will and there is no will where there is no knowledge Thus when Noe by drinking Wine at first was overseen his excess in drink was not a Sin because he knew not then the force of wine nor could know it Secondly when ignorance proceeds from our fault by an express will or grosse and affected ignorance it neither takes away nor diminishes at all the Sin on the contrary it rather augments it The reason is because he that desires the cause desires also the effect If then I desire to be ignorant of the evil that is in an action and it happen by that ignorance that I Sin more freely and without remorse I am the voluntary cause of the Sin whose enormity I would not know Such was the ignorance of the unchast old men in the History of Susanna of whom it is said Dan. 13.9 That they cast down their Eyes that they might not see Heaven nor remember the Judgments of God. Such is the ignorance of those that will not be instructed in what they ought to know nor advertised of the evil they do and who will not understand to do well As the Prophet saith Psal 35.4 This is what frequently happens to young People Thirdly as the total ignorance of any evil in an action taketh away all the Sin when it doth not proceed from our fault so the ignorance of the part of the evil in which is a Sin takes away part that is diminisheth the Sin This is to be understood of that ignorance which doth not proceed from our fault nor is it in our power to be better instructed Such is the ignorance of young People when they begin to fall into Sins of impurity for they know well enough that there is ill in it which appears by the doubts they have in their Conscience and by the shame they have to Confess But they do not understand that the ill is so great as in reality it is untill such time as they are instructed and till then their Sins are not so great altho' they be almost always Mortal Sins ARTICLE II. Of Sins of Frailty or of Passion THe Sins of frailty are those which proceed from the will moved with some passion Passions are actions of the sensitive Appetite which is an inferiour part of the Soul and moves towards things forbidden by the law of God such as are Love Hatred Sadness Fear Anger Some push on the Soul to do that which is forbidden it as Love Hatred Joy Choler others withdraw it from doing the good which is commanded as Fear Sadness Despair Those cause the Sins of Action These the Sins of Omission Passions diminish the liberty of the will because being push'd on or withdrawn by other causes then by her self she doth not act with all the liberty she hath in that action either to do or not do what she will. Besides these Passions diminish also the judgment hindring the understanding which guides the will from judging of things so clearly as otherwise it would They diminish by consequence the Sin which is found in an action or omission and this differently sometimes less sometimes more and sometimes totally and othertimes they diminish them not at all but rather augment them They diminish sometimes but little when they are but light and the will may easily overcome them They diminish the Sin much when they are strong and violent because for that time they notoriously diminish the judgment and liberty however as long as they leave man with the knowledge of the evil which he does the Sin continues still They totally take away the Sin when they are so violent that they totally cloud the reason so that one doth not perceive at all that there is a Sin which never happens but in the first motions of passion which being a little appeas'd the mind returns to it self and knows what it has done and from thenceforward he Sins if he continues in his Passion In fine Passions do not at all diminish the Sin when they are voluntary and this happens when they are willingly excited or when one entertains them and endeavours to augment them as it happens too often and in this case they are not Sins of Passion but of malice ARTICE III. Of Sins of Malice BY Sins of Malice we do not understand here Sins which are maliciously committed whether purely to displease God or for the sole pleasure which one takes in doing ill These Sins are rather Sins of Devils then men and those who are so unfortunate as to Sin thus begin in this world to live the life of Devils which God often punisheth also with the punishment of Devils which is Obstinacy and Impenitence These are the Sins which our Saviour calls Mat. 12.32 Sins against the holy Ghost which are neither forgiven in this world nor the next Sins of Malice whereof I speak in this place are those which are committed without Ignorance and without Passion that is with full knowledg and entire liberty and they are called Sins of Malice because being commited neither out of ignorance nor passion they proceed only from the ill inclination of the will which scruples not to offend God upon condition it may compass the enjoyment of its Pleasures or other sensible content which it seeks by Sin. These Sins are very great and highly displeasing in the sight of God being they have nothing to excuse them as the two former had These must be Confessed very exactly declaring fully this circumstance that they committed them knowing well what they did and on set purpose and it is necessary that they do great pennance for them As these Sins are great so they ought to be rare and unheard of amongst Christians but it happens by a sad misfortune that there is nothing more common And if the lives of men were well examined the greatest part of Sins would be found to be Sins of Malice For as concerning Ignorance tho' much of it is found amongst the ordinary Sins of men and for that reason it is said that every man that Sins is ignorant How