Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
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A07452
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A sermon of repentance. Preached by George Meriton Doctor of Diuinity, and one of his Maiesties chaplaines in ordinary
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Meriton, George, d. 1624.
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1607
(1607)
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STC 17839; ESTC S112669
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18,865
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40
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without faith a sorrow without conuersion whereas sorrow faith and new obedience they should go together The first driueth to the second sorrow to faith The second to the third fayth to conuersion Sorrow without faith is hopelesse faith without conuersion is fruitlesse the one killing the other dead all must concurre in true repentance As it must haue the knowledge of sinne in the soule rising from the Law of GOD and a sorrow for sinne in the heart proceeding from the feare of punishment goe before it so must it spring from faith and by faith bee finished from the faith of science wherby wee giue credance vnto the Gospell must it spring and by the faith of confidence by which the heart is conuerted vnto GOD is it fully perfected There is no part of Christian religion of that maine importance wherein men doe more voluntarily deceiue themselues then commonly they doe in this duty of Repentance In consideration whereof it will not be amisse to deliuer vnto you certaine infallible fignes and vnseparable frutes whereby we may assure our selues that wee haue repented S. Paul nameth seuen fruites which in some measure alwaies follow where true amendment goeth before Behold saith hee your godly sorrowes what care 1 it hath 2 Cor. 7. 11 wrought in you yea what clearing 2 of your selues yea what indignation 3 yea what feare 4 yea how great desire 5 yea what Zeale 6 yea what punishment 7 Those then who are true conuertes who doe vnfaynedly amend their liues they are not sluggish or secure in sinne but Carefull to redresse what is amisse not hiders or excusers of cuill but Confessors and by humble supplication Clearing theyr offences They are not contented to dwell in wickednesse but vexed in soule and full of Indignation against them-selues for their sins committed they stand in awe and are affraid of GODS iudgments They Desire his fauour as the Hart desireth the water Brookes they labour by religious Zeale to approue their liues to GOD and good Men and they are so farre from fauoring of their faults as that they seuerely punish them vpon them-selues These bee good Conuerts indeede But those who haue not this care to keepe the Law of GOD. Who vse not the meanes to cleare the score who be not angry with them-selues for their sinnes who feare not GODS iudgements who desire not his mercie who contend not to go before others in Zeale and honesty of life who reuenge not their sinnes vppon them-selues irridentes sunt non paenitentes saith Gregory they are proud mockers not true repenters Must then amendment of life yeelde such worthy fruites Is Care Is Clearing Is Indignation Is Feare Is Desire Is Zeale Is Punishment required heere-vnto O then My beloued to repent can bee no light matter nor trifling labour which a man may haue at command or performe when hee list No noe As sixe dayes went before the creation of Man-kind so must wee thinke of our Recreation not as if wee were then conuerted when as Euening and Morning make the second or third or fourth day it is a sixt dayes worke that is much toyle and trauaile belongs vnto it Sinne cannot be cast off as an vpper garment The heartes of sinners must suffer an Earth-quake with-in them and tremble and rende There must bee mortifying and crucifying and sacrificing both of Bodyes and Soules Strange wordes Mortifiyng Crucifying Sacrifyeing arguing as strange actions That must torment vs at the Heart which delighted vs in our Bodies that must bee sower to our Soules which was sweete in our Liues wee must change our Vices into as manye Vertues and so turne vnto our GOD as if wee neuer more would returne vnto sinne Many are there saith Fulgentius which are sorrowfull for their sinnes yet leaue not their sinning but these take not awaye their sinnes by sorrowing because they leaue not sinning after sorrowing For as Saint Augustine speaketh nihil prosunt lamenta vbi replicantur peccata Mourning is in vaine if wee sinne againe But more alas are there which seldome