Moses to the tabernacle to ask counsel of the Lord. It is in vain for you to rise before the dawn, O sons of men! Never, till the Sun of Justice, invoked in prayer, has shone upon you, will you rise in good time to labour.

MAN. Oh, that thou wouldst impress effectually on my heart, O Lord, the wholesome words which thou soundest so patiently in my ears! I understand thy advice and thy commands, teach me also to do thy will, that nothing may hinder me from praying always; so will I bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth. Oh, that my will were in thy law, that it might be my de. light to meditate in it day and night. There is not a moment but we enjoy thy benefits, it is, therefore, but just, that not a moment should escape thy praise. Accordingly, thy Apostle counsels us to pray without ceasing, and thou thyself, the eternal truth, hast said, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint.

§ 6. Confidence and resigna

tion in prayer.

CHRIST. Thou knowest these things, my son, happy art thou if thou do them. Be not like a servant who knows his Lord's will, but does it not. Call to mind all the motives and incitements, the admonitions, the examples, and parables I have set forth, in

order to persuade you to constancy, frequency, confidence, and perseverance in prayer. Surely he must be very ready to give who urges thee so much to ask. Think of the woman of Canaan, who prayed with such constancy, and who was at length heard after many repulses. Think too of him who knocked at his friend's door by night, and did not leave off till he had obtained what he wanted. Think too of the judge who feared neither God nor man, and who, nevertheless, undertook the cause of the widow who entreated him with so much importunity.

But if my gifts and benefits are now but seldom bestowed upon you, lay it to your own door. The hand of the Lord is not shortened to exercise his mercy towards you, but it is you who render yourselves unworthy and incapable of receiving it, while you ask in a way so unbecoming. For though you do sometimes approach me, still this is done faintly, as though you did not care to receive, neither do you pray with becoming faith; and if I do not instantly grant what you seek, you cast away all courage, you forsake prayer, you speak ill of me, and even suspect me. And then perverse thoughts of my goodness rise up into your hearts, as though I moved above the poles of heaven, and would not consider your

wants. Yet are not my eyes always open upon my faithful ones, and my ears to hear their prayers, never to fail them in time of need?

If at any time I delay a little, this too is for your good, that your desires may expand and increase, and so man may become more capable of receiving my gifts. For things long desired are more sweet in the acquisition; but those are less valued that are easily obtained. If, therefore, thou askest any thing of me, and I do not immediately grant it, persevere, nevertheless, in knocking and calling, for the door shall be opened to you at last. Or even if I am unwilling to give, return me thanks equally, whether I refuse or comply, from the knowledge that I deny what I know will not be for your good. For a man often knows not what he asks, like the sons of Zebedee, or what will be for his benefit in this life, in all the days of his pilgrimage, and the time that passes like a shadow. But I know best what is good for each; yet, for the folly of men, I sometimes grant in anger what in favour I would deny. Be sure, however, of this, that if thou art not heard to thy wish, thou wilt certainly be so to thy salvation. Thus was my Apostle heard when he besought to be delivered from the sting of the flesh. Nay, I myself was thus heard by

my Father, when I prayed that the chalice of my passion might be removed from me. Is the servant greater or better than his Lord? Thy prayer will be best, if made conformable to mine, which I poured forth in the garden in the utmost anguish of heart, submitting myself entirely to the will of my Father. Hence that form of prayer with which I taught my disciples and all of you to pray: Thy will be done.

$7. A prayer for the Divine

assistance.

MAN. O immeasurable love! O inexhaustible tenderness! It is according to the riches of thy goodness, O Lord, that thou dost so copiously instruct and exhort me to converse with thee, though thou hast no need of my goods. Why is it that thou delightest to deal with the sons of men? Oh, that my soul, poor, destitute, and parched, would pant for thee as the hind pants for the fountains of waters! Oh, that my mouth were filled with thy praise! Oh, that I were as prepared to receive as thou to give! The oil of thy loving mercy drops down, nay, flows richly in streams, if but empty vessels were not wanting to receive it. Behold the vessel of my heart, but full of impurity and evil desires. I beseech thee to empty and cleanse it; enlarge my heart also, that thou mayest fill it.

Inflame my coldness with the fire of thy love, that my prayer may be directed as incense in thy sight. Let it not creep on the ground, pressed down

with the weight of sin or the flesh, but let it ascend to thee quickly, and let thy mercy descend upon me.

The form, and model, and sum of all prayers is the Lord's Prayer, which is to be the more highly esteemed, in proportion to the many excellences in which it surpasses all others.

First of all, in authority and in dignity; for it was composed by Christ himself, and came forth from his sacred mouth.

Secondly, it recommends itself by being short and easy, yet abounding in meanings, and mysteries, so wonderfully and perfectly disposed, as to comprehend whatever can be lawfully asked of God.

