you First we must aske with the mouth Ioakim the virgin Maries father going to the wildernes to pray said thus Prayer shal be my meate and drink Whereby it is euident that as meate and drink the naturall food of the bodie must go in at the mouth so on the other side prayer the spirituall food of the soule must go out of the mouth Which is the reason why Pythagoras willed his schollers to pray aloud Not that he thought that God could not otherwise heare but to teach vs as Clemens noteth that as our dealing with men must be as in the sight of God so our prayer to God must be as in the hearing of men Ezechias king of the Iewes witnesseth of himselfe that praying in his sicknes he chattered like a young swallowe Nowe we knowe by that prouerb which forbiddeth to keepe swallows vnder the same roofe where we keepe our selues that no bird is so troublesome for chattering as the swallow is His meaning then was this that as a yong swallow openeth her mouth and neuer leaues yawning vnto the damme till shee she be satisfied so he opened his mouth and as the Prophet Esay saies kept no silence neuer left asking gaue the lord no rest vntil he had mercy vpon him Balack king of the Moabites speaketh thus Shall this multitude licke vp all that are round about vs as a calfe licketh vp the grasse of the field Nowe we knowe that a calfe licketh vp the grasse of the fielde with his mouth The thing then which he feared was this least the Israelites should licke vp that is ouercome and destroy him and all his with the asking of their mouthes with their praiers to God which are called the calues of the lipps euen as a calfe licketh vp the grasse of the field The Church wisheth the southerne winde would blow that her spices might slowe forth The southerne winde is the milde comfortable spirit of God The spices are the praiers the sweete odours of the Saints So that we wish the southerne winde would blowe vpon vs that our spices might flowe forth when as we wish the holy Ghost would worke vpon vs that our praiers might flowe forth That as God breatheth in his spirit into vs by the inspiration of grace so we might breath out our spirit vnto God by the respiration of praier According to that of the prophet I opened my mouth and drewe in breath I drewe in breath ther 's inspiration I opened my mouth ther 's respiration So that they which neuer open their mouthes to aske are dumbe fishes which haue liues and breath not or else dead idols which haue mouths and speake not Whereas in trueth euery one that hath an eare to heare ought to heare and so euery one that hath a mouth to speake ought to speake Speake vnto the rocke saies God to Moses when the children of Israel wanted water in the wildernesse And after the same manner when we want the water of comfort in the wildernesse of this world we must aske it of God we must speake for it vnto the rocke Christ Iesus For it was his onely request he made to his spouse when he tooke his very last farewell of her vpon earth Let me heare thy voice As if Christ should say thus to his Church My dearest now I am readie to ascend vp vnto my father Howbeit in the meane while I will not leaue you comfortlesse But though I shall be absent from you in bodie yet I will be present with you in spirit alwaies beholding your order of seruice and hearing your praier vnto me Therefore let vs not hereafter be strange to one another but let tokens of louing kindnesse passe continually betwixt vs. I will send downe to you my spirit like tongues of fire Send you vp to me your praier like pillars of smoake And in case you want any thing at any time doe no more but let me heare your voice let me by a praier as by a letter from you vnderstand it and you shall haue it Aske and it shall be giuen you Yet it is not enough for vs to aske with the mouth we must also seeke with the heart For seeking with the heart hath oftentimes preuailed without the asking of the mouth But asking with the mouth could neuer yet obtaine any thing of God without the seeking of the heart Therefore Hierom findeth himselfe greatly grieued that now and then in praier time his mouth his mind went not both together My minde saies he is wandring or walking in this or that gallery or else telling or counting this or that summe of monie or diuers other waies misled and seduced This is satans subtilty to be then most busie in tempting of vs when we are most busie in praying to God As when two goe to law with one another the plaintife will doe what he can to hinder the defendant that the iudge may not heare what he is able to say in his own cause in like sort the deuill the common plaintife the cōmon accuser of all mankind when he seeth vs vpon our knees pleading for our selues by prayer and seeking