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
A93240	Divine cordials: delivered in ten sermons, upon part of the ninth and tenth chapters of Ezra, in a time of visitation. By that godly and faithfull preacher of Gods Word, Iosiah Shute, B.D. and late rector of Mary Woolnoths in Lumbard-Street London. Published by authority.	Shute, Josias, 1588-1643.; Reynoldes, William.	1644 (1644)	Wing S3714; Thomason E38_7; ESTC R7756	101,687	190

hee must confesse them with hope to obtaine mercy and pardon and if yee look into sacred Writ you shall finde that when Gods children have come to confesse their sinnes they have still done it with hope of forgivenesse therefore sometimes they urge him by his Covenant Nehem. 9.32 sometimes for his mercy sake Nehem. 9.32 Psal 6.4 Psal 25.11 Psal 6.4 and sometimes for his name sake Psal 25.11 as if they had said O Lord wee know wee for our sinnes deserve not to be heard yet Lord finde matter in thy selfe of being mercifull unto us and for thy goodnesse sake reject us not the depths of whose misery call for the depths of thy mercy Let the consideration of this Vse teach us to take out this needfull lesson some there be that confesse their sinnes but it is with despaire thus did Cain and Iudas and of Francis Spira we read that being neare unto death he could not be perswaded of Gods mercies but died despairing But for our selves let us confesse our sinnes with hope that God will pardon us and with the servants of Benhadad let us addresse our selves to him and say we have heard that thou who art the King of Israel art a mercifull King let us never despaire but still come in hope of mercy though wee know that God hath just cause to damne us because the sharp grapes of our sinnes have sowred his countenance with indignation Let us not for all that cast away the staffe of our confidence but look up to heaven and say with Iob Though thou killest me yet will I trust in thee thou our God hast punished us Doth he call him their God and yet doth he punish them hee seemes to impropriate God unto them and yet he saith he punished them by the conjunction of these together I lay down this as a firme conclusion God may love and yet punish I will make it plaine unto you sometimes God punishes unwillingly Lam. 3.33 He doth not punish willingly Lamen 3.33 nor grieve the children of men And when hee is forced to punish Isa 1.24 it is with Ah and alasse Isa 1.24 Secondly it appeares thus because he desires to bee stopt in his way of punishing yee see on what faire tearmes he would have been taken off from punishing Sodom and Gomorrah if there had beene but ten righteous persons in those Cities hee would have spared them for tens sake Gen. 18.32 nay Gen. 18.32 Ezek. 22.30 in Ezek. 22.30 the Lord saith if he could but have found one man to stand in the gap before him for the land he would not destroy it and in Ierem. 5.1 he saith Ierem. 5.1 Runn to and fro thorow the streets of Ierusalem and see now and know and seek in the broad places thereof if yee can find a man if there be any that executeth judgement or that seeketh the truth and I will pardon it God would have beene glad if one could have been found to avert his indignation Nay when he finds no such intercessours then he tells men before-hand what he will doe that by their repentance they may keep him out of the way of his justice Amos 4.12 Amos 4.12 Therefore thus will I doe unto thee O Israel and because I will do thus unto thee prepare to meet thy God O Israel it is the saying of Seneca and it is a true one a man that professeth hatred to another is thereby prevented of doing him the mischiefe hee intended Hence it was that Absolom forbore to speak either good or bad to his brother Ammon for three yeares together for feare he should suspect some mischiefe towards him and when God tells men plainly before-hand what hee will doe unto them it is a cleare demonstration that be desires to be stopt in the way of his fury Thirdly this shewes it because that when his hand of punishment is upon them it shall be removed if they repent This we finde often made good to Israel on their performance of the condition and it is a signe we have not repented under Gods hand if wee have not found it true in our own experience Lastly it appeares to be true by this he punishes men because he loves them this is plain Prov. 3.12 Revel 3.19 Prov. 3.12 cited in Rev. 3.19 whom the Lord loveth he correcteth He sees punishment as necessary for his children as meat and when hee layes it on it shall not be so much penall as medicinall therefore there must needs bee love in it Vse 1 I desire from my soule that people would bee perswaded of this I confesse it is durus sermo a hard saying and men will hardly be drawn to believe it especially when the affliction is smart How often did Iob think God his enemy when his hand was heavie upon him I knew it was in his paroxysme and hot bloud for in his coole bloud he retracts whatsoever he had said before the like we see in the Jewes because God did not presently settle them in the Land of Canaan therefore they say because the Lord hated us hee hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us Deut. 1.27 Deut. 1.27 And as a man is apt of