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
A73373	Christs kingdome Described in seuen fruitfull sermons vpon the second Psalme. By Richard Web preacher of Gods word. The contents whereof follows after the epistles.	Webb, Richard, preacher of God's word.	1611 (1611)	STC 25150A; ESTC S123316	169,960	226

that God is a patient God not willing the death of a sinner but rather that he should conuert and liue So much doth Paul teach vs of him in Rom. 2.4 saying Despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long suffering not knowing that the bountifulnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance So much doth Peter teach vs of him in 2. Pet. 3.9 saying The Lord is not slacke concerning his promise as some men count slacknesse but is patient towards vs and would haue no man to perish but would all men to come to repentance So much doth Ioel teach vs of him in Ioel. 2.13 saying And rent your hearts and not your garments and turne vnto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the euill So much finally doth God himselfe teach vs of himselfe in Ezech. 33.11 saying As I liue saith the Lord God I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and liue But what is the reason of this Reason Is not God a iust God and are not his eies pure eies not abiding to behold sin and iniquity Yes Why then doth he not strike Because his mercies are ouer all his workes and his compassions faile not according to Dauids words in Psalme 145.9 and the Prophet Ieremies in Lament 3.2 For as the one of them doth extoll the mercies of God aboue all things so the other of them doth declare that they are the cause why hee doth not consume vs accordingly as our sins do deserue Wherefore learne out of this Vse first to put a difference betwixt God and man for they are very much vnlike For my thoughts saith God are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord For as the heauens are higher then the earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts aboue your thoughts Esay 55.8.9 If treason and insurrection bee once made against the chiefe gouernour of any land the parties offending therein are apprehended and according to law they are executed as traytors and rebels and all this is but well and according to iustice and equity without which no common-wealth can stand or flourish But yet with God it is not so though that we do dayly make insurrection against him and commit high treason against his person by blaspheming his holy name and by trampling his diuine statutes and ordinances vnder our feet yet he doth spare vs and not consume vs according to our wicked deserts and as one most desirous to haue vs saued to become blessed he doth cry vnto vs for a turning and amendment of life Oh who can extoll this goodnesse of the Lord sufficiently shall we rebell against him prouoke him to his face and yet will he come and intreate vs to be reconciled vnto him Doubtlesse if one doth but offēd vs some two or three times in some matters that do concerne our credite and profite so that we grow infamous or poore thereby we can neuer soundly and throughly endure that partie againe as we ought to do and though he should come vnto vs himselfe to aske vs forgiuenesse yet we should hardly euer receiue him to loue and fauour againe within our hearts so close would his wrong iniury cleaue vnto vs. We see that when the Samaritans refused to receiue Christ into one of their citties for a nights lodging Iames and Iohn two of his disciples were by and by inflamed with great choler wrath and they would needs haue their maister be reuenged vpon thē for it saying vnto him after this sort Lord wilt thou that we command that fire come down from heauen consume thē euen as Eliah did Luke 9.54 But as for our God we see here how patient he is in putting vp great rebellions and treasons and in calling vpon the rebels and traytors themselues for amendment of life that so they may be saued Learne we therefore in the next place that though we doe sin and offend yet there is mercy in the Lord to forgiue vs. For where sinne doth abound there grace doth more then abound saith the Apostle in Rom. 5.20 Dauid doth speake most excellently of this matter in Psalme 103. c. saying The Lord is full of compassion and mercy slow to anger and of great kindnesse He hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities for as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercy towards them that feare him As farre as the East is from the West so farre hath he remoued our sinnes from vs as a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him And lest that any should doubt of the pardon of his sinnes marke what God himselfe doth say in Isay 1.18 Come now saith he and let vs reason together saith the Lord though your sinnes were as crimson they shall be made as white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shall be as wooll And surely if God doth here call vpon these traitours and rebels to forsake their sinnes with an intent and purpose to saue them if they will so doe then may you not doubt but that he will receiue euery repenting sinner that doth come vnto him and forgiue him all his transgressions be they neuer so many when he doth aske pardon for them and heartily forsake them Wherefore though you haue sinned greatly against the Lord and haue trespassed euen against heauen and his Maiesty with the prodigall sonne yet despaire not but with the prodigall sonne returne vnto him and know that you shall finde mercy at his hands as he did and as Dauid did and as Salomon did and as Peter did and as Paul did and as many more besides them did whose sins were great and hainous For God hath said it who cannot lye Yea he hath sworne it and bound it with an oath that he doth not desire the death of the wicked but that he should turne and liue as you heard before out of Ezech. 33.11 Lastly from hence obserue this vse Vse that if any doe perish through his sinnes and transgressions he must not impute the fault thereof vnto God but vnto himselfe For God here doth call men from their euill waies that so they may not perish but be saued In all our plagues and iudgements and in all our woes and calamities whether in this world or in the world to come the Lord may alwaies say vnto vs as it is in Hosea 13.8 O Israel one hath destroyed thee but in me is thy helpe For the Lord doth take as it were great paines to make vs good What could I haue done more saith the Lord to my Vineyard that I haue not done vnto it Isay 5.4 Wherefore accuse God I beseech you at no time if any destruction doth happen vnto you but lay the whole blame thereof vpon

