Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	father_n	ghost_n	holy_a	6,035	5	5.1275	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41099	The maxims of the saints explained, concerning the interiour life by the Lord Arch-bishop of Cambray &c. ; to which are added, Thirty-four articles by the Lord Arch-Bishop of Paris, the Bishops of Meaux and Chartres, (that occasioned this book), also their declaration upon it ; together with the French-King's and the Arch-Bishop of Cambray's letters to the Pope upon the same subject.; Explication des maximes des saints sur la vie interieure. English	Fénelon, François de Salignac de La Mothe-, 1651-1715.; Fénelon, François de Salignac de La Mothe-, 1651-1715. Correspondence.; Louis XIV, King of France, 1638-1715. Correspondence.; Noailles, Louis-Antoine de, 1651-1729.; Godet des Marais, Paul, 1647-1709.; Bossuet, Jacques Bénigne, 1627-1704. Instruction sur les estats d'oraison, où sont exposées les erreurs des faux mystiques de nos jours.	1698 (1698)	Wing F675; ESTC R6318	100,920	267

praesertim eodem Concilio docente omnibus benè operantibus usque in finem in Deo sperantibus ac proindè optimo cuique perfectissimo vita aeterna tanquam merces proponenda sit quo motivo non mercenarii fiunt sed filii paternae hereditatis ex ipsâ caritate studiosi Huc accedit quod dogmata in libro tradita eo tendant invito licet auctore ut actuum directorum beneficio vitium cum virtute oppositâ stare possit ut dum anima justitiae divinae praepostero studio omnibus occultis Dei voluntatibus acquiescit in plenam absolutam reprobationem imprudens consentiat ut quod vetat Apostolus ad subtilia vaniloquia deducamur Postremò Ecclesiae peregrinantis atque in patriam suspirantis extinguuntur gemitus Paulus alii inter ipsa martyria expectantes beatam spem atque hoc lucrum reposcentes inter mercenarios ablegantur Nos verò formam habentes sanorum verborum sanctorumque vestigiis inhaerentes rebus impossibilibus absurdis Christianam pietatem perfectionemque minimè metimur Nec insolitos affectus quos pauci sanctorum parcè transeunterque effuderunt confestim in regulam in vitae statum verti oportere credimus neque has voluntates consensiones-ve quae circà impossibilia versantur veras voluntates consensiones-que sed velleitates more scholae appellamus Haec igitur vera à majoribus accepimus haec sentimus haec omnibus testata esse volumus DATVM Parisiis in Palatio Archiepiscopali anno Domini Millesimo Sexcentesimo Nonagesimo Septimo Die vero mensis Augusti sextâ Ludovicus Ant. Arch. Parisiensis J. Benigne Episc Meldensis Paulus Episc Carnotensis As the foregoing Declaration makes frequent mention of the Thirty Four Articles made the 16th and 26th of April 1695. We thought it our Duty to insert them in this place as we find them in a Book of the said Lord Bishop of Meaux Entituled Instructions concerning the nature of Prayer 1. EVery Christian in every Condition tho' not every moment is obliged to live in an Exercise of Faith Hope and Charity and to produce distinct Acts of them as they are three several Virtues 2. Every Christian is obliged to have an explicite Faith in Almighty God Creator of Heaven and Earth the rewarder of all that seek him and in his other Attributes that are alike revealed and to put this Faith into actual Exercise tho' not every moment 3. Every Christian in like manner is obliged to have an explicit Faith in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and to act this Faith in every condition tho' not every moment 4. Every Christian is also oblig'd to have an explicite Faith in Christ Jesus God and Man as Mediator without whom he cannot draw nigh to God and to act this Faith in every condition tho' not every moment 5. Every Christian in every Condition tho' not every moment is obliged to will desire and explicitly to seek his own eternal salvation as a thing which God willeth and which he would have us will for his Glory 6. God will have every Christian in every Condition tho not every moment expresly to ask of him the forgiveness of his Sins grace to abstain from them perseverance in doing good the increase of Virtue and every other thing that is necessary to Salvation 7. A Christian in every Condition is to strive against Concupiscence tho' not at all times alike which doth engage him in every Condition tho' not every moment to pray for strength against Temptations 8. All these Propositions are according to the Catholick Faith being expresly contained in the Apostle's-Creed and the Lord's-Prayer which is a common and daily Prayer to be used by all the Children of God or else expresly defin'd by the Church as is that of asking forgiveness of Sins and the gift of perseverance and that of striving against Covetousness in the Councils of Carthage Orange and Trent as those Propositions that