Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	lord_n	see_v	5,118	5	3.3465	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56724	The third part of the soul's delight collected and composed out of the works of the glorious virgin, St. Teresa of Iesus (author of the reformation of the Holy Order of the B.V. Mary of the Mount Carmell,) by the R.F. Paul of St. Vbald, religious of the same order, for the comfort of those that are more spirituall, and haue supernaurall prayer.; Jesus Maria Joseph Teresia. The soul's delight.	Teresa, of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582.; Paul, of St. Ubald, Brother.	1654 (1654)	Wing P876B; ESTC R218976	49,433	122

is fauoured without any merit on her part and that it is the meere goodnesse and mercy of his diuine Maiesty that will haue it to be so that she may know how much she is obliged and returne a sincere affection answerable to his intention and not frustrat him of his expectation for certainly this will encourage her to goe forward dayly in Gods seruice and to vndertake greatter matters for his loue honour and glory and belieue it that a soul truly humble cannot haue a greater confusion then to see her selfe fauoured and honoured without any desert or merits and well knowing her owne demerits which causeth her to be more humble and thankfull and desirous to please him more then formerly for this truth is imprinted in her so feelingly that she cannot but see and confesse it so that in the presence of that Maiesty which she knoweth to be so great and powerfull she would euen annihilat her selfe if that she could for she is not ignorant of her owne nothing and vnworthynesse 8. But some soules doe thinke their tyme lost in prayer and without profit when they doe not discourse but are in that solitude silence and quietnesse not knowing what they doe or ought to doe in that case but they are mistaken it is not so as they themselues both then and after doe perceiue by the effects which they find in themselues for first they find an alteration and sweet content in them selues they perceiue a great satisfaction in all their powers with so great suanity that it doth redowne to the body and senses in so much that at that tyme it would grieue them to be molested called vppon or spoaken to nay they would not moue nor stirre nor breath least to hinder their sweet repose and ioyfull rest in God and after prayer there remayneth such a memory and impression of his presence in the soul that she cannot in a very long tyme forget him and this quietnesse is so pleasing with so great humility and feeling that if they were called to dinner or supper their griefe is not litle and I haue seene the teares run downe the cheekes of some as they did eat lamenting that they were forced to leaue that celestiall banquet with their Soueraigne Lord and only good to feede and feast a corruptible body their greatest enemy and cause of their most hurt and euil 9. But let them not be troubled that they doe not discourse nor knowe what they doe and only rest in that sweet content with God for he teacheth them in an instant as is said more then what with the discourses of all their life they whould be able to reach vnto therefore our Holy Mother doth aduise to stay in that silent quietnesse without noyse of inward words enioying that sweet content attending to nothing else for now she is in possession of what she sought for so that all her discourse is now in vaine and to noe other purpose then to trouble her in her ioy and rest Yet if her quietnesse and feruour be declyning or decaying it will doe well to make some amorous act which may blow the coale and keepe in the fire of diuine loue least it should decay and perish but this act must be made slowly and attentiuely with great sweetnes for if you vse any force to increasse the seruour of your spirit it is no other then to cast water to smother and extinguish that litle fire of deuotion which is as yet burning for this being a supernaturall gift and his worke you must with humility giue his diuine Maiesty way to doe in you and with you what he thinketh sitting and it is his worke to increase it or diminish it for it is beyond our reach and therefore in vaine we labour to attempt that which surpasseth our ability and exceedeth our forces and if the vnderstanding shall seeme to bring reasons to moue the soul to more sorrow or gratitude let not the soul permit it nor regard it but keepe the vnderstanding as quiet as she can without troubling her selfe and if she cannot so doe let her keepe her selfe in her rest and content and not mynd what the vnderstanding doth in that but leaue him of to himselfe 10. You must also note that as I sayd formerly she must not be desyrous of gusts and consolations but content herselfe with all indifferency in what shall be done by his diuine Maiesty and be as Gusts and consolations must not be desired in prayer nor affected for it shewes litle humility ready to help our Sauiour to carry his crosse that is to suffer aridityes temptations and contradictions as to be feasted at his table with delights and consolations for truly the more we desyre and seeke after these gusts and comforts the lesse we shall haue of them and the lesse mortified and perfect we shall be for it is a great want of humility as I said elswhere and for that presumption and want of humility the soul is depriued of what comforts she had and often doth remaine in great aridity Therefore we must allwayes humble our selues and acknowledg our selues vnworthy of any fauours from his diuine Maiesty whom we offended and with plaine simplicity offer our desyre and some resolution or purpose to doe somewhat though neuer so litle to content and please him with which he is more pleased then with all the learned discourses eloquent words and pregnant reasons which can be offered to him 11. And when the soul is in that quietnes and so neere to his diuine Maiesty and after that she is now familiar and satisfyed with great ioy and content is the best and only tyme to pray and commend the necessityes of the Holy Church the soules of Purgatory the conuersion of sinners our parents frends and benefactours and other necessityes to his diuine Maiesty not by noyse of wordes but by an affection and feeling desyre that his Maiesty will be pleased to grant what is desyred for it is no more then to haue these in your mynd and with a simple looke to present them to him for he doth well vnderstand the least of our desyres and that simple memoriall with a sincere affection doth preuaile more with him then all the rethorick of the world and if the recollection or quietnes be great the soul cannot without much trouble either produce or attend to any inward framed words Also it would diuert her attention from the better and principall obiect as if one looking with content on a sweet picture should heare a noyse behind him and should turne about to see where and what that noyse is would not he be diuerted from that content which he had in beholding the picture doubtles he would it is the same in this for if the soul that is seriously applyed and ioyed in God should looke back and attend to the framing and noyse of the words inwardly pronounced by this attention she would be diuerted from that sweet content which she had

