Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	great_a	let_v	sinner_n	1,997	5	7.5506	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01368	The vviddoves mite cast into the treasure-house of the prerogatiues, and prayses of our B. Lady, the immaculate, and most glorious Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. With reasons why we are to haue great confidence in her prayers. Whereunto is annexed, A prayer, for the loue of God, made in contemplation of the passion of Christ our Sauiour.	A. G., fl. 1619.; Matthew, Tobie, Sir, 1577-1655, attributed name.	1619 (1619)	STC 11490; ESTC S118624	73,100	210

to make some men great Saints Aduenture to appeare before thy face In whome thou findst no cause but of complaints 135. From hence it is deare Lord that I decline That seate of Iustice and that royall Throne Where purest Angells who most brightly shine Do loose their lustre when by thyne t' is showne 156. From hence it is that I am trembling still VVhen I consider that dread Maiesty That light inaccessible which doth kill All soules wherein it findes impiety 137. From hence it is that I did beg of thee Not only that thou wouldst thy selfe impart But that it might in such a fashion be As should engraue thy Passion in my hart 138. For on the Crosse thou art all sweet and soft And poore and humble and surchargd with payne For my vngratefull soule which hath so oft Renewed thy wounds and made them bleed againe 139. O thou faire fountaine with fiue springs of loue VVhich make such streames as that by running still They grow to be a Sea which flowes aboue The bancks of all that hath the name of Ill. 140. Not only quenching the hoat flames of Hell Though vulgar men conceaue that this is all But sanctifying wicked men so well As makes them lead a life Angelicall 141. Lend me one grayne of that deare Loue of thyne Which by protection may transmute me so From Lead to Gould as that these debts of myne May both be payd and I more rich may grow 142. Or rather I presume to beg of thee Not that so much my Loue may be increast As that the obiect may quite changed be And I loue most what I haue yet lou'd least 143. For there was euer planted in my hart Great power to loue and happy had I beene If only I had well applyed that part To serue my God insteed of seruing sinne 144. Nay happy should I be if from this hower My loue were all diuorst from humane thinges And so espousd to thee as to want power Of seeking ought but what thy seruice bringes 145. How soone wouldst thou forget my follyes past Thy Grammar which must conster the expense Of all myne howres incongruously plast Hath Futures but no Preter perfect tense 146. Heere then receaue all that doth yet remayne I take thy word which once thou gau'st to me That thou wouldst draw all soules to thee againe When on the Crosse thou shouldst exalted be 147. Draw me but draw me home for els my hart Which is so slippery and so heauy growne Either by fraud or els by force will start From such coniunction as should make vs one 148. Speake to my soule but with so loud a voyce As I may heare and in a tune so sweet That deafe to other thinges I may reioyce To tread the happy steps of thy pure feet 149. Turne backe sometyme and breath vpon me so That with delight I may aduance my pace And not remembring how to creep and go May runne and reach these odours of thy grace 150. I aske not that I may be worldly wise Nor learned strong nor rich nor much esteemd Such trash as this I hope I shall despise Who am from all erroneous fayth redeemd 151. I aske not to be free from anxious thought Of suddaine death or dropping downe to Hell The matchlesse price wherewith my soule was bought Perswades me that thou louest it much too well 152. I aske not that thou wouldst these fetters loose Which do my soule from heauenly blisse detayne For t' is more noble and I rather choose To suffer for thee then with thee to raigne 153. But let me only by thy hand be blest Lend me one cast of thy propitious eye Inflame me with desires to do the best For good is naught when better doth stand by 154. O that I could consider as I know The little which thy Law of me requires The much that to thy ardent Loue I owe And yet I freeze enuirond by such fires 155. Thou bidst me loue thee and I beg the same How come I then to misse what I intend T' is that I aske it of thee but for shame And no strong purpose that I haue to mend 156. For loue consisteth not in words but workes Not in velleities but constant will To roote out passion which so falsely lurkes And make stiffe warre against all shew of ill 157. Heerein I fayle and do not only craue Strength for the tyme to come but humbly sue For pardon of sinnes past the more I haue The greater prayse is to thy mercy due 158. Let not thy sword of Iustice take my head Let not my wretched hart be stond to death Let not thy wheele of vengeance which lyes spread Against all sinners take my dying breath 159. But if I may not liue and please thee still Rather let fire of Loue consume me quite Or let teares drowne me if it be thy will Or endles sighing breake my hart outright 160. And for my tombe I neither will aske more Nor care for lesse then those deare armes of thyne VVhich haue such vertue as to keep in store All that they touch free from the wracke of tyme. 161. Let others seeke for life and liberty And in that course eternized to be The highest thoughts of my ambition flye But to be dead and buried thus in thee FINIS

