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
A16596	A double summons the one, to vnfained repentance. The other, to the worthie receiuing of the Lords Supper. Deliuered in two notable sermons: made, by that worthy martyr of Christ, Iohn Bradford: who suffered in Smith-field An[n]o. Domini. 1555.; Two notable sermons	Bradford, John, 1510?-1555.; Sampson, Thomas, 1517?-1589.	1617 (1617)	STC 3503; ESTC S116484	55,784	167

Vriah to be killed I haue sinned I haue sinned What shall I do I haue sinned and am worthy of eternall damnation But what sayth God by his Prophet Dominus sayth he transtulit peccatum tuū non morieris The Lord hath taken away thy sinnes thou shalt not dye Oh good God hee sayd but Peccaui I haue sinned but yet frō his heart and not from the lips only as Pharaoh Saul did and incontinently he heareth Thou shalt not dye the Lord hath taken away thy sinnes Or rather hath layd them vpon an other yea translated them vpon the backe of his Sonne Iesus Christ who bare them and not onely them but thine and mine also if that we will now cry but from our hearts Peccauimus We haue sinned good Lord we haue done wickedly enter not into iudgement with vs but be merciful vnto vs after thy great mercie and according to the multitude of thy compassions do away our iniquities c. For indeede God is not the God of Dauid onely Idem Deus omnium Hee is the God of all So that Quicunque inuocauerit nomen Domini salus erit He or shee whosoeuer they bee that call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued In confirmation whereof this History is written as are also the other wich I haue recited and many mo which I might recite As of Manasses the wicked King which slew Esay the Prophet and wrought very much wickednesse yet the Lord shewed mercy vpon him being in prison as his Prayer doth teach vs. Nebuchadnezzar though for a time he bare Gods anger yet at the length he found mercy The City of Niniuie also found fauour with God as did many other which for breuity I will omit and wil bring forth one or two out of the new Testament that we may see God to be the same God in the new Testament that he was in the old I might tell you of many if I should speak of the Lunatike such as were possessed with Diuels Lame Blind Dumbe Deafe Lepers c. But time wil not suffer me therfore one or two shall serue Mary Magdalen had seuen diuels but yet they were cast out of her and of all others shee was the first that Christ appeared vnto after his resurrection Thomas would not beleeue Christs resurrection though many told him which had seene and felt him by reason wherof a man might haue thought that his sinnes would haue cast him away Except I should see and feele saith hee I will not beleeue Ah wilfull Thomas I wil not saith he But Christ appeared vnto him and would not leese him neither will he thee beloued if with Thomas thou wilt keep company with the Disciples as Thomas did Peters fall was vgly he accursed himselfe if euer he knew Christ and that for feare of a Mayden and this not once but three seueral times and that in the hearing of Christ his Master but yet the third time Christ looked backe and cast on him his eye of grace so that hee went out and wept bitterly And after Christs resurrection not only did the Angels will the woman to tell Peter that Christ was risen but Christ himselfe appeared vnto him seuerally such a good Lord is he The Thief hanging on the Crosse sayd but this Lord when thou commest into thy Kingdome remember me And what answere had he This day sayth Christ thou shalt be with me in Paradise What a comfort is this in that he is now the same Christ to thee and me and to vs all if wee will runne vnto him for hee is the same Christ to day and to morrow vntill he come to iudgement Then indeed he will be inexorable but now is he more ready to giue then to aske If thou crie he heareth thee yea before thou crie Crie therefore Esai 31. Mat. 7. be bold man he is not partiall Call saith he and I wil heare thée Aske and thou shalt haue Séeke and thou shalt finde though not at the first yet at the length If he tarie a while it is but to try thée Nam veniens veniet Heb. 10. non tardabit Hee is comming and will not be long Thus haue you foure meanes which you must vse to the attayning of faith or certaine perswasion of Gods mercy towards you which is the second part of penance namely prayer the free and vniuersall promises of Gods graces the recordation of the benefits of God past and present the examples of Gods mercie Which although they might suffice yet will I put one more to them which all onely of it selfe is full sufficient I meane the death of the Son of God Iesus Christ which if thou set before the eys of thy minde it will confirm thy assurance for it is the great Seale of England as they say yea of all the world for the confirmation of al Patents and perpetuities of the euerlasting life whereunto we are all called If I thought these which I haue before recited were not sufficient to confirme your faith of Gods loue towards such as do repent I would tarie longer herein But because I haue béene both long and also I trust you haue some exercise of concience in this daily or els you are to bsame I wil but touch and goe Consider with your selues what we are misers wretches and