A New Pathway Unto Prayer, Part 7
¶ At what tyme we oughte to praye.
¶ The. xxxii. Chapter.
IF we consyder the inexplicable & manifold miseries, wherwith in this vale of calamite we are inuolued, wrapped and īclosed about on eueryevery syde, we shall wtout ony great difficulte perceyue y• we hauehave nede of nothyng so much as of prayer, yea and that feruente, assiduous & continuall. For the dyuell goeth about lyke a roaryng Lyon, sekynge whome he maye deuour.i. Pet. …. The world also with his vayne pleasures is redye at euerye houre to seduce & lede vsus awaye frō our professiō, yf we take not hede. Agayne the flesshe is so domesticall and nygh enemy vntounto vsus, that we can neuer be wtoute it.Gal. v. It euer assaylethe vsus. It allwaye fyghteth & lusteth contrary to the spirite. It turneth, as they saye, eueryevery stonne to make vsus enemies wt God. The soldiour of Christ, sayth a certayne Doctor,Par…par… Crac. de Iusticia cap. xii. oughte not to put awaye from him the shelde of prayer so longe as the battayle endurethe. But the battayle endureth,Iob. vii. so longe as this presēt lyfe endureth, as Iob sayth, the lyfe of a man vpō y• earthe is a warfare, & perels do neuer fayle therfore hauehave we nede continuallye of Gods helpe. Miserye dothe neuer want in this lyfe, therfore hauehave we euer nede of Gods mercy & continuall prayer.ii Tim. ii. Wherof it followeth yt we hauehave greate nede of prayer at all tymes, yf we wyll be saued. For no man shalbe crowned, excepte he warreth valeauntly.Apo. ii. To him that ouercommeth, sayth God, wyll I gyue to eate of the tree of lyfe, whiche is in … myddes of the Paradyse of GOD. Our sauiour Christ therfore knowynge our imbecillite & weakenes to be no lesse than oure miserye & wretchednes, exortetth vsus principallye & aboue all thynges to praye.Mat. xxvi Watche & praye, sayth he, that ye faul not in to tentaciō. And in as much as our enemies cease not to fyghte agaynst vsus by theyr craftye & subtyle assaultes, therfore oughte we not to cease for to fyght agaynst thē wt continuall prayers. For the prayer of a righous man,Iaco. v. sayethe S. Iames, auayleth muche.Luk. xviii. Christe in the Gospell of Luke proponeth a certayne parable of an vnrighteous Iudge & of a wydowe, wherin he teachethe that we ought to praye alwaye and neuer to cease, nor once to be werye. Read the Chapter. A Christen man oughte to praye at all tymes, & neuer to desyst and cease from prayenge. Therfore sayth S. Paule:Col. iiii… Cōtinue in prayer & wacth in it with thankes gi…yng. Agayne:i. Thes. v. Reioyse alwaye, pray with out ceasyng, in all thynges giuegive thā kes. Hereto agreeth ye sayenge of S. Peter,…. Pet. iiii. be ye sober & watch vntounto praier. For continuall prayer causethe yt our enemies can not hauehave the vpper hande ouer vsus. Yea continuall prayer makethe that the louelove of celestiall goodes doth euer encrese ī vsus, which excepte it be oftentymes suscitated & stored vp with ardent desyres and feruēt prayers,Not… as fyre is wt wind, it fyrst abateth, & afterward by lytle & lytle it is vtterly quenched and put clene out. For as he is vnworthy to receyue ony thynge, whiche gyueth not thanckes for those thynges y• he hath alredy taken, yt is, whiche doth not knowledge & magnify the beneficence of God, so dothe not he deserue to enioy so great felicite, ioye & pleasure, which eyther doth not desyre it or els desyreth it coldly. Who feruētly loueth a thinge, & doth not cōtinually wish yey• thyng which he loueth, maye chaūse to hī. So y• it is manifest of these thynges aforsayde, yt we ought to praye at all tymes, & neuer cease, in asmuch as we hauehave at all tymes moost vrgēt, weyghty & necessary causes.
¶ The. xxxiii. Chapter.
