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	heart_n	sin_n	6,347	5	4.4483	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02536	Epistles. The third and last volume containing two decades / by Ioseph Hall ...	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1611 (1611)	STC 12663.4; ESTC S4691	58,643	256

were solue not when your hart is once thus setled it shall commaund all things to aduantage The World shall not betray but serue it and that shall be fulfilled which God promises by his Salomon VVhen the wayes of a man please the Lord he wil make his enimies also at peace with him Sir this aduice my pouerty affoorded long since to a weake friend I Write it not to you any otherwise then as Schollers are woont to say their part to their Maisters The world hath long and iustly both noted and honoured you for eminence in wisedome and learning and I aboue the most I am ready with the awe of a Learner to embrace all precepts from you you shall expect nothing from me but Testimonies of respect and thankefulnesse EPIST. III. To S George Fleetwood ¶ Of the remedies of sinne and motiues to auoyde it THere is none either more common or more troblesom guest then Sin Troublesome both in the solicitation of it and in the remorse Before the act it wearies vs with a wicked importunity after the act it torments vs with feares and the painful gnawings of an accusing Conscience Neyther is it more irkesome to men then odious to God who indeed neuer hated any thing but it and for it any thing How happy were we if we could be rid of it This must be our desire but cannot be our hope so long as wee carry this bodie of sinne and death about vs yet which is our comfort it shall not carry vs though wee carry it It will dwell with vs but with no commaund yea with no peace Wee grudge to giue it house-roome but wee hate to giue it seruice This our Hagar wil abide many strokes ere she be turned out of doores she shall go at last and the seede of promise shall inherit alone There is no vnquyetnesse good but this and in this case quietnesse cannot stand with safetie neither did euer warre more truly beget peace then in this strife of the soule Resistance is the way to victory and that to an eternall peace and happynesse It is a blessed care then how to resist sinne how to auoyd it and such as I am glad to teach and learne As there are two grounds of all sin so of the auoydance of Sinne Loue and Feare These if they be placed amisse cause vs to offend if aright are the remedies of euill The Loue must be of God Feare of Iudgement As he loues much to whom much is forgiuen so hee that loues much will not dare to dooe that which may neede forgiuenesse The heart that hath felt the sweetnesse of Gods mercies will not abide the bitter rellish of sinne This is both a stronger motiue then Fear and more Noble None but a good heart is capable of this grace which who so hath receyued thus powerfully repelles tentations Haue I found my God so gracious to me that hee hath denyed mee nothing eyther in earth or heauen and shal not J so much as deny my owne will for his sake Hath my deare Sauiour bought my soul at such a price and shall he not haue it Was hee crucified for my sinnes and shall I by my sinnes crucifie him againe Am J his in so many bonds and shall J serue the Diuel O God! is this the fruit of thy beneficence to me that J should wilfully dishonor thee Was thy blood so little worth that I should treade it vnder my feete Dooth this become him that shall be once glorious vvith thee Hast thou prepared heauen for me and do I thus prepare my selfe for heauen Shall I thus recompence thy loue in dooing that which thou hatest Satan hath no Dart I speak confidently that can pierce this Shielde Christians are indeed to oft surprized ere they can holde it out there is no small pollicy in the suddainenesse of temptation but if they haue once setled it before their brest they are safe and their enemy hopelesse Vnder this head therefore there is sure remedie against sinne by looking vpwardes backwards into our selues forwards Vpwards at the glorious Maiesty and infinite goodnesse of that God whom our sinne would offend and in whose face we sin whose mercies whose holynesse is such that if there were no hel we would not offend Backwards at the manifold fauours whereby we are obliged to obedience Into our selues at that honourable vocation wherewith he hath graced vs that holy profession we haue made of his calling and grace that solemne vowe Couenant whereby we haue confirmed our profession the gracious beginnings of that spirit in vs which is grieued by our sinnes yea quenched Forwards at the ioy which will follow vpon our forbearance that peace of conscience that happy expectation of glory compared with the momentary and vnpleasing delight of a present sinne All these out of Loue Fear is a retentiue as necessary not so ingenuous Jt is better to be wonne then to be frighted from sinne to be allured then drawne Both are little inough in our pronesse to euil Euil is the onely obiect of feare Heerein therefore wee must terrifie our stubburnnesse with both euils Of losse and of sence that if it be possible the honor of the euent may counteruaile the pleasure of the tentation Of losse remembering that now we are about to loose a God to cast away all the comforts hopes of ano her world to rob our selues of all those sweete mercies we inioyed to thrust his spirit out of doores which cannot abide to dwell within the noysom stench of sinne to shut the doores of heauen against our selues Of sence That thus we giue satan a right in vs power ouer vs aduantage against vs. That wee make God to frowne vpon vs in heauen That we arme all his good creatures against vs on earth That we do as it were take Gods hand in ours scourge our selues with all Temporall plagues and force his curses vpon vs and ours That we wound our owne consciences with sins that they may wound vs with euerlasting torments That we do both make an hell in our breasts before hande and open the gates of that bottomlesse pit to rereceiue vs afterwards That wee doe now cast Brimstone into the Fire and least we should faile of tortures make our selues our owne fiends These vvhat euer other terrors of this kinde must be layde to the soule vvhich if they be throughly vrged to an heart not altogether incredulous Wel may a man aske himselfe how he dare sin But if neyther this Sunne of mercies nor the tempestuous Winds of iudgement can make him cast off Peters cloake of vvickednesse hee must bee clad vvith confusion as vvith a cloak according to the Psalmist I tremble to thinke hovv many liue as if they vvere neyther beholden to God nor affrayde of him neyther in his debt nor daunger As if their heauen and hell vvere both vpon earth Sinning not onely vvithout shame but not vvithout mallice It is theyr least ill to do