wee must beleiue that there is a God that doth heare our prayers and wee must Credere Deo wee must beleeue that God who doth heare our prayers will performe our requests it he shall see them conuenient for vs If we do not beleeue there is a God how shall we call vpon him How shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleeued saith the Apostle Paul Rom. 10.14 And if we do not beleeue that this God will heare vs and will grant our requests let vs neuer looke to receiue any blessing so saith S. Iames speaking of the wauering-minded man Let not that man saith he thinke that he shall receiue any thing of the Lord Iam. 1.7 If any man lacke wisdome let him aske and it shall be giuen him But let him aske in faith and wauer not for he that wauereth as you may read in the former verses is like vnto the waues of the sea tossed in the winde and caried away he is vnconstant in all his actions and therefore vnconstant in all his prayers hee beleeues euery thing and therefore he beleeues nothing as the waues of the sea be tossed here and there and seldome at quiet so his minde neuer rests vpon one thing but he is subiect to much variablenes for now he thinks he shall be heard presently he thinks not sometimes he thinks that there is a God another time doubts whether there be or no at one time he make no question of Gods abilitie and all-sufficiencie another time he makes a question as in his actions doeth plainely appeare whether God can heare if his necessitie should require How can God heare this man who is so suspicious of him he cannot heare him and why because he doth not pray for prayer without faith is no prayer at all Sola enim fides invocat eaque sola impetrat fieri enim potest vt citra fidem quis Deo placeat For it is faith onely that prayes it is faith onely that calls vpon God and without faith it is impossible to please him Hebr. 11.6 for he that commeth to God must beleeue that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him Therefore saith our Sauiour Christ Mar. 11.24 I say vnto yee whatsoeuer you desire when you pray beleeue that yee shall haue it and 〈◊〉 be done vnto you This counsell the Prophet Dauid tooke Psal 17.6 I haue called vpon thee ô God for thou shalt heare me and in the 55.17 As for me I will call vpon God and the Lord shal saue me He prayed without wauering he prayed without doubting he was so confident in prayer that he said the Lord should heare him he bindes God to performe that which he promiseth God promiseth to heare all those who faithfully call vpon him and therefore Dauid according to Gods promise will be heard This counsell of our Sauiour Christ let vs also embrace that which we pray for let vs make no question but to obtaine let not the least doubt at all enter into vs let vs pray without doubting and then without doubt we shall be heard The fourth vertue that we must ioyne with our prayers is Charitie and if we will haue this vertue Charitie accompanie our prayers danduÌ„ est egentibus ignoscendum est delinquentibus orandum est pro omnibus We must giue to others we must forgiue others and we must pray for others We must giue vnto others we must ioyne with our prayers Almes and then our prayers and our Almes shall come vp into remembrance before God as did the prayers and Almes of Cornelius Act 10. Then our prayers will enter into the Lords eares Esay 58.7 Deale thy bread to the hungry bring the poore that wander vnto thine house and when thou seest the naked couer him then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he shall say here I am Secondly we must forgiue others if we our selues will be forgiuen we must forgiue them that trespasse against vs It is a petition we daily vse Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. Thus we say Sed vide quid dicas saith Ambrose quomodo dimitto sic tu dimitte mihi si dimiseris bene conuenit vt dimittat tibi si non dimiseris quomodo convenit vt tibi dimittat Take heede and marke well what thou sayest as I forgiue so doe thou O Lord forgiue me if thou doest forgiue it agrees well that God should forgiue thee but if thou dost not forgiue it doth not agree with Gods Iustice to forgiue thee thy sinnes committed against him If thou dost not forgiue thou shalt not be forgiuen if thou shewest no mercy thou shalt finde no mercy in the time of neede for there shall be iudgment mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercy saith S. Iames. 