Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	forgive_v	lord_n	trespass_n	3,485	5	11.3824	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69887	A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.; Nouvelle bibliothèque des auteurs ecclésiastiques. English. 1693	Du Pin, Louis Ellies, 1657-1719.; Wotton, William, 1666-1727.	1693 (1693)	Wing D2644; ESTC R30987	5,602,793	2,988

the Africans had good Success for the Emperor Honorius made an Edict against Pelagius and Coelestius the last day of April 418. And shortly after Pope Zosimus published as we have said his Sentence against them The Council of Carthage in the Year 418. THe African Bishops willing to confirm what they had done against Pelagius and Coelestius Council of Carthage in ccccxviij Assembled upon the First day of May of the Year 418. and made Eight Canons against the Pelagian Errors and some other Orders about the Business of the Donatists The First pronounceth an Anathema against any who dares affirm That Adam was created Mortal so that he must have died whether he had sinned or not because his Death was not an Effect of Sin but a Law of Nature The Second likewise declares an Anathema against such as deny That Children ought to be baptized as soon as they are Born or such as own that they may be baptized and yet affirm That they are born without Original Sin In some places there is a Third Canon which is an Addition to this wherein those that affirm That there is a particular place where Children dead without Baptism do live happily are condemned and to this Notion is opposed what our Saviour saith That none can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven except he be regenerate of Water and the Holy Spirit Photius citeth this Canon in his Collection It is found in another Manuscript and in the Code of the Romish Church published by Father Quesnel And lastly St. Augustin seems to own it when he says That the difference which the Pelagians made betwixt Eternal Life and the Kingdom of Heaven had been condemned in an African Council yet this Canon is not found in the ancient Code of the African Church The Collectors of this Canon have not own'd it and in the Chapters about Grace attributed to Pope Coelestine the 3d 4th and 5th Canons are cited which should be the 4th 5th and 6th if this were the Third Perhaps this Canon was added or look'd upon as an Explication of the foregoing The Third Canon in the common Editions pronounces Anathema against all that should say That the Grace which justifies Man through Jesus Christ our Lord doth only remit Sins committed but that it is not given to succour Man that he may Sin no more The Fourth expounds the Nature of this Grace by condemning those who should say That it doth no further help us than as it gives us the knowledge of what we ought to do but not by enabling us to fulfil the Commandments which it gives us the knowledge of The Fifth is against those that hold That Grace is given only that we may do that which is good with less difficulty because one may absolutely accomplish the Commandments by the Power of his Free-Will without the help of Grace The Sixth declares That St. John did not say merely out of Humility If we say that we have no Sin we deceive our selves The contrary Truth is confirmed in the Seventh Canon by these words of the Lord's Prayer Forgive us our Trespasses c. And they are condemned who affirm That the Righteous do not say this Prayer for themselves but for others In the Eighth there is a Condemnation of another way of eluding the force of these words by saying That the Righteous pray out of Humility but not truly It is said That God would never endure that Man who in his Prayers should lye not only to Men but to God himself by asking with his Mouth That God would forgive his Sins and saying in his Heart that he had none After these Eight Canons concerning Grace some Orders are set down The First Is to reform the Fifth Canon of the Council of Carthage in the Year 407. whereby it was Enacted That those Bishops who converted any Donatists should have the Jurisdiction over them This Order having bred some Disputes it was thought fit here to reform it and it is enjoyn'd That in what place soever any Donatists are reconciled they shall be of the same Diocess with the Catholicks of that place When there were two Bishops in the same place namely The ancient Catholick and the reconciled Donatist it might occasion several Difficulties which the Council prevents in the next Canon which enjoins That the junior Bishop shall make a division of those places where there were many Catholicks and Donatists and that the senior shall have his choice That if there is but one place where the Catholicks and Donatists were intermixt that Place shall belong to that Bishop of the two the place of whose residence is the nearest That if they prove equally distant the Choice shall be left to the People And if the ancient Catholicks desire to have their own Bishop and the reconciled him they had before then the Majority of voices shall carry it but if they be equal then the senior