are contrary thereunto are formally Heretical 9. A Christian is not allowed to be indifferent in the matter of his Salvation nor in those that tend thereunto holy Christian indifference regards the events of this Life Sin only reserved and the dispensation of Comforts or Spiritual droughts 10. The fore-mentioned Acts do not derogate from the highest Christian perfection and cease not to be perfect because they are perceivable provided Thanks be given to God for them and that the same be done to his Glory 11. A Christian is not allowed to expect that God should inspire these acts into him by any particular way and inspiration there is nothing required for the exciting of them in us but Faith which makes the Will of God known as signified and set forth in his Commandments and the Examples of the Saints by supposing always the supplies of his exciting and preventing Grace The three last Propositions are the manifest consequences of the preceding ones and such as are contrary thereunto are rash and erroneous 12. By the obligatory Acts aforementioned we are not to understand such Acts as are methodical and orderly much less those Acts that are reduced to Forms and definite words or troublesome and restless acts but acts formed with sincerity in the heart with all holy sweetness and tranquility inwrought by the Spirit of God 13. In that Life and Prayer that is most perfect all these acts are united in Charity alone seeing all virtues are animated therewith and the Exercise of them commanded by it according to that of St. Paul Charity suffers all believes all hopes all bears all So much cannot be said of other Christian acts whose distinct exercises are exercised and regulated hereby tho' they may not always be sensibly and distinctly discerned 14. The desire that is to be seen in the Saints as in St. Paul and others of their eternal Salvation and perfect redemption is not only a desire or indeliberate appetite as the same St Paul calls it but a good inclination that we are to form and freely to operate in our selves by the assistances of Divine Grace as being perfectly conformable to the will of God This Proposition is clearly revealed and the contrary Doctrine Heretical 15. It s in like manner a Will conformable to the Will of God and absolutely necessary in every Condition tho' not every moment not to will sin and not only to condemn Sin but also to be sorry for the Commission of it and to desire the Destruction thereof in us by forgiveness 16. Reflection upon ones self upon his Acts and the Gifts he has received which has been practiced throughout by the Prophets and Apostles in order to give thanks unto God for his Benefits and other the like ends are proposed as an Example to all Believers and even to the most perfect and that Doctrine which takes these away is erroneous and nigh to be Heretical 17. There are no evil and dangerous reflections but those wherein a man takes a

another place he saith Speaking of S. Paul and of S. Martin Ibid. They see Paradise open for them they see a thousand miseries and labours upon the Earth the one and the other is indifferent to their choice and nothing but the will of God can give the counterpoise to their hearts He saith afterwards Ibid. Should he know that his Damnation were a little more pleasing to God than his Salvation he would leave his Salvation and run to his Damnation He Speaks also thus in another place 3 Discourse It is not only requisite that we should relie upon Divine Providence concerning temporal things but much more for what belongs to our Spiritual life and perfection He saith elsewhere Whither it be in interiour or exteriour things you ought to will nothing but what God shall will for you Lastly He saith in another place I have almost no desires but if I was to be Born again I would have none at all If God should come to me I should go to him also if he would not come to me I should hold still and not go to him The other Saints of the last Ages who are authoriz'd by the whole Church are full of such and the like expressions which are all reduced to this saying that one hath no longer any self and interested desire neither about merit perfection nor eternal happiness Thus to Speak is to leave no equivocation in so nice a matter where none ought to be suffered 't is to prevent all the abuse which can be made of the most precious and most holy thing which is upon the Earth I mean pure love 't is to Speak as all the Fathers all the chiefest Doctors of the Schools and all mystical Saints do V. False HOly indifference is an absolute suspension of the will an entire non-willing an exclusion even of all disinterested desire It goes beyond the perfect disinterest of love It does not desire for us those eternal goods which by the written Law we are taught God will give us and