Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	know_v	soul_n	2,162	5	5.1925	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A72089	The practise of Christian workes. Written in Spanish by the R. Father Francis Borgia, sometymes Duke of Gandia, and the third generall of the Society of Iesus. Togeather with a short rule, how to live well. Englished by a father of the same society. VVhereunto are adioyned certaine pious meditations vpon the beades: translated also out of the Spanish	Borja, Francisco de, Saint, 1510-1572.; Everard, Thomas, 1560-1633.; Cresswell, Joseph, 1556-1623.	1620 (1620)	STC 11315; ESTC S124739	63,056	286

God hath much more iust cause to complaine of them who seeth himself to be contemned by them And therefore let them be confounded and let them heare how our Lord complaineth of them in these words They haue forsaken me the fountaine of the lyuing waters and haue digged themselues decayed cisterns which are not able to hold water And that VVhat iniquity haue they found in me for that they haue estranged themselues from me And this may be inough touching different states least we may seeme to exceede and go beyond the bounds of our intended breuity and withall for that it is an easy matter of what we haue sayd to make a coniecture of other things and ro set them downe And if any will diligently consider those things that we haue remembred before he may euer haue occasion of confounding himselfe And now to come to our inward powers be thou O Man confounded touching thy Memory For sith thou knowest that thy Creatour hath giuen thee this wonderfull power for this that thou mightest remember him both euer and sweetly yet thou hast lodged many base and contemptible things in it and therein hast so occupied and busied it as thou hast scarce tyme or leasure to remember him who gaue thee it in so much as it serueth nothing at al lesse then it doth the Creatour Wherefore be thou confounded and ashamed for that thou hast abused it to the iniury of thy Lord and for that whereas thou art often put in mind by the Church who thou art by ashes euery yeare put vpon thy head and by saying of these words Remember man that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt returne and of the Scriptures one while of thine end when it sayth Remenber the last things and another while of those things that Christ suffred for thy sake when it sayth Remember my pouerty and my transgression the gall and wormewood And of other things often at other tymes yet thou seemest to remember nothing lesse then these and the like and hast iust cause to weepe and to say with the Prophet My soule refuseth to be conforted I was mindfull of God and I was delighted and to be confounded the more for that thou hast sometymes recreated thy selfe in the obliuiō of God And now to come to the Vnderstanding how large a scope of confusion doth represent it selfe in it to thee which for as much as it vnderstandeth that it is created to this end that it might vnderstand the supreme God doth notwithstanding oftē thinke not onely vpon vaine vnprofitable and transitory things but also most bad and is finally occupied in those things wherevnto it knoweth it should not attend Thou hast certes iust cause to weepe and to lament this ill of thine with all the confusion thou canst possibly procure and stirre vp in thy selfe And what shall we say of the Will wherewith when as thou shouldest loue God aboue all things thou hast affected those things which it is a shame to thinke of much more to speake What I say shall I say of thee o blind Will which hast preferred the pleasure of thy senses before the goods of heauē Which when the sweet charity and loue of God might place amōgest the Seraphims the foule and filthy loue of the world hath throwen down into hell Thy powers O soule ought worthily to confound the in which thou hast so fowle an image of God Thou mayest indeed and oughtest with greife to blame them with these words Behold Adam is become as it were one of vs and to complayne of them in this manner VVho O powers who O imare of God I say hath maried you who O Memory hath spoyled thee of the memory of God VVho o Vnderstanding hath depriued thee of thy iudgment VVho O VVill hath deceyued thee O how fitly O soule may this be sayd of thee H●● Princes are become as Rams not hauing pastures to feede in For as Rams when they find not pastures thy powers as though they had not any pasturing in God haue sought out impoisoned pastures to feed in for that cause their forces faile them and therefore thou oughtest to be exceedingly confounded in thy selfe Let vs passe ouer to the Sēses God hath indeed giuē thee eyes that by beholding the beauty of his creatures thou mightest loue him in all and euery thing and giue him thankes for al but thou contrariwise makest hauocke wast of all things that thou seest eyther as one raging and madde with anger or desiring with a couetous minde And therefore when as thine eyes ought to bee euer before Gods As the eyes of the handmaid in the hāds of her mistres they do often become Basilisks which with their sight do kill whatsoeuer they looke vpon Wherefore bee thou confounded for hauing conuerted the light that hath been giuen thee into darknes for shutting thine eares against holy inspirations and opening them to heare murmurings and detractions for accursing men with thy tōgue wherwith thou shouldst haue blessed them for hauing accustomed thy selfe to this that