Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	believe_v	confess_v	word_n	2,673	5	4.4820	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44651	The history of religion written by a person of quality.	Howard, Robert, Sir, 1626-1698.	1694 (1694)	Wing H2998; ESTC R13393	42,440	146

of what use can it be to determine whether the Sacrament be the Real Body yea or no Since the Real Substance would not be effectual by it self of what concern can it be whether it be in the Sacrament or no And this Opinion too was not of so long standing but that Christians who before this Invention believed in Christ and followed his Example were certainly in a State of Salvation and if that be granted it shows that it can be of no concern if the Question about it had never been raised for if the thing proposed to be believed was in it self separately of no Force or Efficacy to what purpose is the Enquiry whether it be really in the Sacrament or no If it had effectual Power separately and meerly by virtue of the Substance then it must operate on an Infidel that eats it as well as on a Believer but if Faith in him that died for us be the Foundation of our Salvation and we build upon it in following his Example and Precepts then Salvation cannot depend upon this Whether the Celebration of the Memorial of our Saviour's last Supper be this or that Substance Should any believe truly in Christ and in our Redemption by his Death and endeavour to follow his blessed Rules and Example and yet never consider further of the Celebration of the Lord's Supper but only as a Memorial that as often as we come thither we do it in remembrance of his Suffering for us would this be ineffectual without determining in Opinion at that time what sort of Substance we receive If so then if the Person that takes it guesses wrong all his Faith in Christ and all his Endeavours of a good Life are in vain and of none effect So that upon a controverted Point which seems ridiculous to common Sense Salvation must depend and the Mistake of a dark and controverted Point shall defeat all the Effects of a strict following the plain and blessed Rules of the Gospel which most certainly contains all things necessary to Salvation And if this particular Question What Substance it was that is administred in the Sacrament had been so very necessary to Salvation our Saviour would certainly have deliver'd it in a plain Instruction and Precept to guide our Faith in a Particular on which Salvation depended and with the same Plainness too that he uses through the whole Course of the Gospel but the Gospel only directs Faith in him with Love Justice and Charity to one another of which it directly says that the Reward shall be Eternal Salvation St. Paul sets down very directly and plainly the necessary Parts of Faith and comprises all in a very short Creed This is the Word of Faith saith he which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy Heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved This Doctrine of St. Paul must either deceive us or else there is nothing of real necessity besides this and the apparent and immediate Consequences of it to be believed by us as Christians But the Priests having endeavoured to throw every plain Way into a Wilderness and to bring Darkness upon Light it follows sutably to that Design that they propose themselves as Guides and no Man to use his own Conduct and Reason But if such Imposers that design Power and Wealth by their dark and unnecessary Doctrines could secure us that we should not answer to God for our selves then to follow such Guides as could and would be accountable for what their Followers have submitted to on their bare Authority and to serve them would be reasonable but since a Blind and Brutish Submission to any will be no Excuse to them who had a plain Rule given 'em by God it behoves every Man to take care that his Guide does not mislead him and then 't is the same thing to follow his own Reason and be his own Guide and sure every one may be better trusted to himself than to another Yet if by their undertaking to be Guides they would exclude the Use of Reason in Religion why do they themselves propound Arguments why is Scripture sometimes cited Councils and Fathers quoted Tradition trumpt up If we must not use our Reason and judg of those Arguments 't were fair Dealing to decree their Propositions Magisterially But they say the Unlearned are not fit to judg This is true indeed that is of the things which they have made too hard even for themselves to judg of and to agree about but we are capable to judg of the Plainness of the Gospel which only is necessary to our Salvation Their new dark Writings and Doctrines are not decidable among themselves and 't is very impertinent to make it an Argument that because unlearned Men are not able to judg of the confused dark Notions of these that call themselves the Learned which Notions these Learned Men seldom understand alike therefore the Unlearned are to be debarred from using their Reason in what is plain to be understood such as the plain Gospel of Jesus Christ is which is and ought to be their only Concern Do the Learned by their own Agreement encourage others to depend upon them as unerring Guides how can we be satisfied with their Differences or find out Truth in their abstruse Cavilings for are not the Guides themselves grown into different Sects supported by Custom Education Interest and Prepossession more than by Reason Do they not continue in a resolved Opinion by only being of the same Religious Club This is the ridiculous Cause why all the Dominicans are always of one Opinion in the Points of Predestination and the Immaculate Conception and the Franciscans are as universally of the contrary It were in my Opinion as reasonable that all the Johns should be of one Sect and Opinion and the Richards of another pursuing still what is affirmed by those of their Name without examining the Nature or Reason of the Opinion as that the Institution of a Founder of the Order suppose of Dominicans or Franciscans should as much influence all particular Persons of the Order as much as an Opinion which is taught by Reason So also from the admired Thomas and Scotus came the Thomasts and Scotists as if there might be an Imposition of Opinions from the meer Names of some particular Persons of the same either Order or School An unlearned Man would receive but small Satisfaction in such Guides and the Choice of them would be as little rational and intelligible to him as the Gibberish of their School-Divinity is Such a Possession in Mens Minds as we are now speaking of appeared some time in the Disciples of our Saviour for though he spoke plainly of his going to Jerusalem and being put to Death there yet saith the Text they understood not these Sayings Of which the Reason was because they were before-hand possess'd with the Traditions and Doctrines of the Pharisees and most