Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	according_a	admirable_a	good_a	24	3	2.1572	3	false

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

is with more Fervour and with a more Humble Contrite Spirit they are performed by so much more easily they obtain what they demand In fine with all these admirable qualities they have yet another of no less note which in all reason should make them more lovely more desirable And it is this they are good against the maladies of the Soul and serve not only as a remedy to cure past Sins but also as a preservative against them for the future CHAP. VIII That the Penitent who truly desires to work his Salvation ought not to satisfy himself with the Pennance enjoyned him in the Sacrament but he ought to perform others and how IT is a great errour and very common amongst Penitents to satisfy themselves if they comply with the Penance that is enjoyned them and to believe that they have done enough when they have performed the Penance such as it was tho' frequently far inferiour to what it ought to be This abuse is the cause of many evils and particularly above the rest of the small progress one makes in vertue of loose living and relapses into Sin it being certain that if we did Penance as we ought for our past offences we should not so easily fall into other sins Mistake not then Theotime but be perswaded that you ought to do other Penances besides those that are enjoyned you in your Confessions and this for several Reasons First the better to satisfy the Divine Justice for your past Sins and by little and little to diminish the punishment which yet remains due from you to be payed 2ly to make you more gratefull and acceptable in the sight of God after your Sins and to merit at his hands those graces which by your former crimes you had justly lost 3ly To restrain you from offending God and relapsing into those Sins for which you see your self obliged to suffer 4ly To cure the vicious and wicked inclinations of your Soul by exercising the acts of contrary virtues All these are the reasons of the Council of Trent cited above in the 5th Chapter to which I refer my self This is the cause why the same Council hath said Ses 6. c. 13. That the Life of a Christian ought to be a perpetual Penance and that the just ought to work their Salvation with fear and trembling by Labour by Watchings Almsdeeds Prayers Fastings and by Chastity And these maxims are drawn from the Gospell the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and his Apostles so that there is not the least ground to doubt of the truth thereof Wherefore dear Theotime I exhort you to reflect seriously upon this truth and convince your self that it is necessary for you to do Penance in whatsoever state you are if you intend to live like a Christian It is a great errour to beleive that Penance belongs only to Religious it is the duty of all Christians and of all those that hope to save their Souls But you will ask me how it is to be done Behold the most easy means can be imagined Penance consists in two things in a detestation of Sin and in suffering in order to satisfy for the injury it hath done to God. One of these is in the heart the other in action Comply with them both and you will perform a very profitable Penance First conserve always in your heart a true regret or sorowfull sense for having offended God. And to conserve it better accustome your self dayly to renew it elicit acts of sorrow in your prayers as at Morning and Night demanding of him pardon for your Sins and detesting them from the bottom of your heart Secondly suffer for your Sins and that two ways first by imposing upon your self some action of Penance to perform every day One while a recital of some prayers otherwhile a distribution of almes sometimes mortification as abstinence or retrenchment of some lawfull pleasures as divertisements or the like But all this must be done upon the motive of making satisfaction for injurys done to God which is the Spirit of Penance 2ly accepting willingly and with the same spirit of Penance and satisfaction all the pains and evils which dayly befall you As the inconveniences of Life the disorders of Body the troubles of mind disgusts loss of goods poverty necessities afflictions either private or publick and generally all the evills which occur and whereof this life is so fertile and abounding But especially the particular pains and hardships which you are forced to suffer in the state and vocation where God hath placed you there not being any where one is not obliged to labour and take pains All these afflictions and troubles we may make use of to do penance and satisfy for our Sins upon condition we suffer them with patience as the Council of Trent hath declared sess 14. c. 8 9. and with sorrow for our offences Whereas on the contrary when we undergo them without patience and without offering them up to God for the remission of our Sins and for satisfaction of the punishment which we have deserved our sufferings are not only not mitigated but also render'd unprofitable without bringing either any benefit for the future or any Comfort for the present which is a thing which we ought to observe well in this place CHAP. IX Of Sacramentall Absolution What it is Wherein it consists and what are its Effects ALtho' Absolution