To the right honourable and virtuous Lady, Arm Grey, Theodore Basille wisheth long ●yfe, continual health, and prosperous ●e● licitie. ✚  
IT is not without an urgent and most necessary cause that we are so oft commanded in the most sacred & holy Bible to match & pray. 
Ma● xxvi▪ Mar. xiii●. i Pet. iiii. Ephe. vi.  For if we that profess ourselves to be soldiers of Christ's arm● do seriously & without feigning ponder, weigh & consider our state & manner of living in this world, we shall shortly be occasione● to confess and grant with the holy & patient man job, 
job. seven.  that the life of man is nothing else than a very knighthood or warfare upon the earth, full of misery & trouble, replete with little io●e & pleasure. 
〈◊〉 christian man hath many enemies i this world.  To whom is it unknown what a great multitude of mortal enemies every one hath ● this world, that doth profess Christ aright? Among all other have we not three capital & chief adversaries, the devil, the world, & the flesh, which cease not daily to assail us after the most crafty & subtile manner? How doth Satan spread his nets in every forest & Park, 
The devil.  that no dear may escape his devouring teeth & ravening paws? How many ways seeketh he to destroy, kill and s●ay the innocent sheep of Christ? 
●en. iii  Even from the beginning of the world hath he exercised his tyrannical fury, & furious tyranny against man●●d. Who hath at any time been free, were he never so good & perfect, from his subtle & to much crafty assaults? He is so bend & fervently addict to the destruction of man, that so soon as we are regenerate & born anew ●n Christ by the holy Ghost, & the most blessed & honourable Sacrament of Baptism, he straight falls in hand with us, labouring by one means or other utterly to allure & entice us from our profession, as we may see in our saviour & LORD jesus Christ, 
Mat. iiii. Marinell i Luke, iiii.  whom after his Baptism Satan did not fear to assail and to tempt unto much absurdity and wickedness. ●f the son of God were not free from his craft, subtlety & guile, how shall we than miserable creatures eschew his tyranny, which are ready to fall at every hour, except we watch and pray. Our strife is not, 
Ephe. vi.  saith S. Paul, against blood & flesh, but against rulers, against the powers, against the Lords of the world, I mean, the governors of the darkness of this world, against spiritual subtleties in heavenvly thinges. Therefore sayeth S. Peter: 
i Pet. v.  Be you sober and watch, for your adversary the devil goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour.  

The world  Moreover what an extreme enemy is the world to so many as profess Christ? How many occasions have we thorough the entysementes and vain pleasures thereof to fall from the true godliness? How doth it allure us to the love of transitory things? How doth it delight us with the beholding of the vain spectacles thereof? How doth it draw us to the love of mundane things, & to the utter contempt of things celestial and heavenly? ●ea how almost doth it win us altogether on her side? When the scripture not withstanding sayeth: 
i joan. two.  Love not the world, nor those things that are in the world. If any man loveth the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, as the concupiscence of the flesh, & the lust of the eyes, & the pride of the life, is not of the father, but it is of the world. And the world passeth away, & the lusts thereof. But he that doth the will of God, abide the for evermore. 
jacob. iiii.  S. james also sayeth: O you adulterers and alulteresses, do you not know that the petition of the world, is emnite with God? Who soever therefore will be the friend of the world, he is become an enemy of Gods.  

The flesh.  Furthermore what a cruel adversary is the flesh unto a christian man? 
●al. u  How doth it at all times lust contrary to the spirit? How doth it continually fight with the heavenvly motions of the holy Ghost? How doth it move us to the love of ourselves, to pride, uncleanness, gluttony, covetousness, wantonness of living, unmercifulness, crudelite, & all that ever naught is? And this enemy do we nourish in our own breasts. He is a domestical adversary & one of household as they use to say. He is ever at hand to do us displeasures. He is never from home, but always within the doors, so that we are in danger of destruction at every hour, except we diligently watch and take heed. 
O the unspeakable misery of man, without the grace of God.  Whither so ever we turn us, our enemies meet with us & so cruelly assail us, that except the grace of God assist us valeauntlye, we are at every moment of an hour ready to be cast into hell fire. O the unspeakable misery of man in this most miserable world. 
Take h●de oh pastorn●r● of God's word.  Where are they now that so live in all worldly joy & pleasure, that they take no thought for the cruel assaults of their enemies▪ Where are these wicked idolaters, 
Idolaters.  superstitious Hypocrites, abominable blasphemers of Gods most blessed name, & breakers of the Sabbath day, which setting aside all love and fear of God, throw themselves headlong into all kind of ungodliness? 
Rebellions.  Where are these dishonorers of our most excellent & most redoubted king, & of the other publigue magistrates, sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, but for the praise of them that do well. Where are the disobedient to their parents? 
Blood ●oupers.  Where are these manslayers, which daily thirst innocent blood, no less than the thirsty heart panting for heat, desireth the livish springs of waters? 
Whoremongers.  Where are these abominable adulterers, unclean fornicators, and styncking whoremongers, which contemning the bond of honourable wedlock, the law of the undefiled bed, & the chaste living with their own wives, 
He●. xiii.  do daily hunt after whores, defile virgins, pollute married women, corrupt widows, as I may pass over much other detestable uncleanness, 
O extreme abomination.  which it shameth not them to perpetrate and do yea & that so boldly that this sin of fornication is among many at this present recounted no sin, but a natural inclination, a token of love, a putting away of emnite & discord? I think if it be not redressed shortly, it will grow up into such freedone & liberty, that it shallbe counted no sin at all, but rather a virtue, or at the least a spur & provocation to virtue. O the abomination of the world. O intolerable wickedness. O uncleanness more detestable, than it may any longer be suffered. 
Beware you abominable who remongers betimes.  The great displeasure, the fierce wrath, the extreme vengeance, the fierce and cruel plagues of God hung over our heads, if this to much detestable vice be not shortly removed from the bounds of Christianite. Again, where are these malicious thieves, 
thieves.  which despising labour, live of the sweat of other men's faces, & of the labour of other men's hands, after an unjust and wrong manner? Where are these false witnesses, 
False witnesses.  which for very malice or else for money are ready to the utter damnation of their souls for to swear & give evidence against the innocentes and guiltless? Where are these Catarpillers & extortioners of the poor people, which do nothing all the whole day but gape after bribes and polling fees, 
extortioners.  no less than the hungry Lion doth after his pray. 
Psal. xiii.  They devour my people, sayeth GOD, as a piece of bread. 
rich men.  Where are these rich men, to whom God hath committed the goods of this world, which like insatiable dogs having never enough, do continually hunt after the augmentation of mundane treasures, 
O insa●iable covetousness.  as by joining lordship to Lordship, Farm to Farm, land to land, pasture to pasture, house unto house, ●enefyce to benefice, College to College, Prebend to Prebend, Chantry to Chantry, office to office, promotion to promotion, yea & promotion for a vantage, as they say? & yet are they unmerciful to the poor people, 
Heb. xiii. i Pet. iiii.  despise the mayntaynaunce of hospitality, which the holy scriptures commend so highly in every place, & do nothing less than exercise themselves in the works of mercy. Where are these spiritual rulers, 
Spiritual Rulers.  which giving themselves to voluptuous living, neglect to feed Christ's flock with Gods most blessed word? 
Antichrists.  Where are these Antichrists which labour to suppress Christ's most sweet & comfortable Gospel? 
Papists.  Where are these Papists, which desire the old papistical & ungodly superstition to reign again among us? 
captives of Satan.  Where are these captives of Satan which wallow & tumble themselves in the dung hills of sin? To conclude where are all these wicked pa●sōnes, which transgress Gods commandments, and solyve as though there were no God at all? O the ungodly & wicked fasshions of this world. O the countenance of the christian publigue weal, not a little deformed thorough the pernicious manners of the false christians. Thus see we what a number of mortal enemies reigneth every where among us, & yet is there no man that lamenteth his sin, 
Awake, awake.  de●esteth his wickedness, bewaileth his misery, desireth amendment, seeketh for grace, prayeth for the favour of God, that thorough the holy Ghost we may be restored to our old puri●e & cleanness. 
Prover. xi. i Pet. iiii.  If the righteous man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly & sinner appear? Who se●th not in how miserable a case we ●re? Who perceiveth not how great ●●ede there is of amendment? Who doth not see as it were in a thing lyvyshly painted before his face, that except we amend shortly, & correct we shall triumphantly ha●● the ●ictory over them all. Be you obedient to God, 
jacob. iiii.  saith S▪ james, resist the d●●e & he shall ●●ye from you. Draw nigh to God, & he shall draw nigh unto you. Make clean your hands O you sinners, & purify your hearts, O you that are double minded. Be you troubled, & mourn, and weep, let your laughing be turned ●to mourning, & your joy into sorrow. Show yourselves humble in the sight of y● LORD & he shall lift you up.  
O that we would follow the godly counsel of this holy Apostle, & so redress our wicked manners, that the christian publigue weal might be restored to her old amiable beauty & glorious pleasance. 
Ways to obtain God's fa●oure.  How many ways hath God left here among us, whereby we may make him a merciful father, & a gentle saviour unto us? As I may leave of to speak of fasting & alms deed, what a goodly & godly mean is true & christian prayer. 
Of prayer Note well.  for to obtain the favour of God, & to provoke his most tender mercy toward us? Hath any thing ● times passed so greatly apesed the divine wrath? did not the holy father's ● times pas●●● 〈◊〉 their troubles adversity fly unto Prayer, as unto a holy Anchor, or sure Asile, & strong Bulwark? Whom would it not delight to talk with the kings grace, if he were amytted thereto? What a treasure than is it to talk with the King of Kings & Lord of Lords, in comparison of whom all earthly creatures are more vile than the worms? This thing cometh to pass by true and christian prayer. 
What p●a●● 〈◊〉  For what other thing is prayer, than a familiar communication with God, wherein we may freely power out the troubles of our hearts, and declare all our matters boldly to him, as the child doth unto his father, & obtain at his hand all good things. verily we are our own enemies, if we neglect & despise this great commodity & singular pleasure? We can not excuse ourself by ygnorancy, in as much as we have plenty of prayers prepared for us in the english tongue both in the holy Bible, & in other godly treatises, which are now in this most flourishing Realm of England published universally unto the great glory of God, & the exceeding consolation of all true christian men, in as much that as S. Paul sayeth: 
two. Cor. iiii.  If the Gospel be yet hid, ●t is hid in them that perish, in whom the God of this world hath blinded they senses & wits of the unfaithful, that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, which is the Image of God, should not shine unto them. thanks be to God for this his incomparable benefit given unto us by his well-beloved & faithful servant Help our most redoubted King. That LORD might also grant that we abuse not this his most gentle gift, but rather use it unto the glory of his name, the edification of his church, & the comfort of our souls.  
●owe for as much as there is sufficiency of prayers prepared already & set forth by other, whom God might also prospero in their most godly affairs. A thought it a vain thing to increase the number of them, & to acumulate prayers upon prayers, where by wexines rather than cheerfulness should be brought to the Readers▪ I therefore coveting in this behalf to work somewhat the might make unto the advancement of Prayer, whereby the devout Christians might receive knowledge, & be the better instructed in the true manner of praienge, have now of late compiled a work entiteled, 
A pathway unto prayer  A pathway unto Prayer. I was the gladder to take it in hand, because no man hath as yet perfectly entreated of this matter, neither in the Greek, 
The cause of making this work  Latin, nor english tongue, that ever I could se. What doth it avail or profit a man being of a debyle & weak nature to have a Pomegranate or any other thing that comforteth nature, restoreth strength, 
Mark well  & bringeth again the perfection of health, if he knoweth not the use of it, & wherfort it serveth. verily even so of prayer. If there be never so many prayers prepared for men, if they know not the use of them, nor wherefore they serve, nor yet after what manner they should be exercised, what profit receive they of them? It is but an easy thing to pray, but to pray aright & according to the will of God, is a thing of great difficult & much labour. We think it an hard thing to speak unto a terrestial Prince with words convenient, apt & decent, & is it but a trifle to speak to the most high Prince, in whose sight the most eloquent is very barbarous, and the most holy, profane? I have therefore in this my treatise following declared what prayer is, 
The contents of this Book.  wherefore it serveth, & unto what end we should use it. I have also declared of what virtue & strength the true & christian prayer is, & how we should prepare ourselves to prayer, that we may pray aright, & according to God's pleasure. And for asmuch as some men are of so scrupulous, I had almost said, superstitious conscience, the they think no prayer to be herd, but that only which is prayed in the church, or some other sacred place, as they call it, I have declared both by Scriptures & ancient Doctors, in what place it is lawful to pray. Again I have declared after what manner men should pray, that God may accept their prayer, and for what things they should pray, yea & at what time. And in asmuch as this word Prayer doth contain in it not only Petition, but also thanks giving for the benefit that is received, therefore have I also declared my mind concerning giving of thanks to God the Father thorough jesus Christ. 
Colos. iii  All these things have I done in this little work according to the true vain of the holy scriptures & the judgement of the best learned Doctors, seeking in this my labour only the glory of God, & the profit of his holy congregation. Which thing if it shall may come to pass, I shall not only not repent me, but very much rejoice in the LORD of this my travail, & shall hereby be encouraged after this, to take in hand other arguments of no less utility & profit.  
Now gentle & prudent Lady, disdain not to take this little gift, which your Basille doth with most gentle heart offer unto you as a testimony of his obsequious will toward your good Ladyship. I doubt not but that as you yourself shall find much pleasure & profit by the reading of it, so shall all the readers of the same obtain so much godly fruit & christian knowledge by it, that they shall tender hearty & immortal thanks to God, that such a work cometh forth dedicated to your Ladyshyppes name. I again on my behalf shall most instantly desire almighty God to assist you at all times with his holy Spirit in the reading not only of this my little treatise, but also of all other works that make to the glory of God & the health of your soul, & chiefly in reading the most comfortable Gospel of his dearly beloved son jesus Christ our LORD & omnisufficient saviour (wherein the whole study & pleasure of a true Christian aught principally to be) the you having your whole meditacio in the law of y● LORD both day & night, 
Psal. i  may found such sweetness & pleasure in his most delectable word that you wanting at this present the company of a corporal husband, may be married to the most glorious & beautiful King jesus Christ Gods own son in your soul by faith in this world, & after the departure from this vale of misery to live with him presently in the fullness of perfect joy, worlds without end. AMEN.  
¶ The grace of our LORD jesus Christ be with your good Ladyshyppe, and with all your household. So be it.   

The pathewaye unto Prayer.  

¶ What prayer is.  

¶ The first Chapter.  
PRayer after the common definition of the Doctors, 
The definition of prayer.  is a lifting up of a pure mind to God, wherein we ask somewhat of him.  
This definition of prayer seemeth unto me so godly & in every part agreeable to the holy scriptures that I think it my bound duty to search out every word of it in order, & to compare it with the most sacred Scriptures, & the sayings of the ancient Doctors.  
first it teacheth us that prayer is a lifting up of a pure mind. Note first of all that he sayeth, a lifting up, 
lifting up, what at signifieth.  What other thing means this word, lifting up, than to show that who soever intendeth to pray, must utterly seclude & put out of his heart all vain cogitaciō● & worldly thoughts, all carnal fantasies, all ungodly imaginations, to conclude all such things as might make the heart of him that prayeth to creep upon the ground, to alienate & estraung his mind from the meditation of celestial & divine matters? And this is the very same thing that Christ teacheth in the gospel of matthew, 
Math. vi.  where he saith: When y● prayest, thou shalt not be like to the Hypocrites. For their manner is to stand praying in the synagogues & in the corners of the streets, that men may see them, Certes I say unto you they have their reward. But wha● thou prayest enter into thy closet, & when y● hast sparred thy door, pray to thy father which is in secte●e, & thy father which seethe in secret, shall ●eward the openly. In these words Christ doth not only rebuke the false & ●ayned manner of praying, which the Hypocrites use hunting only after vain glory, & seeking the praise of men more than the glory of God & the health of their own souls, but he also declareth how we shall prepare ourselves for to pray, that we may be heard. He commandeth us to enter into our closet, & to spar our door. What other thing means Christ by this, but that, as I have said before, we should expulse all temporal things out of our hearts, whensoever we intend to pray, & have our minds altogether set upon celestial & heavenly things? 
Mark well & follow.  Therefore aught so many as intend to pray with fruit to seek an occasion to be seguestred from all temporal affairs & from the troubles of worldly things, which might be an impediment to them in their holy meditations, & so to be free from all external & mundane things, that their prayer in deed may be a very lifting up, according to the beginning of our definition.   

¶ The second Chapter.  
ANd that this thing may the more conveniently be brought to pass, it shallbe expedient for such as intend to exercise prayer to repose themselves and to set their hearts quiette from all the troubles of the world, yea & to subduce & convey themselves from the company of the worldly people into some secret & solitary place for the time of their prayer, that they may the more freely give their minds to devout & holy meditation, as the manner of many holy men was in times passed. Examples have we of divers in the holy Scripture, which used this trade. The gospel showeth how Christ was won● many times whē●e would pray to go into the fields ●nd there being alone upon a mountain utterly secluded from all other company, 
Luke. vi.  to persever & continued in ●he prayer of God all the whole night. Again a little before his passion we ●ead that he intending to pray unto his celestial father forsook the cō●any of other, 
Mat. xx●●.  yea and although he ●oke with him only three of his disciples at that instant. Peter, john, & james, yet notwithstanding whanne was in the mount of Olivete, the accustomed place of his praying, he ●ent away from them also about a ●ones cast, & he kneeling down, prai●d so heartily & so long to God his father, that for very anguish, pain & ●orow the sweat of his most blessed ●ody was even as the drops of blood ●unnynge down upon the earth. 
Act. x.  Peter also being in the house of Simon the Tanner went up into the upper part of the house to pray, tha● he might not be troubled with y● other company. 
●ii. Re. iiii.  Helyseus also, when he shul● pray to God for a certain chylde● was dead, went alone into the chamber, where the child lay, & sperrey the door & so prayed. 
●ob. 〈◊〉.  Again Sar● the daughter of raguel, desyryng● to be delivered from them impropery & embraiding, as it would appear, of a certain default, wherewith on● of her father's handmaidens did embraid & cast her in the teeth, forsook all company, & went straight into an● upper chamber of her house, & there being alone, did neither eat nor drink by the space of three days & three nights, but continued in prayer, & beseeched God even with tears the he would deliver her from this embraiding & rebuke. 
Iu. x. twelve.  judith in like manner, when she should put herself in jeopardy for the health of her people, went first in to her Oratory & secret place, where ●he was wont to pray, & so desired the help of God. At certain other times also before she slew Holofernus she went forth in the night time for to pray quietly by herself. Queen Hester also putting of her princelike garments, 
Hest. xiiii.  prayed for her people to God secretly in her chamber. Again Daniel, 
Dau. vi.  when certain Dukes & Earls for the hatred and evil will that they bore unto him, had caused king Darius to make an Act that who soever asketh any Petition of their God, yea or of any man but of the King alone for the space of thy● tie days, he should be cast into the den of Lions, ceased not to pray for all the Act of the king, but still as he was wont to do, prayed boldly to his LORD God, being in his chamber secretly by himself alone. Thus see we that both Christ● & other holy men also, sought evermore an occasion to be quiet & solitary, that they might the more ●●●ly talk with God in their prayer, & so came it to pass that their prayer was unfeignedly a lifting up.   

¶ The third Chapter.  

Psal. xxi.  IT is not without a cause the Prayer in the holy scripture is compared to a sweat perfume, whose nature is alway, if it be once incensed or set on fire, 
Prayed compared to a perfume.  to life up itself & still to go upward so long as it lasteth I● like manner the true & christian prayer aught to lift up itself with devynd contemplation, & still to go up so long as it lasteth with the meditation of celestial things, & not to ●repe upon the ground with ●am● thoughts & worldly imaginations. For so is that prayer no lifting up of mind or of him that prayeth, unto heaven, but rather a thrusting 〈◊〉 to hell, yea & worketh s●nne ● damnation to him that prayeth as the psalmography sayeth: 
〈◊〉  Oratio 〈◊〉 fiat in peccatum. ●f you be risen again with Christ saith S. Paul seek for those things the are above, 
Colos. iii  where Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. Set your minds upon the things above & not upon the things of the earth. For you are dead, & your life is hid with Christ in God. When so ever Christ our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. So that not only prayer but also the whole life of a Christian man aught to be a lifting up, that is to say, a fervent desire & diligent seeking of supernal & heavenly things. But let us proceed with our definition. Hitherto have we herded that Prayer is a lifting up. Whereof I pray you? of hands or eyes? Nay verily, but of a pure mind. For as touching the ●yftyng up of hands & eyes, it may also be used so well of Hypocrites as ●f true Christians. 
〈◊〉  Therefore sayeth Chrisostome, 
De oration  thouhg thou dost not bow thy knees, nor knock thy breast, nor strecthe out thy hands unto heaven, yet if thou only show forth a fervence mind, thou shalt make a perfect prayer. 
Note of external gestures in Prayer.  not withstandyng if such things be done in time of prayer proceeding from the fervent & inward affection of the spirit, they are not to be discummended. 
Psa. ●xxii.  For David saith, I have lifted up mine eyes unto thee, which dwellest in heaven And S. Paul saith, 
●. Tim. two.  I will that men pray in every place, lifting up your hands without wrath & contention. We read also that christ used to kneel when he prayed. 
Luke. xxii.  And the humble and poor Publican knocked his breast when he prayed, 
Luke. xviii  saying: O God be thou merciful to me a sinner. Therefore as touching the external gesture & outward behaviour, as the lifting up of hands or eyes, the kneeling o● knocking on the breast, in as much as they are mean & indifferent things, they are to be left to the judgement of devout & well disposed people, either to be done or to be left undone, as their minds shall serve them. And for as much as they pertain nothing to our matter, I will le● them pass & go forth with our definition.   

¶ The fourth Chapter.  
PRayer, say the holy Doctors, is a lifting up of a pure mind. These words are not to be go over with a light foot, as they use to say, but deeply to be weighed, & seriously to be pondered. For in them doth consist in a manner the whole efficacy, virtue, strength, power & pith of prayer. 
Prayer▪ is ● wor● of the mind.  first we shall note the prayer is not the work of the mouth, but of the mind, yea & that not of a corrupt, fleshly, malicious & sinful, but of a pure, immaculate, clean, unspotted, faithful & charitable mind. But I will first show by the scriptures & holy fathers, that prayer is the work of the mind according to our definition, & afterward somewhat declare of the purity of the mind.  
That prayer is the work of the mind, it is manifest by divers places of holy scripture. 
Exo. xiiii.  For when ●oses at the commandment of God led the people of Israel out of Egipte, & Pharaoh with his cruel army followed, purposing unmercifully to slay them, he being in great thought & care how he might safely condu●●● the Israelites, & yet still trusting & having his whole affiance reposed in their LORD God, prayed nothing at all with his mouth, but only uttered his cause secretly in his heart unto God, & he was heard. For the LORD God said unto him▪ What criest thou unto me▪ His crying was not the voice of the mouth, but the affection of the heart. He cried with a pure mind to God, & therefore was he heard, though the mouth kept silence. 
●. Reg. i  In like manner Anne the wife of Helcana, when she had been long barren & without fruit, prayed God, that he would take away from her opprobry and shame, and give her children, which thing she obtained. And yet saith the scripture she spoke in her heart. Her lips only moved, 
Luke. seven.  but her voice was heard nothing at all. Marry Magdalene also prayed, not with her lips & mouth, when she washed Christ's feet with the tears of her eyes, & wiped them with the here of her head, kissing & anointed them full tenderly in the house of Simon the pharisee, she only lamented in her heart her sinful living & dissolute conversation, desiring in her mind to have remission of her sins, & she heard this sweet voice of Christ. Her sins are forgynen her, because she hath loved much. ●ea & immediately after Christ said to her. Thy faith hath saved thee, 
joan. iiii.  go thy way in peace. Christian also the self truth & wisdom of his father said to the woman of Samaria, when they talked together of worshipping God. Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor yet at jerusalem, you shall worship the father. ●e worship that you know not, we worship that we know. For health is of the jews. But the hour cometh & now it is, when the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit & truth. For the father seeketh such that should worship him. God is a spirit, & they that worship him, must worship him in spirit & truth. Here christ, 
joan. xiiii Titus. i  which is the very truth & can not lie, showeth us two notable things. One that God his father is a spirit, another, that as he is a spirit, so will he be worshipped in the spirit, 
Note.  who perceiveth not than that it is the Spirit, the heart, the mind, I mean the inward & spiritual man, that must worship God▪ It is a common saying among us, like will to like. And every one desireth such as he is himself. Truth it is. Now is God a spirit, therefore requireth he a spiritual manner of worshipping, which doubtless proceedeth from the heart, & not from the stentoreous voice of the mouth. The pure affection of the heart, & not the whispering noise of the lips doth God require. God which is the searcher of the heart, seaketh to be worshipped in the heart, as he saith by Solomon, 
Pro. xxiii.  son give me thy heart. Moreover S. Paul saith, 
Rom. i  God is my witness, whom I worship in my spirit. In my spirit, saith he, and not in the unfruitful babbling of my lips. 
Ephe. v.  Again, Speak among yourselves in Psalms, Hymns, & spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the LORD. Lostyll he maketh mention of the heart, willing that all praises, songs & melody be done in our hearts to the LORD our God. As though he should say, all that ever is done without the heart, is vain, unfruitful, yea & plain abomination before God, rather working damnation then salvation to the doers of it, as Christ sayeth: 
Mat. xv.  This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. verily they worship me in vain. Thus see we proved by the scripture, that Prayer is the work of the heart, of the spirit of the mind, & not of mouth & lips. But let us hear what the Doctors say to this matter.   

¶ The fift Chapter.  

