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
A87095	The first general epistle of St. John the Apostle, unfolded & applied. The second part, in thirty and seven lectures on the second chapter, from the third to the last verse. Delivered in St. Dionys. Back-Church, by Nath: Hardy minister of the gospel, and preacher to that parish.; First general epistle of St. John the Apostle. Part 2.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing H723; Thomason E981_1; ESTC R207731	535,986	795

the damned shall never be inflicted and whatsoever miseries and afflictions may befall a pardoned sinner though they are materially yet they are not formally punishments because not for satisfaction of offended justice And thus with what brevity this weighty point would admit I have discovered to you the nature of this mercy and surely by what hath been said we may easily see how precious a blessing it is as being eminently the Queen of mercies the Ocean of blessings the Quintessence of comforts and vertually all blessings whatsoever we can stand in need of or long after Till sin be forgiven no good can be expected and therefore they are put together Take away all iniquity and do us good either God withholds mercy or else the mercy proveth a curse to the unpardoned sinner sin being forgiven there is no evill which we need to fear not Gods wrath not the Laws curse not Satans malice not Hels torments when the Angell said of Jesus He shall save his people from their sins he implyeth salvation from all evils which are the proper effects of sin since according to that known Maxime Sublatâ causâ tollitur effectus the cause being removed the effects cannot but cease And as there is no evill which we need feare so neither is there any good which we may not hope Zanchy observeth upon the Text that by a Synecdoche forgiveness of sins is here put for all blessings sure I am all good goeth along with pardoning mercy it is not so in mens pardons the forgiven malefactor is not therefore received into favour or advanced to honour but grace and glory yea all blessings attend those whom God forgiveth Indeed it is only sin which stops the current of mercy no wonder then if sin being removed mercy flows in a pace Reconciliatio● to acceptation with God both of our persons and services freedome of access to the throne of grace and a mercifull audience of our Prayers supplies of all needfull comforts and a turning of all afflictions to our good Finally the sonship now and the inheritance hereafter do all belong to him whose s●ns are forgiven Excellently Fulgentius to our present purpose Non de re parvâ disserimus nec vile aliquid quaerimus cum de remissione peccatorum disputamus it is not a light matter an unworthy Subject we discourse of when we speak of Remission of sins by this we are freed from eternall punishment that we may enjoy eternall bliss by this that weight of ●●n which either by nature or life hath been contracted is removed and Christ giveth ease to the weary and laden by this the ungodly is freely justi●●ed his faith being accounted to him for righteousness Finally by Remission of sins men are graciously differenced from those who shall be eternally tormented with and by the Devill and joyned to those who shall eternally reign with Christ Oh then according to Ferus his pious counsell Hoc ipsum pro maximo dono gratiâ repetimus let us esteem this the highest favour and the greatest gift whereof we can be partakers and withall labour we to be among that number to whom this priviledg belongs And so I am fallen on the Propriety of the Persons in the word your Forgiveness of ●●ns as you have already heard is a great but withall it is a speciall blessing There are some benefits which are common to elect and reprobate good and bad such is that whereby God doth spare sinners and withholds the execution of punishment from them for so St Paul speaketh of goodness and forbearance to those who d●sp●se it But then there are peculiar benefits which are the portion only of the good so confer'd o●● as that they a●● confined to the regenerate among which is this o● ●●rgiveness and therefore it is said here your sins Forgiveness of sins may be considered three waies 1. In the decree and purpose of it which was before the begining of the world from all eternity In the plenar● completion and open publication of it which shall not be till the end of the world when time shall be no more In the particular application of it to severall persons which is time by time in this present world and is not vouchsafed to any till they are regenerated To unfold this more fully take this your both exclusivè and inclusivè by way of restriction and inlargement yours that is none but yours yours that is all your sins are forgiven 1. Yours and none but your sins are forgiven This bread of life is for Sons not Slaves this kiss of Love is for Favourites not Rebels this Sunbeame of mercy for the Children of the Day not the Night Indeed we must distinguish between the collation and the oblation the conferring and the offering of this benefit forgiveness of sins is offered to all upon the condition of believing and repenting but bestowed only upon them who actually believe and repent and therefore in the publication of this mercy Ministers