Confession before Communion I know no more But that I do though I never study'd the reason M. True it is and you know the reason too without studying it For tel me if you were to make a banquet whom would you invite but your own friend if amongst them some were not friends with one another you would not invite them together for fear of turning your mirth into quarrel or sorrow So therefore seeing Christ invites us in this Sacrament to a Banquet he requires both that we should be friends with him and with one another that is have charity And therefore the Ancient Christians when the Pax is giv'n in the Mass a grave Ancient and materiall ceremony and not well begun to be neglected were wont to kiss one the other in token of peace and charity and so communicate together whence not without reason this Sacrament is call'd the Sacrament of Charity Here tel mee if mans wit can invent it what greater means could God have us'd to bind Christians in love and charity one to another The greatest conjurations are wont to be made by drinking of blood The conditions requir'd in friendship are Alacrâ—ty and constancy or strength this is figur'd in Bread the other in Wine The sealing and concluding of solemn contracts is at a Feast and so has he ordained in this The Ty some Oath by what we eminently love or reverence Here is no less then the death of God and man which we take upon our souls Lastly bread and wine are most fit emblems of Unity for so our wills ought all to be the same by love and Charity as a thousand corns and grapes are undiscernable to be different and fast united together in one loaf or cup of wine S. As yet I see not why this makes Confession necessary M. Stay a while do you not see if we have offended God oâ— our neighbour the ready way to gain their love is to repent and and confess our faults By nature every noble heart seeing his enemy subject to him takes compassion and judging the party now not the same he was thinks meet to change likewise his carriage towards him See we not again that who has committed some soul fact secretly it â—oaâ—s his heart til he has broken his mind to some one or o her as shewing how natural an easment of sin Confession is so that where Charity is broken Repentance declar'd that is Confession is the most naturall soder left upon earth to cement it Therefore the Council of Trent concluded what the Apostle had commanded of every man's trying himself before Communion was to be understood of Confession It remains to know how this Trial is made S. By three things Contrition Confession and Satisfaction whereof contrition signifies true hearty sorrow for our sins Satisfaction our performing the penance impos'd by the Priest Confession is already explicated M. You say well but I must go more more particularly to work with you I think the first thing you do is to examin your conscience And I must know how you examin it and of what S. For the manner I look into the ordinary actions which I use every day then conâ—â—de what extraodinary have happen'd since my last confession and in both note what I think I have done amiss M. You have a hard task if you note al that is sin For tel mee is not all that 's against reason Sin and all you do which you ought not to do or contrary wise all you do not which you ought to do is not that sin I doubt the you note not al that 's sin but the chief heads Wherefore I would not trouble you with so much nicety but onely as far as you have a care to amend your self that is to note the main points that you may strive against them Secondly if you pretend to perfection I would wish you noted not onely the evil acts but the Motives and causes of them Thirdly examin such good acts as want either the intention or attention due to them that is which however nothing appear in them otherwise then right yet your self are guilty to your self to have done them either without the due end or without consideration of due circumstances Fourthly to understand what yourself either by nature or the state you are in are most subject to and both more examin more suspect and more confess those faults S. Thus far I know my next endeavour is to procure grief for my sins which has two parts one to be sorry for the past the the other to amend what 's to come M. So far wel but have you not heard that sorrow also has two parts Contrition and Attrition which I think I must help you to understand what they are And in a word you know that take a hard stone and grate it against a harder you shal bring it into what fashion you list yet you leave it stil hard in the middle but put it in a morter and beat it you turn it al into dust The first is call'd Attrition the second Contrition And by a metaphor deriv'd from hence if a man that has lov'd some unlawful object or action and be withdrawn from it by fear of either loss of good or inheriting evil but so that stil hee keeps some longing towards the thing such a man's attrite But if he perfectly forgo and grow into a hatred of the thing before loved then hee is contrite and by this you see how Attrition leaves a desire and stain to be burn'd and cleans'd hereafter in purgatory Contrition purifies the heart to go immediatly to heaven But whereon must wee ground all our sorrow for sin S. On the love of God who is offended with it and on the fear of hell wherewith we are threatned for it M. well said All hate is grounded on the loss of some good or the enduring some evil Each of which may be both natural and supernatural Supernatural goods lost by sin are the friendship and face of God in the next world and the sweetness which is in such excellent virtues even in this life The harm gotten is perpetuall damnation in the next and perpetual torture of consciin this to those who know and conceive what they do Natural goods lost by vice are health peace credit estate Natural harms are the inconveniences which sin drives its lovers to dayly as diseases vexations discredit poverty the usual effects of a disorder'd life How do you procure amendment S. I purpose never any more to do what I confess as firmly as I can by God's grace M. Wel. But 't is very hard for a man to purpose to avoid what he 's almost certain he shal not Therefore I take it for your surest way to purpose to do your best endeavour to escape all you confess rather than directly and positively to purpose what 's