In oration▪ Dom. Ad transismund. Lib. it.  Saint Cipriane the blessed martyr saith, which Fulgentius also reciteth, that God is not the hearer of the voice, but of the heart, neither is he to be admonished with exclamations & outecryes, which seethe the thoughts, as the LORD proveth & saith, what do you think wickedness in your hearts▪ & in another place, All congregations shall know, that I am the searcher of the reins and heart, that is to say, of the inward part. 
Libro de Cain et Abel. cap. ix.  Also S. Ambrose sayeth, take heed that thou dost not babble out rashly the mysteries of the Crede, or of the lords prayer. Dost thou not know, how grievous a thing it is to heap up sin in Prayer, where thou trustest to have remedy▪ Certes y● LORD taught by the Prophet the this is a grievous curse, 
Psa. ●viii.  saying: His prayer is become even very sin. Except peradventure thou recountest it but a trifle to mistrust. It is surely a great incredulity and unfaithfulness to think thus of the power of God, that thou canst not be herded, 
Mark this well.  except thou criest out. Let thy work cry, let thy faith cry, let thy mind cry, let thy passions and suffrynges cry, let thy blood, as the blood of holy Abel, cry, whereof god said to Cain, 
Gen. iiii.  the voice of thy brother's blood cry unto me. For he heareth in secret, which maketh clean in secret. We can not hear a man except he speaketh unto us, but unto God, not words but thoughts do speak. 
Moral. lib xxii. cap. xviii.  Again, S. Gregory saith, undoubtedly true prayer consisteth not in the voice of the mouth, but in the thoughts of the heart. For our words do not make the voices the more pythethy and valiant to come unto the most secret ears of God, but our desire and affections. Therefore saith the LORD in the gospel: Enter into thy closet & spar 
Mat. vi.  thy door. 
Note.  He sparreth the door, & prayeth in his closet, which holdeth his peace with his mouth, & poureth out the affection of his mind in the sight of God above. 
Lib. de mag. i  Moreover S. Austen ●ayeth: Thou knowest, I am sure, y●●t is commanded us for none other thing that we should pray in our closettes▪ being sparred (whereby the secret parts of the mind are signified) but that God seaketh not to be monished or taught by our speaking of that thing, which we co●uyt that he should give us. For he that speaketh giveth outwardly a sign or token of his will by some articulate, plain & evident sound. But God is both to be sought & to be prayed unto, even in the very secret parts of a reasonable soul, which is called the inward man. For he willeth that these be his Temples. Wherefore we need no speaking whē●●e pray, that is to say, no words that shall make any sound, except peradventure as the priests do, for to utter their mind, not y● God, but that man should hear them, & with a certain consent be drawn to contemplation by remembering them. Here● to agreeth the saying of S. Jerome● 
In Epist. ●d Ephe.  we aught, saith he, to sing, to make melody, & to praise the LORD rather in mind then in voice. And this is it that is said, singing & making melody to the lord ● your hearts. 
Ephe. u A good lesson for our musi●ions and chanters  Let young men hear these thyr●ges, yea let them hear, whose office it is to sing in the church, that they must sing to God not in the voice but in the heart, neither must their throat & chaws be anointed after the manner of Gameplayers with sweet oyntementes, that in the church singing more fit for game places should be heard, but in fear, in work, in knowledge of the scriptures aught they to sing unto the ●ORDE. 
●d Roma. Lib. vir. cap. v●●●.  Drigen also sayeth, God in prayer doth not so much weigh & ponder our words, as he doth the heart & the mind▪ For he it is, which searcheth th● hearts and the reins.  
Although I could rehearse many no notable sayings of these & other Doctors, 
Psal. seven. Sap. i Apo. two. Jere. xvii.  which prove manifestly ye●rayer is not the work of the mouth ●ut of the heart, not of the voice, but ●f the thought, not of the lips but of ●he mind, yet these at this present ●aye seem abundantly to satisfy. neither do I recite the testimonies ●f the old fathers to confyrine & make ●ur matter the more strong, which ●redy is sufficiently established by ●he holy Scriptures, neither need ●hey the confirmation of any man●es doctrine, which of themselves ●ught to be believed without hesita●on or doubting of the faithful, ● as much as they be the Oracles & in ●llible speeches of God, in whom all necessary truth for our salvation is ●prehended, 
The cause of ●●hersynge the Doctors ● this ●oke  & without the authority whereof all that ever is taught or ●ritten, be but mere fantasies & h●●ayne inventions: but I have called the holy & catholic Doctor's t● witness, because they reach the sam● thing that the Scripture doth, & t● stop the mouths of certain wicked & ignorant people, which thick no truth to be truth except by m●nes authority it be established, an● that men seeing & hearing the judgement of such as are learned, should● be the more ready to cast away they● hypocrisy & accommodate themselves to the true manner of worshyppyng● and praying to our LORD God.   

¶ The sixth Chapter.  
VUell of these things thā● heretofore rehearsed is it easy to learn that such as will pray to God with fruit, must pray in heart, in spirit, in mind, in thought, in affection, in the soul, in the inward man, or else the noise of the mouth, ● mumbling of the lips, the roryng● of the throat, the shaking of the head the knocking on the breast, the kne●lynge on the ground, & what soever can be reckoned more is vain, unfruitful, & nothing to the purpose, rather bringing damnation than salvation, as we have herded heretofore.  
What is than to be thought of such personnes, which when they are in the temple or else where, never leave ●ablynge, their minds being utterly drawn from their prayers, & altogether set upon transitory and worldly things▪ Some streatche ●ut their prayers into an innumerable number of leaves, thinking so to do God an high sacrifice. 
Against the vain beblers & superstitious worshippers of saints  Some also upon their beads taly up, I cannot tell how many Lady Psalters, ●heynge persuaded the by that means they shall see our Lady corporally before they die, & that when they are once dead, our lady & all the. xi. M virgins with other saints more, whose number is infinite, shall meet with them, every one having in their hands a brenning taper of wa●e, & so receive them ito glory, putting upon their heads a crown of gold garnished, I can not tell you, with how many read Roses. Some again worship daily a great number of saints every one havige to their part an hundred Pater nosters, with as many Aves, besides the Credes, and that for divers causes. These things be more openly known than the they need here to be rehearsed, except we be so blind that we will see nothing, & so ignorant that we will nothing know. I fear greatly unless that may justly be spoken of such vain babblers, which is spoken by the Prophet Esay, 
Esa. xxix.  & rehearsed of our saviour jesus Christ in the Gospel of matthew: 
Math. xv.  This people, saith he, honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. verily they worship me in vain. Yea I fear unless that they thorough such unfaithful babbling do acumulate & heap up to themselves the greater damnation, as Christ witnesseth in the Gospel. 
Mat. xxiii.  Woe be to you Scribes & Pharisees Hypocrites, sayeth Christ, which eat the houses of widows, yea and the under the pretext of long Prayer. 
Luke. xx.  For this shall you be punished the more grievously. Again he sayeth: Beware of the Scribes, which have a pleasure to walk in long robes, & love to be saluted in the markets, & to have the chief preminence in the synagogues, and the high seats at feasts, which devour the houses of wydomes feigning outewardely long Prayers. They shall receive the greater damnation. 
Mat. twelve.  If we shall at the day of judgement tender an accounts of every idle word that we speak, as the holy scripture testifieth, what is then to be thought of those words, which we unfruitfully waste, when we pretend outwardly to pray, & yet inwardly have our minds entangled with the care of worldly things, or else enticed from the affection of prayer with vain cogitations of things carnal. It is to be feared unless we incur & run into greater damnation, than they which pray nothing at all. For is such prayer any other thing than plain mocking of God▪ Our external pretext is as though we prayed and desired to have our prayers herded of God, but in deed our manner of praying is nothing else I speak of the unfruitful babblers, but only a desiring of God that he should hear us & our prayers nothing at all, seeing we ourselves do not hear them, nor yet mind them in our hearts, yea we desire him that he will take vengeance on us for our mocking & idle babbling. And this is it that S. Ambrose saith, 
Lib●●. de Cain et Abel. cap. ix.  take heed that thou dost not babble out rashly the mysteries of the Crede & of the lords prayer. Dost thou not know how grievous a thing it is in prayer for to heap up sin, where thou trustest to have remedy▪ Certes y● LORD taught by the Prophet, 
Psal. cviii.  that it is a grievous curse, saying: His prayer is become to him even very sin. ●. Gregory also says. Simulata sanctitas est duplex iniquitas. Feigned holiness is double iniquity. To pray nothing at all is iniquity & plain sin, 
Note.  but to pretend outwardly an holy manner of praying, & yet not pray in deed in our hearts, is double iniquity, & increaseth much damnation unto us, as we have heard heretofore, in as much as we are dissemblers both before God & man. But let us hear what S. John Chrisostome sayeth: 
Homel. twelve. Demul. canan.  Many coming into the church do extend & streytch out their prayer unto a thousand verses, as though the multitude of words were needful unto God as unto one that doth not know what y● arrest, which knoweth the matter, before thou thinkest. For they themselves also do not know what they say. Their lips are moved only, but their mid is without fruit, & therefore are the ears of God deaf. Thou hearest not thy own prayer, & wilt thou that the LORD should hear thy prayer? I have bowed, thou sayest, my knees. Thou hast bowed in deed thy knees within, but thy mind wandereth abroad. Thy body is within, but thy thought is without. Thy mouth in deed spoke, but thy mind did think upon usuries. It did count the revenues of thy possessions. It did behold the descriptions & valowynges of houses. It remembered the words of thy friends. It looked upon the negligenses of thy servants. It laughed at the pleasant jesting of the Pharasites. It considered the beau●ty of women. Therefore know that these things are done. Fellow thou being a man the woman of Canane, which very diligently and with high wisdom prayed unto y ᶜ LORD & therefore deserved to obtain her requests. But thou wilt say peradventure, I have no daughter, which is replete with the devil, but thou hast a soul, which is stuffed full of sin. 
Homil. lxxix. De oration.  Again he saith, If when the body lyghtethe prostrate upon the ground, & the mouth babbleth vainly, the mind goeth about the house and market, how may such one say that he hath prayed in the sight of God. For he prayeth in the sight of GOD, which gathereth altogether his mind quietly, & hath nothing to do with the world, & lifteth up himself even unto heaven, and putteth out of his mind all human thoughts. For he that prayeth, must so pray, that he setteth his mind at quiet from worldly things, & calleth on God with a sorrowful and contrite heart. Neither may he use many words, nor draw out his prayer on a great length, but speak few words, yea & those simple, plain and homely. For not in the multitude of words, but in the quickness of mind doth the whole matter consist, that we should be herded. 
Ibidem.  Once again he says: In prayer there is not so much need of the voice as of the thought, nor of the stretching out of the hands as of the intention of the mind.  
Thus see we also proved by the Doctors, that it is the mind, where with a Christian man must pray. The mumbling over multitude of prayers, the crying out of the voice, the yelling of the throat, the lifting up of the hands, the knocking of the breast, the shaking of the head, the kneeling on the knees, & whatsoever can be in vented or rehearsed besides these things, are i vain, if the mind be not present in the time of prayer. I will pray in spirit, saith Paul, 
i Cor. xiiii.  and I will pray also in mind. I will sing in Spirit, and I will sing also in mind. Therefore the it may be prayed aright, let every man say, farewell to all human affairs and worldly matters, and so quietly repose himself, while he prayeth, that according to our definition, his prayer in very deed may be a listing up of the mind.   

¶ The seventh Chapter.  
BUt some man will say peradventure, is it enough, if I pray with my mind, the heart ●eynge semoted from mundane affairs and worldly businesses? I answer: Our definition teacheth us not only to pray with the mind, but also with a pure mind. For Prayer is the lifting up of a pure mind. 
Pray ● a pure myn●  So few that it is not enough to pray with the mind, except it be pure. It will be objected, than shall we never pray. For who can say, my heart is clean and I am pure from sin? 
Pro. xx. i joan. i  I answer: If you say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, & the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful & righteous to forgive us our sins, and make us clean from all unrighteousness. The scripture saith, 
Psal. xxxi. Rom. iiii.  blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, & whose sins are covered, blessed is that man to whom the LORD hathiputed no sin. It saith not Blessed are they, which have no iniquities, or which have no sin. For S. James sayeth: 
jaco. iii  In many things we sin al. So long as we are in this mortal flesh we can never be pure & clean from the dregs of sin, if from the sin itself. We can never in this life aspire unto so great perfection of innocency, that we may appear pure & guiltless in the sight of God, 
job. twenty-five.  in whose eyes the very stars & Angels be not clean. How than may we pray with & pure mind? 
Learn here how we may pray▪ with a faithful mind.  verily if our mind be faithful to God, & charitable to our neighbour, God doth dissemble all our faults, & in as much as we are faithful unto him, & loving to our christian brothers, he counteth us all pure, 
i joan. iii  as S. john saith: He that is born of God, sinneth not, that is to say, he that believeth in God, 
Mark well.  his sin is not imputed unto him, in as much as he consenteth not to the sin, but hongreth and thyrstethe after the perfection of true innocency. Our hearts be purified by faith sayeth the scripture, 
Act. xv.  so that who so ever prayeth with a faithful & charitable mind, he is counted before God to pray with a pure mind. 
God and the world judgeth not alphe. The world.  For God judgeth not as the world doth. The world thinketh him to be a good devout man that goeth up & down with a coggyrnge pair of Bedes in his hands, or knelethe down in his stole solenly with a great Matters book in his hand, making such a noise with his lips & tongue, that all the whole church ryngethe of it, although his heart be far from God, & his mind occupied about worldly businesses. 
God.  But God beholdeth the mind, the heart, the inward man, & looketh whither he prayeth in purity & cleans or not. If the heart be stuffed with faith & charity, then is God well pleased, & accepteth the prayer for an high & pleasant sacrifice. Who being in the temple hearing the proud Pharisee, 
Luk. xviii.  & the poor Publican praying together would not have esteemed the Pharisee to be more righteous & pure in the sight of God, then the wretched Publican▪ For the Pharisee confessed no sin, but virtues many. He gave god thanks the he was not like other men, which are extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, & as the Publican was. He fasted twice in the week, & gave the tents of all things that he possessed. Dangelyke righteousness and seraphical perfection. Who would not have thought this holy religious father worthy to be canonysed & related into the number of Saints▪ ●et saith Christ plainly that the poor Publycane, which brought forth no good deeds, but stood a far of & durst not lift up his eyes to heaven, but humbly knocked his breast, saying: O God be thou merciful unto me a sinner, went home more righteous i God's sight then the Pharisee. Why so? For the Pharisee had no true Faith in him but an arrogant presumption, boasting & cra●yng of his good deeds, as though God were in his debt, and he not in Gods. And that he had no christian charity in him, it is evident seeing that he despised his neighbour. For charity, 
〈◊〉 x. i Det. iiii.  saith the Scripture, covereth the multitude of sins.  
That the Publicans prayer came from a pure mind, that is, from a mind faithful & chartable, it is manifest. first because that with an humble heart he came to God for remission of his sins, believing to obtain it. secondly, saying that he accused no man but himself only. Therefore went he home more justified, sayeth the holy Scripture. Therefore to all such as outwardly pretend holiness, 
Mat. xxi.  & yet are unpure in their mind, Christ sayeth. The harlots & Publicans shall go before you into the kingdom of heaven. Again, 
●uk. xuj.  you are they that justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is praise worthy before men, is plain abomination before God.  
Abel also & Cain offered both sacrifices to god, 
Gen. iiii.  & the scripture saith that God looked unto Abel & unto his gifts, but unto Cain and unto his gifts he looked not. 
God judgeth not the person of the act but the art of the person.  It is here to be noted, that God not after the fashion of the world judgeth the person of the act, but the act of the person. He first looketh to the person, & afterward unto the act, as the holy scripture sayeth here. He looked unto Abel, & unto his gifts. first unto Abel, & afterward unto Abel's gifts. If the person be good, that is, faithful & charitable, than doth God accept the gift, not for the dignity of the gift itself, but for the faith of him that offereth. 
Psal. xv. Psal. xxiii.  For as the Psalmograph sayeth, God hath no need of our goods. The earth is y● lords, & all that ever is contained in it.  
As concerning that the Scripture saith, God looked unto Abel, it signifieth that God favoured Abel, i as much as his heart was both faithful & charitable. And that God looked to the gifts of Abel, it showeth the God was well pleased with them, seeing they proceeded from the heart of such one as was enfarsed with faith & charity.  
As touching that the scripture sayeth, God looked not unto Cain & unto his gifts, it signifieth that God neither favoured Cain, nor yet accepted his gifts, saying that Cain had in him neither faith nor Charity. For his heart was stuffed full of ire & wrath toward his brother Abel, in so much that shortly after it came to pass according to his pretenced malice, that he slew his brother. And wherefore did he slay him▪ 
1. joan. iii  verily because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous. Thus sew, that be our gifts never so precious in the sight of men, 
Ec. xxxiiii.  yet if the giver be wicked, that is, unfaithful and uncharitable, God utterly contemneth & setteth them at nought, as the wise man sayeth: The gifts of the wicked, the most high doth not allow and approve. S. justen also saith, 
Det. ccxxvi. De tempore.  the prayer of an envious man is wont to be put a back from the ears of God. Hereto agreeth the saying of Chrisostome: Let us, 
Dom xxvii. in Gen. cap. viii.  sayethhe, in every place bring forth a pure mind. For that is the cause of all good things. The good LORD is not wont to attend & give heed to those thing that are done of us, but unto the inward mind, whereof we are moved to do these things. And good looking to this mind, doth either approve or turn away those things that we do. Therefore whither we pray, or fast, or give alms (for those are our spiritual Sacrifices) or whither we do any other certain spiritual work, let us do that, being moved thereunto with a good mind Therefore saith Christ, 
Mat. v.  when thou● offrest a gift at the Aultare, & the● dost remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee, leave thy● gift there before the Aultare, & ga● thy way, be first reconciled to thy● brother, & than come & offer thy gift. In like manner when we pray, we may not only provide the we may pray with the mind, all human things & worldly affairs semoted and laid a side, but also we must gyue● earnest diligence, that we pray with a pure mind, that is, with a mind stuffed ful● of faith & charity. For as David sayeth: 
Psal. ixv.  I perceive any unrighteousness, the is to say, unfaithfulness, in my heart, God will not hear me. 
Psa. cxliiii  Again: The LORD is ny● to all that call upon him, yea to all that call upon him in truth. And the wise man saith: 
Sap. i  Into a ma● lycious soul wisdom will not enter, nor into a body subject unto sin. 
1. Tim. two.  S. Paul also saith, I will the men pray in every place, lifting up pure hands without wrath and contention. So that he which beareth a heart faithful toward God, and charity toward his neighbour is fit to pray in the sight of God. Therefore let us labour seryously, the when we intend to pray, we may exclude & put out of our hearts all infidelity wrath & contention, & be so plenteously enfarsed with Faith & charity, that our prayer may justly seem to be a very lifting up of a pure mind. And that this may be done the more conveniently, it shall be necessary for us to pray with David. 
Psal. 1  Created in me O God a pure & clean heart, & a right up spirit make thou a new in my inward parts. But ●et us hear more of our definition. It followeth.   

¶ The eight Chapter.  
Unto God. Note that he saith, unto God, not unto jupiter, Apollo, Mercurius, Bacchus, juno, Minerva, Pallas Venus & such other Gods & Goddesses, yea rather devils, 
Ps. lxxxx●.  as the Psalmograph saith, the Gods of the Neythen are devils, unto whom the Ethuyckes and gentiles did fly in their prayer for succour, nor unto Baal, Astaroth, Moloch, the Queen of heaven, and such other Idols, as the old Idolaters the jews, worshipped & cried unto for help, not nor yet as our new Idolaters were wont to do, 
Against the superstitious Invocation of Say●nctes  as unto Luke for the Ox, unto job for the pox, unto Anthony for the pig, unto Loye for the horse, unto Apoline for the to thake, unto Rook for the pestilence, unto Sith for things lost, unto Gertrude for the ratonnes & mice, unto Blaze for the Ague, unto Agues for the fire, unto Barbara for the the thunder, unto Christopher for continual health, unto Annes for a husband, unto Margarete for women with child, unto Kateryne for learning, unto Crispyne & Crispiniane for shoes makig unto Cosme and Damiane for Physic, unto Clement for bruing beer, and such other innumerable, but unto God. For Prayer is a lifting up of a pure mind unto God. Unto God aught we to lift up our hearts, when we pray, 
Psa. cxxii.  as the Psal. saith, unto the have I lifted up mine eyes, which dwellest in heaven Again, I have lifted up mine eyes into the Mountains, from whence help may come unto me. 
Psal. cxx.  My help cometh from the LORD which made heaven & earth. Also in another place, 
Psal. cxix.  when I was in trouble, I cried unto the LORD, & he favourably herded me. 
Psa. xxxiii. 1. Pet. iii Psa. xxiiii.  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are bend unto their prayers. Mine eyes, sayeth David, are cried Adam, Abel, Seth, Enos, Enoch, Nohe, There, Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph, Moses, Aaharon, jetro, Eleazar, Phinees, joshua, Caleb Othoniel, Gedeon, Helcana, Samuel, Nathan, David, Solomon, Helias, Micheas, Elizeus, Ezechias, Esaias, josias, job, Mathatias, Thoby, with all the other ancient fathers & holy Prophets of the old Testament, but unto GOD alone. Again unto whom prayed joseph Iohn baptist, Lazarus, Nicodemus, Gamaliel, Cornelius, Apollo, Dionysius, Aquilia, Steven, Philip, Agabus, Ananias, Timothe, Titus, joses, Philemon, and all the Apostles, with many other, which are contained in the volumes of both Testaments, but unto God alone? The prayed, and were herded. Shall our Prayers than be vain, 
Esa. xxviii  if we pray with that same purity of mind that they did? The scripture saith: Who so ever believeth in God, 
Rom. x. joel. two. Act. two.  shall not be confounded. For there is no difference between jew & gentle. For one is LORD of all, which is rich enough unto all that call on him. For whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD, he shall be safe, Let us therefore trust in God, 
Psa. lxi.  pour out our hearts before him, lament our cause to him, desiring to have his most gracious aid & help in all our trouble & adversity, and we may be sure to obtain whatsoever we ask according unto his will, 
1. joan. v.  & to seal remedy so present, that nothing can be wished nearer.  
Thus see we that Prayer is a lifting up of a pure mind unto God. It followeth.   

¶ The ninth Chapter.  
VUherin we ask somewhat of him He that intendeth to pray with fruit, must before he begin to pray, consider with himself for what thing he hath most need to pray. If thou be proud, than hast thou need to pray for humility. If thou be wrathful & envious, than hast thou need to pray for charity. If thou be a glutton or drunkard, them haste thou need to pray for sobrtete. If thou be fault in any vice, than hast thou need to pray for the virtue contrary to the vice. If thou be a magistrate & ruler of the people, than hast thou need to pray unto God for grace, that thou mayst govern his people committed unto thy charge according to equity & mercy. If thou be a bishop or spiritual overseer, than hast thou a great occasion to fly unto God with thy prayers, that thou mayst faith fully give attendance on the flock, over whom the holy Ghost hath made the an overseer to govern the congregation of God, 
● Act. xx.  whom he hath purchased with his blood. To be short in whatsoever state of living thou be, if thou considerest & weyest deeply with thyself thy manner of living, y● shalt found sufficient occasions for to pray. They therefore which pray but for a customs, 
Note.  & because they will exercise their lips, unless they should seem to the Congregation but a little devout & holy men, not caring what they pray so they pray, & do not before they pray determine with themselves wherefore they will pray, certes though they spend whole worlds in such kind of prayer, yet do they nothing less than pray. If we search the holy volumes of the divine scriptures we shall easily perceive, that they which prayed, did never pray but for urgent and right necessary causes. As for an example: 
Exo. xxxii.  When Moses perceived the wrath of God to be hot against the Israelites, because they had worshipped the golden calf, he straight ways for the health of his people prayed, saying: Either forgive them this fault, or ● thou do not, wipe me out of the book of life, 
Psal. l.  which thou haste written. King David prayed many times for divers urgent causes as we may see in the Psalms. 
two. Par. l.  King Solomon his son prayed for wisdom, that he might govern the people a right Ezechias hearing the blasphemies & proud cracks of Senacherib, 
●●ii. Re. nineteeen judi. x. twelve Hest. xiiii.  prayed to the LORD for help. judith & Hester prayed for the deliverance of their people.  

Luk. xviii. Mat. i●ii.  Again in the new Testament, the blind prayed for their sight, the lame for their going, the deaf for their hearing, the sick for their health. 
Luk. xviii Mat. xv. Mat. viii. Luk. xxiii.  The poor Publican prayed for remission of sins. The woman of Canane prayed for the health of her daughter, as divers other did for their children and servants. Christ & Steven prayed for their enemies. 
Act. seven. Act. twelve.  The church of Christ prayed for the deliverance of Peter. Paul & all the Apostles prayed for the swift & ready passage of the Gospel, & for the fortunate conversion of the unfaithful, unto the faith of Christ. Thus see we that all holy & devout people did ever premeditate with themselves, wherefore they should pray before they prayed. And so soon as an occasion of praying was offered unto them, they fallen straightways unto prayer, & fled unto God with most hearty supplication for the purchasing of their hearts desire. So aught we to do, & not rashly to mumble over a great multitude of Psalms or other prayers after the manner of certain ydiots & unlearned priests, we care not how, nor can not tell wherefore, but ponder, weigh and consider depelye our cause, and see what a great occasion we have to pray, & than with an humble contrite & sorrowful heart lament our cause before God with most bitter & heavy tears, never leaving until we have obtained that for the which we pray. If we would do thus, than should our prayers be modest, sober & decent, & not temerarious, ●asshe, & babled out of order, & by this means accepted of GOD, heard and granted.  
Thus have I declared as I trust according unto the vain of the holy scripture, & the mind of the ancient Doctors, what prayer is. Now I will haste to declare of what virtue & strength the true and Christian prayer is, the men knowing the efficacy & dignity, yea & the necessity thereof, may with the more plansible & joyful min des delight in it, exercising themselves therein both day & night to the great glory of God, & the utter confusion of Satan, & the high consolation of their own souls.    

Of what virtue and strength the true and Christian Prayer is.  

