Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	believe_v	faith_n	habit_n	3,078	5	10.3510	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38590	Catechistical discovrses in vvhich, first, an easy and efficacious way is proposed for instruction of the ignorant, by a breife summe of the Christian doctrine here delivered and declared : secondly, the verity of the Romane Catholike faith is demonstrated by induction from all other religions that are in the world : thirdly, the methode of the Romane catechisme, which the Councell of Trent caused to be made, is commended to practice of instructing in doctrine, confirming in faith, and inciting to good life by catechisticall sermons / by A. E.	Errington, Anthony, d. 1719?	1654 (1654)	Wing E3246; ESTC R8938	430,353	784

to intice him but all was in vaine he told him that his mother had vsed to exhort him to martyrdome and that he would be with her The king asked him what it was to be à martyr The child answered marke this answere that to be à martyr was to suffer death for Iesus Christ and to liue for euer after The king asked him who Christ was He told him that he might see Christ in the Church meaning as à child the pictures and Crucifixes of Christ which were then to be seene in Catholike Churches and looking downe and getting à sight of his mother as she was tyed to the stake he cryed out let mee goe let mee goe to my mother and when the king hindered him he told him he thought he was à Iew and bate him by the thigh to gette away from him at which the king in a fury pushed him away commanding one of his senators to take him to bring vp in the Iewish sect But as he was carried away he gotte from him and running into the fireto his mother he had his desire which was to dy à martyr This child if he were not capable of much of the christian doctrine at that age yet his good mother had à care to ingraft in him at least such à zeale and soe much knowledge of the faith of Christ that it was admirable to heare à child of siue yeares old to giue such an answer to the question of martyrdome in which he publikely professed the faith of Iesus Christ and the assurance of eternall life by suffering death for it Our children are as this was then an innocent by baptisme But our parents are not as the mother of this child soe careful to instruct their children and therefor are there soe many weake and feeble Catholikes amongst vs because we want instruction in our youth and we want it soe much that many who are past children know not the cheife principles of the christian faith nor thinke that they haue any obligation to learne them which is the ground and cause of all their ignorance The first thing therefor and most necessary for euery christian to know is the obligation which he hath to learne the christian doctrine Tell mee then Question What obligation haue christians to learne the christian doctrine Answer Euery christian is bound vnder a mortal sinne to know the cheife points of the christian faith This is an obligation vnder à mortal sinne that is to say à deadly sinne à sinne by which our soules incurre death as great an obligation as can be The reason is because all that are come to the vse of reason are bounde not onely to an habitual faith such as children haue but also to an actual faith that is to produce acts of faith and actual faith supposeth some knowledge of what is to be beleeued and therefor euery one must haue some knowledge of those thinges which he is to beleeue Children before they come to the vse of reason haue onely the habit of faith which is giuen them in baptisme and this is sufficient to saue them that can haue noe more but when they come to the vse of reason then they come to the vse of their faith and are bounde to conuert themselues to à supernatural end by producing acts of faith and of the loue of God which they can not doe except they know something of him and therefor S. Ep. 119. Augustin sayth that knowledge is the engine by which the building of charity is raised vp to endure for euer Euery tradesman must know the trade which he professeth or els he cannot expect to haue by right the wages due to his trade The trade which we professe is the true worship of God in the christian faith we are therefor boūd to know what belōgeth to that profession otherwise we cānot expact the reward of good christians We deserue not indeede the honour of that name if we know not what is professed by it Eccl. 5. Be stedfast in the way of our Lord and in the truth of thy vnderstanding and in knowledge Saith holy Ecclesiasticus Cor. 1.14 and the Apostle saith that if any man know not he shall not be knowne Now to say in particular how much of the christian doctrine euery one is bounde to know and which are these cheife points of obligation to be learned can not be done in general termes to all alike for this obligation is to be measured according to the difference of capacitys and other circumstances which are to be considered in seueral callings of persons ● Tho see ● q. 1. art 5. S. Thomas and the common opinion of authors holdeth it