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
A95842	An antidote against sorrovv, in order to the obtaining of sanctified joy. An excellent treatise first written in French by N. Vedelius, then translated into Latine by Gallus Pareus, and now into English, by Cadwallader Winne, M.A.	Vedel, Nicolaus, 1596-1642.; Winne, Cadwallader, b. 1622 or 3, translator.	1650 (1650)	Wing V167; Thomason E1421_1; ESTC R209478	59,453	229

advane'd to some degree of preferment to be pillars of thy old age Or seest thou thy childrens children or to speak in a word art partaker of that divine blessing whereof the spirit of God speaks who so findeth a good wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth favour of the Lord Prov. 18.22 Or art one of those whom the Holy Ghost stiles blessed in the Psalme above-mentioned I passe over in silence the externall delights thou hast of thy children especially during their minority I will onely touch one and a singular one too whereby they represent the lively image of Gods true children even as may be seen in such actions as thou performest towards thy children the lively representation of Gods government in ordering his for know this there is no action inclination humour defect vice or perfection which thou findest in thy children but expresse a faithfull man to the life either in goodnesse or vice so that thou canst not observe even the least appearance of them in thy children but thou art constrained to acknowledge that Gods children behave themselves no otherwise to their heavenly father and neighbours And contrarily thou canst not ascribe any thing thing to a wise prudent father but must confesse that God observes the same order and government towards his children which is certainly an excellent prerogative which married persons and such as God hath blessed with children enjoy a prerogative I say wherof such as want issue and especially those that forbid others to marry and keep themselves unmarried are devoyd and thereby are destitute of wholesome knowledge instruction comfort which married persons enjoy in regard of the fruitfulnesse of marriage divinely blessed and infants unto whose schoole our Saviour sends us Verily I say unto you saith he except yee bee converted and become as little children yee shall not enter into the kingdome of Heaven Matth. 18.3 Thus much of the benefits which concerne thy whole person Now let us view the parts whereof man is composed And in the first place the soul What a gracious benefit is it that God hath endued thee with a good wit a quick penetrating understanding strong judgement excellent memory prudence and dexterity in performing thy employments and foreseeing good and bad events wherby thou takest heed from innumerable errours whereinto such as are inprovident and those that are carelesse in their affaires runne and so become miserable men Or hath God perchance imparted unto thee knowledge and sciences or such a faculty whereby thou canst discharge thy mind with sit expressions or hath hee endued thee with a noble generous spirit so as thou art magnanimous in all distresses and undanted in all dangers Adde hereunto a merry heart and quiet contented mind which according to the Proverb is better than riches and by the testimony of the Holy Ghost godlinesse with contentment is great gaine As touching the body what a gracious benefit is it that hee hath cloathed thee with perfect members without default neither lame nor maimed but strong endued with good temper disposition proportion and decent beauty What a precious treasure is health which he either preserves or restores unto thee All which benefits certainly are excellent and whereof some are inestimable which evidently appeares by such evils as are opposite to those benefits that thou enjoyest for what a heart-burning would possesse thee I beseech thee if thou wert accursed of all men or a reproach and laughing-stocke what misery is there in poverty and especially in beggery what anguish of heart would torment thee if all things in thy family were turned topsie turvie if thy marriage bed were defiled or if thou shouldst find therein nought save sterility and barrennesse if thy children were deformed in body voyd of reason and common sense and of untoward disposition throwing themselves headlong into mischiefes and consequently thee to the grave what unhappinesse would it bee if thou wert stupid sencelesse foolish light impetuous brutish impudent heady vile abject whereby so many men and families are quite undone And was it not in his power to create thee so and in the beginning forme thee imperfect maimed monstrous blind deafe dumbe filthy or otherwise defective And could hee not make some noysome disease to bee thy individuall associate yea cannot he at this instant fasten thee to thy bed and so deprive thee of health which thou hast so many manner of wayes abused By confidering these evils to passe by other calamities my purpose being to touch those that be contrary to the above-mentioned benefits thou canst not sufficiently esteeme the value of such benefits as God hath bestowed upon thee Who can number all the good things received at his hands The earth is full of the riches of the Lord Psal 104.24 and his mercies are new every morning La. 3.23 which is more thou hast not received as yet perchance all the temporall benefits which God reserves for thee in his treasure which as farre as thy salvation requires thou shalt enjoy in due time But thou wilt say perchance some or many of those benefits wee have mentioned are denied thee yea cleane contrary thou art afflicted with some of the miseries above-mentioned and which is more all manner of adversities have made a conspiration against thee thou art so farre off from obteining those divine benefits that thou art in contempt and driven to poverty yea to beggery that thou hast not a wife correspondent to thy will that thou art unhappy in thy children that thou art voyd of wit rude ignorant fearefull In briefe that od hath not given thee any of his temporall benefits and therefore hast no reason to rejoyce but perpetually to be sorrowfull I answer first it never or seldome falls out that any man is generally devested of all benefits but mostly if this or that be wanting hee is supplied in some other benefit If thou hast not abundance of riches God hath inriched thee with a contented mind with knowledge of the most excellent things thou art in good estimation and God hath given thee beautifull children health wisdome and strength what will a wise man doe in this case certainly he will not respect what hee is destitute of but what hee possesseth and so putting sorrow to flight hee will rejoyce in the Lord. Secondly put case God hath not bestowed upon thee any of the above-mentioned benefits but laden thee with the repugnant evils yet this is most certaine that hee hath conferred upon thee no lesse evident and excellent benefits I meane those which as hath beene said in the beginning of this Chapter are common to all and thou canst not deny but thou hast received and doest yet enjoy But it is a lamentable thing to see that common benefits are not valued but slighted by fooles which derogates nothing from their excellency since it is usuall that the most precious and excel ent things as being daily obvious are despised or at least not regarded What is there I beseech thee more