2.13 Quod serimus metimus quod damus accipimus That which we sowe we shall reape that which we giue we shall receiue If wee sowe no forgiuenesse we shall reape none if we giue no forgiuenesse no forgiuenesse shall be giuen vnto vs when we pray for it Therefore saith our Sauiour Christ Mar. 11.25 But when you shall stand and pray forgiue if you haue any thing against any man that your Father also which is in heauen may forgiue you your trespasses for if you will not forgiue your Father which is in heauen will not pardon you your trespasses Thirdly wee must pray for others We must pray for all men first of all sorts I will that first of all supplications and prayers intercessions and giuing of thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are in authoritie for all men that is for all that be the children of election for those that be of the houshold of Faith For all men that is for all men in generall for if we be bound by the words of the Apostle to doe good vnto all men I see no reason no more doe many other Diuines which I haue read vpon this place but that likewise we should pray for all men be they either Turkes infidels heathen the enemies of God or the enemies of our selues we must pray for their conuersion if it be the will of God that they may be conuerted But most especially we that be Christians we that be of the houshold of Faith we ought to pray for one another Charitie bids vs God commands vs Non dicimus pater meus saith Cyprian de orat Domâ— sed noster nec da mihi sed da nobis quia Christianitatis magister noluit priâ—atim precem fieri vt scilicet quis prose tantâ—m precetur vnum enim orare pro omnibus voluit quando in vno omnes ipse portauit We doe not say when we pray as Christ hath commanded vs my Father but our Father nor giue vnto me but giue vnto vs because he that is master of Christi anitie would not that priuate prayer should be made that is that a man should
hands washed from euill works from all manner of wickednes and vngodlines Citius enim ad preces index flectitur si peccator à prauitate sua corrigatur For the iudge is sooner moued to listen vnto vs when he sees our liues to be amended with tongues seasoned with godly speeches Nisi enim lingua sit pura orationes impuras esse necess◠est For vnles our tongues be pure it must needs be that our prayers must be altogether vnholy Therfore when we come to pray we must come with repentant hearts with soules and bodies washed cleane with the teares of repentance hating the sinnes that we haue committed hating our selues for committing of sin then our prayers shall be offered vpon the Altar of our hearts as the Lambe vpon the Altar of the Tabernacle Exo 2. without spot or blemish Then our prayers will smell sweet will be as a sweet sauour in Gods nostthrills then our prayers will be powerfull and will wrest blessings from the Lord Nay then the Lord will willingly heare vs and will willingly grant our requests Si enim obedierimus Deo obediet Deus orationibus nostris If wee serue God God will not faile but he will be sure to serue vs. But if we come vnto him in the midst of our sinnes hauing our hearts polluted with wicked imaginations our tongues poysoned with odious blasphemies and our hands besmeared with the blood of his onely sonne with the blood of Innocents being full of wrongs and oppressions heare what the Prophet Esay saith 1.15 When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not heare you Now we know that the Lord will not heare sinners saith S. Iohn 2.31 But as the Vnicorne will not be taken with the singing voice of a corrupt but of a pure Virgin and as the fish will not come into or suffer it selfe to be inclosed in an impure vessell which is before moystned and besmeared with the blood of other fishes So the Lord will not as we may say be taken with the hymnes psalmes nor songs neither with the prayers of the wicked and vngodly neither is he inclined to heare those whose hands be imbrued with cruelty with wrongs and iniuries and the blood of poore innocents The Prophet Dauid often sung vnto the Lord often cryed often fasted and often prayed yet heare what he saith Psal 66.8 If I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord will not heare me For as Bernard saith