himselfe to think so so the World and the Devill are prone to suggest such thoughts unto him the World saith as Moses supposeth the Enemies of God would say if hee should destroy his people Deut 9.28 Deut. 9.28 the Lord layes this affliction upon thee because he hates thee and the friends of Iob were conceitd that God punisht him because he hated him and his wife doubtlesse thought no other therefore shee bids him curse God and die The Devill also is busie at this when hee seeth Gods hand heavie upon a man What saith hee is this the God yee serve that thus layes load upon you assure your selves he would never punish you in this manner if he loved you this is but a draught of that cup the dregs whereof yee shall suck out in Hell thus hee layes an assault to our soules to hinder our eternall good wronging Gods mercy like a lyar as hee hath been from the beginning Why should we think it strange that God should love and punish see it in Ioseph the time was when hee took his brethren to be spies and felons all this while Ioseph offered violence to his own heart cruciat amat hee torments them and loves them for when he handled them most roughly hee could not forbeare but he must goe out and weep shall hee doe all this and yet love his brethren and may not God much more punish his children and yet at the same time love them So in David all men knew that he loved his Absolom well but yet when he turns Rebell he must take up armes against him yet at the same time hee bids his men intreat the young man Absolom kindly now can man punish

Gen. 18.25 Shall not the Iudge of all the world doe right Nay let mee tell you it is not triviall but grosse sinnes which cause God to punish men mark it in his dealing with the old world did hee take advantage at every petty impiety No but hee staid till all flesh had corrupted their wayes and then and not till then brought he the deluge Gen. 6.12 Gen. 6.12 so before ever he punisht Sodom and Gomorrah their sinnes were exceeding grievous Gen. 18.20 Psal 78. ●8 Gen. 18.20 It is said in Psal 78.38 he being mercifull forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not but oft-times called back his anger and did not stirre up all his wrath Another pregnant place to prove this 2 Chro. 36 16. is 2 Chro. 36.16 where the Spirit of God saith They mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused the Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people and till there was no remedy Mark he must of necessity punish them unlesse he would have his justice truth and providence troden under foot and when he saith he is prest under men as a cart is prest that is full of sheaves Amos 2.13 Amos 2.13 it shewes evidently that God doth not punish for every small sinne hee is propense to mercy but loath to punish hence it is that he calls opus judicii the work of judgement opus alienum a strange work Isa 28.21 Isa 28.21 and when he must needs punish his people hee saith he will shave them with a Rasor that is hired Isa 7.20 Isa 7.20 as if he had none of his own but was faine to borrow so prone is God to mercy that hee would ever think thoughts of peace towards us but wee will not suffer him Vse 1 We should ever justifie God in all the judgements he brings upon us the Saints of God have done this in all times thus did David Psal 119.75 Psa 119.75 I know O Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou in faithfulnesse hast afflicted me it was so also with Nehemiah Nehem. 9.33 Chap. 9.33 Thou O Lord art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but wee have done wickedly the like we see in Daniel Dan. 9.7 Chap. 9.7 O Lord righteousnesse belongeth unto thee but to us confusion of faces as at this day and the poore Thiefe on the crosse tels his fellow when be reviled our blessed Saviour Luk. 23.41 Wee indeed suffer justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amisse in Matth. 16.27 when our blessed Lord called the woman of Canaan Matth 15.26.27 dog she digests it saying Truth Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters Table and let wicked men dispute and plead as long as they are able it shall never be found but that God punishes deservedly But if it shall come into the minds of any to say as those in Ierem. 16.10 Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evill against us Ierem. 16.10 or what is our iniquity or what is our sinne that we have committed against the Lord our God I tell these as the Prophet told them you are plagued for your swearing lying Sabbath-breaking hypocrisie drunkennesse lusting oppression these and other sinnes bee the procreant causes of all plagues these bee the traitours which open the gates to all judgements Vse 2 In the second place seeing God punishes none without cause let it teach us patience under his afflicting hand And the truth is why should men be impatient under the crosse when as he punishes not till he be provoked neither is it every patience which will serve the turne there is asinina patientia an asses patience when a man is not sensible though never so much load be laid upon him Secondly there is canina patientia a doggish patience when like a snarling dog tied up in a chaine wee indure what is inflicted upon us