be a part of the Priests office yet it is very fitting that the Penitents should be instructed in it to the end they may receive it with respect and sutable dispositions First he must know that as in every Sacrament there are two parts whereof one is called the matter the other the form Absolution is the form of the Sacrament of penance and without it there is neither a Sacrament nor remission of Sins by vertue of it This Absolution is a juridicall sentence pronounced by the Priest upon the Penitent by which after that he hath taken cognisance of the Sins which the Penitent hath confessed and of his good disposition to receive the remission of them and after that he hath enjoyned him a convenient Penance he remits his Sins on the behalf of God and by the authority which he hath given him It consists but in these three words which are essentiall to it I absolve thee from thy Sins all the other which the Priests says before and after them are Prayers which the Holy Church hath instituted to implore the Grace and Mercy of God upon the Penitent and which may be omitted in case of necessity The effects of the Absolution are to remit the Sin as far as concerns the fault or offence of God and the Eternall punishment and blot out the stains which Sin had caused in the Soul and recover the favour and freindship of God by the means of sanctifying Grace which it bestows upon him and revive in him all the precedent merits which were mortifyed and lost by sin It produceth all these

prudence imaginable with much Charity They complain of them they condemn them they fly from them and seek out the most indulgent and most commonly the most negligent in the performance of their duty There is a mean to be observed betwixt severity and sweetness we must mingle and temper the one with the other as well in the reprehensions which are proper to be given them as in the penances one ought to enjoyn And all this conformable to the dispositions of the Penitent for we must act with more sweetness with an humble and contrite Spirit and with more Severity with him who is void of these good qualities we must employ mildness towards timerous Souls and Severity towards those who are hard and difficult to be moved and so of others Thirdly there remains Prudence which is the third condition which Penance ought to have This is that which governs and directs the two precedent Conditions Justice Charity which applies them in their proper place as they ought to be Now this is not meer humane Prudence only but a Prudence inspired by God and which we ought to beg of him Wherefore the Council said above As much as the Holy Spirit and Prudence shall suggest unto him This Prudence in the enjoyning of Penance consists in the observance of many things but particularly three viz. that the Penitent be able to comply with the penance That it be advantageous to him And that it be secret for secret Sins The Confessour must foresee whether or no the Penitent be able to perform the penance enjoyn'd him he must enquire of him whether he can comply with it and know whether he understand the reasons he alledgeth and he must either shew him the means how to perform it or give him another penance He must as much as possible enjoyn such a penance as may be for the Salvation and amendment of the Penitent so that making satisfaction to the divine Justice he may be confirmed in his grace and in the way of virtue This is done excellently by the imposition of such satisfactory pains as serve also for a remedy against the Spirituall distempers of the Penitent For example Fasting against intemperance and Luxury Alms-deeds against Covetousness and Prodigality and so of the rest In fine the Penance must be Secret that is such as may be secretly performed and without being taken notice of by others so that there be no rational fear that by the Penance the Penitent may be judg'd to have committed some notorious Sin from whence Scandal may arise to others and infamy to the Penitent This is to be understood when the Sin is Secret and the Penitent is in good repute amongst those with whom he lives for if the Sins are publick or known to others or if he be not accounted a very good and virtuous man it is not only no harm that the Penance be known to others but it is often very proper and sometimes necessary that he may edify those by his Penance and Coversion whom he had scandalized by his wicked way of living CHAP. VI. Of the Conditions of Satisfaction in respect of the Penitent THE Penitent contributes two things to the Sacrament of Penance the acceptance of it and the putting it in execution which is the reason why the conditions which it requires of him are that it be well accepted and duly performed First the Penance must be well accepted and before the acceptance it is no part of the Sacrament because as the Council of Trent hath it the Sacrament is composed of three actions of the Pentient Contrition Confession and Satistisfaction Now Satisfaction begins to be an action of the Penitent by acceptance Secondly it is not only necessary that the Penance be accepted that so it may be a part of the Sacrament but the Penitent also is obliged to accept it if he intend to receive the Sacrament This Second follows out of the foregoing truth for the non-acceptance of the Penance would render the Sacrament defective