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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85510	A modest vindication of the doctrine of conditions in the Covenant of Grace, and the defenders thereof, from the aspersions of arminianism & popery, which Mr. W. E. cast on them. By the late faithful and godly minister Mr. John Graile, minister of the gospel at Tidworth in the county of Wilts. Published with a preface concerning the nature of the Covenant of Grace, wherein is a discovery of the judgment of Dr. Twisse in the point of justification, clearing him from antinomianism therein. By Constant Jessop, minister of the Gospel at Wimborn minister in the county of Dorset. Whereunto is added, a sermon, preached at the funeral of the said Mr. John Grail. By Humphrey Chambers, D.D. and pastor of the church at Pewsie.	Graile, John.; Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662.; Jessop, Constantine, 1601 or 2-1658. Pauls sad farewel to his Ephesians.	1654 (1654)	Wing G1477; Thomason E817_1; Thomason E817_2; ESTC R207370	97,971	125

of hope of a future happinesse or glorious Resurrection 1 Thess 4. 13. Howbeit with due moderation in humility of soul and quiet submission to the will of God it is not onely warrantable but laudable a practice which grace bringeth the people of God unto to mourne over the faithful Messengers of God when they are by death called home out of this present world When Steven was slaine by the Jewes Devout men carried him to his Burial and made great lamentation over him This is mentioned by the Holy Ghost not as a groundlesse but as a gracious practice of these Believers evidencing their Christian love to Stephen that blessed Martyr of the Lord. In proportion to this great lamentation made by devout men at Stephens Funeral and the sore weeping of the Believers of Ephesus at Pauls final parting from them mentioned in my Text I doubt not but our mourning over our deceased Brother at this time is lawful and laudable in the presence of the Lord. I will not multiply words in reference to this our Reverend Brother now taken from us I shall leave his Works to praise him in the Gate being well assured that many who have felt and tasted the power and comfort of his Ministry will beare witnesse to him and the working of God in him for their good One thing there is relating to his death which I cannot omit that the Lord greatly testified his acceptation of him in his Work in that he dyed of Epaphroditus his sicknesse of whom the Apostle wrote That for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death The Work of Christ of which Epaphroditus was sick was as far as wee can judge a special part of the Disease of which this our Brother dyed for after that some symptomes and beginnings of a bodily weaknesse had seized upon him his turn came to supply a Lecture at a place somewhat remote from his owne habitation which therefore some neerly related to him earnestly perswaded him to forbear for that time but such was his Zeal towards the work of Christ that it caused him to neglect his friends advice and his own health and to overlook his present danger and so undertake the Work of Preaching the Gospel in his course under the weight of which labour of love his weak body did apparently sink in the time and place of that publick service after which returning home he declined more and more untill the time of his death Our Saviours words therefore seem plainly to reach this our Brother and pronounce him blessed Blessed is that servant whom the Lord when he cometh shall find so so doing The Lord when he came to this our Brother by death found him doing so doing doing his Lords Work faithfully and therefore looking on him we have cause to part with him rejoycingly being much assured of his blessednesse yet looking at our selves we have cause to part with him sadly when we consider that we shal have his help and see his face no more A Pillar is fallen and by the fall thereof a great breach made in this place this County this Land which that the Lord may be pleased in mercy to make up by increasing the number strengthning the hands and blessing the Labours of his faithful Servants in the Ministry we have great cause to bow our knees before him and to beg this favor from him in the name of the Lord Jesus to whom with the Father and blessed Spirit be praise and Glory for ever Amen FINIS a Vind. Ley Lect. 26. pag. 249. b Ames coron artic 1. c. 1. § 4 Impetration is the foundation of application c Camero in Ps 68. inter Arg Solut. Med. ult d Prideaux Ser● Draught of the brook And Perk. Ref. Cath. of Merit e Panstr Cathol tom 3. l. 14. c. 16. 21. ad 25. f Ibid. 9. 38. 12 Cor. 4. 17. h Jer. 3. 13. i 〈…〉 k 〈…〉 p. 112. l Gataker Rejoynd p. 31. m Fidem ponī ut conditionem salutem quidem antecedentem sed electionem ipsam consequentem nunquam à nostris negatum fuit summā verò cum religione constanter traeditum Cor. de Elect. c. 1. §. 4. p. 7. n 2 Thes 2. 