Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	father_n	life_n	way_n	6,604	5	5.4332	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89642	The rule of penance of the seraphicall father S. Francis approued and confirmed by Leo the X. for religious persons of the 3. order of S. Francis : together with a declaration of each point of the Rule, profitable not only to the religous of this order, but also to all religious women / by Br. Angelus Francis, friar minour.	Third Order Regular of St. Francis.; Angelus Francis.	1644 (1644)	Wing M939B; ESTC R200641	90,610	395

this third order as it is now accomodated for religious persons tends to such perfection for as it hath beene declared before and will appeare more plainely in the exposition of the rule this third order is a state of men or woemen tending to Christian perfection by the three essentiall vowes of religion and other obseruances of Euangelicall counsells and hath yeelded many illustrious persons famous for sanctitie and pietie and indeed wholy tends to the perfection of tranquillitie and peace as may be seene in the chapter following This may be confirmed by the Popes who haue approued and confirmed this order to be religious and in the state of perfection Martin the 5. Eugenius 4. in the yeare 1442. Nicholas 5. in the yeare 1447. Paulus 2. in the yeare 1459. Sixtus 4. in the yeare 1471. Iulius 2. in the yeare 1508. Leo 10. in the yeare 1517. 1521. Clemens 7. in the yeare 1526. Paulus 3. in the yeare 1547. Gregorius 13. in the yeare 1575. Sixtus 5. in the yeare 1586. Clemens 8. in the yeare 1595 1600. and 1603. Paulus 5. in the yeare 1610. and 1613. Greg. 15. in the yeare 1621. and Vrbanus 8. who now raignes in the yeare 1626. who with others haue all acknowledged those of the third order of both sexes that make the three vowes liuing in community to be true and properly religious forbidding them to goe to any other orders besides the Carthusians And as such they haue beene receiued by all Christian princes who haue giuen them the same priuiledges which other religious haue And finally Sixtus Quartus doth excommunicate all those that should contradict or deny them to be religious and consequently tend to perfection THE 26. CHAPTER Whether the third order be actiue or contemplatiue THe angelicall Doctour S. Thomas deuides the life of a christian into actiue and contemplatiue because some men doe principally attend to contemplation others to exteriour actions alledging the authoritie of S. Gregory hom 14. super Ezech who saith Duae sunt vitae in quibus nos omnipotens Deus per sacrum eloquium erudit actiua videlicet contemplatiua There be two liues saith he wherein allmightly God doth instruct vs by his word to wit actiue and contemplatiue This last in it selfe and of its owne nature farre exceeds the other which the foresaid S. Thomas proues by many reasons as that because the contemplatiue life belongs to man according to his best part to wit according to his vnderstanding and will for it principally consists in the operations of the soule but the actiue life is occupied about exteriour things Secondly there is more delight in the contemplatiue than in the actiue whence S. Aug ser 26. de verbis Domini Martha turbabatur Maria Epulabatur Martha was troubled Marie feasted Thirdly the contemplatiue is to be loued for it selfe but the actiue is ordained to some other end Fourthly the contemplatlue life is according to diuine things but the actiue according to humaine Whence our Sauiour said to Marie Luc. 10. Optimam partē elegit Maria quae non auferetur ab ea Marie hath chosen the best part which shall not be taken away from her Which S. August ser 27. in the place aboue cited thus expoundeth Thou Martha hast not chosen an euill part but she a better because it shall not be taken away frō her but from thee sometime shal be taken away the burden of necessitie the sweetnesse of truth or contemplation being eternall And S. Basill affirmeth that by these two woemen are set before our eies two sorts of life the one of which is of inferiour note or esteeme because occupied in the more grosse operations of this life and yet maruellously profitable wherfore if thou wilt serue with Martha doe in the name of God for Christ hath said what you shall doe to one of my little ones that you doe to mee whether you lodge strangers feed the poore or be moued to compassion on the afflicted our lord will repute all these offices as if they were done to his owne person But in another place the same Father doth highly extoll the contemplatiue life saying that it is the schoole of celestiall doctrine the discipline of diuine sciences where God is all that is learned where God is the way by which we must goe by him alone we must come to the knowledge of the soueraigne truth So that the contemplatiue life is a continuall adhesion to God in spirit whereby man becomes lord of the whole world hauing his conuersation in heauen there fixeing and placing his mind doth despise all earthly things whiles he esteemes nothing good or great but God and diuine things and here is his continuall pradise vnlesse the law of charitie otherwise require Hence there be found amongst religious orders three states some that giue themselues to the actiue life others that apply their minds wholy to the contemplatiue and lastly others that are partly contemplatiue and partly actiue more or lesse according to their seuerall constitutions Of the first sort are all those orders of knights who make profession of seuerall exteriour acts as to defend the poore or to fight against the Turkes as also all those that giue themselues to keepe hospitalls redeeme captiues and such like Of the second sort be all those ancient hermits Anachorits and monkes and generally all religious woemen who vow enclosure For they lead a life truely angelicall night and day seruing God in the quire and applying their minds to their God in all their actions Of the third and last are those religious orders which are commonly called mendicants who apply themselues aswell to the contemplatiue life as to the actiue which proceeds from the contemplatiue in preaching teaching and conuerting of Nations In this our third order of our holy Father S. Francis be found of all sorts For as it hath beene before declared there be some of them that leade a pious kind of life in the world addicting themselues to godly excercises of deuotion principally of penance whereof they make profession and some others doe liue in conmunities and giue themselues to serue the sicke keepe hospitalls lodge the poore and such like all which no doubt doe follow the actiue way others there be that giue themselues purely to the contemplatiue way and such are those religious woemen of this order as make vow of Enclosure for their whole life hath no other end but to serue and loue God as shall more amply be declared in the exposition of their rule Lastly there are some that enioy a mixt life which cannot be proper for woemen and such be those Friars of the third order in Spaine and France who preach and teach in the same manner as other mendicants doe and not without fruit no other wise differing from the Friar minors who are of the first order than the religious woemen enclosed doe differ frō the poore Clares to wit that their rule and manner of life is not so austere

