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	lord_n	truth_n	4,866	5	5.5488	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14464	An epistle to the faithfull necessary for all the children of God: especially in the s[o] dangerous dayes. Written by Maister Peter Viret in french, and englished by F.H. Esquier.; Epistre envoyée aux fidèles conversans entre les chrestiens papistiques. English	Viret, Pierre, 1511-1571.; F. H., Esquier.	1582 (1582)	STC 24779; ESTC S104301	66,070	144

pleasure of Princes He that confesseth me before men I will confesse him before my father in heauen But he that denyeth me c. And we must learne to say with the Apostle Paule If I seeke to please men I am not the seruant of Christ It is an olde saying and a true All is not Gold that glistereth but the fiery fornace wil soon try it Euery piece of yron that wee see is not perfect and sound yron for sometimes it is eaten through with the canker and this when the file commeth vpon it is easily knowne Wheate and chaffe lye mingled together in one barne til a gale of wind come and blowe them in sunder and then they appeare both plainely what they are let vs acquaint our selues with our good GOD by continuall and heartie prayer that by his goodnes wee may bee prepared against the day of his visitation to abide what in mercy he shall think good to lay vpon vs. The fearefulnes of fleshe and blood is such and the delight therof in worldly prosperity so great that aduersitie is not easily borne Imprisonment is accounted painefull but it is more painefull to enioy libertie vpon euill conditions The prisons are thought lothsome vnsauery but yet not more lothsome then the sweetest houses where the feare of God is wanting It is grieuous to man to be solitary and alone yet better is it to be so then in companie with the wicked It toucheth vs very neare to loose liuing and goodes but it shal be found to touch nearer to loose the fauour and grace of God We vse it as a common speech that life is sweete but most sweete and pleasant is it to loose this life full of mortall miseries to finde and enioye the life full of eternall ioyes We are loth to leaue our friendes wife and children but we must beware that in abiding with them wee stay not in the displeasure of our God These trials must needes come vpon vs and whosoeuer liueth to it is like to tast of thē But be of good cheare Whom the Lord loueth hee chastiseth euen to this ende that hee might call them to remember their sinnes and so runne by repentance to him and aske mercy and then he might pardon and forgiue them in respect wherof we are not to lamēt but to prayse the Lorde not to be dismaide but to be cōforted that our God wil vouchsafe to offer vs his crosse whereby he seeketh to traine vs vp to the place of endlesse ioye and comfort It is an assurance laide vp vnto vs that if we suffer we shall raigne If we confesse him before men in earth hee will confesse vs beefore his father in heauen If wee bee not ashamed of his Gospell heere he will not be ashamed of vs at the last daye Remember the words of our sauiour Christ in the. 5. of Mathew Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theires is the kyngdome of heauen Call to mynde that which Paule saith in the 8. to the Romaines The afflictions of this life are not to be compared to the ioyes of the lyfe prepared for you Wherefore seeing that euen in the crosse we beholde and see the mercie of our God which is more sweete and to be set by then any mucke or pelfe of this world yea much more then is life it selfe Let vs keepe on our course Let vs walke before our God in simplicitie of heart knowing this that not a heyre of heade can perish without the wil of our heauenly father neither can any man or diuel be able to attēpt any thing much lesse to do any thing to vs without the sufferance of the Almightie And when leaue is graunted they shall goe no further then he will Wherefore casting all our care vppon the Lord who careth sufficiently for vs Let vs lay aside all feare and onely studie whilest we liue heare to please him and to keepe our consciences cleane from the pollutions of this present age that both our minde and tongue our life and beliefe may be answerable to eche other and that for euer the word of truth may be a light to lighten our steps in the path of true holines The Lorde in the riches of his mercy impart vnto vs all such portion of his holy spirit that when the time of our tryall shall come and that the winde of persecution shall blow vpon vs we may be founde pure golde made clearer by the fornace perfect yron bryghtened by the fyle and good Wheate seuered from the light chaffe and so constantly continue Christ his faythfull souldiers and seruantes to our liues end And thus Madam haue I dedicated to your selfe particulerly a translated treatise as a pledge of my reuerend loue I beare you and to others generally a long and rude Epistle with it Your selfe I trust will accept my simple trauaile therin take it in good part and others I hope to whose handes this Epistle and treatise shall come will make fauourable construction thereof and will beare with all defectes therein whatsoeuer My desire was to warne encourage which how weakely soeuer it be perfourmed I trust it shall no whit hinder but rather further to so necessary a meditation that obtained I haue my desire beseeching God to open our eyes that we may see our deserts thereby know our perils and knowing the same may labour to meete the Lord by repentance before he come whether it bee for a time to scourge vs in iustice or to performe the last time of his comming in iudgement to euery one the portion allotted vnto him for his hire from the beginning which time of his comming the Lorde hasten to performe and fulfill for his electes sake Amen ¶ Grace mercie and peace from God our Father through our Lorde Iesus Christ I Was very glad deere brethren when I vnderstood how God of his goodnes mercie had visited you to the grace of the holy Gospell and to the knowledge of his truth and thereby to the cōmunion of his sonne Iesus Christ who is the treasure of all ages for this is a treasure conteyning immortall riches wherein lyeth all our blessednes and felicitie this is an inestimable benefite and the greatest wée coulde receiue of God Wherefore we haue good cause to giue him thankes for the same continually to the intent that by our ingratitude wee may not prouoke him to anger against vs nor stirre him vp or moue him to take from vs the talent which he hath giuen vs for we may well say of our selues that which Dauid said of himselfe and of all the people of God The Lorde hath not thus done to all nations neither hath hee manifested to them his iudgements When a king taketh some one into his seruice and giueth him some honorable office in his Court we thinke it a greate honour vnto him which is called to such a promotion and esteeme him greately beholding and bounde to the King Let vs then

