Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	day_n	let_v	lord_n	2,449	5	3.7592	3	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76988	The arraignment of errour: or, A discourse serving as a curb to restrain the wantonnesse of mens spirits in the entertainment of opinions; and as a compasse, whereby we may sail in the search and finding of truth; distributed into six main questions. Quest. 1. How it may stand with Gods, with Satans, with a mans own ends, that there should be erroneous opinions? Quest. 2. What are the grounds of abounding errours? Quest. 3. Why so many are carried away with errour? Quest. 4. Who those are that are in danger? Quest. 5. What are the examens, or the trials of opinions, and characters of truth? Quest. 6. What waies God hath left in his Word for the suppressing of errour, and reducing of erroneous persons? Under which generall questions, many other necessary and profitable queries are comprized, discussed, and resolved. And in conclusion of all; some motives, and means, conducing to an happy accommodation of our present differences, are subjoyned. / By Samuel Bolton minister of the Word of God at Saviours-Southwark.	Bolton, Samuel, 1606-1654.	1646 (1646)	Wing B3517; Thomason E318_1; ESTC R200547	325,527	388

nature of Christ who is pure and holy though it say Loe here is Christ yet believe it not it is an errour and no truth of Christ 3. That opinion which suites not with the life of Christ which was exact holy humble c. though it hold forth Loe here is Christ yet it is none of Christs 4. That opinion which obscures and robbs Christ of his glory and gives to man that which is due alone to Christ though it say Loe here is Christ yet it is an errour and no truth of Christ 5. That opinion which breeds a distance and estrangement between Christ and the soul that interrupts the soule in communion with Christ either in believing or obeying that draws the soul either froÌ„ the obedience of faith or the obedience to the command though it say Loe here is Christ yet it is an errour and no truth of Christ By these touches you may discover many opinions to be errours that goe under that name which shews you the danger of drinking in all opinions that language themselves unto you under the name of Christ A third ground why men are so apt to take opinions on trust is because besides all this they may carry some fair and lovely aspects which may render them lovely and desirable as if they were truth it self many men are tempted into an opinion rather then perswaded into it they are led rather by affection then by judgement the benigne and fair aspects which an opinion may carry may much take men and prevail with them for the entertainment of it It was our fall at first the lovely aspects which the fruit did bear and it is many an ones fall still even the fair and lovely aspects which an opinion seems to carry with it I have told you the Prince of darknesse may transform himself into an Angel of light and he may convey errour to you not only under the notion but under the habit of truth it self and render an errour every way as lovely desirable and acceptable as the truth it self And therefore there being so much danger dealing with so subtle an adversary we had need to beware what we entertain and sift it to the bottome before ever wee give it welcome into our hearts And that 's the first Caution I will be brief upon the rest 2. Beware of prejudice look not prejudicially upon an opinion As wee are not to look upon an opinion with affection and so give up our hearts to it before wee have tried it so wee must not look upon it with disaffection and so set our hearts against it before wee have examined it Indeed there are some opinions not worthy tryall Some are to bee lookt upon with abhorrency as such which are destructive to faith and godlinesse when I say you are not to look upon opinions with prejudice I mean not these for those you are to look upon with abhorrencie but I mean such as are controverted among the godly themselves and such as may consist with all holinesse of life and conversation of these I would be understood to speak when I say look not with prejudice against any way men when they receive prejudice against a way either they will not search at all or if they doe they will not know As affâ—ctions to a way doth hasten the understanding to know and the heart to embrace it so disaffection to a way doth hinder the understanding from knowing and hold off the heart from embracing It is a hard thing to perswade that man whose heart is either ingaged to a contrary way or his understanding prejudiced to this way Such a man may bee convinced but it is hard to perswade him his affections and ingagements act against all that light that he will not see he will not know it must be our work if wee will finde out truth to beware of prejudice You know it was that which hindered the Jews from closing with Christ who was the great truth and it will be that will hinder you from embracing of lesser truths Formerly the novelty of a way the paucity of professours the meannes of their condition the weaknesse of their parts and abilities the bad entertainment a truth had in the world were the great stumbling blocks or prejudices