11. o Rejoynder p. 47. p Si igitur haec esset mens et sententia Synodi quod simpliciter vellet monstrare illum de quo jam diximus modum et ordinem quo juxta Scripturae traditionem Deus utitur quando homines vult deducere ad justificationem et si illa quae Scriptura tradit procedere tribuerent non viribus liberi arbitrii sed gratiae Dei et operationi Sp. Sancti nec in illis praeparationibus constituerem meritum aut dignitatem propter quam justificemur facilè posset de vocabulo praeparationis dextrè juxta Scripturam intellecto conveniri Exam. part 1 p. 172. q Falsum est igitur quod in 9 canone nobis tribuunt quasi docemus nullum plane motum voluntatis divinitus donatum et excitatum praeced ere acceptionem justificationis Omnino enim docemus poenitentiam et contritionem praecedere Non dicimus praecedere tanquam meritum quod suâ dignitate cooperatur ad justificationem consequendam sed sicut sensus morbi aut dolor vulneris non est meritum sanationis sed urget et impellit ad desiderandum quaerendum et sucipiendum medicum r At Evangelium non promittit salutem absque ulla conditione legis observandae neque id nostrumquisquam docuit modò ne conditio pro merito sumatur tom 3. l. 15. c. 2. § 9. nam et fidei conditio non est antecedens sed consequens quia nullum fidei meritum attenditur sive fides non est causa salutis ſ Non negamus bona opera ullam relationem habere ad salutem habent enim relationem adjuncti consequentis et effecti ad salutem ut loquuntur adeptam et adjuncti antecedentis ac disponentis ad salutem adipiscendam atque etiam argumenti confirmantis fiduciam ac spem salutis sed negamus ulla opera nostra causam esse posse meritoriam justificationis ac salutis Bel. ener tom 4. lib. 6 cap 6. s Promissiones cum conditione obedientiae ut causae juris quod habemus ad rem promissam sunt propriae legis sed promissiones cum conditione obedientiae ut adjuncti aut effecti rei promissae vel dona●ionis ejus locum suum habent in benignissimae gratiae regno ubi meritis nostris nullus habetur locus cap. 5. §. 2. t Haec et hujusmodi opera cordis interna sunt omnibus justificatis necessaria non quod contineant in se efficaciam seu meritum justificationis sed quod juxta ordinationem divinam vel requirentur ut conditiones praeviae seu concurrentes sicuti poenitere et credere vel ut effecta à fide justificante necessariò manartia ut amare Deum diligere proximum De just act cap. 30. Q. 1.

6 15. John 8. 24 Matth. 18. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 11. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 5. 36. If but if unlesse except only si sin modo dum dummodo were conditional when I learned my Grammer 3. The Office of the Ministry what is it for but to prepare people for mercy by working something in them that may fit them for the receipt of the benefits promised in the New Covenant As John was so are they to be Christs Harbingers and are to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Luke 1. 17. To preach to them that they might be saved 1 Thess 2. 16. To open their eyes and to bring them from darknesse to light and from the kingdom of Satan unto God that they may receive remission of sins c. Acts 26 18. Thou hast ascended up on high thou hast lead captivity captive and hast received gifts for men even for the rebellious that the Lord God may dwell among them Psal 68. 18 On which Dr. Crisp thus glosseth Vol. 2. p. 410. Who is that Them The Rebellious saith the Text And p. 412. The Holy Ghost doth not say that the Lord takes Rebellious persons and fits and prepares them by Sanctification and then when they are fitted he will come and dwell with them but even then without any intermission without any stop even when they are rebellious the Lord Christ hath received gifts for them that the Lord God may dwell among them Thus the Doctor But certainly the Apostle Paul was more acquainted with the mind of the Holy Ghost then Dr. Crisp now he Ephes 4. 8. alledging this of the Psalmist openeth it far otherwise and delivereth it so as to me it seemes full for the confirmation of that we have in hand When saith he he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men I hope he gave no other then what he received for them Now what gave he It followes He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and for what end For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we come c. He did not then receive this gift that though they were rebellious the Lord God might dwell among them whilst they remained so as the Doctor avers But on the contrary he received and gave abroad these gifts of the Ministerial function that thereby people might bee taken off their rebellious principles and broken off their rebellious practices and fitted for the communion with the Most High The sum is the Ministers of the Word are sent on this businesse to prepare people for the Lord for remission and salvation therefore there is something required of them some work to be wrought in them on them before they can actually partake of remission or salvation from the Lord or enjoy communion with the Lord. 4. That which these Ministers of the Gospel have directed sinners to do for the obtaining of Remission Justification and Salvation that in order of nature is to be done before Remission Justification and Salvation can actually be obtained But the Ministers of the Gospel have directed sinners to repent and believe for the obtaining of c. Acts 2 38. chap. 3. 19. chap. 16 30 31. Gal. 2. 16. Nor was it remission or justification in cognoscend only that they were directed to seek in this way of faith and repentance Can any imagine that the meaning of that Query of the Jaylor Sirs what shall I do to be saved should be no more then this What shall I do to be certified and assured of my Salvation Besides that Justification that Paul did himself and directed others to seek by faith Rom. 3. 