The Antibarbarian, Treatise · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Of prayers of particular perſons in a tongue not underſtood by themſelves that pray.
I. PRayer is a requeſt or ſupplication, which man preſenteth unto God, forwarded and ſuggeſted by the ſenſe and feeling of our want and neceſſitie, it is a kinde of almes which man asketh of God. Whence it followeth, that hee that prayeth ought to pray according to his feeling, and to apply his prayer accordingly unto his neceſſitie; this cannot be done by him that prayeth without underſtanding himſelfe, and who by cuſtome ſayeth a prayer in terms not underſtood: very often it falleth out, that the partie which hath an intentiō to aske of God ſomething, ſaith in his Latine prayers things farre from his owne intention: Thus Courtizans and women, that underſtand the Latine iuſt as much as the Greeke, doe ſay in Latine their ſeaven Pſalmes;Pſal. 38. & 143. wherein David being ſicke, complaineth that hee halteth as he goeth, and that his raines were enflamed, and ſpeaketh as one ſhut up in a darke Cave, whither Saul had brought him: is it credible, that a ſilly woman pronouncing theſe things in Latine, once thinkes of asking ſalvation or the forgiveneſſe of ſinnes?
II. The Apoſtle Saint Iames in his 1. Chap. willeth, that when we aske any thing of God, wee aske it in faith, not doubting at all. Now it is impoſſible to aske of God any thing in faith and in full aſſurance, when the thing is not knowne which is asked of God, for faith implyeth and bringeth knowledge. Wherevpon alſo our Saviour Ieſus Chriſt conioyneth ordinarily knowledge with faith, as in the 10 of Saint Iohn, ver. 38. That you may know and beleeve that the Father is in me: and in the 17. Chap. ver. 8. They have knowne and beleeved that thou hast ſent me. Wherfore inſteed that Saint Paul ſo often ſaith, that we are iuſtified by faith. Eſay in his 53. Chap. ver. 11. ſaith, that wee are iuſtified by knowledge.
III. One cannot accuſe a man in plainer tearmes to bee out of his wits, then in ſaying to him; You know not what you ſay. But all things which in civill converſation would bee eſteemed abſurd, in the Romiſh religion are held for good: as if religion ſerved to trouble the wits, or were a receptacle of abſurdities; and that which otherwaies is a folly, here is a devotion. God then ſhall deale iuſtly to grant nothing to that perſon, that knowes not what he askes; and by conſequent knoweth this, that God hath denied him.
IV. Here experience and neceſſitie reforme men by force; for they who ſhall have all their life long, made their prayers in latine without underſtanding of themſelves, in ſuddaine afflictions and in great griefes will change their language, and will caſt forth unto God their fervent prayers in their ordinarie tongue. A man which is in the pangues of death, or that is upon the Iibbet (unleſſe he bee utterly brutiſh) will never ſay Beati quorum, nor the Pater in Latine.
V. But what good grace can a Latine prayer have, which a poore ſilly woman ſaith to S. Mary the Egyptian, or to S. Magdaleine who never underſtood the Latine? And albeit that indeed they had learned their Latine in Paradiſe, yet ſo it is, that all that is nothing to underſtand the voice without knowing the heart: it is required that he on whom wee muſt call, doe know the faith and the repentance of him, that prayeth leaſt he heare an hypocrite. Now the Word of God teacheth us, that God alone knoweth the hearts of men, 2. Chron. 6. ver. 30.
VI. Above all to be pittied is the Latine prayer of a woman, or of an Artizan, which prayeth to S. Vrſula, or to S. Margarite, or to S. Catherine, or to S. Chryſtopher, or to S. Martial, or to S. Lōgius, or to S. Lazarus patron of lepers, or to the elevē thouſand Virgins, which are Saints, and yet never were men, and which are placed in heaven, and yet never lived upon the earth, by this meanes he that prayeth, ſpeaketh to a Saint, which hath no being at all, in a tongue which hee himſelfe that prayeth underſtandeth not, which is an heape of abſurditie.*Theſe are not the calves of the lips, but the lips of calves. Oſee 14.2. Hi non ſunt vituli labiorum, ſed labia vitulorum, Oſea 14.2.
VII. That if unto a man that prayeth in Latine, not underſtanding that which he ſaith, any one had given one of Eſops fables in Latine, perſwading him, that it is a prayer to the Virgin Mary: ſuch a man, according to the doctrine of the Church of Rome, pronouncing this fable with fervent affection, ſhould not ceaſe to pray in faith, and ſhould not looſe the merit of his prayer.
VIII. That if a French man not underſtanding the Germane tongue, ſhould come and aske ſomething of the King in the high Dutch, the King although he underſtood the high Dutch, would take this diſcourſe for a mockerie, or would thinke ſuch a man to be beſide himſelfe.