effects it works in us who are the posterity of Adam S. I have heard that sins and ignorance and also death and infirmities have their origin from it M. Can you shew these things of it S. No indeed Sir for any thing I know as yeâ— but I expect you will make me know it M. Then tell me in a child three or four years old which is stronger Sense or Reason S. Sense without question For give him an apple tell him it will offend God to eat it I make no question but as soon as you have turn'd your back hee 'l eat the apple without regarding the offence of God so that I see Sense in him is stronger than Reason M. Right for he understands not what is the offence of God as yet nay accorâ—â—ng to the ordinary Judgment of Divines not till seven years of age So long therefore sense has the whole government of a child and after seven reason by litle and litle overcomes till the age of thirty The Philosophers not admitting maturity of wisdome and constant Judgment till the standing part of our age which is when we leave growing so that till then wee are on the losing side Now what think you is 't easy to conquer and root out a thing that 's grown in and with us for thirty years together S. It must needs be very hard M. Do you think that hard which evâ—â—y man does S. No Sir that 's easy which all can do and the harder a thing is so much the fewer can do it M. Thâ—n seeing to overcome Sense perfectly is very hard and very few can do it and most men do it not Mankind is subject or slave to sin as being for the most part conquer'd â—y it S. This is very well but you do not shew that this comes from originall sin M. So that it seems you have forgot that by originall sin it first came that Sense has it's proper motion not subject to Reason which if it had not the more it should grow the more vertuous it would make the man because hee would still become more subject to God and Reason S. Sir I see now that all our Sins come from original sin and indeed 't is no wonder that one sin should proceed from an other But I expect how you wilâ— shew that Ignorance Infirmities proceed from the same For if they were then to be born as we are now children and grow to be men I think they must needs also be children in knowledge and so have ignorance so that this cannot be the ofspring of original sin and likewise if then they had eaten to grow and keep themselves a live as we do now they would not avoid but meats should have their effect and so breed diseases when out of season M. You are not well acquainted with the difference of not knowing and being ignorant for not every one is ignorant who does not know but he who knows not what he ought or what 's fitting for him to know For example what Master either of Divinity or Philosophy or any other Art knows all which may be known in his Art yet are they not therefore to be term'd Ignorant So likewise any man who knows what 's fitting is not ignorant Now I pray if any one in that estate knew not what was fitting to know it was either because he could not or would not S. True for whosoever can and will do any thing 't is most clear he does it M. Then what think you in that state could he not or would he not know what was fitting If he could not it was want in himself or in his teacher But Adam was perfect in knowledge could teach him If himself were not capable the knowledge was above him and so not such as was fitting or such as the want thereof induces Ignorance If there was want of will it was because he lov'd some other thing better and that he was not wholy subject to reason which cannot be without original sin and so original sin is cause of Ignorance Now if ignorance be cause of sickness and death you have no more to reply S. No indeed But I hear learned men say that 't is not in the power of nature to keep a man from death and therefore I fear not ignorance should be the cause thereof M. But what if ignorance or sin be the cause why nature cannot keep a man from death let 's see death comes either by violence or sickness violence from man or beast or some dead thing But if men had not sin'd they would neither have falâ— out nor have been surpris'd by chance which proceeds from not foreseeing so that from Man no hurt could have proceeded Beasts would all have been tame and in fear of man as we see those be which use men's company or as others might be made And for Accidents unless a man puts himself in danger they would not arrive likewise if we look into the cause of sickness in Physicians books we shall see it proceeds from some excess or defect which in that state would not have been when man had wit and will to provâ—de against both S. Sir that was an happy age or rather would have been if man had kept his honour in which God had plac'd him M. True but yet this we have would not be miserable if our selves did not make it so by our own fault not seeing what 's before our eyes For consider if you please what 's more cause of fin unto us than pleasure yet no Sin can be without displeasure S. Sir that were hard to perswade since we see men daily think nothing sweet but it which could not be did they experience continual displeasure in it M. Can you doubt but that must needs grieve a man which is against his inclination and nature then if Reason be the nature of man how can he see himself do against reason which nevertheless every sin does without grief and pain Again does not sin set our hearts upon goods which may be taken from us as money meat play and the like it puts us then in perpetual danger of vexation grief for who looses what he 's in love with must needs be grieved according to the measure of his love Again if Reason have fore-cast of what 's to come and memory of what 's past Sense which is the cause of sin onely consideration of the present is 't not manifest that sin by sense precipitates us into future inconveniencies which Reason keeps us out of Again Reason has one conduct and government through all occurrences But Sense as many severall motions as the things desir'd are different which because they are not ever had together make the vitious man now follow one now another and sometimes miss
