Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	apostle_n	gift_n	teacher_n	686	5	9.5922	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87181	The priests patent cancelled, or the lay-mans answer, to the priests objections. Wherein the pretended grounds of the Ministery for the upholding of their arbitrary practises, over the consciences and estates of the people are answered, and refuted, by undeniable arguments from scripture and reason. / By William Hartley.	Hartley, William, of Stony-Stratford.	1649 (1649)	Wing H976; Thomason E542_17; ESTC R205973	8,235	13

substantiall part of Gods worship as Prayer for pardon of sinne Praises for mercies received Preaching or declaring the goodnesse of God one to another c. was referred to all persons indifferently as may appear by the desire of Moses when he was acquainted that others besides the Priests taught in the Camp would God saith he that all the Lords people were Prophets and for your president in the punishment of Corah Dathan and Abiron we conceive it had relation to their contempt and mutinie against Moses and Aaron as publike Officers and not meerly or simply for offering Sacrifice As may be instanced that it is lawfull at a bar of justice for all standers by to go along with the Majestrate in condemning a Malefactor but it is a high offront to justice for any there present to pull the Judge from the seat of Judicature to give sentence themselves you may consider the altar erected for a good end by the Rubenites Gaddites and half the tribe of Manasseth is not condemned and Manoah no Levite but an Ephramite his Sacrificing a Kid upon a rock was by God approved and for your prerogative distinction of Laity and Clergie the Scripture doth hold forth no such thing God having made of one blood all mankinde Jew and Gentile Male and Female Bond and Free are all one in Christ Acts 10. and wee much wonder at that self-conceited expression in your formall prayer viz. the Tribe of Levi the lot of thine own inheritance seeing God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnes is accepted And to your caveat of Lay-men entering into the ministery if you mean preaching and declaring the word of God be it answered we have as good right to that imployment or function as to the lands we hold or cloathes we weare But you may understand Christ speaking to the Tribe of Levi Yee tythe Mint and Commin 6. Object and neglect greater matters these things yee ought to have done and c. here Christ approved of a Priest-hood to receive Tythes now if some had power to receive others were appointed to pay so it will necessarily follow there is to be a distinction in persons some ministers to beare rule in the Church and teach Reply others to heare and yeeld subjection to their government Wee answer That Christ commanded obedience to the Leviticall Priest-hood and approved the paying and receiving of Tythes but the time when and end for all duties commanded by God of the Creature is to be * Taking scripture out of place maketh this conclusion and division amongst us considered as it may be instanced at the institution of Circumcision in the time of the law it is written every male which is not circumsized that soule shall be cut off from his people but in the time of the Gospel it is said If yee be circumsized Christ shall profit you nothing so then you are to consider the time when the Leviticall Priest-hood was commanded and you shall finde it to be before Christ took Aarons Office for when he offered up himself once for all then the Leviticall Priest-hood had an a Christ when he was upon the crosse said all was finished and then gave up the ghost end and for your better satisfaction take the Apostles argument Heb. 7.11 if perfection were by the Leviticall Priest-hood what further need was there that another Priest should rise after the order of Melchizedeck and not be called after the order of Aaron the next verse thus If the Priesthood be changed there is made a b Mark our liucy woolsie Clergie ministers of the Gospel yet exact tythe according to the Levitical priesthood necessity of a change of the Law that is if Christ the onely High-priest hath made a perfect reconciliation and attonement unto God by his own blood there needeth no more sacrifice for sin and that law which did enjoyn the people to bring offerings or pay tythes for upholding of those typicall sacrifices is now abrogated for you are to take notice that the end of the institution of Tythes was more properly for the maintenance of a daily sacrifice and not solely or simply for the Priests profit as you may read Numb 18.26 When yee take tithes of the children of Israel which I have given you from them for your inheritance then yee shall offer a c When the Parson takes a tythe Calf Lamb Pig Goose c. it fils his belly or his purse heave offering for the Lord It was a complaint upon d 1 Sam. 2.29 Elies sons that they had made themselves fat with the offerings of the people So then it is evident Christ is our High-priest and all the Saints of God are partakers of his Priest-hood 1 Pet. 2.9 and have all interest alike by him to offer up e Rom. 12.1 spirituall sacrifices unto God 9 Object But what saith St Paul 1 Cor. 12.28 God sent some to be Apostles some to be Prophets some to be Teachers Are all Apostles 1 Tim. 4.14 Are all Prophets Are all Teachers And it was charged Timothy not to neglect the gift that was given him by laying on of hands of the Presbytery that is to say ordination of Ministers Reply We answer that the Apostle in the chapter quoted did inform the Corinthians of the diversity of gifts or severall operations of Gods Spirit as not hereditary to any particular persons or society of men and that in the Church or among the Saints all are not alike gifted For saith he All cannot prophesie all are not qualified with abilities to teach all have not the gift of healing c. It s your duty as vers 31. to covet earnestly the best gifts that is labour to become Apostles covet to prophesie desire to be able to teach intimating that it was a great fault to be alwayes learning and yet never come to perfection For the gift that Timothy was commanded not to neglect is prophesying and imposition or laying on of hands as we give our judgement was used either in point of confirmation or healing as may be instanced James 5.16 If any be sick let him send for the Elders of the Church c. and if the Translator had put in Eldership for Presbytery which is the proper signification of the word from the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We might have understood something of the religion in the Kirk of Scotland and we wonder at the quaint speech of your Church Reformers viz. Orthodoxall Canonicall Classicall Provinciall though significant yet not Gospel or vernaculer words It is desired that the Clergy would use plain Scripture language and not amuse the peoples understanding by obscure and AEnigmative expressions To deny ordination is to give way to confusion 10 Object and to open a doore for the spreading of all errors heresies and schisme every Mechanick f●llow will be stepping up into a pulpit to vent his own fancy Doth not the Apostle Peter tell you that unlearned men pervert the Scriptures to their owne destruction We answer that graces and abilities from God do ordaine Reply constitute and create a Minister not an University hand patent or licence of the creature For saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.12 I thanke Iesus Christ our Lord who hath enabled me for that he counted me faithfull in putting me into the Ministery to which you may add that expression Gal. 1.11 I testifie unto you brethren that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man for I neither received it of man neither was I taught it but by revelation of Iesus Christ To your caution touching the spreading of errors heresies c. we answer The light of truth is able to overthrow the darknesse of error one burning lamp is able to convince the vanity of a thousand dark Lanthornes No ignis fatuus can abide the Sunne And for Mechanick men preaching if you mean Tradesmen or Artificers viz. Carpenters Fishermen Tentmakers such were the Apostles of Christ and no disparagement to their Cloth as you call it or Ministery Nay the Apostle layes an injunction upon the Ministers to labour from a president of himself Acts 23.24 These hands have ministred to my necessities I have shewed you all things that so labouring you ought to support the weake and remember the words of the Lord Iesus how he said It was a more blessed thing to give then to receive And for those unlearned men that pervert the Scriptures are such who are untaught and unlearned in Christ the Scriptures quoted having no relation to humane learning in the tongues For in all ages the greatest Scholars were most ignorant of Ch●sst and the poore and simple receive the Gospel Be it granted that some through ignorance or misprision have perverted the Scripture because some tender eyes have been prejudiced by the Sunne Ergo it is not good to behold the light of the Sunne at all FINIS Nihil natum perfectum Gloria in excelsis Deo sit salvus populus