Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	rule_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	12,255	5	9.8749	5	true

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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

follow the Scripture except also they follow and be assured of the true Sense of Scripture for as St. Augustin in tract 18. in Jo. saith Heresy springs from no other source but from good Scripture ill understood and boldly maintained And St. Hilary l. 2. ad Constant August saith excellently well That there is no Heretick but maintains his Blasphemies by the Scripture If they fay that the Holy Ghost inspires them with the true Sense of the Scriptures and the right understanding of the Mysteries therein contained The Answer is impertinent for there was never any Heretick who had not this same Plea. Secondly If it be so why are there so many different Sentiments amongst them and that in Points of Faith Can the Holy Ghost be contrary to or contradict himself Is it possible that he should inspire both truth and falshood 3ly who is it that doth not perceive that this answer were it good would authorize as many religions as there are men for every one will easily say that he hath the Holy Ghost Lastly why do they desire that others should believe them whilst they affirm that they have the H. Ghost having nothing besides there own assertion to justify what they say since they themselves refuse to believe the Church which requires their assent by so just a title as is the promise made her by the Son of God of the continuall assistance of his H. Spirit even to the end of the world We must then conclude and hold for a certain truth that it is neither our private judgment nor our interiour perswasion however we may believe it comes from the Holy Ghost which is capable to serve us as a rule in points of Faith or can make us see which is a true and which a false revelation but it is the sole Testimony of the Catholick Church and the judgment which she forms of the divine truths which is and ought to be the rule of our belief For whilst we submit our selves to her judgment we cannot fall As we cannot but mistake and err when tho' never so little we depart from the doctrine of the Church We find in the Church four conditions required for the rule of saith To be a rule it must at one and the same time be One Certain Manifest and Visible The Church is One for as there can be but one Faith so there can be no more then one true Church as it is said in the Nicene Creed Et unam Sanctam Catholicam Apostolicam Ecclesiam The judgment of the Church is Certain in points of faith since she can never fail being as the Apostle saith the Pillar and ground of truth It is Manifest because clearly proposed and by word of mouth explained upon occasion of any Emergent difficulty in matters of faith The Church for this reason was Established by the Son of God his will is that we have recourse unto her in these occasions according as it was also practiced in the Old Testament where it is said Mal. 2.7 that the lips of the Priest do conserve knowledge and one must seek the Law from his mouth And the Apostle assures us that the same method is to be observed in the New Testament when he saith Ephes 4.11 that the Son of God hath established some Apostles some Pastours and other some Doctors for the administration of his word for the building up of the body of Jesus Christ that is his Church That we may not be like Children wavering in uncertainty and carried away with every wind of Doctrine And for this reason also St. Augustin affirms that in all difficulties which occurr concerning any questions or matters of Faith we must make our addresses to the Church If any one saith he cont Crescon fear to be deceived in the obscurity of this question let him consult the Church Si quis falli metuit hujus obscuritate questionis Ecclesiam de illâ consulat Lastly the Church is Visible as consisting of Pastours who have succeeded one another ever since the Apostles even unto this present time and as in all ages one might so at this very time one may easily address himself unto them to be instructed in all what concerns our faith This is the City whereof the Son of God speaks Mat. 5.14 which is built upon a Mountain to which all the World may have access as it was foretold by Isaias Chap. 2.3 Come and ascend to the mountain of our Lord to the House of the God of Jacob. It will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths for the Law will come forth of Sion and the word of our Lord from Jerusalem It was to this City that St. Augustin de Vnitat Eecles c. 14. sent the Donatists when he said to them you have the City whereof he himself who built it said that it was a City built upon a Mountain and could not be hidden I have staid and dilated my self on set purpose upon this Subject of the Rule of Faith because it is of great concern in this affair and upon which all the rest as far as concerns us depends it is a Principle and Fundamental Maxim in matters of Faith That we must hearken to and obey the Church we must receive the Divine Revelations from her alone and the Interpretation she gives of the Holy Scripture and Tradition which are the two ways by which as is abovesaid God hath been pleased to convey