Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	death_n	great_a	lord_n	4,859	5	3.8144	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84659	Theion enōtikon, A discourse of holy love, by which the soul is united unto God Containing the various acts of love, the proper motives, and the exercise of it in order to duty and perfection. Written in Spanish by the learned Christopher de Fonseca, done into English with some variation and much addition, by Sr George Strode, Knight.; Tratado del amor de Dios. English	Fonseca, Cristóbal de, 1550?-1621.; Strode, George, Sir, 1583-1663.	1652 (1652)	Wing F1405B; Thomason E1382_1; ESTC R772	166,624	277

sight of the Lord yet because he might have been unprepared at that time therefore God gave him time to think and prepare himself and that all things were not so well in order for the soul of that good King as they should have been for a dying man it appears by the message of the Lord sent unto him saying set thy house in order for thou shalt dye and not live They come short who say by house here is meant only houshold affaires for can we think that God had more respect or care to these then to the soul of Hezekiah which is the Temple and house of God though trusted to Hezekiahs keeping and when Hez●kiah is commanded to set his house in order before his death 2 King 18.3 it is apparent enough that somewhat therein necessary to be put in better order was out of good order and therefore as apparent it is that the very best may pray if for no other reason though many more there are yet for this that he may set his house in order before he dye for as the best swept house may gather some dust or uncleannesse in an hour so the purest soule of man and therefore as he is ever bound to pray Lord forgive me so he is ever bound to pray From sudden death good Lord deliver me that he may before his death say the same prayer which many suddenly surprised by death have not had time to say neither at their death to pray or say as S. Stephen or our most blessed Saviour who though they were before their deaths approach as well prepared for death as could be yet even then and as blessing God for this benefit and mercy they prayed not only for themselves but for others whereas he who is suddenly stroke dead hath no time with that blessed Martyr or the son of God to say Father forgive them or Lord have mercy on me The theef that dyed near Christ found this as an especiallmerc y from heaven that before his death he had time and grace to say Luk. 23.42 Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome and this mercy was a thousand times greater to the theef on the Crosse then if he had dyed on his bed without prayer I am not ignorant that such seeming Saints as mislike of this prayer against sudden death reply that men are daily put in mind of their death by the frequent preaching of the Gospel and the hourly spectacles of mortality and these are enough to prepare them against a sudden death I know that the like frequent preaching might be means enough and sufficient to prevent and resist all sin and is it therefore so effectual but that notwithstanding al the preaching sin continues I would I could say it abounds not for all the preaching and would I could not truly say that it more abounds by the latter kind of preaching But tell me I pray did not Noah preach unto the old world of the deluge which should destroy them and therefore that they should repent and be prepared for death had not Sodome fair warnings in the like kind and had not Jerusalem caveats and preparatives given it by Christ himself to prepare and prevent that which might suddenly fall on them But did these warnings and preachings produce the effect and to tell us we should be ever prepared for death is no more then to tell us we should avoid all sinne but this telling this preaching works not ever the effect for which preaching was ordained and therefore in Gods name pray against sudden death In the Prophet Ezekiel and the Revelations of S John Ezek. 1● Rev. 1. we find the Beasts said to be full of eyes as though they had eyes not only in their heads but in their hands feet tongues that all should watch against the approach of death and for a preparation to Judgement and not only the Apostles but Christ himself often preached this lesson to his disciples and lest they might forget it three times a little before his departure out of the world Christ bids his disciples watch Mat. 26. and in the parable of the Virgins he gives the reason of this advise for ye know neither the day nor the hour Mat. 25.13 wherein the son of man calleth either to death or judgement For as it is in another parable he shall come secretly and closely as a theef that he may not be discovered Mar. 13.39 but take thee unawares he shall come in the night therefore saith he that you be not surprised watch He that hath any enterprise or great work to do and hath but an hour a day or a week or a short set time allotted for the same how carefull he is to observe the time how it passeth that it slips not away before his work be ended And can man be sayed to have any greater work to finish then so to negotiate and do his business here that he may be ready and prepared whensoever he shall be summoned by death to give an account of his stewardship and so not fear that doome Go thou accursed into hell fire but rather that other Come ye blessed of my Father enter into the kingdome prepared for you S. Peter for close of this point 2 Pet. 3. 