AN EXHORTATION TO THE CHRISTIAN Reader, made by the Right Reverend Father in God, Bernard de Fresneda, Bishop of Cuenca, one of the privy Council of Estate to the mighty King Philip of Spain, etc. And his Ghostly Father, to read this book with good attention, and with a desire to profit, and proceed forwards in godliness.
It is the doctrine of the holy fathers, that there be three things very necessary and of inestimable importance to the just man to preserve him in his Justice: to wit, Prayer, Reading and doing of good works. In these three things ought the just man to exercise himself every day, and divide his time so discreetly, and so like a good Christian, that he be ever found occupied in some of them. Prayer illuminateth, purgeth, comforteth, rejoiceth, obtaineth fervor, causeth all travail to seem sweet, and light, breedeth devotion, engendereth confidence, (in case our own spirit does not reprove us:) Prayer bannisheth away sloth, frayeth the enemy, and overcometh temptation. And therefore a certain wise man said: Non te pigeat orare, si vis a vitiis liberari. Be not slack to pray, if thou wilt be delivered from vices.
Prayer is very necessary towards the obtaining of the grace of God, without which the spiritual life will utterly decay, and perish. And therefore prayer is preferred before reading. Tertullian speaking of prayer saith: That thing is always to be used, which is always good: And he addeth furthermore, and saith: If prayer be necessary in all places, and at all times, then is continency necessary also unto prayer: for so much as prayer proceedeth of continency wherefore if thy continency hath cause to be ashamed, then shall thy prayer likewise be ashamed. The spirit carryeth our prayer unto God: and if the spirit find itself faulty, then our prayer ascendeth with shame unto him. Again, Cassiodorus saith, that perseverance in prayer availeth much to obtain firmness of heart. By means of continual prayer the devils and their deceitful snares are overcome, and by the same the just man weakeneth their forces, and vexations. By means of prayer he maketh them become weak, cowardly, and easy to be conquered: and by the same he maketh himself also become strong, and a conqueror over them. If thou pray with perseverance thou shalt obtain sweetness, and withal a more fervent desire to pray. And then do we pray in truth, when we have none other thing in our mind, but do apply all our intention unto heavenly things and have our heart wholly enflamed with the fire of the Holy Ghost.
- There be three effects of prayer. The first effect is common unto all works done in charity: which is, to be meritorious. And for this effect actual attention is not of necessity required in prayer, but it is sufficient to have an habitual attention, as in all other meritorious acts.
- The second effect, is proper unto prayer alone, which is to obtain of almighty God the thing we desire. And for this effect it is sufficient also to have the first intention, which is the thing that God respecteth in our works. For if this first intention fail, we shall not obtain the thing we require: because almighty God will not hear his prayer, that seeketh not the thing he asketh of him in such sort as he ought, and for such end as he ought.
- The third effect of prayer, is a spiritual refection of the soul. And for this effect it is necessarily required to have an attention in prayer: and not only such an attention as is attent to the material words, or as the second attention, that market the sense and meaning of the words, but much more that attention, that market and is attent to the end of prayer, which is almighty God, and unto the thing for which we pray.
The reading of holy books containing fruitful and profitable matters, not only lighteneth our ignorance, but it also dischargeth our duty in well spending our time therein: it correcteth our faults, teacheth good and holy manners, discovereth vices, exhorteth unto virtues, stirreth up fervor, causeth a fear of God, recollecteth the mind, recreateth and comforteth the heavy, sorrowful, and discomforted soul. Undoubtedly it procureth great profit and fruit to read books of holy matters: of such matters I mean, as do recollect the soul that is distracted, and wandering abroad among so many divers and sundry things. Reading teacheth and sheweth us the way how to lead a good life: Examples do induce and provoke us to imitate and follow the same: And prayer obtaineth us grace to accomplish it fully, and perfectly. Reading (say the holy fathers) is good: Prayer unto God is better: but the doing of good works for Gods sake is above all. Out of holy reading the good devout persons do gather how to meditate upon God: And out of godly meditation proceedeth an earnest affection and a very prompt and ready elevation of the spirit unto God, out of which issueth that inward prayer, that pierceth the heavens, passeth above the highest places, and hath a desire to unit itself unto almighty God, in whom are all good things that may be desired.