fauour and pittie of God the iudge of all then doth he most interrupt and disturbe vs. And euen as the furies are described to haue snakes and serpents vpon their heades in stead of haire so sathan distracts our mindes and makes vs like furies putting pestilent and noysome cogitations into our heades in stead of deuout and holy affections Which is the cause why Iob before he fell downe vpon the ground to pray did shaue his head did shaue and cut off all idle and earthly thoughts which are nothing els but snakes and serpents suggested by that old serpent the deuill For blessed Iob knew right well it was vnpossible God should heare him if he heard not himselfe No no saies God I will neuer heare such a people because this people drawes neare to me with their mouthes honour me with their lippes but their hearts are farre from me What then saies the Apostle I will pray with my breath or with my mouth yea and I wil pray also with my vnderstanding or with my heart Seeing indeede fiue wordes though they were no more comming from a well disposed and a faithfull heart are a thousand times better thē ten thousand words which are neuer at all vttered but muttered onely and mumbled vp in the mouth Gods promise to his people is this You shall seeke me and you shall finde me because you shall seeke me with your whole heart Gods performance of his promise is this You haue sought me and you haue found me because you haue sought me with your whole heart Therefore when thou seekest seeke with thy heart when thou praiest enter into thy chamber Thy lippes are but the chamber dore So that when thou hast opened the dore of thy lips then thou must
in the sight of God then that other which iustified himselfe So was it opened to S. Steuen He was brought out to be stoned But when he came forth the very stones could not knocke him so hard as his praier knockt heauen gate wheÌ„ as he said Lord Iesus let me in Lord Iesus receiue my spirit Therefore the gate was opened vnto him He saw the heauen opened and Iesus standing at the right hand of God where he within a while after should sit himselfe So was it opened to king Dauid He knockt very imperiously not like a petitioner but like a commander Lift vp your heads O ye gates and be ye lift vp ye euerlasting dores that the King of glorie may come in Open vnto me the gate of the righteous that I may enter in and praise the Lord. And when the gate was opened as he was entring in he pointed to it and said This is the gate of the righteous the iust shall enter into it So was it opened to S. Paul He was cast downe into the very lowest dungeon All the chaines of darknes and euen hell it selfe could not haue held him faster then that dungeon did Yet at midnight when he praied knockt suddenly all the prison dores flew open yea all the dores of heauen likewise stood open and that which is most maruelous of all they stood so wide open that not onely S. Paul himselfe went in but also Stephanas the iayler and his whole houshold whome he at that time conuerted and baptized did enter in with him So that all all eternall things are ours and nothing nothing can preuaile against vs if we knocke as we ought Not the brasen gates of hell to shut vs in nor the golden gates of heauen to shut vs out For Christ hath said here Knocke and it shall be opened vnto you Thus much for the second part what God for our praier will performe to vs in these words And it shall be giuen you and you shall find and it shall be opened vnto you Now then my deere brethren giue me leaue I beseech you to speake vnto you me I say that am the seruant of God and your seruant for God as Naman the Syrians seruants said vnto him Father say they if the prophet had commaunded thee a great thing wouldst thou not haue done it how much more then when he saieth vnto thee Wash and be cleane Brethren say I if he that is more then a prophet had commanded you a great thing would you not haue done it how much more then when he saieth vnto you Wash and be cleane Aske and it shall be giuen you He desires to be desired And he ha's not his owne will except we haue ours But we may haue what we will for asking God doeth aske no more of vs but only that we would vouchsafe to aske him Doe no more saies he but aske and haue Doe no more but seeke and finde Doe no more but knocke and enter in O how easily yet howe powerfully doeth praier worke It ouercommeth all beastes The Leuiathan the strength of all Gods creatures was so subdued by praier that whereas otherwise he might haue beene a gulfe to swallowe vp Ionas quicke and for euer to deuoure him he became a shippe to saue him It ouercommeth all men Iacob giueth Ioseph one portion aboue his brethren which he got of the Amorites by his sword and by his