shall have the Precedency Lastly If the Places cannot be equally divided As for example if the number of Divisions should be odd then two equal Divisions shall be made and the Place over and above shall bedisposed of as is said just before In the Third Rule it is provided That whosoever hath enjoy'd a place Three Years shall remain in quiet Possession if there be a Bishop in the Church of that Diocess where naturally he ought to have been The Fourth is against those Bishops who violently took Possession of the Jurisdiction of such places as they pretended to be of their Diocesses without having the matter in Dispute adjudged by Bishops The First ordains That those that shall neglect to procure the Re-union of places dependent from their Diocesses shall be put in mind of it by the Neighbouring Bishops That if they are not converted within Six Months after such Admonition they shall belong to the Diocess of that Bishop that can convert them if it appears that the Bishop of the place hath neglected it It is added That if a Contest happens betwixt two Bishops of different Provinces the Metropolitan of the Province where the place in dispute is situated shall appoint Judges or the Parties shall choose one or three This gives occasion for renewing the Canon which forbids any Appeal to be made from the judgment of Judges thus chosen It is enacted by the Seventh Order That a Bishop neglecting to reconcile the Donatists that are in his Diocess shall be admonished and if they be not reconciled in Six Months they shall not communicate with him until he hath reconciled them Provided always That he who had the execution of the Emperor's Orders was in his Province It is added in the Eighth That if it be proved that any Bishop affirmed that these Donatists were come into the Communion of the Church and it was not so he shall lose his Bishoprick The Ninth enjoins That if the Priests Deacons and other Clerks complain of their Bishop's Judgments they shall be judged by the Neighbouring Bishops with

ep ad Hebr. Hom. 29. ad Pop. Ant. Hom. 17. 83. in Matth. Hom. 24. in ep ad Cor. Hom. 31. de B. Philogonio Hom. 24. in ep ad Cor. Hom. 33. in Matth. But it being impossible not to Sin God hath prepared the remedy of Repentance Those that are guilty of high Crimes as Murther Adultery or Fornication and the like are put out of the Church and enjoyned publick Penance but if they mend their faults they may come in again having purified themselves by Repentance As many as continue in Sin and yet will come into the Church notwithstanding the Admonitions of Christ's Ministers aggravate their crime Men may hope for pardon whatsoever their Sin be but let them have a care of being too confident Few days are enough to get pardon for Sin * L. 3. de Sacerdot ibid. Hom. ad illumin Hom. de Davide Saul Hom. de Diab tentatore Hom. de B. Philogonio Hom. 9. de Poenitentiâ God saith he in the Ninth Homily of Repentance doth not consider the length but the zeal of Penance If you have sinned several times repent come into the Church and put away your Sins As you use to rise up as often as you fall so as often as you have sinned repent of your Sin and never despair If you sin a second time repent again and beware lest ye fall into that consternation which may make you lose the hope of future benefits Tho' ye should sin in the last day of your life yet enter into the Church by repentance this is the time of Remedy and not of Judgment God requireth not the penalty of Sin but grants pardon for it He wisely addeth in the following Homily That none ought to despair but every one ought to beware of presumption for these two extreams are equally dangerous because Despair hinders Men from rising again and Presumption makes those fall that stood upright before Sloth causes us to come short of Heaven and Despair precipitates into an Abyss of Malice And thus S. Chrysostom observes a just Medium between the exceeding Severity of some who thrust Men into despair and the soft Compliance of others who promise Remission without a true and sincere Repentance Whosoever hath committed Sin must own and confess it before In Hom. de Poenit. God if he would obtain pardon He must be truly affected with a sensible grief for his wickedness he must truly return to the Lord and be converted abhorr his iniquity forsake his vicious habits after his course of life and love God with all his heart and above all things and doe every thing for his sake c. The onely thing that may seem difficult in S. Chrysostom's Discourses concerning Penance is what he saith of Confession of Sins For in several places he seems to affirm That it is not necessary to confess to Men but that it is sufficient to confess to God who knoweth the secrets Hom. 21. ad Pop. Ant. Hom. 9. de incompreh Dei natura Hom. 8. de Poenitentiâ Hom. 9. de Poenitentiâ Hom. 20. in Genesim Hom. in Ps. 50. Hom. 11. in Lazarum In Hom. de non evulgandisfratrum peccatis Serm. de poenit moestitia Regis Achab. Hom de bapt Christi of the heart Those passages are remarkable and have often been alledged by the Enemies of Confession It has