The Christian education of children: according to the maxims of the Sacred Scripture, and the instructions of the fathers of the church / written and several times printed in French, and now translated into English.

The Fourth Means. Prayer.

IT would be a small matter for a Christian Mother to give holy In∣structions to her children, to cause them to reade good Books, and to practise before their eyes what she would have them to practise; if she applies not her self seriously to Pray∣er, and if she endeavours not by little and little to render them capa∣ble to entertain themselves with God, and to ruminate in his pre∣sence what they have been told, what they have read, and what they have seen practised with edification, that so they may reap their profit by them.

I know that they have taken up in the world a certain Idea of Men∣tal Prayer, which makes them ima∣gine that it is an exercise too hard and too high for many people, and

that it is only proper for such per∣sons as have made already a large progress and are greatly advanced in the spiritual life. They fancy it to be as it were a humane Art, and as an effect of curiosity and of pre∣sumption: and as soon as one mentions meditation, they represent to them∣selves Methods, divisions, and a multi∣tude of Discourses and thoughts, which require a great contention of spirit. Yet surely this manner of prayer demands only the Heart: It is the most natural occupation of Piety and of Faith, and the proper ef∣fect of the feelings one ought to have on the one side of Gods greatness, and on the other side of ones own weakness, necessitie, and misery: so that the simplest persons, and the very children are capable thereof, assoon as they begin to use their reason, and to be sensi∣ble of their own wants.

For in how many different man∣ners do they express themselves e∣ven

in their very Infancy, to make their Fathers and their Mothers and such other persons as govern them, understand their wants and their pains? How ingenious are they to explicate their joys, their sadnesses, their inclinations and their aversions? Make they not use of divers crys, of different accents of the voice, and of various motions of the body to discover the thought and the desire of their Hearts? And do they not render with a marvellous dexterity all these signes as conformable as they can to their wills, to the end they may be∣come intelligible? Every thing speaks in their little Body; their Eyes, their Gestures, their Laugh∣ter, and their Tears: Finally, know they not how by an hundred dif∣ferent ways to get what they de∣sire, and even to force them that resist it to yeild at last and to grant it them? Why then, as they encrease in age, and as their spirit

opens it self, may one not endea∣vour to teach them to ask of God what they stand in need of, and to ask it of him in that strong and perswasive manner in which the heart knows how to explicate it self and how to make known its affecti∣ons and its motions?

St. Augustin relates, that among the exercises of his Infancy, having met with certain servants of God,

who invoked him in their Prayers, and having learned of them (as far forth as he was ca∣pable to frame some Idea of God) that he was something very great and sublime, and that although he was concealed from our senses, he could hear our Prayers and help us in our needs; he began (very Childe as he was) to im∣plore his assistance, and to ad∣dress himself unto him as to his refuge and to his place of securi∣ty. I learned (says he, raising

up himself to God) and taught my stammering tongue to invoke you; although I was little, the affection wherewith I prayed you to hinder that I might not be whipped in the School, was not little.—For it is true that I no less apprehended the chastisements and the punishments which I re∣ceived from my Masters, than Men apprehend the greatest torments; and that they beg not with greater instance to be delivered from them, than I conjured you to re∣move from me these torments of lit∣tle Children.

Behold, Sister, how advantagious this encounter with these men of Prayer, was to this great Saint, and how children in their low age are capable to address themselves to God, and to demand of him with eagerness what they desire, when they are taught to conceive as far forth as they are able, that it is from him alone they ought to expect it.

The same Saint speaking of a sick∣ness he had in his Infancy, and which they believed had brought to deaths door, attributes the fer∣vour and the faith wherewith he

demanded to receive Baptism, to that which he had heard spoken of the eternal life which was promi∣sed to us by the mystery of the Incarnation of Christ Jesus,

and to the care his Mother had assoon as she had brought him into the World, to cause him to be marked with the sign of the Cross upon the forehead, and to put him after∣wards into the number of the Ca∣thecumens. So true it is, that Truth makes very strong impressions in the hearts of children, when one knows how to accomodate it to their capacity, and mildely and fa∣miliarly to engage them to em∣ploy themselves before God, and to demand of him grace to love him.

