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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	body_n	heaven_n	soul_n	16,244	5	5.2792	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56539	Monsieur Pascall's thoughts, meditations, and prayers, touching matters moral and divine as they were found in his papers after his death : together with a discourse upon Monsieur Pascall's, Thoughts ... as also another discourse on the proofs of the truth of the books of Moses : and a treatise, wherein is made appear that there are demonstrations of a different nature but as certain as those of geometry, and that such may be given of the Christian religion / done into English by Jos. Walker.; Pensées. English	Pascal, Blaise, 1623-1662.; Walker, Joseph.; Perier, Madame (Gilberte), 1620-1685. Vie de M. Pascal. English.; Filleau de la Chaise, Jean, 1631-1688. Discours sur les Pensées de M. Pascal. English.	1688 (1688)	Wing P645; ESTC R23135	228,739	434

and Soul of each particular Christian That as Jesus Christ suffered during his Mortal Life Rose again to a new Life Ascended into Heaven and sate down on the Right Hand of God his Father so also the Body and Soul must suffer die be raised and ascend up into Heaven All these things are fulfilled in the Soul during this Life but not in the Body The Soul suffers and dies unto Sin in Repentance and Baptism the Soul rises to a new Life in these Sacraments and at last the Soul leaves the Earth and ascends to Heaven in Living a Holy Life which makes St. Paul say Conversatio nostra in Coelis est None of these things happen to the Body during this Life but they do afterwards for at Death the Body dies to this Mortal Life at the Day of Judgment it shall rise to a new Life after Judgment it shall ascend up into Heaven and there abide to all Eternity So that the same things arrive to Body and Soul but at different times and the changes of the Body do not happen till those of the Soul are accomplish'd that is to say after Death so that Death is the consummation of the Souls Happiness and the beginning of that of the Body This is the admirable conduct of the Wisdom of God in the Salvation of Souls and St. Austin teaches us on this Subject That God has so order'd it fearing least the Body of Man should be Dead and raised again for ever in Baptism or that he only became Obedient to the Gospel for love of Life whereas the greatness of Faith shines much more when one hopes for Immortality even through the shadows of Death 4. * It is not just we should be without sense and feeling of grief in the Afflictions and sad Accidents that befal us as if we were Angels that have no sense of Nature neither is it just that we should be quite dejected like Heathens that have no sense of Grace but 't is just we should be Afflicted and Comforted like Christians and that the Comforts of Grace should surmount the Sense of Nature to the end Grace may not only be in us but that it may predominate in us that so Sanctifying the Name of our Father his Will may become ours that his Grace may bear sway over Nature and that our Afflictions may be as the Matter of a Sacrifice which his Grace offers for the Glory of God and that these particular Sacrifices may honour and fore-run the Universal Sacrifice wherein whole Nature is to be consumed by the power of Jesus Christ Thus we draw benefit from our own Imperfections seeing they shall serve for matter of this Sacrifice for 't is the aim of all true Christians to make a Benefit of their very Imperfections because all things work together for Good for the Elect. And if we seriously consider it we shall find great helps to our edification in considering the thing in the Truth of it for seeing it is true that the Death of the Body is only the Figure of that of the Soul and that we build on this Principle that we have cause to hope the Salvation of those whose Death we lament it is most certain if we cannot stop the course of our Grief and Sorrow we should at least make this advantage of it that seeing the Death of the Body is so terrible that it causes so much fear in us that of the Soul should cause much greater grief and amazement God has sent the former to those whom we grieve for we hope he has put away the latter let us then consider the greatness of our Happiness by the greatness of our Miseries and let the excess of our Sorrow be the measure of our Joy. One of the most Solid and best Services we can do for the Dead is to do those things they would desire of us if they were living in the World by this means we make them as it were live in us seeing it is their Counsels that live and act in us And as Hereticks are punish'd in the other World for the Sins wherein they have ingag'd their Followers in whom their Poison as yet remains so the Dead are recompensed for those that have follow'd them by their good Counsels and Example 5. * Man is certainly too unable to judge rightly of the state of future things Let us therefore hope in God and not weary our selves by our indiscreet and rash Curiosity Let us refer our selves to God to Govern our Lives and that Grief may not predominate in us Saint Austin teaches us That there is in every Man a Serpent an Eve and an Adam The Serpent is the Senses and Nature the Eve is the Lustful Appetite and the Adam is Reason Nature tempts us continually the Sensual Appetite is ever craving but Sin is not finish'd unless Reason