A homily on prayer

Here’s an opportunity to read something solid and sensible on prayer. But first…

Many have seen the fuss over the refusal to screen the Church of England’s cinema advertisement that featured the Lord’s Prayer and encouraged people to #justpray (watch the ad here, and see my recommendation of a couple of Australian perspectives on the ban).

Now the Proclamation Trust’s Adrian Reynolds has pointed out that the justpray.uk website, to which the ad points, includes the Hail Mary and a prayer addressed to St Christopher for travelling mercies!

As he says, this seems astonishing on a supposedly Protestant website. Indeed, the site is copyrighted to the Church of England, whose foundational Book of Common Prayer pointedly refused to include prayers to the saints and contained prayer to God alone through Christ.

The doctrinal standard of the Church of England (and all Anglicans), The 39 Articles of Religion, clearly states that Christ is “the only mediator between God and man” (Article 7).

However, do yourself a favour and read this extract from the second part of ‘The homily concerning prayer’ (recommended by Article 35 of the 39):

In the first part of this Sermon ye heard the great necessity, and also the great force, of devout and earnest prayer declared and proved unto you, both by divers weighty testimonies, and also by sundry good examples of holy Scripture. Now shall you learn whom you ought to call upon, and to whom yea ought always to direct your prayers.

We are evidently taught in God’s holy Testament, that Almighty God is the only fountain and wellspring of all goodness, and that, whatsoever we have in this world, we receive it only at his hands. To this effect serveth the place of St. James. Every good and perfect gift, saith he, cometh from above, and proceedeth from the Father of lights...

Therefore, whensoever we need or lack anything pertaining either to the body or the soul, it behoveth us to run only unto God, who is the only giver of all good things. Our Saviour Christ in the Gospel, teaching his disciples how they should pray, sendeth them to the Father in his name, saying, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name, he will give it unto you. And in another place: When ye pray, prayer after this sort, Our Father, which art in heaven, &c…

But, that the truth hereof may the better appear, even to them that be most simple and unlearned, let us consider what prayer is. St. Augustine calleth it “a lifting up of the mind to God, that is to say, a humble and lowly pouring out of the heart to God.”…

Now then, is there any angel, any virgin, any patriarch or prophet among the dead, that can understand or know the meaning of the heart? The Scripture saith it is God that searcheth the heart and reins, and that he only knoweth the hearts of the children of men. As for the Saints, they have so little knowledge of the secrets of the heart, that many of the ancient fathers greatly doubt whether they know anything at all that is commonly done on earth. And, albeit some think they do, yet St. Augustine, a doctor of great authority and also antiquity, hath this opinion of them, that they know no more what we do on earth, than we know what they do in heaven. For proof whereof he allegeth the words of Esay the Prophet [Isa 63:16.], where it is said, Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel knoweth us not. His mind therefore is this, not that we should put any religion in worshipping them or praying unto them, but that we should honour them by following their virtuous and godly life…

O that all men would studiously read and search the Scriptures! [John 5:39] then should they not be drowned in ignorance, but should easily perceive the truth, as well of this point of doctrine, as of all the rest. For there doth the Holy Ghost plainly teach us, that Christ is our only mediator and intercessor with God, and that we must seek and run to no other. [1 John 2:1–2] If any man sinneth, saith St. John, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins. St. Paul also saith [1 Tim 2:5], There is one God, and one mediator between God and man, even the man Jesus Christ. Whereunto agreeth the testimony of our Saviour himself, witnessing [John 14:6] that no man cometh to the Father, but only by him, who is the way, the truth, the life, yea, and the only door [John 10:9] whereby we must enter into the kingdom of heaven, because God is pleased [Matt 17:5] in no other but him.

Look, it’s old in its expression. But as Article 35 says, this homily “doth contain a godly and wholesome Doctrine, and [is] necessary for these times”.

It’s clearly needed for our times too, because it’s not only divisive but also grievously misguided and deeply dishonouring to the Lord Jesus Christ for the Church of England to be encouraging prayers to the saints.