112 163. Prayer is pleasing to God. 



loue thy neighbour, without thou loue god. Wherfore 

 [Foi.75-] 1 6 thou muste fyrste loue god pryncypallye, and thy neygh- 

 bour secondaryly. 



163. \ Of prayer that pleaseth god very moche. 



pieYseTth Prayer is honour and laude to god, and a specyall 



God much, thyngc that pleaseth hym moche, and is a greate sygne, 



that thou louest god, and that thou arte perfyte and 



4 stedfaste in the faythe of holy churche : and that it is so, 



it maye be well consydered by our forefathers, that haue 



for the loue and honour of god made churches. And a 



man muste dayly at some conuenyente tymes exercyse and 



8 vse prayer hym-selfe, as he oughte to doo. For saynt 



Ambrose. Ambrose sayth, Relido hoc, ad quod leneris, ingratum est 



spiritui sancto quicquid aliud operaris : If thou leaue that 



thynge vndone, that thou arte bounde to doo, it is not 



12 acceptable to god, what-so-euer thou dooste elles. Than 



it is necessarye, that thou do praye, and a poore manne 



doynge his labour trewely in the daye, and thinketh well, 



prayeth well : but on the holye daye, he is bounde to come 



i5 to the church, and here his diuyne seruyce. 



[Foi. 75*.] 164. ^ What thynge letteth prayer. 



There be two impedimentes, that lette and hynder 



prayer, that it maye not be herde. And of the fyrste im- 



isa. i. IS. pedimente speketh Ysaye the prophete : Quia manus vesirce 



4 plencB sunt sanguine d. peccato, ideo non exaudiei vos dominus : 



Bycause your handes be full of bloude, that is to saye, 



full of synne, therfore our lorde dothe not graciousely 



Prov.xv. 29. here you. And also prouerbiorum tertio, Longe est dominus 



8 ab impiis, et orationes iustorum exaudiet. Our lorde is ferre 



* fro wycked men, and the prayers of ryghtewyse men he 



Bernard. gracyously hereth. And sayncte Bernarde saythe, Quia 



