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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	call_v	read_v	write_v	3,024	5	5.2192	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00762	A Godlie treatisse declaryng the benefites, fruites, and great commodities of prayer and also the true vse therof. Written in Latin, fourtie yeres past, by an Englyshe man, of great vertue [and] learnyng. And lately translated into Englyshe. 1560.; Tractatus de orando Deum. English	Fisher, John, Saint, 1469-1535.; Montagu, Anthony Browne, Viscount, ca. 1528-1592.	1560 (1560)	STC 10888; ESTC S114263	34,037	100

contrary But what go I in hande to seeme to expresse the perticularities of that which he so lyuely so perfectly so playnely and so religiously sheweth and declareth yea rather the spirite of God vsyng his pen to publishe his holy wyll to instructe vs. Only this I haue to saye that seeyng the same in written hande as it were neglected as a thyng of small price beyng in deede such a worke as the lyke I beleue hath not often ben written in that matter I coulde not satisfie my selfe to see suche a pearle hydden and such a iewell throwen and cast awaye to obliuion consideryng first the benefite that maye and I trust shall grow to the attentiue reeders therof and secondly remembryng howe much more neede there is of so holye an instruction and heauenly inuitation to prayer and deuotion at this tyme than when the same was written Synce whiche tyme hath passed almoste one age of mans lyfe and in this whyle decaye styll as before of pitie and vertue and want of the feare of God and euyll lyfe wonderfullye increased as in the which the euyll neighbour of mankynde hath stollen vppon hym and fyndyng hym negligent hath sowen cockle and muche euyll seede in the fielde of our soules and hath in maner pulled vp the rootes of good workes and the holsome and plentifull fruites of repentaunce fayth hope charitie almes and true trust in God For who in maner sheweth in lyuyng to feare God Who is afrayde to offende hym Who refrayneth to blaspheme his holy name Who hath conscience to deceaue yea or to oppresse his neighbour Who is ashamed to lye and forsweare hym selfe Who hath compassion to relieue the poore which this plague of God and want of his grace hath increased out of number Who taketh any payne to please God Who seketh to subdue his fleshe to the spirite sensualitie to reason reason to fayth and fayth to the seruice of GOD Yea who layeth not the brydell of libertie at length freelye and without staye to folowe synne and to multiplie the wrath of GOD Who ●aunteth prayer Yea who shunneth and contemneth it not Who preferreth the house of prayer before a dysyng house Yea fynde we not mo in thone than in th'other Subiectes rebell agaynst theyr Prince and God his annoynted chyldren disobey theyr parentes contemne them and laugh them to scorne seruauntes litle esteeme theyr maisters labourers seeke and greedyly folow ydlenesse artificers vntrueth and too extreme falsehood in theyr workes All sortes of men lust after theyr ease excesse and vnrulye libertie no man seketh to mortifie hym selfe to ouercome his owne frowarde wyll And the cause of all this is this wonderfull decaye of prayer by the vse wherof we myght at the last delyght in the familiaritie with God and godlye thynges berauyshed with the loue therof and so consequentlye growe to the mislykyng and hate of synne whiche is onlye wrought by the loue of vertue whiche is only obteyned by true and effectuall prayer which dryueth away the hauntyng of those enormities aforesayde whiche prouoke the wrath of God vppon the worlde And who can thynke that God wyll longe suffer this alienation of our selues from hym Yea this contempte of hym this blasphemie agaynst his holye wyll and name Who ought not hourely to loke for his visitation and heauy hande of iustice Who may not ryghtly saye to the world nowe lyke as Ionas the Prophet sayde vnto the Niniuites Ad huc quadraginta dies mundus subuertetur There be yet fourtie dayes the worlde shalbe destroyed Whiche saying me thinketh is fully taught to any that shal reade this work who sheweth the fault the cause of the wrath of God and the meane to remedie the same and with the Prophete calleth to repentaunce lyuely fayth feruent charitie effectuall prayer to appease his indignation hate of our selues and loue of God only dispysyng the worlde and longyng to be with hym Reade therfore this booke reade it with iugement with deliberation with a deepe consideration thereof and with a desire and purpose to be refourmed make thy hart meete and prepare it to receaue fruite of this godly instruction let thy