¶ The. x. Chap.  
IN declaring the efficacy, virtue, strength, & power of the true & chrishen Prayer, I would gladly wish unto me the pleasant speech & sugared utterance of the most famous & excellent orator Pericles. whose eloquence was so great & wondrous, as it is reported, that even of very nature it seemed incomparable; and not of in any part able of any mortal man to be followed & practised, of so great admiration, yea & estimation in the sight of all men was it recounted. But saying that my wish in this behalf is vain, & that there is no man more barbarous and of less eloquence than I am. 
1. Cor. 1. jaco. two.  Again, seeing that God hath ever choose the fools & unwise of this world to set forth his glory & to confound the wisdom of the wordly wise, and the understanding of the flesshelye minded, saying also that the truth of God's wisdom hath no need of or nate eloquence nor painted colours, which of the faithful for all the simplicity of it, 
The prayer of the Author.  is ever amplexed & received joyfully, I shall most instantly desire God, that he may so direct my pen & instil on such manner into my breast the knowledge of the most holy Histories of the sacred scriptures, which abundantly declare how mighty in operation the true & christian prayer is, that I by rehearsing them, & Gods most holy spirit working therewith also may so accend, kindle, inflame, & fet on fire christian men's hearts with the love of faithful prayer, that they may unfeignedly rejoice in the continual exercise & godly meditation thereof.  
By prayer Abraham delivered king Abimelech from death, 
Gen. xx.  which god threatened him, because he had taken to him Abraham's wife. And where as God had stricken the kings wife & handmaidens with the vice of sterilite and barrenness for the aforesaid fault, at Abraham's prayer they were made whole. 
Exo. viii.  By prayer Moses ceased and turned away the plagues of egypt. 
Exo. ●vii.  By prayer Moses caused the water to flow out of the hard rock. By prayer Moses obtained the victory for the Israelites against Ameliche, but when he ceased to pray, than did their enemies prevail & get the victory. 
Exo. xxxii.  By prayer, when god was full determined to slay the Israelites, because they worshipped the golden calf, Moses appeased the divine wrath, & reconciled the people to the favour of God. By prayer Moses caused the fire suddenly to be in allowed up, which devoured the tents of the murmurers. 
Num●. xi.  By prayer Miriam, which spoke against Moses was delivered from her leprosi. 
Num. xxi.  By prayer the people which were grievously strike & wounded of the fiery serpents for their disobedience, were delivered from them & made whole. 
josus. x.  By prayer jesus caused the Son & the Moon to stand still by the space of an whole day, until he was revenged of his enemies. 
1. 〈◊〉. i  By prayer Anne the wife of Helcana being barren long before was made as a fruitful vine. By prayer the people of Israel did baleauntly overcome their enemies the Philistines. 
two. Reg. twelve.  By prayer David obtained the favour again of God, although he had committed the most heinous sin both of man slaughter & whoredom. 
three Re. xvii  By prayer Helias raised from death to life the son of the widow of Sarepta. By prayer he in like manner caused that great plenty of rain came down from heaven upon the earth, 
jaco. v.  where as before it had not rained by the space of three years & six months. By prayer josaphat obtained god merciful to him, 
two. Pat. xx.  so the easily he had the victory over his enemies By prayer Ezechias overcame his proud adversary Sennacherib & all his army. 
iiii. Re. xx.  By prayer the same Ezechias did prolong his life. xv. years, By prayer Manasses was delivered out of captivity, 
Esa. xxxiii. two. pa. xxxiii  & restored again unto his kingdom. 
two. Eso. two.  By prayer, Nehemias obtained of the King all his desire. 
job. viii.  By prayer all good things chanced unto Thoby & Sara the daughter of raguel. By prayer judith overcame Holofernes & his army. 
judit. twelve. Hest. xiiii.  By prayer queen Hester had her desire for the Israelites of the king Assuerus. 
Da. vi. xiiii  By prayer Daniel was preserved from the cruel fierceness of the Lions. 
Dan. xiii.  By prayer Susamna was delivered from the most bitter death pretenced against her. By prayer jonas was delivered out of the whales belly. 
jonas. two.  By prayer judas Machabeus got the victory over his enemies, 
i Mat. iiii  but in two battles when he should fight with Antiochus, & prayed not, 
i mat. ix.  he fled away. And when he did sight with Bachides & Alcimus, he was slain, because he did not pray, as before. By prayer jonathas, 
i mat. xi.  when all had forsaken him except a few, obtained the victory. By prayer the jews were delivered from death & trouble, 
two. mat. iii  & the goods of temple preserved. divers histories there be more of the old testament which declare of how great virtue & strength the true & christian prayer is, but these at this present may seem abundantly to satisfy: I will therefore rehearse a few of the new testament, concerning this matter also, & than make an end, that men in few words may see of what efficacy & power faithful prayer is.   

¶ The. xi. Chapter.  
BY prayer the Lepers were delivered from their leprosy. 
Luk. xvii. math. ix.  By prayer the blind were restored to their sight. 
mat. two.  By prayer they that were sick of the palsy, were made whole. By prayer the woman of Canane obtained health for her daughter. 
mat. xv.  By Prayer divers men obtained 
math. viii.  health for their sons & servants By prayer the lame were restored to the right use of their limbs. 
math. iiii.  By prayer the deaf were made to hear. 
mat. xxi.  By prayer the dumb recovered their speech. 
mat. twelve. mat. ix. mat. xi. Lu. seven. xviii.  By prayer the dead were restored to life. By prayer sinners obtained remission of their sins. By prayer Mary Magdalene had seven devils cast out of her. 
Luk. xviii.  By prayer the Publycanne went home more justified than the Pharisee. By prayer the faith of Peter sailed 
Luk. xxii.  not. 
joan. xv.  By prayer the holy Ghost was purchased for the Apostles and all the faithful. 
Mat. xxvi. Act. seven.  By prayer Christ & Stephen obtained remission for their enemies. 
Act. ●x:  By prayer Peter he led Aeneas of the palsy. By prayer he raised by Tabiths from death to life. 
Act. x.  By prayer also he learned the all meats are pure, & none comone or unclean. 
Act. x.xi.  By prayer Cornelius deserved to receive the holy Ghost before he was baptized. 
Act. twelve. Act. xxvii.  By prayer Peter was delivered out of prison. By prayer Paul saved so many as were with him in the ship from the danger of drowning. 
●. Tim. two.  By prayer we live under the magistrates and head officers of the publigue weal peasably & quietly with all godliness & honesty. By prayer the Gospel of Christ hath ever had felyce & fortunate progress. 
●a●o. u  By prayer we ●● made safe in our sickness. By 〈◊〉 ex the conversion of the gentiles came fortunately to pass. By prayer the glory of God hath ever be promoted. By prayer the church of Christ hath ever had the victory over Antichrist's synagogue. To conclude, by prayer all good things chance unto us, & without prayer nothing prospereth with us fortunately. If I should go forth to recite all the Histories of the holy Bible, the make to the advancement of prayer, I should contexe & make a work longer than the Iliads of the Greek Poet Homer. But of these few Histories heretofore rehearsed, the faithful & Christian reader may right well deprehend & perceive, what efficacy, virtue, strength & power is in the true & Christian prayer. How can prayer be any otherwise then a thing of great excellency, saying that the holy Ghost was the Author of it, seeing also that so many incomparable things by it haveben obtained & so many divine matters brought to pass? 
Luk. xuj: mat. xxvi.  No man therefore ought to doubt of the dignity of it, seeing the Jesus Christ godsowne son did both very diligent lyat all times, & in all fortunes & chances, yea & the both night & day exercise it, & also not only command other to pray, 
mat. vi.  but likewise taught & prescribed the most godly way of praying. Christ's Apostles also with mary the mother of Jesus, 
Act. i:  & other holy women persevered together very much in fasting & praying after Christ's Ascension, as we read in the Ac●es of the Apostles.  
I could gather here many things out of the old Histories, which should declare unto us how greatly the ancient fathers of Christ's church delighted i this godly exercise of prayer, 
Df●. james Note  as we read in S. james, whose knees thorough the continual use of kneeling in his prayers had great wrattes or wens, call them what you will for all me, growing upon them after the manner as camels have, but my mind is not to set forth the commendation, praise & advance meant of prayer by any Histories, but only those, which are contained in the holy scripture. notwithstanding seeing that hitherto I have fortressed this my treatise with the sayings of the godly learned Doctors, I will therefore now rehearse a sentence or two of the golden mouthed Doctor S. Iohn Chrisostome, which shall not a little make to the advancement of the true and christian prayer.   

¶ The. twelve. Chapter.  
dearly beloved prayer undoubtedly, 
Hom. lxxix. De oration  saith he, is an exceeding good thing and great treasure. For if he that talketh with a virtuous man receiveth by that means no small profit, how many commodities than shall he enjoy, to whom it is given to talk with GOD? It is impossible forsooth it is impossible for that man which prayeth aright and maketh continual supplication unto God, for to sin at any time. For the fountains of water do not make gardens so fertile, and fruitful, as the fountains of tears watering the plant of prayer, make it to exercise & grow up unto a berry great height, & set him the prayeth before the LORD. Hereof cometh it to pass that he must needed 〈◊〉 herded.  

sir primo De o●a.  Again he saith, as the Son is the light unto the body, so is prayer unto the soul. Prayer getteth an holy life, & the congrue, decente and seemly worshipping of God, & after a marvelous manner it layeth up treasure for our souls. For whither that a man will labour to keep virginity, 
By prayer all things are easy.  or in marriage reverently to maintain continency, or to suppress wrath, & to live meekly, or to repurge envy, or to do any other decent & comely thing, prayer being his guide, & preparing such a way to the life, he shall undoubtedly have a quiet & easy passage unto Godliness. For it is not possible, but that they which ask of God pureness of living, justice, meekness & benignity, must needs obtain it by praying. 
Mat. seven▪ Luck. x.  For he saith, ask & it shall be given you. seek and you shall find. Knock & it shall be opened to you. For everyone the asketh, receiveth, & he that seaketh findeth, & to him the knocketh, it shall be opened.  
Prayer receiveth us full of sins, 
Ser Serf● do De o●●,  and straightways maketh us clean. Prayer is the present remedy for the souls of them that are sick. Prayer doth not only make clean from sin, but also put a back great perelles. Prayer is & is truly called a celestial panoply & heavenly armature, & that alone is able valeauntely to preserve them, which have consecrated themselves unto it. So that with out prayer no good nor wholesome thing shall chance unto us.  

Ibidem.  Prayer is the head of all goodness & the conciliatryce and purchaser of health & everlasting life. Prayer is the cause of all virtue and justice. Prayer is the occasion of health, the purchaser of an immortal soul, the ●ure bulwark of the church, the inconcuss, unshaken & puissant custody or watch of the faithful, terrible to the devils, but healthful to the godly. Prayer hath waiting on her all virtues. To be breve, look what the foundation is in an house, the berry same is prayer in the soul.  
Hitherto have I rehearsed the words of the golden mouthed Doctor, which declare manifestly of how great virtue and strength the true and Christian prayer is.  
Of these things then heretofore rehearsed, have we sufficiently learned what an exceeding and incomparable treasure prayer is to the soul of ● christian man. Certes whither we ●aue respect to the commodity of ●ur body or of our soul, prayer is ●he only means, whereby it is obtained & brought to pass. 
Dui●ius martiali●s  Be God ne●ter so angry with us, prayer apea●ed his wrath, as the Poet sayeth. ●lectitur ixatus, voce rogante Deus. Et. Domi ●um mundi flectere vota valent. 
Behold what prayer doth.  If we be si●ull, prayer purifieth us. If we be●arrē, prayer maketh us fruitful. ●f we be sick, prayer maketh us whole. If we be ignorant, prayer engraffeth knowledge in us. If we be blind, prayer illumineth our senses. If we be comfortless, prayer is ready to ●ssyst & help us. If we be sorrowful, prayer comforteth us. If we be poor, prayer entychethe us. If we be profane, prayer maketh us holy. If we be carnal, prayer maketh us spiritual. If we be captives of Satan, prayer maketh us the dearly beloved sons of god. If we want any thing Prayer is ready to get it for us. To conclude, if we be evil, prayer maketh us good. If we be good, prayer maketh us better, & never forsaketh us until he hath brought us unto the presence of almighty God in his eternal glory. What would we have more? Seeing that so large commodities & great profits come unto us by the true & christian prayer, let us cast away all sluggishness, and exercise ourselves mainly in the most godly meditation of virtuous prayer. By this means doubtless shall vice decrease & minish in us, & contrariwise virtue shall augment & increase very much both in body & soul. And the this thing may be done the more conveniently, I will now by God's favour declare how a christian man should prepare himself to pray, the by no means he may abuse this great and singular treasure.    

How a Christian man should prepare himself to pray.  

¶ The. xiii. Chapter.  
ALthough there be so many things to be considered in the godly exercise of prayer, 
Either things are to be considered in the repeparar●●n of prayer.  the we may pray aright, yet me think that eight things chiefly above all other must be considered ● observed in it, without the which ●o man can prepare himself to pray according unto the will of God. Of these eight therefore will I now speak in order by the assistance and help of God's most holy spirit, whom I most instantly desire so to direct my pen, that I may write all thing unto the glory of God, & the profit of his holy church. first it is requisite, that he which intendeth to pray, considereth deeply with himself his state & case wherein he standeth. If he doth thus, than shal● he find that to be true, which th● Psalmograph writeth: 
Ps. xxxviii  Every man that liveth is nothing out altogether very vanity. 
Psa. lxi.  Again, the children of men are vain. They are liars & false, in asmuch that if thou puttest them & vanity together in a balance, vanity will surely weigh them up. 
Esal. xi.  All flesh is grass, & all his glory is like a flower of the field.  

Gen. vi.  Moreover he shall easily perceive that all his senses & thoughts are prove to evil, & that he is not able of himself to thick a good thought. Again, 
two. Cor. iii  he shall shortly understand that his heart is wicked & inscrutable, 
jere. ●vii. Esa. i  & that there is no whole part in him from the top of the head to the sole of the foot, but that in all his thoughetes, words & deeds, he is a very sinner & grievous offender of the divine majesty. Thus must he first of all, when he intendeth to pray, consider with himself what he is, even a very sinner, a trangressoure of Gods precept, a breaker of the divine law, and a wicked doer in all his acts.  
This consideration first of all is very necessary. For it bringeth a man to the knowledge of himself, & maketh him desirous for to pray, that he may be delivered from this great enormity. 
Mark this well.  Certes except a man doth first of all on this wise judge, understand & perceive of himself, he can never be truly bend for to pray. For who desireth the colour & warmness of cloth, that feeleth no cold? Who longeth for meat & drink, that is not hungry & thirsty. Who wisheth health that is not sick? Who prayeth for remission of sins, that feeleth not himself to be a sinner? 
iiii. Reg. xx. Esa. xxxiii.  Would Ezechias have prayed for health & long life, if he had not felt himself sick & at the point of death? 
two. Para. i  Would Solomon have desired wisdom for the right governance of his people, if he had not perceived, 
two. Re twelve. Psal. i  that he had had need of it? Would David when he had played the adulterer with Bethsabe the wife of Urias, so greatly have lamented his sin, if he had not known himself to be a grievous sinner? 
Luk. x viii.  Would the poor Publican contrary to the manners of the proud Pharisee have stand a far of, being afraid to lift up his eyes, and knocking his breast, saying: O God be thou merciful unto me a sinner, if he had not known himself to be full of sin, misery & wretchedness? 
Luk. seven. x.  Would Mary magdalene have been so desirous of Christ's company, if she had not known herself to be a miserable sinner, and Christ a bounteous Savyvor? Nay verily.  
Therefore the next & most ready way for a man to prepare himself to pray aright, & with a fervent spirit & hungry mind, is to know & grant himself to be a sinner, and the therefore he hath great need to pray.   

¶ The. xiiii. Chapter.  
Secondly, when he hath once thoroughly debated & beaten with himself his own misery, wretchedness, sin, & abomination, & perceiveth that to be delivered thereof, there is no other way, but only by the mercy of God thorough prayer, he must straight ways set before his eyes the Commandment of God, which after the knowledge & confession of his sin commandeth him to pray. And here aught he not a little to rejoice. For who, when he hath one's offended God, durst be so bold as once to desire pardon of his offence, & to pray unto God for mercy, if God himself had not commands him so to do? verily no man. 
Behold what sin both.  For the transgression of God's commandment doth so confound the consicience of the transgressor, that it sooner driveth him unto desperation, than to any hope of help or favour. 
Gen. iii  This is well proved by Adam, which, when he had once broken Gods precept in paradise, fled straightways from the face of God, hid him, & sought all means possible no more to come into his sight. 
Gen. iiii.  How was Cain also confounded in his conscience when he had killed his brother Abel, though there was yet no law reigning? Was he not so consternate & stricken with such fear, that he said: Every one that findeth me, will kill me? was he not ashamed so greatly of his man slaughter, that he said, mine iniquity is greater than I may deserve for gyvenes? Did he not fly from the face of the LORD, so far as he might. Again, 
Mat. xxvi  was not judas so ashamed of his deed when he had sold Christ to the bishops & head priests, the he brought the money again to them, & said, I have sinned, betraying the innocent blood? 
Act. two  Did not sin so confounded & slay his conscience at the last, that he went & hanged up himself, & when he was hanged, did not he braced asunder in the mids, and all his bowels gushed out? Who being a traitor dare come before the Kings majesty to desire pardon of his offence? Yea who rather being faulty in that detestable sin, fieth not from his grace's presence in to strange countries, that he may be free and without punishment? For the reward of sin is death. 
Rom. vi.  Therefore I say aught he that knoweth & granteth himself to be a sinner very much to rejoice that God for his offence hath commanded him to pray, which else dared nothing less than once to attempt for to approach before the divine majesty with any kind of prayer, 
The nature of sin  & when sin shall labour according unto the nature thereof for to condemn the conscience, & to expel from the heart all saith, confidence, & trust in God, than to erect, elevate & lift up himself by giving sure & undoubted faith to the commandment of God, which commandeth him to pray, with this persuasion, that God hath not commanded him for to pray in vain. He must therefore put these & such like Comaundementes ever before his eyes, 
Mat. vi. Psal. xlix. Mat. xi.  Ask, Seek, Knock, watch pray. Again, call on me in the day of trouble. Come unto me all you that labour & are laden. All you that thirst come unto the waters. 
Esa. xliiii.  And you that have no money make haste, by & eat. Come & buy without money, & without any merchandise, wine and milk. These most gentle & loving commandments of God comfort the sorrowful mind of the sinner greatly, & engraft in him a certain gladness & hope for to obtain remission of his sins, seeing the God so bounteonsly commandeth him to pray.   

¶ The. xv. Chapter.  
Thirdly when he hath on this manner powdered the commandment of God, wherewith he is provoked to pray, than doth convenient time require that he also considereth the most loving, gentle, & bounteous promises of God, in the which he promiseth for to hear us, & to grant us our petitions. For what doth it profit for to ask & not to obtain? If God had only commanded us to pray, and not also promised for to hear us, & gently to give us our desires, what great pleasure had he done for us? what had he done for the which we had need once to say, LORD God a mercy? What singular benefit had we received of high? But although the Commandment to pray putteth us i good comfort, yet when we are promised also graciously to be herded, this maketh us unfeignedly to rejoice & seriously to triumph. This maketh us to put our of our heart all dolour & sadness, & to be replete with all mirth & gladness. The promises of God bring quietness to the conscience, 
The promysce of God.  huarite to the heart, tranquillity & peace to the soul. No man is able to express how much & how great joy lieth buried up in the divine promises, & how fervent consolation the sinner taketh by the hearing of them. 
Gen. iii  What joy think you was this unto Adam for to hear after his offence, that the son of GOD should be born of a pure maid, & tread down the Serpent's head, that is, subdue Satan & deliver Adam with all his posterity from his tyranny, bring them again into the favour of God, & make them heirs of eternal glory? 
Gen. xxii.  What comfort I pray you was this to faithful Abraham for to hear that in his seed all nacious of the earth should be blessed? What a great pleasure was this to the Israelites, 
Num. xxi.  when they were grievously stinged & slain of the fiery serpents for their disobedience, to hear this promise of God: make a brazen serpent, & set it up for a sign He that is stricken & looketh upon it, shall live? 
joshua. i  What exceeding comfort received joshua by this promise of God unto him: I will not leave the neither will I forsake the. Be therefore strong & take a good heart unto thee? As I may come nearer to our matter, 
joel. two. Act. two. Rom. x.  how much joy, consolation & pleasure have the faithful fealty of this one promise of God: Every one that calleth on the name of the LORD, shall be saved?  
Therefore in this behalf the promises of God must be earnestly weighed, pondered & considered. 
The promises of God are our only comfort.  In them must we rest, & daily as in a most pleasant Herboure. In them must we repose ourselves. In them must be all our delight, pleasure & felicity. The chief promises concerning Prayer are these. 
Psa. xxxvi.  Delight thou in the LORD, & he shall give thee, the petitions of thy heart. 
Psal xlix.  Call on me saith God in the day of thy trouble, & I will deliver thee, and thou shalt honour me. 
Psa. ixxxx  Again he saith: saying that he hath put his trust in me, I will deliver him, & I will defend him, in asmuch as he hath known my name. He cried unto me, and I will graciously hear him, I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him & glorify him. With the length of days will I replenish him, and show him my saving health. Christ also says: 
Mat. xi.  Come unto me all you that labour & are laden, & I shall refresh you. Every one that is a thirst, let him come to me & drink. 
joan. seven. Mat. vi.  Again, ask, & it shall be given you. Seek & you shall find. Knock & it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth, & he that seeketh, findeth, & to him the knocketh, it shall be opened. If the son asketh bread of any of you, which is his father, will you proffer him a stone? or if he asketh fish, 
Luke. xi.  will you give him a Serpent? or if he ask an Egg, will you proffer him a Scorpion? If you than which are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your father celestial give the holy ghost to them that desire it of him? These & such like promises of God, must he that intendeth to pray set before his eyes, that he comforted with the remembrance of them, may with the more frank courage give himself to godly and devout prayer at all times.   

¶ The xvi Chapter.  

Faith given unto the promises of god  FOurthly when he hath on this manner confirmed & established his mind with the contemplation & beholding of the divine promises, he may not doubt any thing at all of them, but faithfully believe & undoubtedly persuade himself the they are true, in as much as they are the promises not of man but of GOD, which can not lie, 
Cit. l. Psa. cxliiii  which is true, yea which is the self truth, which is faithful in all his words, & holy in all his works, whose word & truth also abide for ever and ever. 
Esay. xi.  For though God be never so merciful, & bounteous in gifts, 
Note well.  yet if we do not believe that his mercy & bounty pertain also to us, we are never the better. Let it so be, that when a trey tour for his offence committed against the Kings majesty, 
Mark this Example  flieth beyond the seas into a strange country by cause he will eschew the danger of the law, & escape the pain due for his offence, the Kings grace hath pity on him, pardon his fault, and send over his letters unto him, wherein is declared the kings great mercy & gentleness toward him, and willeth him to return into his native country, & there again to enjoy the benefits of the same, & of all other that he possessed before, yea & that with no less favour, than he did in times passed, when he was most estranged from that fault of treason: if the Traitor not believing the words of the most gracious & free pardon, would contemn & despise it, recounting it to be but a vain gloss, & of no truth, what should the kings gentleness in this behalf profit him? The king is merciful, but the traitor is unfaithful. Therefore receiveth he no commodity by the kings pardon. And yet is not the fault in the king, but in the traitor, which believeth not that glad and merry tidings.  

Another example.  Again: Be it in case, that a cunning & learned Physician come unto a sick man, promising him help & deliverance of his disease, & yet if the sick parson believeth him not, but setteth naught by him, & despiseth his medicines what doth it profit him? What is he helped by the presence of the Physician, be he never so cunning? What doth the readiness of help profit him, if he refuseth to take & enjoy it? verily nothing at all. In like manner be God never so merciful & bounteous, & never so ready to help us, yet if we believe him not to be so, his mercy, bounty and assistance profit us nothing at all. 
Psa. cxliiii  The Psalmograph sayeth not only, the LORD is nigh to all that call on him, but he addeth, to all that call on him in truth. 
To call on God in truth, what it is  What is it to call on God in truth, but to believe earnestly that he will truly perform his promises, & do in all things as he hath promised? 
Psa. lxxxiiii.  Again, David sayeth: Mercy & truth have met together, righteousness & peace have kissed one another. 
Mark this Exposition  What is this, mercy & truth have met together but that as God is merciful in making his promises, so is he true in performing them? Again, what means this, righteousness & peace have kissed one another, but only to show, that the righteousness of god in fulfilling his promises, and the tranquillity of conscience have joined themselves together in the hearts of the faithful.  
Therefore if we do not obtain the high treasures & great pleasures the God hath promised let us impute it to nothing else but only to our unfaithfulness. 
Heb. xi.  For S. Paul saith with out faith it is not possible to please God. He that cometh to God, saith he, must believe that God is, & that he is a rewarder to them that seek h●. 
Rom. v.  Again, we being justified by faith have peace toward God thorough our LORD jesus Christ, by whom also it hath chanced unto us, that by faith we should be brought into this grace, wherein we stand, & praise under the hope of the glory of GOD. S. james also sayeth, 
jacob. i  If any man wanteth wisdom let him ask of him that giveth it, I mean God, which giveth to all men without doubleness, & casts no man into the teeth, & it shallbe given him. But let him ask in faith & waver not. For he the doubteth, is like the waves of the see, tossed of the wind, & carried with violence. Neither let that man think that he shall receive any thing of God Christ also sayeth, 
Math. xi.  Who soever shall say to this mountain, take away thyself, & cast thyself into the see, & shall not waver in his heart, but shall believe that these things which he saith, shall come to pass, what soever he saith, shallbe done unto him. Therefore I say unto you, what soever you desire when you pray, believe that you shall have it, & it shallbe done to you. Again he says have you the faith of GOD, the is to say, azure pswasion & confidence of the promises of the grace & mercy of God, & learn you to assent & agree to the divine promise which thing if you shall do, verily I say unto you, all things that you ask when you pray, believe the you shall receive them, & they shall chance to you, as he saith, all that ever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall have them, & they shall chance unto you, 
Math. ix.  We read that when two blind men desired Christ to make them for to see, he said unto them, do you believe the I am able to do this thing? They aunswared, we believe LORD. Than said Christ unto them, according to your faith, be it to you. And their eyes were open. Again when a certain man brought his son to Christ for to be healed, Christ said to him: If thou canst believe that, all things are possible to him that believeth. In divers other places we read, 
Mat. ix.  that Christ said to them whom he healed. Be it unto the according to thy faith. And thy faith hath saved the. For by faith are we marry to God. 
Lull. seven. Mat. xv. Oze. two. joan. i Gala. iii  By faith are we made the sons of God. By faith all good things chance unto us. Therefore that we may be partakers of the comfortable promises of God, let us ear nestly believe them, being perfectly pswaded that what soever God hath promised, he will surely fulfil it. For he is that truth, which can neither lie nor deceive, but granteth all things abundantly to them that ask in faith. 
In Lucan Lap. xviii.  Theophilacte hath a very golden & notable saying, which is this. The foundation & ground of all prayer is faith. For except a man doth believe, that he shall receive that to his profit, which he asketh, the prayer that he maketh is vain.  
But if it be so that we are yet weak, & have no sure trust of the clemency & great goodness of God toward us, nor can not persuade ourselves that our prayer is herded, but double & waver peradventure of the divine promises, 
Luk. seven.  than after the example of the Apostles let us pray, LORD increase our faith. Yea let us with tears cry out & say with the father of a certain child. 
Mar. ix  I believe LORD, succour & help mine incredulity & unfaithfulness. And the mighty ruler, which is a merciful & gentle God, 
Exo. xxxiiii.  patient, long suffering & true, which keepeth mercy, which taketh away iniquity, wickedness and sin, will surely have mercy on us & increase faith in us. 
Eco. two.  For the power of the LORD shall be with them, which seek him with all their affect, heart and mind.   

