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
A17683	The lectures or daily sermons, of that reuerend diuine, D. Iohn Caluine, pastor of the Church of God in Geneua, vpon the prophet Ionas, by N.B. student in Diuinitie. Whereunto is annexed an excellent exposition of the two last epistles of S. Iohn, done in Latin by that worthy doctor, August. Marlorate, and englished by the same N.B.	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Baxter, Nathaniel, fl. 1606.; Marlorat, Augustin, 1506-1562. Novi testament Catholici expositio ecclesiastica. aut	1578 (1578)	STC 4432; ESTC S109621	135,321	202

it shall be more easie for the land of Catha●a at the last day then for them For in this discourse they might see First the sinnes of Niniueh and in it their own sinnes 2 Againe the mercy of God in sending Ionas vnto the Niniuites being haynous offenders and thereby see that the Lord is also mercifull vnto themselues that he warneth them of their fall by his preachers 3 Then the disobedience of Ionas and his punishment and thereby may they see a liuely image of the fall of Gods children vnto sinne and Gods iustice euen vpon his seruauntes to the ende to reclaime them and not to condemne them 4 Also they might see here the working of gods spirite in Ionas being in the bottom of the sea and his deliuery and thereby might they learne that God by punishing his seruantes maketh them more strong and trieth their faith and when they cry vnto him he deliuereth them out of all their troubles 5 And so agayne might they see how seuerely Ionas preached vnto the Niniuites hauing no commission to entreat of Gods mercy vnto them and yet that kind of preaching wrought in them repentaunce beyng the very ende why God sent Ionas vnto them although Ionas considered it not and also gods mercy in pardoning their sinnes And by this might they learne that though God speake angerly vnto vs yet he neuer speaketh so but for our profit and will surely pardon our iniquities if we from the hart repent vs of the same Lastly they might see how Ionas beyng once forgeuen yet eftsoone offended more grieuously yea and murmured agaynst God and yet God vanquished him with reason and of his great mercy forgaue him also that his sinne And by this might they learn how fraile the children of God are if they be not still gouerned by gods spirite and how mercifull God is vnto those that be his with many other things most necessary for all men If they therefore neglect or contemne these things let them know that they neglect the very word of the lord and their saluation and so purchase to them selues eternall death The lord therefore for his mercy sake heale their blinde eyes and helpe their vnbeliefe Now right honorable if I be asked what mooued me to dedicate these my labours vnto you I must needes answer that the sweete and comfortable matter therein conteyned whereof I know your honour will be a willing partaker and the good liking that you haue had alwayes of M. Caluines workes together with my duetifull remembraunce of your honours friendship to me sometyme shewed would haue forced me if I had bene of my selfe vnwilling humbly to haue submitted this worke vnto your honourable tuition being the Lectures of M. Caluine most nere his sermons vpon the prophet Ionas by me now at the earnest sute of some of my dere friendes turned into our English tonge The gift I confesse is but small but I desire your honour to accept it in good part as the gift of him that remaineth still notwithstanding this bound vnto you And as touching you right worshipfull knightes and Christian gentlemen many causes there be why you also shoulde be partakers of these fruitefull sermons or lectures The one is to the ende that sith the moste parte of you haue hearde my lectures or readinge vppon Iosua Daniell Ionas and Malachie you might also by readinge this booke call to remembraunce to youre comfortes some of the thinges which then you hearde at my mouthe Another cause is that excellent doctrine of the prophet Ionas not vnmeete for your callinges and agayne the great studie which you haue to further and promoote the glory of god And further your manifoulde frinshipes vnto me declared at sundry times as wel in defending the trueth by me vttered in studiyng to benefit me both in your wordes and deedes as also your daylie desires to doe me good as wel openly to me protested as secretly intended I omitte now other causes contentinge my selfe with these fewe which certainelie ought to binde any Christian that knoweth you and is like ease bound vnto you as am I and againe is of abilitie to dedicate his laboures vnto you alone ▪ which thoughe I haue not donne yet am I parswaded that you will according to your good natures take the matter well as it was by me mente to this ende that sithe you are ioyned together in this worke with a man of honor whom I know both you loue honor in the Lord you wil also ioyne together with him in folowing the gospel and defending the same at al times when it shal haue neede also make accounte of me to be alwayes redie when the