A New Pathway Unto Prayer, Part 5
¶ After what maner a chrysten man ought to pray.
¶ The .xxv. Chapter.
NOwe it remaynethe to declare after what manner a Christē mā ought to pray. In the declara…ion hereof it shall be necessary, that he whiche wyll praye aryght, doth fyrst cōsyder what he is to whome he muste praye.Who it is vntounto whō we praye. Agayne, what he hym selfe is that prayethe. It is no man nor Aungel, but God which is prayed vntounto, whome the angelike potestates do reuerētly feare, whom all the whole company of heauen do magnify, commende, prayse, worshyp & honour,Iacob. ii. Phil. ii. whom the diuels do feare, tremble & shake for dreade, in whose name euerye knee bothe of thynges in Heauen, of thynges in earth, & of thynges vnderunder the earth do bowe, whiche is of puyssaunt power i holynes terrible,Exo. xv. Deut. iiii. Heb. xiii. al prayse worthy, & doynge meruaylous thynges which is a consumynge fyre, whiche is a great LORDE aboue all ye Gods,ii. Pat. ii. …ester. xiii. Iob. xxxvi…. Iere. xxxii. Exo. xxxiiii…. which is the LORDE of all thinges, & no man can resyst his maieste, which is great in strength, iudgement and ryghteousnes, whose eyes are open vponupon all the wayes of the sonnes of Adam, & in whose syght no creature is innocent.
Whan he hath on this manner cō sidered of God, than must he ponder what hym selfe is, euen a very miserable sīner,What he is, that prayer… destitute of all goodnes, voyde of all godlynes, & vnworthye to approche vntounto the throne of ye diuyne maiesty. For this humiliacion of our selues helpeth greatly to the auaūcement of our prayer. For the more that ony man deiecteth & throweth downe himselfe, the nerer is he made vntounto God.Luk. xviii. The Pharise was farre of from god, although he stode nexte vntounto the Propiciatory, remē brynge his good dedes, & despisynge other men in cōparison of hymselfe. The Publicane, which stondynge a farre of prayed, came nygher vntounto God. For the LORDE is hyghe, & yet doth he beholde humble thynges, he knoweth high thynges a farre of, he despyseth the hawty, & loketh on the prayer of ye hūble, & the prayer of thē doth not he despyse. Wylte y• heare, howe hygh a thynge the prayer of a man, whiche humbleth hymselfe, is? The wyse man teacheth this thyng sayenge:Eccl xxxv. The prayer of hym that hū bleth hymselfe, shall pearse & go thorowe the cloudes, & tyll it draweth nyghe, it shall not be conforted, and it shall not comme downe vntyll the moost hyghest doth looke vponupon it.
This humilitie do we reade to be much vsed amonge holy men,Dan. ix. in tymes past. Daniel prayed on this mā ner, not in our owne ryghteousnesses O LORDE do we powre oute oure prayers before the, but in thy great mercyes. Heare vsus, O LORD, LORDE be mercifull vntounto vsus. Heare vsus, and do these thynges that we aske, yea & that for thyne owne sake.Baruc. ii. Also Baruch, the soule, sayth he, that is bered for the multytude of her synnes, which goeth on heuely and wekely, whose eyes begynne to fayle, surely such a soule ascrybeth prayse, glory & ryhhteousnes vntounto the O LORDE. Not for the ryghteousnes of our fathers do we powre out our prayers in thy syght, & aske mercy before thy face, O LORDE our God, but bycause thou arte mercyfull. HaueHave therfore mercy on vsus, for we hauehave synned before the.
