Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	faith_n	grace_n	repentance_n	2,335	5	7.5639	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10976	The righteous mans euidences for heauen, or, A treatise shewing how euery one, while hee liues heere, may certainely know what shall become of him after his departure out of this life	Rogers, Timothy, 1589-1650?	1624 (1624)	STC 21245; ESTC S953	57,847	316

THE RIGHTEOVS MANS Euidences for Heauen OR A TREATISE SHEWING how euery one while hee liues heere may certainely know what shall become of him after his departure out of this life The sixt Edition corrected and inlarged By Tymothy Rogers Preacher of Gods word in Essex Psalm 107.43 Who is wise that he may obserue these things for they shall vnderstand the louing kindnesse of the Lord. 2 Pet. 1 10. Giue all diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you doe these things yee shall neuer fall LONDON Printed by I. Beale for Ed. Brewster and are to be sold at the signe of the Star at the VVest end of Pauls 1624. THE AVTHORS Apologie to the Reader FArre was it frō my meaning at the first Christiā Reader thus to haue exposed my selfe to the common view of men but rather to haue hidden this my weake conception for euer neuer to haue come to the birth but when it would abide no longer to bee imprisoned in the womb but violently brake forth I thought to deale wisely with it though not as the Aegyptians cruelly to murther it yet at least as Moses his parents charitably to hide it for my own priuat vse or at the best to haue put it to Nurse in an obscure Country-village where my selfe am Pastor to see the good vsage of it for which end I be-trusted a friend or two for the printing of some few copies onely for my selfe but through friendship I was deceiued for whereas I expected a small number like the children of Israel that went against Benhadad like two little flocks of Kids My bookes were sent forth in multitudes like the Aramites that fill'd the country 1 King 20.27 Onely this difference they came not forth against the host of Israel the people of God as did the Aramites but rather to serue on their side Thus being driuen to a straight though that which is done can not bee vndone yet I thought it my part to doe what I could namely to mend and inlarge that which is done that seeing it must bee common it may not be altogether vn-vsefull Confessing ingenuously I had rather it should not haue bin common especially considering that there are better bred and nobler borne Treatises of very worthy men concerning this subiect but thus it must bee now if therefore it may but serue as an hand-maid to theirs so thou mayest reape some profit hereby I haue both my desire and full contentment Farewell Thine in the bond of Faith and Loue Timothy Rogers Councell to the READER IN sailing thorow the Seas of this troublesome world toward the heauenly land of Canaan wee are to passe two dangerous rocks the one called Presumption the other Desperation happy is the man that escaping them both shall make a safe arriuall at the promised Land Millions of Christians in profession are cast away against the one or against the other for some though they haue no true grace wrought in them thinke notwithstanding that they are in no danger but shall certainly bee saued which is as great presumption as if a man being stricken thorow the heart should thinke himselfe very well and in no danger of death Others when they come to apprehend the heauy wrath of God and deadly curse of the Law due vnto them by nature for sinne in hellish sorrow vtterly despaire Some sincere Christians also there are against whom the Tempter doth so far preuaile that in beholding their owne vnworthinesse they are ready to faint for feare of hell and condemnation which although they cannot perish or suffer shipwrack against this rock of Desperation yet their poore Barke may bee so battered and beaten against it as that peraduenture they may bee a long while after in rigging and mending of it vp againe with griefe and hart-smart that thou maist escape these dangers vse these short questions and answeres as a Sea-mappe or guide vnto thee to shew thee thy way betweene both that so thou mayest saile to Heauen in more safety confidence and comfort Now to the end that the better vse may bee made heereof consider I beseech thee of these things First what multitudes daily departing this world throng in at the infernall gates of Hell for want of the assurance of their saluation Secondly consider that thou being by nature a condemned man if thy pardon be not sealed to thy conscience and giuen thee before the breath bee once out of thy body afterward though thou wouldest or couldest giue a thousand worlds for it it cannot bee had consider againe of the vncertainty of thy life thou canst not tell whether thou shalt bee aliue to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Consider also the certainty of thy death dye thou must nothing surer for who can stand against the power thereof and oh how bitter is the remembrance of death to one that is not assured of his saluation Further consider how terrible the Iudgement day will bee to all such as get not the assurance of their saluation in their life time which may will they turne themselues then Oh what will they doe Mountaines and Hills fall vpon vs and crush vs in peeces shall they cry but it shall not bee Then what most dolefull and intollerable torments shall they for euer endure in hell able to breake the hardest heart to thinke on Oh who shall dwell with the deuoring fire who shall dwell with the euerlasting burning Lastly consider of the most inestimable ioyes of Heauen and incomparable delights which all they shall haue who get the assurance of their saluation in this life Such as eye hath not seene eare hath not heard nor the heart of man conceiued of O heauenly ioy O sweet delights O excellent surmounting glory O endlesse superabounding pleasures wherewith their hearts shall bee rauished and for-euer replenished Vpon these considerations I earnestly request thee if thou hast any pittie or commiseration on thy poore soule Make thy calling and election sure euen while it is called to day How shall I doe that thou wilt say This briefe Treatise will shew thee how yea more then that heereby thou mayest bee assured of thy saluation if thou vse it rightly but then thou must goe through it with good aduisement if thou touch the Honie-combe with thy lips thou mayest finde sweetnes but if thou sucke much more so read these things as to learne them so learne as to know thy owne estate thereby so mightest thou sucke out the hole sweetnesse thereof get the true stamp of them in thy heart so thou maiest be sure thou shalt be saued which the Lord of Heauen grant for his mercies sake Amen A Treatise of saluation wherein are signes propounded prouing saluation the mother grace Faith pag. ●● sister-sister-graces more generall Conuersion p. 29 Iustification p. 36 Adoption p. 41 Sanctification p. 50 Repentance p. 61 more speciall Knowledge p. 77 Hope p. 86 Loue of God p. 95 Loue of the godly p 104 Feare