But because our weakness is not able to continue and persevere always in prayer, and reading, it is therefore very profitable, yea and necessary to work also, and to do some thing that is good, and profitable: which cannot choose but so it will be, in case prayer go before the work: and yet shall be much better, if prayer do accompany it: but best of all if the work do also end in prayer, and then is the work most perfect. To do some kind of work with our own hands, besides that it is very profitable and wholesome for the body, it helpeth our spirit also, our neighbor is thereby edified, and our senses are comforted, and refreshed. And in case thou find thyself slothful, heavy, and unwilling to work, and labor with thy hands, yet persevere therein, and thou shalt overcome it. O that we might once come to have such a perseverance, and constancy, as the Saints had, who prayed without intermission. And yet notwithstanding their continence in prayer, good Lord, it is marvelous to consider, how studious and continual they were in reading, how fervent and laborious in bodily exercises, and in doing of good works: insomuch as no kind of labors, pains, nor trials, could ever overcome them. Now what other thing is the life of the Saints unto us, but only a holy reading, which we ought to imitate without ceasing. That man that shall enforce himself to take pains and labors for Gods sake, shall obtain the greater grace of his divine goodness, and shall out of hand feel the profit and commodity of his travail. An evil custom is overcome by a good: the which good custom if it be converted as it were into nature, it waxeth so strong, that it turneth the things that were hard, and difficult, and causeth them to become easy, and light. And all this (as Saint Paul saith) cometh to the just man by means of continual prayer. And therefore he saith, Sine intermissione orate: pray ye without intermission. Saint Paul knew right well, that whilst we walk here in this life, we are compassed all about with enemies, temptations, tribulations, and with infinite deceitful ginnes, with wars without, and fears within, and therefore he adviseth us to pray without intermission. For whereas almighty God permiteth so many vexations and troubles to come for the sins of the world, his intent thereby is to stir up his elect, and to awake them, that they should lift up their spirit unto heavenly things. For he that prayeth not, fighteth not, and he that fighteth not manfully, and maketh resistance, is forthwith overcome, and looseth his crown, and reward. And if thou demand of me who is able to pray and fight continually: I say, that everyone can do it, that in truth and humility of heart calleth upon almighty God for succour, and putteth his full trust in him in very deed. For (as the prophet David saith) Our Lord is mighty unto them, that call upon him, if so be they call upon him in truth. And if thou canst not pray continually with thy mouth, yet pray with thy spirit, and with a godly intention. For it is a very continual sacrifice unto almighty God in the soul of our heart to have a desire to do good works, and to serve him with all our hearts. And truly that man doth always pray, that doth always good works. And whosoever is heartily sorry for his offences he that committed, and fighteth, mourneth, and longeth for the good things that are to come, prayeth always, and saith with the prophet David. O Lord before thee is all my desire, and my mourning is not hid from thee. These three points now good Christian Reader, which serve (as we have declared) to preserve the righteous man in his righteousness, are so well taught, and so wonderfully set forth in these notable books of the Reverend religious Learned Father, F. Lewis de Granada, that he must needs be very hard hearted, who reading them with attention, devotion, and with a Christian desire to take profit by them, doth not marvelously enrich himself with these three treasures: to wit, with prayer, reading, and doing of good works. Wherefore whosoever is desirous to profit in these three things, hath here very Catholic, sound, and profitable doctrine, and in all points agreeable with the universal doctrine of the holy ancient Fathers, and of the divine Scriptures. In these singular devout holy books he shall not find any thing that may either offend him, or bring him into any error, or scruple. Here shall he find many things that may edify, delight, teach, and provoke him to the love of God, and withal to the abhorring of sin, and contempt of the world. From receiving which fruits no man is here excluded: forsomuch as the Author hath with a rare wisdom in such wise tempered doctrine, and accommodated himself unto all states, and conditions of the persons, that neither the very high and learned have any cause to leave it, as over base for them: nor the very low and unlearned to refuse it, as over high for their capacities. For here is made a convenient provision of competent meats both for the one sort, and for the other. And because the Author understood right well how far the mouths of men nowadays are out of taste, and how much they are more affectionate unto the fleshpots of Egypt, than to the bread of Angels, I mean hereby, rather to the reading of profane books, by reason of the pleasant style wherewith they think they are written, than to the books of spiritual doctrine, which are commonly written with more simplicity, he hath therefore dressed this meat in such wise, and hath written this doctrine in such a sweet and pleasant style, that it may provoke an appetite unto this book, even in such persons as do otherwise loathe good and wholesome food: besides, that the very matters themselves are exceedingly well chosen, and of great profit. And because it were the part of rude and rustical persons to give thanks to the bees that make the honeycombs, and not unto almighty God who created the flowers from whence the bees gather the honey, which they work in their hives: I exhort all persons to give thanks to the devout and Learned Author of these works, for these so sweet and savory honeycombs which he hath here given us, in such sort that they omit not to proceed further, and to give thanks to almighty God also, who hath sent the flowers, wherewith this honey is made. And withal I make humble request unto all men, that I may be partaker of the prayers they shall make by means of the good disposition, which (I trust) with the grace of God the reading of these holy and excellent devout works shall cause in all godly and devout Christian Readers.
Bernard de Fresneda
Bishop of Cuenca.
OF PRAYER AND MEDITATION 