2. He, among the rest of His salutary admonitions and divine precepts wherewith He counsels His people for their salvation, Himself also gave a form of praying—Himself advised and instructed us what we should pray for. He who made us to live, taught us also to pray, with that same benignity, to wit, wherewith He has condescended to give and confer all things else; in order that while we speak to the Father in that prayer and supplication which the Son has taught us, we may be the more easily heard. Already He had foretold that the hour was coming “when the true worshippers should worship the Father in spirit and in truth;”2 John iv. 23. and He thus fulfilled what He before promised, so that we who by His sanctification3 “Satisfaction.” have received the Spirit and truth, may also by His teaching worship truly and spiritually. For what can be a more spiritual prayer than that which was given to us by Christ, by whom also the Holy Spirit was given to us? What praying to the Father can be more truthful than that which was delivered to us by the Son who is the Truth, out of His own mouth? So that to pray otherwise than He taught is not ignorance alone, but also sin; since He Himself has established, and said, “Ye reject the commandments of God, that ye may keep your own traditions.”4 Mark vii. 9. [On the Shemoneh Eshreh, Prideaux, I. vi. 2]
II. Qui inter caetera salutaria sua monita et praecepta divina quibus populo suo consulit ad salutem, etiam orandi ipse formam dedit, ipse quid precaremur monuit et instruxit. Qui fecit vivere, docuit et orare, benignitate ea scilicet qua et caetera dare et 0520D conferre dignatus est; ut, dum prece et oratione quam Filius docuit apud Patrem loquimur, facilius audiamur. 0521A Jam praedixerat horam venire quando veri adoratores adorarent Patrem in spiritu et veritate (Joan. IV, 23), et implevit quod ante promisit; ut qui spiritum et veritatem de ejus sanctificatione percepimus, de traditione quoque ejus vere et spiritaliter adoremus. Quae enim potest esse magis spiritalis oratio quam quae a Christo nobis data est, a quo nobis et Spiritus sanctus missus est? Quae vera magis apud Patrem precatio quam quae a Filio, qui est Veritas, de ejus ore prolata est? ut aliter orare quam docuit non ignorantia sola sit, sed et culpa, quando ipse posuerit et dixerit: Rejicitis mandatum Dei, ut traditionem vestram statuatis (Marc. VII, 8).