Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	believe_v	faith_n	holy_a	4,881	5	5.2910	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B00457	The art of dying well. Deuided into tvvo books. / Written by Roberto Bellarmine of the Society of Iesus, and Cardinall. ; Translated into English for the benefit of our countreymen, by C.E. of the same Society.; De arte bene moriendi. English	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Coffin, Edward, 1571-1626.	1621 (1621)	STC 1838.5; STC 1838.5; ESTC S90457	138,577	338

from fayth for no man can hope in God who eyther knoweth not the true God or else doth not beleeue him to be either powerfull or mercifull but to stir vp and strengthen hope in so much that it may be tearmed not hope only but also confidence nothing so much auaileth as a good conscience for with what face will he come vnto God and aske any blessings and benefitts of him who is guilty of sinne committed against him which yet by true pennance he hath not blotted out For who will aske for any fauours at his enemyes hands Or who thinketh that such an one will help him whom he knoweth to be greuously incēsed against him Heare I pray you what the Wise man sayth of the hope of the wicked Spes impij tanquam lanugo c. Sap. 5. The hope of the wicked is like light dust which is caried away with the wynd or as thinne froth of water which by the tempest is dispersed or like smoke which is dissolued by the wynde or as the memory of a passenger that stayeth but one day so the Wise man who most wisely warneth the wicked that their hope is a fraile and no solid thing short and not permanent for they whiles yet they are aliue in some sort hope that they may do pennance and be reconciled vnto God but when death shall approach vnlesse God of his speciall mercy preuent them and moue their harts to doe pennance their hope will be turned into desperation they will say with the other wicked that which followeth in the same place Errauimus c. We haue erred from the way of truth and the light of iustice hath not appeared vnto vs what hath our pride auailed vs or what hath the boasting of our riches holpen vs All haue passed away like a shaddow Thus the Wiseman who grauely aduiseth vs that if we will liue well and dye happily that we presume not to liue one minute of an hower in synne deceauing our selues with a vaine persuasion that as yet we haue a longe tyme to liue and that hereafter at fitter opportunity we wil do penance for this vaine hope hath deceaued many and will still deceaue them vnlesse prudently they learne this Art whiles yet they haue tyme to doe it There remayneth the third vertue which worthily is called the Queene of Vertues to wit Charity with which none can perish without which none can liue eyther in the passage of this life or in our desired home of euerlasting happines that charity is sayd to be true and sincere which proceeds from a pure hart not for that purity of hart doth properly beget charity for charity as S. Iohn sayth is from God and S. Paul 1. Ioan. 4. Rom. 5. The charity of God is powred forth in our harts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs wherefore charity is said to be from a pure hart because it cannot be kindled in an impure but in such a one as is purged from all errour by diuine Fayth according to that of S. Peter the Apostle Act. 15. fide purificans corda eorum cleansing their hart by faith and by diuine hope being cleansed from al loue and desire of earthly things for euen as fire is not kindled in greene stickes full of moist humours but in dry euen so the fire of charity requireth clean harts purged frō al earthly loue vaine confidence in our own strength forces By this may we vnderstand which is true Charity which false counterfeit for if any one do willingly speake of God shed teares through compunctiō of mynd in his prayers and do other good workes as giuing much almes and fasting often yet so as he enterteyneth impure loue in his brest vaine glory hatred towards his neighbour and the like which make the hart impure and filthy this man hath not diuine and true charity but a vaine shew or resemblance thereof for which cause the Apostle most prudently named not absolutly faith hope charity when he spake of true and perfect vertue but said Finis praecepti c. The end of the commaundement is charity from a pure hart and a good conscience and faith not feigned and this indeed is the true Art of liuing well and of a happy death if any perseuere vnto the end in this true and perfect charity CHAP. IIII. Of the fourth precept of the Art of dying well which conteyneth three Euangelicall documents ALTHOVGH to liue and dye well that which we haue said of faith hope and charity may seeme to suffice yet to performe the same the better and wit● more facility Christ himselfe hath vouc● saued in the Ghospell to giue vs thre● lessons or documents for thus he sayth in the Euangelist S. Luke Sint lumbi vestr●● c. Luc. 12. Let your loynes be girt burning candles