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
A72063	A sermon preached at Paules crosse the firste Sunday after Newyeeres day, beeing the thirde day of Ianuary. 1580. By William Fisher student of diuinitie	Fisher, William, student of diuinitie.	1580 (1580)	STC 10920.3; ESTC S124925	28,377	84

A Sermon preached at Paules crosse the firste Sunday after New-yeeres day beeing the thirde day of Ianuary 1580. By William Fisher Student of Diuinitie ☞ Imprinted at London for Edwarde Aggas and Thomas Chare 1580. MATH 9. vers 11. When the Pharisees saw that they said vnto his disciples why eateth your Maister with Publicans sinners 12 When Iesus heard that he said vnto them The whole neede not a Phisition but they that are sicke 13 But go ye and learne what this is I will haue Mercie and not Sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance IT may appeare by these woordes which I haue read vnto you Right Honorable men brethren right dearely beloued in the Lorde that Christ Iesus the true Messias and redeemer of mankinde no soner presented him selfe in the faithfulnesse of his office among the lost sheepe of the house of Israel but by and by he became as a sanctuarie to some of them and as a stumbling stone and rocke to fall vppon to other some He was the only sanctuary and refuge of miserable Publicanes and sinners which had no righteousnesse to accompt of no good workes to trust vnto but being condemned by the lawe and oppressed with the heauy waight of their sinnes were in a maner confounded with the horror of their owne consciences and terror of Gods most dreadful iudgemēts in so much that if they had not takē sanctuary and founde rescue at his handes which was wont to say Come vnto me al Matth. 11. ye that be heauy loaden c Their deadly enemies the Lawe Sinne Death and hell had deuoured their soules like so many raging Lyons No marueile then if they folowed him into the wildernesse if they made him glad to take a boate to preach vnto them on the shoare if they vntiled houses to haue accesse vnto him if they left all and came after him if it did them good to eate and drinke in his companie as the text here witnesseth for he was their blessed sanctuarie And as he was to them so assuredly he will be vnto you dearely beloued if you flee vnto him with like measure of Faith of what outrage so euer the enemies bee that chase you For Esay ca. 8. Speakes generally to all the faithfull Sanctifie the Esay 8. Lorde of hostes let him be your feare let him bee your dread and hee shall bee as a sanctuarie But howe should we sanctifie the Lorde that hee might bee our sanctuarie First with Faith trusting onely and assuredly in him Secondly with prayer calling vpon him in all perplexitie and extremitie Thirdly with Pacience wayting meckely for his helpe Fourthly with Feare and Trembling least you should displease him Thus sanctifie the Lord of hostes and he neuer shewed him selfe so ready or so safe a sanctuary to any Publicane as hee will bee to you Nowe as the Messias was a Sanctuarie to saue so contrariwise he was a stumbling stone and a rocke to fall vpon vnto other some as namely to the proude Pharisees and stately Iusticiaries for God knowes they tooke many exceptions against him and were marueylously offended at him First they tooke offence at his Parentage bicause hee was but a Carpenters sonne Then they misliked with his state which was so beggerly that hee had not a house wherein to put his head Thirdly they snuft and snarlde at his doctrine and letted not to call it seditious Fourthly they found fault with his miracles As when he caste out Deuils they auouche that it was through Belzebub the chiefe of the Deuils and when hee cured the man of the Palsey by forgiuing his sinne they Matth. 9. made a muttering as if it had beene blasphemy But that which did most of all nettle and sting their malicious hearts was his eating and drinking and keeping companie with Publicanes and sinners This was a marueilous heartburning vnto them and made them out of measure repine against him for in deede there can not bee a greater eyesore to the deuill him selfe whose instrumentes they were then too see Iesus Christe in the company of wretched Publicanes and sinners for then hee knowes there is no roume for him and hee sees that all his former temptations are too no purpose And this made him to egge on the Pharisees in this place against our Sauiour Iesus the quarell being nothing els but bicause hee did eate and drinke c. and their drifte too discredite our Sauiour Christ in the worlde and so consequently too worke the decaye of his kingdome Wherein you may see the fetching pollicie of Satan He knew that the Pharisees had it giuen in charge by Moyses lawe to auoyde the company of the wicked aboue all things therefore none so meete too sette the matter abroche as they and hee was not deceiued therein for they did it ful cūningly God knowes Marke their subtiltie to bring the Messias and sauiour of the world in contempe with all the worlde and so too supplant him for euer they beginne with his owne Disciples thinking that if they coulde possibly bring it about that they might mislike with him once it were no masterie to preuaile with the rest And herevpon dearely beloued like suttle foxes they came as the blessed Euangelist recordeth vnto his Disciples and moued the matter saying Why eateth your Maister c But the disciples being but rawe in their maisters doings for that they had not beene long with him and not well knowing howe to answere so odde a question our Sauiour Christ therefore framed them such an answere as may very well be called the confusion of all malignant hypocrites and the sweete comfort of all miserable sinners and the very pith and marowe of the glorious Gospel of Iesus Christe The whole neede not the Phisition c. And thus you see howe orderly these wordes deuide them selues into a questiō and an answere too the same Nowe in what maner I am too speake of them may it please you to vnderstande First in the question I wil note vnto you the qualities and properties of the stumbling aduersaries of Christ and his Gospel Secondly in the answere I will doe the best I can by the assistance of Gods holy spirite too shewe the benefites and blessed treasures which we enioy through Christ and his Gospell And this that I may the better perfourme there are two thinges which I most humbly desire you to graunt me The one is your fauourable and Christian patience for in trueth I haue not any wanton Eloquence too make you too wonder at neither come I in any brauery of wordes to amase you withall But only my drifte and desire is because it hath pleased God to call me hether this first Sunday of the newe yeere to giue you some spirituall gift in such wise that you may be comforted and God the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christe glorifyed And therefore it is that I craue an other thinge at your handes which