28. Gal. 2. 16. was such in which works have no hand But to Justification in cognoscendo or in foro conscentiae to the evidencing to us and assuring us that we are justified works do concur James 2. 16. 24. A man is justified assured of Justification by Works and not by faith only So that the other Justification must be of another and different kinde works being wholly excluded from having any thing to do therein 5. They who are in an estate of wrath and death until they do believe and then upon their believing passe out of that estate into an estate of life they are not actually justified till they do believe But the Elect are in such an estate of wrath and death till they do actually believe Ephes 2. Children of wrath even as others Tit. 3. 3. and then when they believe they passe out of that estate 1 John 3 14. We know we are passed from death to life Under the power of death we were then otherwise we could not have passed from it And when passed we from it the same Apostle in his Gospel tells us John 5. 24. chap. 3. ult in one of which places he assures us that he that heareth and believeth is passed and in the other He that believeth not the wrath of God stil abides on him which terms of passing and abiding clearly shew that all the Elect are and continue actually in that woful estate until they do believe I hope you will not say they passe in their own sense and apprehension and so are children of wrath according to their apprehensions The Apostle saith They are children of wrath even as others and certainly others are not only sensibly and appearingly so nay perhaps neither of these wayes but really so For my part I conceive no difference between a vessel of Election and a vessel of wrath but only in regard of Gods purpose and Christs purchase which til it be brought into act doth make no real change in the parties state and condition 6. Until men come actually to have Christ to be united unto him and one with him they cannot partake of Justification nor have any right thereto 1 John 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life he that hath not the Son hath not life But until men have faith they have not Christ nor are united to him for by faith they receive him John 1. 12. go to him John 6. 35 37. Feed on him dwell in him and he in them John 6. 40 56. By faith they live in him and he in them Gal. 2. 20. By faith he dwelleth in their hearts Ephes 3. 17. Ergo Until men have faith and by faith do actually believe on him they cannot partake of Justification through him John 3. 36. I remember that when in a private conference I pressed some of these places of Scripture in stead of answering to them you demanded Whether the Elect had no benefit by Christ nor right to Christ before they did believe To which I replyed 1. That though there be a purpose in God to give salvation to them and a purchase of it by Christ for them yet had they no right thereunto until they had faith 2 That they might

sufficiency of bread By condemning these opinions for Errors they declare their judgments to be for conditions in the Covenant You see Sir with what a cloud of witnesses we are compassed and how the stream of Protestant and true Religion hath run in this channel certainly it should be some more then ordinary cause that should make us run counter to so many grave learned and godly Authors Well let us see what moves you to dissent First Many of them confesse it to be conditions improperly Secondly Many are driven to eat their own words Now if both these were true would they be of moment to make you dissent from your godly brethren Is propriety of speech such a Jewel that for the preservation of it the good names of the godly and orthodox Divines and the peace of the Church must be said to stake But who my good friend shall be judge of this propriety Certainly if it shall continue for language that was in the Doctors time you will be cast for I am sure conditions in the Covenant hath been and is the language most in use among the Orthodox I remember when I had some conference with you in your Committee house about your Sermon you told me Pemble was for you and Chamier for you and all Polemick Writers were for you and now the contrary proves true and they are brought against you now they speak improperly and are sometimes forc'd to eat their words I am sure you speak not properly when you told me that they balked the word Condition But proceed we to the other Grounds You go on and tell us that another thing that causeth your distance was the vigilancy of the Adversary who was ready to make use of such expressions for defence of their Tenents This I confesse is of more weight then the former for we should be careful that we minister not the least advantage to the Adversary Bishop Davenant as hath been heard already would not have us in conference with Papists use such speeches as these That Works are necessary and the like because they will be apt to understand merit by them yet neverthelesse that reverend Author doth use the word Condition and very frequently it seems he thought there was no such peril in the use of it Again the adversaries you speak of must be either Papists or Arminians Now as for Papists you have delivered us from all fear that way by telling us they stand not for any merit in the preparations they plead for now if they took any advantage