Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	act_n	grace_n	habit_n	906	5	9.7429	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47617	An answer to the Bishop of Condom's book entituled, An exposition of the doctrin of the Caholick Church, upon matters of coutroversie [sic]. Written originally in French.	La Bastide, Marc-Antoine de, ca. 1624-1704, attributed name.	1676 (1676)	Wing L100; ESTC R221701	162,768	460

and Order which are three of these seven Sacraments there is nothing of a visible sign unto which the blessing can be joined as there ought to be to make true Sacraments according to the Doctrine of St. Augustine As to their Efficacy we agree with the Gentlemen of the Roman Church and with the Bishop of Condom in particular in that we acknowledge as they do that the Sacraments are not onely signes or seales of the grace of God but instruments or means which he accompanies with his power to confer that very grace But there is this difference which is very considerable betwixt them and us that they will have it that the Sacraments do confer grace by virtue of the words which are spoken and by the action which is outwardly performed upon us Pag. 69 70. provided that we put no obstacle by any evil disposition which is what the Council terms conferring grace ex opere operato as it is also the language of the School that is to say by the action or by the bare celebration of the Sacrament it self And as for us we believe in truth that God doth accompany the Sacraments with his power and that they confer grace when they are received with Faith but not that they do confer it of themselves or by the words which are pronounced and by the outward action done upon us if they be not received with a true Faith The Church of Rome doth believe that this virtue is as it were inherent or affixed to the Sacrament and to the outward action which is in it performed though neither the Council nor the Bishop of Condom believed themselves bound to explain whether it be a Moral or Physical virtue so that according to their Doctrine this iis not necessary it self to be in a good disposition that is to say to have Faith or at least to exercise the acts in receiving the Sacraments It will suffice not to be in an evil disposition and thereby not to interrupt the virtue of the Sacraments or not to put an obstacle thereto for neither the Council nor the Bishop of Condom require any thing else But as for us we hold unto the Word of God which doth teach us in several places that it is by Faith onely that we partake of these graces God not affixing his power meerly unto visible things Pa. 154 as the Bishop of Condom himself confesseth in another place We reject the Doctrine of the Church of Rome upon this point with so much the more reason for that besides that it is very evil in it self there may be observed several considerable abuses which proceed from it 1. First This Doctrine is very evil in it self in that it doth tye the grace of God unto outward things 2. In that it carries men to neglect the acts and habits of Faith and of other Christian virtues teaching them that the Sacraments alone regenerate and sanctifie them without ever troubling themselves so much as to bring any good disposition with them which is a Doctrine whereof the bare Exposition doth disgust those who are not accustomed unto it From whence also proceeds that in the Roman Church they make the greatest part of devotion and piety to consist in causing to be said a great number of Masses and of going often to confession as they speak because they are taught that the action of the Priest and the words which he pronounces have the virtue to confer grace provided onely that they put not any obstacle on their part 3. This opinion hath served to introduce or establish the Doctrine of the Real Presence such as it is taught in the Roman Church which we believe to be very bad as we shall shew hereafter 4. From thence also is plainly come the Opinion of the necessity of giving the Eucharist unto Infants which is an Errour that reigned a long time in the Church and this other Errour of the necessity of Baptism which yet doth raign at this day in the Church of Rome 5. The same Opinion doth also give occasion to several other very wicked and superstitious acts insomuch that there have been some people who have imployed the matter of the Sacraments for Charms and for other most mischievous uses 6. To conclude the Council makes this Opinion a principle to establish thereby many others which we reject and which together do corrupt very much the purity of Christianity So that it is evident that this matter of the Sacraments in general which at the first sight appeared not very considerable ceaseth not nevertheless to be of great importance by reason of the consectaries which it drawes after it for that this is the nature of Errour to be fruitful in productions It were much to be desired that for an intire clearing of what is most considerable upon this Article the Bishop of Condom would have been pleased to have told us something of his thoughts upon the several Doctrines of the Council which he passeth over in silence and amongst others upon that of the Eleventh Canon which requires that the Priest which administers the Sacrament have an intention to consecrate and to confer grace without which there is nothing effected It is known that there are men to be found so wicked as to sport themselves with the Holy Mysteries as indeed of them there be but too many Examples Let them tell us in this case what ought to be thought of all those unto whom these wicked Cheates do pretend to give the Sacraments of Baptism and of the Eucharist of Pennance and of Absolution c. As to some have they not adored what was not adorable as to the others are they not deprived altogether of the effect of Baptism or of Absolution and so of the other Sacraments And as to all the necessary consequents of this principal Doctrine doe they not clearly shew that the Doctrine it self is very evil The Bishop of Condom not saying any thing unto these controverted matters would be content that here and elsewhere where he deales after the same sort his silence should be taken for a tacit consent that all these Doctrines howsoever established by the Canons of the Council are at least of the number of those things which may be waved The Bishop of Condom reduces all the Questions touching Baptisme Baptism unto that of the necessity of this Sacrament for Infants and indeed that is the chiefest All that he says herein consists in three things upon which it may be said at first sight that this haply is one of those places of his Treatise wherein he doth most of all swerve from his natural equity In the first place he condemnes those poor small creatures in terms more formal and severe than the Council it self doth Infants saith he not being able to supply the want of Baptism by the acts of Faith of Hope and of Charity nor by desire or vow of receiving this Sacrament we believe that if they receive it not