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	member_n	unity_n	542	5	10.1952	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18346	A fruitfull sermon, vpon the 3.4.5.6.7.&8. verses of the 12. chapiter of the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes very necessarie for these times to be read of all men, for their further instruction and edification, in things concerning their fayth and obedience to saluation.	Chaderton, Laurence, 1536?-1640.; Dering, Edward, 1540?-1576.	1584 (1584)	STC 4926.5; ESTC S1546	34,708	90

O damnable boldnesse O couetous Patrons that for gaine present such vnworthy men to the Bishops O foolish men that will commend thē whom they ought to dispraise O miserable Bishops that by laying on of their handes lift vp those into Moses chaire who ought rather to bee thruste to the tayle of the plow What doth more dishonour God discredite the Gospell confirme the aduersaries of the truth and incourage the rebell in his treason then this ignorance and impietie of the Ministers For I beseech you tell me can the honour and praise of Gods wysdome be commended by the folly and ignoraunce of his Minister Can the inestimable treasure and riches of the gratious Prince be seene in the beggerly nakednesse of an vngratious and base Ambassador Can the aduersaries of the grace of Christe by looking vppon an idoll which hath nothing but a shew of that it is not bee diswaded from the worshippe of Idolles Can hee bring men from errour which can teach no truth Can hee that is trayterously affected to Magistracie become a loyall subiect and neuer heare his Pastour prooue by the word of God that all must be subiect not onely for feare but for conscience sake Finally can the carnal minded man and the blasphemouse Atheist be perswaded that Christe is the redeemer of the worlde whose Ministers these be Therefore as all Christians are priuately to looke vnto them selues their giftes and callinges that they tye and bind their iudgement and affection to the measure of that faithfull grace they haue receiued so all Magistrates are by the swoord of their authoritie which they beare not in vaine to keepe and hold their Christian subiectes within the compasse of their limittes Now followeth the last reason of the generall law For as we haue many members in one bodye and all members haue not one office so we beeing many are but one body in Christ euery one one anothers members This last reason taken from the mutuall disposition of the body is by the Apostle applyed not onely to the Saintes at Rome but also generally to the whole Church of CHRIST which as it teacheth an vnitie of bodie a multitude of members vnder one heade a variety of duties and a diuersitie of gifts so it sheweth manifestly that this destinction in the body wherof ariseth the gouerment of the whole making for the safety of the whole and euery part is most necessary most profitable and therefore perpetuall and immutable In consideration whereof I will laye out the partes more plainly least any shoulde take vppon him through presumption a greater charge then he can sustaine or the measure of his gifts permit and the rather for that there are in these two verses 4. similitudes albeit at the first vewe there seemeth to bee but one The first is as we haue in one naturall body many mēbers so wee haue in one catholique Church many members The second as all members of the naturall body haue not one office so all the members of the Church haue not one office The thirde as many members in the natural body haue one head wherein they are so many members in the Church haue one head wherin they are The fourth and last as in a naturall body euery member is anothers so in the Church euery member is anothers Al which particuler similitudes are necessarily collected out of the Apostles words in the 4. and 5. verses as you may plainly see The same similitudes though not in the same wordes yet to the same purpose our Apostle vseth in the twelfth Chapiter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians saying As the body is one and hath many members all the members of the body which is one though they be many yet are but one body euen so is Christ that is the church of Christ. Hee prosecuteth it farther as wee shall hereafter see But first let vs somewhat more diligentlie consider according to these foure similitudes of the state condition and regiment of the Churche of Christe heere in earth for hence arise foure most excellent and worthie rules touching the spirituall gouernment of the misticall body of Christ. The first is this There must be and ought to be in the church of Christe manie members The first similitude teacheth this the 12. to y e Corinthians doth conclude and determine it for the body is not one member but many againe if they were all one member where were the body but now there are many members yet but one body therefore there must be manie members in the Church By a member he meaneth such a part of the body as hath receiued from the heade some particular and necessarie gifte fit to helpe and benefite the whole body and euery member thereof as it appeareth by the last similitude and by the enumeration of the parts immediatly following Now if you aske me howe manie members there be in the bodie what they be and howe they bee named and called and what be their duties and callings the Apostle him selfe will aunswere plainly in the next verses and perfectlie and fully determine all these questions saying These members are either Doctors to teach Pastors to exhort Elders to rule Deacons to distribute Attenders vppon the poore straungers and the sicke or else the people and Saints which are taught exhorted ruled and receiue almes and releefe These are al no mo no fewer So the necessity of y e relation plainly prooueth these are such as are able to execute performe any duty belonging to the perfect building vp and adorning of the mystical body of Christ as shall hereafter appeare more at large in the particular handling of euery seuerall office Now I beseech you let vs iudge indifferently of y e body of y e Church of England whether it be perfect or no hauing no wāt of any necessary mēber nor any part vnnecessary For if nature lack any one be it neuer so base if it be but one toe she is sory she is grieued she lamēteth she iugeth her self maimed yea she wold redeem it w t the perill of loosing the rest such is her loue and desire to appeare in her beautye and perfection The Church of God in England deare Christians which is the beloued spouse of Christ which desireth to appeare most beautifull and perfect in the eyes of her louer shee wanteth her Pastours Teachers Elders Deacons and her Attenders vppon the poore therefore she hangeth downe her head for heauines her eyes bee bleared with teares her cheekes be defiled with the water of her eyes her heart is heauy with sorrow her bones are withered with drinesse her whole body is cloathed in sackcloth she lyeth in caues and dennes beeing almost ashamed to shew her face hauing so deformed and maymed a body Which ought to be as bright as the Sunne and as fayre as the Moone yea of ten thousand the chiefest Againe on the other side if nature do espie in the body anye superfluous member