from the word Condition it would be to approve of merit As for Armininas they may take as much advantage from all Commands Calls and Counsels to Faith and Repentance to prove their free will as from conditions So then these also must be laid aside Besides if there were danger in the expression can it not be qualified so as that neither Papists nor Arminians may take any ground therefrom for the spreading of their Errors must it needs be wholly cast away Moreover is there not as great a care to be had of Antinomians and Libertines with whom our English Church begins to be pestred and may not these spiders increase their venome on your own gay flowers of absolute freenesse to the poysoning of the power of godlinesse both in their own and other mens conversations May they not say Seeing no conditions are required nothing on our part is to be done I may live as I list for I cannot break the Covenant Sir This is an inference not onely may be made but hath been made by too many in these loose times I have heard sad stories of it whilst I lived in London I have knowne the persons there that have cast off Sabbaths Duties Ordinances with this inference and scoft at the followers of them calling them Duty-mongers Men of an Old Testament spirit and the like You cannot be ignorant that such a horrid inference is practically made from that Doctrine And however you may think you have a salve for it in your thoughts which how sollid it may be I much question yet how can you remedy it in the hearts and lives of others Oh do not destroy by one Sermon more then you can build by ten But last of all that that most moveth you is your compassion to vulgar hearers who hearing of conditions take not hold on the Promise because they have not the condition Now here in the bowels of this compassion I do beseech you to consider what you do and tell me seriously Dare you bid a sinner whilst he goes on impenitently in his evil way never repenting of it nor turning from it nor looking after Christ dare you I say offer such a wretch the precious blood of our blessed Saviour And dare you bid such a one continuing such to lay hold on the promise of mercy Dare you tell him That the Gospel belongs unto him even while he is such Dare you say Here Drunkard Swearer Whore master here is salvation for thee here is a Christ for thee here is life for thee though thou go on in thy swearing drinking whoring Salvation is thine take it assure thy self of it it is thine If you do fare you well I dare not lest I strengthen the hands of the wicked Old and New Testament are both against it But if your meaning be that such a sinner should alter his mind leave his course repent him of his evil way give up himself wholly to Christ and then though never so foul here was water to cleanse him and bloud to purge him mercy to pardon him and a Christ to justifie him If your meaning I say be this what do you but hold out mercy conditional even as we do and to what end have you raised all this dust and stir To conclude The peace of the Church and edification of souls should be most dear unto us things wee should both preach and pray study and labour for and by all means possible endeavour to procure preserve and propagate Now I do beseech you my dear brother seriously and sadly to consider whether your present Tenent and the broaching of it doth not make a disturbance in the one and a stop and hinderance in the other My heart akes to think of the late stirs in the New England Churches occasioned by Master Wheel-write Master Hutchison and their followers especially when I consider that this very Tenent No Condition in the Covenant had a great influence thereon if it were not the maine cause thereof For here began they to look upon all those faithful Ministers of Christ who maintained conditions as no Preachers of free Grace no Gospel Ministers Legal Teachers not yet acquainted with the Gospel Covenant not able to give sufficient bread to their people as appears by the examinations of Master Hutchison and others in the book fore mentioned Thereupon they fell to a neglect of their Sermons contempt of the publick Ordinances siding and faction till

in that regard he was forward by his departure in doing good to his servants and continueth more able to communicate himself in all celestial and spiritual blessings to those that wait upon him for he is still walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks and hath the stars in his right hand and is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him because he ever liveth to make Intercession for them But none of these things hold in the inferiour Ministers of the Gospel when they are removed by death their personal Ministry from the moment of their death ceaseth for ever as to all uses and advantages in respect of others and that consideration layeth a heavy weight of sadnesse upon the hearts of Believers when their faithful Ministers are by death taken from them 2. Secondly True Believers know that the final removal of faithful Ministers from any people carryeth in it the face of a Judgement from the Lord. It was a Promise of great love I will give you Pastors according to my heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding And on the contrary when the Lord taketh away faithful Ministers from any people he then depriveth them of one of his choicest mercyes upon earth which cannot therefore