Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	good_a	grace_n	work_n	6,662	5	5.6625	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01759	The epistle of Gildas, the most ancient British author who flourished in the yeere of our Lord, 546. And who by his great erudition, sanctitie, and wisedome, acquired the name of sapiens. Faithfully translated out of the originall Latine.; Liber querulus de excidio Britanniae. English	Gildas, 516?-570?; Abingdon, Thomas.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1638 (1638)	STC 11895; ESTC S103163	93,511	458

the whole Island the most famous name by which it hath beene knowne to all the mighty Emperours of Rome and blazed throughout the world the most learned name as the bookes of the Latines and all other tongues and languages doe largely witnesse and lastly the most generall name of all the inhabitants for what are the English Scottish and Welch but three parts of the whole large and most beautifull Island of Britaine And surely as it were absurd in familiar speech of London to tearme it after the names of the particular Wards or companies of the City and not according to the entire Corporation or to call any Shire of the Realme after the Hundreds or divisions of the same and not according to the well knowne title of the whole Country so is it as farre against all reason that our little world of Britaine being now included in one Kingdome should be dis●evered in names that would but ever rubbe up the remembrance of former injuries and be Nurses of dissention which his Majestie not unlike that ancient Romulus seeketh providently to abolish and making a skilfull mixture of the English Scottish and Welch laboureth now to severe them all into three distinct orders of the Nobility Gentry and Cominalty of his entire Realme of great Britaine vvhich being of three sundry people framed into one happy Soveraigntie I beseech the Almighty Trinity to bring to a most perfect Vnitie Thus have I vvith more good vvill than good skill presumed upon the mention of these three people to leape rashly into the matter of the union vvherein although I may bee condemned for vvant of discretion yet no man shall ever accuse mee for lacke of indifferencie Here beginneth the Prologue of Gildas surnamed the Wise as touching the overthrow of Britaine with his lamentation upon the same being a sharpe reprehension of the Princes and people of the Land WHatsoever I shall throughout this Epistle of mine rather by way of lamentation than declamation prosecute with mine unworthy but wellwishing pen let no man suppose I declare the same with any affectation of d●spising others or vainely esteeming my selfe better than all the rest being alasse the man who with weeping complaints bewayleth the common losse of all goodnesse and the increasing heape of mischiefes but rather communicating my sorrow on the discommodities and mis●ries of my Country and on the contraryside my comfort on the reformation of the same Because it is not now my determination somuch to report the dangers of the bloody battailes of most valiant souldiers as the perils of slothfull men In silence have I I con●fesse with exceeding greefe of my heart as God the searcher of all secrets is my witnesse passed and overslipped full tenne yeeres space or more mine unskilfullnesse together with my vile basenesse ever as at this instant curbing me that I should not presume to write any so little an admonition I did notwithstanding reade how the admirable Lawgiver for the misdoubting of one onely word never entred into the desired land How the sonnes of the Priest for offering with other fire than was commanded by a sudden death perished how the people that broke the word of God being six hundred thousands yea and they most deare to him as whose smoothest way was the sands of the deepe red sea whose meate the heavenly bread whose drinke the new water passing out of the Rocke whose invincible army but onely the stretching up of hand● all these two upright men excepted to have dyed through serpents sword and fire here and there along the desarts of Arabia yea after the entrance of the unknowne gate as it were of Iordan and their adverse Cities wals by the onely sound of trumpets through the commandement of God ouerthrowne one silly cloake and a little gold presumptuously taken of the accursed spoile to have beene the slaughter of many men how the breaking of the league made with the Gibionites yea though the same were through subtilty extorted was also to some their destruction I have read the complaining cryes of the holy Prophets poured out for the sinnes of men and especially those of Ieremie with his fourefold Alphabet lamenting the ruine of his Citie I saw moreover in this our time as he in former bewailed The widow City now sit alone sometimes replenished with people The Lady of nations the Prince of Provinces to wit the Church to be made tributary The gold obscured the most excellent colour which is the beauty of the word of God changed The sonnes of Sion that is of our holy mother the Church sometimes famous and clothed in the purest gold to have embraced dung And that which to him as a principall man to me also though an abject yet howsoever encreased this mountaine of sorrow whilest beforehand hee lamented them living as yet so famous in their flowing prosperity that he said Her Nazarens were whiter than snow redder than the ancient Ivory fairer than the Saphire Beholding in the old Testament these and many others as certaine looking glasses of our life I turned me also to the new and there the shadow now ceasing and the light more clearely shining more plainely did I reade what before perchance was obscure unto me I did reade I say that our Lord hath said I came not but to the lost sheepe of the house o● Israel and yet on the other side But the children of this kingdome shall bee cast into outward darknesse there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth And againe It is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it unto dogs And also Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites I heard Many shall come from the East and the West and sit with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen And on the contrary part And then shal I say unto them Depart from me yee workers of iniquity I have read Blessed are the barren and the teats that have not given sucke And in contrary position They who were ready entred with him to the mariage afterwards came also the other Virgins saying Lord Lord open unto us to whom it was answered I know yee not I did truely heare Who so shall beleeve and be baptised shall be saved but who shall not beleeve shall bee damned I did reade from the penne of the Apostle that the branch of the wilde Olive was graffed on the good Olive but notwithstanding should be cut off from the community of the roote of his fruitfull fatnesse if hee carry not himselfe in feare but rashly entred into high secrets I knew the mercy of our Lord but dreaded his judgements I praised his grace but trembled that every man shall receive according to his workes Seeing the sheep of one folde unlike in fashion worthily I commended the most blessed Peter for his full