An obiectiō.BUt it wyll be obiected, howe is it possible for a man to praye at all tymes, & neuer to cease? This is a thynge not onlye of impossibilite, but also contrary to the cōmaundement of Christ,Mat. vi. whiche sayeth, whan ye praye, speake not manny wordes. I answere,The aunswere. Christe in this aforsayde place doth not forbyd the assiduite & continuance of prayer, but ye multiloquie & manner of bablyng in prayers, which the Ethnickes & Infidels dyd vse, trustyng by y• theyr to much bablynge they shoulde the sooner be hearde, as we reade of those wycked Prophetes, which cried on the name of Baal from mornynge tyll nyght, sayenge none other thynge but this only,iii. Reg. xvi… O Baal hear vsus, O Baal hear vsus. But the prophet Helias mocked them, sayenge, crye withe a loweder voyce. For he is a God, but peraduē ture he talkethe with some bodye, or is occupied in pursuynge his enemies, or is gone some iourney, or happely he slepeth, & would be waked & reysed vp wt your cryinge. They cryed therfore wt a great voice, & cutte thē selues after the…r old maner wt sweardes and botkyns, vntyll they were al on gore bloude. But all in vayne.
The wordes of Christe are these, whan ye praye,math. vi. speke not many wordes as the Ethnyckes do. For they thynke it should come to passe, that thorowe theyr bablynge they should be heard. Be not ye therfore lyke thē For youre father doth knowe, what thynges ye nede, before ye aske o… him.Mark wel These wordes shew manifestly that Christ doth not cōdemne the assiduite & continuaunce of prayer,Lu. vi. xxii mat. xxvi. Luk: xviii: which bothe he hiselfe vsed, and also taught other ye same, but the vayne loquasite & vnfruytfull bablyng annexed with this perswasiō, that our prayers can not be herde, except we be euer inculkyng & beatynge thē into the eares of God after the māner of the Hethē, as though God dyd rather heare vsus for oure loquasite and bablynges sake, than for his mooste louynge and gentle promyse, or as thogh God were not so redy to giuegive, as we are to aske, if our peticions beaccordyng vntounto his wyl. The Ethnickes mult…loquy & hethenysh bablynge doth Christe here not only forbyd, but also condēn….Eccl: v: Therfore sayeth ye wyse man, be not to rash in spekynge, neyther lette thy herte make hast to bryng forth a word in y• sight of god. For god is in heuē, & yu art on the earth, & therfore let thy wordes be fewe. For as the dreame cōmethe of manifold businesses, so is y• voyce of a foole in ye multitude of wordes.
S. Iohn golden mouth vponupon the aforsayd texte wryteth on this manner, he calleth here Bathologian,In Math: cap. vi. Hom. xix. loquacite, that is, bablynge or muche spekynge, which we than verely vse, when we aske of God thynges yt are not profitable for vsus, as for an example, that we shoulde obtayne power & glory, & that we shoulde ouercome our enemies, & that we should aboūd with many rytches, to cōclude, whā we aske those thynges, ye should profyt vsus nothynge at all. For he knoweth what so euer we hauehave nede. Moreouer he semeth vntounto me to forbyd longe prayers. Yea verely, long I saye, not in tyme but in the multitude & prolixite or length of wordes.Colos. iiii. We must perseuer in askynge those thynges that are profitable. Continue, sayth he, ī prayer. For y• LORDE hymselfe also sendeth vsus to the exā ple of yt wydowe & of ye vnmercyfull & cruel Iudge,Luke. x…iii that he should cōmēd the diligente continuaūce of prayer by the importunite of her interpellacion & hertye request.Luke. xi. And whā he saythe y• a certayne man came vntounto his frende, whan it was very late in the nyghte, & that he raysed hym beyng a slepe out of his bed, yea & that he deserued this thyng not so much for familiarite & acquayntāce sake, as for sedulite & careful diligēce: He wylled none other thynge, thā that he should be called vponupon cōtinually. Yet he dyd not cōmaunde that they shoulde brynge vntounto him a prayer of a thousande verses longe, & recyte y• vntounto hym. For this hathe he alredy reproued. For they thyncke that in theyr muche speakynge they shoulde be herd.Mat. vi. But your father, sayeth he, knoweth, what ye hauehave nede, before ye aske. But thou wylte saye, If he knoweth, wherfore than nede we to praye?Mark … well. Uerely not ye thou shouldeste teach God, but that thou shouldeste make hym good vntounto the, that thou shouldest be acquaynted wyth hym, by reason of thy frequent & oftē spekynge vntounto hym, that y• shouldest h… ̄ ble thy selfe in prayeng, & that thou shouldest oftentymes remember thy synnes.