towards Laws and Superiours Obedience towards your Equalls and Inferiours in honour Courtesy in words Affability But I beleeve you have heard that the Moral or Cardinal Virtues are four Therefore let me have your help Can you tel me what 't is to bee Discreet S. I think it is to be wise M. Well ghess'd although you miss a little for true 't is every wise man is discreet yet not every discreet man wise For if you look upon men's conversation you shall observe some have good skil in human actions yet for passion or other desires follow not their knowledg Others have their desires so as they should bee but litle skill Others have both skill and will good others both bad And these last are both fools and knaves for the most part The formost of the other three are Understanding men but not Discreet the others be discreet but not understanding The third are both that is Wise Now I hope you will not fail to tel mee what makes a discreet man S. Since a discreet man is hâ—â— who hath his affect on s right iâ— human action and the three virtues above nam'd make a man's affections such those three virtues make a man discreet M. 'T is very well say'd For if you note hee who has these three virtues will use the skill he has to the utter most And him we call discreet who according to his understanding carries things well Which virtue by Divines is called Prudence It's office is to judge a right what is to be done by him that has it according to the proportion of the man's knowledge and so you have your 4. Virtues call'd Morall or Cardinall But before I leave you must answer me one question farther which is whether you think that hee who performs his action according to these Virtues need have any scruple of the work done S. No Sir certainly for if his action be vertuous as proceeding from a minde which has these vertues it must needs be good M. And what though he has an affection to do wel yet if he has not skil can the deed be good S. I did not think of that Then indeed it must be naught M. True t is the action is not good Yet he need not make scruple of what is pass'd because hee did his endeavour But before the action bee perform'd what is he to do if hee cannot tel whether part is to be done S. Hee ought to ask some body that knows M. You say well if hee cannot or when he has ask't find no body that can tell he may do whither he lists And whither he miss or no never make scruple of it as long as hâ—â—'s sure that no â—ll affection was guide in his choice 〈◊〉 that he proceeded out of the Love of God and a good conscience In these three Conferences the motives of vertue and good life frequently occurring advertise the Catechist to make his Cathecumen reflect and move himself unto them They be plain of themselves NINTH CONFERENCE M. YOu know by what is said what Christian life is viz. the practise chieftly of the three Theologicall vertues and in consequence of the four Cardinal ones that is of all vertues But can you tell me what 't is that gives life to all the rest S. I Imagin Sir 't is Charity because you said that it gave life to Hope and that all Cardinal vertues were to be practis'd for God's sake But I reach not unto the reason unless you help me M. You know not your own strength For tell me if you should see a dog or a horse new kill'd how would you know whether it were dead or no S. By the stirring For as long as it stirs I should think some life were yet in it When I saw it stir no more then I should take it for dead M. Very well so far then is agree'd that to live is to have a power in it self to move or stir it self Now can you tel me what is the first principle of stirring in you and other men as they are men Do not you see the more in love they are with any thing the more they stir to obtain it so that you see love is that which stirs a man makes him move towards the thing belov'd Wherefore the Love of God or Charity is the thing which first moves the Christian to walk towards him that is to exercise all vertue You see likewise that what takes away from us the love of God brings us death in lieu of life as we are Christians What is that S. That is as I perceive now mortall Sin for I imagin 't is call'd Mortall or deadly because it takes away lâ—fe and life is Charity Therefore that sin is mortall which deprives our soul of the Love of God M. You are a great Divine but what is 't that takes away the Love of God or of any thing else from us S. I think 't is hate for hate is contrary to love yet methinks no body can hate God and so there would be no mortall sin if that were true M. You say wel but do you not remember that who so loves must as you told me do good for him whom he loves if he can whence it comes that the row of all other vertues follow Charity he then who will not do any of those things which necessarily follow upon Love loses his love But no man would neglect those things unless he lov'd some other thing whose love hinder'd him from performance thereof So that you see how not onely hate of God but Love of such things as hinder you to do what you ought in love to him takes away Charity Can you now tel me what Sin is mortall S. Why Sir whoever lovesany thing in such sort that it causes him not to perform to God himself and his neighbour all he owes them that is all which the four Cardinall Vertues command sins mortally for he loses Charity which is the substance of Christian life M. You say wel if you understand what you say For what think you is not stealing against Justice one of the Cardinal vertues and yet you will not say that whosoeuer steals a pin commits a mortall Sin S. No indeed Sir but truly I know not why M. Did you not say that he who commits a mortal sin loses Charity by it Charity you know is the Love of your Neighbour if then not every thing as the taking a pin is sufficient cause for your Neighbour to fall out with you you lose not his Love for taking a pin Such a breach of justice then as is a sufficient cause for ordinary wise men to break of conversation and friendship with you is a mortal sin But what is less than that is not S. This is well Sir for a mans Neighbour but towards God Almighty I think this measure will not
