Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	faith_n	love_n	temperance_n	1,648	5	11.0080	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41769	The true idea of Jansenisme both historick and dogmatick. By T. G.	Gale, Theophilus, 1628-1678.; Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1669 (1669)	Wing G152; ESTC R218792	68,669	204

next as more remote and all the principles thereof c. Hence Jansenius passeth on to shew how many waies the precepts of God may be said to be possible §. 19. How many waies the Precepts of God may be said to be possible and useful without sufficient Grace without asserting such a sufficient Grace So Tom. 3. de Grat. lib. 3. cap. 15 c. That the Possibilitie of Gods commands on which the Libertie of Will and the Reason of sin depends may be more fully explicated it must be observed how many wayes a man may be said to be able c. 1. Most remotely by the flexibilitie of human libertie 2. Somewhat more nearly by faith and love 3. But most compleatly by the Assistance of actual Grace This complete power which actual Grace gives is alwaies joined and that inseparably with an actual will Thus therefore the precepts of God are possible 1. To the just by faith and love 2. To unbelievers by virtue of the flexibilitie of natural libertie neither does the suspension of actual Grace at all excuse their moral impotence of observing the Precepts because this impotence is not antecedent but consequent and voluntary arising from the perverse disposition of the will which by how much the more fixed 't is by so much the more inexcusable 't is so far is it from excusing sin Then cap. 17. Jansenius proves that these Divine Precepts are very useful though impossible to be kept by unbelievers without the vain figment of sufficient Grace and that 1. To discover mens dutie 2. To discover their infirmitie 3. To render them inexcusable 4. As a medium of judicial hardnes 5. But especially as to the Elect these Precepts and Exhortations are useful 1. To teach them 〈◊〉 infirmitie their blindnes and hardnes 〈◊〉 heart c. 2. To make them of 〈◊〉 misse and humble spirits willing to 〈◊〉 saved in Gods way and on termes 〈◊〉 free Grace God commands a du●● beyond our strength thereby to dri●● us out of our selves to Christ. 3. To●gether with the Word of Precept 〈◊〉 gives out a word of Power c. Jansenius having discoursed of 〈◊〉 Nature and Necessitie of Efficacious Gra● he proceeds to treat of the several kin● thereof §. 20. The distribution of Grace into Praeventing subsequent operant cooperant excitant adjuvant Thus Tom. 3. lib. 4. de Gr● cap. 12. to the 19th where having give● the sentiments of Suarez and Vasque● and their defects herein he laies do● a division of his own conformable 〈◊〉 the mind of Austin and so distribut●● Grace 1. Into Praevenient and subseque● Which names saies he are respe●ctive whose terme is not Grace 〈◊〉 though one Grace did precede th● other but the acts of the Will Fo● Grace is said to be praevenient becaus● it prevents every good motion of th● will and subsequent as it follows th● foregoing good motion This division had its rise not from the Metaphysick Speculation of the latter Scholemen but from that famous Pelagian Controversie Whether the Will begins the first good mo●ion so as that Grace follows the good ●otion of the will or whether on the ●●●trary Grace praecedes c. Hence Grace operant is the same with praeve●ient and Grace co-operant the same with ●bsequent Hence also Grace excitant is ●iled that which begins the first good ●otion in the will and Grace adjuvant is ●hat which assists any good already be●un in the will c. Jansenius having finisht his Discourse 〈◊〉 Medicinal Efficacious Grace §. 21. An Virtue consists in love to Go● he pro●eeds to the effect thereof namely to ●irtue which he makes to consist radi●ally and principally in Love to God So ●om 3. de Grat. lib. 5. cap. 3 c. Austin saies he teacheth us that the virtue of a Rational creature is no other than love to God Which Doctrine indeed seems very exotick to the Sectators of Aristotles Morals but yet if it be duely weighed it will be found to be most true For mans chiefest goo● and virtue consists in adhering to God which is done by love Virtue is nothing else but a rectified will Henc● he proves that all the Cardinal Virtue● Prudence Temper●●ce Justice Fortitude yea those which they terme supernatural as Faith and Hope have 〈◊〉 their original from Love to God Hen● also he proves cap. 9. 10. That love 〈◊〉 concupiscence which refers all to self 〈◊〉 respect of God is vitious yet 't is not repugnant to love to God to have an e● on the reward for love to God for himself is the only reward of our love to God i. e. consummate love to God is the only reward of our present inchoate love to God Hence Jansenius passeth on to treat of the fear of Hell §. 22. Of 〈◊〉 fear o● Hell its causes effects c. its causes properties and effects So Tom. 3. de Grat lib. 5. cap. 21. c. where he shews that the fear of Hell considered in its self is lawfull and profitable because it is an avoiding of evil yea it may be subordinate to our last end And whereas some stick or acquiesce in this fear as 〈◊〉 the term or center this is the fault 〈◊〉 him that fears not of the fear He ●en distinguisheth 'twixt ordinate and ●ordinate fear of Hell Ordinate is that whereby the fault is more feared than the punishment inordinate when the punishment is feared more than the fault which some call servile fear Thence he leads us to the Spring-head of this fear of Hell shewing how it springs not from a spirit of Adoption which inspires coelestial suavities into the heart but from the spirit of bondage or a certain general Grace of of God Yet addes he this fear of Hell is attributed to the Grace of God because 1. It proceeds from a Legal faith of Gods Eternal Judgement which is a gift of God 2. God followes this apprehension of future Judgement with comminations threats and commotions of Conscience c. 3. God works this fear by softening the heart and that either by the immission of temporal tribulations or by the ablation of carnal delights which harden Conscience Thence he shews cap. 25. that this fear of Hell is not from the special grace of Christ 1. Because it produceth a Legal Righteousness 2. It does not sever the heart from sin because the sinner flies not from sin but from punishment he abhors sin not as sin but as dolorifick or painfull there remains still in such a depraved will which is chained by fear of Hell but not mortified or extinguisht Hence cap. 35. he proceeds to Explicate the good effects of this legal fear in order to a thorough conversion and so he concludes that this servile fear of hell as 't is fear so 't is good but as servile so 't is evil Jansenius having discoursed at large of medicinal Grace §. 23. Of Free-will its nature c. its nature and effects he returns again to the

