OF CERTAINE ADVISES, WHICH at to be obserued in this holie exercise. CHAP. XI

AL that which hitherto hath ben said, serueth to yeeld vs matter of consideration, which is one of the principall partes of this spiritual affaire, considering that such, as haue sufficient matter of consideration, be but the lest number of so manie people; & so for want of matter, whereupon to meditate, manie there be, that abandon this kinde of exercise. Now we wil set downe breefelie somwhat touching the manner, and forme which in it maie be obserued. And albeit the cheefe maister of this woork, be the holie Ghost, yet experience hath tawght vs, that som aduises be requisite and necessarie in this part: because the waie to goe towards God is hard, & hath neede of a guide, without which very manie goe long time lost and a stray.

The first aduise

LET then the first aduise be this, that when ve set our selues to consider anie of the a foresaide things, in theire times and exercises appointed, we must not so binde our selues vnto it, that we esteeme it ill donne, to goe from that to som other thing, when we finde therein more deuotion, more tast, and more profit. For as in conclusion al this serueth for denotion, so that which maketh most to this purpose, is to be taken for the best. Howbeit a man ought not to dooe this vppon verie light occasions, but when he perceiueth euident commoditie to com thereby.

The second aduise

THE second aduise is, that a man labour to eschew, in this exercise, superfluous speculation of the vnderstanding, and procure to handle this affaire rather with affections, and feelings of the wil, then with discourses and speculations of the witte. Wherefore they vndowtedlie take not the right course, whoe in time of praier, giue them selues to meditate vppon diuine misteries, in such wise, as yf they studied to preache them: which manner is rather to make oure spirite to wander more abrode, then to recollect it; and to goe more out of it self, then to be in it self. Therefore whoe mindeth to dooe welin this matter, let him com with the hart as it were of an old woman ignorant, and humble, and rather with a wil disposed and prepared to feele, and to be affected towards the thinges of God, then with an vnderstanding purified, and attentiue to search and examine them; because this is a thing proper to those, that studie to get knowledge, and not to those, that praie and thinke vppon God, thereby to lament and moorne.

The third aduise

THE former aduise teacheth vs how we ought to quiet our vnderstanding, and commit al this busines to oure wil; but this present aduise prescribeth boundes, and limites to the same wil, that it be not to excessiue, nor to vehement in her exercise. Wherefore it is to be vnderstoode, that the deuotiō which we seeke to obteine, is not a thing that may be goten by force of armes (as som parsons think, whoe by eccessiue sighings, and enforced sobbings, procure to wring out teares and compassion, when they think vppon the passion of our Sauiour) for such force drieth vp the hart, and maketh the same more vnable to receaue our lords visitation, as Cassianus affirmeth. Moreouer, those things ar wont to preiudice, and hurt the health of the bodie, yea somtimes they leaue the sowle so astonied, and agast by reason of the litell tast she hath there receaued, that she is loth to returne againe to this exercise, as to a thing, which she hath tryed by experience to haue ben verie paineful, and ircksome vnto her.

Let a man therefore content him selfe, with doing sincerelie what lieth in him, that is, that he esteeme him self to be present at that, which our Sauiour hath suffered, beholding (with a sincere and quiet eye, with a tender and compassionate hart, & prepared for what soeuer feeling it shall please our lord to giue him) that which he suffered for him, and so dispose him self rather to receiue such affections, as the mercie of God shall aford him, then to wring them out with teares. And when he hath donne this, let him not vexe him self anie more for anie other thing, though it be not graunted him as he desireth.

The fourthe aduise

OF all these aduises a foresaid, we maie gather what manner of attention we ought to haue in praier, for that in this exercise, it is cheefelie expedient, to haue our hart not heauie, nor dul, but liuelie, attent, and lifted vp on high. But as it is heere necessarie on the one side, to haue attention and recollection of hart, so it behoueth on the other side, that this attention be tempered and moderated, that it neither hurt our health, nor hinder oure deuotion. For som there be, that doe wearie theire head with ouer much violence, which they vse to be attentiue vnto those things, wherevppon they meditate, as we haue said before. And againe there be others, whoe to auoide this in conuenience, ar in theire meditation verie flack and negligent, and verie easie to be caried away with euerie winde. Now to eschew these two extremities, it is exped[…]ent that we vse such a meane, that we dooe neither with ouermuch attention wearie our head, nor with to much carelesnes and negligence suffer our thoughts to goe wandering whither soeuer they wil. So that like as we are wont to saie to him that rideth vppon a froward kicking horse, that he hold the reines of his bridle as he ought, that is neither to hard, neither to stacke, that the horse neither turne backward, nor runne to headlong forward; euen so must we endeuoure that our attention in our praier be moderate, not forced with carefulnes, nor with violent labour and traueil.

