Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	bind_v	kingdom_n	loose_v	4,040	5	10.0176	5	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09364	The first part of The cases of conscience Wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of God. Taught and deliuered, by M. William Perkins in his Holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the Church.; Cases of conscience. Part 1	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1604 (1604)	STC 19668; ESTC S114413	95,900	200

THE FIRST PART OF THE CASES OF CONSCIENCE Wherein specially three maine Questions concerning Man simply considered in himselfe are propounded and resolued according to the word of God Taught and deliuered by M. William Perkins in his Holy-day Lectures by himselfe revised before his death and now published for the benefit of the Church PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniversitie of Cambridge 1604 And are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Crowne by Simon Waterson TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull Sir Edward Denny Knight THere is no one doctrine reuealed in the word of God or dispensed by the Prophets and Apostles of greater vse and consequence in the life of man then is that which prescribeth a forme of releeuing and rectifying the conscience The benefit which from hence issueth vnto the Church of God is vnspeakable For first it serueth to discouer the cure of the dangerousest sore that can be the wound of the Spirit Which how great a crosse it is the wise man reporteth out of true experience when he saith that the Spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie but a wounded Spirit who can beare it And his meaning is that no outward griefe can fall into the nature of man which will not be with patience indured to the vtmost so long as the minde is not troubled or dismayed But when once the Spirit is touched and the heart which beeing well apaâ—ed is the very fouÌ„taine of peace to the whole man smitten with feare of the wrath of God for sinne the griefe is so great the burden intolerable that it will not by any outward meanes be eased or asswaged Secondly it giueth for all particular Cases special and sound direction whether man be to walke with God in the immediate performance of the duties of his seruice or to conuerse with man according to the state and condition of his life in the familie in the Church or in the Common-wealth The want of which direction of what force it is to turne the actions of men which are good in themselues to sinnes in regard of the agents S. Paul affirmeth in that generall conclusion Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Wherein he would teach vs that whatsoeuer is done or vndertaken by men in this life whether it concerne the knowledge and worship of God or any particular dutie to be performed by vertue of their callings for the common good whereof they haue not sufficient warrant and assurance in conscience grounded vpon the word that it is to be don or not to be done to them it is a sinne Thirdly it is of all other doctrines if it be rightly vsed the most comfortable For it is not founded in the opinions variable conceits of men neither doth it consist of conclusions and positions that are onely probable and coniecturall for the conscience of the doubting or distressed partie cannot be established and rectified by them but it resteth vpon most sufficient and certaine grounds collected drawne out of the very word of god which as it is mightie in operation â—earcing the heart and discerning the thoughts and intents thereof so is it alone auaileable and effectuall to pacific the minde and to giue full satisfaction to the conscience And as the benefit is great so the want of this doctrine together with the true manner of applying the same is and hath beene the cause of many and great inconueniences For euen of those that feare God and haue receiued to beleeue there be many who in the time of their distresses when they haue considered the waight and desert of their sinnes and withall apprehended the wrath of God due vnto them haue beene brought vnto hard exigents mourning and wayling and crying out as if God had forsaken them vntill they haue beene releeued by the Spirit of Christ in the meditation of the word and promise of God But those especially who haue not beene instructed in the knowledge of the truth nor beene acquainted with the course of Gods dealing with his distressed children by reason of ignorance and blindnes in matters of religion and pietie when the Lord hath let loose the cord of their consciences and set before their eyes both the number of their sinnes committed and the iust anger of God purchased thereby what haue they done surely despairing of their owne estates and of the mercie of God they haue either growne to phrensie and madnes or els sorted vnto themselues fearefull ends some by hanging some by drowning others by murthering their owne selues And if not in regard of griefe and trouble of minde yet for want of better resolution in particular cases within the compasse of their generall or personall callings though otherwise men indued with some measure of knowledge and obedience herein they haue failed that they haue either abused or els quite relinquished forsaken their callings and thereby haue become scandalous offeÌ„siue vnto others Now as this is a matter of great waight importance so is it most meete that the best and fittest course should be taken in the teaching and inforcing of the same In which regard we haue iust cause to challenge the Popish Church who in their Case-writings haue erred both in the substance and circumstances of this doctrine as shall appeare in the sequele First because the dutie of releeuing the Conscience is by them commended to the sacrificing Priest which though according to their owne Canons he should be a man of knowledge and free from imputation of wickednes yet oft times it falls out that he is either vnlearned or els wicked and leud of conuersation and consequently vnfit for such a purpose Secondly they teach that their Priests appointed to be comforters releeuers of the distressed are made by Christ himselfe iudges of the cases of conscience hauing in their owne hands a iudiciarie power and authoritie truly and properly to binde or to loose to remit or to retaine sinnes to open or to shut the kingdome of heauen A blasphemous doctrine Considering that Christ onely hath the keyes of Dauid which properly and truly openeth and no man shutteth and properly and truly shutteth no man openeth And the Ministers of God are not called to be absolute Iudges of the CoÌ„science but only MesseÌ„gers Embassadors of recoÌ„ciliatioÌ„ wherupon it followeth that they caÌ„not be the authors and giuers of remission of sinnes but onely the Ministers and Dispensers of iâ—â—e same Thirdly the Papists in their writings haue scattered here and there sundrie false and erronious grounds of doctrine much preiudiciall to the direction or resolution of the Conscience in time of neede as namely I. That a man in the course of his life may build himselfe vpon the faith of his teachers and for his saluation rest contented with an implicite vn-expressed faith Which doctrine as it is an onely meane to keepe men in perpetuall blindnes and ignorance so it