¶ An Epistle to the Faithfull necessary for all the children of God espe cially in these dangerous dayes Written by Maister Peter Viret in French and englished by F. H. Esquier ❧ Imprinted at London for Tobie Smith dwelling in Paules Church yard at the signe of the Crane 1582. The Epistle Dedicatory HAuing long since perused a Treatise written in French by M. Peter Vyret whiche was dedicated by him to the faythfull and hauing for my priuate exercise trāslated the same I little thought to haue sent it abroade but shewing it to some godly whose iudgements I craued both of the matter trāslatiō they doubted not to giue great commendation of the one and it pleased them to set downe their allowance of the other and withall perswaded me the matter to be very profitable for these our times that by many reasons whereupon I became so encouraged as considering the argument to be so apt and fit for this age I would not keepe back this so fruitfull a treatise from the viewe of my countrie men but haue aduentured to publish the same in english how rudely soeuer it be translated And nowe Madam hauing beene long debtor to your Ladyshippe for your manye honourable fauours extended towardes me and hauing long desired to yeeld some token of thankfulnesse sith I can no way deserue or recompence the least part of your goodnes I am bold to present vnto your honour these first fruites of my labours which is the translation of this little treatie and therefore humbly do pray you it may passe vnder your protection the authour wherof was wel known to some godly learned yet liuing amongest vs to be a godly zealous and learned preacher in Fraunce and many wayes a man of rare giftes The matter is a christian counsell and direction how the professours of the Gospel should behaue and keepe theselues from being stained or defiled with the superstitions of Poperye bee they neuer so conuersant amongest suche as professe the same So that I cannot doubte but that this little treatyse wyll haue good acceptance with all the Godlye and well disposed both in respecte of the Authour and the matter But for my selfe who haue taken vppon mee to bee the translatour I maye iustlye doubte it can hardelye deserue allowance both because my skyll is shorte to translate with iudegement and my style too base to haue the handling of so good a woorke yet beeing emboldened by the allowance of some that haue already seene it and hoping to bee fauourablye iudged of by all that hereafter shal peruse it and trusting of your honours well accepting of this my labour bee it neuer so simplye perfourmed I doubte not to put it to the printe and presume to dedicate the same to your Ladishippe Accept it good Madam in liewe of a better presente And licence mee in this preface onely purposed to your selfe to speake somewhat in a geueralitie to others I finde by experience that Sathans shiftes encrease dayly eyther to make vs flatte enemies to religion or colde friends for euen amongest those whiche bragge greatly of the Gospel and will defie him that shall call him Papist and will ioyne with Gods people in hearing of the worde and receiuing the Sacramentes euen amongest these there bee some I saye which are so farre shorte from true feeling of religion that they reserue to them selues a religion for all companies and can easily make shift to liue in all ages and these men woulde fayne perswade them selues that there is such a conueniencie betweene religion and superstition betweene the Gospell and Popery that they may holde both they woulde fayne make themselues to beleeue that the dissent betweene papistes and vs which doe professe the Gospel of Christ is only about certaine ceremonies the vanity of which opinion is so largely confuted by sundry well learned that I neede not to stand therevpon But to you whome the Lord hath seasoned by a better spirit then to professe for fashions sake let me speake boldly without offence If you haue well weighed and considered what thraldome your selues or your brethren were in when Papistes did beare stroke and had the guiding of this common wealth at their will you cannot but tell your selues how little fauour the zealous professour found whose share it was to receiue al sharpnes and seueritie that could be deuised and then how can you forget to be thankfull vnto God for this our present tranquilitie and peaceable profession of his Gospell and for our Soueraigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth his especiall and principall instrument thereof by whom as the chief meanes we haue been deliuered frō superstition Popery haue been brought to tast how sweete the Lord Iesus is in the voyce of his gospel a blessing vnspeakeable and such as fewe of our neighbours haue attained vnto in like measure for what nation can be named that euer so long together enioyed such quietnesse as Englande which sheweth Gods blessing to haue followed vs most gratiously in our gouernment and what country or nation in the world can be shewed to haue the doctrine of the Gospell taught generally and by authoritie with more soundnes and sinceritie then in England which argueth the great mercy and fauour of God towords vs in dayly teaching his prophets to speake that his truth may sound in the eares of al that wil willingly heare it But haue we this by desert or can we chalenge it before other nations no no but if we learne not to vse our peace whilest we haue it and to take profite by this doctrine of saluation whilest we enioy it shew our selues dayly and hourely thankefull for the same our peace shall bee taken from vs when we least looke for it and this Gospell will bee giuen vnto a nation that shall bring foorth the fruites thereof Let vs therfore looke about vs in time lest we learne to late Our well setled peace in these dayes of our godly Prince Edward the sixt with the ioyfull libertie of professing Christe his Gospel which vnder him we then enioyed adding hereunto the sodayne and lamentable alteration which succeeded his happye gouernment by his vnlooked for cutting of might sufficiently warne vs. We can haue no colour to chalenge this our peace and preaching of the Gospell in anye certayntie which both wee enioye onely by the mercifull goodnes of our good God who in his fauour and loue hath allotted both vnto vs for our good if with thankefulnesse wee receiue them and can learne to vse them to our profite If otherwise wee abuse them he can and will in his displeasure for our sinnes take them from vs turning peace into warre and the light of his Gospell into the darkenes of superstition and poperye If we will but enter into consideration with our selues and weigh the state of our neighboures and bretheren in Flaunders and Fraunce whome the Lorde hath long kept vnder the crosse of affliction and perfecution and withall indifferently compare