Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	full_a	lord_n	psal_n	2,435	5	7.5110	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92204	The fiery change: or, Almighty God, his melting and refining of his people, purging out their drosse and drossy metals, making them like unto himself and to his Son who is the pure Word. Wherein is discovered, by the comparison of metals, how the visible church is corrupted, consisting of men of all degrees and conditions and how God hath begun to refine them: which have past in the world a long time for good metal: but now is discovering by fire. / By Robert Read.	Read, Robert, fl. 1653-1656.	1656 (1656)	Wing R440; Thomason E899_3; ESTC R206741	92,260	122

being of drossy earthy substances and qualities that are not fit for his service that will be served with Gold and Silver how then can these metalls be melted and purified and be made fit vessels for the Lord They cannot melt themselves neither is it in the power of one to melt another no more can man be humbled mollified or be made capable tractable or vertible of himself by himself or by any other man bur onely by the Lord himself who saith I will melt them Behold then I say the goodnesse mercy and love of God that doth such great things for us as to melt us himself we are still in his hands we cannot do amisse no hurt shall come to us we have his presence his love his bounty although in the Furnace he owns us he will not depart from us what greater love then this to be with us when we have most need when we have the bitter cup presented to us then then is our sanctification neer then the Lord is making of us like to Himself and like to his Word to be righteous as he is righteous pure as he is pure Therefore those that have gone through this fire and have been melted humbled broken and refined sound fort the praises of God and declare as David did what the Lord hath done for your soules how he hath severed and separated you from the world and hath made you fit to have fellowship with the Father and with the Son which is a mystery to the World 1 John 1.3 and to those that have not past from death to life that have not past through the fire and known the indignation of the Lord but liveth in the vanity of their mindes serving their lusts cohering to the corrupt formes fashions and customes of the world which have no life in them but have the issues of death proceeding from a raw earthy drossy unmelted and unpurified root holding and continuing in it self no true peace nor joy but what nature or art hath Let the people who have been dead and are now alive that were darknesse and are now light in the Lord that are made conformable to the Death and Resurrection of Christ being dead to all sin and alive to all Grace who love not the world nor the things of the world but have attained the Kingdom of Grace Love Joy and Peace and have communion with their God have a reciprocall and correspondent love to God and to their brethren and eccho back everlasting thanks and praises to their God who hath freely communicated of himself unto them and hath made them as kings and priests who have not onely the fruits and effects of peace but peace it self Heb. 7.2 Ephes 2.14 Col. 1.27 for Christ in them the hope of glory he is their eternall Peace and their everlasting Light which proceeded from that fire in which they were melted and purified which hath consumed in them all their drosse and all manner of carnall lust concupiscence and self wisdom all righteousnesse invention and imagination that was in the will and carnall minde that led them into errour imitation and separation from the pure truth that comes from God the Fountain of all Truth and the very essence of all true religion and of all righteous living being derived from him and to be yeelded up to him with a pure conscience being divided and severed from the world which savours not of the things of God Eighthly and lastly The end They shall know that the Lord hath done it in his wrath in his indignation What my people Israel are they such abominable sinners as to commit such grosse sins blood-shed idolatry oppression disobedience uncharitablenesse covetousnesse and fornication I have great indignation against my people for these their great sins you may think that you are still in my favour and because your secret hiding of your sins makes the lesse cry among men you think by my silence that I am like unto you But I will reprove you and set your sins in order before you Psal 50.21 you shall know that I am angry and wrathfull against you you may apprehend in your carnall wisdoms and understandings that I still love you but you shall feel my fury I will melt you and then you shall know wherefore because you transgressed against me The Lord in the sixteenth of Ezekiel speaks much of his people how they were and what he did for them Ezek. 16. and what their behaviour was vers 48. As I live saith the Lord God Sodom thy sister hath not done neither she nor her daughters as thou hast done and thy daughters After many threats and menaces the Lord still owns them and in vers 62. saith that he will establish his covenant with them and they shall know that he is the Lord. The Lord here doth tell them that when he hath melted them they shall know that it is the Lord hath done it in his wrath they shall not say This fiery change came upon them by chance or fortune or out of the dust or by the transactions of differences that is among the Nations of the world or through the envie and malice of men against them and so blame the instruments as the ignorant world doth but they shall know that it is he that doth it and by the power of his arm and in his wrath See here and take notice of Gods love and mercy in the midst of judgement although he be angry and full of wrath yet he will not destroy his people in the midst of judgement he remembereth mercy Psal 83.3 that what he doth bring upon them is to change them not to confound them it is to purifie not to consume them it is that they may know the Lord as in many places in Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel of their prophecies you shall find that after judgements denounced it is said And they shall know that I am the Lord. The knowledge of God is that that the world is not acquainted with although they talk much of it they have none of it Hos 4.1 God complains by his Prophet Hosea that there was no knowledge of him in the Land and that his people were destroyed for want of knowledge vers 6. We are Heathens by nature and by profession we declare it for we professe outwardly what is not inwardly It is the inward living the life of grace that makes us Christians to be ingrafted into Christ truly to be as the branches to the Vine to have experience of Gods mercy and love to us to know God by our acquaintance and fellowship with him is to know him aright as Christians not as the world that sayes they are Christians and know God no otherwise but as a dreadfull Judge by the flashings that they have in their mindes living in disobedience to the light and every thing that they do in profession is heavie irksome and burdensome to them they worship God because of his great power

