citie he fainted the hartes of the souldiours and of the people but principally Such vvealthe do the papistes promis the people for receauinge the Idolatrous masse againe into Englande Iere. 28. he was vnfrendly to the faythe that Passhur taught the people To weke / the fayth of their forefathers / who alwaies rebelled agaynst God And therefore he was reputed a heretycke / accused of sedicion / and dampned of treason Playne preachinges were made agaynste all that he had spoken / and suche felicitie was promised / that within twoo yeares shoulde the yocke of Nabuchonosor be broken from the neckes of all people and the vessels of the lordes house together with all prysoners should be brought agayne to Ierusalem Iere. 13. HaboÌ„dauÌ„ce cam before the destruccion Iere. 38. Now dyd this habound with wyne oyle / O pleasing and blessed amoÌ„gst the people were such prophetes / Ieremy had trobled them and therefore he must dye To pryson shall he go / for the kyng can denye nothing to his princes / of whome Pashur apeareth / to haue ben chief chauÌ„celour / by whom was not only the kyng / but also the hole multitude so blinded / that boldly they durst crye No mischaunce shall come too vs we shall neither se pestilens nor hunger The kynge of Babylon shall neuer come againste thys lande Iere. 27 In the middest of these stormy trobles / no other comfort had the prophet / then to complayn to hys God / at whose commaundement he had spoken And in this his coÌ„plaint he is so kyndled agaynst their Idolatrie / and great vnthankefulnes that he crieth / as in a raige O thou Lord of hostes Iere. â—0 the tryar of the iust thou that seith the reynes and the hart Let me se thy vengeaunce taken vpon theÌ„ for vnto the haue I referred my cause â–ª 〈◊〉 this prayer was most fearful to his enemyes / yf they had sene the effiaccie therof so by thesame was the prophet assured / that Goddes wrath was kyndled against that sinful natioÌ„ that it shoulde not turne backe / till he had performed the cogitations of his owne hart I appeale to the conscieÌ„ce / of euery indiffereÌ„t maÌ„ / in what one point differeth the regiment manners / A coÌ„parison betwene EnglaÌ„de Iuda and estate of Englande this day froÌ„ the aboue rehearsed estate off Iuda in those dayes / except that they had a kynge / a man as apeareth of nature / more facied / nor cruell / who sometymes was entreated in the prophetes fauour / and also requyred hym of counsail in some daungers The quene stubburne against the truthe of gods vvord and hateful to the preachers of the same And you haue a Quene / a woman of a stoute stomack / more styffe in opynion / then flexible too the truthe / who in nowyse maye abyde the presens of Gods prophetes In this one thing you disagre in al other thinges so lyke as one nut is too another Their kyng led by pestilence priestes / who guides your quene / it is not vnknoweÌ„ / Vnder such came Idolatrie to the highte agayne O wold to God / that the worse were not amoÌ„gst you / In Ierusalem was Ieremie persecuted / for speakinge the truthe / for rebuking their Idolatrie What pryson within London / tormenteth not some trew prophet of God The Idolatrous masse of late first erected in the tovver of London for the same causes And o thou doungeon off darkenes where that Idole of late dayes was fyrst erected thou Tower of London in the doth moo Ieremies then one suffer iniurye trouble / The B. of Canterb. D. Ridleye M. Latimer Bradforde Sandes Becon Veron c. Preachers and prisoners in the Tovver of London whome God shal comfort according to hys promyse / and reward their persecutors euen as they haue deserued / and in that daye shalt thou trymble / and suche as shal purpose to defende the / shal perishe with the / because thou waste fyrst defyled with that most abhominable Idol Consider deare brethern if all thinges / as appertayninge to iniquitie be a lyke betwixte Englande and Iuda / before the destruccion therof / yea / Yf Englande be worse then Iudea was in those dayes / seing God spared not them / shal we thinke that the Lordes vengeaunce shal slepe / mans iniquitie beyng so rype No deare brethren Iere. ix He that hath vnderstandinge muste know the contrary And he to whome the Lordes mouth hath spokeÌ„ / must shew the causes / why the lande shal be waste It maye offende you / that I cal Englande worse / then was vnthankeful Iudea / but yf good and euident reasones aduised maye take place / then I feare not iudgement Wherein Iudea was better then England is now From Ierusalem / many passed at admonition of the prophetes / leauing all that they had / rather then they wolde abyde the daunger of Gods plagues that were threatned Goddes prophetes hath cryed but I heare not of many that prepareth to flye / God graunte they repent not In Ierusalem were princes / noble men who defended Ieremy and also that dyd absolue hym / when wrongfully he was accused by the priestes But howe many now of the nobilitie within Englande boldely speaketh in in the defence of Gods messinger is easy too be tolde Amongest them had Gods prophet lyberty / to speake in maintenaunce of his doctrine How such as seketh a tryal of their doctrine / hath bene and are entreated amongest you / it is hard of in straunge countries In Ierusalem was Abdemelech / why when the prophet was cast in prysoÌ„ as worthy of death boldly past to the king / and defending the innocency of the innocent / obtayneth hys liberty / but in EnglaÌ„d I hear of none God stur some that dare be so bolde / as to put their handes betwixt the Lyons / and their praye / the poore sainctes of God / those cruell murtherers In Ierusalem / Ieremy beyng dampned to pryson / was fedde of the kynges charges / that when great hunger and scante of bread was in the hole citie In London where all plenty haboundes / are Gods messingers permitted to hunger Yea / O horrable to be harde and aunciente fathers / are so cruelly entreated / that lyke extremetye hath seldom bene vsed vpon theues and murtherers In this behalf do I not blame you beloued brethren for I assuredly know your hartes to mourn for the trobles of your brethren / and faythfull preachers and that you seke all meanes possible / how they maye be comforted releaued / but these thinges to th ende that you mayese / that more abhominacion / lesse fear of God / more in iust dealing / and lese shame more cruel persecucion against Gods messengers / and lesse mercy and gentlenes / is now amongst youre chief rulars within Englande / then in those dayes was in Iudea / and yet did not
wel For nothyng is more odious before God then Ipocrisie and dissimulacioÌ„ that is whan maÌ„ dothe aske of God a thinge / wherof he hathe no neade / or that he beleueth to attayne / by others then by God allone As if a man aske of God remission of his sinnes / thinkinge neuerthelesse to obtayne thesame by his owne workes / papistical pardoÌ„s / merytes of masses / or whatsoeuer other meanes / dothe mocke God / and in suche causes doth a greate number offende principally / the mighte and riche of the earth / who for a common confuetude custome / wil pray this parte of Godes prayer geue vs this day our dayly breade / Dayly bread that is a moderate and resonable sustentacion / yet theyr owne hartes will testefy that they neade not so to pray / seinge they abounde in al wordly solace and felicitie I meane not that riche men should not pray this parte of prayer / but I wolde they vnderstode / what they ougt to pray in it wherof we intende after to speake and that they asked nothinge wherof they felt not them selfs maruelous indâ—gent and nedeful / for onelesse we cal in verite / he wil not graunte / without we speake with oure hole harte / we shall not finde him The fourthe rule / necessary to be folowed in prayer / is a sure hope to obtayn what we aske for nothing more offendeth God / then when we asâ—e doubtyng wether he wil graunte oure peticions / for in so doinge we doubt if Gâ—d be true / if he be mighty and good Iaco. 1. Suche faythe Iames obtayne nothynge of God / and therfore Ihesus Christe commaundeth that we fyrmly beleue to obtayne whatsoeuer we aske / for al thinges is possible vnto hym that beleueth / and therfore in our prayrs alwayes is to be expellid desperacion Note wel I meane not that any maÌ„ in extreamite of troble / caÌ„ be without a present dolour / and without a greater feare of troble to folow Sporris stire vs to prayer Troble feare are the very spures to pray for when man compassid aboute with vehement calamyte / and vexid with continual solicitude / hauinge by healpe of man / no hope of deliueraunce with sore oppressed an punished harte / ferynge also greater punishement to folow frome the depe pyt of trybulacion / dothe cal to God / for comforte and supporte ¶ God deliuerith his chosen frome theyr enymyes THat prayer ascendith into goddes presence and retourneth not in vayne / as Dauid in the vehement persecucion of Saule / Psal 7. hunted and chased from euery hole / fearing that one day or other he shulde fal in to the haÌ„des of his persecutors / after that he had complayned / that no place of rest was lefte for him vehemently / prayde sayinge / o Lorde which art my God / in whome I haue trusted / saue me frome al that persecute me / and delyuer me / let not thâ—s man meninge Kinge Saule deuoure my life as the lioÌ„ doth his pray / seing their is no man to delyuer me / in the myddest of these aÌ„guishes / the goodnes of God sustainid hym / that the present tribulacion was tollerable / and the infallible promysis of God / so assured him of deliueraunce / that feare was partly nitegate and gone / as playnly apereth to suche as diligently marke the prosses of his prayer / for after longe menissâ—nge and threateninge made to his enemye / he concludith with these wordes The dollor which he enteÌ„dith vnto me / shal fal vppon his own head / the violence wherwith he wolde haue oppressed me / shal cast doun his owne head / and I shal magnify the Lord / accordinge to his iustice / and shal prayse the name of the most higest A coÌ„forte to the writer / being in aduersite This is not written for Dauid only / but for al suche as shal suffer tribulacion / to the ende of the worlde / for I the writer hereof let this be sayd to the laÌ„de prayse of God alon in anguishe of mynde / vehemeÌ„t tribulacioÌ„ affliction called vnto the Lorde / when not only the vngodly / but euen my faytheful brother / yea and my owne selfe / that is / al natural vnderstandinge Iudge my cause to be irremydiceble yet in my greatest calamyte And wheÌ„ my paynes wher most cruel / wold his eternal wisdome / that my hande shuld write farre contrary to the iudgemeÌ„te of carnal reason which his mercy hathe prouyd true / and therfore dare I be in the veryte of Godes worde to permit that not withstandinge / the vehemency of troble / the longe continuance therof / the desperacion of al men / the fearfulnes dolore / and anguishe of our own hartes / yet yf we cal constantly to God / that by expectacion of al men he shal delyuer Notewel Vvhere coÌ„stant praier is this grauÌ„ted the peticion Psal 41. Psal 119. Let no maÌ„ thinke him selfe vnworthy to cal and pray vnto God / because he hath greuously offendid God in tymes past / but let hym bryng to God a sorowful and repentynge harte / sayinge with Dauid / heale my soule o Lorde / for I haue offendid agaynst the / before I fel in mysery I transgressed / but now let me obserue thy commauÌ„dementes To mitegate or ease the sorowes of our wouÌ„did conscience / two playsters hath our most prudent phisition prouyd to geue vs / in corrage for to pray / notwithstanding the knowlege of offences committed / that is a precepte and a promyse / the precept or commauÌ„dement to pray is vniuersal frequently inculeate and repetyd in Godes scripturs Mat. 7. Psal 49. Matt. 26. 1. Tim. 2. 1. Tessa 5 Aske and it shal be geuen vnto you Cal vppon me in the day of thy tribulacion / watche and pray that ye fal not into temptacion I commaunde that euer ye make deprecacions / pray incessable and geue thankes in al thynge / which commaundement / who contemneth or dispiseth / doth eâ—â—ally sinne with hym that doth steale For as this commaundement / thou shal not steale / is a precept negatyue / so thou shalt pray is commauÌ„dement affirmatyne / and God requireth equal obedience of / and to al his commauÌ„dementes yet more boldly wil I say wheÌ„ necessite coÌ„straynth desireth / Notewel not supporte and helpe at God / doth prouoke his wrathe no lesse then suche as make falsse Gods / doo or openly deny God ¶ Who prayth not in tribulacioÌ„ denieth God FOr like as it is to know no phisicion or medicine / and in knowinge them refuse to vse and receyue the same / so not to cal vppon God in thy tribulacion is / lyke as thou not God / or els vtterly denye hym ¶ Not to pray is sinne most odious O Why ceasse we to cal instantly to his mercy / hauinge his commauÌ„dement so to do aboue al our iniquities / we
and that he maye multiplye thy / as he hathe sworne vnto thy fathers Vvliij Idolatrie is too be eschevved the mainteners therof In these wordes most euidently is expressed vnto vs / why God wil that we auoide all felowship with Idolatrie / with the maintainers of the same In whiche are thre thinges chiefly to be noted / fyrste that the holy Ghost instruct vs / that maintaynours of Idolatrie / prouokers to the same / intēdeth to draw vs frō God / therfore he cōmaūdeth vs / that we shal not coūsail their īpietie / but that we shall make it knowen / that we shall punishe it / if we will haue the leage betwixte vs God too stande sure And here is the firmamente of my fyrst cause / why / it is necessary to auoyde Idolatrie / because that otherwise we declare oure selfes litell to regard / yea / to haue broken / and plaīly denied that holy leage / which is betwen vs God / through Christ Iesus Secōdarely it is to be noted / that Idolatrie so kindleth the wrath of God / that it is neuer quenched / vntill the offendors / all that they poses / be destroyed frō the earth / that by fyre It may appeare that this is seueare rygorous iudgement / but let the cause be cōsidered / thē shall we vnderstāde / that in the same / God sheweth vnto vs his most singuler loue / declaring him selfe enemye vnto oure enemies / for all those that wold draw vs frō God be the kynges or quenes beīg of the diuels nature / Dravvers of men frō God are of the deuils nature are enemies vnto God / therfore wil God that in such cases / we declare our selfes enemies vnto them And last it is to be noted / that obediēs geuē vnto God / in taking vēgeaūce vpō Idolatours / by suche meanes / as God hath appointed / is a cause why God sheweth his mercye / why he multiplieth vs / enbraseth vs with brotherly loue / where cōtrary wyse / by cōsentinge with Idolatrye / are the mercies of God shut vp frō vs / are cutted of the bodie of Christ / to wyther and roote / as trees withoute moysture But nowe shall some demaunde / what then shall we go too / and kyll all Idolatours Questiō Aūswere That were the office dutye of euery ciuell magistrate within hys realme and Iurisdiccion But of you is requyred only to auoyd participacion and company of that abhominacion / as wel in body as in soule / as Dauid and Paule plainly teacheth Psal xvi Dauid in his exile / in the middes of Idolatours sayth I will not offer their drinke offeringes of bloud neyther yet will I take their name into my mouthe Paule sayth 1. Cor. x. You maye not be partakers of the Lordes table and of the table of deuils you may not drinke the Lordes cup / and the cup of deuils As these two places / of scriptur plainly resolueth the former question / so do they confirme that which is before sayd That the leag betwixt vs and God requireth / auoydinge off all Idolatrye 1. Regū xxvij Fyrst playne it is / that in Gathe and in Corinthus / were no smal number off Idolatours / when Dauid was there in exile / when Paule wrote hys Epistle / yet neither sayth Dauid / that he wil kyl any in that place because he was their magistrate / neither geueth Paule any suche commaundement / but in one thing they both agre / that suche as hath socitie leage with God / must so abhorre Idolatrye / that no parte of the bodye be defyled therwith For Dauid sayeth I will not take their names in my mouth As he wolde saye / so odious are the names of false vaine Goddes / that the mencion of them is righteouslye compared to stinckinge donge / vile carion / whiche neither can be eaten / neither yet smellid without displeasur of suche that hath not lost the iudgemente of their sences / therfore sayeth Dauid / I wil not defyle me mouth with thē / that is / I wil neuer speake one fauorable worde of them I thinke much lesse / wolde he haue croched and kneled before them for anye mans pleasure Aduert brethren / Shyfte makers are double dissemblers that Dauid inspyred with the holy Ghoste knew no such sheftes / as worldly wyse men imagyn nowe a dayes That they maye kept their hartes pure and cleane to God / howbeit / their body daūse with the diuel Not so deare brethrē not so The temple of God hath nothing to do with Idols The cause expresseth Dauid in their wordes The Lorde hym selfe is my portion and my enheritaunce Greate is the cause / yf it be deaply considered Dauid illuminated by the holy Ghost seyth euē the selfe same thing / which before we haue aleaged of the Apostles wordes / that God will not parte spoyle with the deuil / promitting hym to haue the seruaūt of the body / he too stande contente with the soule / harte and mynde No brethren / Dauid marketh this / the fundament reason / why / he wil neither offer sacrefice to Idols / neither yet defyle hys mouthe with their names / because sayeth he the Lorde is my porcion Vvhat the leage betvvene vs and God requireth as he wolde saye / suche is the cōdiciō of the leage betwene me and my God / that as he is my tower of defence against my enemies / preseruing and norishing bothe the body soule / so muste I be hole his in bodye and soule / for my God is of that nature / that he will suffer no portiō of hys glory to be geuen to another In confirmation of this sayeth Esay / Esai 57. after he had rebuked their Idols and vayne inuecinons These are thy porcion and Ieremy likewise in mockinge of thē sayth / let thy bedfellowes deliuer thy / call vpon them / and let them heare thy / thou hast committed fornicacion whordome with stocke and stone Ierem. 