Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	bless_a	father_n	lord_n	5,208	5	3.8746	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08964	The tranquillitie of the minde A verye excellent and most comfortable oration, plainely directing euerye man, & woman, to the true tranquillitie and quyetnesse of their minde. Compyled in Latine by Iohn Barnarde, student in the Vniuersity of Cambridge, now lately translated into Englishe by Anthony Marten.; Oratio pia, religiosa, et solatii plena, de vera animi tranquillitate. English	Bernard, John, d. 1567?; Marten, Anthony, d. 1597.	1570 (1570)	STC 1925; ESTC S101618	90,089	234

God but shall obtaine of hys bountifull goodnesse eyther an inestimable comfort in all kinde of tribulation eyther else a cleane riddance thereof or at least wise a mitigation of his troubles From hence floweth so sure a confidence in God that the saintes are in most quietnesse of minde in time of aduersitie As were those thrée most noble children which song in the flaming Fornace and inuited to their swéete song all creatures and euerie particuler part of the worlde to praise the glorious maiestie of God and to magnitie and extoll his goodnesse And as were Paule and Silas also in a certaine Citie of Macedon who being seourged with rods throwne into the innermost prison their féete fast tyde in the stockes at midnight did set forth God with praises song psalmes togither with a ioyfull minde Wherfore it is thought that GOD sheweth himselfe more amiable to vs in aduersitie than he doth in prosperitie And therevpon what a chéerefulnesse had the Apostle Paule as his wordes declare what ioye what glorying in the Lorde had he while he remembred his labors his stripes his imprisonmentes shipwrackes watchings hunger thirst colde and a number of other perils and often death also when he delighted in the infirmities rebukes necessities persecutions and anguishe which he had suffered for Christes sake when he reioysed in abyding so many great cruelties and miseries for preaching of the Gospell when he was filled with excéeding ioye in all his tribulation when he brake out in the mids of trouble into a certain godly ioyfulnesse of minde saying Blessed be God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ which is the father of mercie the God of all comfort comforting vs in all our troubles in so much as we are able to comfort them that be in any maner of trouble by the same comfort wherwith we our selues are comforted of god For the same cause the Apostles departing from the face of the counsell to be scourged wen with great ioye that they might be counted worthy to beare blame for the name of Iesu Wherefore although it appeares plainely that the Church of God hath euermore bene vexed with trouble and persecution of the wicked As when Abell which was killed of hys brother Esay most cruelly sundered with a Saw Ieremie that was stoned to death by the people in Egypt Zachary slayne by the Priestes Iohn by Herode Christ by Pylate Steuen by the Iewes the Apostles by cruell Tyrants and so manye Martirs assigned to death and extreame punishment and as the godly who of wicked seorners are so troden vnder foote that oftentimes they are reputed for most vyle abiects and the crime of newe seditious deuise and doting foolishnesse layde to their charge and therfore the Prophet constrained by reason of their enuie hatred reprochings slaunders and tauntes sayde with lowde voyce beholde I and the children which the Lorde hath giuen mee are a token wonder and prodigious thing in Israell yet is it a delight among so many miseries of this life in so variable cases of mens dealing in such tossing and turning of the world in so many terrors of punishments rebukes to remember how farre from impacience the saintes of God bée with what a chéerefull countenaunce they depart from this life and with how stedfast a minde they go towardes their death as towarde the gate of eternall life How did the seauen brethren and their noble mother of whome the storie of the Machabées puttes vs in remembraunce howe light set they by those horible tormentes how scorned they the cruell tyraunt howe smally did they weigh all thinges present before their eyes in respect of the immortall ioy to come And no maruell although a mortal man that hath not the spirite of God will be amazed thereat For God hath made a choyse of the heartes of such as haue a good conscience and charitie therewithall which maketh euery thing verie pleasaunt be it neuer so bitter and vncomfortable whome he will swéetelye inspire with his peace which excéedeth all capacitie and vnderstanding and who shall be to him in stéede of a Temple wherein he will dwell and walke From hence springeth out that wonderfull pacience of the Saintes who perceyue