at least in the integrity of its parts nay more it would signify that he hath no mind to satisfy the Divine justice and yet this mind or will is essential to the Sacrament and necessarily included in Contrition as is above declared Thirdly the Penitent is not only obliged to receive such a Satisfaction as himself thinks fit but such an one as the Priest shall judge reasonable And the reason is because the Priest is his Judge having power to oblige him to the punishment at the same time he remits his sins and by consequence the Penitent ought to follow and submit himself to the judgment of the Priest and if he refuse the Priest may deny to give him Absolution The Catechism of the Council of Trent de Penit. Sacram. n. 29. declares this truth in terms very proper to be cited in this place to convince the Penitents of this their obligation See how it speaks Penitentia est veluti quaedam delictorum compensatio ab ejus Voluntate profecta qui delinquit ac Dei arbitrio in quem peccatum commissum est constituta Quare voluntas compensandi requiritur in quo maxime contritio versatur Penitens sacerdotis judicio qui Dei personam gerit se subjiciat necesse est ut pro scelerum magnitudine paenam constituere in eum possit Penance is a certain Compensation or recompence for Sins that is a vertue or action by which one gives to God in some sort the honour which he had taken from him proceeding from the will of him who hath offended and appointed by the will of God against whom the Sin was committed wherefore the will of making recompence is also required in Penance as being the cheif part of Contrition and it is a necessity incumbent upon the Penitent to submit himself to the judgment of the Priest who represents in that place the person of God that he may ordain a punishment according to the greatness of the Sin. By this Authority Penitents may see the obligation they have to submit themselves to their Confessours and accept of the Penance they enjoyn in which Confessours also ought to proceed with much discretion as we have said regarding always what is most expedient for the Salvation of the Penitent In fine that this acceptance of the Penance may be well performed it must be done with these three conditions humbly willingly and sincerely Accept it then humbly Theotime that is with respect submitting your self to the judgment of your Confessor as your Judge your Father and your Physician and of him that holds the place of God if you find any difficulty in what he shall ordain declare it modestly and follow his directions Accept it willingly acknowledging that you deserve a greater punishment and that this chastisement is far less than what you owe to the Divine justice Accept it sincerely that is with a good and steddy will fully to perform all he shall Command you As

Assertion or Tenet of our Faith which doth not require to be well and distinctly understood and for this reason I shall explain every one of them in order as they lie First then we believe that it is a Sacrament that is a visible sign of invisible grace instituted by God for our sanctification Secondly we believe that this Sacrament contains really Jesus Christ all whole and entire that is his Body and Blood his Soul and Divinity Thirdly that under the Species in the Sacrament there remains nothing of the substance but only the appearance of Bread and Wine both substances being truly changed into the Body and Blood of the Son of God so that what we see of Bread and Wine as bigness figure colour smell taste c. are only the accidents and the outward and sensible appearance of Bread and Wine Fourthly that it is He God by his Almighty Power who works this wonderfull change by vertue of the words of Consecration This is my Body this is my Blood in that very moment in which the Priest in the Person of Jesus Christ makes an end of the pronunciation of them Fifthly That in vertue of these Divine words the Body of the Son of God becomes really present under the species of Bread not by it self or all alone but together with his Blood his Soul and Divinity and his Blood also under the species of Wine not singly by it self but accompanied with his Body his Soul and his Divinity with this difference that the Body becomes present there under the species of Bread precisely and directly by the vertue and signification of the words and the rest that is to say the Blood Soul and Divinity are there by concomitance only and by a necessary consequence because the Son of God being alive and the Divinity always inseparably united to his Humanity wheresoever his Body is there also is his Blood his Soul and his Divinity The same is to be said of his Blood which becomes present under the species of Wine directly by the signification of the words and his Body his Soul and his Divinity are also there by a necessary sequel and concomitance Sixthly That Jesus Christ continues whole and entire under the species of Bread and Wine in a Spiritual manner that is without his Quantity and natural extension after the manner of a Spirit that is whole in the whole Host and whole in every part of the Host so that he is there invisible indivisible and impassible And therefore when the Host is divided the Son of God is not divided nor broken but he continues entire in each small particle of the Host as he was before the division