Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	affection_n	pray_v	prayer_n	3,335	5	6.6693	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66394	A discourse concerning the celebration of divine service in an unknown tongue	Williams, John, 1636?-1709.	1685 (1685)	Wing W2702; ESTC R1943	35,062	62

injury to the Souls of Men And how much accessary must that Church be to the Miscarriage and Damnation of such as perish for want of that Knowledge and Instruction the Service and Offices of the Church do contain and they might receive from it But suppose that end be lost and the peoples Minds be not instructed yet their Affections are not without the benefit of it This is spoken with a Caution and Reservation becoming one that saw farther into the consequences of what he said than he cared to own He saith at large their Affections are not without the benefit of it But how the Affections could be benefited without the Mind is instructed or what the Benefit is which the Affections are not without he is sparing to tell us But however the Rhemists advance a little farther for they with no little confidence do determine It is plain that such as pray in Latin though they understand not what they say do pray with as little tediousness with as great Affection and Devotion and oftentimes more than others that pray in a Tongue they understand The Cardinal told us That the Affections are not without benefit though the Mind be not instructed But now it is to a Demonstration plain in these Men's account that not only the benefit is as great as if people do understand but oftentimes greater than if they did understand So that what more self evident than that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion But yet as plain as it is the Saying is so downright a Contradiction to the common sense of Mankind that I think a Man may venture as roundly to assert that it is plain a Man may see without Light as that he may pray with Affection and Devotion though he do not understand and with as great as if he did And he may with as good a Grace maintain That the best way to see is to put out the Light as affirm with them That such as pray in Latin though they do not understand oftentimes pray with more Affection and Devotion than they that do understand But because this is asserted with so much confidence and that To say that people are not profited without they understand is condemned not only as an erroneous but wicked assertion I shall look back and leaving the extravagancy of the latter as self-exposed consider whether the Affections are not without benefit and that the Soul can be devout and affected where the Understanding is not instructed nor the Mind is concerned in the Service we are conversant in The resolution of which depends upon the consideration of the Soul of Man and the several faculties of it Concerning which it shall suffice to observe 1. That in all reasonable and deliberate Acts there is more or less so necessary a concurrence of the prime faculties of the Soul viz. the Understanding Will and Affections that none of them can be said to be excluded 2. That in all such Acts if the Understanding be not the leading faculty and of such influence that the others cannot act without it which must be supposed for how can a person affect or choose what he doth not know Yet without that the Acts cannot be termed reasonable So Cassiodore No body doth any thing wisely which he doth not understand 3. That in the Acts of Religion the presence of the understanding is as much required as in any other rational Acts whatsoever The renewing of the Mind being there the Spring of all spiritual Action and the whole called from thence a reasonable Service And therefore if in other Cases the Affections cannot move or be profited without the help of the Understanding then as little can it be supposed in Religion and the Offices belonging to it where the Understanding is Sonus Cordis as S. Austin calls it applying it to our purpose The note of the Heart Now to say That the Affections are not without profit though the Mind be not instructed and that they that do not understand do pray with as little tediousness and as great Affection and Devotion as they that do understand not to repeat the rest of the stuff before cited is to say that the Affections have no dependance in Nature upon the Understanding or that Religion requires less of us than any other reasonable Acts whatsoever and that what we cannot do without being Lunaticks or Ideots in other matters we may there creditably do and speak and act as absurdly as we will with allowance But this kind of Doctrine is only to serve a turn being fitted to those that are fitted for it and to whom nothing can be absurd which some Men say For there are those amongst them cannot digest it and do determine otherwise So Salmeron the Jesuit If any one prayes privately and the things prayed for are not understood by him he wasts his time So he that speaketh publickly in an Vnknown Tongue which others do not understand he doth yield no Fruit and then certainly others receive none This the Council of Trent doth acknowledge when it declares as abovesaid It seems not expedient to the Fathers That the Mass be celebrated in the Vulgar Tongue And presently adds Lest the Sheep of Christ should hunger and when the little ones ask bread there is none to break to them The Holy Synod commands all that have the care of Souls frequently c. to expound somewhat of it So that they grant without such Explication the Faithful may hunger and be without profit for what need would there be of Exposition if the people may be as devout without it as with it I shall conclude this with that of S. Austin We ought to understand that we may sing with humane reason not as it were with the Voice of Birds For both Parrots and Crows and Pies and the like are often taught by Men to pronounce what they do not know But to sing with understanding is granted by the Divine Will to mankind So that according to him if we set aside the Understanding the Parrot of the Cardinal Ascanius had it been taught the Lord's Prayer or other Forms of Devotion as well as the Creed might have contended in competition with those that hear and sing and pray with Words without understanding Since whatever Affection and Devotion is pretended to without Knowledge is like a Vision of a Man 's own Heart and not of Divine Illumination that doth either proceed from Imagination or Imposture But that we may not think this Assertion of theirs that there may be profit without understanding and Devotion without knowledge to be unreasonable they both produce Experience and endeavour also to give a rational account of it The former is appealed to by the Rhemists As for Edification that is for increase of Faith true Knowledge and a good Life the experience of a few Years hath given all the World a full demonstration whether our Fore-Fathers were not c as devout as

