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
A68105	The way to well-doing. Or A sermon of faith and good vvorkes Preached in the chappell of Buntingford, in the county of Hartford, at the beginning of their publike lecture. By Iohn Gore, rector of Wenden-lofts in Essex.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex, Summer sermon. aut; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Winter sermon. aut	1638 (1638)	STC 12087; ESTC S116024	20,619	38

in another kind nevercease but are wrought daily by the Preachers of the Gospell For you must know that the miracles under the Gospell are of a differing nature from the miracles under the Law those were ocularia miracula as I may fitly call them eye-miracles that were visible and outwardly apparent to be seene but these are Auricularia miracula Eare-miracles secret and invisible wrought in the heart by the Word and Spirit of God entring in at the eare and going downe into the soule Though wee cannot command or forbid the raine to water the earth as Eliah did if we can water and mollifie the earthen hearts of men with the supernaturall raine of heavenly Doctrine and make a dry and barren soule beare fruit to God is not this as great a wonder as the other Though we cannot cause nor command the thunder as Samuel did to terrifie the people for their sinnes yet God hath his Boanerges his sons of thunder still that by ratling from heaven the terrible judgements of God against sinne and sinners are able to make the stoutest and the proudest heart upon earth even tremble and quake and fall downe before the presence of God and is not this as great a miracle as that of Samuel to bring an unhumbled sinner upon his knees and make glad to cry God mercy for his sinnes In a word though we cannot cast out devils out of mens bodies as the disciples of Christ could doe if wee can cast the devill out of mens soules by the powerfull Gospell of Iesus Christ is it not as great a wonder Beleeve it brethren the conversion of a sinner to God and bringing of a soule to heaven is absolutely without comparison the greatest miracle the greatest wonder in the world And these be the miracles wherewith it pleaseth God to grace the Ministers of the Gospell therefore ye observe that the Collect for Ministers runs thus Almighty God which only workest great marvels c. When a soule is sicke to the death with a surfeit of sinne is recovered and revived againe by that same healthfull spirit of grace which God together with his Word doth breathe into the soule it is so great a marvell so rare a wonder that the Angels of heaven rejoyce to see it I have held you over-long in the former part of Eliahs prayer which brought the judgement heare now in a word or two the Reversing of the judgement and I have done And hee prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit It well becomes the Prophets of God to be mercifull Good Eliah had not the heart to hold the people too long under a judgement when hee saw he had done enough to humble them he desires God to reverse the judgement As it is observed of the good Angels in the old and new Testament when they appeared to any either man or woman their method and manner was this Primo terrent deinde laetificant they first terrified them and put them into feare then presently comforted them and put them out of feare Thus did Eliah with this people thus did Moses with Pharaoh that good man had not the heart to hold wicked Pharaoh alway under a judgement but upon the least entreaty made suite to God to reverse it So dealt the Prophet with Ieroboam 1 Reg. 13. 6. when hee had smitten him with a judgement and had him at the advantage that his hand was witnered Ieroboam was glad to submit and say Intreate now the face of the Lord thy God and pray for me that my hand may be restored me The man of God had not the heart to deny him but immediately besought the Lord and the Kings hand was restored and became as it was before When a judgement comes then Prophet are in season Abraham is better than a King in this case Gen. 20. 7. Restore the man his owne for he is a Prophet and hee shall pray for thee and ver 17. Abraham prayed unto God and God healed Abimelech c. Goe to my servant Iob saith God to his friends Iob 42. 8. and my servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept So Act. 8. 24. When Peter had denounced a curse on Simon Magus he was glad to crouch and cry unto him Oh pray yee to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon mee Thus yee see that judgements and plagues will bring Prophets into request men commonly deale with their Ministers as boyes doe by Walnut-trees and other fruit-trees in faire weather throw cudgels at us in foule runne to us for shelter In the dayes of peace and prosperity wee are past over as superfluous creatures of whom there is little use and lesse neede but when the wrath of God fals on the naked soule when the conscience is wounded within and body pained without then the Minister is thought on I say no more if you desire their prayers and that God should heare them praying for you in your extremity doe not slight them doe not wrong them in prosperity Remember how Ahab and all Israel were glad to be beholden to Eliah to reverse their judgement and you do not know how soone the case may be your owne therefore as you love your soules love those that have charge of them And he prayed againe c. When I looke into the Story 1 Reg. 18. I can finde no direct prayer that Eliah made for raine But I finde there a twofold prayer that he made 1. A vertuall 2. A formall prayer 1. A Vertuall prayer not for raine but for their conversion Oh Lord saith Eliah bring backe or bring home the heart of this people unto thee vers 73. and this includes all other prayers that can be made A prayer for conversion is a prayer for every thing Ier. 31. 