nothing might be vnspleasant to thy smell and yet thou feelest not the loathsome stench of syn And finally for that all seemeth hard to thee if thou were to suffer any thing for Christ and that againe sweet which thou endurest for the world Wherefore lament the euills and miseries of thy Senses and let the remembrance thereof draw and wrest from thee humble and harty teares and those full of confusion And if al this be not inough let thine Head confound thee for that it is not yet pricked with thorns let the haires of thy head cōfound thee that they are not yet pulled of let thine hands and feet confound thee that they are not pierced through with nayles finally let the rest of thy members confound thee for that they cannot bee moued but by the vertue and power of God and yet thou hast persecuted Christ with thy feet wounded him with thy hands and works and hurt him with thy tongue Finally if thou consider the matter with an vpright iudgmēt thou art alone vnto thy selfe a great matter of confusion For there is not any thing in thee whereof if thou diligently bethinke thy selfe thou oughtest not greatly to be confounded And if there be many things with in thee which thou vnderstand not euen for that alone thou hast most great cause of cōfusion for that thou knowst not thy selfe throughly For what thy soule is or what it hath in it or how it is vnited to thy body or how it is to be seuered from thy body if thou demaund of thy selfe I know thou canst not answere me And if thou be so ignorant in things appertayning to thy selfe how ignorant I pray thee must thou needs be in matters that concerne others This in the meane tyme is true that both in those things that thou knowest touching thy self and in those that thou knowest not there is presented thee great and abundant matter of confusion And if

by them we are depriued of many ve●tues and gifts of the holy Ghost without which we are and remayne as did Sampson in the hands of the Philistians when he had lost his strength We are further spoyled of all the meritts which we had formerly gotten by our good works and of the fruit of thē which we do in state syn Finally we are made incapable and vnworthy of eternall felicity hauing lost all the right that we had thereunto 2. To consider that we haue incurred many euills for by syn we are become the enemyes of God yea the slaues and very receptacle of the Diuell and to be short we merit euerlasting damnation 3. The chiefest motiue that ought to induce vs to great sorow for our syns is for that we haue offended the diuine maiesty by our disobedience ingratitude and contempt of him and for that by our syn we haue exceedingly iniured him by louing some transitory good and some pleasure of the body or some creature more then our Creatour and soueraigne Lord and by preferring our owne will and bad desire before the will and pleasure of God therein imitating the Iewes who preferred Barabbas before our Sauiour The causes for which it is very good and most expedient to go often to Confessiō CHAP. XII HE that loueth his owne soule expecteth not the tyme of commaundment or the absolute necessity of going to confession but he confesseth often when there is not any commaundment imposed vpon him that he may gaine and reape the most excellent fruits that be gathered in frequenting this Holy Sacrament For in often confessing a man 1. purchaseth a great peace repose and quiet of conscience 2. He euery tyme obtayneth great prouision store and increase of vertues 3. The good works that were mortified and made vnprofitable by mortall syn returne to their worth and become meritorious againe 4. He is made participant of all our Sauiours meritts and of all the good works of the iust and faythfull Christians whereof he was depriued by mortall syn 5. Euery tyme that he confesseth he rec●iueth great force and strength for the resisting and encountring of his enemyes and against all their tentations 6. He satisfieth a part of the payne which after remission of the fault remayneth behind due to be payed eyther in this world or in Purgatory And what wise man who considereth all these priuiledges that arise of frequent Confession wil not be greatly incited to go often therunto for the often gayning and reaping of so excellent fruits If a man were sicke in body if he had receyued any mortall and deadly wound would he expect any long tyme to thinke vpon the curing of himselfe Or would he not rather with all possible speed seek a Phisitian or Surgeon for his cure for feare of a temporall death And his soule beeing sick and daungerously wounded by syn should he so far neglect his saluation as to put it of from day to day from weeke to weeke from moneth to moneth from quarter to quarter c. and so hazard to incurre death for all eternity Of the great necessity and vtility of a Generall Confession CHAP. XIII I call it a Generall Confession when a man confesseth all his syns especially the mortall that he hath committed in all his life or those of a long tyme before as far as he can remember and call to mind whether he hath confessed them before or not This manner of Confession is very profitable and sometymes also altogether necessary in matter of mortall syn when in confession some condition or other necessary is wanting eyther on the part of the Confessour or on the part of the penitent And this may happen in diuerse manners 1. When one hath made his confession to a priest that had not lawfull auctority to