Of the thirde fruite of Prayer

THE thirde fruite of prayer we haue before noted to be a certaine spiritual sweetnesse and pleasure, wherwith our minde is delyghted in the tyme of our prayer, of the whiche fruite whosoeuer desireth to be partaker, must of necessitie not onlye haue charitie, humilitie, & the other meanes before spoken of, but he must also be marueylous attentyue vnto the prayer he is in hande withall, and not permit his mynde and imagination to wander abroade to any thyng from the matter of his prayer. And albeit this diligent attentyuenesse be necessary and expedient for any man that desireth to enioye the other two fruites of his prayer, that is to say, merite and the obteynyng the thyng duely and lawfully required: yet may it suffise towardes the gettyng of eyther of those, if the mynde of hym that prayeth were earnestly bent in the begynnyng & fyrst entrie into his prayer, so as he do not afterwarde by his owne wyll and purpose diuert his mynde, & suffer it to wander from his prayer. For if in the very firste begynnyng of prayer, a mans mynde be both wyllyng and studious to attende wholly therevnto, although afterwarde it be by frayltie ledde asyde, or by a certeyne obliuious negligence withdrawen from that former entente and action, it shall not therefore lose the fruites and commodities whereof before we haue spoken, but by the effectuall intent and assured purposed determination, in the begynnyng of his prayer, he together and fasten them vnto GOD, least that in the continuaunce of prayer, by the meanes of some light negligence, his mynde be caryed away to the imagination and thinking of other straunge and inconuenient thynges. And therefore for this cause the olde fathers of the Church of Chryste, beynge endowed with greate vertue and holynes of lyfe, as ofte as they were mynded to praye, they went forthwith in hande to gather theyr myndes together, and by dyuers meanes to styrre vp deuocyon in them, sometyme praying vppon theyr knees, sometome beyng alone, lying prostrate vpon the grounde, sometyme extendyng forth theyr armes in maner of the crosse of Chryst. And now and than exaltyng theyr handes vp towardes the heauens, sittyng in the meane tyme solytary and musyng, talking most comfortably with God hym selfe, and deuoutly syngyng some himpne or other psalme. By these meanes and suche other as semed moste commodious vnto them, they vsed marueylous effectually to rayse vp them selues to contemplation and deuocion, so farre foorth, that they very often tymes tasted of that superexcellent, and in dede vnexpressable sweetnes. And suerly the only tast of this kynde of sweetenes exceedeth, without comparyson or excepcyon, all the pleasures of this world. For this one thyng comprehendeth presently in it selfe, all kynde of pleasure and delyght, and is the fountayne and spryng of al maner of goodnes, with the which, what thynge els soeuer thou shalte compare, is vtterly nothyng, nor can be of any maner effect or moment. And that thyng verely is god hymselfe, who very often doth with a marueylous grace and fauoure shewe and presente hym selfe to them that with deuout contemplacion, seke and loke for hym. Of the which it foloweth, that whensoeuer that moste excellent goodnes is once tasted by the inwarde vnderstandynge of oure soule, a marueylous sweetnes is foorthwith dispersed and felt through the whole mynde: so farre exceadynge all imagination of man, that no tounge fyrst and principally with all his power, humiliate and deiect himself, and esteeme himselfe nothing, nor worthy any thing, and vtterly vnworthy, vpon whom god shoulde bestowe, not onlye this great gyft of his grace, to obtayne the feelyng of this delectation, but also any other of his benefites, be it neuer so meane▪ or little, yea, of his owne desert, vnworthy the meate he eateth, and the grounde he goeth vpon. Secondaryly, he must kepe his tongue in a good staye, and due obedience, speake little, and delight more in silence, than in muche libertie of speache, except it be, eyther whan charitie enforseth, or vehement necessitie compelleth, or finally whan some commoditie is like therby to growe, eyther to himselfe, or to his neyghbour. Thirdly, by all meanes he ought and must labour as muche as to him is possible, to conserue and kepe freshe in his mynde, the continuall remembraunce of God, set hym before his eyes, and thinke that he is alwayes present, redy to beholde and iudge al that he shall commit or do. Moreouer let him as often as he can, renewe the memory and remembraunce of the incarnation of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ, together with all the processe and continuall action of his life, and than let hym inculcate and imprint fast in his hart, the religious and thankefull memorye of his bitter death and passion, addyng to this, the consideration and often meditation to the heauenly glory, whiche the Aungels and sanctified soules, enioy nowe by the gyft of God with hym. Finally, at all tymes as muche as may be, exchewy[…]g all vayne, friuolus, and vnfruitfull thoughtes, that cumber and disturbe the minde from the beholdyng of those heauenly contemplations. But alas, howe wretched be we, that many tymes preuent these godly meditations, and before hand occupie our mind (so superexcellent a creature of God) not onlye with these vnprofitable, but also extreme pestilent & hatefull thoughtes, whereas the remembraunce of those thinges beforesaide, is far more profitable, an occupation much more delectable, & finally, a studie muche tryed, and examined by vs, it shalbe very manyfest and easyly to iudge and perceyue, what kynde of prayer ought to be esteemed moste excellent and most fruitfull. And therefore we wyll with diligence search out somthing for the explanation of euery of those three thynges, that is to say: whervnto we ought to intende our mindes in prayer, howe long or short our prayer ought to be, and how we ought to pronounce and vtter the same.