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	see_v	soul_n	6,413	5	5.5530	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08035	A most learned and pious treatise full of diuine and humane philosophy, framing a ladder, wherby our mindes may ascend to God, by the steps of his creatures. Written in Latine by the illustrous and learned Cardinall Bellarmine, of the society of Iesus. 1615. Translated into English, by T.B. gent.; De ascensione mentis in Deum per scalas rerum creatorum opusculum. English	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Young, Francis.	1616 (1616)	STC 1840; ESTC S115760	134,272	612

all chasts lone And therefore the mysterie of the Trinitie doth surpasse all naturall knowledge neither can a learned Philosopher attaine thereunto without supernaturall light For the soule of Man produceth a Word and a loue which are not substances but accidents and therefore no persons But God the Father did beget the word consubstantiall to himselfe And the Father and the word breathed out the holy Ghost consubstantiall likewise to them both Therefore the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are truely three persons The soule of Man also produceth a Word which continueth not long and the Will produceth a loue which lasteth not long but God the Father did beget The Wordeternall and the Father and the Word did breath out the holy Ghost eternall For God cannot be without his Word and Spirit Furthermore the soule of Man by one Word representeth but one thing and therefore it multiplyeth the wordes not onely of the Minde but also of the mouth The will of Man likewise must produce many actes of Loue if it will loue many thinges but God with one Word speaketh all truth and with one Acte of loue loueth all good thinges Tenthly and lastly Cap. 10 the soule of man whiles it is in the body is not seene heard mooued nor scarce conceiued to be there and yet from it all good thinges are deriued to the body as sense motion speech subsistence beauty strength and the like For how could a man see heare speake walke subsist and be strong faire and amiable vnlesse his soule were in him And why doth he not after he is dead see heare speake and mooue but because his soule is departed from whence these benefites proceeded Euen so thy God O my soule whiles he liueth in thee by his Grace maketh thee to see what Faith sheweth thee and to heare what he speaketh in thee That thou mayest walke in the Way of the Commaundements towardes the Heauenly Hierusalem and speake in prayer to God and in good exhortations to thy neighbour and subsist perseuering in good workes and be strong in battaile against thy inuisible enemies and thereby become beautifull in the eyes of the inuisible God and his Angells But take heede least Gods grace departing from thee which is the life of thy soule thou fall into the losses of the First death And from it be carried to the second death frō whence is no Resurrection O that thy God would open the eyes of thy minde that thou mightest behold the beauty of a Soule that is vnited to him in Charity What place hee prepareth for it What ioyes hee promiseth it How louingly hee looketh on it And with what longing it is ezpected by the Angells and blessed Soules Then wouldest thou not endure that so great beauty should be blemished with the least spott And if it should so happen thou wouldest endeauour to wash it away with floudes of teares For so did St. Francis as Saint Bonauenture reporteth who although he could not follow the immaculate Lambe without some spot endeauoured notwithstanding to purge and clense his soule with daily shewers of teares from all spottes of offences whatsoeuer Againe if thy God would open thy inward eyes that thou mightest see the deformity of a Sinfull soule how it slinketh like a rotten carcasse and how both God and his Angells reiuse to looke thereon although perhaps it dwell in a beautifull body very pleasing to the eyes of men surely thou wouldst be so affrighted that by no meanes thou wouldest become such a one nor long continue in such estate THE NINTH STEPP From the Consideration of Angells WE are come to the highest Stepp of Ascention vnto God Cap. 1 from created substances For if wee speake onely of Naturall perfection there is no created substance higher then that of Angells First therefore we will consider Angells according to their excellency of Nature Secondly according to their sublimity of Grace And lastly according to the Offices which they execute For it is not our meaning to enter into a full Disputation about Angells but onely to touch such thinges as may helpe vs to eleuate ou● mindes to God If an Angell then be compared vnto Mans reasonable Soule it may fitly be called a perfect Soule euen as the soule may be called an vnperfect Angell For so of man spake the Prophet by reason of his Soule when he said Thou hast minished him a little lesse then Angells Psal 8 An Angell is a Perfect Spiritual Substance the Soule an Vnperfect Spirituall Substance because it is the Bodyes Forme and but one part of Man Therefore an Angell is all Spirit Man partly Spirit and partly flesh or partly an Angell and partly a beast As if one should say An Angell is all of golde Man partly of golde and partly of clay The Prophet then said truely Man is minished little lesse then Angells And it is also true that the soule of man because it is a part of man