the other is understood by none Now in all this they say little or nothing to the purpose For if they plead for their Latin Service as Greek was in Galatia and Latin in Africa who is their Adversary For these Tongues were as I have shewed in those and the like places as well or little less spoken and understood than the Vulgar and Mother Tongues And the Protestants do not think it unlawful to have the common Service in a Tongue which is commonly understood though it be not the Vulgar Tongue of the Nation especially in Maritim and Provincial Countries where there is a concourse of diverse Nations and where either these several Languages are understood or there is a compound Language that serves for all as the Lingua Franca before spoken of But if they plead for Latin as it is now when a Dead and Learned Tongue that is where it is not known at all as in the West-Indies where yet it is as much used by those of the Roman communion in Mass as in Europe or where it is not known to the Vulgar people as it is with us and every where else then they speak to the purpose for that the Reformed do oppose but then the way of arguing hitherto taken notice of is of no use to them in the World and is no more to the purpose than if they would undertake to prove that there is at this day a famous University at Athens and that Latin is the Vulgar Tongue now at Rome because these were so formerly So that if we will know where the Controversie lies and what is contended for and against we must restore things to their proper places and I think all may be brought to an Issue by putting and resolving this plain Question viz. SECT II. Qu. Whether it be lawful and expedient to use such a Tongue in the publick Worship of God as is not vulgarly or commonly understood by the people according to the way at this day required and practised in the Church of Rome If we would enquire into the lawfulness of such things as appertain to Divine Worship we must apply our selves to the Holy Scripture being in matters of that nature to determine of Right and Wrong Lawful and Unlawful according to the Directions Commands and Prohibitions of it If we would be satisfied about their Expedience we must consider the Nature Ends and Use of what we enquire about This therefore is a proper method for the Resolution of the foregoing Question But because the Apostle in his Discourse upon this Subject 1. Cor. 14. doth argue from the ends and use of the several Offices belonging to Divine Worship and because the like Order may give some light and force to what follows I shall first of all I. Treat of the Ends for which Divine Worship and the several Offices of it were instituted II. Consider whether those Ends may be attained when the Worship is performed in a Tongue not understood III. Whether the Worship so performed as to leave those ends unattainable will be accepted by God IV. I shall consider the Apostle's Discourse upon this Argument and whether it can be reasonably concluded from thence That Divine Worship so administred as not to be understood of the people is unlawful I. In the first of these the Masters of Controversie in the Romish Church do proceed with great tenderness and no little obscurity For would we know what the Worship is they would have in an Unknown Tongue they answer it is the publick only they defend For as for private saith one It is lawful for every one to offer his lesser Prayers to God in what Tongue soever he pleaseth And saith another All Catholicks are taught to say their private Prayers in their Mother Tongue As if it were possible to assign such a vast difference betwixt them when the Dispositions Reasons and Ends required and intended are the same that what is lawful expedient and necessary in the one is unlawful inexpedient and unnecessary in the other Or as if the saying private Prayers in Latin was never heard of practised or encouraged in their Church Again Would we understand to what purposes the Divine Offices do serve and whether the Edification Instruction and Consolation of the people be not some of those Ends. Bellarmin answers 1. That the principal end of Divine Offices is not the instruction or consolation of the people but a Worship due to God from the Church As if there were no regard to be had to the special ends of those Offices such as the Instruction and Consolation of the people Or as if God could be honoured by that Worship where those ends are not regarded 2. The Rhemists add That Prayers are not made to teach make learned or increase knowledge though by occasion they sometimes instruct but their especial use is to offer our Hearts desires and Wants to God c. As if there were no Offices in God's Worship appointed for Instruction and increase of Knowledge and which are performed in an Unknown Tongue amongst them as well as Prayer Or as if their Adversaries did either deny it to be the special use of Prayer To offer our Hearts c. to God Or did affirm that the special use of it is To teach make learned and increase knowledge as they with others do falsly suggest and would fain have believed But to set this in a better light and that we may understand what are the Ends and Uses for which Divine Worship was appointed and after what manner they are to be respected It is to be observed 1. That Divine Worship in its first notion respects God as its Object and so the end of it in general is the giving Honour to him by suitable Thoughts Words and Actions 2. That he hath appointed several wayes and Offices by which he will be so honoured and in which as the Honour doth terminate in him so there redounds from thence benefit to the Church 3. That the Benefits redound to the Church according to the nature of those Offices and the special Ends they were designed unto As the Word of God is for our instruction and comfort c. The Lord's Supper for the encrease of Faith in God and love to him through Jesus Christ The Praising of God is to raise our Affections and to make us more sensible of his goodness and to quicken us in our duty The especial use of Prayer that I may use the Words forecited is to offer up our Hearts Wants and Desires to God and that by conversing with him we may be the more ardently excited to the love and adoration of him as the Trent Catechism doth express it 4. That those Offices are to be performed so as may effectually answer those Ends and as we may receive the benefits they were appointed for From whence it follows 5. That if the Offices of Divine Worship are to be performed by Words those Words and that