absolutely necessary to saluation in euery one to haue an explicite faith that is expresly to beleeue the mysterys of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnation and the twelue articles of the Creede and that it is à mortal sinne to be ignorant in the substance of those mysterys I should thinke it a very grosse ignorance in any Catholike not to know all these points to wit the mystery of the blessed Trinity in one God and three persons the mystery of the Incarnation in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated true God and true man that redeemed vs shall iudge vs and giue glory to the good What the Catholike Church is that the Sacraments of the Catholike Church giue grace to sanctify vs what it is that he receiueth in the Eucharist what he cometh to confession for what the Masse is whatmortal sinne is and that the Praecepts of the Church oblige vnder à mortal sinne This is as litle as can well be expected of all christians And this is conteined in the Summe of the christian doctrine which I haue deliuered to be gotten without booke the vnderstanding of which is sufficient to discharge the obligation which euery one hath to learne the christian doctrine I doe not say that it is absolutely necessary for euery one to vnderstande it all much lesse to gette it all without booke But I say that it is absolutly necessary for saluation to vnderstande the cheife points of it and that to be sure it were good to vnderstande it all and to gette it all without booke But it shall suffice for the present for all to know that they are bounde vnder à mortal sinne to know the head points and principal parts of the christian doctrine Let all then remember this obligatiō and those that haue bene negligent in performing it let them confesse their negligence and learne better hereafter For if any man know not he shall not be knowne Cor. 1.14 THE SECOND DISCOVRSE OF FAITH I INTENDE now to say something of faith in general à subiect necessary to be spoken of but it is hard to speake well and cleerely that which is necessary and sufficient to be spoken of it Prou. 25. Thou hast found honey eate that which sufficeth thee least perhaps being filled thou vomit it vp

man to thinke by reason that the Romane Church hath the true faith which God will haue him to belseue and is the true Church which he will haue him to obey Yet if we had not the supernatural light and inspiration of God mouing vs to that faith but that we were to goeby our owne thoughts onely then were it not a supernatural faith of absolute and infallible certainty as not proceeding from the authority of God nor had it proportion to supernatural glory But when reason dictateth somethinge to be true and God confirmeth it by the declaration of the Church which is as his voyce and hath his authority I being illuminated and inspired of him to beleeue the Church then whatsoeuer I soe beleeue I beleeue it for the diuine autority and although vnto reason it haue some obscurity and be not absolutely certaine as it is in reason onely yet as it is beleeued by faith it is absolutly and infinitly certaine because then it hath the testimony and authority of God And soe wisdome reacheth from end to end mihtily and disposeth all thinges sweetly Mightily Sap. 8. in that God assureth vs with his owne diuine word of the truth of our faith Sweetly in that he draweth vs euen by our owne reason soe to beleeue in him By reason we are brought to beleeue the true Church God illuminateth and inspireth vs to beleeue him speaking by that Church and by that supernatural light and gift of inspiration we produce acts of faith Now we will shew THAT THE SVPERNATVRAL light and gift of faith is all wais to the obedience of the Church BY that which hath bene said it doth appeare that faith is not a natural but a supernatural light and gift of God now we will shew that by it we are allwais to adhaere and firmely to beleeue the doctrine of the Church which is the second part of that which you haue answered to the question of faith The ennemy of mankind enuying at our felicity that we should haue and cooperate with that light of faith which he reiected and should by it attaine to that blessed state of glory which he must neuer obtaine cometh in the night time to sow in our harts many darke fallaces against faith and by false illusions and conterfeit inspirations often deceiueth vs and therefor we must haue some anes to try this deceiuing spirit and to discouer his false inspirations from the true and some power to allow or to disallow of particular mens spirits and by this we may see how necessary it is that there should allwais be in the world a continual Church infallibly assisted of God for the trying of spirits and discerning of them and that the diuine inspiration should allwais be with obedience to that Church I referre the reader to the ninth article of the Creede and to the eleauenth discourse of the Praecepts of the Church where I declare more fully the necessity and authority of such a continual Church where he may see how that we could neither know which