but have the appearance of a Judgement in the eyes of true Believers The Prophet Micah represented evil men as weary of the faithful Teachers and saying to them Prophecy ye not and then from the Lord denounced the Judgement of their ceasing from amongst them They shall not prophecy unto them Their refusal of the Prophets was their great sin and the Lords removal of his Prophets was his heavy judgment upon them If it be asked concerning a faithful Minister when he dyeth of what Disease he dyed it may be often truly answered of the judgment of God upon an unthankful people When men are sick again of their faithful Ministers and long to be rid of them it is a righteous thing with God to let them dye that such a people may dye without instruction The contempt of the Ministers of the Gospel who desire to be faithful is a spreading Disease amongst us at this day Men looking divers wayes do yet unanimously consent to render the Ministers of the Gospel in this Nation as odious as possibly they can Without distinction they are all branded as Tythe-Mongers Time servers Antichristian Self-seekers and what not But it is enough that God is the supreme Judge of those that are thus traduced and of their Accusers 〈◊〉 howbeit whilst this Disease so generally reigneth and rageth it is no marvel though many of Gods faithful servants dye of it whose removal by death though possibly some triumph in yet the true Believers of the Gospel of whom there is blessed be the Lord a very considerable number throughout our Land ●annot but be as they are much sadded at it as carrying the face of an ill presaging judgement in it Having thus gone through the Doctrine proposed I come now to a few words of Application 1. Here is one work whereby they that truly believe the Gospel may have reflexive knowledge of themselves namely by their enjoying the faithful Ministers of the Gospel in love and parting with them in sorrow I know there is great difference of judgement at this day who are to be accounted the faithful Ministers of the Gospel of Christ To this an answer may be gathered from what I have before delivered at present I shall only say this That they who being in the place of the Ministers of the Gospel do visibly apply themselves to do the work of the Ministers of the Gospel labouring in the Word and Doctrine that they may ministerially translate men out of darknesse into the Kingdom of Gods dear Son and build them up in faith and holinesse to eternal life are so farre doubtlesse unto others at least the faithful Ministers of the Gospel that they who take them to be such and as such enjoy them in love and part from them in sorrow may from that disposition of theirs receive some evidence in themselves that they are in the number of the true Believers of the Gospel whereas they who make it a chief ingredient of their Religion to scorne and revile the Ministers of the Gospel whilst they live and to insult over them when they dye to vomit out their choler upon them both living and dying are not likely for ought I can learne from the Scriptures to be approved by our Lord Jesus Christ at his appearing as true Lovers and Believers of his blessed Gospel 2. Secondly This should be a strong inducement to those that are imployed in the Ministry of the Gospel to make it their special desire care and study to be found faithful in the Work of the Lord committed to them that they may bee enjoyed in love and have the true Believers of the Gospel their unfeigned Mourners at their Funeral The Apostle saith Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God Moreover it is required in Stewards that a man be found faithful The Office as we see which God hath called the Ministers of the Gospel unto calleth upon them to be faithful Without faithfulnesse a nominal Minister of the Gospel how much soever he boasteth and prideeth himselfe in his Office is but like unsavoury salt good for nothing but to be trodden under foot with contempt both by God and men But when faithfulnesse is found in a Minister of the Gospel it maketh him shine as a Star very gloriously in the eyes of the Lord and all true Believers That Minister of the Gospel hath the best monument to perpetuate his name with honour whose faithfulnesse in the Ministry hath procured him the love of true Believers so that his presence is pleasant to them in life and his memory precious with them after death 3. In the third place the servants of God may here read their warrant for sadly bewailing and mourning over such as have been faithful in in the Ministry of the Gospel when they are by death finally taken from them Heathenish mourning over the dead accompanied with murmuring and impaciency against God becometh not the children of God in any wise It is the Lords command given of old to the Jewes Ye are the children of the Lord your God you shall not cut your selves nor make any baldnesse betweene your eyes for the dead Because they were by Covenant the children of God above other Nations therefore they were not to follow the practice of other Nations in their excessive mourning for the dead but to quiet themselves in the will of their God and Father knowing that his Saints are precious in his sight both in life and death And accordingly the Apostle Paul carefully provided that the Thessalonians having imbraced the Gospel of Christ might not sorrow over their dead as Heathens destitute