a love as Adam had must needs have it 's effects in the Body also as indeed it had And as wee see the practice of memory makes men easy to learn without book the practice of discoursing fit to discourse and so in all actions and this by nothing but by the fitting of the bodily instruments and organs So this love did either fit the very corporeal disposition to such love or increase that fitness it found there already by this means making the very corporeall desires subject to Reason that this body being prevented with reason could not incline to any thing before Reason gave it leave and order But tell me farther have you not heard that children be like their fathers S. Yes Sir I know well 't is the ordinary complement of Gossips to say the child is like the father which shews that ordinarily 't is so M. And this likeness is it in the body onely or also in the Soul S. I cannot tell how one should be like another in the soul which has no parts M. Did you not say the Soul works upon the body if then you see those works which come from the soul to bee alike in two can you think but that their souls be alike alsâ— â—s if they discourse alike love like things jeâ—t write a poem or oration alike would you not judge their Souls alike So then 't is not ill conjectur'd that when the body of the Son is like the body of the Father also the Soul of the Son is like the Soul of the Father And I remember to have heard judicious men say of some persons that when they saw them jest or discourse they thought they saw their fathers S. How should the Soul which is made by God come to be like the Soul of the Father which had nothing to do with it M. If there were severall kinds of matter of diversâ— dispositions as wax wood aq a vit â— stuâ—ble brimstone c. of which you intended to make Fiâ—e or as wee say in the schools to introd â—cethe Form of Fire into them Though each would become indeed a thing able to burn or Fire yet would you expect in reason that this active Principle or power of burning call'd the Form of Fire should bee equally in each of them S. No Sir I see plainly by experience 't is not to bee expected each would have power to burn on a different fashion and in a different degree But I am not so wise as to see whence this difference sâ—rings M. You see it springs not from the Form of Fire in each for that has nothing else to do but to make it Fire or a thing able to burn S. True Sir for 't is one thing to bee apt to burn another to bee apt to burn differently I conceive therefore this difference arises from the severall dispositions in the Matter or severall Fuells you spoke of M. You see then 't is the way the All-wise orderer of Nature takes that a diversity in the disposition of the matter determins to a diversity in the active Principle or Form according to certain degrees within the same species or kind The Rational soul then being the Form of man's Body or that which makes him man you see 't is God's method to put like Souls into like bodies therefore the father making the body of the son like his own will not his soul also be made by God like to the father's soul and so the souls of like bodies be like of unlike bodies unlike S. Yes sure sir that must be so seeing the soul doth fit the body M. Then if the soul of Adam had that operation on it's body as to make a special disposition in it by which it was subject to reason and this disposition proceeded from the strong love of Almighty God as on the one side Adam would make a son like himself in that subjection to reason so God Almighty would give his son a soul fit to love God above all things the disposition of the soul proceeding from such a disposition of the body S. Yes Sir 't is evident hee would or else he should not put a fitting soul into the Son's body M. This prov'd you must know that our forefathers call the Love of God above all things Justice and Sanctity which because it was so given to Adam as to descend unto his Heyrs it was call'd Originall Iustice and said to bee a naturall gift and to come unto them by nature who were to bee born with it Besides this gift God Almighty fiâ—ted the place to the man that there should bee no evilâ— ayr or other occasion of harm unto him whence because wisedom kept him from mischance and the place from infection hee could not dy but of Age for remedy against which God had provided the tree of lâ—fe and so he would have liv'd for ever But to proceed yet a little farther If Adam left lovinâ— God would he have this disposition in his body S. No Sir for if the Love of God were the cause of this disposition the contrary would cause the loss of it M. You say well specially if you add that hee could not leave off loving God but because hee lov'd some other thing better which love having it's effect in the body must needs cross the o ther disposition left before and if this bee so that he left off loving God how would it fare with his children S. How but that they would bee born subject to such dispositions as the love of other things bâ—ed in them But Sir I have heard that Adam after his fall did pennance and began to love God a new wherefore me thinks he should again recover the disposition of loving God for himself and his posterity M. What you have heard is true but not the good effect you gather For his second love finding dispositions in the body contrary to it's proper nature cannot on the suddain extirpaâ—e them but with a great deal of pain and labour and as wee experience in our selves never wholly because these Affections are before Reason and alter the temperament of the Body due and req â—sit to Originall Justice which it lyes not in the power of Reason nor of other Bodies being of a different temper exactly to repair Whence it never comes to pass that the father can communicate his whole vertuous disposition to his child though wee see the likeness of a well practiz'd father to be naturally in the son And this is that which Christians call Originall Sin the missing of Grace or Originall Iustice in the child through the fault of our first father so that the want or privation is particular to every one the cause or actuall guilt onely in Adam FOURTH CONFERENCE M. THus far we have declar'd the nature of Originall Sin in it self can you tell me the