3. The prophetes meaning thereby / that Idolators can haue no leage nor couenaunt with God / in so farre / that their hartes be alyenated from hym / which the seruice of their bodies doth testefye / and therfore renounceth God suche leage / bounde as was before offered for Esay wolde saye / euen suche as thou hast chosen / suche shal be the portion And Ieremye wolde say / thou put thy trust to them / which he meaneth / by the lyēg with thē in bed / therfore let them shewe their power in thy deliueraunce / and thus he sendeth them as it were to sucke water from hote burninge coles Note wel It shall nothing excuse / to saye we trust not in Idols / for so will euery Idolatour alleage / but if either you or they in Gods honor / do any thing contrary to
For no maÌ„ coÌ„meth to the father sayith Iesus Christ / but by me he is the right way / who declineth froÌ„ him errith and goyth wronge / he is oure leder / whome without we folowe / we shal walke in darknes / he alone is our captain / without whome neither praise nor victory we shal obtayne agaynst such as depend vpon the intercession of sayntes / no otherwyse wil I coÌ„tend / but shortly touche the propertis of a perfyt mediatour ¶ Intercession to sayntes FIrst are the wordes most sure of Paule / a mediatoure is not the mediatour of one / that is / wheresoeuer is required a mediator / there are also two parties / to wyte one party offendant the other party / which is offendid whiche partise by theÌ„selfe maye in no wise be reconsiled Secondly the mediator / Mediator which taketh vppon hym the recoÌ„siling of these two parties / must be suche one as haue truste and fauor of both parties in some thinges / And differre frome bothe / and muste be cleane and innocent / also of the cryme / committed agaynst the party offended / let thys be more playne by thys subsequent declaration ¶ Aungels may not be mediators THe eternall God standeth vppon the one parte / and all naturall men / desceÌ„ding of Adam vpon the other / the infinite iustice of God is so offended with the traÌ„sgession of all men / that in no wyse can amyte be made / excepte suche one be founde as fully maye make satisfaccion / for mans offences / amonge the sonnes of men none was founde able For all they were founde criminall in the faulte of one / and God infinite in iustice must abhorre the societie and sacrifice of sinners And vnto aungelles / what preuailed the preuarication of man / who albeit / they wolde haue interponed them selfes mediators / had not the iustice infinite / who shall here be fouÌ„d peace maker The infinite goodnes and mercy of God / might not suffer the perpetuall losse and repudiacioÌ„ of his creature / therfore his eternall wysedome / prouyde such an medyator hauing wherwith to satisfy The iustice of God differeth also froÌ„ the godhead / his onely sonne / cledde in the nature of manhead / who interponed him self mediator / not as maÌ„ only ¶ Iesus Christ / God man is mediator FOr the pure humanitie of Christe of it selfe / might neither make intercessâ—oÌ„ nor satisfaccioÌ„ for vs / but God man in that that he is God / he might complete the will of the father / in that / that he is man pure and cleane / without spot or sinne he might offer sacrifice / for purgacion of our synnes satisfaction of Gods iustice / without sainctes Haue these twoo godhead equale with the father / humanite without synne / the office of mediators they may not vsurpe / ObiectioÌ„ but here wil be obiected / who knoweth not Iesus Christ / to be the onely mediator of our redemcioÌ„ / AuÌ„swere but that impedites or letteth nothing Sainctes and holy men / to be mediators to make intercession for vs / as though that Iesus Christe had bene one houre or mediator / after had resined thoffice vnto his seruauntes ¶ Who maketh other mediators then Iesus Christ / taketh ouer from hym DO not such men ientelly intreate Iesus Christ / detracting froÌ„ him such porcion of his honor / otherwise speaketh the scriptures of God / testefying hym to be made maÌ„ / to haue proued oure infirmites to haue suffred death willingly / to haue ouercome the same / all to this ende / that he might be oure perpetuall hyghe souerayne pryse / Heb. 6.7.9.10 in whose place or dignitie none other mighte entre / as Ihon sayth / yf any man sinne / we haue an aduocate with the father / euen Iesus Christ the iust / marke well this wordes / Ihon sayth / Ioh. 3. Rom. 8. we haue presently a sufficiente aduocate / whome Paule affirmeth to sit / at the righte hande of God the