This cōsideracion once had both of god & of hymselfe, wherby he hath learned God to be ryghteous, hymselfe vnryghteous, God to be good, hymself euel, God to be holy, himself prophane. God to be honorable, hym selfe miserable, God to be pure, hym selfe vnpure, God to be immaculate hymselfe spotted wyth all kynde of synne, God to be hyghe, & nothynge more hygh,Meanes to prouoke ye mercy of God toward hym y• shal pray hymselfe to be vyle, & nothynge more vyle: than must he before his praier vse some menes wherby, he maye excyte & stoore vp the beneuolence and good wyll of God towarde hym, & so adourne & garnysh hymselfe with ghostlye operacion, ye both he & his prayer maye be ye more acceptable in the syght of God.An example. For who dare cōe vntounto a Kynges or Emperoures presence for to desyre onye thynge of them, excepte fyrste of all he so composeth hymselfe, yt nothing maye offend theyr eyes? He putteth on clenly apparell, he kymbethe his head, he wassheth his body, yea & also perchaunse annoynteth it, and so appoynteth hymselfe in eueryevery condicion, that nothynge maye displease them, but rather allure them to the syght of hym, & the hearynge of hys peticion. Semblablye it shalbe conuenient for hym that wyll pray vntounto God with fruyte, & hath truly wt hym selfe consydered the highnes of god, & the humblenes of hymselfe, to gyue diligence that he on such sorte cōposeth hymselfe, that there be nothyng in hym that may offēd ye eyes of god but ye his praier may be fauourably accepted & graciously hearde. And that this thynge maye come to passe, it shal be necessary that he followeth the aunciente & holy fathers in tymes paste, which whan they offered theyr prayers vntounto god. Used continually both to faste & gyue almes. For as Thoby sayth,Toby. xii. prayer is good with fastynge & almes, better than to hyde vp treasures of golde. For almes doth delyuer from death, & it is that whiche purgeth synnes.
¶ The .xxvi. Chapter.
FYrst as concernyng fastyng,Behold of what occasion fastyng we must know that it ought to procede from a contryte, hūble, & sorowfull harte,ought to ryse, and what it is to taste. & from such a soule as taketh displesure with it selfe that she hath ben no more circūspecte in the accōplysshment of Gods wyll, for y• which she beynge sory & dolorous, casteth awaye the delectation and pleasure of worldely thynges, as eating, drynkynge, banckettyng, wearynge of gorgious apparell, with all other mundane vanities, & streyghtwaye with al humilite of mynde & submission of herte approchethe by syncer fayth & true repentaunce vntounto the moost glorious throne of almyghty God, & there lamenteth her miserable state, bewayleth her to much synfull condicion, powreth oute the secretes of her herte, desyreth remission of her synnes, hungre the & thyrstethe for strengthe to do the wyll of God. This kynde of fastyng accompanyeng prayer doth very much eleuate, extoll, & lyfte vp the prayer of the humble synner vntounto the presēce of GOD And this is it that Tobye sayth,Toby. xii. prayer is good wyth fastyng.
We read that whan Ionas at the cōmaundement of God came vntounto y• Niniuites,Ionas. ii.iii. preached vntounto thē, rebuked theyr synfull lyuynge, threatened them subuersion, destruccion, & the vtter decaye both of themselues & of theyr citie,Note and followe. they consternated wt the reuoluciō of theyr iniquitie dyd streyghtewayes deteste & abhorre so greatly theyr abhominable lyuyng, y• they vtterlye layde asyde all theyr vayne pleasures, wherein so much before they delighted, & fell immediately vntounto fastynge & prayer with such other godly exercises of the spyryte, so that by thys meanes God beholdynge theyr true & vnfayned cōuersion had pytie on them, saued them, & receyued thē into the nōber of hys welbeloued people.iiii. Eso. v. Esdras also at diuers tymes dyd both faste & pray seuen dayes togyther, yt he myght vnderstond the hygh misteries of God. We hauehave fasted,i. Esd. viii. sayethe he, & prayed vntounto the LORDE for a fortunate and quiet