Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	earth_n	great_a	lord_n	5,368	5	3.8783	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01518	The droomme of Doomes day VVherin the frailties and miseries of mans lyfe, are lyuely portrayed, and learnedly set forth. Deuided, as appeareth in the page next following. Translated and collected by George Gascoigne Esquyer.	Gascoigne, George, 1542?-1577.; Innocent III, Pope, 1160 or 61-1216. De contemptu mundi. English.	1576 (1576)	STC 11641; ESTC S102877	200,832	291

euerye thynge whych is created defectyue And euerye transitorye thing vnquiet Yea it is shorte and of small contynewaunce but mutable and subiecte vnto tyme. So that the louers of this world ●…aue nothing firm or stable but are themselues also light and vnconstant as it were set in a whyrlewynde synce they put not theyr dely●…ht in God onely but in all vayne and transytory t●…inges now affecting this thing and now that thing Now loat●…yng that they earst loued and streyght waye deuring and ceu●…ting some other vanity not yet possessed But the iust and such as loue God doe perseuer quyet vnyforme and s●…ble being founded vpon the eternall God as vpon an vn●…oueable foundation And therevpon Salomon sayed The wicked shall not be seene Lyke vnto a storme passing ouer But the iust shal be as an euerlasting foundation Augustine bewayling the louers of this world doth exclayme and say O louers of the world wherfore labor you Why doe y●…u afflyct your selues about nothing Whyles you might possesse the creator of all thynges What s●…eke you further What may suffyse and content mens mynde whome the creator of all thinges cannot suffise and content For if you may haue all goodnesse which is God why go you about to possesse things full of mysery Can your hope expectaciō in the world be any thing els then to be thereof beloued And therein what is not frayle What is not transitory What is not changeable What is not sinallye full of perylles by the whiche you passe on vnto greater yea and euerlasting perylles And of the vanytie of the worldly lyfe Hierome sayth O lyfe no lyfe but death A deceiptfull lyfe laden with sorowe weake and ouershadowed New it florysheth streyght waye it wythereth Depryuing him of lyfe in whome it séemeth lyfe O frayle momentay●… and bryttell lyfe the more thou growest the more also thou decreasest The more thou procéedest the more nearer thou aprochest vnto death O lyfe full of snares how many men doest thou entangle and howe many by thée now doe abyde infernall t●…rments Oh howe happy is he which knoweth and perceiueth thy deceyptes how much more happy is he which setteth lyght by and careth not for thy vayne delights And he is most happy which is wel dyspatched of thée In the first Epistle of Iohn and the fyft Chapiter it is written All the whole world is set on wyckednesse Yea is not the world subiect vnto the Diuill and replenished with all iniquitie Wherevpon the same Iohn in his seconde Chapiter of his second Epistle sayth All that is in this world is concupiscence of the fleshe concupiscence of thinges séene or pryde of lyfe and conuersacion And as Peter sayth The wycked are seruauntes of corruption and of sinne For of whome soeuer a man be maystred or ouercome vnto him he is a seruaunt and in bondage And hée which is the bondman of sinne is consequently the seruant of the Diuyll Wherevpon Paule speaketh of the wicked saying Let them turne backe from the snares of the Diuill by whome they are holden in captyuitie euen according to his pleasure And Christ in his gospell doth terme the diuill the Prynce of this world Meaning not the rounde globe of the sphere but the worldly creatures which being turned backe from God are ouerwhelmed and buryed in earthly thinges Of whome Hierome ment saying Going backe frome the Lord they are written and regystred in the earth But Christ sayth contrariwyse to the electe reioyce and be ioyefull For your names are writtē regestred in heauen Now Beda expoundeth these wordes thus By the worlde and those thinges which are therern he vnderstandeth men which inordynately and excessyuely doe loue and estéeme the world And such haue nothing but concupyscence of the flesh concupyscence of thinges sene with eye and pryde of lyfe For in these vocables and proper names of vyces Iohn doth comprehende and enclude all kynds of vyces For the concupyscence of the fleshe is all that pertayneth vnto the volupteousnesse and delyghtes of the bodye By the concupyscence of thynges séene with the eye are ment all curyosyties which are commytted in learninge of wycked artes and ornamentes all contemplacion of filthy and wycked sightes or spectacles all superfluous desyre to get temporall and tryflinge toyes and all curyous carpynge and marking of our neighbours imperfections By the pride of lyfe and conuersation is ment the pompe and beast which men conceiue in worldly promotions So that the world is replenyshed with Diuils For what els doe men that liue according to the world but stryue to wrappe and enfuolde themselues in sundrye sortes of sinnes Yea and to wound