hunger and other calamities which fell vpon them they broke out into murmuring and blasphemous speeches against God and into open rebellion and insurrection against Moses and Aaron their gouernours insomuch as they had stoned them to death had not God by an out-stretched arme preserued thē Numb 14.10 The third is their wilfulnesse or obstinacie For they being with Narcissus in loue with themselues and doting vpon their owne waies will not hearken vnto the charmer charme he neuer so sweetly as appeareth by Christs speech in Math. 11.17.18.19 But as Ieremy doth well obserue of them in Chap. 5.3 They make their faces harder then a stone and do refuse to returne In regard whereof the Lord sending foorth his seruant Ezechiel to preach vnto his people he tels him that they will not heare him and that because they are impudent children and stiffe-hearted Ezech. 2.4 The fourth and last is their vnbeliefe or vnfaithfulnesse For as Christ doth well obserue of his owne Disciples that they were dull of heart and slow to beleeue Luke 24.25 So they distrusting God and not relying vpon him with a stedfast faith do depart away from him and commit grieuous abominations against him according to that in Ier. 5.23 But this people hath an vnfaithfull and rebellious heart they are departed and gone So then these foure vices reigning amongst them do like a violent streame carry them to all kind of rebellions The causes of their rebellion being thus touched Vse now let vs come to the vses of the doctrine They are in number foure For first here we may learne in that all do thus rebell that the greatest number in the world is not the best but the worst The flocke of Christ is a little flocke according to his owne words in Luke 12.32 when he saith Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome But the flocke of the diuell is a great flocke according to that in Reuel 20.8 Where his armie that he gathered together against the Saints of God out of the foure quarters of the earth euen Gog and Magog is compared to the sands of the sea for number Oh weigh this well and with a religious heart and let neither Popery tell you of multitude which they make to be a marke of Gods Church nor the carnall Gospeller of the generality of the world which they make to be the rule of their liues but euer looke for truth and goodnesse in the smallest number For many according to Christs words do go in at the wide gate and broad way that leadeth to destruction and but few at the straight gate and narrow way that leadeth vnto life Math. 7.13.14 Secondly here we may learne that we must not care for the loue liking of the world nor hang vpon the multitude for their applause fauour for they are against the Lord not for him Surely as they are most vnconstant in their waies turning vpon euery small occasion like the weather-cocke at the blast of the wind this day one being a man with them to morrow a beast this day none better with them to morrow none worse this day a god with them to morrow a diuell as we may see by their dealing towards Christ Paul So their loue and fauour must needes be bent towards the worst seeing they themselues are bad and do oppose thēselues against the Almighty Remember alwaies what Christ said vnto his Disciples about this matter If ye were of the world saith he in Ioh. 15.19 the world would loue his owne but because ye are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you Wherefore as they that runne at tilt looke to the iudges what they say and not what the vulgar people say so I beseech you looke you euer what your iudge in heauen doth allow or approue and care not what the world and the people thereof do thinke or say Thirdly here we may learne that the multitude and the common people will be enimies vnto you and labour to resist you whensoeuer you shall go about to serue the Lord aright If you shall once begin to seeke Christ and to come vnto him they shall stand in your way to hinder you as they did stand in Zacheus way when he went foorth to see Christ Luke 19.3 If you be once in his presence do begin to call vpon him for mercy helpe they wil rebuke you as they did the poore blind man who cryed vnto him saying Iesus the Son of Dauid haue mercy on me Luke 18.39 If you be sicke or dead in your sins trespasses and Christ doth begin to come home to the houses of your soules to heale you and to raise you vp from the death of your sins they will stop his passage and entrance in if they can as they did when Christ came to the Rulers house to heale his daughter that was sicke yea dead when he came Math. 9.23 But as Christ turned them there out of dores saying Get you hence so must you shake them all off and not communicate with flesh bloud in the matters of your God But do as Abraham did when he sacrificed to God the fowles of the heauen fell on the carkeises which he had prepared for the sacrifice but he droue them away Gen. 15.11 So if any do begin to molest you whē you are going about any spirituall sacrifice resist them and driue them away saying with Christ vnto Peter Auoid satan Math. 16.23 Lastly here we may learne to take heede of the people and in any case not to do as they do For seeing that they do rebell against the Lord and the whole world as Iohn doth say 1. Ioh. 5.19 doth lye in wickednesse we must not follow them nor go after their waies to prouoke the holy one of Israel against vs as they do Fashion not your selues saith Paul like vnto this world but bee yee changed by the renewing of your minds that you may proue what is the good will of God and acceptable and perfect Rom. 12.2 The number and multitude must not mooue vs. For what saith the Lord Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe euill neither agree in a controuersie to decline after many and ouerthrow the truth Exod. 23.2 Wherfore do I beseech you as Wisedome doth counsell vs for to do If sinners do entice vs to go with them let vs not walke in the way with them but refraine our feete from their paths Prou. 1.15 And as Paul doth require of vs let vs not be companions with them nor haue any fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse but let vs rather reprooue them Ephes 5.7.11 Hitherto of the first point Now followes the second In that this their rebellion was wrought by raging and murmuring and these were the chiefe heads thereof Doctr. we are taught this doctrine that raging and murmuring are two great and notorious 〈◊〉 alwaies to bee