Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	father_n	sin_n	sinner_n	3,110	5	7.5131	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09365	The whole treatise of the cases of conscience distinguished into three bookes: the first whereof is revised and corrected in sundrie places, and the other two annexed. Taught and deliuered by M. W. Perkins in his holy-day lectures, carefully examined by his owne briefes, and now published together for the common good, by T. Pickering Bachelour of Diuinitie. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table: one of the heads and number of the questions propounded and resolued; another of the principall texts of Scripture vvhich are either explaned, or vindicated from corrupt interpretation.; Cases of conscience	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1606 (1606)	STC 19669; ESTC S114066	314,224	686

and erronious Grounds of Doctrine much preiudiciall to the direction or resolution of the Conscience in time of neede as namely I. That a man in the course of his life may build himselfe vpon the faith of his teachers and for his saluation rest contented with an implicite and vn-expressed faith Which doctrine as it is an onely meane to keepe men in perpetuall blindnes and ignorance so it serueth to no other purpose in the time of Temptatiō but to plunge the hart of man into the pit of despaire it being vncapable of cōfort for want of particular knowledg vnderstāding of the word promise of God I● That euery man ought to stand in feare and doubt of the pardon of his sinnes and that no man can be assured by the certentie of faith either of the present fauour of God or of his owne saluation True it is that in respect of our owne vnworthines and indisposition we haue iust cause not onely to doubt and feare but to dispaire and be confounded before the iudgement seat of God Yet that a man should not be certainely resolued by faith of the mercie of God in and for the merir of Christ is a comfortlesse doctrine to a distressed soule and contrarie vnto the sauing word of the Gospel which teacheth that certentie floweth from the nature of faith and not doubting III. That euery man is bound in conscience vpon paine of damnation to make speciall confession of his mortall sinnes with all the particular circumstāces therof once euery yere to his Priest This position practise besides that it hath no warrant of sacred writte nor yet any ground of Orthodoxe antiquitie for 800. yeares more or lesse after Christ it maketh notably to the disturbing of the peace of Conscience in time of extremitie considering that is impossible either to vnderstand or remember all many beeing hidden and vnknowne And the minde being in this case informed that forgiuenesse dependeth vpon such an enumeration may thus be brought into doubt and distrust and will not be able to rest by faith in the sole mercie of God the onely soueraigne medicine of the soule Againe the griefe of the mind doth not alwaies arise from all the sinnes that a man hath committed neither doth the Lord set before the sinners eies whatsoeuer euill hath bin done by him but some one or more particulars And these are they that doe lie heavie vpon the heart and to be eased of them will be worke inough though he doth not exhibite vnto the Confessour a Catalogue of all the rest IV. That some sinnes are veniall because they are onely besides the Lawe of God not against it and because they binde ouer the sinner onely to temporal and not to eternall punishments This conclusion first is false For though it be granted that some offences are greater some lesser some in a higher degree others in a lower Againe that sinnes in regard of the euent beeing repented of or in respect of the person sinning beeing in Christ and therefore accounted iust are pardonable because they are not imputed to condemnation yet there is no sinne of what degree soeuer which is not simply and of it selfe mortall whether we respect the nature of the sinne or the measure and proportion of diuine iustice For in nature it is an anomie that is to say an aberration from the perfect rule of righteousnesse therefore is subiect to the curse both of temporarie and eternall death It is an offence against the highest Maiestie and consequently man standeth by it ingaged to euerlasting torment Secondly it is a weake and insufficient ground of resolution to a troubled Conscience For whereas true and sauing ioy is the daughter of sorrow and the heart of man cannot be lifted vp in assurance of Gods fauour to the apprehensiō and conceipt of heauenly comforts vnlesse it be first abased and by true humiliation brought to nothing in it selfe The remembrance of this that the offence committed is veniall may in some cases too much inlarge the heart and giue occasion to presume when haply there will be reason to the contrary And if not that yet in case of falling by infirmitie after grace receiued the mind beeing forestalled with this erronious conceipt that the sinne is lesse then it is indeede because veniall may in the issue be lesse quieted and more perplexed V. That a man may satisfie the iustice of God for the temporall punishment of his sinnes committed To omit the vntruth of ●●is position Howe it maketh to the casing of the heart or the asswaging of the griefe of minde in temptation I appeale to common experience For when a man beeing assured of the pardon of his sinnes shall yet consider that there is something more behind to be