Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	grace_n	great_a	love_n	4,912	5	5.2007	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00801	A sermon preached at Paules Crosse the second Sunday in Mychaelmas tearme last. 1590. By Geruase Babington D. of Diuinitie. Not printed before this 23. of August. 1591	Babington, Gervase, 1550-1610.	1591 (1591)	STC 1092; ESTC S110424	34,925	81

hony combe and ●●●●eth our soules to loue againe except we be dead yea to loue most earnest according to the mercie that we haue tasted of Some shadowing of it we may sée in men that stand all condemned iustlie for matter of trespasse committed and expect a sentence of bitter death accordingly Let the Prince in this case release one pardoning in mercie and giuing life when paritie of trespasse called for equall punishment O how leapeth the hart of that released one when be knoweth it crying mercy mercy O swéetest mercy how bound am I for this release Can I loue can I thinke can I honor euer condignly the fountaine of this fauour towards me I cannot I cannot and therefore I will dye with this O mercy aboue merit and hope of requit all in me So it is in our election where onely grace hath made the difference saued vs. The loue is great we cannot but sée it what is due we may not deney it If all loue destre loue againe God forbid but such loue should be euer thought of as the Lord inableth Fourthly it prouoketh vs to all good works we neuer think obediene to much y t redounneth to the good liking of him y t thus hath loued vs. If men in this world shall stede vs any way how wish we how will we how care we how seeke we to do the thing that may content auoyd the thing that may offend them what comparison is there betwixt the loue of men and this loue of God towards vs before the world was made Can then the knowledge and true regard of it be without fruite in our conuersation It cannot be Fiftly it stayeth vs against offence that wold grow by such as fall away if this wer not For it telleth vs some stand in show and some stand in truth some stand for tyme and some stand for euer If any had bene of vs saith y e Apostle Ihon. They would haue continued with vs. Feare we not therfore when men start aside but stand we fast whosoeuer shake remembring wel that all being not apointed to the end they neither are apointed to the meanes Lastly most swéetly this doctrine of our election profiteth vnto patience telling vs y t no tiranny in this cursed worlde no malice nor moods of mortall men can or shall euer preuaile beyond the limits and lists of his counsell y t hath decréed their pitch And therefore indure it and indure it patiently for he moderateth This comforted the Apostles for their Lord master in that notable place of the Acts worthy reading a thousand times O Lord say they against thy holy Sonne Iesus whome thou hadst anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentills and the people of Israel gathered themselues together But what could they doe Surely they haue done nothing but what thy hand and thy counsell had determined before to be done This comfort our Sauiour himselfe pleased to apply to himself against the cruel enemy lifting him selfe vp vāting as though he had all power of life death against our Sauiour Thou couldst haue no power against me saith he except it were giuen thee from aboue True in the head and true in the members euer to our great stay and comfort These and such like are y ● fruits of this doctrine of our election Which they neuer tasted nor euer knew that so wickedly condemne it Let it suffice that we féele it to the prayse of God our comfort and let them perish with their error that so cast away a doctrine of such heauenly vse if they will not repent and be perswaded Away then with those cursed Cauils that flye vp downe against this doctrine For it is holy it is swéete it is the Lordes It maketh no man set all at six and seuen as carelesse what he doth saying if I be predestinate to be saued I cannot be damned and if I be apointed to death I cannot be saued But contrarywise it maketh men rather carefull to vse meanes as knowing that the decrée of God taketh his effect by meanes And therefore such as rightly vnderstand this doctrine cary in themselues a care not to speake prophanely of any truth of God howbeit they knowe that the decrée of God standeth euer in it selfe vnchangeable and cannot be altered yet looke they not at that but at the meanes that God hath apointed all men to vse either for the obtaining or auoyding of any thing wished or feared And those meanes they vse with all care and diligence séeking the ende by the way ordeyned not any way made retchlesse in the meanes by the end As for example that I may be plaine Rebecca knew that GOD had apointed her sonne Iacob to liue to be a greater man then Esau because God himselfe had tould her that he would make two mightie nations of her two sonnes the elder should serue the yonger yet did she not conclude hérevpon as these men do that therfore it skilled not what she did when Esau threatned to kill Iacob for being apointed to liue he could not be killed But contrarywise she most carefully deuised and most spéedely vsed meanes to kéepe him from danger by sending him away to her brother Laban till Esau his anger should be as waged Knowing as I say that the decrée of God did not preiudice meanes but rather binde vnto the same as being to take his effect in time by the same And so she ran not rashly to the counsell of GOD as these men doe but looked what her owne dutie was and vsed that By which meanes her Sonnes both liued and all came to passe well as God had decréed Take an other example as plaine as this In the Acts of the Apostles we read that Paule and his company were in great danger vpon y t sea In so much that they were faine to throw all their lading out and in the end the ship burst in two Before the extremitie of the perill God that is euer carefull to comfort his by his Angel in y t night foretould Paule of all y t should happen had him not feare for he should escape and for his sake all likewise that were with him which were in number 276. soules Héere was Gods coūsell knowen his decree and purpose reuealed which Paule beléeued and exhorted all thē most firmely to be persuaded of What now Did Paule vpon this cōclude as these men speak why then it skills not what we do For God hauing determined to saue vs we cannot be drowned No such matter but leauing y ● decrée of God looketh streight at the meanes that must be vsed the industrie of y ● Mariners who wold haue stolne away had not Paule preuented them the strēgthning of their bodies by taking some meat Which being don such as could swim threw themselues first into the Sea y t getting to land they might helpe