is little lesse then an Angell Whereupon it followeth that an Angell is more like to God then a man or his soule for God is a Spirit and not a Body or Forme of of a body And yet notwithstanding this resemblance of an Angell vnto God God is a spirit infinitely excelling the dignity of an Angel For God is a Sp●rit vncreated eternall immense Almighty onely Good onely Wise onely High If then my soule thou wilt confesse that thou doest with reason admire the Nature of Angells How much more oughtest thou to admire and reuerence the Nature of God who without all comparison excelleth them Neither in Nature or substance onely may an Angell be called a perfect M●n Cap. 2 and Man an vnperfect Angell but also in knowledge and vnderstanding For man because hee vseth the ministery of his sences and discourseth from effectes to causes and from causes to effectes vnderstandeth with l●bour and by degrees attaineth vnto knowledge whervpon he oftentimes doubteth oftentimes is deceiued and seldom findeth out the Truth But an A●gell beholdeth a● once the effectes and causes together seeth the Substance with the Accidentes and spirituall thinges with corporall Man therfore whiles hee is a P●grim on carth in vnderstanding is not a little lesse but much lesse then Angells So that albeit hee excell in Witt and in the study of Philosophy Yet in comparison of an Angell he may truely be accounted a Childe or sucking Infant Not vntruely therfore spake that Prophet of vs mortall Men O●● of the mouth of Infantes Psal 8 and Sucklings thou hast perfited praise Heare what the wise Salomon iudged of our Wisdome wherewith we are so puffed vp All thinges are hard saith he Man cannot explicate them in Worde Bccle 1 Bccles 3 And againe God hath deliuered the World to their disputation that man cannot finde ●he Worke which God hath ●rought from the beginning to the end If all thinges then are hard and which man cannot explicate And if man vnderstand nothing in this visible

whome he loueth Thus he Whereby he plainely declareth that God sheweth himselfe vnto blessed soules not as a iudging Lord but as a familiar friend And truely the familiaritie which God also sheweth in this life to pure and chaste mindes is vncredible For of him it is sayd My delights to be with the children of men Prou. 8 Prou. 3 And his talke is with the simple Hence was it that all the Saintes albeit they suffered pressures in the world had notwithstanding peace in their harts where God dwelt therefore they seemed and were indeed alwayes ioyfull and quiet For to them the Truth said Ioh 16 Your hart shall retoyce and your ioy no man shall take from you There remaineth the fourth part of dimension which is called depth Cap. 8 The depth of Gods essence is manifold First the Diuinitie is in it selfe most deepe solide and substantiall Not like a guilded wedge which hath gold onely in the outside and within is brasse or wood but like an endlesse wedge of gold or rather like a mine of golde so deepe that by digging it can neuer be emptied So is God vncomprehensible For as a Myne of gold without bottome can neuer be emptied with digging so God whose greatnesse is without end can neuer be so perfectly knowne by any Creature but that there still remayneth more to be known and God onely comprehendeth that depth who onely hath an infinite vnderstanding Depth also belongeth to God in respect of place For as he is most high and aboue all So he is most deep and vnder all Who as the Apostle saith Carrieth all thinges by the word of his power Heb. 1 God therefore is as the foundation and roo●e of a house Act. 17 In whom we live and mooue and be So that Salomon sayd most truely Heauen and the heauens of heauens cannot containe thee ● Reg. 8. For God rather containeth the heauens and all thinges vnder them because he is both aboue the heauens and vnder the earth Furthermore Gods depth is his inuisibilite For God is Light but vnaccessible he is truth but most secret Psal 17 Thou hast put darkenesse thy Couert saith Dauid And Isay 45 verily he is God hidden as I say speaketh St. Augustine seeking God on a time sent his eyes as messengers from earth to heauen And all thinges answered Lib. 9 cō● c. 〈…〉 lib. 10 c. 6. in psal 26. 28 We are not him whom thou seekest but he made vs. Wherefore not finding God by Ascention through outward thinges he began to Ascend through inwrard thinges and from them he learned that God was more easily to be found for he knewe that the soule was better then the body and the inward sence then the outward sence and the vnderstanding then it Whence he gathered that God who is more inward then the vnderstanding was better then the vnderstanding Therefore whatsoeuer we vnderstand or conceaue is not God but some other thing lesse then God for he is better then we can conceaue Goe too then my soule if thou art better then thy body to whome thou giuest life because it is a body and thou a spirit and if the eye of thy body cannot see thee because it is without and thou within So thinke likewise that thy God is better then thou art because he is a spirit more high and inward then thou For thou dwellest as it were without but he resideth in his most profound and secret Tabernacle But shalt thou neuer be admitted thether God forbid Thy Lord doth not lye who saith Math 5 Blessed are the cleane of hart for they shall see God Nor his Apostle who sayd We see now by a glasse in a