or neuer are sorrie for theyr sinnes at all Which will not learne to drinke Gall with CHRIST which cannot abide a bitter Soule nay in steed of sorrowing for sins they glory in them they say vnto them as GOD said vnto his Creatures increase multiplie proclayming with a Trumpet their own reprobation O let vs remember that the hearts of Eccl. 20. foolish sinners are like broken vessells which cannot be mended till they must first bee melted That as Beda sayth we must plowe vp our groundes before wee can ridde them from thornes That as Saint Ambrose speaketh great sinnes craues great weeping great lamentation If Naman will bee cleansed from his leprosie hee must wash him-selfe seauen times in the water and if wee will purge vs from the filthinesse of our sinne wee must rench our selues often with teares wee must vnder-goe the Agonie of Repentance mingle our Drinke with weeping water our Couches with Teares yea the very bloud as it were of our soules must gush out of our eyes we must be grieued that wee cannot alwayes be grieued When CHRIST considered the sinnes of Ierusalem Luk. 13. 34 he wept ouer it O Ierusalem Ierusalem c. When Dauid heard that his Sonne was slaine in his sinne he 2 Sam. 18. lamented for him O Absolon my sonne Absolon my sonne my sonne Haue these wept for the sinnes of others much more ought wee then to mourne for our owne transgressions Michah followed the souldiers crying because they had stolne away his Idols and the question beeing moued why he cryed so piteously Iudges 17. Why saith he yee haue carried my gods away and aske yee me why I crie Did this Idolatrous wretch thinke it cause sufficient to lament for the losse of his false gods which his owne handes had made Iudge you then Beloued how we should be grieued for our sinnes which depriue vs of the true GOD whose handes haue framed Heauen and Earth Wil examples moue vs to the performance of this duty Looke vpon repenting Dauid and behold there are ashes vpon his head and sack-cloth vpon his backe he did not braue it in atire nor lay streaking vpon his bed with a bare Lord helpe mee in his mouth Looke vpon the repenting Nineuites and behold King and people are strangely humbled Men and beasts fast and drinke water they sat not bealching at their bordes saying Pardon Sir so post it ouer Looke vpon repenting Magdalen and behold saith Gregory quot habuit in se oblect amenta tet de se fecit hollocausta so many pleasures as shee found in her selfe so many sacrifices shee made of her selfe Shee had abused her eyes to wanton lookes and therefore nowe she caused them to flow-ouer with teares shee had made her lips the weapons of lasciuiousnes and gates of vanitie and therefore now shee caused them to kisse her Saniour her hayre once set out and frizeled after the newest
not to examine or trie our selues before wee bee indged not to vse phisicke before wee bee deadly sicke not to repent before wee can sinne no more It wil be too late to come to the kaye when the ship is launched too late to transplant trees when they be growne in yeares too late to apply a medicine where the disease is desperate too late to resist enemies when they haue gotten and fortefyed the hold too late to season flesh when it crawleth with wormes or to mend a house when it is on fire So standeth the case with him that hath lined long in sinne what is there no hope of Saluation for him Non dico saluabitur non dico damnabitur saith Saint Augustine I will not say he shall be saued I will not say he shall be damned The Theefe was receined in the end of his dayes Where vpon Origen writeth thus There is no man which hath cause to dispayre of pardon seeing CHRIST said vnto the Theefe Amen dico tibi c. verily this day shalt Thou bee with me in Paradise and yet may we not too much presume of pardon because CHRIST sayde not Amen dico vobis c verily this day shall You bee with mee in Paradise Wherefore let vs remember before wee sin that CHRIST pardoned not the multitude and thereby feare his iustice And after we haue sinned let vs remember that CHRIST pardoned the theefe and thereby hope for mercy Et si paenitentia est sera tamen indulgentia non est fera saith Lombard GODS mercy is aboue our misery and an euening sacrifice is accepted by him And yet on the other side wee neuer read that CHRIST cured one blind man often that he healed the same Leapers diuerse times that hee raised Lazarus twice Antiochus prayed for mercy at the ende of his life and was not heard 2. Macha 6 Hee that sayeth at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent I will put away his wickednesse saith also Eze. 33. it is good for a man to beare the yoak from his youth Lam. 3. 