his Divine Truths the Mysteries of our Holy Faith unto us Quest VII What Qualities or Conditions ought our Faith to have IT follows from what we have already said that Faith to be perfect must have three qualities or Conditions it must be Humble Vniversal and Firm or fixed and steddy Humble that is in matters of Faith we are to submit our selves to the judgment of the Church and not to be wedded to our proper sense nor to our interiour persuasion nor to the judgment of any particular Person as we have shew'd above Thus God ordained it in the Old Testament Deut. 17.8 where he commanded that in the difficulties which should occurr concerning the performance of the Law every one should have recourse to the Priests follow exactly their decision and that under pain of Death in case one should be refractory or disobedient And in the New Testament he hath decreed that he who will not hear the Church shall be accounted as an Infidel Vniversal that is it ought to comprehend and believe generally all the truths which are proposed by the Church to be believed without excepting any and the reason is evident because the Church which proposeth them by reason of the assistance of the Holy Ghost which is promised her without restriction is equally infallible in all her Judgments and can be no more deceived in the least then in the greatest Mystery of our Faith and as St. Augustin contra Epist fundam speaking of the Books of the Sacred Scripture saith excellently well If

of the singular advantages of Holy Communion and Effectually be made Partakers of those Graces which God is ready to bestow by means of this Blessed Sacrament As for the Second Part it is to be perused and Practized for this effect it will be very proper to peruse it often and with Attention but particularly upon the Eve and day of Communion PART I. Of the Doctrin that is to say of the Truths which it Imports us to know concerning the Sacrament of the Eucharist A Christian Communicant that he may receive worthily if as yet he know them not distinctly ought to be well instructed in three things of which two are generall the third is particular to this Sacrament First he must be instructed in Faith in Generall without which it is impossible to attain to the knowledge of this great Mystery of the Eucharist He must understand perfectly well what God hath reveal'd concerning this Virtue which is the Basis and ground-work of Salvation As Saint Paul saith Heb. 11.1 The Substance of the things to be hoped for Secondly He must have a true Notion of the Principal Mysteries of Faith in Particular as of the Blessed Trinity the Incarnation the Redemption the Catholick Chuch for except he believe these Truths it is impossible ever to come either to the knowledg or belief of that of the Holy Eucharist Thirdly He must be throughly informed in what concerns this Sacrament in particular viz. in the principal truths which appertain unto it as the real presence of the Son of God in the Cousecrated Host The change of the substance of the Bread and Wine into that of his Body and Blood The great wonders which meet in this Mystery The effects which it produces in the Soul of the worthy receiver The dispositions with which it ought to be received Following this order I shall divide this First Part into three Chapters whereof the First shall treat of Faith the Second of the Principal Mysteries of our Faith the Third of what concerns this Sacrament in particular And we shall divide the Chapters into Articles or Questions as necessity shall require CHAP. I. Of Faith. FOR your greater ease we shall treat of this Subject by way of Question and Answers immediately subjoyn'd Question I. What is it we are obliged to know concerning Faith in general SEven things viz. What Faith is who is the Author of it what its action its object its motive its rule and what the conditions it requires that it may be perfect Quest II. What is Faith IT is a gift of God or a light from above by which man being illuminated doth firmly believe all those things which God hath revealed and proposed to his Church to be believed whether written or unwritten In this definition is comprised all whatsoever as is abovesaid we are obliged to know concerning Faith. And first it teacheth us that Faith is a Supernatural light proceeding not from us but from God and which makes us assent to those truths the belief whereof is necessary for Salvation It teacheth us also who is the Author of Faith what its action the rest as we shall see by the Replies to the following Questions Quest III. Who is the Author of Faith I Answer God alone Faith is a gift of God saith the Apostle Ephes 2.8 and there is none but he can give it He bestows it upon us by enlightning our understanding in a supernatural way and inclining the will to follow by her consent the light which is proposed unto her The will indeed concurrs and doth well in accepting and agreeing with the truth which is proposed unto her but it is God alone who is the first and principal cause wherefore it is very necessary that we beg and require it at his hands Quest IV. What is the Action Object and Motive of Faith TO believe that is to hold a truth for certain and assured without the least doubt thereof is the proper act of Faith. The object that is the things which