father / and to be the only mediator betwene God and man / for he alone sayeth Ambrose is our mouth / by whome we speake to God / he is our eyes / by whome we se God / also oure righte hande / by whome we offer any thinge vnto the father / who onelesse he make intercession / neither we / neither any off the sainctes maye haue any societe or felowship with God Libro de Isaac de anima True membres Note diligently What creator may say to God the father / let mankinde be receyued into thy fauoure / for the payne of hys transgression that haue I sustayned in my owne bodye / for hys cause coÌ„passed with all infirmety became I the most contempted dispraysed of all meÌ„ / and yet in my mouth was fouÌ„d no disceyt nor gyle / but always obedient to thy will / suffred death / that for mankynd Obedience of Christ And therfore behold not the sinner / but me / who by my infinitie iustice / haue perfetly satisfied for hys offences / maye any other Iesus Christ / except I / in these wordes make intercession for sinners / yf they may not then / are they not neither mediators nor intercessors Libro coÌ„tra parme niz ca For albeit / sayeth Augustine Christians do coÌ„mend one another vnto God in theyr prayers / yet not make intercission / or dare vsurpeth office of a mediator / not Paule albeit vnder the head / he was a principale meÌ„bre / yet because he commendeth hym selfe too the prayer of faithfull men ObiectioÌ„ yf any do obiecte Such is not the condicions of the saynctes departed / who nowe hathe put of immortalite / and beareth no lenger the fragilite of the flesh AuÌ„swer Which albeit / I graunte to be moste true / yet are they all compelled to caste theyr crounes before hym that dothe sitte in the throne / Apoc. 6. knowleginge them selfes to be deliuered from greate affliccion / too haue bene purged by the bloud of the Lam / and therfore none of them do attempt to be a mediator / seynge they neyther haue being / nor iustice of them selfe / but in so great light of the Gospel prayse be to the omnipotent it is not necessary vpoÌ„ such matter longe to remayne Note this wel Some say / we will vse but one mediator Iesus Christ to God the father / but we muste haue sainctes / and chiefly the virgin Mary / mother of Iesus Christ too praye for vs vnto hym ¶ Agaynste suche as wolde haue mediators too Iesus Christe A Lace / whosoeuer is so miÌ„ded / sheweth playnly them self to know nothing of Iesus Christ righteously / is he who discended froÌ„ heauen / conuersed among sinners Commaunded all / vexid sore / Math. 11. seke too come vnto hym / who hanginge vppon the crosse / prayde fyrst for hys enemies / become newe so vntractable /
for hasty deliueraunce / but God who alone knoweth what is expedieÌ„t for vs. ¶ Flesh striueth agaynste the sprete PercecucioÌ„ of the fayâ—â—ful Sometyme prolongeth the deliuerauÌ„ce of hys chosen / and sometime permitteth them to drinke / before the maturite of age / the bitter cuppe of corporal death / that therby they may receyue medicine and care from all infirmite / but who doubtith / but Ihon the Baptiser / desired to haue sene more dayes of Iesus Christ / and to haue bene longer with hym in conuersacion 〈◊〉 7. Or that Steuen wolde not haue labored more dayes in preaching Christes gospell / whome neuerthelesse / both he suffered hastely to vnderlye the statute and generall sentence And albeit / we se therfore no apparant / helpe to oure selfe / nor yet to others afflicted / let vs not cease to call / thinkinge oure prayers to be in vayne / whatsoeuer become of oure bodies CoÌ„forte to the afflictyd God shall geue vnspeakable comforte too the sprete / and shall turne all to our commodite / by our owne expectacion The cause I am so longe and tedious in this matter is / I knowe how harde the battaill is betwixt the fleshe the sprete ¶ Impedimentes coÌ„mith of the weakenes off the fleshe SPrete vnder the heauy croceÌ„ of affliccion / where no worldely defence / but presence death doth appeare / I know the grudging and murmoringe complayntes of the fleshe / I know the anger wrathe indignacion / which it conceiueth agaynst God / calling all hys promises into doubte / beinge redy euery houre / vtterly to fall from hym Agaynst whiche all resteth in faith / prouoking vs to call instantly and to praye for assistaunce of Gods sprete Whereunto / yf we continew our moste desperat calamites / shall he turne to gladnes ioye and prosperous fyne ¶ To the o Lorde alone be prayse / for with experience I write this speake it is not too be permitted / where / for whome / and at what tyme we ought to praye