Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	body_n	part_n	spirit_n	3,336	5	5.3166	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01420	An abridgement of Christian perfection Conteining many excellent precepts, & aduertisments, touching the holy, and sacred mysticall diuinity. Written in Italian, by Fa. Achilles Galliardi of the Society of Iesus, &translated into English, A.H. of the same society; Breve compendio intorno alla perfezione cristiana. English	Galliardi, Achilles, 1537-1607.; Percy, Mary, Lady, 1570-1642.; Hoskins, Anthony, 1568-1615, attributed name.; Berinzaga, Isabella Cristina, 1551?-1624, attributed name. aut	1625 (1625)	STC 11539; ESTC S120493	51,187	200

endeauouring to subdue the repugnance and contradiction which riseth of them and to obtaine full dominion and victory ouer them Moreouer that she apply her selfe wholy to the mortification and abnegation of her will and proper iudgement vnder an entire obedience and a ful direction of her Superiors euen with all the forces of her soule That likewise she so apply her self to vertue according to the occasiōs occurring or in any other sort principally to charity to the loue of God and her neighbour that she be not in this way alwayes rude and as a beginner but well aduanced and profited by progresse of time at the least she must haue attayned a firme resolution to be willing rather to dye then to offend God yea although but venially or to commit one of the least defects against perfection in such sort that the sinne she doth commit be by meere occurring frailty The cause wherefore all this that hath byn sayd ought to be presupposed is for that a firme purpose of al these things in generall is most necessary for the obtayning of Perfection And it is certaine that whosoeuer without a very earnest desire of these things doth with coldnes and negligence seeke after vertue giuing himselfe to his proper commodities selfe interests liuing like a libertine and with a will to remayne in his old habits without amendment can neuer attayne nor come neere to Perfection much lesse to this that is the highest of all TWO PRINCIPSES in which consisteth Perfection CHAP. II. ALL the building of so high Perfection is foūded in these two Principles which consist in practice and therefore by the vse of them being attentiue to the daily actions of his vocation and institution assuredly he shall come to the toppe and full height of all his building The first principle is to haue a meane base esteeme of things created and aboue all of himselfe frō which esteeme ought to be deriued at least in affection an entire forsaking of al creatures and arenouncing of himselfe And concerning his affection to haue alwayes this firme in his will resolution but to put it in practise principally when it is needfull And from this ought to be deriued also a true knowledg of the withdrawing that God worketh in vs admitting and accepting it with a ready will to wit to content our selues and with great ioy of hart to accept it when our Lord retyreth himselfe a little from vs or depriueth vs of anything whatsoeuer The second Principle is to haue a most high esteeme of God not by the way of penetration with Theologicall conceipts or the like high pointes of Diuinity for this few can reach vnto and it is not necessary but rather by the meane of a great promptitude entire submission of the will and of the whole man to the maiesty of God to adore him and to doe whatsoeuer he exacteth of vs for his greater glory without any interest of ours how holy soeuer it be For which esteeme it sufficeth that the soule with the light of fayth apprehend God as we are taught in our Creed as Almighty the soueraigne good our end and that for the great loue he bare vnto vs he was mooued to make himselfe man to suffer paines and death for our sakes Moreouer that he is alwaies present with vs and in all things gouerneth vs as well in those of nature as of grace and in particuler calleth vs with a singular vocation to labour for so high Perfection the like which speciall fauours our Lord giueth to euery one conformable to his capacity according to the measure of grace Of this so excellent and high esteem● ought to spring a full and entire conformity with the diuine Will which alwayes must be the rule of all our designemens affections and dayly operations This māner of working by the foresaid meane with the vse of these two Principles bringeth the Soule to the vnion and transformation in God which is called Deification not by the mysticall way of rauishing out of our senses and eleuation of the vnderstanding nor by most vehement affections that are deriued and proceed from thence for this is subiect to a thousand illusions and to great labour with danger of infirmity of body and ruine of spirit and such payne for the most part auaileth little and few do attayne vnto it But it is by the beaten and common way to wit by the will wholy conformed with great stability transformed into the diuine Will by perfect loue the which maketh it to worke all in God and for God euen without light and of this all are capable and any that wil may come vnto it with ioy and comfort but yet not without payne and labour And after this there followeth ordinarily many other giftes of light and diuine affections but they are to be taken as graces that are giuen gratis as truly they are and we ought not to be too carefull for them or to rely much vpon them They are diuers according to the variety of soules to some more to others lesse and there is no rule on our part but all dependeth of God and ought to be wholy submitted to his diuine pleasure OF THE FIRST Estate first of Anihilation CHAP. III. THE foresayd principles applied to the diuersities of our occasions actions and motions do make the soule to walke with continuall progresse from the beginning euen vnto the end of Perfection and all is reduced into three estates euery one of which and principally the first contayneth diuers degrees that maketh the soule mount as it were by certayne degrees going from one estate vnto another euen to the last In the first estate the soule walketh by the way of the knowledge base esteeme of her selfe which is done in diuers manners and principally in foure 1. The first is in acknowledging and esteeming herselfe purely nothing seing that of nothing she was created and should be cōuerted into nothing of her selfe if God did not conserue her Vnto which it helpeth much to compare herselfe to the whole world to all men to heauen to Saints to God himselfe in respect of which things she knoweth herselfe to be not so much as a little drop of water compared with the sea 2. Secondly in houlding herselfe for the most vile and vnprofitable creature of all how vile soeuer they be as is dust a sinke an Aposteme c. all these things being good for some vse but she for nothing but to offend God 3. Thirdly in thinking herselfe the greatest sinner in the world yea greater then all the diuels put togeather and worthy of more chastisement attributing to herselfe al the sinnes that are committed and that all their tormentes duly might be inflicted vpon her For there is no sin but she might haue committed it if God had not preserued her Exāples of this may be seene in the liues of S. Francis and S. Catherine of Siena 4. The fourth consisteth in

