Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	person_n	word_n	7,639	5	4.4241	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07608	A treatise of mental prayer· In vvhich is briefly declared the manner how to exercise the inward actes of vertues by Fr. Ant. de Molina Carthusian. Whereunto is adioyned a very profitable treatise of exhortation to spirituall profit. VVritten by F. Francis Arias of the Society of Iesus. Togeather with a dialogue of contrition and attrition. All translated out of Spanish into English by a Father of the Society of Iesus.; Exercicios espirituales. English	Molina, Antonio de, d. 1619?; Sweetnam, John, 1581-1622.; Everard, Thomas, 1560-1633.; Arias, Francisco. aut; Haller, Richard. Breve apuntamiento acerca de la contricion. English. aut; Wilson, John, ca. 1575-ca. 1645?	1617 (1617)	STC 18000; ESTC S112795	94,576	370

the wisdome of God who could find such an inuention and remedy for men for when all the Angels should put themselues to consider the conueniences of it they would neuer cease to wonder And euery passage of the life and Passion of Christ and all that he hath done for man haue so many things worthy of admiration that it is not possible to reduce them to a summe but leaue it to that which euery one findeth by experience hauing considered them with attention 5. It causeth also admiration to see the blindnes of the world and the ingratitude that the Son of God comming to help it it would not receaue him but laid handes on him euen vntill it killed him The hardnes of Christians who after they haue fayth and knowledg of these mysteries they are so litle gratefull for them and profit themselues so litle by them 6. The excellency of the glory of heauen that God would suffer so much to gaine it for men The grieuousnes of sin that God did so much to distroy it The rigour of iustice since so he punished his owne sonne for others sinnes and offences The greatnes of his mercy for least men should perish he tooke their sinnes vpon him The sharpnes of the payne of hell for to deliuer man from all this the sonne of God suffered These and an innumerable company of others are things which do cause admiration in the consideration of the mysteries of Christ 7. And the manner of excercising this affect is this when the soule considereth these or such like things worthy of consideration after he hath pondered as well as he can the reasons of the mysteryes to cause admiration let him looke as one astomished to see so meruailous a thing And desire to haue more light and cleare knowledge of it to prayse loue our Lord more worthily who would worke such things and to cry out with the Prophet saying O Lord I haue heard thy words and was astonished and in a maze O Lord my God how meruailous is thy name in all the world And with this affect to breake into the praises of God extolling his greatnes §. V. Of the Affect of spirituall Ioy. IOY and spirituall gust is of great importance to conserue the spirit and perseuere in vertue as also on the contrary a great inconueniency trouble in spirit is too much sorrow and inordinate griefe especially that which groweth of temporall respects and also the vayne too much ioy which is taken in externall things is hurtfull to the spirit very much for it distracteth it and draweth it to externall things and is cause of laughter and idle words iests curiosityes playes and such like things 2. Against al this is the holy affect of ioy spirituall delight and for this Saintes haue commended much that Religious persons and spirituall men should procure to acustome themselues to carry great ioy and spirituall gust in their soules which maketh a man more composed and more modest in the exteriour and more recollected in the interiour and maketh him despise all the ioy of temporall things and endeauour to do exercises of pennance and mortification and casteth out from his soule all idlenes sloth which commeth of vicious sorrow and griefe and doth many other great profits 3. For this affect of spirituall ioy is to be exercised in the mysteries of Christ in this manner first in those mysteries which haue in themselues any ioy or prosperity to reioyce and be glad at his content and all his glory as if a man should see some prosperous fortunate thing happen to his Father or Brother or other person which he much esteemed as it is sayd in the Ghospell of those persons who with good sincere intention followed and heard our Sauiour his doctrine that they reioyed and were glad at al those things which they saw him do with glory and honour 4. So the soule must reioyce with Christ himselfe to see the feast the Angels make at his Natiuity how the Sheepheards come to adore him and also the Kings how they do prayse him and glorify him and how S. Simeon S. Anne do publish his greatnes afterward how the Doctors admire in the Temple at his doctrine In his Baptisme how his eternall Father did honour and authorize him in the desert how he ouercommeth the Diuel and how the Angels serue him and in all the tyme of his preaching how the people honoured him how the Diuells obayed him the power and authority wherewith he wrought