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	sin_n	sinner_n	3,410	5	7.5691	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53579	The witch of Endor, or, The witchcrafts of the Roman Jesebel in which you have an account of the exorcisms or conjurations of the papists, as they be set forth in their agends, benedictionals, manuals, missals, journals, portasses, which they use in their churches concerning the hallowing of the water, salt, bread, candles, boughs, fire, ashes, incense, pascal lamb, eggs, herbs, milk, honey, apples, wine, cheese, butter, new baked bread, flesh, font, marrying ring, pilgrims wallet, staff, cross, sword, &c. : proposed and offered to the consideration of all sober Protestants / by Titus Otes.	Oates, Titus, 1649-1705.	1679 (1679)	Wing O62; ESTC R16959	54,855	50

new Fruit of Apples and such like Fruits of the Earth as Pears Plumbs Peaches c. that the Devil with all his wicked Army being dispatched those Creatures may be received unto the Consecration both of Body and Soul And afterward he concludeth on this manner and saith O Lord ✚ bless this new Fruit of the Trees that they which eat of it may be whole in Body and holy in Soul The Papists are but slender Musicians for like the Cuckow they sing always one Song Whatsoever virtue might and power they attribute to one Ceremony the same for the most part do they give unto all There is no Ceremony which after their Conjuration hath not power to drive away the Devil to put away Diseases to bring health to the Body and salvation to the Soul In so great admiration have these Apes their little ones although never so deformed and evil favoured But whilst this their Doctrin is received and believed the bounteous liberality of God is unknown and unthanked And the benefits of his Son's Passion and Death not a little obscured and blotted God destroy the Kingdom of Antichrist yea and that shortly The hallowing of Wine THe Papists are very busie-bodies and love to meddle with all kind of matters that they may seem able to do somewhat in all things It is not sufficient that they have to do with Water Salt Bread Candles Palms Boughs Fire Ashes Incense Myrrh Pascal Pascal Lamb Eggs Herbs Milk Honey Apples c. except they also meddle with Wine it being a Liquor wherein they greatly delight and therefore they daily use to sacrifice unto the great god Bacchus that they may be made the more meet to serve Lady Venus This Creature of Wine is not so pure in their sight but it hath also need of their sanctification and hallowing of their benediction and blessing And therefore they pray the Lord Jesus Christ who at a Marriage of Cana in Galilee turned Water into Wine that he would vouchsafe to bless and sanctifie this Creature of Wine that all that tast of it may be replenished and filled with the riches of his blessing If the Prayer which the Papists here make were heard and granted it were very profitable that the People should always be tipling this new sanctified Wine that by this means they might be replenished with the riches of Christs blessing But as their Prayer is not grounded on Gods Word nor framed according to his Will so is it neither heard nor granted And therefore they pray in vain promising the simple People Mountains performing Molehills We are not enriched with Gods blessing for drinking the hallowed Wine but for Christs sake for Christs dignity and worthiness for Christs merits and deserts as the Apostle saith Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all manner of Spiritual blessings in Heavenly things by Christ What wickedness then is this of the Papists to attribute that to a Cup of bewitched Wine that is only the gift of God In thy Seed said God to Abraham speaking of Christ shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed as St. Paul expoundeth it in his Epistle to the Galatians It is appointed moreover That on the Feast of St. John the Evangelist the Wine especially should be blessed and hallowed for what cause I know not except it be on that time of the year that men use to drink more largely and to be more merry than any other time of the year Now for the perfect furniture of this matter it is commanded that first of all the Mass-monger shall say the beginning of St. Johns Gospel In principo erat verbum c. That once done he must pray on this manner By these words of the holy Gospel and by the merits of John the Apostle and Evangelist vouchsafe O Lord to bless and consecrate this Cup of Wine with thy right hand ✚ and grant that all that believe in the drink of this Cup may be blessed and defended And as St. John drinking poyson out of the Cup was not hurt so they that drink this day of this Cup in the honor of Thee and blessed St. John may be delivered through the merits of the same St. John from all sickness and poyson and be absolved both in Body and Soul from all faults The Papist in this his Prayer Conjureth God to bless and sanctifie his Cup of Wine by the words of the holy Gospel and by the merits of St. John the Evangelist as though God were so indebted and bound unto them that he could do no otherwise than grant his request But as touching the words of the Gospel Where have the Papists learned thus to abuse them Where have they read that the words of the Gospel should help unto the hallowing and sanctifying of Wine The Papists play here with this piece of St. Johns Gospel as the simple People in the time of darkness were wont to do with hanging St. Johns Gospel as they call it about their necks upon St. Audries lace thinking themselves safe from all danger both Bodily and Ghostly and free from all Devils and wicked Spirits But this is to abuse and not to use the words of the Gospel The Gospel is a joyful Message wherein is contained most present consolation and ready comfort for all Sinners that repent in Faith freely offered of God the Father for his Son Christs sake to all that believe and embrace it And this Gospel helpeth not because it is read but because it is believed as St. Paul the Apostle saith The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God to save so many as believe For Man and his Salvation was the Gospel written and not for Wine and for Wines satisfaction As St. John himself testifieth saying These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is Christ the Son of God and that in believing ye might have Life through his name And as concerning the merits of St. John the Evangelist Where have the Papists learned to lay them before the Majesty of God as things of such purity and excellency that for the worthiness of them he is bound to grant their desire seeing it is written That all our righteousnesses are as a menstruous Cloth Seeing also that before God not the Angels in Heaven are clean much less man who is Earth Ashes Dust and Dung What St. John thought of his merits may easily be perceived by these words If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us But if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness If we say we have no sin we make him a liar and his word is not in us Here St. John putteth himself in the number of Sinners so far is he from cracking and boasting of his good deeds and merits And in the Chapter following he saith If any man sin we have an advocate with

