mā.Arte thou a rytch man, thā oughtest thou for to pray vnto God, that thou mayeste distribute his goodes cōmytted vnto the accordyng to his pleasure vpon the poore people. Arte thou poore?Poore mā than pray to God that thou mayst paciently suffer the crosse of pouerte, which he hath layd vpon the.Bi [...]iō [...]. Felest thou ony vyce to raygne in the▪ So mayeste thou be [...]olde to praye vnto GOD for the suppression of that vyce, and for [Page] the obtaynynge of y^e vertue cōtrary to the vyce.

To be shorte,Christen man arte thou a Christē man? So mayst thou at al tymes be bolde to praye that God maye so en­dewe the with strength from aboue, that thou mayst lyue in all poyntes accordynge to thy profession.

¶ The. xxxi. Chapter.

BUt in thus prayenge for our selues we must take hede, that we desyre not those thīges, which should turne to oure owne priuate auaun­tage, & to the hynderaunce or discō ­moditie of other. For this is not ac­ceptable in y^e syght of God.Math. xx. Mar. x. The chyldren of Zebedeus desyred Christe. y^e one of them might sitte on his right hande, & another on his lyfte hande. But Christ answered and sayde, ye knowe not what ye aske. They desyred the primacy, & to be alofte in su­perioryte aboue a [...] y^e disciples, which made the other to haue indignacion [Page] at them b [...] the.Nota That Peticion ther­fore is not lawefull nor ryghteous, whiche hathe a respecte more to pry­uate auauntage thē to publique vt [...] lite.Examples As yf a Phisicion shoulde praye that many might faull sycke or that they that are sycke, myght so conty­nue longe, that he myghte haue the more auaūtage. Or yf an heyre dyd praye that his parentes myght dye wortly, that y^e heritage myght quic­kely chaunse vnto hym. Or yf a wic­ked Souldiour dyd desyre that ma­ny temples might be spoyled, and diuers honest men robbed, y^e he myght come home looden with proyes and robberies.

These & such lyke requestes, in as muche as they come for the from the fleshe, and not frō the spiryte, God, whiche is a spiryte,Ioan. iiii. dothe not heare thē,Ia. iiii. as S. Iames sayth, ye aske and receyue not, bycause ye aske euell, y^e ye maye consume it on your pleasu­res. [Page] And yf he heareth, certes he heareth vnto the great euell & incōmo­ditie of them y^e praye. For they store vppe & prouoke the anger of God towarde them.Ser liii. de ver. Dom. secūd, Ioan S. Austen sayth, thīke it no great thyng to be herd at your owne wyll, but rather thyncke it a great thynge to be heard vnto your profytte. For the dyuels were herde at theyr owne wyl, & were suffred to go into y^e swyne accordyng to theyr desyre.matt. viii. Theyr Prynce also the diuell was heard at his owne wyll, whiche desyred to haue Iob & to tempt him.Iob. i. The Israelites also were hearde at theyr owne wyll, & whan the meate was yet in theyr mouthe,Ex. xvi. Num. xi. ye knowe what thynges followed. Thyncke it therfore no great thynge to be heard at youre owne wyll & pleasure. For God sometyme beynge angrye gy­ueth that, which thou askest, & God beynge mercyfull & well pleased, de­nyeth that, which thou askest. [Page] But yet is theyr prayer much more wicked, which beyng enflamed with the fyre of malicious fury, & furious malyce, do desyre euell to thē selues, that worse maye chaūse vnto theyr brother, whome they hate. Yea there want not, which not only coulde be content with all theyr hertes to lose one of theyr eyes, so that he, whome they hate, myght lose both, but also, put theyr owne lyues in iopardy to brynge deathe vnto other. O cruell tyranny. Such peticions be detestable, & are to the desyrers therof, not only much pernicious, but also very damnable, in asmuch as they stonde not with the order of Charite. This also is to be iudged of them, whiche curse and banne such as they hate. Let vs therfore aske nothynge, but that maketh to the glory of God the auaūcemēt of his moost holy worde, the encrease of vertue, the destrucci­on of vyce, y^e helth of our soules, the [Page] conseruacion of the publigue weale, & the profytte of our neyghbour.Not [...] In all our peticions let vs submyt our selues to the wyll & pleasure of God nothyng doubtyng but that he wyl graunt vs that we aske, or els thynges of more weyghtye importaunce & more profitable for our saluacion. For it is not alwaye cōuenient that we shoulde obtayne what soeuer we aske of God. He knowethe muche better what we haue nede of, then we our selues do. It is many tymes more expedient for vs to haue scase­nes than aboūdaūce, to be vexed w^t warres & persecucions thā to enioy carnall securite & flesshely quietnes, to be sick thā to be whole, to be tēted thā to be w^tout tētaciō Paule at di­uers tymes desyred God y^t he myght be delyuered frō y^e prych of y^e flesshe,ii. Cor. xii [...] but it was answered my grace is sufficiēt for the, & he reioyced in his in [...]yrmite & weakenes. Therfore in al thyn­ges [Page] let vs praye for godly & honeste thynges, beynge alwaye contented to receyue, as it shall be Gods moost holy pleasure to gyue.

¶ The. xxxii. Chapter.

IF we consyder the inex­plicable & manifold mi­series, wherwith in this vale of calamite we are inuolued, wrapped and īclosed about on euery syde, we shall w^tout ony great difficulte perceyue y^• we haue nede of nothyng so much as of prayer, yea and that feruente, assiduous & continuall. For the dy­uell goeth about lyke a roaryng Lyon, sekynge whome he maye deuour.i. Pet. [...]. The world also with his vayne plea­sures is redye at euerye houre to se­duce & lede vs awaye frō our profes­siō, yf we take not hede. Agayne the [Page] flesshe is so domesticall and nygh enemy vnto vs, that we can neuer be w^toute it.Gal. v. It euer assaylethe vs. It allwaye fyghteth & lusteth contrary to the spirite. It turneth, as they saye, euery stonne to make vs enemies w^t God. The soldiour of Christ, sayth a certayne Doctor,Par [...]par [...] Crac. de Iusticia cap. xii. oughte not to put awaye from him the shelde of prayer so longe as the battayle endurethe. But the battayle endureth,Iob. vii. so longe as this presēt lyfe endureth, as Iob sayth, the lyfe of a man vpō y^• earthe is a warfare, & perels do neuer fayle therfore haue we nede continuallye of Gods helpe. Miserye dothe ne­uer want in this lyfe, therfore haue we euer nede of Gods mercy & continuall prayer.ii Tim. ii. Wherof it followeth y^t we haue greate nede of prayer at all tymes, yf we wyll be saued. For no man shalbe crowned, excepte he warreth valeauntly.Apo. ii. To him that ouer­commeth, sayth God, wyll I gyue to [Page] eate of the tree of lyfe, whiche is in [...] myddes of the Paradyse of GOD. Our sauiour Christ therfore know­ynge our imbecillite & weakenes to be no lesse than oure miserye & wret­chednes, exortetth vs principallye & aboue all thynges to praye.Mat. xxvi Watche & praye, sayth he, that ye faul not in to tentaciō. And in as much as our enemies cease not to fyghte agaynst vs by theyr craftye & subtyle assaul­tes, therfore oughte we not to cease for to fyght agaynst thē w^t continu­all prayers. For the prayer of a righous man,Iaco. v. sayethe S. Iames, auay­leth muche.Luk. xviii. Christe in the Gospell of Luke proponeth a certayne parable of an vnrighteous Iudge & of a wydowe, wherin he teachethe that we ought to praye alwaye and neuer to cease, nor once to be werye. Read the Chapter. A Christen man oughte to praye at all tymes, & neuer to desyst and cease from prayenge. Therfore [Page] sayth S. Paule:Col. iiii [...] Cōtinue in prayer & wacth in it with thankes gi [...]yng. Agayne:i. Thes. v. Reioyse alwaye, pray with out ceasyng, in all thynges giue thā kes. Hereto agreeth y^e sayenge of S. Peter, [...]. Pet. iiii. be ye sober & watch vnto praier. For continuall prayer causethe y^t our enemies can not haue the vpper hande ouer vs. Yea continuall prayer makethe that the loue of celestiall goodes doth euer encrese ī vs, which excepte it be oftentymes suscitated & stored vp with ardent desyres and feruēt prayers,Not [...] as fyre is w^t wind, it fyrst abateth, & afterward by lytle & lytle it is vtterly quenched and put clene out. For as he is vnworthy to receyue ony thynge, whiche gyueth not thanckes for those thynges y^• he hath alredy taken, y^t is, whiche doth not knowledge & magnify the beneficence of God, so dothe not he deserue to enioy so great felicite, ioye & plea­sure, which eyther doth not desyre it [Page] or els desyreth it coldly. Who feruētly loueth a thinge, & doth not cōtinually wish y^ey^• thyng which he loueth, maye chaūse to hī. So y^• it is mani­fest of these thynges aforsayde, y^t we ought to praye at all tymes, & neuer cease, in asmuch as we haue at all tymes moost vrgēt, weyghty & necessa­ry causes.

¶ The. xxxiii. Chapter.

An obiec­tiō.BUt it wyll be obiected, howe is it possible for a man to praye at all tymes, & neuer to cease? This is a thynge not onlye of impossibilite, but also contrary to the cōmaunde­ment of Christ,Mat. vi. whiche sayeth, whan ye praye, speake not manny wordes. I answere,The aun­swere. Christe in this aforsayde place doth not forbyd the assiduite & continuance of prayer, but y^e multi­loquie & manner of bablyng in pray­ers, which the Ethnickes & Infidels dyd vse, trustyng by y^• theyr to much bablynge they shoulde the sooner be [Page] hearde, as we reade of those wycked Prophetes, which cried on the name of Baal from mornynge tyll nyght, sayenge none other thynge but this only,iii. Reg. xvi [...] O Baal hear vs, O Baal hear vs. But the prophet Helias mocked them, sayenge, crye withe a loweder voyce. For he is a God, but peraduē ture he talkethe with some bodye, or is occupied in pursuynge his enemies, or is gone some iourney, or happely he slepeth, & would be waked & reysed vp w^t your cryinge. They cryed therfore w^t a great voice, & cutte thē selues after the [...]r old maner w^t sweardes and botkyns, vntyll they were al on gore bloude. But all in vayne.