that their obedience shall be bountifully rewarded in time to come and shall be precious and well accepted in the sight of the heauenly father through Christ Hereby is the whole minde possessed with God and strengthned by him and hereby is the liuely hope of immortalitie to come confirmed God onely which is the chiefest and that one alone goodnesse doth by the presence of his comforting spirite in the tyme of trouble so recreate and satistie with ioy the mindes of his elect that eyther they plainly put away all féele both of iniuries done vnto them of pouertie of banishment of contempt of infamie of prisonment of tormentes and of other miseryes and calamities or at least wise beare them out with an excellent courage For they desiring as the Apostle did to be loosed and hoping assuredly to die wel count death an aduauntage to them to seperate them from all miserie to giue them an entring to all aboūdance of good things whither they desire to be caried with full sayle as did Simeon who after he had séene the childe Iesus pronounced out this verse saying Lorde nowe lettest thou thy seruaunt depart in peace c. that the soule being loosed from the prison of the body wherin after a sort it lyeth as it were brought a fléepe maye stie vp to hir quiet rest to delectable peace and libertie and to euerlasting life where it may continually draw out of the plentiful fountaine of gods blessed maiestie continuall pleasures delectations and ioyes Who then had not rather with the wayfaring man if it so pleased God be ridde at the first stone he commeth at by the way than to endure so many griefes so many labors and daungers to the vtter tyring of his bodie during the whole course of his iourney in this life For the children of God mourne while they yet liue within this earthly mansion of the bodie which being once consumed they know how they haue a dwelling place with God euen a mancion not made with handes but such a one as is euerlasting in heauen And they being lightned with a sure hope thereof doe endure all maner of troubles not onely with a pacified mynde but with a willing and a glad heart also They count banishment for defence of the Gospell and for righteousnesse sake but a trifle They know that in this lyfe the rewarde of vertue is the hatred of the worlde is persecution is hunger and banishment which they had rather enter into among other perfite exuls of God and to wander here and there vncertainly than by remayning among Idolaters to possesse a fine and delitate lyfe while in the meane tyme by assenting and subscribing to their euils they must of

became weake and sicke and sléepe till the iudgement of the Lord which thing Paule testifieth in the .xj. to the Corinthians to haue hapned most iustly in his time what haue we wicked generation a people loden with iniquitie a deceytfull séede the lost children deserued who haue forsaken the Lorde our God and prouoked the holye one of Israell trayterously reuolting from him The Nobles haue béene vnfaythfull and companions with théeues they gaue no iudgement with the orphane the widowes and poores cause hath had no place before them Euery one from the least to the greatest hath loued taking of giftes They haue gaped after filthie gaine and couetousnesse Ambicion and robbing of the poore haue had their swinge Charitie and liberalitie towardes the destitute haue waxen colde Euerye one hath néede to beware of his next neighbour No man can safely giue credite to his owne brother for fayth honestie and conscience haue béene banished Among the whole multitude of the flocke there hath scarcely béene found one plaine friend of the truth But euen as before the destruction of Ierusalem for that he desired to spare his people and the place of his habitation he sent his Messengers betymes in the morning which seased not to cal them backe saying Returne ye wandring children confesse your iniquitie and your starting a side will I heale againe Euen so did the Preachers of Gods worde before this sodaine chaunge of state neuer more often more earnestly more boldely and vehementlye crye out and preache repentaunce fearing the people from theyr sinnes But neuerthelesse wyth theyr threatning they haue not made our hearts to yéelde We haue not thought vpon turning to the Lord in all our heart with wéeping fasting and lamenting We haue not repented earnestly and in good fayth In acknowledging our faultes we haue not giuen the glorie to God but being past shame with a stiffe necke with vncircumcised hartes and eares haue abidden still in our smnes We haue not submitted our selues vnder the mightie hande of God nor disposing our mindes to vnderstande what his life is haue bewayled our owne miserable condition saying from the bottome of our heartes we haue sinned Lord we