Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	call_v	lord_n	sinner_n	2,337	5	7.5568	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09950	The breast-plate of faith and love. A treatise, wherein the ground and exercise of faith and love, as they are set upon Christ their object, and as they are expressed in good workes, is explained. / Delivered in 18 sermons upon three severall texts, by the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635, ed.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670, ed.	1630 (1630)	STC 20208; ESTC S105956	328,230	606

to Aegypt I am that I am saith hee say I am hath sent me I take this word that it comes from the same roote Iehovah is described by that I am and by that it is best understood when the Lord calls himselfe I am whereas every man may say I was and I shall be this every creature may say but the Lord saith I am that is whatsoever the Lord was from eternity the same he is to eternity there is no change in him And that is a great excellency in him that may moue us exceedingly to loue him You know when we meete with a friend that is constant that hath no alteration in him that is a sure friend haue him once and haue him for ever it sets a higher price on him When we can consider what the Lord is that he hath dealt thus and thus with us that he hath loved us and when we consider he is constant in it that he embraceth them with the sure mercies of David as they are called that is his compassions faile not but when hee hath once begun to loue hee loues for ever it is not so with men if they loue us at one time they forget us againe as the Butler forgot Ios●ph when they are in prosperity they forget us but the Lord knowes us in all our conditions thou hast knowne my soule in adversitie When we are in a strait friends oft times are backward to helpe us but the Lord in such an exigent he is the same he appeares in the Mount when there is no helpe in man I say this constancy that God is alway the same to us that his mercies are sure for they are called the sure mercies of David He shewed mercies to Saul too but they were another kinde of mercies Saul was not one that he had chosen to himselfe and therefore his mercies continued not for indeed hee never loved Saul with that unchangeable loue But when he loues any man as he loved David his mercies are sure as they were to David David was ready to step aside often as well as Saul hee let Saul goe but he carried David along they were sure mercies and such hee shewes to all those that he hath begun to loue That is the first I am or Iehovah Secondly he is strong Iehovah strong mercifull and gracious c. that is Almighty What is the meaning of that that he is almighty The meaning of it is this that the Lord hath all the excellencies those which we call graces and vertues and qualities in men all these abound in the Lord for what serues any vertue for or any quality that you haue but to enable you to doe something if a man haue any science or art that is but to enable him to doe that which without it he cannot doe if a man hath the art of Arithmetique he is able to number or if he haue the art of Logicke he is able to dispute come to all morall vertues What is temperance but that which enableth us to doe such and such things uppon such and such occasions What is patience but that which enableth us to endure afflictions So all that is excellent in man all those amiable those beautifull qualities wherewith the soule is adorned are but so farre good as they enable a man to doe this or that Now when the Lord is said to be almighty the meaning is hee hath all excellency in him and hee hath it in the highest degree for in this sense God is able to doe more than any man in regard of excellency whatsoever a man is able to doe you know how infinitely the Lord hath it beyond him he is able to doe so much more as he is beyond any man For that power that attribute that quality that is in man it is not a quality in him he hath it beyond any man Againe when a man is able to doe one thing yet he is not able to doe another one creature is able to doe this another that But the Lord is Almightie therefore he is able to doe all things And therefore this is a kind of excellencie that is the second description he is Iehovah and he is Almightie But now when you heare that the Lord is thus constant and thus exceeding in excellencie a man will be ready to say what is this to me I am a sinfull man there is nothing in me but that which may turne away the Lord from me and cause him to abhorre me Well saith he to comfort you know that I am mercifull exceeding pittifull exceeding ready to forgiue though your sinnes bee exceeding many though they bee exceeding great yet the Lord he is mercifull he is ready to passe by all those infirmities And that is another of his excellencies You know we reckon it a very amiable thing in a man when we see him pittifull This doth more abound in the Lord than in any creature there is no man in the world so ready to forgive as God If he were not God if he were as man my brethren could hee beare with us as he doth Let us doe to a man injuries and injuries againe and againe and never give over what man can beare it doth he not in the end withdrawe himselfe and will no more be reconciled But it is not so with the Lord when wee have done all Yet returne to me saith the Lord Ier. 3.2 Well but if we haue such sinnes in us suppose the Lord is mercifull and ready to forgive but yet there is no goodnes in us wee haue nothing in us why he should regard us and why he should looke after us To that it is answered the Lord is gracious that is though there bee no worth found in you yet he is ready to doe you good as grace you know is proper to a Prince or a great man that is sayd to be gracious to his subject or to one that is very inferiour because hee can doe nothing to deserue it it is called grace for grace you knowe is nothing but freenes and to be gracious is to doe things freely when there is no motiue no wages when there is nothing to winne him but of free grace he doth it So the Lord doth what he doth of his free grace he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy that is when all men did stand before him alike though there were nothing when there was no cause why the Lord should regard them more than an other yet He will haue mercy on whome he will haue mercy that is he is gracious though there be nothing in us to winne that love at his hands Well but yet wee may be readie to object it is true the Lord hath been thus to me he hath ben very merciful to forgiue me my sinnes he hath beene very gracious to me to shew me favour when I never deserved it but after I was put into such a condition I provoked him to anger by relapsing into sinne againe and againe after

