ture. At the same time, as a far-off means of attaining to
supernatural prayer, it is necessary to put upon ourselves the acquiring
of the great virtues, and especially, humility: we must give up and
resign ourselves wholly and entirely unto God. Whoever will not attempt
to do this, with all the grace of God, that man will never come within
sight of the highest prayer. Let him, in absolutely everything, seat
himself in the lowest place. Let him account himself utterly and
hopelessly unworthy of everything he possesses, both in nature and in
grace. Let him shun advancement. Let him apply himself to daily
mortification, not of the body so much as of the mind and the heart, and
let him be more than content with the least thing that God allows him,
for this is true humility. In short, let His Majesty lead us in any way
He pleases, and the chances are that He will soon lead us by these ways
to a life of prayer and communion it had not entered into our hearts to
conceive possible to such sinners as we are. Let no man be too much cast
down, because he has not yet attained to supernatural prayer. God leads
His people in the way that He chooses out as best for Him and for them.
And he who stands low in his own eyes, may all the time stand high in
God's eyes. Supernatural prayer is not necessary to salvation: nor doth
God require it of us. They shall not fail of salvation who practise
themselves in the solid virtues. No, they may have more merit in His
eyes than their more favoured neighbours, because their obedience, and
their faith, and their love have cost them more. Their Lord deals with
them as with strong and valiant men, appointing them travail and trouble
here, that they may fight for Him the good fight of faith, and only come
in for the prize at the end. And, after all, what greater mark of a high
election can there be than to taste much of the cross? Whom the Lord
loveth, in that measure He lays on them His cross. And the heaviest of
all our crosses is a life of sanctification and service without sensible
consolation.

(9) _Over-familiarity in Prayer_.--He was a man of a powerful
understanding. I thought on his great gifts, and the possibilities there
were in him of doing great service if he were once entirely devoted to
God. He asked me to recommend him much to God, and I did not need to be
asked. I went away to the place to which I used to retreat in cases like
this. And once there, I put myself int