as if shee haue three handes three feet or six fingers by and by she mislyketh her selfe she hateth the superfluity she laboreth to cut it off because she is contended with her selfe desiring no mo partes then shee hath nay hating if it bee but a knob of flesh that is more then needs She would haue manye members but not too many she would haue all her members she wold want none least she should appeare either monstrous which is feareful or maimed which is hatefull Euen so is it with the Church and spouse of Christ in England For as she is grieued for the lack of those partes which are wanting so shee abhorreth and loatheth such as are abounding as namely the callinges of Archbishops Bishops deanes Archdeacons Deacons Chauncellers Commissaries Officials all such as be rather members and partes of the whore and strumpet of Rome then of the pure virgin and Spouse of the immaculate Lambe Therefore she desireth these if they will needs be of her body to shew that they bee created of God and vnited to her by Christ her heade If they will needes be of the heauenly Hierusalem let them shew that they came down from heauen and who gaue them from thence For the Apostles neuer knewe them Sion hath not hearde of them Hierusalem which is aboue wil not acknowledge them the watchmen no doubt beeing a sleepe they haue crept into the Citie of the Lord. But now they are espied now the Church complayneth of them both because they haue no title nor interest in it as publique members and also because by the length of their vnlawfull swoordes they keepe out lawfull members of the body We therefore that are the Lordes remembrauncers must neuer let him rest till he haue expelled them out of Hierusalem wherin they haue no right to exercise such vnlawfull authoritie Therefore we humbly desire and beseech all that are in higher places and haue accesse vnto her excellēt Maiesty that they woulde for the loue they beare to the Church of Christ in tender compassion looke vpon our Church which maketh so iust a complaint that they would send for the Preachers of the word enquire what is lacking and what is too much and so repayre and build vp the walles of Hierusalem the praise of the world The second rule is that the members of the body must haue but one office that is euery one his seueral distinct office For God is not the author of confusion but of good order and necessary distinction So sayth Paule There are diuersity of giftes and administrations of operations yet but one spirite one Lorde one God which worketh all in all And least any should obiect that this maye be and yet no let but that one man hauing manye giftes maye haue diuers offices for though they bee diuers one in respect of an other yet they maye agree in one man we must consider that the Apostle speaketh here of diuers mēbers of one body meaneth y t euery one must haue his seueral gift y t maketh a seueral office for the cōmon profit of others This seuerall and speciall gift bindeth to one seuerall and special office For the same Apostle teacheth that those gifts are not only distinguished in nature but also in person saying To one is giuen the worde of wisedome vnto an other the worde of knowledge c. Therefore euerye personne or member of the Church muste haue his owne proper and seuerall office that he maye vse it to the common commoditie of all his fellow-members If the naturall members of the bodye doe perfectly performe their seuerall dutyes then it muste needes goe wel with the body and nature must needes delight and take greate pleasure in it but if contrarily one member do encroch vpon the office of an other it must needes tend to the destruction of the body So assuredly the estate of the Church is best and most flourisheth when there is neither too many nor too few members according to the first rule neither confusion of offices according to the second Seeing then beloued in our church the Deacon encrocheth vpon the office of the Pastor for he prateth openly and ministreth the Sacraments women vpon the office of men for they baptize priuate men vppon the office of publique persons for one man doth suspend from the Sacramentes and excommunicate the Doctour vpon the office of the Pastour for both indifferently teach exhort and minister the sacraments the Ecclesiasticall person vpon the office of the ciuill Magistrate and contrarily the ciuill vppon the Ecclesiasticall for they interchangeablye handle and discide ciuill and Ecclesiasticall controuersies seeing I saye here is no distinction but confusion no contenting with one duetye but encroching vppon many no wyse order in gouernment but a foolishe and pernicious shuffeling togeather of diuers dueties which the Lorde hath heere and else where in sundry places of his word distinguished haue we not iust and necessary cause to beseech and pray such as be in authority not to suffer their eye-lids either to slūber or sleep til they haue remooued these superfluities supplied these wants and refourmed this intollerable confusion that the body of the Church may appeare in her perfect beauty and health The 3. rule is these many members must haue but one head to whom they are most nearely surely vnited and of whom they must be onely and perpetually ruled All the parts of the naturall body because they are by many iointes and bandes fitly and surely coupled to the head they receiue life sense power motion and strength to perfourme their duties and mutually to helpe one another and all this is done by the vertue of this naturall vnion For if that were not no part were able to serue either it selfe or any other so that beeing in this vnion they liue being seuered they dye and perish Euen so it fareth with the members of y e Church for they beeing by spirituall ioints handes surely vnited knit to Christ their heade he conuayeth into euerye one by his spirite and faith life to quicken them wisedom to lighten them sense for feeling and all other graces and strength to defend them against all aduersary power and to bring them to the perfect vnion and fellowship which is in himselfe We are the tender braunches he is the vine if we be in him we shall receiue spirituall nourishment to life euerlasting and al things that appertaine to our health if we be out of him we can not but die and that eternally He onely is the vine whereinto we must be graffed he onely is the band that bindeth vs vnto him the braunches that are not in the vine must needes wither and die if he binde vs not vnto him selfe we must needes scatter abroade and fall asunder one from an other He onely is the cause of all vnion with him selfe and among the members to make all the members at one with him and with them selues And also