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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
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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

true happines doth depend let him protract no tyme but presently go out of the world perfectly dye to the world when as otherwise it cannot possibly be that a man can liue to the world God togeather and at once enioy both earth and heauen CHAP. III. Of the third precept of the Art of dying well which is of the three Theologicall vertues VVE haue shewed in the former chapter that he cannot dye wel who goeth not out of the world dyeth not to the same Now is to be added what he is to doe who is dead to the world that he may liue to God because it is graunted to none to dye well that haue not liued well in this life as I haue written in the first chapter The briefe summe of liuing well is expressed by the Apostle in his first to Timothy in these wordes Finis praecepti caritas de corde puro conscientia bona fide non ficta the end of the commaundement is charity from a pure hart and a good conscience 1. Tim. 1. and an vnfeyned faith the Apostle was not ignorant of the answere which our Sauiour did giue to him who demaunded quid faciendo vitam aeternam possidebo Matth. 19. what shall I doe to attayne euerlasting life For he sayd Si vis ad vitam ingrediserua mandata if thou wilt enter into life keep the commaundements but he would explicate in few words the end of the principal commaundement on which the whole law and the vnderstanding fulfilling therof and the way to euerlasting life doth depend and withall he would teach vs what vertues are necessary to perfection of which elswhere he said nunc manent fides spes caritas maior autem est caritas now there remayne fayth 1. Cor. 13. hope and charity but the greater of those is charity he saith therefore that charity is the end of the cōmaundement that is the end of al the commaundements the obseruance of which cōmaundements is necessary vnto good life and this end is so placed in charity as that he who hath the Charity of God fulfilleth all the commaundements which apperteyne vnto the first table and he who hath the charity of his neighbour fulfilleth all the commaundements which belong to the second table This later part which might seeme more obscure he declareth in his epistle to the Romans saying Qui diligit proximū c. He who loueth his neighbour hath fulfilled the law for thou shalt not commit adultery thou shall not kill thou shalt not steale thou shalt not beare false witnesse and if there be any other commaundement it is comprized in this word thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe the loue of thy neighbour worketh no ill the fullnes therfore of the law is loue Out of which discourse euery one by himselfe may perceaue al the commaundements which are referred to the worship of God to be fullfilled by charity alone for as the charity of our neighbour towards our neighbour worketh no euill so neyther doth the charity of God towards God worke any euill therefore the fullnes of the law as well towards God as towards our neighbour is loue or charity Now which is true and perfect charity as well towards God as our neighbour the same Apostle declareth saying Charitas ex corde puro conscientia bona fide non ficta charity out of a pure hart a good conscience and vnfeigned faith in which wordes by a good conscience we doe vnderstand with S. Augustine Praefat. in psal 31. the vertue of hope which is one of the three Theologicall vertues and Hope is called a good conscience because it proceedeth from a good conscience as desperation proceedeth from a bad hence is that saying of S. Iohn Carissimi c. my deerest if our hart doe not reprehend vs 2. Ioan. 3. we haue confidence towards God there are therfore three vertues in which the perfection of our Christian law doth consist Charity from a pure hart Hope from a good conscience and Faith not feigned and as charity if we respect the order of pefection is the first because most perfectest so if we respect the order of their proceeding to wit how they are produced then faith is the first according to the prescript of the Apostle nunc manent fides c. Now there remaine faith hope and charity these three but the greatest of these is charity Let vs begin with Faith which first of all before the other is in the hart of him who is to be iustifyed Not without cause did the holy Apostle add vnto faith this condition non ficta not faigned for faith beginneth our iustification if it be true and sincere not if it be false and feigned the faith of heretikes beginneth not iustification because it is not true but false the faith of ill Catholikes beginneth not their iustification because it is not sincere but feigned a feigned faith is taken two wayes as when one indeed doth not belieue and yet feigneth himselfe to beleeue or else indeed he doth belieue but liueth not as his beliefe teacheth him that he should and the words of S. Paul to Titus seeme to beare both the one and other sense and to be vnderstood of them both confitentur se nosse deum Hierom. in com Aug. ser 31. de verb. Apost factis autem negant they confesse themselues to know God but in their deeds deny him for so the holy Fathers S. Hierome and S. Augustine do interpret them And out of this first vertue of a iust man it may easily be cōceaued how great the multitude is of such who doe not liue well and consequently come to an ill death I let passe Inf●dells Pagans Heretikes and Atheists who know nothing of this art how to liue well amongst Catholikes how great number is there of those who in wordes confesse that they know God but deny him in their deeds Who confesse Christ to be the Iudge of the liuing and the dead and yet so liue as though they had no Iudge at all Who confesse the Mother of our Lord to be a Virgin and by their blasphemyes feare not to call her a Harlot who commend prayers fastings almes and other works of vertue and yet alwayes practise the contrary vices I omit the rest which are knowne vnto all let them not therefore brag and vaunt that they haue not a feygned Fayth who eyther do not belieue at all that which falsly they affirme to beleeue or else they liue not as the Catholike faith doth commaund them to liue and by this they may know that as yet they haue not begunne to liue well neyther let them hope to dye well vnles through the help of Gods grace they learne in tyme this Art we treat of The other vertue of a man truly iust is Hope or else a good conscience as our maister S. Paul the Apostle hath thought fit in this place to call it this vertue proceedeth