Hytherto hauehave I recyted the wordes of S. Iohn Chrisostome, which as they condemne the vnfruytefull bablynge & vayne ianglynge of wordes vaynly & causses prolated, so do they hyghlye cōmende & approue the feruent continuaunce of prayenge. So that hereof it is euident, that a thristē mā ought to pray at al times
¶ The. xxxiiii. Chapter.
VUher as some mā wyll saye per aduenture that it is not possible for men to praye at all tymes, seynge that diuers other affayres and businesses muste also be done of thē so longe as they lyue in this worlde, as eatynge, drynkynge, slepyng. &c. & men must also labour for theyr lyuynge, eueryevery man accordyng to his vocacion & callynge, which thynges all must nedes be an impedyment & let to the cōtinuall exercyse of prayer: I wyl in few wordes declare how a christen man maye praye without ceasynge at all tymes accordyng to the precepte of Christe and the Apostle Saynt Paule.
How we may praye at all tymes and … ceasyng.Some expositoures of the holye Scrypture wryte that to praye all waye & without ceasyng, is nothing els than to pray seriously, earnestly & diligently after the example of the wydowe,Luk. xviii. which woulde neuer leaue cryenge & callynge vponupon the vnrighteous Iudge, vntyll he had hearde her request, that she myght be reuenged of her aduersarye. They saye it is a trope called Hyperbole, so that he is counted to praye alway and wt out ceasyng, which praye vsually, of tentymes, seriously & instantly, and doth not cease from prayers, vntyll he hath obtayned that,Esa. lviii. which he asketh. After that manner is this spokē: Cry, cease not, lyfte vp thy voyce as a Trompe.
Some saye that to praye alway & not to cease, is thorowe out al our lyfe, feruentely to desyre that hyghe goodnes, which is promysed vsus in ye worlde to come. After this sorte, say, they, what soeuer mē do in this lyfe, whether they eate, dryncke, sleape worke, talke, bargayne, studye, meditate. &c. so longe as this celestiall desyre remayne in thē, all theyr whole lyfe is a certayne perpetual prayer.De moda ora…i. The perpetual study of lyuyng godly, sayeth Erasmus, is a continuall prayer. And Beda sayth, he prayeth alwaye, y• doth good thynges alway neyther dothe he cease to praye, but … he ceaseth to be righteous.
Other affyrme that to praye without ceasyng, is feruently & with an ardente mynde to praye at certayne houres destinated & appoynted vntounto prayer. Uerely all theise exposicions, in asmuch as they be godly, are not to be reiected nor caste awaye. Therfore seyng that we can not for our imbecill…e, weaknes & imperfecciō alwaye & withoute ceasyng pray vntounto God, yet, besydes the godly meditacion of celestiall thynges in our mynde, & the perpetuall desyre of lyuyng innocētly, which ought neuer to departe from a Christē brest,Certeyne houres appoynted eueryevery day for prayer that hath the feare of God before her eies we ought to prescrybe & appoynt vntounto our selues certaine peculiare houres eueryevery day which should not passe awaye wtout prayer, & which should hauehave the whole affectes of the mynd vtterly occupied in this behalfe. And whan those houres shall come, than ought we to laye asyde all m… dane affayres & worldly businesses, & wholly to gyue our selues to deuout meditacion, & diuyne contemplaciō of celestiall thynges. Thā ought we feruentely to praye wt the herte and mynd, & so wt all humilite to behaue our selues, as though god were ther present, & we spake vntounto him face to face, ye than ought we to watche, as the Scripture admonysshe the,Mat. xxvi. that is, so take hede & cast all pereis, that oure aduersary the dyuell, which goeth about lyke a rorynge Lyon,i. Pet. v. seakyng whome he may deuour, do not once drawe away our myndes from talkynge wyth God, but that quietly and attentely we maye be occupied in offerynge vp our peticions vntounto GOD at that tyme of prayer.
¶ The. xxxv. Chapter.
ANd bycause no man shoulde be offended wt the obseruaunce & appoyntmēt of certayne houres vntounto prayer, as a thynge supersticious & repugnant to the christen liberte: I wyll shewe that dyuers holye men had theyr certayn houres also, wherin they vsed custumably to pray.…. cxviii. We reade that Dauid dyd praye & gyue thankes vntounto God seuen tymes in a daye. His wordes are these: Seuen tymes in a day hauehave I gyuē prayse vntounto the for the iudgementes of thy righteousnes. What seuen tymes in a daye these were, all are not manyfest in the holye scripture, but some are, whiche I wyll here reherse.
