PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION.

work, and therefore I willingly complied with her request.

In this book, then, she first recommends the practice of prayer The act of lifting the mind and heart to God in communication. and meditation A form of mental prayer where one reflects deeply on sacred truths or the life of Christ. which give a taste of that sweetness reserved by God for those who fear Him, rendering them prompt and ready for all the works of virtue. For, just as Satan, with the allurement of pleasure, leads men to vice, so the Holy Ghost The Holy Spirit. opposes to the sensual a spiritual pleasure whereby He inclines them to the practice of virtue.

She further strongly recommends the mortification From the Latin word meaning "to put to death"; the practice of self-denial or physical discipline used to overcome selfish desires and strengthen the spirit. of our unruly appetites and our self-will, which is brought about by prayer which softens the heart, and by its sweetness compensates for the bitterness inseparable from mortification. These two virtues might be termed frankincense and myrrh, so often mentioned in the Canticle of Canticles Also known as the Song of Solomon, a book of the Bible often interpreted by mystics as a poem describing the love between God and the human soul.; incense, having the property of rising into the air, represents prayer, and myrrh, which has a bitter taste, mortification.

Moreover, she recommends in this book interior recollection A state of focused inner prayer where the soul withdraws from external distractions to find God within. and the withdrawal from conversation with worldly people, were they even our own parents, according to the words of the prophet:

“Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear; and forget thy people and thy father’s house” (Psalm xliv. 2). In modern Bibles, this is typically cited as Psalm 45:10.

She recommends manual labour with a view to lessen such conversations and to enable the nuns, who ought to be lovers of the