16 11 12 is most worthy our reading and best consideration Seeing saith he the Lord will come suddenly unexpectedly and to us uncertainly as a theef in the night what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hasting unto the comming of the day of God And as the frailty and uncertainty of mans life should instrnct us to this so should the iniquity and misery thereof cure the itch of the desire of life which is no less to the best then what Job speaks Job 14.1 Ge. 47.9 man is of few days and full of trouble which is verified in Jacob who pronounced his to be such when he sayed Few and evill have the days of the years of my life been the years few but all the days full of evill of evill either of sin to be lamented or of affliction to be suffered and for this cause as many Philosophers blamed nature as a stepmother to man so many nations and people rejoyce at their friends going out but weepe at their comming into the world And Tertullian hath a conceit call it a conceit because I cannot warrant it that male children as soon as born express their lamentation by A A as sons of Adam and the females by E E as comming from Eve the parents of all their misery and sorrow Yet this is apparent that when God had fashioned the earth and the two great lights Gen. 1● the Sun and the Moon and after that he had made the waters and the beasts that after every days work of each of these it is said God saw them that they were good which he forbeares to speak of man in speciall

they conceived a vindicative and revengeful soul never acted that which was truly glorious The Almighty God by his Prophets and Apostles is said to be rich in mercy Joel 2. Heb. 2. Neh. 9.16 17. but never in punishing and richer in this then in any thing else that when the Levites had acknowledged what wonderful things God had done for the Israelites and that notwithstanding all his blessings to them they dealt proudly and hardned their necks and obeyed not his Commandments yet for all this they confess of God to his glory That he is a God ready to pardon or a God of pardons and not onely not a punishing God but as it follows there God is gracious merciful slow to anger and of great goodness And indeed go through the whole Book of God and ye shall not finde God so much extolled for any attribute of his Power Wisdome or Justice as for his Mercy in pardoning injuries done unto him Numb 14.17 Accordingly when God was minded to have destroyed the rebellious Israelites Moses findeth no stronger argument to incline him to mercy then by praying Let the power of my Lord be made great according as thou hast spoken Exod. 36.6 saying The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgressions Psal 10.3 8. Pardon therefore I beseech hee the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy So that by the greatness and riches of his mercy his Omnipotency is made most glorious And as God is most pleased with this attribute of Merciful as conducing most to his glory so in imitating God herein man most proves himself to be his Fathers own childe for as our Saviour spake of the hard-hearted revengeful Jews Joh. 8.44 Ye are of your father the devil who was a murtherer from the beginning so saith he Love your enemies Mat. 5.45 and do good to them that hate you that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven intimating that by this act and disposition of the heart ye may prove your selves the true born Sons of God your Father And such as cross and oppose this doctrine of our Lord Christ saying in heart or tongue it is baseness and cowardize to put up an affront without taking revenge I must pronounce that man not onely a bastard as S. Paul calls such no son of God but an heretick to Christs doctrine whose precept is Love your enemies We reade that our Saviour told his disciples that for his sake they should suffer and forsake estates wife children and life but never that they should suffer for his name or doctrine any loss of reputation or honour whence it will easily follow that to obey Christs command in pardoning the offences of our neighbour and in loving our enemy we lose not but gain that which indeed with God and good men is truly called and known to be honour To incline mans heart to this duty is the consideration of that trouble and torture which hate and revenge brings into the soul of man This appears by many instances in holy Writ Cain after the murther of his brother became