Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	church_n	prophet_n	teacher_n	471	5	9.2767	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35538	An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second, being the five last, chapters of the book of Job being the substance of fifty-two lectures or meditations / by Joseph Caryl ...	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1653 (1653)	Wing C777; ESTC R19353	930,090	1,092

chief in the word of God is the truth of it that which rules and reigns and holds as it were the headship in and throughout the word of God is the truth of it or Gods trueness and faithfulness in making it good and therefore the first thing which faith doth is to set to its seal that God is true true of his word or that his word is true John 3.33 The Greeks call honey the first of sweetnesses because it is the sweetest of all natural things Mel dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quòd dulcedine praestat rebus omnibus Now here when the Text saith he is the chief or beginning of the wayes of God we are not to take it of a beginning in time several creatures were seniors to Behemoth being made before him but in excellency which we render clearly He is the chief of the wayes of God But you will say how is the Elephant the chief of the wayes of God Are not Angels and men at least above him I answer There is a twofold chief First Absolute Secondly in its kind Behemoth is the chief of the wayes of God not absolutely not as if God had made nothing more excellent than the Elephant but in his kind that is among the beasts of the earth he is the chief and as we say bears away the bell from all the rest Behemoth is not only of the first three but like Adino the Tachmonite among Davids worthies he is the first of the first three among all the irrational creatures which move upon the face of the earth And though in some one thing many excel him yet taking him altogether he excels them all He is the chief of the wayes of God that is of the works of God The works of God are called his ways because he appears stands forth in his works as man doth in his way God did not appear at all til he did create then he appeared gloriously in all his divine perfections of power wisdom and goodness And as he appeared in the works of creation so he daily appeareth in his wo●ks of providence as in his way for in them also it is seen how powerful how wise how good he is Behemoth both as to creation and providence is the chief of the wayes or works of God in his kind Angels and Men are indeed above him but as for other creatures Behemoth is the chief Thus the Lord having spoken of many particular excellencies in this creature recapitulates or sums up all that he had said like an eloquent Orator in these crowning words He is the chief of the ways of God Hence note First There is a difference as to excellency or there are degrees of excellency in the works of God God hath bestowed more upon some creatures than he hath upon others God bestowed most upon man in the first creation for how excellent soever he made any visible creature yet it is said of no creature he made him in his image after his likeness till he came to man and the new creature which comes in by redemption is far more excellent than man in his first creation Now I say as man is far more excellent than all earthly creatures he is next to Angels man is placed in the uppermost form of the visible world So among the creatures there are some that very much excel others here 's one called the chief of the ways of God himself This is not an Orators flattery the Spirit of God gives Behemoth this encomium this commendation he hath precedency by a divine right All creatures are not alike they cannot all be chief and there are none like this he is the chief of all Among the inanimate creatures there is a gradual difference 1 Cor. 15.40 There are coelestial bodies and bodies terrestial but the glory of the coelestial is one and the glory of the terrestial is another and all coelestial bodies are not alike for There is one glory of the Sun and another of the Moon and another of the Stars and one Star differs from another in glory There are also various excellencies both as to kind and degree among vegetatives or plants What is a Nettle in the Ditch to Hysope in the Garden and what is the Thistle in Lebanon to the Cedar in Lebanon that 's one of the lowest and most ignoble plants this one of the highest and most honourable Consider animals What variety among the fish of the sea what is a Sprat to a Whale What variety among the fowls of the air what is a Sparrow to the Eagle What variety among the beasts of the earth what is a Bullock to an Elephant or an Ass to a Lion Co●sider ●ationals Men are not all alike some men do almost as much excel other men as all men excel beasts yea there is a difference in the same man his soul is more excellent than his body some parts of the body are more excellent than others some powers and faculties of the soul are more excellent than the rest The Apostle 1 Cor. 12.28 29. speaking of the Church shews how God hath put the guides of it into several ranks He hath set some in the Church First Apostles Secondly Prophets Thirdly Teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps governments diversities of tongues Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers do all speak with tongues are all workers of miracles are all chief are all in the first rank no some are in one condition some in another And thus it is in the world God hath set some Kings all others Subjects and among them some are Lords some Judges and Magistrates c. Are all Kings are all Lords are all Judges and Magistrates surely not To have all men of one order would put all men and all things too out of order There is a chief among beasts And those men are worse than beasts who acknowledge not a chief among men God is not the author of confusion as in all the Churches of the Saints saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.33 so I may say in all the Kingdoms of the world And if so I would only infer then let none be troubled that they are not chief no nor that they are not of equal rank with other men let us be content with our station though it be a low one 'T is best for us to be where God hath placed us and to be thankful for what God hath given us though in gifts and parts we are much inferior to many God doth not bestow a like measure of gifts no nor of grace upon all And though it may be a favour and a mercy to have outward preheminency above others yet to love or affect preheminency as the Apostle John taxed Diotrophes is very sinful The Apostle would have us covet earnestly the best gifts 1. Cor. 12.31 and he there minds us of a better thing to be coveted than the best gifts that is grace Faith hope charity to covet