FIRST DEGREE OF PRAYER--MEDITATION AND MEDITATIVE READING--THE LORD'S
PRAYER--PASSAGE FROM THE FIRST DEGREE TO THE SECOND.
There are two means by which we may be led into the higher forms of
prayer. One is _Meditation_, the other is _Meditative Reading_. By
meditative reading I mean the taking of some truths, either doctrinal or
practical--the latter rather than the former--and reading them in this
way:--Take the truth which has presented itself to you, and read two or
three lines, seeking to enter into the full meaning of the words, and go
on no further so long as you find satisfaction in them; leave the place
only when it becomes insipid. After that, take another passage, and do
the same, not reading more than half a page at once.
It is not so much from the amount read that we derive profit, as from
the manner of reading. Those people who get through so much do not
profit from it; the bees can only draw the juice from the flowers by
resting on them, not by flying round them. Much reading is more for
scholastic than for spiritual science; but in order to derive profit
from spiritual books, we should read them in this way; and I am sure
that this manner of reading accustoms us gradually to prayer, and gives
us a deeper desire for it. The other way is _Meditation_, in which we
should engage at a chosen time, and not in the hour given to reading. I
think the way to enter into it is this:--After having brought ourselves
into the presence of God by a definite act of faith, we should read
something substantial, not so much to reason upon it, as to fix the
attention, observing that the principal exercise should be the presence
of God, and that the subject should rather fix the attention than
exercise reason.
This _faith in the presence of God within our hearts_ must lead us to
enter within ourselves, collecting our thoughts, and preventing their
wandering; this is an effectual way of getting rid of distracting
thoughts, and of losing sight of outward things, in order to draw near
to God, who can only be found in the secret place of our hearts, which
is the _sancta-sanctorum_ in which He dwells.
He has promised that if any one keeps His commandments, He will come to
him, and _make His abode_ with him (John xiv. 23). St Augustine
reproaches himself for the time he lost through not having sought God at
first in this way.
When, then, we are thus buried in ourselves, and deeply penetrated with
the presence of God within us--when the senses are all drawn from the
circumference to the centre, which, though it is not easily accomplished
at first, becomes quite natural afterwards--when the soul is thus
gathered up within itself, and is sweetly occupied with the truth read,
not in reasoning upon it, but in feeding upon it, and exciting the will
by the affection rather than the understanding by consideration: the
_affection_ being thus touched, must be suffered to _repose_ sweetly and
at peace, _swallowing_ what it has tasted.
As a person who only masticated an excellent meat would not be nourished
by it, although he would be sensible of its taste, unless he ceased this
movement in order to swallow it; so when the affection is stirred, if we
seek continually to stir it, we extinguish its fire, and thus deprive
the soul of its nourishment. We must swallow by a _loving repose_ (full
of respect and confidence) what we have masticated and tasted. This
method is very necessary, and would advance the soul in a short time
more than any other would do in several years.
But as I said that the direct and principal exercise should be the
_sense of the presence of God_, we must most faithfully _recall the
senses_ when they wander.
This is a short and efficacious way of fighting with distractions;
because those who endeavour directly to oppose them, irritate and
increase them; but by losing ourselves in the thought of a present God,
and suffering our thoughts to be drawn to Him, we combat them
indirectly, and without thinking of them, but in an effectual manner.
And here let me warn beginners not to run from one truth to another,
from one subject to another; but to keep themselves to one so long as
they feel a taste for it: this is the way to enter deeply into truths,
to taste them, and to have them impressed upon us. I say it is difficult
at first thus to retire within ourselves, because of the habits, which
are natural to us, of being taken up with the outside; but when we are a
little accustomed to it, it becomes exceedingly easy; both because we
have formed the habit of it, and because God, who only desires to
communicate Himself to us, sends us abundant grace, and an experimental
sense of His presence, which renders it easy.
Let us apply this method to the Lord's Prayer. We say "Our Father,"
thinking that God is within us, and will indeed be our Father. After
having pronounced this word _Father_, we remain a few moments in
silence, waiting for this heavenly Father to make known His will to us.
Then we ask this King of Glory _to reign_ within us, abandoning
ourselves to Him, that He may do it, and yielding to Him the right that
He has over us. If we feel here an inclination to peace and silence, we
should not continue, but remain thus so long as the condition may last;
after which we proceed to the second petition, "Thy will be done on
earth, as it is in heaven." We then desire that God may accomplish, in
us and by us, all His will; we give up to God our heart and our liberty,
that He may dispose of them at His pleasure. Then, seeing that the
occupation of the will should be love, we desire to love, and we ask God
to give us _His love_. But all this is done quietly, peacefully; and so
on with the rest of the prayer.
At other times we hold ourselves in the position of sheep near to the
Shepherd, asking of Him our true food. O Divine Shepherd! Thou feedest
Thy sheep with Thine own hand, and Thou art their food from day to day.
We may also bring before Him our family desires; but it must all be done
with the remembrance by faith of the presence of God within us.
We can form no imagination of what God is: a lively faith in His
presence is sufficient; for we can conceive no image of God, though we
may of Christ, regarding Him as crucified, or as a child, or in some
other condition, provided that we always seek Him within ourselves.
At other times we come to Him as to a Physician, bringing our maladies
to Him that He may heal them; but always without effort, with a short
silence from time to time, that the silence may be mingled with the
action, gradually lengthening the silence and shortening the spoken
prayer, until at length, as we yield to the operation of God, He gains
the supremacy. When the presence of God is given, and the soul begins to
taste of silence and repose, this experimental sense of the presence of
God introduces it to the second degree of prayer.