An Exhortation to the Christian Reader

¹ IT is the doctrine of the holie fathers, that there be three thinges verie necessarie and of inestimable importaunce to the iust man to preserue him in his iustice: to witt Praier, Readinge, and doinge of good workes. In these three thinges ought the iust mā to exercise himselfe euerie daye, and deuide his tyme so discreetelie, and so like a good Christian, that he be euer founde occupied in some of them. Prayer illuminateth, purgeth, comforteth, reioyceth, obteyneth feruour, causeth all traueile to seeme sweete, and lighte, breedeth deuotion, engendereth cōfidence, (in case our owne spirite doe not reproue vs:) Prayer bannisheth awaie slouthe, frayeth the ennemie, and ouercometh temptation. And therefore a certaine wise man saide: Non te pigeat orare, si vis à vitiis liberari. Be not slacke to praye, if thou wilt be deliuered from vices.

Prayer is verie necessarie towardes the obteyninge of the grace of God, without which the spirituall life will vtterlie decaye, and perishe. And therefore prayer is preferred before readinge. Tertullian speakinge of prayer saithe. That thinge is alwaies to be vsed, which is alwaies good: And he addeth furthermore, and saieth: If prayer be necessarie in all places, and at all tymes,² then is continencie necessarie also vnto prayer: for so much as praier procedeth of continencie, wherefore if thy continencie hath cause to be ashamed, then shall thy prayer likewise be ashamed. The spirite carryeth our prayer vnto God: and if the spirit finde it self faultie, then our prayer ascendeth with shame vnto him. Againe, Cassiodorus saieth, that perseuerance in prayer auaileth much to obteine firmnes of harte. By meanes of continuall prayer the deuills and their deceytfull snares are ouercome, and by the same the iust man weakeneth their forces, and vexations. By meanes of prayer he maketh them become weake, cowardly, and easie to be conquered: and by the same he maketh himselfe also become stronge and a conquerour ouer them. If thou praye with perseuerance thou shalt obteyne sweetenesse, and withall a more feruent desire to praie. And then doe we praie in trueth when we haue none other thinge in our mynde, but doe applie all our intention vnto heauenlie thinges, and haue our harte wholie enflamed with the fyer of the holy Ghoste.

1. There be three effectes of prayer. The first effecte is common vnto all workes done in charitie:³ which is, to be meritorious: And for this effect actuall attention is not of necessitie required in prayer, but it is sufficient to haue an habituall attention, as in all other meritorious actes.

The second effecte, is proper vnto prayer alone,⁴ which is to obteyne of almightie God the thinge we desire. And for this effecte it is sufficient also to haue the first intētion, which is the thinge that God respecteth in our workes: for if this first intention fayle we shall not obteyne the thinge we require, because almightie God will not heare his praier that seeketh not the thinge he asketh of him in such sorte as he ought, and for such end as he ought.

3. The thirde effect of praier, is a spirituall refection of the soule. And for this effect it is necessarilie required to haue an attention in praier: and not onely such an attention as is attent to the materiall wordes, or as the seconde attention, that marketh the sence and meaninge of the wordes, but moche more that attention that marketh and is attent to the end of prayer, which is almightie God, and vnto the thinge for which we praye.

⁵ The readinge of holie bookes conteininge fruitfull and profitable matters not onelie lighteneth our ignorance, but it also dischargeth our dutie in well spendinge our tyme therein: it correcteth our faultes, teacheth good and holie maners, discouereth vices, exhorteth vnto vertues, stirreth vp feruour, causeth a feare of God, recollecteth the mynde, recreateth and comforteth the heauie, sorowfull, and discomforted soule. Vndowbtedlie it procureth great profite and fruite to reade bookes of holie matters: of such matters I meane, as doe recollecte the soule that is distracted, and wanderinge abroade emonge so manie diuers and sondrie thinges. Readinge teacheth and sheweth vs the waye how to leade a good life: Examples doe induce and prouoke vs to imitate and followe the same: And prayer obteyneth vs grace to accomplish it fullie, and perfect lie. Readinge (saie the holie fathers) is good: Praier vnto God is better: but the doeinge of good woorkes for Gods sake is aboue all Out of holie readinge the good deuowt persons doe gather how to meditate vpon God: And out of godlie meditation procedeth an earnest affection, and a verie prompte and readie eleuation of the spirit vnto God, out of which issueth that inwarde prayer that pearceth the heauens, passeth aboue the highest places, and hath a desire to vnite it selfe vnto almightie God, in whom are all good thinges that may be desired.