hold For no man that is in his wits will fall out with himself neither is God subject to falling out as men are Therefore I know not what to say concerning them M. Do you not remember that a man owes certain duties to himself whereof the neglect may come to be such as if another man should do it unto you you would fall out with him Do you not see then that if you do not fall out with your self for the like occasion 't is not for want of cause And as for God Almighty see you not that if you bore the respect to him you do to your neighbour you would be as fearful to do such an indignity towards him as you are to do it towards your neighbour Now the sin is in your soul if then you see in your soul misrespect towards God Almighty such as towards your neighbour were want of love it follows there wants Love towards Almighty God Can you tell me how many sorts of sins they be which are not mortal and how they are call'd S. They be call'd venial but how many sorts there be of them I cannot tell M. They are indeed call'd venial that is easily forgiven by a name answering to Mortal in sence but not in the word and means a slight offence and such as makes no breach of friendship Of those Divines put three sorts either because 't is of a kind that generally men slightly respect as being not worthy of much consideration or because 't is slight in it 's kind or because 't is perform'd by oversight or withour deliberation Having seen the nature of the two lives I mean of good and bad can you resolve me which of the two is the pleasanter I speak of that pleasure for which you prefer a good dinner before your ordinary fare a play day before a study day and the like S. There can be no doubt but considering that pleasure sinful life is the pleasanter For vertuous life hath it's fruit after death M. Think you so I pray tell me then which do you think has the pleasanter life hee that has greater harms or hee who has less S. Hee that has less M. Then if Fortitude bee the chusing of lesser harms before greater hee that uses that virtue has the more pleasant life even wordly Again who has the pleasanter life hee that has more or fewer pleasures greater or lesser S. Sir now I see what you mean and that 't is very true that who lives vertuously has a more pleasant life then who does not if all were alike For hee by the virtue of Temperance chuseth to abstain from a less pleasure to have a greater But Sir I hear it say'd that a viâ—tuous man cannot easily come to wealth and without riches he cannot have pleasure M. What do Riches serve for S. To have his content of mind M. Then if he has content of mind what need he care for Riches consider the difference betwixt the merry cobler and the carefull Usurer and you wil see 't is not Riches but the disposition of the mind which gives content But tel me farther is not the way to get Riches to have much trading that is in great summs and withmany men and is not Credit the greatest stroke and power of a Marchant S. Yes Sir but credit comes by opinion of wealth M. I Think you are a little mistaken look well and you will see it comes by opinion of honesty and fair dealing in poor men for who has the opinion of being Rich is already rich ordinarily speaking and so is not now to come to wealth 'T is this opinion of honesty which makes that your word will goe farther then another mans bond that because of your plain dealing every man hopes to have no quarrelling with you and the like which are the things principally give Credit especially that credit which is the way to and goes before Riches And are not all these caus'd by the virtue of Iustice 'T is virtue then not Riches which gives all needfull Credit TENTH CONFERENCE M. PEradventure I need not ask you which of these lives is fitter for the next life since one is made for the world to come the other not Nevertheless I may ask a reason why and perhaps so as may bring you to see it Tell me then shal we in the next world have the same desires we have in this S. Sir how should I know who never spake with any had been there M. When you are a cold do you desire to walk in the winde or when you are hot to go to the fire S. â— Sir but contrary M. Buâ— what time is it that if a piece of Mâ—â—chpane were offer'd you though it were presently after dinner but you would finde a hole to put it in What 's the reason of this diversity is 't not that the one you desire for a present commodity the other you think to be good of it self S. Yes Sir me thinks that 's the very reason though I never rected on it before M. Then if over night you lov'd any thing good for an occasion or fot the present disposition you are in next morning you will not care for it the occasion being pass'd But if you love a thing because you think it absolutely good next morning you will as freely desire it as you did over night S. 'T is certainly so M. Then you see that when your soul is out of your body what ever in the body it lov'd as good of it self that it will love â—â—ill But what it loved onely for some end or upon the present disposition of it's body it will not love Now what one loves in the second manner spoken of either is God or mortall sin For it is lov'd for no farther end But to go on do you think that hee who loves God in this sort shall enjoy his desire seeing after death he shall retain it S. Yes for you told me he would be miserable else and God cannot be so cruel as to let one be miserable for loving him M. And do you think it will be a great content to see God S. Yes surely for every one has content to obtain that which he desires Besides to see a good or strange thing breeds also content M. Your answer is good but me thinks there be two faults in this pleasure one is that the seeing any fine sight is not so good as eating a good dinner or playing at some pleasant game The other that the thing which is to be seen is but one and so has not variety and we perceive our selves soon weary of the same thing S. Sir I like seeing better then eating or playing for I had rather go see a strange sight or a fine play than eat a good dinner or play my self so much time but for the other I cannot tell what to answer
that at the day of Judgment our Saviour Jesus Christ shall deliver up his Kingdom or Government which he has received of him to his Father and that then God shal be all in all Whereby is given us to understand that at that day shal be an end of all motions and alterations and so the work of Wisdom which is to govern and order the variety of things shal pass into the strain of Essence and Being and so become a constant Emanation of the same invariable Beeing for ever and everin all things In the mean while the Kingdome of God is as it were a making as a King who is going upon a conquest either of Rebels or other enemies is making himself a Kingdome And by this petition wee wish him happy and speedy success therin not that we fear or doubt of that which cannot fail but shew our good will and desire to see that effected which Hee 's a doing The third Wish is comprised in those words Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Which we collect to belong to Goodness and the Holy Ghost from the words will and be done for goodness consists in perfection oâ— that all be done and rational Goodness which is properly such is in the wil and it's motions The meaning is plain that wee wish as in heaven there 's a full subjection without resistance so there may be the like on earth These three I call Salutations or wel-wishes such as in civil conversation is Haâ—l or God save you and in spiritual The Lord be with you or Peace be unto you and the like because it is not natural to pray to one for himself and this word thy expresses that these three are goods wisht to God Much less do we intreat any one to do good to himself unless wee think hee be out of reason by passion or ignorance Thirdly there is not in the words any expression that God should do any thing as in the following but onely that we would see the things bee And lastly if we look into what 's ask'd wee find that all is one and one all for if his Name be sanctify'd as wee wish his Kingdome is come and and his Will is done as in heaven and so turn them which way you wil out of any one follow the other two To this succeeds the second part consisting of three petitions or requests The first Give us this day our dayly bread that is all things fit for our maintenance And this corresponds to that property of God by which hee 's Author and Creatour of all things For it belongs to him that makes a thing to conserve and maintain it Some instead of dayly put supersubstantiall but they are deceiv'd in the propriety of the Greek word looking more into the derâ—vation than into the use For daily is the more usual and proper signification and joyning it with the other word this day wee learn two excellent documents One that it was our Saviour's will wee should say this prayer every day since wee pray but for one day The other that wee should not bee sollicitous or troubled with anxiety for future things especially as far as they belong to God Almighty but enjoy the pâ—esent with thanks giving The second Petition is express'd in these words Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtours Debts signify Offences and debtours Offenders so that he that wishes any harm to those who have offended him because they have offended him is excluded from this prayer but not he that wishes due punishment to an offender either for his own amendment or the example of others and good of the Common-wealth The reason is because God cannot forgive him that is not in love and charity and who ever wishes harm to his neighbour loves him not and so is void of Charity Thâ—s Petition answers Thy Kingdom come For as we see Christ's expression in the Gospel that his coming was chiefly for remission of sins So his Government likewise since he 's gone to Heaven all principally tends to same merciful end Then follows the last Petition thus express'd Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil And by those words of temptation and evil which belong unto will we easily see the correspondence it has with the third salutation and fulfilling of God's will The meaning is not hard onely we may note that wee pray not here not to be tempted for temptation is often for our good as appears in Saint Paul who was deny'd to be freed from carnal temptations for his good but not to be overcome by temptation for hee 's gone into temptation whom temptation compasses round about so that he finds no way out not he who is as it were but touch'd with it on one side The word but seems to shew the parâ— following is not different in sence from the foregoing and so the Petition but one The Ave Maria or Hail Mary consists likewise of two parts One containing four salutations or well wishes The first is exprest in these words Hail Mary full of grace or rather in the word Hail from whence comes Health and it avails or imports what the Latin Ave or Salve does of which the first seems to be as much as Habe or habe salutem that is have or enjoy Health and in some ancient copies is written Have and salve we know signifies sis salvus which is the same and in English may be explicated Health beâ—ide you or have all the perfection and happiness due to your Nature or which your Nature is capable of By use ' it s come rather to be an Interiection of salutation or excitation to the hearing an uncertain good wish than to retain 〈◊〉 first and proper signification The second Salutation consists in these words our Lord be with you that is his protection and assistance As it is a good use of some who when they come intoany house say God be here or in certain occasions say God speed you The third and fourth are two Blessings one upon the blessed Mother and the other upon her more blessed Son A Blessing we call not as in other places the wishing of bliss or happiness but either our approving and congratulating of the felicities they enjoy or else a simple and devout admiration of them The later part is a Prayer to the same Mother of God for her intercession for us now and at our deaths The two prayers thus understood I could wish him who says his Beads when he recites his Paternoster to direct mentally his three salutations to the three Persons each to the Person to wch 't is proper with a bowing to them if time and place be fitting And in saying the Ave-Maria at the two Blessings to remember some passage or benefit of our Saviour Jesus Christ unto us for which we bless him his holy Mother for seeing She brought forth unto us him that bestow'd such benefits upon us 't is reason
enough so one Fire springs from another yet the new Fire is not call'd the other Fire's Son S. I see now they must both at least bee Living Things else they cannot well bee call'd Father and Son M. I doubt this is not yet enough Think you not likewise that the Father remains in the Son according to some part of him of which the Son is made S. I imagin so Sir else I know not how I came by this matter I have for I am told God creates none a new M. Summ up then what has been said and you 'l find that a Son is a living thing proceeding from a living thing of like nature as from a Principle remaining in it This being setled tell me next what think you of God or the Divine nature is he not a living thing S. Yes without doubt he that gives life to all things must needs himself have life or be living M. And in God whence proceeds this Knowledge of himself we spoke of S. Certainly from Himself or God as Known for I observe that when I get any Knowledge though my soul knows yet the object or thing Known makes me know or makes that Knowledge M. Adde then to these that perfect Knowing is a perfect resembling another that is a being perfectly It or of like nature with 〈◊〉 as was shown and that this Nature in our case is in both Knower and Thing known Living and that Knowledge of God proceeds from God as an object or thing known lastly that the Divine Essence known remains in the Knowledge that proceeds from it is 't not plain that Knowledge of himself in God proceeds as a living thing from a living of the same nature as from a Principle remaining in it that is as we show'd that this Knowledge is properly a Son the Divine Nature known properly a Father and so that There is in God Father and Son S. Me thinks Sir I now begin to see some glimps how the Eternal Son is begotten of his Father which before sounded strangely to me how he is God of God onely begotten the Wisdome and Image of his Eternal Father and such like expressions which I have read in the Crreds and Prayer-books but never could frame any conceit of them which made my devotion very dull and dry But still you have told me nothing of the Holy Ghost M. Did you not tell me that a Spirit has Will as well as Understanding or Knowledge If then the proper Act of the Will be Love and that you grant God loves himself that is be the thing loving thing loved that is the same nature or God in both yet as loving and loved importing distinction as well as Knowledge and thing Known you will easily gather by a Dsicourse parallel to the former that there must be in God besides Father and Son a third that is Love One in Nature yet distinct in Relation which is that we call the Holy Ghost S. I apprehend in some degree how the Discourse goes but I see not why the Holy Ghost is said to proceed from the Father and the Son M. Remember well that the Holy Ghost is Love and then tell me what is that whence Love proceeds in rational things or that which rational things love S. That which is their Good M. And what judge you to be the the proper Good of an Intellectual Nature Is it not Truth S. I think you mean by Intellectual capable of knowing and then 't is plain nothing is so opposit and destructive to it as Errour for they who have this perfectly know nothing wherefore also Truth must by consequence be the perfection and proper Good of an Intellectuall nature M. You answer learnedly but I fear 't is onely repeating by rote what I have so oft told you Well And in what consists Truth Is it not in this that the Object is in the Knowledge S. I conceive so Sir M. And what Object can bee worthy Gods Understanding or proportion'd to it S. None sure but himself or his own essence M. You see then that the Good proper to him and consequently the source of Divine Love is that the Divine Essence as Object or Known be in the Divine Knowledge which includes as was shown Father and Son From both therefore conjointly Divine Love or the Holy Ghost proceeds S. I am much pleas'd with this but why is he call'd Holy Are not the Father and the Son as Holy as he M. Yes but you must conceive that some sorts of actions are appropriated to each of those three and so as nothing can be so proper to teach us knowledge of God as that which is essentially Divine knowledge or the Son for which reason 't was he came to be our Master so nothing is so proper to cause Love of God in us as that which is essentially Divine Love Wherefore since our Sanctity or Holines consists in loving God and to cause this is particularly attributed to him he is from this proper effect of his call'd Holy or sometimes our Sanctifier In like manner he particularly is styl'd Spirit because 't is his office to inspire or breath into our Hearts those motions of Love of God and such good Thoughts as excite them Also he is call'd our Comforter or Paraclite because nothing more heartens and comforts one in the pursuit of Heaven than ardent Love of it S. You have shown me Sir a Trinity in God but I know not what those three are nor how to call them You forbid me to call them three Gods and I cannot imagin what they should be else Common Catechisms and our Creed tell us they are three persons but this leaves me as wise as I was unless I understood what the word means M. Why do not you understand what a person is S. No Sir not I. M. No Sir not you and if I should send you to the Church where men and women and other things were and when you came back ask you how many persons were there what would you answer me S. I would tel you how many men and women were there M. And not how many benches and forms and candlesticks or Altars withal S. No Sir wee do not call those persons but things M. You see then that what in others you cal a thing that in men you cal a person For if you were ask'd how many things were in the Church you would countpictures forms other Animals if any such were there and as many things as you could see but being ask'd of persons you would count onely men and women so that 't is no more to be a person then to be a rationall or intelligent thing Add then to this that as was said there are no Accidents in God because hee is unchangeable and it follows his Substance must bee three some way or