in the whole and he who receives any tho' the least part of the Host receives Jesus Christ whole and entire as much as if he had received the whole ARTICLE II. Of the Wonders which occurr in this Sacrament MAny and almost innumerable are the Wonders and Miracles which God works by his Almighty Power in this great Mystery whereof seven are more remarkable The First is that the Son of God in that very moment the words are pronounced becomes really present in the Eucharist and without departing from Heaven where he still remains his Body becomes truly present in the Sacred Host where before the Consecration it never was The Second which follows from the First is that the Body of the Son of God is at one and the same time truly in many places and in as many as there are Consecrated Hosts The Third is this admirable change of the substance of Bread and Wine into the substance of the Body and Blood of the Son of God so that at the moment of Consecration the Bread is no more Bread and the Wine is no more Wine Before Consecration saith St. Ambrose l. 4. de Sacram c. 4. the Bread is Bread after Consecration of Bread it becomes the Body of Christ The Fourth Miracle is that the accidents of Bread and Wine after the Consecration subsist separate from their proper substance which 'till then sustained them God by his Omnipotence preserving them thus in being The Fifth is that the Body of the Son of God is all whole entire and perfect in the Host yet without taking up any place as other Bodies do but after a Spiritual manner so that it is whole and totally entire in the whole Host and also whole and totally entire in each part of every Host after the manner of Spiritual things as for example the Soul which is all whole and entire in the whole and all whole and entire in every part of the Body from whence it follows of necessity that the body of the Son of God is as entire under the least as under the greatest part of the Host and he who receives but one part of the Host receives as much as he who receives the whole The Sixth which follows from the former that tho' the Host be divided or broken into many Parts the Body of the Son of God is neither divided nor broken because being Indivisible he continues in each part as he was before The Seventh is when the Host is consummated the Body of the Son of God is not consummated nor corrupted that altogether divine Body being incapable of any alteration what happens to it in that moment is only this it leaves or ceaseth to be in the Sacrament when the accidents of Bread or Wine are Corrupted and cease to be any longer the Accidents of Bread and Wine All these and innumerable other wonders with which this Sacrament abounds and which it is impossible to relate much more to comprehend oblige us to look upon it as an Abridgment of all the wonderfull effects of the Almighty Power according to that of David Psalm 110.4 where so long before by a Prophetick Spirit he foretold that God as a speciall token of his Mercy had made an abridgment of his Marvells in giving Meat to them that fear him and to behold it as the most endearing pledge which our Redeemer as the Council of Trent hath it Sess 13. c. 2. being ready to depart from this World to his Father summing up as we may say all the riches of his divine love to men most liberally bestowed upon us ARTICLE III. Of the Effects of the Holy Eucharist FRom what hath been said it is easy to judge of the great effects this Sacrament is capable and ordain'd to produce in the Soul of every receiver For as God hath wrought all these so immense and so incomprehensible wonders for our sakes it must needs be that they were design'd to work in us most powerfull effects of his Grace The Son of God by his infinite wisdom hath comprised them all in one word saying Jo. 6.56 that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and that he who eateth his body and drinks his blood remains in him and he Jesus interchangeably remains in him who eats him From these divine

to the performance of the Penance it ought to be exact and faithfully complied with there is an obligation to discharge ones self of this Duty First because it is a part and belongs to the perfection of the Sacrament 2ly because it is enjoyn'd by an authority which hath power to oblige since God hath declared that to be bound in Heaven which the Priest binds upon Earth 3ly because it is in vertue of that acceptance one receives absolution There is then an obligation of complying with that penance which one hath accepted and he who on set purpose or by willfull negligence fails to perform it commits a Sin and an offence against God and this more or less greivously according as the omission is more or less considerable for if it be but a slight omission it is but a venial Sin but if it be a notorious omission as of the whole penance or the greatest part of it it may be a mortal Sin which is to be understood if the Penance was enjoyn'd in satisfaction for a Mortal Sin. Acquit your self then faithfully Theotime of your Penance as obeying God in the person of your Confessour discharge your self of the promise you have made him and compleat the Sacrament But remember to perform it willingly devoutly and secretly Willingly to avoid the fault which those commit who never perform it but with pain and trouble whereby they