often doth it happen that the ignorance with which they Sin is affected and voluntary one searches after it expressly and with design he will be ignorant of that which he is obliged too know he will not be instructed he fears to look too narrowly into his own actions and he obliged to the good by the knowledge which he shall have of it To do thus is it not to desire the Sin upon set purpose and out of malice for this reason they fly all those things that may instruct them as reading of Books Sermons or amongst Preachers they care not for those that reprehend vice or discover the ablest Ghostly Father They seek the less understanding and most indulgent They do not consult at all about the doubts of Conscience or if they do they discover not all they seek after favourable resolutions to indulge themselves in remiss false opinions they frame a Conscience to
Sin with more liberty What is this but wilfully to run into a precipice and shut their eyes that they may cast themselves headlong more freely and without fear As for Passions we must say the same of them as of Ignorance It is true they diminish Sin when they are not voluntary but when one seeks them on design or is pleased to cherish or increase them these are not Sins of Passion but of Malice Now how ordinary is this amongst men He that has a desire of revenge does he not endeavour to nourish his hatred and indignation against his enemy He speaks against him on all occasions and is ravished with delight to hear one speak against him He whose heart is possest with impure love does all he can to cherish it he applies his care and thoughts that way all his Senses are employ'd therein as his Eyes Ears Tongue Touch he loses no occasion he searcheth after them with much care and sollicitude he follows all the motions of his Passion without resistance or any the least constraint upon himself What is this but to Sin on set purpose and malice And thus running over the greatest part of the Sins of men we shall find that they principally spring from the will and men are vicious because they will or have a mind to be so For this reason Theotime do not use to flatter your self in your Sins because you are young do not excuse your self with the ignorance of your youth nor with the passions which push it on remember that often and often again you make your ignorance and passion voluntary or wilfull and that your Sins proceed from the inclination you have to ill which you will not correct and thus the greatest part of your Sins are Sins of Malice ARTICLE IV. Of Sins which spring from a Vicious Habit. I Add here this fourth Article forasmuch as next to ignorance and passion there is another cause which draws the will to Sin and seems to diminish it viz. A vitious habit that is an inclination or facility to fall into a Sin which facility is contracted by often repeated actions of the same Sin for it is the property of actions to produce sutable habits When this habit is strong and inveterate it causes one to fall into Sin without ignorance and without passion witness those who Swear upon all occasions who have their mind always full of evil thoughts who have nothing in their mouth but immodest words and so of others This inclination is sometimes so great that it draws after it a kind of necessity to fall into the evil as St. Augustine says in his Confessions deploring the unfortunate experience he had of it Ex voluntate perversâ facta est libido dum servitur libidini facta est consuetùdo dum consuetudini non resistitur facta est necessitas S. Aug. l. 8. Confes c. 5. The will says he that is once depraved begets an inclination to ill the inclination produces a habit a habit when not resisted brings a necessity Yet this necessity doth not take away the sin because it doth not take away the liberty of the will which is always Mistress of her habit and which by means of grace may overcome it If you ask whether a vitious habit diminish the Sin I answer that of it self it doth not diminish it at all because it was freely contracted by the will and it is in her power to overcome it Hence to judge whether a vicious habit diminish the Sin we must consider how the will behaves her self in respect of the habit that is whether she be displeas'd whether she be afflicted whether she make any endeavours to correct her self and be delivered of it For in this case the habit without doubt lessens the Sin and when one falls therein he is more excusable in the sight of God and if the Sin be Mortal it is less grievous then if it were committed without a habit But if he who hath contracted a vicious habit doth not strive to amend his Sins are nothing less for being committed by a habit and then they are no more sins of frailty but become sins of malice because he willingly nourisheth the cause that produceth them And being he doth not efficaciously desire to correct his vicious habit he is rationally supposed to consent to all the Sins that spring from thence Take good notice of this rule Theotime that you may be able to judge aright of the quality of the Sins which you commit by habit and do not easily excuse your self upon this account They frequently proceed from your own fault and will. CHAP. XV. Of the Sins that are committed by Error or by Doubt THese also are two other Fountains of Sin which are necessary to be known and examined by reason of the great number of Sins that spring from them We call it error in this place when one believes there is a Sin in the action or omission when in reality there is none or that it is a Mortal when it is but a venial Sin. I Enquire whether an action or omission performed in this errour is a Sin without doubt it is and ought to be confessed and one ought