transitorie state For we are as S. Peter speaketh but strangers and Pilgrimes that wander to and fro in the earth as in a strange countrey and still are making forward to our owne home We haue here no abiding citie the houses wherein we dwell are but Innes in which we soiourne for a time yea the bodies which we haue are but tents and tabernacles alway readie to be shifted and our selues to be traÌ„slated into another place Fourthly by remembring that Christ our Head beeing now in heauen and we his members vpon the earth during our life we are in presence separated from our Head and consequently from that happie and glorious fellowship which we shall inioy with him and all the Saints our fellow-members in the kingdome of heauen This S. Paul noteth when he saith whilst we are at home in the bodie we are absent from the Lord and thereupon himselfe desired to be dissolued and to be with Christ. Hauing thus entred into the due consideration of the aforesaid euills we must in the second place exercise our selues in the frequent meditation of the blessed estate of Gods chosen in the kingdome of glorie who beeing translated out of this life into the bosome of Abraham are fully and perfectly freed from sinne from Satan from vanitie and misâ—â—ie haue all teares wiped from their eyes doe behold the face of God are made like vnto Christ in holines and honour and doe with him inheâ—it the kingdome prepared for them from the fouÌ„dations of the world In the third place hauing throughly considered of these things we must Compare the estate of this present life in the respects before named with the estate of that which is to come in the kingdome of heauen and laying them in a paralell together we shall find the one infinitely farre to excell the other in regard of true ioy and comfort And this will make vs though liuing in the world yet to vse it as if we vsed it not to haue our conuersation in heauen to thinke with Paul that to be loosed and be with Christ is best of all for vs to haue a tâ—ue liuely tast of the ioyes of the world to come and accordingly with Abraham Isaac and Iacob to looke for a citie that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God Secondly it is demanded how a man may truly discerne whether this ioy of the Spirit be in him yea or no For answer hereunto it is to be remembred that there are sundrie properties whereby it differeth from carnall ioy And these are principally fiue First this ioy is brought forth as it were of sorrow for sinne and for the want of Christ. Ye shall sorrow saith our Sauiour Christ to his Disciples meaning for his departure but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy These words are not onely meant of his Disciples but of all beleeuers who vpon consideration of their sinnes and the spirituall want of Christ Iesus doe mourne and lament For not only they but all true beleeuers are there opposed vnto the World Againe blessed are they that mourne that is beeing touched with causes of exceeding griefe doe withall mourne for their sinnes for they shall be comforted On the other side carnall ioy as it hath his beginning from the flesh and ariseth of things pleasing thereunto so it ends in sorrow heauines In the end reioycing is turned into mourning saith Salomon And Woe be to you that now laugh for ye shall weepe Secondly the ioy of the Spirit is a fruit of righteousnes that is it issueth and floweth from Christ knowne and beleeued to be made vnto vs of God wisdome righteousnes sanctification and full redemption For from hence follows peace of conscience and from peace comes ioy in the holy Ghost Contrariwise the ioy of the flesh ariseth onely from the sudden feeling of some worldly delight and therefore cannot bring any sound peace vnto the conscience oâ— the man possessed of it Thirdly spirituall ioy is founded in the holy vse of the Word Sacraments Praier and in the practise of Christian duties of mercie loue iustice c. The other is not so For the world conceiueth a ioy besides the word out of the exercises of inuocation and repentance which stands in the practise of crueltie malice oppression iniustice and all manner of impietie And hence it is that hauing spent their daies in such matter of reioycing at length in a moment they goe downe to hell Fourthly heauenly ioy is so fixed and rooted in the heart that it cannot be remooued thence Your ioy shall no man take from you saith Christ. It must needes therefore be true and sound yea able to swallow vp all matter of griefe and heauinesse whereas the other is neuer sincere but with the sweetnes thereof hath alwaies mingled some bitternes Euen in laughter saitl Sâ—lomon speaking thereof the heart is heauie When the face of the wicked man shineth and his countenance is pleasant euen then is he inwardly sorrowfull and his minde is troubled Lastly the ioy of the Spirit is eternall abiding in the mind of man not onely for the terme of this life but for euer in the world to come So is not the reioycing of the world in earthly things for it is fading and deceitfull as the things themselues be wherein it is placed it hath the beginning in corruption and endeth with this present life The examples of the two rich men in the Gospel doe manifest this truth And to this purpose is the speech of Zophar in the booke of Iob that the reioycing of the vicked is very short and the ioy of hypoerâ—â—es is but a moment c. By these fiue properties may we put a true difference betweene earthly and heauenly reioycing and consequently discerne of them euen in our selues And if we perceiue this ioy of the Spirit rightly receiued in our hearts and grounded in the right vse of the word and Sacraments as also in the exercises of inuocation faith and repentance to take place in our soules and consciences we shall finde it of force to moderate and delay the very terrours of death And so much for Preparation Now the Helpes to be vsed in the time of death are manifold the summe of all may be reduced to two heads Meditations and Practises Touching Meditations we must in the first place consider Death in a double respect one as it is in it owne nature and another as it is changed and qualified by the death of Christ. Death in it owne nature is a Curse or forerunner of condemnation the very gates and suburbs of hell it selfe but beeing qualified by Christ it is a blessing a short passage vnto ioy an entrance into euerlasting life a quiet sleepe voide of all annoyance by dreames and fantasies And the graue a resting chamber persumed by the death of Christ for the bodies of all the Elect our

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