must write a bill of divorce to all wicked sinners that so according to Gods command they may seperate the precious from the vile and in the Applica●io● of it every one must take heed lest he too rashly hastily and presumptuously lay hold upon it Blessed is that man saith the Psalmist whose sins are forgiven ey but miserable is that man who thinketh his ●●ns forgiven when they are not yea he is so much the more miserable because he thinketh himself happy We need to be very cautelous how we pass the sentence of absolution and you have no less reason to be carefull how you ●pply the promises of pardon least a vain presumptio●●f ●f mercy betray you to endless misery 2. Yours and all your s●ns are forgiven you whither Fathers or young Men or little Children That is 1. In a literall sense li●tle Children having received Baptismall regeneration are cleansed from their Originall sin young Men turning to God have the folli●s of their Childhood pardoned yea to Fathers repenting the sins of their former ages shall not be mentioned 2. In a spirituall notion not only strong but weake Christians are capable of this benefit I will remember their iniquities no more is a branch of the n●w Covenan● and truth of grace entituleth us to the Covenant Indeed we must distinguish between the collation and the manifestation of this mercy Christians whilst they are but novic●s are weake in faith nor can they clearly apprehend that their sins are forgiven but still the benefit no less truly belongs to them then to gro●n Saints As then before I disswaded the wicked from presumption so now I must warne the weake of despaire those are too apt to lay hold upon and these are too ready to refuse pardon nor is it more hard to driv● these from then to draw those to eate of this tree of life But tell me oh drooping soul Why dost thou frowardly put that comfort far from thee

then teach such an one so may we say of such persons they must first be taken off from their sandy foundation and then fixed upon the true rock whereby it is that they are brought with more difficulty into the state of salvation 3. But lastly Others there are who both truly know Christ and know that they know him are by faith ingrafted into Christ and have an inward sense of that faith and so of their being ingrafted in him Among this number was St John and not he only but many others as well Christians as Apostles in which respect he useth the plural number and indeed an endeavour after this reflex knowledge is that to which every Christian is bound It is St Peters counsell giving all diligence to make your calling and election sure and if you please to view the begining of his Epistle you shall find those whom he puts upon this work to be all that had obtained like precious faith with the Apostles to wit for quality though not quantity that is all believers who being chosen and called must strive for an assurance that they are so Among others there are two Considerations which may serve as spurres to quicken our endeavours and wings to accelerate our pursuit after this knowledg namely the possibility of attaining it and the utility of it when attained 1. If we strive after it we shall not labour in vain Indeed God hath appointed to every Christian his measure of spiritual stature yet so as that no Christian who is not awanting to himself but may attain so farre as to have some degree of this knowledge where St Peter in the fore-mentioned Scripture requireth all believers to give all diligence to gain this assurance what doth he but imply at once both a difficulty and a possibility of gaining it since were it not difficult there were no need of all and if it be not possible it will be in vain to use any diligence When St Paul calleth upon the Corinthians to examine themselves whether they be in the faith what is his designe but as the following words know you not that Jesus Christ ●s in you intimate that they might come to know their interest in Christ And surely it were in vain to bid us search for that which cannot be found examine whether we be in the faith if we cannot know whether we have faith or no. 2. Possible then it is and not only so but profitable as conducing very much to the exercise of many duties and the participation of many comforts 1. Christians are called upon in Scripture to cry Abba Father to rejoyce in the Lord to be thankfull to love the appearing and look for the coming of Christ Now these are such duties as are to be performed by none but them who know that they know Christ and are in him How can we call God Father unless we know him to be so nor can we be assured that he is our Father except we know our selves to be in Christ through whom alone he becometh a Father Gerson hath well observed that to joy there must three things concurre objectum delectabile applicatio ad appetentem cognitio applicationis a delightfull object an application of this object to him who desireth it and a knowledge of that application it is so in spiritual joy Christ is the delectable object our knowing him and being in him is the application of this object and though these two be present yet if there be not a knowledge of this application there can be no rejoyceing How full of teares and despair is Hagar when yet a well was by her How