do you thinke that he hath put off that disposition is he not the same still as it is in the Hebrewes Is he not a mercifull High Priest still and that the bowels of compassion in him melt ouer a straying sinner and is ready to receiue him his bowels yearne within him and ther●fore doubt not but the Lord will receiue you Againe of necessity hee must receiue you or else the blood of CHRIST were in vaine his Crosse and death were of none effect What now can make the death of CHRIST to be of none effect but when it is not regarded when his blood is trampled vnder feere and despised of men when it doth no good when it is not improued for the purpose it was shed for Doe you thinke that GOD sent his onely Sonne from Heauen to dye a cursed death and would hee haue his blood shed in vaine Now except hee should receiue poore sinners when they come the death of CHRIST should be of none effect And therefore it cannot be but GOD must be ready to receiue them So that there is no difficulty in him all the difficulty is in our selues we are not willing to come Againe if we consider what he hath done for others how many hee hath receiued to mercie when one sees such Rebels receiued to mercie and considers with himselfe and thinkes how he gaue pardon to Manasses of his sinnes which were crying sinnes and of an extraordinary nature sinnes that were of long continuance he forgaue Mary Magdalens sinnes he forgaue these greater sinners and why should he not forgiue me If one should come to a Physician of whom he hath heard a great fame and if he should meet with hundreds by the way of his Patients and all of them should tell him he hath cured them and healed them it would encourage a man to go on with confidence Or if one should come to a Well of which he hath heard much and should meete with hundreds of people by the way and all of them should tell him we haue beene at the Well and it hath cured vs and made vs whole this would encourage a man to goe with confidence because of the multitude that haue tryed the experience of it so we should runne to CHRIST when so many thousands haue beene forgiuen why should not these perswade vs that he is ready to forgiue vs as Paul saith he hath shewed mercy to me that others might beleeue in GOD I am an example for them to trust in God therefore when we see he hath forgiuen others so many and so great sins why should we doubt Againe if CHRIST should not be ready to receiue vs no flesh should be saued nor there is no man that would feare him or heare him Psal. 130.3 there the same argument is vsed If thou Lord shouldst marke iniquity who should stand but there is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared That is if GOD should not be pittifull to mankinde and ready to receiue them notwithstanding their manifold failings and infirmities and rebellions they are subiect vnto no flesh should be saued but all the world should perish Againe not so onely but GOD himselfe should not be worshipped men would not regard him men would not serue him Therefore I say of necessity GOD must haue mercy vpon men that they may feare him and serue him and that men may be willing to serue Take a hard Master a cruell King a man that shuts out men and excludes them that haue no hope there is none that will serue such a man there is no man that will come in to him but there is mercy with the Lord that he may be feared and worshipped and men may come in and worship him and therefore doubt not but Christ is willing to receiue you If all this will not perswade you yet in Esay 55. there is one thing more if it will not enter into your thoughts If you thinke your condition be such if you thinke your sinnes so circumstantiated as I may say that they are committed in such a manner that you thinke though others haue beene forgiuen yet you cannot it passeth your thoughts you know not how to imagine it yet know his mercie is aboue all a man must hold that conclusion still And if this alone will not perswade me yet when all this is put together when I see the misery of a man without CHRIST when I see I shall be happy with him when I see it is of necessity and if I come I shall certainely be receiued he cannot refuse me all this will helpe to perswade a man this you should learne to presse vpon your own hearts wee that are the Ministers of CHRIST are bound to doe it and therefore he hath sent vs out to compell men to come in that his House may be full therefore he commands them to goe vnto the high-way and vnto the hedges and compell men to come in And what is that That is be so importunate with them promise them threaten them command them in the Name of Christ to consent and come in GOD would faine haue his House filled he hath killed his fatlings hee would not haue his Table ready and haue no guests he would haue his House filled that his Table might not be prepared in vaine and that it may not be in vaine we are to inuite you to this marriage we are to inuite you to these fatlings to this Wine and Milke it is a banquet and a banquet you know what it is In a banquet there is as much as will cheere the body a concourse of all pleasant things Such things are in Christ there is spirituall comfort a concourse a heape of all spirituall ioy and comfort of all precious things you can finde and if you will come and taste you shall haue all his Jewels all his Graces to beautifie and to adorne you withall let this perswade you to come in But some may object If I come in I must lose my right eye or my right hand I must part with my lusts which are as deare to me as these members I will be briefe for t●is point because I will finish the Text at this time and will answer it euen as CHRIST doth Matth. 5. It is true we must doe so but then remember we shall haue heauen for our labour if Heauen be not worthy losing of a right eye or a right hand keepe thine eye still if thou wilt needs keepe it but thou shalt be sure to goe to hell There needs no other answer doe but seriously consider of this If I will I may keepe this lust this fleshly desire but certainely that will leade me to hell Let that answer serue for this But it may bee further obiected If I doe thus I must deny my selfe and this is a difficult thing for a man to offer violence to himselfe to crosse himselfe in all his desires a man is able to doe much