●…Euotion is a far other thing than many thinke : for many ●…ose that it is a certaine ten●…es & remorseful compassion ●…ule & heart , which somtimes ●…feele that pray : or a conso●… & taste of spiritual thinges : but Deuotion which nowe we●… speake of , is ( if we speake properly ) neither of these . For carnalmen , and such as are enthralle●… vnder sin , do often feele this ten dernes & sensible comfort : an●… on the contrary parte , holy an●… righteous men in their prayers , d●… many timestaste of none of thes●… yet wee must not say that the●… then haue no deuotion , nor th●… the other haue it , albeit they ha●… some smacke of it .

For this cause Thomas Aqui●… Secunda secundae q. 82. a. 2. saith , that Deuotion is not prope●… ly a tendernes of heart , nor a spi●… tuall consolation : but hee sait●… that Deuotion seemeth to bee 〈◊〉 other thing , then a certaine w●… lingnes and readines in yeeldi●… to those things , that apperta●… to the seruice of God . For D●… uotion is deriued of vowin●… wherupon they are called 〈◊〉 ●…ut , who after a certaine man●…r , doe deuote and vow them●…ues vnto God , that they may ●…oly subiect themselues vnder 〈◊〉 . This saith he : therefore by Who is a deuout man ●…e vertue of the words Etymo●…gy , he is to bee called a deuout ●…n , who doth solemnely dedi●…e and bequeath himselfe to ●…e the Lord his God . Deuoti●… certainely is that readines , ●…erby a man doth offer vp him●…e to God , and prepareth him●…e to doe his most holy will .

Therefore wee call deuoti●…●…hat good , which alwaies at●…deth vppon good and holy ●…yer : and that which alwaies ●…tethon it , is a cheerefulnesse , ●…dines and courage to al good , ●…ch often times is found withcomfort , and tendernesse of ●…t . Wherefore euen as a tra●…er , A Similitude . after hee hath rested himselfe and taken meate , beginneth to feele ease , is refreshed , and recouereth strength to walke and trauell further , although he hath no delight in his meate , nor contenteth his taste : so also praye●… which is the spirituall meate o●… Prayer is cause of Deuotion . the soule , is the cause of a ne●… fortitude and a new spirit to wall in the way of the Lord , albeit of tentimes it yeeldeth no spiritual taste .

Our Sauiour sheweth this effect of Prayer , praying in the garden , where rysing from the ear●… nowe the third time with gre●… courage & inuincible spirit , buckling with his enemies , whom one word he beate to the groun●… albeit in that his Prayer hee h●… neither sweetnes nor spiritu●… ioy : but contrarily so great an gony and contrition of spirit , th●… he sweate blood in such abou●… dant manner , that it trickled ●…wne by drops vpon the earth . ●…e would haue this so come to ●…sse , not because his grace and ●…rtitude eyther encreased or de●…eased by prayer , ( for he was full 〈◊〉 all grace ) but that in his owne ●…oper person he might shew the ●…tue and efficacy of Prayer : ●…ich although it hath not al●…ies that tendernes of heart , & ●…mfort of spirit ioyned vnto it : 〈◊〉 it bringeth with it that cheer●… readines , & resolute courage abide whatsoeuer aduersity : ●…d although it doth not alwaies ●…e away the burdenous weight ●…tribulation , yet neuerthelesse ●…btaineth that strength and for●…de , by which it ouercom●…th .

Notwithstanding heere is to be ●…ed , that from this deuotion & ●…dines to this good , oftentimes that spirituall consolation do●… spring , which the ignorant & vn●… learned doe call Deuotion : an●… the course being altered , the sam●… consolation doth encrease tru●… deuotion , which is that alacriti●… and cheerefulnes of spirit , as we●… haue said , to doe well , as a goo●… Daughter seruing her Mother , making a man so much the mo●… ready in diuine matters , as it m●… keth him the more cheerefull , more comforteth him in his sou●… so that these twoo doe patroni●… the one the other , none othe●… wise then a faithfull mother do●… her daughter , and a godly daughter her mother . Which thing n●… onely happeneth in these , but very often also in other spiritu●… matters , especially in these t●… vertues , Faith and Charity : 〈◊〉 Faith and Charity do mutually help one another . Faith is the foundation and ro●… of Charity , and Charity is t●… forme and life of Faith . So also ●…s consolation doth encrease ●…euotion , and prepareth it to c●…y good worke , as very plaine - ●…he Prophet Dauid testifieth , ●…en he saith : I will run the way Psal. 119. ●…hy commandements , when thou ●…st set my heart at libertye . This ●…erty and enlargement doth a●… from spirituall ioy ( for it is 〈◊〉 properry of ioy to enlarge the ●…rt , as on the contrary part it is property of sorrow to pinch ●…d gripe it in ) and this enlarge●…nt , saith he , made not mee to ●…lke in the way of the Lord , & ●…te by foote to tread this path , 〈◊〉 with exceeding great alacry●…o run it , which is proper vnto ●…uotion .