a fugitive in the land of Nod Gen. 4.14 which signifieth disquiet and he is a vagabond not onely to others but to himself wandring with fear and torture of minde as a man distracted and ter●ified fearing himself or as we say his own shadow and Lamech having as the general opinion is slain his thrice great Grandfather Cain he saith I have slain a man to my wounding Gen. 4.23 though it were done ignorantly and by a misadventure yet that manslaughter was a wound to his own heart Good God what wound must that be then to the heart of him who meditates and useth all the means he can to destroy that image of God which Christ the Son of God so loved that he vouchsafed to dye for it When Abigail laboured to pacifie David 1 Sam. 25.31 incensed and purposed to kill the Churl Nabal though a man of no worth or esteem she useth this argument This shall be no grief nor offence of heart unto my Lord that thou hast not shed blood or that thou hast not avenged thy self and David considering what a corrosive the act if committed would have been to his conscience V. 32 33. saith Blessed be the Lord which sent thee with this counsel and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me from shedding blood It is observed that the Bee having shot her sting and wounded what offended her she either soon after dyes her self or continues but as an half liv'd drone and as despised of others so disconsolate and careless of it self and it can be little other if not worse with that man who seeks revenge on his neighbour for the edge or point of that sword which killed his brother pierceth and woundeth the soul of the slayer and as the wise-man speaks of sorrow and wrath Ecclus. 30.23 so may I of this It shortneth the life and hath killed many Another reason to pardon the injuries done us by our enemy or neighbour is that the stroke comes not so much from our enemy as from God and thereby that we may reap benefit and no hurt if we will our selves Although Joseph had said Ye my brethren sold me to the Egyptians yet in the same verse he addeth God sent me into Egypt Gen. 45.5 His brethren sold him but God sent him And when Shimei cursed David 2 Sam. 16.10 David would not revenge himself on Shimei this had been to have imitated the dog who bites the stone thrown at him but he passeth by the reviler or railer not saying Wherefore hast thou done this and he gives the reason for it for the Lord saith he bade him curse David The King of Assyria is called the rod and the staff of Gods indignation Isa 10● Psa 37.14 and the Prophet saith The wicked have bent their bow and drawn out their sword to slay the godly what then are the godly to do to draw their swords and kill the wicked which in case of defence and backed by lawful authority is justifiable no but they are to consider what follows in the next verse Psa 17. Their bow shall be broken and their sword shall enter into their own hearts and when or how shall this be see that where it is said ●he wicked and so the sword of the wicked is Gods sword who cannot rise or strike unless God speaks as be doth V. 13. Awake O sword and smite Zech. 13.7 Now thine enemies being Gods rod his staff his sword what man is so mad as to resist this sword or to break this staff and not rather to kiss the rod because it is Gods and that it is not laid on for thy destruction but correction and not to hurt and wound but to chastise thee and make thee better Job the upright and

just man when he was robb'd of his goods and cattel had his houses burnt his children slain and his body filled with botches and sores neither chargeth these on the Chaldeans Sabeans or Egyptians nor on the fire no nor on the Devil himself but acknowledging the hand of God in all gives God thanks for all saying It is thou Lord who gavest all that hast taken away all and blessed be thy name that is the power and mercy of the Lord and in all this Job sinned not Job 1.21 nor charged God foolishly but wisely and thankfully entertained these sufferings as great benefits and blessings from the Lord. We finde S. Paul vehemently afflicted complaining of the thorn in his flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 and the messenger of Satan buffetting him suppose these to be like unto the wrongs and injuries done thee by thine enemies and then learn by S. Pauls example how to behave thy self in this case where we hear the Apostle praying thrice that is earnestly and often that it might depart from him and though his Saviour had promised that whatever he asked in his name it should be granted yet in this case S. Paul is not heard but his suffering is continued but know why for though the thorn and the devil b● not removed yet they are continued for his greater good for by them he hath the presence and assistance of Gods grace for so the Spirit of God answered My grace is sufficient for thee V. 9. and hereupon the Apostle in stead of grieving or complaining most gladly rejoyceth that the power of Christ may