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	lord_n	psal_n	4,045	5	7.5057	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19777	Doubtings dovvnfall first, prouing the communitie of the Saints assurance. Secondly, disprouing Bellarmines and his fellowes false allegations and friuolous exceptions against that truth. By Edvvard Dalton, preacher of the Word, &c.	Dalton, Edward.	1624 (1624)	STC 6204; ESTC S115432	25,476	66

he concludeth Gal. 3.6 because Abraham in particular was iustified by Faith therefore all belieuers that either haue been are or shall be iustified haue beene are and shall be iustified by faith likewise Aske the Apostle Peter why he persuaded euery particular person to whom he spake to repent and to be baptized now euery particular convert was to be baptized in the name of Iesus Christ for the remissiou of sinnes Acts 2.38 39. and assured them they should receiue the gift of the Holy Ghost was it not this because the promise was made to them to their children and to all a farre off Plainly insinuating that by how much more large the promise was by so much more might euery one of thē in particular be bold by obseruing the cōditiō suffering the seale to be fixed to interest establish thēselues in the couenant Dauid in his perplexitie almost despaired of the Lords goodnesse towards him as appeareth in that he so earnestly expostulateth the case cōcerning Gods dealing with him when he saith Will the Lord absent himself for euer Psal 77.7 c. will he be no more entreated is his mercy cleane gone for euer and is his promise come vtterly to an end for euer more hath God for gotten to be gracious and will he shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure But why doth he correct his infirmitie because he forgat the yeares of the right hand of themost high and how doth he recollect his spirits by remembring the workes of the Lord calling to mind his wonders of old time euen those for thē he mentioneth which he had done for that whole multitude of his ancient people the Israelites whē he deliuered them from the thraldome of Aegypt applying to himself that power which was made apparent for that Mercy which was manifested to a great number euen a whole Nation for his personall comfort Now they themselues make the like conclusion And euen of the Aduerseries themselues For demand of one of their Priests why this or that particuler man or woman must belieue and be persuaded his or her sins are pardoned vpon the pronouncing of absolution he will surely otherwise he cannot answer Christ hath left that power vnto him But demand againe where findes he that power confirmed on him He must answere Christ said vnto Peter and the rest of the Disciples Whosoeuer sins thou or yee remit they are remitted And now inferres he from hence that he may remit sinnes that he whom he absolues may be persuaded of the pardon of his sins seeing neither his nor the others name is there particularly expressed He cannot but answere it is because he is in the place of one of the Disciples and what was said to Peter and the other Apostles is deriued to him doth not he now from a generall inferre a particular or if they will from one particular the Apostle Peter interest another the Pope if this be lawfull for them and not for vs let them produce their charter and priuiledge thus to conclude or if it may be done in this case and not in any other let them shew their Prouiso or else we may safely hold that What the Holy Ghost in this kinde vseth and they practise wee may lawfully vse the same and they haue no reason to except against it namely that from the generall promises and comforts of the Gospell wee may draw particular conclusions for the assuring and establishing of our hearts in any necessary sauing grace Truth of conuersion may bee knowne Thus is the first friuolous The second is as false for if a Saint might not euidently perceiue his own conuersion to be true I would know the reasō why in the Scriptures we haue the notes of repentance together with the proper effects of the same declared if it be not this that euery Christian looking in this glasse which yeelds the fullest and truest resemblance of the heart might behold by due examination the cōformitie of his soule to the will of God thereby to receiue comfort confidence in assurance of the pardon of his sins future happinesse and at all times inseparabilitie from the loue of God in Christ and the like for can the fire be certainly knowne by the heat Math. 7.6 the tree by the fruit in our Sauiours iudgement not a doubtfull and coniecturall signe but a sure and infallible note and shall not a man by the effects manifestly see his faith vnfained his repentance sound yes surely for is true repentance a sorrow for sins past a striuing with sins present a watching to preuent sins to come an hearty desire full purpose and constant indeuour to auoid euill and prosecute that which is good and shall not a man know that he is indued with it Is it possible that a man should grieue and not take notice of it striue and not feele it watch and not perceiue it desire and not discerne it purpose and not discouer it endeuour and not finde it and doe all these heartily fully and constantly not euidently know it It is not possible Besides euery regenerate man hath a a new heart a renued spirit which is a faithfull witnesse giuing testimony not to God for that it needs not nor to others for that it cānot but to the man who hath it for that it must of the truth of those things which it knows to be in him cōcerning Gods wil his own eternal welfare Pro. 14.5 seeing thē a faithfull witnesse will not lye the spirit of the penitēt testifieth the truth of his repentance may not he be as firmely persuaded as his heart faithfully witnesseth the sincerity of his conuersion But the heart of man say they Ier. 17 9. What heart it is which is deceiued Is deceitfull aboue measure who can know it It cannot be denyed that the vnregenerate heart of which the Prophets speach is to be conceiued is like a filthy puddle at the bottome wherof through the thicknesse impurity of the water neither one thing nor other can distinctly if at all be seene but the regenerate heart which only is the harbor of true repentance may fitly be cōpared to a clear fountain at whose bottom euery thing as it is sand frō mud base from better mettals being cast into it may be discerned howsoeuer the vessels which are in an house are not in the night season through darkenesse by the eye distinguished yet at the approach of either Sunne or candle a man may take notice of and put a difference betweene those vessells which are appointed to honour and these which are destinated to dishonourable vses so that heart which is full of Spirituall darkenesse admits noe exact knowledge of either vice or vertue but mistakes the one for the other in it selfe yet the beames of the Sunne of tighteousnesse by his blessed Spirit entring into that heart which is become the Temple of the Holy Ghost nay