in your hands and be you lik● vnto men expecting their Lord when h● retourneth frō the Marriage that whē he shall come knocke they may presently open the gate vnto him blessed are those seruants whom our Lord when he shall come shall fynd watching This parable may be vnderstood two waies either for the preparatiō to be made for the cōming of our Lord at the day of iudgment or els for his cōming at the death of euery particuler man this later which is the exposition of S. Gregory maketh more for our purpose in hand Greg. hō 13. in Euang. for the expectation of the last day shall apperteyne only to those who shall then liue and Christ spake this parable to his Apostles and to vs all certainly the Apostles and those who succeeded them were by many ages very farre off from the last day againe there shall many signes goe before the last day which shall stir vp men to attendance for Christ saith Erunt signa c. There shall be signes in the sunne and moone and starrs and the earth Luc. 21. great calamity of nations men withering away for feare and expectation of those things which shal come vpon the whole world But no certayne signes shall go before the comming of God to particuler iudgemēt which euery man is called vnto at the hower of his death and this coming is signifyed by those wordes so often repeated in the holy Scriptures that our Sauiour will come as a theefe to wit when he is least thought vpon or expected Let vs now then briefly expound this Parable let vs well conceaue that this preparation to death is a thing most of all to be respected of al because of al other things it is most necessary Three things doth our Lord heere commaund vs first that we haue our loynes girded that we haue candles burning in our hand last of al that we watch expect his cōming who when he will come we know as little as most men do when the theefe will come to robbe their howses Let vs explicate the first sentence Sint lumbi vestri

vertues which teach vs the art to liue well we will adioyne somwhat out of the doctrine of the Sacraments which concurre no lesse then the former to the atteyning of this art The Sacraments ordeyned by Christ are seauen Baptisme Confirmation Eucharist Pennance Order Matrimony Extreme-vnction all which are as it were diuine instruments which God vseth by the ministery of his seruants to giue his people grace to increase it to restore it That being freed from the bondage of the Diuell and adopted with th● honour of being the sonnes of God the● may at length come to be partakers of euerlasting blessednes with the holy Angells in heauen Out of these Sacrament then our purpose is briefly to shew who profiteth and who faileth in this art of good life that so he may know how to hope for a happy death and who on the contrary may looke for a miserable end vnlesse he do the sooner change his life behauiour Let vs beginne with the first Sacrament Baptisme Baptisme in order and number of the Sacraments is the first and is fittly called the gate or entrance of the Sacraments for vnlesse baptisme go before no man can be fit to receaue the other Sacraments In the Sacrament of baptisme these rites or ceremonyes are obserued first of all who is to be baptized must eyther by himselfe or his God-fathers make confession of the Catholike fayth then he must renounce the Diuell his Pompes workes thirdly he is to be baptized in Christ in which Baptisme he is translated from the thraldome of the Diuell vnto the grace of the children of God and al his synnes being blotted quite out he receaueth the gifte of heauenly grace by which he is now made the adopted son of God the heir I say of God and fellow heyre of Christ Fourthly there is giuen him a white stole he is willed to preserue the same cleane vnspotted vntill death fifthly there is giuen him a burning candle which signifyes good workes which whiles he liueth he must ioyne with the former purity signified by the white stole for so sayth our Lord in the Ghospell Let your light so shine before men as that they may see our good workes and glorify your Father which is in heauen These are the chiefest ceremonyes which the Church doth vse in the administration of this Sacrament I omit the rest which apperteyne not vnto this matter out of this euery man may conceaue whether he haue alwayes liued wel from the tyme he receaued his Baptisme vnto this present yeare of his age I do very much doubt that there are very few to be foūd who haue performed these things which they haue promised to do Matth. 20. Matth. 