Diues [et] pauper

Caplm .lviij.

DIues. wherto sholde we pray to god for ony thynge / for he is not chaūgeable / & he may nought gyue vs but he wyste it well byfore the begynnynge of the worlde what he sholde gyue vs. ¶Pauper. We do not praye for to chaūge his en¦deles ordenaūce / but for to gette to vs by prayer that he hath ordeyned with¦out ende to graunte it vs by prayers. For sythen he is our lorde / & we may nought do / ne nothyng haue without hym therfore he wyll that we praye to hym as to our lorde / & in our prayers knowlechyng hym our lorde. And he wyll not graūte vs many thynges y^t vs nedeth but we praye hym therfore ¶Diues. Why praye we to god with our mouth sythen he knoweth all our thoughtes / all our desyre / all our wyll & all what vs nedeth. ¶Pauper. For as I sayd fyrste / god wyll y^t we know leche hym for our lorde / & knowleche our nede y^t we may nothyng do / ne no¦thyng haue without hym / the whiche knowlechyng muste be done with the mouth. For saynt Poule sayth. Yf a man or woman wyl be saued / he must haue right byleue in herte inwarde & knowleche it outwarde with his mou¦the. Ro .x. Corde em̄ credi•• ad iusticiā¦ore aūt cōfessio fit ad salutē. More o∣uer my frendes ye shall vnderstande that ther is two maner of prayers / one is comon / an other is synguler. Comon prayer is the prayers of the mynystres of holy chirche and of co∣mon persones in holy chirche / whiche prayers they make in the name of al the people. And this maner of prayer muste be done by mouth / that the peo¦ple may knowe that they praye for them. And therfore it is ordeyned by the lawe that suche prayers sholde be sayd / and somtyme songe openly with an hyghe voyce that the people may here it. But synguler prayer that is done but of one synguler persone / it may be done with herte allone with∣out voyce of the mouth. Neuertheles somtyme it is good to hym y^t prayeth to praye by mouth. And that for ma¦ny causes. Fyrste to excyte his herte to more deuocyon by tokens outwar∣de. And therfore as longe as a man or a woman is styred to deuocyon by speche or vocall prayer / by knelynge /

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bowynge / fastynge / or ony other ob∣seruaūce resonable / so longe it is well done to vse it in his prayer / but yf he be letred therby from deuocōn & falle therby in dystraccōn / it is better to le∣ue it for a tyme than to vse it. For we fynde primo Regū .ij. That Anna spake in her herte to god with bytter teres / & yet ther herde noman her voy¦ce. Also men praye with the voyce of the mouthe in yeldynge of dette. For man is boūden to serue god with all his myght & vertue that god hath gy¦uen hym / with herte worde & werke / with all his myght & all his wytte. And therfor holy chirche syngeth and sayth. Os lingua mens sensus vigor confessionē {per}sonent. Mouthe tongue wytte & myght make knowlechynge & praysynge to god. And in this ma∣ner bedes byddynge is parte of satys¦faccyon for synne. Also men praye w^t voyce of the mouth for grete deuocōn that is inwarde in herte / whiche bre∣keth out by speche of the mouthe / as sayth Cryste in the gospell. Luce .vi. Ex habundancia cordis os loquitur. The mouthe sayth he speketh of su∣che thynges wherof it is plente in the herte. And therfore the prophete sayth Letatū est cor meū et exultauit lingua mea. Myne herte sayth he was mery & gladde inwarde / & anone myn ton∣gue made Ioye outwarde. Also men praye with voyces in speche to the mo¦re confusyon of the fende / for he may not knowe mennes deuocōn inwarde but by tokens outwarde. And the mo¦re deuocyon & loue that he seeth men to haue to god / the more is it his con¦fusyon & payne. And therfore is he so besy now a dayes to tempte men in holy chirche to pryde / to couetyse / sleu the / glotonye / & lecherye / for to lette holy prayers in holy chirche / whiche is to hym veray confusyon & sorowe. And therfore sayth the {pro}phete of hȳ whan he hereth holy prayers & seeth men deuoute. Peccator videbit et iras¦cetur. dentibus suis ••••emit et tabescet The synfull wretche the fende of hel¦le shal see mennes deuocōn / & he shal be ful wroth. He shall gnasche or gna¦re with his teeth & be full euyll abas∣shed. For the desyres of the deuylles & theyr discyples y^• wolde lette holy pray¦ers shall perysshe & come to nought.