Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	heaven_n	love_v	soul_n	5,739	5	5.0400	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37113	Du Vergers humble reflections vpon some passages of the Right Honorable the Lady Marchionesse of Nevvcastles Olio, or, An appeale from her mes-informed, to her ovvne better informed iudgement	Du Verger, S.	1657 (1657)	Wing D2921; ESTC R21646	66,712	176

then reason lead vs to it or not God may be delighted in bare shoulders c. if faith guideys to it which yet can neuer be without reason howeuer it may be without the reach of it And as for the reach of my reason I ingenuously acknowledge it to be of so smale an extent that I should not be able so farre to looke into that hidden God his counsells as to discouer whether he may be pleased or displeased with any of our actions at all since I should not thinke that Eagles stowped to the flight of flyes that tapers could adde light to the sunne beames that lesse then a droppe could swell the Ocean that nothing compared to All could appeare something that that inconsiderable and vanishing vapour Man could afforde delight to the diuine Maiestie Noe contrarily I should apprehend pleasure to be a kind of addition by the attaynement and fruition of some good Which we begin a new to possesse and displeasure to be a withdrawing and priuation of the same Wheras God as he is his owne beeing so is he his owne happie beeing from all eternitie his owne contēt his owne Soueraigne and superadmirable delight and felicitie Being neither subiect to addition nor diminution And thence it should seeme the Royall Psalmists reason moued him to conclude God to be his God because he needed nothing that was his to make some new accession of delight or happinesse And Lucretius though otherwise an Epicure said of God that he abounding in his owne riches stands in neede of none of ours So that happly should we consult reason alone we should hardly find out how he could be delighted not onely in bare backes c. but euen in those better thinges wherin you place his delightes nor doe we deny it as in an humble harte and lowe desires a thankfull mynd sorowfull thoughtes repentant teares c. And so by the waight of flesh be borne downe vpō that other vnworthy thought which you presently after expresse but approue not saying for we might thinke that God did not intend man more miserie or lesse of this world then beasts Madame had not this production of rationalitie bene better stifled in the Conception then brought out to light since there are but too many that doe not onely thinke it but practise it also without any other inuitation then impecauted reason or corrupt nature bowed downe to bestialitie for man when he was placed in honour vnderstood it not and so n as compared to brute beastes and was made like to them Hence such as measured their actions by this crooked rule said come therfor let vs inioy the good thinges that are and let vs quicklie vse the creature as in youth let vs fill our selues with pretious wine and oyntements and let not the flowre of the tyme asse vs Let vs crowne our selues with roses before they wither Let there be noe medowe which our riote shall not passe through Let none of vs be exempted from our riotousnesse euery where let vs leaue signes of ioy because this is our portion and this our lot See Madame into what precipices man rushes downe when quitting the royall way prescribed by faith he adheares to his owne braine absorpt in sensualitie And when Spirituall and holy thinges are waighed in deceiptfull ballances not with the sanctuarie waightes Gods Prouidence and mercy hath graciously furnished vs with better rules surer warranties which according to S. Peters Counsell we should doe well to attend to as to a candle shining in a darke place vntill the day dawne and the day starre arise in our hartes And in the interim according to S. Paules not to be wiser then we ought to be but to be wise to sobrictie Taking then faith or the word of God for our guide we cannot doubt but God is delighted in man the masterpeece of all his diuine workman shippe here below Since he hath left it put downe by the pen of the holy Gost that his delightcs are to be with the Sonnes of men And what doth he cheifly desire in man but his hart which he seemes to sue for sonne giue me thy hart And what doth he ayme at in his hart but his loue whose seate it is All then Madame that is loue for loue or conduceing to the seruice and aduancement of loue is agreeable or delightfull in the sight of the diuine Maiestic since that is the fulnesse and end of the law and prophetes So that Madame aske Hilarion why his backe and whole body is naked and he pointes you out the Gospell that Diuine Robber for the Authour of that blessed cryme saying it was that booke which stript me THE II. PARAGRAPHE ASKE the poore Frier why his feete are bare and dirtie and he presently answers it is for the loue of his Lord and Master Aske him againe whether of the two he preferrs a cold backe or an humble hart and he replyes with smiling that you quite mistake him if you conceiue he places perfection in shauen heads dirtie feete cold backes hungry stomackes and course and simple habits which did they not proceede from loue and lead to loue he would value at nothing as apprehending those exteriour thinges alone litle gratefull in the eyes of heauen But since we are made sure by faith that God is a Phylantropos and a heauenly Pigmalion who falls in loue with the peeces of his owne hand and loues mans mutuall loue as being the end of his law his labours and passions reason easily leades vs to inferre that rationally too he must needes loue the meanes to the same end as euery rationall man vses to doe and that so much the more effectually by how much he desires the end more ardently such as we conceiue these in part to be if not immediately at least mediately by remouing thinges opposite to it For goes the Frier on we haue heard from S. Augustine that two loues haue built two cities selfe loue in contempt of God an earthly one● the loue of God in contempt of ones selfe a heauenly one The first seeketh the glorie of men but the latter desires God onely as the testimonie of the conscience the greatest glorie That glories in it selfe this in God c. That boasteth of the ambitious conquerour led by the lust of Souueraignetie In this euery one serueth other in charitie both the rulers in counselling and the subiects in obeying The wisemen of that follow either the goods of the body or mynd or both liuing according to the flesh But in this other the heauenly Citie there is noe wisdome but the pietie that serueth the true God and expecteth a reward in the societie of the holy Angells and men that God may become all in all That first loue must be subdued that this may gett grouth the decrease of that being indeede the increase of this as the vtter ruine of that is the perfection and raigne of this And vrges the Monke or Frier is this

