After he had said thus, he lifted up his eyes towards heaven, and said, “Lord God, thou hast through the mouth of thy servant David said, ‘The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him faithfully; he doth the will of those that fear him, and heareth their prayers, and helpeth them in their distress.’ How is it, Lord, that thou givest no rain, seeing we have cried and prayed so long unto thee? ‘Thy will be done,’ O Lord! we know that although thou givest not rain, yet, notwithstanding, thou wilt give us something better, a still, a quiet, and a peaceable life. Now we pray, O Lord, from the bottom of our hearts. If thou, O Lord, wilt not be pleased to hear and give us rain, then the ungodly will say, Christ thy only Son is a liar. For he saith, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye pray the Father in my name, the same he will give unto you,’ etc. Insomuch that they will give thy Son the lie. I know, O Lord, that we do cry unto thee from our hearts, with yearning and sighing, why then dost thou not hear us?” Now, even the same day, and within the space of half an hour after the people went from church, it began to rain so sweet and mildly, which continued for a whole fortnight, so that the grounds thereby were changed and refreshed in a most miraculous manner. This happened June 9, 1532. _Of Papistical Prayer_. The praying in Popedom, is a mere tormenting of the consciences, it is only a prating and tongue threshing, no praying, but a work of obedience. From thence proceeded a confused sea-full of _Horas Canonicas_, the howling and babbling in cells and monasteries, where they read and sang the psalms and collects without all spiritual devotion, insomuch that they neither understood the words, sentences, nor the meaning. In what manner, and how I tormented myself, said Luther, with those _Horis Canonicis_ before the Gospel came, which, by reason of many businesses I often intermitted, I am not able to express. On the Saturdays I used to lock myself up in my cell, and accomplish what the whole week I had neglected. But at last I was troubled with so many affairs, that I was fain oftentimes to omit also my Saturday’s devotions. At length, when I saw that Amsdorff and others derided such manner of devotion, then I quite left it off. It was a great torment, from which we are now delivered by the Gospel. Although, said Luther, I had done no more but only freed people from that torment, yet they might well give me thanks for it. Innumerable laws and works were taught and imposed upon people without the spirit, as in the book, _Rationale Divinorum_, many abominable things are written. _To Pray for Peace_.