Lorde shall geue me occasion to testifie with all humilitie and reuerence of your worshipfull good willes vnto me shewed as well in other of my workes as in this Thus therefore Right honorable and worshipfull for this time I ende making my praiers vnto God for you that as he hath by his prouidence caused your names by me his seruant to be mentioned in the preface to this one booke so he will also vouchsafe to linke you all together in perfect frinship the bonde of perfection and increase his graces in you mainetaine your estates and blisse your callinges houlde vp your houses and aduance your seates in this Israel of god to the benifit of the church to the ioye of the Queenes most excellence maiestie who as god longe continewe amoungst vs to the terror of the wicked and the encoraging of the godlie and finally to your owne eternall comfortes Amen From my house in Ridborn this 22. of Ianuarie 1577 ▪ Your Honors and Worships most humble in the Lorde Christ Nath. Baxterus ❧ Baxters complaint with an admonition to the Reader TO sée the Doue of Architas being all of woodde to flie To heare Albertus brazen head to speake effectuallie To view with aegiptian Arnuphus with wings the clowds to pierce To sée a Rocke fall from the Sunne as Plinie doth rehearse To sée a deadly Corps by man calde out of griezely graue To sée these things or ●yke to these howe many shoulde we haue In thronging troupes of each estate with winged féete to haste In pompous pride on earthly sights their golden tymes to waste What youthful dame what man what chyld doth stick the path to tread Which vnto pleasures flattering sightes the ready way doth leade But to thy sacred shrine to flie O loue celestial king What slouthful steps what lingering haste what lazy waltering wing What drousie sleepe doth close the eyes of men of each degree What long delaies these dayes are made when men should com to thée What farmes are bought must be séene what wiues are maried eke What lets almost in al men are when they thy grace should séeke O soueraigne God thou knowest how men in earthly things dyd toyle To finde out Artes and handycraftes with paine in euery soyle For Menno he first Letters founde among Th' Egiptians And

dyd not this thought also vexe his harte when he was called to the office of a Teacher Certaine it is therfore that this ought to be restrained vnto his preaching such as before was declared vnto vs Ionas had neuer despised the commaundement of God if he had bene sent to the Nineuits euē as before he was commaunded to teach the elect people the Iewes If therefore this office had bene enioyned to Ionas that he shoulde haue set forth God mercifull and gentle vnto the Nineuits he had not doubted to haue offered his obedient seruice But séeing this precise threatning was enioygned him Nineueh shall perish therefore is he drawne away and coueteth rather to runne awaye then to execute such a commaundement And why so Forsooth he reasoneth thus with himselfe I denounce imminent destruction to the Nineuits To what ende doth God commaunde but euen that he might inuite and call these wretched men to repentaunce Now if they shall repent wyll not God by by be ready to forgeue them for otherwise he shoulde denie his owne nature God can not be vnlyke him selfe or contrarie to him selfe he can not put off that affection whereof he testified once vnto Moses When as therefore the Lorde shall be appeased and pacified if the Nineuits repent and flee to him for succour he wyll by and by embrace them and so shall I befound false in my preaching Now therefore we knowe how this place of Ionas ought to be vnderstanded when he sayth that he fledde ouer the sea or at the least that was his determination because he knewe that God was mercifull For he had neuer dissobayed God but that this contrariety did trouble him and feare his minde what I shal goo thither as the messenger of God shortly after I shal be found a lyar shall not this reproach redounde to the name of God himselfe it is better therfore that I holde my peace then that God which is the author of my vocation be coumpted a iesting stocke We sée therefore that Ionas had an eye vnto that manner of preaching which he shoulde vse in Nineueh whereof we haue spoken before And hereby it appeareth that Ionas gaue more to the Nineuits then he had For he thought that he was sent from God onely that the Nineuits might vnderstande that they must perishe but he brought saluation vnto them This he in some parte eyther suspected in him selfe or knewe it For be retayned that prnciple that God could not put off from him his mercie because he remaineth alwayes one But he came abroade to execute the office inioygned him certainlie he had nothing else before his eyes but the vtter destruction of the Citie of Nineueh But in the meane time God vsed his labour and mynisterie to a better ende and successe But there is no doubt but that Ionas him selfe exhorted the Nineuits to repentaunce but his harte was as it were shut vp that it should not admyt them the mercy of god We see that Ionas was in his afflictions