Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	mortal_a	nature_n	venial_a	6,243	5	12.3225	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68048	The rule of perfection contayning a breif and perspicuous abridgement of all the wholle spirituall life, reduced to this only point of the (vvill of God.) Diuided into three partes. The first treating of the exteriour will of God, contayning the actiue life. The second of the interiour vvill contayning the contemplatiue life. The third of the essentiall vvill concerning the life supereminent. Composed by the R.F. Benet Capucin, preacher, of the holie order of Saint Francis, novv of the prouince of France, heertofore called VV. Fitch, of Canfeld in Essex.; Règle de perfection. Part 1-2. English.	Benoît, de Canfield, 1562-1610.	1609 (1609)	STC 10928.3; ESTC S115066	90,218	200

Beginners Secondly Mentall prayer which is better as hauing more light and serueth for those that are past the beginning Thirdly Aspirations which are little short seruent prayers and enflamed suspires or desires comming some tymes only from the heart some tymes from the mouth and is for the most part a more perfect kind as hauing lesse speculation and serueth for those that haue made some good progresse Finally the Prayer made in this only vvill of God by adhearing only vnto him which is the best kind of all as being only grownded vpon and mayntained by the pure loue and charitie of God and is fit for those whoe haue their spirit enflamed simplified and purged from all images and imaginations or for such as perhaps haue not wholy attained therunto but yet their courage and patience in exspecting the tract of the holie ghost doth supplie their want Those therfore which by their Confessors or directors shal be iudged to be such let them take this last meanes and so they shall find themselfes suddainly illuminated and eleuated vnto the true and essentiall contemplation neither let them lose courage nor thinke it idlenes or tyme lost so to exspect and remaine in the presence of God and at the foote of the Crucifix for so the soule profiteth more brīgeth forth more profownd and spirituall acts maketh a greater offering of herself and a sweeter holocaust of the whole man and finally pleaseth God more then when shee flieth through heauen discoursing of diuine and deepe mysteries and whensoeuer after such attending and due disposition God shall come and visit her shee shal be more illuminated at one tyme then not doing so in a hundred As for the others which are not as yet sufficient to practise this way but take some of the others according to their capacitie they must notwithstanding alwayes remember that they vse such meanes according to this Rule namely in this only vvill of God as hath bein taught that is to say that in all such vocall prayers meditations and aspirations they haue this vvill of God so fully soly and wholy for their obiect and hearts desire that they feele no will nor affection to be comforted illuminated or consolated in that their prayer but only as farre forth as shall please God which whoesoeuer will doe shall find excessiue comfort and ioy because hee findeth the vvill of God which is his only comfort and ioy and therfore so it cometh to passe that hee which seeketh most his owne comfort shall least find it and contrarie wise hee that for the only vvill of God seeketh it least shall most amply find the same Six points therfore or interiour acts are necessarie for them which make their meditations aspirations or contemplatiōs according to this practise The first is to protest that they come to pray only for the vvill of God and to please him without seeking consolation illumination or any satisfaction But heer the fearfull and scrupulous soules must not think that they are tyed heereto vnder paine of any synne either mortall or veniall because this protestation is in nature of a good purpose and not of any obligatorie promisse The second to reflect on their interiour and in sownding the depth therof to examin and discerne without any partiality whether they haue protested the truth or no in which examen they ought to be verie diligent and iudges indifferēt and hee which shal be faythfull in this point in sownding well his interiour shall open the gate to perfect contēplatiō The third to amend and correct what they find cōtrarie to the said protestation maistering proper loue which solliciteth alwayes to desire sensible cōsolation or at least spirituall The fourth to relie cōtinually on this diuine pleasure as on the grownd and principall end of their prayer not caring so much to make any curious discourses and meditation nor to haue feruours and deuotions nor finally to make their prayer according to self liking as to conforme them selfes to this diuine will and to be vnited therunto by a totall resignation to chearish the same in their heart with loue and to adore it with profownd reuerence The fift to discerne and examin some tymes the foresaid protestation by a simple reflexion theron to see if it be not fallen from her puritie and in particular if the tyme seeme not tedious The sixt to rest contented yea and to reioyce in heart with a profownd Ioy and tranquility at the end of their prayer whether it be sterile or feruent