Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	ask_v	call_v	sauce_n	36	3	16.6746	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20362	Desiderius A most godly, religious, and delectable dialogue, teaching the true and ready way, by which we may attayne to the perfect loue of God. First written in Spanish, and since translated by diuers persons into the Italian, French, Dutch, and Latin tongue, and now lastly into the English.; Spill de la vida religiosa. English.		1604 (1604)	STC 6777; ESTC S117459	73,730	162

yet neglect and omit it then is their offence farre greater and more grieuous for then they offend through malice and not ignorance Farther such thinges as I haue vowed promissed to do which to performe I am bound by duety those with all my endeuours I labour to execute And I haue promissed and vndertaken to my Lord and Master to keepe for euer the faith I haue giuen to three Virgins which abide dwell in this Monastery which are Obedience Chastity Pouerty which three he hath giuen and assigned me as wiues therefore morning and euening I consider with my selfe how that day following I may best serue and please them Saying to my soule Let me se now my soule how thou wilt endeuour with thy selfe this day to obey and please these Virgins and at night shew me my soule how thou hast performed this day what thou didest promisse to doe towards these Virgins whither thou hast grieued or offended any of them Thus doe I still endeuour to shewe my selfe a faithfull seruant to them DE. Wherefore do you thus LOVE c. Because these be the chamber-keepers of my Lord and Master and none are admitted or can talke with him except these Virgins procure him entrance DE. Tell me I pray you what spirituall exercises haue you whereby you serue and keepe promisse with these Virgins LOVE c. Three thinges I propounde and determine to my self which night day I offer vp to them and which constrayne me to serue and be obedient to them The first is called To aske or demand nothing The second To couet or desire nothing The third To thinke on nothing This first Purpose of mine serueth Obedience if so be it be seasoned with a sawce called To doe and then may you cal it to aske to do nothing With which foode Obedience is susteyned by how much more abundantly and purely I offer this vp by so much the more am I in grace fauour with my Lord the greater affection doth he carry to me This selfe same foode called To aske if I season it with another sawce called To haue is called To aske or desire to haue nothing and with that doe I feede the second Virgin called Pouerty DE. Stay here a while I pray you May I not aske to haue any thing that I want and haue neede of LOVE c. No except the thing you desire be most needfull For if there be any thing necessary for thee to haue thou hast thy Superiour who by himselfe or his Officiall shall prouide for thee that thou needest not aske what thou mayest not lawfully aske For he whose charge it is to looke to the whole house will prouide necessaries for all as it becommeth the Superiour to the intent they may more freely serue GOD and attend their spirituall meditations neither shall there be neede that any aske or craue such thinges as be necessary for them And it shall be no little fault in the Superiour to want that discretion as not to giue thinges necessary for those vnder his charge except they demād them Therfore that which I said of asking or demanding ought to be doubly vnderstoode that without offending one may aske if such thinges as shall bee necessary bee not giuen without asking which thing may justly be reprehended especially in Religious persons and if it be a thing of great necessity and not rather to satisfie our contentement For in asking otherwise it may proceede from superfluity curiousity or some other temptation And assure thy selfe that vnder a colour of necessity many vices are often couered especially in thinges that appertayne to the sustinance of the body as meate drinke cloathing and such like DE. How shall I know whither that which I desire proceede of necessity or rather to satisfie my contentement LOVE c. If thou maist forbeare that which thou askest and if thou canst liue without it and art not constrayned to suffer some great or notable hurt in thy body or thy soule which may hap to thee in not asking For if thou shalt bee sure in not flattering thy self that in not asking some great perill or danger may happē to thee then not to aske is a great offence and to aske a merit if thou referre it to God But if thou maist conueniently liue without that which thou askest and endure no great hurt or danger thereby admit thou suffer some labour or griefe in forbearing it prouided still thou exceede not the boundes of discretion in this case not to aske althopugh that which thou askest be some what needefull it shall be a great merit to thee a token of thy vertue although without offending thou maist aske as I haue said For happy in my opinion is the man that suffereth any thing for the Loue of God But if that which thou wilt aske be but such a thing which without hurt of thy body or soule thou maist easely misse thou maist thinke then that to aske is but to satisfie thy minde and pleasure although it be couered with a pretext of some holy purpose For sinne doth not alwais shew it selfe openly but is shadowed often with a colour of holines And thus maist thou knowe if thou askest any thing whither it proceede of necessity or an vansatisfied will And least thou be deceaued through they partiall Iudgement it will be necessary for thee to keepe a diligent watch ouer thy selfe and to bee exercised in vertue Which if thou doest not it will be good that thou be ordered by the aduise of discret men and holy Scripture CHAPTER 5. Of the other two Purposes of the Loue of God to wit To desire nothing and To thinke on nothing LOVE c. hauing breefly explayned my first Purpose wherewith the first two Virgins Obedience Pouerty are as I haue said before nourrished I must shew and declare to thee the cōditions of the other two To desire nothing and To thinke nothing Know therefore for most certayne that this former Purpose to aske nothing is grounded vpon the second To desire nothing For it is most certaine that To haue proceedeth only from To desire Then the cause takē away which is To desire the effect fayleth which is To aske And by that is effected that which is contrary to this which is Not to aske This is the other Purpose wherewith Chastity is nourished which is the third Virgin whose office is To desire no worldly or carnall thing But because this herbe hath an other roote from whence it springeth which is To thinke on nothing for the thing cannot bee desired which is not first thought on I adjoyne a third Purpose which is To thinke nothing But in this place To thinke must be vnderstood of that Thought which is perseuerant settled with a consent liking of reason and will For to thinke nothing doth not consist in the power of man But it resteth in man not to continue or perseuer in ill thoughts but sone