are moved through the instigation of the evill One to rage and foment evill against their Maker for that they have not as heretofore to carry on the desires of their lustfull hearts into that they formerly lived in There are also poor that are idle lazy and swinish that are as monsters among men and the very shame of nature by their most filthy nasty and beastly behaviour who are nor worthy the name of men and women who takes no care neither will they be advised and ruled by any good perswasion or desire the same but like brute beasts which have no understanding to seek after any thing that savours of civility or humanity for these let our pity and grief make future prevention that no more may fall into the like condition that poor children may have some Christian education a thing desired of all them that fear the Lord Must the poor the Lead be melted Consider this then ye that are the poor of the world although you have not store of talents put into your hands as others have if you have but one you must not hide it in a napkin you must imploy it Demean your selves according to your measure murmure not at your short allowance you have of the things of this life but rather praise the Almighty God that you are kept short seeing his great love in it that you should not enjoy the desires of your own fleshly wills and heart which would make you to spurne and kick against your maker Job 11.12 and to be as Job saith like the wilde Asses colt to run away from him and to be fild with high exaltations living in and loving of the vanities the world affordeth having not that way of procuring and perfecting the full accommodation of these terrene and earthly treasures neither able to reach them by any earthly means or power in your selves but are kept low depressed and despised by the men of the world who live in ease pleasure and delight knowing little care sorrow or want having all things to the full and every thing prospereth and goes well with them who are like unto the fatted Oxe that is fitted for the slaughter You that are the poor of the world know that the Lord out of his great mercy would not have you to perish with the wor●d but makes the world to be bitter and grievous to you that your mindes might be set on Heaven and heavenly things Observe but the manner of the world and the severall conditions of men in the world and you shall finde that it is a more blessed thing for to be kept short of the things of this life then to have them to the full David saith before I was afflicted I went aastray and the prophet saith from the Lord In their affliction they will seek me early poverty is accounted an affliction for all affliction that is outward tendeth to that end to make men poor Seest thou a man that some disease hath seized on him that is pined for hunger starved with cold wounded bruized crippled imprisoned or any such like thing is come upon him or either crosse or losse if there be any grace in that party it will then be discovered for there will be some symptomes some cryings and callings some relentings some ejaculations or other expressions of a penitent heart which were not shewn in time of prosperity and health For the prosperous welfare of the sons of men in this life doth cause corruption and infection in the inward man so that it often falleth out that the losse of a limb of the fight of goods strength or liberty by the goodnesse and mercy of God in his providence is the drawing and gaining of a soul unto God Job he praised God for e●i● as well as for good and made it to appear that the evil of punishment correction and affliction is better then prosperity Happy are those that see God to be good unto them in affliction and in poverty surely the Lord is good to all then to the poor that are the Lords for they shall be melted and refined and be made as the Lord will make others to be his vessels for he dwelleth with the humble and men of low degree he despiseth not the poor but setteth them up among Princes By this that h●th been said concerning these severall metals Brasse Tin Iron and Lead we see what Israel was and what England is and what would become of us if the Lord God should not melt us Surely we can never enter into his Kingdom we cannot be vessels or temples for hi● Spirit to dwell in except we are melted all are drosse and drossie substances all both high and low rich and poor have erred and do go astray from the Lord and it is his great mercy that he doth acquaint his people what shall come upon them and unto them He will not deal with all as he doth with his own people for all are not Israel th●r are of Israel Therefore saith the Lord I will gather them w●ich is the first thing that God will do now they are discovered to be what they are Fourthly he will gather them and bring them into the midst of Jerusalem Will God gather his people He will do it Are his people scattered It doth appear so These words do not so much make it to appear as the experience the people of God have had of their condition at all times and in all ages of the world as in Genesis I will divide them in Jacob Genes 4.7 Nehem. 1.8 1 King 22.17 Ezek. 31.10 Ezek. 34.6 and scatter them in Israel Nehem. 1. Ye will transgresse and I will scatter you among the people God doth scatter his people And the shepherds that are over them doth scatter them Ezek 34.10 If Gods people be a scattered people that are not known by their multitudes and great numbers at publike places and meetings but are expelled and driven out from those places then there is matter of suspition what those places of great resort are and what the people are that do meet together by such multitudes God will gather them How will God gather them He will gather them as men gather fruit 2 King 4 39. Genes 31.46 Psal 106.47 Jerem 49.5 Matth. 3. or herbs he will with his own hand pull them from that whereunto they are fixed and will draw them out or from the place or places where they abide and remain as men gather stones he will gather his people from the Heathen from the men of the world he will bring them from among the Nations he will gather him that wandereth he will gather his out of the far Countrey He will gather them into his house into his garner into his bosom they shall be within his limits neer to himself to have acquaintance with him to be saved and defended by him What great comfort is here to the people of God that are scattered they shall be gathered God will do