AN ABRIDGMENT OF CHRISTIAN PERFECTION CONTEINING Many excellent Precepts Aduertisments touching the holy and sacred mysticall Diuinity Written in Italian by Fa. Achilles Galliardi of the Society of 〈◊〉 translated into English By A. H. of the same Society THE SECOND EDITION Imprinted Anno M.DC.XXV TO THE RELIGIOVS MEN AND WOMEN OF OVR NATION AND To all others who desire to attayne to the eminent state of Christiā Perfection health in our Lord. THIS Little Booke Deuout Religious in Christ Iesus being first written in Italian by the R. Father Achilles Galliardi of the Society of IESVS and deliuered ouer in written papers only vnto an Honourable and very deuout Lady of Millan for her priuate instruction and better aduancement in spirituall matters was some yeares past gotten out of her Closet and communicated to more then it was at first intended For a little after it was carryed into France and there translated and printed in the French tongue but with so many omissions obscurities and other faults contrary to the Authors meaning that in many places it could hardly be drawne to any perfect sense the which some persons of great zeale well experienced Maisters of Spirit perceauing and lamenting that so excellent a Treasure shold be obscured clowded in such darknes did carefully labour to correct what was amisse by making cleere the obscure places and by restoring of many passages to their proper sense which were before corrupt and intricate that so being published anew it might appeare worthy to be presented to the view of posterity In this little Worke then is conteyned and set before our eyes Doctrine of so great Perfection endeauouring so to purify the intention reduce the mind of man to conformity and vnion with the Will of God that the view of so great a light may perhaps dazle the eyes of such as yet do looke throgh the clowd of selfe-loue and are not fully resolued to repell their inward enemyes in that respect it is not intended or directed to any such And much lesse is it offered to sensuall minds who cannot iudge or discerne the worth of such a pearle but would rather trāple it vnder their feete then tread the pathe which leades to such a treasure But I doubt not to de●me it fitly presented to the reading of all such as haue entred or resolued to enter the pathes of Perfection by imitation of Christ our Lord in practise performance of the Counsells Euāgelicall For of such minds we may with reason hope that first God for his part as he hath called them from the pursuite of worldly vanities to the verity of his diuine loue so he will be no lesse bountiful vnto them in assisting their endeauours with plenty of grace vntill he haue perfected the work which himselfe hath begun in their soules And of their part as they haue receaued from God so much light as to find this Treasure and so much wisdome as to know the value therof and so much fortitude of mind as to contemne their former worldly estate for the purchase of this field or state of Religious life so we may iustly expect at their handes that according to the light wisedome and fortitude which they haue receaued they should be desirous and glad to labour in digging out the sayd treasure and getting it entierly into their owne possession and therefore also that they ought neyther to be loath to vndertake the labour of digging nor yet to thinke much if hauing gotten the gold to seuer it from the earth and drosse which adhereth vnto it And this true intention of benefitting themselues which is neuer wāting in any wise man that hath foūd but an earthly Treasure is as much as this Book requireth in the practise of whatsoeuer is heere prescribed For first we be heere aduised to dig descend into our own nothing by Anihilation then to cast vp and throw from vs all the earthly substance which lyeth betweene vs the treasure and this by Disappropriation or as it is called in the Ghospell by Renunciation of all thinges which we possesse Then we be led by the vertue of Indifferency to cleanse it also being found from the dust of our priuate affections and self-interest And thus the gold being gottē into our possession it thē teacheth vs first how to purify the same from the drosse of all self-loue by the Conformity of our will to the Will of God Secondly to refine it yet more from the baser kind of mettall which is oftē much mixed with this diuine gold and yet hardly by the eye to be discerned but the touchstone of Christ his example doth try it the fire of Charity doth refine it so that it then comes to be Aurum ignitum spoken of in the Apocalyps and one thing as it were with the fire it selfe and this is therefore called Vniformity Then remayneth only that this gold thus feruent and pliable to the will of him that worketh it receaue the stampe of the heauenly King that so it may be currant coyne in his diuine Court in which it is only a Patient and nothing is expected of it but that it take without resistance what impression the workman is best pleased to impose This is the worke of Grace in the soule the workeman is God himselfe and the stampe he imprinteth in it is his owne Image and so this sixt and highest degree of perfection is called Deiformity In this state the Soule hauing first reiected al impediments to her well-doing rooted out all euill habits planted in her selfe the habits of solid vertues and seuered from her intention all selfe-loue yea hauing by the help of Gods Grace purified euen her most inward desires all sensible inclinations frō the infection of selfe-interest then is her will not conformed only but vnited vnto the will of God and so transformed into the same that now it seemeth not to be her will that worketh but the will of God which worketh in her as though she had giuen her own hart vnto Christ and as we read of Catherine of Stena had receaued his in exchange to be in her from that tyme forward the beginning and first motiue of all her operations Of which estate also we may vnderstand the wordes of the Apostle Gal 2. when he sayd V●u● autem iam nonego viu●t verò in me Christus And I liue now not I but Christ liueth in me Much like as we see the graffe which is inserted into another stock which liueth indeed in it selfe bringeth forth fruit but not by the life it had before from it owne naturall roote but by the sap life it now receaueth from the new stock into which it is graffed in which it growes by which it liues many aduises in the booke especially in the Chapters of the second third Estate w●ere i● is t●ught that the soule must be content to f●rgo first all actiue operat●on and practise euen of vertues