Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/497

 and by  night  in  bitterness  of  heart,  solely  for  the offences which  he  has  done  against  God. Blessed is the  man  who,  having  always  before  his  mind  the afflictions, and  the  pains  and  sorrows  of  Jesus  Christ, shall receive  no  temporal  consolations  in  this  bitter and stormy  world,  so  that  last  of  all  he  may  attain to the  celestial  consolations  of  life  eternal,  where  all his desires  shall  be  fulfilled  abundantly  with  everlasting joy."

Prayer is  the  beginning,  the  middle  and  the  end of all  good;  prayer  illumines  the  soul,  and  enables it to  discern  good  from  evil. Every sinful  man ought to  pray  every  day  continually,  humbly  begging of  God  to  give  him  a  perfect  knowledge  of  his own miseries  and  of  his  sins,  and  of  all  the  benefits which he  has  received  and  still  receives  from  God. And the  man  who  knows  not  how  to  pray,  how  can he know  God? And all  those  who  would  be  saved, if they  rightly  use  their  reason,  will,  before  all things, wholly  turn  themselves  unto  prayer.

Brother Giles  said:  "  If  a  man  had  a  son,  who had  been  condemned  to  death  or  to  banishment  for his  evil  deeds,  it  is  most  sure  that  his  father  would be  full  of  solicitude,  laboring  to  the  utmost  of  his power  both  by  day  and  by  night  to  obtain  a  reprieve or  to  have  the  sentence  of  banishment  removed, addressing  all  possible  petitions  and  making  presents, according  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  both personally,  and  through  the  means  of  others.  If, then,  a  man  would  do  this  for  his  son's  mortal  life, how  much  more  should  he  be  solicitous  to  pray  God, and  moreover  to  get  all  good  men  in  this  world  to pray,  and  still  more,  in  the  other  all-  the  holy Saints,  for  his  soul  which  is  immortal,  when  it  is banished  from  the  Heavenly  City,  or  rather,  condemned to  eternal  death  for  his  sins! "

A Brother  said  to  Brother  Giles:  "  Father,  it seems  to  me  that  a  man  should  grieve  within  himself, when  he  cannot  attain  to  the  grace  of  true devotion  in  prayer." To whom  Brother  Giles  replied:  "  My  Brother,  I  counsel  thee  to  proceed  very gently;  for  if  thou  hadst  a  little  good  wine  in  a  cask, in  which  there  still  remained  some  dregs  beneath, of  a  surety,  thou  wouldst  not  shake  or  move  the cask,  for  fear  of  mixing  the  good  wine  with  the dregs.     And  so  also  I  say  to  thee,  until  prayer  is entirely  separated  from  all  carnal  concupiscence and  vice,  thou  canst  not  receive  Divine  consolations; because  that  prayer  is  not  pure  in  the  sight  of  God which  is  mixed  with  the  dregs  of  carnal  things. And  therefore  a  man  should  bestir  himself  as  far  as in  him  lies  to  cast  out  all  the  dregs  of  vicious  concupiscence, that  his  prayer  may  be  pure  in  God's sight,  and  then  he  shall  not  want  devotion,  or  Divine consolations."

A Brother  once  asked  Brother  Giles:  "  Father, wherefore  is  it  that  when  a  man  is  worshipping  God, he  is  much  more  tempted,  disturbed  and  troubled  in his  mind  than  at  any  other  time?" To which Brother Giles  answered:  "  If  any  man  has  a  cause to  plead,  and  goes  before  the  judge  to  state  his reasons,  and  asks  his  counsel  and  aid,  immediately his  adversary  hears  of  it,  he  appears  also,  to  contradict and  resist  the  claims  of  the  first,  and  throw every  impediment  in  his  way,  seeking  to  disprove all  that  he  says.  And  thus  also  it  happens  when a  man  betakes  himself  to  prayer;  for  then  it  is  that he  seeks  aid  of  God  in  his  cause.  Immediately, therefore,  his  adversary,  the  devil,  appears  with  his temptations,  to  resist  and  to  contradict  him,  and  to use  all  the  force,  cunningness  and  argument  he  can to  frustrate  his  prayer,  and  hinder  it  from  being  acceptable in  the  sight  of  God,  so  that  he  may  have neither  merit  or  consolation  from  it.

"And this  we  can  see  very  clearly  for  ourselves; because  it  is  not  when  we  are  speaking  about  the things  of  this  world  that  we  have  to  suffer  temptations or  distractions;  but  when  we  go  to  prayer,  in order  to  delight  and  comfort  our  soul  with  God,  immediately we  feel  our  minds  struck  as  with  thunderbolts, which  are  the  temptations  which  the  devils bring  against  us,  in  order  to  make  the  mind  wander, so  that  the  soul  may  have  neither  delight  nor  consolation in  speaking  with  God."

Brother Giles  said  that  a  man,  when  he  prays, should be  like  a  good  knight  in  battle,  who,  if  he  be wounded  or  thrown  down  by  his  enemies,  does  not on this  account  straightway  give  up  the  battle,  but rather resists  valiantly,  that  he  may  gain  the  victory over his  enemies;  because  when  he  has  obtained the victory,  he  shall  rejoice  and  be  comforted  in  the glory thereof;  but  if  he  fled  from  the  field  as  soon as he  was  thrown  down  or  wounded,  surely  he  should