The Third Part.
  Of Prayer and Thanksgiving.

      M.  Thou hast in good time made mention of prayer.  For now thou hast ended the declaration of the law of God, and of the Creed, that is to say, the Christian confession, it followeth next to speak of prayer, and of thanksgiving, which is nearly conjoined to it: for these are in order knit, and fitly hanging together with the rest.

      S.  They be indeed most nearly joined, for they belong to the first table of God’s law, and do contain the principal duties of ⁱgodliness toward God.

      M.  In declaring of prayer what order shall we follow?

      S.  This order, master, if it so please you: first, to shew who is to be prayed unto: secondly, with what affiance: thirdly with what affection of heart: and, fourthly, what is to be prayed for.

      M.  First, then, tell me who thou thinkest is to be called upon?

      S.  Surely, none but God alone.

      M.  Why so?

      S.  Because ^kour life and salvation standeth in the hand of God alone, in whose power are all things.  Sith then God doth give us all that is good and that a Christian man ought to wish and desire; and sith he alone is able, in every ^ldanger, to give help and succour, and to drive away all perils, it is meet that of him we ask all things; and in all distresses flee to him alone, and crave his help.  For this he himself in ^mhis word asketh and requireth, as the peculiar and proper worshipping of his majesty.

      M.  Shall we not then do well to call upon holy men that are departed out of this life, or upon angels?

      S.  No.  For that were to give to them an infiniteness to be present everywhere, or to give them, being absent, an understanding of our secret meanings, that is, as much as a certain godhead, and therewithal partly to convey to them our confidence and trust, ⁿthat ought to be set wholly in God alone, and so to slide into idolatry.  But forasmuch as God calleth us to himself alone, and doth also, with adding an oath, promise that ^ohe will both hear and help us; to flee to the help of other were an evident token of distrust and infidelity.  And as touching the holy men that are departed out of this life, what manner of thing, I pray you, were this, forsaking the ^pliving God, that ^qheareth our prayers, that is most mighty, ^rmost ready to help us, that ^scalleth us unto him, that in the word of truth promiseth ^tand sweareth, that with his divine power and succour, he will defend us; forsaking him, I say, to flee to men dead, deaf, and weak, which neither have promised help, nor are able to relieve us, to whom God never gave the office to help us, to whom we are by no scriptures directed, whereupon our ^ufaith may surely rest, but are unadvisedly carried away, trusting only upon the dreams, or rather dotages of our own head.