The Institution of Christian Religion

Now we must learn not only a more certain rule, but also the very §34form of praying: namely the same, which the heavenly Father hath taught us by his beloved Son:¹ wherein we may acknowe his unmeasurable goodness and kindness. For beside this he warneth and exhorteth us to seek him in all our necessity, (as children are wont to flee to their fathers defence,² so oft as they be troubled with any distress) because he saw that we did not sufficiently perceive this, how slender our poverty was, what were mete to be asked, & what were for our profit: he provided also for this our ignorance, & what our capacity wanted, he supplied & furnished of his own. For he hath prescribed to us a form wherein he hath as in a Table set our whatsoever we may desire of him, what soever availeth for our profit, & whatsoever is necessary to ask. Of which his gentleness we receive a great fruit of comfort that we understand that we ask no inconvenient thing, no unseeming or unfit thing, finally nothing that is not acceptable to him, sith we ask in a manner after his own mouth. When Plato saw the folly of men in making requests to God,³ which being granted, it many times befell much to their own hurt: he pronounced that this is the best manner of praying taken out of the old Poet, King Jupiter give unto us the best things both when we ask them, and when we do not ask them, but command evil things to be away from us even when we ask them. And verily the heathen man is wise in this, that he judgeth how perilous it is to ask of the Lord that which our own desire moveth us: and therewithal he bewrayeth our unhappy case,⁴ that we can not ones open our mouths before God without danger, unless the Spirit do instruct us to a right rule of praying. And in so much greater estimation this privilege is worthy to be had of us, sith the only begotten Son of God ministereth words into our mouth which may deliver our mind from all doubting.

Now we must learne not onely a more certaine rule, but also the very §34