and wearye theyr soules with the maynes of myschiefes and the shaftes of sundrye shamefull concupyscences vntill at last they féele not theyr owne harmes We sée fulfilled in the Church that which is written by the Prophet There is no truth there is no mercy there is no knowledge of God on the earth The cursed vyces of murder thefte adulterye and lying are come flowing ouer vs From the greatest to the least all men applye themselues vnto couetousnesse The Pryestes haue not sayd where is y Lord and the pastors haue vsed collusion It is easie to be sene vnto what an excéeding great rewine the church is come in euery e●…at degrée order But if christyās did lyue now as they lyued in the primityue church and first comminge of the Gospell there should be no suche greate necessytie to flye from the world Marye as men doe now a dayes for the most parte lyue it is a highe dyfficulltye to lyue well or to declyne from heynous sinnes in the world Especially for such as are not exercysed with verteous quallytie or paynefull labour but doe abounde in ryches and are conuersant in greatest pompes and highest places Deceiptes ambytion enuye volupteousnesse and all other euils are powred out vpon the earth Euery man beateth his brayne howe hée maye multyplye and encrease his substaunce but no man careth howe to saue hys soule Men are afeard least they should fall into pouertye but were it not muche more to bée feared to lyght into the bottomelesse pyt of hell The world is the fornace of vyces The which these worldlings doo heate and warme with the fuell of sinne And therein doe burne and consume themselues and theyr companyones For they are so much blynded that they neither sée nor feare the peryles which are notoryous and well knowen to all men But doe tryumph and reioise in theyr euils lyke phrentyke and made men Yea if there be any whome they sée not wrapped in lyke wooes they accoumpt them to be blockyshe and senseles creatures Well sayd that Phylosopher As often as I was amongst men I retorned sayth he the worse And another saith An euyll companyon draweth his fellowe to mesdéedes and so he which was before good becommeth euill and wycked To conclude euen as the people of Israell could not depart from

go to the darkesome land which is couered with the cloudes of death the land of misery darkenesse where the shadow of death and no order but perpetuall horror doe inhabitt Yet there shal be order in the quantitie of paynes For with what meas●…re you meat it shal be measured to you agayne That the●… which ●…inned most gréeueously may be moste gréeuously punnished For they which are mightie shall suffer tormentes mightilye But ther shal be no order in the quality of thinges For frō the snowe and water they shal be put into ho●…e skalding fier That the sodeyne change of the contraries may make their gréefes the greater I haue séene by experience that if one which is burned doo straight waies put his hurt into the water he shall féele afterwards the greater skalding Men are put into hell like shéepe death shall féede vpon them This is spoken by the similytude of beastes and cattell which doo not pluck vp grasse herbes by the rootes but crope of the toppes that the grasse may growe againe for their foode So also the wicked as if they were fedd vpō by death shall reuiue vnto death that we may dye euerla●…ingly as Ouid saith Sic inconsumptum Titij semperque 〈◊〉 sic perit vt possit sapè perire Iecur Thē shall death be immortall then shall the dead lyue which be dead vnto life They shall séeke death shall not finde it bicause they had lief lost it Harken vnto Iohn in the reuelation which sayth In those dayes men shall séeke death shall not finde it They shall des●…or to dye death shall flye from them O death how swéet shouldest thou nowe séeme vnto them which heretofore thought thée so bitter they shall desire thée wish for thée only which did vehemētly abhorre thée onely Thē let no mā flatter himself say that god will not be alwayes angry nor be offended for euer but his mercyes are ouer all his workes Since when he is angrye he will not forget to be mercifull Neither doth he hate any of the thinges which he hath made Taking as an argument of error that which the Lorde sayth by the Prophet They shal be gathered together into one būdel into the lake ther they shal be shut vp in prisōn And after many dayes they shal be visited For man sinned but for a tyme and then god will not punishe for euer O vayne hope O false presumption Let not man beleue being vaynely deceyued by error that he is to be redéemed for any price For in hell ther is no redēption Therfore sinners shal be gathered together into the lake shal be shut into prison But in hell In the which they shal be tormēted without bodyes vntill the daye of iudgement And then after many dayes that is after they are rysen againe with their bodies at the latter day they shal be vysited Not vnto saluatiō but for reuenge Bicause after the day of iudgement they shal be the more gréeuously pūished But it is said in an other text I wil visit their iniquities with a rodd their sinnes