bowe But the Chaldee Paraphrast translates it By my praier and by my supplication Which translation prooueth that praier is the sword and supplication is the bowe of a Christian wherewith he subdueth all his enemies It ouercommeth the deuill himselfe Praier and fasting are the cheifest meanes to cast him out If we resist him by praier he will flie from vs. Yea the most silly beast in all the forrest is not so much affrighted and amazed when a lyon roareth as this cowardly beast the deuill is daunted and terrified when a Christian prayeth What shall I say more It ouercommeth him that cannot be ouercome making the virgins son stoupe downe and condescend vnto vs. I pray thee let me goe saies he to one that wrestled with him all the night long by praier If thou wilt be a suter to God God will be a suter to thee If thou wilt pray vnto God God will pray vnto thee I pray thee saies he let me goe But what doeth Israel answer I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me No will It is not belike now as God will but as man will God is taken captiue by praier and become a prisoner to man and stands at his curtesie who saies I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me And that which is more then all this if more may be praier ouercommeth God not onely beeing well pleased as he was with Israel when any child may deale with him but also beeing displeased as he was with the Israelites when no man may come neere him when his wrath burneth as fire when he thunders from heauen and teares the clouds in peeces cleaues the rockes asunder and shakes sand and sea togither and makes the whole earth in a trembling fitte of feare flie away from him Yet if some Moses doe but stand vp in the gap and pray all this omnipotent power shall come to nothing god shall not be able though he be neuer so angrie to enter vpon the breach but praier shall haue the victorie get the conquest of him Wherefore beloued once againe I say let vs alwaies intrench our selues within this inuincible bulwark of praier Our whole life alas as we haue made it by sinne is most miserable There is no man aliue if he had knowne before he was borne what miseries would haue befallen him in this life but would haue wished I warrant you with all his heart that that which was the wombe of his birth had bin the tombe for his buriall But in all the calamities of this life our onely comfort is praier In all the afflictions of this life our onely fortresse is praier Praier whereby we are oftentimes in spirit with the Apostle rapt vp into the third heauen where we that are otherwise but wormes walke with the angels and euen continually talke with God Hence it is that holy men and women in former time could neuer haue enough of this exercise Nazianzen in his Epitaph for his sister Gorgonia writeth that shee was so giuen to praier that her knees seemed to cleaue to the earth to growe to the very ground by reason of continuance in praier Gregorie in his Dialogues writeth that his aunt Trasilla being dead was fouÌ„d to haue her elbowes as hard as horne Which hardnes she got by leaning to a deske at which she vsed to pray Eusebius in his historie writeth that Iames the brother of our Lord had knees as hard as cammells knees benummed bereiued of all sense and feeling by reason of continuall kneeling in prayer Hierom in the life of Paul the Eremite writeth that he was found dead kneeling vpon his knees holding vp his hands lifting vp his eies So that the very dead corps seemed yet to liue and by a kind of religious gesture to pray still vnto God O how happie and how blessed was that soule without the body when as that bodie without the soule was so deuout O that we may be that we may be likewise so happy and so blessed as this holy man was that we may depart hence in such sort as he did that is in such sort as Christ did who died in prayer saying Father into thy handes I commend my spirit that our lord when he coÌ„meth may find vs so doing that when we shall lie vpon our death bed gasping for breath readie to giue vp the ghost then the precious soule of euerie one of vs redeemed with the precious blood of Christ may passe away in a prayer in a secret and sweet prayer may passe I say out of Adam's body into Abram's bosome Through the tender mercies of Iesus Christ to whom with the father and the holy ghost be all honour and glorie power and praise dignitie and dominion now euermore Amen Finis Gloriosa in deum pietas honoribus regiis immobile est fundamentum Cyrillus ad Theodos. de recta fide a 2.17 b 1.14 c Eccles. 4.12 d 64.7 e Vt accenditur desideria Martial Epist. ad Tolos f Quo à nobis evidius desideratur eo de nobis suavius laetatur g Psal. 22.