The Author to the Christian Reader
IT is a thing notorious, good Christian reader, that the bread, which we dailie eate, is not so necessarie for the maintenance of our natural life, as is the doctrine of the woord of God, for the conseruation of oure spiritual life. This doctrine teacheth vs two principal things, to prate, and to woorke; vnto which two, be reduced al others what-soeuer. Of these two things infinite bookes haue ben writen. But for as much as this doctrine is so neceessarie at euerie foote-steppe that we make (by reason of the continual dangers, and temptations of our life) I haue determined to resume heere in few woords (gathered out of al mie bookes) that which hath seemed to me most fit for this purpose; 1 to the end thou maist easilie beare about with the in thie bosom, that which ought to be alwa[…]s writen in thie heart. And therfore I haue heere gathered and put together Sixe briefe treatises; one of Mental praier, taken owt of mie booke of Praier and Meditation, with al the fourteene meditations abbreuiated, which were there set doune. And this treatise I haue put in the first place, because these meditations, besides that they giue vs abundant matter whereof to meditate, be also the best persuasions and motiues that can be found, to bring men to liue wel and vertuouslie. So that yf they serue not in the beginning for the exercise of meditation, yet they wil serue for perswasion to induce men to the feare of God, and changement of life. But because al men dooe not so much giue them selues to th'exercise of meditation, ether for their diuers affairs, or for other reasons which they may haue; therfore that these also want not the succour and help of praier, I haue added an other treatise of vocal praier, conteining manie praiers, which serue to obteine such vertues, as be most necessarie for th'edification of our sowles.
Trulie al holie scripture doth euerie where declare vnto vs, the neede which we haue of these two exercises, because they be the weapons, which we haue most readie and at hand against our enimies, by whome we be alwais enuironed; & therfore we must goe wel armed with them, as long as our life lasteth. Heerehence it is that our Sauiour the night of his passion armed his disciples with praier, 2 saying vnto them; watch ye and praie that ye enter not into tentation: and Dauid armed him self with meditation when he said; 3 were it not (o lord) that thy law is my meditation, I had then peraduenture perished in my humilitie: that is, I was then verie likelie to haue fallen when tribulation came vppon me. Seeing therfore that these two weapons be so assured and prooued for our warfare, it seemed to me conuenient to put them in this brife manual, that by such meanes they might be alwais at hand.
Now for so much as in the beginning we diuided the whole summe of Christian doctrine into these two things, praier, & woorke; hauing spoken alreadie of praier as wel Mental as Vocal, it ensueth that we treat hence forward of woork, that is of the instruction and order of our life, hauing cheefelie regard of such as newlie begin to serue our Lord. And because of those som there be, that begin this life remainning still in the woorld, som others entering into Religion; for these last also I haue laid downe an other treatise, in which the thornes and brambles of our euil inclinations and passions be rooted out, and in their place ar set the plantes of vertues, which doe order and perfectionate our sowles. And albeit these two last treatises maie seeme to be different in the titles, neuertheles the documents conteined in them both (especiallie those which concerne vertues) serue no lesse for the one treatise, then for the other: because such as desire to be saued, haue no other way for the same, but to goe from vertue to vertue, 4 vntil they see the God of Gods in Sion, that is in the glorie which is to com.
Besides this, to th'end there want nothing for the dailie instruction of our life. I haue put heere also twoe other little treatises, whereof the one is of Penance and Confession: the other is of preparation for receiuing the blessed Sacrament of the altare.
And this may suffice for the preface of this little booke.
Footnotes
Chapter 3 of 23