Neque ietunium neque silentium neque vigilia neque orationes alia bona opera grata sunt Deo vbi virtus obedientiae deest Neither fasting nor silence nor watching nor praying neither any good workes are acceptable vnto God if obedience vnto his lawes he wanting in vs for to obey is better then sacrifice to harken is better then the fat of Lambes Therefore when we come to pray with Dauid let vs wash our hands in innocencie let vs clense our prayers in the deepe sighes of contrition let vs wash them in the watery eares of Attrition and embrue them in vertuous actions and in holy cogitations then they will shine in the Lords sight then they will sound in the Lords eares then they will turne vnto vs not empty but laden with many blessings The second vertue that we must ioyne with our prayers is Humilitie thy prayers must be humble thou must pray verecundo affectu not daring to speake vnto the Lord with the woman Luk. 8. Et duro affectu not daring to appeare in his sight with the woman Luk. the 7. In the 8 of Luke the woman who had the issue of blood being ashamed to speake to IESVS she durst no more but touch the hemme of his garment and Mary Magdalen in the 7. of Luke being ashamed to appeare in his presence shee stood behind him weeping being wonderfully affectioned shee washed his feete vvith her teares and vviped them with the haires of her head When we pray let vs be ashamed of our selues let vs be ashamed to come before God let vs stand a far off with the Publican let vs hold downe our heads knock our brests and iudge our selues altogether vnworthy to bee heard or to be regarded of the Almighty and then our prayers from our lowly hearts will no question flie vnto the highest heauens Nam quando humilis oratio fuerit saith S. Bernard coelum sine dubio penetrabit vnde certum est quod vacua redire non possit When our prayer is humble it will without all question pierce into the highest heauens from whence it can by no meanes returne empty Let me speake vnto the Lord who am but dust and ashes saith the holy father Abraham He vvas a holy Patriarke a man of great substance one beloued of God one vvho vvas reputed faithfull and one in vvhose seede all the nations of the earth should be blessed yet vvee may see hovv in his prayer he humbleth himselfe he brags not of his riches he boasts not in his good workes he glories not in his promised posteritie but acknowledgeth from whence he came namely out of the earth he confesseth what he is made of Dust and Ashes and as dust and ashes he humbles himselfe at Gods feete before he durst make his praier vnto him Haec est vera oratio this is true prayer which is made in all humilitie so saith Gregory in his Mor Ille Deo veram orationem exhibet qui semetipsum cognoscit quia puluis humiliter vi it qui nihil sibi virtutis tribuit qui bona quae ugit esse de misericordia conditoris agnoscit He prayes rightly vnto God saith he which knowes himselfe to be but iust and ashes who attributes no goodnes vnto himselfe but ascribes all vnto his Lord and maker So did the Prophet Dauid who makes himselfe a worme and no man he makes himself a worme the least of all creatures and by that meanes becomes to be one of the greatest in Gods fauour He sinned and acknowledged his sinnes he prai'd in all humilitie and by his humble confession and lowly prayers he obtained pardon for all his transgressions So must we pray if we will be heard if we will haue our prayers ascend wee must descend not downe into earth but cast our selues vpon the earth wee must become lowly in our owne eies and little in our owne conceipts if wee will haue our prayers mount if with the archer wee will haue our arrowe fly very high if wee will haue our prayers fly to the highest wee must bend backward very low wee must humble our selues in all humilitie and then they will pierce the skies for the praiers of him that humbleth himselfe sayth the sonne of Sirach Eccle 35.14 goeth through th clouds and ceaseth not vntill it come neere and will not depart vntill the most high haue respect thereunto The third vertue that wee must ioyne with our prayers is faith wee must Credere Deum