PRiuate prayer / Priuate prayer Matt. 6. such as men secretly offer vnto God by them selfe / require no speciall place / althoughe that Iesus Christe commauÌ„deth / when we praye to enter in our chaumber / and to close the dore after vs / so to pray secretly vnto oure father / To enter in to thi chamber to pray whereby he wolde we shoulde chuse to our prayers suche place as might offer least occasion too call vs backe from prayer / and also that we shoulde expell forthe of our myndes in tyme of oure prayer all vayne cogitacions / for otherwyse Iesus Christ hym selfe doth obserue no special place of prayers / for we finde hym sometyme pray in mounte Oliuete / sometyme in the deserte / sometime in the temple ActuÌ„ 10. Peter coueteth to praye vppon the toppe of the house / Paule prayeth in pryson / was harde of God / who also commaundeth men to pray in all places / Priuate places to praie in lifting vp vnto God pure and cleane handes / as we fynde that the Prophetes muste holy men did / wheresouer daunger or necessitie requyred ¶ Apoynted places too praye in / maye not be neglectd BVt publike coÌ„mon prayers shuld be vsid in place apoynted / for assemblye of the coÌ„gregacion / from whence / whosoeuer negligentlye extracte theym selfe is in nowyse excusable / I meane not that to absent frome that place is sinne / because it is more holy than another For the hole earthe created by God / is equal holy / but the promise made / that whersoeuer two or thre be gathered together in my name / there shall I be in the middes of them / condemneth all suche as contemneth the coÌ„gregation / gathered in hys name / but marke wel gathered / I saye not to heare pyping / singing or playing / not to patter vpon beades or bokes / wherof they haue no vnderstanding / not to coÌ„mit Idolatrie / honoring that for God / which is no God indede / for with such wil I neither ioyne my selfe in coÌ„mon prayer / nor receyuing of the externall sacramentes / for in so doyng I should affirme their supersticion and abhominable Idolatrie / which I neuer wil do nor couÌ„sail other to do to the ende ¶ What is to be gathered in the name of Christ THis coÌ„gregacion / which I meane / should be gathered in the name of Iesus Christ / that is to laude magnefye God the father for the infinite benefites they had receiued by his onely sonne our Lord / in thys congregacion should be distributed the misticall and last supper of Iesus Christ / without supersticioÌ„ / or any more ceremonies then he hym selfe vsed / hys apostels after hym indistribution thereof / in thys congregacion should inquisicioÌ„ be takeÌ„ of the poore among them / sufficient support whyle the tyme of their next conuencioÌ„ / shuld be prouided and distributed In this congregacion shoulde be made common prayers / suche as all men hearing might vnderstande that the hartes of all subscribing to the voyce of one / mighte with vnfayned ferfent mynde say AmeÌ„ Whosoeuer do withdrawe them selfe from suche a congregacion / but allace where shall it be founde / do declare them selfes too be no members of Christes bodye ¶ For whome and at what tyme we shoulde praye FOr all men / 1. Tim. 2. Vvhen and for vvhome vve should praie at all times doth Paule commaund that we shall praye / principally for suche of the housholde of fayth / as suffer persecucion / and when coÌ„mon wealths tyranniously we oppressed / then incessantly shoulde we call that God of hys infynite mercy and power woll withstande the violence of suche tyrauntes ¶ Gods sentence maye be chaunged ANd when we se the plagues of God / huÌ„ger / pestilence / or warre / commynge or apearing to raygne / then should we with lamentable voyces repeÌ„ting hartes call vnto God / that it wolde please hys mercy to withdrawe his haÌ„des / for with suche as do aleage / that God may not chauÌ„ge hys senteÌ„ce oure prayers / therefore to be in vayne / can I in no wyse agree / beynge otherwyse taughte in the scripture by hys infallable eternall veritie He sayeth I shall destroye this nacion frome the face of the earth / and when Moyses adressed to pray for theÌ„ the Lorde procedeth saying Suffer me that I may vtterly destroy them / and then Moyses falleth on hys face flatling / and fourtye dayes contineweth in prayer / for the saluation of the people / to whome at the laste obtayned forgeuenes Dauid in the vehement plague / lamentable calleth vnto God / the kynge of Niniue sayeth 2. King last who knoweth / yf God shal be conuerted and led backe by repentaunce Iona. 3. And be tourned from the furor of hys wrath / that we perish not / which examples