not so fully as I desir'd Know then that Vocal prayer has two excellencie over Mentall The first is that 't is made by some who have more skil then wee have and therefore is more perfect for the most part then one of our Mentall prayers Secondly it keeps from distraction much because by our eyes if we read them or our memories if we say them without book it holds our understanding to the matter better then when wee have no such determination But likewise on the other side it has two disadvantages one that it does not so weâ—l fill our souls being neither so much labour'd as what we make our selves nor so naturally proportionable to us as what we do our selves Thirdly for the most part it wants some of the three parts mention'd or rather wholy demurrs upon the last neglecting the two former But those which are call'd written meditations if they be wel done are very good for beginners that practise themselves sel me now which prayers you think the best S. I must needs say the beads and the Primer or Manuall for I have no other M. If you do those wel you are wel sped But what I would counsel you is to chuse such prayers as you understand rather then those you do not As I fear you understand but few in your Primer So that though that be best in it self yet those more befit you which you better understand And as for your beads I fear you attend but little when you say them you should therefore have some mystery of our Saviour's or our Lady's life to thank God for in every two or three Ave Maries which might make you think of what you did Two tens thus feelingly sayd were better then three payr of beads tumbled over with your mind upon your breakfast S. Sir I will endeavour to get them as you say M. But in the mean time tel mee what 's the necessity or profit of prayer S. Sir it pleases God spends our time well obtains all benefits of him and fulfils his commandments M. This is very true but I look yet for another at your hands which is that t is the very way or walk to Heaven S. Sir you said that Clarity was the way to Heaven M. And is not Prayer the consideration of things necessary to our salvation and not a dry consideration but a moving of our will out of them and lastly the excercising of our Affections towards God Almighty procur'd by the said consideration Now how do you think we journey to heaven but by our affections or come to affections but by consideration so that you see Meditation is nothing but the right way to Heaven in which other men are lead by sermons reading good books and the like but the meditatour goes of himself by his own pains and industry Moreover the use of Mentall praver being the thinking on or considering that which is the chiefest good wee have also our soul being ever carry'd backward unless by due consideration it bee forc'd against the stream of our naturall inclinations hence we must needs live blindly and go two steps back for one towards heaven without the use of Prayer or something equivalent to it And thus much may 〈◊〉 for the Utility and Necessity of Prayer EIGHTH CONFERENCE M. TO go on do you think hee loves you that beats you without a cause or keeps your own from you S. No Sir perhaps indeed a friend may beat one hee loves when there 's some reason for it but otherwise hee 's no friend and shews litle love M. Therefore if you love God your self and your Neighbour you must not hurt them but do them all the good you can especially if it be due unto them What can you do to God S. Good I can do none to him but my duty is to be carefull in such things as concern his honour such as be all things which belong to prayers the Church M. You say well and in Latin the rites of serving God are call'd Religiones whence this virtue is by Divines call'd Religion Priests specially Bishops and Curats and such as have care of the publik ceremonies of the Church entitled Religiosi as also such men as binde themselves to certain pious observations are call'd Religiosi or Religions for the same reason Wel tel mee first what do you ow to your self S. Nothing Sir for I can forgive my self if I did ow any thing to my self and so it would be no debt or duty M. Now you speak beyond your skil for seing you are made by God of a determinate nature in so making you hee has directed you to some actions which you by your own free-will must not transgress but second and so you are bound to the conservation of your self and ow to your self the endeavours conformable to such actions and the principles of these actions are not to prefer a lesser good before a greater nor to chuse a greater harm before a lesser And this is done by two vertues Temperance by which you abstain from a less good to get the greater and Fortitude or Valour by which you undergo the less harm that you may avoid the greater What do you ow your Neighbour S. I have borrow'd nothing but those who have ow what they have borrow'd or taken otherwayes from him M. Do you not know your Neighbours are either your Equalls your Betters or your Inferioors To your Inferiours you ow love and to be ready to do them any good you can as others your betters have done and daily are ready to do for you To your Equalls the same in substance although in an other degree To your Superiours and Betters Duty or Obedience and Respect All this you ow to your Neighbours the vertue wheâ—eof is ordinarily call'd Justice So have you found three vertues call'd morall or Cardinall Concerning which you are to know two things The first that wee ought to exercise them for the Love of God if we will have them profit us for going to heaven although they have in them selves a kind of good For as you see in a fair picture garden or castle or any such thing an impression of Reason call'd Art which is delightsome and conformable to our nature so also in the morall actions of man there is a decorum or honestas which gives content both to the doer and the spectatour which entices morall men to do such actions The other is that every one of these is divided into diverse sorts and kinds according to severall matters in which they are imploy'd For example Fortitude in an action full of difficulty is called Courage in suffering Patience in length Perseverance in warr Valour c. Temperance towards women is call'd Chastity in drink Sobriety in action Modesty c. Iustice towards God Religion or devotion towards your Country Parents Piety