The wordes of Christe are these, whan ye praye,math. vi. speke not many wor­des as the Ethnyckes do. For they thynke it should come to passe, that thorowe theyr bablynge they should be heard. Be not ye therfore lyke thē For youre father doth knowe, what [Page] thynges ye nede, before ye aske o [...] him.Mark wel These wordes shew manifest­ly that Christ doth not cōdemne the assiduite & continuaunce of prayer,Lu. vi. xxii mat. xxvi. Luk: xviii: which bothe he hiselfe vsed, and also taught other y^e same, but the vayne loquasite & vnfruytfull bablyng annexed with this perswasiō, that our prayers can not be herde, except we be euer inculkyng & beatynge thē into the eares of God after the māner of the Hethē, as though God dyd rather heare vs for oure loquasite and bablynges sake, than for his mooste louynge and gentle promyse, or as thogh God were not so redy to giue, as we are to aske, if our peticions be­accordyng vnto his wyl. The Eth­nickes mult [...]loquy & hethenysh bab­lynge doth Christe here not only forbyd, but also condēn [...].Eccl: v: Therfore say­eth y^e wyse man, be not to rash in spekynge, neyther lette thy herte make hast to bryng forth a word in y^• sight [Page] of god. For god is in heuē, & y^u art on the earth, & therfore let thy wordes be fewe. For as the dreame cōmethe of manifold businesses, so is y^• voyce of a foole in y^e multitude of wordes.

S. Iohn golden mouth vpon the aforsayd texte wryteth on this manner, he calleth here Bathologian,In Math: cap. vi. Hom. xix. loquacite, that is, bablynge or muche spekynge, which we than verely vse, when we aske of God thynges y^t are not profitable for vs, as for an example, that we shoulde obtayne power & glory, & that we shoulde ouercome our enemies, & that we should aboūd with many rytches, to cōclude, whā we aske those thynges, y^e should profyt vs nothynge at all. For he knoweth what so euer we haue nede. Moreouer he semeth vnto me to forbyd longe prayers. Yea verely, long I saye, not in tyme but in the multitude & prolixite or length of wordes.Colos. iiii. We must perseuer in askynge those [Page] thynges that are profitable. Conti­nue, sayth he, ī prayer. For y^• LORDE hymselfe also sendeth vs to the exā ­ple of y^t wydowe & of y^e vnmercyfull & cruel Iudge,Luke. x [...]iii that he should cōmēd the diligente continuaūce of prayer by the importunite of her interpel­lacion & hertye request.Luke. xi. And whā he saythe y^• a certayne man came vnto his frende, whan it was very late in the nyghte, & that he raysed hym be­yng a slepe out of his bed, yea & that he deserued this thyng not so much for familiarite & acquayntāce sake, as for sedulite & careful diligēce: He wylled none other thynge, thā that he should be called vpon cōtinually. Yet he dyd not cōmaunde that they shoulde brynge vnto him a prayer of a thousande verses longe, & recyte y^• vnto hym. For this hathe he alredy reproued. For they thyncke that in theyr muche speakynge they shoulde be herd.Mat. vi. But your father, sayeth he, [Page] knoweth, what ye haue nede, before ye aske. But thou wylte saye, If he knoweth, wherfore than nede we to praye?Mark [...] well. Uerely not y^e thou shouldeste teach God, but that thou shouldeste make hym good vnto the, that thou shouldest be acquaynted wyth hym, by reason of thy frequent & oftē spe­kynge vnto hym, that y^• shouldest h [...] ̄ ble thy selfe in prayeng, & that thou shouldest oftentymes remember thy synnes.

Hytherto haue I recyted the wordes of S. Iohn Chrisostome, which as they condemne the vnfruytefull bablynge & vayne ianglynge of wordes vaynly & causses prolated, so do they hyghlye cōmende & approue the feruent continuaunce of prayenge. So that hereof it is euident, that a thristē mā ought to pray at al times

¶ The. xxxiiii. Chapter.

VUher as some mā wyll saye per aduenture that it is not possi­ble [Page] for men to praye at all tymes, se­ynge that diuers other affayres and businesses muste also be done of thē so longe as they lyue in this worlde, as eatynge, drynkynge, slepyng. &c. & men must also labour for theyr ly­uynge, euery man accordyng to his vocacion & callynge, which thynges all must nedes be an impedyment & let to the cōtinuall exercyse of pray­er: I wyl in few wordes declare how a christen man maye praye without ceasynge at all tymes accordyng to the precepte of Christe and the Apo­stle Saynt Paule.

How we may praye at all ty­mes and [...] cea­syng.Some expositoures of the holye Scrypture wryte that to praye all waye & without ceasyng, is nothing els than to pray seriously, earnestly & diligently after the example of the wydowe,Luk. xviii. which woulde neuer leaue cryenge & callynge vpon the vnrighteous Iudge, vntyll he had hearde her request, that she myght be reuen­ged [Page] of her aduersarye. They saye it is a trope called Hyperbole, so that he is counted to praye alway and w^t out ceasyng, which praye vsually, of tentymes, seriously & instantly, and doth not cease from prayers, vntyll he hath obtayned that,Esa. lviii. which he as­keth. After that manner is this spo­kē: Cry, cease not, lyfte vp thy voyce as a Trompe.

Some saye that to praye alway & not to cease, is thorowe out al our lyfe, feruentely to desyre that hyghe goodnes, which is promysed vs in y^e worlde to come. After this sorte, say, they, what soeuer mē do in this lyfe, whether they eate, dryncke, sleape worke, talke, bargayne, studye, medi­tate. &c. so longe as this celestiall de­syre remayne in thē, all theyr whole lyfe is a certayne perpetual prayer.De moda ora [...]i. The perpetual study of lyuyng godly, sayeth Erasmus, is a continuall prayer. And Beda sayth, he prayeth [Page] alwaye, y^• doth good thynges alway neyther dothe he cease to praye, but [...] he ceaseth to be righteous.

Other affyrme that to praye without ceasyng, is feruently & with an ardente mynde to praye at certayne houres destinated & appoynted vn­to prayer. Uerely all theise exposici­ons, in asmuch as they be godly, are not to be reiected nor caste awaye. Therfore seyng that we can not for our imbecill [...]e, weaknes & imperfecciō alwaye & withoute ceasyng pray vnto God, yet, besydes the godly meditacion of celestiall thynges in our mynde, & the perpetuall desyre of ly­uyng innocētly, which ought neuer to departe from a Christē brest,Certeyne houres appoynted e­uery day for prayer that hath the feare of God before her eies we ought to prescrybe & appoynt vnto our selues certaine peculiare houres euery day which should not passe awaye w^tout prayer, & which should haue the whole affectes of the mynd [Page] vtterly occupied in this behalfe. And whan those houres shall come, than ought we to laye asyde all m [...] ­dane affayres & worldly businesses, & wholly to gyue our selues to deuout meditacion, & diuyne contemplaciō of celestiall thynges. Thā ought we feruentely to praye w^t the herte and mynd, & so w^t all humilite to behaue our selues, as though god were ther present, & we spake vnto him face to face, ye than ought we to watche, as the Scripture admonysshe the,Mat. xxvi. that is, so take hede & cast all pereis, that oure aduersary the dyuell, which goeth about lyke a rorynge Lyon,i. Pet. v. sea­kyng whome he may deuour, do not once drawe away our myndes from talkynge wyth God, but that quietly and attentely we maye be occupi­ed in offerynge vp our peticions vnto GOD at that tyme of prayer.

¶ The. xxxv. Chapter.

[Page]ANd bycause no man shoulde be offended w^t the obseruaunce & appoyntmēt of certayne houres vnto prayer, as a thynge supersticious & repugnant to the christen liberte: I wyll shewe that dyuers holye men had theyr certayn houres also, wherin they vsed custumably to pray. [...]. cxviii. We reade that Dauid dyd praye & gyue thankes vnto God seuen tymes in a daye. His wordes are these: Seuen tymes in a day haue I gyuē prayse vnto the for the iudgementes of thy righteousnes. What seuen tymes in a daye these were, all are not many­fest in the holye scripture, but some are, whiche I wyll here reherse.

As touchynge the mornynge he sayeth, O LORDE early shalt y^u heare my voyce,Psal. v. betymes in the mornyng shall I make my prayer vnto the, & I shall se that I haue obtayned my prayer.Psal. ci. Nowe for the tyme of his re­paste he sayeth, as asshes dyd I eate [Page] my bread & my dryncke dyd I myn­gle with wepynge. Thoughe here he make the none euydente mencion of Prayer, yet it is not to be doubted, but y^t in this his great sorowe, he also vsed at that present, prayers vnto God. As for his prayer at nyght, we read on this manner,Psal. ciiii. let my prayer, sayth he, be directed vnto the as frā kensence in thy syghte, the lyftynge vp of my handes as an euenyng sa­crifice.Psal. vi. Agayne he sayth, I shal wash euery nyght my bed, yea euen w^t my teares wyll I water my bed. That he prayed to God at mydnyght also, it is manifeste by theyse wordes, At myddenyght, sayth he, dyd I ryse to gyue prayse vnto the.

Of these Scriptures aforsayd it is euident that Dauid prayed vnto God customably these four times besides other,Psa. cxviii. that is, in the mornyng, at his dynner, in the euenynge, and at mydnyght, which all be very con­uenient [Page] tymes for a christen man to praye. As he prayed at these tymes, so did he vndoutedly at other, thogh they be not expressed in y^• scripture.

Dan. vi.Moreouer we read that Daniel vsed customably to praye euery day thre tymes vnto his LORDE GOD. The Euangelistes also declare, that Christ preachynge & workynge my­racles all the whole daye,Luk. v. vsed often tymes to spende the whole nyght in prayenge vnto his father.Act. iii. S. Luke also in the Actes of y^e Apostles declareth that Peter & Iohn went vp in­to the Tēple at the nynthe houre of prayer. Wherof it doth euidently appeare y^• in the olde lawe they had certayne tymes appoynted in y^• whiche they should praye. Haue not we also amonge vs nowe a dayes certayne tymes appoynted for to come togy­ther & to pray in the temples? What do we lerne of all these thynges▪ Ue­rely that a Christen man maye law­fully [Page] & without ony scripule of con­science appoynt certayne houres in the day, wherin he may exercyse himselfe deuoutly in godly prayer & spi­rituall meditacion.Not [...]: But I would he shoulde not so supersticiously be ad­dicte to those houres, that he should thynke it synne to breake ony of thē, whan occasion of necessite is gyuen (for that were a wycked thyng) but to vse those tymes as meanes for to bryng hym vnto a more feruent mā ner of prayeng continually.Mat. ii. For the Sabboth daye was made for man, & not man for the Sabboth day. The kyngedome of God shall not come w^t obseruaciō & loking for,Luk. xvii: sayth Christ neyther shall they saye, behold here, or behold there, for loo, the kyngdom of god is w^tin you. Ye obserue dayes monethes,Gala. iiii. tymes and yeares, sayth Paule, I am afearde of you, vnlesse I haue laboured in vayne for you. Agayn, let no mā iudge you in meat [Page] or drynke, or in parte of an holy day, or of the feast of the newe Moone, or of the Sabbothes, which are the shadowes of thynges to come,Col. ii. but the body of Christ.

¶ The. xxxvi. Chapter.