sad and pensive are those two Disciples whilest yet Christ draweth near to them and walketh with them How bitterly doth Mary weep at the Sepulchre whenas he for whom she weepeth is risen from the grave and standeth by her and why all this Alas Hagar seeth not the well the Disciples and Mary knew him not to be Jesus Thus as it is impossible to desire that we know not to be good so to delight in that good whereof we know not our selves possessed And as we cannot be joyfull in so neither thankfull for those benefits whereof we have not a sensible fruition he only that can say God of his abundant mercy hath begotten me again can say Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Finally Christs coming at the last day shall be in flaming fire rendering vengeance on them that know him not only to them that are in him he will arise a Sunne of righteousness with healing in his wings so that whilest we are uncertain of our being in Christ we cannot with comfort expect or with desire long for his coming 2. And as this knowledge enableth us to these duties so it is that which enlargeth our comforts true it is he is an holy man who hath grace without peace but he is the happy man who hath grace and peace The knowledge of our interest in Christ is not necessary to the end it selfe as if there were no Salvation without it but it is needfull to Solace us in the way to the end since there is no Consolation without it What is it that heighteneth our Fellowship and Communion with God that giveth us boldness of access to the Throne of Grace that causeth the soul to converse with God as a Favourite with his Prince a Son with his Father a Bride with her Bridegroome but this knowledg How amiable is the Meditation of Christ in his Person Natures Offices Merits to him who knowing himself to be in Christ knoweth all these to be his Every thing of Christ is sweet to such a Soul it doth him good to view his Wounds nay with Thomas to put his hands in the hole of Christs side whilst he can say my Lord and my God With what gladness doth he receive the Word of God in every part of it since the very threatnings do not affright him because he knoweth they belong not to him This Knowledg of our interest in Christ is that which multiplyeth the sweetness of all temporall enjoyments inasmuch as by this means we look upon our selves as having not only a civill but a spirituall right to them we look upon them as the fruits and pledges of speciall love yea the earnest of a better inheritance Indeed mercy looketh like mercy and every blessing is doubly beautifull in the eye of such a Christian One being asked what was the best Prospect returned this Answer To see a greatway in his own land He who knoweth he is in Christ may look both on Earth and Heaven as his according to that of St Paul All things are yours Finally This is that which contents us in all estates supports us under all afflictions and armeth us against the fears of death He must needs be willing to want any thing else who knoweth he hath Christ who is All in All he need

word had we only to do with men it might suffice to have a care of our words and workes but since we have to do with God there must be a regard of thoughts and desires 3. Lastly It is not the lust of the flesh or the lust of the eyes but and to intimate to us that any one of these denominate a man a lover of the world and therefore it is not enough that we are free from one but we must be without any of these lusts to wit raigning and ruling over us I have read a story of an holy man to whom an Angell came with this message Veni ostendam tibi operva hominum Come and I will shew thee the workes of the sonnes of men To this end he leads him first to a field where he shewed him a man gathering sticks making a bundle and taking it on his shoulder to carry it but finding it too weighty he layeth it down and gathereth more but then he could not so much as stirre it Then he leads him to a river where he shewed him a man taking up water and pouring it into a leaking vessell which let it out as fast almost as it was put in Then he led him to a Temple where he findes two men carrying a piece of wood cross whereby neither could get into the Temple whereas if one would have permitted the other to have gone before both might have entered in In these three sights we have a representation of these three lusts the springs of those workes The first of the voluptuous who continually gather sticks of the Tree of pleasure and are so bewitched that they leave not gathering till the burden of them become at last intolerable The second of the covetous whose insatiable desire is like a vessell full of holes which yet he is still endeavouring to fill The third of the proud who whilest they will not suffer another to go before them hinder each other from entring into that caelestiall Temple Some there are who prostitute themselves so farre as they are consistent one with the other to all these lusts It is observed of the Swanne that he hath a threefold habitation the Water the Earth the Aire a fit Embleme of many sinners who swim in the water of sensuall pleasure walke upon the earth by the feet of covetous affections and flye in the aire with the wings of pride Others there are who are only addicted to one