to God for thirty days, yet he would not omit his accustomed prayer: "Ne tantillum quidem temporis sustinuit ab orando cessare." He did not so much as for the least time cease to pray to Almighty God; for he understood that his spiritual life depended upon prayer; and for fear of the death of the body he would not endanger the life of his soul; which (says St. Chrysostom) is as dead when it wants prayer as the body is dead when it is abandoned by the soul. And as Daniel, although by occasion of praying he put himself in danger of death (for he was cast into the lion's den), yet in effect he died not, for God delivered him from that danger, shutting the mouths of the lions because he opened his mouth to pray, so also we may believe that for accomplishing the task of our prayer we shall lose neither life, not health; nor content, nor the happy despatch of other business; nay rather, by the means of prayer we so dispose ourselves that Almighty God may take them to His charge, and perform with His omnipotence and wisdom what we ourselves are not able to do by reason of our imbecility and ignorance. And if at any time, out of real want of health or for other lawful or urgent cause, we shall be forced to interrupt our prayer, the impediment being past, we are forthwith to return to our exercise.; that the interruption which began through pure necessity be not continued by sloth and trepidity.
4. Lastly, that no man may exempt himself from this so high and sovereign an exercise, I add, that all in general, as well those who have a set time for retired prayer (if they will preserve their devotion) as also those that have not this time, to supply this defect ought to exercise themselves oftentimes every day in the brief acts of mental or vocal prayer which we call ejaculatory prayers, of which we have made mention in the ninth chapter, in which (as St. Augustine [1] reports) the Fathers in the deserts exercised
- ↑ Epis. cxxi. ad probam. c. 10; S. Chrysost. horn. 79, ad pop.