SEynge than that the appoynte­ment of certayne houres for praier is very cōmendable, yea & necessary for the traynynge vp of oure sel­ues in the godlye exercyse of prayer (so that supersticious obseruaunce be absent) it shall be much decēt and prayse worthy for euery man to ap­poynte hymselfe such certayne hou­res euery daye for to praye, as wher­in he shall perceyue that he maye be moost quiet, & moost apte to talke w^e God in his prayers. And althoughe euery Christen man knowethe what tyme is best for hym to praye (in as much as the vnccion of God techeth thē all thynges,i. Ioan. ii. & they haue no nede that any man shoulde teach thē) yet [Page] I wyll here assigne suche houres to pray, as I maye thynke to be moost conuenient & apte to prayer, & that not only bycause they seme fytte in my conceyte, but rather in asmuche as I se those same houres approued of godlye learned men, as moost fyt­tyng and apte vnto the true exercise of prayer.

Dauid in his Psalmes wrytethe on this manner,Psa. lilii. I wyll cry to God, & the LORDE shall saue me. At nyght & in the mornyng & at middaye shall I praye hertelye, & he shall heare my voyce.Note whā we ought to pray vnto God. Here Dauid prescribeth thre solemne tymes, whan a man oughte of dutie euery day to pray. At night when he goeth to bed, in y^e morninge whan he ryseth, & at mydday whan he goeth to meate. He that leaue the God vnsaluted with his prayers at these thre tymes, verely he is muche estraūged frō the manners of a true Christen man, as I maye leaue of to [Page] speake of his ingratitude & vnkyndnes towarde oure LORDE GOD.

Libro de virginita­te.S. Ambrose appoynte the mo ty­mes of prayenge: Solemne prayers sayth he, ought to be made w^t thanckes geuynge whan we ryse frō slepe, when we go forth to oure businesse, whē we make redy to take our meat and whan we haue taken our meat & when we go to bed. Would God y^• all men would followe the doctryne of this moost holy & catholyke Doc­tor. Than shoulde all thynges be re­plenyshed with the blessynge of God more plenteously than they are now a dayes.De orati­one. Det. ii. S. Iohn Chrisostome differeth not from this, where he sayeth, we must whā we ryse out of our beddes preuent the sonne with the wor­shyppynge of God, & whan we come to the table, & whan we should slepe. Yea at euerye houre oughte we to offer a lyuysh prayer vnto God, and to runne an equall course withe the daye, & in y^e tyme of Wynter to spēd [Page] also y^• moost part of y^e nyght in pray­ers & bowīg our knees w^t much feare to gyue attēdaūce to prayer, recounting our selues blessed, whā we thus worshyp God. Tel me how dareste y^u loke vpō the Sonne,Mark well. whā y^u dost not worshyp hym, that sent that mooste swete & cōfortable lyght? How shalt thou vse y^e table, & not worshyp y^• gyuer & supeditatour of so great good thiges? With what hope goest thou to the tyme of the night, what man­ner of slepes doste thou loke for, whē thou doste not confyrme, make strōg & defend thy selfe with prayers, but wythout ony watch comest to slepe lyke a miser & wretche, redy to faull into the captiuitie & bondage of the moost vngracious diuels, which cō ­tinually go about waytyng y^• tyme, that they maye quickely catche any man that is bare, & not defensed w^t prayer? which whan they se vs enarmed w^t prayers, rūne backe streight [Page] wayes as theues & malefactoures, which se a swearde hanged vp at the hande of y^• Soldiour. But if it chā seth that any man be bare & not we­poned w^t prayer, than is he streyght waye plucked & toste of the diuels, he is moued vnto synne, & brought in­to infinyte calamities & euelles. We therfore fearynge all these thynges let vs enarme oure selues alwaye w^t prayers & hymnes, that god hauing pytie on vs, maye make vs all wor­thy y^e kyngedome of heauen thorow his onlye begotten sonne, to whome be glory and rule, worldes wythout ende.

Amen.

¶ The. xxxvii. Chapter.

HItherto haue I recyted y^• wor­des of the goldē mouthed Doc­tor, wherin we may learne not only whan we oughte to praye, but also howe necessary a thynge prayer is, & how that w^tout prayer we can do nothynge well, neyther can any thyng [Page] without that chaunse vnto vs pros­perously.Prayers in [...] mor­nyng. Would God therfore that whan we ryse in the mornynge we would with hundle & faythfull her­tes gyue thankes to God, for y^• slepe wherwith he hath refresshed one we­ry bodies that nyght, & [...] ly desyre hym that his [...] maye haue the ryght gouernounce of vs, all y^e daye followynge, that he defendynge vs from all euell maye only his [...], couy [...]e, aspyre & go aboute those th [...]ges, which shall may turne to the glory of God, the saluacion of our soules, & the profytte of y^• Chri­sten publyque wea [...]e, not once offen­dynge the eies of the diuyne maieste neyther in thought, worde nor dede at ony tyme.

Agayne in asmuche as we are all [...]orne to laboure,Prayers be­fore laboure.; Iob. v [...]. euery man in hys offyce, euer as the byrde is to flye, & seynge that we are commaunded of God to eate the labours of our han­des

¶ The. xxxviii. Chapter.

Prayers before meate.MOreouer whan we shall take our meat before we syt down to tast ony of it, let vs w^t al humilite & submission of mynd desyre God w^t oure prayers, that he wyll sanctifye those his gyftes & benefites, that we maye receyue thē accordynge to his wyll, & by no meanes abuse them, eyther to the distemperance of our bo­dies, or to the daunger of our soules but only receyue them vnto y^e ende, for the which they were created and prepared. Lette vs not thyncke it y­nough to haue corporal food, except it be blessed of God. Neyther oughte we to thynke that oure bodely suste­ [...] commeth only of our owne pol [...]cy but much more rather of goddes blessynge, whiche excepte he dyd fortune oure trauayles, a [...]ou [...]e la­bours were but vayne,Psa. xxxiii [...] y^• Psalmographe sayth, feare ye the LORDE all ye that be his Sayntes, for there is [Page] no searsenes to thē y^e feare hym. The rytche haue wanted & hungred, but they y^• seke after y^e LORDE, shal want no good thynge.Psal. Agayne, caste thy care vpon the LORDE, & he shall no­ryshe the.i. Pet. v. Also in another place, The eyes of all mē trust in the, O LORD, & thou gyuest them meate in conue­nient tyme.Psal. cxiiiii. Thou openest thy hāde, and fylleste euery lyuynge creature with thy blessynge.

Thus se we y^• our corporall foode is the gyfte of God, & he it is that fedethe so many, as repose theyr affy­aunce in hym. Therfore oughte we before we taste any meate at y^• tyme of oure repaste to praye vnto God, y^• he maye blesse the meat that we sha [...] than receyue, confessynge y^e what so euer we haue, we al togither receyue it of his bountyous hand.Nota. O mercy­full God, we come nowe a dayes vn­to the table, as though we ware He­then, & knew no parte of God, at the [Page] of the Altare, his beri body & bloud? [...] dyd he this [...]a [...]ely for our example, that we should knowledge & confesse that what so euer we haue, we receyue it altogyther at the [...] ­teous & liberall hand of God. Doth not S. Paule saye,i. Tim. iiii. that meates are sanctifyed by the worde of God and prayer▪ We oughte therfore surelye whan we go to dynner, or take onye repast, to desyre God for to blesse our meat, & to make it helthfull & profy­table to our bodies, & to beleue that what soeuer is there presente, we re­ceyue it altogyther of the grand munificence & excedynge liberalytie of God, & so to behaue oure selues all y^• time of our repast, not only ī enioyīg those gyftes moderately & soberlye, but also in oure cōmunicacion, & ex­ternall gestures, that we maye seme to sytte not at a prophane, cōmme & vncleane table, but at y^• holye table of y^e celestiall and euerlastyng kyng.

¶ The. xxxix. Chapter.

AGayne after we haue thus godly & soberly takē oure meate,Grace or thanckes gyuyng af­ter dyner. let vs not fayle to gyue God herty thāckes for his benefytes, which so bounteously of his owne mere lyberalitie & great goodnes hath fed vs at that presente, let vs also desyre hym that he wyll go forth to be a beneficial fa­ther vnto vs,Ioan. vi. & to giue vs meat, not only that meate whiche peryssheth, but much rather y^t whiche abydethe into euerlastynge lyfe, I meane the moost swete Gospell of his intierlye beloued sōne Iesus Christ our moste gentle LORDE & omnisufficient Sa­uiour, y^• our bodies beyng fed w^t cor­porall meate, & our soules susteyned with the word of lyfe, we maye after this lyfe be moost happely fed wyth the aspecte, beholdyng, & fruicion of the moost blessed deite. Amen.

These thynges once done, let be returne to our labours, euery m [...]n [Page] accordynge to his vocacion and cal­lynge, workyng that thynge that is pleasaunt in the syght of God.

For supper Note.Whan the tyme cōmeth that we shall go to supper, let vs w^e the same reuerence enioy the good creatures of God, that we dyd at dynner, & as we behaued our selues at dīner both in prayer & thanckes gyuynge, lette vs so likewyse do at supper. So shal it come to passe vndoubtedlye, that we shall wante no good thynge, but haue plenty of all thiges accordyng to onr hertes desyre. We must, sayth Chrisostome,De oratione. bothe whan we go vn­to the table & come frō it,Ho. lxxxviii. gyue thāc­kes to God. For that table, which be gynneth of prayer, & endethe also in prayer, shall neuer wante, but shall brynge to vs all good thynges more largely & more plentiously than ony fountayne. But I haue spoken of this matter also in my Banckette.

¶ The. xl. Chapter.

[Page]AT night whan we go to bedde,How we ought to be haue ourselues wh [...] ̄ we go to bed. we shall before we gyue our sel­ues to slepe, knele downe vpon oure knees secretly in our chamber, with all humilite & reuerēt feare, callyng vnto our remēbraūce howe we haue spent all the whole daye past. If we shall than perceyue that we haue of­fended y^e diuine maiesty in ony thīg, eyther in thought, word or dede, thā let vs not fayle to confesse our synne streyghtway to God w^t a contryte & sorowfull herte, desyryng him moost hūbly for his great mercyes sake to forgyue vs that our iniquite, & not to be angry with vs, but so assyst vs with the influence of his moost holy Spirite, that we may in no poynte trāsgresse his moost diuine wyl, but worke all thynges that maye be pleasaunt vnto hym.