with stripes Therfore God is offended with the predestinate tempoally bicause god doth scourge euery sōne whō he loueth By which words that is gathered he will not be angry vntill the end But with the reprobate god is offended eternally By cause it is méet right that as the wicked hath vsed fraud and dissimulatiō in his euerlasting so god may vse reuenge and punishment in his euerlasting also For although the facultie and power to sinne doe leaue him yet doth hée not leaue wil desire to sinne For it is written the pride of them the were hatefull doth alwayes assende The reprobate which are alreadie in dispaire of forgeuenesse shall not be humbled but their mallice and hatred shal be growne and increase as though they would haue him not to be at all by whome they knowe that they be so vnhappily They will curse the highest and blaspheme the almighty Complaning that he is wicked bicause he hath created them vnto punish●…nt and is neuer inclined to forgeuenesse Geue ●…are vnto John in the reuelation saying A great hayle came downe from heauen vpon men and men blasphemed God For the plague of hayle bicause it was excedinge great So that the will of the damned although he haue lost theffect of his power hath alwayes an intent and affection of mallice mischefe and that of it selfe shal be a punishment in hel which was sinne and offence in the world Although peraduenture it is there also a sinne but not to the deseruing of punishment ▪ Therefore the wicked bicause he shall alwaies ha●…e in him selfe the gyltinesse of his sinne he shal likewise féele in himselfe the torment of his payne for that which he himselfe did not take away by repentance God dyd not forgeue by pard●…ne And so it serueth as a great point of righteousnesse to them which are to be iudged that they neuer lack punishment in hell which neuer wanted will to sinne and offend in theyr life t●…me They would if they could haue lyued without end that they might also without ende haue sinned For they which neuer cease to sinne whiles they lyue doo shew that they desyer alwaies to lyue in sinne Which of you sayth Esay can dwel with the euerlasting Preists These men shal be a smoke in my fury a burninge fyer all the day by night it shal not be quenched But the smoke thereof shall ascend for euer And Hieremy sayth I wil geue you ouer vnto euerlasting shame and reproch and vnto perpetuall ignomynie which shall neuer be taken away with obliuion Then Daniell they which haue slept sayth he in the dust of the earth shal awake s●…me vnto eternall lyfe and some vnto reproch which they shall alwaies abide Salomon the wicked man beinge once dead there shall be no hope of him his destruction shall come vppon him for an example And sodeynly hée shal be striken and shall haue no medecyne to cure it Iohn the Appostle sayeth also If anye man worshippe the beaste and hys Image He shal drinck of the wyne of gods wrath shal be tormented with fyer brimstone the smoke of his torments shall ascend for euer euer Neither shal he haue rest day nor night which hath worshipped the beast his image The very truth it self doth cō●…rme all these which shal reproue the damned sentencially in iudgement When he shal say Go you cursed into euerlasting fyer which is prepared for the de●…ill his angells Now if according to the diuine opinion all tryall of truth doth stande in the mouthes of two or thrée witnesses how much more shall it stand by these testimonies of so many and so notable men Behold therefore the day of the Lord shall come cruell ful of indignation wrath

whole possession of thy selfe and all that thou hast thy body and thy soule yea thyne inward thoughts and outward actions vnto the diuyne Maiestie Least abusing gods gyftes thou consequently serue the Diuill For whosoeuer doth liue vytiously he is a seruaunt of the Diuill The Prophet Esay in his lxiii Chapiter hath these words I will remember the Lord for his mercy Yea I will praise the Lord for all that he hath geuen vs and for all that hée hath bestowed vpon vs according to his goodnesse If then we would perfectly knowe how carefully we ought to séeke the way of saluation and walke therein yea and how much we ought to dispyse the vayne delights of the world Let vs héedely consider what the onely begotten Sonne of god did suffered and toke vpon him for our helth and saluation If he then through the wysdome and prouydence of God the father yea through the eternall vncreated vnbegottē vnmesurable foresight dyd not without great cause reason take vpon him doe suffer so many thinges for vs If the onely begotten Sonne of God being perfect and o●…ypotent dyd for our health and saluatiō take vpon him our substaunce and nature if he were for our sake conuersaunt here on earth so many yeares if he did susteyne and endure so many trauayles labors and paynes for our enstruction and redemption finally if he suffred therefore most bitter and cruell death let vs not set lyght by our selues nor make small accoumpt of our saluation Neither let vs thynke that we can be saued by sleighte and superficyall seruing of him by cleauing vnto worldly