he hath it and whatsoeuer we can desire it is in his hand to giue Wouldst thou haue life and dost thou desire to see long dayes wouldst thou faine go to heauen and dost thou not know the way dost thou desire to search the scriptures and wouldst faine be acquainted with the truth aske them of God he can giue thee them he can giue thee life he can shew the way vnto heauen acquaint thee with the truth for Ego sum vita via veritas He himselfe is the way the truth the life none can go vnto the father but by him Ioh. 14.6 Dost thou want the sight of the body the light of thine eyes which is more pretious vnto thee then all the gold pretious things in the world goe vnto the fountaine of light go vnto God he can giue thee it Est enim lux à Deo splendens vt inaccessibilis dicatur for he is a light so gloriously shining that no mortall man can or euer could once behold or come neere him Dost thou want reason wouldst faine haue vnderstanding IntellectuÌ„ tibi dabo saith the Lord in the Psalmes I will giue thee wisdom If thou beest hungry he is the bread of life vnto whom if thou goest thou shall neuer hunger Ioh. 6.35 If thou beest thirst he is the true vine of which whosoeuer tasteth shall neuer thirst Ioh. 15 1. whereupon saith S. Amb Christê° via est oÌ„nibê° si vulnera curare desideras medicê° est si fabribê° aestuas fons est si grauaris iniquitace iustitia est si auxilio iudiges viriê° est si morieÌ„ times vita est si coetuÌ„ desideras vta est si tenebras fugis lux est si cibuÌ„quaeris alimeÌ„tuÌ„ est Christ is all vnto all if thou art wounded and desirest to be healed he is a phisition if thou art possessed with a burning feuer he is the fouÌ„taine wherein thou maist coole thee if with Mary Magdalen thou hast seuen deuills in thee he is thy righteousnesse which must cleanse thee from thy filthynesse if thou beest oppressed wantest one to succour thee he is thy power that must defend thee if thou fearest death he is the life if thou wouldest obteine heauen he is the way if thou fliest darknesse he is the light if thou beest hungrie he is thy food therefore saith S. Augustin cur per mult a vagaris homuÌ„cio quaerenda bona anima corporis quaere vnum bonuÌ„ in quo sunt omnia bona suffiâ—it ibi enim est quicquid amas quicquid desideras Wherefore dost thou o man saith he weary thy selfe in going about seeking for the goods of the body and the soule seeke one thing which is Christ in whom is all things thou hast enough for in him is all things that thou louest all things that thou desirest he will deny thee nothing that thou doest faithfully call vnto him for he has all things he can do all things thou canst not aske that thing at his hand which he will not grant thee if with feruent prayer thou desirest it For so great is the force of prayer that ther is nothing that can withstand it if prayer once command it be it a thing vnpossible it must obey contrary to all naturall reason if Paule be in prison and pray for deliuerance the prison doores must open of their owne accord and his bands fall from him contrary to all expectation The childe of God must haue deliuerance or else the foundation of the prison must be shaken by the power of heaueÌ„ Acts. 16.26 If Peter be in prison another child of God although he be kept watched by two soldiers bouÌ„d with to chaines the prison doores watched by two soldiers bound with two chaines the prison dores watched by the prison keeper yet if the church that is the children of God pray for him the angell of the Lord must come himselfe the child of God must be loosed and Peter do the souldiers what they can with their wepons the bands what they can with their strengths the prison doores what they can with their bolts the prison keepers what they can with there narrowe watching must be deliuered must go out of prison conducted by the Angell Act 12.7 The Israelites being oppressed by the Philistins 1. Sam. 7.8 they come to Samuell desire him to pray crie vnto the Lord for them Samuell cried vnto the Lord and the Israelites were deliuered as you may reade in the 10. verse The Lord sent his thunder which fought for theÌ„ after a most wonderfull manner that scattered theÌ„ so that they all lay slaine before Israell And Iosua by his prayer Ios 18.14 made the sun to stand still in the firmament after it had runne his ordinarie course he made it I say stand still to giue him light vntill hee had made an end of slaying his enemies O potens praecatio O powerfull praier that cammandes all things It commandes the Angells in heauen for at the prayer of Hezekia 2. king 19.35 The Angell of the Lord smote a hundred fowerscore fiue thousand of the souldiers of blaspheming Saneherib in one night so that in the morning they were all found dead corpses It commandes the heauens for at the prayer of Elias the heauens were locked vp for three yeares six months so that no raigne fell vpoÌ„ the earth in all that time againe he praied the heauen gaue raigne the earth brought forth her fruit Iames. 