absolue or for that he was not approued of the Bishop or for some other cause 2. When one hath confessed without being penitent and sorowfull for his syns 3. When he had not a purpose of amendment and abstayning from some synne or when he wanted a will to forgiue another who had offended him or of restoring that to which he was bound 4. When some confession made before was not entiere eyther for wittingly vpon a certain bashfulnes concealing some mortall syn or for some other vnlawfull cause or for hauing forgotten to confesse some mortall syn because he had not examined his conscience before 5. When before absolution he had a wil not to accept of it or not to fulfill the pennance enioyned him by his ghostly Father Lo the principall causes for which it often hapneth that a generall Confession is necessary for that the Confession made before with any one of the foresaid defects was not sufficient to obtayn the remission of our syns And all the cōfessions made after that were vnprofitable in so much as it behooueth him againe to confesse all the mortall syns that he had manifested in that Confession and all the other that followed and to declare the cause and the fault for which he maketh a Generall Confession And though a generall confession be not to some necessary because they neuer made default in making their Confession yet it much profiteth them for diuers reasons 1. For by confessing al their syns together of many moneths or yeares a man conceyueth greater sorrow for his syns and confusion of himselfe and consequently he obtayneth greater grace and satisfieth more of the payne due to his syns 2. He is much incited to the loue of God in considering his great benignity and mercy by which he hath supported and borne with him so patiently without punishing him for so many syns committed by him 3. By considering the multitude of his syns heaped and put together he is moued to do good works for the satisfying thereof 4. He obtayneth greater assurance and repose of conscience and spirituall ioy for he who hath made a generall confession may probably perswade himselfe that his soule is in good estate How to communicate with fruit CHAP. XIIII HE that desireth to receyue the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar with fruite and spirituall profit must haue 1. A firme fayth belieuing vndoubtedly that Iesus Christ is really and truly in the holy Sacrament and that in the Communion he receyueth the true body of our Sauiour who is true man the same who was borne of the most sacred Virgin Mary who endured death for vs and is one day to iudge both the lyuing and the dead 2 He must haue Purity of hart without hauing his conscience defiled with any mortall syn that maketh a man vtterly vnworthy of the participation of this Sacrament and also in presuming to come thereunto in such bad state he should commit a syn of sacriledge 3. He must haue a right intention intending to receyue the Sacrament for the attayning of increase of Gods grace to obtaine some particular vertue whereof he most standeth in neede to arme and strengthen himselfe the more against

almes let him be confounded for that he is ingrate and thankles both to God and to his Neighbour And by so doing when he is to aske any thing he will beginne to be confounded as one who vnderstandeth and knoweth wel how great an obligation it is whereunto the almes receaued bindeth him and he will craue only what is necessary sith the greater his band and obligation shal be the more he shall take And when he goeth in pilgrimage let him beware that this thought enter not into his mind that he thinke himselfe to lead an Apostolicall life but let him rather thinke that it is appointed him for his pennance And if he be of the number of the recluse or of such as liue in Cloisters let him thinke that it was our Lords will to remoue him as an vnruly and vntamed beast from the conuersation and company of men ¶ If he be a King or a Prince let him be confounded for that he is in that state which our B. Sauiour fled from when the Iewes would haue created him a King And meruayle it is that any dare take that charge vpon him which Christ himselfe refused vnles he peraduenture take it for his Crosse and vndergo it for the loue of Christ ¶ Let owners maisters such as be possessed of Lands be confounded for being very diligent in gathering heaping vp rents and reuenewes and as negligent on the other side in punishing publique sinnes And let them be afrayd for vsing money other goods as their owne and for not remembring him at whose handes they haue receaued and had all Let them be confounded for making great esteeme of themselues when they relieue the poore with almes whiles they thinke not that they giue what is anothers and render vnto God what is his and that God doth them a great good turne and pleasure in that in which they thinke themselues to doe a benefit And if they ought to confound themselues euen then when they giue alms how much more are they to do it whē they spend their money in vaine and wastefull vses ¶ Againe a Knight must thinke that he hath taken the sword vpon him for the defence of Gods holy Church Catholike and Apostolicall and for the aduancement of Gods honour And if the desire of his own honour take away the memory remembrance of the other and he preferre his owne honour before that of God what is he els then a persecutor of the Church of Christ and his Ghospell And therefore let him be confounded as