Secondly we must honor him the best we can This president is but meanly followed in most places in England God knowes For so far foorth as Christ will feede their bellyes they will followe him through thicke and thinne And they are so farre from honouring him at their feastes that they will not stick too say they cannot be mery at their meate when a Preacher is at their Table But there is good cause the Citie of London should become an other Thessalonica in seeking and honouring our Phisition Christ Iesus There is so much Preaching and so diligent hearing that needs there must be some following If London haue stopped her eares and shutte her doores against Christe and his messengers there were iust cause why shee should tremble and quake in the guiltinesse of her owne conscience But if shee haue played the sicke Publicane in seeking and honouring Christe her Phisition let her not faint but in the testimony of a good conscience pluck vp her harte in these dreadfull times and dayes of perill For the Lorde will be founde of those that seeke him he wil not forsake those that feare him If Sodom or Gomorrha or Samaria or Ierusalem or Antwerpe could haue pleaded for themselues no more but that they sought the Lord honored his Christ euen as sicke men do their Phisition I am sure their confusion had beene farther from them then the Easte is from the west Therfore London seek thou thy Phisition Christ Iesus beleeue in him pray to him serue him in singlenesse of heart as thou oughtest to do and he wil not deliuer his power into captiuitie nor his beautie I meane his Gospell into the enemyes hand The second part of the Answere Goe learne what that is I will haue mercie c. A good Lawyar perceiuing the subtletie of his aduersary will speake to the case and bee earnest in the matter And commonly a skilfull Chirurgian seeing the rotten flesh begin to fester and corrupt the sound will launch it too the quick Much after the same manner doth our Sauiour Christe shewe him selfe in his second answere Go learne what c. As if he should say in sharpe and rounde speech Doe you make your selues so perfect in the Scripture and yet doe you finde faulte with him which sheweth mercie to the miserable and comfortles Goe learne goe learne of the Prophet who in the person of God him selfe saith I will haue mercie c. Then shall you see that I doe nothing against the will of God I warrant you I will haue mercie and not sacrifice c. When the Lord maketh choise of mercie rather then sacrifice we haue to vnderstand that his will is that we shoulde bee pittifull one tending an others distresse and not bleare his eyes with an outward shew of godlinesse Now for your better instruction in the will of God it shall be expedient that I speak seuerally Firste of Mercie then of Sacrifice I will haue mercie c. It should bee of no small force to make vs shewe mercie and compassion one towardes another When the Lorde sayeth I will haue mercie c. For if wee bee seruaunts we must doe the will of our maister And if we be children we must obay the will of our father But alas it fareth with vs as often times with young Children the more the father doth cocker and dandle them the lesse they care for him and if he say vnto them I will haue this or that doone none so ready too bid him commaunde and doe it him selfe as his owne Children So it falleth out with vs God our heauenly Father hath blessed vs and blessed vs again and yet when he sayth I wil haue you to be mercifull and pittiful to your needy brethren like stubburne children we sit stil stop our eares as if we heard not There is no one thing so much called vpon and commended vnto vs in Scripture as mercy yet on our partes there is no one thing so little regarded He that is merciful saith the Prou. 11. wiseman rewardeth his own soule And Micheas sheweth Israel what it was that Mich. 6. the Lord required at their hands indeed bidde them first doe iustly and next loue mercie c. In the fifte of Matt. Blessed Matth. 5. are the merciful for they shall c. In the 6 of Luke Be ye therfore mercifull Luke 6. as your heauenly father is merciful S. Iames also in his 2. Chapter saieth in Iames. 2. plaine words that there shall be iudgement without Mercie too him that will shewe no mercie And all this is to stirre vs vppe and to pluck vs forewarde too shewe mercie and compassion one towardes an other And surely happy is that Christian whose faith is exercised in mercie For as the wiseman sayth Prou. 20. Mercie truth preserue the king c. His throne shal be established with mercie So al estates may be sure that mercy is one of the strongest Pillers of their health safetie And therefore I beseech you right honourable deerely beloued haue due regard of your health welfare which partly cōsisteth in mercy For this your noble citie of Lond is builded scituate vpon foure Golden pillers Iustice Concorde Sobrietie and Mercie the Foundation beeing Iesus Christe And so long as these stand and florish in London shee is safe and sure by the grace of God But if they shoulde by any meanes decay then great and woefull should bee your downefall Therefore it stands you vpon so much the more heedefully to looke about you and to preuent the worst For you haue not so many pillers to vpholde your welfare and safetie but there be as many wayes too vndermine them if that they be not the better forseene First Iesus which vpholdeth right and suppresseth wrōg wtout respect of persons may bee vndermyned and ouerthrowne through bribery For hold you the sword right honorable neuer so vpright in your hands yet if your substitutes whōe you put in trust haue their handes ful of brybes they must needes wincke at scant measures and iustifie the bagge of deceitful waigh●es and alowe of the wyne which is mixed with water and so bleare your eyes with omnia ben● and so shall Iustice bee vndermyned and fall too the ground Therefore it behoueth your Honor to be the more circumspect in appointing your Substitutes and too haue an eye too their dealing vnder you for feare of the worst Secondly Concorde which is the bond and sinewes of euery well ordered Citie may be vndermined by the roote of bitter discentiō which maketh the members of the selfe same body too iarre an● snarle one with an other is commonly found by Pickthanks and talebearers which carry speeches and reportes from partie to party of whatsoeuer they heare or see and all to feede the humors of such cancred natures as delight in debate Therefore such Merchants are woorthy of seuere punishment and to be thrust out of