of these lusts whilst they are free from nay haters of the other Thus the voluptuous Epicure hateth to be covetous the covetous Mammonist abhorreth to be voluptuous and some proud men hate both we all saith the Prophet Like sheep have gone astray and turned every one to his own way Though all naturally go in a bad way yet not in the same some in the path of pride and others of curiosity others of avarice and others of sensuality But if the Enemy enter in at any one of these gates he gets the Castle ●e that goeth in any of these paths is in the broad way and he that is caught by any of these nets is the Devils Slave It will little availe the sensuall man to say I am not proud or covetous or the proud man to say I am not covetous or sensuall nor the covetous man to say I am not sensuall or proud That threatning against Israel Him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay and him that escapeth the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay may be here fitly alluded to and is too often verified Him that escapeth the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes slayeth and him that escapeth the lust of the eyes the pride of life slayeth It is ofttimes in this case according to that of the Prophet Amos As if a man did flee from a Lion and a Beare met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a Serpent bit him Many a man that abhorreth the lust of the flesh is ensnared by the lust of the eyes and some as St Ambrose observeth Quos nulla potuit vincere luxuria nulla avaritia subruere ambitio facit criminosos whom neither luxury nor avarice could overcome pride hath surprized and subdued and therefore let our abstinence be universall or else it cannot be effectuall Thus did Moses when he chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season when he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then all the treasures of Aegypt when being come to years he refused to be called the Sonne of Pharaohs Daughter Thus did Christ when to satisfie his hunger he would not command stones to be bread when he would not fall down and worship the Devill to gain all the Kingdomes of the world when he would not vain gloriously cast himselfe down from the Pinacle to shew himself the Sonne of God Thus must every Christian do in some measure then and not till then are we good Schollars in the Schoole of grace when we have learnt to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts namely the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St JOHN CHAP. 2. VERS 15. Love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him WHat was the saying of those Jews upon the hearing of Christs discourse I doubt is the thought of many Christians upon the reading of this Scripture This is an hard saying who can heare it Promises of mercy tickle but precepts of duty such especially as are contrary to our lusts grate the ears the very hearing is irksome but the practising much more This is an hard saying who can hear it It is harder doing who can performe it True the worke is excellent but withall difficult it is a matter of moment but not acted in a moment To divert our corrupt natures from worldly love is no less then to turne a streame and that will aske no little time and paines No wonder then if our Apostle contents not himself with the bare mention of this duty but withall annexeth strong inducements to the performance of it that hearing not only what we are to do but what great reason there is why we should do it we might with the stronger resolution set about it Love not the world for if any man love the world c. It is that part of the Text I am now come to namely the Argumentation which our Apostle adjoyneth to his Dehortation which consists of two parts or rather presents us with two Arguments 1. The first whereof is drawn from worldly love its contrariety to that which is divine and this is both asserted in the end of the fifteenth and proved in the end of the sixteenth so that in this part there are two things offer

little after Tune verò sunt quod appellantur si manserint in eo propter quod ●ic appellantur then and then only are they that which they are called Christs Disciples if they abide in that for which they are so called 2 Let all true members of the Church rejoyce in this comfortable Doctrin that phrase of St. Paul The grace of God wherein wee stand is taken notice of by S. Chrysostome as very emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very aptly it is said wee stand for the grace of God knoweth no limits hath no end and whereas earthly dignities are quickly lost because the favour of Princes is changeable yea however though none else death will put a man out of the highest Office by the Grace and Favour of God wee stand so fast that nothing can wholly divest us of this glorious priviledge to bee a member of the Church Herein it is that our estate by conversion is far better than Adams by creation hee indeed was in a state of perfect purity but with all in a state of mutability and though placed in Paradise yet so as that hee might nay did forfeit it to the utter ejection of himself and his Posterity wee being through regeneration grafted into Christ attain by his grace though not exact innocency yet a kinde of immutability