nethermost hell it is so high that b Ps 36.5 it reacheth to the heauens it is of such admirable length bredth that it c Ps 103.12 remoueth our fins as farre from vs as the East is from the West And the cause why the sinnes of all the world are not pardoned is not because Gods mercy cannot pardon them but because they cannot repent that they might bee pardoned So then I make no doubt but that God of his mercy is able to forgiue my sinnes bee they what they will bee yea and further vpon my vnfained repentance hee will forgiue them if I repent he will forgiue for wee cannot be so sinfull as hee will be mercifull if for our sinnes wee bee heartily sorrowfull For this hee hath promised and by this his promise is become indebted to vs whereas we onely by our sinnes were debtors to him so that now he is not only a mercifull creditor to vs content to release the debts of our sinnes but also by his promise become our debtor vpon our repentance to giue vs a pardon and vpon our pardon to giue vs heauen O vnspeakable mercy Well sure I am he is a true debtor and will pay what he hath vndertaken therefore I am perswaded hee will forgiue my sins for seeing when hee knew all the sinnes that euer I should commit hee would notwithstanding in loue send his sonne to be my Sauiour whereas he hath now by his death made full satisfaction for them shall I thinke the Lord will stick at the pardon of them Now as concerning the hardnes of my heart I see I neede the lesse to feare it in regard I haue a sight and sense thereof and vnfainedly bewaile the same For like as it is with a greene wound if it bleede well when it is made there is the lesse feare of rankling more good hope of curing so for as much as I feele my heart bleed in bewayling the hardnes of it I see there is the lesse dāger of festering inwardly to the destruction of my soule For my weaknes in the seruice of God though Sathan would hereby take occasion to keep me from the word prayer and Sacraments perswading mee that I doe but take the name of God in vaine and prophane his worship and increase my own condemnation yet I am resolued to try masteries with him and not to neglect Gods seruice and these holy exercises at any hand for if hee could once get mee at this bay hee would triumph indeed and I further consider to my comfort that God measureth the obedience yeelded to him rather by the * Deus magis delectatur affectu quam effectis desire and will to obey than by the large and exact performance thereof Though therefore I doe not all the good I would yet seeing in loue I desire to doe it and though I bee not wholly rid of all the euill I hate yet seing in hatred thereof I desire to be rid of it God will accept of that which I doe and will impute vnto me that which I desire Min. What is it else that doth disquiet your minde and interrupt your peace Con. Sometimes I feare that all the grace which I haue conceiued to bee in me Doubting proceeding from fear of hypocrisie answered and all that I do at any time in the seruice and worship of God and the holinesse which I make shew of is but all in hypocrisie which my conceit growes the stronger on mee because I see sometimes some who haue been accounted very rare Christians farre excelling mee in knowledge seeming-zeale forwardnesse and other gifts and yet haue fearefully fallen away from the grace of God and so fowly discouered themselues that it hath appeared euidently they neuer had the soundnes of grace in them Min. This is a slie temptation indeed for thus the Diuell transformes himselfe into an Angell of light as though hee loued sincerity and would haue men sincere whereas hee hates nothing more and therefore while hee thus goes about to condemne you of hypocrisie hee shewes himselfe a damned hypocrite but how deale you with this subtile suggestion Con. First I see I haue no warrant to take so neere to heart the fearefull examples of backsliding hypocrites as to question mine owne estate therefore for tho some earthy comets and muddie meteors are drawne aloft sometimes and make a great blaze than the true starres of light but after a short time vanish away yet the true stars must not therefore nor will not leaue their place or shining and though the wolues somtimes goe in sheeps clothing * Non debet ouis pellensuam deponere quod lupi aliquādo se ca cōtegāt Aug. yet must not the sheepe therefore forgoe their clothing and thinke themselues to bee wolues Secondly I consider that to see feare and shun hypocrisie is to bee sincere Whiles then I feare it I haue the lesser cause to feare the danger of it and am the further from it Thirdly I desire rather to be good than to seem to be so and to do good rather than to seeme to doe it therefore I am not an hypocrite for hee desires the contrary he lookes chiefly to the outside I to the inside to my heart I haue an eye to that to keepe it in good temper The good temper of the heart especially in two respects 1. Supple and soluble that is alwaies humble for else I cannot bee long in spirituall health and 2. alwaies hungry keeping in my heart an appetite vnto Christ by faith and vnto all good things in loue thereof and for the maintaining of my heart in this good temper I vse a daily good diet of the soule namely watchfulnes meditation prayer reading conference c. I am chiefly desirous and carefull to know how my estate indeed stands before God and therefore take paines to examine my selfe soundly and throughly and am very willing to bee tryed by others this working thorow-stitch the hypocrite cannot brooke 4. The hypocrite doth not vse to goe to God in d Mat. 6.5.6 secret by prayer when hee thinks none knowes sees or heares him and that in conscience being acquainted with the distresse of his owne soule and priuie to his owne corruptions to bewaile them to God and to cry for grace but this I doe neither yet would I haue once mentioned this my practice vnto you for feare of vaine-glory but that I now stand vpon my triall and must in this case produce all the witnesses I can Fiftly I finde in my selfe that I should bee full sorie that all should be but in hypocrisie in me O I would not for all the world it should be so yea I desire from my very heart that it may be in sincerity hereby I am perswaded that it is not in hypocrisie but in sincerity Min. You say well how else doe you withstand this temptation Con. I may perceiue in my greatest feare and doubting that some of the signes