⁶ But because our weaknesse is not able to continewe and perseuere alwayes in prayer, and readinge, it is therefore verie profitable, yea and necessarie to worke also, and to doe some thinge that is good, and profitable: which cannot chuse but so it wilbe, in case praier goe before the worke: and yet it shalbe moche better if praier doe accompanie it: but best of all, if the worke doe also end in prayer, and then is the worke most perfecte.⁷ To doe some kinde of worke with our owne handes, besides that it is verie profitable and holsome for the bodie, it helpeth our spirite also, our neighbour is thereby edified, and our sences are comforted and refreshed. And in case thou finde thy selfe slouthfull, heauie, and vnwillinge to worke and labour with thy handes, yet perseuere therein, and thou shalt ouercome it. O that we might once come to haue such a perseuerance and constancie as the Sainctes had,⁸ who praied without intermission. And yet notwithstandinge their continuance in prayer, good Lorde, it is merueilous to consider, howe studious and continuall they were in readinge, howe feruente and laborious in bodelie exercices, and in doeinge of good workes: in somuch as no kinde of labours, paynes, nor trauayles, coulde euer ouercome them. Now what other thinge is the life of the Sainctes vnto vs, but onely a holie readinge, which we ought to imitate without ceasinge.⁹ That man that shall enforce himselfe to take paynes and labours for Godes sake, shall obteine the greater grace of his diuine good nesse, and shall out of hande feele the profite and commoditie of his traueile. An euill custome is ouercome by a good: the which good custome if it be conuerted as it were into nature, it waxeth so stronge, that it tourneth the thinges that were harde, and difficulte, and causeth them to become easie, and lighte. And all this (as Saint Paule saieth) commeth to the iust man by meanes of continuall prayer. And therefore he saieth, sine intermissione orate: ¹⁰ praye ye without intermissiō. Saint Paule knewe right well, that whilest we walke here in this life we are compassed all aboute with enemyes, temptations, tribulations, and with infinite deceitfull ginnes, with warres without, and feares within,¹¹ and therefore he aduiseth vs to praye without intermission. For whereas almightie God permitteth so manie vexations and troubles to come for the sinnes of the worlde, his intent thereby is, to stirre vp his electe, and to awake them, that they shoulde lifte vp their spirite vnto heauenly thinges.¹² For he that praieth not fighteth not, and he that fighteth not manfully, and maketh resistance, is forthwith ouercome, and leeseth his crowne, and rewarde.¹³ And if thou demaunde of me, who is able to praye and fighte cōtinually. I saie, that euerie one can doe it, that in trueth and humilitie of harte calleth vpon almightie God for succoure, and putteth his full trust in him in verie deede.¹⁴ For (as the prophet Dauid saithe) Our Lorde is mightie vnto them, that calle vpon him, if so be they calle vpon him in trueth.¹⁵ And if thou canst not praye continuallie with thy mouthe, yet praye with thy spirite and with a godly intention. For it is a very continuall sacrifice vnto almightie God in the soule of our hart to haue a desire to doe good workes, and to serue him with all our harte. And trulie that man doth alwayes praie that doth alwayes good workes. And whosoeuer is hartelie sorie for his offences he hath committed, and sigheth, mourneth, and longeth for the good thinges that are to come, praieth alwayes, and saieth with the prophet Dauid.¹⁶ O Lorde before thee is all my desier, and my mourninge is not hid from thee.

