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
A69506	A vindication of the truth of Christian religion against the objections of all modern opposers written in French by James Abbadie ... ; render'd into English by H.L.; Traité de la verité de la religion chrétienne. English	Abbadie, Jacques, 1654-1727.; H. L. (Henry Lussan)	1694 (1694)	Wing A58; Wing A59; ESTC R798	273,126	448

Christ as one that supplied all his wants and necessities He was therefore obliged to make use of such unusual and surprising expressions First Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. I. 13. Is Christ divided Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul A singular and uncommon piece of Humility since Men are not by nature displeased and disquieted at those who endeavour to pay them too much Honour Chap. II. 4. And my speech and my preaching was not with inticing words of Man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power It is beneath a King to study how to adorn his Discourse and make use of the Charms of Eloquence when he goes about to speak to his Subjects to whom he shews mercy and prescribes Obedience Such a way of dealing would be much more beneath the Holy Ghost Wherefore Paul opposes the power of the Holy Ghost which serves him to confirm the Gospel to the Eloquence of the Men of his Age which he absolutely contemns and despises For the latter may but the former can't be suspected Chap. III. 5. Who then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministers by whom ye believed Those Men were not like Simon Magus Cerinthus S●turninus Basilides Menander c. who positively affirmed themselves to be the power of God the Word and the Prophet and who strove to excel one another in extravagant Vanity Chap. IV. 11 12 13 14. Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place and labour working with our own hands being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we intreat we are made as the filth of the World and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day I write not these things to shame you but as my beloved Sons I warn you Did Paul imagin he could easily impose upon those he wrote this Epistle to in those matters which must have been so publickly known Or did he think he could incite them to emulate his Patience by such narrations as every body knew to be utterly false Vers 19 20. But I will come to you shortly if the Lord will and will know not the speech of them which are puffed up but the power For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power By these words it appears that the extraordinary and miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost justified in those days the mission of the Pastors of the Church and indeed what can be less liable to suspicion than such a mark and sign of them Chap. V. 5. To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus The Apostles testified of the Gospel by their works and not their words only Vers 11. If any Man that is called a Brother be a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such an one do not eat What strange Severity was this What amazing and wonderful effects what surprizing changes in Men were produced by the Gospel Believe it if you can after what has been said that this was a Society of Deceitful Impostors as it must need be confessed supposing their Testimony false Chap. VI. 9 10 11. Be not deceived Neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind c. shall inherit the Kingdom of God And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus c. Had the Testimony of Jesus been a meer Imposture how could he have sanctified Mankind And what could be the design of the Apostles in deceiving Men to make them righteous in making a false Belief serve to lead them to the practice of all Virtues For such notions as these our Incredulous Adversaries must necessarily entertain Chap. XII 28 29 30. And God 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 are all workers of Miracles have all the gifts of healing do all speak with Tongues It appears that the Apostle by this enumeration of the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost supposes them to have been very common in the Church as being a matter of fact publickly known Was he then out of his Senses to talk thus We have seen Men who falsly boasted they could work many Miracles but we never heard of any that pretended to make a numerous Society believe that they also could work Miracles when they had not indeed the power to perform any Vers 31. But covet earnestly the best gifts and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way He preferred Charity before Miracles themselves and all the miraculous Gifts of the holy Spirit How different then was his opinion from the Vanity Ambition and Superstition of the World Chap. XIV 24 25. But if all prophesy and there come in one that believeth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all And thus are the secrets of his Heart made manifest and so falling down on his face he will worship God and report that God is in you of a Truth This was the Gift of knowing the secrets of Men's Hearts which this same Author speaks of in another place saying tho I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries c. Was there ever any Seducers seen who to prove their mission pretended themselves able to know the secrets of Man's heart How comes this Author then to speak of it cursorily and as a thing generally known to them all Chap. XV. 13 14 15 16 17 19. But if there be no Resurrection of the Dead then is Christ not risen And if Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your faith is vain also yea and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he raised not up if so be that the dead rise not c. And if Christ be not raised your faith is vain ye are yet in your sins Then they also which are fallen a sleep in Christ are perished If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable Nothing can better acquaint us with the perswasion of our Apostle than these words For I pray observe after what manner he relates the Opinion of those men who thought there was no Resurrection of the Dead He seems very much surprised to see them prepossessed with any such Opinion after what they had known of Christ 's Resurrection of their Happiness that slept in him and the Afflictions they endure in this Life which they could not endure without some reason some hope and expectation of future Happiness Vers 32. If after the manner of Men