IX. In this point the example of Ieſus Chriſt ought to ſerve us for a rule, who preſcribing a forme of prayer unto his Diſciples, gave them one in their uſuall and ordinarie tongue, ſaying unto them, When you pray, ſay our Father which art in heaven, &c. He gave them not this prayer in the Byſcane, nor in the Arabian. For he would have them when they prayed, know what they asked of God; and what were the things whereof they ſtood in need.
X. And with ſuch excellent art is this prayer framed and compoſed; that the faithfull ſpeaking unto God, ſpeaketh alſo unto himſelfe, and that every petition is a commandement; for as the commandements of God are the matter of our prayers, and teach us that which wee ought to aske of God; ſo alſo the petitions which God hath preſcribed us containe the commandements. In asking of God that his kingdome may come, we oblige and binde over our ſelves to labour for the advancement of this kingdome. In asking and praying that the name of God may be hallowed, wee are advertiſed to hallowe it our ſelves; and we are taught by this prayer, not to covet another mans bread, and to forgive them that have treſpaſſed againſt us, and to eſchew the temptations of evill; leſſons which cannot be compriſed by him, that underſtands not himſelfe, and prayeth in a tongue which hee underſtands not.
XI. True it is that God underſtands all tongues; but withall, his pleaſure is, that he that ſpeaketh unto him, know what he ſaith, and that he ſpeake as a man, and a reaſonable creature, that is to ſay, with reaſon and underſtanding. God indeed underſtands thy tongue; but withall, he underſtands that thou underſtands not thy ſelfe; it is a grand abuſe to thinke that wee ſpeake unto God, to the end hee might underſtand our language; for before wee opened our mouthes hee knew our thoughts; and it is bee that puts prayer into the heart of them that feare him: now it is the heart that muſt move the lips, and ſuggeſt to the mouth words conformable to the thought.
XII. Thus prayed the Prophets: David prayed in his owne tongue, and dictated unto the Iſraelites the Pſalmes in a tongue they underſtood: who whilſt they pronounced the Pſalmes of David, had this contentment, whereof the Church of Rome hath deprived her ſelfe: reading in particular, and hearing read in publique the Pſalmes of David without all underſtanding of them.
XIII. The prodigall childe returning home to his Father and ſaying; Father I have ſinned againſt heaven and before thee, I am not worthy to be called thy ſonne, underſtood himſelfe well: Luke 15.21. Thus prayed the poore Publican, ſmiting his breaſt, and ſaying, O God be mercifull unto mee a poore ſinner, Luke 18.13.
XIV. Thus prayed the Primitive Chriſtians for the Apoſtle to the Coloſsians, Chap. 3. ver. 16. had taught them to exhort one another mutually in Pſalmes and praiſes; ſo prayed the Apoſtle Saint Paul being at Philippi, where the faithfull uſed to goe forth of the towne, and met together by a river ſide to pray: Act. 16. verſe 13. For Lydia a ſeller of purple had not been touched either with his prayers, or with his exhortations, if hee had prayed, or ſpoke in a tongue which ſhee underſtood not. And none hath hitherto doubted but that the faithfull of the Church of Ieruſalem, in the time of the Apoſtles prayed in their vulgar tongue, when they prayed for the deliverance of Saint Peter being priſoner:Act. 12.5. and that the Fathers when they prayed in their families, were underſtood by their children.
XV. The Apoſtle Saint Paul in the firſt to the Corinthians, hath a whole Chapter upon this ſubject; namely, the 14. wherein he utterly condemnes prayers in an unknowne tongue:1. Cor. 14. If (ſaith he) I know not the meaning of the voice, I ſhall be unto him that ſpeaketh a barbarian, and he that ſpeaketh ſhall bee a barbarian unto me. If he forbid to be a barbarian to another in praying, then how much more to be a barbarian to ones ſelfe? And in the 15. ver. I will pray with the ſpirit, verſe 11.and will pray with the underſtanding alſo: but this paſſage ſhall bee handled hereafter more at large, when wee ſhall come to ſpeake of publique prayers.
XVI. Thomas Harding a Doctor of Lovane an Engliſh man, the Target of Poperie in England, in his Treatiſe of prayers in a ſtrange tongue, in the 33. Section, conſtrained by the evidence of the truth, paſſeth his ſentence of condemnation againſt it, ſaying,aEſt optabilius ut populus preces publicas vernacula ſua lingua recitaret. it were to bee wiſht that the people could ſay their publique prayers in their vulgar tongue; bHardin. Section. 9. Non poteſt populus fateor, dicere Amen ad benedictionem Sacerdotis aequè ac ſi Latinam linguam perfectè calleret.and in the 29. Section, hee acknowledgeth that at this day the people cannot ſo eaſily ſay Amen to the bleſsing of the Priest, as if they understood the Latine.