consents Let us then suffer this Serpent and Eve to act if we cannot hinder them but let us pray God that his Grace would so stregthen our Adam that he may continue Victorious that Jesus Christ may be Conquerer and that he might Reign for ever in us §. XXXI Sundry Meditations 1. THe more knowledge we have so much the more we find that there are perfect Men. Common People see no difference betwixt Men. 2. * One may have good Sense and yet not perceive all things aright for there are some that may judge aright in some things that are deceived in others some draw true Consequences from few Principles others draw right Consequences from things where there be many Principles for example some do well comprehend the effects of Water wherein there is but few Principles but whose Consequences are so fine that 't is only a very diligent search can attain to it yet these may not it may be be any great Geometricians because Geometry comprehends a great many Principles and some kind of Wit may be such that it can penetrate a few Principles to the bottom and yet may not penetrate those things wherein there are many Principles There are then two sorts of Wits one that penetrates vigorously and profoundly the Consequence of Principles and that is the Polite Wit the other comprehends a great many Principles without mingling them and that 's the Wit of Geometry the one is strength and clearness of Wit the other is largeness of Wit. Now the one of these may be without the other Wit may be strong and narrow and also may be large and weak There 's a great difference betwixt the Wit of Geometry and a refin'd Wit In the one the Principles are clear but remote from common usage so that one has some difficulty to look that way for want of use but turn a little that way and the Principles will appear plainly and one must have the Understanding very corrupt to reason ill upon such Principles as must needs be seen But in the refin'd Wit the Principles are in the common use and visible to the sight of all

Reason seeing it is a thing above his Reason and that it is a thing so far from being contriv'd by his Reason that his Reason is lost when it is presented to him 10. * These two Estates of Innocence and Corruption being laid down it is impossible but we should be convinc'd of them 11. * Let us follow our own Sense let us observe our own selves and try if we do not find the lively Characters of these two Natures 12. * So many contradictions would they be found in a single Subject 13. * This duplicity of Man is so visible that some have thought we had two Souls a single Subject appearing to them uncapable of such great and sudden varieties from a boundless Presumption unto an extraordinary lowness of Spirit 14. * So that all these contrarieties which seem most to alienate Men from the knowledg of Religion are the very things should most of all direct them to the knowledg of the Truth As for my particular I freely confess that as soon as the Christian Religion discovers this Principle that the Nature of Man is Corrupt and fallen from God it presently enables me to see clearly the Character of this Truth for Nature is such that in all things it shews plainly the loss of God both in Man and without Man. Without these Divine Lights what were Man able to do unless he rais'd himself up in the little remainder of the Thoughts of their last Dignity or cast themselves down in the sense of their present Misery for not having a clear view of the Truth they could never attain to perfect Virtue some considering Nature as corrupted others as irreparable they could not have avoided Pride or Sloth which are the Springs of all Vice seeing they could not shun falling therein by weakness or be freed by Pride for did they know the Excellency of Man they would be ignorant of his Corruption whereby they would avoid Sloath but would be plunged into Pride And did they know the Infirmity of Nature they would not know its Dignity whereby though they avoided the Vanity of it yet it was by running head-long into despair From hence proceeded the divers Sects of Stoicks Epicureans Dogmatists and Accademists c. It is Christian Religion only is capable of curing these two Evils not in making them expel each other by Worldly Wisdom but in expelling both of them by the Simplicity of the Gospel For it teacheth the Just whom it lifteth up to the participation of the Divinity it self that in this exalted State they yet have in them the Spring of all the Corruption which during the course of Life renders them subject to Error Misery Death and Sin and it informs the most guilty that they are capable of the favour of their Redeemer whereby it makes those fear whom it justifies and affords Comfort to those it Condemns It doth with so much evenness temper fear with hope by this double capacity which is common to all of Grace and Sin that it humbleth infinitely more than Reason can do but without casting into despair and elevateth infinitely more than the Pride of Nature yet without puffing up shewing plainly thereby that being free from Error and Vice it only appertains to her both to correct and instruct Men. 15. * We cannot comprehend the glorious Estate of Adam the Nature of Sin nor the manner how it reacheth unto us these things were transacted in a State of Nature diflerent from ours and do surpass our present capacity and indeed all those things are unnecessary for our