Priests and Ministers and so to build his Church included the creating all these And whoever impugns these impugns Christ and seeks to destroy his Church But can you tel me how this is known that Christ set Bishops to govern his Church S. I who know nothing of the command how should I tell you M. Do you not see Bishops over al the Christian world ask who made them you shal find others who now are dead and that their fore fathers told them they had receiv'd order to do so from Christ and his Apostles by perpetual succession And I pray you have you stronger motives to receive the blessed Trinity Incarnation and Sacraments From this follows if any for ambition or indirect ends should believe or â—each that Bishops are not necessary in the Church of God he is an absolute Heretick as if he beleev'd or taught there were no Trinity Incarnation Blessed Sacrament oâ— holy Scripture But are there no degrees in the people or Subjects correspondent to these of the Hierarchy S. Yes sure there must be severall Classes answerable to those of the Clergy as persons employing their spirits some in the Purgative some in the Illuminative and some in the Unitive way But who they are I know not M. You must distinguish them according to their states The first are such as live in the world whom wee ordinarily cal the People or Lay-men The other two sorts are of Religious persons One of these who dedicate their lives to works of mercy as hospital-keepers and the like The other who addict themselves to Contemplation But know you wherin these differ from the ordinary people S. By the three vows of Poverty Chastity and Obedience By Poverty they forsake riches honours and such pleasures as follow them By Chastity the comfort of Marriage And by Obedience they subject themselvs to the direction of a Superiour for their instruction in spiritual life M. Can you tel mee which among divers Religions is the perfectest S. No Sir But I would gladly learn if peradventure it be my own fortune or of some of my friends to have a mind to Religion M. Attend then Religious life is a wâ—y to seek perfection which perfectly consists in loving God and in nothing but in order to God The means they take is abstinence from whatever may draw their love to any other thing and to think often of God If then we consider this later part which is the chiefest so the most contemplative are the best which are ordinarily thought among us to be the Carthusians But if we consider the other part then those that live in more austerity are the perfectest among which I wil not determin the controveâ—sy because here are many Competitours onely this I add that this want of corporal commodities is to be judg'd not by Metaphysical obligations but by real practise And so whoever is best those who have no real practice of corporal wants must needs be the worst in the nature of Religious however for their particular lives they may be Saints In these three Conferences the Catechist has occasion to recommend the use of Mass Sacraments to his Catechumen and also to let him understand which be the Superiours instituted by Christ over his Church to whom he ows duty which vertuous and good men to whom he ows respect and honour that so he may give every one his due FIFTEENTH CONFERENCE S. SIr you have all this while commanded my answers let me now beg leave to offer you some of my doubts I have heard talk of an other Hierarchy of Angels if I wel remember wherof methinks you speak not M. I do not intend to tel you al I know but what appertains to you to know As for the orders of Angels you may without inconvenience be ignorant of them til it shall please God to bring you to the sight of them 'T is sufficient for you to know that God has ordain'd Angels to govern us to every one one for our Saviour tels us that the Angels of the little ones see the face of his heavenly Father it has been the constant faith of Christians that every one has an Angel for his Governour or Guardian to whom you may do wel often to recommend your self S. Since you are faln upon that point I pray what obligation have I to pray to Angels and Saints and how can they hear me having no ears nor other corporal senses by which to come to the knowledge of my prayers M. If we remember Angels and Saints are in perfect bliss and happiness we shall easily discover that all service or ho nour done to Saints by us is not for their good but for ours And so the keeping holy dayes building Churches and setting up Altars unto God in memory of Saints is to be moderated according to the utility which redounds to the Church by it and in proportion the prayers or what sort of devotions soever are in private us'd to their honours are to be govern'd by the same principle Now the utility redounding to the Church is that wheras human nature is easily weary of being carri'd above it self by prayer and other spiritual