This is the reason , why the ser●…ts Why Deuotion is to bee desired . of the Lord ought seriously ●…esire of God this readines & ●…ituall consolation , as we will shew afterwards : not for the delight , which is in it ( for thi●… should be rather our owne loue●… then the loue of God ) but for th●… fruite : because it inciteth & stirreth vs vp to doe well , for it is 〈◊〉 mosttruesaying , that pleasure perfecteth the worke .

WEe haue heeretofo●… tolde what Deuoti●… is , that it is not any particuler 〈◊〉 speciall vertue , but all that whi●… accompanieth it : Now we w●… speake of the meanes by which 〈◊〉 is atchieued .

First therefore that wee m●… winne and gaine vnto vs a goo●… so excellent and renowned , is a●… earnest and a vehement desire t●… possesse it , according to that 〈◊〉 the Wise man . The most true desi●… of discipline is the beginning of Wis●… dome : and a little before , reaso●… 〈◊〉 of the same desire & intent , ●…ith : Wisedome shineth and ne●…adeth away , and is easily seene ●…em , that loue her , and found of 〈◊〉 as seek her , she preuenteth them 〈◊〉 desire her , that shee may first 〈◊〉 her selfe vnto them . Who so a●…eth vnto her betimes , shall ●…e no great trauaile , for hee shall ●…e her sitting at his doores . To ●…ke vpon her then is perfecte ●…erstanding : and who so watch●…or her , shall bee soone without 〈◊〉 . For she goeth about , seeking 〈◊〉 as are meete for her , and shew●…her selfe cheerefully vnto them ●…he waies , and meeteth them in ●…y thought . Hetherto bee the ●…rds of the Wiseman , whereup●… a little after hee concludeth ●…t which we said before , that is : ●…at the beginning of Wisedome ●…e most true desire & longing for 〈◊〉 .

THe desire , of which we haue 〈◊〉 spoken , ought to haue ioyned ●…o it great diligence and forti●…e , by which all difficulties may 〈◊〉 ouercome , which doe meete ●…h vs and trouble vs in compas●…g and winning this good . And ●…ough , as we haue said before , 〈◊〉 desire doth bring with it dilig●…ce and fortitude , yet we think it ●…orth the labour to speake of it s●…rally in this Chapter .

But that wee may vnderstand t●…se thinges the better , we must k●…we , that as nature hath besto●…d vpon all liuing creatures two faculties or powers , to the prese●… uation Two faculties of the soule necessary vnto vertue . of them selues , one , whi●… we call Concupiscible , the natu●… and property of which , is to des●… whatsoeuer pertaineth to the pr●… seruation of it selfe or of his kin●… the other Irascible , whose off●… and propertie is to resist and fig●… against all difficulties and contr●… dictions , which any wayes hind●… or make resistaunce against th●… preseruation : so we must know●… that these vertues and powers 〈◊〉 so after their manner are requi●… to the preseruation of a spiritu●… life : specially to the attaineme●… of this good which we speake●…

For first it is needfull to hau●… desire of that good , as wee ha●… said , which dooth moue a man●… seeke for it : then it is meete t●… there bee a valiant and genero●… spirit to conquer and ouerco●… many & great difficulties , wh●… ●…e meete with them that aspire ●…he atchiuement of Deuotion . 〈◊〉 there are manye thinges that ●…der deuotion , & many thinges ●…ich are required to the obtay●…g of it , all which are very dif●…lt & hard : therfore they craue ●…ch busines & much fortitude 〈◊〉 courage , to breake through ●…se difficulties , vntill those desi●… waters flowe out of the Cest●…s of Bethleem , and no enimies 2. Reg. 23. ●…er in the entrance or regresse , 〈◊〉 hinder those , who come to ●…we water out of them . But to ●…ine a good so hard & difficult , ●…at can a bare and naked desire 〈◊〉 , if it be not armed and fenced ●…h courage and fortitude ?

There thou shalt acknowledge ●…fect , which they haue , who 〈◊〉 with a good desire , notwith●…ding haue not this fortitude , ●…hich we speake : for they be as creatures imperfect & monstro●… hauing the faculty concupiscib●… without the irascible , which as is not sufficient to the preseruatio●… of a naturall life , so also it wil n●… be sufficient for that which is sp●… rituall . Such are the desires of t●… negligent and slouthfull , of whi●… the Wiseman saith : The slugg●… lusteth prou. 13. and lusteth not : He luste●… when he beholdeth the beauty vertue : he lusteth not when h●… vnderstandeth the difficulty●… which are in it : as those imperfe●… & monstrous creatures haue o●… of these naturall faculties & po●… ers , that is , appetite , or desire : b●… the other they haue not , which 〈◊〉 fortitude and courage .

