Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	faith_n	pillar_n	2,322	5	10.2633	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79512	Preaching vvithout ordination or, A treatise proving the lawfulnesse of all persons, of what degree, ranke, or trade soever, being inabled with sufficient guifts and qualifications from God by his spirit, to preach and set forth the Gospel, though no minister nor any other officer in the church of God. By Edmond Chillinden.	Chillenden, Edmund, fl. 1656.	1647 (1647)	Wing C3879; Thomason E405_10; ESTC R201879	25,344	34

to affirme is very absurd and tha for these reasons because it was never heard of nor in all the written word of God hinted at especially concerning this Church of the Corinths that the whole body of them were extraordinarily guifted 2. because the Apostle doth restrayne woemen from preaching or others speaking in the Church from whence it is playne Luke 2.36 Exod. 15 20. Iudg. 4.24 that this prophesying is ordinary and lies in common to all the Servants of Jesus Christ for woemen that were extraordinarily guifted I affirme and the Scripture cited with me might preach and did without restraint so that from hence I thus argue that the Apostle forbidding and prohibiting woemen from preaching gives liberty to all men guifted for to preach and againe I argue from this ground that they were not Officers ordained nor extraordinarily guifted because the Apostle opposeth women to men Sex to Sex and not woemen Officers or extraordinary guifted men for then I conceive the Apostle would nor have aid let your woemen keep silence in the Churches for it is not permitted for them to speake but the Apostle would have aid let your woemen keep silence in the Churches because they are no Officers nor have any Ordination not any extraordinary guift therefore they are to be silent in the Churches but he saith it is not permitted for them to speake not out of any such consideration as before minded but because of the Command of God they are to be under obedience and to learne in silence for it is a shame for woemen to speake in the Church 3. because the Apostle exhorts that the Church should judge of the Doctrine that these Prophets or Preachers should teach as appeares by verse 29. let the Prophets speake two or three and let the rest judge for the spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets now if they were extraordinary Prophets and infallibly guided they could not err and so the Apostle might have spared his labour of pressing them to judging of their Doctrine delivered Ephes 2.20.35 2 Pet. 1.19 2 Tim. 16.17 Psal 19.7.8 for such Prophets or Preachers as were extraordinarily guifted I affirme could not err and so were not subject to any such Judgement as the Apostle calle● for at the hands of the Church of Corinth and for any to say that Prophets extraordinary could or might err is to weaken and shake greatly the ground and piller of our faith and if they might err then the Apostles and if in Doctrine taught why not in writing and if this were true we were of all men most miserable but we know we have a more sure word of prop●ecie whereunto we do well to take heede and diligently to marke and study and upon this sure word we know is our faith built even of the Prophets and Apostles 2 Pet. 1.19 that we are guided by the unering spirit of God need not their Doctrine should be called in question or so judged by any of the Sonnes of men therefore these Prophets here spoken of were not extraordinary but ordinary by reason the Apostle commands the rest of the Church to judge and try their Doctrine Agayne the Apostle saith in the 37 and 38 verses that if any man think himselfe a Prophet or spirituall let him acknowledge the things that I write are the Commandements of God but if any man be ignorant let him he ignorant still by all which it appeares plainly that they were but ordinary Prophets or Preachers and had no other then ordinary guifts and indowments for could they be thi●s infallibly guided by the spirit and yet must Paul call on them to acknowledge the things he writ were the Commandements of the Lord Jesus in my understanding he might have saved this labour for he could not but know that such that had the same measure and manner of the infallible spirit with him could not be ignorant of the Doctrine and Commands of Christ therefore it is most apparant and playne that they were but ordinary Preachers and preached by an ordinary guift such as is common by the promise of God to be powred forth upon all flesh and hence is it that the Apostle in the close of all exhorts them to the use and study of this preaching and declaring of Jesus Christ as appeares in the 39. verse in these words wherefore brethren covet to prophesie or preach where is to be noted he puts them on to the use and study of meanes even the word and Gospell of God which is able to make the man of God perfect to all good workes 2 Tim. 3.16.17 thereby furnished so that in my understanding it cleerely appeares they were not extraordinary Preachers but ordinary for extraordinary Prophets or Preachers were at no time exhorted to any such thing that ever I read of to the use and study of meanes immediately to be fitted or furnished 1 Cor. 2.12 Act. 2.1 to 5. but immediately without any meanes freely given to them of God without any study or labour as may be seene plentifully in the Scriptures cited so that from all that which hath been said it is most apparant and cleare and that from the further exhortation which the Apostles uses to the Churches and Saints of God it is lawfull yea necessary for them to preach to declare to make knowne and set forth yea and that publikely the Gospel of Jesus Christ for our Saviour saith that which I have told you in your eares do you preach upon the house tops and the Apostle in Rom. 12. at the 6. saith having then guifts differing according to the grace that is given unto us not Ordination whether prophesie let us prophesie according to the proportion of what not Ordination but of Faith and the Apostle exhorts the Collosians the 3. and 16. to have the word of Christ dwell in them richly in all wisdome whereby they should be inabled with grace in their hearts not Ordination to teach and admonish one another and build them up in their most holy faith the same Apostle in Hebrews the 10.23 to the 25. verse provokes that Church to hold fast the profession of Faith without wavering to consider one another to provoke one another to love and to good workes to exhort one another and blames them in the 5. Chapter and the 12. verse for not being frequent in the exercise of the guifts of the spirit in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ by which they might for the time have been teachers of others and for the neglect they had neede to be taught themselves againe the first principles of Religion there be some Scriptures more which is cast in the way as opposing this truth in Romanes the 10 and 15. how shall they preach except they be sent and so they argue that ordination is the sending here intended but that there is any such thing here minded peruse the Scripture I understand the sending here is the being furnished with gifts

