Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	new_a	old_a	testament_n	3,965	5	8.0680	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12703	The high vvay to Heaven by the cleare light of the Gospell cleansed of a number of most dangerous stumbling stones thereinto throwen by Bellarmine and others In a treatise made vpon the 37. 38. and 39. verses of the 7. of Iohn: wherein is so handled the most sweete and comfortable doctrine of the true vnion and communication of Christ and his Church, and the contrarie is so confuted, as that not onely thereby also summarilie and briefly, and yet plainly all men may learne rightly to receiue the sacrament of Christs blessed bodie and blood, but also how to beleeue and to liue to saluation. And therefore entitled The highway to Heauen. By Thomas Sparke Doctor of Diuinitie.	Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616.	1597 (1597)	STC 23021; ESTC S102434	161,682	384

though according to the diuersitie of places that they hold in that bodie one and the selfe ame Spirit is diuersly bestowed vpon them as we are taught 1. Cor. 12. Ver. 4. c. So that the Spirit and the giftes and graces of God are here so promised to them all and shal be and are performed as that aptly they may be called riuers of water of life flowring out of their bellies But yet then some may maruaile comparing the spirit and giftes thereof seene in many of the faithfull since Christ was glorified with the Spirit and giftes thereof founde in sundry as in the Patriarches and Prophets and other famous holy men in the olde Testament and finding them in show to be but equall or rather inferiour to some of theirs why Iohn shoulde eyther simply or by waie of comparison thus signifie vnto vs that the Spirite had not beene giuen in such measure before as nowe Christ beeing glorified it should Whereunto though I might answere that Iohn might well say so in that then the partition wall betwixt Iew and Gentile shoulde be pulled downe and so the borders compasse of the Church should wonderfully be enlarged in comparison they were before yet more fullie to aunswere this obiection though in respect of those times wherein the Patriarches and Prophets and holie men of GOD liued in the time of the olde Testament their faith and other fruites of the Spirite that appeared and were founde in them were verie commendable yet in many respectes Iohn might preferre the Spirite and the giftes thereof giuen to beleeuers in the newe Testament so before them in the olde that in comparison thereof the Spirite might be saide not to haue beene before For first though then the mysteries of religion were sufficientlie reuealed for those times yet were they not opened so clearely and lightsomely then as now since the comming of Christ and the Spirit that he beeing ascended he promiseth to his leadeth them to all trueth and teacheth them all thinges Iohn 14.26 In so much that the beleeuing Christian nowe can speake by direction therof more plainly of the Trinitie of Christes person and office and of many other mysteries of Christian religion than any of them had done or could In respect and regard whereof Christ saith of Iohn Baptist verily verily amongst them that are begotten of a woman arose there not a greater and yet notwithstāding he that is least in the kingdome of God is greater than he For he preached Christ and pointed him present and none of them sawe him or spake of him but a farre off and yet after Christ had gone thorow with that which he came for and was ascended by his Spirite he so enlighteneth the heartes of the meanest sounde members of his Church that they can say more of him than Iohn coulde And in this respect Christ saide that manie Kings and Prophets had desired to see and heare those thinges which his Apostles and followers sawe and yet did not Luke 10.24 Then who also knoweth not that the ministrie and reuelation of the will of God was then verie darke it lay so much in types and figures in compasson that it is now Christ being come and ascended at whom those did but aime and poynte at a farre off and that therefore in that respect Paule might truely and iustly say that the night was past and the day come Rom. 13.12 and also magnifie the ministerie of the newe Testament as farre more glorious than that of the olde as most notablie he doth 2. Cor. 3.6 c For then they had but the light of the moone and the starres to direct them whereas we nowe haue the brightnesse of the shining sonne and theirs in comparison was but of the letter and of death and ours is of the spirite of life as Paule sheweth there And therefore how can it be otherwise but that the effectes and fruits of the Spirite beeing conformable in some good measure to the ministry wherby it worketh but that now since his comming and glorification they shoulde be in his as riuers of water of life flowing out of their bellies whereas before they were in comparison but like vnto the little and soft running water from out of the fountaine of Siloah at the foote of the mount Syon And somewhat it maketh the better to make vs vnderstande both what Christ saide and did as Iohn heere hath set it down that Tremelius noteth vpō this place For he telleth vs that the Iewes in their Talmud in the tract of the feast of Tabernacles Chapter Chal. shewe that the last day of that feast was the greatest because as they say their ancient Doctors taught them that whereas the other daies thereof they shoulde in ioy onely once circuit the Altar carrying boughes and palmes in their handes and crying Hosannah that is saue I pray this last day by tradition as they tooke it from Haggai and Zachariah they were so to doe seauen times crying both Hosannah and Hatzlicannah that is saue vs I pray thee and make vs to prosper oftentimes with a lowde voyce and further he reporteth that there it is set downe as the fashion of that people receiued by the tradition as they tooke it from the same Prophets that that day they vsed with greate ioy to drawe water out of the fountaine of Syloach and to carry it to the Priestes that they might powre it vpon the Altar with the drinke offering of wine hauing in the meane time that songe cheerefully alowde which we read Esay 12.3 You shall drawe waters with ioy out of the fountaine of saluation which whiles they did they thought they serued God highly and prouoked him to bestow the Spirit of prophesie vpon them as superstitiously they dreamed that he did vpon Ionas whiles he was so occupied Whereupon as he thinketh it might well be that Iesus tooke occasion as that day standing whereas otherwise when he taught he vsed to sit and to speake but in an ordinarie voyce to cry vnto them that so the better for all that noyse and stirre he might be heard of them If any man thirst let him come vnto me and drinke he that beleeueth in me as saith the scripture out of his belly shall flowe riuers of water of life so to draw them from that superstitious fashion indeede to drawe water of life out of him the fountaine of liuing waters as he is termed Iere. 2.3 All these things therefore now thus laide and considered togither I hope you vnderstand both Christ and Iohn in these wordes of my text and perceiue what other occasion soeuer he had he had heerein a purpose to promise them that directly come vnto him by drinking of him to satisfie their thirstie soules and that leauing running to all other rotten cesternes that could holde no water they should finde him no drie fountaine but a fountaine to fill them so that they shoulde runne ouer againe therwith to the watering of others and