which he wills we should wish to receive in us and for us by the motive of his glory All even the most disinterested desire is imperfect Perfection does consist in not willing any thing more whatsoever in not desiring any more not only God's gifts but also God himself and in leaving him to do in us what he pleases by not intermixing on our side any real or positive will To Speak at this rate is to confound all ideas of humane reason It is to put a chimerical perfection in an absolute extinction of Christianity and even of humanity One cannot find terms odious enough to qualifie so monstruous an extravagance VI. ARTICLE True HOly indifference which is nothing else but the disinterest of love is so far from excluding disinterested desires that it is the real and positive principle of all those disinterested desires which the written Law commands us and also of all those grace does inspire us with After this manner did the Psalmist express himself to God All my desires are set before thine eyes The indifferent Soul not only desires fully her Salvation as it is the good pleasure of God but more than that perseverance the amendment of her faults the increase of love by the means of grace and generally without exception all spiritual and even temporal good that is within the order of providence a preparation of means both for ours and our neighbours Salvation Holy indifference admits not only distinct desires and express demands for the accomplishment of all the will of God known to us but also general desires for all the will of God which we do not know To Speak thus is to Speak conformable to the true principles of holy indifference and to the sentiment of Saints all which expressions if well examin'd both by what precede and what followeth are reduced without difficulty to this explication that is pure and sound according to the faith VI. False HOly indifference admits of no distinct desire nor of any formal request for any good either spiritual or temporal what relation soever it hath either to ours or our Neighbour's Salvation We ought never to admit of any of those pious and edifying desires which may inwardly work upon us To Speak at this rate is to oppose God's will under thepretence of purer conformity to it it is to violate the written Law which commandeth us to desire though it does not command us to form our desires in an interested unquiet manner or such as is always distinct 'T is to extinguish true love by a nonsensical resinement 't is to condemn with Blasphemy both the words of Scripture and the Prayers of the Church that are full of requests and of desires 'T is an excommunicating ones self and putting himself out of a condition of being ever able to pray both with heart and mouth in the congregation of the faithful VII ARTICLE True THere is never a state of indifference or of any other perfection known in the Church that gives to Souls a miraculous or extraordinary inspiration The perfection of interiour ways does consist only in one way of pure love whereby God is beloved without any interest and of pure faith where one walks only in darkness and without other light but that of faith it self which is common to all Christians This obscurity of pure faith admits of extraordinary light 'T is not but God who is the master of his gifts may give Raptures Visions Revelations and internal communications But they do not belong to that way of pure Faith and we are taught by the Saints that then we ought not to stop willfully in those extraordinary lights but to pass them over as saith the Blessed John of the Cross and dwell in the most naked and dark Faith Much more ought we to take heed not to suppose in the ways we have spoken of any miraculous or extraordinary inspiration which indifferent Souls do guide themselves by They have for their rule nothing but the precepts and counsels of the written Law and the actual grace which is ever conformable to the Law As to the precepts they ought always to presuppose without wavering or reasoning that God never forsakes any unless forsaken first and consequently that grace always preventing does inspire them continually to the accomplishment of the precept when it ought to be accomplish'd So it is their work to cooperate with all the power and strength of their will that they may not come short of grace by a transgression of the precept As for those cases in which counsels are not turned into precepts they ought without doing violence to themselves to produce acts either of love in general or of certain distinct virtues in particular according as the internal attraction of grace inclines them to some rather than to others as occasion requires What is very certain is that grace prevents them in respect to every deliberate action that this grace which is the internal breathing of the