¶ The. xvii. Chapter.  
FYftely when we ask any thing of God, we may not ask it in our own name, in our own dignity & worthiness, in our own justice & righteousness, in our own good deeds & merits, in our own innocency and pureness, 
What it is to ask in the name of Christ.  but in the name of Christ. What is it to ask in that name of Christ, but only to confess that for our own dignity & worthiness, we are not worthy to be heard, & therefore desiring to obtain mercy, grace, favour, & remission of our sins, we approach unto the throne of GOD with our faithful prayers, not in our own name, but in the name of Christ, that is to say, in Christ's dignity, worthiness justice, righteousness, innocency, pureness, good deeds & merits. And for his sake & for his goodness do we desire to be herded, and to have our Petitions granted:  
This is a great comfort for them that shall pray, 
A comfortable saying for 〈◊〉.  that though they be imperfect, yet is Christ perfect, & his perfection is their perfection, though they be unrighteous, yet is Christ righteous, & his righteousness is their righteousness, though they be unholy, yet is Christ holy, & his holiness is their holiness, though they be void of perfect good works, yet hath Christ perfect good works, and his good works are their good works, if they leave their ungodliness, turn from their wicked ways, & study to live innocently, & therefore need they not fear for to pray, but boldly to ask all things in the name of Christ.  
Our righteous advocate, 
In Czech. Lib. i Nom. seven.  sayeth S. Gregory, shall defend us righteous in the judgement, because we do both knowledge & accuse our selves unrighteous. Therefore not in our own wepiges, not in our own acts but in the allegation of our advocate let us trust. Hereto pertaineth the saying of S. Austen, 
In Psal. ●viii.  the prayer which is not made by Christ doth not only not put away sin, but also the prayer itself is made very sin. Christ saith, whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified by the son. 
joan. xiiii  If you ask any thing in my name, that shall I do. Again If you abide in me, & my words abide in you, ask what soever you will, & it shall be done to you. In another place also he saith: 
joan. xuj.  verily verily I say to you, what soever you shall ask the father in my name, he shall give it you. Nytherto you have asked nothing in my name. Ask & you shall receive, that your joy may be perfect. Thus so we that in Christ's name we must ask all things. 
Act. iiii.  For there is none other name given unto men under heaven, wherein we must be saved but only this name of jesus christ. Every one that calleth on this name shallbe saved. 
Joel. two. Pro. xviii.  For the name of the LORD is a strong tower & valiant Bulwark, unto that doth the righteous, that is, the faithful man fly. 
Psal. xxxix.  Blessed is that man, which trusteth in the name of the LORD, and hath no respect unto vanities and false mad fantasies.  
Moreover David, 
David.  although God praiseth him greatly, & sayeth, that he hath found David his servant even after his own heart, yet did not he, when he prayed, desire to be heard for his own name, & for his own righteousness & virtue, but he prayed on this manner, 
Psal. cxiii.  LORD hear my prayer, hear my request for thy truths sake, yea favourably hear me for thy righteousness, Again, in the O LORD have I trusted, 
Psal. thirty.  let me never be confounded, but deliver me in thy righteousness. My strength and my refuge art thou, and for thy name's sake shalt thou lead me forth & nourish me. 
Psal. xxiiii  For thy name's sake LORD shalt thou be merciful to my sin, for it is much. O god for thy name's sake save thou me, 
Psal. iiii.  & in thy virtue deliver me. 
Ps. lxxviii.  Help us O God our saviour, & for the glory of thy name O LORD deliver us, & be merciful to our sins for thy name's sake. Behold he desireth not the favour of God for his own sake, for his own name, righteousness, truth & virtue but for God's name, for God's righteousness, truth and virtue. Now who is the righteousness of God, 
The righteousness of God, is Christ. is Lord.  but jesus Christ the son of God, which alone is found righteous among men? As Paul witnesseth, he is made of God our wisdom righteousness, sanctification & redemption, that as it is written, he that rejoiceth, may rejoice in y● LORD Who is the truth of GOD, 
The truth of God.  but he which saith of himself. I am the way the truth & the life. 
joan. xiiii. The virtue of God. i Pet. two.  No man cometh to the father but by me? Who is the virtue of God, but he that hath done no sin, nor in whole mouth any guile was found, which is Christ ●. Austen writeth of Christ on this manner, 
Tract. xxii. in Io. cap. v.  I am, saith he, the way, truth & life. No man cometh to the father but by me. As though he should say, wilt thou walk? I am the way. wilt thou not be deceived? I am the truth. Wilt thou not die? I am the life. This doth thy saviour say to thee, there is none other, to whom thou mayst go, but unto me. There is no way that thou canst go, but by me.  
So that for Christ's sake & not for his own did David although both godly & virtuous, yea & dearly beloved of God, d●●●re to be heard, & to have the petitions of his heart granted. 
●● objection.  But it may be objected, David also prayeth on this manner. Hear O LORD my righteousness, 
Psal. xuj.  & give attendance unto my prayer. Let my judgement come forth from thy face, let thine eyes see equity. Thou hast proved my heart & visited it in the night, thou haste tried me with fire, & yet hath there none iniquity be found in me. 
Psal. xvii.  Again, I will be without spot with him, I will keep me from iniquity, & the LORD shall reward me according to my righteousness, & according to the purity of my hands in the sight of his eyes. Also in another place, 
Psal. twenty-five.  judge me O LORD, for I have walked in my innocency. In these & such like David layeth out his own innocency, purity & righteousness, ' & seemeth to desire to be herded for them. 
●n answer  I answer if David desired to be herded for his own righteousness, than should he fight with himself wherein many and divers places he confesseth his sin, & cleaveth only to the mercy of God, desireth to be heard for the righteousness, truth & virtue of God, and not for his own sake. 
〈…〉  Enter not in to judgement, O LORD, sayeth he, with thy servant, for no man that liveth shallbe justified in thy sight. Now than could he set out his own righteousness before GOD, that he might be justified by it? What shall we then say to this matter? 
Note this Solution:  I answer, yea & that not without the authority of the holy scriptures & the mind of the ancient Doctors, that as in divers other places of the Psalms, so in these and such like he speaketh in the parson of Christ, and not in his own. He speaketh of Christ's innocency, purity, righteousness & virtue, & not of his own. He representeth Christ's parson, & not his own. When he speaketh in his own parson, he granteth himself always a sinner, seeketh health of God, & desireth not to be herded for his own righteousness but for God's righteousness, which is jesus Christ. So that in Christ's name he offered up his prayers unto God the father, 
Exo. twelve. joan. i  as all the faithful aught to do. For Christ is the lamb without spot. Christ is that lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 
Mat. iii  Christ is that dearly beloved son, for whose sake God the father is well pleased with men. Christ is that Bishop, 
Heb. seven.  which is godly, innocent, undefiled & segregate from sinners. 
joan. x.  Christ is the door, by whom alone we must come to the father. 
Math. i  Christ is that saviour which saveth his people from their sins. Christ is he by whom grace & verity is showed unto us. 
joan. 1. Colos. 1  Christ is he, which by his most precious blood hath reconciled us to Godyee father. Christ therefore is he, in whose name that is, in whose dignity, ryghteous●nes, innocency, virtue, & purity, we must offer up our prayers to God the father. 
Esa. lxiiii.  For all our righteousnesses ●ampared to the justice of God, are ●yke a clot polluted with menstrue. That we are not able to obtain any thing of God for our own righteousness, it is manifest by these words which God himself speaketh by his Prophet Isaiah, 
Esa. xliii.  I am, I am he, which putteth away thine iniquities, yea & that for mine own sake. (Mark the he sayeth, for mine own sake.) And will remember thy sins no more. Put me in remembrance, & let us be judged together. Tell me if thou hast any thing whereby thou mayst be justified. 
Esa. xlviii.  Again: For my name's sake, will I put away mine anger. For mine own sake, yea for mine own sake will I do this, that I may not be blasphemed & evil spoken of. In the name of Christ therefore let him ask, that entendenth to obtain any thing of God the father, as S. Paul sayeth, 
Col. iii  whatsoever you shall do in word & deed, do an● things in the name of the LORD jesus, giving thanks to God the father by him. And so doing let him not doubt, but that he shall obtain all good things according unto his hearts desire.   

¶ The xviii Chapter.  

All thing must be ashed according unto ● will of God.  SYxtely, he that intendeth to pray, must earnestly provide that he asketh all things according unto the will of God. He may not ask af● ter his own fantasy, will & pleasure, but after the will of God. For our will in comparison of God's will, is never good, but evil or prove to evil. For we know not what we should pray, 
Rom. viii.  as it becometh us. Therefore what so ever we ask, we must refe●ce it unto the will of God, and be contented to be ordered in all things according unto his most bolye will, as Christ taught us to ●raye in the Pater noster. Let thy will be fulfilled as in heaven, 
Mat. vi.  so like wise in earth. Christ also himself for to give us an example, when the ●oure of his passion began to draw ●igh, prayed unto his father on this manner: My father, if it be possible, ●et this cup go away from me: 
Math. xxvi.  Not withstanding let not mine but thy will be fulfilled. 
mat. viii.  The Leper also ●ayd to Christ, LORD if thou wilt, ●hou mayst make me whole Here the Leper desired to be cleansed of his le●rosye, yet he referred his requests unto Christ either to be granted or denied. 
Nota.  So it becometh us in like manner to ask all things according unto the will of God, & what soever we desire, ever to submit & refer ●t unto God's will, which knoweth ●este, what we have need of, & what ●s most necessary for us, 
math. vi.  before we pray. For we have not a greater war nor an harder fight in this world than the battle & strife of the Spi● rite, & of the flesh, which two are al● ways so at debate, the the hatred be● between them can never be appeased. 
Gal. v.  For as the flesh lusteth against the spirit so doth the spirit fight very valiant lie against the wicked, fierce & cruel violence of the flesh, & are evermore as the Apostle witnesseth, one agens● another, 
Rom. seven.  so that we can not do those things the we would, in as much that we are compelled to cry out with the Apostle, oh wretched & unhappy that I am, who shall deliver me from this body bond unto death.  
How evil it is to follow our own will, neglecting in the mean season the good pleasure of God, divers Histories of the holy scriptures show. King Saul thought that he had done well, 
1. Reg. xiii.  when he perceiving the people to go away from him, offered burnt offerings to the LORD in the absence of Samuel, saying, that he did it to pacify the LORD, & that he was compelled to do so. But Samuel said unto him, thou hast done folisbly, neither haste thou kept the commandments of the LORD thy God which I commanded the.  
Again God commanded Saul 
i Reg. xl●.  to stay Amelech, to destroy all that ever there was, not to spare one, not to covet any thing of their goods, but to kill man, woman, child, sue king babe, ox, sheep, camel, ass, & what soever could there be sound besides. But Saul following his own will more than the will of God, spared Agag the king of Amelech alive with the best flocks of sheep, oars, cattle, & all that ever was fair he spared, & would not destroy them, but what soever was vile and of no price, that he destroyed. When Samuel came unto him & said, what of beasts do I hear here? He auswe● read, the people hath brought them from Amelech. They be the best and fattest of all the flocks, & they be reserved to be offered unto the LORD. But Samuel said unto him. Because thou hast cast away the word of the LORD, thou LORD hath cast away the that thou be no more king. Will the LORD burned offerings & sacrifices & not rather that it may be obeyed unto his word? Obedience is better than Sacrifices, & to give ear to the LORDS commandment is more than to offer the sat of wethers. What godly excuses had king Saul here to cover his fault, and to make his will unto carnal judgements to appear very virtuous & godly? For all that ever he did, was done to honour God, 
A point for their li●●nge.  to sacrifice & offer oblations to God. Yet God casts away that will, which is contrary to his will, seem it never so godly, virtuous and good in the sight of fleshly wise men. Yea cursed be all good wills, all good zeeles, all good intents, that fight with the words of God.  
Oza also thought he had done well 
two. Reg. vi.  when he seeing the ark of God in jeopardy of falling out of the wain, steyed it with his hand, yet for all his good voyl, because he touched it, was he stricken of the LORD, & straight way died.  
King Ozias in like manner of a 
two. Pa. xxvi.  good intent would have taken upon him to burn incense unto the LORD but Azarias the pressed said boldly unto him, it is not thine office Ozias to burn incense unto the LORD, but it pertaineth to priests the sons of Aaron, which are consecrated to such ministry & service. He come, maunded him also to go out of the sanctuary, & told him the that which he had done, should not turn unto his praise of the LORD God. And immediately after for his disobedsente presumption, he was stricken with leproly, & so being cast out of the house of the Lord, he continued a Leper even unto his death.  

Good intentes not grounded on God's word, are the authore of all evil.  The jews did put Christ & his Apostles to death of a good zeal, will intent and purpose. The tyrants which did slay the holy martyrs thought they did well. The blood soupers also, which at this time persecute Christ's gospel under the name of Heresy, & cruelly slay & shed the blood of the true Christians under the pretext of persecuting Heretics, persuade themselves that they do well, & think they merit greatly in the sight of God, 
joan. xuj.  as Christ saith the time shall come that they which kill you, shall thick the they do an high service unto God.  
While we follow our own will, we commit many absurdities & unfitting things. Therefore whatsoever we do we must have a respect to the will of God, & make ours conformable unto it, unless we heap up damnation unto ourselves in all our petitions, prayers & requests. We must ask according to the will of God. He that doth otherwise, doth evil, & therefore he obtaineth not the which he desireth, 
jaco. iiii.  as S. james say i'the: You ask, and have not, because you ask amiss, for to consume it upon your voluptuousness. If he doth obtain it, undoubtedly it is to his greater damnation. Therefore let us ask according to the will of God. So may we be sure to have our hearts desire, 
i joan. v.  as S. Iohn saith, This is the truth that we have in God, that if we ask any thing according unto his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he heareth us, what so ever we ask, we know that we shall have the Petitions that we desire of him. And that we may do it fruitfully, 
Psal. ●xlii  let us pray with the Psalmograph, teach me O LORD, to do thy mill, for the arte my God. So shall God work his good pleasure in us.   

The nynetyne Chapter.  

We may appoint God no time.  Moreover although in our prayers we ask all things according unto the will of God, yet may not we appoint God the time of obtaining these things. We must pray & ask, but our petitions we must refer & commit to God for to be granted, when it shall be his most godly pleasure. For he knoweth what is most fit for us better than we do ourselves, & he will undoubtedly grant us those things that we ask, or else much better, when he seethe his time. 
Psal. cxxii  Therefore let us life up our eyes unto him, which dwelleth in the heavens. And as the eyes of servants are ever on the hands of their masters, & as the eyes of the handmaid are all ways on the hands of her master, so let our eyes be bend ever unto the LORD, until he hath mercy upon us. Let us ask, & patiently abide his divine will, & surely we shall not be deceived of our desires. But if we shall appoint him the time, & will that he be obedient to our will, rather than we to his, than do we tempt him, & provoke his anger against us. Example have we in the History of Judith, 
Ju. seven, viii.  where we read that when the Israelites had been long oppressed of Nolofernes & his army, & had continued many hours in their prayers, crying unto the LORD for help, & yet perceived none at all at the hand of God: They all consented that if God did not help them within five days, they would give over both themselves & their city unto Dolofernes & his people. But when Judith that virtuous woman heard of it, she said: Why have you consented to give over the city unto the Assyrianes, if help cometh not unto you from the LORD within five days? What are you that thus tempt the LORD? This is not a saying for to provoke mercy, but rather to store up ire, & to kindle furor. Dave you appointed the time of the lords mercy? & have you appointed him a day at your pleasure? But saying the LORD is patient, let us repent, and be sorry for this thing, and let us desire his savour with weeping tears.  
Thus see we that it is no s●iale of fence, be our petitions never so righteous, for to appoint God the time. For that appointment of time declareth us to be unsaythfull. It showeth that we have no right persuasion of God. It is a manifest argument, that we depend & hang upon God's goodness & mercy only for our carnail profit & advantage. It maketh evident, that we do no longer regard God, than he satisfieth and fulfilleth our lusts, pleasures, and desires. 
Good counsel  Therefore let us do, that we are commanded, that is, humbly offer up our prayers to God, myth all submission of mind, power out our hearts before him, & with unfeigned tears lament our cause unto him, nothing doubting, but that according to his most godly promise he will hear us, grant us those or else better things, when it shall be his pleasure. And if God seemeth to withdraw his help from us at any time & not straightways to grant us our requests, let us not despair, nor fall from the true confidence, trust & hope in the most comfortable promises of god therefore, but rather be the more earnest & importune in asking, being persuaded that God only differeth & prolongeth the accomplishment of his most faithful promise, because he will try our faith, whither it be right constant, and steadfast or not. Dearly beloved, saith S. John Chrisostome, when I say, pray unto God, beseech him, & wait upon him, thou sayest: I have prayed once, twice, & thrice, yea and ten times & twenty times, & what have I received, sayest thou? Go not thy way, till thou receivest, for the end of the thing asked, is the receiving of him that prayeth. Than cease thou, when thou hast received yea rather neither cease thou than, but still perceive & continued, givig thanks for that which thou hast received, the that which thou hast taken, may continually remain with the.  

Mat. xv.  Let us follow the woman of Canane, which, as it would appear, being denied of her petition divers times, at the leeste receiving but small comfort at Christ's hand, would not cease, but still continued in making suit & supplication for the health of her daughter, till at the last she herded this sweet & comfortable voice, O woman great is thy faith. Be it unto thee, as thou wilt.   

¶ The. xx. Chapter.  
THe last of all, which is to be consythered in the preparation of prayer, is so necessary, that without it, all the other are but vain, & nothing to the purpose: And it is this that when soever we intend to pray, we do first forgive such as have offended us, or else by no means can we obtain remission of our sins & favour at the hand of God. Therefore do we on this manner pray in the Pater noster: 
Math. vi.  forgive us our dettes, even as we forgive our debtors. And Christ saith forgive, and it shall be forgiven you. Yea he giveth us a plain commandment the we should forgive so many as have offended us, before we pray, or else our prayer worketh us rather damnation than salvation. 
Mark. xi.  When you prepare yourselves to pray, sayeth Christ, forgive if you have any thing against any man, that your father, which is in heaven, may forgive you also your trespasses. 
Math. vi.  Again he saith: if you forgive men their faults, your heavenvly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their faults, neither will your father forgive you your faults.  
We read that Peter came unto Christ, 
Mat. xviii.  & said, LORD how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I shall forgive him? until seven times? Christ answered, I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven times. And ● Luke he saith: 
Luke xvii.  Take heed to yourselves. If thy brother sinneth against thee, rebuke him, & if he repent, forgive him▪ And if he sinneth seven times in a day against thee, & shall seven times in a day turn again unto thee, saying: It repenteth me, forgive him. 
Math. xviii●  And in matthew to make the matter more plain, that we shall not be forgiven of God, except we forgive them the offend us, he putteth for the a similitude or parable of a certain king, which when he called his servants to a counts, had one brought to him, which aught him ten thousand talentes. When he was not able to pay, his Lord commanded him to be fold, & his wife, & his Children, & all that ever he had, & payment to be made. The servant fallen down, & worshipped him, saying: LORD be patient toward me, & I will pay the all together. The LORD had pity on that servant, losoned him, and forgave him all that he aught. But that servant going forth found one of his fellow servants, which aught him an hundred pennies, and laying hand on him, & tahing him by the throat he said, pay that thou ●west. His fellow servant fallen down, & desired him, saying. Be patient toward me, & I will pay the all together. He would not, but went his way, & cast him ito prison, until he should pay the debt. Dhan his fellow servants see that which was done, they lamented very sore, & came, and opened unto their Lord all those things that were done. Than did their LORD call him, & said unto him, thou ungracious servant, I forgave the all that debt, when thou desyredst me, had it not been convenient also, that thou shouldst have had pity on thy fellow servant? And his LORD being angry, committed him to the jalours, until he should pay all that was due unto him. Christ concludeth: So likewise shall my heavenly father do unto you, if every one of you even from the very heart doth not forgive his brother their offences. Hereof doth it appear more clearly than the light, that except we forgive, we shall never be forgiven, 
Prayers done out of charity please not God.  neither can any thing please God that we do, if it be done out of charity. For the word of God abideth firm, sure, & constant for evermore. And this saying of Christ can not be mocked by any means, nor made frustrate, so likewise shall my heavenly father do unto you, if every one of you even from the very heart doth not forgive his brother their offences. What S. Paul writeth of those works, which are done out of charity in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, the thirteen Chapter, it is not unknown to them the read the holy scriptures. God loveth no uncharitable, malicious, wicked, envious, & bloody prayers. Every one that hateth his brother, is a manslayer. 
i Joan. iii  And you know sayeth S. John, the every manslayer, hath not everlasting life abiding in him. Again If any man sayeth, 
i joan. iiii.  I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath ser●e, god, whom he hath not seen, how can he love? And this commandment have we of him, the he, which loveth God, do also love his brother. But let us hear what our golden mouthed Doctor sayeth to this matter.   

¶ The. xxi. Chapter.  

Hom. lxxxix De ora●ione.  IF that we be commanded not only to pray for the faithful but also for the unfaithful, consider thou how great & evil it is to desire evil against the brothers. What dost thou oh man● Comest thou to God for to make him merciful unto thee, & dost thou wish evil to another? Except thou dost forgive, neither shall it be forgiven the. Thou dost not only not forgive, but thou also desirest God, that he will not forgive▪ If it shall not be forgiven thee, which dost not forgive, dost thou not alonely not forgive, but also desirest GOD not to forgive? If it be not forgiven him, that doth not forgive, how shall it than be forgiven him, which prayeth the LORD, that he may not forgive? If it be a shame to have enemies, consyther thou than, how great a sin it is to desire evil to them, when thou oughtest to purge thyself, because thou hast enemies, dost thou also accuse them? What forgiveness shalt thou obtain, detracting & reporting evil of thy neighbour, thefely at such time, when thou hast need of no mean mercy. For thou tammest also to pray for thine own sins. 
Note well●  Remeber not therefore other men's faults, unless thine own be reserved. Thou art a man, vomit not out the poison of adders. Thou art a man, play not the cruel wild beast. Thou haste a mouth made unto the for this cause, not the thou shouldst bite, but that y● shou● dost heal. Remember what God manifestly hath monysshed the to do, even that thou shouldst spare & forgive.  

De cō●ūe. cordi●. li. i  Again in another place he saith as concerning that which is written: forgive us our dettes, as we forgive our debtors, who is he among us all, that dare boldly say these things to God? For although we do no evil to our enemies & debtors yet have we within us a wound of offence, that is incurable, and can not be made whole. But Christ will not only that we forgive them that offendeth us, but also that we love them & pray for them. For if only thou dost not hurt him, which hath hurt thee, & yet turnest away thyself from him, & wouldst not gladly see him, without doubt there abideth a wound in thy breast, & sorrow increaseth still in thy heart. If it be so, certes that is not fulfilled, which Christ hath commanded. wilt thou that God be merciful unto the o● such sort, that he should not hurt thee, & yet turn himself away from thee, & remember thy sins, & have no mind to see thee? Therefore even such one as thou wouldst that god should be unto thee, when thou desirest forgiveness of thy sins, such one oughtest thou to show thyself unto them, which have offended against the. As a certain wise man writeth, saying, he that seaketh ven geance, shall find vengeance of y● LORD, which shall surely keep him his sins. forgive thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done thee, & so shall thy sins be forgiven the also when thou prayest. A man that beareth hatred against another, how dare he desire forgiveness of God▪ He that showeth no mercy to a man which is like himself, how dare he ask forgiveness of his sins? If he that is but flesh, beareth hatred, & keep it, who shall itrete for his ●ines  
saying therefore that except we do forgive our debtors, 
De cōpū● cordi●. li.  our dettes shall not be forgiven of God, and in as much as we shall find God such one to us, as we are to our neighbours, let us follow Christ & Steven, which prayed to God for their enemies in the mids of their torments, that they might be forgiven. For let us know this to be true and nothing more truer, that as a Surgeon can not heal perfectly the wound so long as any iron is in it, so likewise can not prayer profit so long as the mind is canchred, and defiled with guile, fraud, deceit, simulation, rancour, hatred, malyce● emnite, & such other wickednesses. There is nothing, layeth Chrisosto● that maketh us more like unto God than if we be gentle & easy to be entreated of them that be evil, and d● hurt us. God is ready to forgive at all times, if we forgive. God maketh his son to shine both upon the good & evil, & sendeth rain upon the righteous & unrighteous. Let us therefore after the example of our heavenly father love not only our friends, but also our enemies, yea & that from the bottom of the heart. Let us forgive so many as offend us, & show ourselves of such affection toward them that offend us, as we desire that Christ should be toward us. Let us be so fervently given unto the preservation of fraternal concord & mutual charity, that if thorough human infirmity it chanceth at any time that contention riseth up among us, we may notwithstanding so shortly put it away by reconciling one to another, that all displeasure taken away, the son may not fall down upon our anger. Let us ever set before our eyes this saying of S. Paul▪ As the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind meekness, 
De con●un cordi●. li.  long suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another (if o●●e man have a quarrel to another) as Christ forgave you, so do you. But above all things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And the peace of God might rule in your hearts, unto the which peace you are called in one body, and see that you be thankful.  
If we will do thus when soever we pray, we may be sure to pray with fruit, we may be sure to obtain what so ever we ask of God the father thorough jesus Christ, we may be sure to have forgiveness of all our sins, & ever to have God the father a bounteous and gentle father unto us.  
Hitherto have I declared, what prayer is, of what virtue & strength the true & christian prayer is, & how we aught to prepare ourselves for to pray.  
Now it remaineth that I declare in what place a Christian man should pray, & after what manner. Again for what things, & at what time he aught to pray.    

¶ In what place a christian should Pray.  

