Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	ghost_n	sin_n	sin_v	1,582	5	10.1697	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42885	Instruction concerning penance and holy communion the second part fo the instruction of youth, containing the means how we may return to God by penance, and remain in his grace by the good and frequent use of the sacraments. By Charles Gobinet, Doctor of Divinity, of the house and Society of Sorbon, principal of the college of Plessis-Sorbon.; Instruction de la jeunesse en la piété chrétienne. Part 2. English	Gobinet, Charles, 1614-1690.; Gobinet, Charles, 1614-1690. Instruction sur la pénitence et sur la sainte communion. English.	1689 (1689)	Wing G904C; ESTC R223681	215,475	423

which makes us consider the honour of God more then our own concern By the one and the other we hate sin but by the first we hate principally the punishment of sin and we fear that more then the fault or offence of God. By the Second we detest principally the offence of God and we fear that more then the punishment But here we must take notice of a point of great concern when we say that in Attrition we fear more the pain then the offence this more or this excess is not to be understood of a Positive preference or esteem which one may have whilst he compares the punishment with the offence For he who comparing these two together should say either expressly or tacitly that he fears more to be damn'd then to offend God would commit a Mortal Sin but this is to be understood only of as we may call it a Negative or abstractive preference which we understand when one thinks of the punishment of sin without reflecting on the offence of God which because it occurrs not to his mind he doth not think of but stops as it were only at the punishment which occurrs as being more sensible and without advancing farther conceives a horror of sin and detests it upon that account without rising higher or thinking of the offence But if it chance that any one think expresly both of the punishment of sin and the injury which thereby is done to God comparing the one with the other such a person would be obliged to detest them both according to their merits that is the offence more then the punishment I say more not as to the greatness or vehemency of the fear and detestation but as to the preference and esteem which the will makes of the one above the other that is of the offence above the punishment In the practice Theotime consider that it is fitting we always endeavour to have them both for to content our selves only with the imperfect Contrition is the part of a mean spirit and a token of a servile and mercenary soul besides that this manner of treatment is apt to raise doubts of Conscience and troubles of mind on the other side an act of perfect Contrition is an act of the highest perfection and to perform it is a very difficult thing it is not usual neither can we ordinarily speaking ascend at one step to the highest and most perfect acts of a Virtue wherefore we must begin with those of the lower rank and by them mount up to those of an higher classe this we see that nature her self teacheth us in all her productions But which is very observable it frequently happens that we are deceived in this occasion for many are persuaded that they have perfect Contrition as soon as they have pronounc'd these words I detest my sins because God who is infinitely good is offended by them But there is a great difference between saying these words and conceiving in our heart the true sense which they import First then we must begin with imperfect Contrition after that we have considered the great and lamentable mischiefs which by sin are heapt upon us the privation of the grace of God the loss of Paradise Eternal Damnation then we must proceed to hate and detest it with all our heart as our most mortal Enemy Next considering that sin must needs be a horrible evil in it self and strangely offensive to the Divine bounty since he punisheth it with so much rigour we must go on to the hatred of sin it self by reason of the injury it doth to God. An injury which derives its greatness from the Supreme the infinite Bounty Sanctity and infinitely adorable Majesty of God whom therefore it infinitely offends and consequently becomes infinitely detestable and which ought to be hated and detested with a supreme and if possible infinite hatred altho' there were neither Paradise it could deprive us of nor Hell to punish it CHAP. VI. Of the means to obtain Contrition IF it were either the same thing to have Contrition and to know it or the knowledge of it were sufficient to have it there would be nothing more required then what we have said to perform the Act. But it is far otherwise Theotime this great and important action is not so easy as they imagine who believe they have power to produce it every moment It is a fruit which is not of our growth it is a plant which our Earth now dry and barren by means of sin cannot bring forth except it be watered from above and prevented by the blessing or grace of God. God saith the Prophet must give his benediction and then our Earth that is our Heart will produce its fruit Dominus dabit benignitatem terra nostra dabit fructum suum Psal 84. It is not so facile to clear ones self of sin as it is easy to fall into it A man may quickly cast himself into a deep pit by his own fault but he cannot get out without trouble and the assistance of another We sin by our own free will alone but by this alone we cannot free our selves from the guilt of sin it is necessary that the grace of God assist and withdraw us from it Our ruine proceeds from our selves but our Salvation comes from God he alone can succour or redeem us Perditio tua ex te tantummodo in me auxilium tuum Host 13. This is an Article of Faith which hath always been believed in the Church and which the Council of Trent hath defined of new If any one says that without the preventing inspiration of the Holy Ghost and his succour a man can believe hope love or be sorry for his sins as it is necessary to receive justifying grace let him be anathematized Conc. Trid. Sess 6. Canon 3. With what fear and trembling ought not those Souls to be seized whose conscience tells them that they are in the unfortunate state of Mortal Sin What horror ought they not to conceive when they seriously make this reflection that their Salvation depends upon God alone and that they cannot of themselves be freed from the danger they are in except by his only hand whom they have so grievously offended and who is their professed Enemy as long as they shall continue in that State But that which yet ought still to augment their fears is that there is nothing due to them from God as long as they are in that deplorable state his enemies that he is not obliged to relieve them having never promised it to any person but that he may most justly leave them in that condition because as St. Augustin saith God who hath promised pardon to him that shall do Penance hath not promised Penance to any one O God! Theotime what considerable reasons of fear and trembling are there to see ones self in such a lamentable state wherein he may be justly abandoned by Almighty God and left as a prey to the sworn Enemies of his

