Introduction To The Devout Life

Introduction to the Devout Life
by Saint Francis de Sales

Written in the early 17th century, *Introduction to the Devout Life* by Saint Francis de Sales offers guidance on navigating the spiritual life for lay people. Originally composed as letters to a wealthy married woman seeking holiness amidst worldly distractions, the book provides timeless advice on prayer, meditation, and cultivating virtue. It offers encouragement, practical methods, and a gentle approach to deepening one's faith. This work has endured as a valuable resource for Christians of all backgrounds.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

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Genre/Category

Non-Fiction Religion Self-Help

Tags/Keywords

Virtue Sin Prayer Meditation Holiness Grace Discernment Guidance Spiritual Life Christian Living Devoutness Daily practice

Authors

Saint Francis de Sales image

Saint Francis de Sales

France, Italy

Francis de Sales was a Bishop of Geneva and is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting fr...

Books by Saint Francis de Sales

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1: Part I COUNSELS FOR THE SOUL'S GUIDANCE Ch 1: What True Devotion is

2: Part 1 Ch 2. The Nature and Excellence of Devotion..

3: Part 1 Ch 3 Devotion is suitable to every Vocation and Profession

4: Part 1 Ch 4.The Need of a Guide for those who would enter upon and advance in the Devout Life.

5: Part 1 Ch 5. The First Step must be Purifying the Soul.

6: Part 1 Ch 6. The First Purification, namely, from Mortal Sin.

7: Part 1 Ch 7. The Second Purification, from all Sinful Affections.

8: Part 1 Ch 8. How to effect this Second Purification

9: Part 1 Ch 9. First Meditation Of the End for which we were Created

10: Part 1 Ch 10. Second Meditation-Of the End for which we were Created

11: Part 1 Ch 11. Third Meditation - On the Gifts of God.

12: Part 1 Ch 12. Fourth Meditation.- On Sin

13: Part 1 Ch 13. Fifth Meditation - Of Death

14: Part 1 Ch 14 - Sixth Meditation - Of Judgment

15: Part 1 Ch. 15 - Seventh Meditation - Of Hell

16: Part 1 Ch. 16 - Eighth Meditation - On Paradise

17: Part 1 Ch. 17 - Ninth Meditation - On the Choice Between Heaven and Hell

18: Part 1 Ch 18 - Tenth Meditation - How the Soul chooses the Devout Life.

19: Part 1 Ch 19 - How to make a General Confession.

20: Part 1 Ch 20 - A hearty Protest made with the object of confirming the Soul’s resolution to serve God, as a conclusion to its acts of Penitence.

21: Part 1 Ch 21 - Conclusion of this First Purification.

22: Part 1 Ch 22 - The Necessity of Purging away all tendency to Venial Sins.

23: Part 1 Ch 23 - It is needful to put away all Inclination for Useless and Dangerous Things.

24: Part 1 Ch 24 - All Evil Inclinations must be purged away.

25: Part 2 COUNCILS ON THE NECESSITY OF UPLIFTING THE SOUL TO GOD - Ch 1 - The Necessity of Prayer.

26: Part 2 Ch 2 - A short Method of Meditation. And first, the Presence of God, the First Point of Preparation.

27: Part 2 Ch 3 - Invocation, the Second Point of Preparation.

28: Part 2 Ch 4 - the Third Point of Preparation, representing the Mystery to be meditated to Your Imagination.

29: Part 2 Ch 5 - Considerations, the Second Part of Meditation.

30: Part 2 Ch 6 - The Third Part of Meditation, Affections and Resolutions.

31: Part 2 Ch 7 - The Conclusion and Spiritual Bouquet

32: Part 2 Ch 8 - Some Useful Hints as to Meditation.

33: Part 2 Ch 9 - Concerning Dryness in Meditation.

34: Part 2 Ch 10 - Morning Prayer.

35: Part 2 Ch 11 - Evening Prayer and Examination of Conscience

36: Part 2 Ch 12 - On Spiritual Retirement.

37: Part 2 Ch 13 - Aspirations, Ejaculatory Prayer and Holy Thoughts.

38: Part 2 Ch 14 - Of Holy Communion, and how to join in it.

39: Part 2 Ch 15 - Of the other Public Offices of the Church.

40: Part 2 Ch 16 - How the Saints are united to us.

41: Part 2 Ch 17 - How to Hear and Read God’s Word.

42: Part 2 Ch 18 - How to receive Inspirations.

43: Part 2 Ch 19 - On Confession

44: Part 2 Ch 20 - Of Frequent Communion.

45: Part 2 Ch 21 - How to Communicate.

46: Part 3 THE PRACTICE OF VIRTUE - Ch 1 - How to select that which we should chiefly Practice.

47: Part 3 Ch 2 - The same Subject continued.

48: Part 3 Ch 3 - On Patience.

49: Part 3 Ch 4 - On Greater Humility

50: Part 3 Ch 5 - On Interior Humility.

51: Part 3 Ch 6 - Humility makes us rejoice in our own Abjection.

52: Part 3 Ch 7 - How to combine due care for a Good Reputation with Humility

53: Part 3 Ch 8 - Gentleness towards others and Remedies against Anger.

