Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	ghost_n	holy_a	word_n	6,811	5	4.3810	4	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01010	A secure and prudent choice of beliefe. Written by a student in diuinity	Floyd, John, 1572-1649.	1639 (1639)	STC 11115; ESTC S114863	16,290	54

state of his saluation 7. By these grounds cleere inough in themselues euery Christian may easily discerne what Religion is secure in practise to wit that which remoueth him furthest from danger of that sentence Who will not belieue shal be damned According to this Touchstone for the better instruction of the common sort I will examin the chiefe points now in question that by these examples the rest may be easily examined What Choice ought a man to make concerning the Real Presence of Christs body and bloud in the Sacrament of the last Supper 8. TO iustify the beliefe thereof we haue first the words of Christ Ioan. 6. where he amply promiseth his body and bloud My flesh is truly meate and my blood c. he that eateth my flesh c. he that will not belieue this but vnderstand it in a different sense from his predecessors persuaded by those obscure words the spirit giueth life the flesh profiteth nothing exposeth him to danger of disbeliefe with the Iewes and blasphemy since Vers 56. it is said he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him And S Paul to the Col. c. 1. You which were in times past strangers and enemies c. hath he now reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to make you holy how then can those words the flesh profiteth nothing without danger be vnderstood of the flesh of Christ as profiting nothing is it not profit to vs that Christ should dwell in vs and we in him that we are reconciled in the body of his flesh 9. Secondly the words of Christ performing This is my body take and eate do this c. which words if we wrest to a figuratiue sense we must bring cleere Scripture for it else our interpretation is dangerous denying such a cleere mystery vpon human motiues Thirdly we haue the testimony of S. Paul 1. Cor. 11. If these places be obscure we haue besides the Consent of Nations the common voyce of the whole Christian world for a thousand fiue hundred yeares without Contradiction Finally in the beliefe and practise thereof there is no impiety but prayse and honour of Christ who vpon sufficient grounds is supposed present vnder the formes of bread and wine he is receiued with reuerence the soule being first prepared with harty sorrow for sinnes past accompanied with loue thankfulnes and liuely remembrance of his sacred Passion c. For deniall of this beliefe we haue but small authority not one cleere testimony of Scripture that interpreteth those words of Christ as figuratiuely spoken all other arguments can be but probable 10. Now I aske any indifferent mans iudgment what he would do in case a perfect figure of Christ should visibly appeare commonly acknowledged and worshipped by all with sincere intention If furthermore it were deliuered commonly that to suspect the apparition as an illusion of Sathan were a wrong to Christ will he aduenture to spit at it will he not rather forbeare that and iudge it secure to belieue and worship with others since therein he findeth no hurt but inuincible motiues to do so Cleere then it is what we ought to resolue in this point since for the beliefe we haue inuincible motiues in the practise there is no danger of any impiety as certainly there is in the denial if we grant but probability in the beliefe 11. Only it may be obiected that if Christ be not vnder those formes of bread and wine there is danger of Idolatry But this is a manifest mistake for Belieuers adore not bread nor wine nor any Creature but Christ whom vpon good grounds they suppose present sacramentally Know therefore that Adoration consisteth of outward reuerence ioyned with interiour as of body and soule the outward is indifferent to God and Creatures the interiour ioyned with it makes the difference Exteriour reuerence applied by our intention to a temporall Lord is but a Ciuil worship the same applied by our intention to a Saint as a Creature of God highly in his fauour is a higher degree of honour yet within the limits of inferiour worship It is likewise applied by our intention to God our Creatour and Sauiour thus it is perfect adoration and due only to God He then that belieueth Christ is conteyned sacramentally vnder the formes of bread and wine may securely adore since his adoration proceeding from his beliefe transferreth the outward act from all Creatures directeth it to God himselfe euen in case in his immediate beliefe he should be mistaken there remayneth then no daÌ„ger in the beliefe but great danger in the deniall He that will not belieue c. What of the Masse 12. MAsse is a compleate performance of that commaund Do this in remembrance of me Luc. 22. Wherin by the Priest prayers are said for the whole Church the holy Scripture is read all the parts and ceremonies therof represent the life passion of Christ who by meanes of those words pronounced in his name Hoc est Corpus meum is dayly offered in sacrifice to the honour of God profit of his Church Whence it cometh to passe that fayth gratitude and loue towards our Redeemer is daily renewed and the knowne prophecy of Malach. c. 1. fulfilled From the rising of the Sun vnto the going downe of the same my Name is great among the Gentiles and in euery place a pure oblation is sacrificed and offered to my name according to the most ancient and common Translation Thus innumerable Belieuers constantly hold and practise vpon sufficient grounds without the least shew of impiety why then may I not securely belieue I see not nor how the denial can be free from danger since vpon Disbelieuers only Damnation is denounced What of Confession Absolution commonly called the Sacrament of Pennance 13. HEre a Christian after due examination of his Conscience with harty sorrow and purpose of amendment which acts are necessarily required confesseth his sinnes expecteth absolution by the ministery of the Priest What danger can there be in this beliefe and practise The Iewes charged Christ of blasphemy saying Who can forgiue sinnes but God Against Christ they sinned because they belieued him to be man only which errour he chastised by miracle Matth. 9. giuing them withall to vnderstand that men also by power receiued from him should forgiue sinnes for in that they conceiued he taught that man had power to forgiue sinnes he checked them not but rather confirmed it And that you may know sayth Christ that the Sonne of Man hath authority in earth to forgiue sinnes c. And the multitude glorifyed God who had giuen such authority to men Moreouer Christ to his Apostles Io. c. 22. sayth Receiue yee the holy Ghost whose sinns yee remit they are remitted vnto them and whose sinnes yee retaine they are retayned Likewise Matth. 18. Whatsoeuer yee shall bind on earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heauen Questionlesse the prime sense of these words import