enimies to God Consider what God is euen he which hath all power maiestie might glory riches c. perfectly of himselfe and needeth nothing but hath all things Consider what Christ is concerning his Godhead coequal with his Father euen he by whom all things were made he I say by whome all things are ruled and gouerned Concerning his Manhood the onely Dearling of his Father in whome is all his ioy Now Sir what a loue is this that this God which néedeth nothing would giue wholy his owne selfe to thée his enemy wreaking his wrath vpō himself in this his Son as a man may say to spare thee to saue thée to win thée to buye thee to haue thee to enioy thee for euer Because thy sin hath seperated thee from him to the end thou mightest come eftsoones into his company again therin remain hee himselfe became as a man would say a sinner or rather sinne it selfe euen a malediction or curse that wee sinners wee accursed by our sinne might by his oblation or suffering for our sinnes by his curse be deliuered from sinne and from malediction For by sinne he destroyed sinne killing Death Sathan and Sinne by their owne weapons and that for thee and mee man if wee cast it not away bp vnbeleefe Oh wonderfull loue of God Who euer heard of such a loue the Father of Heauen for vs his enemies to giue his owne dearely beloued Sonne Iesus Christ and that not onely to be our Brother to dwell among vs but also to the death of the Crosse for vs Oh wonderfull loue of Christ to vs all that was content and willing to worke this deede for vs.

all such notable things as either he did see or heare each day that passed But whatsoeuer he did heare or see he did so pen it that a man might see in that booke the signes of his smitten heart For if hee did heare or see any good in any man by that he found and noted the want thereof in himselfe and added a short prayer crauing mercy and grace to amend If hee did heare or see any plague or misery hee noted it as a thing procured by his owne sinnes and still added Domine miserere mei Lord haue mercy vpon me He vsed in the same booke to note such euill thoughts as did rise in him as of enuying the good of other men thoughts of vnthankfulnesse of not confidering God in his workes of hardnes of heart when he did see other moued and affected And thus he made to himselfe and of himselfe a booke of daily practises of repentance Besides this they which familiarly kept company with him might see how he vsed to fall often into a sudden and deepe meditation in which hee would sit with fixed countenance and spirit moued yet speaking nothing a good space And sometimes in this silent sitting plēty of tears should trickle downe his cheeks Sometime he would sit in it and come out of it with a smiling countenance Oftentimes haue I sate at dinner and supper with him in the house of that godly harbourer of many Preachers and seruants of the Lord Iesus I meane M. Elsyng when either by occasion of talke had or of some view of Gods benefits present or some inward cogitation and thought of his owne he hath fallen into these deepe cogitations and afterward he would tell me of them that I did perceiue that somtimes his teares trickled out of his eyes as well for ioy as for sorrow Neither was hee onely such a practiser of repentance in himselfe but a continuall prouoker of others thereunto not onely in publike preaching but also in priuate conference and company for in all companies where he came hee would freely reproue any sin and misbehauiour which appeared in any person especially swearers filthy talkers and popish praters and this hee did with such a diuine grace and christian maiestie that euer he stopped the mouthes of the gaine-sayers for be spake with power and yet so sweetly that they might see their euill to be euill and vnderstand that it was good indeede to the which hee laboured to draw them in God To be short as his life was such was his death for at his death as the History witnesseth when the flames of fire did fly about his eares in Smithfield his last speech publikely noted heard was this Repent England Thus was our Bradford a Preacher and an example of that repentance which he preached As Ionas preached to Niniue and yet doth hee preach repentance and surely England hath now much more cause to repent then it had when Bradford liued for all states and sorts of persons in England are now more corrupt then they were then Let therefore now Bradfords Sermon his life his death moue thee O England to repent I wish and warne that as in Niniue so in England all from the highest to the lowest doe vnfainedly repent The Court the Church the Citie the Countrey Princes Prelates and people let all and euery one repent and depart from that euill which he hath in hand and turne wholly to the Lord. And I do humbly beseech thy Maiesty O glorious Lord Iesus to worke now by thy Spirit in our hearts the same sound repentance which thy holinesse did first preach to men when thou saydest Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand This worke in vs O gracious God our Sauiour AMEN A FRVITFVL Sermon of Repentance made by the constant Martyr of Christ Mr. Iohn Bradford 1553. MAT. 4.17 Amend your liues for the Kingdome of Heauen is at hand THe life we haue at this present is the gifte of God in whom we