18. When Ephraim prayes for conversion Turne thou me and I shall be turned saith God I will surely have mercy upon him c. Such is the goodnesse of God that he will with-hold no good thing be it raine be it plenty be it any thing that is good for them from them that are converted and brought home by true repentance to him Therefore if thou standest in need of any temporall mercy pray first for conversion and all other good things shall be super-added and throwne in unto thee or if thou prayest for any child or for any friend to doe him good indeed pray for his conversion and thou prayest for every thing that one prayer is instar omnium insteed of all the rest If he be in an ill way desire God to bring him backe and for future things take no care 2. A formall prayer when he saw that the people were truely humbled and that their hearts were indeed brought home to God insomuch that they cryed out with an ingemmination The Lord hee is God the Lord he is God then he buckles his head betweene his knees to shew the humble prostration of his soule and fals a praying to God for raine After humiliation any prayer comes in season Esay 1. Wash ye make ye cleane put away the evill of your doings c. And now come saith God and wee will reason together now let us parle now let us confesse now pray and I will heare you Iud. 10. 17. When the Israelites put away their strange gods and turned themselves to the true God by sincere repentance and reformation the Text saith His soule was grieved for the misery of Israel thus the onely way to case our owne soules of griefe or to be rid of any grievous judgement is to grieve the soule of God that is to humble our selves before him to pray and seeke his face and to turne from our wicked wayes and God will be even grieved with himselfe that ever he punished plagued and put us to griefe and he will returne as he saith and have mercy on us and will do us good after he hath done us hurt Here then in a word is the ready way to prevaile with God either for raine or for faire weather or for any temporall blessing whatsoever to doe as Eliah did buckle our very heads betweene our knees I meane prostrate our selves before the face of God in the humblest in the lowliest in the most dejected manner that we can device and if any meanes under heaven will fetch downe mercy from heaven that will doe it Eliah prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit Now to God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost be ascribed and given all honour and glory be done and performed all service and duty from this time forth for evermore Amen FINIS

when a man doth stedfastly resolve by the assistance and grace of God to separate himselfe from every knowne sinne and to sanctifie himselfe in all holy duty and obedience to God striving by a holy desire and an hearty endeavour in nothing willingly to sinne against God but in every thing to please him and approove himselfe unto him if such a man chance to fall by occasion into a fault or be overtaken unawares as the Apostle speakes Gal. 6. 1. besides the purpose of his heart and the intention and desire of his soule that mans sinnes are sinnes of infirmity which by the mercy of God shall never be laid to his charge Contrarily when a man shall hang in equilibrio in an even ballance as it were betwixt wickednesse and goodnesse and shall be equally disposed to sinne or not to sinne as occasion shall offer it selfe or which is worse shall doe like him Psal 36. 4. shall set and settle himselfe in a way that is not good resolving with himselfe that this sinne fits my turne and pleaseth my humour and I will not part with it or which is worst of all when a man shall draw iniquity with cords of vanity as the Prophet speaketh as if the devill were backeward and sinne would not come fast enough upon him of its owne accord shall fish and angle for it and hunt after ill company and draw himselfe and others into sinne as Fish and Fowles are drawne into a net to their ruine and destruction this mans sinnes are farre beyond the sinne of infirmity for they are sinnes of iniquity and sinnes of obstinacy and such as will cost him many a sigh many a groane many a teare before ever he shall attaine to this comfortable perswasion that there is compassion with God and salvation with Christ for his soule 2. A sinne of infirmity is knowne by the consequents of it or that which followes after it it leaves such a sting behind it in the soule that a man can never be at quiet in his owne conscience till he hath made his peace with God by a sound and serious humiliation and reconciled himselfe againe to Iesus Christ Yea it never leaves a man till it hath brought him to that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Indignation which the Apostle speakes of 2 Cor. 7. 