But now especially we must be wel warie, that in the beginning of meditation wee dooe not trouble, and wearie our head with to much a tention: for when wee doe so, our forces commonlie want vs to goe forwards therein, as it happeneth to atraueller, when he maketh to great hast in going, at the beginning of his iourneye.

The fifte aduise

BVT among al these aduises the principallest is, that he that praieth be not dismaied, nor geue ouer his exercise, when he feeleth not foorth with that sweetenes of deuotion, which he desireth. It is requisite to expect the cōming of our lord, with long animitie and perseuerance; for that it greatlie appertaineth to the glorie of his maiestie, to the basenes of our condition, and to the importance of the affaire which we haue in hand, that oftentimes we attend, and watche at the gates of his sacred palaice.

Now, when thou hast after this sort expected for a certaine time, in case our lord shal then com vnto thee, giue him most hartie thankes for his comming; and yf it seeme vnto thee that he com not, humble thy self then before him, and acknowledge, that thou art not woorthie to receaue that thing, which is not giuen thee; and be content that thou hast there made a sacrifice of thy self, denied thine owne wil, crucified thy appetite, striued with thy self, & donne at the least what thou couldest of thine owne part.

And in case thou haue not adored our lord with sensible adoration, according to thy desire, it is sufficient that thou hast adored him in spirite and in truth, according as his wil is to be adored. And trust me assuredlie, that this is the most daungerous passage of al this nauigation, and the place where trew deuoute persons ar prooued & tried, and that yf thou escape wel out of this daunger, thou shalt haue prosperous successe in al the rest.

The sixte aduise

THIS aduise is not much differing from the a foresaid, nor of lesse necessitie then it; and it is, that the seruante of God dooe not content him self, with what soeuer little tast he findeth in his praier, as some vse to dooe, whoe when they shedd a feawe teares, or feele a little tendernes of hart, perswade them selues, that then they haue accomplished and performed theire exercise. But this is not enough for the obteining of that thing, which heere we seeke for. For like as a little dew or sprinkling of water, is not sufficient to cause the earth to bring forth fruite (which doth no more but onlie alay the dust, and wet the vppermost parte of the grownd) but it is needeful to haue so much water, that it maie enter into the innermost part of the earth, & there soke, and water through the same: euen so is it requisite to haue here abū dance of this dew, and water of heauen, to bring foorth the fruite of good woorkes.

And therefore we ar counseled, not without great reason, that we take as long time for this holie exercise, as we maie. And better it is to haue one long time for the same, then two short times: for yf the time be short, al is spent almost in setling the imagination, and in quieting the minde: and then when we haue quieted the same, we rise from our exercise, euen when we should begin it. And descending more in particular to limite this time, I am of opinion, that what soeuer is lesse than one howre and a halfe, or two howres, is to short a time for praier: because that oftentimes there is spent more than halfe an hower, in tempering our instrument, that is, as I said before, in quieting our imagination: and so al the rest of the time is requisite for the enioying of the fruite of praier. True it is, that when we goe to this exercise of praier, after som other holie exercises, our hart is then better disposed for this affaire; and so, like drie woode, is verie apte to conceiue more quicklie in it self this heauenlie fiar.

Likewise earlie in the morning our meditation may be the longer, because then our hart is much better disposed for this exercise, then at anie other time. Howbeit in case that a man haue little time, by reason of his manifolde busines, yet let him not omit to offer vp his mite with the poore widowe in the temple: for yf he faile not of his dewtie herein, throwghe his owne negligence, he that prouideth for al creatures according to their necessitie, wil not want to prouide likewise for him.

The seuenth aduise

ACording vnto this foresaide aduise, we wil giue an other verie like, wich is; that when oure sowle is visited either in praier, or out of praier, with anie speciall visitation of our Lord, we suffer it not to passe awaie in vaine, but take the commoditie and benefite of that occasion, that is offered vnto vs. For certaine it is, that with this winde, a man shall saile more in one hower, than without it in manie daies.

And so we reade that the holie father S. Francis did, of whome S. Bonauen ture writeth, that he had such a speciall care in this point, that in case our lord did visite him with anie speciall visitation, while he was traueiling by the waie, he caused his companions to goe before, and he staied alone behinde, vntil he had made an end of chewing, and digesting that sweete morsel, which was there sent vnto him from heauen. Whosoeuer they be that dooe not soe, ar wont cōmonlie to be chastifed with this punishmēt, that theye find not almightie God, when they seeke him; because he found not them, when he sought for them.