Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	day_n	great_a	see_v	4,001	5	3.3205	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02879	The result of a dialogue concerning the middle-state of souls. Wherein is asserted, the ancient doctrine of their relief, obtainable by prayers, alms, &c. before the day of judgment. / By F.D. professor of divinity.	Franciscus a Sancta Clara, 1598-1680.	1660 (1660)	Wing D355A; ESTC R175909	24,202	157

faithfully the abundant Alms by Legacy left to Monasteries for the souls of the deceased which uniformly agrees with the Modern practise of both Churches and therfore doubtless the sense of both Churches as now they appear evidently to be the same so in all antiquity they were uniform as to hope of relief by prayers especially by Masses as there is clear and in many private Latine Synods Neither can it be other than a great Sophism to accuse the Roman Churches Offertory as if in praying to deliver the souls of the Faithfull a poenis inferni which is a general term signifying both and so used it should import any thing else here than from the pains of Purgatory to life which cannot have any other sense than of Purgatory since there is no redemption in Hell and the souls for which they pray die no otherwise Again the Church in the Collects prayes to give them refrigerii sedem c. a seat of refreshment which speaks our Purgatory These and all other Texts assure us of the Churches sense of praying to deliver them before the great day however by strengh of wit the clearest actions may be in order to weaker judgements made dubious as we see in Courts the best causes by corrupted advocates so clouded that they seem unjust But the knowledge of this is so universal that here may be said what St. Augustine lib. de duabus anim c. 12 saith of liberty Nonne ista cantant in montibus pastores theatris Poetae indocti in circulis docti● in Bibliothecis Magistri in scholis antistites in locis sacris in orbe terrarum genus humanum All sorts of Christians each in their several postures and vocations witness this truth CHAP. V. Traditions alone cannot prove faith in all Articles THis was S. Hieroms and all the Fathers one though not only constant test of new doctrines And you professedly esteeming the testimony of the present age to conveigh certainly the sense of the precedent do and must consequently hold it to be an infallible test to discern even matters of Faith so that ad hominem this were strong if we had onely the present age But surely Scriptures and Traditions are the adequate source of Christian truths in the received opinion of Doctors And the Councel of Trent in the first Session seems to suppose it in order to the general And truly all the former Councels did no less Neither can I see that your Topick alone will salve all occurrences and therefore St. Paul refers the Thessalonians to his Epistles and Sermons joyntly and S. Irenaeus l. 3. c. 4. shews the necessity of both So S. Aug. and the rest But by endeavouring to infringe any pretence of a definition as to this of helping souls in Purgatory before Doomsday you struck upon a medium which if not rightly understood is of an ill consequent CHAP. VI. Charity consists with Purgatory The various operations of charity Wherein consists the chiefest penalty of Purgatory FOr the purport of your discourse seems to hint at this that a necessity of retention of souls out of heaven till due penal expiation be accomplisht will enervate the dignity of charity Cicero lib. 3. de finibus saith notably speaking of Philosophy Hujusmodi dicere ornare velle puerile est plane autem perspicue expedire posse docti intelligentis est viri Your almost connatural obscurity renders you sometimes to be misconstrued to your prejudice It is true that charity if perfect is a sufficient disposition to glory at least as far as relates to exclusion of punishment for former transgressions which easily concludes a soul dying in that perfect condition not to need any other temporary expiation But the midle sort of Christians who onely have their concernment in Purgatory according to Saint Augustine and the Councel of Florence though they die indeed in charity yet is supposed not to be so intense as wholly to dispose their souls for present blisse And therefore in order to such the Church asserts further expiation and penal detention necessary for a longer or a shorter terme according to the secret rules of Gods wisdom wherein though our time is not the measure of spiritual substances or sufferings which have no parts to answer to the parts of our time and therefore are not greater or lesse for the extrinsecal and disparate consideration of a shorter or longer continuance precisely as to time yet their inward necessity of existing in that condition of separation not only from their bodies but from the sight of God in the dregs of sin till God changeth them is highly penable as being alwaies present to their intuition and affection whereas in bodies where every thing is measured by motion it would be far less as having succession of parts than now being altogether according to the nature of eviternity which surely renders it incomparably greater than if it were by one part after another And though it is indivisible as to its essence and existence being spiritual and therefore cannot be measured otherwise than by a proportionable in-divisible measure as now I will suppose against some others yet it hath co-existence with the parts of our time as Aristotle 4. Phys saith Idem nunc secundum substantiam differt secundum esse that is although an instant is the same indivisible in order to it self yet it differs as compared to time And hence a soul which hath been in Purgatory twenty years is truly said to have been longer there than another which was seperate from the body yesterday and consequently hath suffered the hard consequences of it even altogether so long If we speculate this a little further we find that as indeed the soul being in-divisible it hath an in-divisible measure yet as that instant or measure called Aeviternity is alwaies and altogether present so there is alwaies present in it a priority which we call of nature As Agents which are free in the same real instant when they resolve to do any thing have a priority of nature wherein it is not affirmable that they do resolve but are as it were about to do it and this continues so long as the real instant it self doth And therefore Aristotle will tell us that the will even when it doth decree any thing it hath power not to do it that is as referring to that priority of nature Whence followes even in your own principles that the soul which went to Purgatory many years agoe is now as capable to have an act which it never had as then and therefore it may be as truly said to have an act this day which it never had and consequently may as truly be said to be changed But this whole matter is fitter for the Schooles to dispute then for Chatechizers to instruct in matter of Faith of which more hereafter You seem under a pretence of putting a due estimate upon an abstracted or a Metaphysicated charity for such yours almost seems