done on his part how can he in probabilitie rely himselfe wholly vpon Christs satisfaction How can he reape vnto himselfe from thence any assurance of reconciliation to God whome he formerly offended If we may and must doe something in our owne persons whereby to appease the wrath of God why hath our Sauiour taught vs for our hearts releife wholly and onely to make the plea of pardon for our sinnes True it is indeede that Popish Confessours doe teach their Penitents when they feele the wrath of God vpon them for sinne to stoppe the mouth of Conscience by performance of a formall humiliation and repentance yea to offer vnto God some ceremoniall duties in way of satisfaction But when sorrow seazeth vpon the soule and the man falls into temptation then it will appeare that these directions were not currant for notwithstanding them he may want sound comfort in Gods mercie and runne into despaire without recouerie And for this cause vpon experience it hath bin prooued that euen Papists themselues in the houre of death haue bin content to renounce their owne workes yea the whole body of humane satisfactions and to cleaue onely to the mercie of God in Christ for their saluation By these instances and many more that might be alleadged to this purpose it is apparent vpon how weake and vnstable Grounds the Case-diuinitie of the Popish Church standeth and how indirect a course they take for the resolution and direction of the troubled Conscience Now by the benefit and abuse of this Doctrine we see how necessary it is that in Churches which professe Christiā religion it should be more taught and further inlarged then it is And to this purpose it were to be wished that men of knowledge in the Ministerie that haue by the grace of God attained vnto the Tongue of the learned would imploy their paines this way not onely in searching into the depth of such points as stand in bare speculation but in annexing thereunto the grounds and conclusions of practise wherby they might both informe the iudgement rectifie the conscience of the hearers By this means it would come to passe that the poore distressed soule might

the Commandements When he replied that he had kept them from his youth Christ tels him that he must goe yet further and sell all that he hath and giue to the poore And Iohn tells the Scribes and Pharises who came vnto his Baptisme and confessed their sinnes that if they would flie from the wrath to come they must repent and bring forth fruits worthie amendment of life From these places then I frame this answer to the Question in hand The man that would stand in the fauour of God and be saued must doe foure things first humble himselfe before God secondly beleeue in Christ thirdly repent of his sinnes fourthly performe new obedience vnto God Sect. 2. For the first Humiliation is indeode a fruit of faith yet I put it in place before faith because in practise it is first Faith lieth hid in the heart and the first effect whereby it appeares is the abasing and humbling of our selues And here we are further to consider three points first wherein stands humiliation secondly the excellencie of it thirdly the Questions of conscience that concerne it Touching the first point Humiliation stands in the practise of three things The first is a sorrow of heart whereby the sinner is displeased with himself ashamed in respect of his sinnes The second is a confession to god wherin also three things are to be done first to acknowledge all our maine sinnes originall and actuall secondly to acknowledge our guiltinesse before God thirdly to acknowledge our iust damnation for sinne The third thing in Humiliation is supplication made to God for mercie as earnestly as in a matter of life and death and of these three things we haue in Scripture the examples of Ezra Daniel and the prodigall sonne Ezra 9. Dan. 9. Luk. 15. 18. The second point is the excellencie of Humiliation which stands in this that it hath the promises of life eternall annexed to it Esa. 57. 15. I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart Psal. 51. 17. A contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Prov. 28. 13. He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall finde mercie 1. Ioh. 1. 9. If we acknowledge our sinnes he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes By all these and many other places it is manifest that in the very instant when a sinner beginnes truly in heart and conscience to humble himselfe he is then entred into the state of saluation So soone as Dauid said I haue sinned Nathan pronounceth in the name of the Lord that his sinnes were put away And Dauid himselfe saith alluding to the former place I said I will confesse my sinne and loc thou forgauest the wickednes of my sinne When the Prodigall sonne had but said I will goe to my father c. euen then before he humbled himselfe his father meetes him and receiues him The third point is touching the Questions of conscience concerning Humiliation all which may be reduced to foure principall Cases I. Case What if it fall out that a man in humbling himselfe cannot call to minde either all or the most of his sinnes I answer A particular humiliation indeed is required for maine and knowne sinnes but yet there are two cases wherein generall repentance will be accepted of God for vnknowne sinnes One is when a man hath searched himselfe diligently and by a serious examination passed through all the commaundements of God and yet after such