doth not he end and conclude with this saying that God in all things may be glorified then as God is honoured and glorified when his people are full of Charity Isai 61.10 Rev. 2.17 and do extend the bowels of mercy and compassion to them that stand it need to feed the hungry to clo●he he the naked to harbour the stranger thi● I hope the great adversaries against preaching without Ordination will not denie but it is the duty of all persons that to doe or else I am afraid they would not have so many good gifts of their good Masters and D●●●e as they have had so is it not the duty lying upon all as they have received the gift should by the grace of love extend and hold forth the bowels of mercy and compassion and riches that is in Jesus Christ to clothe the naked and distressed sinner with the robe of Christs righteousnesse to refresh their thirsting souls with streames that may glad the City of God Psal 78.25 and 46.4 fill their hungry souls with Angels food even the hidden Man●● I conceive here is a most reall manifestation of the grace of love when we extend it liberally with both hands and not sparingly therefore I conceive it is very clear that the Apostles words are not to be restrained onely to outward hospitality and charity for the body ●hey that shall so do● cannot but doe violence to the text and wrong the meaning of the Spirit in my apprehension 2. Again consider the Apostles exhortation ●s to the administration of a manifold grace not of one us of hospitality ver 9. bu● to all and generall the gifts and graces of God for the which end the Apostle in the 11 and 12. verses brings two things First the gift of preaching in speaking if any man speak let him speak as the Oracle of God Secondly if any man minister let him doe it as of the ability that God gives so that by this it is cleare the Apostle hath some thing else in hand besides hospitality to w●● preaching and declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that by vertue as they have received the gifts of the Spirit therefore how any can make such a construction as that the intent and scope of the Apostle and meaning of the Holy Ghost is to be restrained onely to ver 9. I leave by the wise to be judged how it hath the least sutablenesse to the analogy of faith but as the Apostle saith as every man hath received the gift this I conceive is his intent that even such men mutually together in the bond of love communicate this their gifts as good and faithfull stewards of the manifold grace of God Collo 3.14 and a manifold grace is not one grace but hospitality is but one grace but to the exercise of a manifold grace is it here that the Apostle doth exhort the people of God to the administring of them not onely to be barbarous for that were the ministring of but one grace and one is not divers or manifold and so I come to the next Scripture which is the 1. of Corinth the 12. verse 7 8 9 10 11. But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withall At the 1. Corinth 14. verse 1. follow after Charity and desire spirituall guifts but rather that yee may prophecie compare with the verses 3. the 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 32 39. the Apostle in this Epistle and in the places cited treates very largely of the exercise of the guifts and graces of God in prophesying or preaching the Gospel by all men that are inabled thereunto with sufficient guifts from God and this the Apostle presses on them by the exercise of the grace of love as is ployn if we look into the 12.13 and 14. Chapter before cited and in the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter he saith follow after Charity and desire spirituall guifts but rather that ye may prophesie now we are to take notice who it is that the Apostle exhorts to the exercises of the graces of love and that is as may be seene in the comparing what the Apostle saith in the first verse in these words but rather that ye may prophesie the ye that he meanes here in the 23. verse appeares to be the whole Church excluding none that have guifts so that I hope none can have any ground to think that this his exhrtation was minded or intended onely to the Ministers Officers or ordained men in the Church of Corinth he writes and exhorts the whole Church to covet after the best guifts but rather that they might prophesie and this he perswades them to by an argument drawne from the excellent benefit that came to them by the having and exercising of it as may be seene in the 3. verse he that preaches speaketh to men for their edification exhortation and comfort it is the excellent way that God hath ordained to beget men to the faith to discover the secrets of their hearts to convince men of the truth of God and the way of his worship as may be seene in verse the 23. to the 26. and this the Apostle presses upon the whole Church and that this whole Church should be all of them ordained men to men it seemes somwhat strange I think it be so miraculous a thing as it is beyond all imagination never read of in the Scriptures nor heard of in any age of the world so that then it wil appeare must be granted that the Apostles exhortation extends generally to all men Members of the Church of Corinth without respect had to Officer or Ordination to covet earnestly to preach and declare the Gospel as he saith in verse 31. ye may all prophecie yea all the whole Church of Corinth that have guifts one by one that all may learne and all may be comforted wherein is to be noted that the Apostle speakes of all preaching as largely and universally as all learning from whence I still affirme and thus argue that all those now that are the Servants of God 1 Cor. 9.16 1 Cor. 11.1 Col. 3.16 Heb. 10.23 to 26. Jude 20. Rom 12.6 to 9. and 15. and 14. Object that have received guifts from him whereby they are inabled to preach and declare Jesus Christ in the Gospel though no Officer neither having any Ordination may ought nay they are bound and woe be to them if they preach not the Gospel a necessity is layd upon them to do it and to exhort others to the practice of it as our Appostle here doth seeing we are to follow them as they followed Christ and we finde that in all their Epistles they still multiply exhortations to the Churches in this nature as may be seene in the Scriptures cited But some may object and say that though they were not Officers nor had any Ordination yet they were extraordinarily guifted Answ To which I make this answer that this to think much more