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuagint h Psal. 9.9 i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l Stro. l. 4. m Esa. 38.14 n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o 62 6. p Num. 22.4 q Ose. 14.2 r Cant. 4.16 s Psal. 119.131 t Num. 20.8 u Can. 8.13 x Aut per porticus deambulo aut de faenore cogito in dialog aduersus Lucifer Ipso in tempore quo eleuare mentem paramus insertis manibus cogitationibus ad terrena plerumque denicimur Ambr. de Fuga sicuti c. 1 citante August contra Iul. l. 2. y Iob. 1.20 z Esa. 29.13 a 1. Cor. 14.15 b Deut. 4.29 c Ierem. 29.13 d Medullatum sacrificium Psal. 66.15 e 4. Psal. f Inueni cor meum 1. Sam. 7.27 g Ecclesiasticus 18.22 h Psal. 11.1 h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 k Esa. 1.15 l Lam. 3.41 m Psal 241.3 n 1. Tim. 2.8 o Cant. 3.6 p Cant. 5.5 q r Exod. 17.5 s Iam. 5.17 t 4.3 u Aut praeter verbum peris 〈◊〉 propter venâ—um non â—â—tis x Aures eius in precious eprum Ps. 34.16 y Iosua 10.14 z Exod. 8.13 a Psal. 17.6 b Gen. 8.21 c Non addâ—m 〈◊〉 vt 〈◊〉 vos d Iudg. 10.16 e 2. Sam 12.13 f 2. Reg. 10.6 g Cant. 3.1 q Quaeite quod quaeritis sed non vbi quaeritis i Math. 11.29 k Prou. 2.5 l Esay 55.6 m Esay 65.1 n Math. 8.8 o Luk. 23.42 p Luk. 11.9 q 2. Chron. 1 1â— r Luk. 〈◊〉 En quà m negare nollet qui sibi etiam neganti qualiter extorqueretur ostendit t Luk. 16.20 u Act. 3.2 x Psal. 44.23 y Psal. 12.5 z Luk. 18.13 a Act. 7.56 b Psal. 118.19 c Act. 16 26. e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 f Etiam cadaver mortui officioso gestu precabatur
enter into the very chamber of thine heart That thy praier may not be an emptie or a windie praier puft or blowne from the lungs or from the lippes but a heartie and a pithie praier a sacrifice which hath marrow and fatnes Such a sacrifice as Dauid offered whenas hauing first said My heart hath failed me I haue lost my heart anon after he saies I haue now O Lord found my heart again to pray vnto thee Salomon deckt garnished his temple before he praied in it and so before thou praiest prepare thy heart Be sure thou finde and furnish thy heart which is the true temple of him who is greater then Salomon And as that woman that sought her groat swept ouer all the whole house so whē thou seekest any thing of God sweepe ouer the whole house of thy heart say with Manasses O Lord I bow vnto thee the knees of my heart seeing thou hast saide Seeke ye my face thy face O Lord doe I seeke yea I doe seeke thee with my whole heart seeing thou hast saide Seeke and you shall finde Yet it is not enough for vs to seeke with the heart we must also knocke with the hand For he that was borne blinde could notwithstanding both see and say that God heareth not sinners but that euery one which calleth vpon the name of the Lord must depart from iniquitie So that it is to litle purpose for a man to seek though with neuer so faithfull a heart except also he knocke with a righteous hand The heretikes called Euchitae professed to doe nothing els but pray Because the Apostle exhorteth vs to pray continually But they did not consider that to pray alwaies is to serue God alwaies And that a godly life knocks aloude and is a perpetuall praier to God So that professing to pray and to doe nothing else in effect they did nothing lesse Seeing as Theodoret reporteth of them They did nothing for the most part but sleep Whereas in Basils iudgement a praier should be filled not with syllables or good words so much as with good workes Which none can doe who either with these heretickes doe nothing at all or else no good thing at all but onely that which is ill with others When you shall multiply your praiers vnto me saies God I wil not heare you because your hāds are full of blood If a subiect should offer vp a supplication hauing his hands imbrued in the blood of the kings sonne tell me I pray you what thinke you how would the king take it would he grant him his request trow you or rather would he not be most wrathfully incensed and enraged against him And euen so doth God take it at our handes when we knock with bloody vncleane hands presuming still to pray and yet continually crucifying the sonne of God by our sinnes Therefore say the godly Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes They say not Let vs lift vp our hearts alone but let vs lift vp our hearts with our hands Let vs not only seeke with our hearts but also knock with our hands yea euen with innocent hands And another Let my prayer be directed vnto thee as incense let the lifting vp of my hāds be an euening sacrifice vnto thee And yet another I will that men pray euery where lifting vp pure handes For as the precious stone diacletes though it haue very many excellent soueraignties in it yet it looseth thē al if it be put in a dead mans