to the entertainment of truth It was so in the Gospel as you all know and it is well if the prejudices be not turn'd the other way and that the ancientnesse of an opinion the multitude of professours the quality of them the greatnesse of their learning and parts the favour it may finde in the world be not the great prejudices which may hinder from the closing with it God hath often times in providence smiled upon an errour and discountenanced a truth and he may please to let the truth finde favour and errour bee discountenanced Wee look for those daies when God shall make Kings nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers to his Church when the Kingdoms of the earth shall become the Lords and his Christs this is promised and therefore this should bee no prejudice when God doth bring it about to hinder us from the entertainment of an opinion If you would finde out truth beware of prejudice on any side and look singly upon the opinion without any other respects at all 3. Beware of being byassed with carnall and corrupt affections most men of the world are carried with byasses rather then with principles they are moved rather by affections then judgement by things without them rather then principles within them There are four great Byasses which carry most men in the world 1. The first Byas is the love of the world which is a strong byas There are too many that stand as the people in the Market-place who would not goe into the vineyard till they were hired so they are not willing to entertain an opinion embrace a way till they can see what it can doe for them they must be hired with filthy lucre and will doe nothing till they see what will be most advantagious God keep us from such a spirit He who doth not see truth all riches shall never be the possessour of it such a man will see nothing to be truth or errour but what may stand with his own ends his secular advantages As they used to say of a corrupt Judge he had Bos in lingua he had money in his tongue and being bribed would say any thing So J may say of a worldly man he hath bos in corde the world in his heart and hee will not close with or embrace any thing but what may stand with his advantages where there is the love of the world Caeterae cupiditates ingenti cupiditati subservient there is desire to get the world and fear to lose the world and such a man will make all to serve his main corruption You see the desire of gain it made Judas to sell Christ Demas forsake Christ he forsook Christ and did cleave to this

this to countenance toleration of all kinde of errours Errours are to be suppressed yet are they to be dealt withall in distinctions some but not all There are four kinde of errours which I conceive fall under this power and are not to be suffered 1. Such as are eminently and highly dishonourable to God whose honour should be more dear to us then our lives Of which sort are blasphemy idolatry c. These men have sinned away the very light of nature they have plucked up the common fences and bounds of nature and are not to be suffered 2. Such as are subversive to faith and godlinesse Carnall weapons are good enough for carnall opinions just it is that those men should be commanded who are under no command of conscience that they should fall under civil power over whom the power of God and the power of conscience hath no command 3. Such as are destructive to civil government Men whose opinions are destructive to a State may justly be destroyed by a State be their plea of conscience what it will and upon this ground are Jesuites and Priests cut off with us because their opinions are subversive to government and tend to seduce the people from their allegiance and to bring all under the vassalage of Rome they teach that every one is bound to resist an heretike of which sort they make all Protestants arctissimo conscientiae vinculo with the stâ—ictest bond of conscience and that hereticall and excommunicated Princes by the Pope may be killed by their Subjects that no faith is to be kept with heretikes c. All which tends to the subversion of any civil Protestant State 4. All such as are evidently disturbing to the peace of the kingdoms Such as cuts asunder the sinews of humane society these certainly are not to be born withall And for other differences if they be not destructive to faith and the power of godlinesse or if those differences be not seditiously and turbulently promoted but managed humbly prudentially holily though they may be many from the common received rule I say as another before me in the words of Job Job 3.4 Let that day be darknesse let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it wherein it shall be said that the kingdome of Christ is divided that the children of God are turn'd oppressours and persecutours one of another And so much of the first 2. This power is to be dispenced with distinction of persons I thinke these considerations might come in 1. The quality 2. The quantity of them But I will deal only with the first 1. The quality of the persons And here it is to be considered whether they be men of tender or of turbulent spirits whether they be conscientious or contentious men whether the scruple be the fruit of an erroneous judgement