¶ The. xxii. Chapter.  
ALthough God in the old law was called upon, & prayed unto of the jews' in the temple of Jerusalem, which Solomon builded, & although God had choose that place, wher● chiefly they should call upon his name, offer Sacrifice unto him, read & learn his most holy law, & do such things as he had appointed them in his word, yet both at that time, yea & also many years before, we read that divers holy men prayed in other places besides that Temple, & were hard. Neither did God so institute that temple to be a house of prayer, as though it should only be there lawful to call on his divine name, 
Why the temple of Solomon was builded.  but that by that means he should keep the gross jews in an order, which else would have invented new kinds of worshipping God after their own fantasy, & resorted to such places, where Idols were worshipped, & by this means be provoked unto idolatry, where unto they were very much bend, as we may see in the holy Scriptures. Therefore god appointed them to pray in that temple of Solomon, not taking away yet for all that the liberty of praying in every place from the faithful. 
Gene. iiii.  For we read the Enos the son of Seth did first begin to call on the name of the LORD, before any temple was builded. And it is to be thought, that Abel also prayed unto God, when he offered in crisyce, Enoch, Nohe, There, Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph with many other of the ancient patriarchs worshipped & prayed unto God, one in this, another in that place, before any one peculiar house was appointed & dedicated unto prayer, yea and God heard those prayers, accepted them, & granted the petitions asked in them. What other thing do the examples of all these holy men teach us, than that it is lawful for a faithful man to pray without any difference in every place. 
Exod●▪ two.  Did not the children of Israel pray to God, when they were oppressed with miserable captivity in Egypt a land full of idolatry, superstition, & all kind of wickedness? Did not Moses & Aaron many times pray unto the LORD in wilderness? 
joshua. ●  Did not joshua pray unto God in his waters before, we read that divers holy men prayed in other places besides that Temple, & were hard. Neither did God so institute that temple to be a house of prayer, as though it should only be there lawful to call on his divine name, 
Why the tē●ple of Solomon was builded.  but that by that means he should keep the gross jews in an order, which else would have invented new kinds of worshipping God after their own fantasy, & resorted to such places, where Idols were worshipped, & by this means be provoked unto idolatry, where unto they were very much bend, as we may see in the holy Scriptures. Therefore god appointed them to pray in that temple of Solomon, not taking away yet for all that the liberty of praying in every place from the faithful. 
Gene. iiii.  For we read that Enos the son of Seth did first begin to call on the name of the LORD, before any temple was builded. And it is to be thought, that Abel also prayed unto God, when he offered sacrifice, Enoch, Nohe, There, Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph with many other of the ancient patriarchs worshipped & prayed unto God, one in this, another in that place, before any one peculiar house was appointed & dedicated unto prayer, yea and God heard those prayers, accepted them, & granted the petitions asked in them. What other thing do the examples of all these holy men teach us, than that it is lawful for a faithful man to pray without any difference in every place. 
Exod● two.  Did not the children of Israel pray to God, when they were oppressed with miserable captivity in Egypt a londfull of idolatry, superstition, & all kind of wickedness? Did not Moses & Aaron many times pray unto the LORD in wilderness? 
joshua. ●  Did not joshua pray unto God in his wars, when he made the Son and Moon to stand still, until he had revenged himself of his enemies? 
〈◊〉. Reg. xvii.  Did not Helias pray in the house of the widow of Sarepra, when he restored her son from death to syfe? Did not he again pray in the top of the mount Carmelus, & obtained after long droute plenty of rain? 
〈◊〉. Reg. ●●. isaiah. ●●xii●.  Did not Ezechias the king when he herded that he should die, pray to the LORD in his bed, & obtained to live. 
Nehem. ●●  xv. years longer? Did not Nehemias but lare unto king Artaxerxes both do service unto his Lord, & also pray unto God? 
Toby. viii.  Did not Toby & Sara his wife pray unto God in their houses? Did not job pray upon the dungehyll? 
judith. twelve.  Did not judith pray unto the LORD in her Oratory, & divers other places? 
Dani. vi.  Did not Daniel, when he served the wicked king kneel down & pray unto the LORD thrice every day in his chamber? Did not he pray to God, 
Dani. xiao.  when he was cast into the den of Lions? Did not jonas pray in the whales belly? 
jonas. two. Hester. xiiii.  Did not queen Hester pray secretly in her chamber? 
Daniel. xiii.  Did not Susanna pray in the street, as she went for to be stoned unto death? Did not jeremy pray unto God, when he was in prison? 
Luke. vi.  Did not Christ customably pray on the mountains in the field? 
Math. xxvi.  Did he not pray in the gardens? Did he not pray hanging upon the cross? 
Math. xxvii. Actum. seven.  Did not Stephen pray to God, when ne was stoned unto death? 
Actum. two.  Did not the Apostles with certain women, & Mari the mother of jesus & his brothers pray together after Christ's ascension in a parlour? 
Actum. x.  Did not Cornelius the Centurion pray at home in his house? Did not Peter pray in the over part of the house of Simon the Camner? 
Actum. xxi.  Did not Paul with his companions pray in divers places, as cities, towns, field ss, see banks, ships, prisons. & c? Were not all these herded? yes verily, & their petitions granted them mercifully. What do we learn of all these Histories? Certes that a faithful christian is bound to no place. Where soever a faithful man prayeth, he shall undoubtedly beheard. Christ said to the woman of Samaria: 
joan. iiii.  Woman believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor at Jerusalem you shall worship the Father. You worship you know not what. We worship that we know. For health is of the jues. But the hour cometh, & now it is, when true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit & truth. For the father also seeketh such the may worship him. For God is a spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit & truth. Saint Paul also saith, 
i Tim. two.  I will that men pray in every place, lifting uppepure hands without wrath & contention. But let us hear what Chrisostome saith.   

¶ The. xxiii. Chapter.  
LEt us not excuse ourselves saying, 
Home. lxxxix de oration.  that it is no easy thing for a man being entangled with worldly businesses to pray, saying that he hath no oratory nor house fit for prayer nigh unto him. For where so ever thou be, thou mayst make and appoint thine altar. For the place hindereth nothing, neither doth the time let, but though thou dost not bow thy knees, nor knock thy breast, nor stretch out thy hands to heaven, yet mayst thou pray aright & make thy prayer perfect, so that thou only showest & bringest forth a fervent mind. For thou mayst when thou goest unto market, & walkest by thyself alone, make long prayers. Thou mayst also sitting in thy shop, & sowing skins dedicated thy soul unto the LORD. The servant also that buyeth, or goeth up & down, & the Cook doing his office when he can not go to church, may make a prayer long & discrete. For God disdaineth not the place, but requireth one thing, that is to say, a fervent mind, & a pure soul. For Paul also, not in an Oratory, but in the prison dying wide open, nor standing right up, nor bowing his knees, for the clog, wherewith his feet were bond, did not suffer him, yet saying that he dying prayed fervently, he shaked the prison unlosoned the foundations, & did bind the keeper of the prison, & afterward brought him unto holy religion. And Ezechias not stonding right up, nor bowing his knees, but lying wide open in his bed because of his sickness, when he turned himself unto the brickwall, in asmuch as he called upon God fervently & with a pure soul, he both called again the sentence pronounced, obtained much benevolence, & was restored to his old health. And the these being stretched out upon the cross, with few words purchased the heavenvly kingdom. And jeremy in the mire and lake, & Daniel in the prison and among the wild beasts. And jonas in the belly of a whale, praying unto God, did both dissolve all manner of evils, wherewith they were besieged, compassed & set about, and also found favour at the hand of God, what than oughtest thou to say, when thou prayest? verily even the same thing that the woman of Canane did. For even as she said. Have meroye on me, my daughter is grievously vexed of a devil, so say thou likewise, have mercy upon me, my soul is very grievously vexed of a devil. For sin is a great devil, she that had the devil did find mercy, & yet was she hated; when she did sin? Have mercy on me, is but a short saying, yet doth it contayns an whole see of mercy. For where soever mercy is, there are all good things. Though thou be without the church, cry, saying, have mercy on me though thou dost not move thy lips, but only cry in thy mind. For God also heareth them that hold their peace. There is no place to be sought, but a beginning of a place. jeremy was in the mire, & he made God bounteous unto him by prayer. job was on the dung hill, & he made God merciful unto him. jonas was in the whales belly, & he had God gentle to him. Though thou be in a vain pray. Where so ever thou be, pray. Thou art the temple, seek no place. The see was before the jews, and the Egipcians behind at their backs, & Moses in the mids speaking nothing, for he was greatly troubled in his prayer, yet said God unto him, what criest thou to me? In like manner thou therefore, when soever temptation shall come upon thee, fly unto God, & call on the LORD. Is he a man, that thou shouldst seek after a place? God is ever at hand. For thou yet speaking, he will say: Behold here I am present. Thou hast not yet made thy prayer, and he bringeth help. For if thou haste a mind pure from unclean motions, though thou be in the market, or in way, or in the consistory, or in the see, or in the in, or in the ship, or in any other place of the world, look where so ever thou callest on God, there mayest thou obtain thy petition.  
Hitherto have I rehearsed the words of S. John Chrisostome. 
De bet a innocen. cap. cccxiii.  Like unto this writeth saint Austen, saying: Why dost thou seek for a fit and holy place, when thou shouldst make thy supplication to God? make clean thy inward parts, & all eue● lusts expulsed from thence, prepare thyself a secret place in the peace of thy heart. Thou willing to pray in the temple, pray in thyself, and so behave thyself always that thou mayst be the temple of God. For God heareth there, where he dwelleth.  
Thus serwe both by the authority of the holy scriptures, & the ancient fathers, that a faithful & christian man may pray lawfully in every place, 
1. Cor. iii ●. vi 11. Cor. vi.  in as much as he is the temple of God, as S. Paul sayeth: Do you not know that you are the Temple of God, & the spirit of God dwelleth in you? The Temple of God is holy which you are. 
Math. vi.  And this is it the christ saith: When thou shalt pray, enter into thy closet, & the door sparred, pray to thy father, which is in secret. Therefore let him the shall pray, nothing fear to pray unto God in every place boldly, with this persuasion that God will hear him, & grafit him his hearts desire i what soever place he be.   

¶ The xxiiii. Chapter.  
I Have not spoken these things to make any pson for to have the less devotion to go unto the church & accustomed place of prayer, 
Slander not you syco phantes.  when time requireth (which thing God forbid that any man contrary to my meaning should gather of these my words, or thereby be occasioned the less to observe and keep the commendable order of this Realm now a days used among us) but to show that a faithful christian man may lawfully by God's word pray in every place, with this persuasion the God will also hear him in every place, 
Mat. xxi. Marc. xi. Luk. nineteeen.  yea & that when soever he prayeth, so that his prayer be made according unto the will of god, & as I have taught heretofore. For we read that Christ at divers times did so approve & allow the temple of jerusalem, 
joan. two. Esa. lvi. jere. seven.  that of the very same place he rehearsed this text of the holy scripture, my house shall be called the house of prayer. Again he drove out with whyppes such as did buy & cell in the temple, declaring thereby, that it was a place of more holiness, & of greater price in the sight of God, than that any profane businesses might lawfully be in it exercised. He also many times preached in the Temple, & it is not to be doubted but that he also used there to pray. Again, we read that the Apostles after Christ's ascension repaired thither oftentimes both to preach & pray. 
Act. iii  Places therefore dedicated to prayer aught not to be despised nor abhorred, but used unto the end for the which they were instituted  

Mat. xviii  Christ saith, where soever two or three shallbe gathered together in my name, there am I in the mids of them. Now in churches it is to be thought that many are gathered together in Christ's name, therefore is Christ there among them. Seeing that he is so, every man aught joyfully to repair thither, when they may conveniently, but chiefly when the time & public order doth require, & there both faithfully to pray devoutly to be present at the ministration of the most blessed Sacrament of the altar Christ's very body and blood, & diligently to read or hear the word of God, & furthermore to do such things, as the place & time shall then require. At all other times when so ever a christian man shall be disposed to pray, let him pray boldly, and although he be not in the church, yette let him nothing doubt, but that his prayer shall there also be heard and granted.    

¶ After what manner a christian man aught to pray.  

¶ The xxv Chapter.  
Now it remaineth to declare after what manner a Christian man aught to pray. In the declaration hereof it shall be necessary, that he which will pray aright, doth first consider what he is to whom he must pray. 
Who it is unto whom we pray.  Again, what he himself is that prayeth. It is no man nor angel, but God which is prayed unto, whom the angelic potestates do reverently fear, whom all the whole company of heaven do magnify, commend, praise, worship & honour, 
jacob. two. Phil. two.  whom the devils do fear, tremble & shake for dread, in whose name every knee both of things in Heaven, of things in earth, & of things under the earth do bow, which is of puissant power i holiness terrible, 
Exo. xv. Deut. iiii. Heb. xiii.  all praise worthy, & doing marvelous things which is a consuming fire, which is a great LORD above all the Gods, 
two. Pat. two. ●ester. xiii. job. xxxvi●. jere. xxxii. Exo. xxxiiii●.  which is the LORD of all things, & no man can resist his majesty, which is great in strength, judgement and righteousness, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of Adam, & in whose sight no creature is innocent.  
When he hath on this manner considered of God, than must he ponder what himself is, even a very miserable sinner, 
What he is, that prayers  destitute of all goodness, void of all godliness, & unworthy to approach unto the throne of the divine majesty. For this humiliation of ourselves helpeth greatly to the advancement of our prayer. For the more that any man deiecteth & throweth down himself, the nearer is he made unto God. 
Luk. xviii.  The Pharisee was far of from god, although he stood next unto the propitiatory, remembering his good deeds, & despising other men in comparison of himself. The Publican, which standing a far of prayed, came nigher unto God. For the LORD is high, & yet doth he behold humble things, he knoweth high things a far of, he despiseth the haughty, & looketh on the prayer of the humble, & the prayer of them doth not he despise. wilt y● hear, how high a thing the prayer of a man, which humbleth himself, is? The wise man teacheth this thing saying: 
Eccl xxxv.  The prayer of him that humbleth himself, shall pierce & go thorough the clouds, & till it draweth nigh, it shall not be comforted, and it shall not come down until the most highest doth look upon it.  
This humility do we read to be much used among holy men, 
Dan. ix.  in times past. Daniel prayed on this manner, not in our own righteousnesses O LORD do we power out our prayers before thee, but in thy great mercies. Hear us, O LORD, LORD be merciful unto us. Hear us, and do these things that we ask, yea & that for thine own sake. 
Baruc. two.  Also Baruch, the soul, saith he, that is bered for the multitude of her sins, which goeth on heavily and wekely, whose eyes begin to fail, surely such a soul ascribeth praise, glory & ryhhteousnes unto the O LORD. Not for the righteousness of our fathers do we power out our prayers in thy sight, & ask mercy before thy face, O LORD our God, but because thou art merciful. Have therefore mercy on us, for we have sinned before the.  
This consideration once had both of god & of himself, whereby he hath learned God to be righteous, himself unrighteous, God to be good, himself evil, God to be holy, himself profane. God to be honourable, himself miserable, God to be pure, himself unpure, God to be immaculate himself spotted with all kind of sin, God to be high, & nothing more high, 
Means to provoke the mercy of God toward him that shall pray  himself to be vile, & nothing more vile: than must he before his prayer use some means whereby, he may excite & store up the benevolence and good will of God toward him, & so adorn & garnish himself with ghostly operation, the both he & his prayer may be the more acceptable in the sight of God. 
An example.  For who dare come unto a Kings or Emperors presence for to desire any thing of them, except first of all he so composeth himself, that nothing may offend their eyes? He putteth on cleanly apparel, he kymbethe his head, he washeth his body, yea & also perchance anointeth it, and so appointeth himself in every condition, that nothing may displease them, but rather allure them to the sight of him, & the hearing of his petition. semblably it shallbe convenient for him that will pray unto God with fruit, & hath truly with himself considered the highness of god, & the humbleness of himself, to give diligence that he on such sort composeth himself, that there be nothing in him that may offend the eyes of god but the his prayer may be favourably accepted & graciously heard. And that this thing may come to pass, it shall be necessary that he followeth the ancient & holy fathers in times passed, which when they offered their prayers unto god. Used continually both to fast & give alms. For as Thoby saith, 
Toby. twelve.  prayer is good with fasting & alms, better than to hide up treasures of gold. For alms doth deliver from death, & it is that which purgeth sins.   

¶ The xxvi Chapter.  
first as concerning fasting, 
Behold of what occasion fasting  we must know that it aught to proceed from a contrite, humble, & sorrowful heart, 
aught to rise, and what it is to taste.  & from such a soul as taketh displeasure with itself that she hath been no more circumspect in the accomplishment of God's will, for the which she being sorry & dolorous, casts away the delectation and pleasure of worldly things, as eating, drinking, banqueting, wearing of gorgeous apparel, with all other mundane vanities, & straightway with all humility of mind & submission of heart approacheth by syncer faith & true repentance unto the most glorious throne of almighty God, & there lamenteth her miserable state, bewaileth her to much sinful condition, poureth out the secrets of her heart, desireth remission of her sins, hungres the & thyrstethe for strength to do the will of God. This kind of fasting accompanying prayer doth very much elevate, extol, & lift up the prayer of the humble sinner unto the presence of GOD And this is it that Tobye saith, 
Toby. twelve.  prayer is good with fasting.  
We read that when jonas at the commandment of God came unto the ninivites, 
jonas. two. three.  preached unto them, rebuked their sinful living, threatened them subversion, destruction, & the utter decay both of themselves & of their city, 
Note and follow.  they consternated with the revolution of their iniquity did straightways detest & abhor so greatly their abominable living, that they utterly laid aside all their vain pleasures, wherein so much before they delighted, & fallen immediately unto fasting & prayer with such other godly exercises of the spirit, so that by this means God beholding their true & unfeigned conversion had pity on them, saved them, & received them into the number of his well-beloved people. 
iiii. Eso. u  Esdras also at divers times did both fast & pray seven days together, that he might understand the high mysteries of God. We have fasted, 
i Esd. viii.  sayeth he, & prayed unto the LORD for a fortunate and quiet journey, & it hath chafised unto us prosperously. 
two. Reg. twelve.  Again David for the life of his child, which was sick, did both fast & pray a long season, & would eat no meat nor drink. I have prayed saith Daniel, to the LORD my God in fasting, 
Dan. ix.  sackeclothe, & ashes. judith also fasted & prayed the most part of her life in the uppermooste part of her house, 
jud. viii.  & before she slay Holofernes, she many times fasted and prayed. Moreover Queen Hester for the deliverance of her people did fast and pray three days & three nights, 
He●. iiii.  before she went unto the king. Sara the daughter of Raguel did fast & pray three days & three nights, that she might be delivered from a certain impropery and rebuke. 
Toby. iii  Paul before he was baptized did continued in prayer & fasting at the City of Damascum three days & three nights. 
Act. ix. Luk. two.  Luke also in his gospel showeth how that a certain woman called Anna the daughter of Phanuel being a Prophetysse went for the most part never out of the Temple, but gave her mind to fasting & prayer both night & day. 
Mat. ix.  Again Christ saith, this kind of devils is not ●aste out but by prayer & fasting. And it is not to be doubted, 
Mat. iiii.  but that Christ himself, when he fasted the forty days & forty nights, did also pray unto God his father, as at many other times. The same also is to be thought of the Apostles and other holy men.  
Thus see we how necessary a thing ●t is to join fasting with prayer, Therefore sayeth Peter: 
● Pet. iiii.  Be you sober, and watch in prayer. Also S. Paul, let us walk honestly as in the day, not in excess of eating & drunkenness, not in chambering & wantonness, 
Rom. xiii.  not in strife & envying, but put ●● on the LORD jesus Christ, & make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it. 
Hom. xv. super illud Mat. vi. Cum ierunatio.  Hereto pertayneth● the saying of our golden mouthed Doctor S. Iohn Chrisostom, fastig● sayeth he, is an help to prayer. For prayer without fasting, is but gra●● cyle, slender & weak. The prayer is valiant & strong, which is made in an humble spirit and a troubled heart, as the Prophet saith, a Sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit, a contrite & humbled heart God will not despise. 
Psal. i  But an humble spirit and contrite heart can he not have, which eateth & dryncketh, & setteth all his mind on delicious fare. For bread maketh strong the heart, and wine maketh it merry. The strength that cometh of bread suffereth not the spirit of the flesh to be humble, & the merines that cometh of wine, doth not suffer the heart to be con●rite. Therefore when soever the holy men would pray to obtain any thing of God whereof they had need, they ever joined fasting with prayer, as Daniel & other did. And in as much as fasting is the virtue of prayer, therefore are they never separated asunder, but are ever put together. Prayer is good with fasting. 
Cob. twelve. Mat. ix.  Again, This kind of devils is not cast out but by prayer & fasting. Therefore as a Souldioure is nothing with out armours, nor armours without a Souldioure, so is prayer nothing without fasting, nor fasting without prayer. Hither to have I rehearsed the words of S. john Chrisostome, whereof we may easily gather how necessary fasting is unto the advancement of prayer before God. 
Ser. de jeiu et Cent. Christi.  Here to pertaineth the saying of saint Cipriane, prayer is mighty in operation, so that fasting goeth before. To be brief concerning this matter, fasting must needs make highly to the advancement of prayer seeing that he which fasteth aright, cont●meth worldly things, 
Note what it is to fast a right  despiseth pleasure, hateth riches, abhorreth th● works of the flesh, mortifieth carnal affects, & is utterly given, fixed & bend to the fruits of the spirit. Therefore he that intendeth to pray with fruit, shall not a little ana●ice & set forward his prayer, if on this manner he applieth himself for to pray.   

¶ The xxvii Chapter.  

Of Alms  Moreover as this kind of fasting doth very much promove a christian man's prayer, & maketh it greatly to be accepted in the sight of God, so doth alms and the glad distribution of worldly goods upon the poor members of Christ in like manner garnish, adorn, and make very pleasant the humble supcation of a sinner in the eyes of the divine majesty, as we read of Cornelius, to whom the angel said, thy prayers & thine Almesses are come up into remembrance before God. 
Act. x.  Behold how he joineth prayer and alms together. Toby in like manner sayeth, 
Tob. twelve.  Prayer is good with fasting & alms. Lo, here is combined & joined together prayer, fasting, & alms, as things necessary concurren. The wise man also saith, 
Eccl. seven.  to pray and give alms, despise not. Blessed is he, 
Psal. xi.  saith David, that considereth the needy & poor, the LORD shall deliver him in the day of his trouble. Christ also saith: give you alms, 
Luk. twelve.  & behold all things are clean unto you. Nyther to pertaineth the ●ayenge of Chrisostome, 
Hom. xv. in cap. vi. Math.  It is written, saith he, in the law: Enter not ●nto the sight of y● LORD thy God ●oyd or empty. verily he entereth in empty before God, which coming unto prayer, 
Math. this well.  doth no alms. Again he sayeth, he prepareth his soul before prayer, which doing alms cometh unto prayer, For as oil doth kindle the light of a lamp, so doth good works excite & store up the faith of the heart, & give boldness to pray unto God.  

An objection.  But it will perchance be objected, everyeone can not give alms, for they want substance, shall not they therefore pray & be herded? I answer, as by fasting, 
The answer.  I do not only understand the abstinence from meats & drynckes, but also the mortification of carnal affects, & the contempt of mundane pleasures (without the which the external and outward fasting is nothing else thi● diabolical hypocrisy and wicked dissimulation) so likewise by alms I mean not only the beneficence toward the indigent, 
Note here of fasting and alms  poor and needy, which without doubt is a singular and much praise worthy work before God, but also the desire of heavenvly things, & a will utterly estranged from all carnal concupiscences & fleshly lusts. So that he which intendeth to pray with fruit, if he can not do the one, yet ought he to do the other of necessity, & to be inflamed with the desire of things celestial, that he may say with the psalmograph, 
Psal. twelve.  as the heart desireth to the fountains of waters, so doth my soul desire unto the O God. My soul is a thirst for God that living fountain, when shall I come to appear before the face of God? Again O how amiable are thy dwellings thou LORD of hosts, 
Psa. lxxxiii.  my soul hath a desire and longing for the court of the LORD. My heart & my flesh rejoice in the living God. 
Phil. i  This heavenly mind was in S. Paul living here in this world, when he said, I desire to be losoned out of this mortal body, & to be with Christ. 
Fasting & alms are Y ● two wings of prayer.  saying therefore that fasting and alms are so necessary to the promotion and furtherance, to the elevation and lifting up of prayer, & are called of certain holy Doctor's the two wings of prayer, in asmuch as ●y them prayer flieth up unto the throne of the divine majesty, & is the better accepted in God's presence, it shall be expedient for him that intendeth to pray with fruit, to exercise himself somewhat before in fasting and alms, on such manner as I have taught heretofore. So shall it come to pass, that God shall the more thank fully accept his prayer, and grant him his hearts desire. Not only the exercise of these two virtues, but also of all o●her, shall be necessary for him that prayeth, that he may provoke GOD the more b●nygnely to hear him. These things once done than let him pray, but after what manner I will express in few words.   

¶ The. xxviii. Chapter.  
first above all things, 
The heart must be see on the praye●  let him give earnest diligence the while he prayeth, his heart may be seryously assyxed and set on his prayer, or els● he prayeth in vain, according to this old senience. Dum cor non orat, in vanum lingua laborat. That is to say, while the heart doth not pray, the tongue laboureth in vain. 
Esa. xxix.  Christ also saith, this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me verily they worship me in vain For what great absurdity is this, 
Mat. xv.  to desire god to hear our prey else, and we ourselves do not hear them: What a kind of praying is this to babble with our lips, 
Note.  to ropont with our throats, piteously to shake our head, to sit bore headed, to kneel on the bore ground, to knock our breasts, & yet to have our mind troubled & occupied about fyithye & unclean things? Is this a manner of praying to make God the father merciful to us? Yea it rather excite the and storeth up his anger toward us. 
A point for your learning  S. Austen fears not to write on this manner, as the voice of a man without modulation or sweet armony, is as the voice of s●yne or hogs, so is prayer without devotion as the bellowing of Ox's. There are two verses published in the name S. Jerome, which saying they are godly, and teach the true manner of praying, I think it convenient to allege them in this place. 
Non vox sed votum, non cordula musica sed cor.  
Non clamans sed amans cantat in aure Der,  That is to say, not the voice but the desire, not the musical instrument, but the heart, Not the crier but the lover sigeth in the ear of God. Chriso. also writeth on this manner: It is the duty of a devout mind to pray to God, not with the voice or with the sound of the voice, 
Hom. xiiiii. D● joan. et Paul. Fe●o.  but with the devotion of the mind, & with the saith of the heart, Again he saith, thecrienge of the voice is not the work in prayer unto God, whom we know the he beholdeth the secrets of the heart, but the crying of faith, & the devotion of a religious & godlymind, therefore the best way to pray is to pray with the heart mind, spirit, soul, & inward man.  
Now it will be demanded, 
● Demaūdg  whither a christian man ought to pray with an open voice or not. Although I have spoken sufficiently concerning this matter in the definition of prayer, yet I will here add three words as they say, 
Note when we may lawfully pray ●● voice.  touching this thing also. Although prayer be the work of the spirit, and not of the voice, of the heart and not of the lips, of the mind and not of the mouth, yet is not the external sound of the voice to be condemned, whither it be in reading or singing, so that it followeth the affection of the mind, and doth service unto that. For seeing the glory of God aught to shine after a certain manner in all the parts of our body, 
Why she tongue was made.  it is convenient that the tongue chiefly be addict & given to this ministry and service both in singing and speaking, which was chiefly made to declare and preach the magnificence, laud & praise of God. Therefore so that the tongue and the heart do consent and agree together, being alike occupied in the effusion of the prayer, it is not only tolerable, but also commendable to pray both with tongue and heart.  

