y of brotherhood stirs him to
pray for all: and charity, more than necessity, stirs GOD to hear." The
fourth, what shall men ask in prayer? Certainly, grace in this life, and
endless joy in the other; for so GOD teaches us and says: "Seek first
the kingdom of GOD and His justice, and all these things shall be added
unto you." GOD is debtor to those who are righteous, to find them what
they need of earthly goods: for righteousness makes men GOD'S children,
and a father by his nature is bound to find for his children. Earthly
goods are not to be asked in prayer, for they have done harm to many,
therefore Solomon says "How long, ye fools, will ye desire those things
which are hurtful to you?" Therefore, every man should ask of GOD with
fear, that he ask and pray his Lord that if He see that his prayer be
necessary and reasonable, that He will fulfil it: and if it be not
necessary and reasonable, that He will withdraw it; for what may help
and what may harm, the Leech knows better than the sick man. But one of
these two shall we trust to have through prayer; either, that we pray
for, or that which is better for us. The fifth, what hinders our prayer
from being heard by God? Six things: the first is the sin of him who
prays; as GOD says through the prophet, "when ye make many prayers, I
will not hear; because your hands are full of blood." And David: "If I
have looked upon iniquity with my heart, the Lord will not hear." And
the prophet; "Our sins have hid His face from us." And the Gospel:
"Because we know GOD does not hear Sinners." The second is the
unworthiness of that for which men pray, and that GOD, through the
prophet, forbids them to pray for: "Pray not for this people, neither
lift up (praise) nor prayer for them; for I will not hear." It tells in
the life of the holy Fathers that one who was bound in sin came to the
holy Abbot, S. Anthony, and said, "holy Father, have mercy on me and
pray for me:" to whom the holy Abbot said; "I will have no mercy on
thee, unless thou helpest thyself and leavest thy sin." The third is
foul and idle thoughts, that hinder us from thinking on our prayers. Of
such false prayers, God says through His prophet: "This people honour ME
with their lips, but their heart is far from ME." It is great wickedness
of us unworthy wretches that when we speak with prayer to Almighty GOD,
we also unwittingly hearken not to what we say. Soothly, great
displeasure we do to GOD when we pray Him to hear ou