or perverse will There is no question but there ought to be all tendernesse to tender consciences he that pursues his conscience though he erre in things of lesse moment may be saved but he who acts against his conscience in things of the same indifferency condemns himself And certainly though other considerations may be taken in as whether they be men of godly of peaceable lives whether they be meek and humble or proud and impetuous yet this is the grand and main enquiry whether they be men truly conscientious whether they are men and women truly of tender consciences There is no doubt but many use conscience as an empty plea and set conscience as a bulwark against all and will say This is my conscience and what hath any man to doe with my conscience I am only accountable to God for that and not to any man Thus many get hold of conscience and shelter themselves under the plea of conscience We read when Joab would shelter himself from the wrath of Solomon he runs to the horns of the Altar there he takes refuge sanctuary yet was not Solomon afraid to deal with an ungodly person though he had taken a holy refuge though he would not leave his refuge yet his refuge left him and could not be a shelter to him There may be many thus who seek refuge for their errours by the plea of conscience whom yet their refuge delivers up and laies them naked notwithstanding all their refuge It would be worth enquiry how we might finde out conscience in an errour from an errour in conscience A man truly conscientious from a man pretending conscience Though something have been said by others relating to this yet I shall give you my thoughts on it in these few discoveries I. Conscience in an errour is truly conscientious in an errour 1. He hath been conscientious in the entertaining 2. And he is conscientious in the maintaining of his opinion 1. He hath been truly conscientious in the entertaining of an opinion he hath not been byassed with corrupt affections with carnall interests with secular aims and ends he hath studied read prayed and hath taken up his judgement as the answer of all these He hath stript himself when he hath gone to read hath carried no minde thither but went to take a minde thence he went resolved to yeeld up himself and to be cast into the mould of truth he went willing to be conquered and fall down under the light and thought it spoyl enough to be the spoyl of truth When he went to pray he stript himself also and went without a prepossessed or engaged heart ready to receive Gods stamp and goe which way so ever God should encline him he sought not God as the Israelites enquired of the Lord Jer. 42. with a heart preresolved and preingaged to goe his own way but did wholly yeeld up himself to goe the way of God And now hath taken up his way as the result of all his pains and all his prayers 2. He is conscientious in the maintaining of his opinion He doth not maintain it perversly proudly factiously but meekly and humbly though stedfastly and strongly He acts in all his dissentings with conscience and humility he will not vassall any truth of God to maintain his errour he will not make use of any means unlawfull to advance his own opinion but you shall see the same conscience in the maintaining that was in the entertaining of his opinion Now then on the contrary if men have been bribed into an opinion tempted in by base ends and worldly advantages if they have been byassed by interests of friends relations or any thing without them if they have taken up an opinion because others took it up c. it is a sure signe that this man is not conscientious in his errour And I know not what should put the difference if a man may be bribed into an errour why may he not be frighted into a truth at least from his errour inasmuch as it is better to be frighted into truth then to be bribed into errour And what I say of entertaining I may say of

learned men were faithfull to their light and would not be byassed or corrupted for a world then one would thinke it some wisdom to resigne up our judgement to such and be of their opinion but first it is not a competent judge Christ tels us there is a learning from which truths are concealed and hid he blessed his Father Who hid these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to babes And secondly learned men are not uninterested men they have corruptions in them and this doth bias them often times to the maintaining of errour and opposing truth and therefore dangerous Nay though there be grace as well as learning yet they are subject to passions they have corruptions in them and how farre those may work in the delivering of truth or opposing errour how farre their fears and hopes their pride may work you know not And therefore though they were learned and holy men yet you are not to resign up your faith and judgements to their opinions 1 Thess 5.21 1 Joh. 1.4 but are to trie all things and prove the spirits whether they be of God or no. And thus much shall serve for the answer to the fifth Question one more and we will conclude the false marks the sixt Question then is this Qu. 6. Whether this be sufficient to discover an opinion erroneous or declare it to be a truth the multitude or the paucity of them who are the divulgers and maintainers of it It is you know the great Argument the Papists have and therefore they set it down as one note of the true Church the multitude of professours And though it was opposed against the Papists yet was it an Episcopall argument against the reformed Churches * Mos totius orbis omniuÌ„ teraporum ecclesiarum potior esse debet eo qui est exigui populi parvi temporis Sarar Cons Park de polit eccles l. 2 c. 35 p. 297. 