I haue conuersed sometime with the Loue of God who hath instructed me of all things that are necessary for me to doe Which I hope through Gods helpe to be able to execute But I cannot assure you making no doubt whether I am endued with the Loue of God or no considering it is a thing known only to him selfe who loue or doe not loue him Therefore herein I humble my selfe to his wisdome Neither can I assure you I haue any thing of my selfe one thing excepted which is Good will my dogge whome neither I dare presume to chalenge as my owne considering I haue him by the gifte of another These wordes of Desire pleased Desire of God the rather considering he perceaued that Desire durst not attribute to him self his loue of God DE. Now Sir let me craue to knowe your conditions office DESIRE Euen as a man through true knowledge of him selfe attayneth to great contempt and hatred of himselfe as through true knowledge of God a man likewise cōmeth to perfect loue of God So by much louing of God a man is brought to the greater desire of God And whosoeuer he be that getteth me he desireth nothing els that this world can yeeld For with such vertue and worthines doe I adorne his minde that he thinketh himselfe vnmeete to desire any thing besides that most excellent most rare most to be desired good Which is only our lord Iesus Christ I say I make him the most excellent of the world For although he be borne but of meane parentage yet do I make him a mighty King For whosoeuer is trulie endued with me he thinketh on nothing but only on God he speaketh nothing but only on God because that whersoeuer his treasure is there he setteth his hart And whatsoeuer the hart profoundly thinketh that especially the mouth vttereth And those thinges which are deliuered by the consent of the mouth apparantly declare the thought of the hart I am the foode and repast of that minde which liueth and is nourisned by good desire in this house of Charitie I am of highest dignity and keepe the dore of the secret chamber of the foresaid Charity and haue authority to admit such friendes as I allowe of Here vse I the office of a Cryer or a Trumpetter and walking about this Monastery make certaine cries and soundes vntill such time as I awake and stirre vp my Master and cause him to come forth to speake with such as seek him Who does thou thinke awaked me euen now when thou stoodest calling so long at the gate knockedst with the hammers of teares and sighes truly the barking of thy dog I am the truest messenger of Charitie come first to the gate speake first to my Mam nearest to him am soonest heard of him Farther it is in me to distribute the fruit of a most rare tree which we haue called the sight of God I do giue it to others to eate DE. Is this fruit plesant in tast For in the house of Humilitie an other fruit was giuen me most bitter to eate especially at the first it coulde hardly be swallowed DESIRE OF GOD. This fruit is most sweete yet far sweeter in the tast of some men then of others according as men are more desirous and hungry after it as they haue their tast mouthes most perfect Some there be whose teeth are but dul or blunt with whome this fruit agreeth not because they cannot hold it Other some eate it without hunger or appetite hauing their stomakes ful ouercharged with other meates to these men likewise it tasteth not pleasantly neither is it lightly disgested of them yet neuer thelesse it doth not hurt them Some others there be which by reason of some ague or some immoderate heate haue not their tast so good as others and these cannot judge the goodnes of this fruit but only according as they shall heare by others DE. I beseech you giue me leaue to tast a little of this fruit DESIRE OF GOD. It pleaseth me that thou sayest to tast a little thereof for in this mortall life no man may eate thereof his fill only he may tas and trie how sweete it is DE. Why so DESIRE OF GOD. If any man might enjoy it here to the full of his desire he would neuer desire to depart from this world and to goe to heauen Know therefore that liuing here in this value of misery almost dead through hunger and depriued of strength by reason of long penury we ought longly to watch and desire that day wherein we may enter into that great supper of our King and Master desiring and thirsting after him in no other manner then doth the hart thirst for the cleare fountaine in the hotest Sōmer And such is the vertue and force of this fruit that one little morsell be it neuer so small doth satiate a mans stomacke bee hee neuer so great an eater But being once come to the presence of this King and Master hee will make our stomacke better and stronger that wee shall bee able to eate of this fruit so much as we will and neuer receaue hurt or preiudice by it But here if any one eate more of it then his stomacke can beare he shall rather receaue hurt then good thereby Therefore must we moderately eate of this fruit vntill we arriue at that place of happines where for euer we shall be filled all measure with that same fruit which here we doe but only taste CHAPTER 11. How Desire of God prepared Desire to eate of this fruit DE. Now then Sir I beseech you bestowe vpon me to eate so much of this fruit as your selfe shall thinke good DESIRE OF GOD. First then considering this fruit is not conteyned but in a most cleane vessell it behooueth that thou clense and make cleane thy teeth and that thou wash thy mouth thy eyes thy face thyhandes and feete DE. Where may I finde water wherwith to do it DESIRE OF GOD. I will bring thee to a liuing fountayne that continually runneth both night and day called Holie Religion also I will assemble the Virgins of this Monastery who shall assist to wash and purifie thee This much contented Desire and gladly did he expect the comming of these Virgins when behould he sawe Desire of GOD come and bring them with him saying these be the Virgins that shall wash thee The first is called Sweetnes The second Concord The third Pitty or Compassion The fourth Grace The fift Clemencie The sixt Indulgence The seuenth Mercy The eight Beneuolence The ninth Gentlenes The tenth Sufferance The eleuenth Tranquility The twelfe Securitie The thirtenth Ior. The fourtenth Discretion or Moderation The fiftenth Deuotion Who will giue thee a certayne sawce that shall procure thee an appetite whereby more willingly pleasingly thou shalt eat this fruit For it is only giuen to such a hunger after it but others are sent away empty without it The sixtenth Virgin is