commendations A generall care in a common father to excite his children to Pennance and the practise of workes of pietie and Christian charitie A generall obedience and concurrence in the children vpon their fathers call to complie with the said workes therby to amend their liues and appease Gods wroth He is moued by a most iust cause the common calamitie wherby he conceiues the diuine Maiestie highly offended He suggests the best meanes to remoue it euen that which he learnt of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and S. Iohn Penance and the actes therof fasting praying and almes deedes which extinguish sinne as water doth fire And all this in the name authoritie and person of Iesus-Christ as S. Paule did And they howeuer they are confident of his authoritie hopeing for nothing by the Popes concessions vnlesse first by their owne endeuours and good dispositions with the helpe of the Sacraments they be in the state of grace In which state and noe otherwise they are hopefull in Gods mercy to receiue the effects or fruites of the Popes pardons to wit full remission of the paines or satisfactions due to their sinns And yet in the name of God what a bugge beare is this made to deterre the ignorant from pope and papist as they please to qualifie vs Catholike As though forsooth he vndertooke to saue and damme and sell mercy to whom he pleased while notice is not taken the while that the least Minister greater then all the popes putt togeither arrogantly takes vpon him to preach plenarie pardons from both the guilt and paines of sinne to all offendants be their crymes neuer so ennormious at least if not publicke without resetue without satisfaction without restitution onely vpon a bare repentance which is but one part of the popes iniunctions that onely to remitt the paine due to sinne O what a vaste blind prodigious bountie is this which renders Christians so rich that they cannot euen perish if they would vnlesse they leaue of to beleeue as the teneur of pope Luthers vaste Indulgences beare And now Madame in some measure agreeable to my weaknes hauing purged my Catholike Mother in point of the fowle Calumnies cast vpon her vnhansomely foisted into your feast by our enemyes me thinkes I am recouered out of a fowle passage and restored to a faire plane where I meete with a more gentle aire and delightfully doe I walke too and fro on it For surely say you Monasticall liues are profitable to the common wealth because it keepes peace and makes plentie and begetts a habit of sobrietie which giues a good example and many tymes drawes their owne mynds though naturally otherwise disposed to follow the outward carriage for the custome of the one may alter the nature of the other c. The next cause for plenty they are of a spare diet and most of what they eate or should care by their order is fish rootes c. and the like Madame Though by this discourse your gentlenesse giues vs enough to appeare glorious in the eyes of the world and makes vs fit subiects to find more fauour in protestant common wealthes then we could euer hitherto meete with since we alone practise a profession which keepes peace makes plentie begetts a habit of sobrietie we vse ceremonies which keepes the Church in order and giues it magnificence Besides it keepes out murmure discontent and idlenesse which are the causes of rebellion yet vnder fauour wheras in conclusion you seeme to doubt whether it may be any aduantage to the soule c. we must not sitt downe content with these halfe payementes and the worse halfes too we must not take vp with driblets for consideration with losse of the principall The cheife ayme and end of Monasticall life is the ornament beautie and felicitie of the soule or to say all in one word the perfection of charitie so farre forth as it can be attaynd to in this life Those other temporall benedictions which acrue to the world and themselues intimated by your La. from that holy profession are but partes of the hundredfold promised by our heauenly Master in this life to those that abandonne all for loue life euerlasting being reserued to the next for the soule As I hope your Honour will haue found conuinced by reason in the fourth Chapter aboue as well as by authoritie in the first seconde and third where it is made appeare a tymely production of Primitiue Christianitie in the first In the seconde it is graced with angelicall prerogatiues by the holy Fathers vnanimous votes And in the third loaden with admirable fruites of Spirit by the vndenyable testimonies of ancient Histories How comes your Honour then to goe on as followes saying Although rationally one would thinke that God should not take delight in shauen heades or bare and dirtie feete cold backes hungrie stomacks or any outward habit THE XVII REFLECTION MADAME I cannot but looke vpon this passage as aremnant of the old leauen noe production of your better seasoned soule This is certainly some fume belched vp from the too full bellie of some fat Epicure in the middst of his deuoute prayers and pious resolutions of le ts eate and drinke because to morrow we shall dye For this strikes not onely at the bare backe and hungrie stomackes and durtie feete of the poore Monke or fryer onely but at all the penall actions and satisfactorie workes for finne so highly praysed and frequently practised by all the ancient fathers Martyrs and Confessours of the primitiue tymes That I may not say it hath a lash too euen at Christ his sacred and torne shoulders at his laborious and paynefull actions and passion I am not ignorant that those libertines doctrine and pleasures is that his sufferance sufficed for all and freed vs from further sufferance but as they are not taught this euen by faith it selfe which is not now the question so much lesse are they able to perswade it by reason which is the thinge in present agitation for rationally one would thinke that God should not be delighted in his sonns bare shoulders his ignominious humiliations publicke abandonment And thence it passed for a scandall with the lewes and a follie with the gentils though it were indeede the loue and mercy and wisdome of God Why should we then Madame ouermatche ourselues in struing to discouer by the twye-light of reason what God may be delighted in and what not and by that meanes put rockes of scandal in the way for licentious soules which perceiue not what belongs to Spirit to stumble at while we haue better starrs to walke by wheras there is nothinge more wholsome and secure in Christianitie then that the authoritie of Scripture should preceede and conduct reason as your La. also concluds when you leaue your selfe purely to the guidance of your owne second and better thoughtes concluding neither must we follow our owne reason in religion but faith which is the guide of our conscience Whether