Knowledg to free us out of our Miseries all that behoves us to know is that by Adam we are miserable corrupt estranged from God but Redeemed by Jesus Christ and of this we have admirable Proofs upon Earth 16. * Christianity is surprising It enjoyns Man to confess that he is vile and abominable and at the same time it commands him to endeavour to be like God without such a Ballance this elevation would render him extreamly Vain or this lowness would render him horribly Contemptible 17. * Misery inclines us to despair greatness doth inspire presumption 18. * The Incarnation discovers to Man the height of his Misery by the greatness of the Remedy that it wanted 19. * There is not to be found in Christian Religion that degree of Misery which makes us incapable of Happiness nor a State of Holiness that is exempt from Sin. 20. * There is no Doctrine more suitable to Man than this it informing him of his double capacity of receiving and losing Grace by reason of the double danger whereunto he is always exposed of Despair or of Pride 21. * Philosophers never prescrib'd any means proportion'd to these two States they inspired only thoughts of Pride and Greatness and this is not the true State of Man they inspir'd also Toughts of meanness and that is not neither the State of Man there must be thoughts of meanness not of the abjectness of Nature but of Repentance not to rest in it but to proceed on to Greatness there must be thoughts of greatness but of that greatness which proceeds from Grace not Merit after having been humbled 22. * No body is so happy as a true Christian nor so Virtuous Reasonable and Aimable With how little Pride doth a Christian think he is united to God how unconcernedly doth he compare himself to the Worms of the Earth 23. * Who then can refuse to believe these Heavenly Lights and to Adore them For is it not as clear as the Light that we feel in our selves indelible Characters of Excellence and is it not also as certain that we feel every Moment the Effects of our deplorable State What then doth this chaos and horrible confusion inform us but the truth of this double State with such a loud Voice that 't is impossible to resist §. IV. It is not incredible that God should unite himself to us WHat most of all hinders Men from believing that they are capable of being united to God is nothing else but the musing upon their own wretchedness if they think on it sincerely and extend it as far as I have done that they confess this vileness to be indeed very great and that we are of our selves uncapable of knowing if his Mercy cannot make us worthy of him For I would fain know how this Creature that confesses himself so Vile comes to limit the Mercy of God and to set it the bounds that his Fancy doth suggest Man knows so little what God is that he doth not know what he himself is and being troubled at the sight of his own State how dares he say God cannot render him capable of communicating himself to him I would ask him if God requires ought else of him but to know and love him and wherefore he should think God should not make himself be known and loved of him seeing he is naturally capable of Love and Knowledg for there 's no question to be

speaking of Enemies Daniel in his 9. Chapter Prays for the Deliverance of his People from the Captivity of their Enemies but he meant Iniquities and to shew it he saith Gabriel came and told him he was heard and that at the end of Seventy Weeks his People should be deliver'd from Iniquity Sin should be at an end the Redeemer the Holy of Holies should bring Eternal Righteousness not Legal but Eternal One can no sooner open this Mystery but 't is impossible but it must be seen and perceiv'd Read the Old Testament in this view and try if the Sacrifices were Real if being descended from Abraham was the true cause of Gods Love if the promis'd Land was the true place of Rest No then they were Figures also consider all the the Ceremonies enjoyn'd and all the Commandements that are not of Charity it will be found they are only Figures §. XIV Jesus Christ 1. THe infinite distance there is from Bodies to Spirits does Figure the distance there is infinitely more betwixt Spirits and Charity for it is supernatural All the splendor of greatness gives but little lustre to those that seek after the Spirit The Grandeur of Persons of Wisdom is invisible to the Rich to Kings to Conquerours and to all the great ones of the World. The greatness of the Wisdom that comes from God is invisible to Worldlings and to Men of Wit these are three Orders of different kinds Great Wits have their Empire their Lustre their Greatness their Victories and have no need of Worldly Grandeur which have no relation to the things they seek Seen by Spirits not by Eyes but enough It is Saints have their Empire their Lustre their Grandeur their Victories and have no need of Carnal or Spiritual greatness which is nothing to them and that adds nor diminishes nothing to the Greatness they desire They are seen of God and Angels and not of Bodies nor of curious Wits God sufficeth them Archimedes would have had the same Veneration without greatness of birth he fought no Battels but he left admirable Inventions to all the World. O how great and beautiful he is to the Eyes of the Mind Jesus Christ without wealth and producing any exteriour knowledg is in his order of Holiness he gave no new Arts he did not Reign but he was