rest upon him and for this cause he not onely rejoyceth but as there he professeth he takes pleasure in his reproaches necessities persecutions and distresses and he gives his reason for all When I am weak saith he to the world and the flesh then am I strong and comforted in the Lord Can there be any greater benefit then this redounding to the heart of man while he suffers and revengeth not the hate and wrongs of his enemies whereby saith our Saviour ye are not onely made like to your Father Mat● 5. ●8 but are made perfect like your Father And this may satisfie the question Whether it be of more merit to love a friend or an enemy which is answered first by that of our Savior to love your friends and those that love you is to do no more then the publicans and sinners do and he that doth but this saith our Saviour hath his reward in returning love for love but to love our enemies saith Christ is to attain the height and perfection of love and so be like and perfect as our Father which is in heaven is perfect The old Proverb with the Heathen was I am a friend till I come to be sacrificed for my friend but then no longer a friend but God saith S. Paul commendeth his love towards us that he would dye for us Rom. 5.8 while we were yet sinners that is as in another place they are called enemies so that the height perfection and merit of Christian love is seen in the love of our enemies more then of our friends We may urge this duty further from the great and eternal reward held forth and promised to the lovers of their enemies in a tempest on the sea when the ship is tossed the best way to keep thy brains steady is to look up to heaven the application is ready at hand and this course took that holy Martyr S. Stephen Acts 7.34 who when his enemies gnashed upon him with their teeth as enraged against him be then saith the Text looked stedfastly into heaven where he ●●w the glory of God and Jesus on his right hand and this caused him not onely to pray for himself Lord Jesus receive my spirit but to pray for his persecuting enemies saying Lord lay not their sins to their charge It is storied of Abraham that his seed should be strangers in Egypt where they should serve Gen. 1● 13 and be afflicted 400 years but that nation God saith be will judge and not onely so but that his Israel shall go forth out of Egypt with great substance and after that shall go to their fathers in peace and shall be buried in a good old age so that the patient suffering of the worlds injuries is rewarded with freedom plenty of goods long life honorable burial and peace that peace of God which S. Paul saith passeth all understanding Christ when he gave this law of love to our enemies hath explained and made it Gospel-proof when he saith Hereby ye shall make God your Father and if he be our Father then we are his Sons and if Sons saith S. Paul then also we are heirs with Christ in the heavenly kingdom The last reason to provoke us to this duty may be the example of Christ and the holy ones praying for their enemies and the inevitable necessity that we cannot in this world live without enemies and therefore are to make as we say a vertue of necessity and therein imitate God who draweth sweet out of sowre and good out of evil and by a godly alchymie draw patience from their persecution and praise to God for granting us patience and a greater reward after all our sufferings If some Country as Crete Ireland or the like want poysonous beasts yet no land or countrey is without contentious rancorous men yea no village is without some such for a● David said so may we They have compassed me round about and are as bulls and lyons roaring and seeking where and whom to devour I have read of one who foolishly bragg'd that be had never an enemy in the world to whom another more wisely replied saying Then I conceive you have never a friend for sure there is not a man living that hath any thing in him worthy a man but for his wisdome his justice his valour his honour or wealth he shall be envied quarrelled with pursued or persecuted so that he that will think to live free from these must as S. Paul go out of this world In this world saith our Saviour unavoidably ye must and shall suffer tribulation onely be of good comfort saith the same Saviour for I have overcome this world and that by my suffering and leaving this act and suffering of mine as an example to you that as I so ye likewise should suffer For so not onely Moses S. Stephen and S. Paul did suffer and yet pray for their enemies and persecutors but above all let our Lord and Master Christ be as our Law-giver so in this our pattern and example for imitation who descending from heaven and humbling himself to the ignominious death of the Cross for his desperate enemies yet then on the Cross suffering under them prayed for them in these words Father forgive them Luk. 23.34 for they know not what they do their malice hatred and revenge is such that they know not what they do