labours with many diuine fauours and celestiall benedictions euen in this life and in the other in the land of the liuing with endlesse glory and felicity and thou shalt see him face to face where he is enioyed and shall be praised by his Holy Saints and Angells for all Eternity Amen THE IV. CHAPTER Of the Prayer of vnion 1. IN the former chapters you haue seene how God doth bring a soul from the cares and troubles of the world to a solitude formerly vnknowne a supernaturall state where in silence he speaketh to her heart Now from that silent and quiet rest and from that delightfull sleepe wherein the soul falleth a dijng to all things of this world through loue his diuine Maiesty taketh her wholy to himselfe and doth conclude a spirituall marriage betwixt them both in so much that she is perfectly dead to all the world that is to say her affection is wholy mortifyed hauing no inclination to any thing created and she is liuing only to and in God vnited to him by a celestiall coniunction that is by all her substance and powers to hs diuine essence and substance in which she is so farre carryed beyond her selfe not knowing how or whither that she cannot perceiue whether she be in the body or no in the world or out of it for she is sunke in the depth and altogether in gulfed in that incomprehensible ocean of his diuinity hauing lost the vse of all her powers and inward and outward senses and is become the same and one spirit with him and therefore it is called vnion because two distinct things are made one 2. In this vnion she knoweth nothing but that her ioy and satisfaction is excessiue great but afterwards she can well perceiue that her profit is farre transcending that of the former degrees and that her vertues are more solid and of higher perfection she in this vnion doth not labour more but God doth worke in her she is the patient and he the diuine agent who doth produce those wonderfull effects and make her admirable to the world she hath enough to doe to receiue those diuine fauours and celestiall gifts she is not satisfied with admiration seing the great goodnesse and liberality of God towards such as she is which doth cause so great humility and loue in her that she would euen an nihilat her selfe in the presence of so high a Maiesty she is so drowned that the body is quite forgotten and during that vnion it is voyde of hearing seing and feeling all her powers and senses are absorpt and in gulfed so deeply in it that there is no memory left of what they were meditating thinking reading or doing but their ioy cannot be exprest 3. Yet as it is formerly sayd this totall vnion doth not continew long before some of the powers are permitted to returne to their owne operations the will still remayning strongly vnited but they are so farre besyde themselues that they can get no content or rest vntill they returne to their principall againe and eat of the same meat and drinke of the same liquour and then they remaine suspended and vnited as formerly neither can they tell how long or short a tyme they are in that vnion and though it were long they are so swayed with ouer great delight that it seemeth to them but very short 4. I haue knowen one that was as yet but in the other degrees and when the hour of prayer was spent he could hardly be persuaded that it was so for he thought really that he had not beene more then the space of one Aue Maria in it not knowing what prayer he was in what shall we thinke then of this certainly the least part of it cannot be exprest by all the eloquence and rethorick of the world as it is much lesse the rest which is more 5. O how admirable and farre surpassing all vnderstanding it is to comprehend how Gods Holy diuinity doth enter in and penetrat the whole substance and essence of the soul leauing in her a perfect impression of himselfe that she is no more what she was but truly deified altogether in gulfed in the blessed diuinity now quite forgetfull of her selfe and all that is in heauen and earth for she is in possession of him who containeth all and is more then all and is her all so that in the other she may be well sayd to be a dijng but in this to be truly dead as you see but to God alone in whom she doth liue and who doth liue in her 6. This is a most happy state a blessed rest a sweet repose a heauenly drunknes a ioyfull alteration a louing embracement a delightfull vnion a diuine transformation a totall Deification and a blisfull marriage confirmed and signed with no lesse then his owne most Glorious diuinity that as a bride and bridegrome they are one spirit she is partaker of his glory looketh to his family and attendeth only to those things which belong to him and to his honour glory and praise and he hath care of her and of what doth belong to her now she is so burning with his loue and so solicitous of his affaires that she is neuer idle she doth thirst vehemently after the conuersion of sinners and saluation of soules as a thing belonging to her beloued and to his honour and glory and to vndergoe and effect this great and difficult worke she doth find her selfe stout and courragious and would giue a thousand liues most willingly if she could to gaine one soul and therefore her prayers to God are many and haue no end her teares and pennances for them are great no troubles can breake her no persecution feare her detractions doe not grieue her murmuration and diffamation doe not disquiet her she taketh contentedly and ioyfully all disgraces so she may gaine but one soul to God and in this she is continually labouring and to make his goodnesse knowen to all that they may loue and serue him and with greater feruour allwayes praise him and that they may dayly increase in all vertue and perfection 7. To heare any to flatter or praise her is a torment to her to see her selfe esteemed and honoured is her greatest affliction for she cleerly knoweth that she deserues it not and what good vertue or gift is seene in her is not from her selfe but from the fountaine of all grace mercy and goodnesse her heauenly spouse without any merit on her part and therefore to him she doth referre all honour and praise to whom alone it is due 8. The resolutions of such as come to this state to doe some heroyick workes for the loue honour and glory of God are as strange and admirable as the rest they know not what to doe with themselues they are so transported by loue beyond themselues and this loue doth enable them and strengthen them to doe what to others might seeme vnpossible hence our Holy Mother S. Teresia did In her life chap.