to have a diligent care of himself for the future in regard to the like occasions The reason is because Sin consists in the Will and the will acts not but as it is guided by the judgment When the judgment proposes a thing as ill whether it be an action or omission if the Will embraces it she consents to it as bad in as much as she knows no other quality and Sins as if the thing were evil in effect because the sin doth not consist in the effect but in the affection And this is the reason why we say that an erroneous Conscience obliges that is when one believes that it is ill to do or omit an action he is obliged to follow that belief although false till such time as he shall be informed of the truth You must mark this well dear Theotime for two reasons First that you may avoid sinning thus by errour which happens but too often to young people who believe frequently that actions or omissions are sins when they are not yet nevertheless commit them and you ought firmly to hold and follow this rule never to perform an action or omission which you believe to be a Sin. Secondly that you may apply this truth to your Confession in which you ought to examin the Sins you have committed in this errour and to judg of the sins you have committed whether action or omission do not only examin whether it were a Mortal sin in it self or no but whether you did not verily believe it was a mortal sin for then it must be Confesied as if it were a Mortal sin Perhaps you will draw from hence a consequence in your favour If then you will say I judg either an action or omission to be lawfull and exempt from sin altho'
in effect it be not it follows that I shall not sin at all in committing it I answer that this is sometimes true when this erroneous judgment proceeds from an innocent ignorance or where there was no sault at all of ours or that it was not in our power to be instructed in the contrary But if this errour arise from a culpable ignorance and because we would not be better informed as it often happens in this case it doth not at all excuse the sin as 't is above said As concerning doubt this also is very often the cause of sin and it concerns us to know it We call that a doubt when one is uncertain whether an action or omission be a sin or no. This doubt is either very great or small or betwixt both it is very great when it inclines the judgment to determine that it is a Sin light when it rather resolves that it is not mean or betwixt both when it hangs in suspence and we know not on which side to incline the ballance Hence it is easy to tell when a doubt causes a Sin and when not A very strong doubt makes an action or omission a sin because it is esteemed as much as a judgment A light doubt doth not make a thing to be a sin in as much as it doth not at all destroy the contrary credence by which one believes there is no sin in it As for the doubt which is in the middle betwixt these two and which leaves the judgment in a totall uncertainty neither being able to affirm nor deny it is so far from excusing from sin that he who in this doubt resolves to do an action or omission which he doubts whether it be a Mortall sin or no sins Mortally The reason is because acting in that formall doubt he is supposed to desire it such as it might be in it self and as it might be evill he was resolved to do it in case it were so This deserves to be carefully remembered CHAP. XVI Of the Sins which we Commit in others WE are not only guilty of those sins which we commit by our selves but also of those which we commit by others that is of sins which others commit through our fault These Sins are often very heinous and of great consequence These are those of which David speaks when he says Psal 18.13 Cleanse me O Lord from my hidden Sins and pardon thy Servant from those which I commit in others Yet there is nothing more common amongst men nor of which they take less care for want of sufficient knowledge or understanding of the different ways by which one may concur to anothers Sin. Wherefore I shall here treat of them breifly To sin by another is to be the voluntary and culpable cause of the Sin which another commits I say voluntary and culpable because if we are the cause of the sin of another without our fault we do not Sin Now we may be the cause of the sin of another two ways positively and negatively by action or by omission By action when we do or say something which induceth our neighbour to sin By omission when we are wanting to say or do something that might hinder our neighbour from offending God. I said when we do or say to denote two ways whereby we may cause sin in another positively viz. by our actions and by our words By our actions which give ill example to our neighbour or an occasion to offend God. By words which induce others to evil The first way is called the sin of scandall the second inducement to evil The first happens as often as we do any action which is either wicked or esteemed so which we know or ought to know that it will be the cause that our neighbour will offend God. The second happens different ways viz. by Teaching Commanding Concealing and Soliciting to Sin by Entreaties Threats c. The One and the Other of these ways are very common amongst men and probably are the cause of the greatest part of those sins which are dayly committed The Son of God saith Mat. 18.7 Vae mundo a Scandalis necesse est enim ut veniant Scandale Veruntamen vae homini illi per quem Scandalum venit c. That it is a great misfortune that the world should be so filled with scandalls as it is and that this cannot otherwise be then a most lamentable case for him who causeth the scandall and that it were better for a man to have a Millstone