regulate all our thoughts and actions, and prayers by the standard of his divine law, and the dictates of his sovereign pleasure: " If," says he, " you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you." [1] In order, however, that all our prayers may be thus graciously heard, we must, as was previously observed, first bury in oblivion all injuries, and cherish sentiments of good will and beneficence towards all men.
The manner of praying is, also, matter of the highest moment. In itself prayer, it is true, is good and salutary; yet, if not applied in a proper manner, it is unavailing: " You ask," says St. James, " and receive not; because you ask amiss. " a The pastor, therefore, will instruct the faithful in the best manner of private and public prayer, and in the rules which have been delivered on this subject, according to the discipline of Christ our Lord. We must, then, pray " in spirit and in truth;" [2] and this we do when our prayers are the aspirations of an interior and intense ardour of soul. [3] This spiritual manner of praying does not exclude the use of vocal prayer; but mental prayer, which is the outpouring of a soul inflamed with the vehemence of heavenly desires, deservedly holds the first place; and, although not uttered with the lips, is heard by Him to whom the secrets of hearts are naked and open. He heard the prayer of Anna, the mother of Samuel, of whom we read, that she prayed, shed ding many " tears and only moving her lips?" [4] Such was, also, the prayer of David, for he says: " My heart hath said to thee, my face hath sought thee;" [5] and in the perusal of the inspired Volume similar examples will frequently occur.
But vocal prayer has also its advantages, and is sometimes necessary: it quickens the attention of the mind, and kindles the fervent devotion of the heart. " We sometimes," says St. Augustine, " animate ourselves to more lively sentiments of devotion, by having recourse to words and other signs calculated to kindle the fervour of our desires; filled with pious emotion we find it impossible to restrain the current of our feelings, and accordingly we pour them out in the fervid accents of prayer; whilst the soul exults with joy, the tongue should also give utterance to that exultation." [6] Vocal prayer, as we know from numerous passages of the Acts of the Apostles, and of the Epistles of St. Paul, was used by the Apostles; and, following their example, it become us also to offer to God the entire sacrifice of soul and body. As, however, there are two sorts of vocal prayer, private and public, it is to be observed, that private prayer is employed in order to assist attention and devotion; whereas, in public prayer, instituted, as it has been, to excite the piety of the faithful, the utterance of the words is, at certain fixed times, indispensably required.
