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They did well in that they prayed, but they prayed not well, for they prayed every man unto his god, that is, unto feigned gods, gods in name but not in nature, & such gods they were, as could not help so much as them selves.

They did wel in that they prayed, but they prayed not well, for they prayed euery man vnto his god, that is, vnto fayned gods, gods in name but not in nature, & such gods they were, as could not helpe so much as them selues.

And they cried. Which showeth that their gods were deaf and could not hear them, no more then they could help them. Here is a distinction in prayer: the righteous pray when they are in need, but the ungodly roar and cry like bears without their pray, for they despair of help before they pray for it. Every man unto his god. They prayed much like the Papists, which in extremity cry out ¹some to one saint, some to another, some to saints some to Angels, for they think, if one will not help another will. But true prayer hath two wings, between which it must be carried up to heaven, else it cannot ascend at ²all, namely faith and love, without which no prayer can be acceptable or amiable before God. These cried and prayed, & their prayers did beat the sky, but could not lay the tempest, yet their prayer is here noted, to show the custom of natural men: for the heathen do well perceive that there is a God, (nature and experience doth teach it them,) who hath made the stately and most glorious frame of the world, with all the excellent creatures therein, yet they know him not. For though the lamps be wasted since Adam consulted with the devil that he might be a God, yet there is a little light which still dwelleth in darkness, like a spark hid in ⟨p. 140⟩ashes. They would not have prayed at all, but that nature taught them that there is a God, whose mighty power they beheld so expressly in all the creatures, that they imagined it to be impossible for one God to work them all: therefore they thought that there were diverse gods as there were diverse seasons, diverse nations, diverse trades, diverse languages, diverse and sundry kinds of all things; and so diverse nations worshipped diverse gods. Every of these mariners did now in their extremity call upon his god, every one upon that god which he thought most highly off, and in whom he hath in his prosperity reposed most confidence. And now while none could help but