God needeth not that we should be suppliants, nor loveth prostration; this is our own advantage, and hath an eye to our profit.

Prayer ascends, mercy descends.

The grace of God is more bountiful than prayer: God ever granteth more than we ask.

God commandeth thee to ask, and teacheth thee how to ask, and promiseth that which thou asketh, and is angry if thou askest not; and yet askest thou not?

Prayer is the breviary of faith, the interpreter of hope.

We approach God by prayers, not by steps. Faith pours forth prayer; let it be poured forth in prayer.

Go on thus:

Labouring fervently in your prayers:
always praying, and not fainting;
in spirit and in truth.

SUBJECTS FOR MEDITATION

Before Intercession.

"THANKS be to God for His unspeakable gift."

The Apostle meaneth by the unspeakable gift of God, the mutual offices, and prayers, and thanksgivings of many for him and for themselves.-ST. AUGUSTIN.

"Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."

In this life we know that we can be assisted by prayers: but when we shall have come before the tribunal of Christ, neither Job, nor Daniel, nor Noah, can intercede for us, but each man beareth his own burden.-ST. JEROME.

"The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Can thine or my groanings be called unutterable, when there are often none, when they are often cold? But because there is no

day, no moment, in which the Saints supplicate not God, one more, one less, fervently, and all make one Dove; hence arise the unutterable groanings, namely, the groanings of each for all, which profit all them who are in the body of the Church.-ST. Augustin.

He who prays for others, labours for himself.

If thou prayest for thyself alone, thou alone wilt pray for thyself.

If thou prayest for all, all will pray for thee.

SUBJECTS FOR MEDITATION

Before Thanksgiving.

PRAISE is not comely in the mouth of fools, It is good before Thy Saints.

All Thy works praise Thee, O Lord, and Thy Saints give thanks unto Thee.

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound.

All sacrifice is little in comparison with thanksgiving.

We may speak much, and yet come short.

Woe to them that are silent concerning Thee, O Lord: for even they that speak are dumb.

Praise is silent to Thee, O Lord; i.e. attaineth not to Thy Works, but keepeth more silence; and it seemeth to proceed from the mouth of sucklings.

For as it was your mind to go astray from God, so, being returned, seek Him ten times

more.

That as once we abounded in sins, so now we may abound in good works and the praises of God.

WARNINGS AND PREPARATORY
MEDITATIONS

In the Evening,

RAISING OF THE MIND TOWARDS GOD.

IN

war there is the note of charge, fitted for the onset ;

Of recall, whereby stragglers are recalled : So the mind of man, as it must be excited in the morning, so in the evening, as by a note of recall, is it to be called back to itself and to its Leader,

By a scrutiny and inquisition or examination of self; by prayers and giving of thanks.

Scrutiny and Inquisition or Examination. A good man would rather know his own infirmity than the foundations of the earth, or the heights of the heavens.

But that knowledge of our own infirmity is not attained but by diligent inquisition : without which the mind is for the most part blind, and sees nothing of that which pertains to it. ST. AUGUSTIN.

There are many hiding-places and recesses in the mind.-CICERO.

You must come to the knowledge of, before you can amend, yourself.