against our will Neither of these will stand us in stead but Christian-like with all submission wee must take thankfully the hand of God upon us saying with holy Bernard Lord that which thou layest upon us is durum pro viribus hard to be born in regard of our poore strength sed dignum pro meritis but just in regard of our iniquities Let us be as the good corne which when it is winnowed falls at the winnowers feet not like the chaffe which flies in his face and let us say with David 2 Sam. 15.26 Behold here I am 2 Sam. 15.26 let him doe unto me as seemeth good unto him Further wee may observe that Ezra speaks not only of sinne in generall but of a great trespasse what was it it was the peoples mingling themselves with the Heathen which was a foule transgression the Doctrine arising from hence is thus much Doct. 5 When God arises to judgement hee ever sets himselfe against the foule sinnes of men Will some man say which be the foule sinnes for which God is so much offended They be these The first is pride what was it that put on David to number his people but the pride of his heart for which you know he smarted shrewdly 2 Sam. 24. A second 2 Sam. 24. is Idolatry this is a grievous sinne and for this God is exceeding angry wherever it is practised or countenanced Exod. 20.5 A third is lust Exod. 20.5 especially when it growes impudent as was that of Zimri and Cosbi A fourth is blasphemy wherefore was Senacharib that proud monster and a hundred fourescore and five thousand of his Army slaine but for blaspheming the God of Israel Isa 37. A fifth is murder this is that sinne for which God hath a quarrell with a Land Hosea 4 2. Hosea 4.2 The sixth is oppression the Lord is very wroth where this is committed therefore wee finde him saying Psal 12.5 For the oppression of the poore Psal 1● 5 and the sighing of the needy I will arise and set him in safety from him that puffeth at him And elsewhere he threatens to make his arrowes drunk in the bloud of oppressours The last sinne that I will name causing God to rise to judgement is the prophanation of his Ordinances Moses knew this which made him request Pharaoh to let them goe three dayes journey into the Desart and sacrifice to the Lord their God lest hee fall upon them with the Pestilence or sword Exod. 5.3 1 Cor. 11.33 a Exod. 5.3 and S. Paul saith in 1 Cor. 11.30 for this cause to wit for prophaning Gods Ordinance many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep Vse 1 It shall be a use of examination to us to search whether or no these sinnes be among us which if wee doe as wee ought wee will soone conclude that God plagues us for these very sinnes First for Idolatry is not that among us and

is more loathsome to him in peccato quamvis non persona in his sinne though not in his person then a toad is or can be in our eyes But I cannot stay here Shall wee joyne in affinity with the people of such abominations The Holy Ghost makes it a foule sinne to joyn in affinity with the Heathen and indeed so it is for God charges the contrary Exod. 34.15.16 Exod. 34.15.16 And yee shall finde that God hath followed those with punishments that have joyned themselves to Heathens Esau married strange Wives to the great griefe of his Father and Mother and he was made the more prophane by it The like we see in Solomon he married the King of Egypts Daughter and shee brought him to Idolatry for which God plagued both him and his posterity it was so with Sampson hee would needs have the Daughter of a Philistim to wife what followed upon it shee proved his bane so in Ahab he took to wife Iezabel the Daughter of the King of Zidonia which was the filling up of his iniquity and brought the curse of God on him and his progeny it is said in 1 Cor. 7.39 A woman 1 Cor. 7.39 if her Husband be dead is at liberty to be married to whom shee will onely in the Lord That is saith Gregory to a Christian and saith Augustine shee must still remaine a Christian though married to a Heathen And the same Apostle saith 2 Cor. 6.14 Bee not unequally yoaked with Infidels 2 Cor. 6.14 for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse What is the meaning of that Gregory saith S. Paul meanes that Christians should marry with Christians and Chrysostome saith To doe otherwise is to make the members of Christ the members of a Harlot Let us take heed of intimate familiarity with Heathens Vse and in this case I say to you as Sampsons Father said to him Is there never a daughter in Israel to please thee Nay I will spread it further Shun not only familiarity with Heathens but make no league with grosse sinners for there is much danger in it First the danger of suspition let a man bee never so good yet if hee associate himselfe with those that bee bad hee will bee thought as bad as they for what will men say birds of a feather flie together Secondly he runnes the hazard of infection all the Rivers in the World run into the Sea but yet they cannot sweeten it but are made brakish by it and a wicked man is tenne times more apt to corrupt a good man then he is to be wrought on by the conversation of a good man Thirdly there is a danger of a curse by consorting with wicked men for as many ill men fare the better for one good man thus