Backsliders must neither despair nor presume.

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repentance may find place, and make satisfaction; but they who remove repentance for a sin, shut up the way to satisfaction. Thus comes it, that while by the hardihood of some men a false safety is either promised, or believed in, the hope of real safety is taken away.

21. But you, dearest brethren, who have a ready fear to God-ward, and whose mind, even amid its fall, is conscious of its misery, do you in penitence and sorrow gain knowledge of your sins, recognize the deep charge upon your conscience, open the eyes of the heart to an intelligence of your offence, not despairing of the Lord's mercy, yet neither making claim at once for His pardon. God, as with the affection of a father He is ever indulgent and kind, so with the majesty of a judge is He dreadful. As we have sinned greatly, let us weep greatly. For a deep wound diligent and long tending must not be wanting; the repentance must not fall short of the offence. Think you that the Lord can quickly be appeased, when you have with perfidious words denied Him, preferred your earthly wealth to Him, and defiled His temple by your profane pollution? Think you He can easily pity you, whom you have been disowning? Men must pray and entreat with increased continuance, pass the day in mourning, spend nights in vigils and weeping, employ their whole time in tears and lamentations, lie stretched on the ground, prostrate themselves amongst ashes, sackcloth, and dust, after Christ's raiment lost wish for no garment beside, after the Devil's feast, of choice must fast, give themselves to righteous works whereby sins are cleansed, apply themselves to frequent almsgiving, whereby souls are freed from death.

22. What the adversary was taking from you, let Christ receive these possessions ought no longer either to be kept or cared for, through which a man has been deceived and overcome. Wealth ought to be avoided as an enemy, fled from as a robber, dreaded by those who possess it, like a sword and like poison. Herein only let your remainder of it yield service, for redeeming your offence and sin. Let charitable works be exercised at once and largely; every thought operatio. be called forth toward the healing of your wound; and our wealth and possessions set out as a loan, with that Lord who

51.

VI.

Ezek.

18, 32.

13.

TREAT. will judge us. Thus under the Apostles had faith its strength; thus the first company of believers kept Christ's commandments. They were ready, they were liberal, they gave their all for distribution by the Apostles, yet had they not such sins as these to redeem. If any man offer prayer with his whole heart, if he groan in the true misery and tears of repentance, if by a continuance of good works he bend the Lord to a pardon of his sin, He who in these words expressed Is. 30. His tender mercy, may shew mercy to such a man; When you turn and lament, then shall you be saved, and know where you have been. And again, I have no pleasure in the 33, 11 death of the wicked, saith the Lord, but that he turn from his way and live. And the Prophet Joel declares the Joel 2, graciousness of the Lord, by the Lord's own word, Turn ye, saith he, to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and of great mercy, and repenteth Him toward the evil which He hath inflicted. He can shew indulgence, He can repent of His purpose. To the man who is penitent, who does good works, who entreats, He can graciously give pardon, He can impute whatever for such an one Martyrs may pray, and Priests perform. Or, if any one move Him yet further by his own satisfaction, if he appease His wrath, the displeasure of an angered God, by worthy supplication, He grants weapons again, wherewith the conquered may be armed, recruits and invigorates that strength, whereby his refreshed faith may be quickened. The warrior will return to his warfare, will renew the fight, will challenge the enemy, by his sufferings only made stronger for the conflict. He who has thus made satisfaction to God, who through repentance for what he has done, through shame for his sin, has gained to himself an increase both of virtue and faith from the very suffering which his fall occasions, heard and helped by the Lord will bring gladness to the Church, whom he had lately grieved, and purchase, not only God's pardon now, but a crown also.

TREATISE VII.

ON THE LORD'S PRAYER.

[This Treatise seems to have been written A. D. 252. It is many times quoted by S. Austin in his Treatise against the Pelagians, in proof that all moral good in man is from God's supernatural grace.]

and

THE Gospel precepts, most dear brethren, are none other than directions from God; foundations whereon hope is built up, stays whereby faith is stablished, nurture for the heart's comforting, rudders to direct us on our way, safeguards for the obtaining of salvation; which, ruling the docile minds of believers upon earth, do guide them to the heavenly kingdom. Many things indeed God willed should be said and made known by His servants the Prophets; but how far greater are those, which the Son speaks, which the Word of God, who was in the Prophets, testifies with His Sermo. own voice, no longer charging that the way should be prepared for Him to come, but Himself coming, and opening and shewing us a way; that we, who before were wandering in the shadows of death, unknowing and blind, might, illumined by the light of Grace, keep to the way of life under the Lord for our guide and ruler; who amongst His other saving instructions and divine lessons, wherewith He counsels for His people unto salvation, did Himself also give a form of praying, and Himself advise and instruct us, what we ought to pray for. He who gave to us to live, taught us also to pray, through no other bounty than that by which He hath condescended to give and grant all things beside; to the end that speaking unto the Father in the prayer and petition

N

178 Prayer avails when offered in Christ's words as well as Name.

TREAT. Which the Son hath taught, we may receive a readier hearing. VII. Having already foresaid that the hour was coming, when the

John 4,

23.

