Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	goodness_n	great_a	sin_n	6,173	5	4.6117	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28164	Purgatory surveyed, or, A particular accompt of the happy and yet thrice unhappy state of the souls there also of the singular charity and wayes we have to relieve them : and of the devotion of all ages for the souls departed : with twelve excellent means to prevent purgatory and the resolution of many curious and important points.; De l'etat heureux et malheureux des âmes souffrantes du purgatoire. English. 1663	Binet, Etienne, 1569-1639.; Ashby, Richard, 1614-1680.	1663 (1663)	Wing B2915; ESTC R31274	138,491	416

we but give way to our vertues and those divine graces which are hourely showred down upon our souls from heaven to work according to the full extent of their energy and power But alas an infirm body much passion a faint heart with a thousand other obstacles in this life make us to do scarse half wha● we are able And divines are of opinion that besides the mother of God there hath hardly been one amongst all other pure creatures who has acted according to the full latitude of his power and those gracious helps sent him from heaven Others indeed have somtimes made valiant attempts but it was as it were but in a bravado and by spurts and they often came off but poorly and failed of their designes But the souls in Purgatory who are as it were new minted and cast into a pure sp●ritual substance free from the body and all corporeal and humane infirmities nor are at all impeded by their torments from the free exercise of all the powers of their souls they I say give full scope and liberty to all the quires of vertues to play their parts and suffer grace to have her entire effect and this doubtless affords them such unspeakable comforts and advantages as cannot well be expressed in this mortal life O what ejaculations of their pure love what submissions of their profound humility what conformities of their wills what submissive obedience to the holy decrees of Gods justice what fidelity and justice to satisfie the rigour of Gods justice for all they owe him what passionate desire of purity to see themselves without blemish or hinderance from enjoying God what incredible tenderness towards God who treats them so sweetly in comparison of their ingratitude and infidelity what excess of joy to see themselves within two fingers breadth as it were of Paradise In fine what a Paradise of vertues what divine endeavours of these happy souls what attractions of almighty God and heavenly allurements who can worthily comprehend such a medley of so sweet a Paradise in Purgatory so cruelly sweet and so amorously bitter And now I understand why St. Catherine said that in case the souls did not meet with Purgatory it would be a kind of Hell to them to want the help of those purging flames to cancel out the blemishes of their sins and make them worthy to see God I have not tould you what jaculatory prayers they make what sweet aspiratious they breath out and what flaming darts of love they shoote up into the heart of God For if the Martyrs in the greatest extreamity of their torments could cast out such gentle sighs and break into such divine and amourous speeches as to draw tears from the eyes of a hangman or tyrant what will not these holy souls do since they have scarse any sweeter entertainment then to converse with God and implore his mercy The afflictions Lib. de Provid and sufferings of the body says Solucanns cannot hinder the Paradise of the soul and her interiour sweetness much less when the Soul is in the other world §. 6. They joy in the continual decrease of their pains and influence of pure heavenly consolations THe fire of love makes more sensibly with them then their tormenting flames The natural instinct they have to be with God and their longing thirst so to take their fill of those inebriating joyes when they see themselves forcibly detained and bound fast to so base an Element as Fire is a torment beyond expression St. Ambrose St. Ambr. Ser. 1. maintains that the fire of love which had seized on St. Laurence his heart was more active then that which consumed his flesh and melted the very marrow of his bones Wherefore it must needs be great comfort unto these sweet souls to see that their sufferings Their pains go still dec●easi●g are every moment diminished if not otherwise at least for as much as concernes the prefixed time of their durance which goes lessening it selfe more and more as it draws nearer to an end And according to the probable opinion of holy men the intensenes of the pain it self is perpetually remitted according to the proportion of the fresh supplies of succour which the Church militant never failes to administer unto them by her prayers and sacrifices since there is not an hour neither by day nor by night where there is not Mass said or some devout prayers offered up in some part of the Christian world Besides St. Catherine tells us that God also grows still more and more liberal in showring