54: Part 3 Ch 9 - On Gentleness towards Ourselves

55: Part 3 Ch 10 - We must attend to the Business of Life carefully, but without Eagerness or Over-anxiety.

56: Part 3 Ch 11 - On Obedience.

57: Part 3 Ch 12 - On Purity.

58: Part 3 Ch 13 - How to maintain Purity.

59: Part 3 Ch 14 - On Poverty of Spirit amid Riches.

60: Part 3 Ch 15 - How to exercise real Poverty, although actually Rich.

61: Part 3 Ch 16 - How to possess a rich Spirit amid real Poverty.

62: Part 3 Ch 17 - On Friendship: Evil and Frivolous Friendship.

63: Part 3 Ch 18 - On Frivolous Attachments

64: Part 3 Ch 19 - Of Real Friendship.

65: Part 3 Ch 20 - Of the Difference between True and False Friendship.

66: Part 3 Ch 21 - Remedies against Evil Friendships.

67: Part 3 Ch 22 - Further Advice concerning Intimacies.

68: Part 3 Ch 23 - On The Practice of Bodily Mortification.

69: Part 3 Ch 24 - Of Society and Solitude.

70: Part 3 Ch 25 - On Modesty in Dress.

71: Part 3 Ch 26 - Of Conversation; and, first, how to Speak of God

72: Part 3 Ch 27 - Of Unseemly Words, and the Respect due to Others.

73: Part 3 Ch 28 - Of Hasty Judgments.

74: Part 3 Ch 29 - On Slander.

75: Part 3 Ch 30 - Further Counsels as to Conversation.

76: Part 3 Ch 31 - Of Amusements and Recreations: what are allowable.

77: Part 3 Ch 32 - Of Forbidden Amusements.

78: Part 3 Ch 33 - Of Balls, and other Lawful but Dangerous Amusements.

79: Part 3 Ch 34 - When to use such Amusements rightly.

80: Part 3 Ch 35 - We must be Faithful in Things Great and Small.

81: Part 3 Ch 36 - Of a Well-Balanced, Reasonable Mind.

82: Part 3 Ch 37 - Of Wishes.

83: Part 3 Ch 38 - Counsels to Married People.

84: Part 3 Ch 39 - The Sanctity of the Marriage Bed.

85: Part 3 Ch 40 - Counsels to Widows.

86: Part 3 Ch 41 - One Word to Maidens.

87: Part 4 CONCERNING ORDINARY TEMPTATIONS - Ch 1 We must not trifle with the Words of Worldly Wisdom.

88: Part 4 Ch 2 - The need of a Good Courage

89: Part 4 Ch 3 - Of Temptations, and the difference between experiencing them and consenting to them.

90: Part 4 Ch 4 - Two striking Illustrations of the same

91: Part 4 Ch 5 - Encouragement for the Tempted Soul.

92: Part 4 Ch 6 - When Temptation and Delectation are Sin.

93: Part 4 Ch 7 - Remedies for Great Occasions.

94: Part 4 Ch 8 - How to resist Minor Temptations.

95: Part 4 Ch 9 - How remedy Minor Temptations.

96: Part 4 Ch 10 - How to strengthen the Heart against Temptation.

97: Part 4 Ch 11 - Anxiety of Mind.

98: Part 4 Ch 12 - Of Sadness and Sorrow.

99: Part 4 Ch 13 - Of Spiritual and Sensible Consolations, and how to receive them.

100: Part 4 Ch 14 - Of Dryness and Spiritual Barrenness

101: Part 4 Ch 15 - An Illustration.

102: Part 5 PRACTICES FOR RENEWING AND CONFIRMING THE SOUL IN DEVOTION. Ch 1 - It is well yearly to renew Good Resolutions by means of the following Exercises.

103: Part 5 Ch 2 - Meditation on the Benefit conferred on us by God in calling us to His Service.

104: Part 5 Ch 3 - Examination of the Soul as to its Progress in the Devout Life

105: Part 5 Ch 4 - Examination of the Soul’s Condition as regards God.

106: Part 5 Ch 5 - Examination of your Condition as regards yourself.

107: Part 5 Ch 6 - Examination of the Soul’s Condition as regards our Neighbour.

108: Part 5 Ch 7 - Examination as to the Affectations of the Soul.

109: Part 5 Ch 8 - The Affections to be excited after such Examination.

110: Part 5 Ch 9 - Reflections suitable to the renewal of Good Resolutions.

111: Part 5 Ch 10 - First Consideration—of the Worth of Souls.

112: Part 5 Ch 11 - Second Consideration—on the Excellence of Virtue.

113: Part 5 Ch 12 - The Example of the Saints.

114: Part 5 Ch 13 - The Love which Jesus Christ bears to us.

115: Part 5 Ch 14 - The Eternal Love of God for us.

116: Part 5 Ch 15 - General Affections which should result from these Considerations, and Conclusion of the Exercise.

117: Part 5 Ch 16 - The Impressions which should remain after this Exercise.

118: Part 5 Ch 17 - An Answer to Two Objections which may be made to this Book.

119: Part 5 Ch 18 - Three Important and Final Counsels.

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