mouth so prayer which is the only pearle and iewell of a Christian though it haue very many rare vertues in it yet it looseth them euery one if it be put into a mans mouth or into a mans heart either that is dead in sinne and doth not knock with a pure hand Hence it is that the Church is said to be perfumed with frankinsence and myrr By frankinsence is ment a burning feruencie of affectiō whenas an enflamed heart seeketh By myrr is ment mortification and dying vnto sinne when as an vndefiled hand knocketh As when the Church saies My hands drop downe myrr and my fingers pure myrr vpon the handles of the barre This is that holy perfume of the tabernacle which god appoynted to be made of pure myrr and frankinsence of each like waight Note that Of each 〈◊〉 waight But we for the most 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it in the making For we put into this perfume of prayer whole pounds of frankinsence but not a dram nay scarce so much as one graine of mirr We put into it much frankinsence much pretence of faith much shew of seeking with the heart but little myrr litle true mortification little holines of life little sound knocking with the hand Nay that which is most lamentable or rather most detestable of all some are not ashamed in stead of this pure myrrhe to put in the very drugges and the dregges of their vile sinnes Which is the cause why many a mans praier is so lothsome and so odious to God Whereas if we would make this perfume as it should be made according to Gods prescription and put in as much of the myrrhe as of the frankinsence of each like waight then I assure you no pomander which is made of amber and muske would be so pleasant in the nostrils of God as this perfume of praier wherewith the Church is perfumed which is made of frankincense and myrrhe Of frankincense in a heart that seeketh and myrrhe in a hand that knocketh When Moses praied in mount Oreb his hands were holden vp by Vr and Aaron Yea they did not onely hold vp his hands but also they held his rod in his hands Now the rodde of Moses was a figure of the crosse of Christ. Whereby we are taught that we must not knocke with our owne hands but with Moses rod in our hands not trusting to be heard for the works of our owne hands for our own merits but for Christs mercies For this rodde of Moses is the crosse of Christ the key of Dauid the key wherewith Elias knockt or rather indeede he stood not without knocking like a stranger but with this key of praier he lockt and vn lockt heauen at his pleasure Among them that haue beene borne of women there hath not risen vp a greater then Iohn Baptist. Not a greater True Onely the first Iohn Baptist Elias was as great as the second Elias Iohn Baptist. For both of them came in one and the selfe same spirit in one and the selfe same power No maruell then though Elias beeing such a holy man one while by turning the key one way did locke vp the whole heauen another while by turning the same key of praier as much another way in the turning of a hand did vnlocke all the dores and windowes of heauen and set them wide open Why doe ye maruell at this Euen we we our selues I say shall
be able to doe as much as euer Elias did if we come in the spirit and power of Elias as Iohn Baptist did If we haue such a spirit in our heart to seeke and such a power in our hand to knocke it shall likewise be opened vnto vs. For Christ hath saide here Knocke and it shal be opened vnto you Thus much for the first part what we in our praier must performe to God in these words Aske seeke knocke The second part followeth what God for our praier will performe to vs And it shall be giuen you That 's for temporall things In another place it is said Giue and it shall be giuen you Here Aske and it shall be giuen you So that it is all one with God We may get as much of him by asking as by giuing By asking that which we haue not as by giuing that which we haue Yet S. Iames saies You aske and it is not giuen you But the reason follows Because you aske amisse Because you aske not with your mouth For you aske temporall things to consume them vpon your lusts Now though this be the ende which thou intendest yet thou darest not confesse so much with thy mouth Therfore then perhaps thou maist aske and misse whenas thou dost aske amisse Whenas saies Barnard either thou dost aske from the writtē word or els thou dost not aske for the begotten word Seeing euery thing which we aske as it must be assured and warranted to vs by the Scripture which is the written word so it must be count'nanced and commended to God by Christ which is the begotten word Now both these wordes written and begotten presuppose a mouth Which if they be in thy mouth then Gods promise is plaine Open