examination and search made his particular offences are yet hidden and not reuealed vnto him so as he cannot call them to remembrance then the generall repentance is accepted For this is answerable to the practise of Dauid who after long search when he could not attaine to the knowledge of his particular slippes then he addresseth himselfe to a generall humiliation saying Who knoweth the errours of this life clense me Lord from my secret faults and vpon this he was no doubt accepted Againe when a man humbleth himselfe and yet is preuented by the time so as he cannot search his heart and life as he would his generall repentance will be taken and accepted of God The truth hereof appeares in the theefe vpon the crosse who hauing no time to search himselfe made no speciall humiliation yet vpon his generall confession he was accepted Now the ground of this doctrine is this He that truly repents of one sinne in this case when he is preuented is as if he repented of all II. Case What must a man doe that findes himselfe hard hearted and of a dead spirit so as he cannot humble himselfe as he would Answ. Such persons if they humble themselues they must be content with that grace which they haue receiued For if thou be truly and vnfainedly grieued for this that thou canst not be grieued thy humiliation shall be accepted For that which Paul saith of almes may be truly said in this case that if there be a readie minde a man shall be accepted according to that he hath and not according to that he hath not III. Case Whether the party that is more grieued for losse of his friend then for offēce of God by his sinne doeth or can truly humble himselfe Answ. A man may haue a greater griefe for an earthly losse then for the other and yet be truly greiued for his sinnes too The reason is because that is a bodily naturall and sensible losse and accordingly sorrow for it is naturall Now the sorrow for the offending of God is no sensible thing but supernaturall and spirituall and sensible things doe more affect urge the minde then the other Dauid did notably humble himselfe for his sinnes and he did exceedingly mourne for the losse of his sonne Absolom yea and more too then for his sinnes Would God I had died for thee Absolom O Absolom my sonne my sonne c. Againe I answer that the sorrow of the minde must be measured by the intention of the affection by the estimation of the thing for which we sorrow Now sorrow for sinne though it be lesse in respect of the intention thereof yet is it greater in respect of the estimation of the mind because they which truly mourn for their sins grieue for the offence of God as the greatest euill of all and for the losse of the fauour of God as for losse of the most excellent pretious thing in the world IV. Case Whether it be necessarie in Humiliation that the heart should be smitten with a sensible sorrow Answer I. In sorrow for sinne ther are two things first to be displeased for our sinns secondly to haue a bodily moouing of the heart which causeth crying and teares The former of these is necessarie

which is the cause of this violent distresse And here we are to know by the way that it is an vsuall thing with the parties thus distressed to dissemble and cloake their sinnes and therefore they will alleadge that their trouble ariseth from some euill thoughts from wicked affections and from the corruption of nature whereas commonly men are not distressed in violent manner for euill thoughts affections c. but the violent distresse commeth from so●…e actuall and odious sinne or sinnes done which wound the conscience and are the causes of great distraction of minde and they are many which hauing bin vpon occasion before rehearsed I will not now repeat them Onely this must be remembred that the greater sinns against the third sixt and seuenth commandements are the maine and proper causes of violent distresses and the more secret the sinne is in regard of the practise thereof the greater horror of Conscience it bringeth and open offences doe not giue so deepe a wound vnto it as secret and hidden sinnes Secōdly the particular sinne being known Inquirie must be made as much as possibly may be by signes whether the partie distressed repenteth yea or no. For except he hath repented he cannot be fitted to receiue comfort vnlesse he be first fitted to receiue cōfort he cannot be releeued in Conscience Now if it be found that the partie hath repented then care must be had in the next place that his repentance may be renued for the particular sinne committed Thirdly hauing thus done the comfort must be ministred for the moderating or taking away of the distresse And here remember by the way that the comforts ministred vsually and ordinarily must not goe alone but be mingled and tempered with some terrors of the Law that beeing thereby feared with the consideration of sinne and of the wrath of God due vnto the same the comfort may appeare to be the sweeter The ministring whereof in case of this distresse would not be direct and present but by certaine steppes and degrees except onely in the point of death for then a directer course must be vsed These degrees are two First the partie is to be informed of a possibilitie of pardon that is that his sinnes are pardonable and though in themselues they be great and hainous yet by the mercie of God in Christ they may be remitted Now put the case that the afflicted apprehendeth onely the odiousnesse of his sinnes and the wrath of God due to the same and in this fitte puts off the pardon from himselfe and cannot be perswaded that his sinne may be forgiuen what then is to be done Ans. Then for the effecting of this first degree certaine Grounds are to be laid downe whereupon assurance in that case may be built vp in his heart The first Ground of possibilitie of pardon is That the mercie of God is infinite yea ouer all his works Psal. ●45 9. That the death of Christ is of infinite price merit and value before God That God is much in sparing Isa. 55. 