tyed to his neck and cast into the bottom of the Sea then to give Scandall unto his neighbour that is then to make him fall into sin Besides this way of positively contributing to the sin of another by actions or words there is another which we may call negative which happens when any one refrains from doing or saying something which might hinder our neighbour from offending God. For not to hinder one from sinning when we may is to be the cause of the Sin of another This happens in many cases of which we shall discourse hereafter at the end of the examen of Sins The Fourth Part of the Treatise of Penance which is Satisfaction CHAP. I. What Satisfaction is IT is the third part of Penance which consists in doing or suffering something to repair in some manner the offence or injury which is done to God by Sin. I say to repair in some manner because the great reparation for Sin was performed by the Son of God who by his Precious Blood and Death hath exactly repaired the injury which Sin did to God and merited a generall Pardon of all the punishment which the Divine Justice could require This reparation hath opened and facilitated a way to a reconciliation with God after Sin. For as much as the merits of our Saviour being applyed to us as they are by the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance restore us again to the Grace of God which we had lost and make us receive the remission of the eternall Punishment due to our Sins All this through the merits of Jesus Christ and by the vertue of the Satisfaction which he hath given to God the Father for the same Sins A satisfaction without which we should always have remained uncapable of satisfying God and by consequence of ever returning again into his Grace and Favour But as it is in his power who receives him again into his favour by whom he hath been offended to admit him on such conditions as himself shall think sit and either to remit him all the punishment or to oblige him to undergo only part of it it hath pleased the Divine wisdom in respect of us to make use of both the one and the other of these two ways of reconciliation tho' more ordinarily of the second For in Baptism he receives us into his Grace and remits us all the Punishment due to our Sins But in Penance he remits us indeed the Eternall punishment but still reserves some
esteem themselves happy in his company and above all they take it for a peculiar honour that they are admitted to eat at his Table What shame is it then for Christians so to neglect so great a treasure and so nigh at hand to be just at the Spring-head of Divine Graces and not esteem them to remain in the death of Sin when the Fountain of Life is at their disposal Ezech. 33.11 quare moriemini domus Israel and why do you deliver your selves to death O house of Israel O Christians amongst whom God hath chose his habitation upon earth why do you suffer your selves thus to dye having the author of Life so near you who invites you to come and threatens you if you do not accept his invitation Crying out to you in a loud voice John 6.54 unless ye eat my Body and drink my Blood you shall have no life in you Adding that he who eateth me shall live for my sake After such threats if we do not come and so great assurance if we do what can we alledge before the divine Tribunall at the day of judgment if still we are at a distance from him from God the Fountain of life and continue still companions to the enemy of mankind in the state of death and Sin and this because we are unwilling so to live that frequently we may partake of this living and life-giving bread Call to mind the feast in the parable Luc. 14. where the Master of the house shewed so much anger and indignation against those who refused to come after they had been so solemnly invited They excused themselves the best they could some with their affairs others with their pleasures one said he was obliged to go to his country house another that he went to try the Oxen he had bought and the third that he was taken up and employed about his marriage but not any of these excuses were admitted they were all rejected as frivolous pleas and therefore themselves for framing them were all judged worthy to be not only then but ever after excluded from that Banquet And this is the method which God shall use towards Christians who refrain from the Sacraments upon the vain pretences which usually they form to themselves for all their excuses shall be rejected and themselves punished as in in the Parable we have seen To those who shall excuse themselves with the affairs and employments of the world it shall be answer'd that there is no concern of such importance as that of their Salvation which therefore they ought to prefer before all other things And they shall be reproached with this that they have prefer'd their temporal concerns before their eternal happiness and made more account of the possessions of this world then of the grace of God. To those who shall excuse themselves with the indispositions of their Soul saying that they have not that virtue which is required for frequent Communion One may reply that their excuse is but too true yet it is a very bad one for that it is their duty so to live that they may Communicate dayly and to use all imaginable industry to render themselves capable thereof Lastly we shall find that there is no other cause why people communicate but seldom besides their sloath their indevotion and fear lest if they should frequent the Sacraments thereby they shou'd be obliged to live holily and in a word a will or a tacit resolution not to amend their lives but to remain in their Sins their Pleasures their Covetuousness Ambition and in all their irregular