iourney, & it hath chafised vntounto vsus prosperously.ii. Reg. xii. Agayne Dauid for the lyfe of his chylde, which was sycke, dyd both faste & praye a longe season, & woulde eate no meate nor dryncke. I hauehave prayde sayth Daniel, to the LORDE my God in fastyng,Dan. ix. sackeclothe, & asshes. Iudith also fasted & prayed the moost parte of her lyfe in the vppermooste parte of her house,Iud. viii. & before she slew Holofernes, she many tymes fasted and prayed. Moreouer Quene Hester for the delyuerance of her people dyd fast and praye thre dayes & thre nyghtes,He…. iiii. before she went vntounto the kynge. Sara the doughter of Raguel dyd faste & pray thre dayes & thre nightes, that she myghte be delyuered from a certaine impropery and rebuke.Toby. iii. Paule before he was baptysed dyd cōtinue in prayer & fastynge at the Cytie of Damascum thre dayes & thre nyghtes.Act. ix. Luk. ii. Luke also in his gospel sheweth howe that a certayne woman called Anna the doughter of Phanuel beynge a Prophetysse went for ye moost parte neuer oute of the Temple, but gaue her mynde to fastyng & prayer both nyght & daye.Mat. ix. Agayne Christe sayth, this kynde of dyuelles is not …aste oute but by prayer & fastynge. And it is not to be douted,Mat. iiii. but that Christe hymselfe, whan he fasted the forty dayes & forty nyghtes, dyd also praye vntounto God his father, as at many other times. The same also is to be thoughte of the Apostles and other holy men.
Thus se we how necessary a thīge …t is to ioyne fasting wt prayer, Therfore sayethe Peter:… Pet. iiii. Be ye sober, and watch in prayer. Also S. Paule, let vsus walke honestly as in the day, not in excesse of eatynge & dronckennes, not in chambrynge & wantonnesse,Rom. xiii. not in stryfe & enuyenge, but put … on the LORDE Iesus Christ, & make not prouysion for the fleshe to fulfyll the lustes of it.Hom. xv. super illud Mat. vi. Cum ierunatio. Hereto pertayneth… the sayenge of oure golden mouthed Doctor S. Iohn̄ Chrisostom, fastig… sayeth he, is an helpe to prayer. For prayer without fastynge, is but gra… cyle, slender & weake. The prayer is valeaunt & stronge, whiche is made in an humble spirite and a troubled hert, as the Prophet sayth, a Sacrifyce to God is a troubled spiryte, a contryte & humbled herte God wyll not despyse.Psal. i. But an humble spyryte and contryte herte can he not hauehave, whiche eateth & dryncketh, & setteth all his mynde on delicious fare. For bread maketh stronge the herte, and wyne maketh it mery. The strength that commeth of bread suffreth not the spiryte of the flesh to be humble, & the merines that cōmeth of wyne, dothe not suffer the herte to be con…rite. Therfore whē soeuer the holy menne would praye to obtayne ony thyng of God wherof they had nede, they euer ioyned fastyng with prayer, as Daniel & other dyd. And in as much as fastyng is ye vertue of prayer, therfore are they neuer seperated a sunder, but are euer put togyther. Prayer is good with fastyng.Cob. xii. Mat. ix. Agen, This kynd of dyuels is not cast out but by prayer & fastynge. Therfore as a Souldioure is nothynge with oute armoures, nor armoures withoute a Souldioure, so is prayer nothyng without fastyng, nor fastyng withoute prayer. Hyther to hauehave I rehersed ye wordes of S. Iohn Chrisostome, wherof we maye easelye gather howe necessary fastyng is vntounto the auauncemente of prayer before God.Ser. de Ieiu et Cent. Christi. Here to pertayneth the sayeng of saynt Cipriane, prayer is mighty in operacion, so that fastynge goeth before. To be brefe concernyng this matter, fastynge muste nedes make hyghly to the auaūcement of praier seyng yt he which fasteth aright, cōt… meth worldly thinges,Note what it is to fast a ryghte despiseth pleasure, hateth rytches, abhorrethe th… workes of the flesshe, mortifyeth carnall affectes, & is vtterly giuen, fyxed & bent to the fruytes of ye spirite. Therfore he that entendeth to pray with fruyte, shall not a lytle ana…ice & set forwarde his prayer, yf on this manner he applyeth hymselfe for to praye.
