WHICH PRESCRIBETH also bounds and limits to the will, that it be neither to excessive, nor vehement in her exercise.
The former advice teacheth us how we ought to quiet our understanding, and commit all this business to our will: but this present advice prescribeth also bounds, and limits to the will, that it be neither too excessive, nor to vehement in her exercise. Wherefore ye must understand, that the devotion which we seek to obtain, is not a thing that may be gotten with force of arms (as some persons think,) who lay on great lode of enforced sighings, and sobbings, imagining thereby to procure tears, and compassion, when they think upon the passion of our Savior. For such force doth commonly cause the heart to become more dry, and more unable to receive our Lords visitation, according as the holy father Cassianus affirmeth. Moreover it doth commonly prejudice and hurt the health of the body, yea and some times leaveth the soul so astonied, and aghast, by reason of the little taste she hath there received, that she is loath to return again to this exercise, as to a thing which she hath tried by experience to have been very painful and irksome unto her. And therefore if our Lord shall send us tears or other the like feelings in our prayer, we ought humbly to accept them, and to give him thanks for them. But for a man to wring them out as it were with force of arms, it is no wisdom. He must content himself with doing sincerely what lieth in him: that is, he must suppose himself to be present at such grievous torments as our Savior hath suffered, beholding with a sincere and quiet eye, as well such pains as he hath suffered, as also the love and charity, that moved him to suffer them. And when he hath thus done, let him not vex nor trouble himself any further, though our Lord send him not tears and compunction of heart.
And he that can not thus do, but shall perceive himself to be overmuch troubled in his exercise, let him not strive to pass forwards, but let him humble himself before almighty God with inward quietness, and simplicity, and desire him of his grace, that he may be able to proceed in his prayer and meditation without such great trouble and danger unto him. And in case it shall please our Lord to grant him this quietness of mind, he shall feel a more inward hearty devotion thereby, than he was wont to feel with the disquietness of his mind, and it shall endure much longer. After this sort may a man continue in prayer and meditation a long time together, without feeling any heaviness, or grief: but that man can not so do, that shall meditate after the other enforced manner before specified.
And for this cause we must take diligent heed, that if at any time there do arise in the soul very fervent motions of sensible devotion, or excessive sobbings, and sighings, we suffer not ourselves to be carried away with them, but we must temper them with great moderation, and dissemble them as much as we can, and withal endeavor to keep and continue that consideration and thought within us, which caused those fervent motions: I mean hereby, that we must remove away from us those storms and alterations of the flesh: to wit, these vehement sobbings, and sighings, and enjoy in our soul with quietness the light, and devotion, which almighty God hath sent unto us. And after this sort we shall continue in our exercise a longer time, and our consolation shall take deeper root inwardly in our souls, and shall not give any outward shew thereof with weeping, sobbing, and other external signs, which can hardly be avoided without great pain, in case a man do once accustom himself very much unto such sensible motions, and fervors, which the stronger and mightier they shew outwardly, the more do they quench the light inwardly, and be an impediment unto us that we can not proceed forward in our prayer, and meditation.
True it is, that at the first beginning of novices in spiritual exercises such fervors can very hardly be eschewed. For then the great wonder that a man hath of the newness and profoundness of divine things, maketh him to enter into so great an admiration, and astonishment, that he can not refrain himself from this fervency. But after that with the use of daily meditation of divine things the newness of them ceaseth, then is his heart quieted, and although he love almighty God with greater vehemency, yet hath he not such sensible fervor and disquietness in his love. And so we see, that the new wine, and the pot of water when it beginneth first to try the unwonted heat of the fire, it boileth so forcibly, that it bubbleth up, and runneth over the brim: but after that it hath boiled a certain space, it ceaseth then much better, and is much hotter, and yet with less noise, and vehemency. That man which was lame from his mothers womb, whom St. Peter healed, (as it is declared in the acts of the Apostles,) so soon as he perceived himself to be whole and perfectly cured of his former lameness, the holy Scripture saith, that he walked, and leaped, and praised almighty God. This man was not content only to go, but as one that had been so long time as it were bound hands and feet, and finding by experience his new liberty, he then stretched forth his limbs to the uttermost he could, and leaped, and skipped with great joy, and admiration. Howbeit it is to be thought, that afterwards he would walk more quietly, and not leap and skip all his life time: but as then the great joy he had of his new and unaccustomed health would not suffer him to be in quiet.
OF PRAYER AND MEDITATION 