he Cloud of Unknowing_,
teaches us how to do this. "Lift up thine heart unto God with a meek
stirring of love; and mean Himself, and none of His goods. And thereto,
look thee loath to think on aught but God Himself. So that nought work
in thy wit, nor in thy will, but only God Himself. This is the work of
the soul that most pleaseth God."

Again, he recommends that in prayer we practice a further stripping down
of everything, even of our theology. "For it sufficeth enough, a naked
intent direct unto God without any other cause than Himself." Yet
underneath all his thinking lay the broad foundation of New Testament
truth, for he explains that by "Himself" he means "God that made thee,
and bought thee, and that graciously called thee to thy degree." And he
is all for simplicity: If we would have religion "lapped and folden in
one word, for that thou shouldst have better hold thereupon, take thee
but a little word of one syllable: for so it is better than of two, for
even the shorter it is the better it accordeth with the work of the
Spirit. And such a word is this word GOD or this word LOVE."

When the Lord divided Canaan among the tribes of Israel Levi received no
share of the land. God said to him simply, "I am thy part and thine
inheritance," and by those words made him richer than all his brethren,
richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world.
And there is a spiritual principle here, a principle still valid for
every priest of the Most High God.

The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many
ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them,
the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be
necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he
will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things
he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he
may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and
he has it purely, legitimately and forever.

_O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and
made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further
grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want
to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more
thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee
indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul,