Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	glory_n	grace_n	lord_n	5,866	5	3.7353	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05093	A treatise of the excellencie of a christian man, and how he may be knowen. Written in French by Master Peter de la Place, one of the Kings counsel, and chiefe president of his court of aides in Paris. Whereunto is adioyned a briefe description of the life and death of the said authour, to the end that euerie one may knowe what he was. Translated into English by L. Tomson; Traité de l'excellence de l'homme chrestien et manière de cognoistre. English	La Place, Pierre de, 1520-1572.; Tomson, Laurence, 1539-1608.; Farnace, Pierre de. aut	1576 (1576)	STC 15231; ESTC S106746	64,194	137

and surmounteth al that is in mā as in dede it can not be found nor be confessed to procede from any but frō God yea from the Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ by whom his good pleasure was to restore al mankind towards whom though the soueraignecreat●r● maker of al things sheweth sufficiētly his fatherly fauour diuers sundry ways yet notwithstanding vntil he shew himself to man a restorer in the person of his only begottē sonne their cōscience reproueth thē within thē selues maketh thē perceiue that by reason of their filthines they are wel worthy to be cast away as wretched men caitifs cannot be taken accōpted for his worke established in them In which worke is only truely that excellēcie wherof I meane to speake which is a worke that farre passeth the worke of the first creatiō of man as it wil appeare more plainly hereafter of which man when S. Paul speaketh he saieth that the efficacie of the might power that is to say of the mightie power of God is plentifully shewed in him because he setteth forth in him after a wonderful sort his infinite vertue according to the vnspeakeable goodnes grace and fauour which he beareth to a Christian man. And that it is so to shew it more particularly our heauenly father not content that he brought a Christian into the world of nothing and that he made him not an oxe or an asse which he might haue done or a dogge or a catte or any other more bite and abiect creature but a man that is to saye a singular and perfect piece of workemanship and that he made the world beautified the heauens and the earth with a perfect abundance varietie and beautie of all things to lodge him in it as it were in a great sumptuous palace well and richely furnished with all thinges necessarie not content I say with al this moroeouer that he had forgotten his vnthankeful and detestable infidelitie and felonie where he deserued to be cast of and depriued for euer of all his blessinges yet notwithstāding it pleased him of a certein more then fatherly loue and speciall fauour which he bore him not onely euen from his birth day and from the first howre that he brought him out into this world but euen from his mothers wombe yea and before he was conceiued yea and that more is before the world was made as he predestined him to him self from euerlasting to elect and chuse him frō amongst an infinite million of men to marke him set him apart to exempt him from the common state and condition of al other men that is to say from euerlasting condemnatiō and destruction which was prepared for him as wel as for euery other man to reserue him for him selfe to adopt and regenerate him in the hope of life to an incorruptible inheritāce kept in store in heauen to be reueiled to his elect at that day when all thinges shal be restored and to shewe in him the richesse of his glorie as in a vessell of mercie prepared to saluation All the cause of this excellent prerogatiue and dignitie is not as we see to be sought any where els but in the singular grace and mercie of God whom it pleased without any further regarde or consideration of any thing without him selfe foreseing the faulte and condition of mankinde of his good pleasure to haue mercie vpon some to set them in honour as vessels of his mercie and leaue the rest in their iudgemēt giuing grace to some which was not due to them and rendring to the rest that punishment that was due to thē being in his power to giue to one part that which they deserued not so setting forth his grace and not to giue it to all thereby shewing what al had deserued without further bestowing like mercie on all for he made all things as Salomon saith for his owne sake yea the wicked man to the day of his destruction according to the decree of the good pleasure of his wil which onely is the souereine and high rule of iustice that iudgeth al the world his wayes which are mercie and trueth being incomprehensible as whereby he so worketh that they which obteine mercie at his handes haue nothing but his mercie to boast of and they that are left in their condemnation haue nothing to gainesay the iudgemēt of trueth as mē guiltie nor ought wherewith to pleade against him in so much as on the one side to shewe forth his wrath and make his mightie power knowen he through great patience and meekenes beareth with the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction on the other side setteth out the richesse of his glory towards thē that he chose by his grace whom he prepared to glorie For so it is as S. Augustine sheweth it at large where he speaketh of the predestination of God that when God had resolued with him self to buyld the Monarchie of this world al that is cōteined in it forsawe that the first man should fal wittingly and willingly into death being pliable to good euill hauing not that giuen him to continue stande stedily in that state wherin he was placed yea and that al mortal creatures should be within the compasse of his fall subiect vnto it hauing so appointed it by his incomprehensible counsel and wisdom which hath a foreknowledge of all thinges ioyned with it as also his mightie power which gouerneth all thinges by his hande and yet notwithstanding minded to haue a litle rēnant euen as you would say an handful of men taken out of such a great multitude to serue for the praise of the glorie of his grace he chose set apart frō the multitude one man amōgst many which should be in his time ordeined to be conceiued of the seede of Dauid and should be borne of a virgin to wit Iesus Christ finding nothing in all the seede of Adam worthy his election and such a prerogatiue and excellēcie in whom also as in the head he chose to be members as it were of his bodie such as it pleased him freely of his grace to appoint before hand receiue to life and by the selfe same man to ioyne them vnto him selfe and allie them so togither that they should neuer be seuered hauing foreseene a great while before that in Adam there should come good of euill and knew most vndoubtedly the it belonged to his almighty goodnes to turne good into euill rather then to suffer that there should be no euill and so accordingly disposed the life of men and Angels as that he would thereby shewe first what free wil was able to do and thē what the gift of his grace could do hauing shut all vnder sinne that al might haue nede of grace And therfore as the excellencie which I ascribe to a Christian and proceedeth from this grace appeareth fully and abundantly in Iesus Christ so is it

A TREATISE of the Excellencie of a Christian man and how he may be knowen Written in French by Master Peter de La Place one of the Kings Counsel and chiefe President of his Court of Aides in Paris WHEREVNTO IS ADIOYNED A BRIEFE description of the life and death of the said Authour to the end that euerie one may knowe what he was Translated into English by L. TOMSON MATTH V. Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Imprinted at London by Christopher Barkar dwelling in 〈◊〉 Churchyard at the 〈…〉 the Tyg 〈…〉 To the right worshipfull Mistres Vrsula Walsingham grace mercie and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Iesus CHRIST ACcording as your Worships pleasure was I haue perused this booke and as wynde and weather would serue for passage haue brought it out of France into England The cause of your liking can not be misliked of any and the iudgement of the right honourable my Master may stande as most grounded in trueth and iustice whereby he sentenced him not onely to bee of the Religion of Christ but also truely a religious Christian For surely if I be not deceiued in iudgement who so shal reade this booke shal finde there was a Christ in the man such a Christ as made him in deede a Christian not for a daye or two not for fayre and calme weather onely but from the first beginning of his entrance into the knowledge of God to his very last breth in most sharpe and stormie tempestes as witnesseth his happy and blessed martyrdome in that most horrible slaughter of the Sainctes of God on Barthelmewes daye in Paris that wicked murderesse of Gods people against whome their innocent blood crieth to God for vengeance against the daye of wrath As he felt so he wrote and his feeling was with such spirituall vnderstanding as that we may well see hee was one of them of whome hee wrote and by so well knowing himselfe to his euerlasting comfort gaue vs a waye to knowe our selues for the ioyous assurance of our saluation The greatest comfort we haue is to knowe that we are of the citie of God and who so would honour vs the most could not better perfourme it to our liking then to assure vs we are the childrē of that heauēly Father brought into that honour and dignitie by Christ that died for vs and gaue himselfe for vs and in whome we dwell and he in vs if we deceiue not our selues As for the cōfort we might reape by being made mē and not beastes though it be great God is therfore greatly to be magnified yet considering what God did for vs what we haue done against him where he set vs by grace and where we finde our selues through sinne and rebellion we haue cause rather to sorowe then to ioye of heauines then of comfort and in that respect the veriest varlet caitif that goeth vpon the earth hath as muche to triumphe in as hath the best man of God the dearest child of our heauenly Father For they are mē as well as we made to the image of God as well as we haue as great light in them of