darke sort 1 Cor. 13 but then face to face Nor St. Iohn the Euangelist who writ We knowe that when he shall appeare 1 Ioh 3 we shall be like to him because we shall see him as he is How great then will thy ioy be when in that secret and sacred Sanctuary thou shalt see and enioy that light beauty and goodnesse it selfe Then shall it plainely appeare how vaine transitorie and of small moment the goods of this earth are wherewith men being inebriated forget the true and euerlasting But if thou thirst indeed after the liuing God And if thy teares be breades vnto thee day and night whiles psal 41 it is sayd where is thy God Be not slowe to cleanse thy hart whereby thou mayst see God Be not weary to dispose ascentions in thy hart vntill the God of Goddes shall be seene in Syon Psal 83 Neither waxe thou colde in the loue of God and thy neighbour 1 Ioh. 3 nor loue in word and in tongue but in deed and truth For that is the way that leadeth to life euerlasting THE ELEVENTH STEPP From the Consideration of the greatnesse of Gods power by the similitude of a corporall quantitie GReat is our Lord Cap. 1 and there is no end of his Greatnesse For he is not great onely because Omnipotencie is his higth infinite wisdome his depth incomprehensible mercie his breadth iustice like a rod of yron his length but also for that these Attributes are infinite in breadth length higth and depth And to begin from his Power or rather his Omnipotency The breath of Gods power consisteth in extention to infinite thinges First it is extended to all thinges made for there is nothing from the greatest Angel to the least Worme or from the highest Heauen to the lowest Hell which was not made by the power of God Ioh. 1 All things saith St. Iohn were made by him and without him was made nothing And after The world was made by him Secondly it is extended to all thinges that shal be made For as nothing hath bin made but by him so likewise nothing shall be made but by him So speaketh the Apostle Rom. 1. Of him and by him and in him are all thinges Thirdly it is extended to all thinges that may be made So speaketh the Angel There shall not be impossible with God any worde Luk. 1 And our Lord himselfe saith Math 19 With God all thinges are possible Fourthly it is extended to the destruction of all thinges made For as God could by a floude of Water destroy at once all men and other liuing creatures vpon earth except a few which it pleased him to preserue within Noahs Arke So be can by a floude of Fire at one time destroy not onely all Men and other Creatures found liuing at the l●st day but also all Trees Cittyes and other thinges vpon Earth The day of our Lord saith Saint Peter the Apostle in his last Epistle shall come as a Theefe 2 Pet. 3 in the which the Heauens shall passe with great violence but the Elements shall be resolued with heate and the Earth and the workes which are in it shall be burnt Great surely is the breadth of Gods Power and

without ceasing but there are innumerable Angels and holy men which heare them and are delighted therewith and they also with Hymnes and songes continually prayse their maker But to proceed The length of Gods essence is his eternitie Cap. 4 which neither hath beginning of duration nor euer shall haue end but is alwayes the same without any change Psal 101 Thou art saith Dauid the selfesame and thy yeares shall not fayle Tobyas also Tob 13 1 Tim. 6 and after him the Apostle calleth God The king of worlds because he onely was before all worlds is not subiect to worldes but ruleth and gouerneth them Other thinges haue beginning and end and neuer continue in the same state Or els they haue beginning without end or change of substance yet if their maker please they may cease to be Eternitie therfore is proper to God onely Nor was there euer any Prince so prowde that among his many other Tytles durst arrogate to himselfe the tytle of eternall except perhaps in an other sēce As Constantius who was called eternal Emperour because he was not Emperour for a certaine time but for terme of life But thou my soule mayst be numbred among both kindes of Creatures For thou hast a body which began to be when it was conceaued and borne and by degrees it grewe to that stature which God appointed then it began to decrease and shortly by death it shall cease to be Therefore it neuer wholy continueth in the same state but is euery hower subiect to change Of thy body the Prophet spake this sentence resembling it to Hay In the morning as an hearbe hee shall passe Psal 89 in the morning he shall flourish and passe in the euening he shall fall be hardened and withered For in the morning to wit in Childhood Mans body flourisheth like an bearbe and soone after followeth youth In the Noone-tyde of youth it flourisheth and soone after followeth olde age in the euening of olde age it falleth by death and in the graue it is hardened withered and turned to dust Beholde therefore O my soule how farre thy bodie is from eternitie But thou wast created in time where as before thou wast nothing and therein thou ●rt farre vnlike thy eternall Creator but being created thy duration is endlesse wherein thou dost resemble thy Creator And because whiles thou art in the body thou changest often from vice to vertue and from vertue to vice And according to the state in which thou shalt be found at thy departure from the body thou shalt be iudged either