Selected quad for the lemma: opinion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
opinion_n	mortal_a	sin_n	venial_a	597	5	12.4318	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01492	A treatise of c[hri]stian renunciation Compiled of excellent sentences [and] as it were diuerse homelies of ancient fathers: wherin is shewed how farre it is lawfull or necessary for the loue of Christ t[o] forsake father, mother, wife and children, and all other worldly creatures. Against the enemies of the crosse of Christ, ... Wherunto is added [a shorte discourse against going to hereticall churches.]	Garnet, Henry, 1555-1606.	1593 (1593)	STC 11617.8; ESTC S113062	99,728	170

exacted sufficient security before when he requireth Confession sorow resonable hope of perseuerance which is all one with a stedfast purpose of amendment And that he requireth lesse security in this sinne than in another it is not for that it is no sinne at all but because the daunger of other sinnes ordinarily dependeth vpon one circumstāce or vpon a very few but the daunger of this vpon infinite One is geuen to lasciuiousnes take away the occcasion which is but one that is familiar conuersation with euell disposed persons and he is out of daunger One is geuen to fighting and brawling cause him to liue more priuately in an orderly and ciuill house and you see there is great security in his stāding in Gods fauour But one is very fearfull of his estate and discouraged and ready to fall with euery blast of searches or Assises in this man you can haue no security but his owne resolution For if he conuaigh ouer his landes he may be putt in prison if he escape the Assises he may be visited by Purseuāts if these be his frendes yet some Iustice or some Cōmissioner may haue him by the backe as now a daies none are so busy in such base seruices as gentlemen them selues and those the nearest neighbours so that you cānot helpe this man but he must alwaies be in present daunger of falling onely his purpose is necessary neuer to fall againe which if he haue although his ghostly Father thinketh that he will fall if occasiō be offered yet is he bound to absolue him For this is a generall rule in all sinnes Nauar. c. 3. nu 13 that certainty or security of amendment can neuer be required by the ghostly Father of the Penitent for neither the office of a souldier nor of a merchant nor of diuerse other like can in all probabillity long time continew without sinne neither is the Confessour onely not bound to beleeue certainely that such will not sinne againe but the Penitents them selues are not bound to thinke so of them selues as Nauar doth largely teach Yett is there alwaies required to firme purpose of the Penitent which may very well stand with an vncertainty of the effect whan occasion shall be offered experience teaching vs that men of neuer so good resolution may fall againe Thus do we see in what manner lesse certainty may be exacted in auoiding this sinn than in others yet a firme purpose be necessary in this as well as in all others Thus much be said against those which out of this letter defend it to be no sinne But there ariseth a more subtill kind of persons Against those which say it is a venial sinne who hearing out of the same letter that this going to the Church is by no meanes lawfull or dispensable do confesse in deed that the letter condemneth it as a sinne but yet not as a mortall sinne or by which Gods grace is lost and the horrible guilt of eternall damnation incurred but onely as a veniall sinne from which no iust mans life can be free which also is by no maner of way dispensable as well as a mortall sinne I must needes in these persons not onely commend their subtelty of witte in that they very well haue conceiued that a veniall sinne cannot be dispensed withall but admire also the tendernes of their consciences as being so scrupulous and fearfull that they thinke it a worthy questiō to be tossed amōgst Deuines propounded to the Pope resolued from Rome to England whether any action practised in our coūtrey be a veniall sinne or no. It were doubt les a most happy estate of our Countrey if either Catholicks made such account of all veniall sinnes as this letter wisheth they should make of this or those which are our Supiours had not need to let passe many thousand veniall sinnes Wtout cōtroulment I will therfore out of this very letter bring 8. sundry arguments which shall euidently conuince that by the iudgement of the writer going to the Church is a greeuous mortall sinne First for that he saieth it is no waies lawfull excusable or dispēsable for although it be trew that a veniall sinne cannot be lawfull yet is this sinne one of those kinds which the Deuines do call mortall sinnes Exsuo genere 1.2 q. 88. ar ● which S. Thomas doth thus declare Whan the will saieth he is moued towardes any thing which in it selfe is repugnant vnto that charity by which a man is ordained vnto his last end that sinne hath by the very obiect therof that it is mortal wherfore it is mortal of it owne nature whether it be against the loue of God as blasphemy periury and such like or against the loue of our neighbour as murder adultery such others Thus