were the true scriptures nor which were the true sense of them nor certainely destinguish betwixt true and false reason nor beleeue any thinge as certaine by faith but that all order and gouernment in religion were quite destroyed if we had not a continual visible Church with assurance from God of his diuine assistance with it and we were bounde to obey it in the deciding of all controuersys in religion which by proude and contentius men might be raised of any point though neuer soe cleere Here now I speake onely of the diuine light and inspiration vpon which we depende in all points of faith and I shew that being that this necessary light and inspiration may be counterfeited by our enemy we must of necessity acknowledge some external vniuersal power vpon earth authorized of God to try and to destinguish the seueral spirits of all men And this external power must either be assured by the diuine assistance of the verity of that which it declareth or els it were also deceiuing as the false spirit is and we should haue noe meanes to discerne the true spirit of God from the false but euery man might teach what he list vnder pretence of diuine inspiration Inspiration to faith must betryed by the Church There was neuer yet any man that labored to set abrode any errors in religion but as he pretended his doctrine to be of God soe he pretended the spirit of God to be after some sort with him but he will come to noe tryal of his spirit but would haue all to beleeue him vpon his owne bare word that he hath the spirit of God Soe the Archhaeretike that beginneth new doctrines in disobedience to the whole Church would haue men to take his word against all the world that then is that he hath the spirit of God and to prooue it he alleageth many reasons of his owne but he will not be tryed by any authority and soe his spirit being brought to be subiect to his priuate reason and all things being as you see finally resolued by it the controuersy coms in the end to that which in the former title is refuted and by which he is conuinced to wit that we are not to be resolued in matters of faith by our owne vnderstandings and priuate reasons onely but by the testimony of God inwardly in ourharts and externally as now I shew by the authority of the Church Tim 1.4 S. Paul saith that certaine shall depart from the faith attending to the spirits of error and doctrines of deuils Io. 1.4 By which we see that men may haue false spirits And S. Iohn sayeth beleeue not euery spirit but prooue the spirits if they be of God By which we see the same and also that we must haue some meanes for the tryal of false spirits Now what way can be thought more reasonable for the tryall of spirits then by the sentence of the whole Church which is giuen without partiality or respect of persons in generall to all alike Suppose two men going forth of the Church obstinatly manteining some new and contrary opinions to the doctrine of the whole Church and to each other Both of them pretende that they haue the spirit of God and yet they mainteine contrary doctrines to the whole world and to one another First it is certaine that both of them haue not the spirit of God for the spirit of God is the spirit of truth which can not be thus diuided Which then of them hath the true spirit how shall they be tryed The one of them alloweth of such and such scriptures and of such a sense of scriptures and the other denyeth all that he sayeth and yet pretendeth that he hath the spirit of God First this can not be decided by their spirits for as long as they hold contrary doctrines their spirits can neuer agree for the one of them to be tryed by the other Shall it

when the iust pray for them soe also we may say of all others benefits for that the goodnes and liberality of God is such that he is forced as it were to grant all and can deny nothing which is worthily asked of him This he would shew euen in the granting of a temporall benefit at the prayers of Iosue when the Israelits wanting day to pursue the victory Iosue praying commanded the Sunne and Moone to stande still and they stoode still till the people reuenged themselues of their enemys And to shew how powerfull the prayer of the iust is the Holy Ghost would make so remarkeable an expression as to say that God obeyed the voice of a man as though Iosue by his prayers had had God at obedience And although heauen be gained as well by all good workes as by praying Ser. de temp 226. yet S. Augustine calleth prayer the kea of Heauen Let vs learn then how to pray OF THE PREPARATION TO PRAYER THAT we may pray with profit Eccl. 18. and reape the fruite of prayer we must prepare ourselues duely to it Before prayer prepare thy soule saith the Holy Ghost The first and most necessary preparation is to bee cleere from mortall sinne For prayer which is made in mortall sinne hath but litle force and noe condignity at all to the obtaining of supernatural gifts which must proceed from the diuine grace And therefor he that will pray effectually must first make cleere his conscience by a good confession that being