examine your actions and sift your thoughts For that when ye were ministers of his kingdome ye have not judged uprightly nor kept the law of Iustice nor yet walked according to his will It shall dreadfully and suddenly appeare unto yee that a most severe judgement shall be given on them who governe For to the meaner is mercy granted but the mighty shall mightily sustaine torments For he shall have no respect of persons who is the ruler of all nor yet shall he reverence the greatnesse of any one because he himselfe hath made both small and great and care alike he hath of all but for the stronger is at hand a stronger affliction Vnto yee therefore O Kings are these my speeches that yee may learne wisdome and not fall away from her For who so observe what things are just shall be justified and who so learne what things are holy shall be sanctified Hitherto have we discoursed no lesse by the Oracles of the Prophets than by our owne speeches with the Kings of our Country being willing they should know what the Prophet hath spoken saying As from the face of a Serpent so flye thou sinnes If thou shalt aproach unto them the teeth of a Lyon will catch thee their teeth are such as kill the soules of men And againe How mighty is the mercy of our Lord. and his forgivenesse to such as convert themselves unto him And if wee have not in us that Apostolicall zeale that wee may say I did verily desire to he amathematised by Christ for my brethren Notwithstanding we may from the bottome of our hearts speake that Propheticall saying Alas that a soule perisheth And againe Let us search out our wayes and seeke and returne unto our Lord Let us lift our hearts together with our bands to God in heaven And also that of the Apostle We covet that every one of yee should bee in the bowels of Christ. And how willingly truely as one tossed on the waves of the sea and now arrived in a desired haven would I in this place make an end blushing shame forbidding me further to proceede did I not behold such and so great mountaines of malice advanced against God by Bishops or other Priests or clearkes yea some of our owne order whom as witnesses my selfe must of necessity first of all stone accordi●g unto the Law with the hard blowes of words least I should be otherwise reproved of partiality towards persons and then afterwards the people if as yet they keepe their decrees must pursue with their whole powers the same execution upon them not to their corporall death but to the death of their vices and their eternall life with God Yet as before I have sayd I doe crave pardon of them whose lives I doe not onely prayse but also preferre before all earthly treasure and of the which if it may be yet before my death I desire and thirst to be a partaker and so having both my sides defended with the double shields of Saints and by those meanes invincibly strengthned to sustaine all that arise against me arming moreover my head in place of an helmet with the helpe of our Lord and being most assuredly protected with the sundry assistances of the Prophets I will boldly proceede notwithstanding the stones of worldly rioters flye never so fast about me IT is very aptly said that sinne creepeth on as a Cancker for no man in a moment becommeth absolutely evill but even like the Sea that making his entry first at a little hole and afterwards enlarging his passage in the end breaketh downe the bancke and overwhelmeth the whole land so vice hath her progresses in depraved mindes the lamentable example whereof we may in the history of Britaine apparantly behold Our Authour hath already declared the infection of Heresie the corruption of infidelity the disorders of warre and the dissolution of manners that distempered the body of the Iland he laid open the sores of the temporall governors to the end that medicines might have beene the better applyed for their remedies and here now he beginneth to discover the grievous imperfections of the Clergy which are truely so much the worse by how much their lives ought to be more vertuous and exemplar and yet would I have you to know that these were defects not of Religion but of life such as those offences of the Priests Scribes and Pharisees so often in the word of God recited whose sins although too foulely they soiled their owne soules yet could they never staine the immaculate Church of God committed unto their charge Neither yet did Gildas as another Elias complaine that there was not one left but himselfe alone who worthily served God since in sundry places he sheweth how many were yet here in this land whose holy lives deserved most high commendation even as our Lord spake to the same Elias saying There remained seven thousand in Israel who never bowed their knees to Baal But suppose Britaine had beene wholly drowned in the deepe Seas of offences yet did Italy Greece and Gall. with many other mighty Provinces of the Christian world flourish at the selfe same time both in vertuous Life and true Religion not unlike the Kingdome of Iudah which in that season when Elias so complained of Israel did notwithstanding openly maintaine the true worshipping of God but this insueing Treatise telleth us that in the field of our Lord there sprung up Cockell and in his barne of purest Corne there was found chaffe and among his wisest Virgins foolish ones all which in this world cannot be separated but remaine untill the day of judgement to be severally divided thus doth he set before our eyes the beginning and proceeding of the wickednesse of Britaine whose blessed soule possessed with a true zeale to God departed to receive a Crowne of eternall glory before the conclusion of this tragedy of sinne for as ye shall reade in venerable Bede presently after the decease of Gildas they fell to open errors and then to disobedience of the Church in withstanding the authority of Saint Augustine the first Arch-bishop of Canterbury although within a while afterwards it pleased God of his singular mercy to recall them backe into his Catholike fold againe Neither let any man imagine I have Translated this worke to disclose the faults of Pastors and Superiours For I had rather with Sem and Iaphet conceale then with Cham reveale the imperfections of spirituall Fathers But having Englished the former part of Gildas I did also because I would not leave the worke maimed and unperfect adventure upon this latter wherein I would wish the Readers to consider that if this flame of sinne did scorch the Cedars of Libanus no doubt but it may burne the lesser silly shrubs if it infected I say the spiritualty it may assuredly unlesse wee be ware consume us of the Laity BRitaine hath Priests but some shee hath that are unwise very many that Minister but many of