Thus, Sister, when children finde difficulty in learning their lessons, they are to be made to compre∣hend as far as they are capable, that Wit and Knowledge comes from God, and that it is to him they must address themselves in the difficulties they have in their studies. When they shew any vio∣lent Passion, as a disorderly love for Play, or an Envy or criminal Jealousy against their Brethren or their Companions, you are to en∣deavour, by making them see the disorder of that passion, to induce them to demand of God to cure them, and to desire of him to ren∣der them more prudent, more mo∣derate, and more charitable. When they ask of you a new Coat or Garment, or any thing of like na∣ture, teach them to demand it first of God, in making them rightly understand, that it is from him you have the Money wherewith to buy it; and that if you refuse them,

it is because they have not yet pray∣ed enough.

Finally, it is in this manner, that by causing them to make re∣flections upon all the little arts they frequently employ, to obtain what they desire, or to avoid the chastise∣ment they have deserved, whether it be by protesting they will be more obedient, or by making a thousand blandishments, you must strive to make them conceive how they ought either to demand par∣don of God for their faults, or obtain of him what they de∣sire.

'Tis true that in order to this, it is necessary you should use to∣wards children a kinde of sweet speech, and such words as are insinuating, perswasive, affectio∣nate, tender, and in brief full of a certain unction, whereof very few persons are capable. You must not tell them these things in a dry and harsh manner, nor with au∣thority

and command, but with love and by making your self as it were a little one with them; and you must gain their heart to render them capable of an exercise which is totally of the heart, and where∣of no one is capable, who hath not his heart fixed on God, however clear sighted and sufficient he may otherwise be. But how should the greatest part of Mothers, employing themselves only in worldly affairs, and having their heart divided be∣tween so many cares, be capable to instill into their children this holy practise of Prayer; especially since they themselves most commonly can only reade in their Primmers what Prayers they finde there, without ever having applied themselves to joyn thereunto the Interiour Prayer, which is the Soul and the Essence of Prayer?

Yet it is this Interiour prayer which is the most precious and most necessary food of Piety. There's no∣thing

whereby more to establish ones self in the gust of the things of God, and in the disgust of the things of the World: Without this exer∣cise, all other exercises of Piety and Vocal Prayer it self are but dryness and languishments; and one acquits himself of Vocal prayer rather out of custom and by a simple convicti∣on of the spirit, than by love. This made a famous Authour say, that one ought never to divide prayer into Mental and Vocal, as if one could with piety pray Vocally, separating it from the Mental prayer.

Not but that Vocal prayer is ve∣ry profitable when it is well per∣formed and accompanied with at∣tention. It excites us to recollect our selves, and to raise our thoughts to God. It advertises us and in∣structs us what feelings we ought to have in our hearts, and serves us (as St. Augustin notes,) to represent to our selves

what we ought to ask of God. But it must be an expression of the af∣fections and of the dispositions of our soul, and proceed from the abun∣dance of our heart. My heart rejoy∣ced, (says the prophet,) and my tongue hath expressed the feelings of my joy. Psalm. 25. My heart and my flesh, (says he elsewhere,) have joyntly testified to God the joy which I take in him.

It is just, that we being bound to honour God, according to the Body, as well as according to the spirit, we should adore him, and pray to him, by our words and by our voice, at the same time we a∣dore him by our thoughts and by the application of our heart. But this heart must of necessity be pure; and to be pure, it must be em∣ployed upon God, thereby to make the worship of the Body and the exteriour homage which we render him, to be reason∣able and holy. Vocal Prayer there∣fore

ought not to be conside∣red but as far forth as the Prayer of the heart conducts, purifies, and sanctifies it, and as far forth as it is joyned to it to raise it up to the throne of God: But on the con∣trary, this Prayer of the heart which is made in silence and in Recollection, is all alone very pro∣fitable and very holy, and some∣times it is even more profitable to particular persons than if there were joyned to it the recital of Vocal Prayers, or then if the noise and the elevation of the Voice were there employed; because one testi∣fies to God more Faith, and because we address our selves to him in a manner more conformable to that which he is and to that which he demands of us, by adoring him and entertaining him only with our thought and with our heart, then if we make use of Words. God is a spirit (says our Saviour,) and he de∣sires such Adorers as adore him in spi∣rit.

