than in such superfluities; as though, when thou HOM.XVIII. wast christened, thou didst not renounce the pride of this world, and the pomp of the flesh. I speak not against convenient apparel for every state agreeable; but against the superfluity; against the vain delight to covet such vanities, to devise new fashions to feed thy pride with, to spend so much upon thy carcase, that thou and thy husband are compelled to rob the poor, to maintain thy costliness.

Hear how that noble holy woman Queen Esther setteth out these goodly ornaments-as they be called-when, in respect of saving God's people, she was compelled to put on such glorious apparel, knowing that it was a fit stale to blind the eyes of carnal fools. Thus she prayed: Thou knowest, O Lord, the necessity, which I am driven to, to put on this apparel, and that I abhor this sign of pride and of this glory which I bear on my head, and that I defy it as a filthy cloth, and that I wear it not when I am alone. Again, by what means was Holofernes deceived, but by the glittering shew of apparel, which that holy woman Judith did put on her, not as delighting in them, nor seeking vain voluptuous pleasure by them; but she wear it of pure necessity, by God's dispensation, using this vanity to overcome the vain eyes of God's enemy? Such desire was in those holy noble women, being very loth and unwilling otherwise to wear such sumptuous apparel, by the which others should be caused to forget themselves. These be commended in Scripture for abhorring such vanities, which, by constraint and great necessity, against their hearts' desire, were compelled to wear them for a time. And shall such women be worthy commendations, which neither be comparable with these women aforesaid in nobility, nor comparable to them in their good zeal to God and his people, whose daily delight and seeking is to flourish in such gay shifts and changes, never satisfied nor regarding who smarteth for their apparel, so they may come by it?

O vain men! which be subjects to their wives in these inordinate affections. O vain women! to pro

HOM.XVIII. cure so much hurt to themselves; by the which they come the sooner to misery in this world, and in the mean time be abhorred of God, hated and scorned of wise men, and in the end like to be joined with such, who in hell, too late repenting themselves, shall openly complain with these words; What hath our pride profited us? Or what profit hath the pomp of riches brought us? All these things are passed away like a shadow. As for virtue, we did never shew any sign thereof: and thus we are consumed in our wickedness. If thou sayest that the custom is to be followed, and the use of the world doth compel thee to such curiosity; then I ask of thee, whose custom should be followed, wise folks' manners, or fools'? If thou sayest the wise; then I say, follow them; for fools' customs who should follow but fools? Consider that the consent of wise men ought to be alleged for a custom. Now, if any lewd custom be used, be thou the first to break it, labour to diminish it, and lay it down; and more laud before God, and more commendation, shalt thou win by it, than by all the glory of such superfluity.

Thus ye have heard declared unto you, what God requireth by his word concerning the moderate use of his creatures. Let us learn to use them moderately, as he hath appointed. Almighty God hath taught us to what end and purpose we should use our apparel. Let us therefore learn so to behave ourselves in the use thereof, as becometh Christians ; always shewing ourselves thankful to our heavenly Father for his great and merciful benefits, who giveth unto us our daily bread, that is to say, all things necessary for this our needy life: unto whom we shall render accounts for all his benefits, at the glorious appearing of our Saviour Christ: to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, praise, and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

sirangar barsand (See p. 319, and Exod. xvii. 9, &c.) "There is nothing in all the world more strong than a man that himself to fervent prayer." (See p. 320.)

AN HOMILY

OR

SERMON CONCERNING PRAYER.

HOM. XIX.

THERE is nothing in all man's life, well-beloved in
our Saviour Christ, so needful to be spoken of, and
daily to be called upon, as hearty, zealous, and de-
vout prayer; the necessity whereof is so great, that
without it nothing may be well obtained at God's
hand. For, as the Apostle James saith, Every good James i.
and perfect gift cometh from above, and proceedeth
from the Father of lights: who is also said to be Rom. x.
rich and liberal towards all them that call upon
him;
not because he either will not or cannot give with-
out asking, but because he hath appointed prayer
as an ordinary means between him and us.