11. that a man shall even fret and vexe and fall out with himselfe for offending and provoking so good so gracious a God It will make a man upbraid himselfe for a very beast and a foole as David did Psal 73. So ignorant was I and so foolish even as a beast before thee And it is a sure rule that of Saint Augustine Peccata non nocent si non placent if a mans sinnes doe not please him they will never hurt him Whereas on the contrary when a man can carry away his sinnes as lightly as Sampson carryed the gates of Azza that they are no burthen to his soule or if they doe beginne to trouble him shall doe as Saul did betake himselfe to musicke and sport and merry company to drive it away as if one sinne could drive out another and not rather drive it further in beleeve it this mans sinnes are no sinnes of infirmity but they are sinnes of an higher nature and such as will cost a man deare ere he can be acquitted of them in the sight of God And this I dare confidently affirme that there is no man that sinnes of infirmity but he is afterward the better for his sinne it makes him the more jealous of himselfe the more watchfull over his wayes the more carefull to serve and please God than ever he had beene in former times Whereupon saith Saint Austin upon those words of the Apostle Rom. 8. Omnia cooperantur c. All things worke together for good to them that love God Etiam pecata Domine Even our very sinnes O Lord for by sinne wee have experience of our infirmity our infirmity brings us downe to humility humility brings us home to God and in God every man hath his quietus est a happy discharge from all his sins This being done one thing onely remaines and that is this A man that hath sinned of infirmity will labour to bring forth that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Iohn Baptist speakes of Mat. 3. 8. The worthy fruites of repentance for you most know that repentance is one thing and the fruit of repentance is another it is not enough to repent and be sorry for what a man hath done so did Iudas so did Ahab but he must honestly and unfainedly endeavour to bring forth the fruit of repentance and that is the reformation and alteration of his life and conversation in the sight of God and men If it be thus with thee take comfort in Gods name from this comfortable Doctrine that thou art no other then Eliah was a man subject to passion It followes Eliah was a man subject to passions yet he prayed Hence we may learne never to be so dejected at the view of our frailties and imperfections as to forbeare our resorting to God in prayer For no man living hath so much neede to pray to God as a man subject to passions It was one part of Solomons request to God 2 Chron. 6. 29. When any one shall perceive and feele his owne sore his owne griefe and the Plague of his owne heart as he termeth a mans owne corruption what shall hee doe Shall he despaire shall hee be driven backe from God as Iordan was driven backe at the presence of the Arke no let him doe this let him downe upon his knees to God and spread forth his hands to Heaven and the Lord which dwelleth in Heaven will heare him and when he heares have mercy It was an amazed and unadvised prayer that of Simon to our Saviour Luke 5. 8. when hee cryed out Lord goe from me for I am a sinfull man as if a Patient should say to the Physitian depart from mee for I am sicke The sicker a man is the more neede he hath of the Physitians presence and the sinfuller he is the more neede to draw neere to his Saviour as a man that shivers of an Ague creepes nearer and nearer to the fire You know our Saviours gracious call Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you Now as Saint Bernard saith every Christian is Animal oneriferum a burden-bearing creature not a Christian upon earth but hath some crosse or other to clogge him some corruption or other to burthen him at times and lies heavy upon his heart what then is to be done Shall hee lye downe like Issachar and couch betweene his burthen Shall hee be disheartened and discouraged from resorting and approaching to God God forbid let him in Gods name come to Iesus Christ that cals him with teares in his eyes with true griefe and godly sorrow in his heart with humble confessions and prayers in his mouth and he

and wrought his death The most terrible wonders that ever our Saviour did were but two and those no wayes prejudicious to the person or life of any man woman or childe The one was his cursing and blasting of the barren Figge-tree and this was but symbolicall not done in any spleene to the poore tree but onely to shew his indignation against all unfruitfull profession when men make an outward shew of piety to God but when the poore and hungry come to them as Christ came to that Figge-tree hoping to pull some fruite of charity and mercy from them there is nothing to be found but leaves good words perhaps and that is all beleeve it such men are nigh unto cursing and it is Gods infinite mercy if he doe not blast their estate as Christ did the Fig-tree that it shall never prosper to them nor theirs The other wonder of Christ that did any hurt was that Matth. 