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
A15739	A trial of the Romish clergies title to the Church by way of answer to a popish pamphlet written by one A.D. and entituled A treatise of faith, wherein is briefly and plainly shewed a direct way, by which euery man may resolue and settle his mind in all doubts, questions and controuersies, concerning matters of faith. By Antonie Wotton. In the end you haue three tables: one of the texts of Scripture expounded or alledged in this booke: another of the testimonies of ancient and later writers, with a chronologie of the times in which they liued: a third of the chiefe matters contained in the treatise and answer.	Wotton, Anthony, 1561?-1626.	1608 (1608)	STC 26009; ESTC S120318	380,257	454

reason why we lay challenge to all those men as members of our Church and not of yours They agree say we disproue vs if you can with vs in the substance of doctrine concerning saluation by Iesus Christ and other points of the foundation If you were able to shew the like which is vnpossible yet would it not follow that they were of your Church because no man is in your account a member of your Church but he that agrees with you in all matters defined by your Church wherein I confidently anow and am readie to iustifie it there is no auncient writer in the first thousand years that is of your opiniō though in some one point or other they may agree with your doctrin But indeed we haue no saints canonized by our Church and made mediators betwixt God and vs to rob Iesus Christ of his office and God the Father of thanks due to him for granting our requests And if this want make our Church vnholy the Church in the time of our Sauiour himselfe and of his Apostles was most vnholy in which there neuer was any such practise or doctrine Indeed this is the maine holinesse whereby the learned of your side seeke to proue the truth of your Church and not that other of particular mens conuersation And what say you against our doctrine in this behalfe Forsooth that it cannot of it selfe leade the most precise obseruers of it to holinesse The particulars of our doctrine accused by you shall be defended in their seuerall places now a word or two onely in generall How doth any doctrine leade to holinesse but by propounding the rules of true obedience to God wherein all holinesse consists How doe the arts of Grammer Logicke Arithmeticke and Geometry leade a man to speake reason number and measure well but by deliuering the true rules to these purposes which in themselues direct to perfection in euery one of these professions And can our doctrine be said to be insufficient which acknowledgeth the scriptures of God to be the rule of all righteousnesse and all men bound to liue in obedience to the will of God contained and reuealed in them Do not we teach men that vpon paine of damnation they must labour to keepe all Gods commaundements whatsoeuer Are not our expositions of the commaundements as large in duties prescribed and sins forbidden as yours are Do we or you perswade men that there are some veniall sinnes small breaches of Gods law not to be regarded whereas we shew that euery least transgression of the law is damnable But because you charge vs with particular points which incline men as you say to libertie and loosenesse of life I will come to the examination of them seuerally yet but shortly for that I haue answered them all in another treatife against certaine articles propounded by one of your Popish faction It is vtterly vntrue that our doctrine inclines any man to breake fasting dayes nay rather we enioyne all men to obserue dayes lawfully set apart for fasting with all care and good conscience both for preparation to and cariage in the action As for your dayes of abstaining from flesh we hold the institution of them to be voyd of Religion and vnlawfull as making them in themselues a part of Gods seruice whereas a man for all your fasting may glut and gorge himselfe with wine and all dainties so he eate no flesh and yet keepe your Popish fast without danger of any censure for transgressing your law of fasting Confession of sinnes to a minister we neither commaund as a necessarie dutie nor forbid as a sinne but leaue it free to euery mans conscience as he findeth need of instruction or comfort It is so far from being a remedie of sinne as it is vsed by your church that it rather prouokes men to sinne because they haue so readie and easie a meanes to disburden their consciences as they thinke when they haue sinned A worthy gentleman that hath seene the experience of this matter doubteth not to auouch as much as I say that your people sinne that they may haue somewhat to confesse and confesse that they may returne to sin yea I can name and if need be bring forth one who hath bene faine in confession to accuse himselfe of sinnes which he neuer committed because his ghostly father would not be perswaded but that being a young man and liuing in one of your Popish countries he must needs be defiled with the corruptions of the place and age There is no one point wherein you more bewray your selues to be seruants and not sons of God then this confession against your owne soules that you would neglect the doing of good workes but that you looke to merite euerlasting life by them This motiue to good workes is so base that no man of a free nature would yeeld vnto it The very Philosophers could teach you that vertue is to be loued for vertue and not for any outward respect or consequent that may follow thereupon and God is more dishonored by your opinion of meriting then honored by any your supposed good workes whatsoeuer If you had euer felt what a sharpe spurre to holinesse of life the assurance of forgiuenesse of sinnes is you would neuer thinke that the practise of good workes is lightly esteemed where the mercie of God hath brought peace to the damned conscience And yet we want not that other helpe expectation of reward which we are sure shal be giuen to the least of our good works though not vpon their desert but of the meere mercie of God in Iesus Christ That wicked opinion of merit either before or after grace doth puffe vp the pride of mans nature and diminish the glorie of Gods mercie in Iesus Christ Wages vpon desert is the hire of seruants reward bestowed in loue is the gift of a kind father to a gracious sonne who hath shewed himself willing to performe duties of obedience What men doth it make carelesse but those proud Pharises that stand at the staues end with God and thinke scorne to labour in keeping the commandements vnlesse they may so keep them as to claime heauen vpon desert by keeping of them Is it not enough to stir vp any poore Christian soule to obedience that God will accept of his weake endeuours being performed in truth and singlenesse of heart and reward them with an vnspeakable measure of glorie There is no man vnlesse he be more desirous of his owne glorie then Gods but wil be content and glad to confesse his vnabilitie to performe the whole will of God perfectly and yet striue from time to time to doe as much as his corruption will giue way to It seemes that not diuinitie onely but also common reason failes you Shall I be carelesse in bearing my horse head and holding him vp from falling because I am sure he treads neuer a sure step but will stumble or trip continually do the best I can Put case