THAT IN OUR MEDITATION we must eschew the superfluous speculation of our understanding, and commit this business to the exercise of the affections of our will.
The second advice is, that he labor to eschew in this exercise the superfluous speculation of the understanding and endeavor to use this matter rather with affections, and feelings of the will, than with discourses and speculations of the understanding.
It is therefore to be noted, that the understanding on the one side helpeth, and on the other side it may hinder the operation of the will: to wit, the love, and feeling of divine things. For as it is necessary that the understanding do go before the will to guide it, and give it knowledge what it ought to love: so when the speculation of the understanding is overmuch, then it hindereth this operation of the will: forsomuch as it suffereth it not to have place and time to work. And therefore like as it is said of the poison which is put into treacle, that if it be little it is wholesome, and necessary, but if it be overmuch it is hurtful: even so likewise may we say after a sort in this exercise, that the seeking to know God with simplicity helpeth the will the more to love him, but the seeking to know him with overmuch speculation hindereth the will, and causeth the operation thereof for that time to be the more feeble, and weak. And the reason hereof is, for that the virtue and power of our soul being finite and straited within certain bounds, and limits, the more it employeth her virtue and force on the one part, the less remaineth to be employed on the other: even like the fountain that runneth through two pipes, the more water that it dischargeth by the one pipe, the less it hath to yield through the other. And after the like sort doth the soul principally by the operation of the understanding, by the which (for that it is so noble and so excellent a power) the soul employeth and poureth out all her whole force in such wise, that in a manner she worketh nothing at all by her other powers, at such time as the understanding is very attent and earnestly occupied in the vehement speculation of any matter. And therefore we find by experience, that a man may with more facility preserve the affection of devotion in any exercise of the body wherein he laboreth with his hands, than when he hath his understanding busily occupied and attent in the speculation of any matter. For the understanding and the will be as it were two balances of our soul, the which are disposed in such sort, that the ascending of the one is the descending of the other, and so contrariwise. So that if the speculation do increase overmuch, then the affection thereby decreaseth: and if contrariwise the affection do increase, then the speculation forthwith decreaseth. And this is the cause why the Patriarch Jacob was made lame of one of his feet at what time he received benediction: for whereas our soul hath two feet wherewith to go unto almighty God, which be the understanding, and the will, it is requisite that the one foot be weakened, to wit, the understanding in his speculation, if the will which is the other foot shall enjoy almighty God in the rest and quietness of contemplation. And so it is seen by experience, that in case at such time as the soul is enjoining of almighty God, it do but turn a-side to seek to understand or search some point or matter appertaining unto God, it loseth forthwith at the very same instant the devotion which it had, and that sovereign good thing vanisheth then away from him which before he enjoyed. And therefore not without good cause doth the bridegroom advise the spouse in the Canticles, saying: Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have made me to fly. Wherefore I counsel a man in this exercise of meditation to occupy his understanding in speculation with as little curiosity as is possible, and to content himself with a simple sight and knowledge of divine things, to the intent that the virtue of his soul recollecting all her forces together, may employ herself by this affective part, (I mean, by the affections of the will) in loving and reverencing the chiefest goodness: to wit, almighty God.
Whereby it appeareth, that those men take not the right course herein, that in prayer do meditate in such wise upon divine mysteries, as if they should study to preach them: the which disorderly manner is rather to cause the Spirit to wander more abroad than to recollect it: and rather to go out of himself, than to keep within himself. And hereof it cometh, that when they have made an end of their exercise of prayer, they remain as dry, and without any joice of devotion, and as easily moved to follow every kind of lightness, and vanity of the world, as they were before their exercise. For (to speak the very truth) they have not prayed, but rather talked and studied, which is a thing far differing from prayer. Such persons ought to consider, that in this exercise of prayer and meditation we rather come to hear, than to speak. For (as the Prophet saith) Such as come to our Lords feet shall receive his doctrine: as he received it, that said: I will hearken, what our Lord speaketh within me. Wherefore I conclude, that all this business of meditation consisteth in speaking little, and in loving much, and in giving place to the will, that it may join itself with all his forces unto almighty God. And we must not spur forwards these two powers of the soul a-like, nor walk in this way with equal paces: but a special dexterity is requisite to be used to stir up the will, and to quiet the understanding, that it hinder not with his curious discourses the operations of love. And thou must make accompt that in this exercise thou goest in a chariot drawn with two horses, whereof the one is very forward, and quick, and the other very slow, and dull: and that thou must bear the bridles in thy hand with such dexterity, that the one thou must hasten forward, and hold the other back, that so they may go together the one by the other.
And if thou desire to have an other more lively example, make accompt that the understanding must behave itself towards the will, as the nurse doth towards the child which she nurseth, who after that she hath chewed the meat, she then putteth it into the childs mouth, that the child may taste and feed thereupon. For otherwise if the nurse should both chew the meat, and also eat it up herself, leaving the child without any meat, it is certain that she should do great injury to the child, in suffering it to die for hunger, by eating up that meat which was given unto her for the child. Now in this wise must the understanding behave itself towards the will in the exercise of prayer: for it appertaineth to the understanding to chew the spiritual matters, as the nurse cheweth the meat for the child, but the understanding must not retain the same spiritual matters for itself alone, but after that it hath once chewed them, it must offer them to the will, to the intent that the will may taste and feed thereupon, and be the more enkindled and confirmed in virtue, and goodness, with the taste and feeling of those spiritual matters.
The victuals that do enter in by the gates of a city ought to pay only a tribute, and import: but in case the porter should take up all the victuals for himself alone, and suffer none to come to the market, it is certain that the inhabitants of the city would die for hunger. Now in like manner, if the understanding which is as it were the first gate of our soul, (whereby the spiritual sustenance entereth unto it) do take up all that should pass by it for itself alone, in what case shall the will then be, but even very hungry, and dry, and in great necessity of all virtue, and goodness?
The hunting hound if he be good, will not eat the hare that he hath taken, but keepeth it faithfully until his masters coming: and in like manner ought our understanding to do, when it hath found out any high and secret truths: forsomuch as it must not retain all for itself alone, but reason would that it should assign them over to the will, that she as the mistress in this behalf may serve herself with them. And for this respect divers devout and simple persons are truly very happy, who as they know little, so when they come unto almighty God, they are little hindered with the discourses of their understanding, and therefore in their prayers and meditations they find their wills more tender, and more pliant, and better prepared unto every godly affection.
Now if thou desire to know how thou shouldest behave thyself herein, among many other ways that may serve in this case, thou mayest use this: In every good thing that thou shalt think upon either in prayer, or out of prayer, be careful to go out of hand therewith unto almighty God, as the young child doth, who with every thing that he findeth goeth out of hand to his mother, and tattleth with her of it. And so in like manner when in thy prayer or at other times thou findest any spiritual jewel, thou must lift up thine heart to almighty God, either to love him, or to adore him, or to reverence him, or to praise him for the same, according as the matter requireth: and thereby also to take occasion to humble thyself before him, and to desire of him his grace. It shall be a great help also hereunto to have the spirit of true humility, which causeth a man to appear before almighty God very poor, and naked, and to prostrate himself before that most high sovereign majesty, and to be more careful to desire him of his mercy for the curing of the great miseries which he knoweth in himself, than to search the profoundness of his high mysteries to understand them. And by so doing he cometh to be in the presence of almighty God, as a malefactor that is condemned to death would be when he should enter into the kings palace to ask him pardon: who would go with such a great and deep impression of his misery, that he would scarcely have either eyes to see, or heart to think upon any other thing but only upon his own present danger.
OF PRAYER AND MEDITATION 