He sufficiently understands our desires and our demands, although we express them but by our sole thought: so that we sometimes make our selves better understood of God by elevating our selves to him with all the fervour and with all the extent of our heart, when we are fully recollected and when we employ nothing that is exteri∣our and sensible, than if we joyn together in our Prayer the heart and the voice, because that may dimi∣nish our attention, which (gene∣rally speaking) must be greater and more compleat when one hears nothing without, and when oue sus∣pends all the use of sense and of speech.

Why, say St. Ambrose,

should we rather pray in Recollection and in secret than in making a noise with our Voice? Hear the reason, which we will only draw from an example which is ordinary

among men: If you will present a Prayer to some person who hath a very quick hearing, you do not believe that you need to cry out aloud, but you content your self to speak to him in the tone of an indifferent voice: and we only raise our voice to make our selves understood by such as are hard of hearing. 'Tis not therefore reasonable to think, that God hears none but such as strive to speak very loud: Such a fancy is injurious to his Omnipotence: But he who prays in silence, gives a singular proof of his Confidence and of his Faith: He acknowledges, that God penetrates and sounds the heart, and he testifies by praying to him in this sort, that he doubts not, but that he hears his pray∣er before he hath explicated it by Words.

One might wonder,

(says St. Augustin in a letter he writ to a holy

Dame touching Prayer,)

that God although he knows what is neces∣sary for us before we ask it of him, will nevertheless have us ask it; if we did not know that what he thus ordains us to do, is not that he may know our will, since that cannot be concealed from him, but to enflame our desires by the instance of our prayers, and to render us capable to receive that which he is ready to grant us. For by how much his Presents are great and magnificent, by so much our hearts are little and li∣mited to receive them. Therefore the Scripture says: Open your Hearts.

Now these so excellent and so sublime Goods which the Eye hath not seen, because they are not co∣lours; which the Ear hath not heard, because they are not sounds; and which are not elevated in the heart of man, because the heart of man ought on the contrary elevate it

self towards them: these Goods, I say, shall be communicated unto us with so much more aboundance by how much we have believed with more Faith, hoped with more Confidence, desired with more Ardour.

'Tis therefore by a continual Desire, founded upon Faith, Hope, and Charity, that we pray with∣out intermission.

But if at certain hours and cer∣tain times we employ Words in prayer, 'tis only to animate us by those exteriour signs to conceive these holy affections, to make us observe what progress they have made in our heart, and to excite us to encrease them. For the ef∣fect of our prayer is by so much greater by how much the ardour of our desires hath been greater. So that when the Apostle says; Pray without ceasing; he intends on∣ly, that we should desire without ceasing to obtain that happy life,

which is no other than the eter∣nal blisse of him who alone can give it us. If then we demand this of God incessantly, we pray inces∣santly.

But because the cares and In∣cumbrances of the World cool some∣times our desires, we recall at certain hours of the day our spi∣rit to prayer; and we re-place be∣fore our Eyes by the Words which we address to God this last end whether we ought to tend by our desires; for fear lest that which begins to fall into Tepidity should pass into a Coldness, and proceed in the end to be totally extinguish∣ed, if it be not re-inkindled by fre∣quent prayers.

This being so, it cannot be bad or unprofitable to employ much time in prayer, when our leasure permits it, that is, when it hin∣ders us not from acquitting our selves of other laudable and neces∣sary things to which our duty obliges

us; although in these very occupations we ought always to pray by the activity of our de∣sires.

For it is to be observed, that it is not one and the same thing to pray along time or to pray with many words, as some imagine; but that there is a difference be∣tween a long and continual desire, since it is written, That our Lord passed over the night in Prayer, and that he prayed very long. And there is reason to believe that he would induce us thereby to imitate his example, he who prayed so per∣fectly to his Father in the time of his mortal life, and who hears us so mercifully with his Father in e∣ternity.