As touchynge the mornynge he sayeth, O LORDE early shalt yu heare my voyce,Psal. v. betymes in the mornyng shall I make my prayer vntounto the, & I shall se that I hauehave obtayned my prayer.Psal. ci. Nowe for the tyme of his repaste he sayeth, as asshes dyd I eate my bread & my dryncke dyd I myngle with wepynge. Thoughe here he make the none euydente mencion of Prayer, yet it is not to be doubted, but yt in this his great sorowe, he also vsed at that present, prayers vntounto God. As for his prayer at nyght, we read on this manner,Psal. ciiii. let my prayer, sayth he, be directed vntounto the as frā kensence in thy syghte, the lyftynge vp of my handes as an euenyng sacrifice.Psal. vi. Agayne he sayth, I shal wash eueryevery nyght my bed, yea euen wt my teares wyll I water my bed. That he prayed to God at mydnyght also, it is manifeste by theyse wordes, At myddenyght, sayth he, dyd I ryse to gyue prayse vntounto the.
Of these Scriptures aforsayd it is euident that Dauid prayed vntounto God customably these four times besides other,Psa. cxviii. that is, in the mornyng, at his dynner, in the euenynge, and at mydnyght, which all be very conuenient tymes for a christen man to praye. As he prayed at these tymes, so did he vndoutedly at other, thogh they be not expressed in y• scripture.
Dan. vi.Moreouer we read that Daniel vsed customably to praye eueryevery day thre tymes vntounto his LORDE GOD. The Euangelistes also declare, that Christ preachynge & workynge myracles all the whole daye,Luk. v. vsed often tymes to spende the whole nyght in prayenge vntounto his father.Act. iii. S. Luke also in the Actes of ye Apostles declareth that Peter & Iohn went vp into the Tēple at the nynthe houre of prayer. Wherof it doth euidently appeare y• in the olde lawe they had certayne tymes appoynted in y• whiche they should praye. HaueHave not we also amonge vsus nowe a dayes certayne tymes appoynted for to come togyther & to pray in the temples? What do we lerne of all these thynges▪ Uerely that a Christen man maye lawfully & without ony scripule of conscience appoynt certayne houres in the day, wherin he may exercyse himselfe deuoutly in godly prayer & spirituall meditacion.Not…: But I would he shoulde not so supersticiously be addicte to those houres, that he should thynke it synne to breake ony of thē, whan occasion of necessite is gyuen (for that were a wycked thyng) but to vse those tymes as meanes for to bryng hym vntounto a more feruent mā ner of prayeng continually.Mat. ii. For the Sabboth daye was made for man, & not man for the Sabboth day. The kyngedome of God shall not come wt obseruaciō & loking for,Luk. xvii: sayth Christ neyther shall they saye, behold here, or behold there, for loo, the kyngdom of god is wtin you. Ye obserue dayes monethes,Gala. iiii. tymes and yeares, sayth Paule, I am afearde of you, vnlesse I hauehave laboured in vayne for you. Agayn, let no mā iudge you in meat or drynke, or in parte of an holy day, or of the feast of the newe Moone, or of the Sabbothes, which are the shadowes of thynges to come,Col. ii. but the body of Christ.
¶ The. xxxvi. Chapter.
SEynge than that the appoyntement of certayne houres for praier is very cōmendable, yea & necessary for the traynynge vp of oure selues in the godlye exercyse of prayer (so that supersticious obseruaunce be absent) it shall be much decēt and prayse worthy for eueryevery man to appoynte hymselfe such certayne houres eueryevery daye for to praye, as wherin he shall perceyue that he maye be moost quiet, & moost apte to talke we God in his prayers. And althoughe eueryevery Christen man knowethe what tyme is best for hym to praye (in as much as the vnccion of God techeth thē all thynges,i. Ioan. ii. & they hauehave no nede that any man shoulde teach thē) yet I wyll here assigne suche houres to pray, as I maye thynke to be moost conuenient & apte to prayer, & that not only bycause they seme fytte in my conceyte, but rather in asmuche as I se those same houres approued of godlye learned men, as moost fyttyng and apte vntounto the true exercise of prayer.