Shee should partake of the blessings which we heap upon her Son for them Likewise in the later part where we desire her to pray for 〈…〉 may determin some good we have need of But 't is best if we mark some property of the Mystery we bless him for and thence take notice of some virtue we want and heartily intreat for it For example when we make commemoration of our Saviour's Nativity speaking to our Lady in prayer we say Blessed art thou amongst women for feeding the Son of God at thy breast and blessed be the fruit of thy womb Jesus for humbling himself unto it Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now that wee may encrease in Humility And at the hour of our death But those words which be added are to be spoken onely with the heart the rest with heart and mouth both For so doing they make us think of what we say and do whereas if we did add them with our tongues they would slip over like the rest and neither help our memory 〈…〉 or make us pray with Spirit The number of Ave Maries to one Pater noster or of Pater noster and Ave Maries â—iâ— at will and every one who taken the course pâ—â—â—â—â—b'd may do well to consider how much time he was wont to spend in his whole Beads and say as many as wil take him up as much time and not care though he has not made an end of his Beads if he has no special obligation to the saying them all Yet because the ordinary number is of the five tens I thought good to designe our Saviour's life and his Blessed Mother's as far as it goes entangled with it appointing one payr of beads for every day of the week and five and twenty points for every payr of beads that is for every two Ave Maries one point The profit is that by this means we remember and give our Lord thanks once a week for the most of the passages of his blessed life registred unto us by holy writ and stir up our selves to the imitation thereof that is to good life which is our intent in prayer and al other our devotions For as for the ordinary direction of meditating upon some one mystery while you say a ten what has it to do with the saying of the ten or why were it not better onely to meditate and let the ten alone or is the time of saying a ten just sufficient to have fruit of meditating upon a mystery And lastly if delving or spinning one thought of the mystery wherein were it worse then such saying of our beads But this way every Ave Mary is made a jaculatory commemoration of the mystery and your heart and mouth go together and truly you use vocal prayer whereas in the other your mind prays one thing and your mouth another quite different FINIS What is not can do nothing Therefore nothing thâ—t is made it self but was made by others of it's own kind and those finally by God wherefore God was not made but was ever else Nothing could have been He is then Eternall Aâ—am The first of â—ach kinds being finally mâ—de by God and the Earth being to no purpose withâ—ut tâ—ese Iâ— and the otâ—er Elements were made too and so God made all things But God can do all that himself or his Creatures can do He is then Almighty and Knows all that Himself or His Creatures can do and so is Allknowing Wherefore Knowledge belonging to Spirits God is a Spirit and His Existence being necessary A pure Spirit Yet containing All kinds of perfection imaginable Therefore He wanted not Adam nor could get profit or pleasure by him but made him out of pure Goodness and by means of him and causes put by God and continâ—'d from him Us even to the least thing wee have Wherefore all possible thanks are totally due to him nay Every least Action wee do comes frâ—m God yet not sin it being onely Defect of action Hence God is Universall Governour of the World God being a perfect Agenâ— made his immediate woâ—k Adam perfect in Endowments of Body and Minde Also His Maker being his first object in Knowledge and Love of of him above all things which must work in his body too Dispositions conformable to thaâ— Love or subject to Reason which would descend to the Bodies of his posterity and â—the Soul being fitted to the Body to their Souls also that is they would have had Originall Justice and Immortatality But losing the Love of God contrary or passionate dispositions would immediately succeed in â—im and be deriv'd to all his from their birth â—recoverably that is they must all have Originall Sin Experience teaches that Sense governs in a childe and pâ—rverts the right working of reason in all till years of ripe judgment therefore these Impressions from sense are â—ard to be overcome perfectly and are subdu'd by sew or none Hence Mankind is Slave to Sin and Originall Sin causing motions of sense not subject â—o reason all Actual Sin springs from originall Also Ignorance being the not knowing what 's sit to know and the state of Innocence giving both power and will to know what 's fiâ— Ignorance and by consâ—quence Infirmiâ—ties and Deaâ—â— spring thâ—nce 〈◊〉 therefore the State of Paradise Happy yet ours not unhappy but through our own fault For Sin onely causes veâ—â—â—ion 〈◊〉 unnatural fixing our affections on perishâ—ble goods and precipitating us into inconveniency distractive suspensive and wearisome The History of Mankinds Slavery to Sin layd out in some remarkable instances The cause of this is Sense making man prone to follow tâ—e present and sâ—upâ—d to conceit aright his future true Good therefore to be remedy ' by a Teacher who â—ught to bee miraculous most knowing and most true therefore God also most convinient to teach our nature excite love of him therefore Man 〈◊〉 hich rendring our way to Beatitude connaturall and plain and so being most â—itting Therefore God was made Man Notions or apprehensions of things as in themselves are got by our senses and so from creatures and those transfer'd to God which mean Perfectiinâ— therefore chiefly to Know and Will which are proper to Spiâ—its Knowledge then importing some Likeness of the thing known and so perfect Knowledge perfect Likeness that is no Unlikeness that is no Diversity that is Unity or Identity the nature of the thing known perfectly is the same in the Knower therefore the Knower as such is it â—ut as known 't is opposit to and distinct from the Knower therefre To know is to be another as another God then knowing himseâ—f is in himself as in another that is There is Distinction in God yet the Object in the Knower being the same without prejudicing his Unity which he has according to his Nature Being or Substance notwithstanding His Distincttion according to the notions of Knowing and being Known which are Relations and which God having 〈◊〉 Accidents
