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	verse_n	5,169	5	7.6397	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46802	The burning yet un-consumed bush, or, The holinesse of places discuss'd held forth in two farewel-sermons at Christ-Church London, August 17th, 1662 / by William Jenkins.	Jenkyn, William, 1613-1685.	1662 (1662)	Wing J633; ESTC R28952	23,187	40

son and fell foul on his mother because of him See this in the case of Esther though it was death to go in to the King to plead for the Jews yet for all this she says If I perish I perish resolved I am come what will come of it in I will go I can die but I cannot be silent Fourthly In that they will relieve them and help and supply them with all needful good things they can if they cannot do what they would they will do for them what they can See this in the case of Jeremiah chap. 38. vers 8 11 12 13. Ebedmelech went forth out of the Kings house and spake to the King So Ebedmelech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah And Ebedmel on the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine arm-holes under the cords And Jeremiah did so● So they drew up Jeremiah with cords and took him up out of the dungeon and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison He would never be quiet till he had got the Prophet out of the dungeon and though the cords were lined with rags yet more with love and this savour of Ebedmelech God remembred 1 Kings 18.4 Obadiahs master was not only an oppressor of the Saints and Prophets of God but a very great persecutor This good man Obadiah took and hid 400 Prophets of the Lord and fed them with bread and water I will not undertake to prophesie to you this day yet time may come when bread and water may be good food for a faithful Prophet Here note the gracious disposition of good Obadiah as well as the providence of God in this act 2 Tim. 1.16 17 18. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain But when he was in Rome he sought me out very diligently and found me The Lord grant unto him that he may finde mercy of the Lord in that day and in how many thing 's he ministred unto me at Ephesus thou knowest very well A most admirable Scripture to this purpose Blessed Paul being thrown into prison being in bonds Onesiphorus often refresht him and was not ashamed of his chains How did he shew this When he was in Rome he sought him out diligently By the way note That Rome was the place where the cruel Nero was Emperour it was the place where much blood of the Martyrs was spilt yet there this good man sought out Paul diligently Mark what follows which is the prayer of Paul The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day I profess Sirs I had rather have the prayers of Paul then the preferments of the greatest Court on earth Christians it is the greatest treasure in your house to have the prayers of good men to God for you You that have shewn your great and abundant love to the Saints and Servants of God in distress I do from my soul beg the like mercy for you that whatever you have done for his may be ten thousand times made up by him that you may find mercy in that day and truly Sirs in that day mercy will be worth receiving Fifthly They supplicate to God for them they do not go to the Throne of Grace for themselves but Sion is in their thoughts I am confident it is so with some and am perswaded it is so with all they never beg daily bread for themselves but they remember Sion In the 51 Psalm David was under trouble of Conscience soul-trouble which is the soul of trouble yet at the latter end of the 51 Psalm he breaks out into this earnest supplication to God Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou up the walls of Jerusalem So long as it is ill with the people of God so long they are earnest with God and though they cannot overcome men with their prayers which by the way they are to endeavour yet they will never leave supplicating the Almighty till they have overcome As the sufferings of Gods people are precious in the sight of God so they are in the sight of the people of God I come now to shew whence it is That there is such an high esteem in the people of God of the people of God when under trouble and distress for this take two Heads of Reasons First In regard of those of the people of God that do behold their sufferings Secondly In regard of those people of God that are in sufferings First In regard those of the people of God that do behold their sufferings troubles and distresses in three regards First Those of the people of God that look upon others in trouble though they are such as may differ from them in regard of outward estate one may be in honour the other in dishonour yet they have an interest in the same head and do belong to the same body that they do they are not wooden leggs nor glasse eyes therefore Christ is called the ommon aviour and the Saviour of the body the whole Church Faith it is called the like precious faith 2 Pet. 1 ch in the beginning The saith of one believer does as trnely lay hold on Christ as the saith of another This salvation is called common salvation my meaning is this outward disproportion as to birth and education puts no difference at all in a spiritual respect between believer and believer a King and a Beggar all one in Christ a Iew or a Greek a great Scholar or a poor ignorant man as to the spiritual state all one made happy the same way Secondly Because they look at Spiritual excellency and are able to discern spiritual excellency they have a renewed Judgement as they look upon their old courses and sinnes with a new eye so they look upon their company with a new e●e those that before they highly esteem'd they now disesteem those persons that before hey esteem'd a damp to their mirth they now look upon them as the excellent ones of the earth Prov. 12. v. 26. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour In the 16 Psalme sayes David My goodnesse extends not to thee but to the Saints the excellent ones in wh●m is all my delight Here was a renewed estimation David saw excellency in these which worldlings despised A carnal eye sees no glory but in carnal objects Worlding blesse the Covetous whom the Lord abhorrs A gracious heart sees a spiritual worth in a man divested of worldly enjoyments as a curious eye may and does see a great deal of Art and Curiosity in a picture though in a broken frame A Beast can see the shining of a Diamond but knowes not the worth of it a beast will rather lick up a lock of Hay then a Diamond though

