The Method
When God Refuses
The soul laments God's refusal and acknowledges that He, being both Power and Love, could grant the request if He willed.
Poor heart, mourn. Because your God still refuses, there is some obstacle, some discontent, that cools his will.1 Your Father could quickly bring about what you're asking for, for He is Power. And He surely would, for He is Love.✦2
The Interior Search
The soul is exhorted to search its heart diligently, discovers carelessness in prayer and a disregarded prompting, and questions whether God should be bound to such indifference.
Go look for this: search your heart thoroughly and flip through your book.3 If you had lost a glove or a ring, wouldn't you look for it? What do I see written up there? Yesterday I behaved carelessly when I prayed.4 And should God's ear be chained to people so indifferent, who don't even hear their own motions?5 Is God less free? But wait! What's this? Just recently, when I wanted something done, I felt a prompting to hold back—yet I went on.6
Pardon and Renewed Prayer
The soul concludes that God's ear is not bound to those who ignore Him, and resolves to pray again, seeking pardon first, so that God may grant gladness.
And should God's ear, which doesn't need man, be tied to those who don't hear him, but quickly hear his utter foes? Then pray once more: down on your knees, up with your voice. Seek pardon first, and God will say, "Glad heart, rejoice."
Read the original English
POore heart, lament. For since thy God refuseth still, There is some rub, some discontent, Which cools his will.
Thy Father could Quickly effect, what thou dost move; For he is Power: and sure he would; For he is Love.
Go search this thing, Tumble thy breast, and turn thy book. If thou hadst lost a glove or ring, Wouldst thou not look?
What do I see Written above there? Yesterday I did behave me carelesly, When I did pray.
And should Gods eare To such indifferents chained be, Who do not their own motions heare? Is God lesse free?
But stay! what's there? Late when I would have something done, I had a motion to forbear, Yet I went on.
And should Gods eare, Which needs not man, be ty'd to those Who heare not him, but quickly heare His utter foes?
Then once more pray: Down with thy knees, up with thy voice. Seek pardon first, and God will say, Glad heart rejoyce.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1John.4.8 — The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'rub' is Early Modern for a hitch or impediment (as in a game of bowls); rendered 'obstacle' for plain contemporary sense without changing the force.
- 2 ↩Source 'move' is the older petitionary sense (to move for / make a request), not physical motion.
- 3 ↩'Tumble thy breast' is figurative self-examination: turn the heart over carefully. 'Turn thy book' means leaf through / search a book of devotion or rule.
- 4 ↩Source 'behave me carelesly' is an Early Modern reflexive ('conducted myself carelessly'); rendered as plain modern 'behaved carelessly.' Period spelling 'carelesly' normalized to 'carelessly.'
- 5 ↩"indifferents" names careless, half-hearted pray-ers (cf. the previous stanza's "carelesly"); "motions" are interior promptings or stirrings of conscience, not physical movements.
- 6 ↩Source 'motion' means an interior spiritual prompting or impulse (not physical movement); rendered as 'prompting' for modern clarity while keeping the discernment sense.
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