faythles and false to God and let him thinke though he be held deemed for a man of honour amongst men that he is yet but a slaue of sin for that cause by the iudgment of God and of his Saints in no sort worthy of honour but one ordeyned and deputed to be punished in Hell for euer Let seruants be confounded for being so sollicitous in gayning the fauour of their Maisters which diligence if they had vsed in the seruice of God how much sooner had they foūd more true fauour at his hands for to serue him then others ¶ Let Iudges thinke with what seuerity they pronounce sentence against the guilty and let them bee confounded for not apprehending nor fearing the iudgment of God of which it is written Most hard iudgment shall bee to them who rule and commaunde Let the Aduocates bee confounded that though they patronize and defend other mens causes yet they are very negligent touching their owne conscience neyther let them bee proude for that they see others to need their helpe for they stand themselues in need of the help of many also euen in those things that appertaine to their soules Let the Phisitians bee confounded when they consider how they handle their patients And if they knew when themselues should fal sicke with how great diligence would they seek procure the recouery of their health Let them also thinke vpon the wounds of their soules and therat bee confounded for that when as they bee called phisitians yet they are more skillfull in procuring of their owne sicknes by sin then in putting it away Let Merchants be confounded for the care which they vse in buying cheap and in selling deare and for those things that they remayne ignorant of and know not how to buy the kingdome of heauen which is giuen Gratis and yet they buy Hell which both costeth them deare and is possessed with paine ¶ And to come to the tradesmen of the common wealth let the Taylors be confounded and ashamed who take so much care and study in making other mens apparell while themselues are notwithstanding very negligent in conseruing their owne garment of innocency which they receyued in Baptisme Let the Shoomakers be cōfounded who though they be able to enter pierce most hard leather with their all 's will not for all that suffer Gods inspirations to enter into their minds ¶ And whose wit may serue him to speake of the state of Women as it deserueth in these tymes especially in which the vanity of them is growne to so great an excesse Wherefore let Virgines be confounded for hauing thought vpon marryage For though it bee a thing lawfull yet how much better is it for them to be contented with Christ for their spouse alone and they would indeed content themselues with Christ alone if they should loue him with all the loue they are able Let the married be confounded for being ouer diligent and curious in decking themselues and in wasting and spending so much tyme and money in that respect and contrariwise for being most negligent and carelesse in putting on Christ When they put their chaines of gold about their neccks let them remember that Christs chaines were of yron and were put vpon him for his ignominy and disgrace When they put on their bracelets vpon their armes let them thinke vpō the binding of Christes hands When they cloth themselues in their gorgeous costly array let them remember that Christ had a garmen● most ignominious put vpon his back And let not onely Women but men also be confounde● who when as they weare such gay costly apparell do no●●nswere Christs reproches as they ought And if they would but consider the workes of their hands they would no doubt pull their rings of their fingers as from members that are not worthy the setting forth sith they haue done works vnworthy Christian women Let widowes be confounded who so grieuously lament the death of their husbands for that sith God hath taken away from them all the impediments of perfect Loue towards him they be so thankles for so great a benefit in so much as they may seeme to giue to vnderstand that they were better content with the creature then with the Creatour and that they in a māner m … no reckoning of God by taking the death of their husbands impatiently For they cōplaine that their husbands be taken from them but indeed

the tentations of his enemyes to vnite himselfe more inwardly with God by that band of loue For the receyuing of this Blessed Sacrament serueth vs for the obtayning of all these heauenly graces and many more the like 4. He must receyue with great deuotion And that he may so do he must endeauour to come to the Sacrament 1. With great humility reuerence considering his owne vnworthines misery and necessity and the supreme Maiesty of him whome he is to receyue into his soule 2. To consider the causes for which this holy Sacrament was instituted and the great charity of our Sauiour wherewith he vouchsafed to communicate himselfe to his creatures and to giue himselfe in foode nutryment to our soules To consider also the great fruits that ar● receyued in this holy banquet because this spirituall food produceth the same effects in our soule that doth materiall meate in our bodyes though after a manner much more excellent 3. To communicate with a spirituall hunger and feruent desire to feede and fill his soule with this heauēly meate with prayers and petitions full of affection and of loue to craue grace of God to communicate deuoutely and to receyue all the fruits of this holesome refection After receyuing he