¶ The .xxvii. Chapter.
Of AlmesMOreouer as this kynde of fastynge dothe very muche promoue a christen mans prayer, & maketh it greatly to be accepted in the syght of God, so doth almes and the glad distribucion of worldly goodes vponupon the poore mēbers of Christ in lyke manner garnysh, adourne, and make very pleasaunt the hūble supcacion of a synner in the eyes of the diuine maiesty, as we read of Cornelius, to whome the aungell sayd, thy prayers & thyne Almesses are come vp into remembraunce before God.Act. x. Behold howe he ioyneth prayer and almes togyther. Toby in lyke manner sayeth,Tob. xii. Prayer is good with fastyng & almes. Lo, here is combyned & ioyned togyther prayer, fastynge, & almes, as thynges necessarye concurren. The wyse man also sayth,Eccl. vii. to praye and gyue almes, despyse not. Blessed is he,Psal. xi. sayth Dauid, that consydereth the nedy & poore, the LORD shall delyuer hym in the daye of hys trouble. Christe also sayth: Gyue ye almes,Luk. xii. & behold al thynges are clene vntounto you. Nyther to pertayneth the …ayenge of Chrisostome,Hom. xv. in cap. vi. Math. It is wryt…en, sayth he, in the lawe: Enter not …nto the syghte of y• LORDE thy God …oyd or empty. Uerely he entreth in …mpty before God, which commyng vntounto prayer,Math. this wel. doth no almes. Agayne he sayeth, he prepareth his soule before prayer, whiche doynge almes cō meth vntounto prayer, For as oyle dothe kyndle the lyght of a lampe, so dothe good workes excite & store vp y• faith of the herte, & gyue boldenes to pray vntounto God.
An obieccion.But it wyll perchaunce be obiected, eueryeone can not gyue almes, for they wante substaunce, shall not they therfore praye & be heard? I answere, as by fastynge,The aunswere. I do not only vnderstond the abstinēce from meates & drynckes, but also the mortificacion of carnall affectes, & the contempte of mundane pleasures (without the which the externall and outwarde fastynge is nothynge els thi… diabolicall Hypocrisye and wycked dissimulacion) so lykewyse by almes I meane not only the benificence towarde the indigent,Note here of fastyng and almes poore and nedy, which without doubte is a singuler and muche prayse worthy worke before God, but also the desyre of heauēly thinges, & a wyl vtterly estraū ged from all carnall concupiscences & fleshly lustes. So that he which entendeth to praye with fruyte, yf he can not do the one, yet oughte he to do the other of necessite, & to be enflamed with the desyre of thynges celestiall, that he maye saye with y• Psalmographe,Psal. xii. as the herte desyreth to y• fountaynes of waters, so dothe my soule desyre vntounto the O God. My soule is a thyrst for God that liuing fountayne, whā shall I come to appeare before the face of God? Agayn O how amiable are thy dwellynges thou LORDE of hostes,Psa. lxxxiii. my soule hath a desyre and longyng for the courte of the LORDE. My herte & my flesshe reioyce in the lyuyng God.Phil. i. This heuenlye mynde was in S. Paule lyuynge here in this worlde, whan he sayde, I desyre to be losoned oute of this mortall body, & to be wt Christ.Fastyng & almes are Y• two wynges of prayer. Seynge therfore that fastynge and almes are so necessary to the promocion and furtherāce, to the eleuaciō and lyftynge vp of prayer, & are called of certayne holy Doctors ye two wynges of prayer, in asmuche as …y them prayer flieth vp vntounto ye throne of the diuyne maieste, & is the better accepted in Gods presence, it shal be expedient for hym that entēdeth to praye with fruite, to exercyse h…selfe somewhat before in fastynge and almes, on such manner as I hauehave taughte heretofore. So shall it come to passe, that God shall the more thāke fully accepte his prayer, and graunt him his hertes desyre. Not onlye the exercise of these two vertues, but also of all o…her, shall be necessarye for him that prayeth, that he maye prouoke GOD the more b…nygnely to heare him. These thinges once done than let him praye, but after what māner I wyl expresse ī few wordes.