so many miracles the maiesty wherwith they receiued him on Palmes sunday and finally in all the passages of his life yea and in those of his passion as often as any honourable thing shall happen vnto him of authority or prosperity the soule must be glad and ioyfull of it because it is done vnto our redeemer or of the content and pleasure he receiueth by it 5. Also in the sorrowfull things troublesome and paynefull although considered according to the paines griefs despects and aduersities which our Sauiour suffered they must cause sorrow in vs and passion as we said in the first affect but on the other side and cōsidered in another manner they must cause vs great Spiritual ioy for the respects following 6. First considering the glory of God which from thence ariseth more then any other works done in the world and that they were the most gratefull seruices euer done or shal be done heereafter and in which are manifested his power his wisdome his bounty iustice mercy and the rest of his perfections and this is a title very sufficient for a soule that loueth God to reioyce and be glad 7. Secondly for the glory of the Humanity of Christ who in all the passages of his life gaue most excellent demonstraction of his vertue and therfore it is great reason that a soule receaue great spirituall ioy to see their redeemer with that fortitude of mind to ouercome all those torments with that inuincible patience to withstand all the cruelty of his enemies and their malice to see that order modesty and grauity amongest so many mocks and scornes that wisedome in answering so many demands and calumniations that power he shewed when he would throwing downe his enemies with one only word and not consenting that they should so much as hurt any of his disciples that benignity and vnspeakable charity in praying for those who tormented him and in healing the care of him that came to take him 8. Of al these things and many such like it is iust and fit that the soule reioyce spiritually to see their Redemer how gloriously he proceedeth in all things as it would be iust that a souldiar should reioyce to see his Captaine fight valourously against his enemies and to see him also weary himselfe and labour much and although for this cause he should take pitty of him yet on the otherside he would reioyce much if he saw him ouercome his enemies and destroy them and

for this I say as if God had wholy forgotten al the other seruants he had in that people being offended with Salomou and with them and desirous to punish them for the great enormit yes they had committed he said to Salomon Scindam Regnum tuum dabo illud seruo tuo c. I will rent thy Kingdome and will giue it to thy seruant notwithstanding in thy dayes I will not do it because of Dauid thy father Out of thy sonnes hand will I rent it nor will I take away all the Kingdome but one Tribe I will giue to thy sonne because of Dauid my seruant 13. And to King Ezechias who was sicke and looking to die he sent to tell by the Prophet Isay as followeth Ecce sanauite c. Behold I haue healed thee the third day thou thalt go vp to the Temple of our Lord. And I will adde vnto thy daies fifteene years also out of the hand of the King of Assyria will I deliuer thee and this Citty and will defend this Citty for mine owne sake and for Dauid my seruants sake Who is able to declare worthily that which is discouered in these heauenly testimonies concerning this point how much God doth esteeme a man eminent in vertue who doth greatly abhorre all sinne whatsoeuer and much loue all works of iustice is very humble and patient in iniuries very diligent in deeds of charity and wonderfull zealous of the glory of God seeing that he taketh himselfe to be so much honoured by one of these that he giueth him his Name calling him his God and not to displease him leaueth the execution of his iustice against a whole Kingdome and is pacified with his prayer and in a certaine manner doth make subiect vnto him the very lawes of nature to do with his creatures that which pleaseth him and doth for him alone that he doth not for many iust men that doe serue him vnperfectly and he being infinite and eternall Maiesty and man but a creature made of nothing by his only will he doth vouchsafe in a certaine māner to make him equall to himselfe saying I will defend this Citty for mine owne sake and for Dauid my seruants sake How much they doe import and help the Church who do serue God and profit in vertue CHAP. III. ALBEIT all iust men and seruants of God who liue in his grace do help the mysticall body of the Church because with their good works and prayers they obtayne spirituall fauours and gifts by which sinners are conuerted and iust men are maintained yet men that haue gone forward and be perfect in vertue are in this respect of singular profit and vtility For although all iust men be liuing members of the Church children of light neuertheles those other be as the eyes in a mans body and as in this world the greater starres of the firmament and the sunne moone that be as the eyes light of this corporall world 2. So doth holy Scripture call them in sundry places