These three pointes nowe good Christian Reader, which serue (as we haue declared) to preserue the righteous man in his righteousnes, are so well taught, and so wonderfullie set forth in these notable bookes of the Reuerēd religious Learned Father, F. LEWIS de GRANADA, that he must needes be verie harde harted, who readinge them with attention, deuotion, and with a Christian desire to take profite by them, doth not merueilouslie inriche him selfe with these three treasures: to witte, with prayer, readinge, and doeinge of good workes. Wherefore whosoeuer is desirous to profite in these three thinges, hath here verie Catholike, sounde, and profitable doctrine, and in all pointes agreable with the vniuersall doctrine of the holie auncient Fathers, and of the diuine Scriptures. In these singular deuout holie bookes he shall not finde any thinge that may either offend him, or bringe him into any errour, or scruple. Here shall he finde manie thinges that may edifie, delighte, teache, and prouoke him to the loue of God, and withall to the abhorringe of sinne, and contempte of the worlde. From receauinge which fruites no man is here excluded: for so much as the Awthor hath with a rare wisedome in such wise tempered the doctrine, and accommodated him selfe vnto all states, and conditions of persons, that neither the verie highe and learned haue anie cause to leaue it, as ouer base for them: nor the verie lowe and vnlearned to refuse it, as ouer highe for their capacities. For here is made a conuenient prouision of competent meates both for the one sort, and for the other. And because the Awthor vnderstode right well howe farre the mouthes of men now adayes are owt of tast, and how much they are more affectionate vnto the sleshe pottes of Egypt, than to the breade of Angels, I meane hereby, rather to the readinge of prophane bookes, by reason of the pleasant stile wherewith they thinke they are written, than to the bookes of spirituall doctrine, which are commonly written with more simplicitie, he hath therefore dressed this meate in suche wise, and hath written this doctrine in such a sweete and pleasant stile, that it maie prouoke an appetite vnto this boke, euen in such persons as doe otherwise lothe good and holesome foode: besides, that the verie matters them selues are exceedingly well chosen, and of great profite. And because it were the parte of rude and rusticall persons to geue thankes to the bees that make the honie combes, and not vnto almightie God who created the flowers from whence the bees gather the honie, which they worke in their hiues: I exhort all persons to geue thankes to the deuoute and Learned Author of these workes, for these so sweete and sauorie honie combes which he hath here geuen vs, in such sorte that they omit not to procede further, and to geue thankes to almightie God also, who hath sent the flowers wherewith this honie is made. And withall I make humble request vnto all men, that I may be partaker of the prayets they shall make by meanes of the good disposition which (I truste) with the grace of God the readinge of theise holie and excellent deuoute workes shall cause in all godly and deuoute Christian Readers.

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Bernard de Fresneda Bishoppe of Cuenca.

Footnotes

1. Three thinges necessarie to preserue Iustice: to wit, prayer, readinge, and good woorkes. ↩

2. Continencie necessarie vnto prayer. ↩

3. Three effectes of prayer. S. Thomas. 2.2. quest. 83. artic. 1[…]. ↩

4. Our firste intention when we beginne our prayers muste be to attende to the seruice of God by them: and […]f we doe nothinge willinglye whilest we praye contrarie to this our firste intention, We shall obteine our Lawfull and necessarie requestes. ↩

5. The readinge of holie bookes. ↩

6. Besides readinge, and prayer, it is necessarie to doe some good and profitable woorke. ↩

7. To woorke with our owne handes is profitable bothe for our sowle and bodie. ↩

8. Note howe the Saintes cō tinewed in prayer, readinge, and woorkinge with their handes. ↩

9. Vvho so enforcethe himselfe to labour for gods sake, shall obteine greater grace of God. ↩

10. 1. Thess. 5.
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11. 2. Cor. 7.
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12. 2. Tim. 2.
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13. Who maie be able to praye and fighte cō tinewallie. ↩

14. Psal. 144. ↩

15. We maie praie all waies with our spirite, and with a godlye intention. ↩

16. Psal. 37. ↩