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
A48900	A third letter for toleration, to the author of the Third letter concerning toleration	Locke, John, 1632-1704.; Proast, Jonas. Third letter concerning toleration.	1692 (1692)	Wing L2765; ESTC R5673	316,821	370

readily Miracles Ergo Men are directed now by Scripture to use Miracles Or else what Answer do you make to my Argument which I gave you in these Words ` No Means is to be used by Man but what God himself has directed in the Scriptures wherein are contain'd all the Means and Methods of Salvation No they cannot use Miracles now as a Means say you for they have them not What then Therefore the Magistrate who has it must use Force to supply the want of those extraordinary Means which are now ceased This indeed is an Inference of yours but not of the Scriptures Does the Scripture say any thing of this Not a word not so much as the least Intimation towards it in all the New Testament Be it then true or false that Force is a Means to be used by Men in the absence of Miracles this is yet no Answer to my Argument this is no Proof that'tis appointed in Scripture which is the thing my Argument turns on Revelation then fails you Let us see now how Reason and Common Sense that common Light of Nature will help you out You then reason thus Bare Preaching c. will not prevail on Men to hear and consider and therefore some other Means is necessary to make them do so Pray what do you mean by Men or any other of those indefinite Terms you have always used in this Case Is it that bare Preaching will prevail on no Men Does Reason under which I comprehend Experience too and all the ways of Knowledg contradistinguish'd to Revelation discover any such thing to you I imagine you will not say that or pretend that no Body was ever brought by Preaching and Perswasion to hear and consider the Truths of the Gospel mean by considering what you will without other Means used by those who applied themselves to the care of converting them To such therefore as may be brought to hear and consider without other Means you will not say that other Means are necessary In the next place therefore When you say bare Preaching will not prevail on Men Do you mean that 't will not prevail on all Men and therefore'tis necessary that Men should use other Means Neither I think will Reason authorise you to draw such a Consequence Because neither will Preaching alone nor Preaching 〈◊〉 with Force or any other Means Man can use prevail on all Men. And therefore no other Means can be pretended to be necellary to be used by Man to do what Men by those Means never did nor never can do That some Men shall be saved and not all is I think past question to all that are Christians And those that shall be saved 't is plain are the 〈◊〉 If you think not this plain enough in Scripture I desire you to turn to the 17th of the 29 Articles of the Church of England where you will read these Words Predestination to Life is the everlasting Purpose of God whereby before the Foundations of the World were laid he hath const decreed by his Counsel secret to us to deliver from Curse and Damnation those whom he ha●… CHOSEN in Christ out of Mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting Salvation as Vessels made to honour Wherefore they which be indued with so excellent a Benefit of God be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit 〈◊〉 in due 〈◊〉 They through Grace obey the calling They be justified freely They be made Sons of God by Adoption They be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ They walk religiously in good Works and at length by God's Mercy They attain to everlasting Felicity Now pray tell me whether bare Preaching will not prevail on all the Elect to hear and consider without other Means to be used by Men. If you say it will the neceslity of your other Means I think is out of doors If you say it will not I desire you to tell me how you do know it without Revelation And whether by your own reason you can tell us whether any and what Means God has made necessary besides what he has appointed in Scripture for the calling his Elect. When you can do this we shall think you no ordinary Divine nor a Stranger to the secret Counsels of the insinitely wise God But till then your mixing your Opinion with the Divine Wisdom in the great Work of Salvation and from Arguments of Congruity taking upon you to declare the Necessity or Usefulness of Means which God has not expresly directed for the gathering in of his Elect will scarece authorize the Magistrate to use his Co●…tive Power for the edisying and compleating the Body of Christ which is his Church Those whom God hath chosen in Christ out of Mankind before the Foundations of the World are called according to God's Purpose by his Spirit working in due season and through Grace obey the calling say you in your Article The outward Means that God has appointed for this is Preaching Ay but Preaching is not enough that is not sussicient Means say you And I ask you how you know it since the Scripture which declares all that we can know in this matter says nothing of the Insussiciency of it or of the Necessity of any other Nor can there be a Necessity of any other Means than wh●…t God expresly appoints in a Matter wherein no Means can operate effectually without the Assistance of his Grace and where the Assistance of his Grace can make any outward Means he appoints effectual I must desire you here to take notice that by Preaching which I use for Shortness I mean Exhortation Instruction Intreaty Praying for and in fine any outward Means of Perswasion in the Power of Man separate from Force You tell us here As to the first Spreaders of the Gospel God appointed other Means viz. Miracles for them to use to induce Men to hear and consider If by the first Spreaders of the Gospel you mean the twelve Apostles and 70 Disciples whom Christ himself sent to preach the Gospel They indeed were appointed by his immediate Command to shew Miracles by-the Power which he had bestowed upon them But will you say all the Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel had such a Commission and such a Power all along from the Apostles time and that they every one did actually shew Miracles to induce Men to hear and consider quite down till Christianity was supported by the Law of the Empire Unless you could shew this though you could produce some well-attested Miracles done by some Men in every Age till that time yet it would not be sufficient to prove that Miracles were appointed to be constantly used to induce Men to hear and consider and so by your Reasoning to supply the want of Force till that necessary Assistance could be had from the Authority of the Magistrate become Christian. For since it is what You build upon that Men will not hear and consider upon bare Preaching