Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	holy_a	jesus_n	7,332	5	5.7358	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55688	The Present alteration in religion in France discours'd of in two letters : the one from a person of quality to an abbot, the other the abbot's answer thereunto : which may serve as an appendix to the Mistery of Jesuitisme.	Pascal, Blaise, 1623-1662. Mystery of Jesuitisme.	1682 (1682)	Wing P3233; ESTC R25033	6,579	18

The Present Alteration in Religion IN FRANCE DISCOURS'D OF In TWO LETTERS THE ONE From a Peson of Quality to an Abbot THE OTHER The Abbot's Answer thereunto Which may serve as an APPENDIX to the MISTERY of JESVITISME LONDON Printed for Rich. Janeway 1682. The Present Alteration in Religion IN FRANCE SIR I Have not hitherto appear'd scrupulous to you yet I fear I shall now become so and if you wonder at that you will much more at my chusing you my Casuist for it is to you that I will declare a Doubt of Conscience not knowing whom else to consult If you conceive your selt unable to resolve it I confide so much in your Prudence and Friendship that you will give your self the trouble to procure me an Illumination from some of your Learned Friends who will instruct me what I am to think of all that we see which I understand not You know that I have always sought after Men of worth to conduct me and by reason thereof I fix'd my self to the Direction of Messiers de St. Sulpice whose Piety all the World knows They have taken great care to conduct me into the Simplicity of the Faith without embroiling me in the Disputes of the Times and above all to continue firm by a perfect Submission to the Pope without examining his Decrees or making distinction or exception in what he commands seeing the liberty that some take in this matter being the true Mark whereby to know Hereticks and all such as have an ill Opinion in Matters of Faith Such persons were then criminally proceeded against not excepting Bishops themselves that dared to expound the Popes Bulls and I was told we are oblig'd to believe that the Pope was Infallible in Matters of Fact as well as Matters of Faith though we daily saw Writings which prov'd the contrary I read some of them out of curiosity which had like to have done me harm for they were so well clear'd that they fully perswaded my Reason But I fought against this false Light which would have captivated my Understanding by answering my self with that which my Confessor oft told me That in Matters of Faith we must not seek for Evidence and that we ought to contain our selves within this Holy Ignorance which instructs our Knowledg to submit and not to dispute upon the Word of Jesus Christ whoo tells St. Peter and his Successors This Spirit will teach you all things There I acquiesced with much satisfaction until the last year But I must tell you truly I know not where I now am since that time There are daily Edicts of Parliament publish'd against the Popes Briefs and there is publickly maintain'd in these Edicts Maximes and Opinions altogether like unto those which were heretofore attributed to the Jansenists and for which they were treated as Hereticks and Rebels to the Church I have ask'd my Confessor What the meaning was of this change He gave me only for Answer That it was Interest of State which oblig'd us to carry our selves differently according to the Times and that this did not concern me at all This quieted my Conscience never a whit but on the contrary I find it much perplex'd for I ought surely to know what I must hold and Religion is not to change with the Times I do indifferent well apprehend that these Humane Interests do oft times change the Conduct of Princes but the Prelates of the Church in these Occurrences use to speak their Sentiments Here quite contrary the Bishops of France support the Edicts no body contradicts them neither in the Chairs nor Schools nor even in the Tribunal of Confession where Men might under the Seal of Secresie speak their Sentiments with freedom and where the Confessor would be more oblig'd not to suffer that to be a Doubt in the Soul which formerly they establish'd as the Foundation of Faith which was the Obligation to believe and in all things to obey the Vicar of Jesus Christ who supplies his place upon Earth What then shall we think of all this and you your self Sir what do you think of it Those that said heretofore that which is now publickly said were counted Hereticks and it was so thorowly believed that we believe it still In the mean time the King the Parliament and all the Bishops say the same things now Are they changing of Religion Are they going over to them But there is no likelihood of that for they are as much persecuted as ever Who can then unfold so incomprehensible a matter I conjure you therefore to seek out some Light herein and to let me share in it for in good earnest in a matter concerning Salvation I would not remain in any doubt whether I hold the Right or the Wrong And notwithstanding all my Confessors prohibitions I resolve to seek after the Light and shall endeavour to discern where the Truth lies seeing there is no sfety but in following it You will lay the greatest obligation in the World on me Sir if you will please to contribute thereunto and I shall be a thousand times more all my life long Your most humble and Obedient Servant THE Answer to the Precedent Letter I Have Madam observ'd so much good Sense and excellent Ingenuity in the Letter which you confided to me that the Person that wrote it is her self able enough to decide the Case of Conscience which she proposed though it includes things so contradictory and which can so hardly be reconciled It 's true That the Pope's Infallibility was maintain'd some years since as an Article of Faith both in Matters of Fact and in Matters of Right and that all those were treated as Hereticks that were of another Mind the Bishops not excepted who were as much distinguish'd by their Piety as by their Doctrine But now all is chang'd The Pope's Bulls heretofore so sacred and so inviolable are highly condemned by Arrest of Parliament and those Decrees are supported by Authority of the Clergy of France The Vicar of Jesus Christ is no longer Infallible and many other Maximes are Establishing which were formerly charg'd only upon the Jansenists This is it Madam which troubles your Illustrious Friend she would willingly have some body so well inlightned as to prescribe her the manner how she ought to demean her self in so strange a confusion She hath consulted her Confessor and is not yet satisfied I assure you Madam that I pity her and wish nothing more than to draw her out of those snares wherein she is held But as I cannot do it by my own Light I conclude I shall do it possibly by that of others and it will be hard if I find not in Paris some able man to resolve this difficulty which gives her so much disturbance As I was considering whither to repair it came into my thoughts to go to the Carmelites and ask for Father Caesar You know Madam the great reputation he has The great Caesar who vanquish'd the Gauls brought not