The French academie Fully discoursed and finished in foure bookes. 1. Institution of manners and callings of all estates. 2. Concerning the soule and body of man. 3. A notable description of the whole world, &c. 4. Christian philosophie, instructing the true and onely meanes to eternall life. This fourth part neuer before published in English. All written by the first author, Peter de la Primaudaye, Esquire, Lord of Barre, Chauncellour, and Steward of the French Kings house.
La Primaudaye, Pierre de, b. ca. 1545., Dolman, R. (Richard), W. P., fl. 1618., Bowes, Thomas, fl. 1586., Phillip, William, attributed name.

3. Exercises proper to a Christian, specially prayer.

After the discourse of so many notable doctrines drawen from the holy Scriptures, wee may well say with Saint Paul, But I passe not a all, neither is my life deare vnto my selfe, so that I may fulfill my course with ioy, in the ad••nistration which I haue receiued of the Lord Iesus. Which * to doe, it is conuenient for vs, in all things to exercise that which God hath ordained, to nourish in vs godlinesse, faith, loue, humilitie, patience, hope, perseuerance, and all other gifts and graces giuen vnto vs (which proceed of his bountie) by the which it hath pleased him to elect and to adopt vs to himselfe in Iesus Christ our Sauiour; which are so many meanes ordained by his prouidence, to make vs to obtaine eternall life. Whereunto serueth (as it is declared in the first part of our Philosophy) the often reading, and meditating of the word of God, to instruct and to teach our families to do the same, often to be present, and to persuerat the preaching of the word in the holy church, there to confesse and to cal vpon the name of God, and to communicate the Sacraments. The profession of Christians is a doctrine giuen from heauen, not to umble or tosse it vp and downe in our mindes, but to seat it in our hearts, neither yet to haue it at our tongues ends, only to speake thereof, but to spread it selfe throughout all the parts of our liues, with the efficacy of good works. We must (saieth Saint Iames) bee doers of the word, and not hearers onely, deceining our owne seles. God hath adopted vs to bee his children, but vpon condition, that the image of Christ should * shine in vs. He hath chosen vs to bee his temple, but his temple is holy, and his spirit dwel∣leth therein. He hath redeemed vs with a price, but it is to the end that he might bee glori∣fied in our bodies and in our soules, which belong vnto him. He hath freed vs from sinne by Christ, but to be seruants to righteousnes. He hath giuen vs his well beloued Sonne for * our iustification, but to the end also that he should be our sanctification. He would haue him die for all men, but to make vs to liue to him that died and rose againe to obtaine eternall life for vs. Therefore let vs remember that which the faithfull spouse saith, I haue washed my feet, how shal I defile them?) And that which the Apostle teacheth vs: saying, *Seeing then that wee haue these promise, let vs cles our solues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit, and finish our sanctification in the feare of God. As the conditions and bonds betweene him and vs, is holy. But as it is God which worketh in vs, both the will and the deed, euen of his good pleasure, let vs onely resigne our selues ouer vnto him, earnestly and continual∣ly beseeching him to accomplish the end of our vocation to his glory, prayer is the soule of our soules, it quickneth all our affections & works. For without the grace of God, which we * obtaine by praier, all whatsoeuer we thinke or doe, is vanity. Faith, is the key which openeth the coffers of Gods treasures; but praier is the hand wherwith we draw out those treasures, to inrich our selues withall. It lifteth our heart from the earth vp to heauen, it refresheth our memory with the promises of Christ, to confirme vs therein, it assureth vs against all fearcs, it obtaineth all whatsoeuer wee desire, i giueth peace and contentment to our Page  999 soules, it keepeth and encreaseth our minds in the feare of God, it augmenteth our affection to be ioyned with him in Christ, whereon consisteth our soueraigne good, it begetteth in our hearts a dispising of the and a defiance of the works of the flesh, it presenteth vn∣to, and maketh our soules feele the eternall and celestiall goodnes of God.

