Babington - Houston-Packer Collection BV4655 .B23 1615

upon the Lords P1áyeh To day if we heare the trueth letvs harden. no heartes again(} it. Sale not God is mercifull and I hope the belt, for as hee hath mercie, fo cornmeth wrath from him when we are wilfull. Woe to the eare that will not heare, fayth the Lord often. Larger difcourfes may bee looked of, if neede be, this ferueth for a tafle of truth in a lhort treatife. Syrac, 5. Tea Sir, but Godvrrderfiandeth whatroeuer we fay, in what tongue fo euer roej7 eake, Verfc,6 and that ù fuf icient. No indeede. For can you affirme that prayer was ordained for God alone, or for vs, to make our mone to God by alto ? It it were fo, and is fo, then ought wee as well to vnderf}andeour felues, as the Lórde to vnderftand vs. And is there no matter what we fpeake or how wee fpeake, fo that God vriderftand vs? Could wee fo content our felues towarde a man ? Let the one teach vs in the other, and let defperate conclufions haue deferued confufions before our eyes euer. We may afwell reafon againft fpeech of tongue, becaufe God knoweth our hearts, as againflvnderf iandingofourprayers, becaufe God vnderftandeth them. Bute - nough is faid. Goeyou then to the eaufes ofour prayers, which ù next in order of our verf . Thefe haue ineffe& alto fuft cientlye bene touched alreadie in this that bath bene fpoken. For wee haue heard caufes in refpea of our felues, and in refpeó} of pal ía our brethren. Which you may turne backe vntoagaine, if you will, andperufe all Io6g14.t4, caufes urgent and weightie of our prayers, that are. God hath commaunded vs Fái.14. to pray, G O D hathpromifed to heare vs if wee pray, threatens to punifh vs if Luke,i7,1, wee doe not :out faith is then confirmed by it, our dangers preuénted,our wantes v1st5, r I, V erle,t4 releeued, our lone to the Lord increafed, andour lines ordred to the example cf i'tai,1S r, Gods chofen, euer with fuch like, and thefe are great caufes to vfe it. Whatfay you then of the thud point concerning the perform to bee prayed vnto? I anfwere, that onely God and none but God is to beeprayed vino,. or as the wordesofourfaithandCreedehath, oneGodin Trinitie, and Trinitie in vnitie is to bee worfhipped. Which anfwere implying to thinges as you fee, to wit, that God is to bepray_ ed vnto, and onely to bee prayed vnto. Let vs fee the trueth of them both out of the word. Fir(} then for the former it is mentioned as in the Lame. Thoufalt pare the Lord thy God andferuehim, and fweare by his name. And in anothrr place, Thoufhaltfeare the Lord thy God and feerxe him,and thou.fhalt eleaueunto himandfiveare Deane 6.13. by his name. Cóap.t a,zo, With a number other proofes in eueryplace where the word offeruing the Lord, by a figure noteth all dueties due vnto him in general], andfoimplycth this, due- tie ofprayer to him in fpeciall. Eucis as Dauidexpoundeth it in his Pfalme, Paying, Iwi/lworJhiprowards thy ho- ly Temple, and then expreffeth what one thing hee meaneth by that worfhip. Twill prat( thy name becattf oft bylouingkindne /e and trueth, that is, by prayer ofthankef_ gluing and praife I will doe my duetie. So than this is plaine, and more plaine I truft, than that it fhould needeproofe, that God is to bee prayed vnto. If any would hauereafon as well as tiflimonies, the Apofile giueth vs a firong one of contraries, bee toucheth the Galathtanswith it as a fault no leffe than Idolatry, that theydidferuice vnto themwhich by nature were no Gods. For it inferreth plainelyour not offending, but molt right doing, when wee doc feruice vnto him that is by nature God. But prayer is a feruice, ansl a great feruice, therefore due and ntofî due to the Lord for euer. But it is not this that aisle man doubteth of, and therefore as I Paid, not to bee floode vpon.. It is the other that is a quef}ion , to wit, whether God onely is to pray ed vnto or no, and therefore let vs looke to that rather and fee the trueth. Concerningthis then, is not the Scripture as plaise, if wee will not wilfully be e blinded,

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