Humble Patient Holy in the sight of God terrible to Devils without Sin. O in what great Pomp and Prodigious Magnificence did he appear to the Eyes of the Heart and to the Eyes of Wisdom It had been needless for Archimedes to have acted the Prince in his Books of Geometry although he was one There had been no need that our Lord Jesus Christ should come as a King to shine in his Kingdom of Grace but he came in the brightness of his order It is ridiculous to be offended at the meanness of Jesus Christ as if this meanness was of the same Order of the greatness that he shewed Let this Greatness be consider'd in his Life in his Death in his Obscurity in chusing his Apostles in their forsaking him in his secret Resurrection and all the rest he will be seen so great that there will be no cause to be scandaliz'd at a meanness that is not to be found in him But there are those that can only admire Carnal greatness as if there was none Spiritual and there are others that admire only Spiritual as if there were not those that were infinitely greater in God. All Bodies the Firmament the Stars the Earth and all Kingdoms are not worth the least of Spirits for it knows all these things and it self and the Body knows nothing and all Bodies and Spirits together and all their productions are not worth the least motion of Charity for it is of an Order infinitely higher From all Bodies put together one cannot draw the least Thought this is impossible and of another Order All Bodies and Spirits together cannot produce one motion of true Charity it is impossible and of another Order quite Supernatural 2. * Jesus Christ was in an obscurity according to what the World calls obscurity such as Historians which only write things of importance have scarce perceived them 3. * What Man was ever more Glorious than Jesus Christ the whole Jewish People foretold him before his coming the Gentiles Ador'd him after his coming both Jews and Gentiles look upon him as their Center And yet what Man ever enjoy'd less of all this greatness of Thirty three Years he spent Thirty without appearing in the World in the three last Years he was counted an Imposter the Priests and chief of the Nation reject him his Friends and near Relations despise him at last he dyes a shameful Death betray'd by one of his Disciples deny'd by another forsaken of all What share then has he in this greatness Never Man had so much Greatness never Man had more Ignominy All this greatness was for us that we might know it there was nothing in it for himself 4. * Jesus Christ speaks of the highest things so simply as if he had not thought of them and withal so fully as it may plainly be seen he meant them this clearness with this freedom is admirable 5. * Who taught the Evangelists the qualities of a Soul so truly Heroick to paint it so perfectly in Jesus Christ wherefore do they represent him weak in his Agony cannot they describe a constant Death yes doubtless for the same St. Luke represents that of St. Stephen stronger than that of Jesus Christ they shew him capable of fear before the danger of Death is come and afterwards strong but when they shew him troubled it is when he troubles himself when Men trouble him he is undanted 6. * The Church has been forc'd to shew Jesus Christ was Man against those that deny'd it as well as to shew he was God and the appearances were as great against one as the other 7. * Jesus Christ is a God to whom one approches without Pride and to whom one yields without dispair 8. * The Conversion of the Gentiles was reserv'd to the Grace of the Messias either the Jews did not contribute to it or they did without success all Solomon and the Prophets said was to no purpose The Wise Men as Plato and Socrates could not perswade them to Worship but the true God only 9. * The Gospel speaks of the immaculateness of the Virgin but till the Birth of Jesus Christ all referring to Jesus Christ 10. * The two Testaments have regard to Jesus Christ the Old expecting him the New as his Model both as his Center 11. * The Prophets have Prophesi'd but were not Prophesi'd Saints afterwards were foretold but not foretelling Jesus Christ is foretold and foretells 12. * Jesus Christ for all Moses for one People The Jews blessed in Abraham I will bless those that bless thee but all Nations shall be blessed in thy Seed Lumen ad revelationem gentium Non fecit

here on Earth was accepted and received of God in Heaven This is the State of things in our Blessed Lord Jesus now let us consider them in our selves When we are first admitted into the Church which is the World of the Faithful especially of the Elect wherein Jesus Christ entred from the Moment of his Incarnation by a peculiar Privilege belonging to the only Son of God we are Offered and Sanctified This Sacrifice continues through the whole course of Life and ends at Death wherein the Soul truly quitting all the Vices and love of the World with the Contagion wherewith it is infected during the course of this Life it finishes its Offering and is received into Bliss Let us not then grieve for the Death of Believers as Pagans do that have no hope When the Faithful depart this Life they are not lost We lost them upon a matter even from the moment they entred into the Church by Baptism from that instant they were Devoted to God their Life was Consecrated to God their Actions regarded the World only for God at their Death they