Chapter LXIV
On The Many Varying States Which Cling To The Mind And Are Purified By Prayer
To choose what is good, is the part of the good will of him that desires this. To accomplish the choice of the excellent will, this belongs to God and it requires much help on His part. Therefore we have to combine the good desire which is awakened in us, with continual prayer. Not only in order to ask from Him help, but also to discriminate whether it concords with His will or not. Not every beautiful desire falls into the heart by divine action, but [only] that which is profitable. There are beautiful things which man may desire though they do not help him. Such desires may even be sent by Satan, even though they be esteemed to be helpful. How many times does the thing desired not fit his measure; and 442 Satan has contrived it to his detriment, compelling him to ask it, though he has not yet reached this [stage of] discipline or though he is a stranger to the rank of its scheme; or the time is not fit in which Satan incites him to accomplish these things; or he is not able to perform them, either through [lack of] knowledge, or through bodily weakness, or through the time not being favorable. At any rate, though it does seem beautiful, it either troubles him, or it causes him bodily harm, or it places a hidden snare in his mind. So, as I have said, we have to combine continual and diligent prayer with theseemingly good desire which is awakened in us, saying, every one of us: May it be Thy will regarding me, to accomplish in fact this good which I have chosen and which I desire to practise, if it concords with Thy wilL To fix my will on it, is easy to me; to practise it, is however not possible for me without a gift on Thy part. Though in truth both are thine, to will and to do 1). For it is not without Thy grace that I have surrendered to or been shaken before that which stirred in me. It is the custom of him that desires any good thing with discrimination of mind, to work for it in
I) Cf. Philippians 21 I 3
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prayer continually; and the force [he acquires] thereby, he will use as an aid for his service. And then wisdom which distinguishes truth from falsehood through much prayer and labour and watchfulness and beautiful longing without break, will come to light, in continual tears, humbleness and heavenly help, especially when its opponents are deliberations of haughti· ness which remove from us God's help, and which we can annihilate by prayer.