down his heavenly sweet favours and gracious influences upon these his wretched and yet happy souls There was a young woman Heavenly comforts encrease upon them Val. Max. had lived with her husband with so much chast love that she was not more tender of her own life and see●ng him one day laid dead upon a burning pile and having a long time in vain cast about how she might come to receive him at length threw her self just upon his heart and so chose willingly to die with him and mingle her ashes with his And who doubts but the Angel Gardians those Eagles of Paradise seeing the souls of their pupils for whom they had so much tenderness and care in this life to lie burning in scorching flames often casts himself in to comfort them and if not release them at least entertain them with such pleasing discourses as takes of much of the sense of their bitter torments When the King asked Daniel whether the Lyond had not devoured him and whether his God had power to preserve him from that inevitable death he answer'd yes sir my God has sent his Angel who is come down from Heaven to protect me and has tied up the mouths of the hungry Lyons who have not offered to touch me nor had I ever so much comfort in my whole life as in this place of death and despaire for Paradise is every where where God and his Angels are The same happened to those three innocent yong men who had leasure to sing in the middle of a burning furnace which of a kind of Purgatory was become a terrestriall Paradise or an empereal heaven This being so and the goodness of God comforting the Souls with a world of good thoughts you must know that Purgatory seems a great mercy to them and so much the greater by how much they see clearly the vast difference between this condition of theirs and that of the damned Souls and what an unspeakable favour God has done them to dispose things so sweetly that they might be convayed into Purgatory they that so often deserved to be thrust into Hell fire and possibly more then many of the damned souls since there are certainly many damned but for one or two mortal sins whereas they may know themselves to have committed thousands And who knows then whether in their extasies of love they may not cry out with holy S. Gregory O my God encrease my

swim in the ocean of overflowing charity chuse but employ all their power and interest to make them so But sure I need not go about to multiply reasons in a case so clear of it self so full of piety and heavenly decency I will only minde you of what I told you elsewhere out of Cajetan how reasonable a thing it is that all those holy strayes or wandring suffrages which are offered up for such souls as are not in Purgatory should be applied unto them that had a particular affection and devotion to help souls out of that fiery dungeon and this certainly will be a means to fetch them out quickly if they ever come there §. 8 The Eighth To be a great Alms-giver THe Eighth means to prevent Purgatory is to be very liberal and tender hearted to the poore The holy Ghost teaches us as much in most emphatical and comfortable words some whereof I have chosen to lay down before you with a desire to imprint them in your hearts Blessed is the man that understandeth concerning Ps 40. the needy and the poor in the evill day our Lord will deliver him our Lord preserve him and give him life and make him blessed in the land and deliver him not to the will of his enemies Our Lord helpe him in the bed of his sorrow These words need no gloss For what is this evill day but the day of particular judgment at the houre of death since it is the great critical day and the most considerable moment upon which eternity depends Now he ●●●ls us that God will deliver him this day from what I pray you if not from eternal fire and from the dreadfull fire of Purgatory according to the measure of his charity and liberality to the poor He tells us again that he will make him happy in this day out of which I conclude that he shall not goe into Purgatory for how can he be happy that day if he lye in flames of fire Call you this to deliver a man from evil to plunge him over head and ears in a fiery gulf St. Chrysologus spoke with a Serm. 8. grace when he sayd that charity will not suffer a great almes-giver to be layd in fire but will appeal from the sentence and more God to cancel his own Decree and in a word will have him to be saved and all this with so sweet a violence says the same Saint that God had rather alter his decree then contristate mercy and charity when they pleade with such power for a great alms-giv●● Let us heare the holy Ghost once more I pray you Water quenches burning fire and almes resisteth sins God is the Eccl. 3. 