natural reason vnderstāding as we witnes the Heathē that neuer knewe God no worse sinners in Adam thē we but we as bad as they both of vs for our sinne and rebellion against him in that man Adam iustly blinded iustly condemned This the blind wyse Philosopher did not see and this the obstinate Pelagian Papist at this day will not acknowledge and therfore they bothe lift vp their heeles against God haue wicked thoughtes and speake blasphemous wordes against heauen and against their owne saluation And because this prerogatiue ouer other creatures but equalitie of and in mankinde had not that in it that might in deede comfort the heart of man but rather cast him down his minde and purpose was to lay forth the other to vs which is proper to vs I say proper to vs that are of the houshold of faith of the common wealth of Israel citizens of heauen felow heires with Christ the children of God and I say proper because the Heathen and Barbarians be they neuer so wyse the Pelagians and Papistes be they neuer so superstitiously deuoute haue neither part nor portion in it And this is the preeminence not to be called but to be a Christian which whosoeuer feeleth in himselfe with a right feeling of true vnderstanding which neither of the two before named hath for the one fighteth against the name of Christ the other can not abide to heare of any certaine persuasion assurance of the cōscience that it is beloued of God and that God is without doubt our Father hath the greatest preeminēce that man can haue vpon earth and the greatest ioye and comfort that can be felt by man All of vs at this day in this part of the world do ioye in this name Christian and it is taken for the greatest dishonour that can be done to man to saye he is no Christian And yet sure it is that euery man is not a Christian that is called a Christiā euery man is not a Christian that is Christened not euery one that sayth Lord Lord shal enter into the Kingdom of heauen no more then euery one that was circumcised was a true Iewe or all that descended of the race of Abraham were true children to Abraham There was amongest them Ismael who persecuted his brother and yet was he circumcised there was Esau whom the Lord hated and yet was he circumcised So are there heretikes amongst vs Christened and yet not Christians for neither the cutting of of a piece of skinne in them did make thē true Israelites neither dipping in a litell water maketh these true Christians ▪ both of these standeth in the spirit not in the letter in the inward worke by grace and that of God not in the outwarde worke of man So that he that hath this honorable name to be called a Christiā hath more cause to tremble then to reioyce vnlesse he haue a sure testimonie both within and without that he is in deede a Christiā for the abuse of Gods name can auaile man nothing at all nay it furthereth and increaseth his condemnation as great credite committed to a seruant and abused by that seruāt procureth greater displeasure Howe we shal come to the knowledge of this preeminence and excellencie which is in vs this booke sheweth and because it is so plainely and shortely set forth I will not stande here to make any discourse of it vnto your worship onely I most humbly beseche you to reade the booke it selfe and there shall you finde it so well layd forth as shal be to your contentment and comfort I could very willingly haue bene cōtent to haue entred somewhat into the matter but I feare I should haue ouerslipped my self for I must needes confesse of my selfe and to the

Predestination and Calling but this that predestination is a preparatine of that whereof the calling is the effect and the accomplishment and yet my meaning is not that this generation is made by the vertue of one simple worde vttered by the voyce of man which soundeth onely in the eares which God vseth as his meanes and instrument to call all men indifferently to him for many are called sayeth Christ but fewe are chosen and it were to set a mortall man to much on cockhorse to saye that his voyce giuen him from aboue Nowe as touching the way that our heauenly father taketh in framing a Christian man this it is he first determined in him self to make the world and all things to his glorie and men especially to shewe to one sorte of them which are predestinate to saluation his mercie and to the other sorte his iustice And to this effect he appoynted for an onely and sole Mediatour Iesus Christ his onely begotten Sonne of one selfe same substance with him selfe euen God euerlasting to the ende that by him being made man the two natures vnited and ioyned togither in one in him all corruption of mankinde might be purged and all righteousnes fully accomplished in him for all as one able ynough to susteyne the iudgement of God and woorthie ynough to appease his wrath by the offering vp of himselfe the iust dying for the vniust and to sanctifie all his elect abolishing theyr sinne in them by the communication of his death and quickening them by his resurrection To be short he determined with him selfe to giue them his sonne and in him what