of never so great value A wicked man wants a spirit of discerning The people of God are the Workmanship of God which a godly man is very much taken withall not with the greatnesse but with the goodnesse that is in them The four Monarchs of the earth is exprest by four beasts which shews their cruelty not their curiosity in observing that of God which may be observed A child is taken with the Gay but a Learned man is taken with the Learning and Art of a lesson Thirdly A child of God is one that highly esteemes the people of God judging of them as God judges The child esteems as the father esteems if the father cannot love any one the ingenious child cannot endure that he should come into the house The Courtier followes the favorite of the King whom the King honours they cringe to But to be sure it is true as to spirituals God judges not by the gold ring or silken shute a sinner is a vile person in Gods account and so he is in a godly mans account God is more taken with a broken-hearted sigh than with all the gaudery in Solomons Temple He did not chuse the Eagle or the Lion for sacrifice but the Lamb and the Dove not many noble not many rich but the poor hath God chosen He that hath the life of God he hath the love of God 2d Reason Is from the people of God that are beheld This will appear in five or six particulars First The people of God those that are truely such let their present condition be what it will their end shall be happy Men are not regarded in reference to what they have in possession but what they shall have in reversion the poor her care rich in faith and shall be rich in glory 1 Peter 3 ch The people of God are Heires of glory coheires with Christ when he shall appear they shall appear with him in Glory they are not possessors here but they are Heires and are to be look'd upon as what they shall be hereafter Here they are Princes going to their Crown hereafter they shall be possessed of it Here they may be oppressed banish'd disgrac'd libeli'd hereafter they shall shine as the Sun in Glory 2dly They are not only such as shall be happy but they are very usefull and beneficiall in the world they are those for whose sake the world was made they are the great common blessings of the world like fire and water they are those for whose sake God spares the world If God would have spared the City for ten righteous persons sake surely for many tens God spares the world those that are pull'd down by the world are those for whose sake God doth not pull down the world they are the soul of the world as I may so say If God had gathered in all his Elect the world would not continue one hour longer 3dly The excellency of their performances is highly esteemed there is a worth in every Holy work that Worldlings are not able to discern Every Heavenly Prayer and sincerely bestowed Almes hath a worth that a carnall eye does not see Luther sayes I had rather do the least truly good work then obtain all the Conquests of Caesar and Alexander if their good works shall be so rewarded do you think a holy man can see them and not be taken with them Many a wicked man when he hears a holy man make an excellent Oration wishes that he could do so too it is not from the goodnesse he observes in it or the principle from whence it comes but from something of naturall accomplishments that he is taken with it so a Godly man when he hears another Pray excellently and live holily he wishes from his heart that he could do so too his aim is to grow in Holinesse 4thly The present privileges of the people of God not only what they shall have hereafter but what they have here they are freed from a world of Evils that Worldlings lye under whatever befalls them turns to their benefit they may be afflicted but not hurt by affliction the greatest hurt the world does to them tends to their greatest good Worldlings may take away their Heads they cannot their Crown There is a reall communication of a blessed interest in all that is good for they have an interest in all that God hath or i● the power of God is theirs to protect them the love of God is set upon them the righteousnesse of God imputed to them so as to acquit them from sin so that a childe of God may not only appeal to the bowells of Gods mercy but to the bar of Justice all the providences of God shall tend to their good in the 25. Psalm about the 10th verse the Holy Ghost sayes All the wayes of God are Mercy and Truth to them that are in Covenant with him they are Mercy because they are appointed to do them good and Truth because they shall certainly do them good Christ and God and all is laid out for the good of a Godly man In this world they may go to God and tell him wherein they are troubled pained or afflicted and they are never more welcome to him then when they ask most from him if thou askes great things from God God is well taken with such requests but if thou askes Riches and Honours these are the low things of the Foot-stool God is exceedingly taken with thee when thou askest Peace and Pardon Peace of Conscience Pardon of Sin Strength against Sin Power to overcome thy Lusts to withstand Temptations The people of God may have from God all that they want and all they can regularly wish 5thly These are such as have an incomparable dear and near relation to God they are his delight they are set apart by God as his own his peculiar people though God have a propriety in all yet he hath a peculiar propriety in and relation to these therefore they are called his Children his House his Jewells his Garden Gods whole Treasure and Portion is his people as God is his peoples portion so his people are his portion they are those that he hath been at a great deal of cost to purchase 6thly They are such as have the Image of God imprinted upon them take notice of this word Image for the Image of God appears in Holinesse Now an Image does not represent any thing of imperfection or deformity but of Excellency If a man takes the Picture of a man he will not take it of his backside Leg or Hand or the like but of his Face his beautifullest part is chiefly aimed at in the Picture Wicked men discover Gods bounty in having wit and wealth this is not the Image of God the Image of God is that which is most excellent in a man which is Holinesse The power of God is the Hand of God the Wisedome of God is the Eye of God the Holinesse of God is the Face the Beauty of