Yf we shal at that tyme perceyue that we are at debate with ony mā,Mark w [...]. let vs nōt go to bed, before we be re­conciled [Page] one to another if it be possible accordynge to the precepte of y^e Apo­stle, let not the Sonne faull downe vpō your anger.Cobe. iiii. If that may not cō ueniētly be done y^t nighte, let vs not fayle the nexte mornynge betymes, or so sone as we may, to go vnto thē that are offended w^t vs, or we w^e thē, & neuer cease tyll we haue made an agremēt betwene vs, beyng perfectly perswaded, that we can by no me­nes please God so long as we be not in loue and charite.i. Ioan. iii. For as S. Iohn̄ sayth he that loueth not his brother abideth in death. Euery one that hatethe his brother is a manslear, & ye knowe that euery māslear hath not euerlastynge lyfe abydynge in hym.

☞ Loke what we haue offended god that daye, let vs so bewayle our syn & take suche thought for y^e cōmission of it, y^t we maye haue no more plea­sure to do that offēce agayne, but rather be made the more circumspecte [Page] [...] beware afterward y^e we be no more oppressed with the subtyle assaultes of Satā. Let vs euery daye dye vn­to synne. Let vs continually morty­fye the affectes of the olde Adā. The lenger we lyue, the lesser let synne remayne in this oure mortall bodye. Let all our meditaciō, study & ende­uour be nothynge els than a perpe­tuall care to leade a pure and inno­cent lyfe.

¶ The. xli. Chapter.

BUt yf it so chaunse,Nota. that whan we haue cōsydered the spending of the daye, we perceyue no notable cryme & heynous faulte commytted neyther agaynst God, nor our neighbour, than let vs reioyse, gyue God thankes, & desyre hym so cōtinually to ayde vs withe his diuine helpe, y^e we maye not onlye continue in that purite of lyfe,Rom. i. Psal. lxxxiii but also go forth from sayth to sayth, & from vertue to vertue, tyll we waxe auncient in christ, [Page] & become perfette mē ī our professio [...]

Prayers before [...]rape.Theise thynges once done, let vs than faull to prayer, desyrynge God for his great mercies sake thorow Iesus Christe to gyue vs a prosperous & quiet nyght, & that neyther Sat [...] nor none of his Aungels do trouble vs, but that thoughe the bodye take rest & slepe, yet the mynde, the herte, the inwarde man, may alway watch to him, & delight in hi perpetually.

After oure prayers, let vs cōmyt oure selues to the tuicion of God, & so swetely gyue our selues to reste. And let this be our dayely exercyse. D LORDE God, yf we would do this with a seruēt herte & burnyng loue towarde God, it can not be expressed that greate & singulare cōmodities would ensewe. To do thus, is y^e du­tye of vs all, but whyther we haue done it or not, let euery man search his owne conscience and amende.

Thus haue I declared what tymes [Page] I thyncke moost cōuenient for prayer, & how we should behaue ourselues in y^e tyme of pray eng. I haue not done this to bynde & snarlethe conscience of ony christē man, which oughte to be free to serue God at all houres, but to helpe the infyrme and weake Christians, that they fyrst v­synge these tymes, & certayne intro­duccions, maye afterward come vn­to the perfeccion of worshyppynge God at all tymes. For a christen mā [...]hall haue abundant occasions at all houres to call on y^e name of y^e LORD for helpe. Notwithstandynge yf ony man shall loke vpon these thynges, y^e I haue here wrytten, with a syngle eye, he shall not fynde thē altogyther superuncaneous & vayne. God giue vs all grace to so followe thē, or bet­ter, yf we maye.

¶ The. xlii. Chapter.

[Page] NOwe begynne the oure worke to draw vnto an ende. I haue declared sufficiently heretofore, as I trust, all thynges that moost principally pertayne vnto prayer, that is to say, vnto asking ony thynge of God. It remaynethe nowe therfore that I intreate somewhat of thanckes gyuynge to God. For it is conuenient y^e we also gyue thanckes vnto God for the gyftes & benefytes that we receyue of hym, or els we maye iustely seme to be vn­worthy ony parte of Gods kyndnes For what haue we, y^e we haue not receyued? The wyfe mā oughte not to [...]oyse in his wisdome, nor the strōg [...] his strength, nor yet y^e rytch [...] spiches, but only in our LORDE God, from whom euery good & perfecte gyfte descendeth and commeth downe.Iacob. i. What haste thou that y^u haste not receyued, sayeth Paule? [Page] If thou haste receyued it,i. Cor. iiii. wherfore doste thou reioyse, as though y^u had­dest not receyued it? Let not y^e wyse man,Iere. ix. sayth God by his Prophet, re­ioyse in his wisdome, nor let not the strong man reioyse in his strength, nor let not the rytch man reioyse in his rytches. But let him that reioy­ceth, reioyse in this, yf he vnderstōd & knowe me. For I am the LORDE, which doth mercye, iudgement and righteousnes in y^e earth, & these are those thynges that I desyre, saythe the LORDE.

Seynge than y^u all our glory and reioycyng ought to be in our LORDE God alone,Phil. iiii. as S. Paule sayeth, re­ioyse in the LORDE al way, & agayne I saye reioyse feynge also y^e what so euer goodnes is in vs, [...] ly of him, [...]e [...]ely me oug [...] at all houres to reioyse in hym, as the [...] blessed virgin Marye dyd, sayenge [...] my soule magnifyethe the LORDE; & [Page] my spiryte hath reioysed in God my sauiour,Luke. ii & to gyue to him thankes, & to synge to his name, so long as our lyfe lasteth, perpetuall encomies, laudes cōmendacion and prayses.

How we maye be moued to gyue God thanckes.If we wyll be moued to gyue god thanckes at any tyme, as we ought to do alwaye, it shall be fyrste conue­nient to perpende, weye, & consyder his manifolde goodnes towarde vs. Fyrste howe at the begynnynge he made vs not lyke vnto brute bestes,Of oure creacion. Note. but lyke vnto his owne symilytude & Image. And he made vs not to be fyre brondes of hel, but inheritours of euerlastyng glory. For he gaue vs a body muche more beautyfull and pleasaūt in aspecte, than any other lynynge creature hath. He gaue vs a mynd [...]rendued with wytte, reason, discre [...], wisdom, vertu, know­ledge, cunnynge, immortalite, godlines. &c He set vs in Paradyse,Gen. i. and gaue vs rule, power, & dominiō ouer­all [Page] the fysshes of the see, & the byrdes of the ayre, & ouer all lyuynge creatures that moue vpon the earth.

Agayne whan we in our parētes had trāsgressed his moost godly pre­cepte,Gen. iii. & therby deserued eternall dā ­nacion,ii. Pet. ii. he dydde not streyghtwaye with the same rigoure & fearcenesse, wherwith he condēned the Aungels for theyr disobedient arrogācy,Esa. xiiii. caste vs awaye into the fyre of Hell, but full gentely sent vs into this vale of misery for to repēt,Gen. iii. Psal. viii. that afterward he myght saue vs, yet constitutyng & appoyntynge vs styll Lordes & rulers oueral lyuyng creatures.

¶ The. xliii. Chapter.

MOreouer whā it was not possible bycause of the great enormite of our synne,Of our fro saluacion by grace & the mercy of God thorow Iesus Christ. that we coulde of our owne power, strength, merytes, deseruynges & good workes saue & wynne our selues agayne into y^e fa­uour of God, howe louyngly w^toute [Page] ony desertes of our parte euē of hys owne mere goodnes and free mercy did he promise to saue vs by his derely beloued sonne oure LORDE Iesus Christ,Rom. i. & at his tyme predefined and appoynted from euerlastynge sente him downe in [...] [...]his worlde? Which for our sake vnfaynedly by the wonderfull operacion of the holy Ghoste toke flessh of the moost blessed,Luke. i. Math. i. Heb. iiii moost pure, & vndefyled virgyn Marye, & became very man lyke vnto vs in althynges, sinne alone excepte. Which also after he had lyued here certayne yeares, euē of his owne free wyll w^t ­out any compulsion for the feruent & vnspekable loue that he euer bare towarde vs, gaue hymselfe vnto the very [...] yea euen the moost spite full & [...] deathe of the Crosse. He offered [...] [...]oost blessed bodye a swete smellynge Sacrifyce to God the father for oure wyckednesse.Esa. liii. Phil. ii. Ephe. v. He suffred his moost precious bloude to [Page] be shed vpō the Altare of the Crosse to paye the raūsome for our synnes.Mat. xxvi. i. Timo. ii. He refused no kynd of paynful grefe & greuous payne to apease Goddes wrath, & to reconcyle vs vnto his celestiall father.Colo. i. O good Iesu, sayethe S. Bernard,Sermone quidam. howe greatly were we endetted to the, & yet dost thou paye oure dette? We haue synned, & thou arte punysshed. This is a worke w^t ­out exāple, a grace without meryte a charite without measure.

Uerely verely not the prodiciō & betrayenge of Iudas,Note who dyd pure [...]hrist to death. not the furye & cruell malyce of the Pharises and Bysshops, not the wycked and false witnesses, not the vnryghteous ac­cusers, not the cruell & vnmercyfull iudges dyd put Christ to death, but we our selues, our synne, our iniquite, our vngodlynes, our abhomina­cion, our corrupte māners dyd slaye hym, & put hym to that moost cruell deth. We are they that dyd kyl him. [Page] We soughte his deathe.Mat. xxvi. We dyd be­tray hym. We dyd falsely accuse him We nayled him vpon the Crosse.Mat. xiiii We scourged his moost blessed body.Luk. xxii. We shed his moost precious bloude. We dyd cleue asunder his moost blessed herte with a speare,Ioan. xxii oute of y^t which rāne both water & bloude.Esa. liii. We gaue hym Eysell & Gaull to dryncke. We scorned him, we mocked him, we dyd spit on his moost swete face. We buffetted hym, we brused hym, we were the Authors of all y^t tyranny, which was wrought agaynst hym. Yet for y^• loue that he bare towarde vs, dyd not he disdayne to suffer all these in tollerable paynes,i. Pet. ii. by whose passiōs & suffrynges we are perfectly made whose, by whose moost blessed bloud all oure synnes are wasshed awaye,i. Ioan. i. by whose deth, euerlasting lyfe chaū seth abundantly vnto vs.Rom.viii. O vnme­surable kyndnes. What a loue hath God to vs, that he spared not his on­ly [Page] sonne,Ioan. iii. but gaue hym for vs all, y^t so many as beleue in hym, maye not peryshe, but haue euerlastynge lyfe.