Dauid in his Psalmes wrytethe on this manner,Psa. lilii. I wyll cry to God, & the LORDE shall saue me. At nyght & in the mornyng & at middaye shall I praye hertelye, & he shall heare my voyce.Note whā we ought to pray vntounto God. Here Dauid prescribeth thre solemne tymes, whan a man oughte of dutie eueryevery day to pray. At night when he goeth to bed, in ye morninge whan he ryseth, & at mydday whan he goeth to meate. He that leaue the God vnsaluted with his prayers at these thre tymes, verely he is muche estraūged frō the manners of a true Christen man, as I maye leaue of to speake of his ingratitude & vnkyndnes towarde oure LORDE GOD.
Libro de virginitate.S. Ambrose appoynte the mo tymes of prayenge: Solemne prayers sayth he, ought to be made wt thanckes geuynge whan we ryse frō slepe, when we go forth to oure businesse, whē we make redy to take our meat and whan we hauehave taken our meat & when we go to bed. Would God y• all men would followe the doctryne of this moost holy & catholyke Doctor. Than shoulde all thynges be replenyshed with the blessynge of God more plenteously than they are now a dayes.De oratione. Det. ii. S. Iohn Chrisostome differeth not from this, where he sayeth, we must whā we ryse out of our beddes preuent the sonne with the worshyppynge of God, & whan we come to the table, & whan we should slepe. Yea at euerye houre oughte we to offer a lyuysh prayer vntounto God, and to runne an equall course withe the daye, & in ye tyme of Wynter to spēd also y• moost part of ye nyght in prayers & bowīg our knees wt much feare to gyue attēdaūce to prayer, recounting our selues blessed, whā we thus worshyp God. Tel me how dareste yu loke vpō the Sonne,Mark well. whā yu dost not worshyp hym, that sent that mooste swete & cōfortable lyght? How shalt thou vse ye table, & not worshyp y• gyuer & supeditatour of so great good thiges? With what hope goest thou to the tyme of the night, what manner of slepes doste thou loke for, whē thou doste not confyrme, make strōg & defend thy selfe with prayers, but wythout ony watch comest to slepe lyke a miser & wretche, redy to faull into the captiuitie & bondage of the moost vngracious diuels, which cō tinually go about waytyng y• tyme, that they maye quickely catche any man that is bare, & not defensed wt prayer? which whan they se vsus enarmed wt prayers, rūne backe streight wayes as theues & malefactoures, which se a swearde hanged vp at the hande of y• Soldiour. But if it chā seth that any man be bare & not weponed wt prayer, than is he streyght waye plucked & toste of the diuels, he is moued vntounto synne, & brought into infinyte calamities & euelles. We therfore fearynge all these thynges let vsus enarme oure selues alwaye wt prayers & hymnes, that god hauing pytie on vsus, maye make vsus all worthy ye kyngedome of heauen thorow his onlye begotten sonne, to whome be glory and rule, worldes wythout ende.
Amen.
¶ The. xxxvii. Chapter.
HItherto hauehave I recyted y• wordes of the goldē mouthed Doctor, wherin we may learne not only whan we oughte to praye, but also howe necessary a thynge prayer is, & how that wtout prayer we can do nothynge well, neyther can any thyng without that chaunse vntounto vsus prosperously.Prayers in … mornyng. Would God therfore that whan we ryse in the mornynge we would with hundle & faythfull hertes gyue thankes to God, for y• slepe wherwith he hath refresshed one wery bodies that nyght, & … ly desyre hym that his … maye hauehave the ryght gouernounce of vsus, all ye daye followynge, that he defendynge vsus from all euell maye only his…, couy…e, aspyre & go aboute those th…ges, which shall may turne to the glory of God, the saluacion of our soules, & the profytte of y• Christen publyque wea…e, not once offendynge the eies of the diuyne maieste neyther in thought, worde nor dede at ony tyme.
Agayne in asmuche as we are all …orne to laboure,Prayers before laboure.; Iob. v…. eueryevery man in hys offyce, euer as the byrde is to flye, & seynge that we are commaunded of God to eate the labours of our handes
¶ The. xxxviii. Chapter.