of God vpon their vnderstanding may I saye y ● hastning of this day by conspiracies and treasons treacheries and practises abhorred of all true Christians proue vnto any mans soule this comming that we speake of Let the iudgements of God answer for me who hath euer yet wounded in wrath the hayry scalp of such cursed caitifes and being immutable in his iustice shall still finde out such wickednesse and giue them their portion of shame and confusion in this world with endlesse wo in y t world to come Which Lord we beséech thée in mercy towards vs and this land still doe and with hands harts lifted vp to heauen we thāke thy maiestie for thy great goodnesse in this behalfe crauing in y ● precious bloud of Jesus Christ that the Soule of our Souereigne may still be bound in the bundell of life with thee her gracious God and her our enemies for thy gospells sake be euermore cast out as out of the middle of a sling Amen Amen May that most fearefull diuision bitternesse and gaule both in word writing y ● hath now too long so spotted this famous Church of England and many worthy men in it prooue vnto any guiltie causer of the same his comming to Christ Surely it doth not Surely it cannot And y ● God of might and power persuade it to vs. What am I beloued that after so many worthy instrumēts in Gods Church which both in this place and else where haue touched this griefe I should assay to coole and delay the heat of it Surely I am no bodie and therefore better for me to doe as I haue hitherto done sit still in silence and wish that my head were full of water and myne eyes a fountaine of teares y t I might wéepe day and night for this fault amongst vs thē to say any thing of it Yet since God is strong in weaknesse and hath a blessing for euerie mans speach seasoned with his truth according to his pleasure I ioyne my hart tongue and soule to theirs that haue herein persuaded and with all the power of my spirit I beséech you brethren with them high and low whatsoeuer you are as the Apostle dyd y t Philippians If there be any consolation in Christ any comfort of loue any felowship of the Spirit any compassion and mercy fulfill we the Apostles ioye being like minded hauing the same loue being of one accord and of one iudgement nothing being done through contention or vaine glory but that in meekenes of minde we may euery man esteme others better thē our selues c. Thinke we of the words of our Sauiour Christ neuer to be forgotten of a Christian man that Hereby we are to be discerned to be his disciples if we loue one an other Hereby I say hereby If we loue one an other Loose this badge and loose our comfort weare it and show it and as the Lord is God we are his chosen God is loue and he that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God and God in him An vnspeakeable comfort to the man that hath loue God is not contention malie 〈◊〉 therefore he that dwelleth in these dwelleth not in God nor God in him As vnspeakeable a terror where loue is lacking if it were thought of Blessed are the peace makers for they shalbe called the children of God Cursed then are the peace breakers bate makers for they are not the children of God What saith y ● Apostle to the Ephesians So say I. Ther is one bodie one spirit one hope of our calling one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue all and through all and in vs all For his Blud that dyed for vs let all these ones make vs one indeuoring to our dying day to keepe that vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace which there the Apostle inferreth And I beséech you marke what vertues in y t place are noted as necessary to this vertue if euer we wish it Humblenesse of minde to bridle pride contempt Meekenesse moderating anger desire of reuenge Long suffring to indure infirmities in brethren And a supportation one of another thorough loue to meete with summum eius when we are wronged These are y ● vertues that preserue concord and are as cheynes and braceletts of gold to y ● possessors of them Againe what strength and power to persuade euery good minde is in y ● similitude of members which the holy Ghost vseth you haue often heard therefore I spare to stand vpon it Onely let me remember you what Xenophon speaketh with good consideration to witte that we haue Oculos manus pedes binos vt coniuncti se adiuuent non impediant Eyes hands feete two of eche that ioyning ioyned together one may be an help to the other Sic decet fratres 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So becommeth it brethren to haue hands eyes and féete one for an other As the man that was blind caried the lame man on his back and so lent him his legges the lame man guided y ● blind man and so lent him his eyes But against a brother we should neither haue handes eyes feete pen paper yncke tongue hart word thought nor any thing if all were as it should be O fearefull 〈◊〉 beloued if it were felt with trembling hart to fall into the offence of God Why 〈◊〉 thou my words in thy mouth c. 〈◊〉 what hast thou to doe with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thée as long as 〈…〉 to ●uell and with thy tongue forgest deceipt as long as thou sittest and speakest against thy BROTHER and slandrest thy mothers sonne When brethren therefore speake one against an other they are not reformed as they should be the Lord wil neither alow them to speake in his name nor take them as beleuers in the same if they continew But wil reproue them as the text saith setting before them these misdemenors will teare them in peeces and no man shall deliuer them How feareful againe is that of Salomon that sixe things the Lord hateth and the seuenth his soule abhorreth What is that seuenth euen he that rayseth vp contention amongst brethren This man or woman this person rich or poore the Lord hateth the Lord loatheth and the very soule of the Lord abhorreth A fearefull speach If any man tell me I loose my labour in persuading peace as long as men kéepe the mindes they haue that they must haue this that in the state altered or they will haue no 〈◊〉 To this man I saye as Austen sayd 〈◊〉 dicitur glacialem niuē calulam esse 〈…〉 pacto quam diū nixest 〈…〉 c. It is truely said y t the congealed snow cannot be hat For as long as it is snow it cannot be hotte But that Snow may be dissolued then that water that before was cold snow may be heat