haue wickedly departed from thée we haue done vniustlye we haue committed iniquitie In thy wrath O Lorde remember thy mercie space vs Lorde spare thy thy people and let not thine inheritance be a reproch to the worlde c. Nay rather we haue followed the example of the Iewes which scorned the messengers of God mocked his Prophetes and derided their Sermons vntill such time as the wrath of God was kindled against his people and no remedie could be founde Likewise we haue most shamefully derided the worde of God haue dispised the Ministers of Christ and haue counted them as madde men their prophecies being the true Oracles of God as the successe and ende of them haue verified we haue wickedlye esteemed to be but vaine fables and lyes Iustly therfore are we scourged For the Lorde hath taken away his kingdome from vs and gyuen it to a people working their owne workes He hath taken from vs the cléere light and sent darkenesse among vs Hée hath taken the candlesticke from vs and appoynted a hunger of his worde But not pacified onely with this punishment he hath also threatned desolation of Cities distructions ouerthrowes wastings and ruynes vpon which ensue losse of goods committing of adultry defloration of daughters besides the miserable leadinges into captiuitie by barberous nations Ye and more gréeuous than al these he assigneth vnto such as be obstinate and vngodly contemners of his worde and doe omit charitie and other good workes aboue mentioned And if for all this they will not repent he pronownceth that it shal be worse to them in the day of iudgement than to Sodom and Gomorrha But the sincere louers of the truth when contrarie wise the stubberne and disobedient by Gods iust iudgement are blinded shall sée light in darckenesse and among déepe errors shall spye out the light of the worde which worde shall be their guyde and shall make the way plaine vnto them least the féete of the Sainctes stumble against the darke mountaines These men shining in good works before the blindnesse of mortall men shall by shewing the true worde of the Gospell shake off the darckenesse of errors and by warning exhorting and reproouing the workes of darkenesse shall bring backe the shéepe of Christ often straying from the right course pathway vnto that one blessed flocke of true Christians These men also that the Deuill if it be possible may suppresse he stretcheth out his threates and terrors of gréeuous persecution against them that the preaching of the Gospell eyther by ridding such out of the way or by their consent vnto an vntruth might vtterly be put to scilence But he finally preuayleth by his violent meanes Lyttle doth he aduantage by his cruell and blouddie assaults to ouerthrow Gods seruants and to vanquish the truth For the Church of God and christian religion haue euermore augmented thorowe persecution and by the verye same meanes that other things haue bene extinguished and brought to nothing they haue growne and increased Which thing Saint Augustine excellently well declareth in a certaine Epistle of his to Volusyan When tyrannous infidelitie sayth he speaking of the first famous professors and teachers of Christs religion rageth against them they wayte for things foreshewde they hope vppon promises they teach the commaundementes of a small number they are spread ouer the worlde they conuert the people with maruellous facilitie they increase amongst their enimies they waxe more and more with persecution through grieuous affliction they are caryed out to the endes of the earth By those which are most vnlearned most abiect and least of number they are brought to fame to renowme and are multiplyed The most excellent wyttes the trymmest eloquence the wonderfull cunning of wise eloquent and learned men of the worlde they doe bring vnder Christ and conuert to preache the way of godlynesse and saluation Through aduersitie and prosperitie which chaunce in the course of times they throughly exercise themselues both in pacience and temperaunce The worlde drawing nowe towardes an ende and declaring manifestly by the féeblenesse of things the last age of the same men doe wayte for eternall felicity in the heauenly habitation and with much greater confidence bycause the same is porficied of before Also amongst all other things the infidelitie of wicked nations stormes against the church of Christ but she through pacience and stedfast professing of faith amidst the crueltie of resistaunce hath the ouer hande Wherefore rightlye did one vtter that noble sentence boldelye and without feare he declared it that the bloud of Martires is the seede of Christes religion But now that wée haue largely inough set forth how and in what maner euery man ought to behaue hymselfe to finde out the truth in the troublesome time