5.17 It commands God iudgments for at the prayer of Aaron the plague that great iudgment of God being begun among the Israelites ceased Numb 16.47.48 It coÌ„mandeth Gods afflictions for at the prayer of Moses Miriam was healed of her leprosie Numb 12.14 And at the prayer of the man of God Ieroboams hand that was dried vp was restored 1. King 13.6 It commands the barren wombe for Anna being childlesse praiing vnto the Lord obteyned a sonne 1. Sam. 1.20 It commands life for at the praier of Eliah the widdowes sonne of Zarepthah being dead was restored vnto life 1. King 17. At the prayer of Elisha the Shunamites sonne being dead was reuiued 2. King 4.35 And at the prayer of Paule the sleeper which fell downe dead was caried away aliue Act 20.9 Superat tentameÌ„ta inimicorum vincit demones superat immundos spiritus It beats downe the temptations of our enemies ouercomes deuills driues away vncleane spirits dominum mundi flectere vota valent Martial lib. 8. epig ad Domit. Praier commands God himselfe makes God obedient vnto mans voice and when our praiers cannot come vnto Gods eares it brings Gods eares vnto our prayers Aske therfore and it shall be giuen thee what soeuer thou dost aske his promise is generall he will keepe nothing from thee if thou do'st faithfully pray for it Therefore in all thy needs extremities pray pray thou shalt haue help If thou beest in prison pray for liberty if thou beest oppressed pray for succour if thou hast enemies pray for deliuerance if there be famine pray for plenty in the time of the plague pray if wee want raigne pray if thou art diseased pray if thou art afflicted pray if thou art childlesse pray if thou art tempted pray pray thou shalt haue what thou wilt for Aske it shal be giuen thee saith christ And so much for the generalitie of the thing promised which is laid downe in this word It It shall be giuen you Now a word or two of the certainty of it and so I will conclude If he were not able to giue vs those things which we aske or if he were vnwilling to grant our desires then we might well feare the obtaining of our requests but he is able to help vs he is willing to heare vs as we haue heard in the two last points if he were a stranger vnto vs or an enemy against vs that might breed suspition in vs or if he were only a familiar friend or a neere kinsman still we might doubt of the matter but he is no stranger neither is he an enemy for he is of our familiar acquaintaÌ„ce with whom whensoeuer we pray we talk familiarly as S Aug saith vpon the 85 Psalm Oratio tua locutia est ad deuÌ„ quaÌ„do legis deus tibi loquitur quando oras tu cuÌ„ deo loqueris Thy prayer saith he is a talking vnto God wheÌ„ thou readest theÌ„ God speaks vnto thee but wheÌ„ thou prayest then thou talkest with God Nay he is not only our familiar acquaintance but he is also nere vnto vs as nere as possible can be for he is our father our father by creatioÌ„ our father in education our father in instructioÌ„ our father in compassioÌ„ our father in correctioÌ„ our father in adoption as M. Boys wittily obserues in his exposition on the Lords prayer He is our father and therfore wisheth vs well he is our father in heauen where there is all good things nothing wanting can giue vs all good things Therfore I wil end with this admonition of S. Bern Nemo nostruÌ„ parui peÌ„dat orationeÌ„ suaÌ„ dico cuiÌ„ vobis quod ipse ad queÌ„ oramê° non parui peÌ„dat eaÌ„ postquaÌ„ egressa est ab ore nostro ipse scribit ipsaÌ„ in libro suo vnuÌ„ è duobê° indubitanter sperare possimus quoniam aut dabit quod petimê° aut quod novit vtiliê° Let no man set lightly by his praier for I say that God doth greatly esteem of it after it is once out of our mouthes doth write it in his book without all doubt we shall haue one of two either we shall haue that which we pray for or else we shall haue that that is more profitable for vs. FINIS