There is no doubt but he always knoweth what Matt. vi.
we have need of, and is always most ready to give
abundance of those things that we lack. Yet, to the
intent we might acknowledge him to be the giver of
all good things, and behave ourselves thankfully
towards him in that behalf, loving, fearing, and
worshipping him sincerely and truly, as we ought to

Psal. 1.

Matt. vii.

1 Tim. ii.. Phil. iv. Col. iv.

HOM. XIX. do; he hath profitably and wisely ordained, that in time of necessity we should humble ourselves in his sight, pour out the secrets of our heart before him, and cravé help at his hands, with continual, earnest, and devout prayer. By the mouth of his holy Prophet David he saith on this wise: Call upon me in the days of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee. Likewise in the Gospel, by the mouth of his well-beloved Son Christ, he saith, Ask, and it shall be given you; knock, and it shall be opened: for whosoever asketh, receiveth; whosoever seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. St. Paul also most agreeably consenting hereunto, willeth men to pray every where, and to continue therein with thanksgiving. Neither doth the blessed Apostle St. James in this point any thing dissent, but, earnestly exhorting all men to diligent prayer, saith, If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, which giveth liberally to all men, and reproacheth no man. Also, in another place, Pray one for another, saith he, that ye may be healed: for the righteous man's prayer availeth much, if it be fervent. What other thing are we taught by these and such other places, but only this, that Almighty God, notwithstanding his heavenly wisdom and foreknowledge, will be prayed unto; that he will be called upon; that he will have us no less willing on our part to ask, than he on his part is willing to give?

James i.

James v.

Therefore most fond and foolish is the opinion and reason of those men, which therefore think all prayer to be superfluous and vain, because God searcheth the heart and the reins, and knoweth the Rom. viji. meaning of the spirit before we ask. For if this fleshly and carnal reason were sufficient to disannul prayer, then why did Our Saviour Christ so often cry to his disciples, Watch and pray? Why did he prescribe them a form of prayer, saying, When ye pray, pray after this sort: Our Father, which art in heaven, &c.? Why did he pray so often and so earnestly himself before his passion? Finally, why did the Apostles, immediately after his ascension, gather themselves together into one several place, and there

Luke xxii.
Matt. vi.

Acts i.

continue a long time in prayer? Either they must HOM. XIX. condemn Christ and his Apostles of extreme folly, or else they must needs grant, that prayer is a thing most necessary for all men, at all times, and in all places. Sure it is, that there is nothing more expedient or needful for mankind, in all the world, than prayer. Pray always, saith St Paul, with all Ephes. vi. manner of prayer and supplication, and watch thereto with all diligence. Also in another place, he willeth 1 Thess. v. us to pray continually, without any intermission or ceasing; meaning thereby that we ought never to slack or faint in prayer, but to continue therein to our lives' end. A number of other such places might here be alleged of like effect; I mean, to declare the great necessity and use of prayer: but what need many proofs in a plain matter? seeing there is no man so ignorant but he knoweth, no man so blind but he seeth, that prayer is a thing most needful in all estates and degrees of men. For only by the help hereof we attain to those heavenly and everlasting treasures, which God our John xvi. heavenly Father hath reserved and laid up for his children, in his dear and well-beloved Son Jesus Christ, with this covenant and promise most assuredly confirmed and sealed unto us, that, if we ask, we shall receive.

Now, the great necessity of prayer being sufficiently known, that our minds and hearts may be the more provoked and stirred thereunto, let us briefly consider what wonderful strength and power it hath to bring strange and mighty things to pass. We read in the Book of Exodus, that Joshua, fight- Exod. xvii. ing against the Amalekites, did conquer and overcome them, not so much by virtue of his own strength, as by the earnest and continual prayer of Moses; who as long as he held up his hands to God, so long did Israel prevail; but when he fainted, andlet his hands down, then did Amalek and his people prevail: insomuch that Aaron and Hur, being in the mount with him, were fain`to stay up his hands until the going down of the sun; otherwise had the people of God that day been utterly discomfited,