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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88578	A Christians duty and safety in evill times Delivered in severall sermons, upon four texts of scripture, viz. Christ's prayer the saints support, on Iohn 17 15[.] A divine ballance to weigh all doctrines by, on 1 Thes.5. 21[.] A Christians great enquiry, on Acts 16.30, 31[.] A description of true blessedness, on Luke 11. 28[.] By that faithfull messenger of Jesus Christ, Mr Christopher Love, late minister of Laurence-jury, London. Whereunto is annexed The saints rest, or Their happy sleep in death. As it was delivered in a sermon at Aldermanbury, London. Aug. 24. 1651. By Edmund Calalmy. B. D.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Calamy, Edumnd, 1600-1666. Saints rest.	1653 (1653)	Wing L3147; Thomason E1434_3-4; ESTC R209589	82,542	242

Enquirie after Heaven then how few in the World shall come to Heaven Vse 2 Secondly from the Resolve that the Apostle gives to the Jaylors Question Believe on the Lord Iesus Christ rest on Christ for thy Salvation on his Merits on his Blood and on his Righteousnesse Hence learn what a great benefit and priviledge the children of men have by liveing under a Covenant of Grace for although they cannot be saved by what they can doe themselves yet they may be saved by what Iesus Christ hath done for them Thou canst not bee saved by all thy doing but thou maist be saved by believing by resting and relying on Jesus Christ expecting salvation by what hee hath done and suffered in thy stead in thy behalfe Had wee layn under a Covenant of Works then it had been Doe this and live but a Covenant of Grace saith Believe and live The condition of the Covenant of Workes is That we should give an exact and perfect Righteousnesse of our own unto God the Righteousnesse of another will not serve the turn And in this Covenant little will not be accepted for much the will for the deed the Sentence of Absolution shall be pronounced if ye be found without spot or blemish compleatly righteous but the Sentence of Condemnation if ye be found unrighteous in the least tittle This Covenant speaks not one word of Hope or Help Mercy or Peace to the poore lost sinner but pronounceth him accursed for the least transgression for the least deviation from the righteous Law of God and there is no place left for Repentance no place left for Mercy upon the breach of the Covenant Adam by one sin made all his posterity miserable and the Apostle saith Gal. 3.10 Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to doe them So that there is no possibility of life by the Covenant of Workes because in our lapsed estate in our estate of corruption the Covenant of Workes is impossible to bee fulfilled by us since the day that sin came into the world that Adam eat the forbidden fruit never did any man fulfill the Covenant of Workes for there is no man that sineth not 1 Kings 8.46 2 Chron 6 36 2 Chron 6.36 There is not a just man upon the Earth that doth good and sineth not Eccle. 7.21 Eccl. 7.20 In many things we off end all Iames 3.2 Iames 3.2 O then what cause have we to admire the infinite unspeakable mercy goodnesse of God in makeing this Covenant of Grace with man a sinner this new Covenant when the former was violated which is as it were a plank after a ship-wrack that when man had voluntarily transgressed the righteous Law of God and thereby justly deprived both himselfe and his posterity of that life and blessednesse which was promised in that Covenant and was fallen under the Death and Curse which God had threatned for the breaking and transgressing of that Covenant yet notwithstanding that such should bee the infinite Mercy of God that he should not insist upon the forfeiture that he should not binde us up to the Covenant of Workes but take us out of the hand of his justice and put us into the hand of his Mercy not dealing with us according to our deserts but according to the exceeding riches of his Grace in his unsearchable Wisdom when Men and Angels were at a losse finding out a Remedy to help and relieve a poore forlorn lost sinner that is cast by the Covenant of Works not sparing his only begotten Sonne Jesus Christ the righteous the Mediator of the New Covenant Heb. 12.29 Heb. 12.24 who hath satisfied Gods justice slain that enmity which was betwixt God and us and made peace for us For in this Covenant of Grace the righteousnesse of Christ and satisfaction made by Christ is held forth and tendred unto the justice of God the Surety is punished and the Debtor is spared Esa 53.6.5 Esaiah 53.6.3 the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquity the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes wee are healed And the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 2.1.2 1 Iohn 2 1.2 If any man sin wee have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous he is the propitiation for our sins So that here mercy may be found to help and relieve a poore sinner which is lost in the Covenant of Workes ●in this Covenant of Grace God accepts of the Will for the Deed hee doth not stand so strictly upon it as to cast the sinner out of favour for every transgression but as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him Psa 103.13 Psal 103.13 that is those that are faithfull with God in Covenant those that strive to doe the Will of the Lord and flie to his grace for pardon and acceptance those that repent of their transgressions and promise and perform upright obedience For in this Covenant here is place for Repentance and mercy for the penitent Acts 3.19 Acts 3.19 repent that your sinnes may bee blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And Proverbs 28.13 Prov 28.13 whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall have mercy But under a Covenant of Workes there is no place left for Repentance nor mercy for the penitent Here then wee see the inestimable the unspeakable benefit wee have by a Covenant of Grace for now by laying hold on Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith by resting and relying on what hee hath done and suffered in our stead and in our behalfe we may lay a rightfull and infallible claim unto the Kingdom of Heaven Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved FINIS A DESCRIPTION OF True Blessednesse Text. Luke 11.28 But hee said yea rather blessed are they which bear the Word of God and keep it IN the obscure humanity of Jesus Christ there did break forth such a glorious lustre of his Divinity that though as to his person he was deemed despicable and contemptible yet the words that he spake and the works that he did declared him to bee no lesse then the Son of God The words hee spake declared it his enemies themselves being judges John 7.46 Iohn 7.46 The Officers answered never man spake like this man And for the workes he did the miracles he wrought of them it is said That it was never done thus from the begining of the World As upon his healing of the man born blinde say they Iohn 9.32 It was never heard that a man born blind could afterwards see His miracles wrought admiration in the hearts even of those men The coherence of the words in whom it wrought envy The miracle he wrought in this chapter which was the disposessing of the

