misery and necessity, to a more fervent prayer, the Lord himself hath commanded us to call upon him for help and succour. Therefore let us have the commandments of God always in our sight touching prayer; and while we pray, let us call them to our remembrance. Ask, seek, knock, watch, and pray (Matt. vii.) Call upon me, saith God, in the day of thy trouble (Ps. L.) Pray alway with all manner of prayer and supplication, and watch thereunto with all diligence (Eph. vi.) Rejoice alway, pray continually, in all things be thankful; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesu towards you (1 Thess. v.) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving (Coloss. iv.) Let your requests be shewed unto God in prayer and supplication with giving of thanks (Phil. iv.) And this we are also no less bound to do by that commandment whereby we are forbidden to take the name of God in vain. For in that we are there forbidden to take the name of God in vain, we are commanded also to take and to use it to his glory, giving unto him the praise of all goodness, help, and succour, while we ask and look for the same at his hand. Wherefore, except we fly unto him in our trouble and necessity, except we call upon him and seek unto him for succour, we provoke his displeasure no less than if we should make unto ourselves idols, or worship strange gods: for in the contempt of all the commandments we shew like contempt and disobedience to the will of God; and all these sentences which command us to call upon God, do appertain to this commandment, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; and so prayer is a work and chief service belonging to this commandment. We may not therefore think that there are no other sins than idolatry, murder, theft, whoredom, and such like; but also that it is undoubtedly a great sin not to render this service to God, that is, not to pray, not to ask, not to look for help from God in necessity, not to render thanks for the benefits we have received. Therefore, if our unworthiness at any time do cry out against us, stop or fear us, in such sort that our consciences are astonied and fly from God; if we doubt

whether God have respect to our prayers, groanings, and tears; we must set before our eyes how that we are commanded, though we be never so unworthy and our sins never so many and great, to pray for reconciliation, God's favour, and forgiveness of our sins: for else, whereas God commandeth us to abstain from theft, murder, whoredom, &c., we may in like sort excuse ourselves, and say that we are unworthy to obey God's commandments. Great is our iniquity, and manifest is our contempt and despising of God, when we neglect and delay to call for his help. Such as fly unto God, and call upon him in their necessities, obey his will, and find therein no small consolation, knowing that thereby they do unto him acceptable service, forasmuch as he pronounceth that nothing is to him more acceptable than obedience.

As we are commanded of God boldly, and without all respect of our own unworthiness, to come unto him as a merciful Father, and one that knoweth our necessity and pitieth our misery; so hath he promised graciously to hear us and grant our requests. And hereof riseth yet a far more comfortable and greater consolation; wherein consisteth our whole confidence and trust of obtaining succour and mercy at God's hand, wherefore he allureth us with many most sweet promises to call upon him. Ask, saith he, and ye shall have; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you (Matt. vii.) Ye shalĺ cry unto me, and I will hear you; ye shall seek me, and ye shall find me (Jer. xxix.) Call upon me in the day of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee (Psalm L.) He shall call upon me, and I will hear him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him, and glorify him (Psalm_xci.) He that is Lord over all is rich and bountiful towards all them that call upon him (Rom. x.) He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he will hear their cry, and will save them (Psalm cxLv.) Among many sweet promises of God, though these might be sufficient to provoke us to fervent and hearty prayer, yet there be certain other notable and most comfortable promises, which we should specially have in remembrance, as

these: If ye which are evil can give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to them that desire him! (Luke xi.) Consider the old generations, and mark them well; was there ever any confounded, that put his trust in the Lord? or who hath continued in his fear, and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise, that called upon him? (Ecclus. ii.) The Lord is nigh to all them that call upon him in truth: he doth the will of them that fear him, and he will hear their prayers (Psal. cxLv.) At the voice of thy cry he will certainly have mercy on thee: when he heareth thee, he will answer thee. And to declare his readiness in hearing of sinners, afterward he saith, Before they cry I will answer, and whiles they are yet in thinking what to speak, I will hear (Isai. LXV.) And of all other that is the most notable, which by the prophet Joel is added immediately after the prophecy of that horrible destruction that was at hand: Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel ii.)

