If a man should come to a Prince and keepe such order in making his petitions vnto him, that hauing very many things to demaunde, after he had demaunded one thing he woulde stay a long tyme, and then demaunde another, and so the thirde, the Prince might well thinke, that eyther he came to aske, before he knew what he had neede of, or that he had forgotten some piece of his sute, or that he were distracted in his vnderstanding, or some other such like cause of the disorder of his sup∣plication. And therefore how much more conuenient were it, that according to the maner of the re∣formed Churches: first the minister with an humble and generall confession of faults, should desire the assistance of the Lord, for the fruteful handling and receyuing of the worde of God, and then af∣ter that we haue heard the Lorde speake vnto vs in his worde, by his minister, the Church should likewise speake vnto the Lorde, and present all those petitions and sutes at once, both for the whole Church, and for the Prince, and all other estates which shall be thought needfull.
As much differencs as there is betwixt man and God: so farre is your similitude* 1.1 from prouing your purpose: except you will admit the like similitude vsed by the Pa∣pists, to proue praying to Saints: for the one hath as muche strength to proue ani〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 thing as the other, and yet neither of them both worth a rush. And here you doe in∣iurie to God, to compare him to an earthly Prince, especially in this behalfe. For what Prince would not thinke himselfe abused, if a man shoulde dayly and hourely sue vnto him? But it is not so with God: for we haue a commaundement to pray continually. Luke. 18. 1. Thes. 5. and he doth not respect the forme of wordes, but the affection of the heart. And in verie déede it is most conuenient that reading of the scriptures and praying should be intermingled.
All the scripture that you haue to alledge is the reformed Churches, let other men thinke what they will, I verily beléeue that in our maner and kinde of worshipping God, in our publike and common prayers, there is no cause why we shoulde thinke our selues one whit inferiour vnto them: they also or the must part of them, haue al∣lowed the same order of ours, at what time the like contention was about the same booke, amōg our English mē which were in Q. Maries time banished for the gospel.