Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	gift_n	miracle_n	teacher_n	556	5	9.5967	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89681	An apology for the discipline of the ancient Church: intended especially for that of our mother the Church of England: in answer to the Admonitory letter lately published. By William Nicolson, archdeacon of Brecon.	Nicholson, William, 1591-1672.	1658 (1658)	Wing N1110; Thomason E959_1; ESTC R203021	282,928	259

Lastly 't is a touch of the Spirit when a man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of compassionate bowels his abilities yet may be small to help the indigent members of Christ Jesus and his own necessities may retard him and make him murmur at the duty of almes Well what he can spare yet let him give though it be but two mites and when he bestowes it let it be given with a good heart for hilarem datorem amat Deus 2 Cor. 9.7 I have not strained the text one jot and you may see how naturally all this doth follow if you referre it to that of which the Apostle began to speak the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that God gives to several members of his Church Whereas if you follow those who are of your mind the interpretation will be forc'd and very improper For then we must have seven several functions here set down in the Church of God distinguished by these gifts Next you must prove that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these gifts of the Spirit belong to the Officers of the Church onely and not to the rest of the faithful which I know you dare not say 't is so contradictory to Scripture when we read of other that did prophesie Acts 21.9 1 Cor. 11.5 Acts 18.26 1 Thes 5.11 1 Pet. 4.10 1 Tim. 3.4 Luke 6.36 that did teach that must exhort and edifie that are bound to distribute and minister to rule and to shew mercy as well as Church-officers Yet further we must know whether these offices must be distinct and remaine divided or else may meet in one person if they must remain distinct no Prophet may teach or exhort no Ruler may give or shew mercy if they may meet and agree in one subject then are they no Offices but graces and he that hath one may have all and so you are further from your purpose in concluding any thing from this place than you were before Lastly make them Ecclesiastical functions if you list but then you must appropriate them then not any one of them can be atributed to Lay-persons That which I fasten upon here I know is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that ruleth for thence you would collect you Ruling Elders A very strange inference and illogical 't is as if you should argue a genere ad speciem as thus est animal ergo est homo est substantia ergo est corpus est arbor ergo est quercus when you know 't is a certaine truth in reason that A genere ad speciem non valet argumentum For thus you must argue out of this place It is a Church Ruler that Saint Paul means in this place which is very doubtful too but if granted then by your Logick it must be the Lay-Ruling Elder which you intend whereas you know that we assigne you other Ruling Elders that are no Lay-men and among you even your Pastors beare rule too and so may be understood in this place rather than those other There is then no necessity that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place must be your Lay-Ruling-Elder and then you conclude nothing And as little can you gather from the next place you bring out of the Corinthians which is indeed parallel to this and gives light to it 1 Cor. 12.8 28. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit Verse 8. I professe a blinde man may see as much in this verse as I do that makes to your purpose I go on then to the 28. And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles then the gifts of healings helps Verse 28. governments diversities of tongues First I shall give you the judgment of a grave Expositor on this place though an adversary Apostolus hic non agit de gradibus hierarchicis alioquin Pastores Presbyteros Diaconos praetermittere non debuisset Estius in locum sed recenset quaedam Ecclesiae membra praecipuis Spiritus sancti 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insignia sive constitutae sint in ordine hierarchico five non Secondly that this place cannot be understood of the functions of the Church will be evident these two wayes 1. Teachers are here expressed but Pastors are omitted and therefore might Governours the word you catch at be mentioned in stead of Pastors If this satisfie not then tell me what functions can you call these that follow in the Church of Christ are Miracles that is power to work miracles gifts of healing a faculty to speak divers tongues functions and offices Ornaments I shall grant you they were of the Pastoral calling and so was ability to govern To rule wisely is a great gift of the holy Ghost and more needful than the other To the government of the Church belongs more than censuring of manners and examining witnesses wisdome to prevent dangers to direct doubtful cases to discerne spirits to calme strifes is requisite which rarely are eminent in your Lay-Elders Besides pray consider that if in this place you should make your Governours distinct from the Apostles the Apostles themselves could not qua Apostoli be Governours which I hope you will not say Had not the Apostles Prophets Teachers power in the Church to do miracles to heale to speak with tongues If these three be no divers offices but graces and all three found in every Apostle in some Prophets and Teachers then why should not government also that is reckoned in the middest of them be a gift also of the holy Ghost bestowed on such Prophets Pastors and Teachers whom the Spirit of grace and truth would vouchsafe to honour This is my first reason and my second will be clearer by reflecting upon the gifts of the Spirit of which we have a list in this chapter and comparing them with the functions Let us then number the gifts of the Spirit and see whether the publike functions can be proportioned to them 1 Cor. 12. Verse 8. To one saith the Apostle is given by the Spirit the word or reason of wisdome to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit 9. to another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gifts of healing by the same Spirit to another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the powerful working of miracles or the operation of great works out to another prophesie but to another discerning or judgment of spirits but to another divers kinds of tongues but to another the interpretation of tongues but all these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 works evidently one and the same spirit 10. dividing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prpperly or severally to every man 11. as he will Here are nine gifts of the holy Ghost numbered in verse 28. we meet with two more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 28. undertaking or helping and governing in the forecited