must giue thanks to God for pleasing to enter into the chamber of his soule there to make his aboade and to fill it with his grace and gifts of the holy Ghost 2. He must offer himselfe wholy to his Creatour who hath giuen and communicated himselfe so liberally vnto his Creatour 3. By short and as it were inculatory prayers he must treate familiarly with his Spouse represent vnto him his infirmityes and necessityes crauing what he standeth most in need of beseeching him to vouchsafe to make his continuall aboad with him to keep him in his grace The causes that ought to induce vs to the frequent receyuing of this Sacrament CHAP. XV. IF materiall meate be oftentymes necessary for our sustentation and nuriture of body we must not make any doubt but that the spirituall foode which is the sacred flesh of our Sauiour contayned in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist is also often as necessary for the entertayning and nourishing of our soule And if we regard not only the necessity but the good also which our soule receyueth by this heauenly food it is a thing truly very great for as much as by the often receyuing of this diuine meate First our soule is easily conserued and intertayned in Gods grace for that beeing often refreshed with this food grace is increased more and more in it 2. Euery tyme of receyuing it getteth wonderfull strength for the exercising of good works for the resisting of the tentations of our enemyes for preseruing it from syn and for patiently supporting and bearing al aduersityes of this present life 3. This food causeth a notable chaung of life in the person that was before subiect to many vices and imperfections 4. It augmenteth and increaseth in vs fayth hope charity deuotion al other vertues 5. It filleth and replenisheth the soule with a spirituall ioy and alacrity 6. It raceth out of our soule veniall syns and weakneth and lesseneth vicious inclinations concupiscence 7. It vniteth our soule with Iesus Christ For he who eateth my flesh sayth our Sauiour in S. Iohn Cap. 6. abideth in me and I in him If we with attention would ponder and consider all these so soueraigne fruits we should be much excited very often to refresh our soule with this so healthfull a meat If we giue euery day to our body to eate nourishing entertayning and strengthning therof is it not reason that our soule that hath also exceeding great need of nuriture and new strength should be entertayned with this heauenly food at least once a moneth Remedyes for the auoyding of syns and resisting of tentations CHAP. XVI MANY there be who find in themselues a desire to amend their lyfe and purpose no more to fall againe into syn which is so displeasing vnto God and so preiudiciall to their soules but they are not able to resist the tentations that assayle them in so much as notwithstanding their good desire and good purpose they fall againe and againe into their syns The principall cause whereof proceedeth of this for that they serue not themselues of the remedyes that be proper and effectuall for the resisting of tentation and syn and therefore I will here lay downe some few remedyes wherewith we may serue our turne at all tymes and especially when we find our selues inclined to syn 1. To consider the great priuiledges whereof syn spoyleth vs and the great euills and hurts it causeth vnto vs which you shall find declared in the XI Chapter before 2. To consider that we are contynually in the presence of God that in all places and at all tymes he seeth knoweth obserueth our thoughts and actions all which he will in the day of iudgment lay open and manifest to the whole world will giue sentence against vs by them And if you would imprint well this consideration in your mynd and apprehend it as you ought it will serue you for a spur to incite and to put you forward to vertue and for a bridle to pull in and represse your disordered appeties For how wil you be so hardy to commit that before God that you would not dare to do before mē 3. To consider that by resisting syn and tentation we receyue a great increase of grace and a great ioy spirituall consolation therewith 4. To make a firme purpose not to offend God and in particular not to commit such or such a syn and very often to renew the same purpose 5. To blesse your selfe with the signe of the Crosse and to craue help from God and the intercession of the Saints 6. To resist the beginnings of bad thoughts and to represse our passions and inordinate affections at the very first 7. To auoyd and fly the occasions that may make vs to fall into any syn as ydlenes ouer much talke curiosity to see and heare any thing that profiteth not Also to fly the places where God is easily offended the conuersation and company of disordred persons ouer much familiarity with any person For he who will not fly such like occasions exposeth himselfe to an euident daunger of falling into some syn or other And he sayth the VViseman Eccl. 3. who loueth daunger shall pe●ish in it 8. To frequent the holy Sacraments of Confession the Eucharist 9. To exercise acts of vertue contrary to the vices whereunto we are tempted or most inclined as if we be tempted to gluttony to mortify our sensuality vse abstinence if we be sollicited to pride vaine glory to exercise some act of humility inward or outward by consideration of our owne frailty misery so other vertues The manner how to possesse our selues of some solid Vertue CHAP. XVII FOR the more easy