August 24

And he said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.—Luke 22:46.

It is a wise counsel of St. Bernard, for securing us against the approaches of sin, "Let every man, in the first address to his actions, consider, whether, if he were now to die, he might safely and prudently do such an act, and whether he would not be infinitely troubled, that death should surprise him in the present dispositions; and then let him proceed accordingly." For, since "our treasure is in earthen vessels," which may be broken in pieces by the collision of ten thousand accidents, it were not safe to treasure up wrath in them; for if we do, we shall certainly drink it in the day of vengeance.

Before, and in, and after all this, the blessed Jesus propounds prayer as a remedy against temptations: "Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptations." For, besides that prayer is the great instrument of obtaining victory by the grace of God, as a fruit of our desires, and of God's natural and essential goodness; the very praying against a temptation, if it be hearty, fervent, and devout, is a denying it, and part of the victory: for it is a disciplining the entertainment of it, it is a positive rejection of the crime; and every consent to it is a ceasing to pray, and to desire remedy. And we shall observe, that whensoever we begin to listen to the whispers of a tempting spirit, our prayers against it lessen as the consent increases; there being nothing a more direct enemy to the temptation than prayer, which, as it is of itself a professed hostility against the crime, so it is a calling in auxiliaries from above to make the victory more certain. If temptation sets upon thee, do thou set upon God; for he is as soon overcome as thou art, as soon moved to good as thou art to evil; he is as quickly invited to pity thee as thou art to ask him; provided thou dost not finally rest in the petition, but pass into action, and endeavor, by all means human and moral, to quench the flame newly kindled in thy bowels, before it come to devour the marrow of the bones. For a strong prayer, and a lazy, incurious, unobservant walking, are contradictions in the discourses of religion. Ruffinus tells us a story of a young man solicited by the spirit of uncleanness, who came to an old religious person, and begged his prayers. It was in that age, when God used to answer prayers of very holy persons by more clear and familiar significations of his pleasure, than he knows now to be necessary. But after many earnest prayers sent up to the throne of grace, and the young man not at all bettered, upon consideration and inquiry of particulars he found the cause to be, because the young man so relied upon the prayers of the old man, that he did nothing at all to discountenance his lust, or contradict the temptation. But then he took another course, enjoined him austerities and exercises of devotion, gave him rules of prudence and caution, tied him to work and to stand upon his guard; and then the prayers returned in triumph, and the young man overcame the temptation. And so shall I and you, by God's grace, if we pray earnestly and frequently, if we watch carefully that we be not surprised, if we be not idle in secret nor talkative in public; if we read the Scriptures, and consult with a spiritual guide, and make religion to be our work, that serving God be the business of our life, and our designs be to secure eternity; then we shall walk safely, or recover speedily, and, by doing advantages to piety, secure a greatness of religion, and spirituality to our spirits and understanding. But remember, that when Israel fought against Amalek, Moses' prayer and Moses' hand secured the victory, his prayer grew ineffectual when his hands were slack; to remonstrate to us, that we must co-operate with the grace of God, praying devoutly, and watching carefully, and observing prudently, and laboring with diligence and assiduity.

"Faithful soul, pray always; pray, And still in God confide; He thy feeble steps shall stay, Nor suffer thee to slide; Lean on the Redeemer's breast; He thy quiet spirit keeps; Rest in him, securely rest; Thy Watchman never sleeps."