the houshold of Potipher was blest for one Ioseph and all in the ship fared the better for Pauls presence so many good men may sometimes fare the worse for one wicked person thus for one Achan the whole Host of Israel is discomfited and this made Iohn the Evangelist to hasten out of the bath as soone as he saw Cerinthus there for saith he I feare lest the house should fall upon my head for being in company with such a wicked heretick as thou art This also was that which caused Moses to command the Israelites to depart from the Tents of Korah Dathan and Abiram and the Spirit of God saith Come out of Babylon my people lest by partaking in her sins yee partake of her plagues Besides when a good man maintaines inward familiarity with the wicked First hee seemes to approve and applaud their wickednesse Secondly it is a scandal to Religion and doth greatly prejudice weak Christians Thirdly it is a great meanes to keep the wicked from repenting for too much intimacy with them hardens them in their sinne take heed therefore of intimate acquaintance with wicked men and let our affection be to the Saints that be in the earth and to those that excell in vertue We now come to the punishment wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us so that there should be no remnant nor escaping First here is Gods anger in the first clause wouldst thou not be angry with us Secondly we have the degree of his anger in the last words so that there should bee no escaping Wee begin with Gods anger wouldst thou not be angry with us We must know that anger is not a passion in God as it is in man but in speaking thus the Spirit of God stoops to us to raise us up to him as the Nurse stammers to the child in its own dialect so our weaknesse makes God condescend unto us certaine it is that anger is in God as zeale not as vice Out of this first clause I note two things for our instruction The first is this Great sinnes after the receit of great favours are usually inherited by great judgments C ham was freed from being drowned with the old World which was a great deliverance if after this he shall not bee sensible of Gods mercy and shall mock his Father no marvell if he be made servus servorum a servant of servants Nay Noah himselfe if hee shall no more remember the favour of God then to bee excessive it is no wonder if he be mocked by his own child and this was no small judgement So for Lot if after so great a deliverance vouchsafed him he shall be guilty of Incest no marvell if his two Sons begotten of his Daughters prove the fatall enemies of Israel So for Pharaoh the deliverances which God gave him were admirable but for the contempt of them they are succeeded with great plagues it was a notable mercy which God afforded Nineveh in keeping off that judgement which Ionah had denounced against it when Nineveh sins againe see what God saith Nah. 1.9 I will make an utter end Nah●m 1.9 affliction shall not rise up the second time that is hee will so set on the stroak that hee need not smite twice it is like that speech of God to Samuel concerning Eli and his houshold When I begin I will also make an end 1 Sam. 3.12 and that caution of our blessed Saviour 1 Sam. 3 1● to the man that was cured at the Poole of Bethesda Sinne no more lest a worse thing come unto thee What doth it intimate to us but that great sinnes after great favours are inherited by great plagues The Magdeburgenses observe that these three things goe together great mercies have been bestowed great sinnes have ensued and great judgements have followed both And wonder not at this for it is a great dishonour to God that his favours should be sleighted Rom. 2.4 as in Rom. 2.4 Knowest not thou O man that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance That is it should lead thee to repentance Therefore beware of abusing the mercies of God else they

receive the Law of God for them it was a sinne of a horrid representation yet for that he found mercy and forgivenesse They were foule sinnes in which David was ingaged and sometimes they put him shrewdly to it causing him to complain and say They were a burthen too heavie for him yet God be thanked he had remission of them A fouler sinner cannot be imagined than Manasseh was who was an Idolater a shedder of innocent bloud in great abundance one that made his sonne passe through the fire and dealt with familiar spirits yet there was hope in Israel for him for upon his repentance hee was received to mercy Look upon Matthew and Zaccheus they were Publicans and Publicans in those dayes were notorious sinners for in the Gospell yee shall finde Publicans and sinners rankt together yet two maine ones of these were converted Shall I tell you of Peter who denyed nay forswore his Lord and Master yet hee obtained mercy Or shall I tell you of the woman which was a sinner in the City out of whom was cast seven devills yet Christ had mercy upon her and forgave her Shall I tell you of Paul who with his owne tongue confesseth that he was a persecuter a blasphemer nay the chief of sinners yet he obtained mercy pardon And when God would extend mercy to such a finner as hee what doth he but proclaime to the world that none should despaire Againe shall I tell