affections O Theotime avoid this great misfortune this fault so generall and yet so common amongst Christians who slight in this manner their Salvation and the great advantages which by the goodness Mercy of God are presented to them Learn in time to set a great value on them to advantage your self from thence approaching frequently to these divine mysteries instituted by God the means for your Salvation Begin this exercise from your youth and continue it thence-forward all your life that you may perform it dayly better and better and oftener approach to the Holy Table of Communion and receive our Lord. ARTICLE XI When and how often we ought to Communicate THe time which you ought most commonly to observe in your communion is that of every month so that you should not exceed that time without giving your Soul the opportunity to partake of this divine nourishment of the holy Eucharist It is very hard for you to stay so long without having a considerable want of help to resist the temptations of your Ghostly enemy or repress the passions which spring from your age and the heat of blood You have need of strength whereby you may be able to withstand the Devil as also of a good preservative against your self The one and the other you shall find in the holy communion wherefore it is fit you have recourse unto it according to the proportion of the necessity you find that you have thereof Beside it is necessary that you grow up and encrease in the fear of God and in all Christian virtues Faith Hope Charity Humility Temperance Modesty and the rest Which you can never do if you Communicate but seldom Take this then for a general rule that regularly speaking you Communicate once a month and oftener upon either of these occasions 1st When there happens any Solemn feast as of our Lord or of the Blessed Virgin which you should never let pass without receiving the Blessed Sacrament both because you should honour the Feast by this Sacred action as also make your self worthy to partake of the graces which God more liberally distributes in respect of the united prayers of the faithfull on those days The 2d is when you perceive in your self any considerable want thereof as when you are assaulted with more violent or more frequent temptations for then you must have recourse to this remedy to strengthen you least you fall into mortall Sin. And if by misfortune it have so happen'd that you are already faln therein for want of due foresight of the fall which easily happens not only to young people but to many others by reason they are not sensible of the evil before it be faln upon them in this case Theotime take care to confess your self forthwith And as for Communion take the advice of your Ghostly father whether it be to receive that day if he find you suffiently disposed or to defer it some days longer during which time you may prepare your self for it by doing penance for your Sins and deploring in the presence of God the misery which hath befaln you Behold what you are to observe concerning the time of Communion whilst yet you are young When you shall be more advanc'd in age in judgment and in the love of God you may Communicate more frequently still according to the counsell you shall receive in that point supposing you have a good guide
Not to be able to endure any thing that troubles us or is contrary to our Inclinations or to be easily impatient upon this account 2. To suffer ones solf to be carried away by the motions of Wrath and Indignation against those who give us any disgust or trouble to please ones self in these Passions and entertain them 3. To proceed to Quarrels injurious language and reproches 4. To break out into Oaths Blasphemies Curses and grievous threats 5. To execute our anger and revenge our selves of the injury which we believe was offered us 6. When one cannot effectually revenge himself to be willing to do it by wishing him harm and seeking the means to do it Not to pardon Injuries nor be reconciled to his enemies Concerning this last Article one ought to examen himself diligently because he who keeps Anger in his heart or who refuses to be truly reconciled is not in a State capable of Absolution The EXAMEN Of the Sins which one commits by another BEsides all the Sins whereof we have spoken there are yet others which are very common and of which one seldom or never examens ones self which are the Sins which we commit by others That is which others commit by our fault whereof we have already treated in general in a Chapter above we shall declare here the Species or several kinds of them in particular which we shall describe in order in the following Verses At que suas ritinam lueret mens noxia culpas Tantum nec facerent aliena piacula sontem Sed tam multiplici non sunt maculata colore Corpora pardorum quam mens humana frequentes Contrahit in foelix alieno ex crimine sordes Dum factis dictisque nocet dum voce silenti Dat sceleri causas aut nullis artibus arcet 1. Facta nocent aliis faciles ostensa sequuntur Dum mala sub ducibusque ruunt in crimina caecis Crimina perpetuo ducibus simul igne pianda Est pariterque reus sceleris 2. qui provocat 3. urget 4. Qui juvat auxilio sontes opibusque tuetur 5. Excipit occultat 6. fautor 7. sociasve malorum 8. Qui mente aut nutu seeleri consentit 9. cique Cum prohibere valet nullis conatibus obstat II. At quantis heu lingua malis dat pessima â—â—usas Inventrix scelerum morum teterrima pestis 1. Dum scelus ipsa docet 2. dum praecipit atque nefanda 3. Consilio 4. hortatu promissis prece suadet 5. Extorquet-ve minis 6. animumque accendit in iras 7. Dum malefacta probans auctorem laudibus effert 8. Vel sua deposito prodit peccata pudore 9. Aut bene quod gestum est spernit