exercises and on the other side delighted with variety and novelty the weariness of devotion is help'd and in part remedy'd by the variety which is artificially order'd in it Again mens humours and states of life being so diverse it happens wel that every one may have examples in his own kind to affect him and many times they make a greater profit by such an affinity to their own condition than by a great deal of preaching or good counsel By this you may see what obligation there is to honour Saints and pray to them namely when the Church for the common good of her children prescribes it then that 's to be done whatsoever she commands Otherwise as far as particular persons find need or help by the variety of devotion so far they do very well to follow it S. Sir I hear good men say 't is of great importance towards living well to have the assistance of some special Saints which are in high favour with Almighty God particularly of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God and have been told stories how she ha's obtain'd remission of sins for some persons to whom Christ our Saviour her Son has deny'd it nay if I remember wel could not obtain it of his heavenly Father for them And for this cause I understand some make themselves by vow as I think her Slaves and use extraordinary devotions to her and have great confidence in such actions M. There can be no doubt but the intercession of the holy Angels and Saints works wonderful effects and has a strong force to obtain of Almighty God what 's convenient for our salvation if they pray for us nor yet can there be doubt but they pray for us seeing they
enough so one Fire springs from another yet the new Fire is not call'd the other Fire's Son S. I see now they must both at least bee Living Things else they cannot well bee call'd Father and Son M. I doubt this is not yet enough Think you not likewise that the Father remains in the Son according to some part of him of which the Son is made S. I imagin so Sir else I know not how I came by this matter I have for I am told God creates none a new M. Summ up then what has been said and you 'l find that a Son is a living thing proceeding from a living thing of like nature as from a Principle remaining in it This being setled tell me next what think you of God or the Divine nature is he not a living thing S. Yes without doubt he that gives life to all things must needs himself have life or be living M. And in God whence proceeds this Knowledge of himself we spoke of S. Certainly from Himself or God as Known for I observe that when I get any Knowledge though my soul knows yet the object or thing Known makes me know or makes that Knowledge M. Adde then to these that perfect Knowing is a perfect resembling another that is a being perfectly It or of like nature with 〈◊〉 as was shown and that this Nature in our case is in both Knower and Thing known Living and that Knowledge of God proceeds from God as an object or thing known lastly that the Divine Essence known remains in the Knowledge that proceeds from it is 't not plain that Knowledge of himself in God proceeds as a living thing from a living of the same nature as from a Principle remaining in it that is as we show'd that this Knowledge is properly a Son the Divine Nature known properly a Father and so that There is in God Father and Son S. Me thinks Sir I now begin to see some glimps how the Eternal Son is begotten of his Father which before sounded strangely to me how he is God of God onely begotten the Wisdome and Image of his Eternal Father and such like expressions which I have read in the Crreds and Prayer-books but never could frame any conceit of them which made my devotion very dull and dry But still you have told me nothing of the Holy Ghost M. Did you not tell me that a Spirit has Will as well as Understanding or Knowledge If then the proper Act of the Will be Love and that you grant God loves himself that is be the thing loving thing loved that is the same nature or God in both yet as loving and loved importing distinction as well as Knowledge and thing Known you will easily gather by a Dsicourse parallel to the former that there must be in God besides Father and Son a third that is Love One in Nature yet distinct in Relation which is that we call the Holy Ghost S. I apprehend in some degree how the Discourse goes but I see not why the Holy Ghost is said to proceed from the Father and the Son M. Remember well that the Holy Ghost is Love and then tell me what is that whence Love proceeds in rational things or that which rational things love S. That which is their Good M. And what judge you to be the the proper Good of an Intellectual Nature Is it not Truth S. I think you mean by Intellectual capable of knowing and then 't is plain nothing is so opposit and destructive to it as Errour for they who have this perfectly know