Of external gestures.  Now as concerning the external gesture in praying, as kneeling, knocking on the breast, lifting up of the hands. etc. in as much as they be indifferent, & we read that they were used of Christ & many holy men in times past, they are not to be despised. Nothing is unfitting that proceedeth from the servant affection of the mind. But I have spoken of this thing also before in the definition of prayer. Therefore will I haste to these things that remain, as more necessary to be entreated of.    

¶ For what things we aught to pray.  

¶ The. xxix. Chapter.  
FOr asmuch as we are so ignorant & blind of ourselves the we know not what we should desire, 
Rom. viii.  as we aught, unless we should ask any thing unfitting, & otherwise than becometh us, or that should not be acceptable to God, our saviour Christ wyiling in this behalf to secure our necessity, 
Mat. vi.  & to help our ignorancy & blindness, hath appointed & set forth as it were in a certain table the true manner of prarenge in the Pater noster, where he hath compendiously declared for what things we aught to pray either pertaining to the glory of God, or to the profit of so many as profess his most holy name. And although every day and every hour doth offer to us occasions sufficiently for to pray unto God, yea & that for innumerable causes, yet it may seem that Christ i that prayer which he taught his disciples, hath in sew words comprehended whatsoever we have need to pray for. 
The glory of God ought we to seake●t our prayers chiefly  Therefore who soever at any time shall be minded to pray, let him above all things seek the advancement of God's glory in his prayer. For the first petition of the Pater noster, with the next two that follow, pertain only to the glory of GOD, wherein we ask that the name of God may be sanctified, the his kingdom may reign among us, that his will may be done here in earth as it is in heaven. So likewise did Christ a little before his passion, 
joan. twelve.  pray, saying: O father glorify thy name. God's glory therefore aught we to seek above all things in our prayers at all times  
After that we have sought the glory of God, 
Secondly for our soul's health.  place requireth that then we should ask those things, which pertain unto the everlasting health & salvation of our souls. For the health of our souls ought to be desired before the wealth of our body, as Christ monyssheth, first seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof. 
Mat vi.  And all these things (he speaketh of meat, drink & cloth) shall be cast unto you. David also saith one thing have I desired of the LORD which I will require, 
Psal. xxvi  namely that I may devil in the house of the LORD all the days of my life.  
And in as much as the sincere preaching 
Chyr●el●● or the promotion of god's word.  of God's word helpeth much unto the salvation of our souls (for the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation for every one the believeth, 
Rom. 1. Deut viii. Mat. iiii. Rom. x.  & a man shall not live with bre●d alone, but with every word the cometh out of the mouth of God, for faith cometh by ●earyng, and hearing by the word of God) it shall be necessary for us to pray the God's word may have free passage among us, & that all wicked doctrine, superstitious teaching, heresy, lustral opinions, sictes & all that ever is contrary to wholesome doctrine, may be exiled & banished out of Christ's church. Pray for those things, sal● eth David, 
Psal. ●xxi.  that make unto the peace of jerusalem, that is, unto the safe, quiet, lucky, & prosperous preservation of Christ's church, that the doctrine of the gospel, which bringeth peace & quietness to the hearts of the faithful, may triumphantly reign among us. 
Luk. i fourth for the ministers of God's word.  But in as much as this Euangelion and glad tidings of christ can never be ministered to the christian congregation without sincere & true preachers of the word, therefore ought ●e also pray, the at Ante christes, Papists, Heretics, Schismatyckes, & seditious praters submoved & put aside, true Evangelists, 
Rom. xi  faithful Prophets, & sync●r Preachers, may reign among us universally. For how shall they preach, 
mat. ix.  except they be sent. Therefore saith Christ, pray unto the LORD of the harvest, that he may shoreforth workmen into his harvest.  
Moreover saying that we have ●uot only a soul but also a body, 
Fy●tely for ● magistrates oh the public weal.  and God hath appointed ministers for them hath, it shall alio be convenient according to the admonition of S. Paul, to pray for the magistrates of the public weal, as for our most redoubted & most excellent king, & for all other that are in authority, that we may lead a peaceable & quiet life, under their dominion with all godliness and honesty. 
1. Eim. two. Syrtely for corporal things.  After these things it shall not be unfitting to pray for things necessary for our body, as meat, drink clot, friendship, health, wisdom, knowledge, reason. etc. yet in the request of all these things aforesaid, we must refer the matter wholly unto the will of God, & be contented to receive as it shall be his pleasure to give, either much, little, or nothing.  

Of god a love we ought to ask all good things.  To be short, what soever we have need of, we must straight ways run unto God & ask it of him only, why there it pertaineth to the soul or to the body, which giveth to all men without doubleness, & casts no man into the teeth, as S. Austen sayeth: We aught to ask of none but of the LORD God, 
Elenches. ad Laurencap. cx●ii.  what soever we trust that we either should work well, or obtain for good works.   

¶ The. thirty. Chapter.  
BUt this is to be noted in prayer that in asmuch as all that profess Christ unfeignedly, have one common & heavenvly father, & are brothers one to another ye brothers to christ & fellow heirs with him, 
Rom. viii.  & saying that Christ also hath taught us in his most godly prayer, not only to pray for ourselves, but also for all other in common, 
Mat. vi.  it shall be necessary that a christian man doth so direct his prayer unto God, that he may seem no less to seek in it the help of his Christian brothers, than of himself. For true & unfeigned charity, which proceedeth from a pure heart & a good conscience, & a faith not feigned, seeketh not her own, 
i Tim. ●. i Cor. xiii.  but rather that which pertaineth to other. She rejoiceth no less in the health of other than in her own. 
Behold what charity doth.  She taketh no less thought to profit other than herself. She rejoiceth with them that rejoice, 
Rom. twelve. i Cor. xiii.  & weepeth with them that weep. Yea she many times forgetteth herself, & is wholly bend to seek the commodity of other, as S. Paul saith, 
Exo. xxxii.  charity seeketh not her own. We read that such fervent charity was in Moses, which when the people of Israel had grievously offended God by worshipping the golden Calf, perceiving the wrath of God to be hot against them, prayed on this manner & said, o this people have done a great sin, and have made them Gods of gold. Now forgive them their sin, or else wipe me out of this book, 
Rom. ix.  that thou hazel written. S. Paul also wyssted himself to be cursed from Christ for the Israelites. Christ commandeth to bless than that curse us, 
mat. u  to pray for them that do us wrong & persecute us how much more than aught we, saying there is one bo●y & one spirit, 
Ephe. iiii.  one LORD, one saith, one baptism one God & father of us all, to pray one for another generally in the unite of the spirit thorough the bond of peace. If we search in the Histories of the most sacred Bible, we shall in many places find and evidently perceive with how greedy affection and fervent mind one prayed for another, so the there was in their prayers a certain godly communion, & a l●ke thought or care for all men. 
Note this similitude.  For as he that loveth the father of the house hold unfeignedly, doth also love heartily all his whole family, so in like manner they that love our celestial father with a true affect & mind, can none otherwise do but love also his people, his household. his heritage, 
Ephe. i  whom he hath so greatly honoured the he hath not disdained to call them the plenitude & fullness of his only begotten son. 
Our prayers aught to be common.  Therefore the prayer of a Christian man ought on such manner to be made, that it may be common & comprehend in it all men that are his brothers in Christ, and pertain to the household of faith. Yea he aught to pray for all men living in this world, be they Turk's Saracennes, jews or any other of the hethenysh & unfaithful sort, the God may deliver them by this holy spirit out of the darknesses of ygnorancy, & bring them into the marvelous light of his most blessed word, that in the unite of the Spirit they may also confess with us one LORD, one God, one saviour, one faith, one Christian religion, & one truth.  

A question  But some men will say peradventure, is it not lawful for a man to pray severally for himself, & for his own private affairs? 
The answer.  Yies verily, so that the mind be not utterly deflected & turned away from the contemplation of this community, but referreth all things unto that. 
mat. xxvi  For Christ prayed perticularely for himself unto his Father a little before his passion. 
i●ii. Reg. xx Esa. xxxviii. Psa i Luke. xviii math. xxvi  Ezechias prayed for his own health. David prayed for the remission of his sin. The Publycane desired mercy & forgiveness of his offence. The these desired Christ to remember him, when he came in to his kingdom. All these prayed their own private affairs, & were heard. Semblably it is lawful for every Christian man to lament his own cause before the merciful eyes of the divine majesty.  
Art thou a magistrate & governor of the common weal, 
Magistrate  perceiving that thou wantest wisdom to govern the people of God aright & according to justice. 
three Re. iii  Than mayst thou lawfully pray with Solomon to God for the gift of wisdom.  
Art thou a minister of God's word, 
Minister of God's Lord  so mayst thou after the example of the Apostles pray for the influence of the holy Ghost, that the mayst be repleted with the knowledge of spiritual things, 
Act. i  & so feed the flock of Christ, 
Act. xx.  whom he hath purchased with his most precious blood, 
i Pet. v.  that thou mayst receive the immarcessible crown of glory, when that Prince of sheep herds shall appear.  

householder.  Arte y● an householder? than mayst thou lawfully pray unto God for grace, that thou mayst govern and rule thy family according to God's most holy word.  

rich man.  Art thou a rich man, than oughtest thou for to pray unto God, that thou mayest distribute his goods committed unto the according to his pleasure upon the poor people. Art thou poor? 
Poor man  than pray to God that thou mayst patiently suffer the cross of poverty, which he hath laid upon the. 
Bi●iō●.  feelest thou any vice to reign in the▪ So mayest thou be ●olde to pray unto GOD for the suppression of that vice, and for the obtaining of the virtue contrary to the vice.  
To be short, 
Christian man  art thou a Christian man? So mayst thou at all times be bold to pray that God may so endue the with strength from above, that thou mayst live in all points according to thy profession.   

¶ The. xxxi. Chapter.  
BUt in thus praying for our selves we must take heed, that we desire not those things, which should turn to our own private advantage, & to the hindrance or discommodity of other. For this is not acceptable in the sight of God. 
Math. xx. Mar. x.  The children of Zebedeus desired Christ. the one of them might sit on his right hand, & another on his lift hand. But Christ answered and said, you know not what you ask. They desired the primacy, & to be aloft in superioryte above a● the disciples, which made the other to have indignation at them b● the. 
Nota  That Petition therefore is not lawful nor righteous, which hath a respect more to private advantage than to public vt● light. 
Examples  As if a Physician should pray that many might fall sick or that they that are sick, might so continue long, that he might have the more advantage. Or if an heir did pray that his parents might die wortly, that the heritage might quickly chance unto him. Or if a wicked Soldier did desire that many temples might be spoiled, and divers honest men rob, the he might come home looden with proyes and robberies.  
These & such like requests, in as much as they come for the from the flesh, and not from the spirit, God, which is a spirit, 
joan. iiii.  doth not hear them, 
ja. iiii.  as S. james saith, you ask and receive not, because you ask evil, the you may consume it on your pleasures. And if he heareth, certes he heareth unto the great evil & incommodity of them the pray. For they store up & provoke the anger of God toward them. 
Sir liii. de ver. Dom. second, joan  S. Austen saith, think it no great thing to be herd at your own will, but rather think it a great thing to be herded unto your profit. For the devils were herd at their own will, & were suffered to go into the swine according to their desire. 
matt. viii.  Their Prince also the devil was herded at his own will, which desired to have job & to tempt him. 
job. i  The Israelites also were heard at their own will, & when the meat was yet in their mouth, 
Ex. xuj. Num. xi.  you know what things followed. Think it therefore no great thing to be herded at your own will & pleasure. For God sometime being angry giveth that, which thou askest, & God being merciful & well pleased, denieth that, which thou askest. But yet is their prayer much more wicked, which being inflamed with the fire of malicious fury, & furious malice, do desire evil to themselves, that worse may chance unto their brother, whom they hate. Yea there want not, which not only could be content with all their hearts to loose one of their eyes, so that he, whom they hate, might loose both, but also, put their own lives in jeopardy to bring death unto other. O cruel tyranny. Such petitions be detestable, & are to the desyrers thereof, not only much pernicious, but also very damnable, in as much as they stand not with the order of charity. This also is to be judged of them, which curse and ban such as they hate. Let us therefore ask nothing, but that maketh to the glory of God the advancement of his most holy word, the increase of virtue, the destruction of vice, the health of our souls, the conservation of the publigue weal, & the profit of our neighbour. 
Not●  In all our petitions let us submit ourselves to the will & pleasure of God nothing doubting but that he will grant us that we ask, or else things of more weighty importance & more profitable for our salvation. For it is not alway convenient that we should obtain what soever we ask of God. He knoweth much better what we have need of, than we ourselves do. It is many times more expedient for us to have scasenes than abundance, to be vexed with wars & persecutions than to enjoy carnal security & fleshly quietness, to be sick than to be whole, to be tented than to be without temptation Paul at divers times desired God that he might be delivered from the prych of the flesh, 
two. Cor. xii●  but it was answered my grace is sufficient for thee, & he rejoiced in his in ●yrmite & weakness. Therefore in all things let us pray for godly & honest things, being alway contented to receive, as it shall be Gods most holy pleasure to give.    

¶ At what time we ought to pray.  

¶ The. xxxii. Chapter.  
IF we consider the inexplicable & manifold miseries, wherewith in this vale of calamity we are involved, wrapped and enclosed about on every side, we shall without any great difficult perceive that we have need of nothing so much as of prayer, yea and that fervent, assiduous & continual. For the devil goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour. 
i Pet. ●.  The world also with his vain pleasures is ready at every hour to seduce & lead us away from our profession, if we take not heed. Again the flesh is so domestical and nigh enemy unto us, that we can never be without it. 
Gal. v.  It ever assaileth us. It alway fighteth & lusteth contrary to the spirit. It turneth, as they say, every stone to make us enemies with God. The soldier of Christ, saith a certain Doctor, 
Par●●●par● Crac. de justicia cap. twelve.  ought not to put away from him the shield of prayer so long as the battle endureth. But the battle endureth, 
job. seven.  so long as this present life endureth, as job saith, the life of a man upon the earth is a warfare, & perels do never fail therefore have we need continually of God's help. Misery doth never want in this life, therefore have we ever need of God's mercy & continual prayer. 
two Tim. two.  Whereof it followeth that we have great need of prayer at all times, if we will be saved. For no man shallbe crowned, except he warreth valiantly. 
Apo. two.  To him that overcometh, saith God, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in ● mids of the paradise of GOD. Our saviour Christ therefore knowing our imbecillite & weakness to be no less than our misery & wretchedness, exortetth us principally & above all things to pray. 
Mat. xxvi  Watch & pray, saith he, that you fault not in to tentation. And in as much as our enemies cease not to fight against us by their crafty & subtile assaults, therefore ought we not to cease for to fight against them with continual prayers. For the prayer of a righous man, 
jaco. v.  sayeth S. james, availeth much. 
Luk. xviii.  Christ in the Gospel of Luke proponeth a certain parable of an unrighteous judge & of a widow, wherein he teacheth that we aught to pray alway and never to cease, nor once to be weary. Read the Chapter. A Christian man ought to pray at all times, & never to desist and cease from praying. Therefore saith S. Paul: 
Col. iiii●  Continued in prayer & wacth in it with thanks gi●yng. Again: 
i Thes. v.  Rejoice alway, pray with out ceasing, in all things give thanks. Hereto agreeth the saying of S. Peter, 
●. Pet. iiii.  be you sober & watch unto prayer. For continual prayer causeth that our enemies can not have the upper hand over us. Yea continual prayer maketh that the love of celestial goods doth ever increase in us, which except it be oftentimes suscitated & stored up with ardent desires and fervent prayers, 
Not●  as fire is with wound, it first abateth, & afterward by little & little it is utterly quenched and put clean out. For as he is unworthy to receive any thing, which giveth not thanks for those things that he hath already taken, that is, which doth not knowledge & magnify the beneficence of God, so doth not he deserve to enjoy so great felicity, joy & pleasure, which either doth not desire it or else desireth it coldly. Who fervently loveth a thing, & doth not continually wish yey ● thing which he loveth, may chance to him. So that it is manifest of these things aforesaid, that we aught to pray at all times, & never cease, in as much as we have at all times most urgent, weighty & necessary causes.   

¶ The. xxxiii. Chapter.  

An objection.  BUt it will be objected, how is it possible for a man to pray at all times, & never to cease? This is a thing not only of impossibility, but also contrary to the commandment of Christ, 
Mat. vi.  which sayeth, when you pray, speak not many words. I answer, 
The answer.  Christ in this aforesaid place doth not forbid the assiduite & continuance of prayer, but the multiloquie & manner of babbling in prayers, which the Ethnics & Infidels did use, trusting by that their to much babbling they should the sooner be heard, as we read of those wicked Prophets, which cried on the name of Baal from morning till night, saying none other thing but this only, 
three Reg. xvi●●  O Baal hear us, O Baal hear us. But the prophet Helias mocked them, saying, cry with a loweder voice. For he is a God, but peradventure he talketh with some body, or is occupied in pursuing his enemies, or is go some journey, or happily he sleepeth, & would be waked & raised up with your crying. They cried therefore with a great voice, & cut themselves after the●r old manner with sweardes and botkyns, until they were all on gore blood. But all in vain.  
The words of Christ are these, when you pray, 
math. vi.  speak not many words as the Ethnyckes do. For they think it should come to pass, that thorough their babbling they should be herded. Be not you therefore like them For your father doth know, what things you need, before you ask o● him. 
Mark well  These words show manifestly that Christ doth not condemn the assiduite & continuance of prayer, 
Lu. vi. xxii mat. xxvi. Luk: xviii:  which both he himself used, and also taught other the same, but the vain loquasite & unfruitful babbling annexed with this persuasion, that our prayers can not be herd, except we be ever inculking & beating them into the ears of God after the manner of the heathen, as though God did rather hear us for our loquasite and babblings sake, than for his most loving and gentle promise, or as though God were not so ready to give, as we are to ask, if our petitions beaccording unto his will. The Ethnics multiloquy & hethenysh babbling doth christ here not only forbid, but also condēn●. 
Eccl: five:  Therefore sayeth the wise man, be not to rash in speaking, neither let thy heart make haste to bring forth a word in the sight of god. For god is in heaven, & thou art on the earth, & therefore let thy words be few. For as the dream cometh of manifold businesses, so is the voice of a fool in the multitude of words.  
S. john golden mouth upon the aforesaid text writeth on this manner, he calleth here Bathologian, 
In Math: cap. vi. Hom. nineteeen.  loquacite, that is, babbling or much speaking, which we than verily use, when we ask of God things that are not profitable for us, as for an example, that we should obtain power & glory, & that we should overcome our enemies, & that we should abound with many riches, to conclude, when we ask those things, the should profit us nothing at all. For he knoweth what so ever we have need. Moreover he seemeth unto me to forbid long prayers. Yea verily, long I say, not in time but in the multitude & prolixity or length of words. 
Colos. iiii.  We must persever in asking those things that are profitable. Continued, saith he, in prayer. For y● LORD himself also sendeth us to the example of that widow & of the unmerciful & cruel judge, 
Luke. x●iii  that he should commend the diligent continuance of prayer by the importunity of her interpellation & herty request. 
Luke. xi.  And when he saith that a certain man came unto his friend, when it was very late in the night, & that he raised him being a sleep out of his bed, yea & that he deserved this thing not so much for familiarity & acquaintance sake, as for sedulite & careful diligence: He willed none other thing, than that he should be called upon continually. Yet he did not command that they should bring unto him a prayer of a thousand verses long, & recite y● unto him. For this hath he already reproved. For they think that in their much speaking they should be herd. 
Mat. vi.  But your father, sayeth he, knoweth, what you have need, before you ask. But thou wilt say, If he knoweth, wherefore than need we to pray? 
Mark 〈◊〉 well.  verily not the thou shouldest teach God, but that thou shouldst make him good unto thee, that thou shouldst be acquainted with him, by reason of thy frequent & often speaking unto him, that y● shouldst h●mble thyself in praying, & that thou shouldst oftentimes remember thy sins.  
Hitherto have I recited the words of S. john Chrisostome, which as they condemn the unfruitful babbling & vain jangling of words vainly & causses prolated, so do they highly commend & approve the fervent continuance of praying. So that hereof it is evident, that a thristen man aught to pray at all times   

¶ The. xxxiiii. Chapter.  
VUher as some man will say peradventure that it is not possible for men to pray at all times, saying that divers other affairs and businesses must also be done of them so long as they live in this world, as eating, drinking, sleeping. etc. & men must also labour for their living, every man according to his vocation & calling, which things all must needs be an impediment & let to the continual exercise of prayer: I will in few words declare how a christian man may pray without ceasing at all times according to the precept of Christ and the Apostle Saint Paul.  

How we may pray at all times and 〈◊〉 ceasing.  Some expositoures of the holy scripture write that to pray all way & without ceasing, is nothing else than to pray seriously, earnestly & diligently after the example of the widow, 
Luk. xviii.  which would never leave crying & calling upon the unrighteous judge, until he had heard her request, that she might be revenged of her adversary. They say it is a trope called Hyperbole, so that he is counted to pray always and with out ceasing, which pray usually, of ten-times, seriously & instantly, and doth not cease from prayers, until he hath obtained that, 
Esa. lviii.  which he asketh. After that manner is this spoken: Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice as a Trump.  
Some say that to pray always & not to cease, is thorough out all our life, fervently to desire that high goodness, which is promised us in the world to come. After this sort, say, they, what soever men do in this life, whether they eat, drink, sleep work, talk, bargain, study, meditate. etc. so long as this celestial desire remain in them, all their whole life is a certain perpetual prayer. 
De moda ora●●i.  The perpetual study of living godly, sayeth Erasmus, is a continual prayer. And Beda saith, he prayeth alway, that doth good things always neither doth he cease to pray, but 〈◊〉 he ceaseth to be righteous.  
Other affirm that to pray without ceasing, is fervently & with an ardent mind to pray at certain hours destinated & appointed unto prayer. verily all these expositions, in as much as they be godly, are not to be rejected nor cast away. Therefore seeing that we can not for our imbecill●●e, weakness & imperfection alway & without ceasing prey unto God, yet, besides the godly meditation of celestial things in our mind, & the perpetual desire of living innocently, which aught never to depart from a Christian breast, 
Certain hours appointed every day for prayer  that hath the fear of God before her eyes we aught to prescribe & appoint unto ourselves certain peculiar hours every day which should not pass away without prayer, & which should have the whole affects of the mind utterly occupied in this behalf. And when those hours shall come, than aught we to say aside all madane affairs & worldly businesses, & wholly to give ourselves to devout meditation, & divine contemplation of celestial things. Than aught we fervently to pray with the heart and mind, & so with all humility to behave ourselves, as though god were there present, & we spoke unto him face to face, you than aught we to watch, as the Scripture admonish thee, 
Mat. xxvi.  that is, so take heed & cast all pereiss, that our adversary the devil, which goeth about like a roaring Lion, 
i Pet. v.  seeking whom he may devour, do not once draw away our minds from talking with God, but that quietly and attentely we may be occupied in offering up our petitions unto GOD at that time of prayer.   

¶ The. xxxv. Chapter.  
ANd because no man should be offended with the observance & appointment of certain hours unto prayer, as a thing superstitious & repugnant to the christian liberty: I will show that divers holy men had their certain hours also, wherein they used custumably to pray. 
●●. cxviii.  We read that David did pray & give thanks unto God seven times in a day. His words are these: Seven times in a day have I given praise unto the for the judgements of thy righteousness. What seven times in a day these were, all are not manifest in the holy scripture, but some are, which I will here rehearse.  
As touching the morning he sayeth, O LORD early shalt thou hear my voice, 
Psal. v.  betimes in the morning shall I make my prayer unto thee, & I shall see that I have obtained my prayer. 
Psal. ci.  Now for the time of his repast he sayeth, as ashes did I eat my bread & my drink did I mingle with weeping. Though here he make the none evident mention of Prayer, yet it is not to be doubted, but that in this his great sorrow, he also used at that present, prayers unto God. As for his prayer at night, we read on this manner, 
Psal. ciiii.  let my prayer, saith he, be directed unto the as frankincense in thy sight, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. 
Psal. vi.  Again he saith, I shall wash every night my bed, yea even with my tears will I water my bed. That he prayed to God at midnight also, it is manifest by these words, At myddenyght, saith he, did I rise to give praise unto the.  
Of these Scriptures aforesaid it is evident that David prayed unto God customably these four times besides other, 
Psa. cxviii.  that is, in the morning, at his dinner, in the evening, and at midnight, which all be very convenient times for a christian man to pray. As he prayed at these times, so did he undoubtedly at other, though they be not expressed in the scripture.  