that they haue obtained what they desired to weet the accomplishment of the diuine pleasure And note that the soule which is once well entred and eleuated by this meanes of Abnegation for the vvill of God both in and out of prayer shall find no great difficultie afterwards but shall at all tymes enter in again as hauing vndone the knott fownd the secret and diued to the depth of this whole matter and as hauing by experience fownd God the true light ioy and life not whear shee thought nor whear ordinarily men seeke him namely in our selfes or in our owne proper will nor in seeking our owne delight ioy light and comfort but whear shee thought him not to be and whear commonly men neuer seeke him to weet in renouncing our selfes yea and our spirituall ioy consolation and light postposing them all and putting them as it were out of mind for the actuall remembrance and great ioy which shee hath of the vvill of God and to doe his pleasure for the cause why wee can not so renounce ourselfes absolutely for the vvill of God is for no other thing but that wee thinke wee should so leaue and loose both that which wee desire and our owne contentment but when once by such experience the soule hath fownd out the contrarie and that by renouncing yea and forgetting her owne will and ioy for the diuine will her will and ioy is not annihilated nor lost but is fownd in God according to his promisse with an hundred tymes more find she feeleth now no more repugnance nor sadnes to renounce her selfe and offer vp to God her deer and only sonne Isaac her proper will and joy knowing assuredly that though ●●eé be bownd and layd vpon the Altar of ●er heart in the mountaine of prayer and by the sword of Iustice readie to be beheaded and in the fire of charitie shee be willing to consume him yet shall hee not die but liue ●nd according to his name shal be changed into ioy and laughter And of this subiect of prayer a man may see the little table or direction which wee haue made for a method and entry to Meditation A daylie Examination to be made by the practiser of this exercise vvherin is contained the summe or abridgement of all this parte in as much as concerneth the practise therof FIRST let him examin whether hee hath gouerned himself and ordred his actions according to the Rule of

by the fight and were like by elatiō of mynd to loose more in peace then by valiant fight wee had gained in warre but yet may wee know it asmuch as is for our good and asmuch as God seeth to be healthfull for vs namely by coniecture and probabilitie which knowledge and assurance cometh two wayes first if hee haue this firme purpose and general resolutiō habitualy neuer at any tyme to cōmitt mortall synne secōdly if in his cōscience hee thinke that hee neuer gaue ouer the fight but still resisted though this resistāce seemed not so strong for though it seemed weake this weaknes might come of twoe causes first for want of good will to resist and then it is in deed such as it seemeth namely weake and so is very like to haue offended Secondly this weaknes may come by reason of the impulsion of the temptation causing great feeling and delectation in the inferior parte drowning as it were the sensible feeling and knowledge of resistance and goodwill which notwithstanding liueth and keepeth entire in the superior parte and then this want of resistance is not such is it seemeth but is in deed verie great and so hee offendeth not But how shall I knowe say yow of which of these twoe causes this feeble resistance cometh I aunswer by the aboue said habituall and continuall firme purpose and resolution neuer to commit synne for if hee be not accustomed to haue this purpose hee may know when hee feeleth none or almost no will to resist the temptation that hee hath none in deed but if hee haue this generall purpose hee may verily thinke that hee hath resisted and kept pure his spirit and the powers therof though like the three children in the glowing fornace flaming with the fire of concupiscēce so heated by Nabuchodonosor the diuell king of all Babylon and confusion Moreouer it must heer be noted that when wee speake of things commaunded or forbidden wee intend not only the great things which were mortall synne to committ them or to leaue them vndone but also little matters which being commaunded were veniall synne or imperfection to omit or being forbidden were the like to committ for heer wee treat not only of the obseruing of Gods commandements but principally of the way to perfection which consisteth in auoyding of imperfections and heer also must alwayes be remembred that as is aboue said by this word lawe or commaundement I meane not only the lawe of God and of his church but of superiors spirituall and tēporall as likewise of the order state and condition of euery one and finally of the commaundement or intention not contrarie to God of father mother or any other to whom wee are bownd to obay so that whenas by any of these kind of lawes commaundements or intentions wee ought to doe or leaue vndone any thing hee should much deceiue himselfe which should doe the contrarie be the thing neuer so small though vnder pretext of perfection or cōtemplation because as is written Melior est obedientia quàm victimae Obedience is better