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	soul_n	4,437	5	4.8368	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29237	The XXIV cases concerning things indifferent in religious worship considered, or, The resolver better resolved by his own principles, and non-conformists more confirmed also, the grand case touching ministers conformity, with the double supplement thereunto annexed, briefly discussed.	Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671.; Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671. Great question concerning things indifferent in religious worship briefly stated.	1663 (1663)	Wing B427; ESTC R12512	53,178	68

the less to the greater But can any external necessity be greater than that of Obedience unto Gods Command by a Moral or Natural Law His Application therefore of that Rule of Indulgence proceeds upon his too common Supposition Is Mercy to our Beast so highly prized how much more is Mercy to our selves to our Nation to the Church to the soules of our people c. This Inference were good were the things in question proved to be only Inconvenient penally in Worship but if any of them be proved unlawful and sinful I should argue to the contrary Is Mercy to our Beasts so highly prized how much more Mercy to our own souls Yea Mercy to our Nation Church People in avoyding sin against God whom by sinning we provoke against all these This is the way to destroy both Altar Sacrifice and Priests also for Ministers to comply together to offend God Mercy does well with Piety but without it is meer Cruelty But much stress is laid upon the practise of the Apostles in their condescending to Conform in some things to the Ceremonial Law and in that Decree Acts 15. To make some things necessary after they were abolished by Christ his Death This was alledged in the former Case and here again For Pauls circumcising Timothy and his own Observation of some Jewish Rites when he had preached against them and that Decree making some Ceremonials not only lawful and expedient but necessary many things may be said 1. Though those Ceremonies were dead with Christ yet at that time they were not deadly till they were decently buried and therefore were then a while Indifferent to be used or not according to occasion Paul that circumcised Tim. would not circumcise Titus in another case 2. The reason of both was one and the same viz. to avoid offence to the Jewes one while to further their Conversion to the Gentiles another while to prevent their Apostacy Now not to lay a stumbling-Block or to remove it if it be laid is a Moral Law to which Positive and Ceremonial Lawes must give place Even Ceremonials of Divine Institution much more of mens Invention 3. For that Decree making some things abolished necessary though enough hath been said already yet I shall consider further what he saith Things that are expedient are therefore good it seemed good to us and therefore necessary these necessary things whence those very things which we are afraid to do because Inexpedient may possibly be our Duty to do because expedient By a contrary Inference things that are not-expedient in Worship are not good but evil and therefore unlawful hence those things that we do when expedient we must be afraid to do when and where they are Inexpedient that is in his own Gloss sinful in Worship He addes p. 147. The Apostles knew that refusing to eat things strangled and bloud at that time especially by a Law to enjoyn it was in one Consideration no small Inconvenience yea a burden as they call it yet to prevent greater Inconveniences the Apostacy of the Jews the Interruption of the Gospel c. it seemed good yea necessary to them to do so Let the Reader observe here his old Diversion to say no worse in substituting the Word Inconvenient for Inexpedient a penal for a sinful evil and confounding the terms For true it is those Ceremonial Observations dead before this time were a burden if Imposed on Christians at that time but not sinful but the causing or occasioning of the Apostacy of the Converted Jews or the Interruption of their Conversion by the Non-observation of them for a time were not only Inconveniencies though such also but sinful Inexpediencies and therefore enjoyned for a time to prevent very great sins But I pray is the Imposition of our Ceremonies and the submission to them for any such ends Hear himself speak The ends moving thereunto were most weighty viz. The Unity of Brethren winning Soules the Propagation of the Gospel the prevention of Scandals and the danger of the Ministry by persecution Now as for our Ceremonies Imposed or the Imposition of things Inexpedient such as they are which might equally be justified upon the same grounds which yet is by the R. Cas peremptorily denied not one of these ends can justly be pretended 1. Not the Unity of Brethren for they are the greatest Causes of our former and present Divisions 2. Not winning of Soules for whom should they win Papists We see the contrary as some are hardned by our coming so near them so some upon our Complyance with them are turned Roman Catholikes 3. Not the Propagation of the Gospel they hinder it nothing more by casting out some Thousands of able Ministers as is reported 4. Not Prevention of Scandal for none that judge them M●tters of Indifferency and unnecessary as most do or they are very ill taught have any just cause to be offended at our non-observation of them while we are perswaded of their unlawfulness yea they occasion much Scandal to many truly tender Consciences 5. Not the danger of the Ministry through Persecution For as that was no End of the Apostles making that Decree they being persecuted for not observing them and preaching against them so it was the end of the False Teachers Gal. 6.12 who preached up Circumcision to avoid Persecution and indeed the rigorous pressing of them hath proved the greatest danger I must not say persecution of the Ministry since Q Mary's daies Upon all these Reasons in my poor Judgment the Rev. Casuist and his Prelates might have done far more and better Service to this Church and Nation if they had endeavoured to procure an Act for Repealing of them than for their Imposition with so much rigour But whist Lastly To this Instance of the Apostles Decree and Practise I will not plead the great Distance of the two Authorities then and now in imposing things Indifferent or Inconvenient on the Churches For I foresee what may be Answered But I shall only tell him that very Learned men are of Opinion that that Decree or Law to abstain from things offered to Idols strangled and Bloud is still obliging to Christians and then this Instance is impertinent For 1. More may be said to assert their Obligation than for any of ours or for all the Ceremonies of the Roman Church for this was one of the Lawes given to Noah before the Law revived again by Moses under the Law and now the third time ratified under the Gospel I know nothing so attested except one day in seven for a Sabbath 2. The things decreed by the Apostles seem all either equally necessary and perpetual or all equally mutable These necessary things and if mutable and arbitrary then Fornication may seem now to be a venial sin as Papists or an Indifferent thing as many Protestants repute it if we may judge by their Practise And why things unequally lawful or unlawful should be included in one Decree I should be glad to see a