and are so planted in the garden of the Church that wee cannot be plucked up This consideration is that which should inlarge our spiritual joy but yet not diminish our prudential fear and therefore wee should do well according to the Psalmists advice to rejoyce with trembling It is not to bee denyed but that this Doctrin being abused may become to some an occasion of security but withall it is onely so to them whom it concerneth not the false not the true members of the Church and it is onely so because mis-understood not in its own nature Indeed were this the Doctrin that they who are of the Church shall continue in it though they live never so loosely and go on in their sin impenitently it would bee not onely an occasion but a cause of presumptuous security but the intent of this Doctrin is onely to assure those who are of the Church that through the spirit of Christ by the use of those means God affordeth and exercise of those duties hee requireth they shall bee so far preserved as that either they shall not at all go out of or if through the Enemies subtilty and their own infirmitie and inanimadvertency they are seduced they shall at length return by weeping-cross into the bosome of the Church and what place is here left for sloth and negligence for presumption and security 1 The truth is it is no easy matter on good ground to assure our selves that we are of the Church many not only in others but their own opinion are of the Church and yet are not in reality and if wee bee not indeed of the Church wee cannot continue In this respect that counsel of St. Paul is very needful examine prove your selves whether you bee in the faith use all diligence and faithfulnesse in searching out your spiritual estate 2 If wee bee of the Church wee are not so secured but that wee may fall scandalously and for a time go out from her communion sad experience maketh it good at this day in many who have wretchedly forsaken the truth and the Church for whose return wee pray and of which wee are not altogether without hope since wee trust some of them are gone astray not through wilfulnesse and contempt but ignorance and weaknesse and therefore not onely hee that thinketh hee standeth but hee that doth stand had need to take heed lest hee fall 3 Finally There is no assurance of continuance to the true members of the Church but in the use of means wee are kept by Gods power to salvation but it is through faith and so likewise through fear and watchfulnesse and humility and obedience and prayer and attending on the word and Sacraments and therefore they who are real Christians will not dare to neglect their duty in a fond presumption of Gods upholding mercy The summe of all is our first work must bee to make it sure on good grounds that wee are indeed members of the Church being in some measure assured of that our next care must bee to apply our selves to a conscientious use of all the waies and helps which may preserve us in it and then though still wee must bee diffident in regard of our selves as being conscious of our own impotency yet in regard of God wee may wee ought to bee confident that hee who hath begun his good work in us will perfect it to the day of Jesus and having effectually called us into his Church militant that he will mercifully conduct us to his Church triumphant 2 Having dispatched the Negative it now remaineth that wee proceed to the other way of removing the scandal taken at the Apostacy of these Antichrists to wit the affirmative which assigneth the end for which God permitted it But they went out from us that it might be manifested that they were not all of us These words They went out from us are not expressed in the Original but are necessarily implyed and therefore fitly supplyed by the Translator These words They were not all of us seeme to intimate that some of these Antichrists who went out were of us but the true sense of that clause will bee easily understood if either according to the Hebrew manner of speaking wee read non omnis nullus they were not all that is none of us suitable to which is that of St. Paul to the Romans fetched from Davids Psalms All flesh shall not bee justified that is no flesh or if after they wee adde who were among us for so it amounts to this that all who are joyned to the society are not of the number of the faithful and that they who were not so might bee discovered was the reason why God suffered them to go out Congruous to this is St. Austins gloss upon this text intus cum sint non ex nobis sunt non tamen manifesti sed exeundo manifestantur whilst they were among us they were not of us but they were not manifested till they went out so that by their going out they did not so much fall away from what they were as make known what they were not and that they were far otherwise than what they seemed to be Indeed there is a double manifestation which God aimeth at in permitting the Apostacy of Hypocrites 1 The one of the sincere-hearted that their integrity and constancy may the better appear this S. Paul asserts where hee saith There must bee Heresies that they which are approved may bee made manifest That Question of our Saviour to Peter and the rest Will you also go away seemeth to intimate that then when so many went from him was a