Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	teach_v	4,044	5	6.3549	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20440	A conference with a lady about choice of religion	Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665.	1638 (1638)	STC 6844.4; ESTC S116634	26,633	148

they may as well with presumptuous hands graspe at and seeke to plucke vp the very fundations of Christian religion as namely the doctrine of the Trinity and of the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ and of the resurrection and state of life of the future world since there are greater seeming contradictions in them especially in the two first then in those misteryes the reformers cauill at In the next place we may consider that as infallibility is pretended by the Romane Church alone so it is apparantly entayled vpon it for we haue proued that no meanes or circumstaÌ„ce ether morall naturall or supernaturall is wanting in it to begett infallibility in matters of faith Wheras on the other side from the reformers owne position we inferre by consequence that their doctrine cannot be hoped euen by theÌ„selues to be infallible and therefore they that shall submiit their vnderstanding to their conduct though they belieue without controuersy all they say must needes euen by reason of what is taught them floate allwayes in a greate deale of incertitude and anxious apprehension and feare of error For they looking vpon the Church but with pure humane considerations as an ordinary company of men will haue it lyable to mistaking according to the naturall imbecillity of mens wits and vnderstandings and of humane passions and negligence and other such defects and weakenesses which euery man is by nature subiect vnto Against which they produce no antidote to preserue and secure theÌ„selues from the infectioÌ„ and taint they lay vpon the Church For if they will haue the conferences of seuerall passages of Scripture to be that which must giue light in the seuerall coÌ„trouerted obscurities what eminency haue these few late reformers shewne other in knowledge of tongues insight into antiquity profoundnesse in scieÌ„ces and perfection and sanctity of life which hath not shined admirably more not to taxe them here of the contrary in multitudes of the aduerse party And none will deny but these are the likelyest meanes to gaine Ã right intelligence of the true and deepe sense of Scriptures And besides we may obserue that the reason why they deny the seuerall articles wherin they differ from the Catholicke Church is because it teacheth a doctrine which is repugnant to sense and of hard digestion to Philosophy both which are vncompetent iudges of diuine and supernaturall truths And whosoeuer steereth by their compasse cannot hope for infalliblity in a matter that transcendeth their reach Thirdly we may consider that the vniuersality of the Church in regarde of place which is necessary to the end that all mankinde may haue sufficient meanes to gaine knowledge of the true faith can be attributed to none but to the Romane Catholicke Church which onely is diffused throughout the whole world whereas all others are circled in with narrow limits of particular prouinces And euen within them the professors scarce agree among themselues in any poynt of doctrine but in opposing the Romane Church And yet further besides this want of vniuersality in regarde of place the Religion taught by the reformers hath yet a greater restriction then that for euen in its owne nature it is not for all sorts of persons and for all capacities whereas the true saueing faith to bring men to beatitude ought to be obuious to all mankinde and open as well to the simple as to the learned For since they lay the Scriptures as the first and highest principle from whence they deduce all that ought to be belieued And that in all artes and sciences the primary and fundamentall principles thereof ought to be throughly knowne by theÌ„ that aspire to the perfect knowledge of those sciences it followeth that one must haue an exact knowledge of the learned tongues to examine punctually the true sense of the Scriptures and that one must be perfectly versed in logicke to be able to reason solidly and to deduce true consequeÌ„ces from certaine principles for want of which we find by experience that great controuersies arise dayly among the learnedst men which would not be if the force of consequences were of their owne nature easily discernable and one must be throughly skilled in naturall philosophy and Metaphysickes since vnto appearing contradictions in subiects of those sciences they reduce most of their arguments against the supernaturall truths that Catholickes belieue And lastly one must be indowed with an excellent iudgemeÌ„t and strong naturall witt to be able to wield and make good vse of these weapons without which they would but aduaÌ„ce him the faster to ruine and pernicious error With which excellencyes how few are there in the world fairely adorned Fourthly it is euident that the Romane Catholicke Church onely hath had a constant and vninterrupted succession of Pastors and Doctors and tradition of doctrine from age to age which we haue established as the onely meanes to deriue downe the true faith from Christ. Whereas it is apparant all others haue had late beginnings from vnworthy causes And yet euen in this little while haue not bene able to maintaine themselues for one age throughout or scarce for any considerable part of an age in one tenor of doctrine or forme of Ecclesiasticall gouerment Lastly we may consider how the effect of the holy Ghost his inhabiting in the Church in regard of manners making the hearts of men his liuing temples shineth eminently in the Catholike Church and is not so much as to be suspected in any other whatsoeuer For where this holy spirit raigneth it giueth a burning loue of God as we haue touched before and a vehement desire of approaching vnto him as neere as may be Now the soule of man moueth towards God not by corporeall steppes and progressions but by intellectuall actions the highest of which are mentall prayer and conteÌ„plation in which exercices a man shall aduance the more by how much he is the more sequestred from the thought and care of any wordly affayres and hath his passions quieted within him and is abstracted from coÌ„munication with materiall obiects and is vntied from humane interests and according to the counsailes of Christ in the Gospell hath cast off all sollicitude of the future and remitteth himselfe wholy to the prouidence of God liuing in the world as though he were not in it wholly intent to conteÌ„plation when the inferiour part of Charity calleth him not downe to comply with the necessity of his Neighbours This forme of life we see continually practised in the Catholicke Church by multitudes of persons of both sexes that through extreme desire of approaching as neere vnto God as this life will permitt doe banish themselues from all theyr frends kindred and what els in the world was naturally dearest vnto theÌ„ and either retire into extreme solitudes or shutt themselues vp for euer within the narrow limits of a straight Monastery and little cell where hauing renounced all the interest and propriety in the goods of this world and vsing no more of them then is

