To vvhat thing vve ought chiefly to bende our minde in the time of our prayer

FYrst let vs discusse this, whether the force of our myndes be to be directed to the wordes, the sense of the wordes, or to him we vtter the wordes vnto. And to this first we say, that yf a man were of such dexteritie and redynes that he could attende all those thynges together in his prayer, so as the heede takyng eyther to the wordes, or the meanyng of the wordes, shoulde nothyng slacke his diligent and attentiue mynd to god hym selfe, that maner of prayer, were doubtlesse most excellent and beneficiall. But because it can scarcely be possible that a man in earnestly heedyng and intending one of these, shall not negligently omit and forget the other, let vs therefore perticulerly inquire of euery one, whiche is the better, more necessary, and more fruitefull. And amongest these, there is no man that diligently considereth the thing, that can or nede to doubt, but that the attention whiche is directed vnto GOD hym selfe, is the chiefe and moste meritorious, so that all other thinges be agreeyng vnto the same, that is, if that same prayer directed vnto God, be in no wise more negligēt than the other, whiche is intended eyther to the wordes or meaning. And we minde that this vnderstanding be accepted & taken, not only in such prayers as a man appoynteth to hym selfe, of his owne wyll and choise, but likewyse in all other, wherevnto we be bounde by the ordinaunce of the Church. And surely many there be of so weake and scrupulous myndes, that beyng in feare to escape or misse one worde or silable in saying theyr appoynted seruice and prayers, bende all the power of their mynde, to expresse the wordes, truely, playnely, and disti[…]tly. But those men (as I thinke) neuer or very rarely tast of the sweetenes of deuotion and prayer, for the whiche cause chiefely our forefathers of the Churche, dyd appoint those canonicall praiers, as we vse to call them. For those olde and holy men, specially had respect vnto this: And this was theyr most earnest purpose and paynefull study, by the saying of those vertuous, godly, and deuoute prayers, to styrre vp the myndes of the Priestes, who should be the meanes betwene God and the people, to the contemplation of God him selfe, and so to the true loue of hym. And therefore if a man be so attentiue and diligent in vttering the wordes of prayer, that he neyther regarde nor obserue the scope and ende whiche the holy fathers (whan they ordayned those prayers) iudged and determined chiefely to be considered, I may in no wise allow or commende this maner of prayer, eyther as chiefe, or more fruitefull than the others. And yet would I not that others, whiche contrarywyse so rashely runne ouer the prayers appoynted, that scarsely they can vnderstande them selues for haste, neyther regardyng the superexcellencie of hym, to whom they pray, neyther yet imagining of any further sense and meaning of the wordes they speake, I woulde not (I say) that those shoulde make my speache before, any maner of colour of defence for theyr errours and abuses. For I speake it not with that minde to mislike or condemne them that regarde the wordes they speake, who I knowe do obserue and fulfyll the lawe and order: but to this ende, to perswade vnto those a more excellent maner of prayer, and therewith more fruitfull. It may be also, that those which are chiefly sensible taste and feeling of that supreme delectation and comfort, whiche he onlye knoweth, whom God hath graunted to taste the same. But marke and remember this, that the imagination whiche our mynde frameth to it selfe of GOD, must neyther be subiect to colour, light, figure, or briefly any wordly or corporal shape, for all those thynges beyng creatures, are playnely besydes God. And we seeke to ioyne our selues with God and nothyng els, besyde him. And therefore if a man wyll ryghtly thinke of God him selfe, let his mynde ouertunne all worldly creatures, and conceiue him onlye alone whiche is highest, best, most excellent, most mightie, and him that without exception, doth vnspeakeably excede all other thinges. If thou canst this do, than thinke the same to be present with thee, and yet without imagination eyther of colour, lyght shape, or fourme whatsoeuer, and than hast thou ryghtly thought of God. In whiche worke and busynes, yf thou be paynefull, and wyll diligently exercise thy selfe, than shall thou surely at the last attayne to the sensible taste and feelyng of that vnspeakable pleasure, and so shalt thou at once obtayne all the three fruites of thy prayer. But yet yf this maner and forme of doyng, seeme at the beginning harde and vneasie to any man, let him fyrst exercise him selfe in thinking and contemplation of Iesus Christ, who besydes his humanitie is also very God. Let hym lyft vp the strength of his minde towardes him, as beyng very God, remembryng his incarnation, his bytter paynes and cruell death, and therewith the glory which he nowe ineffably enioyeth in heauen, sitting on the ryght hande of the Maiestie of his father. He that will diligently applye his minde to this, or any other more apte or fruitefull meditation of God, shal at the last fall from the corporall imagination of Christ in his humaine nature, and shall ascende and aspire to the spirituall contemplation of his godhead, as hath ben beforesayde. And this truely is the very next way for any man, to attayne to the fruition of the perfect and partaker of the same ioye and delight, and is nowe made in suche estate, that it feeleth a delectation merueylous, & suche as it neuer tasted before, whiche thyng is affirmed by the Prophet Dauid, saying: Cor meum & caro mea, ¹ exultauerunt in deum viuum. My hart and my fleshe haue reioysed together in God, the au[…] thour and geu[…]r of lyfe. As though he woulde haue sayd, my soule by the goodnes of the spirite of God, hath conceyued in it self, so merueylous a delyght in god, that by the great delectation therof, euen my fleshe is also replenished and watered ouer and ouer, wherein it hath so reioysed, that it could not refrayne or staye it selfe from expressyng and shewyng forth the pleasure whiche it had receyued. And surely this delectation is a very sparkell or glimering resemblaunce of the euerlasting life, whiche all good men shall haue after the generall resurrection of theyr bodyes. For than shall the glory of the soule so farre excede and abounde, that it shall runne ouer into the bodyes, and than shall both as well body as soule be fulfylled and satisfied with the plentifull aboundaunce of that vnspekable pleasure. And therefore as touchyng this firste question, it maye appeare by that which hath ben saide, that the chiefe and speciall thyng to be regarded in prayer, is, to haue our myndes so fixed on God, vnto whom we make our prayers, as though we esteemed hym euen nowe present with vs, and so embrace the continuall remembraunce of hym, kepyng hym before the eyes of our hartes without any maner declynyng from hym. And albeit this shal seeme in the first begynnyng of this exercise harde & paynefull, yet shall it by vse and processe of tyme proue more pleasaunt and delightfull, specially to those soules whiche be any thyng inspired with the sweetenesse and good sauour of Iesus Christe. And nowe let vs drawe to the intreatyng of the seconde question.