And as God the father gaue hys sonne Christ vnto death for our synnes,Rom. iiii. Eph. ii. Math. i. Luk. ii. Ioan. xiiii. Ioan. xi. Math. ix. Ioan. vii. Ioan. v. Psel. xxvi. i. Cor. i. so dyd he rayse hym vp agayne by his moost puissaunt power from death for our iustificaciō. He is oure peace, howe than can we be sadde & heuy? He is our Sauiour, howe thē can we despayre? He is oure waye, howe than can we erre? He is oure trueth, howe than can we be decey­ued? He is our lyfe, howe thā can we dye? He is oure Resurreccion, howe thā can we slepe in synne? He is our Phisicion, how thā cā we be sycke & diseased? He is our lyght, howe than cā we walke in darkenes? He is our bread, howe thā can we be hungrye? He is oure defender, howe than can we be afearde? He is oure wisdome, howe than can we be ignorante? He is our righteousnes, howe than can [Page] we be vnrighteous?Rom. x. Psal. xliiii i. Tim. ii. i. Ioan. ii. Col. i. He. iiii. vii i. Pet. ii. Ioan. x. Rom. viii. He is our sanc­tificacion, howe than can we be prophane & vnholy? He is our redēcion howe than can we be damned? He is our rytches, howe than can we be pore? He is oure beautye, howe than can we be deformed & yll fauoured? He is our mediatour and aduocate, howe than can oure matters be vn­hearde? He is oure head, howe than can we his members perysh? He is our Bysshop & Curate of our soules howe than can we wante spirituall doctryne? He is our dore, how than can we but enter into the kyngdom of heauen? To conclude, he is altogither oures, & all that euer he hathe, how than can we but sayle in a safe & quiette hauen? Howe than can we but haue all thynges prosperous & fortunate? Thus se we what an hye treasure Christ is to vs. Yf any mā desyreth to knowe more of Christ, & what benefites we haue receiued by [Page] let hym read my worke of y^e Newes out of heauē,Searche y^e Newes out of heauē where he shall se Christ truly & lyuyshly paynted as alone & perfecte redemer, & a plenteous and an omnisufficient sauiour for al thē that faythfullye repente and lede a newe lyfe.

Would not all these so great commodities & large benefytes, whiche we receyue of God y^t father thorowe Iesus Christ, moue ony christē hert in the worlde to be thankful, and to syng perpetuall prayses vnto God? For we haue lerned here, that al our saluacion cōmeth only from God y^e father thorow Iesus Christ,Tit. iii. & that he saued vs mercifully whē we were loste miserablye. But let vs beholde more of Goddes kyndnesse, that we maye learne that thankes ought to be gyuen vnto hym seriously.

¶ The. xliiii. Chapter.

ALthough by Christ we be sette agayne at lybertye, & receyue [Page] our manumissiō & fredome frō that captiuitie, wherunto we were made honde by the synne of Adam, so sone as we are regenerate & borne a new by y^e honorable Sacrament of Bap [...] tisme,Ioan. iii. and the holy Ghost, yet in as much as afterward thorow our fra­gilite & weakenes we fall agayne in to synne, & deserue therby also to be [...] cast from the fauour of God, & to be dampned perpetuallye, yf God dyd not also healpe vs in this behalfe, O [...] LORDE God, in how miserable a cas [...] are we?Nota. What should it profytte vs, by Christ to be delyuered from that wretchednes, into the whiche Adam dyd caste vs, yf there were not also a remedy to expulse that daunger, in­to the which we cast our selues tho­rowe synne after Baptisme? Ther­fore here also dothe the goodnesse of God appere very large & bountious toward vs. For though we synne after baptisms neuer so greuously, ye [...] [Page] doth not he streyght wayes take vengeaunce on vs,ii. Pet. ii. & caste vs headlonge [...]nto he [...] fyre, as he dyd y^e aūgels, but he paciētly abydeth our cōuersiō,Iob. iiii. & loketh dayly whan we wyll repent, and amend, as the Prophet sayth, y^• LORDE longe abydeth vs,Esa. xxx. y^e he maye haue mercy on vs. Also the Psalmo­gra\`ph,Psa. [...]. liiii. The LORDE is gentle & mer­cifull, pacient, & of great pitie. The LORDE is good & gentle to all men, & his rēder mercies are stretched forth vpon all his workes.Lamēt. iii. Ieremy also saieth, It are the mercies of the LORDE that we are not consumed. Yea he exciteth & storeth vs vp by his holy spiryte, and gyueth vs grace to repent, turne, & amende, as he sayeth by his Prophet, I wyl gyue them an herte & a new spiryte wyl I gyue in theyr in warde partes,Ezech. xi. & I wyll take away the stony herte from theyr flesh, and giue them a fleshly herte, y^e they may [Page] walke in my preceptes, and kepe my iudgementes, & do them. And they shall be my people, & I sh [...]ll be theyr God.Eze. xxxvi. Agayne, I wyll powre out vpō you cleane water, & ye shall be made cleane from all youre vncleannes, & from all youre Idolles wyll I make you cleane, & I wyll gyue you a new herte & a newe spiryte wyll I putte in the myddes of you, & I wyll take awaye the stony herte from the flesh, & gyue you a fleshly hert, and I wyl putte my Spiryte in the myddes of you, & I wyll make you to walke in my preceptes, & kepe and worke my iudgemētes, & ye shal dwel in y^e lād y^e I gaue to your fathers, & ye shall be my people, & I shalbe your God, and I shall saue you from all youre vn­clennes.

Moreouer he styll calleth vpō v [...] to come vnto him, sayenge: Turne & repente you of all youre iniquities.Eze. xviii. And youre iniquite shall worke you [Page] [...]spleasure.: Caste awaye from you [...]l your wickednesses, in the whiche [...]e haue offended, & make you a new [...]erte & a new spirite. Wherfore wy [...] [...]e dye O ye house of Israell? For I [...]yll not that any shoulde dye, sayth [...]he LORDE GOD.Iere. iii. Retourne and [...]ue. Agayne, it is commonlye sayde [...]f a man leaue his wyfe, and she go­ing away marieth another husbod, [...]hal he returne any more agayne vn [...]o her? Shall not the woman be pol [...]ted & defyled? But thou hast play­ [...]d the whore with many louers, yet [...]eturne agayne vnto me, sayeth the [...]ORD, & I wyll receyue the. O moost [...]were & cōfortable sayenge.i. Tim. i. O moost [...]entle Sauyour, worthy all prayse [...]lory and honoure.

Here maye ye se howe greatly we [...]re bounde to God, and howe great [...]hanckes we ought to gyue hym, se­ [...]ng that he so greatly desyreth oure [...]elth, lyfe & saluacion, & wyllethe by [Page] no meanes our decaye, death & dam­nacion. He is y^e gentle father, which ioyefully receyueth agayne his loste sonne,Luke. xv. & moost louyuglye enbrase the [...] hym. He is that shepehearde, whiche bryngeth home agayne on his shoul [...] ders, that shepe that was wandered awaye.Mat. ix. He is that Phisicion, y^e hea­leth the sycke & diseased. He is y^e Sauiour, which came not to call y^• righteous but synners vnto repentaūce He is that helper,Mat. xi. whiche dayly cry­eth, come vnto me all ye that labour & are laden, and I shall refresh you. Seke therfore the LORDE, Esa. lv. whyle he maye be founde. Call on hym, whyle he is nygh. Let the vngodly forsake his waye, and the wycked man his thoughtes, & let hym returne to the LORDE, & he shall haue mercy on him yea but let hym not fayle to turne vnto our God. For he is bounteous & very redy to forgyue.

¶ The. xlv. Chapter.

[Page]FUrthermore who is able to ex­presse howe greatly we are boūd vnto God for his diligent conserua­cion & kepynge vs?By god are we preserued from guyl. If we were not preserued & kepte of hym, into howe many euels shoulde we faull? Howe were it possible for vs to be fre from the captiuitie of Satan, to be pure from the fylthynesse of the flesshe, to be kepte harmeles from the tyranny of the world, yf God dyd not defend vs? Howe many kynde of euelles do we se dayely perpetrated & done be­fore our eyes, as theft, murder, trea­son, adultrye, fornicacion, couetous­nes, glotony, drōckenshyp. &c. which all vndoubtedly we should lykewyse do,Nota: yf we were not preserued frō thē by the goodnes of God. For the fra­gilite of nature & the pronyte vnto euell is all one in them & in vs, yf we be lefte vnto our selues. Our perdi­cion commeth of our selues but our saluacion commeth only of God,Oze. xiii. as [Page] the Prophet sayth. Excepte y^• LORD, sayeth Esaie,Esa. i. Rom. ix. had lefte vnto vs seed, we had ben as Sodome, & we might well haue ben lykened vnto Gomor­re. Therfore seyng that God kepeth vs from theyse great enormities, we are very much bounde to gyue hym right herty thanckes.

The benefites of God toward vs.Agayne with howe many gyftes doth he endu [...]e vs dayly? What haue we, y^t is not his gyftes, yf it be good & godlye? He engraffeth in vs by hys moost holy spiryte, Fayth, hope, cha­rite, peace, ioye, pacience, longe sufferynge, mekenes, leuite, softenes, modesty, honest behauour. &c. He giueth vs helth for our body. He gyueth vs spirituall gladnes for our soule. He prepareth all thynges necessarye for this our nede lyfe. He getteth fren­des for vs. He defēdeth vs from our enemies. He preserueth vs ī all goodnes. To conclude, loke what a moost naturall father is vnto his moost en­tierlye [Page] beloued sonne, the verye same is he vnto vs. So y^e what soeuer we haue beyng good eyther pertayning to the soule or to the body, we altogither receyue it of this oure celestiall father. What great thanckes ther­fore he is worthi to haue, who perceiueth not? S. Bernarde sayth, let vs gyue thāckes to our God for y^e good thīges y^e we do, & let vs hūbly say to hī w^t Esay the Prophet.Esa. xxvi. All our workes haste y^u wrought in vs O LORDE our God. Herto pertayneth the sayenge of S. Gregory: It is cōueniēt y^t we gyue thanckes alway to God, which neuer ceseth to do wel, except he be letted & hyndred thorowe the noughtines of men. Therfore what soeuer worke y^u shalte begynne, fyrst call on God, & cease not to gyue thā ­kes, whan thou hait fynysshed it.

¶ The. xlvi. Chapter.

ALthough it be so, y^t all nacions of y^e world, euen from the Easte [Page] to the West,P [...]. [...]xii. ought to prayse y^• name of the LORDE for his īnumerable be­nefytes, that they without desertes receyue of him dayly,We Englysh men aboue all naciōs are most boūd to gyue God thankes. yet I thyncke ther is no Realme thorowe out Christendome, that hath so many vrgent weyghty & necessary causes to gyue God thanckes, as we Englyshe men haue at this present. To whome is it vnknowen with howe miserable captiuitie we haue ben detayned & sup­pressed theyse many hundred yeares thorowe the vsurped power and greuous tyrany of y^c Bysshop of Rome? Who knoweth not howe greatly the consciences of Christen menne were snarled, yea & almoost slayne thorow the decrees of that Bysshop? Howe greatly was the Christian lybertye enclosed & stopped vp, so that no mā could enioye y^e vse of those thynges, which the word of God determined free, withoute his lycense & dispensacion? Howe were the singulare meri­tes [Page] of Christes death, & the inestimable price of his moost precious bloud adnihilated & set at nought, and the Bysshop of Roomes pardōs trusted vnto, & perfecte affiaunce reposed in thē for remission of synnes & eternall saluacion? What a sorte of Hypocritical & supersticious workes creptin thorowe oute Christēstome almoost, which only were beleued to be thea­lone good workes, and the true good workes, whiche are commaunded of God in his holy scriptures, vtterly neglected, despysed & set at nought? Who thought it not a more merito­rious acte to gylde an Image, than to cloth a poore naked manne? Who thought it not a better dede to rūne gaddynge a pylgrimage into diuers countrees for to seke dead Images, than to tary at home, & to visyte the poore members of Christ, which laye bedrede, sycke, lame, feble & impotēt. O extreme blyndnes.