Dan. vi.  Moreover we read that Daniel used customably to pray every day three times unto his LORD GOD. The Evangelists also declare, that Christ preaching & working miracles all the whole day, 
Luk. v.  used often times to spend the whole night in praying unto his father. 
Act. iii  S. Luke also in the Acts of the Apostles declareth that Peter & john went up into the Temple at the ninth hour of prayer. Whereof it doth evidently appear that in the old law they had certain times appointed in the which they should pray. Have not we also among us now a days certain times appointed for to come together & to pray in the temples? What do we learn of all these things▪ verily that a Christian man may lawfully & without any scripule of conscience appoint certain hours in the day, wherein he may exercise himself devoutly in godly prayer & spiritual meditation. 
Not●:  But I would he should not so superstitiously be addict to those hours, that he should think it sin to break any of them, when occasion of necessity is given (for that were a wicked thing) but to use those times as means for to bring him unto a more fervent manner of praying continually. 
Mat. two.  For the Sabbath day was made for man, & not man for the Sabbath day. The kingdom of God shall not come with observation & looking for, 
Luk. xvii:  saith Christ neither shall they say, behold here, or behold there, for loo, the kingdom of god is within you. You observe days months, 
Gala. iiii.  times and years, saith Paul, I am afeard of you, unless I have laboured in vain for you. Again, let no man judge you in meat or drink, or in part of an holy day, or of the feast of the new Moon, or of the Sabbothes, which are the shadows of things to come, 
Col. two.  but the body of Christ.   

¶ The. xxxvi. Chapter.  
saying than that the appointment of certain hours for prayer is very commendable, yea & necessary for the training up of our selves in the godly exercise of prayer (so that superstitious observance be absent) it shall be much decent and praise worthy for every man to appoint himself such certain hours every day for to pray, as wherein he shall perceive that he may be most quiet, & most apt to talk with God in his prayers. And although every Christian man knoweth what time is best for him to pray (in as much as the unction of God teacheth them all things, 
i joan. two.  & they have no need that any man should teach them) yet I will here assign such hours to pray, as I may think to be most convenient & apt to prayer, & that not only because they seem fit in my conceit, but rather in asmuch as I see those same hours approved of godly learned men, as most fitting and apt unto the true exercise of prayer.  
David in his Psalms writeth on this manner, 
Psa. lilii.  I will cry to God, & the LORD shall save me. At night & in the morning & at midday shall I pray heartily, & he shall hear my voice. 
Note when we aught to pray unto God.  Here David prescribeth three solemn times, when a man ought of duty every day to pray. At night when he goeth to bed, in the morning when he riseth, & at midday when he goeth to meat. He that leave the God unsaluted with his prayers at these three times, verily he is much estranged from the manners of a true Christian man, as I may leave of to speak of his ingratitude & unkindness toward our LORD GOD.  

Libro de virginitate.  S. Ambrose appoint the more times of praying: Solemn prayers saith he, aught to be made with thanks giving when we rise from sleep, when we go forth to our business, when we make ready to take our meat and when we have taken our meat & when we go to bed. Would God that all men would follow the doctrine of this most holy & catholic Doctor. Than should all things be replenished with the blessing of God more plenteously than they are now a days. 
De oration. Det. two.  S. john Chrisostome differeth not from this, where he sayeth, we must when we rise out of our beds prevent the son with the worshipping of God, & when we come to the table, & when we should sleep. Yea at every hour ought we to offer a livish prayer unto God, and to run an equal course with the day, & in the time of Winter to spend also the most part of the night in prayers & bowing our knees with much fear to give attendance to prayer, recounting ourselves blessed, when we thus worship God. Tell me how darest thou look upon the Son, 
Mark well.  when thou dost not worship him, that sent that most sweet & comfortable light? How shalt thou use the table, & not worship the giver & supeditatour of so great good thiges? With what hope goest thou to the time of the night, what manner of slepes dost thou look for, when thou dost not confirm, make strong & defend thyself with prayers, but without any watch comest to sleep like a miser & wretch, ready to fall into the captivity & bondage of the most ungracious devils, which continually go about waiting the time, that they may quickly catch any man that is bore, & not defensed with prayer? which when they see us enarmed with prayers, run back straight ways as thieves & malefactoures, which see a sword hanged up at the hand of the Soldier. But if it chanseth that any man be bore & not weponed with prayer, than is he straight way plucked & toast of the devils, he is moved unto sin, & brought into infinite calamities & evils. We therefore fearing all these things let us enarme ourselves alway with prayers & hymns, that god having pity on us, may make us all worthy the kingdom of heaven thorough his only begotten son, to whom be glory and rule, worlds without end.  
Amen.   

¶ The. xxxvii. Chapter.  
HItherto have I recited the words of the golden mouthed Doctor, wherein we may learn not only when we ought to pray, but also how necessary a thing prayer is, & how that without prayer we can do nothing well, neither can any thing without that chance unto us prosperously. 
Prayers in ● morning.  Would God therefore that when we rise in the morning we would with hundle & faithful hearts give thanks to God, for the sleep wherewith he hath refreshed one weary bodies that night, & 〈◊〉 lie desire him that his 〈…〉 may have the right governounce of us, all the day following, that he defending us from all evil may only his●, couy●●e, aspire & go about those th●ges, which shall may turn to the glory of God, the salvation of our souls, & the profit of the Christian public wea●e, not once offending the eyes of the divine majesty neither in thought, word nor deed at any time.  
Again in asmuch as we are all ●orne to labour, 
Prayers before labour.; job. v●.  every man in his office, ever as the bird is to fly, & saying that we are commanded of God to eat the labours of our hands   

¶ The. xxxviii. Chapter.  

Prayers before meat.  Moreover when we shall take our meat before we sit down to taste any of it, let us with all humility & submission of mind desire God with our prayers, that he will sanctify those his gifts & benefits, that we may receive them according to his will, & by no means abuse them, either to the distemperance of our bodies, or to the danger of our souls but only receive them unto the end, for the which they were created and prepared. Let us not think it enough to have corporal food, except it be blessed of God. Neither ought we to think that our bodily suste 〈◊〉 cometh only of our own policy but much more rather of gods blessing, which except he did fortune our travails, a●ou●e labours were but vain, 
Psa. xxxiii  〈◊〉 the psalmograph saith, fear you the LORD all you that be his Saints, for there is no searsenes to them the fear him. The rich have wanted & hungered, but they that seek after the LORD, shall want no good thing. 
Psal.  Again, cast thy care upon the LORD, & he shall nourish the. 
i Pet. v.  Also in another place, The eyes of all men trust in thee, O LORD, & thou givest them meat in convenient time. 
Psal. cxiiiii.  Thou openest thy hand, and fylleste every living creature with thy blessing.  
Thus see we that our corporal food is the gift of God, & he it is that feedeth so many, as repose their affiance in him. Therefore ought we before we taste any meat at the time of our repast to pray unto God, that he may bless the meat that we sha● than receive, confessing the what so ever we have, we all together receive it of his bountyous hand. 
Nota.  O merciful God, we come now a days unto the table, as though we were heathen, & known no part of God, at the of the Altar, his beri body & blood? 〈◊〉 did he this ●a●●ely for our example, that we should knowledge & confess that what so ever we have, we receive it altogether at the 〈◊〉teous & liberal hand of God. Doth not S. Paul say, 
i Tim. iiii.  that meats are sanctified by the word of God and prayer▪ We ought therefore surely when we go to dinner, or take any repast, to desire God for to bless our meat, & to make it healthful & profitable to our bodies, & to believe that what soever is there present, we receive it altogether of the grand munificence & exceeding liberality of God, & so to behave ourselves all the time of our repast, not only in enjoying those gifts moderately & soberly, but also in our communication, & external gestures, that we may seem to sit not at a profane, come & unclean table, but at the holy table of the celestial and everlasting king.   

¶ The. xxxix. Chapter.  
Again after we have thus godly & soberly taken our meat, 
Grace or thanks giving after dinner.  let us not fail to give God hearty thanks for his benefits, which so bounteously of his own mere liberality & great goodness hath fed us at that present, let us also desire him that he will go forth to be a beneficial father unto us, 
joan. vi.  & to give us meat, not only that meat which peryssheth, but much rather that which abideth into everlasting life, I mean the most sweet Gospel of his entirely beloved son jesus Christ our most gentle LORD & omnisufficient Saviour, that our bodies being fed with corporal meat, & our souls sustained with the word of life, we may after this life be most happily fed with the aspect, beholding, & fruition of the most blessed deite. Amen.  
These things once done, let be return to our labours, every m●n according to his vocation and calling, working that thing that is pleasant in the sight of God.  

For supper Note.  When the time cometh that we shall go to supper, let us with the same reverence enjoy the good creatures of God, that we did at dinner, & as we behaved ourselves at dinner both in prayer & thanks giving, let us so likewise do at supper. So shall it come to pass undoubtedly, that we shall want no good thing, but have plenty of all thiges according to our hearts desire. We must, saith Chrisostome, 
De oration.  both when we go unto the table & come from it, 
Ho. lxxxviii.  give thanks to God. For that table, which beginneth of prayer, & endeth also in prayer, shall never want, but shall bring to us all good things more largely & more plenteously than any fountain. But I have spoken of this matter also in my Banckette.   

¶ The. xl. Chapter.  
AT night when we go to bed, 
How we aught to be have ourselves wh●̄ we go to bed.  we shall before we give our selves to sleep, kneel down upon our knees secretly in our chamber, with all humility & reverent fear, calling unto our remembrance how we have spent all the whole day past. If we shall then perceive that we have offended the divine majesty in any thing, either in thought, word or deed, than let us not fail to confess our sin straightway to God with a contrite & sorrowful heart, desiring him most humbly for his great mercies sake to forgive us that our iniquity, & not to be angry with us, but so assist us with the influence of his most holy Spirit, that we may in no point transgress his most divine will, but work all things that may be pleasant unto him.  
If we shall at that time perceive that we are at debate with any man, 
Mark w●.  let us not go to bed, before we be reconciled one to another if it be possible according to the precept of the Apostle, let not the Son fall down upon your anger. 
Cobe. iiii.  If that may not conveniently be done that night, let us not fail the next morning betimes, or so soon as we may, to go unto them that are offended with us, or we with them, & never cease till we have made an agreement between us, being perfectly persuaded, that we can by no means please God so long as we be not in love and charity. 
i joan. iii  For as S. Iohn saith he that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Every one that hateth his brother is a manslayer, & you know that every manslear hath not everlasting life abiding in him.  
☞ Look what we have offended god that day, let us so bewail our sin & take such thought for the commission of it, that we may have no more pleasure to do that offence again, but rather be made the more circumspect ● beware afterward the we be no more oppressed with the subtile assaults of Satan. Let us every day die unto sin. Let us continually mortify the affects of the old Adam. The longer we live, the lesser let sin remain in this our mortal body. Let all our meditation, study & endeavour be nothing else than a perpetual care to lead a pure and innocent life.   

¶ The. xli. Chapter.  
BUt if it so chance, 
Nota.  that when we have considered the spending of the day, we perceive no notable crime & heinous fault committed neither against God, nor our neighbour, than let us rejoice, give God thanks, & desire him so continually to aid us withe his divine help, the we may not only continued in that purity of life, 
Rom. i Psal. lxxxiii  but also go forth from saith to saith, & from virtue to virtue, till we wax ancient in christ, & become perfette men in our profession  

Prayers before ●rape.  These things once done, let us than fall to prayer, desiring God for his great mercy's sake thorough jesus Christ to give us a prosperous & quiet night, & that neither Sat● nor none of his Angels do trouble us, but that though the body take rest & sleep, yet the mind, the heart, the inward man, may always watch to him, & delight in high perpetually.  
After our prayers, let us commit ourselves to the tuition of God, & so sweetly give ourselves to rest. And let this be our daily exercise. D LORD God, if we would do this with a servant heart & burning love toward God, it can not be expressed that great & singular commodities would ensue. To do thus, is the duty of us all, but whither we have done it or not, let every man search his own conscience and amend.  
Thus have I declared what times I think most convenient for prayer, & how we should behave ourselves in the time of praying. I have not done this to bind & snarlethe conscience of any christian man, which ought to be free to serve God at all hours, but to help the infirm and weak Christians, that they first using these times, & certain introductions, may afterward come unto the perfection of worshipping God at all times. For a christian mā●hall have abundant occasions at all hours to call on the name of the LORD for help. Notwithstanding if any man shall look upon these things, the I have here written, with a single eye, he shall not find them altogether superuncaneous & vain. God give us all grace to so follow them, or better, if we may.    

¶ Of thanks giving.  

¶ The. xlii. Chapter.  
Now begin the our work to draw unto an end. I have declared sufficiently heretofore, as I trust, all things that most principally pertain unto prayer, that is to say, unto ask any thing of God. It remaineth now therefore that I entreat somewhat of thanks giving to God. For it is convenient the we also give thanks unto God for the gifts & benefits that we receive of him, or else we may justly seem to be unworthy any part of God's kindness For what have we, the we have not received? The wife man ought not to ●●oyse in his wisdom, nor the strong 〈◊〉 his strength, nor yet the rich 〈…〉 spiches, but only in our LORD God, from whom every good & perfect gift descendeth and cometh down. 
jacob. i  What hast thou that thou haste not received, sayeth Paul? If thou haste received it, 
i Cor. iiii.  wherefore dost thou rejoice, as though thou hadst not received it? Let not the wise man, 
jere. ix.  saith God by his Prophet, rejoice in his wisdom, nor let not the strong man rejoice in his strength, nor let not the rich man rejoice in his riches. But let him that rejoiceth, rejoice in this, if he understand & know me. For I am the LORD, which doth mercy, judgement and righteousness in the earth, & these are those things that I desire, saith the LORD.  
saying than thou all our glory and rejoicing aught to be in our LORD God alone, 
Phil. iiii.  as S. Paul sayeth, rejoice in the LORD all way, & again I say rejoice feing also the what so ever goodness is in us, 〈◊〉 lie of him, ●e●ely me oug●● at all hours to rejoice in him, as the 〈◊〉 blessed virgin mary did, sayenge● my soul magnifyethe the LORD; & my spirit hath rejoiced in God my saviour, 
Luke. two  & to give to him thanks, & to sing to his name, so long as our life lasteth, perpetual encomies, laudes commendation and praises.  

How we may be moved to give God thanks.  If we will be moved to give god thanks at any time, as we aught to do alway, it shall be first convenient to perpend, weigh, & consider his manifold goodness toward us. first how at the beginning he made us not like unto brute beasts, 
Of our creation. Note.  but like unto his own similitude & Image. And he made us not to be fire brands of hell, but inheritors of everlasting glory. For he gave us a body much more beautiful and pleasant in aspect, than any other lining creature hath. He gave us a mind ●●●rendued with wit, reason, discre●●●, wisdom, virtue, knowledge, cunning, immortality, godliness. etc He set us in paradise, 
Gen. i  and gave us rule, power, & dominion overall the fishes of the see, & the birds of the air, & over all living creatures that move upon the earth.  
Again when we in our parents had transgressed his most godly precept, 
Gen. iii  & thereby deserved eternal damnation, 
two. Pet. two.  he did not straightway with the same rigour & fierceness, wherewith he condemned the Angels for their disobedient arrogancy, 
Esa. xiiii.  cast us away into the fire of Hell, but full gently sent us into this vale of misery for to repent, 
Gen. iii Psal. viii.  that afterward he might save us, yet constituting & appointing us still Lords & rulers overall living creatures.   

¶ The. xliii. Chapter.  
Moreover when it was not possible because of the great enormity of our sin, 
Of our fro salvation by grace & the mercy of God thorough jesus Christ.  that we could of our own power, strength, merits, deservings & good works save & win ourselves again into the favour of God, how lovingly without any deserts of our part even of his own mere goodness and free mercy did he promise' to save us by his dearly beloved son our LORD jesus Christ, 
Rom. i  & at his time predefined and appointed from everlasting scent him down in ●●his world? Which for our sake unfeignedly by the wonderful operation of the holy Ghost took flesh of the most blessed, 
Luke. i Math. i Heb. iiii  most pure, & undefiled virgin mary, & become very man like unto us in all things, sin alone except. Which also after he had lived here certain years, even of his own free will without any compulsion for the fervent & unspeakable love that he ever bore toward us, gave himself unto the very 〈◊〉 yea even the most spite full & 〈◊〉 death of the cross. He offered 〈◊〉 ●oost blessed body a sweet smelling Sacrifice to God the father for our wickedness. 
Esa. liii. Phil. two. Ephe. v.  He suffered his most precious blood to be shed upon the Altar of the Cross to pay the ransom for our sins. 
Mat. xxvi. i Timo. two.  He refused no kind of painful grief & grievous pain to appease God's wrath, & to reconcile us unto his celestial father. 
Colo. i  O good jesus, sayeth S. Bernard, 
Sermon quidam.  how greatly were we endetted to thee, & yet dost thou pay our debt? We have sinned, & thou art punished. This is a work without example, a grace without merit a charity without measure.  
verily verily not the prodition & betraying of judas, 
Note who did pure ●hrist to death.  not the fury & cruel malice of the Pharisees and bishops, not the wicked and false witnesses, not the unrighteous accusers, not the cruel & unmerciful judges did put Christ to death, but we ourselves, our sin, our iniquity, our ungodliness, our abomination, our corrupt manners did slay him, & put him to that most cruel death. We are they that did kill him. We sought his death. 
Mat. xxvi.  We did betray him. We did falsely accuse him We nailed him upon the cross. 
Mat. xiiii  We scourged his most blessed body. 
Luk. xxii.  We shed his most precious blood. We did cleave asunder his most blessed heart with a spear, 
joan. xxii  out of that which ran both water & blood. 
Esa. liii.  We gave him easel & Gall to drink. We scorned him, we mocked him, we did spit on his most sweet face. We buffeted him, we bruised him, we were the Authors of all that tyranny, which was wrought against him. Yet for the love that he bore toward us, did not he disdain to suffer all these in tolerable pains, 
i Pet. two.  by whose passions & suffrynges we are perfectly made whose, by whose most blessed blood all our sins are washed away, 
i joan. i  by whose death, everlasting life chanceth abundantly unto us. 
Rom. viii.  O unmeasurable kindness. What a love hath God to us, that he spared not his only son, 
joan. iii  but gave him for us all, that so many as believe in him, may not perish, but have everlasting life.  
And as God the father gave his son Christ unto death for our sins, 
Rom. iiii. Eph. two. Math. i Luk. two. joan. xiiii. joan. xi. Math. ix. joan. seven. joan. u Psel. xxvi. i Cor. i  so did he raise him up again by his most puissant power from death for our justification. He is our peace, how then can we be sad & heavy? He is our Saviour, how then can we despair? He is our way, how then can we err? He is our truth, how then can we be deceived? He is our life, how than can we die? He is our Resurrection, how than can we sleep in sin? He is our Physician, how than can we be sick & diseased? He is our light, how then can we walk in darkness? He is our bread, how than can we be hungry? He is our defender, how then can we be afeard? He is our wisdom, how then can we be ignorant? He is our righteousness, how then can we be unrighteous? 
Rom. x. Psal. xliiii i Tim. two. i joan. two. Col. i Herald iiii. seven i Pet. two. joan. x. Rom. viii.  He is our sanctification, how then can we be profane & unholy? He is our redemption how then can we be damned? He is our riches, how then can we be poor? He is our beauty, how then can we be deformed & ill favoured? He is our mediator and advocate, how then can our matters be unheard? He is our head, how then can we his members perish? He is our bishop & Curate of our souls how then can we want spiritual doctrine? He is our door, how then can we but enter into the kingdom of heaven? To conclude, he is altogether ours, & all that ever he hath, how then can we but sail in a safe & quiette haven? How than can we but have all things prosperous & fortunate? Thus see we what an high treasure Christ is to us. If any man desireth to know more of Christ, & what benefits we have received by let him read my work of the News out of heaven, 
Search the News out of heaven  where he shall see Christ truly & lyvyshly painted as alone & perfect redeemer, & a plenteous and an omnisufficient saviour for all them that faithfully repent and lead a new life.  
Would not all these so great commodities & large benefits, which we receive of God that father thorough jesus Christ, move any christian heart in the world to be thankful, and to sing perpetual praises unto God? For we have learned here, that all our salvation cometh only from God the father thorough jesus Christ, 
Tit. iii  & that he saved us mercifully when we were lost miserably. But let us behold more of God's kindness, that we may learn that thanks aught to be given unto him seriously.   

¶ The. xliiii. Chapter.  
ALthough by Christ we be set again at liberty, & receive our manumission & freedom from that captivity, whereunto we were made hand by the sin of Adam, so soon as we are regenerate & born a new by the honourable Sacrament of Bap●tisme, 
joan. iii  and the holy Ghost, yet in as much as afterward thorough our fragility & weakness we fall again in to sin, & deserve thereby also to be● cast from the favour of God, & to be dampened perpetually, if God did not also help us in this behalf, O● LORD God, in how miserable a cas● are we? 
Nota.  What should it profit us, by Christ to be delivered from that wretchedness, into the which Adam did cast us, if there were not also a remedy to expulse that danger, into the which we cast ourselves thorough sin after Baptism? Therefore here also doth the goodness of God appear very large & bounteous toward us. For though we sin after baptisms never so grievously, ye● doth not he straight ways take vengeance on us, 
two. Pet. two.  & cast us headlong ●nto he● fire, as he did the angels, but he patiently abideth our conversion, 
job. iiii.  & looketh daily when we will repent, and amend, as the Prophet saith, y● LORD long abideth us, 
Esa. thirty.  the he may have mercy on us. Also the Psalmogra\`ph, 
Psa. ●. liv.  The LORD is gentle & merciful, patient, & of great pity. The LORD is good & gentle to all men, & his tender mercies are stretched forth upon all his works. 
Lament. iii  jeremy also saith, It are the mercies of the LORD that we are not consumed. Yea he exciteth & storeth us up by his holy spirit, and giveth us grace to repent, turn, & amend, as he sayeth by his Prophet, I will give them an heart & a new spirit will I give in their in ward parts, 
Ezech. xi.  & I will take away the stony heart from their flesh, and give them a fleshly heart, the they may walk in my precepts, and keep my judgements, & do them. And they shall be my people, & I sh●ll be their God. 
Eze. xxxvi.  Again, I will power out upon you clean water, & you shall be made clean from all your uncleanness, & from all your Idols will I make you clean, & I will give you a new heart & a new spirit will I put in the mids of you, & I will take away the stony heart from the flesh, & give you a fleshly heart, and I will put my spirit in the mids of you, & I will make you to walk in my precepts, & keep and work my judgements, & you shall dwell in the landlord the I gave to your fathers, & you shall be my people, & I shallbe your God, and I shall save you from all your uncleanness.  
Moreover he still calleth upon v● to come unto him, saying: Turn & repent you of all your iniquities. 
Eze. xviii.  And your iniquity shall work you ●●spleasure.: Cast away from you ●l your wickednesses, in the which ●e have offended, & make you a new ●erte & a new spirit. Wherefore wy●●e die O you house of Israel? For I ●yll not that any should die, saith ●he LORD GOD. 
jere. iii  Return and ●●ue. Again, it is commonly said ●f a man leave his wife, and she going away marrieth another husbod, ●hal he return any more again unto her? Shall not the woman be polluted & defiled? But thou hast played the whore with many lovers, yet return again unto me, sayeth the ●ORD, & I will receive the. O most ●were & comfortable saying. 
i Tim. i  O most ●entle saviour, worthy all praise ●lory and honour.  
Here may you see how greatly we ●re bound to God, and how great ●hanckes we aught to give him, se●ng that he so greatly desireth our velth, life & salvation, & willeth by no means our decay, death & damnation. He is the gentle father, which joyfully receiveth again his lost son, 
Luke. xv.  & most lovyuglye enbrase the● him. He is that shepherd, which bringeth home again on his shoul● dear, that sheep that was wandered away. 
Mat. ix.  He is that Physician, the heals the sick & diseased. He is the Saviour, which came not to call the righteous but sinners unto repentance He is that helper, 
Mat. xi.  which daily crieth, come unto me all you that labour & are laden, and I shall refresh you. Seek therefore the LORD, 
Esa. lv.  while he may be found. Call on him, while he is nigh. Let the ungodly forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts, & let him return to the LORD, & he shall have mercy on him yea but let him not fail to turn unto our God. For he is bounteous & very ready to forgive.   

¶ The. xlv. Chapter.  
FUrthermore who is able to express how greatly we are bound unto God for his diligent conservation & keeping us? 
By god are we preserved from guyl.  If we were not preserved & kept of him, into how many evils should we fall? How were it possible for us to be free from the captivity of Satan, to be pure from the filthiness of the flesh, to be kept harmless from the tyranny of the world, if God did not defend us? How many kind of evils do we see daily perpetrated & done before our eyes, as theft, murder, treason, adultery, fornication, covetousness, gluttony, dronckenshyp. etc. which all undoubtedly we should likewise do, 
Nota:  if we were not preserved from them by the goodness of God. For the fragility of nature & the pronyte unto evil is all one in them & in us, if we be left unto ourselves. Our perdition cometh of ourselves but our salvation cometh only of God, 
Oze. xiii.  as the Prophet saith. Except y● LORD, sayeth isaiah, 
Esa. i Rom. ix.  had left unto us seed, we had been as Sodom, & we might well have been likened unto Gomorre. Therefore seeing that God keepeth us from these great enormities, we are very much bound to give him right hearty thanks.  

The benefits of God toward us.  Again with how many gifts doth he endu●e us daily? What have we, that is not his gifts, if it be good & godly? He engraffeth in us by his most holy spirit, Faith, hope, charity, peace, joy, patience, long suffering, meekness, levite, softness, modesty, honest behaviour. etc. He giveth us health for our body. He giveth us spiritual gladness for our soul. He prepareth all things necessary for this our need life. He getteth friends for us. He defendeth us from our enemies. He preserveth us in all goodness. To conclude, look what a most natural father is unto his most entrely beloved son, the very same is he unto us. So the what soever we have being good either pertaining to the soul or to the body, we altogether receive it of this our celestial father. What great thanks therefore he is worthy to have, who perceiveth not? S. bernard saith, let us give thanks to our God for the good things the we do, & let us humbly say to him with Esay the Prophet. 
Esa. xxvi.  All our works haste thou wrought in us O LORD our God. Herto pertaineth the saying of S. Gregory: It is convenient that we give thanks always to God, which never ceseth to do well, except he be letted & hindered thorough the naughtiness of men. Therefore what soever work thou shalt begin, first call on God, & cease not to give thanks, when thou hait finished it.   

