"Prayer is a right understanding of that fulness of joy that is to
come, with accordant longing and sure trust"
Our Lord God willeth that we have true understanding, and specially
in three things that belong to our prayer. The first is: _by whom and
how that our prayer springeth. By whom_, He sheweth when He saith:
_I am [the] Ground_; and _how_, by His Goodness: for He saith first:
_It is my will._ The second is: _in what manner and how we should
use our prayer_; and that is that our will be turned unto the will
of our Lord, enjoying: and so meaneth He when He saith: _I make thee
to will it_. The third is that we should know _the fruit and the end
of our prayers_: that is, that we be oned and like to our Lord in
all things; and to this intent and for this end was all this lovely
lesson shewed. And He will help us, and we shall make it so as He saith
Himself;--Blessed may He be!
For this is our Lord's will, that our prayer and our trust be both
alike large. For if we trust not as much as we pray, we do not full
worship to our Lord in our prayer, and also we tarry[1] and pain our
self. The cause is, as I believe, that we know not truly that our Lord
is [the] Ground on whom our prayer springeth; and also that we know not
that it is given us by the grace of His love. For if we knew this, it
would make us to trust to have, of our Lord's gift, all that we desire.
For I am sure that no man asketh mercy and grace with true meaning, but
if mercy and grace be first given to him.
But sometimes it cometh to our mind that we have prayed long time, and
yet we think to ourselves that we have not our asking. But herefor
should we not be in heaviness. For I am sure, by our Lord's signifying,
that either we abide a better time, or more grace, or a better gift. He
willeth that we have true knowing in Himself that He is Being; and in
this knowing He willeth that our understanding be grounded, with all
our mights and all our intent and all our meaning; and in this ground
He willeth that we take our place and our dwelling, and by the gracious
light of Himself He willeth that we have understanding of the things
that follow. The first is our noble and excellent making; the second,
our precious and dearworthy again-buying; the third, all-thing that
He hath made beneath us, [He hath made] to serve us, and for our love
keepeth it. Then signifieth He thus, as if He said: _Behold and see
that I have done all this before thy prayers; and now thou art, and
prayest me_. And thus He signifieth that it belongeth to us to learn
that the greatest deeds be [already] done, as Holy Church teacheth; and
in the beholding of this, with thanking, we ought to pray for the deed
that is now in doing: and that is, that He rule and guide us, to His
worship, in this life, and bring us to His bliss. And therefor He hath
done all.
Then signifieth He thus: that we [should] see that He doeth it, and
that we [should] pray therefor. For the one is not enough. For if we
pray and see not that He doeth it, it maketh us heavy and doubtful; and
that is not His worship. And if we see that He doeth, and we pray not,
we do not our debt, and so may it not be: that is to say, so is it not
[the thing that is] in His beholding. But to see that He doeth it, and
to pray forthwithal,--so is he worshipped and we sped. All-thing that
our Lord hath ordained to do, it is His will that we pray therefor,
either in special or in general. And the joy and the bliss that it is
to Him, and the thanks and the worship that we shall have therefor, it
passeth the understanding of creatures, as to my sight.
For prayer is a right[2] understanding of that fulness of joy that is
to come, with well-longing and sure trust. Failing of our bliss that we
be kindly ordained to, maketh us to long; true understanding and love,
with sweet mind in our Saviour, graciously maketh us to trust. And in
these two workings our Lord beholdeth us continually[3]: for it is our
due part, and His Goodness may no less assign to us.
Thus it belongeth to us to do our diligence; and when we have done it,
then shall us yet think that [it] is nought,--and sooth it is. But
if we do as we can, and ask, in truth, for mercy and grace, all that
faileth us we shall find in Him. And thus signifieth He where He saith:
_I am Ground of thy beseeching_. And thus in this blessed word, with
the Shewing, I saw a full overcoming against all our weakness and all
our doubtful dreads.
[1] _i.e._ torment, tire, hinder.
[2] "rythwis" = right manner of.
[3] Or: 'And for these two workings our Lord looketh to us
continually.' See above: "so is it not in His beholding," and chap.
xliii. "for He beholdeth us in love and would make us partners of His
good deed."