For this cause in the Script●… fortitude and diligence are so 〈◊〉 ten commended , & slouthfulnes●… negligence are so often disprais●… as the two rootes of all our go●… a●…ill . Certainly it is a thing ex●…ding worthy of admiration , to ●…he great care & watch , which ●…oly Ghost vseth ouer slouth●… and negligent men , as it is ●…ifest in the bookes of Salo - 〈◊〉 , in which there is scarse a ●…pter , which draweth not out ●…rrow against such , and telleth 〈◊〉 of the perill & danger they ●…in . Although often times it is 〈◊〉 and the selfe same sentence , ●…ch is repeated , yet it is done 〈◊〉 other words and figures , & ●…ost the same thing is spoken ●…housand places , that our me●…ies might be stirred vp , that 〈◊〉 therby might vnderstand , of ●…t great moment and weight 〈◊〉 which the holy Ghost so of●…and with such importunitie 〈◊〉 rehcarsed . In one place hee 〈◊〉 : The thoughts of the diligent Prouer. 2●… . ●…rely bring aboundance : but whosoeuer is slouthfull and neglig●… commeth surely to pouerty . In a●… other place : A slothfull hand 〈◊〉keth Prou. 10. poore : but the hand of the d●… gent maketh rich . And in anoth●… place : He that tilleth his land , s●… Pro. 12. be satisfied with bread : but he th●… followeth the idle , is destitute of v●… derstanding . Againe : Feare cast●… Pro. 18. downe the slouthfull , & the soules●… the sluggards shall hunger . He t●… is slouthfull in his worke , is euen 〈◊〉 brother of him that is a great was●… And in the Chapter followin●… Slouthfulnes causeth to fall a sleep●… Pro. 19. a sluggish person shall be affamish●… But that especially is to be obs●…ued , which the same Salom●… saith in the 24. Chapter of 〈◊〉 Prouerbes . I passed by the field Pro. 24. the slouthfull , and by the Viney●… of the man destitute of vnderstanding . And loe , it was all growen o●… with thornes , & nettles had coue●… 〈◊〉 face thereof , and the stone wall ●…reof was broken-downe . Then I ●…eld , and I considered it well : I ●…ked vpon it , and receiued instruc●… . Thou sluggard how long wilt ●…ou sleep ? How long will it be ere ●…u rise from thy slumbring ? Thou ●…st yet a litle sleep , a little slumber , ●…tle folding of the hands to sleep : So 〈◊〉 pouerty commet has one that tra●…leth by the way , and thy necessity 〈◊〉 an armed man . Which is as ●…ch to say , as that slouthfulnes ●…d negligence by little and little ●…all be turned into an habit , and ●…at habit into nature , and by this ●…eanes it shall so raigne and rule ●…thee that thou shalt not finde ●…ither meane nor way how to ●…ue it out of thy doores , albeit ●…ou bee mighty and magnani●…ous .

Now I demaund of thee , why ●…e holy Ghost doth so often repeate this sentence , and insert in so many places of his writing but that he would signifie that d●… ligence and fortitude is the key●… all our profit and commodity , a●… that slouthfulnes and negligenc●… is the roote of all our euils an●… hurtes ? Tell me , what vertue is 〈◊〉 that hath not some difficulty an●… nexed and ioyned to it ? Therfo●… if a man haue not courage to sub●… due it , nor a hammer to worke & ●… temper the Iron , on which he●… worketh , shall he performe any●… laudable peece of worke ? It is very well said of Prudentius , where he speaketh of Patience . Valerous Patience Vertues copesmate , Prudent . in Psychomachia . Of euery Vertue is stronge anchorage : Victorious becomes vertues combate , When Patience passions doth asswage . Naked lyes Vertue Patience wanting , Disrob'd , disarmed and feebly panting .

For if courage and fortitude be wanting vnto Vertue , it is certain , that he shall not be able to ouer●…e the difficulty , which is al●…es ioyned vnto Vertue . Ther●… it is needfull , that we expell 〈◊〉 driue away all sluggishnes & i●…nes , arming our selues with ●…rme and solide purpose to ●…er this combate , with a resolute ●…de to fight , and not to leaue 〈◊〉 , before we haue ouercome ●…ry difficulty , alwaies implo●…g with great submission of ●…it the diuine grace .