therewith but that these Truths were so far above the ordinary capacitie of man and the weak being much more numerous than the strong more would be scandalized than edified with such condemnation c. The more to elucidate the Intrigues of the Molinists and to discover what suspicions there were amongst the wiser Jansenists of gaining little advantage to their cause by applications to Rome I shall give the mention of some memorable passages written in an elegant Letter by a Doctor of the Sorbon to St. Amour St. Amour Journal ●ol 205. dated June 16. 1652. Sir I received together the two large Letters you writ me A Letter from a Doctor of the Sorbon touching the little advantage the Jansenists might e●pect from Rome full of testimonies of the confidence and friendship wherewith you are pleased to honor me If I durst I should find fault with your going too far therein for I can make no other construction of your too favorable judgement of me than that it proceeds from a singular Affection which gives you an opinion of me far above what I acknowledge in my●self I have alwayes written unto you in sinceritie and freely signified unto you my thoughts and sentiments concerning your journey to Rome about the Affairs which you manage there and concerning the proposals which you have made to me And because I see things not altered or at least varied only in appearance and some circumstances I cannot change my judgement or disposition 'T is true what you tell me that Residence at Rome is dangerous in regard of the corruption of the mind which oftentimes carries its poyson into the bottom of the heart without being taken notice of insensibly corrupting Faith and Reason it self by human prudence and a manner of life and deportment altogether Political which people contract there unles they be prevented by Gods special protection and favor And to tell you the truth though I am much averse from that vice which passes for virtue in the world yet I account not my self so strong but that I think fit to avoid even the occasions of it Nevertheles 't is not this alone which keeps me from coming to you and taking upon me that part which you would assign me in the Affairs wherein you are engaged If I conceived I could be as serviceable therein as you apprehend and could it reasonably be hoped matters would be so carried and have such Effects and Issues as you aim at solitude should no longer detain me nor the danger of the waies and Residence at Rome keep me from offering my sel● to God to do him service and second you in that which you indeavor to performe to him But I am so strongly persuaded of the contrary both by potent consideration taken from human Prudence as well as from Reasons Divine and founded upon the present posture of things that all the Remonstrances in your Letter have not moved me although otherwise I may say I think without flatterie that I am so devoted to satisfie my friends as far as my ability reacheth that I can scarce deny any thing unto them without doing violence to my self especially in things wherein the service of God is concerned No Sir I ca● not believe that ever there will be 〈◊〉 regular and free Conference about th● matters in contest at this day an● should there be one appointed an● persons found capable of debating th● questions on either side and Judge● intelligent enough of the Truth an● sufficiently impartial to determine them which is very difficult not to say morally impossible I could not promise to my self the succes you aim at and seem to hold for certain All that could be hoped so far as I see from such a conference and most upright Judges is that things would remain as they are Should the Arbitrators be disposed to do some thing more and to pronounce in favor of Truth they who have been inveigled into the contrary part the Temporal Powers ingaged with them and the Spiritual would quite stop the passing of such judgement thereby to avoid offending many of the world and under pretence of eschewing division leave things as they are If you judge my conjectures and the consequences I draw from them disagreeing from your own thoughts yet I am confident you cannot but say that the suppositions which I make and from whence I draw these consequences are very favorable For leaving you to find persons capable to propose and maintain the Truth befittingly in a regular conference I think you will not be backward to confes that there is not the least likelihood of finding Iudges sufficiently intelligent in these matters sufficiently well affected to truth and sufficiently armed against all sorts of Interests to pronounce in its favor when they have discovered it And if there were truly such undoutedly one of the Parties would except against them or elude and prevent their judgement These matters have been agitated examin'd and determin'd also in abundance of the most important questions and difficulties by the Autoritie of two great Popes very learned and of upright Intentions and you know what have been the Issue of those conferences which lasted many years You are far from seeing your Affairs in so fair a way and if you promise your self a better issue thereof I attribute i● to your Zele and the Affections you have for the cause you manage which makes you build too much and ground the hopes of your justly desired succes upon the good reception that hath been shewn you and the fair words which have been given you You will permit me to mind you that that coin is very current in the world and more in the place where you are than in any other t is that wherewith all payment is ordinarily made and many times where there is least Will and Power to give the promises are largest All the proposals of Accommodation made you touching the Bishop of Ipres Book seem to be as suspicious as the promises that are given you and are of much more dangerous consequence You know Sir by experience in some general and particular Assemblies of the Facultie in which you were present how all people easily hearkned unto such Accommodations how it is easie to be inveigled to remit some thing of the Interest of Truth in such cases either by surprize or by weaknes covered with the pretext of peace and how such Accommodations and Modifications are prejudicial to the Truth These are wounds which prove afterward irremediable because they are made by such as professe to defend it and in this they injure it more than they who openly imp●gne it and are its greatest enemies I confesse to you I could never read without pitie and I speak it too without any indignation the Objections and Proposals made to you about the Bishop of Ipres Book and the Bull and that which most amazes me is that they which made these Objections and Proposals passe for persons very