praecincti Let your loynes be girded this is the literall sense of these wordes that we be ready and stopped by no entanglements to runne to meet with our Lord when he shal call vs by death to this particuler iudgement This similitude of girding the loynes is taken from the custome of the Easterne people who did weare long garments almost to their feet and when they were to walke apace they did gather vp their garment and girded therewith all their loynes least the length of their weed might hinder their hast and make them go more leasurely for which cause it is said of the Angell Raphael who ●ame to accompany the younger Toby Tunc egressus c. Then Tobias going forth Tob. 5. found a faier young man standing girt as it were ready to walke By occasion of this custome of the Easterne people 1. Pet. 1. S. Peter wrote propter quod succincti lumbos mentis vestrae soby perfectè sperate c. For the which cause hauing the loynes of your mynd girded sober hope perfectly c. and S. Paul to the Ephesians state succincti lumbos vestros in veritate stand yee hauing your loynes girded in truth Now to haue our loynes girded doth signify two thinges first the vertue of chastity secondly a promptitude or readines to meet with Christ whether he come to the particuler or generall iudgement Aug. lib. de contientia Loco citat The first sense is admitted by S. Basil in his exposition of the first chapter of the prophet Isaias by S. Augustine and S. Gregory and truly amongst all the passions and perturbations of the mynde no one doth so much hinder our swift and ready passadge to meet with Christ as the concupiscence of the flesh as on the other side nothing maketh a man more ready to runne and follow Christ then doth virginall chastity Apoc. ca. 14. 1. Cor. 7. for we read in the Apocalips that the Virgins doe follow Chris● whersoeuer he shall goe to this doth S. Paul exhort vs saying qui sine vxore est c. He who is without a wife is careful of those thinges which concerne our Lord how he may please God but he who is with his wife is carefull how he may please his wife is deuided But the other exposition which doth not restraine and limit these girded loyns to chastity alone but extendeth it to prompt obedience of Christ in al thinges is of S. Cyprian Lib. de exhor Mart. cap. 8. and is generally admitted by all Commentours on S. Lukes Gospell● the meaning then of this place of th● Ghospell is that all the affaiers of this world albeit very good and necessary should not so farre forth possesse our myndes as that they should hinder this chiefest most principall care of being ready to meet our Sauiour when he shall call vs by death to yield an account of all our workes yea also of our words and thoughts euen our idle words vayne cogitations For what shall men wholy drowned in the world at that tyme doe when death at vnawares and not looked or prouided for shall come who in the whole course of their life haue neuer thought of giuing an account vnto God of all their workes of all their wordes of all their thoughts of all their desires of all their omissions shall such think you be able to haue their loynes girt runne to meet with Christ Or rather shall they not be tossed entangled in their filthy life and become both dumbe and desperate What wil they answere to the Iudge when he shall demaund of them why did you not giue eare vnto my wordes by which I warned you saying Seeke first for the Kingdome of God and the righteousnes therof and all these thinges shall be giuen vnto you why did you not consider the words so often and so publickly song and sayd in the Church Martha Martha sollicita es c. Martha Martha thou art carefull and troubled about many things but one is necessary Mary hath chosen the best part which shall not be taken from her If I haue reprehended the care of Martha who most deuoutly desired to serue my selfe doe you thinke that your care of gathering superfluous riches of greedy gaping after dangerous honours of satisfying your hurtfull appetites and in th● meane tyme forgetting the Kingdom● of God and the righteousnes thereof which aboue al things in this life is most necessary can please content me But let vs come to another duty of a diligent and faithfull seruant lucernae ardentes in manibus vestris and burning candles in yours hands it is not inoug● for a good seruant that his loynes be gir● whereby he may freely and without le● runne to meet with his Lord but it i● further exacted of him that there be also a burning candle in his hands which may shew him the way in the night at what tyme his Lord is expected to return● from this marriage feast The candle in this place signifyeth the law of God which sheweth vs indeed a good way to walke in Lucerna sayth Dauid pedibus meis verbum tuum Psal 111. Thy word is a candle to my feet and lex lux sayth Salomon in his Prouerbes Prouer. 6. the law is a light but this candle giueth no light to a traueller or sheweth any way at al if it be left at home or in our chamber and therefore if we will haue it to shew vs the way we must cary it in our hands many there be that know the diuine and humane lawes but therefore they commit many sinnes and pretermit many necessary good workes because they cary not this candle in their hands that is they apply not their knowledge vnto the workes of the law How many great learned men are there who commit most grieuous offences because in their actions they take not direction from the law of God but are transported by their owne anger lust or some other disordinate passion of their mynd When King Dauid saw Bersabee naked had he recurred to this law he had found Non concupisces vxorem proximi tui thou shalt not lust after thy neighbours wife and had neuer falne into such an enormous crime but because he made no further recourse then to the womans beauty fogetting the law of God though otherwise a very iust holy man he cōmitted adultery We must not then haue this candle hid and shut vp in our chamber but must still haue it in our handes obey the voyce of the holy Ghost which commaundeth vs that we meditate day and night on the law of our Lord Psal 1. and that we say with the Prophet Tu mandasti c. Psal 118. Thou hast commaunded thy cōmaundements most diligently to be kep● I would to God my wayes may be directed to keep thy iustifications He who hath alwayes the candle of Gods law before the eyes of his soule Psal 118. will