Of Five Partes That Maie Be Exercised in Prayer. Cap. IIII
THESE be the meditatiōs (good Christian reader) wherein thou mayst exercise thy selfe in the seuen daies of the weke, and in so doinge thou shalt not wante matter whereupon to meditate, But here it is to be noted, that (as we haue alreadie saiede) there be two thinges that maie goe before meditation, and other two that maie followe after it.1 So that in all there be fiue partes which maie concurre in this exercise: to witt, preparation, readinge, meditation, thankes-geuinge, and petition.
For before we enter into praier,2 it is verie requisite that we doe first prepare our harte vnto this holie exercise: followinge therein the maner and custome of musitians, who vse to temper and tune their lute, viall, or other instrument, before they plaie vpon it. And therefore Ecclesiasticus saiethe: Before praier prepare thy sowle, 3 and be not as a man that tempteth God. To tempte God, is to desire that he shoulde worke a miracle in such thinges, as maie be done by other ordinarie meanes. Seinge therefore that the preparation of the harte is such a principalle meane to obteine deuotion, he that goeth about to obtein it without this meane, showeth him selfe to haue a desire that almightie God shoulde worke a miracle therein: the which (as Ecclesiasticus saiethe) is as it were a temptinge of God.
4 After preparation it followeth that a man doe reade that matter which he hath to meditate vpon that daie, accordinge to the diuision of the daies of the weke, which we haue made heretofore. And this maner of readinge is vndowtedlie verie necessarie for such as are but nouices and yonge beginners in this exercise, vntill such time as a man doe knowe what he ought to meditate vpon. But afterwardes, when by the vse and practise of certaine daies he is well instructed therein, then this readinge shall not be so neidfull,5 but that he maie forthwith proceede vnto meditation.
6 After meditation there maie followe out of hande a deuoute geuinge of thankes to almightie God for all such benefites as we haue receiued, the which ought euermore to accompanie all our praiers, accordinge as the Apostle exhorteth vs,7 sayeinge: Occupte your selues verie earnestlie in prayer: watchinge therein with thankes-geuinge. 8 For as S. Augustine saiethe: What thinge is there that we can better conceyue in our hartes,9 better pronounce with our mouthes, and better write with our pennes, than this shorte sentence, Deo gratias: Thankes be vnto God. Nothinge can be saide more breifely: nothinge can be harde more sweetely, or vnderstode more ioyfully, or done more fruitfully.
The last parte is Petition,10 which is properlie called praier: wherein we desire of almightie God all such thinges as are behouefull as well for the saluation of our selues, as of our neighboures, and of all the whole Catholike Churche.
These fiue partes maie be exercised in praier: and emonge other profites and commodities that are wonte to come thereby, this is one, that these poyntes beinge dewlie exercised doe minister vnto a man great plentie of matter whereupon to meditate: settinge before him all these diuersities of meates, that if he lyste not to eate of one, he maye yet eate of an other: and that when he hath made an ende of meditation in one matter, he maie forthwith enter into an other, and so fynde varietie of matter wherein to continewe his meditation.
I knowe righte well, that neither all these partes nor this order is alwaies necessarie for all persons. Howbeit this maner maie serue verie well for all such as are but nouices and yonge beginners in this exercise, that so they maie haue some order and direction whereby to directe them selues at the beginninge. For certaine it is, that some thinges be necessary in the beginninge to teache an arte, which afterwardes when they be once knowen are but superfluous. And therefore, of anie thinge that shalbe here treated I will not that anie man shoulde thinke that I intende to make the same a perpetuall lawe, or generall rule. For myne intente is not in these instructions to make anie lawe, but onely to shewe an introduction for the direction of such persons as are but nouices and beginners in this waie. In which course after that they shalbe once entred by folowinge this introduction, then the verie vse and experience they shall haue in this exercise, and much more the holie Ghost will teache them each thinge that they haue to doe herein. The which beinge once sayede in this place, I desire it maie be vnderstoode in all the rest of this booke.
Footnotes
Chapter 22 of 29