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_v	lord_n	name_n	4,919	5	5.6658	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64811	Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians : I. Babes, II. Little children, III. Young men, IV. Fathers : with their several characteristical differences and attainments : also the doctrines proper to be taught to each of them : being the substance of many sermons preach'd many years ago in Southwark / by Ralph Venning.	Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.	1675 (1675)	Wing V201; ESTC R22310	205,352	390

but to bring forth and then to bring up and wilt not thou who art the same to day as yesterday be merciful as thou art wont to them that love thy name which Lord my dear Lord thou knowest I do Urge it yet again that thou comest not to say as many Who will shew us any good for Corn and Wine and Oyl but for the light of his countenance and his loving kindness which is to thee better than life If yet he answer not go on and confess that thou art unworthy of so great a favour then the Father kist the Prodigal yet that thou prayest him to remember that all others were so and if he please to do for thee as he hath for some others that thou wilt give him as they do the glory of his grace and say 'T is not my merit no desert of mine 'T is only thy pure Love hath made me thine Though it be a favour too great for thee to beg yet not for him to give who is the God of all grace and hath promised That if we confess our sin he is just and faithful to forgive us our sin They speed best who confess their unworthiness and ill deserving as the Prodigal and others did If yet he smile not upon thee tell him that 't is really a great grief of heart to thee to se●at what a poor low and inconsiderable a rate thou livest and how at most unserviceable thou art to his glory and that thou wouldst gladly do him better service that thou hast heard of what an ingenuous and dutiful dispesition and how fruitful the little Children are and that upon this very account thou longest to be one of the number yea though thou shouldest not be acquainted with the joyes and raptures that they are Tell him that thou comest not meerly to have more pleasure for thy self but to please him more yea that thou maist walk worthy of him to all well-pleasing Tell him that the Lord Jesus said He had more of the Fathers heart-love to display which should be done by the Spirit and that he should enable them to bear these discoveries who afore-time could not do it and that if he please he can advance and prefer thee to this honour also Oh Lord strengthen me and perfect that which concerns thy Servant If yet he make not himself known tell him farther That J●sus Christ promised that whatever of this nature and concern thou among others should ask in his name that it should be done and pray him to remember his own Son and Promise surely he will be as good as his Word who is faithful and cannot deny himself Is there not a much more put on the heavenly Father the Father of Spirits as to giving good things yea his holy Spirit to them that ask it Add hereunto that thou art sick of Love and so sick that if he do not shine on thee 't will cost thee thy life and will he see thee die in a love fit He whom thou lovest is sick and he who loves thee is sick are the two obliging arguments and though thou canst not say the former yet thou canst the latter and therefore pray him who is Love to have compassion on thee in this thy sickness seeing Love hath made thee so The Spouse had no sooner pleaded this but he embraced her his left hand was under her head and his right hand over her heart she was embosomed between the arms of Love Cant. 2.5.6 Oh dear Lord let it be so with me If yet he seem not to regard thee tell him then that if he persist in denying thee it may prove a great temptation and snare to thee to turn aside to the flocks of his companions Ah Lord Satan and Flesh and Blood have often blurted out such things as these Why wilt thou wait on one who cares not for thee nor will provide thee bread no nor give thee a good word or look but this O Lord goes to my heart as a sword that they should say Where is thy God! Oh Lead me not into temptation but give me one kiss at least that I may tell Satan from experience 't is good oh how good ' t is to draw near to and to wait on God and that I seek not his face in vain Go on and tell him that thou art resolved thou wilt never give him over but wilt cleave to him with full purpose of heart that he shall have an importunate Suiter of thee and that thou wilt give him no rest but wilt continually pursue him and beg others also to do as much for thee till he establish thee a praise in the earth by saying Is he not my dear Son a pleasant Child I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Tell him though he lame thee as he did Jacob yet thou wilt not let him go till he bless thee and give thee a new name yea though he call thee Dog and beat thee with frowns and hard expressions yet that thou wilt love him and lie at his feet for all that If he begin to speak though it be against thee as he did to Ephraim and the woman of Cana●n yet take hold of what he saies and plead it for 't will be to thine advantage at last as 't was to theirs If he tell thee that thou art not yet in a capacity answer him humbly that never any was till he was pleased to make them so and that thou comest to pray him that he will capacitate and make thee meet If he tell thee thou wilt be wanton and abuse it by being pussed up c. tell him that he can prevent it by his grace 't is true thy heart alas is deceitful but thou dost not intend any such thing but dost hope that if he will give thee this Pearl it shall not be cast to a Swine that will trample upon it nor to a Dog that will turn again and rend it and dost also pray him that thou maist never receive this grace and favour in vain or turn it into wantonness or sit because his grace abounds If he tell thee the time is not yet come reply to him that thou wilt wait his pleasure and not awake him till he please but wait all thy daies if at last this change may come oh that this happy change may come Conclude by telling him that if thou have been bold 't is in the name of the great High-Priest who sits at his own right hand and is toucht with the feeling of thy infirmities by whom thou hast been emboldened to come with thy Petitions and present them to the throne of his Grace that thou mightest obtain this mercy and grace for thy opportune and seasonable relief and therefore though thou canst not call him thy Father yet thou canst call upon him as the Father of Jesus Christ who heareth him alwaies Yea at an adventure speak to him and call though thou canst not cry aloud and confidently yet