you of the incestuous Corinthian who was a notable sinner yet upon his repentance hee was absolved Or shall I tell you of the Corinthians themselves of whom some had been Idolaters Adulterers Covetous Drunkards yet they were washed sanctified and justified when they had truely repented Let us therefore be perswaded and assured that every sinne is remissible if we can but repent Reason 3 The third Reason is drawne from the attributes of God First from his power there is no sinne whatsoever but hee can forgive it therefore the Prophet Micah saith Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee Mi●● 7.18 that pardoneth iniquity hee is not as man who can pardon a few offences but hee can pardon all sinnes as well the great as the small Secondly wee may reason from the justice of God saith the beloved Disciple 1 Joh. 1.9 1. John 1.9 If we confesse our sinnes hee is faith full and just to forgive us our sinnes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Thirdly we may reason from the mercy of God that bottomlesse Ocean which can never be exhausted and drawne dry O the depth the breadth the length the height of the mercy of God! the depth of it is such as it cannot be imagined for it is infinite and such is the breadth of it that it reacheth over all the earth and for the length of it it is of a large extension for it is everlasting Psal 117.2 Psal 117.2 and for the height of it it is of such an altitude that it reacheth above the clouds Psal 108.4 Again Psal 108.4 if ye speak of the greatest gift that ever God bestowed on the world it was this he gave his Sonne Jesus Christ to die for sinners and when our Saviour came into the World he did converse with sinners at which though the Scribes and Pharisees snuffed saying He was a companion of Publicans and sinners yet we must know that hee no more contracted pollution from them then the Sunne doth when it shines on a stinking dunghill and yet some of those went into heaven before those learned Rabbies And for the death of our Blessed Lord which was the end of his comming the efficacy of it was such that it was not onely of force to forgive pence but talents and it is the unanimous consent of all the holy Fathers that no sinne is unpardonable if men doe but repent Tertullian saith hee that threatens sinne grants pardon to men upon their repentance and saith Cyprian It is impossible that the whole burnt offering of a contrite spirit should be repelled and Saint Bernard saith The plaister is bigger then the soare and where sin abounded grace hath much more abounded Enough then hath been said for the proof of the point I will onely answer one Objection and so I will come to apply it Will some man say Objection Is the greatnesse of the sin no impediment to the forgivenesse of it What say ye then to the sinne against the holy Ghost those that commit that are never like to obtaine pardon I answer Solution this is no impeachment to the truth which I have delivered for I said and say again If men doe repent though their sins were never so grear they shall be pardoned but the sin against the holy Ghost admits of no repentance therefore if ever thou didst sigh for sinne that was not the sinne against the holy Ghost for such as are guilty of chat transgression are without all sorrow remorse and that sin is not irremissible because God cannot pardon it but because that wicked man cannot performe the condition which God requires of him and that is Repentance as it is with a Patient who spits in the Physicians face and throwes away all good potions prescribed him for his recovery of such a one we say hee is incurable so we say of the sinne against the holy Spirit he that commits it because hee despights the Spirit of God and because hee repells grace being offered him therefore he becomes so obdurated in sinne that hee cannot repent So that notwithstanding this Objection the truth of the point remaines unshaken that the greatnesse of a sinne if there be repentance is no impediment to the remission of it Vse 1 It meets with the old and false position of the Novatian Hereticks who said That men falling into sinne after conversion there was no place for their repentance Cyprian calls the author of that Heresy the enemy of Gods Mercy and the slayer of repentance but they held not constant to this for afterwards they said There was no place for Repentance to him that sinned after Baptisme and not long after they came to mollifie this also saying That a man might repent of small sinnes after Baptisme but if hee fell into great transgressions then there was a falling away utterly but the Fathers of the Church did all fight against these affirming That although men committed great sinnes after Conversion yet Repentance was ut tabula post naufragium as a planck to carry men to land after they had suffered shipwrack Will yee heare some of their arguments First they bring that place in Hebr. 6.4 Hebr. 6.4 where it is said It is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift if they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance This place hath much troubled the learned and for resolving it some have said impossible impossible is no more than difficile hard or difficult others say