But thou wilt say, I am not bound to keep any more than the Commandments of almighty God, and of his Catholic Church. True it is, I grant. But yet to keep well this wall, we have need of a forewall, or bulwark: and to keep this vessel, we have need of a cupboard to keep it in: and to raise up this building, we have need of a scaffold, and other engines to raise it up withal. I mean hereby, that to keep the law of God, we have need of many things to strengthen, and encourage our hearts, for the keeping, and observation of the same law. For if the nature of man were in such good plight, as it was before sin, then were it a very easy matter to fulfil our duty herein: but now alas having so many lettes, and contradictions, we have need to have ever two cares, the one how to keep the law of God, and the other how to strengthen our heart, that it may overcome the impediments, and contraditions, that do hinder us from fulfilling the laws, and commandments of God. When the children of Israel returned from the captivity of Babylon, they went about to build Jerusalem again, and they intended to do nothing else, but only to build: but because the borders round about them sought to hinder them in their building, their labor and travail was thereby doubled. So that they were constrained to appoint the one part of the people to attend to the building, and the other to fight, and drive away their enemies from the wall. Now in our case, whereas there be so many enemies, that do daily and hourly seek to hinder us in this spiritual building of virtues: the devils on the one side, with a thousand subtle snares, and deceits: the world on the other side, with a thousand kinds of scandalous offences, and evil examples: and the flesh in the middle, with divers and sundry kinds of appetites, which be so fiery, and so contrary unto the law of God, (for God requireth chastity, and the flesh longeth after sensuality: God requireth humility, and the flesh seeketh after vanity: God would have austerity of life, and the flesh hunteth after delights, and pleasures:) if now there be no spiritual weapons exercised to drive away these enemies, if there be no medicines used to cure this corrupted flesh, how shall a man keep chastity among so many dangers, charity, among so many scandalous offences: peace, among so many contradictions: simplicity, among so many malicious deceits: cleanness of life, in a body so filthy: and humility, in a world so much given unto pompous pride, and vain glory. Now to cure this flesh, and to make resistance against these enemies, that do hinder us in this building of virtues, we have need of other virtues. Some to carry the burthen, and some others to help us to carry the same. For the virtue of chastity fulfilleth the burthen of the commandment: which saith: Thou shalt not commit fornication: but fasting, prayer, avoiding of occasions of sin, taking of discipline, by whipping our rebellious flesh and other the like holy exercises, do help to mortify the flesh, that it may be the better able to bear this burthen. All which virtues, although they be not always of precept, and bound duty: yet are they often times of very necessity, and bounden duty to be exercised, whensoever the danger we be in is so great, that it requireth the exercise of them, for the keeping and fulfilling of the commandments.
But among these virtues, and defensives (that do help us to observe the commandments) one of the most principal is prayer. For prayer is a principal mean to obtain grace, which is the thing that is of chiefest force, to sustain the burthen of the law of God. And therefore Ecclesiasticus saith. He that keepeth the law, multiplieth prayer. For whereas he seeth by experience, that none can keep the law of God (by the observation whereof everlasting glory is obtained) without the grace of God, he helpeth himself by prayer to obtain grace, by means whereof he may be able to keep the law of God. The law commandeth us to be chaste. But besides this, the holy Ghost addeth, and saith by the wise man. Understanding that none could be chaste unless thou (O Lord didst give him grace for the same, and it was a great grace to know of whose gift this was) I went unto our Lord, and I demanded of him this grace with all my heart. Whereby thou mayst see (according as we declared in the beginning) that the wall hath need of a forewall, or bulwark, and the vessel hath need of a cupboard to keep it in, and some virtues have need of other virtues to defend, and guard one another.
Now if this be true that thou art bound to keep the law of God, and not to commit any deadly sin, it is good reason, that thou do seek out all such means, as may help thee to keep the same law, and to preserve thee without deadly sin. The which means although generally they be but of counsel, yet sometimes they may be of precept, when the necessity of exercising them (as we have said) is so great, that without the use of those means, the very commandments themselves cannot be kept, and fulfilled, as all the learned divines do affirm. Howbeit every Christian that hath an earnest desire of his salvation ought not to expect, and delay the seeking for these remedies, until the very last, and extreme danger, when the knife is already at his throat: but he ought to make good provision, and to furnish himself before hand, by means of these foresaid spiritual exercises, that he may live more safe, and secure, from the peril of breaking Gods commandments.
Again I confess, that these means (as we have said) do appertain to the religious, and to the lay people, after a divers sort: and that prayer, and consideration itself, which is one of these means, must be used of then in divers degrees. For the religious person must exercise the same, as a thing appertaining to his office, and duty of his profession, (because he walketh towards perfection:) but the lay person must exercise it as a mean, whereby he may the better fulfill his bounden duty of keeping the commandments of almighty God. And therefore the lay person must take so much of this medicine, (to wit of prayer, meditation, etc.,) as may suffice to cure his disease: and so much must he take of these means, as may suffice to obtain his end. It is sufficient for the lay person to withdraw himself sometimes, for to enter, and take an inward view within himself, and then by means of these, or any other spiritual exercises, and prayers, to attend unto the repairing of his conscience, and to the reformation of his life: for considering that this is the greatest of all our business, it is requisite that this be not the last of our cares.
OF PRAYER AND MEDITATION 