Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	afflict_a	forget_v	zion_n	81	3	9.8731	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74655	Three treatises, being the substance of sundry discourses: viz. I. The fixed eye, or the mindful heart, on Psal. 25.15. II. The principal interest, or the propriety of the saints in God, on Micah 7.7. III. Gods interest in man natural and acquired, on Psal. 119.4. By that judicious and pious preacher of the gospel, Mr Joseph Symonds, M.A. late vice-provost of Eaton Colledg.	Symonds, Joseph.	1653 (1653)	Wing S6360; Thomason E1440_1; ESTC R209605	170,353	369

59.2 saith God Your sins have separated between me and you Certainly God leaves us very frequently and sometimes when the manifestation of his love is very needful In Micah 3.4 the time was an evil time and saith the Prophet Then shall they cry unto the Lord but he will not hear them he will even hide his face from them at that time A fourth Consideration is That we do not seldom or not a little reject the testimony of God and oppose the light and the clear manifestations of his Love to us The Comforter comes many times but that may be said of us that he said of himself in Psal 77. My Soul refused to be comforted would not be comforted As against the conviction of the Spirit in wicked men there is a great deal of contest a great fight as in Jer. 2.34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the Soul of poor Innocents I have not found it by secret search but upon all these Yet thou sayst Because I am innocent surely his anger shall turn from me I say as wicked men rise up in opposition to the conviction of the Spirit so good men likewise have their oppositions against the consolations and comforts of the Spirit not only against the counsel of it but against the comfort of it In Isai 49.13 you have an instance of this see how sweetly God speaks Behold these shall come from far Sing O Heavens and be joyful O Earth and break forth into singing O Mountains for God hath comforted his people and will have mercy upon his afflicted But what saith the Church But Sion saith The Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me What ever God said yet she said God had forsaken and forgotten her A like instance you have in Lament 3.45 There are strong holds in our spirits against the inward comforts as there are against other operations of the Spirit and it requires the mighty power and operation of God to settle our hearts in peace as well as to convince us of our miseries and dangers The work of Conversion is quickly done because it is of greatest concernment I 'le give it you in this simile A mother finds her child among devouring Hogs or Dogs or what you will she makes haste to snatch her child out of danger but he is all bemoiled and dirted and his clothes she makes not so much haste to get him clean and to put other clothes upon him So God quickly finisheth the work of Conversion and Regeneration he makes haste to free us from danger and misery but he makes not such speed to comfort us and to establish our hearts in the assurance of our Interest in him that may be done at leasure As there is a reluctancy in us against the work of grace so there 's a reluctancy against the testimony of grace we are apt to turn all that God speaks and doth for us against our selves the reason is because dejection is most natural to us considering the state of our Apostacy and what we are judged to A slave doth naturally torment himself with fears and with sad expectations It 's easier to us to believe the sentence of condemnation then of Justification Sin is more visible then Grace The greatness of the things promised are such that they make the Soul at a stand To have pardon of sin to be adopted to be raised from the depth of misery to such a state of blessedness this makes the Soul to be like those that dream Besides there is a concurrence of forreign power to heighten all this CHAP. XI Encouragements to endevor the clearing of our Interest in God Love cannot hide it self Love will not deny what may be easily granted and is much needed A Second Argument is taken from the encouragement we have to put us on to put this out of question that God is ours Certainly there is more ease in this then we are willing to beleeve I speak it to the glory of God and our shame That the things which God hath spoken and done for our encouragement should be so great and high and yet we should lie so low in the satisfaction of our spirits about this question First Consider whatsoever excellency there is in any love that is in Gods love transcendently Love is very fruitful it brings forth much for those towards whom it is set it will not be hid it is compared to fire which is known by its heat and you shall know the warmth of love where it is A man may use the words of Solomon Prov. 27.16 which he speaks concerning the froward woman Whoso hideth her hideth the wind and the ointment of his right hand which bewrayeth it self That as the wind cannot be concealed when it is up and as a sweet ointment cannot be concealed but it will discover it self so wrath and love for there is the like reason for both they cannot be hid A friend is contented not to have his beneficence known he would do much more then his friend should know of but he would have his benevolence his love and good-will known and manifested Therefore the Apostle Ephes 3.8 10. saith He obtained this grace to shew forth among the Gentiles the unsearchable Riches of Christ Near relations live upon the manifestation of love those which are more remote need less and less is due to them The child will have but an ill life unless he have the light of his fathers countenance The husband and wife will have their life imbittered if there be not mutual love As life is visible so is love it will discover it self and the highest love will most discover it self A second Encouragement is That what may be easily done may be easily obtained of a friend What is more easie with God then to make us know that he is our God It is but one beam of light from Heaven that doth it but a word spoken Soul be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee Love stands not at small matters especially great Love The Love of God is the highest Pattern of Love and the most glorious Spring of Love all Love flows from it Therefore if the love of a creature can do so much how much more will the Love of God do If your child should beg of you to give him a good look could you deny him would not your love constrain you And shal not the Love of God much more Certainly it is more for him to love you then to tell you he loves you He hath put forth his love already in a strange way to give his Son for you and do you think he will be so unwilling to speak a word of peace to his people where it is duly sought Again where a thing is most needed where one stands in much need of what a friend can do for one that will be soon granted What do you need more then refreshment of spirit in the sense of the Love of God All the fears