that Doctrine is unsound Rule 7 Seventhly whatsoever Doctrine doth necessarily tend to settle and compose a troubled Conscience by teaching us to bottom only upon the merits of Christ for salvation and not upon our own good works that Doctrine is sound But that Doctrine which leaves a distressed perplexed Conscience without any sound bottom to rest upon by teaching men to place the stresse of their salvation upon the mutable Will of man this is not only an uncomfortable but an unsound Doctrine Rule 8 Eightly that Doctrine that tends to the advancement of godlinesse in a mans Christian course which as the Apostle speakes Titus 1.1 acknowledgeth the truth which is after godlinesse which conduceth to the perfecting of holinesse that puts us on to diligent care to work out our salvation with feare and trembling that helps on the work of grace in the soul that tends to inform the judgement reform the heart and conform the life to the whol Will of God that Doctrine is true and good But on the contrary that Doctrine which tends to Licentiousnesse and Libertinism causing men to neglect the Ordinances of God and to grow weary of Congregationall Worship Family Worship and Closet Worship that turns the grace of God into Wantonnesse that magnifies the Death of Christ but destroyes the Life of Christ that sets up the Blood of Christ the Priestly Office of Christ but regards not the Commands of Christ the Kingly Office of Christ that makes men confident of Mercy but carelesse of Repentance that makes Christ mercifull but leaves them sinfull or at the best brings them but to a form of godlinesse without the power thereof that Doctrine is erronious and dangerous Truth ever advanceth godlinesse but erronious Doctrine is contrary thereunto 2 Tim. 2.16 2 Tim 2.16 Shun prophane and vayn bablings for they will encrease unto more ungodlinesse We finde in our dayes the fruit of vain bablings and Disputes to be the broaching of such damnable Opinions as these viz That a man must not mourn for sinne must not confesse sinne must not pray for pardon of sinne and thus three parts of Prayer are taken away So concerning the Decree of God that if they bee decreed to bee saved they shall bee saved let them live as they list and if they bee decreed to bee damned they shall bee damned let them doe what they can Whereas the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation should bee a spur to stir us up in pursuit after holinesse So concerning the Law of God that it is of no use to believers And many such like pernicious Doctrines are occasioned by vain Disputes all which tend to more ungodlinesse which is enough to prove them to be false for truth ever advanceth practical godlynesse in a mans Christian course Rule 9 Lastly Doctrines of truth will be true when they are tryed truth fears no tryal it is error that fears the light that creeps into houses and dares not appear in publique that seiseth upon silly women laden with corruption as the Apostle speaks 2 Tim. 3.6 but dares not encounter with a knowing Christian 2. Tim. 3.6 And therefore it is that the Turks doe forbid any man to dispute against their Alkoran And therfore it is that the Church of Rome will not suffer the common people to read the Bible but they must pin their Faith upon other mens sleeves and believe as the Church believes And thus they cause their Errors and Idolatries to bee swallowed down whereas were they brought into the light the weaknesse and sinfulnesse thereof would appear The sum of all is this When you heare any Doctrine delivered compare it with the VVord of God and if you finde that it doth crosse any part of the old or new Testament believe it not for it is not Truth but Error These Rules and Directions for the trying of such Doctrines as you hear may be of great advantage unto you in these loose and erronious times if the Lord give you hearts to make a right improvement thereof Nay Conscience doth not tell mee of any thing delivered unto you repugnant unto the Scripture But trust nothing that I preach untill you have tried it and if you finde any thing disagreeable to the written Word of God reject it Prove all things hold fast that that which is good FINIS A CHRISTIANS great Enquiry Text. Acts 16.30 31. And said sirs what must I doe to be saved And they said beleive on the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saved THis Text is propounded by way of interrogation the manner of its composure intimates that it is the Ebulition of a perplexed mind the Quere of a distempered and distressed soul and that about a businesse of the greatest moment in the World There are many critical curious and controversial Questions that men enquire after in these daies But this Question that the poor Jaylor here asked is a Question of the greatest concernment that ever can bee made by any man It was no lesse then this what he might doe to be saved The Question seems to be the expression of a man in great anguish and consternation of mind and truly the matter the Question is about is such as might trouble all the World As a grave Divine answered one that came unto him saying Sir I am troubled about my Salvation saith hee freind it is a businesse that might trouble all the World So here this poor man cries out to Paul and Silas what must I doe to be saved I shall not spend time about the Explication but shall dispatch what I have to say in a practical prosecution of these words Before I come to the points of Doctrin I intend to handle There are 3 concurrent circumstances about the words from whence 3 Observations will arise 1 From the consideration of the condition of the man that propounds this serious Question a Iaylor a calling in those times especially full of infamy because the followers of Christ were most of all in bonds when Oppressors and men of violence escaped free yet behold a Iaylor the object of pardoning mercy Hence Observe 1 Observation From the condition of the man that propounds this Question That men of the most despicable condition in the World may become the objects of Gods pardoning mercy Salvation is not impailed within the rank of the rich and honourable of the World but sometimes men of the lowest rank become the objects of Gods mercy Pardoning grace reacheth sometimes to the vildest and most notorious sinners in the World Christ came not to call the righteous Mark 2.17 but sinners to repentance 2. From the consideration of the occasion or manner of this Jaylors conversion for it is said In the night there was a great Earth-quake in the prison and the Keeper awakened out of his sleep and when he arose he saw all the prison doores open and thinking that all the prisoners had been gone hee was in great perplexity of minde