hotte nor colde, God despiseth, before whom, in the Apocalippes, he preferreth those that be vtterly starke colde, saying: Vtinam calidus esses aut frigidus, sed quia tepidus es, incipiam te euomere. I woulde thou haddest ben eyther hotte or colde, but for that thou arte neyther of both, I wyll begyn (sayth God) to reiect thee and cast thee forth from the companie and felowship of good men. Lo than howe the mynde of God abhorteth those persons that be newters, and be neyther hotte nor colde. We must therefore endeuour our selues by all meanes to be feruent in charitie, for the kyndelyng of the whiche in vs, no doubt prayer is the most necessarie thyng. The whiche charitie beyng once gotten, we be encouraged cherefullye to take in hande all doynges, which we trust shall please God, and for the doyng whereof, we shall by the goodnes and promyse of God, be rewarded with euerlastyng ioy and felicitie. And therefore our speciall endeuour in the tyme of our prayer, ought to be, that the feruent heate of charitie myght be kyndeled in our hartes, and in suche sort shall it be conuenient to moderate the length of our prayer, so as that ende maye both be acquired and preserued in vs. And therfore whan we in our prayer do perceaue this feruentnes of mynde once kyndled in vs, by the weaknes and wearynes of our bodyes to waxe colde & faynt, than is it tyme to ceasse frō prayer, and occupie our selues about some other vertuous exercise. For if we should so long continue, that the feruentnes of deuotion shoulde be vtterly extynguyshed in vs, we should not only not obteine the end which is sought for by our prayer, but we shoulde also geue no small occasion to procure the contrary. For so sone as by ouerlong continuyng in that dulnesse of prayer, the feruentnes therof & deuotion is once colde in our myndes, we do forthwith lose the inwarde consolation of our myndes, whiche that feruencie of deuotion, not beyng vtterlye extynguyshed, wrought and preserued in vs, wherby it doth many tymes folowe that we wander abroade, sekyng some sensible delectation and comfort of externall thynges, which most commonly induceth a pernitious dissolution of the mynde, and by degrees draweth it vnto such other euyls as be not conuenient, whiche woulde neuer haue chaunced, yf we had ceassed our prayer before the feruencie of deuotion had […]tterlye ben extynguyshed. And therfore Saint Augustine doth much p[…]se certayne Monkes in Egipt, which vsed very short, & therwith very deuour & godly prayers. The religious people in Egipt (saith Saint Augustine) be noted to vse verye often prayers, but those very short and pithye, and (as it were) […] throwen from theyr hartes into the bosome of almyghtie God. And it appeareth, that this was the cause why they vsed so often praiers, because they woulde oftentymes renue and kyndle agayne the fyre of deuotion in theyr hartes: But the cause why they vsed short prayers was only this, lest by length of prayer and tediousnes therein, feruent deuotiō before conceaued, might be dulled, cooled, & finally extynguishe[…]. And therfore a man in prayer must specially labour and take heede, that when God hath once kyndled that feruent deuotion in his hart, he by negligence suffer not the same vtterly go out and dye. But so long as the same may eyther be increased or contynued, we ought not to leaue of prayer, excepte eyther the great weerysomenes of our bodyes, or some other lyke necessitie inforce vs. Wherefore both the shortnes & length of prayer, is to be ruled & measured, to and for this ende aforesayde. For lyke as the phisition, regardyng the ende of his cure, whiche is the recouery and health of his pacient, doth temper his medicine, and ministreth it to the sicke, not in such aboundaunce as he myght do, but as by discretion he ought to do, hauyng regard both to the gettyng & continuyng the health to his pacient: euen so, a man in prayer must not labour to pray as much and as long as he can speake, but to continue the length of his prayer as much as shal be necessary & expedient eyther for to increase or continue his earnest & feruent […]