And to be short, praier, by the which we honour God, maketh him continue his good wil towards vs. There is nothing more to be desired then to conuerse with him that is our ioy & consolation, and without whom we cannot liue happily nor contentedly. God is he that giueth vs happines & contentment, whersoeuer he is, there is Paradise, and where he is not there is hell; then he that wil alwaies be conuersant with God, either, let him pray, or reade his word according to S. Augustines counsel, For when we pray we speak to God, and when we reade the holy Scriptures, he speaketh vnto vs, and the more we exercise both the one, * and the other, we aduance our selues in piety. Therefore we must not leaue off, nor hee dis∣couraged in our praiers, although the Lord hearing vs, oftentimes deferreth vs from feeling the fruits of our requests, and giueth vs more then we aske at his hands. For as we haue said in another place, we owe him this honor to remit and refer our selues vnto his wisedome, as touching the time to receiue that for the which wee pray vnto him, and as cencerning the maner to be heard and succoured by his bountifull mercy.

It should suffice vs, that he maketh vs this promise (and he cannot lie) That whatsoeuer we shal aske the Father in his name, it shall be giuen vs. And if he delaierh the accomplish∣ing thereof, it is for our great good. Let hope the daughter of faith, in the meane time no∣rish * her mother, and fortefie her constantly to attend vntill such time as the Lord shall en∣cline her eares vnto vs, and make vs to feele the ful effect of his promises, which are alwaies * certen and infallible. Zacharias & Elizabeth thought they had praied in vaine, when in their youthful daies they asked children of the Lord, yet when they were old, and out of hope of any children, the angel of the Lord said vnto Zacharias: (thy prayer is hard) not that which he then made, for he thought no more vpon hauing children but that which he had made vn∣to God, long time before. And also because God oftentimes heareth vs, not according to * our wils, but for our profits; it hapneth sometimes, that in mercy he refuseth that vnto his childrē, which in his anger he grāteth to strāgers & peruerse people. As whē weaske of God things concerning this life, as health, benefits, dignities, riches, parents, friends, and lands: & God depriuing vs of all that, giueth vs spirituall graces, wherin we shall feele much more profit, ioy, & contentment by his prouidence in the want that wee haue of his terrestriall benefits, ordaining the means to eucrease & augment our glory i the kingdome of heauen, Then let vs learne that when wee feele a slackenes and sluggishnes in our duty of praier, & when we haue scarce begun to pray, that in stead of thinking vpon God, & that which we aske of him, our mindes are carried an other way, they are testimonies of our corruption and infirmitie, whereinto Sathan thrusteth himselfe to trouble vs, & to put vs in a distrust of his heauenly grace. Wherof S. Chrysostom eloquently sheweth the cause, and consequent∣ly the remedy: saying, how comes it to passe, that when we speake of warre, of marchandise, * and of other worldly matters, we discourse and argue long time without thinking vpon a∣ny other things; and presently when we pray vnto God, our mindes wauer, and goe astray? Learne this Christian (said he) it is because the diuel knoweth well, that speaking of earthly matters, thou dost him no hurt, and therefore hee suffreth thee to discourse as long as thou wilt. But when he seeth thee kneele down, to pray vnto God, be knoweth that thou goet about to procure that which he hateth, and which tendeth to the destruction of his king∣dome. And therefore he thrusteth himselfe in between both, troubling, and drawing thy thoughts an other way, to hinder the fruits of thy prayers.

Then say to Sathan, who at that time is so neere vnto thee: Away from me, thou temp∣ter, for I must pray vnto my God, and when thou feelest him importunate with thee, beseech God to driue him away from thee, & so perseuere in thy prayer. Now for that it may so fall out, that by meanes of some great affliction of the body, or of the soule, some man may bee so feeble, that he cannot make any formall prayer with tongue and voice, hee ought not therefore to be discouraged. For at the least, he hath power to desire his own good and sal∣uation. There is no sicknes, no nor any terrant, that can hinder or impeach him from that. The mind and desire is a praier before God, he heareth saith Dauid the desire of the hum∣ble * and poore, hee prepareth their hearts, and bendeth his eares vnto them. Therefore let vs alwaies say with him, and when wee cannot say it, let vs meditate in our thoughts * (Lord I powre my whole desire before thee, and my sighing is not hidde from Page  1000thee. It is written of Ezachias King of Iuda, That in his affliction, he could not distinctly pray vnto God, but chattred like a Crane, or a swallow, or grumbled like a doue; yet lifting his eyes vp to heauen, his prayer was eard. What prayers doth the little child make to the * mother? i weepeth and cryeth, and she giues it the brest, or giueth him some other thing, which she thinketh he needeth. Much more and sooner will our heauenly Father that vn∣derstandeth the sighs, the sobs, and the wishes of his children, doe the office of a good Fa∣ther towards them, prouiding them of all things necessary.