we are oblig'd to believe are all the truths which God hath revealed and which are therefore proposed that we may assent unto them The motive or reason why we ought to believe is the divine revelation For one believes a truth because God who neither can deceive us nor be deceived in what he reveals unto us hath revealed it And this revelation for this reason is always infallible Quest V. By what ways hath God revealed the Truth unto us BY two By the Holy Scripture and by Tradition These are the two ways whereby God hath been pleased to manifest his holy truths and both of them are equally infallible because both are equall the one written the other the unwritten word of God. Quest VI. Which is the Rule of Faith WE call that the Rule of Faith whereby we discern the revelations which come from those which do not come from God for it is certain that there are some false revelations and which the Devil the Author of Lies proposes by his Ministers and therefore that we may not be be deceived we have a certain rule This rule is the judgment or the interpretation of the Holy Church to which God hath given that Power and promised the assistance of his Holy Spirit that it also may never be deceived The Proofs are manifest in the Scripture Behold Mat. 28.20 saith he I am with you even untill the end of the World. He also said Mat. 16.18 Vpon this Rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it And the Apostle saith afterwards 1. Tim. 3.15 that the Church is the House of God and that it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth The Son of God commands us to hearken to it even as to himself Luc. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me And he saith Mat. 18.17 he who will not hear the Church let him be accounted as a heathen or Publican Without this Rule we can have no Faith because without it we can neither be assured of the Divine Revelation nor of the true Scriptures nor of their true Sense wherefore Hereticks who refuse to follow the Judgment of the Church have neither Faith not even any certainty of any thing they believe They say indeed that they follow the Scripture but they deceive themselves For first How do they know that there is such a thing as Scripture but by the Testimony of the Catholick Church which assures us of it and hath conserved it from time to time even untill their times Did not St. Augustin contra Epist fundam c. 5. say and with good reason that he would not believe the Gospel except he were moved unto it by the authority of the Catholick Church and that if we believe the Church when it tells us that we must believe the Gospel why should we not believe it when it forbids us to believe Manicheus or Hereticks Secondly It is not enough to

152. Chap. 3. Excellent Reasons out of the Council of Trent to shew why God remitting the Sin by Penance obliges the penitent Sinner to a Temporal punishment Pag. 156. Chap. 4. Wherein Satisfaction consists and whether it be essential to the Sacrament of Penance Pag. 159. Chap. 5. Of the Conditions which Satisfaction ought to have on behalf of the Ghostly Father Pag. 161. Chap. 6. Of the Conditions of Satisfaction in respect of the Penitent Pag. 167. Chap. 7. Of the Works which may be enjoined for Penance Pag. 172. Chap. 8. That the Penitent who truly desires to work his Salvation ought not to content himself with the Penance enjoined him in the Sacrament but he ought to perform others and how Pag. 175. Chap. 9. Of Sacramental Absolution what it is wherein it consists and what are its effects Pag. 178. Chap. 10. Of the dispositions necessary to receive Absolution and of the cases wherein it ought to be denied or deferr'd Pag. 179. Chap. 11. Of the Choice of a Confessor Pag. 182. PART V. OF the Preservation of Grace after Confession against relapse into Sin. Pag. 187. Chap. 1. Of the importance of this Subject Ibid. Chap. 2. How the relapse into Sin is a very great Evil. Pag. 190. Chap. 3. Of three great indignities which occur in the Sin of relapse the Ingratitude the Perfidiousness and the Contempt of God. Pag. 192. Chap. 4. That those who relapse frequently into their Sins have reason to dread their Salvation Pag. 196. Chap. 5. A further Confirmation of this truth from other proofs and first from the uncertainty of their Confessions who relapse frequently into their Sins Pag. 201. Chap. 6. An excellent Advertisement of St Gregory concerning the false Repentance of those who relapse into their former Sins Pag. 205. Chap. 7. That by relapsing into Sin we lose great part of the fruit of our precedent good Confessions Pag. 207. Chap. 8. That by frequent relapse into Sin one always falls into a worse condition then before Pag. 209. Chap. 9. That frequent relapse into Sin leads to final Impenitence and to an Evil death or to dye in mortal Sin. Pag. 212. Chap. 10. Of the remedies against relapse into Sin. Pag. 216. Chap. 11. Of the means which Penitents ought to observe to avoid any relapse into Sin. Pag. 224. A Table of Sins or an Examen of Conscience upon the Commandments of Gods Law and of the Church and upon the Seven Deadly Sins Pag. 229. The Examen upon the first Commandment Pag. 230. The Sins against Faith. Ibid. The Sins against Hope Pag. 234. The Sins against Charity Pag. 236. The Sins against the Virtue of Religion Pag. 238. The Sins against the care we ought to have of our Salvation Pag. 241. The Examen upon the Second Commandment Pag. 244. The Examen upon the Third Commandment Pag. 247. The Examen upon the Fourth Commandment Pag. 249. The Examen upon the Fifth Commandment Pag. 254. The Examen upon the Sixth Commandment Pag. 255. The Examen upon the Seventh Commandment Pag. 259. The Examen upon the Eighth Commandment Pag. 261. The Examen upon the 9. 