and bury my father taking for a pretence of their stay the loue reuerence and duty which they owe to their parents But these will not take heede to what immediatly comes after Iesus autem ait illi sequere me dimitte mortuos sepelire mortuos the spirit of truth who can teach all perfection saith follow me and let the dead bury the dead Whereby we are giuen to vnderstand that spirituall workes of mercy are to be preferred before corporall and that the following of Christ is farre more excellent than the duty or respect we owe to our parents for God hath more right to vs than our parents haue True it is we are commanded to honour our Father and mother but first and with much more reason we must honour God we must loue our Parents but aboue all God Well said that holy woman 2. Mac. 7. I know not how you appeared in my wombe for neither did I giue you spirit nor soule nor life and the members of euery one I my selfe framed not but the creatour O that all parents would haue this consideration for if the creatour did giue spirit life and soule to their children can they thinke much to giue them or to permit them to giue themselues to God And herein I haue marked a strange deceit of the enemie for I haue knowne and heard of many that vpon such like pretenses haue staid away from entring into religion they haue beene very well contented to trauell into farre countries or to serue in the court or some such like place where perhaps they shall neuer see their parents much lesse haue occasion to helpe them and most commonly are to them a great burden vexation and trouble yea sometimes to their vtter vndoing yet all is thought well on both sides if they enter not into religion Can there be any greater absurditie than that vpon these aery and vngrounded pretenses of helping or comforting their parents and friends they should withstand the vocation that God hath giuen them and yet in short time withdraw themselues from their parents sometimes also with their consent to range themselues vnder some warlike standards where they may enioy one another afarre of vntill a little bullet dissolue all and conclude perhaps with a dismall end And indeed where soeuer they goe death may suddainely meet with them and then the dead parent dead to God may bury his dead sonne or daughter which might haue happely dyed to the world and alwayes haue liued to Christ Iesus Some others there be who are doubtfull of their abilitie and strength saying with Saul Non vales resistere Philistao isti nec pugnare aduersus cum quia puer es Reg. 17. thou art not able to resist this Philistian nor to fight against him because thon art a child You cannot perseuer in such austeritie your delicate and tender complexion and constitution cannot vndergoe such mortifications fastings disciplines and such like but these doe not ponder that if they with Dauid goe on in the name of our lord they neede not feare the victorie and that he who giueth the vocation will also grant perseuerance both vocation and perseuerance being the gift of God And certaine it is that where there is a good vocation there seldome or neuer can be wanting a happy perseuerance especially where there be so many meanes to conserue it For in religion they are animated by the good examples of others defended by many holy prayers which are dayly offered for them and strengthened by abundance of grace which God doth ordinarly communicate to those that liue in a religious communitie I doe not say but that some may fall but howsoeuer it is rare and that very great malice which God doth most commonly punish with seuerity and some publicke punishment for the abbetterment of others As for what they pretend of weaknesse or of tender complexion besides that as God giues the vocation so also he giues strength to performe it let them take any religious communitie and they shall find some that haue beene as weake and tender if not more than they yea continuall experiēce teacheth vs that those who haue beene most tenderly bred vp are many times such as desire and practise most austeritie And indeed who more ready to fast more prompt on all occasions than those who are of more noble birth and consequently of a more delicate education It is admirable to see how humbly with what submissiue obedience and with how great austeritie and mortification kings and queenes princes and nobles of all sorts haue comported themselues in religion to the confusion of those who haue beene of a lower ranke by birth though equall in religion all setting their hands to the same plough To this we may adde that none ate in better health or of longer life than religious persons who no way confide on their proper force and strength but on the goodnesse and grace of God knoweing full well that it is not humane force which must preuaile but Gods particular helpe and assistance And we all see the strong and well able bodyes to faile and die as soone as the weake Without all doubt there may be many iust reasons to desist from a course of religion begun for many times God doth permit his seruants to be affl●cted with such infirmitie sicknesse or weaknesse for their greater benefit that they are not able to goe forward And then so farre is it from being a disparagement to them either to leaue or not enter into religion supposeing it be not out of lightnesse of mind or inconstancy that as they haue merited much before God in their pious desires so they haue manifested their loue to God being ready to doe more if they could In which case their desire of being religious will not be without the merit and reward of religion as the desire of martyrdome wants not in some part the crowne thereof Nothing more frequent and ordinary than to see very many good soules strongly possessed with a vehement desire of martyrdome to haue beene by the diuine prouidence hindred of the same and euery day many doe attempt with a full resolute minde that which God in his wisedome otherwise disposes No man will condemne a souldier that valourously enters into the field although by accident or want of prouision he be forced to retire Neither can any one blame such vertuous soules who leaue religion not through inconstancy or want of deuotion or desire to perseuer but because it is Gods will to dispose otherwise of them Finally to conclude this chapter omitting many other like meanes that some doe vse to deterre others from religion as generally included in those before mentioned Some there be who out of a great zeale to the good of soules not well considering and pondering the state and vocation of each one doe seeke to draw others to some more perfect state or religious course which thing in itselfe is good and pious as S. Thomas well prooues yet