hart iudge of that thine eye seeth and thy soule reioyce in that thy tongue pronounceth Reade it in deede and not superficially ouerloke it And than surely I can not thynke that he that so doth can be defrauded of the fruite of his labour or not obteyne his desired ende therof Whiche I hartylye wyshe to happen to euery reader hereof whereby God maye be feared loued glorified and esteemed by them they thereby rauished and inflamed with the ryght vnspeakable loue of hym sweetenesse of his holy spirite admiration of his omnipotencie truste of mercye and ioyfull expectation of his euerlastynge kyngdome whiche he hath prepared for all those that walke in his wayes obserue his lawes be stedfast in faith thirst after ryghteousnes thynke long to be with hym and by true and faythfull prayer seeke to be directed in the pylgrimage of this wyldernesse by the continuall guydyng of his holye spirite To whom be prayse for euer and euer Amen ¶ A Treatise vpon these vvordes of our Sauiour Christe Oportet Semper Orare FOrasmuche as this saying of our Sauiour Christ Oportet semper orare A man muste alwayes pray written in the Gospell of Saint Luke appertaineth generally vnto all Christian men who seeth not howe profitable and necessary it is for euery man diligently and effectually to apply hym selfe to prayer And so expedient and beneficiall a thing in no wise to be neglected for vayne and hurtfull delectations and pleasures Wherefore to the ende that our prayer may waxe sweete and pleasaunt vnto vs fyrst of all it shalbe very commodious and profitable to haue redye at hande and in our remembraunce certayne reasons with the whiche as moste apt and conuenient motions as ofte as we perceyue our selues to waxe colde in deuotion and be as it were oppressed with a slouthfull vnaptnes to serue God we may styrre vp our myndes and whet our hartes to praier Moreouer it shall merueylously profite and exceadyngly further vs not to be ignoraunt of the singuler fruites and commodities that very many haue obteyned by prayer For by the knowledge thereof we shall the more easyly inuite and prepare our selues to pray And finally it shalbe very nedefull for vs thorowely to vnderstand the very true maner whiche is specially required in euery man to be obserued in the tyme of his prayer Forasmuch as in euery worke of any difficultie that man taketh in hand the right way of doyng thereof beyng once knowen doth very muche further the due execution and perfect finishing of the same I haue therefore intended by the helpe of God to intreate 〈◊〉 ●ader of these three thinges That is to say of the necessitie of prayer of the fruite of prayer and of the true vse and maner of prayer But forasmuch as the wordes of our Sauiour beforesayde do cast some

bosome of almyghtie God And it appeareth that this was the cause why they vsed so often praiers because they woulde oftentymes renue and kyndle agayne the fyre of deuotion in theyr hartes But the cause why they vsed short prayers was only this lest by length of prayer and tediousnes therein feruent deuotiō before conceaued might be dulled cooled finally extynguishe● And therfore a man in prayer must specially labour and take heede that when God hath once kyndled that feruent deuotion in his hart he by negligence suffer not the same vtterly go out and dye But so long as the same may eyther be increased or contynued we ought not to leaue of prayer excepte eyther the great weerysomenes of our bodyes or some other lyke necessitie inforce vs. Wherefore both the shortnes length of prayer is to be ruled measured to and for this ende aforesayde For lyke as the phisition regardyng the ende of his cure whiche is the recouery and health of his pacient doth temper his medicine and ministreth it to the sicke not in such aboundaunce as he myght do but as by discretion he ought to do hauyng regard both to the gettyng continuyng the health to his pacient euen so a man in prayer must not labour to pray as much and as long as he can speake but to continue the length of his prayer as much as shal be necessary expedient eyther for to increase or continue his earnest feruent ¶ Whether the prayer of the hart onlye be more fruitefull than that wherin the mouth hart also is occupied IT resteth nowe to be discussed whether that prayer be more beneficiall to man whiche hee maketh with his hart onlye or that which is both vttered from his harte and with his mouth And here I make this protestation that I do in no wyse purpose or intende any thyng to saye in the disprayse or otherwyse to the derogation of open prayer by wordes whiche is eyther admitted by custome and the vse therof or appoynted by the ordinaunce