The paradise of the Christian soul/Chap. II. Various Exercises on the Lord’s Prayer.
CHAPTER II.
VARIOUS EXERCISES ON THE LORD’S PRAYER.
Steps to perfection in the order of the Lord's Prayer.
I. THE LOVE OF GOD, HIS PRESENCE, AND THE REVERENCE DUE TO HIM.
Our Father' who art in heaven.
Thou dwellest in the heavens, as upon the throne of thy glory; but the high thou knowest afar off, and strictly observest our ways. For thy eyes are brighter than the sun. Therefore, from the throne of thy majesty thou beholdest in every place the good and the evil, but thy beloved children thou regardest with particular favour and kindness. Grant me, I beseech thee, to love thee, and walk before thee, as thou commandest; and also to fear thee, not as a culprit his judge, but as a son his father; and to endeavour to be perfect, even as thou, my heavenly Father, art perfect.
II. PURE INTENTION, OR ZEAL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
Hallowed he thy name.
Before all things I have this only wish, O good Jesus! that in thy name every knee should bow; that by me and by all men all things should be done with a right and a pure intention to the greater glory of thy name; that all should know thee and worship thee, O most holy Redeemer of the world! Oh, that our light also might so shine before men, that, seeing our good conversation, they might glorify thee, our Father in heaven!
III. LOVE AND DESIRE OF HEAVENLY THINGS.
Thy kingdom come.
For we are strangers and pilgrims upon earth. For this were we born, and what is more, were so formed to thy image, nay redeemed by thy blood, that we might be partakers of thy kingdom (for we have not now a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come); and that, seeking and minding the things that are above, not those that are upon the earth, we might have our conversation in heaven. Oh, that we would seek first the kingdom of God, and his justice! for thou, O Lord, securest to us all beside. What, then, can there be in the world, the whole of which is seated in wickedness, that can charm me so as to make me forget thy kingdom, where our desire will be satisfied with good things! What shall ever separate me from thee? Farewell, all the kingdoms of the world, and all their glory. To me one day in thy kingdom is better than thousands, nay, all other kingdoms are vain, fleeting, and transient; of thy kingdom only will there be no end.
IV. RESIGNATION AND CONFORMITY TO THE DIVINE WILL.
Thy will he done in earth as it is in heaven.
So be it done in every way by me, in me, and for me, in relation to my body and soul, and all that I have. All angels, all elements, the sea and winds, and all creatures, obey thy voice; how much more should I, thy servant, do thy will, who am but a worm of the earth! Oh, that thy will were my highest and only pleasure; as it is my true happiness to will what God wills. For beside thee, what have I in heaven, and what do I desire upon earth, O God of my heart, and God who art my portion for ever!
V. MODERATION IN THE USE OF CREATURES.
Give us this day our daily bread.
We ask not what may serve our pleasure, but what may satisfy our necessity. The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord, and thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature. Behold, I cast all my care upon thee, for thou carest for us. Only give me what is necessary for my sustenance, and grant that, having food and clothing, I may be therewith content, and thankful for all things to thee the giver of all. Let not the abundance of thy gifts produce in me luxury, surfeiting, and idleness. Alas, how many who are multiplied by the fruit of their corn, wine, and oil, have grown fat and gross, and forsaken thee, the God who made them! To me godliness with contentment will be gain enough.
VI. LOVE OF YOUR NEIGHBOUR, THOUGH YOUR ENEMY.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.
Oh, how sweet, O Lord, is thy spirit! Dost thou indeed teach us to pray, as though the measure of thy favour and indulgence depended on our conduct and feeling to our neighbour? Oh, new and wonderful form of words, that is at once a prayer and a pledge of thy goodness! Behold, thou wilt be to us such as we are to our neighbour! Shall I then be slow to forgive my neighbour, that I may find thee slow to forgive myself? No, rather will I be slow to anger, and the sun shall not go down upon my wrath. Far be it from me to be implacable to my neighbour, eager for revenge, and tenacious of injuries, lest thou shouldst remember my former iniquities, and chastise me in thy wrath. Why should I not cheerfully forgive my neighbour a penny, that thou mayest forgive me an infinite number of pounds!
VII. CONSTANCY IN TEMPTATIONS.
And lead us not into temptation, For what else but temptation is the life of man upon earth? Yet suffer me not to be tempted above that I am able. For without thee I can do nothing, but in thee I can do all things, if thy grace support me. Grant me, by mortification and avoidance of occasions, to prevent the temptations of the flesh. Let me be strong in faith to resist the roaring lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour. Let me despise the judgment of the world, and not prefer the things of a moment to those of eternity. Make every temptation conduce to my instruction, none to my ruin.
VIII. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
But deliver us from evil.