27. for olde age is like to flint you may breake it before you can soften it and therefore the wiseman aduiseth to bow downe the neck of thy sonne whilest hee is Eccl. 10. 12 young to beate sinne on the sides to nippe it on the head while it is a child for it will else grow stubborn and get the Mastery In youth sinnes are few and fecble but by continuance they grow to be as strong as Gyants and increase into mighty Armies Besides they are a burden heauier then the whole earth They made wicked Angells to fall like thunder-bolts Iud. vers 6. from the Highest Heauen into the lowest Hell they caused GOD to complaine Behold I am pressed vnder Amo. 2. 13 you as a Cart is pressed that is full of sheaues The creatures grone vnder this burthen beeing by mans sinne subiect to vanity and corruption and shall Rom. 8. 22. crooked age be able to sustaine it A thousand to one wee shall bee constrayned to crie out with Cain My Gen. 4. 13. sinne is heauier then I am able for to beare Thirdly we must remember that the longer wee continue in sinne the farther and greater space we runne from our GOD. Your Iniquities saith GOD makes a Separation betwixt mee and you And is there Esa 59. 2. any likelyhood that he who hath beene running from his GOD forty threescore perhappes fourescore yeares together who with the prodigall is runne into a farre Countrey can returne againe in the space of sixe dayes sixe houres sixe minutes For it may be his sicknes vnto the time whereof hee deferreth his conuersion will not be sixe daies sixe houres sixe minutes long and how is it possible then to returne vnto GOD Say that the forceable working of the holy spirit like a great gale of wind bee able to blow thee home vppon the sodaine yet art thou not sure for to haue it Nay GOD hath told thee Because I haue called and you refused you shall call vppon mee and I will not Pro. 1. 28. answer you A dolefull and heauy doome for a dying man Lastly let vs euer remember that in time of sicknesse wee thinke most vppon that wee most feele Death beseegeth vs Sinn affrighteth vs our wiues grieueys our children with-drawe vs beeing many wayes distracted how shall wee then amend being then at the weakest how can wee resist Sathan who is then at the strongest now hee must haue vs or else euer loose vs nowe therefore standeth the redde Dragon ready to deuoure his prey Vaunting him-selfe against CHRIST IESVS I neuer dyed for these I neuer was whipped crucified tormented for them I neuer promised them eternall life not Paradise not the ioyes of Heauen And yet loe howe they followe mee vnto their liues ende Avaunt Sathan in the Name of CHRIST IESVS And let all true Christians Amend speedilie Continually 4. There is punishment threatned Yee shall all perish Amongst the Philosophers to perish doth vsually signifie A returning vnto nothing which the Creatures of GOD doe naturally abhorre For euer since that first blessing Increase and multiplie there Gen. 1. hath beene in the Creatures a naturall desire to preserue themselues In this philosophicall sense is not the word here to bee vnderstood It were a peece of happinesse to impenitent persons if they might become as though they had neuer beene But death shall depart from them and as the Heart of Prometheus was say the Poets alwayes eaten with Vultures Apo. 9. and not deuoured so shall it bee with these They shall euer perish and neuer bee consumed In the Scriptures To perish is a word of a large extent contayning in it the plagues of the Soule the punishment Pro. 21. of the body the wrath and curse of Dan. 2. Psal 1. GOD vpon the Reprobates in this world and Ioh. 10. 28. in the world to come euerlasting condemnation The meaning then of the word perish First is this You shall haue in this life the face of GOD against you Heauen shal be as Yron and Earth as Brasse vnto you Cursed shall you bee in the Citty cursed in the Fieldes cursed shall you bee in your Barne cursed in your Store cursed in the fruites of your Wombes cursed in the fruites of the Earth cursed in your heards of Cattle cursed in your flocks of sheepe cursed shall be your going out cursed shal be your comming in your Honours your Pleasures Deu. 28. your Riches your Children all the blessings of GOD shall bee turned into curses vntill you be destroyed and perish vtterly This is the portion of the impenitent in this world Secondly the meaning of the word perish is this you shall in the world to come bee euerlastingly condemned Which the Schoole-men haue reduced to two kindes of torments poena damni paena sensus 1. the torment of losse or wanting 2. the torment of sense