Volume I, Treatise VI, Chapter IV

In Which This Exercise Is More Particularly Explained, and a Very Easy, Profitable, and Perfect Means Ts Prescribed, of Walking Always in the Presence of God

Amonast the many aspirations and ejaculatory prayers we may make use of, for the practice of this exercise, one of the chief and most proper is, that which St. Paul prescribes in the first Epistle to the Corinthians—“Whether you eat,” says ‘he, “or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the greater glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Endeavour, inall things you do, to elevate your heart to him, saying to him; Lord, it is for your sake I do this; it is to please you, it is because you will have it so. Your will, O Lord: is mine, and I have no other comfort or satisfaction but yours. I know not what to desire, or what not to desire, but what is your holy will I should, or should not desire. All my joy, all my satisfaction, is the fulfilling your will; and so that I do but please you, I desire nothing more; there is nothing in heaven nor upon earth that I desire to behold but yourself—and provided I can but please and satisfy you, I have all that can please, or be a satisfaction to myself. This is a most excellent and most perfect way of walking in God’s presence; because it is to entertain ourselves in 8 continual exercise of the love of God. But since I have already spoken of it, and shall again speak of it elsewhere, I will here only add one thing more, which, I think, will complete its eulogy. It is this, that of all the means we can imagine, there is no one better nor more profitable than this, to keep ourselves always in that continual prayer, which the Saviour of the world requires we should practise, when he says, ‘It behoves us to pray always without ceasing.” (Luke 18:1) For what better prayer can we make, than continually to desire the greater glory of God, to conform ourselves continually in all things to his Divine will, and to place all] our joy and contentment in the joy and contentment of God?

It was this that gave occasion to a famous doctor to say with a great deal of reason, that whosoever continued constant in this exercise would reap so much fruit from it, that, in a short time, he should find his heart quite changed, and should feel in it an exceedingly great hatred of the world, and an inconceivable love of God. If, as you ought, you observe this so holy a method, “you are no longer guests or strangers, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints, and domestics of God.” (Ephesians 2:19) Itis of such as adopt this method St. John speaks in the Apocalypse, when he says, that the servants of God “shall behold him face to face, and his name shall be written in their foreheads.” (Apocalypse 22:4) Those who live in this manner, properly speaking, have no more commerce or conversation with the world. “All their conversation is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20) ‘They consider not the things they see, but those they see not, because those they see are temporal, but those they see not are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Moreover, we must take notice, that when we make these acts which I have now spoken of, and say, Lord, it is for you that I do this; it is because you will have it so, and such like things of this nature, we must say them, not as elevating our heart, or raising our thoughts to something without us, but as speaking to God present within us, for this is properly to walk in the presence of God, and this is what will render this more sweet, pleasant, easy, and profitable to us than any other sort of prayer whatsoever. For if, for example, when we meditate upon Jesus Christ hanging upon a cross or bound to a pillar, those that have written of prayer observe, that we are not to imagine this as a thing that happened in Jerusalem so many ages since, because our imagination is hereby tired, and our heart is less moved and excited: but we must imagine it as a thing present, that passes before us, and as if we heard the blows of the hammer and the strokes of the whips. If we also meditate upon death, they say, we must, in like manner, imagine, that we are in present danger of death; that the physicians de-

spair of us, and that we already have the hallowed candle or the crucifix in our hands, With far greater reason, therefore, is it fit that, in the exercise of the presence of God, we should make such acts as I have here mentioned; not as if we were speaking to one absent or far distant from us, but as speaking to God present, because it is properly herein that this exercise consists, and, in effect, his presence is thus really and truly enjoyed by us.

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