Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	4,322	5	5.9067	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15512	A modest briefe discussion of some points taught by M. Doctour Kellison in his treatise of the ecclesiasticall hierarchy. By Nicholas Smyth	Knott, Edward, 1582-1656.	1630 (1630)	STC 25779; ESTC S102767	83,544	218

doctrine of S. Thomas and others S. Th. 2.2 q. 189. a ● ad 2. that Religious profession like to Baptisme or Martyrdome remits the whole payne due to our sinnes the very externall act of leauing all things hath a particular effect which the internall act should not haue without it To say nothing of the Laurea or accidentall Glory of perpetuall Virginity or of that prerogatiue of Iudicature promised by our Sauiour to such as for his sake leaue al. Sedebitis c. you shall sit vpon twelue seates iudging the twelue Tribes of Israel Matth. 1● That also which M. Doctour saith that the actuall leauing of all things is no perfection but an instrument of perfection vnles it be ioyned with the loue of God in which consistteh perfection needeth some explication For if he vnderstand that the actuall leauing of all things conduceth not to perfection vnlesse it proceed from formall acts of Charity the doctrine is not true because not only acts of the loue of God but also of other vertues being performed in state of grace and with other requisite conditions doe meritoriously increase grace and charity If his meaning be that the actuall leauing of all things is but an instrument of perfection vnlesse it be ioyned with the loue of God that is vnlesse a man be in state of grace it is not meritorious of perfection which consisteth in charity he sayth no more of this leauing all thē he might haue said of the acts of Faith and Hope and all other whatsoeuer good works euen acts of Charity it selfe for example perfect contrition of which none are meritorious of Grace vnles the doer of them be in Gods fauour and yet it ought not to be denied but that as other acts of vertue so the leauing of all things may dispose a man for returning to Gods grace and in that sense be an instrument or meanes to get perfection Moreouer it is not cleare what M. Doctour meanes in saying that the actuall leauing of all things is but an instrument of perfection vnles it be ioyned with the loue of God For when it is ioyned with the loue of God is it more thē an instrument of perfection If it be then perfection consists not only in the loue of God but also in other vertues and so Pouerty Chastity and Obedience shal be more then instruments of perfection If the actuall leauing all things euen when it is ioyned with the loue of God be noe more then an instrument of perfection and not perfection it selfe what then ment he by that exception Vnlesse saying that actuall leauing all is but an instrumēt of perfectiō Vnlesse it be ioyned with the loue of God for these words seeme to signifie that if it be ioyned with the loue of God it is more then an instrumēt according to that Rules Exceptio firmat contrariam regulam 26 Howesoeuer men may flatter themselues with a Preparation of minde yet it is not an easie thing to possesse riches for example and not to affect and be possessed by them Seneca said well Qui non facit cum potest nunquam voluit He who does not a thing when he may giues to vnderstand that he neuer had a serious will to do it If men do not loue what they enioy why finde they so great renitency to depiiue themselues thereof O howe fewe keepe riches freedom of their will and the like meerely out of election and iudgment that so to do redou●●●s to the greater glory of our Creatour● We think our affections are at freedom when vpon triall we find it otherwise like a bird that thinks not it is in the net till it make offer to fly or as our soule and body neuer feele their mutuall loue till by approaching death they are vpon their parting That wonder of wit and miracle of sanctity blessed saint Augustin percerued not how much his affection was tyed to his most religious mothers life till he beheld her depriued of life and himselfe of her company Q●oniam saith he dese●ebar tam mag●o eius solatio 8. Aug. Cos ●9 c. 12. sauciabatur anima mea quasi dilaniabatur vita quae vna facta erat examea illius Because I was depriued of so great a comfort my soule was wounded and my life as it were torne in peeces which till then had bene composed of hers and mine And that which pierced his soule was ex consuetudine simul viuendi dulcissima charissima repentè dirupta vulnus recens a greene woūd made by the suddaine breaking off of that custom which I had to liue in her most sweete and most deare conuersation That young man in the Ghospel felt not how much his heart was vpon his wealth till by our Sauiour he was told of actuall leauing all although before that time in preparation of minde he had left all because he had keept the commandements vade v●nde omnia quae habes da pauneribus veni sequere me said our blessed Sauiour Matth. 19 Go sell all thou hast and giue it to the poore and then come follow me For vpon those words he fell into a fit of melancholy rather chose to be rich thē perfect athough persuaded to such a state by the words of the Word Incarnate Let vs beare S. Augustin speaking of that same young man to this very purpose Nescio saith he quomodo cum superflua terrena diliguntur S. Aug. epist 34. ad Paulin et Therasiam arctnis adepta quam concupita cōstring unt Nam vnde tristis ille dis●essit qui consilium vitae a●ternae co●sequen●ae quaerebat à Domino cùm a●dister vendēda esse omnia sua si vellet esse perfectus nisi quia maguas vt Euangeli●●● loquitur habebat diuitias Aliud est e●●n nolle incorporare quae ●esunt aliud ram incorporata diuellere I●la velut cibi repudiantur haec velut membra praeciduntur I knowe not how when superfluous and earthly thinges are loued they more straightly tye vs if once they be possessed then when they are onely desired and much more may I say then when they are neither possessed nor desired but voluntarity contemned for why did he who asked our Sauiours aduise howe he might be saued go away with a sad heart vpon the hearing that if he resolued to be perfect he must sell all but because as the Ghopell witnesseth he was in possession of great riches For it is one thing to haue a resolution not to incorporate to vs those things we haue not and an other to teare awaie things already incorporated Those we refuse as we refuse meates but these are cut off like parts of our body The reason of this daily experience is because the passion of loue being agreable and sympathising with ones naturall inclination is of great power to sway our soule but not so easie to be felt and discerned except by its effect namely so●row when we finde ourselues

c and in this consideration they are not onely bare meanes or instrumēts but also effects properties compamons perfections and causes of Charity which alone makes not a man wholy perfect as the essence of a man without properties accidents is but imperfect And therefore S. Thomas 2.2 q. 184. a. 3. in corp sayth that Secundariò et instrumentaliter perfectio cōsistit in Consili●s secondarily and instrumentally Perfection doth consist in the Counsels which is a thing much different from only instrumentally as in the same place he sayth that the perfection of Christian life consists in charity prin●ipaliter quidem secūdum dilectionem Dei. secundariò autem secundum dilectionem proximi Principally in the loue of God and secondarily in the loue of our neighbour in which words we see that secondarily and onely instrumentally are tearmes much different for who will say that the loue of our neighbour is only an instrument of christian perfection It being indeed an act of charity or perfection although not the prime but a secondary act of that vertue And whosoeuer reades the first Article of the same Question will quickly finde that other vertues beside Charity are more then instruments or meanes of perfection which M. Doctour could not but see hauing cited the same place in his 11 chapt num 10. Yea S. Thomas further teacheth S. Tho. 1. p. q. 5. a. 1. ad 1. q. 6. a. 3. that a creature is not absolutely good nor perfect by his essence but by accidents which perfect that essence and this is particularly verified in charity which is the essence of perfection because it is increased by meritorius acts not only of it selfe but also of othervertues whereas naturall substances cannot be intrinsecally increased in their natures by their accidents or proprieties yea if one do embrace Pouerty Chastity Obedience meerely out of loue to God without the proper motiue of any othervertue they are formall acts of charity and in noe sense can be properly tearmed only instruments thereof Seing then the Euangelicall Counselles sealed with a vowe are acts of great and noble vertues it followeth that they are not only most fit instruments to attaine perfection which consists in charity but also are causes and perfections of perfection it selfe not only remoouing impediments of Charity but also affording it positiue helps increase All which wil be more confirmed by what I am nowe going to say concerning a second point of doctrine auouched by M. Doctour either confusedly or not truly 24 In his 11. Chap. num 12. thus he writeth There is only this difference betwixt Religious and other Christians that the Religious leaue all things actually other Christians must leaue them in preparation of mind The former leauing of them actually is noe perfection but an instrument of perfection vnlesse it be ioyned with the loue of God in which consisteth perfection By these words the Reader may be apt to conceiue that Religious state hath no perfection more then all other Christians because they differ only in actuall leauing all things which as he sayth is noe perfection Yf therfore he vnderstand that in the preparation of minde common to all Christians and that which is proper to Religious men there is no difference the doctrine is Vntrue in●urious to Religious State and against M. Doctour himselfe who in the same place distinguisheth that perfection of Charity necessary to all Christians by which they are resolued not to offend God mortally from another perfection of Charity by which we so loue God as we are ready not only to obserue the commandements but also the Counsells for his loue this is the Charity of Religious Ergo euen according to M. Doctour the difference betwixt Religious and other Christians is not only in the actuall leauing of all things but also in a precedent greater perfection of Charity and readinesse of minde of which the actuall leauing of all things is but an effect ergo according to his owne doctrine it cannot be true that Religious men differ from others only in leauing all things actually If his meaning be that betwixt Religious men and other Christians there is difference euen in preparation of minde and not only in actuall leauing all things then he spoke but confusedly when he sayd that only in leauing all things actually Religious men differ from other Christians who must leaue all things in preparatiō of minde I therefore must craue leaue to distinguish the preparation of mind to leaue all things proper to Religious men from that other which must be found in all Christians if they meane to saue their soules and I cannot doe it better then out of S. Thomas who plainely tells vs That it is the lowest degree of Charity S. Th. 2.2 q. 184. art 3. ad 2. to loue nothing aboue or against or equally wih God This is the necessary perfection of all Christians But Religious men professe an higher degree of perfection by abandoning not only what is contrary to the loue of God as vtterly destroying it but also whatsoeuer may be an impediment to the very perfection thereof which is a difference so remarkable that the same holy Doctour in resp ad 3. doubteth not to cōpare the perfection of Secular men to a child new borne and that of Religious persons to a man of perfect growth Likewise a. 8. in resp ad 6. he teacheth that it diminisheth the perfection of vertue when one doth not loue it so much that he is resolute to auoyd the impediments thereof according to the Apostle 1. cor 9. Omnis qui in agone contendit ab omnibus se abstinet and thence he prooueth that although secular Pastours be in a calling wherein vertue is exercised with greater difficulty then in Religion yet their vocation is not so perfect as a Religious state because the very auoiding of worldly impedimēts is a thing very meritorious And if S. Thomas speake thus of secular Pastours we may easily imagine what difference he puts betwixt Religious and all Christian secular People I thinke there is no Father who will not make a great difference betwixt two Sonnes of which the one cared no more for contenting his Father then were precisely necessary not to incurre danger of being put by his inheritance but the other out of pure filiall loue and respect to his Fathers pleasure were sollicitous and resolute to performe his very propensions and councels although not seconded with any command or commination of punishment This is the difference betwixt a Religious and Secular state 25 What M. Doctour sayth that the actuall leauing of all things is no perfection but an instrument of perfection must be vnderstood as aboue I haue explicated num 23. For as such actuall leauing of all things proceeds from the vertues of Temperance Religion c. it is not a meere instrument of charity or perfection but doth meritoriously greatly increase the same yea I add further that according to the