Forefathers who never till then were admitted unto the sight of God he rose and instructing his Church 40. dayes in it's sight ascended into heaven whence after ten dayes he sent the Holy Ghost himself remaining there till the day of judgment when he will return to take accompt of his benefits he hath bestow'd upon us The Catechist ought to note out of the discourses pass'd of how sublime and unparalell'd an essence our God is who by his Nature which is purest most refin'd Quintessence of Substance or Being added to his perfections of Knowing and Loving himself obliges us to affirm truly of him thas he has in one Nature three Persons which is highest contradiction in the perfect est of all Creatures existent or even possible Also how God was so good as our nature being imperfect of it self supernaturally to help it with incomparable graces and gifts Secondly how death Sickness and all other mischiefs being excluded by God crept in by man's own fault and the procuring of the Devil How quickly our nature grew to that extremity that of the whole world hardly eight men were found righteous And presently again not five men in five Cities What a perpetual care God â—â—d of the family of Abraham by promises miracles punishments rewards yet could not by those means keep them from sin and damnation What 't is for God to be made Man the eternall impassible essentially-blisfull to become a child the most tender passive of all creatures and franght with miseries and griefs See his life nothing different from ours unless that it was more stuff'd with woes from one end to the other in poverty subjection contradiction affliction and in the end and last act the example of all indignity that human wit could invent and the shape of man endure think how all this was suffer'd for our sakes he knowing every one for whom he suffer'd and of so great a number excluding none for whom he did not undertake these pains as if there were no other as freely as the Sun shone on Adam when he was alone no less then upon the millions that now be And out of all these considerations let him strive to raise the Catechumen to admiration and love of so great Goodness a full resolution to make use of so many and so powerfull means to advance himself in virtue which is the fruit of all that went before SIXTH CONFERENCE M. HAving now learn'd that there is a God his properties how he created man how he conducted him through so many ages till the coming of himself into the world in the second Person of his blessed Deity Having also understood the oeconomy of his sacred Humanity till his bitter passion glorious resurrection wonderfull ascension and gracious sending of the Holy Ghost which was the first effect and chiefest of his whole peregrination It follows to consider the End of all which was the stating of mankind in that perfection to which he intended to conduct him Now then Child can you tell me what was the intention of Christ's coming S. Sir you have told me already that 't was to redeem Mankind from the deluge of sin wherein he was drown'd by the fall of Adam and give him a state by which he might attain to Paradise M. I but what is the immediat step by which a man comes to Heaven S. That also me thinks I have learn'd to bee the Love of God above all things For you told me this was Sanctity and I know we call those Saints who either are in Heaven or in the right way to it M. Well said But I would have you shew me that the Love of God makes a man go to Heav'n and because you cannot without help hearken a little unto me The Good of Heaven consists in seeing God Almighty not with the eyes by which you walls and trees and sun and stars but with the eyes by which you know you are this day and neither yesterday nor tomorrow by which you know you must have been yesterday yet it may happen you may nor be tomorrow and other Truths or things of this quality which the least of you is capable of Now he that loves God above all things especially if he have done it long cannot chuse but desire to know and see him whom he loves so much Wherefore when he dies and has no more any distraction by his senses he is wholy set upon that object and so extreamly miserable unless he can obtain it wherefore if God be not hard-hearted as Goodness it self cannot be what remains but that he must needs let himself be seen by him which is to be in heaven And this a Divine would tel you were to determin God of necessity to the giving of Bliss as the putting of all second causes requisit to the making a man determins him to the infusion of the rational soul But we must not be so learned Do you know how the Divines or rather all Christians do ordinarily term this Love of God S. Yes Sir I think this is the vertue they call Charity by which we love God for himself our neighbours for him and for both their sakes do all the rest of our actions and so order our whole lives to the service of God M. 'T is well said but can you tell what reason you have to love God S. Yes For seing we naturally love that which is good as good meat good drink good cloaths c. and God is Algodness there can be no doubt but we have great reason to love God Besides he hath done us many singular benefits or rather hath given us all we have by which we know he loves us and for both these causes is to be loved by us M. Very well and you may add that we are like him being made wholy to his Image and things that are like one another are apt to love one another as we see all creatures love their own kind But seeing you call this Charity and know there 's a second part thereof which is to love your Neighbour or all other men as your self know you why you are to do so S. Sir not wel M. Why do you not see that all knives are to cut hammers to knock and therefore who would have a hammer to cut or knife to knock were out of â—â—ason So likewise al men being of one Nature are for one â—nd and fit for the same things He therefore that would wish one thing for himself because 't is fit for him and not wish the like to his neighbour were very unreasonable And if he wishes the like to his Neighbour as to himself he loves him as himself But tell me now he that loves God has he not reason to hope he shall see God S. Yes Sir since 't is necessary that who loves God shall see God no doubt but he has reason