Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	body_n	gift_n	operation_n	454	5	9.5544	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79892	Golden apples. Or Seaonable and serious counsel from the sanctuary to the rulers of the earth, held forth in the resolution of sundry questions, and cases of conscience about divisions, schisms, heresies, and the tolleration of them. Collected out of the writings of the most orthodox, and judicious divines, both Presbyterians, and Independents. / By Sa. Clarke, pastor in Bennet Fink.	Clarke, Samuel, 1599-1682.; Anthony, Burgess, d. 1644.	1659 (1659)	Wing C4518; Thomason E1881_3; ESTC R209888	84,688	239

good matter without good order is not warrantable The Disciples that would have fire come down from Heaven knew not what spirit they were of Uzzahs dreadfull punishment for touching the Ark should make us look not only to the Duty but to the order of it We must not do evil that good may come of it Rom. 3.8 The damnation of such is just Thirdly A third thing in Division is when men do not keep in their proper places and offices If the foot will be the eye or the hand the head this is monstrous St. Paul teaches every member in the body to keep to its own office and calling And Oh! that our times would learn this lesson we should not have such wofull confusions in Church and State as of late we have had what a blessed Unity and comely Order would Church and State be in if every member would do his proper work What have private men to do in a Pulpit What have souldiers to do in constituting a Civil Government or Governors Where is their Warrant How will they answer it to God or man They are commanded to offer violence to no man and to be content with their wages Luke 3.14 Fourthly I st Division and Faction when the passions of men are sowred and imbittered with any carnal distempers This sin first affects the heart and then breaks out into action Though men be in a good way and are for the Truth and Glory of God yet if they do it in passion and with a froward heart here is a sinful Division Gods Righteousness and Truth needs not our passions Quest Quest Whence else proceed these Divisions Answ Answ First From mens ignorance for so long as we know but in part there will be different opinions and difference in opinions breeds difference in affections Ignorant persons like Children are easily seduced and run into ways of Division Secondly From self-confidence and Arrogancy When men think they have better abilities and more worth in them then indeed they have This makes them bold and disturbers of the Churches peace as we see in Corah Dathan and Abiram Num. 16.3 They thought there was as much in every person as in the Priests that God had set apart for that Office All the Congregation is holy Hence Paul commands us not to mind high things Rom. 12.16 which are above our place or capacity So was it with David Psalm 131.1 Hence 1 Cor. 8.2 If any think that he knows any thing c. Thirdly From worldly hopes and desires of advantage Earthly gain made Judas make such a sad breach Men that judge gain to be godliness soon make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience 1 Tim. 6.5 Many of the Arch-Hereticks formerly made those Divisions because they missed of that worldly Pomp and greatness which they expected 4. Sometimes it proceeds from the Tyranny and scandalous lives of Church-Officers One cause that Tertullian turned a Montanist was the loose lives of the Roman Clergy Q. Quest What are the effects of Division and Disunion in the Church especially in the Ministry Answ First Answ 1 It s apt to beget Atheism and Irreligion in the people It makes them think that Religion is a meer notion or nothing and therefore they will look after it no more But woe to the world because of offences in this kind It had been better for such that they had never been born Secondly It much grieves and unsettles the hearts even of the godly themselves they know not what to pitch upon whilst one godly Minister saith it s a sin others that it is no sin This cannot but exceedingly perplex tender Consciences that would not sin for a world Thirdly At such times prophanness and ungodliness doth exceedingly increase and godliness decaies in the power of it For whereas Ministers should encourage godliness and decry and reprove sin they busie themselves in preaching up their opinions and promoting their particular way which edifieth not Indeed the least Truths of God are not to be neglected yea all things are to be tried but this is not the main business the one thing necessary is to seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Fourthly These Divisions amongst Protestants do exceedingly harden the Papists in their way Quest Quest What then should people do when Ministers and Professors are thus divided Answ Answ 1 First Do not thou by thy pragmatical medling widen the difference and raise more dust the hot indiscret carriages of the Disciples do sometimes make a greater distance amongst the Teachers As Johns Disciples out of envy did what they could to stir up Johns spirit against Christ but he by his humility soon quenched those sparks John 3.30 Secondly Consider that those which are godly do agree in the fundamentals which are necessary to salvation and for other things we cannot expect Unity in this life where some have more knowledge and more grace and self-denial then others Thirdly Labor thou to have thy faith informed and setled out of Gods word The Ministry is that by which we do believe but we do not believe in it the Samaritans believed Christ upon the womans report at the first but afterwards they believed him for his own sake Fourthly Humble your selves under these differences when you see them not to go the same way or to preach the same things acknowledg that it is for the barrenness unteachableness and other sins of the hearers that God hath raised such contentions amongst us Quest Why is Unity so necessary Quest Answ Answ Because all things in Religion are reduced to one If therefore every thing in Religion tend to Unity why should not the people of God embrace it the several unities are made a notable argument to this purpose Eph. 4.1 where the Apostle having exhorted Christians to walk worthy of their Calling he instanceth in such graces as procure unity as lowliness meekness and forbearing one another the end of which graces is set down verse 3. endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace then verse 4. he shews the Reason why there should be such Unity there is one body Christ hath not many bodies All the people of God are one body and it s very destructive when one member of the body conspires against the welfare of another Again There is one Spirit there is but one spirit that enlightens and sanctifies the whole Church of God why then should there be so many wayes and opinions yet all pretended to be of the same spirit Indeed there are diversity of gifts and operations yet the same spirit But he doth not say Contrarieties and the same spirit for that is impossible Again There is one hope of our Calling we are called to one inheritance there is but one Heaven why therefore should we be so different by the way when one place of glory must hold all and if one Church cannot now contain us how shall we think that one heaven will Again There is one