coming and seeking to be such as shall be welcom and rewarded As was the case of the woman of Canaan and the Prodigal at first 2. Babes believe this as to God that he can turn them and save them if he please and this believing his power though not his will as grown Saints do is owned and accepted with great respect When Ephraim was bemoaning himself he saies Turn thou me and I shall be turned and God presently saies Ephraim is my dear Son a pleasant child I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Jer. 31.18 20. So the Prodigal believed that his Father could though he had spent all yet set him up again and that he might be a new-made-man The Babe speaks like the Leper Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and it proved so Yet believes there is grace and bread enough in Gods house if he have but will he hath power enough to pardon the Question is not about his power but about his Will Yet throughout the Scripture this is owned and accepted We read of one poor man that came to Christ distrusting his power but Christ-puts him on believing that before he would do any thing for him and when he did that Christ did what he came for Mark 9.22 c. 3. Babes look further even to the promises of God they find many invitations and promises also and they have recourse to these but do not so much mind Christ in whom all the promises of God are yea and Amen so that they do as 't were rest upon the Ark but do not come into it whereas grown Saints see Christ Jesus as the foundation and fulness of every promise and do not take up with the Cabinet without the Jewel or with the Field without the Pearl hid in it The Promises indeed are incouraging means to Faith but are not the Rest of the soul Forgiveness of sins is not from the promise without Faith in Christ Acts 26.18 nor eternal life it self 2 Tim. 1.1 nor righteousness Phil. 3. Of this also the Babes have a general notion and so they make toward Christ not with full sails but with a side-wind as 't were and this I am now to shew how 2. The Faith of Babes acts toward Christ Jesus And that 1. As the Son of the living God to whom the Father hath given and committed all things and this is one of the things which is revealed unto Babes as is clear by comparing Mat. 16.16 17. with Mat. 11.25 27. When Peter confest Christ to be the Son of the living God our Saviour calls him blessed and tells him that not flesh and blood but his Father had revealed it to him and in the other place blesseth his Father who had hid this as other things from the wise and prudent but had revealed them unto Babes 2. Babes believe that God sent his Son into the world to save sinners and 't is a degree of Faith that Jesus Christ accepts and commends Joh. 17.8 Christ tells his Father of it by way of commendation that his Disciples as yet but Babes had believed that he had sent him viz. to be the Messiah to restore and redeem Israel which though some of them understod for a while but carnally yet they had it seems now a better notion of it and in Joh. 16.27 he tells them that his Father loved them because they loved him and believed that he came out from God viz. to repair the world And though they have not yet such distinct notions of the Priest-hood of Christ of his becoming sin for them that they might be made the righteousness of God in him both which are by imputation yet this general Faith carries them towards Christ Jesus this assent leads them to an addressing Faith as appears in these following discoveries of it 1. This Faith which they have as to both God and Christ puts it self forth in purposes and resolutions to go to God though it be but on a probability or possibility such as that of the Lepers 2 Kings 7. uncertain hope is preferred before certain danger and death No sooner did the Prodigal believe that in his Fathers house there was bread enough but on this very account though he knew not how he should speed he would venture to go rather than perish with hunger and this was first in a purpose I will arise go c. Well saith the soul I see this if I live in my sins I must die sin and death keep company but there is mercy with the Lord he can forgive me if it so please him and 't is a faithful saying and northy to be received that Jesus Christ came into the world to ● save sinners and though I cannot say God will be merciful to me yet I will arise and go I will adventure and see what he will do with my poor Soul And truely God takes this kindly as 't was said of David about building the Temple that 't was in his heart to arise and go these first motions are very acceptable to God 2. The Faith of Babes toward God and Christ puts it self forth in Prayers this Babe not only breaths but cries as 't is said of Paul Behold be prayeth Acts 9.11 This Faith goes with a petition in its mouth as the Prodigal did I will not only arise and go but I will say too I will confess my sin beg pardon and withal a place in the house though but that of a Servant So the poor Publican yet afar off as the Prodigal was Lord be merciful to me a sinner and this much upon the general account of mercy for hitherto saith Christ of his Babes ye have askt little or nothing in my name and he went home justified Luke 18. So that God pickt out Faith there for by Faith not by Prayer or Repentance are we justified This Faith puts purposes into Prayers and Prayers into practice for the Prodigal arose and came and was welcom 3. Therefore this Faith puts it self in obedience and in submitting to ordinances as Baptism c. as soon as any were new-born I speak de adultis did believe in Christ they were initiated by Baptism into the mysteries of Christian Religion and submission to this was as to men a proof of their Faith and that this was the constant course appears not only by instances but the Apostles conjoyning the doctrine of Faith with that of Baptisms c. Thus by degrees doth the Faith of Babes creep and go towards God and Christ But there are yet some more inward things which these souls some of them for they are not acted all alike do find in themselves though they can hardly express them distinctly or tell what to make of them As 1. If there be for they some of them are full of its and doubtings fearing that thee is no work or that they are but Hypocrites but say they if there be any true work in us and wrought by us 't is of God