For behold, while we thus strive to attain the height of virtue, we are here on all sides perplexed by many evils, though in all of them we are governed by thy divine providence. This is attested by thy prophet, where he says: There is no evil in the city which the Lord hath not done;[1] the evil, that is, of punishment, such as war, famine, disease, want, &c. What we earnestly entreat of thee is, that these may not tend to the evil of sin; for that, of all evils, would be the greatest; but otherwise they will not be evils at all, if they do not separate us from thee our highest good. It is the part of thy power, goodness, and wisdom, O Lord, so to dispose those evils, that they all work together for good to them that love thee. For so great is thy power, that thou wouldst permit no evil, from which thou wert not able to extract a greater good.
THE LORD’S PRAYER ADAPTED TO THE THREE THEOLOGICAL AND THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES;
OR
How those seven virtues may he prayed for and practised in the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father who art in heaven.
O eternal Father, who with blessings unseen hast prepared for thy children an inheritance in heaven, but requirest them to be undegenerate children, in conduct worthy of such a Father, grant us to try to be perfect, as thou our Father art perfect. For this we are not sufficient of ourselves, but all our sufficiency is from thee. Therefore, in the name, and in the very words of thy most dear Son, we ask for the virtues and gifts without which we are unable to please thee, and to obtain thy kingdom.
I. FAITH.
Hallowed he thy name.
The name of God is hallowed best when he is worshipped with a true and living faith. I believe, O Lord, that thou art almighty, infinitely wise, and supremely good; that thou art true and faithful to thy promises, nay, that thou art the truth itself. Lord, increase my faith; help my unbelief, that I may sanctify thee in truth, by sincerity of faith. Thy works and thy judgments, O Lord, are wonderful; yet are they true, and justified in themselves. Thy name is admirable in the whole earth, yet there is no word impossible with thee. To me thy testimonies are very trustworthy, therefore holiness becomes thy house, the Church. For what can be more unworthy than to have such a belief, and yet, while with our lips, we confess that we know thee, to seem by our life and conduct to deny it? Be it far from me to act thus, but rather let a living faith grow in me, that I may sanctify thy ever glorious Name by a life that is conformable to my faith. For what will the name of Christian avail me without a Christian life?
II. HOPE.
Thy kingdom come.
Which has been prepared for us from the beginning of the world. For of thy infinite love thou hast made us heirs of thy kingdom, and co-heirs with Christ. I hope, therefore, to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. For how can it be that thou wilt reject me, O infinite Goodness, when thou callest me in so many ways? Lost thou invite me and draw me to thee thus, and yet wilt thou suffer me to faint by the way? In thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me not be confounded for ever. This hope is laid up in my bosom. In all my difficulties this strengthens my heart, so that I faint not in my troubles. For I believe that my Redeemer lives, and that, when he shall bring me into his kingdom, he will fill me with joy with his countenance. Oh, hope that does not make ashamed 1 Oh, how great a solace in trial is the hope of so great a reward!
III. CHARITY.
Thy will be done.
Inflame my heart, O most tender Father, with thy love; so will it not be hard to do thy will and obey thy commandments. For to one who loves nothing is impossible, or even difficult; for love is strong as death. Oh, that it may fill and rule my heart! For hence there will spring and grow up between thee and me such a conformity of conduct and union of will, that my will will be the same as thine, and there will be no more rebellion of my will against thine, but all my will shall be in thy law. But what mark of true love and friendship can be plainer than this? Who is he that loves thee, but he who has thy commandments, and keeps them? The exhibition of it in practice is the certain proof of love.
IV. TEMPERANCE.
Give us this day our daily bread.
The soul is supported by temperance, .as the body by food; nay, a sober and moderate diet is useful both to body and soul. Grant me, therefore, with the bridle of right reason, to curb the use of the pleasures that belong to this life, lest perhaps my heart be overcharged with surfeiting and gluttony, and my corruptible body weigh down my soul, that should muse upon heavenly things. Rightly do I to ask for this daily food, for the bait of pleasure lurks and is every where ready to ensnare us under almost all the creatures that we daily use.
V. JUSTICE.
And forgive us our trespasses.
Justice is, to give every one his due. Now, what do we owe our neighbour, but to love one another, to bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil thy law; and finally, to do to our neighbour as we would be done by? Again, it is just that we, who ask thee to forgive us the far heavier debt of ten thousand talents, should not refuse to forgive our neighbour the trifling debt of a hundred pence. Give me, therefore, a desire and love for this justice, O Lord, that I may not, by neglecting it, fall into the hands of thy justice. For if a man reserves anger for a man like himself, how shall he hope for mercy from thee? Is it not just that, with what measure he metes, it should be measured to him again?
VI. FORTITUDE.
And lead us not into temptation.