[Page]Agayne what an infinite mon [...] res, Monckes I woulde haue sayd, & other religious parsons, and God wyll as they desyre to be called, dyd there aryse in his kyngedome? Who thoughte it not a better dede to put his chylde into an Abbay, & there to lyue ydlely, swinyshly & irreligiously pampred vp with all delicious fare, that should prouoke vnto Iewdnes, than to lette him lyue abroad in the worlde, & there to practyse some ho­nest arte & occupacion, that myghte turne to the commodite & mayntay­nance of the common weale? What blyndenes hadde inuaded this Re­alme? Dyd not we thynck it rather our duty to obey y^• proude Bishop of Rome than our owne natyue kynge? Dyd not we esteme his fātastica [...] decrees, aboue the edictes, lawes, and actes of our own kyng? were we not more redy to followe his sensuall lustes & [Page] beastlyke pleasures, than to obeye y^• cōma [...]dementes of our owne kynge & ruler? Into what perels woulde not we caste our selues to do y^t ram­mysh Byshop pleasure? Yea woulde God that certayne of this Realme in tymes paste had not rather had a mynde to dye for the mayntenaunce of the false vsurped power of y^t Bys­shop, than to lyue with obedient and faythfull hertes to our moost Chri­sten kynge. O LORDE God, what a blyndnes was this? where was this doctryne of Christe & his Apostle be­come, that all men should be subiecte & obediēt to the hygh powers? This sentence of S. Paule laye buryed:Rom. xiii. Let euery soule be subiecte to y^• high powers. For there is no power, but of God. All powers are ordayned of God He therfore y^t resisteth,Sap. [...] resisteth the ordinaunce of God. And they y^t resist, shall take to thē selues damnacion. Also S. Peter:i. Pet. ii. Be subiecte to [Page] to euerye humayne creature for the LORDES sake,The kyng supreme heade whither it be vnto the kynge as supreme head, or to the ru­lers that are sent by hym to the pu­nyshment of the euell doers, but vn­to the prayse of them that do well. The Christen prynces were not had in reuerēce & honour as they ought. o miserable case, & detestable abusiō.

¶ The. xlvii. Chapter.

Behold in what [...]lid [...] we Englysh men were when the Bishop of Rome ru­led in th [...]e RealmeFUrthermore what ygnorancy & blyndenes was in this Realme, concerninge the true & christē knowledge? Howe many sauoured Christ aryght? Howe many walked in the streyght pathe wayes of Gods ordi­naūces? Howe many beleued Christ to be the alone Sauiour? Howe many trusted to be saued only by y^• me­rites of Christes death, & y^e effusion & sheddynge of his moost precious & blessed bloude? How many ranne to God alone eyther in theyr prosperi­te or aduersite? Howe many ampler­ed [Page] Christe for theyr sufficient medsa to [...]r & aduocate vnto God y^e father? Howe many felte the efficacye & po­wer of the true & christē fayth wherby a christē mā is frelyiustified? How many could discerne the fayned and the true workes asunder? Howe many dyd know what they professed at Baptisme? Howe many had knoweledge what theyr Pater noster mēt, & wherfore they prayed? Howe ma­ny dyd perfectly vnderstand the ar­ticles of the Christen faythe? Howe many dyd knowe what the ceremo­nies of the chyrche mente, as holye bread & holy water and suche other? Howe many hearde the Euangicall doctryne euer preached purely and syncerly? O good Iesu, be mercyful vnto vs. If I shoulde go forth to re­herse all the abuses & all the ygnorā cy & blyndenes, wherwith this now moost free and florysshynge Realme hath ben oppressed thys many hun­dred [Page] yeares thorowe the tyranny of that Babilonicall strōpet,Apoc. xvii. it woulde vndoubtedly make a worke much lō ger then the Iliades of Homere.

Englond is purged and made clene of her defor­mytyes.But nowe are theise enormities yea & deformities of this Realme of Englond vtterly exiled & banyshed. All false Religion is exterped & plucked vp by the rootes. The miserable captiuite, wherwith we were oppressed in the Popes kyngdome, is tur­ned into delectable liberte. Dur con­consciēces are restored to theyr olde fredome. Christes deth is beleued to be a sufficient Sacrifyce for them y^e are sanctified.Heb. x. All supersticious fantasies inuented of ydle braynes are full godly put downe. The famous Images, wherwith the symple peo­ple cōmytted sornicacion, I meane, Idolatry, are iustly plucked downe, & conueyed oute of the waye. All the monasticall sectes haue put of theyr cowles & monstruous garmentes. [Page] Our moost Christian kynge is now accordyng to y^e verite of Gods word & his iust & right title, recognised to be supreme head of y^e chyrch of Eng­londe nexte vnto Christ immediate­ly here in earth. He is honored of vs his subiectes, as we ought by y^e lawe of God & had in reuerence aboue all creatures mortall. Not onlye his moost noble grace, but also so many as he appoyntethe to rule ouer vs, we obey w^t all submissiō & humilite of mynd.

¶ The. xlviii. Chapter.

MOreouer ygnorancy & blyndenes are exiled and banysshed. Gods lawes are manifestly declared vnto vs. So that we maye, yf we wyll, kepe his moost godlye com­maundementes. The moost sacred Byble is freely permytted to be red of euery man in the Englysh tonge. Many sauour Christ aright, & day­ly the nōber encreaseth, thanckes be to GOD. Christ is beleued to be the [Page] alone Sauiour. [...]. Ioan. i. We nowe faythful­ly truste to be saued by the deathe of Christ, & that the bloud of Christ maketh vs cleane from all synne. Christ is beleued to be our sufficient medi­atoure & aduocate. [...]alv. Rom. v. The true & chri­sten fayth, whiche worketh by chari­te & is plenteous in good workes, is nowe receyued to iustify. The good workes that are appoynted in y^e ho­ly scriptures, are nowe only vsed, & put in exercyse among the faythful. What we professed, when we were baptised, many nowe knowe ryghte wel. The twelue Articles of the christē fayth, the LORDES prayer, cal­led y^e Pater noster, & the tē cōmaūdementes are nowe rehearsed in y^e Englyshe tonge both of yonge & olde, so that nowe all vnderstonde thē. Ma­ny of the Ec [...]asticall ceremonies are nowe ryg [...] well taught & knowen. To cōclude, all olde thynges are paste, & newe thynges entred into y^• [Page] game place in stead of them. And all these thynges hath God brought to passe by his derely beloued seruaūte Hēry our kynge. If his grace goeth forth, as he hath begun, he shal make such a florynshynge Realme both in spirituall & corporall goodes, bothe for the glory of God, & for the mayn­tenaunce of hys Graces publyque meale, as none shall maye be able to compare with this Realme of Eng­londe, thorowe oute Christendome. And as his moost excellent maiestye shall easely ouercome & excell in the exercyse of true godlynes all his [...]re decessoures & leaue a memorable act vnto his successoures, moost worthy to be followed, so lykewyse maye his Grace be sure, that there is reposed & layde vp ī store for hī in Gods treasure house the imma [...]cessible crowne of glory, which, whan his Grace shal giue ouer to nature, that moost gloryous kyng of all kynges shall gyue [Page] to hym vndoutedly for his faythfull walkynge in the diuyne preceptes, & settynge forth of Goddes glory.

The golden worldThis thyng brought to passe by his Graces diligence, y^e all abuses pluc­ked awaye, the true godlynes maye reygne, who shall not than iustelye thynke, y^t the golden worlde is come agayne,Duid M [...] [...]a. i. wherof the aūciente learned mē disputed so much in theyr moost eloquent monumentes. Merely we shall than maye well saye, as the Poet wryteth.Eglo. iiii.

¶ The. xlix. Chapter.

THus se we howe greatlye we of the Englysh nacion are bounde vnto God for the restitucion & bringynge agayne of the knoweledge of [Page] his moost diuyne wyll, which so lōge hath ben hydde vnder the busshell of mennes tradicions. What cōdigue thanckes are we able to gyue vnto him for this his īestimable goodnes? Werelye yf euery one of vs, as Wer­gyle sayeth, had an hundred tōges, & an hundred mouthes, yet were we not able sufficientelye to decantate, singe, & set forth his prayses. GOD graūt vs once to be truly thākefull.

Nowe where are theise parsons,The aburt­saryes of Gods wor [...] which haue so lytle pleasure in this regeneraciō & newe byrth, as I may so speke, of Gods moost blessed word & in this settynge forth agayne of y^e Euangelicall berite, oure only lyfe, helthe & saluacion? Where are these Dwles, which despisynge the moost confortable lyght of Goddes worde, chose rather continually to walke in the darkenes of mennes tradicions, than once to approche vnto this ce­lestiall lyghte? Where are these An­techristes, [Page] which wyll neyther them selues read the Scriptures, nor yet suffer other, that woulde rede them, but to y^e vttermoost of theyr power plucke men from redynge the moost sacred Byble, the worde of lyfe, of all ioye, and spirituall consolacion?

Agaynst these wicked Papistes thō ­d [...]eth Christ in the Gospell, sayeng: Do be to you ye Scribes & Phari­ses Hypocrites,Mat. xxiii. for ye speare vp the kyngedome of heauen before men, ye do neyther enter in your selues, nor yet suffer them that come to enter. Gerely yf we do not shortely repent amende, & enhalse with enbrasynge armes this moost swete word of god we maye be sure shortely to feale the moost greuous plages of Gods wrathe faull vpon vs for our vnthancke fulnes. And as Christe sayde to cer­tayne Cities for theyr ingratitude & vnthanckefulnes. Do be to the Co­razin, wo be to the Bethsadā, for yf [Page] y^e vertues y^e haue bene done in you,Math xi. Luke. x. had bene done in y^e citye of Cyrus & Sydō, verely they would haue repē ted them of theyr synnes in tymes paste, yea & that euen in sackeclothe & asshes. Notwithstandynge it shall be more tollerable & more easye at y^e daye of iudgement to Cyrus & Sy­don, than to you. And thou Caper­naum, whiche arte exalted vnto heauen, thou shalte be plucked downe euen to y^e veryhel. For yf y^e myracles whiche haue bene shewed in the, had ben shewed in Sodome, it hadde re­mayned vnto this day. Notwithstā dynge I saye to you, it shall be more tollerable to Sodome at the day of iudgement than to the: So maye it be sayde to Englonde: Do be to the Englonde, for yf the lyghte of Gods worde, had come into other nacions so plenteously as it hath done in the verelye they woulde haue repented & receiued it ioyfully. But thou dost [Page] neyther repent nor amende thy lyse, nor take ony pleasure in the cōming of it. uerely it shalbe more easy at y^e daye of iudgement to Sodome and Gomorre than to the.

