CHAPTER VII
OF PRAYER
If thou be set in temptation or
tribulation, to prayer anon run. Truly if thou prayest clearly thou shalt have
help. Distractions sometimes come and waverings of heart, and thoughts of
divers things ravish the heart and suffer it not to stand in the praising of
God. Then peradventure it were good a while to think of holiness, until the
mind is more stabled, and so thy prayers are fulfilled.
Truly if any have left all worldly occupations
for the love of God, and always are given to holy prayer and holy meditation, I
trow that by God's grace within a short space they shall find their heart is
stabled to love and pray. They should not waver now to this and now to that,
but rather abide in rest and endless peace. Full mickle it strengthens to get
stableness of heart to be busy in frequent prayers, and devoutly to sing
psalms. With busy prayers truly we overcome fiends, and we loosen their
waitings and stirrings. They are enfeebled and as it were without strength,
whiles we, strong and not overcome, bide in prayer.
Truly those men that have it in custom with long
exercise to pray, sometimes find more sweetness and more fervent desire of
prayer. Therefore whiles that sweetness and heat last it is good not to cease
from prayers. When they cease--that often happens because of the corruptible
flesh--they may turn to read holy scripture, or do some other profitable thing,
that they suffer not their thought to waver from God, so that when they rise to
pray again they may be quicker than they were before.
Truly then we pray well when we think of no other
thing, but all our mind is dressed to heaven and our soul is enflamed with the
fire of the Holy Ghost. Thus truly a marvellous plenteousness of God's goodness
is found in us; for from the innermost marrow of our hearts shall the love of
God rise, and all our prayer shall be with desire and effect; so that we
overrun not the words, but nearly every syllable with a great cry and desire we
shall offer to our Lord. Our heart being kindled with hot fire our prayer is
also kindled, and in the savour of sweetness is offered by our mouth in the
sight of God, so that it is great joy to pray. For whiles in prayer a
marvellous sweetness is given to the one praying, the prayer is changed to
song.
Here some are reproved that rather take heed to
meditation than to prayer, not knowing that God's speech is fired; and with it
the filth of sin is cleansed, and the minds of prayers are enflamed with love.
They say that they will first meditate and so stable their hearts; but they are
stabled the later in that they are not comforted by prayer.
Although we can not gather our hearts together as
we would yet may we not leave off, but little by little we should study to grow
in prayer, that at the last Jesu Christ may stable us. To which meditation
helps if it pass not measure and manner.