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
A88307	A true ministery anatomized Where it is clearly proved by scripture, I. What a true ministery is, and what a ministery God set in the church. II. A ministery not so set, is not the ministery of Christ. III. Our ministers of England have not the gift of tongues. IV. Truth is not obtained by studie. By Thomas Lipeat, not the author, but the actor.	Lipeat, Thomas.	1651 (1651)	Wing L2357; Thomason E1378_3; ESTC R209313	7,833	20

A True MINISTERY ANATOMIZED Where it is clearly proved by SCRIPTURE I. What a true Ministery is and what a Ministery God set in the Church II. A Ministery not so set is not the Ministery of Christ III. Our Ministers of England have not the gift of Tongues IV. Truth is not obtained by Studie By Thomas Lipeat not the Author but the Actor LONDON Printed by J. C. and are to be sold at the Black Spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1651. Gentle Reader HAving a cloud of Witnesses to witness with me the Truth contained in this little Treatise and having a great Battel to fight even with beasts after the manner of men The weapons of our warfare are spiritual warranted in Scripture And these our enemies are Merchants that make the Nation believe they trade in Divine things Indeed they have large Shops their Shops are an evil Conscience the things which they sell is frothie stuff foaming out their own shame Envie Hatred and Malice poysoning the understandings of them that trade with them yea they trade in the Temple we buy and they sell but both buyer and seller shall be whipt out And gentle Reader my desire for thee is that if thou hast bought a cup of Poyson of these Merchants here discovered in this little Treatise That thou mayst drink a cup of Blessing to cure thee withal Thus leaving thee I desire thou mayst be so wise even with Wisdom it self to discern the Truth to believe it and love it and to hate even the appearance of evil with a deadly Hatred Fare ye well Yours in all Love and tenderness of spirit Thomas Lipeat A Clear description of a true Ministery differing from the Ministery of Antichrist and this Ministery of Antichrist is that which overfloweth this Nation from the one end to the other as it will appear proved in Scripture which Record is true The Apostle Paul doth clearly set down what a true and faithful Ministery is as we finde in 1 Cor. 12.28 saying God hath set some in the Church as first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles then gifts of Healing helps in Government diversity of Tongues some of every sort according to the express words of the Apostle As also the same Apostle doth further declare in Ephes 4.11 saying God gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and some Teachers As if the Apostle had said If any man desire to know the Ministery of Christ from the Ministery of Antichrist here it is recorded by me Paul which am also a Minister of Christ This is the Ministery that is set in the Church this is the Ministery that did plant the Churches in that Order of whom we finde in record of Scripture This Ministery is infallible this Ministery spake as the Spirit gave them utterance this Ministery is able to deliver the minde of God in the purity of it for they were vessels in whom God did speak they spake by the inspiration of the holy Ghost We finde not in all the Scriptures that any Ministery was short of this that is here recorded We never finde in Scripture that any Churches were planted or that any did administer the Ordinances but this Ministery that is infallible as Paul declares in 1 Cor. 11.23 saying That which I have received of the Lord I have delivered unto you But there is a Ministery in this Land which hath deluded this Nation making men believe that they are the Ministers of Christ and that they have the gift of Tongues when indeed they do but tell you a false thing Also they make men believe they are Divines when it is clear in Scriptures there is no Divine but God alone Indeed if they be Divines it is but as the maid did divine in Acts 16.16 And it came to pass as we went to prayer a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us which brought her master much gain by soothsaying So indeed they get to themselves great Livings by the spirit of Divination by deluding and bewitching the Nation with their Sophistry and cunning and making men and women believe they have the gift of Tongues when at the best and the most that can be said of all they have it is but humane Learning We finde in Scriipture that Simon Magus could not buy the gift of the holy Ghost with money but when he did desire to purchase this gift what was the answer of Peter to him Thy money perish with thee But to make it appear that our Priests of England have not this gift of Tongues is to be proved I first prove this to be true from this ground All that they have more then other men have it is but to read the Hebrew and Greek Tongues and this is learned for money even as a childe learns to read the English Tongue thus Antichristian Ministers indeed have this Humane Learning But Humane Learning is no help to the understanding of the mystery of salvation this is bought with money and therefore no gift it is at the best but a practice and not a gift If you will know what a gift of Tongues is look into Acts 2. there it is said that when God was pleased to give the gift of Tongues then they spake as the Spirit gave them utterance We do not finde that these Galileans went to Schools of Learning to speak the wonders of the Lord in so many several Languages Now the text saith There were of every nation under heaven as we see in the fifth verse And when this was noised abroad the multitude came together and were confounded because they heard him speak in his own tongue wherein they were born This indeed was the gift of Tongues it was not bought with money as their Humane Learning is which is but a practice and not a gift as is before declared Oh that the Nation had that discerning spirit to discern the true Ministery of Christ from the Ministers of Antichrist These Ministers of Antichrist under this notion of the gift of Tongues make poor ignorant men and women believe that they are able Ministers to define an infinite God poor finite creatures as they are they know not what God is in Himself nor what he is to his Creatures Christ saith No man knoweth the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son will reveal him The Ministers of Christ did not studie to finde out truth as Christ said to his Disciples To you it is given to know the mysteries of salvation And yet thus Ministers of Antichrist make men believe they finde out truth by studie I remember there is a saying in Scripture where the Lord said I was found of them that sought me not and I was made manifest to them that asked not after me where then was Studies where then was Humane Learning which is the God of the Nations And again we find in Gal. 1.11 12. But I certifie you brethren that the