Let vs not therfore doubte, but yf we do not shortely repent, amend our corrupte manners, & moost ioye fully enhalse with enbrasyng armes this moost swete & confortable Gos­pell of our sauiour Iesus Christ, vndoubtedly the fears plages of Gods wrathe wyll shortely faull vpon vs.Math [...] take [...]. The Scriptures shewe manifestlye that the vengeaunce of God is not farre from vs. These benefytes, that are shewed vnto vs, declare euidently y^e y^e plages of god are at hād. This lyght of Gods trueth, whiche nowe shyneth to al mē, yf they wyl receyue it, proueth openly y^e Goddes wrathe is redy to faull vpon vs, yf we shortely do not repent & amende. For this is the property of God, euen to send [Page] before his moost holy word,Note y^• properte of go [...] in sendyng forth his word. as a mes­sanger & Embassadour to them that walke in darknes & lyue dissolutely. If they receyue it, repent, & amende theyr lyues, thā doth his grace and fauoure faull vpon them, & they are Gods welbeloued dearelynges, and shall wante no good thynge, as we reade of the Diniuites. But yf they obstinately resyst it,Ionas. iii. laugh the word of God to scorne,Beware [...] [...]corners of Gods word vetymes [...]sal, vi [...] remayne in theyr olde infidilite & wickednes, thā doth God [...]yse v [...]e lyke a fearce [...]yon, whette his swearde, bende his bow, & make redy his shaftes, which shall pearse, the bodyes of the wycked, as dartes of yron fyre whotte.

¶ The. L. Chapter.

BUt come of I praye you hertely [...] tell me, dyd not God,Gen. vii. [...] [...]x [...]. ii. whan he sawe the worlde replenysshed so abū dantly w^e synne, that it could be no more, send None to preach vnto thē, & to exhorte them vnto repētasies & [Page] amendement of lyfe, or els synal de­struccion should chaūse vnto them [...] yet for all thys gentlenesse of God, whiche desyred rather theyr saluaciō than damnaciō, yf they would haue conuerted, they despysed the mooste louynge admonicion of Gods messā ger. They had the worde of God in derisiō. They cōtinued styll in theyr brutall & beastelyke lyuynge. They gaue them selues to eatynge, drync­kynge, banckettynge, & all kynde of carnall & volupteous lyuyng. They oppressed y^e poore people, for y^e mayn­tenaunce of theyr fleshly & insaciable lustes. To be shorte, they walked as persons full of carnall securyte, and cleane withoute all feare of GOD. But what followed this theyr wyc­ked & dissolute lyuynge,Beholde y^e end of the [...]at hate Gods worde. & cōtempte of gods word▪ Uerely utter destruc­ciō. For God sawe that they woulde by no meanes amende, but styll per­syste in theyr abhominacion, he repē ted [Page] hym,Gen. vi. that euer he made mā, and shortely after sent such a floude vpō the earth,Gen. vii. ii. Pet. ii. that it ouerflowed & drowned all the worlde, Nohe w^t certayne other only reserued thorowe y^e great goodnes of god. D terrible Hystory. Whose harte quakethe not for feare at the hearynge of this Historys' Certes it is a terrible Hystory for the aduersaries of Gods worde, and for all wicked lyuers.

Whā the Sodomites lyued so ab hominablye,Gen. xix. ii. Pet. ii. that the uery uoyce of theyr synne came vp vnto heauen, & pearsed the diuynerares, & cryed for uengeaunce to faull vpon them, not only Abraham increaced for thē, but also Lothe preached vnto thē, exhor­tynge them to leaue theyr to muche detestable & abhominable vnclēnes, & to take the feare of God vnto thē, & the study of a pure & innocent life. But they woulde not.D abbo [...] nacion. For the more that Loth rebuked thē sor theyr wic­kednes [Page] the more pleasure had they in it.P [...]. i. Psa. xiii. They delighted in theyr nough tynes, & reioysed whā they had done euell. They had no feare of God be­fore theyr eies. Yea they so lyued, as though there were no God at all. Therfore God y^e ryghteous LORDE, seynge theyr detestable purpose styll to remayne in theyr abhominable lyuynge, & no repentaunce, was of ue­ry iustyce compelled to destroye thē by sendynge fyre & brymstone from heauen, so that both Sodome & Go­morre with all the inhabitātes ther o [...] & all that euer pertayned to thē, were vtterly cōslimed with fyre and brymstone from heauē. O dolorous spectacle, & h [...]y fight. This is an example, as S Peter sayth, for all thē that do vngodly.ii. Pet. ii. Nota. Oh what it is to contemne the worde of God and the true preachers therof.

¶ The. Li. Chapter.

[Page]AGayne whan Moses & Aaron at the cōmaundement of God, preached to the Egipcians, & myssed them to lette the people of Israel [...]go oute of captiuite,Exo. iii. that they myghte come & do Sacrifyce to theyr LORD God, how lytle was theyr preaching regarded▪ god plaged thē, yet would they not amende. At the laste whan he sawe none amendement in them,Gen. xiiii. dyd not he by strōg hand delyuer thē out of captiuitie, & drowned al theyr aduersaryes▪ This came to passe vndoutedly yf they would haue ben or bediēts to his voyce by y^e mouthe of his Prophetes, they had neuer bene plaged nor yet so finallye destroyed▪ Beware be tymes beware. Let all [...]y [...]sers & kickers therfore y^e spurne agaynste the trueth, learne here what it is to despyse the worde of God and the faythefull preachers therof.

Moreouer as ofte as the chyldrē of Israel dyd forsake theyr true god, [Page] which brought them oute of y^e lorde of Egypt, & ra [...]ne an whore hūtyng after straung gods, & followed theyr owne fantasies contrary to the pre­scripte of Gods worde, God sent his Prophetes vnto them, for to admo­nysh them of theyr duty & to reduce & brynge them agayne into the true waye.D cruell murthe­rers. ii. pa. xxiiii mat. v. xxiii ii. Re. xxv. But they woulde not heare them, but persecuted them, entrea­ted them vngently, prisoned them, & neuer ceased frō theyr crudelite, vn­tyll they had slayne them. God therfore seynge howe stysseuecked & hard harted they were, sent in theyr ene­mies on euery syde, which destroyed theyr Cyties, spoyled theyr goodes, slewe innumerable, & led the residue awaye captyue for theyr disobediēce and ingratitude.

Christ vn­gentylly entreated.At the laste God sent vnto y^e Je­wes his owne sōne, that they might repent, cōuerte & amend. But hewe thanckefully they receyued his com­mynge, [Page] the Scriptures shewe more euidently than it nede here to be re­hersed. What followed? Uerely the vtter destruccion almoost of thē all, as the Histories make mēcion.Behold the ende. The ende of them was so lamētable, yea & miserable, that no man can reade the History withoute teares and we pynge eyes. Are not all theyse terry­ble Histories for the despisers of god­des worde? Let vs not flatter oure selues nor make to much of our painted [...]ethe, as they saye. For surely y^• God, which in times paste sent ven­geaunce vpon the earth for disobey­enge & contēnynge of his word, wyll nowe also poure oute his fearce pla­ges vpon vs, yf we repent not shortely & amende. For after so great light of Gods worde, yf it be not thancke­fully receyued, obeyed & followed, cō meth vndoubtedly alwaye a great & greuous plage, whiche is ineuitable and can not be exchewed, excepte the [Page] amende. Let us therfore with fo [...]e­full hertes receyue the doctryne of God, fe [...]eah meanes possible to pro­ [...] [...] thereafter, practyse it in [...] wyn other me to it by out godly conuersacion. Let vs not onlye say [...] [...] we are fauourers of Gods wor [...] crake much of fayth, but let vs [...] soberly,Tit. ii. righteously, & godly in this present world. For to read the Scriptures, to talke of thē to best our selues of fayth is not [...]ig to the purpose,Mark this well. excepte we indicate oure lyfe dayly accordynge to Gods worde.Ioan. xiiii He tha [...] hath my cōmaunde­mentes, sayth Christ, & [...]epeth them he it is that loue the me.Math. vii Not e [...]erye one that sayth to me, LORDE, LORDE shall enter into the kyngēdome of heuen, but he that doth the wyll of my father, which is in heauen.

These thynges haue I spoken to admonyshe men of theyr dutye, that they maye not abuse this singulare [Page] benefyte of Gods word, that is now come amonge vs, but lyue worthy y^e kyndenes of God, gyue hym righte herty thanckes, & to be haue them selues, that God maye not take awaye this his inestimable benefyte frō vs, but rather encrease it vnto the glo­ry of his name, & the helth of our soules. But it wyll returne to our matter, and make an ende.

¶ The. Lii. Chapter.