4 beholder of him that rendreth grace he remembreth him afterwards and in the time of his fall he shall find a sure stay Sonne bow down thy eare to to the poor without sadness be merciful to pupills as a Father and as a Husband to their Mother and thou shalt be as the obedient sonne of the highest and he will have mercy on thee more then a mother O God what sweet words are these when he is about to fall he shall find a sure stay when he is ready to sink into Purgatory he shall be held up he shall be strengthned he shall be raysed above the firmament he shal be carried into Paradise What would a loveing Mother do less if it were in her power And since God has given us his word that he will be more then a Mother to such charitable souls that is have a greater tenderness and love for them is it credible that he will suffer them to fall into Purgatory or if justice require some satisfaction there is it not likely that all means will be used to remove them out of hand The Cesars crownd themselves with laurell as fancying it to be a sure protection against fire from heaven but I may safely say that a merciful soul all covered over with laurels olive branches and refined gold of charity cannot be struck with fire from heaven and has as little reason to feare the fire of Purgatory It is better sayd St. Chrysostome Hom. 39. ad pop to give an almes to the poor then to worke a miracle or to raise a dead man for in this you are beholding to God but in that God is beholding to you And therefore since God is indebted to you tell him plainly you will be payd with no other coyn but tha● of Paradise if he thinke of sending you to Purgatory tell him you will be first payd what he is pleased to owe you for he has promised y●● life everlasting and therefore let him first place you in Paradise and you will have leasure there to talke of Purgatory It was an answer worthy of eternal memory that of the good Count Thiband of Champagne A. poore Gentleman fell at his feet with tears in his eyes saying my Lord you are the Father of the poor I have two daughters to marry and have no way to compass it having nothing in the world to give them those poor creatures are utterly lost if you take not pitty on them and me your most humble servant and therefore I beseech your honour to have mercy on us The two poor young women were all this while on their knees as beautiful as the sun their eyes humbly cast down upon the ground and their faces covered with a modest and virginal blush when out steps a ruffi●n like courtier his name was Arrant and rudely tells the poor Gentleman it was a pritty fight indeed to see him beg an almes with his sword by his side Besides he was to know that the Count was not for nothing surnamed the bountiful for he had given away so much that he had no more left to bestow How replied the Count that 's not so I have yet something left God be thanked and enough too to bestow upon the good Gentleman for I am willing to part with thee and to yeild up unto him all the interest I have in thee Take him friend continued he and be sure you do not part with him till he has bestowed both your daughters This he sayd and it fell out so in good earnest for the Courtier was glad at his own charge to provide competent portions for the two poor young women and all France admired and highly extolled the Count for his purdent carriage of the whole business Can you find in your heart to condemn such a brave Prince to Purgatory after he has left many such charitable examples behind him one I say that has given so much away in pious uses that he has no more to give one that would willingly have sold himself after all to make an almes of the price to our blessed Saviour in the person of those poor innocent doves The Angel Raphael deserves credit when he tells us in express tearms that it is better to give almes then to lay up treasures of T●● 12.

gold because that is it which purgeth sin and maketh us find mercy and life everlasting How does your heart feele at this comfortable lesson since charity has the power to purge sin what need of another Purgatory and since she is so happy as to procure life everlasting have you not reason to hope she will at your death set heaven gates open and leade you in thither as it were by the hand When those dutiful children Val. max. took their parents on their backs to deliver them out of the flames which were furiously vomited out of Aetna to the terrour of all Sicily which seemed to be all on a light fire they say the flames out of respect to the natural affection parted themselves and made a lane for the youths to pass through without harme that had so much love for their parents whose age and feebleness would have otherwaies betrayed them to utter destruction and so all for company were luckily saved out of that furious Purgatory And certainly if your charity take you up if your mercy do but hide you in her bosome when you shall pass through Purgatory the fire will be so courteous as to retire and give way to your passage they will set all the gates open for you to get out when you please and bring you the Keyes of Paradice §. 