10. Commandment Pag. 264. The Examen upon the precepts of the Church Pag. 265. The Examen concerning the Seven Deadly Sins Pag. 266. Of the Sin of Pride Ibid. Of Covetousness Luxury and Sloth Pag. 270. Of Gluttony Ibid. Of Envy Pag. 271. Of the Sin of Anger Pag. 272. The Examen of the Sins which one commits by another Pag. 274. The Examen of the Sins of Students Pag. 279. A TABLE of the Parts and Chapters contained in the Instruction concerning the Holy Communion THe Preface Pag. 281. Of the necessity of this Instruction and the order observed therein ibid. The Division of the Treatise Pag. 282. The First Part. Pag. 283. Of the Doctrine that is to say of the Truths it imports us to know concerning the Sacrament of the Eucharist ibid. Chap. 1. Of Faith. Pag. 284. Quest 1. What is it that we are obliged to know concerning Faith in general Pag. 285. Qu. 2. What is Faith ibid. Qu. 3. Who is the Author of Faith ibid. Qu. 4. What is the Action Object and Motive of Faith Pag. 286. Qu. 5. By what ways it hath pleas'd God to convey these Truths unto us ibid. Qu. 6. What is the Rule of Faith Pag. 287. Qu. 7. What Qualities or Conditions ought our Faith to have Pag. 291. Chap. 2. Of the things we are obliged to believe Pag. 294. Art. 1. What are we obliged to believe of God Pag. 295. Art. 2. What are we obliged to believe of Jesus Christ Pag. 296. Qu. 1. What is Jesus Christ ibid. Qu. 2. Why was he made man Pag. 297. Qu. 3. In what doth the Incarnation consist ibid. Qu. 4. How was this Divine Vnion accomplish'd Pag. 298. Qu. 5. What is it that the Son of God hath done for our Redemption Pag. 299. Art. 3. What are we obliged to believe concerning the Church Pag. 300. Art. 4. What are we obliged to believe concerning the Sacraments Pag. 303. Chap. 3. Of the Holy Eucharist Pag. 306. Art. 1. Of the real prefence of the Son of God in the Eucharist and of what we are to believe concerning this Sacrament Pag. 307. Art. 2. Of the Wonders which occur in this Saerament Pag. 309. Art. 3. Of the Effects of the Holy Eucharist Pag. 311. Art. 4. Of the Dispositions required to Communicate well and as we ought Pag. 314. Art. 5. Of an unworthy Communion Pag. 316. Of the Damages which follow from an unworthy Communion Pag. 320. Art. 6. Of the end we ought to propose to our selves in the Holy Communion Pag. 322. PART II. OF the Practice of Communion or what we must do to Communicate well and as we ought Pag. 325. Chap. 1. Of Faith in as much as it serves for Communion Pag. 326. Art. 1. How necessary it is and in what manner Ib. Art. 2. That to Communicate well it is not sufficient to have Faith but we must practice the acts thereof and how profitable they are in Communion Pag. 327. Art. 3. The Practice of the acts of Faith for Communion Pag. 331. An Act of Faith upon the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament Pag. 332. Vpon the wonders which occur in the Blessed Sacrament Pag. 333. Vpon the effects which the Holy Eucharist is capable to produce in the Soul. Pag. 335. Chap. 2. Of Hope the second disposition for Communion Pag. 339. Art. 1. What is Hope ibid. Art. 2. Of the good which we expect by Hope Pag. 341. Art. 3. That it is necessary to distinguish well betwixt True and False Good and Bad Hope Pag. 344. Art. 4. Of the great Blessings which Hope derives upon us Pag. 347. Art. 5. That the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist is of great use to fortify and augment Hope the Virtue in us Pag. 351. Art. 6. That the Practice of Hope is a good and great disposition to the Holy Communion

I believe the Gospel I must also necessarily believe the Acts of the Apostles because the same Authority of the Catholick Church obliges to believe them both We may say the same of all the other truths which are proposed by the Church for if we believe one we ought also to believe the others because it is the same Authority and the same Church which proposes and gives us assurance of them both And the same St. Augustin l. 16. cont Faust c. 3. speaking of Hereticks and those who would give credit to nothing but their own will. You says he who in the Gospell believe what you please and what you like not reject You rather give credit to your selves then to the Gospell because when led by your private Spirit you approve what pleaseth and disapprove what displeases you in Scripture you do not at all submit your selves to the authority of holy writ there to find out your faith but rather you subject the Scripture to your selves to judge of it according to your will. In fine Faith ought to be firm that is fixed steddy and free from any at least voluntary doubt And this also for the same reason the infallible authority of the Church which proposes unto us the divine truths the objects of our Faith and cannot be deceived in what she proposes to us So that there is no more reason to