whole world as would be requisite to extirpate and roote out a doctrine vniuersally spread ouer it all that was at the first taught and confirmed with such sâ—ales of truth as the miracles that Christ and the Apostles wrought that in it selfe is so pure and agreable to the seedes that euery man findeth sowed euen by nature in his owne soule that worketh such admirable effects as the reformation of manners in maÌ„kind that withdraweth mens affections from humane and wordly contentments and carryeth them with a sweete violence to intellectuall obiects and to hopes of immortality and happinesse in another life that prescribeth lawes for happy liuing euen in this world to all men of what condition soeuer ether publike or priuate as working a moderation in mens affections to the commodities and goods of this life which else in nature is apt to blinde mens mindes and is the cause of all michiefes and euills and lastly that is deliuered ouer from hand to hand from worlds of fathers to worlds of sonnes with such care and exactnesse as greater caÌ„not be imagined and as is requisite to the importance of that affaire which is infinitly beyond all others as on which the saluation and damnation of mankinde wholy dependeth Now vnto these rationall considerations let vs adde the promise which Christ made to his Church that the gates of hell should not preuaile against it and I thinke we haue sufficiently maintained that the Church of Christ in which the true doctrine of Christ is conserued can neuer faile but must infallibly continue vntill the worlds end Thus hauing proued that a supernaturall doctrine is necessary to bring mankind to beatitude that Christ taught this doctrine that from him the Churh receaued it and is the sacrary in which it is coÌ„serued that this Church cannot erre in the tradition of this doctrine that besides the infallibility of it this Church is perpetuall It remaineth now that we close vp this discourse by applying all these premisses vnto the question in hand which is where we shall find out this infallible Church that by it we may gaine the knowledge of the true faith of Christ whereby we are to be saued 16. For this end our sixteenth and last conclusion shall be that the congregation of men spred ouer the world ioyning in communion with the Church of Rome is the true Catholike Church in which is conserued and taught the true sauing faith of Christ. The truth of this conclusion will without bringing any new proofes appeare euideÌ„tly by reflecting vpon what we haue sayed and onely examining whether the Romane Church be such a one as we haue determined the true Church of Christ must be or whether the notes which me may inferre out of our discourse to belong inseparably to the true Church may not rather with more reason be acknowledged of some other then of that in coÌ„munion with the see of Rome this point after these groundes layed requireth no very subtill disquisition but is discernable euen by the weakest sights and therefore this way of arguing appeareth to me most satisfactory and contentfull when taking the whole body of the question into suruey and beginning with the first and remotest considerations of it we driue the difficulties still before vs and pursuing of them orderly at euery steppe we establish a solide principle and so become secure of the truth and certainty of all we leaue behind vs which course although it may at the first sight appeare to be a great way about and looking but superficially vpon the matter we may seeme to meete with difficulties which coÌ„cerne not our question yet in the effect we shall perceiue it is the most summary method of handling any controuersie and the onely meanes to be secured of the truth of what we conclude and that will recompense the precedent difficulties by making the conclusion which is the knotte of the affayre plaine easy and open I say then first that vnity of doctrine in matters of faith is inseparable from the Romane Church and can neuer be found in any other it onely hauing a precise aÌ„d determinate rule of faith For it hath belieued in euery age all that hath bin plainely aÌ„d positiuely taught vnto it by theire fathers as the doctrine of faith deriued from Christ and admitteth noe other article whatsoeuer as an article of faith Whereas on the other side all other Christian Churches amoÌ„g vs that pretend reformation haueing no certaine and common rule of faith but euery particular man gouerning himselfe in this matter by the collections of his owne braine and by his owne priuate vnderstanding and interpretation of Scripture which onely he acknowledgeth as the entire rule of faith it must consequently follow that according to the variety of their tempers and iudgemeÌ„ts there must be a variety and difference of their opinions and beliefes which difference of temper happening for the most part betweene euery two men that are it likewise followeth scarse any two should in all particulars of their opinions agree together And accordingly we see by experience that scarce any two authors out of the Romane Church that haue written of matters of faith haue agreed in their tenets but rather haue dissented in fundamentall doctrine and haue inueighed against one another in their writings with great vehemence and bitternesse Whereas on the other side the Doctors of the Romane Church in all tymes in all places and of all tempers haue agreed vnanimously in all matters of faith although in the meane tyme seuerall of them haue in diuers other points great debates against one another and pursue them with much sharpnesse which strongly confirmeth the ground vpon which we frame this obseruation But to insist a little further vpon this materiall and important consideration it is euident that the proceeding of the reformers openeth the gate to all dissention schisme irreuerence pride of vnderstanding heresie and ruine of Christian religion for to iustify the new births of their rebellions braines the first stroke of their pen must be to lay a taint of ignorance and error vpon the whole current of Ancient fathers and Doctours of the Church and generall Councells and to blast their authority which is so precisely contrary to their doctrine whose names and recordes ought to be sacred with posterity Which when they haue done to settle a coÌ„stant and like beliefe in all men they giue noe generall and certayne rule but leauing euery man to the Dictamens of his owne priuate iudgement according to the seuerall tempers and circumstances as we sayd before that sway euery single man in particular there must result which we see by experience as great a variety of opinions as those are different And lastly since they quarell at Catholickes beliefe in those points where they differ from them because they captiuate their vnderstandings with reuerence to what the Church proposeth and teacheth and thereby admitt into their beliefe articles which may seeme absurd to common sense

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