nothing wherefore also Truth must by consequence be the perfection and proper Good of an Intellectuall nature M. You answer learnedly but I fear 't is onely repeating by rote what I have so oft told you Well And in what consists Truth Is it not in this that the Object is in the Knowledge S. I conceive so Sir M. And what Object can bee worthy Gods Understanding or proportion'd to it S. None sure but himself or his own essence M. You see then that the Good proper to him and consequently the source of Divine Love is that the Divine Essence as Object or Known be in the Divine Knowledge which includes as was shown Father and Son From both therefore conjointly Divine Love or the Holy Ghost proceeds S. I am much pleas'd with this but why is he call'd Holy Are not the Father and the Son as Holy as he M. Yes but you must conceive that some sorts of actions are appropriated to each of those three and so as nothing can be so proper to teach us knowledge of God as that which is essentially Divine knowledge or the Son for which reason 't was he came to be our Master so nothing is so proper to cause Love of God in us as that which is essentially Divine Love Wherefore since our Sanctity or Holines consists in loving God and to cause this is particularly attributed to him he is from this proper effect of his call'd Holy or sometimes our Sanctifier In like manner he particularly is styl'd Spirit because 't is his office to inspire or breath into our Hearts those motions of Love of God and such good Thoughts as excite them Also he is call'd our Comforter or Paraclite because nothing more heartens and comforts one in the pursuit of Heaven than ardent Love of it S. You have shown me Sir a Trinity in God but I know not what those three are nor how to call them You forbid me to call them three Gods and I cannot imagin what they should be else Common Catechisms and our Creed tell us they are three persons but this leaves me as wise as I was unless I understood what the word means M. Why do not you understand what a person is S. No Sir not I. M. No Sir not you and if I should send you to the Church where men and women and other things were and when you came back ask you how many persons were there what would you answer me S. I would tel you how many men and women were there M. And not how many benches and forms and candlesticks or Altars withal S. No Sir wee do not call those persons but things M. You see then that what in others you cal a thing that in men you cal a person For if you were ask'd how many things were in the Church you would countpictures forms other Animals if any such were there and as many things as you could see but being ask'd of persons you would count onely men and women so that 't is no more to be a person then to be a rationall or intelligent thing Add then to this that as was said there are no Accidents in God because hee is unchangeable and it follows his Substance must bee three some way or
relate and so distinguish the Substance yet not substantially And. a Son being a Living thing proceeding from a Living thing of the same nature as from a Principle remaining in it and Knowledge in God being such in respect of he Divine Essence known That is truly call'd Son This Father Likewise God loving Himself the same thing is Loving and Loved yet as such distinct therefore there is besides in God a a third call'd Divine Love Also Love intelligent things proceeding from their proper Good which is Truth consisting in this that the Object be in the Knowledge Divine Love proceeds from the Divine Essence as Object in the Divine Knowledge that is from Father and Son Whiâ—h Love is call'd Holy Spirit because He makes us Holy by inspiring us with Love of God or Charity as also Comforter Again â— Person being an Individuall or One Intelligent substance and God having no Accidents The distinction in him must bee of Persons There are then in One God three Persons yet not necessarily Three Things Of these the Second took our Nature not by charging God but by joyning Man to God's Person And therefore the Second because 't is proper to Knowledge or Wisedome to teach us or be our Master A shore History of some signal passages belonging to our Saviour Godâ— being made Man to redeem Mankind from Sin and put him in the way to Heaven which consists see in seeing God and Love of God disposing and determining necessarily to this Man is to love God as being All-Good Our most bountifull benefactour and whose Likeness or Image we bear And our Neighbour being made for the same End wee are that is for God we ought to wish him that End and means to it that is love him as our self Also Love of God necessarily disposing to see â—â—m who loves God has great reason to hope to see him grounded in his Goodness and faithfulness to his promise put none can love or hope un ess knowing the things which motives why taught by