soeuer is requisite for their saluation as also to giue them to him and so to make them Christians by ingraffing them into Christ which euerlasting purpose and decree he resolued also to reueile vnto them when they should not thinke of it causing him selfe to be founde as the Prophete sayeth of them which inquired not after him at that time that they walke after the course and fashion of this worlde euen as Satan woulde haue them and proceedeth in it after this sort First to awake them out of the dead stepe of sinne wherinto they are fallen he pricketh them with the sharpenes of his Lawe and laying a nomber of examples of his Iustice before them driueth them into a feare not minding to beate them downe into desperation but to make them turne their faces towardes the Mediatour in whome they may finde some place of refuge And to this end he layeth before them in cōclusion his grace and fatherly goodnes by the preaching of his Gospel He teacheth them he maketh them apt to receyue instruction assureth them of their election summoneth them to his heauenly inheritance stretcheth out his hande vnto them to bring them thyther yea and draweth them vnto him fashioneth thē new eares lighteneth their eyes changeth theyr stonie heart into a fleshy heart openeth their vnderstanding reneweth their senses disposeth and maketh them fit to sauour and taste his worde which he soweth and causeth it to budde and bring foorth fruit in them maketh them fit for his election To be short when he hath once formed Christ in them he decketh and enricheth them with many gyftes and graces and whereas they were farre of from him he maketh them drawe neare to him of strangers he maketh them housebirds of wolues sheepe flocking togyther vnder the great pastour of soules of natural fleshly earthly and deuelish mē he maketh them heauenly spiritual angellike and diuine and by this meanes translateth them from the kingdome of darkenes into the kingdome of light transporteth them from death to life and bringeth them into his own housholde To be short hauing thus ingraffed them into the body of his Sonne he ioyneth and allieth him selfe to them he maketh him selfe one with them maketh them his children and heyres partakers of his immortalitie and glorie and all this he worketh by the inward vertue of his holy Ghost with an other maner of efficacie then by restoring the reliques of free will as some popish mates vse to speake seeing that all the remainder that man hath of this free will serueth to nothing els but to sinne willingly to flie from God to hate him and to haue no wil to heare him nor beleeue in him nor acknowledge any of his blessings and that more is to think vpon nothing but vpon sinne and not to haue so much as one good thought Which wonderfull order S. Bernard considering cryeth out and sayeth Beholde an high and marueilous counsell which hath bene published to vs God knoweth thē that are his and what he knewe he hath shewed to men he receyueth none to the knowledge of this mysterie and hidden thing but suche as he hath predestined And addeth moreouer The mercie of God from euerlasting to euerlasting on them that feare him from euerlasting because of his predestination to euerlasting because of the blessednes which they looke for the one hath no beginning the other hath no end S. Augustin also saith in lyke sort Is not this a kinde of schole far from the sense of the fleshe wherein the Father is the scholemaster that teacheth vs to come to him and the Sonne of God is the worde whereby he teacheth and whiche entreth by the eare euen to the heart where is also the Spirit of the Father and the Sonne who teacheth also iointly with them and not a part for the workes of the Trinitie are inseparable so that if we see nombers come to the Sonne it is by him that maketh many to beleue in Christ But where whē euery man hath heard bene taught by the Father we see it not because this grace is hidden secret heauenly wrought by the renewing of the holy Ghost powred out plentifully vpon thē And truely it is a marueylous generatiō which maketh man a new creature not that he receyueth an other soule or an other body in substance but in qualitie by repayring the Image of God in him by an inward renewing of the whole nature that was corrupted yea it is a worke which setteth out vnto vs no lesse vertue and power of God then that whereby Iesus Christ was raysed from the dead and placed at the right hand of God his Father To be short it is done by the word as by the ordinarie instrument whiche maketh vs partakers of Christ and frameth the Christian man so that vnlesse the doore of our hearing be opened by the preaching of the Gospell the worde can not enter into the heart and the preaching is wrought by the voyce of man assisted by the inward vertue of the holy Ghost which man must be sent by a special grace of God to declare vnto vs that this special grace is according to his electiō which is according to his euerlasting counsell determined according to the good pleasure of his will which onely is iust and reasonable And so consequently both the calling