minuitque loquendo 10. Irridens facta bonis veneranda malorum Obiicit insanis multurn ridenda cachinnis 11. Vel fratres inter spargens inimica susurris Jurgia dissociat qvâ—os pax jungebat amica III. Verba ream faciunt sed ipsa silentia linguam Dum sibi subject os spernit meliora docere Vtque bonum peragant jussis urgere ruentes In vitium nu llis satagit cohibere catenis At fratrem si forte tibi quem nulla potestas Subdidit advertis peccantem vulnera siccis Aspiciens oculis molli medicante recusas Attrect are manu monitisque salubribus illum Negli gis emendare reum auctoremque ruinae Frat ernae te lingua silens te muta loquetur Seâ—l quanto graviore oneras te crimine si quae Nec fanare vales nec amica vulnera dextra Tangere saltem illis quorum est curare salutem Fratris non retegis certis sananda medelis Occultumque sinens penetrare in viscera virus Et fratrem ipse perire vides aliosque trahentem Aeternae secum per certa pericula mortis Crudelis quem non fraternae cura salutis Afficit heu fu so meruit quam sanguine Christus One may contribute two manner of ways to anothers Sin as we have already said in the Third Part Last Chapter 1. by doing an Action or speaking any word which induces our Neighbour to evil 2. in omitting to do or say that which might hinder him from offending God. The first is positive the other negative yet however criminal or offensive You must therefore examen your self here 1. Whether you have contributed to anothers Sin by your actions in any of the following ways I. In doing an evil action in his presence as an act of Impurity or the like Or also in doing any action which tho' it be not ill in it self yet is believed esteemed to be so by those who see it for in this case one ought to abstain according to the rule of the Apostle 1. Thes 5.22 From all appearance of evil refrain your selves 2. In performing any action with a design to stir up others to Sin. 3. By compelling them to it by some force or violence 4. In giving aid or assistance to another to do a wicked action as Revenge Thest Imperity contributing thereunto by money or other wise 5. In harbouring bad people in concealing them lest they should be discovered or be punished 6. In favouring evil any manner of way 7. In sharing therein whether in the action or the profit arising from thence 8. In approving the evil action of another whether only in Will or by some sign or exteriour mark of approbation 9. In not hindring evil when one may II. In the Second place you must examen whether you have been the cause of the Sins of another by words any of these ways 1. By teaching him the evil which he did not know before 2. By commanding those under your charge to do any evil thing 3. By counsel or advising them to it 4. By pressing them to it by Prayers Promises or Presents 5. By threats fear and terrour 6. Endeavouring to provoke or sollicite him to the evil one would have another do 7. By approving of evil actions and praising those who do them or are the Authors of them 8. By recounting either the Sins he hath committed bragging and vaunting that he hath done such and such things which are known Sins or even of those he never committed 9. By slighting others good deeds either by word or otherwise 10. By scoffing at them or exposing them to the scorn of others which is a grievous Sin and concerning which one ought to examen himself very strictly 11. By sowing discord and dissention amongst others either by false reports or otherwise and endeavouring to keep them up instead of procuring Peace and making them friends III. In the Third place examen the evils which you have caused in others by your filence when you were obliged to speak 1. In respect of your Inferiours as your Servants or others whether you have been wanting to instruct or cause them to be instructed in things which they ought either to know or do for the Salvation of their Souls Whether you have omitted to forbid the
Sin. Saint Paul the first of all 1. Cor. 11.30 attributes as the effects of unworthy Communions the great number of distempers Sicknesses and Deaths with which the Corinthians were afflicted Saint Cyprian delapsis affirms that in his time there were many whose bodies were delivered over to be possess'd by the Devil for that they had Communicated unworthily and also that many had lost their judgment and become distracted and mad upon the same account And Saint Chrisostome also assures us that the same thing happen'd in his time The same St. Cyprian reports that a Christian woman having partaken in private of the Sacrifices of the Idols and coming not long after to Communicate with the Christians she had no sooner received the Son of God but she found her self tormented as if she had taken poyson and dyed in the presence of all there He speaks of another who being willing to receive the precious body of the Son of God her self being in an evil state as she open'd the vessel in which it was enclosed there issued out a flame of fire which hindred her so that she was not able to receive it And another Christian going about to do the same instead of the Consecrated host which he expected to have found in the place where he had reserved it he found nothing else but ashes He himself also recounts this Passage how that a little Child to whom his Pagan nurse had caus'd a little wine consecrated to the Idols to be given being afterwards carried by his mother unto the Church at the time of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass was not able to swallow one drop of the consecrated wine which the Deacon had put into his mouth The Sacred Eucharist saith this holy Father ibid. could not endure to stay in a body and mouth defiled and profaned by the only