to raigne for euer with God or for euer to be tormented with the Deuill therefore thou oughtest to haue a very great care to eschew vice and to follow vertue Take heede then least thou be seduced by the allurements of thy flesh to the euerlasting perdition both of thy selfe and it Gal 5 but rather Crucifie it with the vices and concupiscences thereof that thou mayst hereafter liue eternally and thy flesh may rise in glory and in glory remaine with thee for all eternitie But although the Angells and soules of Saintes are to be partakers of eternitie in that high and happy Vnion with God by his beatifying vision and loue which vnion shall continue for euer without change yet may they alter change their thoughts affections and places after diuers manners therefore they shall alwaies reuerētly admire Gods eternitie aboue them in whom can be no change of thought affection or place for he wanteth nothing but hath all things present which in eternitie of time he might by diuers changings haue procured Therefore eternitie is a length without end no lesse proper to God then the breadth of his immensitie It followeth then Cap. 5 that we consider the Height of God of whom it is sayd Thou onely the Highest Psal 82 For God is most heigh in excellencie of Nature Other thinges are the more heigh and excellent the more pure they are and more free from matter This is euident first in corporall things For the Water is higher then the Earth because it is more pure and for the same cause the Ayer is higher then the Water and the Fire then the Ayer and the Heauen then the Fire The like also wee finde in Spirituall thinges for the vnderstanding is higher then the sence because the sence hath a Corporal organ which the vnderstanding needeth not Likewise the vnderstanding of Angels is higher then mans Because Mans vnderstanding needeth the helpe of Imagination and Phantasie which Angells need not and among Angells they are the Highest which vnderstand most by fewest Formes God therefore who is A pure Act needeth neither Organ nor Imagination nor Forme nor the presence of any Obiect without himselfe for his essence is to him all thinges Neither can he haue any thing which he hath not alwayes actually had and to haue Alwayes actually is alwayes to be a Pure and simple Act Therefore the Nature of God is most high and which cannot by any meanes haue an equall For which cause he who said I will be like to the Highest Isay 14 was suddainly cast downe from Heauen into the lowest Hell as Esay doth describe And Christ our Lord saith of him Luke 10 I saw Sathan as a lightning fall from Heauen God also is most High for that he is the first and Highest efficient exemplar and finall cause of all thinges He is the highest efficient cause for that there is no Creature which hath any working vertue but from God but God receiueth not from any other Againe no cause can worke vnlesse it be moued by God but God is mooued by no other Moreouer among Creatures such causes are said to be highest whiah are vniuersall and of whom particular causes depend As the Heauens and Angells which moue the Heauens but God made both the Heauens and Angells He therefore is the first and highest efficient cause And hee is the first exemplar cause for he made all thinges according to the Ideas or Formes which in him selfe he hath Lastly hee is also the first Finall cause For hee created all thinges for himselfe Pro. 16 to witt for manifestation of his glory as the wise man saith in the Prouerbes Moreouer God is most high because he sitteh in a most high Throne I saw our Lord saith Isay sitting vpon an high Throne and eleuated Isay 6 A seate hath two vses the one to Iudge the other to rest in let vs then consider each of them apart First God hath a most Throne because hee is the Highest Iudge For Abraham said vnto God Gen. 18 Psal 81 Thou doest iudge all the Earth And Dauid In the middes hee iudgeth goddes That is God iudgeth the Iudges themselues who in the Scripture are called Goddes And St. Iames saith plainly Iam 4 There is one Law-maker and Iudge That is to say God onely is the true Law-maker and Iudge For he onely giueth Lawes to all

as may seeme vncredible God dealeth like a learned and gentle Phisition who tempereth his medicines in such sort that the Patients may receaue them not onely easily but also willingly For meates doubtlesse are Medicines which vnlesse men receaue often they cannot escape death But God our most louing and skilfull p●isition hath first giuen a taste vnto meates that they may be taken with delight then he hath multiplyed them with infinite variety to take away yerksomnesse And lastly after diuers alterations in the mouth stomach liuer and hart he changeth the meate into so thinne a iuyce that it passeth without s●ission or paine through all the veynes and pores of the body vnto all the partes of the flesh bones and synnowes euen when we sleepe and feele it not The Philosophers wonder at the Wisdome of Nature when they consider these thinges But what Wisdome can there be in thinges without life sence and reason Therefore not the wisdome of nature bur the wisdome of God is to be admired who made nature and found out the way how these merueilous thinges might be done Heare the wisdome of God speaking in the Gospell Math 6 Consider the Lillies of the field how they growe They labour not neither doe they spinne and God doth so clothe c. Therefore