Besides, it is peculiarly efficacious in easily exciting the mercy of God, and disposing him favourably towards the suppliant. For how can our heavenly Father refuse to listen to those whom he sees coming to supplicate him, prepared with the precepts and words of his beloved Son, our Mediator and Advocate ?

Lastly, it briefly, but

clearly, expresses all the parts, terms, and conditions of a good prayer; so that when earnestly and attentively said, it forcibly arouses and keeps in exercise the spirit of devotion.

As, then, this prayer, which was delivered to the Apostles from the mouth of our Saviour Christ, ought to be highly regarded by Christians, and is so frequently and familiarly used by ecclesiastics in the Divine office, I have subjoined a few points out of St. Thomas and others for its exposition, from occasional reflection upon which may possibly arise a greater relish and profit from the frequent repetition of the same prayer.

For, in fact, the reason why we but too seldom relish the taste of this, as well as of other spiritual things, is because we are commonly occupied with the outer shell, but seldom or never penetrate to the kernel within.

Our Father who art in

Heaven. This is the preface of the Lord's Prayer, which aims at captivating God's goodwill, and on disposing the suppliant to love and fear, the most suitable affections for prayer.

For if he is a Father, is he not worthy of love? But what kind of love? for our love to him should be measured by the extent of his goodness.

But what is the extent of our eternal Father's goodness? God is in himself supremely happy, he is the creator of heaven and earth, our Lord and King, and yet he desires to be, and to be esteemed, our Father; and he delights for us in turn, vile worms of the earth and miserable sinners as we are, unworthy to be called his servants, to be, and to be called, his sons. Oh, what love hath the Father bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and be, the sons of God! O immeasurable goodness of the Father! But where is the equal love of the sons?

Consider too what fear is due to this Father, who is seated on the throne of his majesty in heaven, yet is every where present, beholding severally each secret thing, and governs at once all things in heaven and earth?

Great in very truth is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and

of his power and greatness there is no end. The cheru

bim and seraphim stand trembling before him.

See, then, with what love and confidence, and yet with what humility and reverence, you ought to compose your mind when you come to pray.

Next come seven petitions, in which we partly pray for blessings, and partly entreat to be delivered from evils. For, as by prayer we make known our desires, so in the Lord's Prayer we ask for those things which we may lawfully desire. Now, that which is the first object of desire is the chief good, or last END. We ask next for the means which are proper for obtaining this end. And, lastly, for the removal of those obstacles which stand in the way of our obtaining it.

Lastly, the chief good, and our final end, is God, whose GLORY we desire for its own sake, and from the sole motive of pure love, in saying,

Hallowed be thy name.

That is to say, May thy name, which is most holy and glorious in itself, be also thus esteemed by all. May it be acknowledged by true faith, praised by steadfast hope, and worshipped by pure love. Not that our aid is needed for thy name to be holy; but because it is holy and glorious, and therefore the source and form of all holiness, let the

holiness of our conduct declare it so. Let all our actions and behaviour be so framed, that they who see our conversation and the works that we do, may glorify thee, our Father in heaven.

Let this be fixed in our heart, frequent in our mouth, and acceptable in our work:

HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

Here is a most easy exercise of purity of intention, to be practised frequently during the day.

After this primary desire, the next is that of the glory of God relatively to ourselves, that we may enjoy it as our highest good. And this affection takes its birth from the love of God, since by it we love ourselves in God; thence we pray,

Thy kingdom come. We ask this, O Lord, because we are here strangers and exiles from our country, shut out from the most sweet presence of our dear Father, and overloaded with the heavy yoke of the prince of this world. Make us to pant after thee in heaven with our whole heart. Permit us not to love the world or the things that are in the world, but to have a taste for and to seek the things that are above. But when the end of our pilgrimage here is come, make us to despise with a calm and joyful mind this kingdom of the world and all

its pomps, and seek the kingdom that is above with an ardent desire; that so we may find with joy that inheritance which has been prepared for us from the beginning of the world, where thou wilt grant us to enjoy thee, and with thee eternal glory for ever.

Now to obtain the Supreme Good, we have need of some other goods besides, as means and props. Of these, obedience to the commands of God

is the chief. For he who does

not his will, is not fit for the kingdom of God; and he who keeps not the commandments, merits not to enter into life. But without his aid who commands us, how shall we be able to keep them? Hence we rightly pray,

Thy will be done.

For thou, O Lord, knowest that, because the flesh is weak, prone to evil, and wars against the spirit, our spirit, though ready, finds not how to do thy will. For the body, which is corrupted, weighs down the mind, so that from his youth man's senses are almost always more violently inclined to evil than to good. And hence it is that we often know not what to pray for, or how to pray, or what is best for us. But thou knowest this most perfectly, because thou knowest all things. Make us, therefore, to know what thou wouldest have us to do, and so direct our wills by thy effi