Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A96034
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A glasse and salve for professors held to them. By William Voile minister of the Gospel.
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Voile, William.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing V749A; ESTC R186085
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101,652
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114
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enemies let it appear by their fore-skins as David did that he had slain two hundred Philistims 1 Sam. 18. 27. Make it known I mean by your words and deeds and gestures that your corruptions be mortifyed And be not ashamed to let those with whom ye converse know by your amendments that ye be convinced of your aberrations and failings 1 Tim. 4. 15. but ashamed to continue one day longer in your sins For this base and abominable shamefastness what should I call it hath helped and doth help the devil to keep from bettering their behaviour doubtless many a man and many a woman and some children whose Parents have wanted true christian love to correct them betimes Prov. 22. 6. 13. 24. of whom I was so kept about three days from amending one of my faults Shall I reason with you a little and ask you a few questions hoping that your consciences will do their Office whilst I am doing 〈◊〉 Do not many of you expect to be greatly exalted in this world And whosoever hath this hope in his heart doth it not call upon him to reform his wayes and the wayes of all that are under his authority or power Which if any of you be so dull of understanding as not to believe yet ye know that God commands and calls on us to reform our wayes and that to this Reformation he hath annexed a promise of mercy Prov. 28. 13. Ezek. 18. 21 22 23 27 28. Joel 2. 12 13 14. Jer. 18. 7 8. Can any of you shew me where the Lord saith He will forgive sinners and do them good although they do not forsake their sins Oâ— do any of you hope that he will extend his mercy and forgiveness unto you although ye be not contenâ— to leave yours If any of you have such a hope of what kind is it but a groundless bastard rash rotten hope No no Friend throw away all thy sins and do all thy duties leave not a hoof behind iâ— Egypt Exod. 10. 26. nor so much as one dainty dish on thy Table or iâ— thy â—uttery for the devil and graceless men to feed on Psal 141. 4. Prâ—v 4. 17. Pray to what end do ye keep any of your sins What mean ye to do with them What good work do ye hope to make of or with them What good fruits or benefits have they yielded to you or will they yield to you Rom. 6. 23. Can ye still perswade your minds to be of your opinion that it is a wise pâ—rt to keep some of them and not to let them all go as if a man should keep some money in his purse to keep it warm Do ye think ye shall gain any thing by them which is really good for you and that the loss of them would be a real loss to you Have ye so much wit and so little wisdom as to think so Indeed Friends the leaving of them will be no real loss to you and the keeping of them no real gain I think it agrees not with God's justice and wisdom to suffer men to gâ—in by keeping such base filthy stinking stuff But suppose he should will the benefit of keeping them be better than that which thou mayest get by forsaking them If not thou makest but a sorry bargain And upon what ground wilt thou expect deliverance c Truly I judge it a superlative act of grace and favour and of exceeding great mercy in God to pardon us when we do duly and throughly humble our selves for our sins and forsake them but to desire and expect to have God pardon us all that is past and as it were to license us to go on still in our sins this I may well account a most horrible and absurd thing even an abomination of Desolation and Destruction 1. Take thou heed then of sending a Message after Christ by thy sins saying I will not have Christ to reign over me Luke 19. 14. For the doom of such is Those mine enemies who would not that I should reign ever them bring hither and stay them before me v. 〈◊〉 2. Yea Take heed lest thy sins should as it were steal to heaven whilst thou art asleep in the cradle of security lest they come up for a memorial of thy naughtiness before God as the prayers and alms of Cornelius did come up before God for a memorial of his goodness Act. 10. 