thy mouth and I will fill it Aske of me and I will giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance For the eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are in their praiers He saies not their praiers are in his eares but his eares are in their praiers To signifie that though our praiers be so weake that they cannot pierce through the cloudes much lesse enter into the eares of the Lord of Hostes yet that he will bowe downe and incline his eares vnto our praiers So that though our praiers cannot be in his eares yet his eares shall be in our praiers A captaine of the host of Israel beeing cut off by the time before he could cut off all his enemies spake to the sunne saying Sunne stand thou still This was a temporall thing euen time it selfe which he praied for But there was neuer seene such a daie neither before nor since wherein the Lord obeyed the voice of a man His praiers were not in the eares of the Lord. They went vp to the sunne and no further Yet the eares of the Lord were in his praiers For the scripture saies not that the sunne obeyed but that the Lord obeyed the voice of a man To signifie that not onely God himselfe will yeeld vnto vs but also if the sunne or any other of his creatures should refuse to giue vs our asking yet that he will command and compell them also with himselfe to serue vs. And what man then will not obey the voice of the Lord seeing the Lord will obey the voice of a man Pharaoh beeing plagued with frogs got the man of God to pray for him And the Lord did according to the word of Moses And the Lord obeyed the voice of a man Moses did according to the word of the Lord. That 's plaine The Lord did according to the word of Moses That 's straunge Yet thus it is And this it shewes that if Moses will doe according to the word of the lord the lord will doe according to the word of Moses If we will keepe his precepts he will fulfill our praiers He will fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also will heare their crie and will help them I haue cried saies the Psalmist because thou hast heard me One would thinke he should haue said contrariwise Thou hast heard me because I haue cried Yet he saies I haue cried because thou hast heard me To shewe that crying doeth not alwaies goe before hearing with god as it doeth with vs but that God will not only heare our crie but also heare vs before we crie and will helpe vs. And that which is most admirable of all though it were a thing which once he purposed neuer to giue vs yet if we aske it he will reuerse and repeale his owne sentence to pleasure vs. God once repented him that he had made man said I will destroy man whom I haue made from the face of the earth Yet when Noah had built an altar and praied to God The lord smelleth a sauour of rest and said in his heart I will not henceforth curse the earth any more for mans cause God once was so displeased with his people that he said flatly I tell you truely I will deliuer you no more Yet when when they asked a deliuerer of him his very soule was grieued within him for the miserie of Israel and he gaue them Iepthe to deliuer them from their enemies God once sent Nathan with this message to Dauid As the Lord liueth the man that hath done this thing shall surely die Yet when Dauid had ask't forgiuenesse and said Haue mercie vpon me O lord after thy great goodnesse and according to the multitude of thy mercies doe away mine offences God sent the same prophet with a contrarie message The lord hath taken away thy sinne and thou shalt not die God once sent Esay with this message to Ezechias Set thy house in order for thou shalt die and not liue Yet when Ezechias had turned him toward the wall and wept and praied and said O Lord remember howe I haue walked before thee in trueth and with a perfect heart God sent the same prophet with a contrarie message Thus saith the lord I haue heard thy praiers and thy teares and now behold thou shalt liue and not die Then did the king reioyce in thy strength O lord exceeding glad was he of thy saluation For thou didst graunt him his owne desire and didst not denie him the request of his lips He asked life of thee and thou gauest him a longer life euen fifteene yeares longer As also here thou doest promise vs both for this life and for all temporall things cōcerning this life yea though it be a thing which once thou hadst purposed neuer to giue vs Aske and it shall be giuen you Yea not only God will giue you temporall things but also you shall find spiritual things Yet the Church saies I sought him whome my soule loued I sought him and I found him not But the reason goes before because she sought him in her bed she sought him not with her heart My soule loueth him saies she yet at