ancient holy Fathers fly vp as if they had beene in Extasies when they entred vpon the prayses of this Blessed Virgin which afterward I shall with better oportunity relate and in the meane tyme they who cannot see the high titles of Honour that are imparted to the B. Virgin in Holy Scripture are in a miserable obscurity of mind which they haue deseruedly fallen into through the paynes they take to beare no tendernes of deuotion towards her I thinke I say well in affirming that they take paynes to this purpose for otherwise it seemeth impossible that men who professe themselues Christians and who take vpon them to vnderstand so well what is recommended in Holy Scripture should carry such an auersion as it is certayne they doe howsoeuer sometymes they professe the contrary for very shame from the Mother of that Sonne by whome they say they hope for their saluation notwithstanding that the Holy Ghost hath taken pleasure to expresse al the circumstances that belong to her and that he did not only imploy the Euangelists thereabout when Christ was to be Incarnate but the Prophets also so many hundreds of yeares before who fortold what kind of creature she was to be To which purpose these are the wordes of S. Bernard The generation of our B. Lady is knowne to haue beene graunted from heauen Bernar. ser in c. 12. Apoc for the singular priuiledge of sanctity which she had Her birth was forepromised by the auncient Fathers it was prefigured by mysticall miracles it was insinuated by propheticall Oracles the Sacerdotall Rod which florished without a roote the Fleece of Gedeon which grew most in the middest of a d●y floore the Orientall gate spoken of in the vision of Ezechiel which was neuer open to the accesse of any did designe prediscouer this Virgin CHAP. IIII. THE next Publication of the admirable priuiledges of our B. Lady was in the Visitation which she made of S. Elizabeth at which tyme our B. Sauiour being then incarnate in her sacred wombe did also visit S. Iohn the Baptist whome S. Elizabeth had conceaued in hers some monethes before The excellency of our B. Lady appeareth in liuely colours by the happy change which was wrought in S. Elizabeth by her presence Luc. 1. For S. Elizabeth had no sooner heard her salutation then by the testimony of the sacred Text the infant in her wombe did euen spring which ioy S. Elizabeth her self was replenished with the holy Ghost she cryed out with a loud voyce sayd to the Virgin to this effect Blessed art thou among women Luc. 1. and blessed is the fruit of thy wombe and how come I to receaue this honour that the Mother of my Lord should visite me for behould sayth she as soone as euer the voyce of thy salutation did approach mine ears the Infant in my wombe did spring with ioy and happy art thou who didst beleeue for those thinges shall be performed which were tould thee by our Lord. What stupendious priuiledges prerogatiues are heere expressed by the Holy Ghost to haue beene imparted to the glorious and immaculate Virgin Vpon the first approach of her presence and the least sound of her voyce an infant in the wombe of his Mother did spring with ioy Luc. 1. which ioy supposeth taketh for graunted that he was already then indued with the vse of reason for such creatures as are not reasonable are not capable of cōceauing ioy And howsoeuer the working of this miracle may principally be imputed to the presence of our B. Sauiour as to the cause yet who seeth not that he was not pleased to impart such an vnheard of benefit but by the condition of his sacred Mothers presence to which also she did so nobly concurre and in conformity heerof it is plaine that S. Elizabeth her selfe reflected vpon her as a great meanes therof Againe the Mother was for her part immediatly vpon the hearing of the Virgins salutation replenished with the Holy Ghost in the strength whereof she did with a loud and Propheticall voyce proclaime the blessednes of that Mother and Sonne and confound her selfe with the mercy which was vouchsafed her in that the Mother of our Lord would descend so low as to visit her This heape alone of miracles which did as it were ouerwhelme S. Elizabeth and the acknowledgement she made of her own extrem vnworthines to receaue such graces from the mother of our Lord may iustly kindle an vnwonted ardour of deuotion in the hearts of Catholikes towards the Blessed Virgin and as iustly humble the proudest Caluinists hart in the world with shame inough to consider how straitely at least they conceaue of the glorious Queene of Heauen who raigneth and shineth with immortal maiesty when they see a S. Elizabeth a neere kinswoman of Christ himselfe and consequently deriued from the loynes of so many Kinges a Saint in so eminent degree a Prophetesse and the Mother of the greatest among the children of Men who was the very Precursour and Baptist of Christ our Lord so loose her selfe as it were with admiration which she discouereth by those interiections of exclamation to see that the Mother of God whilest yet she was but mortall and the Sauiour of the world not yet borne of her should diminish her selfe so much as to vouchsafe her a visit But I shal afterward resume this point by occasion of the impiety and fearefull blasphemy of some Caluinists when I compare the base mentiō which they tremble not to make of her with the most honourable memory which the lights ornaments of the Catholike Church the holy Fathers haue euery where expressed And in the mean tyme such as loue the Sonne as no man doth indeed who will not giue all due honour to the Mother must rise to more then ordinary veneration and deuotion towardes this perpetuall Virgin to the end that the visits which she vouchsafeth to impart not once but often by her motions to vs her prayers for vs may make the spirituall fruit of our harts which is our actions spring vp with ioy vpon the presence approach of Christ in the Holy Sacrament and that we may keep such accompt of the inspirations which she procureth for vs and sendeth so often into the eares of our soule as may make it proue a fit house for the holy Ghost to inhabite Well may we say with S. Augustine Aug. li 1. Confess cap. 4. Angusta est domus animae meae dilata eam ruinosa est refice eam He confesseth to God that the house of his soule is strait and he beseecheth him to enlarge it he confesseth that it is ruinous and he beggeth of him that he wil repaire it and by what better meanes can we as it were ingage Almighty God to bestow those mercyes on vs through Christ our Lord then when we present and put him in mind of this Soueraigne Virgin who was enabled by his omnipotent hand to