Here let us consider the order of the promises: which pertain either outwardly to the body, or inwardly to the soul; which part, because it is much more precious than the other, we must first crave such things as properly belong to the salvation thereof. But first of all, confessing our sins unto God with most humble and penitent heart, let us set before us the promises of remission thereof. For this sentence is true, God heareth no sinners; that is, such as delight and continue in sin'. Wherefore in all our prayers, yea, when we be about to ask any other things whatsoever they be, let us first think of the remission of sins, having alway in our sight some comfortable promises thereof, as this: If we confess and acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our offences, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. And hereunto let us crave the light of the Holy Ghost to kindle and confirm in us the knowledge of God. Let us pray for the continuance of God's holy word and gospel amongst us, for the enlarging of his kingdom,

and the advancing of his glory, for deliverance from impiety and eternal death. Let us beg the gift of faith, repentance, fear, patience, prayer, hope, love, joy, peace of conscience, with such other fruits of the Spirit, and for everlasting life. And here also we must remember, that we do not only call ourselves continually to account for our new sins, craving at God's hand mercy and forgiveness of the same, but also for those sins which might seem to have been long ago forgotten: as David, having confessed an heinous offence, by that occasion returneth even to his mother's womb, wherein he had gathered the infection, heaping together the sins of his whole life. Even so in another place, when he asketh another thing, he saith, Remember not the sins of my youth, remember me according to thy mercy, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord 2. Again, Look upon mine affliction and travail, and forgive all my sins3. When we have thus prayed for things pertaining to the soul and to the kingdom of God, we must pray also for corporal benefits, as well common as private, as peace and tranquillity of those countries which give harborough to the true professors of the gospel and godly congregations, being in this life as Daniel in the midst of the lions: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, saith David. Also for defence from misery, deliverance from trouble, for happy success in the works of our vocation, for health, living, protection of life, goods, name, &c. And although the Lord knoweth before we ask what we have need of, and is ready to give liberally, yea, and doth give oftentimes undesired, and furthermore hath promised, that seeking first the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof, all other things should be given us; yet he commandeth us to ask corporal benefits, and that for three causes. First, that we should know that he is the author and giver of these things, and therefore should not only be thankful for them, but also stirred up thereby to seek, love, and worship him. Secondly, that we should be well persuaded of his good providence towards us, when we understand 4 Ps. cxxii.

1 Ps. Li. 2 Ps. xxv.

3 Ps. XXV.

that he doth not only promise that he will never fail us, but also hath his hand always stretched out to help them that call upon him. Thirdly, that our faith of reconciliation and forgiveness of sins should be exercised through the asking of those corporal things. And herein we must specially and above all things seek the glory of God, and therefore we must pray for these things conditionally: if it be thy will, Lord, if it be expedient for me, if it stand with thy honour and glory. Hereof we have example of Christ: Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Likewise of the three children which said unto Nabuchodonosor, We know that our God whom we worship can deliver us; but if it shall not please him so to do, let it be known to thee, O king, that thy gods we will not worship". With this obedience also to the will of God spake David, when he said, If I shall find favour in the sight of the Lord, he will bring me again; but if he shall say unto me, Thou dost not please me, I am ready, let him do as it seemeth him good". And Job: Though he kill me, yet will I put my trust in him.

Therefore, forasmuch as we know that it is the lot of God's children to be alway under the cross, and therefore concerning these corporal benefits we know not how or what to ask as we ought, we must herein offer our obedience unto God, abiding his good will and pleasure so long as it shall seem good unto him to exercise us in the want thereof: who suffereth us sometime to be afflicted for our chastisement and for the probation of our continuance, and also that we may receive with greater gladness that (if to his divine wisdom it seem expedient for us) which with ardent desire we have long looked for. St. Paul saith, When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world. But when we pray for spiritual things, we must ask them absolutely and without condition; for thereunto do pertain the chief promises of the gospel,

5 Josh. i.
8 Job xiii.

6 Dan. iii.
9 1 Cor. xi.

7 2 Sam. xv.