relate and so distinguish the Substance yet not substantially And. a Son being a Living thing proceeding from a Living thing of the same nature as from a Principle remaining in it and Knowledge in God being such in respect of he Divine Essence known That is truly call'd Son This Father Likewise God loving Himself the same thing is Loving and Loved yet as such distinct therefore there is besides in God a a third call'd Divine Love Also Love intelligent things proceeding from their proper Good which is Truth consisting in this that the Object be in the Knowledge Divine Love proceeds from the Divine Essence as Object in the Divine Knowledge that is from Father and Son Whiâ—h Love is call'd Holy Spirit because He makes us Holy by inspiring us with Love of God or Charity as also Comforter Again â— Person being an Individuall or One Intelligent substance and God having no Accidents The distinction in him must bee of Persons There are then in One God three Persons yet not necessarily Three Things Of these the Second took our Nature not by charging God but by joyning Man to God's Person And therefore the Second because 't is proper to Knowledge or Wisedome to teach us or be our Master A shore History of some signal passages belonging to our Saviour Godâ— being made Man to redeem Mankind from Sin and put him in the way to Heaven which consists see in seeing God and Love of God disposing and determining necessarily to this Man is to love God as being All-Good Our most bountifull benefactour and whose Likeness or Image we bear And our Neighbour being made for the same End wee are that is for God we ought to wish him that End and means to it that is love him as our self Also Love of God necessarily disposing to see â—â—m who loves God has great reason to hope to see him grounded in his Goodness and faithfulness to his promise put none can love or hope un ess knowing the things which motives why taught by Faith which se-curely relies On God's Truth saying such things and Tradition or the Infallible Attestation of the Church that he 〈◊〉 them There are then three virtues call'-Theologicall or immedily respecting God necessary to mankind's saluation Faith Hope and Charity Faith being a Knowledge of supernaturall things the way to advance Faith is to increase that Knowledge by Study of such things that is by Prayer of which Mentall has three parts To Know the truth of the point To resolve according to that Knowledge and To raise the heart to God expecting a Blessing Vocall Prayer is better than Mentall as being compos'd by able men and less distractive But worse as â—ess satiating the Soul Less proportion'd to it and Desective the two first parts mention'd Hence of Mental the written are bâ—st for beginners of Vocall Those which are best understood and Well attended to Lastly â— Prayer being the use of Considerations â—â—â—i caâ—ioâ—sly moving to â—ove of God The fruit of Prayer is to advance Charity that iâ— Prayer is the high way to Heaven wheresore without Iâ— Retreat in vertue is inevitable Moreover Charity or â—ove obliging us to give what 's due to those wee love 't will make us render To God Service To our selves what 's best for us that is 't will make us prefer a greater good before a less which is perform'd by Temperance and avoyd a greater harm before a less which is done by Fortitude To our Neighbour If Infeiour or Equall Love Good will If superiour Obedience and Respect which belong to Justice Yet these three Virtues unexcited by Love of Heaven avail not to It though in some sort conformable to Nature They become severall particular Virtues as respecting severall Objects Also Discretion being The right se 〈…〉 of ouâ— Affectiâ—â—â— in oâ—dâ—r to Act on and the three fore and Virtues giving this who has thâ—m has also Dscretion or Prudence There are then â—our Morall or Cardinall Virtues according to which who acts since not byast by ill affections needs not scruple his action though it hap to be imperfect in some other respect Christian Life is a Practice of the three Theologicall and four Morall virtues for God's sake which is done by Chariâ—y Whâ—r fore since the Life of a Christian is to move towards God and Love of God or Charity makes us do so It onely is a Christians Life and he dead without It. Wherefore what causes ibis death is Mortall Sin which springs from love of Creatures above all things bringing neglect of our Duties yet not every such neglect Mortall but In those to our Neighbour such as would absolutely break Friendship In those to our selves such as done us by another would make us fall out with him In those towards God such misrespect as to our Neighbour were want of â—ove Other Neglects are Venial From what 's said follows is most full of Pleasure and Credit Also It fits us for the next world For who loves God or aâ—y thing for it's self is dispos'd to love it ever Wherefore Love of God or desire to see him remaining in a soul separated It shall see him else would bee miserable for loving him and God cruell Further The pleasure of the Mind had by Knowledge infinitly surpassing that of the body and The seeing all Truths in God as in the supreme Cause being the highest Knowledge the Sight of God beatifies a Soul To which is consequent content in our own former Actions and Friend But the things desired by the wicked are temporall fading therefore the dâ—sires of them remaining â—xâ—â—ssively tâ—rments with Greeâ— which inflicted by another is truly Pain Infinit as being in the Soul and Enledss In regard Those Desires must ever remain unchang'd The Soul as indivisible being unaccessive Yet Veniall Affections are changeble therefore may be purg'd Also Souls shal finally receiue their Bodies because Their desires of them are naturall The manner â—ow with The endowments of Glorify'd and contrary Dispositions of damned Bodies Hence A virtuous life finally brings Insinit more Pleasure Honour and Power than a wicked and is above need of wealth The means to bring corrupt Mankind to loue God being Miracles and Teaching and this ineâ—â—icacious unless lively conceited by the Teachers therefore Divine Love or the Holy Ghost was to descend upon the Apostles in virtue of which primitive vâ—gour Christ's doctrin was brought down from them to us that is the Church is truly Apostolical and Catholik as planted by the Apostles universally as having some of her profession in each câ—untry as the only eminent Congregation in Câ—â—istendome Also Having an entire Body of Faith or Doctrin fit to promote Sanctity Laws Customes conformable to that Faith and extraordinary Sanctity attainable by her Principles and practis'd by her children she is likewise Holy Lastly Her rule of Faith Tradition Her externall Profession of Faith and Her Government being the same all ovâ—r She is also One