They say, that our Brethren the Hermits of Egypt make frequent Prayers, but very short, and that they only lift up their hearts to God from time to time by lively and ardent prayers, without stay∣ing

too long upon them, for fear lest this application and this fer∣vour of spirit so necessary in pray∣er, should relent or be dissipated, if this prayer were too continual.

This also gives us to understand that as we ought not to weary and blunt our spirit by forcing our selves to entertain it in this fer∣vour when it begins to slacken; so we ought not to hasten to in∣terrupt it when we feel it conti∣nues: Because, if on the one side one ought to bannish from pray∣er the superfluity of Words, one ought on the other side to sustain it by continual desires and de∣mands, so long as the spirit per∣severes in its application and in its fervour. For to speak too much in prayer, is to employ superflu∣ous Words to ask a thing necessa∣ry; and to pray much, is by ho∣ly and continual motions of the heart to press him to whom we pray to render himself favourable

to our demands. But oftentimes this passes more in sighing than in speaking; Discourses have not so great a part as tears; and then it is, that he whose eternal word made all things, makes it appear that they are not the temporal Words of men which are pleasing to him, but their sighs and tears.

'Tis then, Sister, this prayer of the heart and this entertainment with God which is done in silence, in recollection, in the disengage∣ment from all exteriour things, and by the interiour sighs and affections of the soul, that Christian Mothers ought to make their Children love and practise. 'Tis a Yoak which is good for them to bear from their youth, and as soon as they begin to make use of their understanding and their reason: 'Tis a Yoak which replenishes the Soul with comfort and sweetness: 'Tis a Yoak which sustains and strengthens, and ren∣ders

them who bear it, capable to raise up themselves above themselves, and above all earthly objects.

And do not alledge to me, says St. John Chry∣sostom,

that Children are not ca∣pable of this fervour, of this re∣collection, and of this application which Prayer requires; since we have in Scripture the examples of several children and of many young people, who have by the means of Prayer drawn upon them very great blessings. Sa∣muel was but twelve years old when God called him in the Temple, and discovered to him the designes he had upon the house of Heli. So∣lomon was very young when he made that ad∣mirable Prayer which moved God to render him the wisest and the most powerful Prince that ever was. Finally, Daniel was no more than eight

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or nine years of age when by a feeling of piety he refused to eat the Meats presented to him from the table of King Nabuchodo∣nosor: and by the means of Fasting and Prayer he merited those ex∣traordinary gifts which rendred him at the age of twelve years the deliverer of the chaste Susanna, and afterwards the Miracle of his age.

Nor must Mothers alledge their domestick affairs and the cares of their family to dispense them∣selves from following their Pray∣ers; since we see (in that little Collection of Pietie now newly printed,) that a Princess of our days pre∣scribed to her self a me∣thod of praying three times every day; to wit, half an hour in the Mor∣ning, half an hour at mid day, and half an hour in the Evening:

For if persons of that condition, and so much engaged in the world as

Princes are, have the fidelity to apply themselves to this Exercise and acknowledge the need and the fruit thereof: what a lesson should not this Example give to all other persons who have more leasure and liberty? and with what ardour should all Mothers endeavour to follow it? Mothers, I say, who ought as much as they possibly can, to instill into their Children this holy custom of fre∣quent prayer; and to have always at hand these excellent Words of St. Augustin to that ho∣ly Widow of whom we have formerly spo∣ken: The more you labour to go∣vern holily your house, the more you ought to employ your self di∣ligently in prayer; without embu∣sying your self in the affairs of the World and in exteriour things, but only as far forth as Charity en∣gages you.

Notes

• S. Aug. l. 1. Conf. c. 9. n. 2.3.
• Aug. l. 1. Conf. chap. 11.
• Bellarm. de Orat. ch. 2.
• S. Aug. Ep. 121. ad Pro∣bam.
• S. Ambr. l. 6. de Sacrum. c. 4.
• S. Aug. ep. Prob.
• S. Chrysost.
• Samuel.
• Solomon.
• Daniel.
• Recuil de pi∣ete.
• Marg. de Por∣tug. Dutchess of Parma.
• S. Aug. ep: ad Probam.