the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous And He it is that obtaineth mercy for our sins Here St. John likewise layeth not forth his own merits and deserts before the Judgment Seat of God but the righteousness of Christ that pure and undefiled Lamb that taketh away the sins of the World For whose sake also God is well pleased with man The merits both of St. John and of all the Saints are the mercies of God as it is written which crowneth in mercy and loving kindness When ye have done saith Christ all that ye ought to do say we are unprofitable Servants there is no difference all have sinned and want the Glory of God Again the Papist prayeth That so many as drink of that hallowed Wine may be blessed defended delivered from all sickness and poyson and in fine be absolved both in Body and Soul from all sins and faults yea and that by the merits of St. John the Evangelist Of St. Johns merits we have before heard But that the hallowed Wine should give to so many as drink of it Gods blessing Gods defence deliverance from all sickness and poyson and at the last absolution from all sins and faults it is more than any man may be bold justly to look for at a Cup of Wine It is God that blesseth and defendeth us his People It is God that delivereth his Servants from all evil and noisom things It is God that forgiveth sin and saveth both Body and Soul as the Psalmist saith Salvation cometh from the Lord and his blessing is upon his People If this new sanctified Wine being drunk in the honor of St. John the Evangelist be of such force and strength that it saveth the drinkers thereof from poysoning How cometh it to pass that that Wine which is Consecrate in the Blood of Christ yea which is the natural Blood of Christ as the Papist teach could not keep and defend Pope Victor the third of that name from poysoning which as Chronicles record was poysoned at Mass by drinking that mystical Wine out of the Chalice And as touching the absolution of sins I marvel greatly that the Papists would so overshoot themselves that they would desire of God that so many as drink of that Wine might be absolved and delivered from all their sins Verily this thing doth not a little diminish their Authority If men might be absolved from their sins by drinking a Cup of Wine what should be come then of Ego absolvo te Then also were all the confessional pens dispatched and gone yea then should the holy Fathers Indulgences and Pardons a paena a culpa toties quoties be utterly neglected and nothing at all regarded I wonder they were so uncircumspect in this matter where most circumspection ought to have been had But this we know and are fully perswaded that neither drinking of the hallowed Wine nor the Pope himself can forgive us our sins but God alone as it is written No man can forgive sins but God alone And as God himself saith by the Prophet I am he yea I am he indeed which putteth away thy sins and that for my own sake and I will remember thy wickedness no more In another Prayer the sanctifying Papist beseecheth God ✚ to bless this Creature of Wine that whosoever tastes of it may obtain Everlasting Life through the intercession of St. John Here we may say to the Papists as the Fletcher saith to his bolt Flie and be nought Here is de malo inpejus venite adoremus as Skelton saith It was very nought that we heard before in hallowing the Wine but this of all nought is most nought For now we are come to this point that the drinking of this hallowed Wine bringeth Everlasting Life when notwithstanding the Apostle saith Everlasting Life is the Gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And Christ himself saith I am the way the truth and the life No man cometh unto the Father but by me Again I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly For I am the Resurrection and Life He that believeth on me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never dye St. Paul saith If Righteousness come by the Law then died Christ in vain What is meant by Righteousness in this place but the grace favour and mercy of God remission of sins the gift of the Holy Ghost quietness of Conscience and in fine Everlasting Life Now saith the Apostle None of all these things come by the Law that is to say by those works of the Law which not man but God hath prescribed and appointed For if they did it should truly follow that Christ died in vain But Christ died not in vain therefore Righteousness and Everlasting Life cometh not by works as it is written No Flesh shall be justified by the Works of the Law If therefore our Justification and Salvation come not by those works which God hath appointed shall we obtain so noble and excellent benefits at the hand of God through drinking of Wine lately blessed by an unblessed Papist Everlasting Life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Moreover This sacrificing Sorcerer desireth of God that these things may be brought to pass so much the sooner through the intercession of St. John A new kind of Intercession Is it to be thought that St. John being now a glorified Saint in Heaven and following the Lamb whither-soever he goeth hath so much idle leisure as to attend upon such trifling suits and requests What other thing were it to crave of God that all such as drink of that new hallowed Wine might obtain Everlasting Life by the means thereof than to spit in Christs face to set Christ at nought to contemn and utterly despise the inestimable merits of his Passion and Death and in all points to deny him to be a Saviour For whosoever seeketh any part of his Salvation at any Creature either in Heaven or in Earth except only at the hand of Christ he hath utterly forsaken the Lord Jesu and his saving health Far therefore be it from so holy an Apostle to attempt such wickedness And whereas the Papists make him an Intercessor unto God I know not for what trifles we shall understand that we are not taught by any part or parcel of the holy Scripture that the Saints departed do make any intercession for us that live in this World Neither is it probable by the Word of God that they either pray for us or that they hear our prayers as the Prophet Isaiah saith Thou art our Father For Abraham knoweth us not neither is Israel acquainted with us But thou Lord art our Father and Redeemer and thy name is everlasting When we will obtain any thing at the hand of God St. John setteth not forth himself nor any of his fellow Apostles no nor yet the Virgin Mary to be our Mediator Advocate or Intercessor unto