Deuteronomy xii: "Thou shalt not do what is right in thine own
eyes." [Deut. 12:8]

Here a man must make daily use of those prayers which David
prays: "Lord, lead me in Thy path, and let me not walk in my own
ways," [Ps. 110:35, 37] and many like prayers, which are all
summed up in the prayer, "Thy kingdom come." For the desires are
so many, so various, and besides at times so nimble, so subtle
and specious, through the suggestions of the evil one, that it is
not possible for a man to control himself in his own ways. He
must let hands and feet go, commend himself to God's governance,
and entrust nothing to his reason, as Jeremiah says, "O Lord, I
know that the way of man is not in his own power." [Jer. 10:26]
We see proof of this, when the children of Israel went out of
Egypt through the Wilderness, where there was no way, no food, no
drink, no help. Therefore God went before them, by day in a
bright cloud, by night in a fiery pillar [Ex. 13:21; 16:4 f.],
fed them with manna from heaven, and kept their garments and
shoes that they waxed not old [Deut. 29:5 f.], as we read in the
Books of Moses. For this reason we pray: "Thy kingdom come, that
Thou rule us, and not we ourselves," for there is nothing more
perilous in us than our reason and will--And this is the first
and highest work of God in us and the best training, that we
cease from our works, that we let our reason and will be idle,
that we rest and commend ourselves to God in all things,
especially when they seem to be spiritual and good.

[Sidenote: Fasting]

XIX. After this comes the discipline of the flesh, to kill its
gross, evil lust, to give it rest and relief. This we must kill
and quiet with fasting, watching and labor, and from this we
learn how much and why we shall fast, watch and labor.

There are, alas! many blind men, who practise their castigation,
whether it be fasting, watching or labor, only because they think
these are good works, intending by them to gain much merit. Far
blinder still are they who measure their fasting not only by the
quantity or duration, as these do, but also by the nature of the
food, thinking that it is of far greater worth if they do not eat
meat, eggs or butter. Beyond these are those who fast according
to the saints, and according to the days; one fasting on
Wednesday, another on Saturday, another on St. Barbara's day,
another on St. Sebastian's day,[34] and so on. These all seek in
their fasting nothing beyond th