The chronicle and institution of the Order of the seraphicall father S. Francis conteyning his life, his death, and his miracles, and of all his holie disciples and companions / set foorth first in the Portugall, next in the Spanish, then in the Italian, lastlie in the French, and now in the English tongue.

How S. Francis prepared himselfe to prayer, and what conditions be that prayeth ought to haue.

THE LXXXXIII. CHAPTER▪

SIth we haue spoaken of the holy Fathers Marines, it seemeth now conuenient time, to make some mention of his so perfect prayer▪ Mine opiniō is that there is no place more proper to speake therof, then after the description of his great humility, whereon as on a firme stone, and true foundation, prayer, to haue it penetrate euen to heauen, ought to be builded. Wherfore he merited to obtaine all the* 1.1 conditions requisite to a true and worthy prayer; the first wherof, is the knowledge of ones owne misery, according to Salomon, when he saith: O liuing God, if any one acknowledgeing the wound of his hart to witt, his sinnes, doth lift his handes to thee in this thy temple, heare him. Now who hath more perfectly knowne himselfe? who hath more clearly confessed his fault, and who hath more humbly discouered it to God and men, then this glorious S. Therefore▪ also were his prayers admitted before the presēce of God, who fixeth his eyes on the* 1.2 humble, and reiecteth not their pious prayers, as the Prophett saith. The deuout Iudith, affirmeth the same, saying: My God the prayers of the humble are alwayes pleasing vnto thee.

* 1.3 The second condition of prayer, is to keepe the soule euer separated from terrestriall thinges, and eleuated vnto God, as saith Isodorus: If the soule will be illuminated with spirituall light, she must prece∣dently purge her selfe of the filth of worldly cogitations, and so she may be neat and pure before her God. That prayer is pure, which is made without any mixture of worldly thoughtes, and that impure where the spiritt is employed in terrestriall thinges. And therfore, IESVS CHRIST, leauing vs the forme of perfect prayer, saith: When thou shalt pray, enter into thy camber in secrett, that thou mayest leaue out all care excepting only of speaking with God: shutt the dore of thy hart, that nothing enter in, to robbe his substance: call thy soule, and make her be in her selfe, without any distraction, and attentiue in God, and then thy prayer shalbe perfect before God, and thou shalt be heard. The holy Father S. Francis performed the same, for he so reiected all other care of the world to transforme himselfe into God, that he had no re∣membrance* 1.4 of himselfe or of his worldly affaires. And therfore most commonly when he prayed, his body was eleuated into the aire, hauing nothing in it that could poise it downe to the earth.

God teacheth vs the third condition of prayer, by his Prophet Isaie,

saying. Giue thy bread to the hungry, and thy coat to him that is naked* 1.5 and releiue each one in his necessities: then offer thy prayers to God, and he will heare thee, call him by this meane, and he will come vnto thee. On the contrary, he that shutteth his eares to the demaund of the poore, when in his necessity, he shall crye to God, he will not heare him. This piety and compassion was such and so great in S. Francis, that he absolutely gaue or bestowed, his only coate, occasion presen∣ting, yea, which is the most that may be, he desired to giue entierlie himselfe, for the only loue of God, as is formerlie alleadged. In regard of this extreme charitie towardes the poore, and for his example vnto the world, he also merited to be so interiourly affected of his God.

The fourth conditiō of prayer necessary to a Christian, is to giue good* 1.6 eare to God, if we desire to be heard of his diuine Maiesty. for God will abhorre the prayers of him, saith the Sage, that hath not eares to heare his holy commandements: therfore the sinner hath no cause to complaine that God doth not heare him, because himselfe did not first heare God: and if he heare him in one only thing, or two, or three, he proueth deafe in all the rest. And therefore, on the other side, one Pater noster, or one Aue Maria, of a Christian fearing God, is with greater reason heard, then a thousand of a vicious and disobedient person: the holy Father S. Fran∣cis obeyd God in such degree of perfection that hauing called him by his grace, he did not only labour to accomplish his diuine preceptes, but euen the Counsailes of his ghospell, without omitting the least point: therefore also did God afterward graciously graunt him what he demaunded, so farre foorth as he permitted other creatures to obey him.

The fift condition is, that he that prayeth doe also separate himselfe* 1.7 from the conuersation of the world, not only when he would pray, but euen alwayes, if he will pray perfectly, and that he sequester him selfe into some desert and solitary place, if he will that his soule be alwayes disposed worthely to pray vnto God: The contemplatiue Father S. Bernard, speaking by experience saith: If the world delight thee, thou shalt euer be impure: Our Lord IESVS CHRIST hath also left vs example hereof, for he often went vp to the mountaine, and left his best beloued disciples, to vnite him∣selfe alone to his Father; So this glorious Sainct found himselfe so much more gratified by the communication of the holy Ghost, as he was farther estranged from the rumours of the world, and farther sequestred into solitary places, wherin, he was so farre from being subdued by cogitations of the world, and by the in∣fections therof, that he obtayned notable victories against the deuill.

He shunned sensuall light, as distractiue vnto the hart, and hauing giuen some repose vnto his body in the beginning of the night, he spent the rest in most deepe silence, & in high contentment with his beloued God. The sixt condition of perfect prayer, is, a feruent charity towards* 1.8 God, without all feare, not like vnto that of the cold▪ negligent, and new beginners; for this perfect charity expelling all base feare and labour, doth by loue vnite the hart of man with the goodnes of God. This loue was such in the holy Father, that it continual∣lie burned in his hart, as a liuing fire, the flame wherof dilated it selfe in charity, to the benefitt of his neighbour, through all the partes of the world.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The first condition of prayer to knowe ones own misery. 3. Reg. 8.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 101. Iudith 9.
• * 1.3

  The 2. to keep the soule se∣parated from ter∣restriall thinges, and ele∣uated vnto God Matt. 6.
• * 1.4

  The 3. cō∣dition is compas∣sion.
• * 1.5

  Isai. 21.
• * 1.6

  The 4. condition is to har∣ken vnto God. Prou. 28.
• * 1.7

  The 5. is to be se∣parated from worldly conuer∣sation for euer. S. Ber∣nard. Matt. 26. Iohn. 18.
• * 1.8

  The 6. is ardent charity.