S. Thomas So that this action of going to the Church whether we consider it as against faith as being exteriour heresy or against charity to our neighbour as being schisme scandall or against religion as being a superstitious action or against obedience as being forbiddē by so many Ecclesiasticall lawes it is alwaies against necessary vertewes of Christian life and so mortall of it owne nature Than do I thus argue Whatsoeuer is indispensable in such a kind of sinne as is mortall of it owne nature is alwaies a mortall sinne but so is this ergo c. The Maior is common amongst all Diuines S. Tho ibid. ar 6. who affirme that mortall sinnes ex suo genere can neuer become veniall except it be for the imperfection of the acte as not being deliberate or the smallnes in quantity as in the stealing of a halfpeny neither of which exceptions can here in this action take place The Minor is proued aboue Secondly he saieth that this is contrary to the practise of the Church and the holy Doctours and Fathers vse and example in all ages But fuch practise Doctours and Fathers esteemed it alwaies a hainouse matter and seuerely reprehended it and punished it as all histories do witnesse Therfore will the writer of the letter haue vs to esteeme it in like maner a hainouse and greeuous offence Thirdly he referreth him selfe to sundry treatises See Testā of Rhemes Mat. 10 32 2. e●ist of S. Ihon. writen heretofore but those all especially those of his owne writing condemne it as a mortall sinne ergo Fourthly he alleageth the practise of England from the beginning of the missions of Priests But who is so impudent that he dare deny that alwaies those which haue liued in those missions haue made it a mortall sinne Fifthly he saieth the Pope willed that such as should through frailty go to the Church should be easely absolued than was it his iudgement and the Popes also that there was necessity to be absolued which necessity is not in veniall sinnes which are not necessary to be confessed and are taken away by other meanes than by absolution if so it please the Penitent Sixthly he requireth sorow reasonable hope that they will herafter stand more strongly which is a plaine argument of a mortall sinne for this is not required in a veniall sinne Seuenthly he calleth the absoluing of them a receiuing againe Than were they fallen out of the Church and quite cutt of from Christ his members for this is the common vnderstanding of this word to receiue againe And is there any doubte than of a mortall sinne Finally the intent of his letter was onely for to represse the singularity of him which was well knowen to teach the contrary who now by his going forth hath shewed how neare this point of doctrine in Gods iudgement is vnto flatte heresy Atheisme and it was thought better to vse this milde proceeding thā thè Ecclesiasticall sword and yet certaine promise is made of that also if need require Than was it not his intention to confirmed the others opinion by censuring it as a veniall sinne neither is that sword to be drawen but in case of mortall sinne God graunt therfore that these so graue and manitould autorities make those which go to hereticall conuēticles yet at the least to acknowledge their sinne committed therin not by defending so great an iniquity both to increase their owne damnation to cause the ruine of diuerse others If the lapsed will come to acknowledge their fault to confesse their frailty to abandon and forsake the same the dore of Gods mercy is as open vnto them as vnto all other sinners most lamentable is the estate of such who by obstinae defence of sinne cannot seeke for redresse therof but most desperately runne into wilfull destruction And least this small and simple labour intended onely for the glory of God and for benefitte of the simpler sorte might chaunce to offend any per son at all here do I protest that my penne is not directed against any particuler person neither do I knowe any one particuler person whom these thinges may touch and in my conscience I suspect none and especially of the Clergy I assure my selfe that at this present there is not one besides some which may liue openly in schisme for whom I can not answere neither is it necessary which disagreeth in this pointe from his Reuerend and worthy fellowes Yet do I perfectly know that great hurte is donne euery where and that by Pamphlettes and perswasions of such Lay persons as amongst the simple haue an vndeserued conceite of vertew and learning Such do I touch and yet I know none and therfore conclude with S. Hierome ep ●●●●ep 〈◊〉 cia Neminem specialiter meus sermo pulsauit Qui mihi irasci voluerit ipse de se quod talis est consiteb●ur It cannot ●●and with Christian charity for the necessary good of many to regard the offences and speaches of a few FINIS Faultes escaped Pag. 43. lin 19. Voluntarily ibid. lin 24. epistle Pag. 65. lin 20. were not rich Pag. 73. lin 18. Be constant Pag. 74. lin 24. Seruice Verywell Pag. 94. lin 27. Kunigund Pag. 102. lin 15. which must not Pag. 120. lin 9. of proofe lett Pag. 129. lin 7. he might take Pag. 132. lin 20. griefe Pag. 133. lin 14. confined Pag. 160. lin 12. fit ibid. lin 16 quaedam ibid. lin 17. sancitum