7. That with the Lord is mercie and with him is plenteous redemption Psal. 130. 7. That Christs satisfaction is not onely a price but a counterprice 1. Tim. 2. 6. able to satisfie for the sinnes of all men yea for them that haue sinned against the holy Ghost For that sinne is not therefore vnpardonable because the offence thereof is greater then the merit of Christ but because th● partie offending neither doth nor can applie the merit of Christ vnto himselfe An ancient father vpon Cains wordes My punishment is greater then I can beare saith Thou liest Cain for Gods mercie is greater then the sinnes of all men The mercie of God was very great to Manasses to Salomon to Peter and to many others though they were great offenders The second Ground Men of yeares liuing in the Church of God and knowing the doctrine of saluation shall not be condemned simply for their sinnes but for lying in their sinnes Vpon this ground I say that men distressed must be grieued not so much for committing of sinne as for lying and continuing in sinnes committed A third Ground It pleaseth God many times to leaue men to themselues and to suffer them to commit some sinne that woundeth conscience It is true and cannot be denied But we must withall remember that sinnes committed doe not vtterly take away grace but rather make it the more to shine and shew it selfe For God in mercie turneth all things euen sinne it selfe to the good of them that be his and therefore sinne committed cannot either waste or extinguish grace receiued but by diuine dispensation serueth to amplifie and inlarge the same so as where sinne aboundeth there grace aboundeth much more Rom. 5. 20. And the Lord saide to Paul beeing in great extremitie 2. Cor. 12. 9. My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weakenes Hence it appeareth that the grace of God is not vtterly lost but appeareth liuely in the time of distresse The fourth Ground is this The promises of God touching remission of sinnes and life eternall in respect of beleeuers are generall and in regard of all and euery man indefinite that is they doe not define or exclude any person or any sinner or any time onely they admit one exception of finall impenitencie Here a question may be mooued How long he that ministreth comfort must stand vpon the possibilitie of pardon I answer vntill he hath brought the partie distressed to some measure of true repentance and this beeing done then he is to proceede to the second degree of comfort The Second degree of comfort is to teach that the sinne or sinnes of the partie distressed are indeede pardoned But it may be asked vpon what signes may this comfort be applyed I answer vpon these two First if the partie distressed confesse that he or shee is heartily grieued that by their sinne or sinnes they haue offended so louing and so mercifull a God Secondly if they professe that they desire with all their heart to be reconciled vnto God in Christ and at least doe desire to repent for their sinnes and withall doe carrie in heart a purpose to sinne no more but in all things as much as in them lieth to performe new obedience vnto god Luc. 15. 11. c. Now for the better enforcing of this comfort some textes of Scripture fitting this purpose must be rehearsed a● for example Matth. 9. 12 13. I came not to call the righteous that is to say those that iudge themselues righteous but sinners that is those which are grieued because in their owne conscience they are vile and hainous offenders to repentance Againe Matth 11. 28. Come vnto me all ye that are wearie and heauie laden and I will refresh you And Christ saith it was the end of his cōming to preach deliuerance to the captiues and to set at libertie them that are bruised Luk. 4. 18. To

pray and heare the word cheerefully when their stomacks are emptie These persons may eate in the day of a solemne fast so that they obserue the caueats before remembred It is not with vs in these countries as it was with the Iews They could fast one two or three daies together without any inconvenience we cannot doe the like And the reason is plaine Men that liue in those hotte countries haue colde stomackes and so may fast the longer but in colder climates such as ours is in respect of theirs men beeing of hotter stomackes are not able to continue fasting so long as they Sect. 3. The third point is concerning the Right endes of a religious fast and they are foure The first is to subdue the flesh that is to bring the body and so the bodily lusts into subiection to the will and word of God By eating and drinking the body is made heauie the heart oppressed the senses dull and the whole man vnfit for the duties of humiliation praier and hearing of the word Luk. 21. 