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
A69820	The expiation of a sinner in a commentary vpon the Epistle to the Hebrevves.; Commentarius in Epistolam ad Hebraeos. English	Crell, Johann, 1590-1633.; Lushington, Thomas, 1590-1661.	1646 (1646)	Wing C6877; ESTC R12070	386,471	374

he saith that Christ was not the sole but the first preacher of it and after him others who were taught it by him and sent forth by him to preach it universally over all parts of the world who therefore were called the Apostles or Emissaries of Christ And was confirmed unto us by them that heard him In the confirmation of the Gospel the preaching of it is included or thereby supposed The Law was confirmed or made stedfast not onely by judgements and punishments annexed against the transgressors of it but also the publishing of the Law was confirmed and certified with wonderfull sights and sounds as the lightnings and thunders and trembling of the Mount and the voice of a Trumpet exceeding shrill that sounded long waxing louder and louder so that all the people in the Camp trembled Exod. 19.16 Now lest any man should think that the Gospel either in this regard was inferiour to the Law or was but a vaine novelty that wanted solid arguments and proofes both for the verity of it and the publishing of it therefore the Gospel also was confirmed and certified with most divine testimonies that were without all exception and such as were never seene nor heard of in the world before Vnto us To this Author and others By them that heard him that heard Christ publish and preach the Gospel The Gospel was first confirmed firmed by Christ by vertue of his miracles and sufferings and afterward his publishing of the Gospel his miracles and sufferings were confirmed by them that heard his preaching saw both his miracles and sufferings even by them that were constant auditors of his doctrines and spectators of his miracles such as were especially the Apostles and disciples of Christ Hence it may not improbably be gathered That Paul was not the Author of this Epistle For hee never exempts himselfe from the number of the Apostles nor reckons himselfe as a hearer of the Apostles as the Author of this Epistle here doth Paul alwaies preserved his Apostolick authority and maintained it entire against all that maligned it and he was especially so to doe when hee had to deale with the Hebrewes or Jewes who depraved and slighted his authority Neither was any Apostle the Author of it but some Apostolick person who had learnt the Gospel from some Apostle 4. God also bearing them witnesse The Apostles after Christ did second Christ in preaching and confirming the Gospel yet they confirmed it not by their owne power but by divine power for the confirmation of it was from God because God did beare witnes of their doctrine and gave his suffrage to their sayings Who therefore would not yeeld his faith and belief to so great a confirmation and to so great a testimony of so great a witnes Neither could these things be denied by these Hebrewes to whom this Epistle is written seeing they themselves had seene and heard the preaching of the Gospel confirmed before them Both with signes and wonders and divers miracles Here hee shewes by what meanes God did confirme the preaching of the Gospel by the Apostles namely by meanes of two sorts by the workes of miracles and by the gifts of the holy Ghost Signes were testimonies in generall that the Apostles were sent of God and spake the truth Wonders were signes also yet but one sort of signes namely the sublimest and most powerfull kinde that bred astonishment in the people such as raising the dead and the falling downe of Ananias dead And these signes and miracles were not all of one sort but various and diverse as casting out of devils raising the dead others falling downe dead giving sight to the blinde and blindnes to others as to Elymas the sorcerer by healing diseases not only by their word but by the shadow of Peter and by the handkerchief of Paul Concerning this confirmation of the Gospel St. Austine speaks very wittily Wee know saith hee that almost all the world was drawne unto Christ by the force of miracles They that deny this by eluding miracles they themselves make a greater miracle For when so few Apostles so unlearned men preached things so incredible to humane reason that all the world anciently seasoned with other Religions should beleeve them without any miracles this is a more incredible miracle then any of those miracles which they are said to have done And gifts of the holy Ghost for gifts the originall hath distributions The second meanes of confirming the Gospel preached by the Apostles was by the distributions or gifts of the holy Ghost This the Author names in particular because it is a most divine work most peculiar to the Gospel That at the preaching of the Apostles or at the laying on of their hands the holy Ghost was given to those that beleeved at their preaching He calls them distributions or gifts diversly imparted because the gifts in themselves were diverse and also were diversly imparted to diverse persons Not one and the same gift to all but one to one and another to another one to diverse and diverse to diverse in diverse manners to one in a lesse measure to another in a greater according to the measure both for quantity and quality that it pleased Christ to conferre these graces See 1. Cor. 12.11 and Ephes 4.5 For this variety and diversity in distributing the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost did greatly redound to the benefit and necessity of the Church who is one great Corporation or body mysticall composed of various and diverse members that some standing in need of others help might more mutually conspire in love and unitie among themselves According to his owne will The power to diversifie and varie the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost was not at the will and pleasure of the Apostles but was a prerogative reserved to God and the distribution was varied according to his own will 5. For unto the Angels He returnes to his former point of preferring Christ above the Angels for which he brings a new Argument and withall tacitely shewes the cause why Christ being one somewhat inferiour to the angels in respect of his mortall nature was at last advanced to be far greater and higher then they The reason hereof was because the future world to come was to be subject to Christ and not to the angels For to this purpose the words cited out of the eighth Psalme that the world to come must be subject to a man are by the Author applyed to Christ as the like is done by Paul 1. Cor. 15.27 and Ephes 1.22 And this testimony of Christ being made better then the angels seemes to be reserved for the last place because by this meanes he might both dissolve the doubt why Christ being first lower then the angels was at last made much higher then they and also might prepare himselfe an entrance to explicate the cause of that Imminution of Christ whereat he principally aimed and so gradually proceed to handle the Priesthood of Christ