Prayers before meate.MOreouer whan we shall take our meat before we syt down to tast ony of it, let vsus wt al humilite & submission of mynd desyre God wt oure prayers, that he wyll sanctifye those his gyftes & benefites, that we maye receyue thē accordynge to his wyll, & by no meanes abuse them, eyther to the distemperance of our bodies, or to the daunger of our soules but only receyue them vntounto ye ende, for the which they were created and prepared. Lette vsus not thyncke it ynough to hauehave corporal food, except it be blessed of God. Neyther oughte we to thynke that oure bodely suste… commeth only of our owne pol…cy but much more rather of goddes blessynge, whiche excepte he dyd fortune oure trauayles, a…ou…e labours were but vayne,Psa. xxxiii … y• Psalmographe sayth, feare ye the LORDE all ye that be his Sayntes, for there is no searsenes to thē ye feare hym. The rytche hauehave wanted & hungred, but they y• seke after ye LORDE, shal want no good thynge.Psal. Agayne, caste thy care vponupon the LORDE, & he shall noryshe the.i. Pet. v. Also in another place, The eyes of all mē trust in the, O LORD, & thou gyuest them meate in conuenient tyme.Psal. cxiiiii. Thou openest thy hāde, and fylleste eueryevery lyuynge creature with thy blessynge.
Thus se we y• our corporall foode is the gyfte of God, & he it is that fedethe so many, as repose theyr affyaunce in hym. Therfore oughte we before we taste any meate at y• tyme of oure repaste to praye vntounto God, y• he maye blesse the meat that we sha… than receyue, confessynge ye what so euer we hauehave, we al togither receyue it of his bountyous hand.Nota. O mercyfull God, we come nowe a dayes vntounto the table, as though we ware Hethen, & knew no parte of God, at the of the Altare, his beri body & bloud? … dyd he this …a…ely for our example, that we should knowledge & confesse that what so euer we hauehave, we receyue it altogyther at the … teous & liberall hand of God. Doth not S. Paule saye,i. Tim. iiii. that meates are sanctifyed by the worde of God and prayer▪ We oughte therfore surelye whan we go to dynner, or take onye repast, to desyre God for to blesse our meat, & to make it helthfull & profytable to our bodies, & to beleue that what soeuer is there presente, we receyue it altogyther of the grand munificence & excedynge liberalytie of God, & so to behaue oure selues all y• time of our repast, not only ī enioyīg those gyftes moderately & soberlye, but also in oure cōmunicacion, & externall gestures, that we maye seme to sytte not at a prophane, cōmme & vncleane table, but at y• holye table of ye celestiall and euerlastyng kyng.
¶ The. xxxix. Chapter.
AGayne after we hauehave thus godly & soberly takē oure meate,Grace or thanckes gyuyng after dyner. let vsus not fayle to gyue God herty thāckes for his benefytes, which so bounteously of his owne mere lyberalitie & great goodnes hath fed vsus at that presente, let vsus also desyre hym that he wyll go forth to be a beneficial father vntounto vsus,Ioan. vi. & to giuegive vsus meat, not only that meate whiche peryssheth, but much rather yt whiche abydethe into euerlastynge lyfe, I meane the moost swete Gospell of his intierlye beloued sōne Iesus Christ our moste gentle LORDE & omnisufficient Sauiour, y• our bodies beyng fed wt corporall meate, & our soules susteyned with the word of lyfe, we maye after this lyfe be moost happely fed wyth the aspecte, beholdyng, & fruicion of the moost blessed deite. Amen.
These thynges once done, let be returne to our labours, eueryevery m…n accordynge to his vocacion and callynge, workyng that thynge that is pleasaunt in the syght of God.
For supper Note.Whan the tyme cōmeth that we shall go to supper, let vsus we the same reuerence enioy the good creatures of God, that we dyd at dynner, & as we behaued our selues at dīner both in prayer & thanckes gyuynge, lette vsus so likewyse do at supper. So shal it come to passe vndoubtedlye, that we shall wante no good thynge, but hauehave plenty of all thiges accordyng to onr hertes desyre. We must, sayth Chrisostome,De oratione. bothe whan we go vntounto the table & come frō it,Ho. lxxxviii. gyue thāckes to God. For that table, which be gynneth of prayer, & endethe also in prayer, shall neuer wante, but shall brynge to vsus all good thynges more largely & more plentiously than ony fountayne. But I hauehave spoken of this matter also in my Banckette.
¶ The. xl. Chapter.