loose the greatest part of the merit they might otherwise have It is a strange thing that men should run after Sin with so much earnestness and pleasure and should have such an Aversion and Horrour against Penance which is a remedy against it And this is the complaint which Tertullian makes of his time Nauseabit ad antidotum qui hiavit ad venenum We nauseate the Remedy and love the Poyson Perform it also devoutly but especially with a true Spirit of repentance and an acknowledgment that it is a certain satisfaction you make to God for the injury you have done him by your Sins Place them always before your eyes deplore them as David did iniquicatem meam ego cognosco peccatum meum contra me est semper Psal 50.4 In fine perform your Penance secretly if it be great and if it be given you for great Sins but which are altogether unknown to those amongst whom you live that you may neither scandalise any one nor defame your self It was for these two reasons we said in the precedent Chapter that the Preist ought to enjoyn such a penance that may be secretly comply'd with when the Sins are wholly secret and the Penitent also must keep his Penance secret that he may avoid the same inconveniences And yet this is a thing wherein Penitents and particularly young people are frequently faulty declaring indiscreetly their penances to others which cannot but be of very ill consequence when their penances are signall and notorious If the penance be enjoyn'd you for Sins that are known to others as you ought not to affect to publish it so neither ought you to avoid the making of it known being it may serve for the edification of others and satisfy for the scandal which your Sins have caused CHAP. VII Of the Works which may be enjoyn'd for Penance THe most ordinary works of Penance are prayer fasting almsdeeds and whatsoever may have a relation to any of these three such as in respect of Prayer are reading pious books Meditation Confession hearing Mass In respect of fasting all the Mortifications of the body Labour retrenching our selves even of lawfull Pleasures Abstinence from things either Hurtfull or Dangerous In regard of Alms all the Helps and Assistances one can give to their Neighbour These three sorts of works are very proper for Penance and agree with it admirably well For first by these three works we submit to God all the goods which we possess the goods of the Mind those of the Body and of Fortune The goods of the mind by Prayer which subjects the Spirit to God those of the Body by Fasting and other Mortifications and those of Fortune by Almsdeeds Secondly because almost all our Sins consist in the abuse of some of these three things Pride proceeds from the abuse of the goods or advantages of the mind Luxury from those of the goods of the Body and from the abuse of our Riches proceeds Covetousness We repair that abuse by the three above-mentioned works Prayer humbles the mind Fasting tames the body and Alms makes good use of Riches These three works are highly praised and commended in the Scripture as having a wonderfull force to appease Gods anger after Sin and obtain of him all manner of favours It is said of prayers Judith 9.16 That the Prayers of the humble and good have always been pleasing to God. Eccle. 35.21 That the Prayer of him that humbles himself penetrates the Clouds Peircing as I may say the Heavens to mount to the Divine Throne and make it self be understood and graciously heard This made St. Augustine say that it is the same for Prayer to ascend unto Heaven as for Mercy to descend from thence Ascendit Oratio descendit miseratio And he adds elsewhere th●t to make Prayer mount more easily up to Heaven it is good to give it two wings viz. Fasting and Alms. As for Fasting it is said Tob. 12.8 That Prayer is good with Fasting That the Fasting and Penance of the Ninevites appeased Gods wrath against them When God exhorts his People to penance he assignes fasting as one of the most efficacious means Convert your selves to me in Fasting Tears and Lamentations Joel 2.13 And as for Alms it is said Tob. 4.11 That it delivers from Sin and Death And that it will not permit that the Soul which gives it should be lost That Dan. 4.24 by it we must redeem our Sins That Eccl. 29.15 we must hide our almes in the bosome of the poor and it will Pray and obtain of God an exemption from all evil for him that does it There is a great number of other passages in the Holy Scripture to shew how powerfull these three works are to obtain the mercy of God and remission of Sins These three works have each of them three singular qualities which render them more amiable and commend them to our more frequent practise For they are Satisfactory Meritorious and impetratorious They are Satisfactorious in respect of the temporal punishment by reason of the trouble which they give of Sins past either to the Body or Mind and by these pains or trouble willingly undergone one Satisfies for the punishments which are due to the Sins he hath committed They are meritorious in respect of grace and glory which is common to all good works performed in the state of Sanctifying grace They are impetratorious that is they have a particular vertue whereby to obtain of God the favours which we demand and that according to the intention of those who do them and by how much better that