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the prayers used in holy baptism; not speaking low, but with a clear or loud voice, which may be heard of the people, that thereby the minds of the hearers may be stirred up with great devotion, in uttering the prayers of the Lord God; for so the holy Apostle teacheth, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, saying, Truly, if thou only bless or give thanks in spirit, how doth he, that occupieth the place of the unlearned,' say Amen at that thy giving thanks unto God? for he understandeth not what thou sayest. Thou verily givest thanks well; but the other is not edified And again in the Epistle to the Romans, he saith, With the heart a man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.' Therefore for these causes it is convenient, that, among other prayers, those things also, which are spoken in the holy oblation, be uttered and spoken of the most religious bishops and priests, unto our Lord Jesus Christ our God, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, with a loud voice. And let the most religious priests know this, that if they neglect any of these things, that they shall give an account for them in the dreadful judgment of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, Neither will we, when we know it, rest and leave it unrevenged."

This emperor, as Sabellicus writeth, favoured the Bishop of Rome; and yet we see how plain a decree he maketh, for praying and administering of Sacraments in a known tongue, that the devotion of the hearers might be stirred up by knowledge, contrary to the judgment of them that would have ignorance to make devotion. He maketh it also a matter of damnation to do these things in a tongue that the hearers understand not. Let us therefore conclude with God, and all good men's assent that no common Prayer, or Sacrament, ought to be ministered in a tongue that is not understood of the hearers.

HOM. XXI.

On Common Prayer, &c.

Now a word or two of private Prayer in an unknown tongue. We took in hand where we began to speak of this matter, not only to prove that no common Prayer, or administration of Sacraments, ought to be in a tongue unknown to the hearers, but also that no person ought to pray privately in a tongue that he himself understandeth not. Which thing shall not be hard to prove, if we forget not what Prayer is. For if Prayer be that devotion of the mind, which enforceth the heart to lift up itself to God, how should it be said, that that person prayeth, that understandeth not the words that his tongue speaketh in Prayer? Yea, how can it be said that he speaketh? For to speak is, by voice to utter the thought of the mind. And the voice that a man uttereth in speaking is nothing else but the messenger of the mind, to bring abroad the knowledge of that which otherwise lieth secret in the heart, and cannot be known, according to that which St. Paul writeth What man, saith he, knoweth the things that appertain to man, saving only the spirit of man, which is in man?" He, therefore, that doth not understand the voices that his tongue doth utter, cannot properly be said to speak, but rather to counterfeit as parrots, and such other birds, use to counterfeit men's voices. No man, therefore, that feareth to provoke the wrath of God against himself, will be so bold to speak of God unadvisedly, without regard of reverent understanding, in his presence, but he will prepare his heart before he presume to speak unto God. And therefore in our common Prayer the minister doth oftentimes say, 'Let us pray," meaning thereby to admonish the people, that they should prepare their ears to hear what he should crave at God's hand, and their hearts to consent to the same, and their tongues to say Amen at the end thereof. On this sort did the Prophet David prepare

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On Common Prayer, &c.

HOM. XXI.

his heart, when he said, 'My heart is ready, O my God, my heart is ready, I will sing and declare a psalm.' The Jews also, when in the time of Judith they did with all their heart pray God to visit his people of Israel, had so prepared their hearts before they began to pray. After this sort had Manasses prepared his heart before he prayed, and said, 'And now, O Lord, do I know the needs of my heart, asking of thee part of thy merciful kindness.' When the heart is thus prepared, the voice uttered from the heart is harmonious in the ears of God: otherwise he regardeth it not to accept it. But forasmuch as the person, that so babbleth his words without sense in the presence of God, sheweth himself not to regard the majesty of him that he speaketh to; he taketh him as a contemner of his Almighty Majesty, and giveth him his reward among hypocrites, which make an outward shew of holiness, but their hearts are full of abominable thoughts, even in the time of their prayers. For it is the heart that the Lord looketh upon, as it is written in the history of Kings. If we therefore will that our prayers be not abominable before God, let us so prepare our hearts before we pray, and so understand the things that we ask when we pray, that both our hearts and voices may sound together in the ears of God's Majesty; and then we shall not fail to receive at his hand the things that we ask, as good men which have been before us did, and so have we from time to time received that which, for their soul's health, they did at any time desire. St. Augustine seemeth to bear! in this matter: for he saith thus of them, which being brought up in grammar and rhetoric, are converted to Christ, and so must be instructed in Christian religion: “Let them know also (saith he) that it is not the voice, but the affection of the mind, that cometh to the ears of God." And so shall it come to pass, that if haply they shall mark that some bi

1 Sam. xvi.

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shops or ministers in the church do call upon God, either with barbarous words, or with words disordered, or that they understand not, or do disorderly divide the words that they pronounce, they shall not laugh them to scorn. Hitherto he seemeth to bear with praying in an unknown tongue. But in the next sentence he openeth his mind thus: Not for that these things ought not to be amended, that the people may say Amen to that which they do plainly understand. But yet these godly things must be borne withal of these catechists, or instructors of the faith, that they may learn, that as in the common place, where matters are pleaded, the goodness of an oration consisteth in sound, so in the church it consisteth in devotion. So that he alloweth not the praying in a tongue not understood of him that prayeth: but he instructeth the skilful orator to bear with the rude tongue of the devout simple minister. To conclude: If the lack of understanding the words that are spoken in the congregation do make them unfruitful to the hearers, how should not the same make the words read unfruitful to the reader? The merciful goodness of God grant us his grace to call upon him as we ought to do, to his glory and our endless felicity; which we shall do, if we humble ourselves in his sight, and in all our prayers, both common and private, have our minds fully fixed upon him. For the prayer of them that humble themselves shall pierce through the clouds, and till it draw nigh unto God, it will not be answered; and till the Most High do regard it, it will not depart, And the Lord will not be slack, but he will deliver the just, and execute judgment. To him therefore be all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Ecclus. xxxv.

How those persons who deny or neglect the use of the holy Sacraments, instituted by "the Lord of Glory," can appear guilt

HOM. XXII.

An Information, &c.

HOMILY XXII.

An Information for them who take offence at certain Places of the holy Scripture.

THE great utility and profit, that Christian men and women may take, if they will, by hearing and reading the holy Scriptures, (dearly beloved) no heart can sufficiently conceive, much less is my tongue able with words to express. Wherefore Satan, our enemy, seeing the Scriptures to be the very main and right way to bring the people to the true knowledge of God, and that Christian religion is greatly furthered by diligent hearing and reading of them, he also perceiving what an hinderance and let they be to him and his kingdom, doth what he can to drive the reading of them out of God's church. And for that end he hath always stirred up, in one place or other, cruel tyrants, sharp persecutors, and extreme enemies unto God and his infallible truth, to pull, with violence, the holy Bibles out of the people's hands, and have most spitefully destroyed and consumed the same to ashes in the fire, pretending, most untruly, that the much hearing and reading of God's word is an occasion of heresy and carnal liberty, and the overthrow of all good order in all well-ordered commonweals. If to know God aright be an occasion of evil, then we must needs grant, that the hearing and reading of the holy Scriptures is the

less before his awful tribunal, or satisfy the upbraiding of their own consciences, is not easy to ascertain; surely, being administered in an unknown tongue of itself is not sufficient, nothing but invincible ignorance can be pleaded in opposition to plain and positve com mands. Matt, xxviii. 19. 1 Cor. xi, 23, 30.

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