THus se we what greate causes [...]e [...]aue to gyue thanckes vnto God,A brefere hearfall of Gods benefites toward be: yf foe consyder hys many solde benefytes, wher with he garnyssheth vs dayly. He made vs fyrst of all not only lyke vnto his owne ymage, but also, when thorowe the synne of Adā we were loste and damned, he saued vs ag [...]yne freely of his great mercy by Iesus Christe. And thoughe we synne sometyme thorowe the frage­lite of humayne nature contrary to oure promyse at Baptisme, yette ir [...] [Page] hath mercy for vs, layd vp in store, if we faythfully repent, & amende our lyues. He preserueth vs from many greuous enormities, into the which we shoulde vndoubtedly faul [...] head­longe, yf we were not preserued by his goodnes. He lyke a moost gentle father sedeth vs, & sendeth vs al thi­ges necessary for this indygent and poore lyfe. He appoyntethe his holy Jungell to wayte vpon vs, that we maye be oppressed with no euell. He gyuethe vs fauoure in the syghte of mē. He sēdeth to vs helth both of ho­dy & soule.Ioan. xvi. He graūtethe vs what so euer we aske in the name of his sōne Iesus Christ. What would we haue more? Yea & that, whiche to a christē man would be moost acceptable and thanckefull, he hath prepared for vs an euerlastynge kyngedome. full of all ioye,Esa. lxiiii. pleasure, glory & selicite. Do herte can thyncke, no tunge can ex­presse, no eye hath sene those treasu­res, [Page] that God hathe prepared for so many as loue hym.i. Cor. iii. Who hathe euer had so bounteous a LORDE, & so gentle and louinge a father?Rom. v. He loueth, where he was not loued. He enry­cheth, where he was hated. He dothe good to thē, that despysed his moost holy wyll. D burnyng charite. D in cōparable loue. D kyndenes vnspe­kable. Do we wyll we nowe recōpēse this excedyng bentgnite of this our bounteous & celestiall father? What doth he requyre of vs agayne? Byl­dynge of monasteries? Gaddyng on pylgrimage? Offringe vp of cādels? Payntynge of Tabernacles? Gyldynge of Images? Prayeng of long Prayers wythoute the affecte of the mynde? May verely. For he hath no nede of oure goodes,Psal. iv. as the Psalmo­graphe sayth. What than? Forsothe thanckes gyuynge. He y^e gyueth hartye thanckes to God for the benefy­tes receyued, maketh God amendes [Page] largely.Thankes [...]yuyng. Note. He only desireth of his faith full people, laudes, prayses & thākes gyuynge. Only he desyreth that we be not vnthanckefull, nor walke vn worthye his benignitie & kyndenes. For as S. Bernarde sayth,In cātica Ser: [...] there is nothynge y^e displeaseth God so much chefely in the Chyldren of grace, as ingratitude and vnthanckefulnes. That he delyghteth so much in prayses & thankes gyuynge it is euidēt, seynge that he distayneth not in his holy Scrypture to call at a S [...]cry­ [...]e, as though he should say, prayse & thāckes gyuynge is that, that ple­seth me, & gyueth the swete fauoure before my presence. But let vs heare the Scriptures. The Sacrifyce of prayse, saythe he, shall honoure me. And a lytle before.Psal. xlix. Offer to God the sacrifyce of prayse, & paye to y^e moost hygheste thy nowes. Caull on me in the daye of thy trouble, & I wyll de­lyuer the, & thou shalte honoure me. [Page] Do not all these fayēges declare ma­nifestly that the moost acceptable sacryfyce to God is the Sacryfyce of prayse & thanckes gyuynge? Canue therbe a greater glory gyuē to god, than to cōfesse that all goodnes and vertu commeth only of him, & y^e ther fore al honour, laude, encomy, praise & glorye oughte to be gyuen to hym alone? Vndoubtedly the Sacrifyce of thanckes gyuynge please the God hyghly. Neyther is theyr any worke that we can do, that so hyghly exal­teth the name of God, as this Sacrifyce of thankes gyuynge, or wherin God delyghteth more. If there had, vndoubtedly it had bene prescribed & set forth in the moost sacred Byble Dyd not all the holy Patriarches & so many as were before Christes cō ­mynge offer this Sacrifyce of thāc­kes gyuynge to God, as a thynge to to him moost welcome & acceptable? And although they also at diuers ty­mes [Page] offered externall sacrifyces, yet were these none other thynge than a testimony & witnesse of theyr īward Sacrifice, which they offred in their herte, praysynge the name of oure LORDE God.Mat. xi. Luke. x. Dyd not Christe also & his Apostles, as we reade in the holy Scriptures, offer this kind of sacrifyces to our heauēly father? And as they dyd thus, so in lyke manner do they exhorte vs euer to be thākefull to God & to syng cōtynuall prayses to his moost blessed name.Colo. iii. S. Paule sayth, what so euer ye do in worde & dede, do all thynges in the name of y^e LORDE Iesu, gyuynge thanckes to God & the father by him. Agayn: Be ye thankefull. Also in another place, gyue thanckes alwaye for all thyn­ges in the name of oure LORDE Iesu Christe to God & the father.Ephe. v. To the Hebrues also be wryteth on this mā ner. By hym,Heb. xiii. he meaneth Christe, do we offer the Sacryfyce of prayse all [Page] waye to God, that is to say, y^e fruite of the lyppes, that gyue glory to his name. Thus se we how diligent the holy scripture is, for to moue vs vn­to this sacrifyce of thankes gyuing, as a thynge very pleasaunt, & much acceptable to the diuyne maieste. But lette vs heare, what S. Austē sayth, y^e we beynge instructed both with the holy scriptures, & also with authoryties of the aunciente Doc­tors, maye the soner be moued for to gyue god herty thākes at all times.

¶ The. Liii. Chapter.

OFfer to God,In Pl. xlix sayth he, the sacri­fyce of prayse. I maye come to myselfe, where I shall fynde that I maye offer. I maye come to my selfe, for in my selfe shall I fynde the im­molaciō & offerynge of prayse. Thy Altare is thy cōsciēce. Offer therfore to God the Sacrifyce of prayse.Mark [...] We nede not take ony thought, there is no cause why we shoulde go vnto A­rabia, [Page] to seke trākenfence, or to fetche the packes of y^e couetous occupyer. For god seketh of vs the sacrifyce of prayse.Luke. xix. This sacrifyce of prayse had Zacheus in his patrimony, had the widowe in her closet, had a certayne poore hostes. I knewe not what she was, [...]ii. Re. xiii. ī her tune. Offer thou therfore to God the sacrifyce of prayse. This is the offring,Psa. xlix. this is the sacrifyce to gyue thanckes vnto hym, of whome thou hast, what so euer good is, and thorowe whose mercye is forgyuen, what soeuer euell is thyne. Offer to God the sacrifyce of prayse, and pay to the moost hyghest thy prayers. For w^e this sauour is god delighted

Behold how this moost holy Doctor inculketh & bete [...]h in styll the sa­crifyce of prayse & thanckes gyuyng we sayth, y^t we nede seke none other gyfte or present to brynge vnto god but only y^• sacrifyce of prayse of thāckes gyuynge. For in that aboue al [Page] other hath God pleasure. The Psalmograph sayth,Psal. lvi. thy vow­es, O God, are within me, whiche I shall pay vnto the, I meane prayses & thankes gyuynge vnto the. For y^u hast delyuered my soule from death, & my fete from slydynge.Psa. cxv. Agayne, I shall offer vnto the, the Sacrifyce of prayse, and caull on the name of the LORDE. Psa. xxxiii. Also in another place, I wyl magnifye the LORDE at all tymes, & his prayse shal euer be in my mouth as though he should saye, there shall no tyme passe awaye, whyther it be troublous or merye, wherin I shall not prayse y^e LORD. Both my youthe & my age shal be bent to y^e prayse of hym. Hereof may we lerne to prayse our LORDE God at euery momente.

¶ The. Liiii. Chapter.

THere oughte no vyce to be fur­ther from the brest of a Christē man, then ingratitude & vnthanckefulnes. For as S. Bernarde fayth,In Cant [...] Ser. [...]. [Page] ingratitude is the enemy of y^e soule the vtter puttynge awaye of mery­tes, the dispersion of vertues, the perdicion & losse of benefites, the fyre y^e burneth & drieth vp the fountayne of godlynes, the dewe of mercye, and the sloudes of grace.

If we gyue oure seruauntes ony thynge, they render vnto vs ryghte herty thanckes for it. Is it not therfore convenient, that we be thanckefull to hym,Nota. that giueth all thinges & without whome we haue nothing y^t good is? With what forheade dare we beholde to aske and receyue ony thynge of God, and afterwarde not once to thanke hym for it? O barbarous inhumanite. O ingratitude to much vnkynde. They that are of suche churlysh nature, are of y^e kynd of them,Psa. lxxvii which, as the Psalmograph say^•the, dyd forgette the benefytes of God, & the meruay [...]ous tokens that he shewed. They were filled, yea the [...] [Page] were stuffed euen full, sayth God by his Prophet, & they than lyfted vp theyr herte, waxed proude, & forgat me.Oze. xiii. And therfore I am become vnto them as a Lyon, & as the Catte of y^e mountayne, that runneth so swyftely. I wyll mete with thē as a Beare that hathe loste her yonge ones, & I wyll breake asunder theyr obstinate harte. Yea I wyll deuour them as a Lyon, and the beast of the felde shall teare them on peces. O terible thre­tenynge for the ingrate & vnthāckefull persons. This wyll surely come to passe, yf we put not awaye our in gratitude & vnthanckefulnes.Psal. cxliiii [...] Titus. i. For y^• LORDE is faythfull in all his wor­des, & can not lye, in asmuch as he is the selfe trueth.

¶ The. Lv. Chapter.

THerfore yf we entende to haue God the father a beneficiall fa­t [...]r to vs, & his sonne Iesus Christ [...]rcifull Sauiour, lette vs in all [Page] thynges gyue thanckes to God at all tymes, yea and that not only in prosperitie but also in aduersitie,Iob. i. as the holy man Iob dyd, sayenge: The LORDE gaue it, & the LORDE hath taken it awaye, as it pleased y^e LORDE so is it come to passe, blessed be the name of the LORDE. Let vs watch & praye that we faull not into tentacion. Let vs flye to God at all tymes with precordiall obsecracions & her­ty requestes.Mat. xxvi Let our prayers be continuall. Let thē procede frō a fayth­full & charitable harte.In exhortacion to prayer & thankes geuynge. Let vs aske all thynges accordyng to the wyl of GOD, yea and that in the name of Christe. Lette vs in all our prayers seke the glorye of God, the auaunce­ment of his moost blessed worde, and y^e helth of our owne soules. Let vs pray for y^e preseruacion of y^• kynges moost excellent maieste, & for the prosperous successe of his intierly belo­ued sonne Edward our Prynce. [...] [Page] moost angelyke Impe. Let vs pray for all the Lordes spirytuall & tem­porall, speciallye those that haue the regiment of the publyque weale vn­der the Kynges graces highnes.Col. iiii [...] Let vs pray for the ministers of Goddes worde, that they maye freely speake the trueth of Christes Gospell, as it becōmeth them. Let vs praye for all mē vniuersally, chefely for the inha­bitātes of this Realme of Englond, that they maye all beare a faythfull harte hothe towarde God and oure kynge. To cōclude, let vs praye that the wyll of God maye be fulfylled in all thynges.

Whan we haue thus prayed, lette vs all tymes gyue thanckes to God for his benefytes. So shall it come to passe, y^e he shall not only not turne awaye his kyndenes from vs, but also encrease it dayely vnto the great consolacion and conforte of vs all.

Yf this thynge shall come to passe [Page] that we both praye feruently, and a [...] so gyue thanckes to God her [...]ye, [...] shall not a lytle reioyse that I haue taken the labour & payne in compy­lynge this pathewaye vnto Prayer, yea it shall encourage me hereafter to attempte other enterpryses of no lesse importaunce and vtilite.

Which thynge (moost gentle Rea­der) that it maye come to passe, pray for me vnto oure LORD God, that he maye syng [...]e that thynge in me, whiche he hath begunne, vnto the glory of his moost blessed name, [...] promocion of his moost godly word, and the profyt & edificacion of his moost holy & catholyke Chyrche. Amē.