A 05 - Reformers distinguish between explicit

5. The Reformers do not distinguish between explicit prayer (which is offered at specific times and expresses itself outwardly by uttering certain words) and implicit prayer (which finds expression, not in words but in feeling and in a constant disposition of heart, conscience, and mind). The `pray without ceasing’ of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is not quoted in any catechism of that period. It would seem that these authors are chiefly concerned with explicit prayer, although Calvin says that language is not always necessary. In general it may be said that the teaching of the Reformers as expressed in their writings, their preaching, and their actions, shows that for them prayer is at once word, thought, and life.