5. or truly which they were bound to do For many are called but few are chosen and narrow is the way that leadeth vnto life and few there be that do fynd it out Let vs beginne with the Apostles Creed how many countrey people how many beggars how many inferiour artificers are there who eyther cannot say their Creed or neuer learnt it or know how to say the wordes but vnderstand little or nothing at all of the sense And yet they in Baptisme by their God-fathers God-mothers answered vnto euery article that they did belieue and if Christ be to dwell in our harts by fayth as S. Paul doth testify Ephes 3. how shall he dwell in their harts who can scantly rehearse the words of their Creed and haue nothing at all thereof in their harts and if God by faith do purify our harts as Saint Peter the Apostle sayth Actor 15. how impure will their harts be who haue not in their hatts receaued the fayth of Christ although in flesh they haue receaued his Baptisme I speake of such as haue the vse of reason not of infants for infants by the habit of grace of fayth hope charity are iustifyed but when they are growne in yeares they ought to learn their Creed in hart belieue the Christian faith for righteousnes and confesse it in word for saluation Rom 10. as the Apostle teacheth in the Epistle to ●he Romans Let vs come to another rite All Christians eyther by themselues or by the helpe of others who answere for them being demaunded whether they renoūce the Diuell his pompes and workes doe answere I renounce but how many be there that in word renounce but renounce not indeed Or rather how few be there who with al their hart do not loue and follow the pomps and workes of the Diuell And yet God seeth all and cannot be illuded he then who desireth to liue and dye wel let him enter into the closet of his hart and let him not deceaue himselfe but seriously and attentiuely thinke and thinke againe whether he be delighted with the pompes of this world or with the works of the Diuell and whether in his hart in his deeds in his wordes he haue giuen place vnto them for so eyther a good conscience shall comfort him or a bad conscience bring him to repentance In the third rite is layd open vnto vs a benefit of God so high so deepe so long so lardge that in case we bestowed whole dayes and nights in admiratio● thereof and in yelding his diuine goodnes thankes for the same we should do nothing in respect of the thing it selfe good God who can conceaue who is not astonished who doth not languish away and is not resolued into deuout teares when he considers how a wretched man most iustly condemned vnto hell sodenly by vertue of this Baptisme of Christ t● passe from this most miserable thraldome to the right and claime of a most happy and euer enduring Kingdome And by how much this benefit is the greater by so much is the vngratitud● of most men more detestable for there are not a few who as soone as they arriue vnto the vse of reason returne this admirable benefit backe vpon God againe and deliuer themselues vp for slaues to the diuell for what is it in the flower of our age to follow the concupiscence of the flesh the concupiscence of the eyes and pride if life but to contract league and friendship with the Diuell and in deeds and facts to deny Christ They are rare to finde who preuented with the speciall grace of God doe diligently keepe this Baptismall grace Thren 3. and as Hieremy speaketh beginne to beare the yoke of our Lord ab adolescentia sua from their youth but vnlesse we keepe well this grace or by true pennance do againe renounce the diuell and retourne to the seruice of Christ and remayne therein vntill our death it cannot be that we liue well or be deliuered from an euill death The fourth ceremoniall rite consisteth in this that he who is baptized receaueth a white stole and is commaunded to beare the same vntill he come before the face of our Lord. By which as we said is signified innocēcy or purity

He was enflamed sayth S. Bonauenture with the feruour of al his soule towards the Sacrament of our Lords body admiring with wonderfull great astonishment that most deere humility and most hūble charity He did often so deuoutly communicat that he made others to become deuout when he came to the sweet tast of the immaculate lambe as it were drunke in spirit he was for the most partrapt into a trance or rauishment of minde So he From which deuotion not only many lay men that communicate but many Priests also who celebrat are farre short especially such of the latter as say Masse with incredible hast as they seeme not to know themselues what they do nor permit others that heare thē to consider with any attentiō so great a mystery or that which else they would at that tyme contempla● CHAP. XIII Of the thirteenth precept of dying well which is Pennance AFTER the Eucharist followeth the Sacrament of Pennance which it respect of him who receaueth consisteth specially in three vertues in contrition of hart confession of mouth and satisfaction of work For they who performe these three thinges well do without al doubt obteyn forgiuenes of their synnes but it is most diligently to be seene and considered whether our contrition be true our cōfession entiere or satisfaction be full and agreable to the offences committed Let vs beginne with contrition Ioel the Prophet cryeth out Contrition Rend your harts not your garments The Iewes when they would make remonstrance or signe of sorrow they did cut or teare their garments