preuented so that he could not offer saluation to the Nineuits and yet was it offered from God by his hand Now then we vnderstande howe the Lorde oftentymes worketh by is seruaunts with his hand he leadeth them as blinde men whether they lytle thinke So when the Lorde styrreth vp any of vs we shal be sometime of smal fayth we shal thinke that eyther our labour shal be vnprofitable and without fruite or at the least that small shal be our successe But the Lorde wyll declare that successe which we could neuer looke for And such was the example of Ionas for when he came to Nineueh he had none other purpose but to testifie the destruction of the Citie but the Lorde woulde haue him to be the Mynister of saluation vnknowne to him selfe Well the Lorde then adorned the doctrine of Ionas with this excellent successe when as yet he was vnworthy of so great honour because after a sort he had shutte vp the passage to the blessing of God as we haue already sayde Now therfore we know the meaning of this place when Ionas sayd that he fledde from the calling of God because he knew that he was a God proue vnto fauour againe mercifull c. Now I come to these speeches of god The Hebrew worde Chanun signifieth properlie Benigne Gracious and Debonaire and God ascribeth this tytle vnto him selfe Then he addeth Mercifull signifying that he alwayes is set before vs if at any tyme we come vnto him as vnto the fountaine both of all goodnesse and mercie But the wordes that followe doo better expresse this mercie of God or doo define howe God is mercifull euen because he is of much clemencie next againe slowe vnto anger God therefore is proue vnto gentlenesse againe although men be vnworthy whom he shoulde respect he is yet notwithstanding mercifull and this he expresseth by the Hebrew word Pachum In the meane tyme it is necessarie to adde these two wordes together That he is of much mercie and slowe to anger And why For we séeke alwayes in our selues the cause of the grace of God when as we couet that God shoulde fauor vs we enquire in our selues why he shoulde fauor vs. Now when we finde nothing by and by al fayth which we first conceyued of the grace of God vanisheth awaye And here then the Lord himself reuoketh calleth vs backe vnto him and testifyeth that he is therfore fauorable mercifull vnto vs because he is of great mercy As if he should saye I in my selfe haue sufficient cause why I am exorable vnto you and why I also doo embrace you and take you into my fauour The onely goodnesse of God is therefore to be respected when we desire to haue him mercifull vnto vs or when we haue any néede of pardō as if he should say that he is not induced or moued with any respect of our worthynesse nor yet doth séeke any of our merites that therefore he shoulde be proue vnto mercy when we haue offended or should take vs into his fauour but that therefore he doth yet because his goodnesse is immensurable infinite Now there is also added Slowe to anger This flownesse to anger declareth that God prouideth for the saueguard of mankinde yea euen when they are oppressed with sinne although therfore euery day miserable men doo prouoke vpon themselues the wrath of God yet ceaseth he not to prouide for their safegarde therefore is he slowe to anger that is the Lorde doth not strayt way lay vpon men such punishment as they deserue which so prouoke him Well nowe we see what is the sum of the words Now let vs returne to that saying that Ionas was withdrawne from his office because he knew that God was slowe to anger and mercifull and full of fauour For he brought in this reason eyther God will chaunge his nature or els he will spare the Nineuits if they repent but it may be that

true prescript or ordinaunce thereof For they know that saying of Iohn Hereby are we sure that we haue knowne him if wée kéepe his commaundements He that sayth I know him and kéepeth not his commaundements is a lyar and the truth is not in him Paul also speaketh thus of the knowledge of Christ you haue not so learned Christ if so be you haue heard him and haue bene taught by him as the truth is in Iesus that is that ye cast of concerning the conuersation in tyme paste that oulde man whiche is corrupt through the deceyuable lustes and be renewed in the spirite of your mynde c. Out of the which words we learne that in vaine doo all they bost of the knowledg of the truth which endeuour not themselues to newnesse of lyfe Vers 2 ¶ For the truthes sake which dwelleth in vs and shal be with vs for euer FOr the truthes sake He meaneth the truth of the Gospell which they by the preaching of the word had learned as if he shoulde saye Not for any other cause doo the godly and faythfull which are with vs loue thy sonnes but because they vnderstande that the sinceritye of the profession of the gospel pell which wée followe doth dwell in you In this place maye we obserue the difference betwéene worldlye loue and Christian loue Many loue other men for their ritches substaunce honour and goods which they hope to receyue at their hands Such loue is not true loue