restored to the grace of God his prayer may be acceptable to him But if he haue not the opportunity of a Confessour let him in the meane time make an act of contrition which may supply confession vntill it can be had and let him pray for contrition and for a fitt disposition for prayer as the man of the Ghospell Marc 9. who when Christ required of him to beleeue he said I doe beleeue Lord help my incredulity Soe may the sinner endeauour before prayer to make an act of contrition and pray for that which is wanting in him The Publican was a sinner when he began to pray but praying with humility and sorrow he obtained the remission of his sinnes when standing a farre of Luc. 18. and knocking of his breast he prayed God be mercifull to mee a sinner By his standing a farre of his humility by the knocking of his breast and the words which he spoke his great sorrow is denored and by so praying although he were at first a sinner yet by prayer he obtained contrition and by contrition his sinnes were forgiuen Act. 10. and he went away iustifyed So Cornelius the Centurion prayed and gaue almes and although then as a Gentil he were out of the state of grace yet by continual prayer for the Euangelist commendeth him as allways praying to God he obtained the vision of an Angell and S. Peter was sent to enlighten him with the Faith of Christ Those therefore that are out of the state of grace and haue not the opportunity of confession let them pray for contrition and endeauour to stirre vp in themselues a true and feruerous loue of God Wicked Antiochus was grieued at his sinnes or rather at his punishments and although he acknowledged the truth that they came from God yet it is said Mach 2.9 He prayed to our Lord of whom he was not to obtaine mercy because he was not truely penitent nor sought the honour of God but his owne ease only by prayer The next preparation to prayer is to come with much humility and reuerence considering who it is to whom we are going to speake and who we are that are admitted to speake It is God to whom we speake God the Lord of Heauen and Earth that made vs of noe better thing then the slime of the earth a peece of dead clay breathing life and giuing reason to it and that peece of earth being thus framed of God hath rebelled against him and abused his maker and euen then not being quite free from sinne is permitted neuertheles to appeare in his sight and to petition him Eccli 35. The prayer of him that humbleth himselfe shall penetrate the clowdes Thus did holy Abraham pray with humility saying Gen 18. I will speake to my Lord where as I am dust and ashes Thirdly we must pray with much loue and confidence in the goodnes and bounty of God We may consider then that he is as he is indeede our father allwais desiring our good and that he is infinitly liberall of all those things which he knoweth to be good for vs and that we will kneele downe to him as a louing and gracious child would doe to his father to aske blessings of him and that we will aske with confidence that which is necessary for vs and will obey him Thus the holy King prepared himselfe with humility loue and confidence and then powred forth his prayer in the sight of God Let vs then remember to prepare ourselues to prayer with these three things First with a cleere conscience by confession or contrition Secondly with humility and reuerence to God Thirdly with loue and confidence in him Let vs see now FOR WHAT THINGS AND FOR whom we are to pray THE cheife thing which we are to pray for is that which is the cheife good and that is that God be honored his blessed name being hallowed byvs and that we may soe serue him here that we may enioy him in heauen All temporall things as health wealth strength beauty and the like are to be prayed for conditionally if they be conducing to our future happines but it is dangerous to pray to excell much in them and therefore the wise man durst not pray for riches but for necessarys Prou. 30. Beggery and riches giue mee not giue mee onely things necessary for my sustenance Charity humility patience and all vertues may absolutly without any condition be prayed for because they of themselues aduance the honour of God in vs and helpe vs to euerlasting glory We pray for all men because we are bounde to desire the good of all as our neighbors But of all men we pray especially for the Catholike Church and of the Catholike Church we pray especially for the Popes holines as the head of the Church Then we pray for our particular prelates and pastors and generally for all the pastors of the Church that they may excell with such vertues as may illustrate it and render it a more amiable spouse to God in the sanctity of her subiects which dependeth most vpon the goodnes of Church men And therefor as the Euangelist sayth prayer was made without intermission for Peter Act. 12. he being then Pope and in the hands of his enemys And S. Paul desired the prayers of the faithfull that his seruice might be acceptable We pray also for our temporal superiors the king and his officers that they may gouerne according to