The life of man is exposed to many temptations, nay, is itself a temptation from first to last. Strengthen my heart, therefore, with the virtue of fortitude, that I may "not be led away by prosperity, nor overcome and separated from thee by adversity. For thou seest what strength I have for resistance; but thou, O Lord, art my strength and my safety. Have pity on me, therefore, for I am weak. But they who have sought after my soul are strong. Oh, that one stronger than they, even thou, wouldst come upon them, for thou art strong and mighty in battle; so shall my heart not fear, for thou art with me! If God is for us, who shall be against us? For thou wilt not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but wilt make, with the temptation, issue.
VII. PRUDENCE.
But deliver us from evil. Amen.
He who is governed by prudence, which is the right rule of all conduct, will easily escape all evil. Give me, therefore, O Lord, this virtue, that whatever I do, I may do prudently, and in all things look to the end. For where prudence presides, even evils work together for good; but where it is absent, even virtues degenerate into vices. Let me not, then, like a blind man who runs headlong, stumble and fall, but let thy eyelids go before my steps. Give me the simplicity of the dove, but above all, the prudence of the serpent; that, as it exposes its body to save its head, so I may choose rather to expose my body and limbs to torments, than to suffer the utmost of all evils, in the injury of my soul.
A MODE OF SAYING THE LORD’S PRAYER, WITH INTERVALS OF MEDITATION, FOR STIRRING UP HOLY AFFECTIONS.
From F. Christopher Mayer.
Our Father.
Lord of heaven and earth, who, with thy only -begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, art of infinite majesty, power, wisdom, and goodness, and art, therefore, to be infinitely honoured and loved; fountain of all good, from whom are to be hoped for with undoubting confidence all the blessings of nature, grace, and glory.
I. Hallowed he thy name.
Mayest thou be sanctified, loved, and glorified by me, and by all men, in all thy perfections of power, wisdom, goodness, mercy, and justice: in all thy judgments and statutes, as they relate to me, to all men, and to all things, in all the works of nature, grace, and glory; in all that thou permittest, in all thy blessings in every possible way, for thy own sake, without any return, infinitely above all things, now, always, and for ever and ever. Oh, that thou hadst always been thus glorified by me and by all men, and mightst ever in future be thus glorified and sanctified by us.
2. Thy kingdom come.
Oh, that thou mayest fully reign in me and in all men, by grace now, and by glory hereafter. Oh, that my soul may seek first the kingdom of God, and may mind and desire the things which are above, not those which are upon the earth. Oh, that, weary of its present exile, where sin reigns, where ambition, pride, &c., predominate, it may aspire incessantly to that blessed life, and the possession of an eternal kingdom. Oh, that it always had, and from this moment may perfectly do this, that so at last, with thee and with all the saints, I may reign for ever and ever!
3. Thy will he done.
May thy most holy will l>e done by me, and by all pilgrims upon earth, in a perfect performance of thy precepts, thy counsels, and thy whole will, simply for thy own sake, as exactly, readily, and perseveringly, every day and moment of our life, as it is done by the blessed who possess eternity in heaven, with the insatiable desire of pleasing thee according to thy will. Oh, that it had been ever, and may hereafter be, done by us all, as thou wouldst have it done, with all possible perfection, with understanding, affection, and effect.
4. Our daily bread.
All the aids necessary to body and soul, for obtaining grace, perseverance, and glory, of thy infinite goodness, vouchsafe mercifully to bestow upon us this day, and all the days of our life, as may be most for thy glory, according to thy will.
5. And forgive us.
Out of the infinite treasure of thy mercy, forgive us all the sins we have committed by thought, word, deed, and omission: all our ingratitude for thy many blessings; all the injuries we have inflicted on thee and our neighbours, as we too with our whole heart most fully forgive them all their offences; that, by being reconciled to our brethren, we may ourselves the more easily find grace in thy sight; but chiefly for the pure love of thee, who art infinitely to be loved with unwearied and constant efforts to the latest breath of our life.
6. And lead us not.
Let us never give way to any temptations of the world, the flesh, or the devil, but by thy power gloriously triumph over them all, now, always, and in the hour of death, that the increase of the glory of thy infinite power, wisdom, and goodness may the more clearly appear.
7. But deliver us.
Mercifully preserve and deliver us from all evils of body and soul, present and to come, as far as they may hinder or retard us in the attainment of perfection, perseverance, and salvation, and promotion of thy glory, that without impediment we may love and glorify thee more perfectly now, and more happily in eternity hereafter; and this not for our own benefit, so much as for the increase of thy glory.
Amen.
May what I ask be done, as thou wilt, when thou wilt, how thou wilt, through the bowels of thy mercy, the merits of thy Son, of his blessed Virgin Mother, and of all the saints. And oh, that all these holy desires might, if possible, be renewed by me and by all men, for the pure love of thee, most intensely, as is pleasing in thy sight, during every moment of this time of grace!
- ↑ Amos iii. 6.