liue moue and are and therefore hee is called IEHOVA For the which life as wée should he thankfull so may we not in any wise vse it after our corrupt fantasies but to the end for which it is giuen and lent vs that is to the setting forth of Gods praise and glory by repentance conuersion and obedience to his good will and holy lawes whereunto his long suffering doth as it were euen draw vs if our hearts by impenitency were no hardened And therefore our life in the Scripture is called a walking for that as the body daily draweth more and more néere his end that is the earth euen so our soule draweth daily more and more néere vnto death that is saluation or damnation heauen or hell Of which thing in that we are most carelesse and very fooles for we alas are the same to day we were yesterday and not better or nearer to God but rather nearer to hell Sathan and perdition being couetous idle carnal secure negligent proud c. I think my labour cannot be better bestowed then with the Baptist Christ Iesus and his Apostles to harpe on this string which of al other is most necessary and that in these dayes most specially What string is that saith one Forsooth brother the string of repentance the which Christ our Sauiour did vse first in his Minestery and as his Minister at this present I will vse vnto you all Mat. 4.17 Repent for the Kingdome of heauen is at hand This sentence thus pronounced and preached by our Sauiour Iesus Christ as it doth command vs to repent so to the doing of the same it sheweth vs a sufficient cause to stirre vs vp thereunto namely for that The kingdome of Heauen which is a kingdome of all ioy peace riches power and pleasure is at hand to all such as doe so that is as do repent So that the meaning hereof is as though our Sauiour might thus speake presently Syrs for that I see you all walking the wrong way euen to Sathan and vnto hell fire by following the kingdome of Sathan which now is coloured vnder the vaine pleasures of this life and foolishnesse of the flesh most subtilly to your vtter vndoing and destruction behold and marke well what I say vnto you The Kingdome of Heauen that is an other manner of ioy and felicitie honour and riches power and pleasure then you now perceiue of enioy is euen at hand and at your backes and if you will turne againe that is Repent you you shall most truly and pleasantly feele see and inherite Turne againe therefore I say that is Repent for this ioy I speake of euen The Kingdome of Heauen is at hand Here we may note first the corruption of our nature in that to this commandement Repent you he addeth a cause For the Kingdome of Heauen is at hand For by reason of the corruption sturdines of our nature God vnto all his commandements commonly either addeth some promise to prouoke vs to

know thou beleeuest it say therefore in thy heart still Domine audage mihi fidem Lord encrease my faith Lord help my vnbeliefe Blessed are they which see not by reason this but yet beleeue Beloued wee must hope aboue hope as Abraham did And thus much for a taste of the promises which are euery where not only in the new Testament but also in the Old Reade the last end of Leuiticus 26. The Prophet Esay 30. Where he saith God tarrieth looking for thee to shew thee mercy Also the 40. and so forth to the 60. Reade also 2. Kings 24. Psal 33. Ioel 2. c. Howbeit if all this will not serue if yet thou féelest no faith no certaine perswasion of Gods loue then prepare thy selfe vnto praier and diligent considering of the frée and vniuersall promises of the Gospell Thirdly set before thée those blessings which heretofore and at that present God hath giuen thée Consider how hee hath made thée a man or a woman which might haue made thée a Toade or a Dog And why did he this Verily because he loued thée And thinkest thou if hee loued thée when thou wast not to make thée such a one as he most graciously hath will he not now loue thee being his handy worke Doth he hate any thing that he made Is there vnablenesse with him Doth he loue for a day and so farewell No beloued God loueth to the end his mercy endureth for euer Say therfore with Iob. Operi manuum tuarum porrige dexteram that is To the worke of thy hands put thy helping hand Againe hath hee not made thee a Christian man or woman where if he would hee might haue made thee a Turke or Pagan This thou know'st he did of loue And doost thou thinke his loue is lessened if thou lament thy sin Is his hand shortned for helping thee Can a woman forget the child of her wombe and though she should yet will not I forget thee saith the Lord. Hee hath giuen thee limbes to see heare go c. He hath giuen thee wit reason discretion c. Hee hath long spared thee and born with thee when thou neuer purposedst to repent and now thou repenting will he not giue thee mercy Wherfore doth he grant thee to liue at this present to heare him to speake this and mee to speake this but of loue to vs all Oh therefore let vs pray him that he would add to this that wee might beleeue these loue tokens that he loueth vs and indeed he will do it Lord open our eies in thy gifts to see thy gracious goodnesse Amen But to tarry in this I will not Let euery man consider Gods benefites past and present publike and priuate spirituall and corporall to the confirming of