S. Paul to the Philippians sayth In the middest of a crooked peruerse generation among whome you shine as lights in the world And our Lord Iesus Christ declared vnto S. Iohn that the starres which he held in his hand were the Prelats and holy Doctors whome there he doth call Angells of the Churches for that these men of excellent vertue with their learning and principally with their example doe awaken and wonderfully animate all others to the loue of vertue In so much that only one of these is able to conuert a whole Citty and Kingdome keep the same in the feare of God which the example of those who be neither hoate nor could neuer doth for although on the one side they eschew all mortall sinnes yet on the other if a man see them commit of purpose such things as are euidently sinnes but not mortall and that they be carelesse to do works of pennance and charity they moue him very little to the loue of vertue Wherfore to raise vp those who are fallen into mortall sinne there is necessary for the most part an example of great power and efficacy and to inflame those that be cold is necessary an example that hath great aduātage ouer them And because this example is found in those men who haue profited in vertue hence it is that they do so much moue their neighbours and that God doth vse them as fit instruments for so great works 3. So doth S. Gregory say that the examples of holy Fathers do help vs excedingly to the renouation of spirit because by viewing and considering the workes of holy men we be inflamed to the loue of vertue and our hart doth cast of her luke warmnesse prouoked thereunto by the imitation of Saints An excellent testimony of this truth is that which holy Scripture doth recount in the Booke of Iudges It is there set downe how the children of Israel did for long time after the death of Moyses keep themselues in the seruice of God but at length did forsake and depart from the same and the cause of this is said to be for that whilest there were amongst the people auncient and graue men zealous of the glory of God who had seene the meruails that God had wrought with the people they were with the learning and example of these men kept in the feare of his diuine Maiesty but these being once dead the people forth with forsooke God because they wanted men renowned in vertue who with their words and examples might maintaine and prescrue them 4. Besides this a worthy restimony of the same truth is that which holy Scripture doth set before vs in the fourth booke of Kings to wit that when Ioas raigned in Hierusalem forty yeares in the beginning therof he was a good King and did walke vprightly in the sight of God and all the people remained in the seruice of the true God and it is said that the cause of this their good was that there liued in Hierusalem a holy-Priest named Ioiada who in his life time held with his doctrine and example both the King people in the scruice of God but as soone as he was dead departed the King swarued from the truth the people forsooke their God 5. This is then that profit so admirable that Gods good seruants do in the cōmon wealth and in the vniuersall Church of the faithful All iust persons who liue in Gods grace although they haue but little vertue are liuing stones of the Church of Christ and do help the building of this house and spirituall Temple of God and the conseruation of the same as S. Peter telleth vs but good men that goe forward in vertue are the pillars of this building which next after God they do beare vp and maintaine and keep the same vnited with the corner stone and head of all the building which is Christ the Captaine Prince of the whole Church and so doth holy Scripture

doctrine of some very grane and learned Deuines it is an opinion very likely that at the houre of death euery one is bound by commaundement not to satisfy himselfe with the hauing of Attrition alone but be must further dispose himselfe to haue true and perfect Contrition whence we will deduce the causes in the seauenth and eight reasons Wherfore whosoeuer is not accustomed to this whiles he is in good health he will find much difficuity to practise it at the tyme of so troublesome a passage that goeth accompanied with so many paynes griefs cares and anguishes of mind Wherefore we must whiles we are well disposed and in good health encourage one another with the help of God euery day to exercise this art and trade at the least twise a day when we rise in the morning and at night when we go to bed and more then that to teach as many others as we 〈◊〉 to exercise and frequent the same act of Gōtrition euery day The fifth is for that as we are not one moment assured of our liues and it is an article of faith that none can be faued who hath bommitted but one mortall sinne of a cast he hath not true Contrition and Repentance with purpose to go to Confession at the tyme that bindeth for this nothing is more necessary to assure vs of the state of our soule in this behalfe then to exercise this act of Contrition often and euery moment if it were possible The 〈◊〉 is for that though following the cōmon doctrine of Deuines a than a●●ried