the holy prophet then warneth vs that if in the sight of God we will shew true and inward griefe for our sinnes commit●d that we cut or teare our harts and the prophet Dauid wil not haue vs only to cut o● teare them be to pound them small ●●●ing them into dust as we do thinges that are beaten in a morter Thou wilt not o God sayth he despise a hart so broken humbled which similitudes do euidently shew that to pacify God by pennance it is not sufficient in word only to say I am sory that I haue offended but there is required inward and great griefe of hart which without many sobbs sighs and teares is hardly found and wonder it is to behold how seuerely the ācient Fathers do speak of true contrition S. Cyprian in his sermon of such as were fallen from the faith hath these words Looke how great our sinnes are let vs so greatly also deplore them to a deepe wound let there not want a diligent and long cure let not the pennance be lesse then the fault it behoueth vs to pray and callon God more earnestly to passe the day in mourning to spend the night in watching and weeping to bestow all our tyme in teares and lamentations and lying on the bare ground to be sprinckled with ashes to trumble and turne in a hairecloth and ragges Lib. 3. cap. 17 all 24. Clemens Alexandrinus as we haue in Eusebius in his history calleth pennance Baptismum lacrimarum th● Baptisme of teares Orat. 2. de bapt Ca. 1. S. Gregory Nazianz● sayth I willingly receaue penitents if I shall them bedewed with teares Theodoretus in 〈◊〉 abridgement writeth that the woun● receaued after Baptisme are indeed c●pable Ep. diuin decret cap. de poenit but not with so light labour as befo●● the lauer of regeneration but by mani● teares and toylsom works These things and the like haue a●● the holy Fathers left written of the tru●● of contrition many now adayes come 〈◊〉 confession who shew either very little o● no contrition at all but such as sincerel● desire to be reconciled vnto God that the may liue well and socurely dye must enter into their owne harts and excluding all other matters of lesse moment with all attention must seriously reuolue these and the like things in their mynde and sayech one to himselfe wo be to me poore wretch what haue I done whē I cōmitted this and this synne First I haue offended that most sweet Authour of all goodnes my most louing Father who on all sides as with a rampier hath cōpassed me about with his benefits of whose great charity I see so many signes as I see good things in my selfe or others But ●hat shall I say of my louing Redeemer Christ who hath loued me being his enemy and vnworthy and he hath giuen ●●mselfe vp for me Ephes 5. an oblation and sacrifice vnto God in an odour of suauity And I still vn●ateful wretched man do not cease frō●ffending him How great is my hard●es cruelty My Lord was beaten with ●odds was crowned with thornes was fastened to the Crosse with nailes that so he might cure my old sinnes and offences and yet shall I neuer cease to add more more new He hanging naked on the Crosse did cry out that he thirsted my saluation do I stil offer him gall vinegar to drinke who also shall explicate from how great glory I haue fallen when I committed this and that deadly synne I was an heyre of the Kingdome of heauen of a life eternall and most happy from this felicity and truly so noble and euery way so great haue I fallen by that most short pleasure by those wordes eyther contumelious against men or blasphemous against God by which I reaped no profit or commodity at all and from that so great felicity to what state am I fallen to the thraldome of the Diuell 〈◊〉 most cruel enemy as soone as the rott … wall of my body shall be beaten down 〈◊〉 which expects euery moment to fall 〈◊〉 soone also shall I without al hope of re●●uery descend into hell fire Alas po●● wretch that I am perhaps to marow pe●haps this night I shall beginne to dwe●● in these eternall fires But aboue all thing● my ingratitude of a sonne and most vile seruant against his most louing Father most soueraigne Lord doth torment and wound my hart for by how much the more he hath heaped his benefits vpō me by so much more grieuously haue I by my synnes offended him These and the like things if thou wilt with thy self carefully cōsider whosoeuer thou be who vouchsafest to reade this title treatise I hope that thou shalt receaue the gift of contrition of our most mercifull Lord the penitent King Dauid once entred into the desert solitud of his hart after his aduoutry committed and presently hauing gotten true contrition he began for to wash his bed with teares Saint Peter did the like after the deniall of his maister and presently fleuit amarè he wept bitterly S. Mary Magdalen also entred ●●to her hart and forth with she began to ●ash our Sauiours feet with her teares and to dry ●●em with the hayre of her head these are thē●●e fruites of contrition which do not ●row but in the solitude or desert of our ●art Now let vs speake a word or two of confession I see