doubt of any one truth then of all the rest And there is not a better way to dispell with ease the doubts which arise against any one article of our faith then to reflect upon the others which one believes with all the certainty imaginable which yet are no otherwise grounded then upon the same authority of the Church for if we do not doubt of those neither ought we to question these In all the doubts which may occur concerning any point or points of faith whether they arise from our own imaginations or spring from occasion of Heresy new doctrins or scandall given in the Church we ought to have recourse to this authority as to a secure refuge A refuge where we shall find the divine Protection against the contradiction of evill tongues as the Psalmist hath it and after him St. Augustin in those excellent words which he delivers upon that passage of Psa 30. exposi 2. Serm. 3. Preteges eos in tabernaculo tuo a condictione linguarum If you find tongues which contratradict you heresies raised up against you and divisions which oppose you have recourse to the Tabernacle of God adhere and stick fast to the Catholick Church do not depart from this rule of Truth and you shall be protected and guarded from the contradiction of tongues in the Tabernacle of God. Behold not only a wholsome but also a necessary advice which ought to be practised upon occasion of any doubts in faith and especially in the beginning of any heresy And had the hereticks of our time follow'd this good councell they would never so unfortunately have continued obstinate in their errour or drawn others into the same ruin as they have done CHAP. II. Of the things we are obliged to believe WE shall reduce them to four heads 1. The Divinity or what we are obliged to believe of God. 2. The Incarnation or the Humanity of the Son of God which shall comprehend what we are to be believe of Jesus Christ 3. The Church 4. The Sacraments These four things are all contained in the Apostles Creed ARTICLE I. What are we oblig'd to believe of God FOur things The First I believe in God that God is that is that there is one only true God who is an uncreated Being Eternall Independent Infinite in perfections in Knowledge in Power in Wisdom in Goodness in Justice and in all other things Secondly The Father Almighty and in his only Son I believe in the Holy Ghost that in God there are three Persons The Father the Son and the Holy Ghost That all these three are but one true God having the self same divine Essence the self same Wisdom the self same Goodness the self same Power and so of the other divine perfections That the Son the Eternal Word proceeds from the understanding of the Father by a perfect Knowledge which the Father conceives of himself by which he expresses his Image in the Son. And the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son by a Mutuall love which they bear one another That these Processions do not cause any inequality or dependence or priority amongst the Divine Persons who are all Equall and Eternall as being all but one only true God One in Nature and three in Persons Thirdly Creator of Heaven and Earth That God is the authour and creator of all things that he hath made both Heaven and Earth and all the creatures therein whether visible or invisible of nothing by his only word That he conserves them by his power and governs them by his wisdom Fourthly Life Everlasting That as he is the beginning and first cause so also he is the end of all things and particularly of Men and Angels whom he created to adore and serve him and for whom he hath prepared eternall happiness which will consist in this that the blessed shall see him perfectly and enjoy him as he is in himself and this enjoyment shall endure for all eternity it shall never no never end ARTICLE II. What are we obliged to believe of Jesus Christ FOR the greater facility and distinctions sake we shall divide this Article into Questions Quest I. What is Jesus Christ And in Jesus Christ his only Son. HE is the Son of God the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity who was Incarnate that is made Man for us men and for our Salvation But Quest II. Why was he made Man TO redeem man from the Sentence of everlasting death which we had all incurred by disobedience of the first man and to give full satisfaction to the Divine Justice as well for that first or Original Sin as for all the rest which have been committed ever since by other men Quest III. This Incarnation in what doth it consist Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary IT consists in the strict and personal union of the Eternall word with human nature that is with a mortall body and an immortall Soul such as we have from which union there results a compound whom we call Jesus Christ true God and at the same time true man. Whence it plainly follows that in Jesus Christ there are two Natures and one only Person viz. the one divine the other humane nature both united in one the same Person of the Son of God or the eternal word whereas on the contrary in the divinity there is but one Nature three Persons By this Union the Divinity was neither changed into the Humanity nor the Humanity into the Divinity of our Lord for that is impossible But both natures enjoying either of them their own perfections