before confession be cometh doctrine by meanes of the sard Sacrament of Confession yet all haue not euer this tyme commodity of comming to cofession And more then that it ofte hapneth that whō the penitent cōmeth to confession he hath not only no contrition at all but also no true attrition necessary or not following the doctrine aforesaid is inough with the Sacrament of attrite to make him dontrite Wherfore euery one seeth well how necessary it is for him to endeauour euery day to make the seruent acts of Contrition For peraduen ture euen with all this diligence there will be found many who shall haue great difficuity to arriue to true Aitrition and to that which is necessary with the Sacrament The seauenth is for that though this comon doctrine that fayth that the Sacrament maketh him who is but attrite to become contrite be more then propable and speaking morally certaine also yet it is not an article of fayth And therfore in a busynes or so great consequence as is our Saluation a man must not content himselfe with this certitude but he must secure his owne soules good with the help of God as much as he can possibly and that is by doing an act of true and perfect contrition by meanes wherof and with purpose to confesse as hath been said this is a thing so certaine as an article of fayth that he shall be saued The eight is for that though God our Sauiour hath a particuler and paternall prouidence in behalfe of his holy Sacramēts especially for those that be altogether necessary to the end there should not ordinarily be any default of the part of him who administreth them which would be to the exceeding great preiudice of him who should receiue them yet it cannot be denyed but that somtymes there happen some defaults and then the true contrition of the sinner supplyeth all the faults that happened without any fault of his owne in the Sacramēt which faults could not be sufficiently supplyed by any other thing without Contrition Thenin this that as it is gathered by what hath been said there is nothing found in the world that can Contrition excepted make vs certaine of our saluation and on the contrary when all other things sayled so it should be without our fault it alone with a purpose and intention to go to confession at the time required assureth vs sufficiently of euerlasting blisse And by this it manifestly appeareth that a man is not to haue any thing more in recommendation then this contrition And as it is the office of preachers and of ghostly fathers if we beleeue the Apostle to reconcile soules to God it is not to be doubted but that their greatest care ought to be to endeauour that we euer haue in mind true and perfect contrition considering that by it we be immediatly and instantly reconciled to God The tenth is for that seeing God doth the will of them who feare him and that for the loue of ten iust persons alone he had a will to pardon the Sodomits and Gomorrheans certaine it is that in teaching vs all this so holy and healthfull doctrine and so acceptable vnto good and in exercising vs in it his diuine Maiesty will withdraw his reuenging hand the scourges which he threatneth vs for our sinnes and will fill vs with all the benedictions that can possibly be desired both temporall and spirituall The eleauenth is for that to amend the life to roote out the vices to subdue the body bring it into subiection by mortificatiō and pennance to goe on forward in the exercise of vertue to suffer aduersityes both patiently and cheerefully frankly and with a noble mind to forgiue the iniuryes done vs to increase day by day in the loue of God and our neighbour and in the knowledg that we owe vnto God in regard of his benefits and to profit in the practise of the works of mercy and to perseuere till the end in the exercise of al sorts of good works to come to all this there is not to be found a spur more sharp or a more vehement incitation then a spirit mind liuely feruent and continued with true and perfect contrition which spirit and grace a man cōmeth to get by little and little by accustoming himselfe to the exercising these acts of Contrition And we also see on the contrary side that many of them who seeme to haue profited wel come after some yeares spent in the exercise of vertue to fall so miserably as is euery day to be seen which for the most part proceedeth of nothing but that by little little by their negligence they lose this spirit of Contrition and feare of God and contradicting and doing against the counsaile of the holy Ghost they will not feare and trouble themselues for their sinnes already pardoned them And therfore euery one shall do exceeding well to exercise euery day often to renew and reiterate this spirit and these acts of true Contrition An short and profitable Examen of the Conscience to be made thrice a day Morning Noone and Night IN the morning Euery one must know the principall vice wherunto he is most of all inclined seing that that is it which maketh sorest warre vpon him and most of all troubleth him Hauing found it out he must first giue God thanks for hauing preserued him that night from euill and mishap and then