been answered by some That S. Chrysostom spoke onely in opposition to a publick Confession supposed to have been abolished by Nectarius but these Men doe not observe that most of these passages even the most express are taken out of the Homilies preached at Antioch by S. Chrysostom The best and the most natural Answer is That S. Chrysostom does not speak in those places of those enormous Crimes that are subject to Canonical Penance but in general of such light offences as Christians daily commit for the remission whereof they need neither Confession nor Absolution but only true Motions of inward repentance He likewise discourseth of that sort of Sins when he saith That they are forgiven by Tears by Alms by Humility by Prayer and other remedies of that nature However S. Chrysostom was very severe in the punishment of Sinners and he not only wisht that notorious Sinners might be put out of the Church and enjoyned Penance as Adulterers and Blasphemers but he threatned also to excommunicate those who came to the holy Mysteries negligently and such as lived in hatred and quarrels that minded Stage-plays were envious proud c. Neither would he have great Lords to be spared * Hom. 22. ad Pop. Ant. De Davide Saul Hom. 3. Hom. 17. in Matth. Hom. 4. in ep ad Hebr. In lib. contra gent. de S. Babyla Hom. de Anathemate For saith he as to Ecclesiastical Correction Princes are but as other Faithfull there ought to be no distinction He adds That the Ministers of Jesus Christ should doe their Duty tho' there were no hope that their reproof could prevail Yet he would not have the Sword of the Church used lightly or that Anathema's should be indiscreetly pronounced This is the subject of the discourse concerning Anathema's wherein he endeavours to refute those who without lawfull authority undertook boldly to condemn their Brethren and to pronounce Anathema's upon such matters as they were ignorant of And he observes that Men ought to be extreamly reserved in this case and not to publish Anathema's inconsiderately against any But when there is necessity it ought to be done with an intention to cure and not to destroy those that are under that penalty † Hom. 9. in Genesim He saith further in another place That Zeal must be temper'd with Mercy for otherwise it degenerates into Fury and other Men's faults are not hardly to be judged of In S. Chrysostom's time Martyrs were had in honour they were commemorated in the publick In Hom. de SS In Orat. de S. Babyla Hom. de B. Philogonio Hom. 2. ad pop Antioch Hom. 1. in ep ad Thess. Hom. 1. in illud Modico vino utere Hom. 21. in Acta Hom. 41 42. in 1 ad Cor. Services their Festivals were kept and their Relicks reverenc'd not that they believed there was any vertue in those Bones but because the sight of their Graves Urns or Bones affected and awakned the Mind after the same manner as if the Dead were present and prayed with us because the sight of their precious Relicks made an impression upon the Mind They visited the holy Places with Devotion but S. Chrysostom observes that the chief intention of those Pilgrimages ought to be the assisting of the Poor The Dead were pray'd for and S. Chrysostom exhorts their Relations to give Alms in their behalf Sundays and great Festivals were kept with great Solemnity S. Chrysostom exhorteth Christians Hom de bapt Christi to spend that day in Exercises of Devotion He zealously reproveth all those who employ that day about Businesses or

Friars may not bear Arms That one Child may be given in exchange for another to a Monastery That the Church ought to pay Tribute if it be the custom That Tythes are to be given only to the Poor and Strangers That he that Fasts for the Dead does good to himself but that God alone knows how it goes with the Dead That infirm Folks may Eat and Drink at any Hour The 14th Chapter is about the Reconciliation of Penitents It imports that the Romans do Reconcile them intra absidem that is to say near the Altar in the place which is Rail'd in but that the Greeks do not do so That the Bishop only maketh the Reconciliation on Holy-Thursday but if the Bishop cannot well do it he may empower a Presbyter to do it He adds That in his Province there is no Reconciliation because there is no Publick Penance M. Petit hath joined to this Work some other Collections of Canons bearing Theodorus's Name The 1st might be entituled a Penitential rather than that before mentioned It is discoursed there first of all what they ought to do who are enjoin'd a Penance of One Two or Three Years Fasting 2. What they may do to redeem those Penances whether by reciting Psalms or giving Money to the Poor what number of Psalms they ought to say or what Sums they ought to bestow 3. After what manner Penitents are to come before the Bishop to receive Penance 4. Of the different Penances to be imposed for different Crimes There one may see some remainders of the Ancient Penance Penitents did come in the beginning of Lent to the Door of the Metropolitan Church bare-footed covered with Sack-Cloth and did cast themselves on the ground The Arch-Priests or the Ministers of Parishes did receive them there and enjoined them Penances then they brought them into the Church they sung the Seven Psalms the Bishop laid hands on them threw Ashes and cc Holy Water This Heathen Rite of sprinkling Consecrated Water for the Purging and Purifying of Men which may seem to have had its Original from the Jewish Law which prescribes a Water made with the Ashes of an Heifer to purifie the Unclean by sprinkling them therewith Numb 19. 