8. The drowning of the Swine and yet that was the devils doing Christ onely gave way to these evill spirits which seeke the destruction of man and beast to carry them headlong into the sea as they would carry us too but that God above who stiles himselfe The preserver of men is pleased in mercy to keepe out of their clutches and this was symbolicall too to let us understand how God hates all those that are of a swinish disposition that is all drunken sots that like swine have neither wit nor grace to moderate themselves in the use of Gods creatures and all lazy beasts that minde nothing but their bellies as you know a Swine is one of the laziest creatures that a man can keepe it doth him no worke nor service at all or lastly All hoggish worldlings and miserable mucke-wormes of the earth that never doe good till they come to dye let all such tremble and feare and call to God for mercy least in his just judgement he deliver their soules into the hands of those hellish Fiends to carry them headlong as they did the Swine into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for evermore there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth These are the two severest wonders that ever our Saviour did or suffered to be done as for all the rest looke into the Stories of the Gospell which are the Acts and Monuments of Iesus Christ you shall finde to be all gracious all beneficiall all healing and saving wonders Never any man came to him for sight that went away blind never any came to him for hearing that went away deafe never any came to him for health that went away sicke In a word you shall never finde that ever any man or woman came to our Saviour for any helpe or mercy that ever went away confounded or disappointed of their hopes Now beloved Christ is the same Iesus still that then hee was Coelum non animum as wee say though hee have changed his place he hath not changed his nature but is still as favourable as indulgent to mankind as ever he was if we doe but as truely seeke unto him for our soules health as they did for their bodies So you see the nature of these wonders is altered from that they were in Eliahs times the severity of the Law suites not with the lenity of the Gospell and wee must now imitate our Saviour in workes of mercy and not follow Eliah in prayers for judgement Wee see Luke 9. 54. When the Disciples fingers itched to be revenged on the Samaritans for their base discourtesie in not entertaining our Saviour Master saith they wilt thou that we command fire from Heaven and consume them as Eliah did Wee have a president for it it is a booke case Eliah did so let us doe the like these men deserve it as bad or worse than they with whom Eliah had to doe No saith our Saviour the case is altered ye know not of what spirit ye are the spirit of the Law required severity the spirit of the Gospell requires meekenesse and mercy Farre is it from the good Spirit of Christ and of God to stirre up any mans heart to private revenge not an Eagle but a Dove was the shape wherein that holy and healthfull Spirit made choise to appeare Let us therefore all that are called Christians follow no other president but our Saviour Christs whose onely lesson that ever he set us to learne of him was this to be humble and meeke and so doing we shall find Requiem animabus rest and peace to our owne soules The third and last reason that may warrant Eliah in praying for a judgement was 3. Necessitas rei the necessity of the thing it selfe that holy Prophet had spent his strength in vaine Sermon upon Sermon warning upon warning threatning upon threatning and when he saw that nothing would worke them to goodnesse then he prayes for a judgement not in a vindictive way to be revenged upon them but as a desperate remedy knowing that that or nothing would bring them to good as it is said 2 Chron. ult God sent his Prophets rising early and sending them and used all gentle meanes to reclaime them till there was no remedy then he sent destruction In this sence if a man have a child or a friend or any one that he wisheth well to his soule if he be growne to that passe so hardned in sinne that no perswasions no warnings no threatnings will worke upon him I am perswaded it were neither uncharitable nor unpleasing to God if a man should pray Lord smite him correct him lay some medicinall some healing punishment upon him that hee may see the errour of his wayes and may returne and repent and so be saved Vpon these and the like grounds I suppose Eliah might with a safe conscience pray for a judgement but then the next questionis Why he should make choise to pray for this kind of judgment of drought and dearth for want of raine rather then any other I will tell you what I thinke the reasons may be 1. Because it was an uncontrouleable a convincing judgement if Eliah should have brought any earthly or visible judgement as Sword or Pestilence c. they would have imputed it presently to some secondary meanes and causes now this was a heavenly an invisible judgement the stoppage of the clouds the detaining of Raine and the burning and scorching of the Sunne was a judgement from heaven and such as they must needes confesse to be Digitus the finger of God not Aliquid humani no handy worke of any mortall man For this was the fallacy which the Scribes and Pharisees put upon our Saviour Math. 16. 1. When they had seene all the miracles and wonders of Christ how he cured the sicke c. they conceited that these things might be done by slight of hand by Art of Magicke by Beelzebub or by Conjuration c. but say they Shew us a signe from heaven and then we will beleeve They knew that a Magician or