godly ministers’, whereby his name may be always sanctified and the church of God may be happily governed, to the salvation of all those that believe. Of the Form and Manner How to Pray to God That Is, of the Calling on the Name of the Lord: Where Also the Lord’s Prayer Is Expounded; and Also Singing, Thanksgiving, and the Force of Prayer, Is Entreated. The Fifth Sermon
After the ministry of the word of God in the church of Christ handled, methinketh I have convenient place to entreat of the prayer of the faithful, whereunto godly ministers never leave to stir up the church.
The word prayer is very largely taken among writers, and in daily use. At this present we use it after the same manner that David the prophet used it, saying: Hear my prayer, O God; and let my cry come unto thee.” For prayer is an humble and earnest laying forth of a faithful mind, whereby we either ask good things at God’s hands, or else give him thanks for those things which we have received. And of prayer chiefly there are two parts; invocation or asking, and thanksgiving. By petition we lay open unto God the requests and desires of our heart; beseeching him to give us good things, and that he will turn from us evil things, as may be to his glory and good pleasure, and according to [5 episcopos, Lat.] [9 Etenim, Lat.: For.]
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our necessity. In invocation or petition we comprehend obsecration, which is a more vehement prayer; and also intercession, whereby we commend other men’s matters to the Lord. For we offer prayers to the Lord our God, not only for ourselves, but also for our brethren, and for their manifold necessities; for them that are distressed with perils; for those that be sick; for them which suffer persecution, or are in a manner oppressed with other calamities and afflictions. Neither! do we exclude beseechings, whereby we earnestly desire evils to be turned away from ourselves or from others. There are also complaints, whereby the saints in their prayers do holily expostulate with God. Thanksgiving comprehendeth both divine praises; and also celebrateth with a joyful spirit God his noble power? and the benefits received at his hand. Hereunto is referred a great part of the Psalms: whereof part pertain to invocation or calling upon God; and some serve to teach or instruct, and some to declare or expound: whereof at this present there is no place to speak. Paul, the blessed apostle of Christ, acknowledging these parts of prayer, writing to the Colossians, saith: Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” And to the Philippians: Let your requests be shewed unto God, in prayer and supplication ii. with giving of thanks.” And again unto Timothy: “I exhort, therefore,” saith Paul, “that first of all prayers, supplications, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.”
Kinds of prayers are these. There is a private prayer of every faithful man; and there is also a public prayer of the whole church. Private prayer is made unto God by every faithful man, in what place soever, either in the house or without doors, in the closet of his heart and temple of his own body: for St Peter went up into the uppermost part of i the house and prayed; St Paul saith, “I will therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up pure hands;” and Christ our Lord himself very often departed even out of the temple into the mount to pray. And in the gospel he saith: When thou prayest, enter into thy chamber; and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret.”
Public prayer is that which is used of the church, which [1 Ergo nec, Lat.] [2 virtutes eximias, Lat.]
is made unto God in the holy assembly, according to the accustomed order of every church. Now the pastor’s duty is, as Paul also admonisheth in the 1 Tim. ii., and we in the last sermon before this have rehearsed, to gather together, instruct, and preserve the assemblies, in which supplications or common prayers are made. And they are greatly to be blamed, who are more negligent in this behalf than becometh them; neither are they indeed to be suffered, which seldom or never teach diligently, and are cold in stirring up a desire in men, to pray. Men by nature are slow and slack in the study of religion, and therefore we have need of a sharp spur; and the charge and office of stirring up, and provoking, is committed to the pastors of churches. The prophets somewhere cry: Blow out the trumpet in Sion, assemble a congregation.” For in a holy congregation three things are chiefly used; the teaching of the gospel, faithful prayers, and religious celebration or administration of the sacraments: and sometimes there is a collection made for the relieving of the poor and of the church. The holy scripture witnesseth, that these things are not instituted at the will and pleasure of man, but by the authority of God; yea, and immediately after the first beginning of things; and that they were also used of the most holy worshippers of God. Of those most ancient patriarchs, both which were first before the flood and which followed immediately after, there is no doubt; since the scripture plainly witnesseth of Jacob himself, the nephew? of Abraham, that he erected an altar in Bethel, whereunto he assembled his whole household, though it were exceeding great, and there offered sacrifice unto God. In Moses’ time by the law, in most evident commandments, he instituted holy assemblies: yea, in the ten commandments he diligently commandeth to sanctify the sabbath-day; which also comprehendeth holy assemblies. The holy prophets of God do everywhere praise and commend the ecclesiastical assemblies of God’s people. Neither did Christ our Lord disallow them, when he came in the flesh: for as in the most notable assemblies and feasts he taught with great diligence; even so he gathered and assembled together both the people and also his disciples, whom he specially commanded that they should not depart from Hierusalem, but