¶ The. xlvi. Chapter.  
ALthough it be so, that all nations of the world, even from the east to the West, 
P●●. ●xii.  aught to praise the name of the LORD for his innumerable benefits, that they without deserts receive of him daily, 
We English men above all nations are most bound to give God thanks.  yet I think there is no Realm thorough out Christendom, that hath so many urgent weighty & necessary causes to give God thanks, as we english men have at this present. To whom is it unknown with how miserable captivity we have been detained & suppressed these many hundred years thorough the usurped power and grievous tyranny of y ᶜ bishop of Rome? Who knoweth not how greatly the consciences of Christian men were snarled, yea & almost slain thorough the decrees of that bishop? How greatly was the Christian liberty enclosed & stopped up, so that no man could enjoy the use of those things, which the word of God determined free, without his license & dispensation? How were the singular merits of Christ's death, & the inestimable price of his most precious blood adnihilated & set at naught, and the bishop of Rooms pardons trusted unto, & perfect affiance reposed in them for remission of sins & eternal salvation? What a sort of Hypocritical & superstitious works creptin thorough out Christenstome almost, which only were believed to be thealone good works, and the true good works, which are commanded of God in his holy scriptures, utterly neglected, despised & set at naught? Who thought it not a more meritorious act to gild an Image, than to clothe a poor naked man? Who thought it not a better deed to run gadding a pilgrimage into divers countries for to seek dead Images, than to tarry at home, & to visit the poor members of Christ, which lay bedrede, sick, lame, feeble & impotent. O extreme blindness.  
Again what an infinite mon●●●res, monks I would have said, & other religious parsons, and God will as they desire to be called, did there arise in his kingdom? Who thought it not a better deed to put his child into an Abbay, & there to live idly, swinyshly & irreligiously pampered up with all delicious fare, that should provoke unto jewdnes, than to let him live abroad in the world, & there to practise some honest art & occupation, that might turn to the commodity & maintenance of the common weal? What blindness had invaded this Realm? Did not we think it rather our duty to obey the proud Bishop of Rome than our own native king? Did not we esteem his fantastical decrees, above the edicts, laws, and acts of our own king? were we not more ready to follow his sensual lusts & beastlike pleasures, than to obey the commandments of our own king & ruler? Into what perels would not we cast ourselves to do that rammish Bishop pleasure? Yea would God that certain of this Realm in times paste had not rather had a mind to die for the maintenance of the false usurped power of that bishop, than to live with obedient and faithful hearts to our most Christian king. O LORD God, what a blindness was this? where was this doctrine of Christ & his Apostle become, that all men should be subject & obedient to the high powers? This sentence of S. Paul lay buried: 
Rom. xiii.  Let every soul be subject to the high powers. For there is no power, but of God. All powers are ordained of God He therefore that resisteth, 
Sap. 〈◊〉  resisteth the ordinance of God. And they that resist, shall take to themselves damnation. Also S. Peter: 
i Pet. two.  Be subject to to every human creature for the lords sake, 
The king supreme head  whither it be unto the king as supreme head, or to the rulers that are sent by him to the punishment of the evil doers, but unto the praise of them that do well. The Christian princes were not had in reverence & honour as they aught. oh miserable case, & detestable abusion.   

¶ The. xlvii. Chapter.  

Behold in what ●lid 〈◊〉 we English men were when the Bishop of Rome ruled in th●e Realm  FUrthermore what ygnorancy & blindness was in this Realm, concerning the true & christian knowledge? How many savoured Christ aright? How many walked in the straight path ways of God's ordinances? How many believed Christ to be the alone Saviour? How many trusted to be saved only by the merit's of Christ's death, & the effusion & shedding of his most precious & blessed blood? How many ran to God alone either in their prosperity or adversity? How many amplered Christ for their sufficient medsa to●r & advocate unto God the father? How many felt the efficacy & power of the true & christian faith whereby a christian man is frelyiustified? How many could discern the feigned and the true works asunder? How many did know what they professed at Baptism? How many had knowledge what their Pater noster meant, & wherefore they prayed? How many did perfectly understand the articles of the Christian faith? How many did know what the ceremonies of the church meant, as holy bread & holy water and such other? How many heard the evangelical doctrine ever preached purely and syncerly? O good jesus, be merciful unto us. If I should go forth to rehearse all the abuses & all the ygnorancy & blindness, wherewith this now most free and flourishing Realm hath been oppressed this many hundred years thorough the tyranny of that Babylonical strumpet, 
Apoc. xvii.  it would undoubtedly make a work much longer than the Iliads of Homer.  

england is purged and made clean of her deformities.  But now are these enormities yea & deformities of this Realm of england utterly exiled & banished. All false Religion is exterped & plucked up by the roots. The miserable captivity, wherewith we were oppressed in the Pope's kingdom, is turned into delectable liberty. Dur conconsciences are restored to their old freedom. Christ's death is believed to be a sufficient Sacrifice for them the are sanctified. 
Heb. x.  All superstitious fantasies invented of idle brains are full godly put down. The famous Images, wherewith the simple people committed fornication, I mean, Idolatry, are justly plucked down, & conveyed out of the way. All the monastical sects have put of their cowls & monstrous garments. Our most Christian king is now according to the verity of God's word & his just & right title, recognized to be supreme head of the church of england next unto Christ immediately here in earth. He is honoured of us his subjects, as we aught by the law of God & had in reverence above all creatures mortal. Not only his most noble grace, but also so many as he appointeth to rule over us, we obey with all submission & humility of mind.   

¶ The. xlviii. Chapter.  
Moreover ygnorancy & blindness are exiled and banished. God's laws are manifestly declared unto us. So that we may, if we will, keep his most godly commandments. The most sacred Bible is freely permitted to be read of every man in the English tongue. Many savour Christ aright, & daily the number increaseth, thanks be to GOD. Christ is believed to be the alone Saviour. 
●. joan. i  We now faithfully trust to be saved by the death of Christ, & that the blood of Christ maketh us clean from all sin. Christ is believed to be our sufficient mediator & advocate. 
●alv. Rom. v.  The true & christian faith, which worketh by charity & is plenteous in good works, is now received to justify. The good works that are appointed in the holy scriptures, are now only used, & put in exercise among the faithful. What we professed, when we were baptized, many now know right well. The twelve Articles of the christian faith, the lords prayer, called the Pater noster, & the ten commandments are now rehearsed in the english tongue both of young & old, so that now all understand them. Many of the eccclesiastical ceremonies are now ryg●● well taught & known. To conclude, all old things are paste, & new things entered into the game place in stead of them. And all these things hath God brought to pass by his dearly beloved servant Henry our king. If his grace goeth forth, as he hath begun, he shall make such a florynshing Realm both in spiritual & corporal goods, both for the glory of God, & for the maintenance of his Graces public meal, as none shall may be able to compare with this Realm of england, thorough out Christendom. And as his most excellent majesty shall easily overcome & excel in the exercise of true godliness all his ●re decessoures & leave a memorable act unto his successors, most worthy to be followed, so likewise may his Grace be sure, that there is reposed & laid up in store for him in God's treasure house the imma●cessible crown of glory, which, when his Grace shall give over to nature, that most glorious king of all kings shall give to him undoubtedly for his faithful walking in the divine precepts, & setting forth of God's glory.  

The golden world  This thing brought to pass by his Grace's diligence, the all abuses plucked away, the true godliness may reign, who shall not than justly think, that the golden world is come again, 
Duid M●●a. i  whereof the ancient learned men disputed so much in their most eloquent monuments. Merely we shall than may well say, as the Poet writeth. 
Eglo. iiii.   
Magnus' all integro seclorum nascitur ordo. I am redit egg virgo, redeunt Saturnia regna. God might assist his most excellent majesty in all his godly & virtuous enterprises. Amen.   

¶ The. xlix. Chapter.  
THus see we how greatly we of the English nation are bound unto God for the restitution & bringing again of the knowledge of his most divine will, which so long hath been hid under the bushel of men's traditions. What condigue thanks are we able to give unto him for this his inestimable goodness? Werelye if every one of us, as Wergyle sayeth, had an hundred tongues, & an hundred mouths, yet were we not able sufficiently to decantate, sing, & set forth his praises. GOD grant us once to be truly thankful.  
Now where are these parsons, 
The aburtsaryes of God's wor●  which have so little pleasure in this regeneration & new birth, as I may so speak, of God's most blessed word & in this setting forth again of the evangelical berite, our only life, health & salvation? Where are these Dwles, which despising the most comfortable light of God's word, chose rather continually to walk in the darkness of men's traditions, than once to approach unto this celestial light? Where are these Antichrists, which will neither themselves read the Scriptures, nor yet suffer other, that would read them, but to the uttermost of their power pluck men from reading the most sacred Bible, the word of life, of all joy, and spiritual consolation?  
Against these wicked Papists thōd●eth Christ in the Gospel, saying: Do be to you you Scribes & Pharisees Hypocrites, 
Mat. xxiii.  for you spear up the kingdom of heaven before men, you do neither enter in yourselves, nor yet suffer them that come to enter. Gerely if we do not shortly repent amend, & enhalse with embracing arms this most sweet word of god we may be sure shortly to feal the most grievous plagues of God's wrath fall upon us for our unthankfulnes. And as Christ said to certain Cities for their ingratitude & unthankfulness. Do be to the Corazin, woe be to the Bethsadan, for if the virtues the have been done in you, 
Math xi. Luke. x.  had been done in the city of Cyrus & Sydom, verily they would have repent them of their sins in times passed, yea & that even in sackcloth & ashes. Notwithstanding it shall be more tolerable & more easy at the day of judgement to Cyrus & Sydon, than to you. And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, thou shalt be plucked down even to the veryhel. For if the miracles which have been showed in thee, had been showed in Sodom, it had remained unto this day. Notwithstanding I say to you, it shall be more tolerable to Sodom at the day of judgement than to thee: So may it be said to england: Do be to the england, for if the light of God's word, had come into other nations so plenteously as it hath done in the verily they would have repent & received it joyfully. But thou dost neither repent nor amend thy lice, nor take any pleasure in the coming of it. verily it shallbe more easy at the day of judgement to Sodom and Gomorre than to the.  
Let us not therefore doubt, but if we do not shortly repent, amend our corrupt manners, & most joy fully enhalse with enbrasing arms this most sweet & comfortable Gospel of our saviour jesus Christ, undoubtedly the fears plagues of God's wrath will shortly fall upon us. 
Math ● take 〈◊〉.  The Scriptures show manifestly that the vengeance of God is not far from us. These benefits, that are showed unto us, declare evidently the the plagues of god are at hand. This light of God's truth, which now shineth to all men, if they will receive it, proveth openly the God's wrath is ready to fall upon us, if we shortly do not repent & amend. For this is the property of God, even to sand before his most holy word, 
Note the property of go● in sending forth his word.  as a messenger & Ambassador to them that walk in darkness & live dissolutely. If they receive it, repent, & amend their lives, than doth his grace and favour fall upon them, & they are Gods well-beloved dearelynges, and shall want no good thing, as we read of the Dinivites. But if they obstinately resist it, 
jonas. iii  laugh the word of God to scorn, 
Beware 〈◊〉 ●corners of God's word vetymes ●sal, vi●  remain in their old infidilite & wickedness, than doth God ●yse v●●e like a fierce ●yon, whet his sword, bend his bow, & make ready his shafts, which shall pierce, the bodies of the wicked, as darts of iron fire hot.   

¶ The. L. Chapter.  
BUt come of I pray you heartily ● tell me, did not God, 
Gen. seven. 〈…〉 ●x●. two.  when he saw the world replenished so abundantly with sin, that it could be no more, sand None to preach unto than, & to exhort them unto repentasies & amendment of life, or else synal destruction should chance unto them● yet for all this gentleness of God, which desired rather their salvation than damnation, if they would have converted, they despised the most loving admonition of God's messenger. They had the word of God in derision. They continued still in their brutal & beastelyke living. They gave themselves to eating, drinking, bancketting, & all kind of carnal & voluptuous living. They oppressed the poor people, for the maintenance of their fleshly & insatiable lusts. To be short, they walked as people full of carnal security, and clean without all fear of GOD. But what followed this their wicked & dissolute living, 
Behold the end of the ●●at hate God's word.  & contempt of god's word▪ verily utter destruction. For God saw that they would by no means amend, but still persist in their abomination, he repented him, 
Gen. vi.  that ever he made man, and shortly after sent such a flood upon the earth, 
Gen. seven. two. Pet. two.  that it overflowed & drowned all the world, Nohe with certain other only reserved thorough the great goodness of god. D terrible History. Whose heart quaketh not for fear at the hearing of this Histories ' Certes it is a terrible History for the adversaries of God's word, and for all wicked livers.  
When the Sodomites lived so abominably, 
Gen. nineteeen. two. Pet. two.  that the very voice of their sin came up unto heaven, & pierced the divynerares, & cried for vengeance to fall upon them, not only Abraham increased for them, but also Loath preached unto them, exhorting them to leave their to much detestable & abominable uncleanness, & to take the fear of God unto them, & the study of a pure & innocent life. But they would not. 
D abomination.  For the more that Loth rebuked than sore their wickedness the more pleasure had they in it. 
P●●. i Psa. xiii.  They delighted in their enough tynes, & rejoiced when they had done evil. They had no fear of God before their eyes. Yea they so lived, as though there were no God at all. Therefore God the righteous LORD, saying their detestable purpose still to remain in their abominable living, & no repentance, was of very justice compelled to destroy them by sending fire & brimstone from heaven, so that both Sodom & Gomorre with all the inhabitants their o●● & all that ever pertained to them, were utterly conslimed with fire and brimstone from heaven. O dolorous spectacle, & h●●y fight. This is an example, as S Peter saith, for all them that do ungodly. 
two. Pet. two. Nota.  O what it is to contemn the word of God and the true preachers thereof.   

¶ The. Lively Chapter.  
Again when Moses & Aaron at the commandment of God, preached to the Egipcians, & missed them to let the people of Israel●●go out of captivity, 
Exo. iii  that they might come & do Sacrifice to their LORD God, how little was their preaching regarded▪ god plagued them, yet would they not amend. At the last when he saw none amendment in them, 
Gen. xiiii.  did not he by strong hand deliver them out of captivity, & drowned all their adversaries▪ This came to pass undoubtedly if they would have been or bedients to his voice by the mouth of his Prophets, they had never been plagued nor yet so finally destroyed▪ 
Beware be times beware.  Let all ●●y●sers & kickers therefore the spurn against the truth, learn here what it is to despise the word of God and the faithful preachers thereof.  
Moreover as oft as the children of Israel did forsake their true god, which brought them out of the lord of Egypt, & ra●●ne an whore hunting after strange gods, & followed their own fantasies contrary to the prescript of God's word, God sent his Prophets unto them, for to admonish them of their duty & to reduce & bring them again into the true way. 
D cruel murderers. two. pa. xxiiii mat. u xxiii two. Re. twenty-five.  But they would not hear them, but persecuted them, entreated them ungently, prisoned them, & never ceased from their crudelite, until they had slain them. God therefore saying how styssevecked & hard hearted they were, sent in their enemies on every side, which destroyed their Cities, spoiled their goods, slew innumerable, & led the residue away captive for their disobedience and ingratitude.  

Christ ungently entreated.  At the last God sent unto the Jew's his own son, that they might repent, convert & amend. But hew thankfully they received his coming, the Scriptures show more evidently than it need here to be rehearsed. What followed? verily the utter destruction almost of them all, as the Histories make mention. 
Behold the end.  The end of them was so lamentable, yea & miserable, that no man can read the History without tears and we ping eyes. Are not all these terrible Histories for the despisers of god's word? Let us not flatter ourselves nor make to much of our painted ●●ethe, as they say. For surely that God, which in times passed sent vengeance upon the earth for disobeyenge & contemning of his word, will now also pour out his fierce plagues upon us, if we repent not shortly & amend. For after so great light of God's word, if it be not thankfully received, obeyed & followed, cometh undoubtedly alway a great & grievous plague, which is inevitable and can not be exchewed, except the amend. Let us therefore with fo●efull hearts receive the doctrine of God, fe●eah means possible to pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thereafter, practise it in 〈…〉 win other me to it by out godly conversation. Let us not only say●● 〈◊〉 we are favourers of God's wor●● crack much of faith, but let us 〈◊〉 soberly, 
Tit. two.  righteously, & godly in this present world. For to read the Scriptures, to talk of them to best ourselves of faith is not●ig to the purpose, 
Mark this well.  except we indicate our life daily according to God's word. 
joan. xiiii  He tha● hath my commandments, saith Christ, & keepeth them he it is that love the me. 
Math. seven  Not every one that saith to me, LORD, LORD shall enter into the kyngendome of heaven, but he that doth the will of my father, which is in heaven.  
These things have I spoken to admonish men of their duty, that they may not abuse this singular benefit of God's word, that is now come among us, but live worthy the kindness of God, give him right hearty thanks, & to be have them selves, that God may not take away this his inestimable benefit from us, but rather increase it unto the glory of his name, & the health of our souls. But it will return to our matter, and make an end.   

¶ The. Lii. Chapter.  
THus see we what great causes ●e ●aue to give thanks unto God, 
A brefere hearfall of God's benefits toward be:  if foe consider his many sold benefits, where with he garnyssheth us daily. He made us first of all not only like unto his own image, but also, when thorough the sin of Adam we were lost and damned, he saved us ag●●yne freely of his great mercy by jesus Christ. And though we sin sometime thorough the fragelite of human nature contrary to our promise at Baptism, yet ir● hath mercy for us, laid up in store, if we faithfully repent, & amend our lives. He preserveth us from many grievous enormities, into the which we should undoubtedly faul● headlong, if we were not preserved by his goodness. He like a most gentle father sedeth us, & sendeth us all thiges' necessary for this indigent and poor life. He appointeth his holy Jungell to wait upon us, that we may be oppressed with no evil. He giveth us favour in the sight of men. He sendeth to us health both of body & soul. 
joan. xuj.  He granteth us what so ever we ask in the name of his son jesus Christ. What would we have more? Yea & that, which to a christian man would be most acceptable and thankful, he hath prepared for us an everlasting kingdom. full of all joy, 
Esa. lxiiii.  pleasure, glory & selicite. Do heart can think, no tongue can express, no eye hath seen those treasures, that God hath prepared for so many as love him. 
i Cor. iii  Who hath ever had so bounteous a LORD, & so gentle and loving a father? 
Rom. v.  He loveth, where he was not loved. He enrycheth, where he was hated. He doth good to them, that despised his most holy will. D burning charity. D in comparable love. D kindness unspeakable. Do we will we now recompense this exceeding bentgnite of this our bounteous & celestial father? What doth he require of us again? Bylding of monasteries? Gadding on pilgrimage? offering up of candles? Painting of Tabernacles? Gylding of Images? praying of long Prayers without the affect of the mind? May verily. For he hath no need of our goods, 
Psal. four.  as the psalmograph saith. What than? Forsooth thanks giving. He the giveth hearty thanks to God for the benefits received, maketh God amendss largely. 
Thanks ryving. Note.  He only desireth of his faith full people, laudes, praises & thanks giving. Only he desireth that we be not unthankful, nor walk unworthy his benignity & kindness. For as S. bernard saith, 
In cantica Ser: 〈◊〉  there is nothing the displeaseth God so much chiefly in the Children of grace, as ingratitude and unthankfulness. That he delighteth so much in praises & thanks giving it is evident, saying that he distayneth not in his holy scripture to call at a Sacrifice, as though he should say, praise & thanks giving is that, that pleaseth me, & giveth the sweet favour before my presence. But let us hear the Scriptures. The Sacrifice of praise, saith he, shall honour me. And a little before. 
Psal. xlix.  Offer to God the sacrifice of praise, & pay to the most highest thy news. Cawl on me in the day of thy trouble, & I will deliver thee, & thou shalt honour me. Do not all these sayings declare manifestly that the most acceptable sacrifice to God is the sacrifice of praise & thanks giving? Canue therebe a greater glory given to god, than to confess that all goodness and virtue cometh only of him, & the there fore all honour, laud, encomy, praise & glory ought to be given to him alone? Undoubtedly the Sacrifice of thanks giving please the God highly. Neither is their any work that we can do, that so highly exalteth the name of God, as this Sacrifice of thanks giving, or wherein God delighteth more. If there had, undoubtedly it had been prescribed & set forth in the most sacred Bible Did not all the holy patriarchs & so many as were before Christ's coming offer this Sacrifice of thanks giving to God, as a thing to to him most welcome & acceptable? And although they also at divers times offered external sacrifices, yet were these none other thing than a testimony & witness of their inward Sacrifice, which they offered in their heart, praising the name of our LORD God. 
Mat. xi. Luke. x.  Did not Christ also & his Apostles, as we read in the holy Scriptures, offer this kind of sacrifices to our heavenvly father? And as they did thus, so in like manner do they exhort us ever to be thankful to God & to sing continual praises to his most blessed name. 
Colo. iii  S. Paul saith, what so ever you do in word & deed, do all things in the name of the LORD jesus, giving thanks to God & the father by him. Again: Be you thankful. Also in another place, give thanks alway for all things in the name of our LORD jesus Christ to God & the father. 
Ephe. v.  To the Hebrews also be writeth on this manner. By him, 
Heb. xiii.  he means Christ, do we offer the sacrifice of praise all way to God, that is to say, the fruit of the lips, that give glory to his name. Thus see we how diligent the holy scripture is, for to move us unto this sacrifice of thanks giving, as a thing very pleasant, & much acceptable to the divine majesty. But let us hear, what S. Austen saith, the we being instructed both with the holy scriptures, & also with authorities of the ancient Doctors, may the sooner be moved for to give god hearty thanks at all times.   

¶ The. Liii. Chapter.  
OFfer to God, 
In Pl. xlix  saith he, the sacrifice of praise. I may come to myself, where I shall find that I may offer. I may come to myself, for in myself shall I find the immolation & offering of praise. Thy Altar is thy conscience. Offer therefore to God the Sacrifice of praise. 
Mark 〈◊〉  We need not take any thought, there is no cause why we should go unto Arabia, to seek trankenfence, or to fetch the packs of the covetous occupier. For god seeketh of us the sacrifice of praise. 
Luke. nineteeen.  This sacrifice of praise had Zacheus in his patrimony, had the widow in her closet, had a certain poor hosts. I knew not what she was, 
●ii. Re. xiii.  in her tune. Offer thou therefore to God the sacrifice of praise. This is the offering, 
Psa. xlix.  this is the sacrifice to give thanks unto him, of whom thou hast, what so ever good is, and thorough whose mercy is forgiven, what soever evil is thine. Offer to God the sacrifice of praise, and pay to the most highest thy prayers. For with this savour is god delighted  
Behold how this most holy Doctor inculketh & betesh in still the sacrifice of praise & thanks giving we saith, that we need seek none other gift or present to bring unto god but only the sacrifice of praise of thanks giving. For in that above all other hath God pleasure. The Psalmograph saith, 
Psal. lvi.  thy vows, O God, are within me, which I shall pay unto thee, I mean praises & thanks giving unto the. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, & my feet from sliding. 
Psa. cxv.  Again, I shall offer unto thee, the Sacrifice of praise, and cawl on the name of the LORD. 
Psa. xxxiii.  Also in another place, I will magnify the LORD at all times, & his praise shall ever be in my mouth as though he should say, there shall no time pass away, whither it be troublous or merry, wherein I shall not praise the LORD. Both my youth & my age shall be bend to the praise of him. Hereof may we learn to praise our LORD God at every moment.   

¶ The. liv. Chapter.  
THere ought no vice to be further from the breast of a Christian man, than ingratitude & unthankfulness. For as S. bernard faith, 
In Cant● Ser. ●.  ingratitude is the enemy of the soul the utter putting away of merits, the dispersion of virtues, the perdition & loss of benefits, the fire the burneth & drieth up the fountain of godliness, the dew of mercy, and the sloudes of grace.  
If we give our servants any thing, they tender unto us right hearty thanks for it. Is it not therefore convenient, that we be thankful to him, 
Nota.  that giveth all things & without whom we have nothing that good is? With what forehead dare we behold to ask and receive any thing of God, and afterward not once to thank him for it? O barbarous inhumanite. O ingratitude to much unkind. They that are of such churlish nature, are of the kind of them, 
Psa. lxxvii  which, as the Psalmograph say●the, did forget the benefits of God, & the marvellous tokens that he showed. They were filled, yea the● were stuffed even full, saith God by his Prophet, & they than lifted up their heart, waxed proud, & forgot me. 
Oze. xiii.  And therefore I am become unto them as a Lion, & as the Cat of the mountain, that runneth so swiftly. I will meet with them as a Bear that hath lost her young one's, & I will break asunder their obstinate heart. Yea I will devour them as a Lion, and the beast of the field shall tear them on pieces. O terrible threatening for the ingrate & unthankful people. This will surely come to pass, if we put not away our in gratitude & unthankfulness. 
Psal. cxliiii● Titus. i  For y● LORD is faithful in all his words, & can not lie, in as much as he is the self truth.   

¶ The. Lu. Chapter.  
Therefore if we intend to have God the father a beneficial fat●●r to us, & his son jesus Christ merciful Saviour, let us in all things give thanks to God at all times, yea and that not only in prosperity but also in adversity, 
job. i  as the holy man job did, saying: The LORD gave it, & the LORD hath taken it away, as it pleased the LORD so is it come to pass, blessed be the name of the LORD. Let us watch & pray that we fall not into tentation. Let us fly to God at all times with precordiall obsecrations & hearty requests. 
Mat. xxvi  Let our prayers be continual. Let them proceed from a faithful & charitable heart. 
In exhortation to prayer & thanks giving.  Let us ask all things according to the will of GOD, yea and that in the name of Christ. Let us in all our prayers seek the glory of God, the advancement of his most blessed word, and the health of our own souls. Let us pray for the preservation of the kings most excellent majesty, & for the prosperous success of his entirely beloved son Edward our Prince. 〈◊〉 most angelic Impe. Let us pray for all the Lords spiritual & temporal, specially those that have the regiment of the public weal under the Kings graces highness. 
Col. iiii●  Let us pray for the ministers of God's word, that they may freely speak the truth of Christ's Gospel, as it becometh them. Let us pray for all men universally, chiefly for the inhabitants of this Realm of england, that they may all bear a faithful heart both toward God and our king. To conclude, let us pray that the will of God may be fulfilled in all things.  
When we have thus prayed, let us all times give thanks to God for his benefits. So shall it come to pass, the he shall not only not turn away his kindness from us, but also increase it daily unto the great consolation and comfort of us all.  
If this thing shall come to pass that we both pray fervently, and a● so give thanks to God her●●●ye, ● shall not a little rejoice that I have taken the labour & pain in compiling this pathewaye unto Prayer, yea it shall encourage me hereafter to attempt other enterprises of no less importance and utility.  
Which thing (most gentle Reader) that it may come to pass, pray for me unto our LORD God, that he may syng●●e that thing in me, which he hath begun, unto the glory of his most blessed name, ● promotion of his most godly word, and the profit & edification of his most holy & catholic church. Amen.  
¶ give the glory to GOD alone.