9. The ninth Angelical purity THe ninth and a very efficacious preservative against Purgatory is a singular chastity or virginal purity I cannot think that a pure and humble heart a Soul that is newly divorced from a virginal body can ever be tied to purging flames This Diamond of chastity has I know not what that makes it victorious over flames this mount Libanus as white as Snow is never visited with fire from heaven this virginal Laurel which triumphs over the pleasures of this world fears not the fury of any subterraneous flames this St. John may be plunged into boyling Oyl without feeling the least smart this Royal Salamander can live untouched in the midst of fire this pure Gold suffers no detriment in the crucible this Eagle cuts her way through the element of fire and soares up to Heaven without singing her wings these innocents ●ing merrily in the furnace of Babilon as if they were in a terrestrial Paradice In earnest there is no reason that persons as chast as Angels who were invincible and untouch'd in the midst of the flames of concupiscence which devoure almost all the world there is no reason I say that those who were proof against these subtle alluring flames should not appear as good proof against those other cruel devouring flames or that they should ever feel the smart of the one that had so valiantly overcome the false flatteries of the other St. John says that Virgins follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes they are the ordinary courciers of Jesus Christ that have washed their Robes in the blood of the Lamb. And shall such clean innocent souls need the help of Purgatory fire to wash away the●r staines St. Teresia once seeing a Cannon in the Church ready to be laid in his grave and another time one of the society who was also laid upon the Beer ran instantly to kiss their dead corps and when all were astonished to see her she tould those whom it concerned that she was very certain that those two reverend persons were Virgins and that their happy souls had for that cause taken their flight into heaven just as they parted with their bodies The Greek History tels us that Cedren Annal. when in the heat of the Tyrants persecution Nicomendia fel to the plunder of the rude Soldiers amongst others they took a beautiful yong Virgin and having in vain labored to make her sacrifice unto Idols they put her into the hands of a wanton fellow to use her as he pleased She laughed at them only begged leave to speak a word or two to A●ithim●● the Bishop To him she proposed this ca●e of conscience whether she might not rather chuse to die or to be accessary to her own death then loose the precious Pearl of her Virginity The good Bishop made her so doubtful an answer that not well understanding what he meant she consented to go along with the Soldier He hurries her away instantly into his own house where the poor Virgin seeing her self in his power speaks thus to him Friend do not touch me and I promise to teach thee a receipt that will make thee immortal whereby thou shalt become the most valiant and famous man living the secret is as dear to me as my honour and my very life As one Devil will sometimes overpower another so here the love of honour overcame lust He tels her therefore he was content to let her alone so she could but make her words good Sir I have says she a precious Oyntment which is of so great vertue that whosoever is anointed with it can receive no harme a thousand rude blowes or desperate thrusts of a Sword cannot do him the least hurt against his wil How shall I believe this Paradox replies the Soldier which you speak possibly only to amuse me or rather to abuse me Sure you will believe it says she when you see it tried before your eyes A way she goes borrows a little Oyl of the next Lamp she meets with returnes instantly shuts the door bares her neck as white as Snow rubs it well over with this miraculous Oyl that makes people immortal then casts herself down on her Knees and bids the Soldier be sure to take good ayme and strike boldly and spare not for he should soon see a fair trial of this wonderful experiment With this she smiles and stealing an amourous looke towards heaven begs of sweet Jesus her beloved spouse that the Oyl might have the effect she so much longed for to preserve her Virginity Mean time the Soldier lifts up his Sword and with all his might levels it at the neck of the innocent Virgin and in a trice strikes of her head which lay reeking in blood a good distance from the rest of her body Never was man so amazed and confounded as the Captain to see himself thus fooled But let us leave him to vent his sury by himself and fall to considering this prodigious courage this excessive love of purity this ingenious st●a●agenie of the Virgin this innocent murther or harmless contrivance of her own death in obedience to a particular instinct of the holy Ghost as we may piously imagine and having taken a full view of all these circumstances let us see whether we have the conscience to condemn the yong Lady to Purgatory fire who was so chast as ●n chuse rather to die then part with her Virginal integrity Which of you said the Prophet Isa 33. 14. Isay can dwell in devouring fire without burning Answer It is chastity Which of you can carry fire in his Bosome or lye in the bosome of fire without hurt cried