Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
city_n great_a lord_n people_n 5,383 4 4.3982 3 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A61114 A short treatise concerning the lawfullnese of every mans exercising his gift as God shall call him thereunto by John Spencer. Spencer, John, Groom. 1641 (1641) Wing S4954; ESTC R10777 5,909 8

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

A SHORT TREATISE CONCERNING THE ●awfullnesse of every mans exercising his gift as God shall call him thereunto By Iohn Spencer LONDON Printed for Iohn Spencer and are to be sold by T. Bates in the Oldbaily 1641. A SHORT TREATISE CONCERNING THE LAWFVLLNESSE OF EVERY MANS exercising his gift as God shall call him thereunto THe gifts of the Spirit are in every one for the good of the whole body and that there is no private gifts nor private Christians that wee reade of in Scripture to proove at large out of the word of God which shall bee that which shall guide all our actions by that what gift soever the Spirit giveth It is for the good of the whole body and so according to it's place in the body the measure of grace received he is to use it for the helpe of his fellow members to the edifying of the body I may bring for the further clearing of this truth the judgements of many worthy Divines Calvin speaking of the communion of Saints hath these words The Saints which are gathered together into the fellowship of Christ with this condition that what ever benefit God bestowes upon them they should continually communicate one to another Vrsinas on Communion of Saints hath these words That all receiving one who beleeveth are in common pertakers of Christ all his graces as being his membes and then that every one ought readily and chearefully to bestow their gifts and graces which they had to the common commoditie and safe of all Master Perkins on the Creede from our Vnion with Christ and our union and communion one with another saith That a Christian though he be the freest man upon earth yet he is a servant to all men and especially to the Church of God to doe service to the members of it by love for the good of all And this good is procured when we convey the gifts of God bestowed on us to our brethren which is done these five waies First by example serondly by admonition thirdly by exhortation fourthly by consolation fiftly by prayer all which hee openeth and presseth to this purpose Master Bolton in his generall directions for a comfortable walking with God is full large for this but to prove it by severall Scriptures in Rommans 1● 6. having then gifts according to the grace that is givento us whether Prophesie let us prophesie let us according to the proportion of faith the first of Cor. 12. and the 9. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every one to profit with all Ephes. 4. 11. 12. and he gave some to be Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and some Teachers and some Pastors for the edifyin of the body of Christ Ephesians 5. and the 11. Wherefore comfort your selves together and edifie on another even as yee doe Heb. 3. 13. but exhot one another daily while it is called to day least any of you bee hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne 1 Cor. 14. 31. For ye may all prophesie one by one that all may learne and all bee comforted in the first of Peter the 4. and the 10. As every one hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as faithfull stewards of the manifold graces of God thus you have all these places to prove the lawfulnesse of all to exercise the gifts as God shall give them opertunitie with conveniency and also the Iudgements of many worthy Divines now we shall shew you the reason of it why every one ought to communicate of what God hath bestowed on them for the good of the whole body the first reason is because God himselfe hath commanded it The second reason is because it was the very end of Gods bestowing these gifts upon us for the edifying of the body of Christ The third reason is from our neere union and communion one with another The fourth reason is from our breathrens right to it they have all right to our gifts and abilities The fifth reason is this it is the way to inlarge our owne gifts and abilities The sixt reason is Gods glory and the Saints example The seven reason is because of our enemies wiles and sathans malice all calling for it at our hands Now to answer certain objections that are brought in against the universalitie of this truth The first objection is this that none ought to preach but those in office none else may properly be said to Preach To this I answer that when the dispersed Christians were scattered in that persecution it is said that they went about preaching and the hand of the Lord was with them and great multitudes beleeved and turned to the Lord Acts 11. 19 20 21. But some object and say that this is not such preaching as is mentioned in Rom. 10. 14 15. but it is manifest and cleare that they strive about words and to no purpose at all for there was that very Preaching and that very sending as is there mentioned in that tenth to the Rom. and the 15. for that preaching of the dispersed Christians was made necessary for the working of faith else the text saith not right in saying they beleeved But some farther object and say that these were all Church-officers and so might Preach where ever they came To this I answer that it could not be so for wee never read in all the whole booke of God that all the members of a Church was offiicers but this is aparent that all the members were scattered only Apostles as you may see it in the 8. of the Acts the first I shall gi●e you another instance in the fourth of Iohn and the 39. It is said that many of the Samaritans beleeved at the report of the woman if it be so then one of these must needes befall those that ho●d none ought to Preach but those that are Church-officers and this woman was a Church-officer and so a Harold and an Imbassador and so sent and so Preached or else that the spirit was mistaken that sed they beleeved Another instance we have of one that was no Church officer and yet a Preacher and a publisher of the Gospel in the eighth of Luke and the 38 39. the man out of whom the devills were cast out Christ sent him away and bid him goe and declare what great things he had done to him and the text saith that he went and preached in the Cities It is manifest that this man was n● Church-officer and yet a preacher of the Gospel Againe what thinke you of Moses desire when hee desired that all the Lords people were Prophets either Moses say you jeared or else he wished that all good people were Church-officers which could not be Numb. 11. 29. What thinke you of Saul in the first of Sam. 6. 10. And when they came thither to the hill a company of the Prophets met him and the spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied so also the 19 of Sam. and the 20. and