not the wisdome of Nature but God maketh the Lillies to growe and as it weare clotheth them with so comely garments Which also may be said of the nourishment and growth of all liuing creatures as the Apostle witnesseth saying 1 Cor 3 Neither he that planteth is any thing nor he that watereth but he that giueth the increase God And if the Wisdome of God doth feede nourish and preserue Plantes and Beastes in this mortall life after so admirable a manner thinke if thou canst O my soule how God doth feede the mindes of Angells and Men in eternall life For on Earth wee are fedd with earthly meates albeit they are seasoned by Gods Wisdome But in Heauen Wisdome it selfe is the meate and drinke of those that liue for euer O Happy shouldest thou be if thou couldest throughly vnderstand what it is God shall be all in all 1 Cor 15 what I say it is that God the chiefe Happinesse shall be to all the Saintes meate drinke cloath life and all thinges whatsoeuer Surely thou wouldest loathe all thinges present Coloss 3 and onely Minde and seeke the thinges that are aboue But let vs proceed It also resembleth a Miracle that for the preseruation and continuance of Mans life God hath giuen to very small thinges a very long and continuall motion without intermission Men take great paines to make the wheeles of a Clocke runne by force of weights foure and twenty houres How great then is the Wisdome of God who causeth the nourishing Facultie to worke without ceassing so long as men beastes or trees doe liue And the longues and pulses to mooue continually seauenty yeares and more For of necessitie the ●ourishing facultye must worke and the longues and pulses must mooue from the first entrance into life vntill the end thereof Those therefore that liue vntill sourescore or ninetie yeares of age must of necessitie haue their longues and pulses mooue all that while And before the sloud when men liued nine hundred yeares their longues and pulses which are thinges very small and soone out of temper wrought nine hundred yeares without rest or intermission Truely they that wonder at these thinges and doe not reuerence and adore Gods Wisdome in them are doubtlesse depriued of all light of Wisdome Moreouer albeit Gods Wisdome can without the labour of men and beastes and without the ministerie of the Sunne or other secondary causes produce and preserue herbes and trees so that all liuing creatures might haue meate in readinesse yet it pleased him to vse the seruice of secundary causes and the labour and industry of men and of beastes that none might be idle but that euery one might exercise their strength He would also that among men some should be rich and some poore that they all might haue occasion to loue vertue and to be tyed together in the bond of Charity For the rich may therefore vse Mercy and Liberality and the poore Patience and Humility The Rich also need the labour of the Poore to till their fieldes to feede their Cattle and by diuers trades to prouide such things as euery one hath neede of The Poore againe want the helpe of the Rich to giue them money and meanes to prouide for themselues meat drinke cloath and other necessaryes Neither is there any canse why the poore should complaine of Gods Wisdome For God who knoweth all and loueth all hath giuen to euery one what hee fore-saw to be most conuenient for them to obtaine euerlasting life As earthly Phisitions commaund some of their Patients to be let bloud others to drinke wine eate flesh and vse recreation Many poore folkes doubtlesse shall now be saued who if they had bin rich had perished eternally And although the rich may also be saued if they seeke to be rich in Good workes and giue that willingly which they receiued of our common Lord not to hide but to bestow Yet it cannot be denied but that pouertie is a safer plainer and shorter way to heauen then wealth Our heauenly master doth not deceaue vs who saith Amen I say to you Math 6 that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdome of heauen And againe Blessed are yee poore for yours is the ●ingdome of God Luk. 6 and woe to you that are rich because you haue your consolation Neither doth the Apostle deceaue vs who in his first Epistle to Timothie saith 1 Tim 6 They that will be made rich fall into tentation and the share of the deuill and many desires vnprofitable and hurtfull which drowne men into destruction and perdition And what our Lord and his Apostles taught by word they confirmed also by example For our Lord saith of himselfe Luk. 9 The Foxes haue holes and the Foules of the ayre neastes but the Sonne of Man hath not where to repose his head And the Apostle saith of himselfe his fellow Apostles Vntill this houre 1 Cor 4 we doe both hunger and thirst and are n●ked and are beaten with buffets and are Wanderers That is haue no bouse of our owne Neither ought we to doubt but that the wisdome of Gods Son of his Disciples chose the plainest and safest way vnto life But because Eccles 1 the number of fooles is insinite Few choose this way willingly but many declyne from it with all their affection and power Lastly the length of Gods wisdome is seene in that as it is it selfe eternall so it hath engrafted in all thinges a most liuely instinct to preserue themselues and to prolong their life and being as long as they can Wee see men when they perceaue themselues to be in danger of their liues endeauour