vanyties neyther yet by lyuing carelesly and without feare For neyther is the euerlasting payne of dampnation so avoyded nor yet the heuenly kingdome is not so obteyned For Christ suffered and was crucyfied for vs that we might thereby folowe his stepes and example Then is it necessary that we be conformed vnto his passion and that we crucyfie our selues as he did For whosoeuer sayth that he remayneth in God must walke euen as he walked Where vpon the Apostle sayed If we suffer with him we shall reigne with him also And againe he sayth Be you folowers and imytators of god as his best beloued children And what els is it to be conformed vnto Christes passion to dye with him to folow his steppes but euen to mortyfie all vanyties wickednesse to cōstitute our bodyes wholy in y feare of god to restrayne bridle our owne natural lyberty vnder the cōmaundemētes of his holy lawes to submyt our willes altogether vnto his godly will for whē we know beleue that our Lord Sauiour Jesus Christ did most patiētly suffer innumerable derysions mockes slaunders blasphemies labours and paines with all méekenesse of pouerty with all lowlynesse of minde with all perfection of charytie so as finally he suffered the most vyle kynde of death for vs let vs thynke that it were moste vndecent for the seruaunt if he should liue in delightes reioyse in worldly rytches and wallowe in earthly vanyties whose master was so busily conuersaunt afflicted kylled for the seruants sake For that seruaunt is not aboue his master And Gregory saied well Nothing is so gréeuous but that it myght bée suffered with good will if we would often call to memorye the passion of christ Harken then vnto holy Bernarde speaking to thée in the person of christ Behold O man sayth he what I suffer ●…or thée There is no payne comparable to that wherwith I am tormented I call vnto thée bicause I am afflicted for thée Behold the paynes wherewith I am tormēted Behold the nayles wherwith I am nayled Behold howe all my body is stretched out vpon the Cross for thée And looke how greate myne outward paynes are so much that greater is mine inward greifin y I finde thee so vnthankfull If thou weigh these things welbeloued with att●…tiue minde thou wylt soon●… contempne the world and ouercome the concupyscences thereof thou wilt desire to folowe Christ abhorre all things that are worldly refuse to be cōuersaunt with such as walke in vanyties For god forbyd that thou shouldest be vngratefull for such and so many benefites And yet vngratefull shouldest thou be if thou geue him not thankes for the same with thy whole hart But thankes canst thou not geue vnlesse thou doe medytate marke and acknowledge them Synce the chiefe poynt of ingratitude as Seneca sayth is forgetfulnesse Therefore cast and reuolue in thy mynde euery day what God himselfe dyd suffered for thée Yea besides this the benefites are also innumerable which god doth daily bestowe on vs So that by the consideration of them we ought of good ryght to be kyndled in loue towardes God and in a zeale to honour him with all deuotion Pea and an affection also to be alwayes geuing of thankes and so consequently to laude and praise his name incessantly For haue we not receyued frō him whatsoeuer we haue or be y goods of fortune the gyftes of nature to be to liue to féele to haue vnderstanding yea haue not we receiued of him the gyftes gf gra●… ●…ayth hope and charytie the gyftes of the holy Ghost the sacramentes How often hath god most mercyfully spared vs when we offended how pittyfully hath he preuented vs From how many snares and peryles hath he preserued vs what greate gyftes of glorye hath he promysed vs Yea how many haue bene condempned to hell fyre which offended and sinned lesse then we haue done Let vs then not bée forgetfull of suche and so greate benesites But let vs with the Psalmist humbly and thankefully say What shall I requyte vnto the Lorde for all that hée hath geuen me I will blesse and magnyfie the Lorde at all tymes his prayses shall alwayes be in my mouth For of all other faultes ingratitude is the worste Especyally that kynde of ingratytude whereby we become vnthankefull vnto God the most lyberall and abundaunt benefactor of all other If any man should cut of thy hand or thy foote how much wouldest thou thynke thy selfe bounde vnto him which would heale it agayne and restore thée thy member If thou wert blynde deafe or lame how much wouldest y loue him which would cure thy defect how then art thou not ashamed in that thou louest not god feruētly which hath geuē thée all those gyftes before named and hath also promysed thée farre greater then they therefore let these great benyfites and lyberaltyes of god towards thée styrre in thée a contempt of this world and enduce thée to take in hand all such thinges as may most lyuely expresse his honour and glory For as it is moste certayne that he which is by nature best dysposed vnto vertue were moste faulty if he should be blynded by the world to lyue vycyously so thou hauing good gyftes of nature it were no small cause of gréefe if thou shouldest foreslowe