24. That therfore this vnfitnesse may be taken away not onely the body it selfe but the vnruely lusts of the flesh are to be mortified and subdued by this exercise of fasting The second end is to stirre vp our deuotion and to confirme the attention of our mindes in hearing and in praier To this purpose in the Scripture fasting and prayer are for the most part if not alwaies ioyned togither because when the stomacke is full the body and minde are lesse able to doe any good dutie and contrariwise when abstinence is vsed the heart is lighter the affections in better order the whole man more quicke and liuely in the seruice of God For this very cause Anna is saide to worshippe God night and day with fasting and praier Luk. 2. 37. And the intent of the Holy Ghost there is to commend her for the feruencie of her praier which shee testified in that by such exercises shee stirred vp and increased the attention of her minde The third ende is to testifie the humilitie and contrition of our hearts that is to say our inward sorrow and griefe for sinne and our repentance and effectuall turning vnto God Without this ende the fast is but a vaine ceremonie And therefore the Prophet Ioel calls vpon the people to turne vnto the Lord with all their hearts with fasting weeping and mourning to rent their hearts and not their garments c. Ioel 2. 12 13. The Prophet Esay in like manner reprooveth the Iewes because when they fasted they would afflict their soules for a day and how downe their heads as a bu●rush and lie downe in sackcloath and ashes But made no conscience to turne from their euill waies Esay 58. 5 6. Therefore their outward humiliation was but hypocrisie The fourth end of a fast is to admonish vs of our guiltines before the Lord and to put vs in mind of the acknowledgement of our sinnes wherby we become vnworthy of any blessing gift or mercie yea vnworthy to goe vpon the ground to breath in the aire to eate drinke sleepe or inioy any other benefit In a word that we haue deserued by our sinnes all the plagues and punishments threatued in the Law against sinners The Malefactor in the day of Assises cannot giue greater testimonie of the true confession of his guiltines then by comming before the Iudge with the rope about his neck neither can we bring a more notable signe of our true humiliation before God then by comming before him in the day of the solemne fast with open confession and Proclamation of our guiltinesse both of sinne and punishment Hence it was that in the fast of Nineueh not onely men but euen the beasts were forbidden to feede or drinke water for this very end that the Niuevites might acknowledge their sinnes to be so great and heinous in the sight of God that in regard therof not onely the reasonable creatures themselues but also the beasts of the field for their sakes were vnworthy of life and nourishment III. Question Whether Popish Fasts be lawfull and approoued of God Ans. They are wicked and therefore neither approoued of God nor to be obserued by man and that for three speciall causes First the patrons maintainers of them doe appoint set times of fasting which are necessarily to be kept vpon paine of mortall sinne And abstinence from flesh with them is made a matter of conscience Now to prescribe set times necessarily to be obserued is contrarie to that libertie which the Church of God and the gouernours thereof haue for this purpose onely vpon speciall occasion When the question was mooued to our Saviour by Iohns Disciples Why they and the Pharises fasted often whereas his fasted not Answer was giuen in this manner Can the children of the marriage chamber mourne as long as the bridegrome is with them But the daies will come when the bridegrome shall be taken away from them and then shall they fast Mat. 9. 15. From whence we may gather that times of fasting must be according to the times of mourning For Christ giues them to vnderstand that they were to fast as occasions of mourning were offered As therefore there can be appointed no set time for mourning no more can there be enioyned a set time for fasting but must be left to the libertie of the Church to be prescribed as God shall giue occasion Againe the Apostle reprooueth the Church of Galatia for obseruing set daies and moneths times and yeares in way of Religion Gal. 4. 10. Montanus the Hereticke is thought in Ecclesiasticall stories to haue beene the first that made lawes for set-fasting And the Churches of God in ancienter times fasted of their own accords freely not inforced by law or commandement but as time and occasion serued It is alleadged that this doctrine seemes to chalenge the Church of England of Heresie for it appointeth and obserueth set times of fast Ans. Nothing lesse For our Church inioyneth and approoueth these times not vpō necessity or for religions sake but for ciuill and politicke respects whereas the Romish church holds it a mortal sinne to put off a set fast appointed so much as till the next day following The second reason They of the Church of Rome make a distinction of meates For they wholly forbid flesh to be eaten vpon daies of fast and allow whit-meates onely then to be vsed and that of necessitie Now this difference of meates is partly impious partly absurd and foolish Impious it is because they make it for Religions sake For since the cōming of Christ there is a libertie giuen to all men whatsoeuer to eate of all kindes of meates without any distinction commanding abstinence frō nothing which God hath created to be receiued with thanksgiuing It is true indeede we hold a difference betweene meate and meate but how not in way of religion but in regard of temperance health for ciuill and politike