of the Church or enioyned vnto any man by penaunce or by any meanes vowed or in hart by promise taken in hand wherby any man standeth bounde to resite saye his prayers But yet I do thynke that a man which is free from any such bonde and enioyeth full and perfecte libertie in Christe and is studious of the most pure healthfull maner of prayer shalbe oftentimes more hyndered by the continual vse of praying inwordes than by the exercyse of his hart alone in makyng of his prayer vnto God For as Saint Augustine in an Epistle vnto Proba wryteth of the fruite of prayer This worke is many tymes more perfectelye wrought by the syghyng of the hart than by pronouncing of the mouth more effectuallye done by the inwarde workyng than by outwarde speakyng But if the worke of prayer be more perfectly perfourmed by the syghyng of the harte than with the vtteraunce of the mouth than must it needes folow that the prayer of the harte from the whiche those syghynges breake foorth be more profitable than the praying with the mouth wherby wordes only be vttered And that may of ryght be iudged for as S. Ciprian doth witnesse God geueth eare not to the voyce of mans mouth but to the crye of his hart nether is he to be moued with wordes which seeth all thoughtes And therefore any simple poore man which beyng with great humilitie pr●strate to the grounde lying lyke a moste vyle abiect confessyng hym selfe a synner openyng his owne miseries and shewyng forth the most secrete griefes of his hart before the sight of god vtteryng no wordes at all but onlye powryng foorth aboundaunce of teares and syghes of his harte that man no doubt shall moste spedyly obteyne his request of God which thyng dyd moste manyfestly appeare in Anna the mother of Samuell For this Anna as it is written in the first boke of the kinges dyd moste earnestlye require of GOD beyng barreyne to haue a chylde for the obteynyng wherof she dyd frequent the Temple and there by dayly prayer she continually craued the goodnesse of God that in her requeste he woulde be gracious vnto her And yet dyd she not frame her prayer in wordes but onlye in her hart For the Scripture testifieth that she spake to God with her hart and that no worde was harde that came from her onlye her lippes moued To conclude by this her prayer of hart I say without speache outwardlye pronounced she obtayned the thyng she required of God and had a sonne whiche she so greatly desyred and had begged of GOD with many sighes and aboundaunce of wepyng teares and yet no wordes by her mouth vttered Sainct Ierome agreeth with this expoundyng this place of Sainct Mathewe Tu cum oraueris intra in cubiculum tuum clauso ostio ora patrum tuum Whan thou doest pray enter into thy chaumber and shuttyng faste thy dore pray vnto thy heauenly father It seemeth vnto me sayeth S. Ierome that this is rather a precept that we kepyng secretly in the thought of our hartes and hauyng our voyce suppressed with silence shoulde so make our prayers vnto God which we also reade in the booke of the kynges that Anna dyd where it is written that her lippes only moued but no voyce was harde This much Saint Ierome wryteth And surely this maner of prayer doth vehementlye moue the eares of the mercy of GOD and doth mightyly bowe them spedyly to heare vs Yea and as Saint Paul witnesseth the holy spirite of God is the guide the derectour of this maner of prayer saying Quid oremus sicut oportet nescimus sed ipse spiritus postulat pronobis gemitibus in enarrabilibus What we shoulde pray as we ought to pray we knowe not but the spirite hymselfe maketh request for vs with vnspeakeable mourninges and sighinges The meanyng whereof is that we do not sufficiently know in what maner we ought to demaunde any thyng of God but the verye spirite of God inwardly raysyng vp our hartes maketh vs with vnspeakeable mone and intercession to require of God that thing whiche is moste profitable for vs. And yet do I not deny but that any deuoute man may ryght well begin his prayer as he lyst with wordes pronounced by his mouth but so soone as he shall perceyue his hart to be any thing kindled and inspired with a sweete delectation comming from the spirite of God than shall it be moste commodious to him leauyng his prayer in wordes to folowe and geue heede to the leadyng of the spirite of God and with silence to yelde hymselfe wholly to his direction and order For as I haue said a little before thende which we ought to appoint vpon in prayer is specially the feruentnes of charitie by the whiche at the laste our mindes be kyndled whan with most diligent prayer our hartes be strongly raysed and our myndes be highly lyfted vp vnto the