but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe loue But Christian loue euen as it is founded in Gods verity respecteth first the only glory of God and secondly the profit of his neighbor Therfore is this trueth alwayes ioygned with the feare of God so that no man can truly boste of this truth but he which hath geuen ouer himselfe obedient to the wil of of God. It followeth VVhich dwelleth in vs. That is which is firme true among vs of the which none of vs can doubt If so be that we most stedfastlye holde Christe speaking to the Father with his owne mouth vttered Thy worde is trueth It foloweth And shal be vvith vs for euer These words pertayne not so muche to the confirmation of the doctrine as vnto the certaintie of their perseueraunce Here the Elder affirmeth both himselfe and the rest of the faythfull amongst whome he was conuersant to perseuer in the truth Which thing ought not to bring a little comfort to all godly men For lytle were it that we are placed in the waye of trueth except we had hope of perseuering to the ende But they which are indowed with the celestiall spirite and being taught of Christ haue learned the trueth doo knowe for certaintie that they are not called in vaine into the flocke of Christ that is not for this cause onelie that they may heare the voyce of the Pastor Christe but that they maye folowe him vnto the ende as he sayde My sheepe heare my voice and I knowe them and they follow me And in another place If a man loue me he will keepe my worde and my father will loue him and we will come vnto him and dwell with him And when he speaketh of the holie ghost who him selfe teacheth this trueth I sayth he will praie the father and he shal geue you another comforter that he maie abide with you for euer euē the spirit of truth whome the worlde cannot receiue because in seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye knowe him for he dwelleth in you and shal be in you Wherevnto also pertayneth that most excellent promise of Christ Beholde I am with you alwaies euen to the ende of the worlde Beholde howe the trueth dwelleth alwayes with the faythful If a man obiect that there be many which depart from the flocke of Christ euen as we may gather out of many places of scripture we haue a ready aunswere that they neuer truely beléeued nor acknowledged the trueth Wherfore the spirite of God thinketh them not of the number of the faithfull but rather when it seemeth him good he abiecteth them out of the sacred flocke of God as vnprofitable outcastes and méere hypocrites Whervpon Iohn speaking of Antichrists sayth They went out from vs but they were not of vs For if they had bene of vs they had remained together with vs but this commeth to passe that they might appeare that they are not all of vs For the holie Apostle knewe right well what Christe had sayde of the Electe shéepe I geue vnto them life eternall neither shall they perish for euer neither shall any man take them out of my hande My Father which gaue them vnto mee is greater then all and no man can take them out of my Fathers hande They therfore which truely belong vnto the flock of Christ shal in him perseuer vnto the ende according to that saying of Paule the Apostle I am perswaded of this same thing that he which hath begune this good worke in you wyll performe it vntyll the daye of Iesus Christ Vers 3 ¶ Grace mercie and peace from God the Father and from the Lorde Iesu Christ the sonne of the Father shal be with vs in trueth and loue GRace c. He wisheth to the faithfull Grace which is geuen to vs by Christe wherein also he declareth himself to be the faithfull dispensor of the mysteries of God. And he comforteth vs when he sayth that Grace shal continue with vs whereby we are saued through fayth For by the worde Grace he signifieth the fauour of God which he sheweth towardes vs for his sonnes sake in that he imputeth not our sinnes vnto vs but remitteth them for our mediatour Iesus Mercie This is the cause of that Grace into the which God receyueth vs concerning the which Peter wryteth Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ which according to his abundaunt mercie hath begotten vs againe into a liuelie hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead And Paule Not of the workes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs Peace This also springeth of the grace of god That Peace sayth he wherewith God the Father reconciled vs vnto him selfe shall continue for euer for the counsaile of God is firme and stedfast and is not chaunged as a man This Peace Christe wisheth and leaueth with his Disciples They therfore that loue the Lawe of the Lorde shall haue great peace and shall haue no hurt And blessed shall they be because they confesse Christe the true Peace and retaine him for the author of their fayth But from whome are all these thinges to be looked for From God the Father For he is the fountaine and originall of all goodnesse as Iames testifieth saying Euerie good geuing and euerie perfect gyfte is from aboue descending from the Father of lyghtes with whome is no