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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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