were wholly freed from Sin and 't is then they were received of God and that their Sacrifice received its accomplishment and reward They did what they had Vowed they accomplish'd the Work God gave them to do they did the Work they were Created for the Will of God is fulfilled in them and their Will is swallow'd up into the Will of God Let not our Will separate what God has join'd together and let us stifle or restrain by understanding the Truth the instinct of corrupt and deprav'd Nature which only has false Glosses and that by its Illusions interrupts the Holiness of those Notions which the Truth of the Gospel doth inspire in us Let us not any longer consider Death like Pagans but like Christians that is to say with hope as St. Paul teacheth seeing it is the special Privilege of Christians Let us not consider a Body as a filthy Carrion for deluded Nature does so represent it to us but as the Living Temple of the Holy Ghost as Faith doth teach us For we know the Holy Ghost dwells in the Bodies of Saints till the Resurrection and that they shall be raised by the Power of the Spirit that resides in them to this effect This is the Opinion of some of the Fathers It was upon this account that the Eucharist was heretofore put in the Mouth of the Dead for knowing they were the Temple of the Holy Ghost it was thought convenient they should be united to this Holy Sacrament but the Church has changed this Custom not but the Bodies of Saints are decently buried but because the Eucharist being a Figure of the Bread of Life and for the Living it is not fit it should be given to the Dead Let us not look upon Believers departed in the Fear of God as ceasing to Live though Nature would suggest so but as beginning to live as Truth doth assure us Let us not look upon their Souls as lost and reduc'd to nothing but as vivified and united to the Sovereign Being and by hearkening to these Truths let us restrain the great Mistakes we are so inclin'd unto and those motions of horror which are so Natural to Men. 3. * God has Created Man with two Desires one for God the other for himself but with this restriction that the love for God should be infinite that is to say without any other end but God only and that the love for himself should be finite and referring to God Man in this State would not only love himself without Sin yea he could not but love himself without Sin. Since the Fall Man has lost the first of these Loves and the love of himself being only left in this great Soul capable of an infinite love this Self-love has extended it self and filled the space the Love of God had left and so he loves only himself and all things for himself that is to say Infinitely This is the Original of Self-love it was Natural to Adam and just in his Innocency but it became criminal and immoderate after his Fall This is the Spring of this Love and the cause of its defectiveness and of its excesses It is the same of the immoderate desire of Power of Sloath and of other things The Application is easie to be made upon account of the horror we have of Death This Fear was natural and just in Adam whilst Innocent because his Life being very pleasing to God it was the same to Man and Death would have been horrible because it would have put an end to a Life that was conformable to the Will of God. Since Man Sinned his Life is become depraved his Soul and Body Enemies to each other and both to God. This change having infected so Holy a Life the love of Life remains nevertheless and the fear of Death resting also what was just in Adam is unjust in us This is the Original of the horror of Death and the cause of its defectivenss Let us then clear the horror of Nature by the light of Grace The fear of Death is Natural but 't is in the State of Innocence because it could not enter into Paradise but in finishing an Innocent Life It was just to hate it when it could not happen but in separating a Holy Soul from a Holy Body but 't is just to love it when it separates a Holy Soul from an Impure Body it was just to shun it when it would have broke the Peace betwixt the Body and Soul but not when it calms the highest Dissention To conclude when it would have afflicted an Innocent Body when it would have depriv'd the Body of the liberty of honouring God when it would have separated from the Soul a Body that submitted to its desires when it had destroyed all the Good Man was capable of it was just to abhor it but when it puts an end to a wicked Life when it takes from the Body the liberty of Sinning when it delivers the Soul from a powerful Enemy that resists all the Motions to its Salvation it is very unjust to have the same Sentiments Let us not then quit this Love Nature has given us for Life seeing we have received it from God but let it be for the same Life for which God has given it to us and not for a contrary end And in consenting to the Love Adam had for his Life in Innocency and that Jesus Christ himself had for his let us strive to hate a Life contrary to that which Jesus Christ loved and fear only the Death that Jesus Christ feared which befals a Body well pleasing to God but not fear a Death that punishing a guilty Body and cleansing a Vicious Body should give us quite contrary desires if we have ever so little Faith Hope and Charity It is one of the chief Principles of Christianity that all that befel Jesus Christ should also be fulfill'd in the Body