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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44866	A vindication of the essence and unity of the church catholike visible, and the priority thereof in regard of particular churches in answer to the objections made against it, both by Mr. John Ellis, Junior, and by that reverend and worthy divine, Mr. Hooker, in his Survey of church discipline / by Samuel Hudson ...	Hudson, Samuel, 17th cent.	1650 (1650)	Wing H3266; ESTC R11558	216,698	296

quae per totum mundum extruenda erat quemadmodum Angelus apud Zachariam funiculum ejus ab Oriente usque in Occidentem extendit Again Eph. 3.10 To the intent that unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisedom of God This Church was not a particular Congregatian neither was it the Church of the elect neither doth Beza so expound it as is alledged for he speaks hereupon of the government of it sub variatâ Oeconomiâ neither was the Church of the Gentiles only which yet is more then one Congregation neither can the circumstances carry it so beyond control as is alledged because of the mysteries here spoken of that were kept secret since the beginning of the world and the multifarious wisedom which was now made known by the Churches but were before made known to the Church of the Jews as M. Hooker conceives p. 271. For the mysteries revealed in the New Testament were never known to the Jews before Eye never saw them nor ear heard them nor entred it into the heart of man to conceive of them But he that is least in the kingdom of the Gospel knows more then Iohn the Baptist But it was the Church-Catholike under the Gospel whereof Paul was made a Minister as it is vers 7. It is that body of Christ the Church whereof Paul was made a Minister as himself saith more fully Col. 1.24 25. which must needs be the external visible organical Catholike Church of Christ consisting of Jew and Gentile Again it is said in 1 Cor. 12.28 God hath set some in the Church Sect. 4. first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers The Church here spoken of is not the Church Triumphant for that hath no officers but Christ the head there shall be no Pastors and Teachers quà such yet such are in this Church vers 8. neither shall there be any gifts of healing tongues miracles Deacons or ruling Elders Neither is it the Church as invisible consisting of the elect only for the invisible Church quâ invisible hath no Officers neither For though intentionally they are indeed given for the good of the Elect yet they are set in the visible Church For both the ordinary and extraordinary Officers were visible messengers and some of them but visible beleevers only for Iudas had obtained part in the Apostleship and ministry and was sent to preach and work miracles and many Prophets were not of the invisible number for many shall say Lord Lord we have prophecied in thy name c. and yet shall not be saved But to be sure they were sent to afford the Saints visible communion in Ordinances Again This is not meant of the Church entitive which is a similar and as I may say an homogeneal body every member as a member being equal and of the same capacity but it is meant of the Church Organical an heterogeneal dissimilar body because here are set down the Officers I mean dissimilar and heterogeneal in regard of the integral parts viz. the several Congregations because they all have or ought to have the same kinde of Officers and members as so many flocks of sheep under several shepherds Therefore the several particular Churches are called by some an Epitome of the great body now the Epitome hath no other parts then the great body hath Neither is here meant a particular Church but all collectively that were within the bounds of the Apostles commission which was the Church in the whole world Go teach all nations c. and all the Churches which have teachers over them which all Churches in the world have or ought to have and yet all these are called but one Church one body vers 20. And this whole is one Organical body v. 12. As we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another Rom. 12.4 5. M. Hooker hath two Expositions of or answers to this place First that the Church here meant is totum universale existing and determinined in its actings by the particulars Answ That cannot be for genus quâ genus can have no officers seeing it is a second notion abstracted only in the minde therefore the Church quâ totum universale is no existing politie if it hath Officers it must be considered as an integrum existens And as for totum genenericum existens it is nothing else as I conceive but integrum similare For genus existeth not as genus but only under distinct specifical forms and is abstracted from the species or individuals by the understanding Now that which hath no existence of its own can have no existing Officers Omne conporeum existens vel est integrum vel membrum Neither will it help the cause at all to say that Apostles Prophets Evangelists were extraordinary temporary officers First here are ordinary Officers inserted also given to the same Church as Teachers ruling-Elders Deacons Secondly a genus admits of no variations in regard of time or place or any other accidents nothing extraordinary can betide a genus but an integrum or existing being Genus ut est aeternae veritatis sic est aeternae identitatis Genus is abstractum quid non concretum but the Church-Catholike is concretum quid constatum aggregatum ex membris non ex speciebus as shall be shewed more fully afterwards His second Exposition is that the Apostle points at one particular but includeth all particulars by a parity and proportion of reason Answ This cannot be for this Church here meant is the political body of Christ as M. Hooker himself expounds it as I shewed before Now all the members of a particular Church as suppose Corinth are but members of a part of that body as I shewed before Secondly God did not set all these in every particular Church Had every particular Congregation Apostles Prophets miracles gifts of healing diversities of tongues yea take the constant Officer the teacher and ordinarily one Congregation hath not teachers but only one teacher therefore this parity of reason cannot hold except all these Officers were in the plural number in every Congregation And if the Apostles Prophets Evangelists were Officers of every particular Congregation quâ particular then all those incongruities which our brethren bring against Presbyterial government of choice ordination maintenance honour from the particular Congregations to them and their constant teaching watching over and ruling of them fall directly upon these Officers I suppose many Congregations never had all these kindes of Officers among them If it be meant distributively some to one some to another then it should have been said Churches not Church This place being a main fort that stood in M. Ellis's way he laies his main battety against it and gives many answers thereunto which yet are not subordinate or subservient one to another nor yet consistent one with another but if