Iob. 13.4 16.2 2.12 13. for as they cast dust vpon their heads and sate by him seauen daies and seauen nights together sorrowfull yet at last failed in applying comfort So hee hauing animated a fainting soule refreshed a wearied spirit and suppled a wounded heart with sundry spirituall Cordials against the rigour of the law the frailtie of the flesh the greatnesse and grieuousnesse of afflictions a long time should leaue that soule so languishing that spirit so weary that heart so wounded in danger of the last enemie and in doubt of none of the least mercies for not one but euery faithfull soule perceiuing it must though it haue foiled many aduersaries faile in the end wholly and faint vnder the burden of one or other opposition not obtain the end of its hope and expectation the loue of God in Christ is plunged deep in the gulfe of desperation and so would Paul become the sauour of life to none the sauour of death to all euen those which are coheires with him in Christ which must not so much as once into our thoughts bee admitted or in our minds conceited much lesse with our mouthes be vttered seeing the holy Ghost affirms 2 Cor. 2.15 16. that he was the effectuall sauour of life to the Fathers chosen and to the Sonnes redeemed For the 3. 3. The ground of his cōforts thing considered in the Context the Ground of Pauls arguing of his comforts here laid down are of two sorts the one working Gods loue mercy Christs merits efficacie the other witnessing Gods spirit our spirit or a renued conscience Now all euery of these cannot but be affirmed must necessarily be confessed to be cōmon to all not only proper to any of the faithful for to deny these one or any of them to one or any belieuer is to deny him to be elected which proceedes from Gods loue to bee redeemed which is of Christs merit to be sanctified which is the work of the spirit seeing therfore the groūd of this his inseparability frō Gods loue in Christ of the other priuiledges is cōmō I conclude that To be persuaded of assured in these is also cōmō with the Apostle to euery truly regenerated Christian Thus the Text and Context cleare our conclusion Aduersaries confession but that wherein we may iustly triumph and which is not of the least force both to confound the persons confute their opinions is their owne Confession For say they if there were either a word Bellar. l. 3. de Iustof c. 8. saying to euery particular person as our Sauiour to the sicke of the palsie Sonne thy sins be forgiuen thee Math. 9.2 or we could certainely know the truth of our conuersion we might freely conclude concluding assure our selues that we should neuer be separated from the loue of God in Christ but which is all one be saued that our sins are pardoned we are iustified and shall be glorified But there is say the aduersaries of this truth no such particular promise reuealed now by name or in that maner to any particular Saint in or by the word nor any such assurance of our conuersion can be apprehended therefore we cannot be assured either our sinnes are pardoned or wee neuer shall be seuered from the loue of God in Christ or at last shall be saued The first is friuolous Generall propositions particularly to be applyed the second false The first is friuolous for let them tell me is not the Gospel the same for comfort that the Law is for terror to the soule must the soule apprehend and apprehending apply in particuler to it selfe the generall precepts prohibitions and threatnings of the Law and may it not in like maner apprehend and apply The Gospel aswell as the 〈…〉 in particuler to it selfe the generall promises and priuiledges of the Gospell how is the Lords mercy ouer all his workes is his hand of fauour shorter then his hand of fury Psal 77.7 c. Hath the Lord forgotten to be mercifull and doth he thus shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure Is his Mercy thus smothered by Iustice and hath his Iustice got the start so far of Mercy Must I swallow the poyson may I not taste the Antidote must I lay to my sore the Corafiue only may I in no case apply the Plaister Shall an heire into whose hands the entaile of his Ancestors inheritance commeth reading the euidence knowing there is none other to debar him of it though he cannot finde his owne name in particuler his dead Ancestors being so tong-tied that they cannot speake not conclude I am of the same linage and therefore this inheritance doth belong vnto me and may not euery Saint and member of Christ in particuler knowing himself to be a spiritual heire of Abrahā Acts 3.25 26. reading the Letters Patents of the King of Heauen seeing the Kings Seale hauing all committed to his own vse conclude that the benefit of this blelongs vnto him seeing his father could not cancell it his Soueraigne would not neither can any pretend title to his preiudice for though there be many yet his interest is as good though perhaps not so great why should not he then apprehend it as his own right in particular Be the words neuer so generall he may safely inferre the particuler for this is the practice of the holy Ghost nay and the aduersaries themselues make the like conclusion It is the practise of the blessed spirit somtime to apply a particular to a general vse To apply particularly generall propofitions is the practise of the Spirit sometime casting that couer which will serue a multitude vpon a few and again healing the wounded heart of one with those plaisters which had bin applyed vnto many The Apostle applieth challengeth to himselfe others the same which the Prophet Dauid alledgeth of himselfe Seeing thē saith he that we haue the same spirit of faith according as it is written I beleeued Ps 116.10 2 Cor. 4.13 Ios 1.3 4 5 6. therefore haue I spoken wee also beleeue therefore speake by the same reason whereby the Lord encouraged Iosuah in particular against all enemies euery member of Christ aswell one as another all as any one in his iudgement must be moued in all their wants to eschew couetousnesse Heb. 13.5 and be content with such things as they haue because he that is the Lord hath said it I wil in no case faile thee neither forsake thee Ps 56.4 11.13 Heb. 13 6. seeing that kingly Prophet vpon the persuasion that the Lord was his helper did not feare what man might do vnto him both he and other may not only account the Lord as their helper also but vpon that hope take heart against the feare of all wrongs And is it not cleare in that great question how a man stands righteous in the sight of God that