end reade that which hereafter we shall say of it The reading also of good Books is a most powerfull means to conserve and keep us in the straight path of virtue We treated of this in the Instruction of Youth 2d Part. Chap. 16. which I exhort you to read once more upon this occasion All these are general remedies and common to all sort of Sins There are others more particular against each Sin considered in its kind which it would be too long to declare in this place as also it would be useless since we have treated of them elsewhere as for example the remedies against idleness in the 3d. Part. Chap. 7 and against impurity in the 8th and 9th Chap. and in all the 4th Part. Where we have treated of Christian virtues and the means to resist contrary vices A Table of SINS Or An Examen of Conscience upon the Commandments of God's Law and of the Church and upon the Seven Deadly Sins Sin being a transgression against the law of God it follows that to understand well in what one hath sinn'd he must know first what it is that God Commands what that he forbids and to examin his Conscience rightly it is necessary he run over the Commandments of God as they stand in order and see whether and how many ways he hath transgress'd them for we offend God diverse ways This is the reason why I shall digest here the ten Commandments of Gods Law with all the sins that may be committed against each one of them that thence you may take what may concern you And for the greater facility I have for my diversion drawn up into Latin verse the several obligations which each Commandment imports with the transgressions opposed against them I offer them to those who understand and like them others may benefit themselves by the following explication The EXAMEN upon the First Commandment I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods before me Exod. 20. THis Commandment includes the obligations of many virtues viz. of Faith of Hope of Charity of Religion and of the care of our Salvation It obligeth us to believe in God to hope in him to love him above all things give him the worship and honour due to him and to seek after the Salvation of our Soul which he hath created to his own image and likeness to enjoy him for all eternity All these things are comprized in these three verses Credere prima homines sperare amare Deumque Condigno cultu venerari orare Animaeque Aeternam curare jubent mandata salutem Opposite to these are first the Sins against Faith whereof some totally destroy it others offend against it in a high degree I st a fidem sanctam laedunt perimuntque nefanda 1. Ignorare fidem 2. dubiis aperire vagantem Incertumque animum 3. graviter qui his fixus adhaeret Ille fidem violat 4. gravius qui mente superba Eligit ipse sibi quod credat vel neget 5. inde Omnia blasphemo qui pernegat impius ore Sancta nil credens nisi quod tangitque videtque 6. Qui favet his vel facta probat 7. consortia quaerit 8. Dicta librosque legens avido bibit ore venena 9. Alta Dei nimio scrutans temerarius ausu Quae penetrare nefas homini mysteria 10. ridens Sacratos ritus 11. divinaque verba retorquens Ad pravos sensus miscens sacra profanis 12. Quique futurorum vult nosce recondita servat Quae Deus ipse sibi vel facta obscura requirit Artibus illicitis observans somnia vel quae Caeca superstitio Cacodaemonis arte maligna Reperit ut noceat prosit ve aut clausa recludat 1. The first sin against Faith is that of Ignorance when one is ignorant of what he is obliged to know To be ignorant of the four principall Mysteries without the express belief whereof we cannot be saved viz. the Unity of one God the Trinity of Persons the Incarnation of the Second Person for the Redemption of mankind and life everlasting To be ignorant of the Apostles Creed or not to know the sense and meaning of it as far as ones capacity and the means he hath to be instructed will permit To be ignorant of the Sacraments and particularly of those which one either hath or ought to receive Not to know the Comandments of God and the Church All these ignorances ordinarily speaking are mortal Sins wherefore one ought carefully to examin himself and reflect well whether he hath sought the means to be instructed as Catechisms Sermons reading and the like 2. The Second Sin against Faith is a doubt of the truth of any of the points of Faith. It happens sometimes against our will and then it is either none or at least not a Mortall Sin but perhaps some venial negligence But if it be voluntary it is a Mortall Sin and this in two cases 1st When one either seeks it or willingly gives some occasion of it as by reading ill Books by discoursing too freely concerning matters of faith by examining them with too much curiosity by giving himself too much liberty to judg of them according to humane reason 2ly This doubt is voluntary when one willingly detains himself in it and gives his consent unto it 3. The Third is the Sin of Error that is when from a doubt one proceeds to affirm and positively believe something contrary to the receiv'd Doctrine of the Church altho' it be but in one single article and such a belief is always a mortal Sin and if one maintain it obstinately without submitting himself to the Church it is Heresy whereof we are going about to speak 4. The Fourth Sin is Heresy That is an error in any point of faith maintain'd with obstinacy wherein one follows his own judgment in opposition to that of the Church and chooseth in points of Religion the things which he is willing to believe or to deny whence it is called Heresy that is to say a choice 5. The Fifth is Impiety which is different from heresy in this that Heresy will believe some truths but not all But Impiety denys all and believes nothing You ought Theotime to examin your self very strictly whether you have fallen into any of these Sins and if you have perform yet some more strict and severer Penance But above all communicate your thoughts with some learned and Pious person who may restore you to your self and put you in the right way 6. The sixth Sin against Faith is to favour Hereticks or Impious men as in supporting and approving what they do 7. The Seventh is to be pleased with their Company and discourse to continue therein with danger of embracing their opinions 8. The Eighth is to read their Books whether with pleasure or danger 9. The Ninth is the Sin of Curiosity to examin the Misteries of Faith or the Secrets of divine Providence by pure humane reason which leads ordinarily

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'