Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	forgive_v	lord_n	sin_n	11,546	5	5.1796	4	true

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

then by and by they take vnto them as it were a newe affection and so also doo they attribute an alteration of mynde vnto God this is the Summe Now let vs procéede Chap. 4. vers 1 The text ¶ And it displeased Ionas exceedingly and he was verie angrie Caluin THis sorrow of Ionas Hierome doth commend and compareth it vnto the sacred zeale of Paul which wyshed that he myght be accurssed for his brethren Rom. 9.3 He denieth that Ionas sorrowed that God woulde haue mercie vpon so famous a Citie But because the Conuersion of the Gentiles shoulde be a certaine foreshewe of the destruction of the elected people And therefore because Ionas as it were in a glasse behelde the destruction of Israel nowe néere at hande therefore he sorrowed if we wyll beléeue Hierom but that is to to friuolous For a lytle after God rebuketh Ionas for it what shall then the foolish and chyldish defence of Hierom ease the Prophete seeing that God pronounceth that he doth wickedlie because he sorrowed Nay rather the blockishnesse of Hierom is reprehended for so maye I speake of the man who although he was learned and painefull yet he depriued him selfe of that prayse which otherwise worthely he might haue gotten For his peruerse nature euery way bewrayeth it selfe euen as he is openly reprehended by and by in the verie Text where Ionas euidently declareth that there was another cause of his sorrowe euen because he woulde not séeme or be thought a false Prophet or a lyar And for this cause was his griefe and bitternesse such But this sorrow although God him selfe had not geuen sentence vpon it yet we sée it had bene wicked and farre from all reason Let vs therefore be certainelie perswaded that Ionas was caryed away with a preposterous zeale when as with quiet mynde he coulde not beare that the Citie of Nineueh shoulde be deliuered from destruction yea he himself also increaseth the greatnesse of his own sinne For he might haue sayd in one word This displeased Ionas but he not cōtent with this simple manner of speaking addeth moreouer exceedingly or with great sorrow yea sayth moreouer that he was sore angred Although the beginning had not bene euyl the excesse yet was very vicious And he confesseth this immodesty excesse in his sorrow when as with plaine words he accuseth himself To what ende therefore is it to couer with cauyls and subtilties that thing which we manifestly sée cannot be excused But that it may better appeare why the sauegarde of the city of Nineueh displeased Ionas let vs procéede in the text vers 2 The text ¶ And he prayed vnto the Lord and sayde I beseeche thee Lorde was not this my speeche when as yet I was in my contrie Therfore I made hast to flye into Tharsis because I knew that thou art a propitious God and merciful slowe to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth thee of the euill Caluin THat Ionas sayth here that hée prayed séemeth scarce to be agréeable because prayer to be quyet and he confessed that he was so molified in his minde When as therfore the Prophet was so inflamed with wroth in his anger howe could he come into the presence of God conceiue iust prayers againe what is the ende of prayer but that we confesse that what so euer good thing is to be wished remaineth with God and is humbly to be sought and asked of him But Ionas doth here rather debate the matter with God and murmur against him For he séemeth here after a sort to skould and say that he had a iust cause to runne away and agayne that God ought not to forgeue the Nineuits He therefore accuseth God that he might cleare and deliuer himselfe from al blame and this is straunge altogether and farre from the rule of prayer How then must we vnderstande this place where he sayth that he prayed I aunswere that oftentimes the faythfull euen with a troubled mynde come vnto God with a desyre to praye and yet their prayers are not vtterly refused although they be not allowed nor yet please God in all poyntes And by this place it appeareth more euidently howe the workes of the godly are acceptable vnto God although though they be mingled with many impurities The Papists as often as they reade that any worke did please God they imagine chiefe perfection and cleannesse and yet there is no worke which is not infected with some spotte except it be purified by free pardon And this is euidente vnto vs in this prayer which was not so reiected of God but it obtained the name of a praier And yet certaine it is that Ionas was not so minded as he ought when he praied troublesomelie as it were chyding brawling with God and styll retayning some parte of his former contumacie because he beganne to lyke well of his running away from god And we haue sayde that this was a manifest signe of rebellion when as shaking off the the yoke he contempned the calling of god It is necessarie therefore that we acknowledge in this prayer of Ionas some parte of godlinesse and also many corruptions This procéeded from pietie euen that all this notwithstanding he yet dyrected his complaints vnto god For the Hipocrits although they come vnto God and name him yet are they altogether contrary to him and wyllingly woulde they spew out their chollor against god But Ionas here whyle he complayneth although he kéepeth not a meane but be caried awaye with a blinde and corrupt violence and force yet is he ready to submytte him selfe vnto God as we shal sée at length And this is the reason why he sayth that he prayed For he had not bene ashamed to haue confessed any more greeuous faulte if he had bene guiltie thereof For he woulde not extenuate or lessen his faulte by the word of Praying as the Hipocrites doo alwayes pretend some coulors or cloakes when as they woulde couer their filthinesse But such was not the minde of Ionas therfore when that Ionas sayth that he prayed generallie he testifieth that he was not so murmuring and disobedient vnto God but that he retained some seede of godlinesse obedience in his mind Well Ionas praied and hereby it followeth as I haue already sayde that many prayers of holie men are corrupt which if they be stretched to the lawful reach they shal be worthelie refused But the Lorde for his mercie sake forgeueth those sinnes so that these vnquiet and troublesome prayers retaine and holde styll their tytle and estimation Now he sayth I beseech thee O Lorde was not this my speach Here Ionas declareth euidentlie why he tooke it greeuouslie that Nineueh shoulde be delyuered from subuersion euen because by this meanes he shoulde be taken for a false and lying Prophet But this maye seeme absurde that the Prophet set more by or made more accoumpt of his owne fame then of the glorie of god For in