4 31. 3. Take heed lest the good desires and purposes and motions which the good spirit of God hath and shall stir up in thy heart and which thou hast or shalt drown in carnaâ— delights and pleasures Amos 5. 1 4 5 6. or choke with the cares of this life and the deceiâ—â—ulness of riches Mat. 13. 7 22 Luke 21. 34. or quench with the stinking water of thy daily sins or by neglecting them not nourishing and maintaining them by adding fewel to them and by blowing them 1 Thess 5. 19. take heed I say lest such motions as these of whose destruction thou hast mâ—de or shalt make thy self guilty lest they call unto God against thee as the blood of murthered Abel did against his brother Cain Gen. 4. 10. 4. Take heed thou be not like those children of Belial who despised the earthly King whom the Lord had set over them and brought him no presents 1 Sam 10. 27. For if ye bring the King of Saints very fâ—w or no presents or only such wherein he delighteth not I cannot promise you that he will hold his peace as King Saul did Psal 2. 11 12. Isa 1. 11 14 15. 5. Take heed it be not written in a Book that it may be for ever and ever that ye be children of Rebellion lying children children that will not hear the Law of the Lord who say to the Prophets prophecy not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophecy deceits c. Isa 30. 8 9 10 11 c. 6. Take heed of saying This or that is a hard saying who can hear it Joh. 6. 60. that is endure to hear it 7. Take heed of looking too much to the hearts tongues and hands of men and too little to the Lord. For 2 Chron. 12. 2 3. it is not said that Shishak King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem because he was angry with them but because they had transgressed against the LORD Let us therefore imitate the true Church Mic. 7. 7 8 9 10. 8. Take heed of TEKEL which was one of the words that were written on the wall of Belshazzar's Palace and signifies Thou art weighed in the balanâ—es and art found wanting too light Dan. 5. 27. 9. Take heed lest thy incorrigibleness help to make this time such to England or the Professors of England as that 2 Chron. 36. 16. c. the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people till there was no remedy c. O what a word was that Till there was no remedy
man and woman of you doth not know and duly consider how far forth the afflictions of this time be to be imputed to his and her sins and therefore I beseech you again yea I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom all of you take all due care and give all diligence to know why and to what ends it is that God hath and doth afflict us and particularly every one of you to discern what hand his sins and failings have had in bringing the said afflictions upon us and to hear the Rod and him who hath appointed it Mic. 6. 9. Now if ye would know what ends God aimeth at in afflicting us let us first know what ends he aimeth at in afflicting men indefinitely Professors or not Professors And for this 1. As all things are of him and for him Rom. 11. 36. as he made all things for himself Prov. 16. 4. so being a God of judgment Isa 30. 18. he doth all his works in wisdom Psal 104. 24. and in them all aimeth at his own glory or the good of those whom he hath given to his Son Rom. 8. 28. or both 2. But speaking more particularly God sends men punishments chastisements and troubles for these causes and ends 1. That men may know and acknowledge That the Kingdom over all the creatures is his and that he ruleth all the earth Psal 58. 12. 59. 13. Isa 2. 17. Ezek. 6. 12 23. 22. 49. 2. To manifest his power and that his threatnings recorded in the holy Scriptures be not in vain and of none effect Exod. 9. 16. Rom. 9. 17. Lev. 10. 1 2 3. Ezek. 29. 49. Joh. 9. 2 3. Rom. 11. 22. Ezek. 6. 10. 3. As a sure and certain testimony of his righteous judgment to come 2 Thess 1. 4 5. 1 Pet. 4. 17 18. 4. That by them the sins of those who are afflicted may be broken off Ezek. 16. 41. 23. 47. 5. That the hypocrisie and rottenness of some Professors may be made manifest 2 Tim. 3. 9. Jud. v. 12. Mat. 13. 5 6 20 21. 