¶ The. xxviii. Chapter.
FYrste aboue all thinges,The herte must be see on ye praye… let him gyue earneste diligence ye whyle he prayeth, his herte maye be seryously assyxed and set on his prayer, or els… he prayeth in vaine, according to this olde senience. Dum cor non orat, in uanum lingua laborat. That is to saye, whyle the herte doth not praye, the tonge laboureth in vayne.Esa. xxix. Christ also sayth, this people honoreth me we theyr lyppes, but theyr hert is farre from me Uerely they worship me in vayne For what great absurdite is this,Mat. xv. to desyre god to heare our pray els, and we oure selues do not heare thē: What a kynd of prayeng is this to babble with our lyppes,Note. to ropōt with our throtes, piteously to shake oure heade, to sytte bare headed, to knele on the bare ground, to knocke our brestes, & yet to hauehave our mynd troubled & occupied about fyithye & vncleane thynges? Is this a manner of prayenge to make God the father mercyfull to vsus? Yea it rather excite the and storethe vp his anger towarde vsus.A poynte for your learnynge S. Austen feareth not to wryte on this manner, as ye voice of a man wtout modulacion or swete armony, is as the voyce of s…yne or hogges, so is prayer withoute deuocion as the bellowynge of Oxes. There are two verses publysshed in the name S. Ierome, which seynge they are godly, and teache the true manner of prayenge, I thynke it cō uenient to alleage thē in this place.
Nō uox sed uotū, nō cordula musica sed cor.
Non clamans sed amans cantat in aure Der,
That is to saye, not the voyce but ye desyre, not the musicall instrument, but the herte, Not the cryer but the louer sigeth ī ye eare of God. Chriso. also wryteth on this maner: It is ye duty of a deuout mynd to praye to God, not with the voyce or with the sound of the voyce,Hom. xiiiii. D… Ioan. et Paule. Fe…o. but with the deuocion of the mynde, & wyth ye sayth of the herte, Agayne he sayth, thecrienge of the voice is not the worke in prayer vntounto God, whome we knowe ye he beholdeth the secretes of ye hert, but the cryeng of fayth, & ye deuociō of a religious & godlymīd, therfore ye best way to pray is to pray we ye hert mynde, spiryte, soule, & inward mā.
Nowe it wyll be demaunded,… Demaūdg whither a christen man oughte to praye with an opē voyce or not. Although I hauehave spoken sufficiētly cōcernyng this matter in the diffiniciō of prayer, yet I wyll here adde thre wordes as they saye,Note whan we may lawfully pray … … voyce. touchynge this thynge also. Althoughe prayer be the worke of the spiryte, and not of the voyce, of the herte and not of the lyppes, of the mynde and not of the mouth, yet is not the externall sound of the voyce to be condemned, whyther it be in readynge or syngynge, so that it followeth the affeccion of ye mynd, and doth seruyce vntounto that. For seinge the glory of God ought to shine after a certayne māner in all ye partes of our body,Why she tonge was made. it is cōuenient that the tonge chefely be addicte & giuen to this ministry and seruyce both in syngynge and speakyng, which was chefely made to declare and preache the magnificence, laude & prayse of God. Therfore so that the tong and the herte do consent and agre togyther, beyng alyke occupied in the effusiō of the prayer, it is not only tollerable, but also cōmendable to pray both with tonge and herte.
Of externall gestures.Nowe as cōcernyng the externall gesture in prayēge, as knelyng, knockyng on the brest, lyftynge vp of the handes. &c. in asmuch as they be indifferent, & we reade that they were vsed of Christ & many holy men in times past, they are not to be despised. Nothynge is vnsyttynge that procedeth from the seruent affeccion of the mynd. But I hauehave spokē of this thynge also before in the diffinicion of prayer. Therfore wyll I haste to these thinges that remaine, as more necessary to be intreated of.