touch of a forbidden drink But if it could not stay in this body whose Soul was altogether innocent what may we say of those whose Souls are altogether guilty and polluted I could relate a vast number of other examples but it would be too long tedious these are sufficient to make every one reflect as the same St. Cyprian considers that if he have not as yet received the same punishment for his unworthy Communion if he have been guilty of it he hath nevertheless deserv'd it as much as they Let every one consider saith this Holy Father not so much the punishment which another hath received as what he himself hath deserved and that he do not believe he hath avoided the chastisement because as yet it is something delayed since he ought rather to be much more afraid to whom God in his just judgment hath deferred the punishment of his Sins to a longer time ARTICLE VI. Of the end we ought to propose to our selves in the Holy Communion BEsides the purity of Conscience it is necessary that we have that of rectitude of Intention to Communicate well for it is most certain that an action how good soever it may be in it self looseth its worth and value by the default of a good Intention and it becomes evil and vitious if the Intention be such and if it be done for an evil end This being true in all good actions whatsoever it is still much more in this of Communion forasmuch as it is certain that nothing but what is pure and holy ought to draw near and receive purity and holyness it self and that it is a contempt of the greatness and sanctity of God to approach unto him upon any other motive then that of pleasing him and meriting his grace and favour For this reason in the Old Testament it was his will that none should serve himself upon his Altar of any other then Holy Fire which he had ordained for the use of the Sacrifices And he punished with sudden death the two Sons of Aaron who were so rash as there to make use of Prophane Fire by this figure we learn that for one to approach unto him it is not sufficient to be holy but it is also necessary that one bring with him an Intention altogether pure and holy and that an evil and Prophane Intention doth grievously offend him upon this occasion We must then approach unto the Holy Communion with an Intention totally pure and propose to our selves an end altogether holy in this so great and so august an action Now that we may perform this duty two things are necessary The first is that one propose to himself no evil thing as the motive and cause of his Communion as Hypocrisy to dissemble and conceal some fault with an appearance of Piety Vanity to be esteemed virtuous Humane respect lest he should displease any one or to please men rather then God. These three motives are but too frequent amongst those who are not sufficiently instructed concerning the Intention which we ought to have in our Communion and particularly among young People Wherefore they ought to have special care to avoid them The first is the greatest fault and ordinarily speaking renders the Communion Sacrilegious the other two deprives one of the best part of the fruit it otherwise would produce Secondly This intention must be directed to the Service of God and our Salvation to God to please him the more and to unite our selves thereby more strictly to him to our Salvation to promote it by obtaining by means of the Holy Communion the Graces which we stand most in need of as to amend our faults to resist temptations to fix and confirm us more in the practice of Virtues The two ends we find in our Lords prayer where the three first Petitions contain what we can wish for the greater honour and glory of God and the other four comprehend what is necessary for our Salvation And it is a very profitable exercise to propose to our selves for the end of our Communion the obtaining of the grace of God for the accomplishment of the Seven demands which make up compose it or of which this divine Prayer consists It is also good to add to this general intention some particular end according to our present necessities as to obtain some particular grace we stand in need of to correct in our selves some fault and to advance in some particular Virtue Lastly The right and Religious intention which we ought to have in Communion is the very same which Christ proposed to himself when he first instituted this divine Sacrament Now his intention was as he himself declared that he might remain in us and we in him He dwells in us by his Grace and the assistance of his holy Inspirations and we remain in him by love and the obedience we render to him propose to your self this end and you shall Communicate according to the Intention and Will of Jesus Christ PART II. Of the Practice of Communion Or What we must do to Communicate well and as we ought NExt to the purity of Conscience and the
sincerity of Intention both which are necessary to Communicate worthily as we have already said there remains a third disposition that we may Communicate with more Fruit and get a larger portion of his grace and it is actual Devotion which we ought to have when we Communicate There are almost infinite ways to practice this devotion which several Books teach in several manners But I am persuaded there is none more profitable and at the same time more solid then that which is reduced to the practice of the three Theological Virtues Faith Hope Charity These three comprehend the practice of all other Christian Virtues And as it is necessary that our Souls be possessors of them to be in a condition to Communicate worthily and as we ought that is in the State of Grace One cannot better receive Jesus Christ nor afford him a more gratefull entertainment then if