A SECVRE AND PRVDENT CHOICE of Beliefe Written by a Student in Diuinity Anno M.DC.XXXIX NOTHING in this world doth more import a Man for his good both temporall and eternall then the professioÌ„ of a true Religion What more confessed amongst Christians not infected with Atheisme yet such is our poore Condition that nothing ordinarily is lesse valued many stubbornly retayning what they haue beene taught from their youth Others embracing what is most commoÌ„ where they liue Others indifferent meerely Animals their wits seruing them no further then how to haue good dayes Others loath to take paines least thereby their Conscience be moued to Crosse their couetous appetites Others with a kind of frenzy perswading themselues of I know not what Ghost Others lurking vnder affected willfull ignorance perswaded they are vncapable of their right leuell in these troubled waters Multitudes finally apprehending little difference in points of Religion sleepe securely vpon any pillow Many of these though of different beleifes flatter themselues with hope of saluation when they haue little reason to be secure thereof as it will appeare by the infallible rule of a Secure Choice I will propose in this ensuing Discourse For which purpose 1. I suppose first that our Blessed Sauiour when he was to depart in visible presence from this world his last care was to leaue his Church prouided with such as should sufficieÌ„tly gouerne teach and augment it after him to whom their Successors for that purpose he promised his especiall assistance and protection to the end of the world As my Father hath sent me so I send you Io. 20.21 Going into the whole world preach the Gospell Marke 16. Heere we see the Apostles Commission not only to go as being sent but also to send others their Successours with the like authority to be successiuely deliuered That also he left ample power for the perfect gouernmeÌ„t of the same Church besides these places that of S. Matth. 28. deserueth speciall Consideration All power is giuen me in heauen and in earth going therefore teach all Nations Where that illation Going therefore implieth a most ample authority for hauing said all power is giuen me he presently practizeth and giueth the like saying going therefore Moreouer that we may know nothing should be waÌ„ting to the perpetuall gouernment of this his Church and that iustly it may be esteemed to be directed not so much by humane wit or industry as by the spirit of God he promised Io. 14. And I will pray my Father and he will giue you another Comforter that he may abide with you for euer the Spirit of truth 2. It cannot be denied but these places enforce an eminent perpetuall and infallible Authority of Christes Church to which such ample power is giuen where the spirit of truth is promised to reside Yet because meanes are found to delude the force of them as of any others there may be I insist not vpon them but for the present only make this Dilemma Either these Texts are cleerly to be vnderstood as they lye or not if they are then there hath euer beene a perpetuall absolute and infallible power of gouernemeÌ„t in the Church of christ established If not this only I will gather as out of other Texts it may be that scarce any can be produced so cleere for the proofe of any verity which may not maliciously be wrested to a strange sense by tongues sounding nothing more sacredly then Scripture Thus all Sectaries though contrary amongst themselues auouch for their vndoubted warrant Holy Scripture some vnderstanding it in one sense others in an other when indeed the proofe is not out of Scripture but out of their owne priuate iudgment Who then doth not see how vainely Scripture only is pretended for warrant of their contrary inuentions and how hard it is to conuince the truth by it alone not for that it containeth not all truth and all sufficient instruction for saluation but because following our owne priuate iudgement we may erre in the sense therof Since therefore no man though of neuer so entire iudgment can sufficiently shew his owne sense to be true and the contrary false as it appeareth by such monstrous Contradictions vpon the same Texts it is euident that from Scripture alone we can promise our selues little or no security 3. Secondly I suppose there is a Church of Christ extant that beareth the true markes of his promises and prouidence renowned for antiquity and continued Succession perspicious for extent knit in vnity adorned with vnanimous Consent of Doctours throughout the world established and maintained by Councels beautifyed enriched with multitudes of holy men admirable for their Conuersation and vertue strengthned with miracles finally in Doctrine and Custome professing piety that any one beholding it may say heere is the finger of God this is the light this the hill on the topp of hills 4. Thirdly I suppose what truth it selfe Marc. 16. denounceth He that will not belieue shall be damned Whence vnder paine of Damnation we are obliged not to disbelieue any point proposed vnto vs in holy Scripture for Christ specified not any particular article or articles but to all disbeliefe of his Gospell he denounceth Damnation Going into all the world preach the Gospell he that will not belieue c. Hence it followeth that amongst different opinioÌ„s concerning the same Scripture that part is lesse secure that denieth the articles proposed out of it since for disbeleife Damnation is denounced not for beleife 5. Fourthly I suppose as consequent to what is said that if an article commonly belieued be iudged hard by any priuate man it is not secure for him to condemne it relying only vpon human discourse though ioined with his owne or some others interpretation of holy Scripture for all this is but in the degree of probability and not different from the meanes the Arians and other impious heretiques vsed consequently vnsufficient to disproue the contrary possessed beliefe though it be but supposed probable but he must produce cleere Scripture without addition diminution supposition or interpretation since these are subiect to doubt consequently to danger of leading into disbeliefe who doth not see how impossible this is 6. Finally for the end of this prudent Choyce I suppose as sufficient in that religion which first belieueth many articles denied afterwards by others a moral probability of the sense of Christs word and this no wise man can deny to a Church ancient and consisting of Councels and learned men in all parts of the world agreeing in one opinion without any alteration euidently proued To say that any article is improbable because it is impossible is to proue by a ground not possible to be proued and to ouerthrow all fayth as is manifest We seeke not then what seemeth possible or impossible to our poore apprehensions but what most probably Christ deliuered and he that with probabilities only denieth what is but probably belieued is not in secure

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