1 20. was so far from being used or approved by the Christians for many Ages that they abhorred the use of it as a Diabolical Superstition Theodoret commends a Fact of Valentinian then Tribune after Emperor as most suitable to the Christian practice That going before the Emperor Julian the Apostate Theod. lib. 3. c. 16. Soz. l. 6. c. 6. into the Temple of Fortune the Priests sprinkled him as the rest of the Company with Holy Water which when he espved upon his Garment he immediately not only cut off that part where it was but also smote the Priest with his Fist in Anger saying He was a Christian and therefore was defiled not cleansed by their Holy Water which shews that it was not then used among the Christians but in this Aug. Steuch in Numb 19. superstitious Age it crept into the Church among other Ceremonies and is still in use in the Roman Church as a Purgative from Sin Holy Water on them covered them with Hair-Cloth and turned them out of the Church On Holy Thursday they came again and having confessed their Sins again the Bishop Prayed to God to forgive them their Sins and said some Prayers over them It was not lawful to receive a Penitent of another Diocess or Parish without the leave of the Bishop or the Ministers Men were yet put to Penance for Eating things strangled or Blood of Beasts Penances were shorter than in former times but then they were enjoined for very light faults All others but Bishops and Presbyters were forbidden hearing Confessions or imposing Penances The Author of this Collection is different from the former the Constitutions themselves are different from those in the former Collection There be some of them which seem to be made since Theodorus's time The Ten Capitules proposed to the Council of Hereford by Theodorus related by Beda do certainly belong to this Arch-Bishop of Canterbury tho' they be not taken out of his Penitential but out of a Collection of Canons It is decreed in the first That Easter shall be kept the Sunday after the 14th Moon in March. In the 2d Bishops are forbidden to encroach upon the Bishopricks of their Brethren In the 3d They are forbidden to molest Monasteries or to take their Goods from them The 4th Is against those Friars who go from one Monastery to another without their Abbot's leave The 5th Against the Clerks who leave their Bishop Other Bishops are forbidden to entertain them The 6th imports That foreign Bishops and Clerks shall content themselves with the Hospitality used towards them and shall not perform any Function of their Ministery without permission from the Bishop of the place The 7th Appoints Councils to be kept Twice a Year The 8th Forbids Bishops to preferr themselves before others out of Ambition and enjoins them to follow the time and order of their Ordination The 9th declares That it is fit to encrease the number of Bishops according as Believers encrease in number The last Prohibits unlawful Marriages It forbids Husbands leaving their Wives except for the cause of Adultery and orders those that shall leave them to remain unmarried By this decision it appears that the former Collection is not wholly Theodorus's because the 10th Chapter contains decisions contrary to this The Capitules Published by M. Dacherius in the 9th Vol. of his Spicilegium are the greatest part of them in M. Petit's first Collection But this Collection is more Faithful and Genuine for tho' some places thereof may be corrected by the Manuscripts of the first Collection it must be confessed that in this Theodorus's Canons are set down in the order observed by Theodorus and that they are not mixed with so many strange Canons These are the most remarkable things contained in them In the 12th it is said That among the Greeks the Clergy and the Laity communicate every Sunday But that among the Latins it is left to Men's liberty to communicate or not and that those that do not communicate are not Excommunicated for that The 35th Is that famous Article of the Confession It imports That it is lawful in case of necessity to confess to God alone Gratian Burchard and Ivo Carnutensis do quote this passage otherwise Theodorus says in his Penitential That some say with the Greeks Men ought to confess their Sins to God alone Others believe they ought to confess them to the Priests and almost the whole Church is of that mind That Confession which is made to God blots out Sins and that which is made to Men teaches us how they are blotted out God oftentimes does invisibly heal our Evils and sometimes he uses the help of Physicians This differs much from the very words of Theodorus's Penitential if they be faithfully related in