god Therfore the feare of God went before Repentaunce and conuersion And this feare coulde not be without fayth We sée therfore first that here is no speaking of outward workes but of the renewing or renouatiō of men But now if any man obiect that this letteth not but that good workes maye reconcyle vs vnto God and so obtaine saluation for vs I aunswere that here is no disputation about the cause of pardon It is certaine that God was pleased with the Nineuits gratis euen as he restoreth his fauour vnto vs euerie daye fréelie Ionas therefore meaneth not that these satisfactions preuailed before God as though the Nineuits had recōpensed theyr former sinnes no such thing doo the wordes importe but onely by a consequent we must gather howe the Lorde becommeth againe fauorable vnto vs and howe we obtaine pardon with him But whether this is done by our merites and repentaunce or whether gratis the Lorde offereth him selfe vnto vs séeing the whole Scripture testifieth that forgeuenesse of sinnes is geuen vnto vs fréelie that by none other meane the Lorde can be propitious vnto vs then by not imputing our sinnes vnto vs as touching this present place we must not very carefully labor why the Lorde is sayd to haue séene the workes of the Nineuits least he should destroy them for this is spoken by the consequent For Ionas here noteth not the cause but onely sheweth that God was pacified toward the Nineuits as soone as they repented But we wyll speake yet more of this matter ❧ The Prayer GRaunt O almightie God seeing that we are fraught with so many vices and also seeing that daily so many sinnes yea haynous offēces do burst out of vs Graunt I say that we harden not our selues at so many exhortations wherewith thou inuitest vs vnto thee but that with broken contrite hartes we maye be truely humbled as often as thou denouncest thine yre vnto vs and maye so setle our selues before thy throne that we may preuent by thy sincere feare of pietie and true confession thy sincere iudgement which were otherwyse prepared for vs In the meane tyme also graunt that we vsing our mediator Christ maye conceyue that hope of pardon that may bring vs wholy vnto thee and that we doubt not but thou art alway readie to imbrace vs when as we shal be touched with that true and sound affection of pietie and repentaunce sith that this also is a signe of thy grace and fauor that thou vouchsafest to preuent vs and by thy spyrite hast testified that thou wylt be a Father vnto vs Finallye graunt that so we maye be cast downe in our selues that we maye rayse vp in our hope vnto the heauens through the same Christ our Lorde Amen Caluin WE toulde yesterdaye howe God released the Nineuits of the punishment which he threatned them by the mouth of Ionas yea they had frée remission and release of the sinne as of the punishment As often as God setteth pardon before the eyes of sinners this condition is added withall euen that they doo repent but yet it followeth not that repentaunce is the cause of obtayning forgeuenesse For Gratis the Lord offereth himselfe neyther is he otherwyse induced thereto then by his mere liberalitye But because he will not haue men abuse his mercy and fauour he addeth that lawe or condicion euen that men repent them of their former life to chaūge it into better So then he respecteth the workes of these which confesse that they detest their sinns and with a true and sincere desyre doo flye for succour vnto the mercye of God for no man also from the hart wyll couet that God should be merciful vnto him otherwise then he which is displeased with himselfe for his sinne This is the reason also why Esay sayth that God wil be mercifull vnto the remnaunte of his people euen for that euery man turned from his iniquitye But God certainely in these words meaneth not that repentaunce as I sayd is the cause of our saluation but for this cause he requyreth repentaunce and newnesse of lyfe because no man earnestly desireth grace the fauour of God but he which is displeased with himselfe in his sinnes And nowe that Ionas addeth that God was touched with repentaunce this manner of speaking ought to be well knowne vnto vs. Surely if we wyll speake properlie Repentaunce is neuer found in God againe Repentaunce is neuer referred to the inward secret coūsaile of God for God alwayes in himself remaineth one and in him selfe is constant and firme But he is sayde to be moued with Repentaunce in respect of the vnderstanding and capacitie of man For euen as we perceyue God to be angrye as often as he cyteth vs vnto his iudgement seate declareth vnto vs our sinnes so also doo we perceyue that he is pacified appeased when as he offereth vs hope of pardon And there is according to our sense some chaunge in God when as he forgetteth his anger as though he tooke to him a newe minde or affection Because therefore we can not otherwise be terrifyed so that we may humble our selues before God and repent vnlesse he set before vs his yre and wrath therefore the Scripture applyeth it selfe vnto this grosenesse of our vnderstanding Nowe on the other side we cannot chéerefullie call vpon God vnlesse we thinke him to be at one with vs and appeased towarde vs we sée therfore that a certaine kind of Gods chaunging commeth into our mindes as often as eyther God threatneth vs or geueth vs any hope of pardon and reconciliation and so this speeche when Ionas sayth that God was moued with repentaunce ought to be referred to this ende Further we se that God is two wayes set out vnto vs first In his word and again secondly in his secret counsayle As touching his secret counsayle I haue alredy sayd that God is alwayes one neyther doth he vse any of our affections But as touching the doctrine of the word which is applyed vnto our sences God is sometyme angry with vs and sometyme as pacified offereth vnto vs forgeuenesse and is fauorable and propitiouse vnto vs and this is that repentaunce of god Let vs remember therefore that this dependeth and is to be referred to the word when it is sayd that God was touched with repentance euen because the Nineuits coulde perceiue none other but that God had fully determined that they should perish And why so euen because so he had declared by his worde But now when as they rise vp vnto the hope of their safegarde then doo they perceyue some chaunge alteration euen according to the capacity of theyr fayth And sure each affection as wel of feare as of ioye doth spring of the word because when God by his worde denounceth his yre it must néedes be that miserable men shoulde be terrified But when he inuiteth them by his worde vnto saluation in setting before them reconciliation