Congregational Church for there can be no appeals to that it being the lowest Church that can be The particular Synagogues were rather Types of the Congregational Churches for they are called by the same name Jam. 1.2 And the Ministers under the Gospel are called by the same names that the indefinite Officers of the Jewish Church were viz. Priests and Levites Isa 66.21 which place is spoken of the time under the Gospel And if it be granted that the Ministers of the Gospel be given to the whole Church as the Priests and Levites were indefinitely to the whole Church of the Jews notwithstanding any particular relation to the particular Synagogues and places they resided in and taught or judged in it is as much as I contend for And if by mystical he meaneth the elect only or entitively only it could not be a type of the Church-Catholike so for the Jewish Church was visible and organical His second proof is from Mat. 18. Tell the Church which saith he was a particular Congregation which was endued with entire power even to excommunication Whatsoever ye shall binde c. Answ This was not the Institution neither was there any donation of the keys but a supposal of the keys in the particular Churches which is a thing confessed by all and this power was also in the Jewish Synagogues But this is not spoken exclusively that this power is no where else If the rulers of the Synagogue had power to excommunicate to which it is like Christ alluded in that speech then much more the Sanedrim or highest Court and so I conceive it is in the Church of the New Testament If the least combination of Elders have this power given them for matters that concern that Congregation only then much more a greater company and combination for matters that concern a greater part of the Church under their combination and for matters of greater moment then can be transacted by the smaller company But the donation of the keys was to the Apostles together and they were general Officers and stood in relation to no particular Church and therefore the keys come to the particular Congregation or Ministry there as to parts of the whole company of Organs yet immediatly and not by commission from any Catholike Court. His third proof is because the first execution of the greatest act of entire power was exercised in a particular Church without consulting with the universal Church though the Apostles were then surviving 1 Cor. 5. Answ For ought that I know the Church of Corinth was a Classical Church and not a meer Congregational one for there were Churches in it 1 Cor. 14.34 Besides the probability that Cenchrea was a member thereof But Sir who requires the consulting with the Church-Catholike in admitting or ejecting members Or did the particular Synagogues consult with the Sanedrim or the whole Church of the Jews when they excommunicated any man Surely they had work enough to do then His fourth proof or argument is Because entire power was committed to particular men viz. the Apostles severally and to all jointly and therefore not to one visible governing Church Vind. p. 23. Answ By this argument it appears the power is given not to the Congregation but to the Ministers whose representatives the Apostles were in receiving the keys severally and jointly which is as much as the Presbyterians require viz. that the Ministers have power to exercise their ordinary power jointly together upon a call as well as severally in their particular Congregations as the Apostles did their extraordinary Their receiving the keys together signifyed their representation of the Ministers not multiplyed only as M. Ellis would evade it but conjoyned His fifth argument is from the reproofs given by Christ to the 7. several Churches in the Revelation and not to the combination of them though near one another Answ For ought appears they might be all Presbyterial Churches and not Congregational only The Church of Ephesus was one and that was of more Congregations then one as hath been shewed before But how doth this prove these Churches were nor or might not actually have been in combination if civil authority would have permited Were not the Elders of the several Churches worthy of blame for not doing their duty in their several Churches Or will combinations of Congregations now in Classes or Provinces free their Ministers from blame in neglecting their du●●es in their particular Congregations A Classis or Synod is not to be blamed for the faults in a particular Congregation which ought to be censured in the particular and not there neither indeed can be except they had been brought before them The several Churches there had their several faults and therefore though the Epistle is written to the seven yet it was needful the reproofs should be applied to rhem severally And yet some think that the whole Epistle was writeen and sent to all the 7. Churches from Rev. 1.4 11. His second sort of Arguments are from the matter and members of the Church Sect. 9. and he makes it necessary that the whole Church should be gathered together into one place as the Jewish Church was and Corporations in their hals and Kingdoms in their Parliaments And this he saith I deny against all experience and reason Vind. p. 24. Answ This hath been answered before among the Objections I adde further that though usually it is so that there are some general meetings in worldly polities that are several actual governments yet it is not alwaies so as hath been shewed and where it is so it is a fruit and effect and token of liberty but ariseth not meerly from unity because there have been polities that had them not for this Kingdom was one a good while before there were any Parliaments and after they were granted they were but occasional and so there may be occasional meetings in general Councels only the vastnes of the Church and diversity of civil governments and governours render them very difficult in our daies But he saith that such an oneness as is in regard of kinde and nature in all the Churches and in relation to the same head and in order to and dependance upon one rule or Law the word of God is no actual or real onenesse but in imagination and conceit Ans It is not actual indeed but habitual as hath been said many times over yet it is real as well as the four monarchies were real monarchies and not in imagination only and conciet He might as well make the head of the Church and the Laws of the Church and the Covenant of grace and the seals of the Covenant to be but imaginary and in conceit as the Church-Catholike for they are the bonds of the unity and real visible bonds make not an imaginary integral but a real And where I pray is this onenesse denyed by the brethren as you alledge Vin. p. 24. The enlargement and confirmation of this argument A non existentiâ