plague and famine which have made a sore slaughter amongst the faithfull But what doe I say hee freed thee not onely from such calamities as many of the faithfull endured but his goodnesse and mercy extendeth further for if thou commest to the mountaine of Myrrhe shalt see Christ Jesus the well-beloved and onely begotten sonne of his father who hath suffered infinit times more than thou or any mortall man could endure He drank up even the whole cup of Gods wrath which no man living could doe I have spoken enough of Gods unspeakable bountifulnesse and grace whereby hee protected thee from an innumerable troope of miseries that they could not set upon thee His goodnesse rests not here for hee hath preserved thee not onely from such a floud of miseries which would overwhelme thee but hee rids thee out of infinit adversities that have assaulted thee What evils molestations distresses and afflictions hast thou been subject unto since thou camest from thy mothers wombe How often hast thou fallen one while through thine owne fault imprudence foolishnesse and another while through other mens wickednesse and inconsideration into most grievous perils Canst thou I beseech thee call to mind how many afflictions thou hast escaped Which of these conditions wouldst thou chuse to return againe to thy infancy and so undergoe the same or at this instant give up the Ghost who would not if in his right mind embrace the latter rather than the former The nūber of those evills being so many their diversitie so wonderfull and their weight so intollerable But behold thou art by Gods grace rid of them all Thou hast shot the gulph of afflictions thou returnest a conquerour from those conflicts so that thou hast personall experience of that which God promiseth by the Prophet When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Esay 43.2 Take into consideration thy life past and thou shalt have cause to say with joy he hath brought me out of the horrible pit and set my feet upon the rocks and ordered my goings Psal 40.2 Thus much of those benefits which thy heavenly father hath graciously conferred upon thee and canst not deny but hast received Thou seeft here as in a little table Gods infinit benefits and blessings bestowed upon thee a table not fleightly to bee viewd I say but that thou mayest feed thine eyes in beholding it and tickle thine eares in hearing the contents thereof and applie it as thou oughtest to thine owne selfe And whilst thy mind is contemplating these things first of all hast thou not cause to render thanks unto the Lord for so many temporall benefits and to be gratefull in all thy thoughts words and actions to say with Jacob O God of my fathers I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant and with the Prophet David What shall I render unto the Lord I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord now in the presence of all his people Psal 116.13,14 Further seeing that thou hast received through Gods grace and ample bountifulnesse so many benefits and dost yet enjoy hast thou not cause to take them all into consideration thereby to oppose them unto sorrow and rejoyce in the Lord As often therefore as calamity griefe sorrow shall seize upon thee call to mind forthwith those benefits and say I am at this present afflicted with adversity discommodities oppresse mee I feele affliction and griefe but on the other side I rejoyce in the manifold benefits he hath hitherto bestowed upon me and say withall is it fit and meete that this present affliction should so torment mee with sorrow and that so many blessings being so many pledges of Gods favour which I have and daily doe enjoy should not move me to be joyfull God forbid if there be any one thing that might move me to bee sorrowfull there be more things should exhilarate me unlesse I would by being unthankfull play the traitor against divine Majestie As for the griefe and molestations which oppresse me what are they compared to so many benefits that I have and dayly doe enjoy Why should it grieve me to take them as sauce to temper the sweetnesse of benefits which else would be distastfull and draw mee to a surfet It is our nature that unlesse God temper his benefits with afflictions wee cannot away with them and unlesse he visiteth us with adversities we would procure them to our selves and that to our utter ruine and destruction CHAP. V. The fist ground or reason is drawne from Gods providence and that the faithfull man should for the future hope to receive corporall benefits GOds grace rests not here but goeth further for it sufficeth not him onely to bestow upon thee till this present houre so many temporall benefits being so many pledges of his goodnesse but hee wills his favour should continue towards thee for the future and that through his fatherly providence wisedome goodnesse presence and help whereby he overseeth all thy employments and hath continuall care in providing thee all necessaries It is fit thou shouldst lay hold upon the divine providence opposing it to thy present affliction and that thou mayest prevent the feare of future evill drive away sorrow and say unto thy soule why art thou heavy O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Psal 42.6 Behold the great God who hath hitherto loaden me with so many benefits and is not as yet weary to doe me good hee promiseth to helpe me for the future and to bee loving and carefull of mee so that hee will never forsake mee That thou mayest taste the goodnesse of the most high and perceive how sweet the Lord is and firmly believe that he is carefull of thee in thy present affliction thou must lay this in the first place as a foundation That God is thy heavenly father not onely for that he created and brought thee into this world but chiefely for the benefit of redemption purchased unto thee through his sonne Jesus Christ with whom thou art joyned by faith so as thou art one with him and a member of his body and consequently one of those to whom he gave power to become the sonnes of God even those that believe in his name Joh. 1.12 and are borne of God wherefore hee will not bee ashamed to call them brethren Heb. 11.16 Seeing therefore thou art one of the number of Gods children God being thy father thou wilt not doubt that hee is not fatherly affected towards thee and that hee will not nourish cherish cloath conserve deliver and bee present with thee in all places unlesse perchance thou art fallen into wickednesse even so farre as to believe God to be a degenerate father and destitute of