thing in and according to your own wills neither to and for your own ends you are not to look to the glory and fame of your callings and places but to have respect unto the glory of God above all as the Prophet Micha speaketh you should do justly Mica 6.8 love mercy and walk humbly with God Justice mercy should be exercised after the most perfect patern of God himself for God saith Be holy as I am holy perfect as your Hevenly Father is perfect the justice dispensed by men on earth Matth. 5.48 should be suteable to the justice and judgement of God answering to his holinesse and to his righteousnesse and that not in some things as do the Heathens but in all things whatsoever and that exactly and compleatly that the will of God may be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven In this deportment the wise and faithfull that are in authority do manifest themselves to be the children of God their Father when that among all the prunings Matth. 5.9 and loppings of injustice the equitable and cleer reducement stands consistent with the most free single and perfect righteousnesse of the most Holy God And as God requireth justice so doth he require also mercy mercy to the poor that are oppressed wronged and trampled on Justice and Mercy must go together it is justice to punish the offender and oppressour Psalm 101.1 and it is mercy to relieve the poor and the innocent It is the counsell of Christ Be mercifull as your Heavenly Father is mercifull and there is a blessing pronounced to them that are mercifull full of mercy Matth. 5.7 Again men of power should walke humbly with God men that do walk humbly as they ought to do do walk with God as Noah did the Lord he will dwell with the humble man he giveth grace to the humble and resisteth the proud Pride hath been much among men of power some have smarted 1 Pet. 5.5 for their pride as our late times can testifie and through that and by that means the powers are some way refined the taking away of the Ecclesiasticall power is a great signe that God intendeth good unto us and it should cause the opposites derived from them to be humbled Let men of power consider how the Lord for the pride of Nebuchadnezzar dealt by him taking from him his reason making him to feed as the beasts They may also look back to the times that we have known of late how were the powers of this Nation shaken and shivered yea broken to peeces that when they thought to make a greater addition to tyranny and oppression they became powerlesse What were tho●e that were in authority or how were they set up was is not more because of their wealth then of their grace or because of their sinister relations then their qualifications more that they might act and do the will of man then to do according to Gods will Hath God begun to refine the powers have we seen some amendment Doubtlesse God will proceed For he will have those to rule that are God-like that are as Himself is he wil be the Shepherd of his sheep he wil correct them with his rod and bear them up with his staffe he will have no cruelty exercised on his nor partiality on the evill doers but the Judges and the Arbiters shall deal justly and impartially in dubious matters Most strange effects of Gods providence in this Nation is to be taken notice of how hath God begun among us as it were were with a besome to sweep away all adverse power in the great mutation of Governours and of Government laying aside some persons and powers Psalm 23. and deposing of them who thought themselves on a sure foundation and setting up others that never thought of being capable of it being of mean discent Luke 1.43 Surely this cannot but shew unto us that the Decree of God is gone forth to overturn all Nations Kingdoms Kings Governours and Rulers of the earth untill they be wise and learned in the the fear of their God and are willing to kisse the Son Psal 2. to embrace the Lord Christ the chief Head of all kingdoms and do yeeld up themselves their greatnesse lawes interest and affaires into perfect subjection and conformity to the most absolute and perfect power of Christ and to rule men no further nor no otherwise then as they are the servants of Christ their Lord Thus God will have his people that rule over others under himself when they are melted to be such as shall curb the evill doers and to defend preserve sustain maintain and uphold them that do well Truth and right government according to the perfect Law of God is most serviceable in its place and it cannot be performed rightly but by such as fear God and hate covetousnesse that are impartiall God that hath by the spirit of burning burnt and consumed the fleshly minde and will of Governours causeth them to act ac-according to his own will and for his glory being led by his Holy Spirit into all wisdom endeavouring to please him not winking at any deceit for carnall ends but administring and distributing true justice for Gods sake saving the innocent and punishing the nocent giving forth according to Gods will and not according to their own without respect of persons but for conscience sake to do the thing that is right and as becomes men given wholly up to serve and obey the living God 1 Cor. 6.1 Matth. 19.28 Let the Arbiters they that were of old called so now the Lawyers of our times learn to dread the Lord and not to scrue and wrest the proposalls made to them of peace into a long contrived debate to enrich themselves by others ruine and clothe themselves by the nakednesse of others It is an office for Saints and not for the covetous and cruell there will be a time in the new Jerusalem that the Saints shall judge the earth they shall give the Law forth from the Spirit of the Lord for the Evangelicall Righteousnesse shall comprehend more then the the Morall the love of the Father shall be in the Arbitrer and he shall administer judiciously equally and impartially which shall cast out the oppressour and restore again the prey taken from the spoiled and be in that love and meeknesse as becommeth a Saint doing no wrong Secondly Those that are called by the will of man to teach and to instruct men let them consider what they are and how they are to be qualified it is not for them to be as Tin to have the likenesse of the better metals and to adulterate with all mean metals it is not sufficient for them to have an artificiall humane pregnant and Scholastique manner of delivering speeches and sermons and with it set forms of prayer but they must have the theory within them that is such a testimony that their spirits can bear witnesse within them