Volume II, Treatise VI, Chapter V

That Prayer Ts an Excellent Remedy Against Sadness

CassiaN says, that the elevating our mind to God in prayer; and the hope of those eternal goods he has promised us, is an excellent remedy against all sorts of sadness; it dissipates all those clouds of our mind, and drives away this evil spirit of sadness, just as David with his harp chased away the evil spirit which tormented Saul. The apostle St. James proposes this remedy to us in his canonical epistle, when he says, “if any one amongst you be sad, let him pray.”—(Jam. v. 18.) And the royal prophet tells us that he was wont to make use of it: ‘ My soul,” says he, “rejected all sorts of comfort. I thought of God, and I found myself in joy.”— (Ps. Ixxvi. 4.) And in another place, “thy decrees, O Lord, were the subject of my songs of joy in the place of my banishment.” (Psalms 118:54) Oftentimes the conversation of a friend is sufficient to drive away our discontent, and to give us joy; what consolation and sweetness therefore ought we with greater reason hope for, and find in our conversation with God? It is not therefore in conversing with men, nor in reading profane authors, nor in the harmony of music, nor in other worldly amusements, that religious ought to seek ease or help against sadness—they must eek it at God’s feet by means of prayer; and it is there they will infallibly find true joy and consolation.

We read in the holy Scripture, that after the ark rested upon the mountains of Armenia, Noah, in order to know whether the waters were quite fallen, put a crow out of the ark, which returned no more; and afterwards he sent out a dove, which finding no place to rest its feet upon, returned again to the ark. The holy fathers hereupon object and say, that without doubt, since the crow returned not, it found some place to rest itself upon; how then comes it to pass that the Scripture says, the dove found none? It is, say they, because the crow, which is a bird of prey, and unclean, found a place to repose itself in the mire, and upon dead bodies; and that the dove, which is an image of purity, could not for a moment repose thereupon. It is in this manner, a good religious, and a good servant of God conducts himself. He finds nothing, in the vain amusements of the world, that gives him any pleasure; he cannot meet any thing in the corruption of worldly objects to dwell on, and therefore he presently returns as the dove did to the ark. That is to say, he recollects himself; he makes it his business to think of God, to adore him, to pour out his heart in his presence, and to say unto him, O my God, how can I be sad in your presence—You that are the source of all joy and comfort. St. Austin, explaining these words of the Psalmist, “thou hast put joy into my heart”—“it is not without, then,” says he, “that we must seek for joy, but it is in the interior man, it is within ourselves; and it is the retreat of the heart which is proper for meditation and prayer.”

Sulpicius Severus says, that St. Martin found no other means to refresh himself, when he was spent and tired out with labours, than to apply himself to prayer; and as smiths in forging iron, refresh themselves by sometimes ceasing to strike upon the anvil; so this great saint refreshed himself by having recourse to repose in prayer, at the time he was thought to give himself to rest. It is related of another servant of God, that being one day in his cell, and finding himself oppressed with extreme bitterness of heart, whereby God was pleased from time to time to try him, he heard a voice from heaven, that resounded in the bottom of his heart, saying, why do you permit yourself to be unprofitably consumed with sadness? Arise and meditate upon the mysteries of my passion. He arose; put himself into profound meditation, and presently all his sadness was dissipated; and he found himself filled with fervour and consolation; and this holy exercise, which he daily continued ever after, entirely freed him from this troublesome temptation.

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