6. To make men call their sins it may be old sins to remembrance Psal 38. the title c. to search and try their wayes to find out their sins Lam. 3. 40. and to make them fear God and seek unto him for mercy and favour c. to take heed of sinning against him and of provoking him to anger Prov. 3. 12. Heb. 12. 6. Rev. 3. 19. Psal 94. 12. Hos 5. 14. 15. with 6. 1 2. Psal 119. 61 71 75. This use a man ought to make even of God's Judgments and plagues on others 1 Cor. 10 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Psal 52. 5 6. 7. That the Saints may be made conform to their Head our Lord Jesus Christ in his sufferings Rom. 8. 17. Phil. 3. 10. Col. 1. 24. 1 Pet. 2 21. 4. 13 15 16. 8. For the trial of their graces faith in Gods promises love to Christ fear of God patience c. Jam. 1. 2. 12. Gen. 22. 10 12. Job 1. 2. c. Jam. 5. 11. which if they be real and strong are unto the honour and glory of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 6 7. and to make them know what naughty things be in their hearts To which end God once left Hezekiah 2 Chron. 32. 31. 9. For the bettering of our spiritual estates Rom. 8. 28. Heb. 12. 9 10. Psal 94. 12. 10. That the courage and patience of some Saints under the Cross may be a good example to their fellow-Saints that their faith comfort courage and spiritual strength being augmented they also may seek for glory and honour and immortality by the like patient continuance in well-doing 2 Cor. 1. 6. Col. 1. 24. 11. God afflicteth both godly and ungodly persons because of their sins Isa 59. 1 2. Jer. 5. 25. Psal 38. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. and that sometimes for old sins Job 20. 11. 13. 26. Psal 25. 7. and I think hath afflicted some of us for sins committed in the late time of our exaltation c. 12. God afflicts men of both sorts for their sins that their sins being bitter to them they may reform their wayes according to Gods word and the mind of Christ and be made in a greater measure partakers of Gods holiness Hos 5. 14 15. 6. 1 2 3. Psal 119. 75 71. Heb. 12. 8 10. 13. And that the Saints may not be condemned with the world Heb. 12. 9. 1 Cor. 11. 32. 14. As also to encrease our patience experience and hope Rom. 5. 3 4 5. and humility and meekness to endure the wrath of God and rage of men with a contented quiet and calm spirit and that we may be established strengthened setled which work is seldom done thorowly without suffering a while as Peter seems to intimate 1 Pet. 5. 9 10. as a hedge-maker shakes the stakes that he may fasten them in hedges 15. Furthermore we are troubled by the world that we may not expect favour and peace from it Joh. 16. 33. Luke 7. 31 32 34. 16. That we may not trust in our selves but in God Deut. 8. 3. 2 Cor. 1. 9 10. 17. That effectual fervent petitions may be put up to God for them who are afflicted by themselves and others Act. 12. 5. 2 Cor. 1. 11. 18. That comfort and deliverance being bestowed on them by the means of many praise and thanks may be given to God on their behalf by many 2 Cor. 1. 11. 19. Our heavenly Father doth by our afflictions and the gracious operation of his holy Spirit as it were by fire consume and scoure and cleanse away out of us our dross scum dirt dung and all our spiritual filthiness Isa 27. 9. 1 Cor. 3. 15. 1 Pet. 1. 7. Psal 12. 6. Psal 66. 10 11. c. Isa 1. 25. Ezek. 24. 6. 12. Mal. 3. 2 3. Mat. 3. 11. that so holiness may be perfected in us 20. He afflicts some who have not given due diligence to be assured of his fatherly love I believe to make them more sensible of the want and benefits of that assurance and to make them bestow more time and care to attain it 21. God plagues the ungodly sometimes that the Saints may rejoyce in and before God Psal 52. 5 6. 68. 4. 22. Sometimes the Saints do suffer afflictions to seal and confirm Gospel-truths John 3. 33. Mar. 16. 20. Heb. 2. 4. 23. God doth sometimes afflict men to drive their pride out of them so preparing and fitting them for some great exaltation and prosperity Isa 27. 7 8 9. Quest But for which of all these causes or ends doth God afflict us that go under the name of professors Answ 1. If any man thinks that God doth afflict some of us for the first five things I shall not peremptorily reject his opinion and that partly because I believe many of our professors be