298. etiam l 2 c 6 7. That which hath been the custom of the whole world and of all times of the Churches ought to be more desirable then such a discipline which is maintained by a few and is but of late standing Again It is most just and equall that seeing the number of the reformed are but few they should yeeld unto the other who are many yea and many of them in authority and office in Church and Common-wealth Another speaks yet plainer a AbsurduÌ„ est Deum velle inspirare unum potius quaÌ„ multos Sutâ—l It is absurd to thinke that God should inspire one man rather then many by which expressions of theirs it may seem too evident that though they opposed this argument of the Papists and b In rebus fidem concerneÌ„tibus judicium unius private hominis praeferenaum est Papae toti Concilio si ille moveatur meltoribus rationibus authoritatibus N V. Testam D. White citing Panormitan against the Papists held it forth to be of no weight when they were to deal with them because the Papists might glory most in multitude yet they esteemed it of some weight against the reformed Churches they being farr lesse in number then they were It shews a cause to be weak when they have recourse to such poor weapons and that surely there is not much to maintain it when such arguments as are taken from number and multitude are made use of But to come to the answer of the Question which I conceive will not require much pains The Question is Whether this be sufficient to discover an opinion erroneous or to declare it to be a truth the multitude or paucity of them who are the divulgers and maintainers of it I shall answer this in brief 1. If by multitude be meant the greater number of mankinde then it is a certain evidence of errour The greatest number of mankinde lies in darknesse and errour as St John saith 1 Joh. 5.19 1 Joh. 5.19 The whole world lies in wickednes If you divide the world into four parts you will finde above three parts to be Pagans Heathens Mahometans Idolaters Atheists how few will be the residue Alas they are but a few in the North-east passages that doe professe and acknowledge a Christ and of those how few 2. If by multitude be meant the greatest number of men in the Church who doe adhere to an opinion neither will this be sufficient to discover it a truth And that upon these two grounds 1. Because the greatest number they are ignorant and so are not able to judge of truth and errour blinde men cannot discern of colours they want knowledge to discern of things that differ they are not able to try nor upon triall are they able to determine 2. Because the greatest number they are corrupt and vicious they are for the most part either Atheisticall or prophane or proud and ambitious men or worldlings covetous hypocrites formall professours If you look upon the multitude they adhere to doctrines 1. Either out of ignorant grounds 2. Or out of corrupt ends 1. Out of ignorant grounds viz. because this was the way of their Fathers and they doe traditionally adhere to it or because such men whom thâ—y respect and honour are in that way or because it is commended to them by the learned or prescribed and commanded by authority Indeed it is an easie matter to make any thing of the multitude they are soft wax in regard of their religion and can receive any impression they are fit for any stamp their superiours will put upon them they are but a body and authority is their soul which moves them which way they pleâ—sâ— in point of Religion truth and errour are all one to them It is an easie matter to make them any thing who are indeed nothing It was a heavie charge was cast upon us by our right hand adversaries that England was converted from Popery to Protestanisme by the blast of one trumpet In Q. Maries daies they were Papists and upon her death within an hour after as soon as Qu. Elizabeth was proclaimed here was a Kingdom of Protestants a nation was converted at once Though this charge is not true in all for after her Coronation besides Commissioners sent unto all parts to deface all the monuments of Idolatry Vid. The most grave and modest confuâ—aâ—ion puâ—lâ—shed by Mâ—st Rathbone p. 10. there were Ministers sent about to preach the Word of God viz. Knox Leave Gilby Sampson Whitingham Goodman who in Q. Maries daies had exercised their Ministery in the best reformed Churches beyond the seas who were now sent out to gather the people to the Lord to discover the errours of Popery to reduce men to the knowledge of the truth And upon the meeting of a Parliament those acts which were formerly made in Qu. Maries daies were repealed and the doctrine of truth again with Religion established And it were well to avoid this charge if Ministers were sent thorow the Kingdom at

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