AT night whan we go to bedde,How we ought to be hauehave ourselues wh… ̄ we go to bed. we shall before we gyue our selues to slepe, knele downe vponupon oure knees secretly in our chamber, with all humilite & reuerēt feare, callyng vntounto our remēbraūce howe we hauehave spent all the whole daye past. If we shall than perceyue that we hauehave offended ye diuine maiesty in ony thīg, eyther in thought, word or dede, thā let vsus not fayle to confesse our synne streyghtway to God wt a contryte & sorowfull herte, desyryng him moost hūbly for his great mercyes sake to forgyue vsus that our iniquite, & not to be angry with vsus, but so assyst vsus with the influence of his moost holy Spirite, that we may in no poynte trāsgresse his moost diuine wyl, but worke all thynges that maye be pleasaunt vntounto hym.
Yf we shal at that tyme perceyue that we are at debate with ony mā,Mark w…. let vsus nōt go to bed, before we be reconciled one to another if it be possible accordynge to the precepte of ye Apostle, let not the Sonne faull downe vpō your anger.Cobe. iiii. If that may not cō ueniētly be done yt nighte, let vsus not fayle the nexte mornynge betymes, or so sone as we may, to go vntounto thē that are offended wt vsus, or we we thē, & neuer cease tyll we hauehave made an agremēt betwene vsus, beyng perfectly perswaded, that we can by no menes please God so long as we be not in louelove and charite.i. Ioan. iii. For as S. Iohn̄ sayth he that loueth not his brother abideth in death. EueryEvery one that hatethe his brother is a manslear, & ye knowe that eueryevery māslear hath not euerlastynge lyfe abydynge in hym.
☞ Loke what we hauehave offended god that daye, let vsus so bewayle our syn & take suche thought for ye cōmission of it, yt we maye hauehave no more pleasure to do that offēce agayne, but rather be made the more circumspecte … beware afterward ye we be no more oppressed with the subtyle assaultes of Satā. Let vsus eueryevery daye dye vntounto synne. Let vsus continually mortyfye the affectes of the olde Adā. The lenger we lyue, the lesser let synne remayne in this oure mortall bodye. Let all our meditaciō, study & endeuour be nothynge els than a perpetuall care to leade a pure and innocent lyfe.
¶ The. xli. Chapter.
BUt yf it so chaunse,Nota. that whan we hauehave cōsydered the spending of the daye, we perceyue no notable cryme & heynous faulte commytted neyther agaynst God, nor our neighbour, than let vsus reioyse, gyue God thankes, & desyre hym so cōtinually to ayde vsus withe his diuine helpe, ye we maye not onlye continue in that purite of lyfe,Rom. i. Psal. lxxxiii but also go forth from sayth to sayth, & from vertue to vertue, tyll we waxe auncient in christ, & become perfette mē ī our professio…
Prayers before …rape.Theise thynges once done, let vsus than faull to prayer, desyrynge God for his great mercies sake thorow Iesus Christe to gyue vsus a prosperous & quiet nyght, & that neyther Sat… nor none of his Aungels do trouble vsus, but that thoughe the bodye take rest & slepe, yet the mynde, the herte, the inwarde man, may alway watch to him, & delight in hi perpetually.
After oure prayers, let vsus cōmyt oure selues to the tuicion of God, & so swetely gyue our selues to reste. And let this be our dayely exercyse. D LORDE God, yf we would do this with a seruēt herte & burnyng louelove towarde God, it can not be expressed that greate & singulare cōmodities would ensewe. To do thus, is ye dutye of vsus all, but whyther we hauehave done it or not, let eueryevery man search his owne conscience and amende.
Thus hauehave I declared what tymes I thyncke moost cōuenient for prayer, & how we should behaue ourselues in ye tyme of pray eng. I hauehave not done this to bynde & snarlethe conscience of ony christē man, which oughte to be free to serue God at all houres, but to helpe the infyrme and weake Christians, that they fyrst vsynge these tymes, & certayne introduccions, maye afterward come vntounto the perfeccion of worshyppynge God at all tymes. For a christen mā …hall hauehave abundant occasions at all houres to call on ye name of ye LORD for helpe. Notwithstandynge yf ony man shall loke vponupon these thynges, ye I hauehave here wrytten, with a syngle eye, he shall not fynde thē altogyther superuncaneous & vayne. God giuegive vsus all grace to so followe thē, or better, yf we maye.