place to the Romans are five different from these ministring exhorting teaching giving shewing mercy In all sixteen I hope you will not say there must be so many distinct Offices and functions in the Church For so it may happen that the offices may exceed the number of the officers and so every one must have more than two of them Robinsons Justif p. 107. p. 111. three at least or else the Church shall nor be supplied For put case that Robinsons words be true that a company consisting though but of two or three gathered by a Covenant made to walk in the wayes of God known unto them is a Church and so hath the whole power of Christ Answer to the 32. Quest p. 43 even the same right with two or three thousand Generally you know it is received among you that seven will make a full and perfect Congregation and that the association of these few thus separate by a Covenant is the essential forme of the Church Which if true then is it not possible to find so many distinct functions in the Church because in so small a number there cannot be found men for them Let it be then granted that the Apostle in this chapter speaks of diversities of gifts not of functions and the sense will be clear Apostles there were then in the Church and they had all these gifts in a greater measure than any other Prophets there were and Teachers and to these the Spirit divided the gifts as he pleased in what measure and to what persons he best liked to one to work miracles to another to heale to help and comfort to guide and governe to speak tongues to interpret tongues as might best serve to gather the Saints to plant the Church I must professe unto you that I have both now and heretofore looked into this text with as quick an eye as my weaknesse would give leave and could never yet finde it in any thing that made for your Ruling Elders No you perhaps will say do you not finde here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 governments Yes I do but will it thence follow that it must upon necessity be the government of the Lay-Ruling-Elders you dreame of Why might not the Apostles the Prophets the Teachers here mentioned by the Apostle be those Governours here intended for ought you know Of them the other gifts were verified and why not then this also They could work miracles they could heale they could help and comfort they could speak all languages and interpret tongues what should now hinder but they might by the same Spirit be endowed with the gift of government also Which if it fall out to be true as it indeed did yet the Apostles either by themselves or by those they placed in the Churches which they planted who were Bishops and onely Bishops exercised the jurisdiction you shall never be able to conclude out of this or any other place of Scripture that the Governours of the Churches were a distinct company from the Pastours which is I know that you drive at But to gratifie you a little I shall here willingly yield you more than I need That in the Apostolical Church and after till Constantines time there might be certain men chosen by common consent of the Church to judge of all civil debates that might arise betwixt man and man you perhaps would call these Governours I should rather call them Arbitratours because they had no coactive power to compel any Christian to stand to their Arbitration farther than they would binde themselves And in case that any were refractory and obstinate the Pastour might and did make use of the Church-Key and debarre him from the participation of Christian priviledges so that he was by them esteemed no better than a Heathen or Publican 1 Cor. 6.1 c. And now I will shew you the ground of my conjecture 't is out of Saint Pauls words Dare any of you having an action against another a Christian he means go to Law before the unjust and not before the Saints Paul did not debarre the Magistrates that were Infidels of their jurisdiction nor create new Judges or Governours for civil offences in the Church it was beyond his calling and commission to do either of them but when he perceived the Christians for private quarrels pursued each other before unbelievers to the great shame and scandal of Christian profession he saith Ver. 7. they were better to suffer losse to take wrong to be defrauded Ver. 4.5 But if this would not satisfie if yet there were who would be contentious then he wills them to choose if not the wisest yet the lest esteemed among them in the Church to arbitrate their causes rather than to expose themselves and their profession to the mocks and taunts of Heathen and Profane Judges These Arbitratours you may call Governours if you please but properly they were not so because they were chosen either by consent of the Litigants or else appointed as I am induc'd to opine by the choice of the Church for that purpose but they could not interpose themselves as Judges authoriz'd by Christ because he himself as Mediatour claimed no such power would use none Luke 12.24 You know his answer to the brother that moved him to divide the inheritance Man who made me a Judge or Divider among you Now grant that all this be true and that such Governours began betime and continued long in the Church even untill the Conversion of the Heathen Emperours Can you hence conclude that they must upon necessity continue still no such matter For the Civil power and the Sword is in the Magistrates hand and he is to take up all debates betwixt man and man of these then there is no use From these then to argue that there must be Lay Ruling Elders in the Church is a fallacy since the causes they were to dcide were other and their Authority by Church-right none at all A d such 't is probable may be found in the Scriptures and in the Church-story but never any other Ruling Elders invested with the power of the Keys except in Orders I have been long upon this place to the Corinths but it was because I would leave no scruple unsatisfied That I be not tedious of it I will adde no more but consider your next proof which you bring out of the Epistle to the Ephesians Ephesians Chap. 4. Verse 7. and Verse 14. Ver. 7. But to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Ver. 14. That we henceforth be no more children tossed too and fro and carried about with every winde of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in wait to deceive Now here I must confesse it befel me which happens to them who search for gold-ore in the vaults of the earth they open the turfe dig delve labour long to effect their desire but at last