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(161) If you have not firm, unashamed faith in the most Merciful and Almighty God, do not hasten to pray to Him to grant you any blessing, otherwise the Devil will strike and wound you with incrudility or unbelief in the possibility of the fulfillment of your prayer, and you will go away from before the face of God ashamed, despondent, and gloomy. Do not be heedless, but first sit down, count in accordance with the Lord's words your spiritual estate, or measure your faith, "whether you have suffi­cient to finish it," lest the demons, seeing your want of calcula­tion, begin to mock at you, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish" (St. Luke XIV. 28-30). Thus, before prayer, reckon the degree of your faith, and, having found it sufficient, lively, firm, and unashamed, "come boldly unto the throne of grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews IV. 16.).

(162) Be moderate in all religious works, for moderation, even in virtue, corresponding to your powers, according to circum­stances of time, place, and preceding labour, is prudent and wise. It is well, for instance, to pray with a pure heart, but as soon as there is no correspondence between the prayer and your powers (energy), with the various circumstances of place and time, with your preceding labours, then it ceases to be a vir­tue. Therefore the apostle Peter says, "Add to virtue know­ledge" (that is, do not be carried away by heart only); "and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience" (2 Peter I. 5, 6).

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