his faith concerning the promises of the Gospel for the pardon of his sinnes I will now go about to shew you a fourth meane to confirme your faith in this euen by examples Of these there are in the Scriptures very many as also daily experience doth diuersly teach the same if we were diligent to obserue things accordingly wherfore I will be more briefe herein hauing respect to time which stealeth fast away Adam in Paradise transgressed grieuously as the painefull punishment which we all as yet féele prooueth if nothing else Though by reason of his sin he displeased God sore and ran away frō God for he would haue hid himselfe yea he would haue made God the causer of his sin in that he gaue him such a Mate so far was he from asking mercy yet all this notwithstanding GOD turned his fierce wrath neither vpon him nor Eue which also required not mercy but vpon the Serpent Sathan promising vnto them a séed Iesus Christ by whom they at the length should be deliuered In token whereof though they were cast out of Paradise for their nurture to serue in sorrow which would not serue in ioy yet hée made them apparell to couer their nakednes a visible Sacrament and token of his inuisible loue and grace concerning their soules If God was so mercifull to Adam which so sore brake his commandement and rather blamed God then asked mercy thinkest thou O man that he will not bee mercifull to thée which blamest thy selfe and desirest pardon To Cain hee offered mercy if hee would haue asked it What hast thou done saith God The voice of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto me out of the earth O merciful Lord should Cain haue sayd I confesse it But alas he did not so and therefore said God Now that is In that thou desirest not mercy Now I say be thou accursed c. Loe to the reprobate he offered mercy and will he deny it thee which art his child Noah did he not sin and was drunk Good Lot also both in Sodome dissembled a little with the Angels prolonging the time and out of Sodome he fel very foule as did Iudas and the Patriarks against Ioseph but yet I ween they found mercy Moses Myriam Aaron though they stumbled a little yet receiued they mercy yea the people in the wildernes often sinned and displeased God so that he was purposed to haue destroyed them Let me alone saith he to Moses that I may destroy them But Moses did not let him alone for he prayed still for them and therfore God spared them If the people were spared through Moses prayer they not praying with him but rather worshipping their golden Calfe eating drinking and making iolly good cheere Beloued why shouldest thou doubt whether GOD will bee mercifull to thee hauing as indeede thou hast one much better then Moses to pray for thee and with thee euen Iesus Christ who sitteth on the right hand of his Father and prayeth for vs being no lesse faithfull in his fathers house the Church then Moses was in the Synagogue Dauid that good King had a foule foile when hee committed whoredom with his faithfull seruants wife Bethsheba wherunto he added also a mischieuous murther causing her husband his most faithfull Souldier Vria to bee slaine with an honest company of his most valiant men of warre and that with the sword of the vncircumcised In this sinne though a great while he lay asleep as many do now a dayes God giue them good waking thinking that by the Sacrifices he offered all was well God was content yet at length when the Prophet by a Parable opened the offence and brought Dauid in remembrance of his owne sin in such sort that he gaue iudgement against himselfe then quaked he his Sacrifices had no more taken away his sinnes then our Sir Iohns Trentals and wagging of his fingers ouer the heads of such as lye asleep in their sinnes out of the which when they are awaked they will see that it is neither Masse nor Mattins blessing nor cursing will serue then I say he cryed out saying Peccaui Domine I haue sinned sayth hee against my Lord and good God which hath done so much for me I caused indeed

very Passion of Christ should be as present beholden with the eyes of Faith For which end Christ our Sauiour did specially institute this Supper saying Doe ye this in remembrance of mee or as Paul saith Shew you the Lords death till he come The Supper of the Lord then is not simply Christs body and blood but Christs body broken and his blood shedde Wherefore broken Wherefore shedde Forsooth that teacheth Christ himselfe saying Broken for you Shed for your sinnes and for the sins of many Here now then we haue occasion in the vse of the Sacrament to call to mind the greatnes and grieuousnesse of sinne which could not be taken away by any other meanes then by the shedding of the most precious bloud and breaking of the most pure body of the only begotten Sonne of GOD Iesus Christ by whome all things were made all things are ruled and gouerned c. Who considering this thing shall not be touched to repent Who in the receiuing of this Sacrament thinking that Christ saith to him Take eate this is my body which is broken for thee This is my blood which is shedde for thy sinnes can but tremble at the grieuousnesse of his sinnes for the which such a price was payd If there were no plague at all else to admonish man of sinne how grieuous a thing it is in Gods