then sacrifices And whoesoeuer should so doe willingly and wittingly ordinarily is in great dāger through inobedience by little and little to fall into some great error and ruine of his soule and also if hee were of any particular order of Religion by such leauing of little customs and ceremonies to help for his part to ruinate his Order fenced in and defended with such customs as a gardin with a hedge VVherfore I wish him to heare what Ecclesiastes sayth vnto him Qui dissipat sepem mordebit eum coluber Hee which pulleth downe the hedge the snake will bite him and to receiue this admonition from the wise man Ne transgrediaris terminos antiquos quos posuerunt Patres tui Passe not the ancient bownds which thy fathers haue putt before thee For how can that tend to perfection that nourisheth proper will and leaueth of obedience or how can that tend to perfection that diminisheth true performance of profession But what more diminisheth true performance of his profession then to abandon the good customs and constitutions of his Religion which though they be not the essentiall or verie substance throf yet are they the wall trenche or bulwarke to defend the same For as no Captaine of a castle or Gouernour of a towne is so foolish as to beat downe the walles or bullwarks or to fill vp the trenches or ditches of the same which defendeth the towne and maketh the enemy employ his forces and spend his munition shott and powder to win the same and to beate them downe before hee can assalt the castle or towne it selfe so is hee no wiser who beateth downe and abolisheth such ceremonies and customes which keepe in safetie the essentiall of his Rule namely his three vowes and other things commaunded vnder paine of synne and which make the spirituall enemies to spend their forces in expugning the same before they can come to that which is of greater consequence For as when such defences of the towne be destroyed the enemy layeng his seige against it forthwith planteth his Canons and beateth at his will and pleasure against the very howses of the same euen vnto the heart therof and so it is in great danger to be taken and subdued in like manner when such ceremonies be abrogated the enemy beseiging the cittie of the soule without any lett layeth on his whole forces and with his fierie arrowes shooteth full butt against the naked essentiall poynts and vndefēded vowes of his professiō so that hee ought to be so far from such contempt of those things that though he were in great sublime contemplation yet if hee knew that such things were to be done hee ought for the causes aboue said to leaue the same But herein lieth the sore and imperfection in this case that they thinke they should be farther frō God and diminishe their spirituall light whiles they are employed in the accomplishmēt of such little things and ceremonies so that they doe not only omit them by frailtie but also wittinglie and of sett purpose But ●f so it be that by these meanes they be seques●red from God and their light decreased it is either because they doe it vnwillinglie namely exteriorlie and not in mynd which in effect before God whoe regardeth the will is as much as to leaue it vndone or els if they doe it willinglie it is not as heer is taught for the vvill of God only for if this were their end so far should they be from being alienated from God and their light diminished that they should therby be neerer vnto him and their light much encreased because this will which is spirit and life doth illuminate illustrate and so change the works that of corporall they become spirituall of darke and exterior cleere and interior and therfore of those that so doe them it is written Quia tenebraenon obscurabuntur a

to the interior nor to the diuinitie partlie doing or suffering that which hee did or suffered but not as hee did or suffered enduring in some sort with the Sonne heer on earth but not for the will of the father which is in heauen because they haue not this end of Gods will which is so excellent that the Angells haue no better nor any other end then that and is such that it maketh not only our prayers and painfull works or suffrings agreable to God but also our works that be pleasant and delightfull as is aboue said being done syncerely without all fayning for this end and intention VVherfore when any hard thing presenteth it self to be done or suffered let a man doe or suffer the same for this diuine will and so hee shall cloath himself with the Passion of our Sauiour as being the same verie will in such things difficile and shall perfectly imitate him in both the sayd poynts of suffering and of the true end of suffering A particular meanes for Beginners hovv to enter into the practise of this rule and hovv a man may keepe himself therin and greatly fructifie and goe for vvard in the same CHAP. XVII BVT because this rule and exercise consisteth cheifly in interior practise and in the discerning of the motions of our heart which are hardly discouered at the beginning and because through slowth and forgetfulnes aswell the Beginners as others let passe much tyme yea sometymes many howres of the day without practising the same Therfore aswell to open the way to Beginners and to make them an entrance to the practise