when he actually Communicates he practice the acts of these three great and Divine Virtues as we shall shew in the three following Chapters CHAP. I. Of Faith inasmuch as it serves for Communion ARTICLE I. How necessary it is and in what manner WE have already declar'd in the first part that Faith is a gift of God by which we believe the truth which he hath revealed unto us And this makes us to remark a distinction which we must observe as well in this virtue as in the other two viz. betwixt Faith as it is a Virtue and the same as it is an Action The Virtue of faith is that interiour light which is given us by God that we may know and believe the truth The Action or act is the actuall credit or belief which we give to the truth revealed when we say I believe this truth The One and the Other are necessary for Communion whosoever is not endowed with faith as it is a Virtue is an unworthy Communicant and he that approaches to the Communion without an Act of faith shall not receive the fruits thereof The greatest difficulty we find in this place is not in having the Virtue of faith for all those who are baptized have received this in Baptisme and they conserve it still except they have lost it either by misbelief or any willfull doubt In which case it must be repaired by believing and doing penance But as to what concerns the acts of faith they require an application of the mind and heart to practice them as we ought that is to say with necessary knowledge and the constancy which is fit Whereof we are about to treat ARTICLE II. That to Communicate well it is not sufficient to have Faith but we must practice the Acts thereof and how profitable they are in Communion WHosoever then is without Faith is an unworthy Communicant since without faith it is impossible to please God as the Apostle affirms Heb. 11.6 and he that doth not please God cannot be worthy to receive It is also necessary to have faith not only of all the misteries of our Religion but we must have it in particular of this here and it is required that we have made acts of faith which we have never revoked nor changed But I say moreover that to receive the benefit of Communion we must practice the Acts of this Faith before at the time and after Communion and that the chiefest fruit of this grand and important action depends upon the punctuall performance of the acts of these three virtues of Faith of Hope and of Charity The reason is very obvious for it is certain that the Sacraments work their effects proportionably to the measure of the disposition of the receiver and that they give a far greater plenty of graces to those who are interiourly better disposed and render themselves more worthy of them Now this perfecter preparation of the heart is made by the acts of Christian virtues particularly by those of Faith Hope Charity which are the first in dignity and contain all the rest That which St. Cyprian Epist ad Don. affirms of the Sacrament of Baptism is verified in all the others but more especially in that of the Holy Eucharist That we draw from thence more grace according to the greatness and capacity of the Faith we bring with us to receive One needs no more then ardently to desire it and open his heart to God and give him room to fill it Quantum illic fidei capacis afferimus tantum gratiae inundantis haurimus nostrum tantum sitiat pectus pateat Where it is to be observed that this Holy Father in these excellent words points at the three Virtues we have already spoke of He saith that with this strong Faith it is necessary that we desire the grace of God and open our hearts to receive it Now we desire by Hope and we open our hearts by Charity and the love of God. Moreover let us add as the proper and peculiar reason in the Sacrament of the Eucharist that it is a Celestial Banquet wherein we receive the nourishment of our Souls Now who is there but he knows that Meat except it be eaten with a good appetite and with a stomach well disposed to digest the food by its natural heat and change it into its own substance doth little good This is yet more certain in Spiritual nutriment which requires not either less action or co-operation and concurrence of our Soul on our side to benefit it as we ought And without question we need not seek for any other causes of the small advantage we draw from our Communions altho' otherwise we receive in the State of Grace then the coldness and indevotion with which we perform this duty which stops the hands of Jesus Christ and hinders him from imparting his favours to those who receive him with so much indifference and so unconcerned If this reason were not sufficiently efficacious I should add also without leaving the comparison of a Feast that we ought indeed to come cloath'd with the Nuptial Garment that is with Sanctifying Grace to this Sacred Banquet of Holy Communion but this ought not to satisfie or be enough for those who desire to Communicate with the advantage they are capable to receive from thence for to let this suffice would be as if a man being invited to a Feast by a Person of Quality should content himself to go thither well cloath'd and in his best Apparel but when he comes should refuse to discourse with him or speak one word What should we say of such an action as this Had we not just cause to judge that this Person had but little regard or esteem for him whose invited Guest he was and that he contemned or at least slighted his friendship and the particular favours which he might receive at his hands and yet this is what you your self are guilty of Theotime in respect of Jesus Christ when you Communicate unconcerned carelesly with tepidity and indevotion Remember I beseech you that it is not enough to