9.

true worshippers should worship the Father in spirit and in truth, He now fulfilled what He had promised, that we who, through the sanctification He gives, have been receivers of spirit and truth, may, by the teaching which He spoke, pray truly and spiritually. More spiritual what prayer can be, than that which was given us by Christ, by whom also the Holy Spirit was sent to us? or what prayer more true, in the presence of the Father, than that which the Son, who is Truth, delivered from His own mouth? Hence it is not ignorance only, but a sin, to pray otherwise than He hath taught, since Mark 7, Himself has ruled and spoken, Ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Let us pray then, dearest brethren, as God the Preceptor taught us. It is praying like friends and familiars, to offer up to God of His own, to mount unto God's hearing with the petitioning of Christ. Let the Father recognize the Son's words, when we offer up our prayer; let Him who dwells in our breast, dwell also in our voice; and seeing we have Him, when we 1 John sin, for an Advocate with the Father, let us put forward the words of our Advocate, when as sinners we make petition for John 16, our offences. As He has said, whatsoever we shall ask of the Father in His Name, He will give us, how much more effectually do we obtain what we ask in Christ's Name, if we ask for it in His own words?

2, 1.

23.

2. Our words however and entreatings, when we pray, must be under rule. They must have quietness and modesty in them. We must consider that we stand in God's presence. The carriage of body and the measure of voice, must find acceptance with the Eye divine. As the man who has no shame will lift aloft his voice in clamour, so not less will it belong to one of modest character, to use a measure in praying. Moreover the Lord has bade us in His instructions to pray secretly, in remote and withdrawn places, and even in our chambers, as best suited to faith; that we may be assured that God, who is present every where, hears and sees all, and in the fulness of His Majesty penetrates even conJer. 23, cealed and hidden places; as it is written, I am a God at 23. 24. hand, and not a God far off. If a man shall hide himself in

Prayer must be calm and grave, yet intense.

179

Do not I fill heaven

15, 3.

secret places, shall I not then see him? and earth? And again, The eyes of the Lord are in every Prov. place, beholding the evil and the good. And when we come together into one place with the brethren, and celebrate divine sacrifices with the Priest of God, we ought to give regard to a modest and disciplined feeling, not lifting our prayers abroad in disorderly tones of speech, nor tossing in a tumult of words a petition that should be commended with modesty to God, for God listens to the heart, not the voice. He needs no loud words to remind Him, who sees the thoughts of men, as the Lord shews us when He says, Why think ye evil in your Mat. 9, hearts? And in another place, And all the Churches shall Rev. 2, know that I am He that searcheth the hearts and reins. 23. Hannah, who in the first book of Kings contains a type of the Church, was faithful and obedient herein; making her prayer to the Lord, not with clamorous entreating, but silently and modestly within the hidden depth of her breast. She spoke with hidden prayer, but with faith manifest; not with her voice, but with her heart she spoke, because she knew that God so hears; and she gained her petition effectually, because she asked it faithfully. Divine Scripture declares this, thus speaking; She spake in her heart, and her lips moved, and her 1 Sam. voice was not heard; and God did hear her. We read like- 1, 13. wise in the Psalms: Commune in your hearts and upon your Ps. 4, 4. beds, and be pierced. By Jeremiah likewise the Holy Spirit suggests the same things, and teaches us, saying, In the heart, Baruch O God, we ought to worship Thee. Let a worshipper, dearest 6, 6. brethren, be not ignorant how the Publican prayed with the Pharisee in the Temple; not with the presumption to lift up his eyes to heaven, nor having confidence to upraise his hands; but striking upon his breast, and giving testimony of the sins enclosed within, he implored help from the divine mercy; and while the Pharisee was satisfied with himself, this man, thus asking, obtained rather to be sanctified, who meruit. placed the hope of salvation not in a reliance on his own innocence, for no man is innocent, but humbly prayed with a confession of his sins, and praying was heard of Him, who pardons the humble. These things the Lord in His Gospel thus puts forth and declares; Two men went up into the Luke18, Temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 10.