therof as also to excitate the slacknes and help the forgetfulnes of others I will in fewe lines lay downe some particular meanes wherin all may profitably exercise themselfes as leading the beginners as it were by the hand to the true knowledge of their heart and interiour and to the perfect practise of the same exercise putting both them and the others in mind of their dutie and fidelitie inciting and spurring them forward to the faythfull practise therof Let him therfore that practiseth this Rule lay downe a taske euerie day binding himself therto not by the band of any kind of synne mortall or veniall but by a full and resolute purpose to mortifie and renounce himself for the vvill of God some certaine tymes as thrice fiue or ten tymes according to his seruour and deuotion which abnegations or mortifications shal be taken or practised by any sence facultie or power either of body or soule Of the body as by the fiue sences seing hearing smelling tasting and touching by doing or suffering that which is contrarie or vnpleasant to the same as when hee desireth to see any curious thing behold any beautifull person looke on any delightfull place as pleasant gardins faire castles sumptuous and costly buildings or finally any other thing gratefull to the sight yea and when hee desireth curiously to cast his eyes this way or that way wherby hee is distracted from thinking of God in all which cases hee ought to mortifie his sight by renouncing therin his will for the only vvill of God In like maner when hee desireth to heare any pleasant musick sweet instrument delightfull song curious and strange newes and reports and whatsoeuer is agreable to the eare Also when hee would tast some delicate meats delicious drinkes pleasant fruits or whatsoeuer hee findeth to be delightfull to the tast though in it self the thing be not pretious or rare The like wee say touching smelling to which a man ought to denie all perfumes and other extraordinarie pleasant things In all which cases I say a man may haue matter and take occasion often in the day to renounce himself for the vvill of God in leauing the pleasure of such things according to the Rules aboue said offering them vp willingly as a sacrifice to God sayeng with the Prophet Voluntarè sacrisicabotibi I will voluntarily offer vp sacrifice vnto thee And the same wee say of the things which are contrarie to the said sences namely which be vnpleasant to be seene disagreable to the ●are noysome to smell vnsauorie to tast rude and austere to touche And to this purpose our father S. Francis sayd that hee was so dayly conuersant with the leapers exhibiting vnto them offices of charitie that both according to reason and to his exterior sences it seemed to him a pleasant and sweet thing to be amongst them whose sight in the beginning hee did abhorre And wee reade also of diuers Saints of both sexes which did kisse and licke the sores and vlcers of poor men though perhaps these examples be left vs rather to be admired then imitated except it be by like particular diuine inspiration but although they doe not serue vs for imitation yet at least may they suffice for condemnation of the delicat nicenesse and also of the disdaine and hard heartednesse of those of this tyme whoe can not abide to see them much lesse assist them As touching the powers of the soule one may likewise take ther of his exercise of mortification as of the Intelligence in renouncing for this vvill of God some curious discours or speculation or some mundaine idle and vaine thoughts wherin hee taketh pleasure and delight Also of the Memorie in expelling all thoughts of iniuries contempts disgraces and mockeries as also of all dishonest words discourses sports pleasures and pastimes and all dishonest acts Likewise by mortifieng the VVill in all her intemperate passions and disordinate affectiōs which according to the Philosopher are eleuen to weet loue desire ioy respecting good hatred detestation and sadnes respecting euill which six passiōs appertaine to the partie Concupiscible Also hope dispaire feare audacitie and wrath which fiue haue their residēce in the Irascible parte All which passions Boetius and S. Thomas after him doe reduce to ●oure namely vaine Ioy vaine feare vaine hope and vaine Sadnes in these verses Tu quoquè si vis Lumine claro Cernere verum Gaudia pelle Pelle timorem Spemquè fugato Nec dolor adsit That is if thow wilt cleerly see the truth driue away Ioy put of Feare flie Hope and auoid Greife To this mortification of the will appertaineth also resistance to all temptation of synne to weet of the capitall synnes with all their branches As of pride which is the head of all the other seuen deadly synns of vaine glorie with all her branches which are bosting hypocrisie contention pertinacie discord susurration detraction ioy of the euill and sadnes of the good of his neighbour of wrath with her ofspring of indignation heart swelling clamour blasphemie contumely debate and fighting of Sloath with her progenie of malice rancor pusillanimitie dispaire negligence and distraction of Couetousnes with her euill race of treason fraud in trafficke violence deceipt in words periurie vnquietnes and hardnes of heart of gluttonie with her children of foolish ioy scurrilitie