Faith which se-curely relies On God's Truth saying such things and Tradition or the Infallible Attestation of the Church that he 〈◊〉 them There are then three virtues call'-Theologicall or immedily respecting God necessary to mankind's saluation Faith Hope and Charity Faith being a Knowledge of supernaturall things the way to advance Faith is to increase that Knowledge by Study of such things that is by Prayer of which Mentall has three parts To Know the truth of the point To resolve according to that Knowledge and To raise the heart to God expecting a Blessing Vocall Prayer is better than Mentall as being compos'd by able men and less distractive But worse as â—ess satiating the Soul Less proportion'd to it and Desective the two first parts mention'd Hence of Mental the written are bâ—st for beginners of Vocall Those which are best understood and Well attended to Lastly â— Prayer being the use of Considerations â—â—â—i caâ—ioâ—sly moving to â—ove of God The fruit of Prayer is to advance Charity that iâ— Prayer is the high way to Heaven wheresore without Iâ— Retreat in vertue is inevitable Moreover Charity or â—ove obliging us to give what 's due to those wee love 't will make us render To God Service To our selves what 's best for us that is 't will make us prefer a greater good before a less which is perform'd by Temperance and avoyd a greater harm before a less which is done by Fortitude To our Neighbour If Infeiour or Equall Love Good will If superiour Obedience and Respect which belong to Justice Yet these three Virtues unexcited by Love of Heaven avail not to It though in some sort conformable to Nature They become severall particular Virtues as respecting severall Objects Also Discretion being The right se 〈…〉 of ouâ— Affectiâ—â—â— in oâ—dâ—r to Act on and the three fore and Virtues giving this who has thâ—m has also Dscretion or Prudence There are then â—our Morall or Cardinall Virtues according to which who acts since not byast by ill affections needs not scruple his action though it hap to be imperfect in some other respect Christian Life is a Practice of the three Theologicall and four Morall virtues for God's sake which is done by Chariâ—y Whâ—r fore since the Life of a Christian is to move towards God and Love of God or Charity makes us do so It onely is a Christians Life and he dead without It. Wherefore what causes ibis death is Mortall Sin which springs from love of Creatures above all things bringing neglect of our Duties yet not every such neglect Mortall but In those to our Neighbour such as would absolutely break Friendship In those to our selves such as done us by another would make us fall out with him In those towards God such misrespect as to our Neighbour were want of â—ove Other Neglects are Venial From what 's said follows is most full of Pleasure and Credit Also It fits us for the next world For who loves God or aâ—y thing for it's self is dispos'd to love it ever Wherefore Love of God or desire to see him remaining in a soul separated It shall see him else would bee miserable for loving him and God cruell Further The pleasure of the Mind had by Knowledge infinitly surpassing that of the body and The seeing all Truths in God as in the supreme Cause being the highest Knowledge the Sight of God beatifies a Soul To which is consequent content in our own former Actions and Friend But the things desired by the wicked are temporall fading therefore the dâ—sires of them remaining â—xâ—â—ssively tâ—rments with Greeâ— which inflicted by another is truly Pain Infinit as being in the Soul and Enledss In regard Those Desires must ever remain unchang'd The Soul as indivisible being unaccessive Yet Veniall Affections are changeble therefore may be purg'd Also Souls shal finally receiue their Bodies because Their desires of them are naturall The manner â—ow with The endowments of Glorify'd and contrary Dispositions of damned Bodies Hence A virtuous life finally brings Insinit more Pleasure Honour and Power than a wicked and is above need of wealth The means to bring corrupt Mankind to loue God being Miracles and Teaching and this ineâ—â—icacious unless lively conceited by the Teachers therefore Divine Love or the Holy Ghost was to descend upon the Apostles in virtue of which primitive vâ—gour Christ's doctrin was brought down from them to us that is the Church is truly Apostolical and Catholik as planted by the Apostles universally as having some of her profession in each câ—untry as the only eminent Congregation in Câ—â—istendome Also Having an entire Body of Faith or Doctrin fit to promote Sanctity Laws Customes conformable to that Faith and extraordinary Sanctity attainable by her Principles and practis'd by her children she is likewise Holy Lastly Her rule of Faith Tradition Her externall Profession of Faith and Her Government being the same all ovâ—r She is also One