sight surely that one were enough But alas how are our hearts bewitched through Sathans subtilties and the custome of sinne that we make sinne a thing of nothing God open our eyes in time and giue vs repentance which wee sée this Sacrament doth as it were enforce vs vnto in the reuerence and true vse of the same Againe in hearing that this which we take and eate is Christs body broken for our sinnes and his bloud shed for our iniquities we are occasioned to call to mind the infinite greatnesse of GODS mercy and truth and of Christs loue towards vs. For what a mercie is this that God would for man beeing lost through his wilfull sinnes be content yea desirous to giue his owne onely Sonne The Image of his substance the brightnesse of his glorie being in his own bosome to be made man for vs that we men by him might be as it were made Gods What a mercie is this that God the Father should so tender vs that he would make this his Sonne being equall with him in diuinitie a mortall man for vs that wee might bee made immortall by him What a kindnesse is this that the Almighty Lord should send to vs his enemies his deare Darling to bee made poore that wee by him might bee made rich What bowels of compassion was this that the omnipotent Creator of Heauen and earth would deliuer his owne onely beloued Sonne for vs creatures to be not onely flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones that we might by him through the holy Ghost be made one with him and so with the Father by communicating the merits of his flesh that is righteousnesse holinesse innocencie and immortalitie but also to bee a slaine Sacrifice for our sinnes to satisfie his iustice to conuert or turne death into life our sinne into righteousnes hell into Heauen misery into felicitie for vs What a mercy is this that GOD will rayse vp this his Sonne CHRIST not onely to iustifie and regenerate vs but also in his person to demonstrate vnto vs our state which wee shall haue for in his comming we shall be like vnto him Oh wonderful mercy of God which would assume this his Christ euen in humane body into the heauens to taken and kéepe their possession for vs to leade our captiuitie captiue to appeare before him alwaies praying for vs to make the throne of Iustice a throne of mercy the seat of glory a seat of grace So that with boldnesse we may come and appeare before God to aske and finde grace in time conuenient Againe what a verity and constant trueth in God is this that he would according to his promise made first to Adam and so to Abraham and others in his time accomplish it by sending his sonne so graciously Who would doubt hereafter of anything that he hath promised And as for Christs loue oh whose heart can be able to thinke of it any thing as if deserueth He being God would become man He being rich would become poore He being Lord of all the world became a seruant to vs all hee being immortall would become mortall miserable and taste of all Gods curses yea euen of hell it selfe for vs. His bloud was nothing too deare his life nothing considered to bring vs from death to life But this his loue néedeth more heartie weighing then many words speaking and therefore I omit and leaue it to your considerations So that in the receiuing of this Supper as I would you would tremble at Gods wrath for sin so would I haue you to couple to that terror and feare true faith by which ye might be assuredly perswaded of Gods mercie towards you and Christs loue though all things else preached the contrary Do euery of you surely think when you heare these words Take eate this is my body broken for your sinnes Drinke this is my bloud shed for your sins That God the eternal Father embracing you Christ calleth clippeth you must louingly making himselfe one with you and you one with him and one with another amongst your selues You ought no lesse to be certaine now that God loueth you pardoneth your sinnes and that Christ is all yours then if you did heare and Angell out of heauen speaking so vnto you And therefore reioyce and be glad and make this Supper Eutharichiam a thankesgiuing as the Fathers named it Be no lesse certaine that Christ and you now are all one then you are certaine the bread and wine is one with your nature and substance after you haue eaten and drunke it Howbeit in this it differeth that you by faith are as it were changed into Christ and not Christ into you as the bread is for by faith he dwelleth in vs and we in him God giue vs faith in the vse of this Sacrament to receiue Christ as he giueth vs hands to receiue the element simbole and visible Sacrament God grant vs not to prepare our féeth and belly as Saint Augustine saith but rather of his mercy he prepare and giue vs true and liuely faith to vse this and all other his ordinances to his glory and our comforts He sweep the houses of our hearts and make them cleane that they may bee worthy Temples and lodgings for the Lord. Amen Wherefore the Sacrament was instituted Now let vs come and looke on the third and last thing namely wherefore the Lords did institute this Sacrament Our nature is very obliuious of GOD and of all his benefits And againe it is very full of dubitation and doubting of GODS loue and of his kindnesse Therefore to the end these two things might be something